30 YEARS OF THE AUCTION CHANT

From OO7 posters to famous football memorabelia, Ewabank’s has seen and sold a wealth of interesting lots since it opened the doors of its Surrey auction house in 1990. Ivan Macquisten finds out more

- Ivan Macquisten

While most people might put their feet up after 30 years of running their own auction house, Chris Ewbank is as excited about the future as ever as he announces his highest annual sales total at close to £5 million. “We’ve had the most amazing run in the past few years and we’re looking to expand the expertise and range of sales we offer,” he says.

The landscape changed when his son Andrew asked to join the business. “Andrew got involved about seven years ago out of the blue, which was fantastic for me because small family businesses always have the worry about what is going to happen with the next generation,” says Chris. “When a family member joins a business like this it can be a bit tricky, but in our case it has worked very well indeed.”

The Ewbanks hail from Durham originally in the 18th century and Chris’s father, who had fought in the First World War, was an estate agent-cum-auctioneer in Mayfield in Sussex after his military career. “In earlier times when the local cattle market agent, estate agent and undertaker were all the same person, and they also sold the contents of the house.”