Items from collection of author of ‘The Country Houses of Shropshire’ to go under the hammer

Items from the book ‘The Country Houses of Shropshire’ will be auctioned as part of the personal collection of the former curator at a major county estate.

A number of items from Gareth Williams’ publication are included in his personal collection of paintings, documents, furniture and collectables to be sold in the county next month.

Gareth was curator and head of learning at Weston Park Foundation for 19 years before recently becoming curator of the Derby Collection at Knowsley Hall, Prescot.

The auction is being run by Shrewsbury-based Halls at its sale of British and Continental ceramics and glass, antiques, clocks and Asian art on October 14.

Prior to the auction, Halls will be hosting a reception at the Battlefield Saleroom on October 8 from 6pm to 7.30pm where Gareth will give a talk about his collection and answer questions at the free RSVP event.

“So much of this sale, extraordinarily, comprises a gradual acquisition of objects which has been driven by my book, The Country Houses of Shropshire,” said Gareth.

“Portraits of Shropshire houses and their owning families proved irresistible, so too were talismans of the architects, artists and Shrewsbury trades, plus books and printed ephemera which were.

“The completion of the book, and now presently a house sale, have prompted a rethink and it seems timely to, at last, liberate some of the captives. The shelves and walls are still remarkably well covered, but this offering at Halls hopefully provides new collecting opportunities for others to experience the joy that each lot has given.”

Abigail Molenaar, Halls’ pictures specialist, said: “Gareth did a huge amount of research over 25 years when writing The Country Houses of Shropshire’ and some of the paintings, pieces of furniture and country estate sale catalogues that featured in the book will be included in the auction.

“Many of the interesting items, relating to famous Shropshire families and historical places, are rare and will be of interest to collectors.”

Five portraits by English artist Ellen Wallace Sharples (1769-1849) are being offered for sale, one of John Corbet, MP, (1751–1817), of Sundorne Castle, Shrewsbury, and four of his children. The portraits are each valued at between £800 and £1,200.

A portrait by Arthur Williams Devis (1762-1822) of Anne Piggott, who married John Corbett in 1800, is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £8,000.

Another portrait, this time by a former president of the Royal Academy, Irish artist and writer Sir Martin Archer Shee (1769-1850), of fellow artist Philip Corbet (1802-’77) in 1823 is valued at £3,000 to £5,000.

Providing a window on Shrewsbury’s past, an interesting watercolour of St Mary’s Almshouses by British landscape artist Philip Vandyke Brown ((1801-‘68) is expected to fetch between £700 and £900. The almshouses were timber-framed homes founded in 1444 by a local draper named Degory Watur.

The collection runs to around 90 lots and includes a Coalport jug made to celebrate the Shrewsbury election victory of William Hill in 1802, which is valued at £700 to £900 and an 1807 Shropshire election poster at £120 to £180.

Furniture pieces include a cedarwood cassone, with 18th century wallpaper inside, which is valued at up to £1,200.

‘The Country Houses of Shropshire’ covers the architecture, the owners’ family history and the social and economic circumstances that affected them.

The largest land-locked English county, Shropshire has a wide variety of important landed country houses, with owners from diverse social groups having links to trade in Liverpool, Manchester and London as well as the local gentry.

The book includes reference to significant sporting associations, fine and decorative art collections and to important guests and social networks

For more information about the auction and preview reception, contact Abigail at Halls on 01743 450700 - option four.