A multi-millionaire has appealed to judges over a divorce settlement which forced him to put his west Oxfordshire country estate on the market.

Erik Maurice Robson, 66, was forced to put the Kiddington Hall estate up for sale to comply with his wife’s settlement, which included an £8m lump sum.

Yesterday, his lawyers told the Appeal Court in London that former wife Chloe had received “clearly too much”. The judges reserved judgment and will give their ruling at a later date.

Kiddington Hall, near Woodstock, was built in 1673 and the gardens were laid out in the 18th century by Capability Brown. Last summer, a High Court Family Division judge said the estate should be sold and there should be a “clean financial break” between the couple.

In a separate, supplementary judgment last July, Mr Justice Charles required the whole of Mr Robson’s interest in the estate – the major part of his wealth, although he has another estate in Scotland – to be put on the market.

Tim Amos, appearing for Mr Robson yesterday, argued the settlement was “unfair and wrong”.

But David Balcombe, appearing for the former Mrs Robson, said that the family judge had taken into account all the relevant factors in the case when deciding on the divorce settlement.