Subject: Re: FOI 2026-020 - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff Castle Furniture
From: Sion Buckler
Direction: sent
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:40 UTC
Institution: Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales
Refs: none
Archive id: gm-1a0015c1d2cc29c1
------------------------------------------------------------

FOI Team,

Thank you for your detailed response and for undertaking the additional
enquiries.

I appreciate the further information you have provided concerning the
searches undertaken. However, I would like to request an internal review
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

My concern is not simply that no objects have been identified. It is
whether the searches undertaken have fully addressed the scope of my
original request, particularly the documentary evidence concerning the
provenance, acquisition, transfer, ownership, identification and dispersal
of material originating from Great House Farm (Ty Mawr).

I would be grateful if the internal review could consider the following
points.

*1. Information identified concerning Great House Farm*

Your response states that the additional enquiries identified “some
information relating generally to Great House Farm and the surrounding
area”.

Please could you identify what categories of information this refers to
and, where it is not exempt, provide the relevant recorded information or
explain where it can be accessed?

This appears potentially relevant to the original request even if it does
not itself identify furniture or household objects.

*2. Scope of the archived electronic search*

You state that the Information Technology team reviewed “archived
electronic systems and records retained by the Museum”.

Please could the review clarify:

   - which archived systems were searched;
   - the approximate date ranges covered;
   - whether historical email or correspondence archives were searched;
   - whether legacy collections-management databases were searched;
   - whether databases or systems preceding the current CMS were searched;
   and
   - whether any archived systems were unavailable, incomplete or incapable
   of being searched.

*3. Correspondence and administrative records*

My original request expressly sought correspondence concerning the
identification, recovery, ownership or location of objects, as well as
correspondence with the Bute Estate, Cardiff Council, Cardiff Castle and
other public authorities.

Your response refers generally to “associated collection documentation” and
“administrative records”, but does not make clear whether historical
correspondence files were specifically searched.

Please could the internal review establish whether searches were made of:

   - curator correspondence;
   - departmental correspondence files;
   - donor correspondence;
   - acquisition correspondence;
   - disposal correspondence;
   - loan correspondence;
   - provenance correspondence;
   - correspondence with Cardiff Council;
   - correspondence with Cardiff Castle;
   - correspondence with the Bute Estate;
   - correspondence with other museums or public authorities; and
   - any relevant institutional or external correspondence indexes.

*4. Search terms*

Thank you for identifying many of the search terms used.

Please could the internal review confirm whether the search also included
combinations and variants involving:

   - “Bute Estate”
   - “Bute”
   - “Cardiff Castle”
   - “Cardiff Council”
   - “Great House Farm”
   - “Ty Mawr”
   - “Great House”
   - “Llandough”
   - “Buckler”
   - “Williams”
   - “Mary Williams”
   - “Mary Doreen Williams”
   - “household effects”
   - “contents”
   - “furniture”
   - “furnishings”
   - “heirlooms”
   - “fixtures”
   - “estate”
   - “dispersal”
   - “recovery”
   - “provenance”
   - “ownership”
   - “transfer”
   - “demolition”

I appreciate that historical records may not have been consistently
indexed, which is why I would be grateful for confirmation of the
methodology used.

*5. Transfer, disposal and destruction*

Your response states:

“We are also not aware of any relevant collection records relating to such
material having been transferred to another institution or destroyed.”

Please could the internal review clarify whether this conclusion is based
upon:

a. a search of transfer/accession-out records;

b. a review of retention and disposal records;

c. enquiries with relevant collections staff;

d. review of archival transfer documentation; or

e. institutional knowledge rather than a documentary search.

I am particularly interested in distinguishing between “no record exists”
and “no record was identified in the systems searched”.

*6. The original request concerning external institutions*

The original request was deliberately framed broadly because the question
concerns possible dispersal of the contents of a demolished historic
property.

It expressly included records concerning Cardiff Council, Cardiff Castle,
the Bute Estate, museums, Arts Council England, DCMS, RCEWA and other
public authorities.

I would therefore be grateful if the review could confirm whether records
of communications or transactions involving those bodies were searched
within Amgueddfa Cymru's records, rather than simply searching the Museum's
object catalogue for Great House Farm objects.

*7. Advice and assistance*

You have stated that Cardiff Council and Cardiff Castle “would appear to be
the organisations most likely to hold records relating to furniture,
furnishings or other movable property associated with Great House Farm”.

I appreciate that you cannot transfer another authority's records to me.
However, could you please provide any further information available to the
Museum as to *which particular department, collection, archive or record
series at Cardiff Council or Cardiff Castle is most likely to contain such
material*?

That would materially assist me in directing subsequent FOI and archival
enquiries.

I am grateful for the additional work already undertaken. I am requesting
the internal review because I would like the record to be clear as to
precisely what was searched, what information was identified, and what the
negative result does and does not establish.

I am not asking Amgueddfa Cymru to determine any allegation concerning the
historical ownership of Great House Farm. The purpose of the review is
simply to ensure that the documentary search corresponds fully with the
scope of the original FOI request.

Please treat this email as my formal request for an internal review of FOI
2026-020.

Regards,


Sion Buckler (Ret'd Sergeant)

Royal Signals Cyber and Electronic Warfare Professional and Life Member

Williams / Buckler Family Estate

On Fri, 14 Aug 2026, 05:43 FOI Requests, <[email redacted]>
wrote:

> Dear Sion
>
>
>
> Thank you for your email.
>
>
>
> Following receipt of your query, Amgueddfa Cymru undertook further
> enquiries to satisfy itself that no information had been overlooked when
> responding to your request.
>
>
>
> These enquiries included a review of records held across the Museum's
> collections and a review of archived electronic systems and records by the
> Museum's Information Technology team. The review considered all collections
> management systems used by the Museum, including those most likely to
> contain information falling within the scope of your request.
>
>
>
> For the History collections, searches were undertaken of the Collections
> Management System (CMS), accession files, donor indexes, location indexes
> and associated collection documentation. Searches were carried out using
> terms including "Great House Farm", "Ty Mawr", "Llandough", "Buckler" and
> "Bute". Additional consideration was given to acquisition records,
> provenance information and associated administrative records.
>
>
>
> For the Art collections, searches were undertaken within the collections
> management system across description, comments, acquisition notes and place
> fields using the terms "Ty Mawr", "Great House Farm", "Great House",
> "Williams", "Buckler", "Llandough" and combinations of those terms. No
> additional paper archives relating to Great House Farm, Ty Mawr, Great
> House or Buckler were identified.
>
>
>
> The Museum's Information Technology team also reviewed archived electronic
> systems and records retained by the Museum.
>
>
>
> These enquiries identified some information relating generally to Great
> House Farm and the surrounding area. However, no information was identified
> concerning furniture, furnishings, antiques, fixtures, heirlooms or other
> movable property originating from Great House Farm (Ty Mawr), Llandough. We
> did not identify any inventories, catalogues, acquisition records, disposal
> records, loan records, provenance files, ownership records, photographs,
> correspondence or other records falling within categories 1 to 9 of your
> request.
>
>
>
> We are also not aware of any relevant collection records relating to such
> material having been transferred to another institution or destroyed.
>
>
>
> Accordingly, having completed these additional enquiries, Amgueddfa Cymru
> remains satisfied that it does not hold recorded information within the
> scope of your request and our response under section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom
> of Information Act 2000 remains unchanged.
>
> In relation to your request for advice and assistance, Cardiff Council and
> Cardiff Castle would appear to be the organisations most likely to hold
> records relating to furniture, furnishings or other movable property
> associated with Great House Farm.
>
>
>
> If you remain dissatisfied with this response, you may request an internal
> review within 40 working days of the date of this email.
>
>
>
>
>
> Cofion cynnes,
>
>
>
> [image: A picture containing text, tableware, plate, dishware Description
> automatically generated]
>
> *FOI Team*
>
> [email redacted] <[email redacted]>
>
> amgueddfa.cymru | museum.wales
>
>
>
> *Rhif elusen* | Charity number 525774
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Sion Buckler <[email redacted]>
> *Sent:* 03 August 2026 17:29
> *To:* FOI Requests <[email redacted]>
> *Subject:* Re: FOI 2026-020 - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff
> Castle Furniture
>
>
>
>
> This email comes from outside the organisation.
>
> Do not click links or open attachments unless it is an email you expected
> to receive.
>
> Dear FOI Team,
>
> Thank you for your response.
>
> I note your position that Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold recorded
> information within the scope of my request.
>
> However, I would be grateful if you could clarify the searches undertaken
> to reach that conclusion.
>
> In particular, please confirm:
>
>    - Which collections management systems, databases and "associated
>    records" were searched.
>    - Whether searches extended beyond accessioned objects to include
>    acquisition files, provenance files, curator correspondence, donor files,
>    temporary custody records, unaccessioned material, photographs and
>    administrative records.
>    - The search terms used (for example: "Great House Farm", "Ty Mawr",
>    "Llandough", "Williams", "Buckler", "Bute Estate" and any other relevant
>    variants).
>    - Whether any potentially relevant records have been transferred to
>    another institution or destroyed in accordance with a retention policy.
>
> My original request was not limited to identifying surviving objects. It
> also sought records relating to their provenance, acquisition, transfer,
> ownership, photographs and correspondence. This reflects the fact that the
> contents of Great House Farm may have been dispersed following the
> property's demolition, meaning relevant records could exist even if no
> objects were ultimately accessioned by the Museum.
>
> If, following those searches, Amgueddfa Cymru remains satisfied that no
> recorded information is held, I would be grateful for confirmation of that
> position.
>
> Finally, if you are aware of another public authority that is more likely
> to hold records falling within the scope of my request, I would appreciate
> your advice in accordance with your duty to provide advice and assistance.
>
> Thank you for your assistance.
>
> Yours faithfully,
>
> Sion Buckler
>
>
>
> On Mon, 3 Aug 2026, 10:39 FOI Requests, <[email redacted]>
> wrote:
>
> Dear Sion
>
>
>
> Thank you for your request for information received on 2nd July 2026,
> concerning furniture, furnishings, antiques, fixtures, heirlooms and other
> movable property originating from Great House Farm (Ty Mawr), Llandough.
>
>
>
> Following searches of the Museum's collections management systems and
> associated records, Amgueddfa Cymru has not identified any furniture,
> furnishings, antiques, fixtures, heirlooms or other movable property
> recorded as originating from Great House Farm (Ty Mawr), Llandough.
>
>
>
> Accordingly, Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold recorded information falling
> within the scope of items 1 to 9 of your request relating to such objects.
>
> For clarity:
>
>    - We have not identified any objects of the type described in your
>    request as originating from Great House Farm.
>    - We have not identified inventories, catalogues, acquisition records,
>    disposal records, loan records, provenance files, ownership records,
>    photographs, correspondence, reports, memoranda or related records
>    concerning such objects within the scope of your request.
>    - We have not identified any records relating to the identification,
>    recovery, ownership or location of furniture or household effects from
>    Great House Farm.
>
>
>
> We note your references to archaeological material from land associated
> with Great House Farm. However, archaeological finds are outside the scope
> of this response because they do not fall within your request for
> furniture, furnishings, antiques, fixtures, heirlooms and other movable
> property. We understand that archaeological material is the subject of a
> separate information request and will be dealt with separately.
>
>
>
> Under section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, our response
> is therefore that Amgueddfa Cymru does not hold the requested information.
>
>
>
> Cofion cynnes,
>
>
>
> [image: A picture containing text, tableware, plate, dishware Description
> automatically generated]
>
> *FOI Team*
>
> [email redacted] <[email redacted]>
>
> amgueddfa.cymru | museum.wales
>
>
>
> *Rhif elusen* | Charity number 525774
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Sion Buckler <[email redacted]>
> *Sent:* 02 July 2026 20:51
> *To:* [email redacted]
> *Cc:* [email redacted]; [email redacted];
> [email redacted]; [email redacted]; FOI Requests <
> [email redacted]>; [email redacted]; [email redacted];
> National Library of Wales <[email redacted]>
> *Subject:* ALLANOL/EXTERNAL - Great House Farm, Llandough | Cardiff
> Castle Furniture
>
>
>
> You don't often get email from [email redacted]. Learn why this
> is important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification>
>
> *Freedom of Information Act 2000 Request*
>
> Sir/Madam,
>
> I am making this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
>
> I seek all recorded information held concerning furniture, furnishings,
> antiques, fixtures, heirlooms and other movable property originating from *Great
> House Farm (Ty Mawr), Llandough*, including any and all items we received
> from *Bute Estate*, *Cardiff Castle*, *Cardiff Council. * Weather it be
> museums, archives or any other public body. I know museums have artifacts
> from our land in Llandough.
>
> Specifically, I request copies of all:
>
>    1. Inventories, catalogues and asset registers.
>    2. Acquisition, disposal, loan and transfer records.
>    3. Provenance files and ownership records.
>    4. Photographs of items identified as originating from Great House
>    Farm.
>    5. Correspondence concerning the identification, recovery, ownership
>    or location of such items.
>    6. Internal reports, legal advice and memoranda relating to Great
>    House Farm furniture or household effects.
>    7. Correspondence mentioning the Buckler or Williams families in
>    connection with these items.
>    8. Records concerning any efforts by Cardiff Council or Cardiff Castle
>    to trace, recover or secure items believed to have originated from Great
>    House Farm.
>    9. Correspondence with the Bute Estate, museums, the Department for
>    Culture, Media and Sport, the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of
>    Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), Arts Council England or any
>    other public authority regarding objects from Great House Farm.
>
> For context, I am allegeing that my family was unlawfully dispossessed of
> Great House Farm through fraud, and that furniture and other historic
> possessions belonging to the family were consequently dispersed. It's
> possible the bailiffs from BP were also SAS soldiers. We are still
> gathering actionable intelligence.
>
> I appreciate that the Freedom of Information Act does not require the
> authority to determine the merits of that allegation. However, it is
> directly relevant to understanding why I seek the recorded information.
>
> I am currently developing a full-scale replica of Great House Farm in
> Patagonia, Argentina as a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the
> house, its occupants and its contents. Should records identify surviving
> items from the farm, whether held by Cardiff Council, Cardiff Castle,
> museums or other public institutions, I intend to pursue their lawful
> return or transfer so they may ultimately be reunited with the
> reconstructed Great House Farm museum. This statement is provided solely as
> context for my request and does not seek a determination under the Freedom
> of Information Act.
>
> If any information is withheld, please identify each exemption relied upon
> and explain why it applies, including the outcome of any public interest
> test where required.
>
> If another public authority is more likely to hold the requested
> information, I would be grateful if you would transfer the request or
> advise me accordingly.
>
> I look forward to your response within the statutory time limit.
>
> Yours faithfully,
>
> Sion Buckler (Ret'd Sergeant)
>
>
>
>