The sale of two urns in 2009 has become part of a Supreme Court ruling that could see historic items freely sold across the country.
Marcus Dill, the owner of Idlicote House in Warwickshire, sold the urns over a decade ago for the sum of £55,000 in order to pay for the upkeep of the property. He was unaware that the urns, by John van Nost, the Flemish sculptor, were included under the property’s grade II listing.
In a landmark ruling yesterday, the Supreme Court determined the urns were not “buildings” and as such could not be covered by the listing. They have since sent the case to housing secretary Robert Jenrick, who will be tasked with deciding how moveable objects are considered in listing building decisions.
According to The Times: “The ruling could be seized upon by owners of other stately homes to dispose of some objects that are protected by listed building rules.”
The Supreme Court’s decision contradicts the previous ruling made by the Court of Appeal, who determined that Dill could be forced to find the urns else risk prosecution for his actions.
Dill shipped the urns abroad to a buyer, the name of whom he claims not to know. He also stated that his father was not informed that the urns were included under the property’s listing.
He said: “The urns had passed down three generations and had moved with the family from place to place in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s,” continuing: “They had no relation to the listed houses where they had been situated, least of all Idlicote House, where they ended up, and nothing in the listing description recognised their true provenance.”
The matter is still part of a live appeal.
