- Items at 474-year-old Sandford Orcas Manor in Dorset exceeded their valuation
The contents of a 474-year-old Tudor house have sold for more than £1million with top items including a letter written by Florence Nightingale and a Chinese bowl which went for a whopping £24,000.
The historic Sandford Orcas Manor near Sherborne, Dorset auctioned its array of treasures at Duke’s of Dorchester following the death of Sir Mervyn Medlycott, the 9th Baronet, in 2021.
The note from ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ was one of the more fascinating lots having been penned while she was working in a hospital during the Crimean War.
The historic letter, which was found in a drawer in the house during the process, sold for £1,875 at the auction.
A Chinese porcelain blue and white bowl had an estimate of £1-2,000 but ended up going for an eye-watering £23,750, including the buyer’s premium.
Among the most valuable items were an important George II walnut and scagliola gaming table, which sold for £62,500, and a £37,500 still life painting by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Younger.
Meanwhile a Queen Anne gold active union medal fetched £35,000.
Other artefacts uncovered in the £5.2million Grade I listed property included a £5,250 ornament made from a tree in William Shakespeare’s garden and an exceptionally rare 333-year-old needlework bedspread that sold for £3,750.
A pair of 470-year-old children’s leather shoes that were found inside a wall during some restoration work at the manor had an estimate of just £100-200, but sold for £1,375.
An impressive array of art and furniture was also featured in the wide-ranging auction.
The manor, widely regarded as one of the best preserved and least altered from the early Tudor period in England, was built in around 1550 and has only been owned by the Knoyle and Medclycott families.
It is now set to go on the market after Sir Mervyn’s death.
Guy Schwinge from Duke’s said: ‘Good old fashioned country house auctions, where the vendors have been in residence since the 17th century and everything is to be sold, are a real rarity.
‘After the First World War they were a regular occurrence but genuine country house sales are like hens’ teeth.
‘This undoubtedly ensured the auction at Sandford Orcas Manor attracted a global audience and surpassed all expectations with almost every lot sold and a total of over £1m.
‘Bidders from the US, China, the Eurozone and the USA battled over some exceptional pieces of English furniture, exceptional silver and Golden Age paintings by Dutch masters.
‘Even a collection of flower pots in the shed made £3,000.
‘The top price was paid for a unique George II card table with a scagliola top.
‘Condition issues did not deter bidders and heated bidding saw the estimate of £20,000 exceeded by a considerable margin, at £62,500.
‘The buyer was a private collector from the UK.’
