Pieces of local history go under the hammer

HISTORIC pieces from Cirencester and the Cotswolds will be going under the hammer during the first auction of the new year at Moore Allen & Innocent on Friday, January 8.

A set of nine Victorian cast iron grilles comes from St John Baptist church in Cirencester, and has been removed as part of a £2 million renovation scheme. The nine grilles, with fleur-de-lis and cross decoration, carry an estimate of £100 to £150 and, says auctioneer Philip Allwood, would make excellent doormats.

Back in the summer of 2008 Moore Allen & Innocent sold a collection of nearly 1,000 Victorian terracotta floor tiles from the church, raising over £4,400. Both auctioneer and vendor are hoping for another good sale price to help towards the restoration.

Elsewhere in the sale, furniture from another Cirencester landmark will be going under the hammer. Two oak dressers and an oak counter are thought to date from a 1913 refit at Viner’s bakery at Castle Street. The dressers each measure 5ft long by 7ft tall and carry an estimate of £100 to £150 whilst the 8ft-long counter is listed at £50 to £80.

From Danish pastries to Danish furniture, a set of four teak-faced plywood chairs designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen are expected to achieve between £200 and £300.

The series 7 model 3107, from 1955, was an icon even before the showgirl Christine Keeler was photographed naked sitting astride one at the height of the Profumo scandal in 1963. Its reputation afterwards was legendary and it is said to have sold over 5 million copies.

Back to the Cotswolds, and  – in terms of raciness – a million miles from Christine Keeler and her backwards chair, five watercolours feature genteel scenes by an un-credited artist from Chipping Sodbury in the early 1900s.

The set includes High Street, Mill on the Frome, Quakers Meeting House, Rounceville Street and the Church Porch and is accompanied by a view of St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. A bid of between £100 and £150 should secure the lot.

Finally, returning to Cirencester, it is understood that a life-sized horror film prop, signed by sculptor Peter Moole, once looked down on diners at an Italian restaurant in the town. Whether the head – variously described as orcish, troll-like or goblinesque – attracted many customers is unknown, but it’s striking enough to feature on the front cover of the auction catalogue and carries an estimate of £50 to 80.

One of a set of four teak-faced plywood chairs designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen	A set of four teak-faced plywood chairs designed by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen and made famous by a naked Christine Keeler
A life-sized horror film prop, signed by sculptor Peter Moole	An early 20th century watercolour of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, artist unknown
	Victorian grilles from St John Baptist Church in Cirencester
Circa 1913 dressers from the former Viner's bakery in Castle Street, Cirencester	An early 20th century watercolour of Chipping Sodbury High Street, artist unknown