This week, Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers experienced one of its best attended auctions since the rise of internet bidding, thanks to a consignment of furniture and ornaments from local rock star, Sir Rod Stewart.
13/09/2018 FINE INTERIORS
This week, Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers experienced one of its best attended auctions since the rise of internet bidding, thanks to a consignment of furniture and ornaments from local rock star, Sir Rod Stewart.
The singer, who has a mansion in Sheering, near Harlow, was in need of a good old-fashioned clear out and approached local firm Sworders with the collection of items earlier in the year. The media went wild for the story and it didn’t take long for die-hard fans to hear about the sale.
Realising they could be in with a chance of owning some of the glitzy items belonging to the star, fans flocked to the Stansted Mountfitchet Auction Rooms to get in on the action. The 37 lots were certainly in-keeping with the star’s flamboyant style. People were queuing up for their turn to sit in his leopard print armchair! The chair received the highest number of pre-auction bids on record for the firm and eventually sold for a staggering £4,670 including premium.
As well as a jam-packed sale room throughout the day, the sale generated three times the number of online registered bidders for its kind. Most bidders came from the UK but there was also interest from the US, India, Greece, Singapore and Malaysia.
Among the 37 lots, which all sold well over estimate, were a pair of gilt bronze-mounted side tables, snapped up for £6,200, a pair of late 19th Century pier mirrors, which sold for almost double the guide price at £5,000, and a set of four gilt bronze two-branch wall lights, which went under the hammer at £2,800. A pair of Victorian leather armchairs were most popular, with the hammer coming down at £7,600.
Autographed auction catalogues were sold at the sale to raise money for local Children’s charity Tom’s Trust.
To view the full results of the sale, please click here.
As you may be aware, Sworders’ London gallery at 15 Cecil Court was temporarily closed throughout much of June for refurbishment. We are delighted to say that we have now reopened for business, five days a week 11am-6pm and look forward to welcoming all our customers to a new-look space. Here Lizzie Lardner, head of Sworders London, talks about her plans for the gallery.
30 July 2025
A haunting carte-de-visite of David Livingstone’s coffin attended by Jacob Wainwright, captured in 1874, offers a remarkable glimpse into history. We are honoured to include this poignant photograph in our upcoming Out of the Ordinary sale, on Tuesday 19 August.
25 July 2025
Join us for a journey through time as we reminisce the Punk revolution and its lasting effects woven through every part of popular culture, film, art and fashion, ahead of our 19 August Out of the Ordinary auction, where Punk makes a bold feature.
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