Fate of precious Henry VIII stained glass in dispute as ‘haunted house’ auction halted at last minute.

Fate of precious Henry VIII stained glass in dispute as ‘haunted house’ auction halted at last minute.

The fate of precious Tudor stained glass marking the union of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is in dispute after its last-minute withdrawal from a private auction, the Observer has learned.

Urgent intervention by conservationists prevented the sale of English glasswork “of exceptional importance”, including a window made in the 1530s as well as older ­medieval glass. The windows were hanging in a 16th-century Dorset manor and were destined for a private contents auction until spotted listed alongside vintage furniture and china.

The rare stained glass lots were pulled from the bidding after a visit from Historic England and on the advice of the local council’s conservation officers. The roundels of heraldic glass have remarkable historic and cultural significance, according to experts, but were to have been auctioned in a clearance ahead of the sale of the whole of Sandford Orcas, a Grade I-listed building and a popular candidate for the title of England’s “most haunted house”.

On a site visit Dorset Council officers “noticed historic stained-glass roundels and a coat of arms had been removed, despite both these items being considered part of the listing,” a spokesperson for the local ­authority said this weekend. Removal would require listed buildings consent.

One of the more important ­windows is thought to have come from Nonsuch Palace, Henry VIII’s lost royal hunting base in Surrey. Built for him in 1538, the palace fell into disuse and only foundations remain. Many of its spectacular fittings and decorations are now dotted around Britain, adorning stately homes.