South-west England

While relations between the English/Unionist and the Scottish powers-that-be are not exactly cordial at the moment, hopefully it will not lead to battle. If a referendum is indeed held to decide the fate of the union, a ballot rather than the bullet should be sufficient.

A major price in the English regions came earlier today for a Victorian picture as Bournemouth saleroom House & Son took a £240,000 bid for an Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922) painting.

Letters from the late Princess Diana surfaced at auction earlier this year in Cambridge and now another set is being offered in Gloucestershire.

The Bath Decorative Fair kicked off this year to a larger crowd than ever before on its opening trade day Thursday.

The worldwide reach of UK regional auctions is summed up beautifully by a militaria lot sold in the Cotswolds: a kora fighting sword given by a Nepalese ruler to a British field marshal who commanded in India and was revered by the Australians and Gurkhas.

A photo album giving a glimpse of late 19th century life in one of Britain’s most distinguished country seats is heading back home.

The first sale by dealers-turned-auctioneers Kingham & Orme made a hammer total of £289,490 and was led by a Martin Brothers bird.

The white shirt bears a dark ‘V’ across the front more like St Helens rugby league team, but the ball underneath is unmistakably round rather than oval. Then the words ‘Manchester United’ emblazoned below the figure give the game away.

A Bristol filming session for the BBC's TV show Flog It! series saw the multi-estimate sale of this Victorian gold ring.

THESE days climbing Everest is a bit old hat. Don’t get me wrong – people still die in the attempt and it is a massive achievement – but more than 4000 people have climbed the world’s highest mountain since it was first conquered in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.