East of England

A look at how specialist events at Knebworth and Solihull are now under the same banner.

A remarkable collection of around 4500 postcards relating to a wide range of aspects of Jewish life in the 19th and 20th centuries was the fascinating, and often sobering, centre of interest when offered by Norfolk auction house Horners (17% buyer’s premium).

Artist Mel Winning runs a reclamation business in the medieval market town of Manningtree in Essex.

Celebrated in the thoroughly modern way with a Google Doodle on April 3 on what would have been his 325th birthday was John Harrison.

Essex saleroom Sworders (23% buyer’s premium) set a new auction high for Belle Epoque artist Albert de Belleroche (1864-1944).

Steve Cooper of Haddon Events is such a keen supporter of the Museum of Power at Maldon in Essex that he holds a biannual antiques and collectors’ fair at the venue.

The first civic event in the St Andrews Hall in Norwich took place in 1544. Five centuries later, the City Antiques Fair and Fleamarket runs monthly in the medieval surroundings of the Grade I-listed hall.

In our continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops and centres, ATG talks to Nicola Crooks who runs Antiques and Chic with her husband Nick.

Among Horace Hone’s (1756-1825) most renowned depictions was the 18th century actress Sarah Siddons.

There is little like a new house-record to leave an auctioneer smiling but there was considerably more for Luke Macdonald to celebrate following Cheffins’ (22.5% buyer’s premium) spring sale.

An unexpected highlight of a recent sale at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet was this set of four early real tennis rackets. They came from a client in the North of England and had been owned by the family for many years.

British portraiture with pedigree provided plenty of action in a strong sale of pictures at Cheffins (22.5% buyer’s premium) of Cambridge.

Led by the portrait of an Italian mastiff by il Guercino (1591-1666), dogs took a starring role in the Cheffins' March 8 sale. The delightful oil of a stocky ‘Cane Corso’, perhaps the artist’s own dog, overshot a £80,000-120,000 estimate and was knocked down at £570,000 – the highest auction price in the English regions so far this year.

A pair of trademark gouaches by Mary Fedden (1915-2012) drew strong bidding at auctions in Derbyshire and Essex.

About 500,000 people a year visit Snape Maltings, on the banks of the River Alde, to take in the exhibitions, galleries, independent shops and riverside walks as well as the Aldeburgh Festival and the Snape Proms.

Magazine by ‘heathen staff’ sells for 10-times top estimate in the city where it was produced...