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Contents of Athelhampton House fetch almost £1.5m at auction

News imageDuke's Auctions Athelhampton HouseDuke's Auctions

The contents of a stately home in Dorset have fetched almost £1.5m at auction.

The Cooke family put the contents of Athelhampton House near Puddletown under the hammer on Wednesday following the sale of the estate.

The Grade I listed, 15th Century house and 29-acre (12-hectare) estate was bought for £7m in July by economist Giles Keating.

The auction included furniture, ornaments, chandeliers, books and rugs.

News imageDuke's Auctions A Charles I oak stoolDuke's Auctions
An oak stool estimated to sell for about £3,000 went for £26,000

Pricier items included a George II side table which fetched £75,400, and a Charles I four-poster oak bed which sold for £44,200 - more than double its estimate. A Charles I oak stool went for £33,800.

News imageDuke's Auctions A George II side tableDuke's Auctions
A George II side table attracted one the highest bids at the auction
News imageDuke's Auctions A Charles I four-poster oak bedDuke's Auctions
A four-poster oak bed sold for double its estimate

The Tudor manor house had been in the Cooke family since 1957. Athelhampton's former owners have included a Lord Mayor of London and a Duke of Wellington.

It features in Thomas Hardy's poem The Dame of Athelhall and his short story The Waiting Supper.

News imageDuke's of Dorchester Athelhampton HouseDuke's of Dorchester
The house and gardens will stay open as a visitor attraction