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A family has been left devastated after arriving at their new £1.5m home to find it had been gutted by the seller before he left, turning it into a “war zone”.

Martin and Sarah Caton thought they were buying into an idyllic Cornish lifestyle when they purchased the Grade 2* listed Bochym Manor in Helston in 2014. However, their dream move turned into a nightmare when they arrived and discovered the building had been ripped apart and stripped bare - with some of the doors, windows, fireplaces and even floors being removed.

Some of the items taken included historic stained-glass windows and part of the rich wood panelling of the ten-bedroom gothic-revival home’s famous library. The couple have since faced a nine-year battle - finally winning a magistrates’ court order to have items seized by the police returned to them.

Martin and Sarah Caton photographed at their home Boychym Manor house, Hayle, Cornwall.

Family buy £1.5m manor home to discover the seller “gutted” it before he left - turning it into a ‘war zone’