Baroness sparks mansion patio row

The hall is set back in 326 acres of land

A multi-millionaire businessman who bought a £3.5m mansion from a self-styled baroness is locked in a court battle after accusing her of taking the patio.

Hugh Taylor, 52, was dismayed to discover the 14th century hall he had bought had had its distinctive ancient flagstones ripped up, before he moved in.

He is accusing former owner Theresa Hamer - also known as Baroness Alford after her estranged husband bought an off-the-shelf title - of replacing the 282 square yard piazza with yellowing turf.

He knew there had been a paved area somewhere, but he just couldn't find it

Michael Grenfell, solicitor

The 52-year-old was awarded compensation by a county court but is now at the Appeal Court fighting for the return of the stones to Eastington Hall, Upton upon Severn, Worcesterhire.

Mr Taylor, described by lawyers as "an absolute English gent", says the patio as "irreplaceable".

The stones are thought to be stacked, along with two carved lions, outside Mrs Hamer's new home on the Isle of Wight, pending the court's decision.

Mr Taylor, who viewed the eight-bedroom property in February 1997, only noticed the missing patio at the Dog Garden after he had moved in.

His lawyers argue that when he signed the contract in May 1997 he did not know that only three weeks earlier Mrs Hamer, 55, had ordered the estate manager to dig up the paving stones.

'Outrage'

"He was surprised and shocked," said Mr Taylor's solicitor, Michael Grenfell.

"Then outrage followed. When you buy that sort of property it's not what you expect.

"He knew there had been a paved area somewhere, but he just couldn't find it.

"Then after the first summer this big area of lawn turned yellow and he realised what they had done."

Mr Taylor had been captivated by the patio area at the half-timber country retreat set back in more than 326 acres.

He envisaged it as a spot for garden parties and Shakespearean performances.

The stones are stacked outside her new home

The property developer first took the case to Swindon County Court where Judge Rupert Burell, QC, found Mrs Hamer liable for breach of contract.

The former barmaid was ordered to pay damages but Mr Taylor insisted the stones themselves had to be returned and took the case to the Appeal Court.

"The stones were far beyond anything that anybody can really supply in the marketplace," said his barrister, Oliver Ticcati.

"They are particular sawn stone rather than riven flagstones, which are quite unusual.

"They are beautiful and old.

"Judge Bursell ought to have found out under contract Mr Taylor was entitled to have conveyed him the flagstones."

'Aesthetic value'

Mr Ticciati told the Appeal Court the compensation awarded by Judge Bursell would not solve the problem and the aesthetic value of the hall was damaged by their loss.

Mrs Hamer previously hit the headlines when she introduced a 'get rich quick' pyramid selling scheme, Women Empower Women.

It collapsed in 2001 with many women losing thousands.

A ruling on the patio case is expected in three weeks.

'Nightmare'

Fixtures being ripped out by previous owners, before the new homeowners move in, is a common complaint.

Newly-wed Claire Porter, 30, crossed the threshold of her new property in Colchester, to find the lounge floorboards had all been removed, leaving just a mud floor.

The seller had also removed not just the light bulbs, but the ceiling rose fittings so the electricity had shorted, leaving them to deal with the lounge "floor" in total darkness.

She said: "It was awful. We were so excited at moving into our new home and then had to deal with this.

"It took almost six weeks to get a new floor fitted so we had to wear wellies in the house all the time.

"We were told at the time that because of the way the previous owner had filled in her fixtures list - very carefully - we had no legal redress."

Other common complaints from buyers include gas fires, light bulbs and bathroom plugs being removed.

Have you experienced problems when moving house? Click here to have your say.

When we moved into our house over here in New Jersey, the previous owners left us with hundreds of fleas from all their pets! We have now exterminated them all but it meant throwing all the carpets away and getting new floors.
Jacqui, New Jersey,USA

When I bought the house I'm in now I had asked the previous owners to replace the damaged kitchen floor. When it came to moving in, they had replaced the floor but instead of laying it properly they had cut round their appliances leaving great big concrete holes in the floor when they removed them. Not only that they had taken all the light bulbs, smashed the bath panel, broken off one of the kitchen worktops and had badly stained the carpets after a moving out party. To top it all off I found three very old fish fingers left at the bottom of the oven!
Jenni, UK

When we moved house, the previous owners left not only the light bulbs but a loo roll, a pint of milk and a packet of biscuits. Cost to them; barely five pounds. The welcome we felt; priceless.
Naomi, England

I have found problems not with people taking things but with the unbelievable filth they leave behind - you know who you are!!
Nancy Hickman, UK

It is quite normal in Germany to literally take the kitchen-sink when one moves. I can imagine not having light fittings etc as being rather vexing, but imagine if you have to buy and install a complete kitchen!
Dan, Germany/ ex-UK

When I moved into my new flat in Tooting, the previous owners left me a bottle of wine, bottle opener, two glasses and a card wishing me the happiness they had experienced when they lived there! We have become good friends and I have since learned that they resisted significant pressure from the estate agent involved, to gazzump me. Some people are just really nice!
MaryAnn, UK

When we moved into a semi we'd bought in Solihull, we found a circular from a local plumber in the kitchen. On the back a scribbled note said "have your plumbing checked by us." I didn't think any more of it until I asked the removals guys if they'd like a cup of tea. I found the stopcock and turned on the main water, then heard the tank filling. It seemed to be taking a long time. Then yells came from the front room, where my wife had been surprised by a miniature Niagara Falls bursting through the ceiling and pouring down the windows. The same scene was repeated in most of the ground floor rooms and even in the garage. The previous owners had moved out and left the plumbing filled with water during the winter. All the pipes had burst as a result. Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink . . .
Clive Warner, Mexico

I sued to do household removals to earn money when I was a student. We regularly found houses which had been stripped of all lampshades and lightbulbs, but the one which sticks in my mind is the guy who took the radiators with him, leaving just pipes sticking out of the floor!
Guy Chapman, UK

Just to show that there are some nice people in the world: When we moved into our house in 1996, we discovered that the previous owners had left us a television, a chest of drawers, all their garden tools and a bottle of wine.
John W, UK

When we moved into our home, the former residents had taken out all the lamp fixtures (down to the bare wires) and scraped the swimming pool surface by throwing junk in the pool until the concrete showed through. We also had to replace a door that was half missing and clean up the part of the wood floors that they let their cat use as a toilet.
JB, USA

I've just moved into my first flat the guy that lived there before me left me five cans of Stella, a fairly new cooker and a practically new pine wardrobe, a week after I moved in he bought around his old cable box which is paid up till the end of next month! Some people are nice...
jack0, england

This 'problem' is such an old one I can't imagine why people are still falling for it. I remember very clearly how, 30 years ago, our next door neighbour, between selling and moving out, dug up from her garden her collection of rose bushes. Naturally, the new owners were upset and our neighbour had to put them all back. As for me, 10 years ago, by asking the right questions I was able to stop all the fireplaces from being removed from a flat I was buying; the very features that made me want to buy the flat in the first place. This problem is very common and yet so easily solved. It never fails to amaze me how people, embarking upon probably the largest single purchase of their entire lives, insist in not bothering to read every single scap of information relating to their purchase let alone not bothering to ask the most basic of questions!
Ian Startin, Herefordshire

Our previous owners, left a beautiful bunch of flowers, a welcome to your new home card, as well as a bottle of wine, toilet rolls in both bathrooms & air fresheners in every room. What a wonderful surprise, and how lucky we felt!
Anne, Scotland

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