FURNITURE and effects from Endsleigh House, near Milton Abbot, are to be auctioned by one of London?s most famous auction houses in the spectacular surrounds of Woburn Abbey next month.

Christie?s auctioneers will be putting 130 lots under the hammer, including furniture and works of art commissioned in the Regency period by John, the sixth Duke of Bedford.

Endsleigh House was built by celebrated architect Jeffry Wyatt in 1810 for the Duke?s second wife Georgiana, and the rural idyll has been described as a ?uniquely complete example of the Picturesque taste dressed as an antiquarian cottage orne? ? an orne is a country cottage dating from the 19th century.

The house remained a favoured retreat for the Dukes of Bedford until its purchase in 1962 by Endsleigh Fishing Club and recently hit the news again following its sale to Olga Polizzi, daughter of hotel magnate Lord Forte, for conversion into a luxury getaway destination.

Items to be sold at the auction include an oak side table designed by Jeffry Wyatt, a set of 12 dining chairs and a gothic oak library table each estimated at £30,000 to £50,000.

Paintings in the sale include watercolours of Endsleigh Cottage and Conway Castle, North Wales and an oil painting by Anna Maria, Duchess of Bedford, of her first child William, Lord Russell, who went on to hold the post of Liberal MP for Tavistock.

There is even a stuffed fish up for auction which was caught in the River Tamar at Endsleigh in 1882.

The auction takes place in the Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire on September 20 and 21 ?interested parties can request a catalogue by calling 020 7389 2820.