The contents sale of North Mymms Park brings back happy memories
Forty years ago, there was a flood of contents sales in British and Irish country houses, which, more often than not, were conducted on the premises, with viewings in the house itself and the auctions in a marquee pitched nearby with refreshment tents. they usually took place during summer and the party atmosphere undoubtedly boosted prices. I was involved with many of them, as a cataloguer and then as a reporter for the Antiques Trade Gazette and The Times.
For the creative cataloguer there were opportunities to boost interest that would not have been so effective in a saleroom. once, I made up a job lot of prints that contained a rather poor sporting set, a couple of distinctly interesting old Masters and some decorative views of the house. My boss queried the sense of this, but I explained I hoped to provoke competition between decorators, London print specialists and moneyed, local souvenir hunters, all of whom would be present as they would not have been in London. It paid off handsomely.
Some of those occasions were tinged with sadness when they represented the end of a long family tradition or were caused more immediately by death, divorce or internecine quarrels, but the sales themselves were usually joyful affairs.
The greatest of them, notably Mentmore towers in 1977, are still remembered far beyond the art market and others are regularly recalled in current auction catalogue provenances.
This story is from the May 09, 2018 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 09, 2018 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
