No doubt drawing inspiration from the recent summer of Olympic action, one of our Directors, John Black, will shortly be embarking on his own sporting endeavour.
From Tuesday 10 - Sunday 15 September, John will be part of the Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club’s '50th Anniversary Memorial Cycle Ride', cycling the 354 miles from Ermenonville Forest, just north of Paris, France, to Bury St Edmunds via the Hook of Holland.
This important event commemorates those lost in the 1974 air disaster in which several members of the Bury St Edmunds rugby community sadly lost their lives; any funds raised being used to support St Nicholas Hospice Care and Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club.
Having previously been part of the Memorial squad on an earlier ride, and now looking to face this challenge again, John said:
‘After a successful Memorial ride ten years ago, when we raised over £180,000, Austin Cornish, whose father died in the crash, has organised another, quite different, ride back to Bury St Edmunds. This time many more sons, whose fathers died, will be taking part, even encouraging their own sons to take part, which will be very emotional. Amongst over sixty riders, I’ll be taking part on my trusted bike, last used ten years ago, but my brother, Mark, will be leading the way on his 1930s single-gear bike – he tells me it will be more of a challenge! I’m very proud of the board at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, who agreed to sponsor the event, and extremely grateful for everyone's support.’
If you would like to sponsor John, follow the link to the JustGiving page: John Black is fundraising for St Nicholas Hospice (justgiving.com)
The term ‘Company School’ refers to a genre of painting that emerged in India in the late 18th and 19th centuries, flourishing under the patronage of British East India Company officials, their families, and other European residents in India. Sworders Asian & Islamic Art department is pleased to present a curated selection of these wonderfully insightful works in their next auction on Friday 15 May.
20 April 2026
A fascinating group of 42 lots from the Sir Thomas Longmore library feature in our Books, Manuscripts and Maps auction, offering a rare insight into Victorian military medicine and reform. Highlights include two letters by Florence Nightingale, alongside annotated books and personal volumes from Longmore’s own collection.
16 April 2026
A remarkable group of books from the library of Professor C.J.F. Dowsett will feature in our April Books, Manuscripts and Maps sale. The collection reflects a lifetime of scholarship in Armenian, Iranian and Near Eastern studies.
16 April 2026