Thomas Davis opens for business

October 1759: Thomas Davis, a cabinet maker and land agent from Abingdon places an advertisement in the Reading Mercury shortly before the end of the reign of George II: 

to acquaint the Publick, that he has open'd a Shop in the Market-place at Newbury... where he will carry on both Branches of Business in the neatest and newest Fashions; and all those who are so kind as to favour him with their Custom, may depend on meeting with the best Usage, civil Treatment... 

Davis also has premises at 37 Northbrook Street and initially the business is concerned with auctions of furniture, household effects and farming stock with sales often held onsite at farmhouses

From 1770: Davis' business includes a certain amount of agricultural work, in 1770 he advertises two farms to let on the Sydmonton Estate; from 1780: he holds numerous sales of farmstock and household furniture in the district  

1787: A three day house sale is held at Holt Lodge, Kintbury for Thomas Beckford 

1794: William Davis, his son, takes over the firm and introduces regular sales of timber as well as the first sale of freehold property with the sale of 36 acres of coppice and 7 acres of meadow land at Aldworth in 1799 

1796: Two sales of Dragoon horses which had survived the Napoleonic Wars on behalf of the 15th and 16th Queen's Regiment. Thomas Davis takes the sale which is held in the Jack of Newbury Inn, 'Upwards of thirty stout useful draught horses, lately belonging to the 15th Regiment of Light Dragoon. N.B. These horses are well worth the attention of Gentlemen, Farmers, Coach-Masters and Others, being in good condition and fit for immediate work', ran an advertisement for the sale.  

1797: William Davis is elected Mayor of Newbury. 

1798: A hundred loads of 'excellent rotten dung' is advertised for sale at the George and Pelican Inn, Speenhamland; it is to be cleared away at the convenience of the purchaser.  

1810: Speen Farm with 100 acres is sold. 

1816: A special sale of brewing utensils takes place at Welford Park, '...consisting of a brewing copper to boil 200 gallons...mash tub...cast iron furnace...ten tons of lead from the buildings of the brew house now taken down, to be removed...'. Brewing equipment of various kinds were included in virtually all private house and farm sales at the time. 

1817: '...all the woollen and cotton machinery, late the property of John Coxeter, dec'd', namely, scribbling machines, spindle jacks and spindle jennies were offered at Greenham Mills. In 1811, Coxeter had accepted the wager which resulted in the famous Newbury Coat - a thousand guinea stake awarded if wool from a sheep's back could be transformed into a well-finished coat between sunrise and sunset on a summer's day. John Coxeter Jnr. wove the fabric, a hunting jersey of dark green Wellington colour, and the jacket was finished with two hours to spare. 

1827: A sale takes place at Elcot, Kintbury, for the Executors of Anthony Bacon; the Reading Mercury notes that, '...many strangers arrived at the principal inns in Newbury and the town was very full. The sale comprised a magnificent collection of rare and costly articles, the like of which has not been seen since the Fonthill Sale'. William Davis later writes to the newspaper to deny he had compared Elcot with the 37-day Fonthill Sale of 1823. 

December 1827: 10 day auction at Langley Hall, Beedon. Each day starts at 12noon and finishes at 4pm, with a leisurely 110 to 120 lots sold in each session. One of the more unusual lots was 'cold drawn Castor oil' which sold for 5s a bottle. Three brace of spaniels were offered but only one brace sold, for £1. The whole sale realised £2,245 4s 4d. 

1832: William Davis advertises board and lodging for a poor clergyman in the Newbury District, so long as he does not object to dining at two o'clock with a decayed tradesman and part of his family. 

1836: Alexander Davis, the son of William Davis, succeeds his father. Of outstanding ability and with exceptional drive, he oversees a dramatic increase in the sale of farming stock, timber and furniture from the mid-19th century. His first foray as an auctioneer takes place in Donnington when he conducts a sale for the late Peter Mattam. 

1858: Davis takes Thomas Palmer of East Garston, an expert in surveying and mapping, into partnership. In an advertisement he assures his clients that the business will still be conducted in '...that steady unassuming manner in which it always has been'. The business now trades as Messrs Alexander Davis and Palmer.

1869: Newbury Corporation approves proposals for a new thoroughfare connecting Cheap and Bartholomew-streets, together with a cattle market. 

1870: Thomas Palmer dies in a riding accident. Davis continues as sole proprietor until 1881 when he takes Harry G. Few into partnership. 

1873: The Cattle Market in Newbury is formally opened by the Earl of Carnarvon 

Introducing Thomas Dreweatt

1884: Alexander Davis retires from the business, so ending the family association of 125 years standing. The Newbury Herald reports that the news '...will be received with much regret by his innumerable friends and patrons, in whose esteem he has so long and justly held a worth place'. 

Harry Few amalgamates the business with that of Thomas Dreweatt, the son of a tenant farmer on the Sutton Estate, who in 1878 had opened an office at 78 Northbrook Street and holds regular sales in the Cattle Market. 

1884: A. W. Neate opens an office in the Market Place, Newbury. His business was founded in 1876 in Hungerford. 

1888: Harry Few retires; in 1898 Arthur T Watson who had joined the firm in 1890 is taken into partnership by Thomas Dreweatt. 

1897: A draft sale of 60 pedigree Berkshire pigs from the Highclere herd. Some of the the firm's biggest sales at the close of the 19th century were held at Highclere Park for the Earl of Carnarvon. Transport is laid on to meet trains at Highclere station when important sales of surplus live and deadstock take place.  

1898: At a sale held for the Butler family at Kirby House, Inkpen, twelve Chippendale chairs sell for £18 and the George III family coach for £5. At this time 18th century effects frequently appear at auction as Victorian furniture becomes increasingly popular.

1903: Alexander Davis passes away. He is described by the Newbury Weekly News as 'a man whose word was his bond, who said what he meant in plain blunt, respectful English...'.

The Barton Family

1910: Harold Barton joins the firm, he is made a partner in 1919 and the business is known as Messrs Dreweatt, Watson and Barton. Thomas Dreweatt retires in the early 1920s and from 1924-1947 Stephen Hagger is in partnership, with his role taken thereafter by Frederick Cole. 

1920s: Several significant sales of furniture take place between the two World Wars, notably, 1920: Bussock Wood House; 1921: Enbourne Lodge and 1923: Priors Court, Chieveley.  

November 1928: Thomas Dreweatt passes away, in an obituary he is described as '...bright and brisk, and a model auctioneer. He was an excellent judge of stock, and was primarily responsible for starting the Christmas Fat Stock Show at Newbury, which the firm has helped to maintain for many years'. It is also noted that he was interested in local affairs, but, could not be persuaded to undertake office.  

1945: Arthur T Watson passes away; a familiar figure in Newbury Cattle Market, where he sold calves and pigs and took the rostrum for furniture sales, he is described as '...most methodical and a model of punctuality.' 

1949: Harold Barton passes away; the Newbury Weekly News describes how he had '...brought into the firm a high professional ability and wide knowledge of the business.' His last sale, the Thatcham estate for Sir William Mount, Bart., takes place on a sultry June day in 1948. 500 people are crowded into the dining room of the Chequers Hotel and Harold Barton gets through the auction in 1½  hours, it is noted that, 'In such an atmosphere his task would have been an ordeal for a young man...No wonder he was known as the youngest looking man for his age in Newbury'. 

The firm is carried on by Harold's three sons, Colin, Michael and Desmond, working in partnership with Frederick Cole. Under the direction of Colin Barton, the business prospers in the post-War era at a time when many other similar businesses cease trading. 

1953: The contents of Quarrywood, Burghclere, are sold for the Executors of Walter Bentley. Bentley's collection of flower books was well known and three volumes of Redouté’s Les Roses are sold for £520.

1956: At an auction in Liphook held for the Executors of Philip Lyle, Persian carpets sell for £400 each.

October 1959: An advertisement in Newbury Weekly News states that the firm has received instruction from the Right Hon. The Lord Teviot D.S.O., M.C. to sell by auction Antique Furniture, China, Glass, Oil Paintings and Garden Effects from Adbury House, Newbury. The sale will take place on the premises and the notice advises that 'Light refreshments available on Sale Day' with catalogues available at 6d each. 

March 1960: A highly successful two day house sale takes place at Highlands, Newbury; it totals £12,771 and highlights include a Sheraton work table, £210; a Chippendale wine cooler, £90 and a Hepplewhite serpentine chest, £170.  

October 1961: The firm holds an auction for the Executors of Lady May Crichton in Newbury. The top lot is a Queen Anne bureau bookcase which sells for £480; a Chippendale small chest of drawers realises £42 and a Georgian tripod table, £30. 

October 1964: Newbury Weekly News looks back 80 years to an article published by the paper in 1884 which had noted that on Saturday 2 October Alexander Davis took his last auction for the business in Thatcham. 

February 1967:  Newbury Weekly News announces that the Cattle Market, Newbury, is set to close within two years. In June 1969 Desmond Barton takes the last auction at the Cattle Market and he sells a calf to Philip Povey of Kingsclere for £10 2s 6d. Alexander Davis had taken the first auction in the Market at this location in December 1873. 

January 1970: Dreweatt, Barton and Watson offer the fixtures and fittings of the Cattle Market in conjunction with A. W. Neate and Sons, who had been selling in the market since the end of the last century. The auction makes £716 2s 6d and Desmond Barton comments, 'The market place was essentially a meeting place for everyone associated with farming to have a friendly chat'. 

May 1973: Bill Baldwin, Head Sales Porter from 1946-66, passes away. In a previous role he was one of the last mounted policemen to work in Newbury.  

November 1974: Dreweatts' telephone number, Newbury 1, connected in 1899, is wired to new equipment. It is the last number in Newbury and the south of England to go automatic from a manually operated telephone exchange.

February 1978: Trofts, Byworth, nr. Petworth, Sussex - The Contents of the House, totals £151,869; highlights include an early 18thc. walnut small chest of drawers, £7,200; a Rockingham dessert service, £320 and A J Munnings, The Whip, £8,400. 

January 1979: Colin Barton retires, having worked at the firm for 48 years. In a Newbury Weekly News article he says, 'I am one of those lucky men whose job has also been a hobby’.

The move to Donnington Priory

January 1979: It is reported that the firm will spend around £100K in converting Donnington Priory into headquarters for its fine art sales department. Roger Lailey, who joined the business in 1960, says, 'This firm managed the Gathorne-Hardy estate for many years and so we know the house well’. In April 1979 planning permission is approved. 

October 1979: A two day auction - Contents, Eastrop Fields, Basingstoke, totals close to £140,000. Country Life reports that, ‘The late Major V A Simmons was obviously an admirer of Sargent, and a discriminating one'. 

September 1980: Newbury Weekly News reports on the opening of Donnington Priory: the ground floor of the building has been totally re-designed with the creation of three large salerooms. The Priory is to be used by the Fine Arts and Agricultural division of the firm, under the management of Richard Barton. The Property and Commercial departments will remain at 22 Market Place. 

September 1982: Newbury Weekly News reports that the '...sensitive adaptation of Donnington Priory has won the Newbury district gold award in this year's Courage environmental county competition'. The judges are impressed that the firm has 'retained the essential country-house character of their premises'. 

November 1982: An auction of Fine Garden Plants (200,000 plants and trees) takes place at Exbury Estate and Cadland, for Edmund de Rothschhild. After the auction Edmund writes to Richard Barton, 'This letter is to thank you...most sincerely for all the trouble and care that you took with regard to this sale of plants'.  

1983: A unique exhibition of country house furniture is on view at Donnington Priory as part of the Newbury Spring Festival. The items are assembled from country houses in the Newbury area with the oldest item an early 17th century mahogany chair from Littlecote House. Richard Barton comments, 'This is a unique opportunity for people to see some exceedingly fine things which are not on view to the public  at any other time'. 

1983: A rare and fine German cabinet dating from the 1760s sells for £94,000; it is believed to be a new record price for an item of furniture sold in an auction outside London.  

1984: A 1678 view of Falmouth Harbour by Hendrick Dankers, possibly commissioned by Charles II, is acquired by the National Maritime Museum for the price of £19,000. The Daily Telegraph reports that the painting is the highlight of an auction which totals about £116,500. 

May 1984: For the sixth Newbury Spring Festival, Donnington Priory host an exhibition: The Development of Landscape through Drawings and Watercolours, an important loan exhibition from local country houses. The Duchess of Kent, Patron of the Festival, is presented with a posy of flowers and is photographed at the Priory. 

June 1984: The sale of the Craven Hill Estate, comprising 1,336 acres, a principal residence, a period house, a dower house and 10 cottages, for £3.32m. The Estate had been in the Craven family since 1620. A marquee is set up in the grounds of Donnington Priory for the auction and 400 people attend on the day.

September 1984: The firm attends the Newbury Show and in the year of its 225th anniversary valuation books used by Alexander Davis, Harry Few and Thomas Dreweatt are on display, as well as auctioneers' boards and gavels.  

September 1985: A 1720s landscape oil painting of a fox hunt by John Wootton sells for £106,000, it is now the most expensive item sold by the firm. The auction realises a total of £202,000 and the sum is described as 'fantastic' by the auctioneer, Clive Stewart-Lockhart.  

December 1985: Michael Barton passes away; he had entered the partnership in 1936 and remained with the firm until his retirement in 1975. He served in World War II with the 4th Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment, and on two occasions commanded his battalion in action. 

May 1986: An Important Auction of English Furniture, the property of Sir Francis Burdett's Will Trust: the auction promotion states that 'Existing records show that Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Cobb supplied furniture to Foremark Hall between 1765 and 1775 for Sir Robert Burdett and a number of pieces of the period in their manner are included in the sale'. The auction realises over £½m, with the top lot a set of six George III carved giltwood girandoles which sells for £90,000. The firm had a long history of providing valuations for the Burdett family and as the Daily Telegraph noted, Donnington Priory, '... enabled them to show the 135 lots in a setting worthy of them.' 

June 1986: Jack Pike passes away, he was Head Porter at the firm and lived at Donnington Priory in a service flat. Richard Barton says that Jack '...was one of Newbury's great characters...he was known and well loved by countless antique dealers and collectors from all over the country'. 

October 1986: Frederick Cole passes away; during his years at the firm he sold many local farms and also contributed to the growth of the Newbury Agricultural Society. 

April 1987: Dreweatts and Neate merge to create Dreweatt Neate. The combined business comprises 17 partners and a total of 150 staff, based in 11 offices throughout Southern England. 

1991: Auction of The Contents of Donnington Grove, the home of the Hon. Daisy Fellowes.   

1997: Colin Barton passes away; for 28 years he had acted as secretary to the Newbury branch of the National Farmers Union and was instrumental in the revival of the Newbury Show; he also made a significant contribution to the on-going success of the firm. 

A new century

October 2003: Dreweatt Neate joins The Fine Art Auction Group

2004: A micromosaic table signed by Michelangelo Barberi sells for £250,000 and a Kashmir sapphire and diamond necklace for £240,000

April 2004: The Dreweatt Neate name is adopted by all the regional auctioneers in The Fine Art Auction Group

September 2005: The Contents of the Manor House, Milton Lilbourne: The Estate of the late Belinda Gentle 

November 2005: Dreweatt Neate arranges a major private sale of 56 watercolours - The Ducie Collection of First Fleet Paintings - to the National Library of Australia for an undisclosed price

February 2006: Portraits by Jean-Baptiste Greuze sell for £900,000; bidding starts at £80,000 and there are 22 registered 'phone bidders

15 March 2006: Dreweatt Neate held the first online auction via thesaleroom.com - a sale of Antique Furniture & Clocks, with 191 online bidders taking part.

2008: All auction houses in the group are now known as Dreweatts

2009: Auction of The Collection of the late John Fane - the epitome of the 'English country gentleman'

2011: Dreweatts sponsors a race at the Newbury Racecourse April meeting  

2012: Noble Investments buys The Fine Art Auction Group 

2013: Stanley Gibbons buys Noble Investments, including The Fine Art Auction Group

November 2013: An 18th century Sino-Tibetan thangka depicting the Milarepa cult sells for £450,000 

April 2015: The Pete Waterman Collection of Unique Scatch Built Locomotives sells for £627,229 and The Collection of the late Ian Askew for £356,116.

December 2015: A gold mounted Steinkabinett circular bonbonniere set with a micromosaic plaque, circa 1790, sells for £186,000.

May 2016: The Richard Burnett Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments from the world famous Finchcocks Museum, sells for £669,410.

March 2017: A Moai Kavakava style figure, Easter Island, from the Collection of Jan Krugier, sells for £117,800.

May 2017: Abbotswood, Gloucestershire; Selected Contents - realises a total of £1.1m, over three times the pre-sale low estimate; 265 lots are offered with just 4 unsold. 

Gurr Johns International Purchases Dreweatts

October 2017: Gurr Johns International purchases Dreweatts from Stanley Gibbons.

January 2018: An Eye for Luxury | East meets West: A Private Collection of Applied and Decorative Arts - a three day auction of 745 lots realises £1.2m: over double the pre-sale low estimate.

February 2018: Dreweatts opened its new London office at 16-17 Pall Mall, St James's. Donnington Priory continues to be the main auction location for the business however, the firm recognises the importance and convenience of a central London location for its UK and international clients, hosting valuations by appointment, exhibitions and events. Learn more

July 2018: The Hours of Isabella d'Este, an opulently illuminated manuscript on parchment, c. 1490, sells for £421,600. 

Summer 2018: Dancing with Colour, a selling exhibition of oils and works on paper by Berenice Sydney (1944-1983) is held in London in conjunction with Saatchi Gallery; the show is the first major retrospective of the artist's work since her death.

November 2018: A part-service of Palace ware or 'Rockefeller' pattern from a Private Collection comprising 62 pieces sells for £143,750. 

March 2019: An impressive Edwardian aquamarine and diamond brooch, from the Collection of Viscountess Astor, CH (1879-1964), the first female MP to take her seat in the House of Commons in 1919, sells for £67,500. 

May 2019: Oakley House | The Collection of Eustace Gibbs, 3rd Baron Wraxall, KCVO CMG realises £721,962; the auction features a number of items from the spectacular Victorian Gothic revival house, Tyntesfield, in North Somerset.

2020 | A New Decade and New Technologies

March 2020: On 10 & 11 March Dreweatts saw fantastic results for the exceptional private collection of the eminent architect Sir William Whitfield CBE with the auction total soaring to £1,542,513 (including Buyer's Premium), with a 99% sell through rate. With competitive and enthusiastic bidding we saw key lots selling for triple their original estimates, if not more. The sale was exclusively presented by renowned interior design firm Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, creating carefully designed room-sets, transforming Dreweatts' Donnington Priory salerooms and London Gallery. Learn more

2020-2022: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown on 23 March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Dreweatts closed its doors to the public for 2.5 months, reopening under strict measures on 15 June. During these unprecedented times we had to quickly adapt, improving our online presence.

During lockdown Dreweatts were market leaders in developing a suite of virtual services so that clients could have access to our specialists remotely. We introduced our Virtual Valuation Service and Online Valuation Forms for clients requiring valuation advice. We also developed our virtual viewing services, Remote Viewing and Dreweatts 360 Virtual Auction Tours, which allowed buyers to view from the comfort of their own home.

For the next two years, the world was affected by the effects of Covid-19. During this time, the UK lived through another two lockdowns. Since the start of the pandemic, we found the increased value in online services, with a record number of clients turning to online bidding. Learn more

July 2020: Dreweatts began working with Art on a Postcard, hosting their timed online auctions, raising valuable funds for The Hepatitis C Trust's campaign to eliminate hepatitis C in the UK. These auctions feature a truly impressive and irresistible collection of original postcard sized artworks by a carefully selected roster of outstanding contemporary artists, such as Boy George, Anish Kapoor and Grayson Perry. Learn more

2021 | Establishing an Unrivalled Reputation for Private Collections

January 2021: From the 20-22 January 2021, Dreweatts held a 3-day auction - and the first ever virtual house sale - selling the contents of the 17th century Grade I Palladian country house, Aynhoe Park in Oxfordshire, the celebrated family home of James and Sophie Perkins. This unique and well-loved collection of artworks, sculpture, furniture, taxidermy, modern design and curiosities such as a triceratops skull drew publicity and interest from around the world with thousands of people taking part. The Live Online Auction (Day 1 & 2) was a white glove event with everything selling and, together with the Timed Online Auction (Day 3), the sale totalled £4.1 million. Learn more

October 2021: The UK celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. Dreweatts marked the occasion by planting an apple tree ‘Blenheim Orange’ and a pear tree, ‘Doyenne du Commice’ in the gardens of Donnington Priory, as part of the Queens Green Canopy (QGC) initiative to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. Learn more

November 2021: On 16 & 17 November 2021, Dreweatts held the auction of 'Weston Hall and the Sitwells: A Family Legacy' selling the contents of Weston Hall in Northamptonshire, a seat of the illustrious Sitwell family since the early 20th century and their ancestors since the 18th century. The auction certainly captured the public's attention with international media coverage and over 2500 registrants from all corners of the globe bidding online, by telephone and in the room. The sale totalled £1,417,000 (114% above pre-sale estimate) with 98% of lots selling.

We were delighted to have Nina Campbell as guest curator for the sale, creating glorious room sets at Dreweatts country house setting of Donnington Priory and its London gallery space in Pall Mall. Learn more

December 2021: We welcomed Battersea based Forum Auctions into common ownership following its acquisition by our parent company Gurr Johns International. In a serendipitous full circle, Rupert Powell and his team rejoined past colleagues following their departure from Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions in 2016 to establish Forum Auctions. Learn more

2022 | The Leading Auction House Outside London

January 2022: The Antiques Trade Gazette reports that Dreweatts led the field for results for auction houses outside London, with a hammer total of £27.71 million (without premium) in 2021. View article

March 2022: On 8 & 9 March Dreweatts held its auction of Fine Jewellery, Silver, Watches and Luxury Accessories, including jewellery, silver and tableware from the private collection of style icon, philanthropist and taste-maker, Victoria, Lady de Rothschild (1949-2021). The collection sold for a total of £633,139, against a pre-sale estimate of £123,130, with a 100% sell-through rate.

In the lead up to the auction her close friend, British fashion designer, Tomasz Starzewski, was invited to create tablescapes using items from the collection, in a celebration of Victoria's wondrous entertaining style. Learn more

March 2022: On Wednesday 16 March, Dreweatts held its auction of Modern and Contemporary Art. The auction totalled £1,115,663 (incl. buyer's premium), 30% above the pre-sale high estimate. A highlight was when a recently discovered 'Mother and Child' sculpture by esteemed British sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986), sold for a hammer price of £320,000. It had been left undiscovered for over 40 years, nestled amongst trinkets on a mantlepiece in a Wiltshire farmhouse. Learn more

May 2022: On 18 & 19 May, we held our auction of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, including Japanese, Indian and Islamic Art. We saw fantastic prices achieved, with the auction totalling £2,927,000 (including buyer's premium). 

The auction had a phenomenal start when Lot 1, the magnificent Chinese Imperial blue-glazed silver and gilt 'Bat and Crane' vase sold for an astounding hammer price of £1.2 million. It was purchased by a surgeon in the 1980s for a few hundred pounds and passed from the father to son, who also, not realising its true value positioned it in his kitchen. It was only when a visiting specialist spotted it, that its true value and history was revealed. Learn more

June 2022: Dreweatts sponsored Arundells exhibition Poets, Plumbers and Politicians: The Sculptures of Martin Jennings. Dreweatts' Managing Director, Jonathan Pratt, sat down with Jennings to talk about his career and the exhibition. Learn more

Later that year, Martin Jennings would design the new coins and stamps for King Charles III, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

3 October 2022: We were privileged to be able to offer the contents formerly from Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire. The interiors of Flaxley Abbey were designed by theatre and set designer Oliver Messel, one of the most iconic figures of twentieth century design and represented one of his most important and complete commissions, being the only country house ever to be designed by him. The auction was a white glove event with all lots selling and totalling £877,850 (nearly three times the pre-sale estimate). Learn more

4 October 2022: Dreweatts hosted the auction of 'Chilham Castle: The Selected Contents from a Christopher Gibbs Interior' which included a superb selection of period furniture, objects and works of art with exceptional provenance. Home to Stuart and Tessa Wheeler, the interiors at Chilham Castle were designed by interior designer Christopher Gibbs, with the help of Jane Ormsby-Gore and Peter Hinwood. The auction totalled £581,375 (75% above pre-sale estimates), with 95% lots selling and 66% of lots selling above top estimate. Learn more

19 October 2022: We held our autumn auction of Modern and Contemporary Art. The auction comprised 212 works, including paintings, sculpture and works on paper, dating from 1900 onward. Head of sale, Francesca Whitham commented "We were thrilled to announce a sale total of over £2.2 million with competitive bidding from across the world. Strong prices were achieved for established names such as David Bomberg, Dorothea Sharp, Sir Alfred Munnings and a fantastic modern British offering including Duncan Grant, proving the market is buoyant for high quality works from impressionist through to the contemporary." Learn more

November 2022: In 2022, we announced a new partnership between Dreweatts and Historic Houses, creating a new award to celebrate the importance and evolution of the rich collections that can be found in Britain's independently owned historic homes. We were thrilled to announce the Williams Caerhays Mineral Collection as the winners of the Historic Houses' inaugural Collections Award. Learn more

2023 | Bringing Distinguished Collections to Market

January 2023: Dreweatts reports another successful year, retaining title for leading auction house outside London after reporting a hammer total of £25.7 million. This rounds off three years having established an unrivalled reputation for successfully handling private collections, managing more collections and single owner properties of this kind than any other auction house in the United Kingdom.

April 2023: Dreweatts single owner sales continued to grow, offering a number of collections spread throughout the year, the first of which was our two-day auction Windsor House Antiques: End of an Era, held on 25 April. Offering items from Windsor House Antiques, this sale honoured the life and work of its founder, Kevin Smith. Learn more

17 May 2023: Dreweatts held its Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction. A highlight from the auction was a rare Chinese cloisonné ‘pomegranate’ box which had been recently discovered in a dust-filled cabinet of a family home. One of only five known examples in the world, it attracted huge interest, finally selling at £287,700. Learn more about this item

23 May 2023: On 23 May, Dreweatts held its auction Guinevere: 60 Years on the King's Road. This special sale afforded an opportunity to celebrate one of London’s most loved dealers and their 60 years on the famous Kings Road in London, looking back to when they first opened in 1963 under the leadership of founder, Genevieve Weaver. Learn more

July 2023: Our Fine Jewellery, Silver, Watches and Objects of Vertu auction on 12 July, experienced lively bidding throughout, proving the strength of the jewellery market. Commenting on the auction, Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches, James Nicholson said, "The worldwide desire for timeless exceptional jewels continues to appeal to Dreweatts' international jewellery buyers and collectors with many pieces we offered exceeding our pre-sale estimates and expectations. We were delighted to have welcomed buyers from around the world into Donnington Priory, who flew in specifically to view the sale first hand." A particular highlight was an Asprey & Co. sapphire and diamond ring which sold for £300,200 (including buyer's premium).

August 2023: On 15 August, we were proud to sell the collection of interior and garden designer Anouska Hempel, in our auction Anouska Hempel: Designer At Large. The sale encompassed furniture, paintings and other works from her former home, Shaw House in Wiltshire. Anouska Hempel is an icon in the world of design. She has a phenomenally refined colour sense, the ability to match tones and shades whether fabric, paints, or hard surfaces and to subtly grade or contrast them to enhance the richness and layering, which was seen throughout the Interiors of her home. The interest surrounding this collection led to competitive bidding with the auction totalling £651,017 (including buyer's premium), making more than double pre-sale estimates, with a 99% sell-through rate. Learn more about the collection.

"I don't know how you describe romance actually... but some objects have it, they just have something that is more than themselves. If you're interested in them you can communicate it and they can communicate it too, and it's just magic, it's just how life is."

~ Robert Kime

October 2023: From 4-6 October, Dreweatts had the great honour of holding the landmark auction Robert Kime: The Personal Collection, offering the contents of Robert's homes in London and Provence. Known the world over as a titan of design and the ‘great assembler’ of beautiful things, Robert Kime’s unique eye and aesthetic sensibility led him to become one of the leading design figures of his generation. This auction gave collector's, old and new, the opportunity to own the beautiful things which Robert amassed over his lifetime.

After much anticipation and global interest the auction saw competitive and enthusiastic bidding, making for a thrilling three-day auction. Totalling around 25 hours of bidding, with thousands of bidders taking part from around the world, the auction achieved £9.64 million (including buyer's premium), with a 100% sell-through rate, making it another white glove event! Learn more

14 & 15 November 2023: On Tuesday 14 & Wednesday 15 November, we held our auction Bardon Hall by Tomasso, offering the chance to attain works from the Tomasso collection. Dino and Raffaello Tomasso are two of the most respected dealers of European sculpture, Old Master paintings and ancient art. This was reflected in the results, with the auction achieving £1,582,389 (including buyer's premium), 64% above pre-sale estimates. Learn more about the collection

23 November 2023: Dreweatts held the Art on a Postcard Winter Auction, raising a phenomenal £98,000, a record for the charity. Having worked with Art on a Postcard since July 2020, Dreweatts hosted nine of their auctions, helping them to raise £590,500 during this time. All the proceeds raised were given to the Hepatitis C Trust to raise invaluable funds for their vital work. Learn more