An astonishing treasure trove of artwork and furniture from a Cotswolds stately home where Winston Churchill’s closest military adviser once lived will be sold for an estimated £1million at an upcoming auction.
Wormington Grange in Stanton, Gloucestershire, is currently owned by John Evetts, the grandson of Churchill’s chief military assistant Lord Ismay, but the impressive property has been in the family since the 1920s.
However, Mr Evetts is now downsizing from the Grade II* listed manor and has decided to sell more than 1,000 items he collected with ‘an enormous amount of care and love’ for the property.
The sale, considered the ‘most important’ collection of furniture to emerge on the market for decades, includes items ranging from £50 kitchen glasses to £100,000 works of art.
Mr Evetts, who has sold Wormington Grange for a multi-million figure, was able to curate such an impressive collection due to his background as a furnishing consultant for the Landmark Trust.
The sale from Wormington Grange, considered the ‘most important’ collection of furniture to emerge on the market for decades, includes items ranging from £50 kitchen glasses to £100,000 works of art. Pictured: Artwork by Algernon Newton
Also among the sale items is an Empire Giltwood metal chandelier, from around 1820, which has an estimate of £25,000
Wormington Grange in Stanton, Gloucestershire, is currently owned by John Evetts, the grandson of Churchill’s chief military assistant Lord Ismay, but the impressive property has been in the family since the 1920s
The coronation robes of General Hastings Ismay for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (left) and a ‘Cyparissuss’ statue (right) are also on sale
Among the items on sale is an oil painting by British landscape artist Algernon Newton – known as the ‘Canaletto of the canals’ – entitled ‘A Dorset Landscape’. The canvas, dated 1928, is valued at £100,000.
Other big ticket items include an Empire Giltwood chandelier dating to the 1820s and a Regence style gilt bronze eight light chandelier, which are both estimated at £30,000.
The crimson velvet coronation robes of General Hastings Ismay for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 are expected to fetch £5,000. Lord Ismay lived in Wormington Grange until his death in 1965.
The British Indian Army Officer and diplomat, born in Nainital, India, in 1887, attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and served with the Camel Corps in the First World War before earning a place at Churchill’s side.
He also held numerous notable military roles including Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Defence.
John Evetts is downsizing from the Grade II* listed manor and has decided to sell more than 1,000 items he collected with ‘an enormous amount of care and love’ for the property.
This regence-style gilt bronze eight light chandelier, from the dining room of Wormington Grange, has an estimate of £25,000
Mr Evetts, who has sold Wormington Grange for a multi-million figure, was able to curate such an impressive collection due to his background as a furnishing consultant for the Landmark Trust
Some of the chairs could sell for £10,000 alone, while a George IV bench is valued at £20,000 and plaster sculpture of Cyparissus could make £6,000
During the Second World War, Lord Ismay was said to be the only man to command the wartime Prime Minister’s ‘absolute trust.’
Among the sale items are dressing mirrors, dressing tables, writing tables and dining chairs from well regarded cabinet makers including Gillows of Lancaster.
Some of the chairs could sell for £10,000 alone, while a George IV bench is valued at £20,000 and plaster sculpture of Cyparissus could make £6,000.
Speaking of the auction, Mr Evetts, 70, said: ‘I collected everything that is in this sale specifically for this house with an enormous amount of care and love.
‘I wanted to turn it into a home that was furnished very much as it might have been at the time it was built.
Pictured: Lord Ishmay, Winston Churchill’s Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War
‘It was a century ago that my great-grandmother bought this house and I’m the fourth generation to live here.
‘Sadly, the energy and capital required to manage such a house has become beyond me, just as I believe it is now time for others with younger families to enjoy the place.
‘It was incredibly sad to sell these items which evoke fantastic memories but this way other people will get to enjoy them.
‘I am very grateful to Duke’s for agreeing to sell the lot and we are all keeping our fingers crossed for a good result.’
Wormington Grange is nestled on parkland near the village of Broadway, Gloucestershire.
The manor has Tudor origins, but the main house was built for Nathaniel Jeffreys in the 1770s. It was then extended in the 1820s before being purchased by Mr Evetts’ great grandmother in 1920.
Cristian Beadman, head of sales for Duke’s Auctioneers, said: ‘This is arguably the most important collection of English country house furniture to come to auction in recent decades.
‘A classic country house conglomeration which, in the best tradition of these old-school sales, is both eclectic and curated all at once.
‘This is an increasingly rare opportunity to view and secure the finest examples of the period in the context for which they were intended.’
Of the Newton painting in the sale, which depicts the countryside that inspired author Thomas Hardy, auctioneer Guy Schwinge said: ‘Hardy was feted during the final years of his life.
‘Visitors to his house, Max Gate, included the future King, Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, Robert Louis Stevenson and T.E. Lawrence. (Lawrence of Arabia).
Wormington Grange is nestled on parkland near the village of Broadway, Gloucestershire. Pictured: The library
Pictured: A sign warning only ‘cowmen and authorised persons’ are permitted to enter this yard at Wormington Grange
Among the items on sale is an oil painting by British landscape artist Algernon Newton – known as the ‘Canaletto of the canals’ – entitled ‘A Dorset Landscape’. The canvas, dated 1928, is valued at £100,000
Among the sale items are dressing mirrors, dressing tables, writing tables and dining chairs from well regarded cabinet makers including Gillows of Lancaster. Pictured left: The dining room and right: the library
Lord Ismay was Churchill’s Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War. He accompanied the Prime Minister when he met with US President Franklin D Roosevelt and other world leaders
‘Hardy’s importance cannot be underestimated, and it is tempting to speculate that this depiction of Hardy’s Dorset was a subconscious to tribute to him and his beloved Wessex.
‘The painting is estimated to sell for £100,000 but could easily make more.’
Lord Ismay was Churchill’s Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War. He accompanied the Prime Minister when he met with US President Franklin D Roosevelt and other world leaders.
He oversaw the partition of India as Lord Mountbatten’s Chief of Staff and was the first secretary general of Nato.
In his final years, Lord Ismay spent many hours in his library at Wormington writing his memoirs. He died aged 78.
The sale, held by Duke’s Auctioneers, will take place between May 12 and 14.
