The wealth of the late peer Lord Ballyedmond has been revealed as auctioneers prepare to sell off the contents of one of his most luxurious homes.

Dr Edward Haughey, the Tory peer who owned Corby Castle near Carlisle as well as several other impressive properties across the UK, died aged 70 in a helicopter crash in 2014.

He left a personal fortune in his will of £339m.

For the first time, the public is now being given a glimpse inside what was perhaps his most extravagant home in London.

The renowned auction house Sotheby’s has published a catalogue listing about 700 objects from inside the house, described as the “Downton Abbey of our times”.

The description is no exaggeration.

Over two days, the auction will offer a huge array of antiques and artworks, including sculptures, tapestries, oil paintings, furniture and silverware. There are also cut-glass chandeliers, silverware, a doll’s house and a gold fountain pen.

The collection is likely to raise between £2m and £3m.

In their catalogue, Sotheby’s describe how Lord Ballyedmond transformed the once dormant house in Belgrave Square, one of the capital’s most prestigious addresses, filling it with numerous elegant and expensive artefacts.

Many would be more typically seen seen in museums or royal palaces.

The house is described as an evocation of a great Georgian townhouse, equipped to entertain on an ambassadorial scale.

Harry Dalmeny, Sotheby’s UK chairman, said: “This collection is typically extraordinary; typical for an extraordinary man who accepted no boundaries in business, politics, art and friendship.

“The collection presented here was the fruit of selective and judicious buying on a massive scale, both at auction and from dealers, with a rare attention to detail.

“Family holidays and business trips were subverted by antiquing missions – frequently his children found an exhausting itinerary of shops and galleries would underlay already busy days.

“What the Haughey family thought was a visit to the Taj Mahal turned out to involve several hours in a marble factory in Agra commissioning fireplaces and worktops.

“Lord Ballyedmond gathered houses in the four corners of Britain and Ireland to suit his needs.”

As well as owning Corby Castle, where he spent a considerable amount of his time, the peer owned Ballyedmond Castle, in County Down, Northern Ireland; and Gillingham Hall, Norfolk, which was built by Sir Francis Bacon in 1612.

But the Sotheby’s auction catalogue states: “Yet it was in Belgrave Square that his ambition reached its zenith, where 34 could dine on the long mahogany table, lit by period silver candelabra as music drifted from the terrace in a style that was once a throwback to the Victorian heyday and a contemporary home for a man who loved to do everything with style, energy, and boundless ambition.”

The collection includes artworks which are not beyond the reach of people with far more meagre financial means than the peer.

They include an oil painting portrait of Queen Marie-Antionette of France which is expected to sell for between £500 and £700.

For buyers with a room big enough, there is a chance to buy a pair of Victorian cut-glass 24-light chandeliers, predicted to raise £20,000 to £30,000.

Among the more personal items being sold is a gold-plated La Dona fountain pen, decorated with two crocodiles. It can be yours for between £2,000 and £3,000.

Dr Haughey made his fortune as the head of the Newry-based pharmaceuticals giant Norbrook Group. He was equally influential in the world of politics, renowned for being only the second person in history to have held a seat in the upper houses of both the British and Irish parliaments.

He was known locally for supporting the ancient craft of the county’s haafnet fishermen.

The accident which killed him also claimed the lives of his foreman Declan Small, 42, of Mayobridge, Co Down, Northern Ireland; pilot Captain Carl Dickerson, 36, of Thornton, Lancashire; and co-pilot Captain Lee Hoyle, 45, of Macclesfield, Cheshire.

The Bellyedmond Collection will by auctioned at Sotheby’s in London on May 23 and 24. To view the catalogue go to bit.ly/2pHoPW4