Castle sale unveils vast hoard of art, antiques and silver
Over 1,000 lots of a castle’s contents are up for sale. Tony Henderson reports
An extensive collection of art, antiques and silver from an “outstanding” North of England mansion house is to be sold by auction.
The Grade I listed Corby Castle, six miles from Carlisle, has been sold after being placed on the market with an asking price of £15m.
The collection will go under the hammer in a three-day sale at Tennants Auctioneers, North Yorkshire, from January 22–24.
Country Life magazine describes Corby as an “extraordinary property, one of Britain’s greatest private residential and sporting estates”.
The mansion is sited on a plateau above the River Eden. The manor of Corby became the property of Richard Salkeld in 1336 and remained in the family until it was sold in 1611 to Lord William Howard.
It is built around a red sandstone fortified tower house dating from the 13th century.
Corby Castle remained in the Howard family until 1994, when it passed to Lord and Lady Ballyedmond.
The sale comprises over 1,100 lots, ranging from period portraits and 17th-century tapestries to decorative 19th-century furniture and clocks, and one of the most extensive collections of silver to come onto the market in recent times.
“The auction provides a unique opportunity to acquire exquisite and rare pieces from this outstanding property,” said a Tennants spokesperson.
The present façade was built for Henry Howard between 1812 and 1817.
In 1981 the building was used as a location for the filming of a five-part BBC dramatisation of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
Highlights of the collection include a well-preserved Louis XIV tapestry (£4,000–6,000) and period paintings.
The furniture on offer from the collection includes highly decorative and ornate pieces, such as a French Louis XV style carved giltwood vitrine, dating from the 19th century (estimate: £3,000–5,000).
Among the 300-plus lots of silver are rarities, such as an Indian silver venison dish and cover made by Hamilton and Co. of Calcutta in the early 19th century (estimate: £12,000–18,000); a massive 1901 Edward VII silver Monteith bowl by Charles Stuart Harris of London (estimate: £6,000–8,000); and a Victorian silver triple biscuit server dating from 1896 (estimate: £2,000–3,000).
A 1754 George II silver basket engraved with the crest of the Howard family is estimated at £1,500–2,500 while ceramics and works of art include a St Cloud porcelain beaker made around 1750 (estimate: £300–500) are also in the catalogue.
Auctioneer and director Jane Tennant said: “Corby Castle is one of the outstanding historic houses in the North of England, and we are delighted to have been entrusted to sell its remarkable contents.”