Essex country house antiques and collectables contents make £145,000 in auction sale at Cambridge
The contents of historic Baythorne Park made £145,000 at auction in Cambridge.
Antique furniture, paintings and silver made up the 390-item-strong collection from the Grade II listed Baythorne Park, Essex.
Sold over a two day period, the contents eventually made a total of £145,000 at Cheffins Auctioneers’ fine art sale in Cambridge this week, on March 7 and 8.
Situated on the Essex-Suffolk border and straddling the River Stour, the Baythorne Park mansion was previously home to the late Sir Julian Watson since his family bought the estate in 1952.
The prestigious 676-acre estate was tipped as one of the major property sales of year in 2017 having not be offered to the open market in the past 65 years.
The house contents were much in demand in the auction room.
The highlights of the paintings section included a hunting scene by the well-regarded British artist, John Emms which sold for £7,000; another sporting scene by Philip Reinagle which sold for £2,800 and a picture by George Wright of hounds meeting outside a coaching inn which made £4,200.
Luke Macdonald, director of Cheffins said: “This is one of the most comprehensive country house collective sales to have come to the market in the past decade. The diverse catalogue of hundreds of historic estate items drew interest from sporting enthusiasts, antique collectors and trade buyers and is representative of the growing confidence in the antiques market. The late Sir Julian Watson was known to be a sporting man with a keen interest in horseracing and country pursuits and as a result, this collection contained some fine examples of sporting art and silver.”
The star of the furniture collection was a George I walnut chest-on-chest which sold for £3,800 whilst an early George III mahogany kneehole table made £2,400. One of the more unusual lots was a mid-18th century panelled bacon settle which was traditionally used as a combined piece of furniture to both hang cured meat and be used as a seat which sold for £1,900, whilst a 17th century oak box stool made £1,700 against its estimate of £150-250.
Silverware from the estate included numerous tankards, silver plates, snuff boxes and numerous trophies from racing meetings across the country. The highest value lot in this section was a 1901 Edwardian silver gilt two-handled trophy cup inscribed ‘Ascott Cup, Aylesbury Steeplechase,’ which sold for £2,700 well over its estimate of £700 - £1,000.
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