BNPS.co.uk (01202) 558833
Picture: Bonhams

The Copeland plaque by Charles Ferdinand Hurten, 1879. est £15,000

It is the ultimate garden sale -- The aristocrat Cunliffe-Copeland family are auctioning off millions of pounds of antiques in a unique sale of the entire contents of their stately home Trelissick House near Truro in Cornwall. For generations the family have filled the magnificent The 18th century manor with treasures acquired from travels around the globe.

58 years ago the house was left to the National Trust on the condition members of the family could carry on living in the property. But the current incumbent, William Copeland and wife Jennifer, have decided to buy a normal-sized family home and are unable to take the hundreds of heirlooms with them. So they are holding a two-day sale of ancient ornaments, paintings, furniture, jewellery, silverware, books, rugs and wine in the grounds of Trelissick House, near Truro, later this month, and hope to raise £3million