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Great Country Houses
Now that the Dordogne has waved goodbye to
the Home Counties set for another year and
the children have returned to school, the
great country house contents sale can
start again in earnest. Such auctions are
intended to entice serious buyers and
nosey punters out for one last excursion
in the autumn sunshine and this weekend
will witness a belter - a 1,500-lot sale
staged by Christie's at Woburn Abbey, the
magnificent home of the Dukes of
Bedford.
One of 11 Henry Holland chairs
After the death of the 14th Duke last
year, the trustees have decided to clear
out a number of stores and outhouses. As
if that wasn't enough to pull in the
crowds, the sale will also include more
than 500 items that belonged to Anne,
Duchess of Westminster, who died last
year. Among them will be lot 1402, a
mid-Victorian diamond and pearl tiara
estimated at £3,000-£5,000.
For many of us, selling the contents of
the attic or outhouse might just raise
enough to buy ourselves a meal out. But
not so for the owners of stately homes.
The sale at Woburn is expected to make
more than £1.5 million.
Viewing takes place in the North Court
at Woburn Abbey until 5pm today, while the
auction itself will be held in the
sculpture gallery tomorrow and Tuesday.
Entry is by catalogue only (£35,
admits two).
Many of the items will have spent the
past 50 or so years hidden away in damp
rooms and will look in a sorry state. But
remember, a ducal family would never have
bought tat. Some lots will be beyond
repair, but others could easily be
returned to their former glory.
Lot 75 is the remains of a lovely
18th-century writing table which was
almost certainly made by Mayhew &
Ince, the leading London cabinet-makers.
It carries an estimate of
£2,500-£4,000, although I expect
that it will make a great deal more. For
style and sophistication, look to lot 150,
a set of 11 elegant dining chairs designed
by Henry Holland. If these go for anything
less than £20,000, the buyer will
have done very well.
A few words of warning. Don't expect to
be able to buy a lot such as 410, a
quantity of Victorian wine glasses, within
its £50-£70 estimate. To secure
your souvenir you will need to bid much
higher than the upper estimate. But bear
in mind, too, that they're still only
chipped glasses that you're chasing - does
their impeccable provenance justify a high
bid?
If you are successful, pay and collect
promptly. Auction houses have a habit of
sending items into store at a frightening
pace, leaving the buyer with a £50
storage fee and a 200-mile journey to
retrieve their ducal fire irons.
If you fancy watching proceedings at
Woburn, find a comfy seat and bring a
newspaper. Listening to an auctioneer sell
150 antique fishing rods lot by lot can
become intensely boring. I have fond
memories of an elderly couple who came to
all four auctioneering days of one house
sale. They arrived at a quarter past 10
every morning, sat themselves in the front
row and were both fast asleep by 11am.
They stirred for a flask of coffee at
lunch and fell back to sleep, waking up at
5pm. They never bought a thing but claimed
to have enjoyed the experience
tremendously.
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