Following the sale of the Raglan collection of military memorabilia, a further blow has been dealt to campaigners wishing to keep the estate complete. Cefntilla Court, the seat of Lord Raglan and the former home to artefacts of the Duke of Wellington, and from the Waterloo and Crimean campaigns, is up for sale. Described as "One of Monmouthshire's finest houses with beautiful grounds and parkland," the Grade II* Jacobean house can be dated by the fireplace in the Great Hall, inscribed '1616' and with Herbert arms. Cefntilla Court fell into disrepair but was rescued in 1856 by the Raglan Memorial Committee who purchased the house and estate for the widow and descendants of FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who had died in the Crimean War while leading the British expeditionary force. Following the death of Fitzroy John Somerset, 5th Baron Raglan, the house and its contents were left to his nephew, Henry Van Moyland, following a change of heart when his other nephew, Arthur Somerset, fell out of favour. An injunction in 2012 stopping the sale of the Raglan Collection from going ahead failed and the sale earlier this year, realised more than £2 million. Now the last vestige of the Lord Raglan heritage is going under the hammer through Knight Frank with a guide price of £1.65 million. Campaigner Bettina Harden of the Raglan Rescue Campaign, set up to help rescue the collection and raise awareness of the fight to save it, said: "I think that it is all a sad reflection on how Lord Raglan's wishes have been traduced. "He was passionate about his ancestor's heritage, added to the collection, proudly showed it to people. I'm sure he thought he was leaving it in safe hands. How wrong he was." At Cefntilla an inscription over the porch dated 1858 reads: "This house with 238 acres of land was purchased by 1,623 of the friends, admirers and comrades in arms of the late Field Marshal Lord Raglan GCB (Knight Grand Cross) and presented by them to his son and his heirs for ever in a lasting memorial of affectionate regard and respect". Cefntilla Court is Lot 1 of five and includes outbuildings, formal gardens, a walled garden, paddocks, parkland and two long driveways.
Lord Raglan’s house up for sale
Tuesday 30th September 2014 10:00 pm
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