Thomas Weld-Blundell

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Oct 19 2016, 22:36:06 UTC __________________________________

The(Catholic) Sisters bought Ince Blundell Hall in 1959, and converted the house into a nursing home. The hall had been the ancestral home of the Blundell family, and still housed a collection of 600 Roman and Greek marbles acquired by Henry Blundell during the 18th century.

In 1959, the Weld-Blundell family and the Sisters arranged for Liverpool Museum to take the marbles, and the museum removed 500 pieces between 1959 and 1961. About 70 bass reliefs embedded in the walls of the buildings were left behind with a few minor pieces in the grounds, most of which have since been stolen.

A spokesman for the order said: “The Sisters are fully aware of the significance of the remaining heritage items and have done their best to preserve and protect them. They are distressed to witness the progressive deterioration of the artefacts from a combination of vandalism, theft, pollution and extremes of climate.

“The reliefs are now in danger of deteriorating to the point that it will no longer be possible to conserve them. Those on the outside of the Pantheon are crumbling and their condition is so poor that they ‘sugar’ on touch.”

In July 2011, English Heritage commented that the Sisters had been “excellent custodians” of the Hall: “It is evident that the Sisters have successfully utilised the building as a nursing home whilst still retaining its character and heritage. Ince Blundell is still a fine historic house and the Sisters have proved themselves to be excellent custodians. English Heritage is reassured by that.”

Source: Catholic Herald

Added to Geni by Janet Milburn 5/6/18