South-west England

A collection of portraits from a descendant of the Hicks Beach family of Witcombe Park will be offered at Chorley’s on September 21-22.

Although, thanks in part to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (first published in 1897), bats have acquired a reputation as ‘creatures of the night’ in many cultures they are viewed as symbols of luck or reincarnation.

A recent sale at Aldridges of Bath (20% buyer’s premium) included a fine George IV period mahogany extending dining table.

The French silver-gilt table knife and fork shown here, c.1810, is from a service made for Napoleon Bonaparte.

This example of the well-known Nelson memorial vinaigrette made by Matthew Linwood of Birmingham in 1805 sold for £2800 at Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne.

The murder of William Weare in the Hertfordshire village of Radlett in 1823 has been called the first trial by newspaper.

A combination of artist, sitter, date and quality ensured a compelling Newlyn school portrait caught the eye at David Lay’s latest auction in Penzance.

Cotswolds fair provides a summer treat while Chester makes an autumn comeback

Two different dealers that started their businesses during lockdown are embarking on the next part of their careers.

According to family history, an Art Deco four-piece suite offered by Mander (20% buyer’s premium) in Sudbury on July 9 has an ocean-going history.

As Sand, an Elizabethan house in east Devon which has been in the Huyshe family since 1560, is being sold for the first time in over 460 years, Chilcotts (21% buyer’s premium) dispersed much of the contents on July 16.

Bid to £16,000 in a sale held by Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) of Dorchester was a 1921 first of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious House at Styles.

He may have been considered ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’ but items connected to Lord Byron (1788-1824) make for very welcome auction consignments.

Mainland Chinese buyers bidding on jade, porcelain, wooden and textile offerings dominated the leader board at an Asian & Islamic sale at Cheltenham.

Playing cards displaying maps lead a look at a Gloucestershire sale

Sailor’s sweethearts or valentines were once thought to have been made by sailors as love tokens during their long trips away from home.

Colourful work with provenance back to artist’s sister catches the attention in Kent saleroom

Works by William Ratcliffe (1870- 1955) are pretty rare on the market and, when they do turn up, they tend to appear at London auctions.

This early 17th century harpsichord is inscribed to the name baton for Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp, 1614.

A ‘Jolly Roger’ or pirate flag that records the Second World War exploits of a British submarine flew once more in a militaria sale earlier this summer.