Historians have delighted at the discovery of a carved four-poster bed, believed to have been made for Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in 1486, which today could be worth £20m.
The bed was discovered in a hotel car park in Chester before being sold at auction in 2010 to Ian Coulson from the Langley Collection for £2,200.
It has been identified as the bed created for the marriage of the first Tudor king, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York who married in 1486. It is also assumed to be where Henry VIII was conceived.
Jonathan Foyle, chief executive of World Monuments Fund, Britain, who advised Coulson on his find, said:
“This bed belonged to Henry VII. It has to be the most important piece of furniture [in England] – and, arguably, royal artefact. Even the Westminster Coronation Chair has less to say than this.”
Since its discovery, Foyle has spent the past year establishing the origins of the bed. His findings were announced in a lecture at Crowland Abbey, Lincolnshire, on Friday night.
The bed is now set to star in a BBC Four documentary later this year, Secret Knowledge: The King’s Lost Bed.
The bed will be on display at Auckland Castle in County Durham as part of the exhibition, Tudors: The Power and the Glory, until 30 September. Ian Coulson told BRITAIN magazine:
“I am delighted the bed has an opportunity to be seen and understood by the public at Auckland Castle.”
For more information on the exhibition, visit the Auckland Castle website.
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