DEVON, UK.- The Chanter’s House in Ottery St. Mary, Devon, has been the home of the prominent Coleridge family for centuries and during this time two High Court judges, a Lord Chief Justice of England and Liberal MP and the Executive Secretary of NATO have all successively lived there. Now the Coleridge family seat is being sold and Sotheby’s is delighted to announce that it has been instructed by The Coleridge Family Trust and Lord Coleridge to sell the contents of the house on Tuesday, October 24, 2006. The sale will present more than 600 lots of furniture, works of art, paintings and sculpture and is expected to fetch in excess of £1,000,000. Estimates will range from £20 to £60,000*.

Over the centuries, the Coleridge family has made a remarkable contribution to the nation’s heritage, through successive generations of immense intellectual, artistic, literary and athletic ability. Such talent has taken the Coleridge name high in every profession - from the army to the law - and this is evident in all corners of their country home.

The house:
Situated in a beautiful location amidst church towers to the east and the River Otter to the west, the Grade II listed house was built in the 1340s as the home of the chanter (one who chants in church) – hence the name. Set in acres of parkland, meadows and woods, the house was the most substantial structure of a collection of buildings which was constructed like a cathedral close around the 14th century church of St Mary on the edge of the village of Ottery St. Mary. The family’s first links with the house date from 1796 when the current Baron’s great, great, great, great grandfather – elder brother of the poet, philosopher and journalist Samuel Taylor Coleridge - bought the house for his wife and children after moving to Ottery as a child. Previously called Heaths Court, after the 18th century owners, the house was conveyed to James (Samuel’s brother) under its original name, The Chanter’s House.

On the death of James Coleridge in 1836 and later his widow in 1838, the house passed to their second son, Sir John Taylor Coleridge, who had been made a judge in 1835. He and his son, John Duke Coleridge, were extremely close and shared a strong literary, ecclesiastic and artistic interest and together, in 1840, they planned the first modest extensions to the house which were carried out by a local architect, William Lee of Honiton.

John Duke Coleridge followed his father into law and his career at the bar was hugely successful. In 1880 he was made Lord Chief Justice of England, historically the second highest judge of the Courts of England after the Lord Chancellor. With such a prestigious, high-ranking role and title John Duke felt it necessary to create a country home that truly befitted his new station. His thoughts therefore turned to rebuilding The Chanter’s House, the family seat he had inherited in 1876 upon his father’s death. The tragic early death of his wife, Jane Fortescue Seymour Coleridge, in 1878, persuaded him further to return to and develop the house - he was determined to make the house, in part, his memorial to her. He commissioned William Butterfield, the renowned architect of the day, who was a favourite of Queen Victoria and a friend of his uncle, Rev. Edward Coleridge.

Butterfield drew up impressive and monumental plans to transform the house into the epitome of Victorian living. The work commenced and only the kernel of the old building was retained (the dining room, old library and drawing room). The 1840s service wing was replaced by extensive new stables and service quarters, the entrance was moved to the east and the old south facing main façade, with an extra storey added, became the garden flank. The entire west wing of the house was transformed into a huge library designed for Lord Coleridge’s 24,000 books while north of this was a conservatory, aviary, skittle alley and billiard room for entertaining guests. The Devon born Arts & Crafts designer Walter Cave also made some interesting additions. The whole house was completely re-faced and these changes are still very much in evidence today. The Chanter’s House was Butterfield’s second and last substantial country house commission. Today it is the only remaining house by him that remains in private hands.

On the death of John Duke Coleridge, his son Bernard John Seymour Coleridge inherited the estate and he was succeeded by his son Geoffrey Duke Coleridge. Richard Duke, 4th Baron Coleridge, the current Lord Coleridge’s father, was the next custodian and he had a distinguished naval career and served as the first Executive Secretary of NATO from 1952-1970.

The Coleridge family’s decision to sell the house and its contents has been an extremely difficult one. Lord Coleridge (5th Baron) states: “My family has lived at The Chanter’s House for generations and it is full of our life and our history. Growing up in a house such as this, knowing that it’s been at the heart of your family for centuries, gives you an enormous sense of security and the decision to sell has been incredibly hard. Over the last few years we have done our very best to maintain the house but the task gets ever bigger and after a great deal of debate and financial consideration we have come to the sad conclusion that the time has come to say goodbye. We hope the future owners will cherish the house as much as we have and we will ensure that our ties with both the estate and Ottery are not broken.”

Sotheby’s Director Harry Dalmeny adds: “It is a great honour for Sotheby’s to have been entrusted with the sale of the contents of The Chanter’s House. This is one of Devon’s great country houses, home to one of Devon’s oldest families, and connected to the literary giant Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Over the course of 200 years the Coleridge family has produced poets, artists, soldiers, bishops and judges and been the custodians of this house. A fascinating group of portraits show the family and their friends to have been at the heart of the Victorian establishment, and the furnishings of the house add to the impression of a civilised, literary time capsule. We expect international interest in the lots on offer, and we hope that local people will also take the opportunity to explore The Chanter’s House for the last time and take part in this extraordinary sale.”

The sale
Typical of all country house sales, the auction will present a wealth of paintings, furniture, watercolours and miniatures, books, ceramics, sculpture, silver and works of art. Through the family’s military, legal and literary exploits and travels, the occupants of The Chanter’s House over the centuries have furnished it with a huge assortment of very personal and individual treasures, which have been passed down from generation to generation. The house was the perfect embodiment of mid-Victorian culture and this is heavily portrayed in the array of items on offer.