THEY say an Englishman's home is his castle.
And for Brian Dalley that is literally true.
But the peace and tranquillity of his early Gothic revival pile, set in rolling hills overlooking a lake, was brutally shattered one September night last year when he was attacked and held prisoner by a gang of ruthless criminals intent on stealing his dazzling array of antiques.
The 79-year-old, who was recovering from a triple heart bypass, was taped to a chair, hooded and repeatedly beaten around his head and hands as the seven-strong gang ransacked his home looking for cash and loot.
They left eight long hours later, with the bleeding and terrified pensioner still bound to the medieval chair by gaffer tape.
Their haul was so great they also stole his Mercedes van to cart it away.
The gang took hundreds of antiques, art and artefacts from a collection Mr Dalley and his late wife Wendy had built up over a lifetime.
Some of the items were of particular significance, including a ceremonial sword that belonged to Saddam Hussein, and a suit of armour worn by Oliver Cromwell.
But it was not just the objects that were stolen. The thieves also took Mr Dalley's financial security, as he had invested in the antiques as an alternative to savings or a pension, and he was not insured.
Although some of the items have been returned after being traced to a lock-up in Hull, Mr Dalley says the crime has left him virtually penniless.
He is now offering a "substantial reward" for information leading to the return of the missing items.
Today, speaking exclusively to the Mail about his ordeal, he relives the terror of that night and reveals how his extraordinary determination allowed him to survive, escape and raise the alarm.
"I was coming back from Sainsbury's and it was just about eight o'clock," said Mr Dalley, now 80. "I've got big iron gates to the courtyard at the back of the castle and they (the gang) just barged out.
"I felt a gloved hand around my mouth. My first instinct was somebody's having a joke, but then I couldn't breathe.
"I thought my heart was going to burst, then they kicked me to the floor.
"I shouted 'My heart!', but they just said 'Shut the f**k up'.
"I said 'You are taking a risk, I've got a dog', and my Alsatian Toby was barking like mad.
"They opened the door about 4in so his nose was sticking out and hit him over the head with a baseball bat, which subdued him because he's never been hit before."
Almost a year on, Mr Dalley still bears the bruises on his ankles from where he was strapped to the chair.
They threw a shawl over his head and began beating his hands with a cane, demanding money.
He told them he had none and they began punching his face, while his home was being ransacked around him.
"They said 'Tell us where the money is or we'll kill you'," he said.
Mr Dalley had a hazy view of some of his assailants through holes in the shawl, and was astonished by what he saw.
He said: "They brought in three bales of bubble wrap and started taking my pictures off the wall.
"They were wrapping them in the most professional manner, as if they had come from a museum."
Mr Dalley, a former actor and salesman, thought the gang would be there for "about ten minutes", but they did not leave until 3am, leaving him thirsty and weak.
"It was a strange feeling, although I had the adrenaline running," he said.
"All the time I was thinking about how I could get out of it."
His eventual escape when the burglars had left would have made a younger man proud, and his retelling of it barely hints at the effort it must have taken, with his ankles and wrists still firmly bound to the chair.
He said: "I managed to sort of 'walk' the chair to a table, where there was a glass, a good glass.
"I held the glass with my mouth and smashed it on the table. With a piece of glass in my mouth I was able to saw through my bonds.
"I felt a bit like James Bond at that point."
Mr Dalley was then able to drive to a neighbour's about a mile away. Police and an ambulance arrived within 20 minutes.
Although he was pleased to learn of the five-year sentence given to Hull man Jaroslaw Urbanski for handling stolen goods, and hopes other arrests will follow, he says the robbery "ruined" his life.
He also plans, with great sadness, to sell his home of 50 years.
"It's left me very depressed," he said. "That's why it's such a tip.
"And I'm anxious in my own home. I don't want to (sell up) but there's too many memories.
"Everything that was stolen there's a story to it – my wife and I bought it together, or one of us saw it and liked it.
"I can virtually remember where everything came from, so that's almost like one's children going away."
Police are continuing to investigate the burglary at Cliffe Park Hall, Rushton Spencer, near Macclesfield.
Anyone with information should call 101.
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