Yorkshire country house clear out sparks marathon bidding session

IT TOOK a marathon sale but nine hours later and the extraordinary selected contents of one of Yorkshire’s most historic country homes had almost entirely sold out.
Mark Warde-Norbury and his wife Lucianne, of Hooton Pagnell Hall.Mark Warde-Norbury and his wife Lucianne, of Hooton Pagnell Hall.
Mark Warde-Norbury and his wife Lucianne, of Hooton Pagnell Hall.

In what could be described as the mother of all clear-outs, antiques and artwork dating from as early as the 17th century were rescued from the cobweb-filled attic, dungeon and barns of Hooton Pagnell Hall before being presented for sale at Bonhams’ auction house in London today.

The veritable hoard, dug out from the dusty depths of the country residence by current owner Mark Warde-Norbury - the ninth generation of his family to live at the hall located eight miles outside of Doncaster - fetched a total price of some £1,162,638.

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A superb watercolour by map-maker turned landscape painter Paul Sandby (1730-1809) entitled ‘Windsor Castle from the Thames’ led the sale. And it smashed its pre-sale estimate of £40,000-60,000 to fetch £218,500. The sale price is the highest achieved for an artwork by the British master in the last 20 years.

Paul Sandbys Windsor Castle from the Thames with figures in the foreground led the sale and smashed its pre-sale estimate.Paul Sandbys Windsor Castle from the Thames with figures in the foreground led the sale and smashed its pre-sale estimate.
Paul Sandbys Windsor Castle from the Thames with figures in the foreground led the sale and smashed its pre-sale estimate.

The painting is said to bear a striking resemblance to Sandby’s Windsor Castle from the Eton Shore, which is in the collection of The Queen.

Hooton Pagnell Hall has been the home of the Warde family for more than 300 years and parts of it date back to the 13th century.

Successive generations had added to the house’s contents over the centuries and the sale provided an intriguing reflection of changing taste and fashion through the time.

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With numerous projects going on around the estate, including a new farmyard and various planning applications to build new cottages, the hall’s present proprietor Mr Warde-Norbury decided it was time for a much-needed sort-out, “to liberate objects and works of art that have sat in dark, cobwebby rooms for many years and to enable us to bring the house up to date for current and future generations”.

He said the sort-out had been a “cathartic experience”.

Yesterday’s sale saw a packed room and highly competitive bidding, with many lots selling for well over their estimates, Bonhams reported.

Among the hidden antiques given a new home was an Italian 17th century cabinet which more than doubled its pre-sale estimate of £20,000-30,000 to sell for £56,250.

Perhaps the biggest success was a pair of famille rose hexagonal vases which sold for £19,750, nearly ten times their original estimate of £2,000-3,000.

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After the auction, Harvey Cammell, deputy chairman of Bonhams UK, said: “The sale of the contents of Hooton Pagnell Hall illustrates the international appeal of the English Country House sale.

“It has been a huge privilege to work for the family over the last year and deliver such an outstanding result.

“The sale exceeded our pre-sale high estimate at £1.2m and reinforces Bonhams’ position as the go-to auction house for single owner sales.”

As well as a selection of Old Master and 19th century paintings, the auction included English furniture, ceramics, Chinese works of art, silver, jewellery, books and manuscripts.

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Another highlight from the sale was a letter from the Duke of Wellington, which sold for £1,750 – nearly eight times its estimate – and a mid-18th century wooden doll, which sold for £21,250, well over double its pre-sale estimate of £10,000-15,000.

CENTURIES OF FAMILY HISTORY

Hooton Pagnell Hall is located in beautiful Yorkshire countryside on the edge of the historic village that lends the country mansion its name.

Set in five acres of private gardens it is not only the Warde family home but is available for hire as a wedding venue - albeit, there are only six bespoke weddings planned to take place at the venue in any given year.

The family connection with the hall dates back to Sir Patience Warde (1629-1696), merchant and early Whig politician who was Lord Mayor of London in 1680. He had no children and Hooton Pagnell was inherited by his nephew, Sir John Warde.

It is now home to Mark Warde-Norbury and his wife Lucianne.

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