A FASCINATING letter penned by Winston Churchill is to go under the hammer at a Suffolk auction.

Jo Thewlis

A FASCINATING letter penned by Winston Churchill is to go under the hammer at a Suffolk auction.

Written by the wartime prime minister from his home in Chartwell, Kent, in 1959, the note thanks a Conservative volunteer, Mr Double, for his help in that year's General Election campaign.

The message will form part of an antiques and fine art sale at Abbotts Auction Rooms at Campsea Ashe, near Wickham Market, on Wednesday.

Geoffrey Barfoot, auction room manager and valuer, said: “Churchill is an iconic figure - people still see him as the man who got us through the war.”

A second letter from Churchill's wife, Clementine, is also included in the event.

Dated October 6, 1953, the letter is typed on Downing Street-headed notepaper, arranging to meet Mr Double for a drink in St George's Hotel in Margate at midday ahead of a Conservative conference.

The letters are expected to fetch up to �150 each when they are auctioned.

Mr Barfoot said: “Anything with Winston Churchill's signature is going to generate some interest because of his standing on both sides of the Atlantic. People still view him with a lot of affection.”

An 18th Century reverse painting of Charles I, worth up to �1,200, and a selection of Georgian and Victorian furniture are also included in the sale, which starts at 10am.

For more information, visit www.abbottsauctionrooms.co.uk or telephone 01728 746323.