Schoolreaders lunch with Joanna Trollope
Tuesday 3rd December in the Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey
We are looking forward to our fundraising lunch with Joanna Trollope,
best-selling author and one of the leading lights of the British literary world for nearly three decades. If you are unable to attend the lunch you may want to support our work by bidding on one of the many fantastic lots which will be offered in a silent auction at the event. Please read on to see a list of lots and to leave bids online. Every £15 we raise means we can offer one-to-one reading support to a child for a whole year - please bid generously!
Silent Auction
Click here for detailed information about our
silent auction and how it works
Click here for our online bidding form
Click here to read our Auction Terms and Conditions
Thanks to our supporters
We are very grateful to the Philip and Marjorie Robinson Trust, generous sponsors of this event, and to Her Grace, The Duchess of Bedford, for allowing us to hold our lunch in the magnificent surroundings of the Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey.
PHOTO: Barker Evans
The auction lots
Lot 1 - An ‘Elizabethan’ jardinière from Haddonstone
Haddonstone specialises in the production of cast stone architectural ornaments and still proudly makes everything by hand in Northamptonshire, just as it did when the company was founded 50 years ago. This impressive ‘Elizabethan’ Jardinière is ideal for large plants and its classic design will grace any garden.
47cm tall, 43cm wide at base, 66cm wide at top
Starting bid: £175
£290
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Many thanks to Howbury Farm Flowers
www.howburyfarmflowers.co.uk, 07870 517803
Enjoy a glorious bucket of locally-grown flowers each month between April and October 2020. Your monthly bunch will be a fabulous celebration of all that is at its best in the walled garden at Howbury Hall. Flowers can be delivered within a 10-mile radius of the farm (just east of Bedford), or collected. Alternatively come and hand-pick your blooms.
Starting bid: £100
Lot 2 - A season of British cut flowers
Current
High Bid
£150
Current
High Bid
Osprey’s international reputation for producing leather items to the highest standards of design and craftsmanship is well deserved. The brand was founded in 1980 and remains family-owned, with Graeme and Alex Ellisdon still overseeing production of all stock. The company has recently opened its first Osprey Home stores.
Starting bid: £75
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bid online
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Many thanks to Osprey London Ltd
www.ospreylondon.com, 01582 540020
£80
Current
High Bid
Lot 3 - An 'Ada' grab bag by Osprey London Ltd
£245
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Many thanks to Sarah Burles of Cambridge Art Tours
www.cambridgearttours.co.uk, 07717 202001
The Fitzwilliam Museum is home to the most important collections of art and antiquities in East Anglia but how much do you know about the treasures it holds? Discover the secrets of the Fitzwilliam with Cambridge-trained art historian Sarah Burles, then enjoy a cream tea in the Courtyard Café.
Starting bid: £240
Lot 4 - A private tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge for 12 with a cream tea at the Courtyard Cafe
Lot 4 - A private tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge for 12 with a cream tea at the Courtyard Cafe
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bid online
Many thanks to Wilson Stephens and Jones Fine & Decorative Art
www.wilsonstephensandjones.com, 020 7221 5265
£250
Current
High Bid
Lot 5 - 'Pigeon', a linocut by Hugo Guinness
Hugo is an English painter, illustrator and writer who lives and works in New York. He arrived in the 1990’s with just a degree in ceramics to his name, but was mentored by legendary tastemaker John Derian. Following 3 shows at Derian’s shop, Hugo’s prints are greatly in demand and his work has featured in publications such as ‘The New York Times’, ‘The New Yorker’, and ‘Vogue’.
Linocut, 42 x 33cm including frame.
Starting bid: £250
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bid online
£0
Current
High Bid
Lot 6 - A couture hat made for you by Siana Yewdall
Many thanks to Siana Yewdall
www.sianayewdall.com, 07817 395924
Siana Yewdall was trained by the legendary royal milliner Rose Cory, and designs bespoke couture hats for a growing list of private clients. Born and raised in Kenya, Siana draws much of her millinery inspiration from the sights and colours of that vibrant country. From beautiful hats to fascinators, head-dresses to caps and berets, Siana makes all her hats at her studio in Barnes, London. In 2019, Siana was chosen as one of 10 milliners for the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, celebrating the best of British-based hat designers.
Starting bid: £350
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bid online
£0
Current
High Bid
Lot 7 - A gentleman's suit by Norton Bespoke
Many thanks to Matthew Norton
www.lambtontailoring.co.uk, 0113 2122870
The winner of this lot can choose to have tailored an elegant 2-piece business or dinner suit (3-piece or tweed by negotiation). The suit will be uniquely and individually tailored to the client’s specifications and will be made from one of an extensive range of wool worsted cloths. Matthew Norton has spent 28 years in the world of bespoke tailoring and will ensure perfect fit and style. The Norton Bespoke showroom is behind Charlotte St, London W1 in Fitzrovia.
Starting bid: £1,000
Lot 8 - 'London Lane, Sotterley', by Cornelia FitzRoy
£600
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Starting bid: £600
Many thanks to Cornelia FitzRoy
www.corneliafitzroy.co.uk, 07787 401630
Cornelia FitzRoy is a landscape painter based in East Anglia. She trained at the Byam Shaw School of Art, and Chelsea School of Art. Cornelia’s work is a direct response to the changing colours, light, weather and seasons, and is created outside, braving the elements. Cornelia is a member of Group Eight, a collective of Norfolk artists, and has exhibited extensively, with work appearing in shows at The Royal Academy of Art and Snape Maltings. Acrylic on paper, framed, 76.2 x 58.5cm.
Lot 9 - A study of 'Alice' by Helen Oxenbury
£0
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Thanks to Helen Oxenbury and to
Chris Beetles of The Chris Beetles Gallery
www.chrisbeetles.com, 020 7839 7551
Helen Oxenbury is one of the UK’s best-loved illustrators. Generations of children will be familiar with her fluid and intimate watercolour style for there cannot be many nursery shelves without at least one of her books; ‘Bear Hunt’ alone has sold more than 9 million copies. This drawing is a study for an illustration for Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ published by Walker Books in 2014 (p177). Included in this lot is a hard-back copy of Leonard S Marcus’s 2019 book ‘Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration’ signed by the artist. Signed and inscribed, pencil on tracing paper, 16 x 14cm.
Starting bid: £300
Lot 10 - a gin tasting for 10 people with Pinkster Gin
£0
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Many thanks to Pinkster Gin Ltd
www.pinkstergin.com, 01763 849739
A private tour of the Cambridgeshire
home of Pinkster, the pink gin pioneer. Pinkster’s premium gin is made with locally-grown fresh raspberries. The core spirit is distilled to the firm’s own recipe before being macerated with three botanicals, including locally-grown raspberries. Come and learn the secrets of gin production and how to mix the ultimate gin cocktails.
Starting bid: £350
Lot 11 - A 'Windsor' handbag by Fairfax & Favor
£300
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Many thanks to Fairfax & Favor
www.fairfaxandfavor.com, 01760 338199
Fairfax & Favor is a young company but it has already earned an extraordinary following for its beautifully crafted leather goods. The Windsor’s defining feature is its interchangeable tassel, a Fairfax & Favor signature touch that enables instant personalisation.
Starting bid: £280
Lot 12 - A portrait commission from Milo Browne
£350
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Starting bid: £300
Many thanks to Milo Browne
07887 771145
Find Milo on Instagram at Milo_Browne_Art
Milo is a twenty-four year old artist working in London and Wiltshire. He has had no formal training but has an extraordinary knack for capturing a likeness - whether the sitter is human, canine or equine. Milo is generously offering an A3-sized portrait of a dog, a horse or a person and will meet the winning bidder for an opportunity to discuss sketches and photographs at a mutually convenient time before
carrying out the commission.
A charming picture of a meeting between Lord Krishna and a woman, almost certainly one of the Hindu god’s 16,000 wives. Krishna wears the yellow robes in which Hindu deities are often depicted. As the colour of the sun, yellow is often used in Indian painting to suggest light, warmth and happiness. Gouache on paper, 38 x 32.5cm including frame.
Lot 13 - An Indian painting of Krishna in a garden
£0
Current
High Bid
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bid online
Starting bid: £200
Many thanks to Wilson Stephens and Jones Fine & Decorative Art
www.wilsonstephensandjones.com, 020 7221 5265
A charming picture of a meeting between Lord Krishna and a woman, almost certainly one of the Hindu god’s 16,000 wives. Krishna wears the yellow robes in which Hindu deities are often depicted. As the colour of the sun, yellow is often used in Indian painting to suggest light, warmth and happiness. Gouache on paper, 38 x 32.5cm including frame.
A charming picture of a meeting between Lord Krishna and a woman, almost certainly one of the Hindu god’s 16,000 wives. Krishna wears the yellow robes in which Hindu deities are often depicted. As the colour of the sun, yellow is often used in Indian painting to suggest light, warmth and happiness. Gouache on paper, 38 x 32.5cm including frame.
Lot 14 - A flower course for 1 at The Dorset Walled Garden
£85
Current
High Bid
Click here to
bid online
Many thanks to Susanne Cooper
Find the garden on Instagram at dorsetwalledgarden
The beautiful and productive ‘Dorset Walled Garden’ is the home of fantastic flower arranging courses and the garden has been mentioned in ‘The Daily Telegraph’ and ‘Gardens Illustrated’. All materials are provided and coffee, cake and Christmas spirit will be in plentiful supply.
This workshop takes place on 14th December, 10am to 1pm, at the Walled Garden which is between Sherborne, Dorchester and Yeovil. If you are unable to attend a workshop before Christmas, you can book on to a session for Easter 2020.
Starting bid: £80
A charming picture of a meeting between Lord Krishna and a woman, almost certainly one of the Hindu god’s 16,000 wives. Krishna wears the yellow robes in which Hindu deities are often depicted. As the colour of the sun, yellow is often used in Indian painting to suggest light, warmth and happiness. Gouache on paper, 38 x 32.5cm including frame.
Lot 15 - A session with energy healer Alice Young
Enjoy a session of gentle yet transformative treatment that works at a cellular level to align and balance the physical body with the subtle energetic and spiritual bodies. The session aims to release emotional trauma from the body, support the central nervous system, balance the endocrine system and enable improved sleeping. You will leave feeling physically and emotionally well. Alice is based in Thurloe Street, South Kensington, London, SW7.
Starting bid: £80
£85
Current
High Bid
Click here to
bid online
Many thanks to Alice Young
youngalice@btconnect.com, 020 7589 6414
End of auction lots
How the Silent Auction works
Please go to the top of this page or click here to see a list of the fantastic lots on offer.
These lots will all be sold in a silent auction at our lunch on 3rd December. If you cannot attend the lunch but would like to bid, we are accepting bids online until 10am on Tuesday 3rd December. Once online bidding has closed, it will only be possible to bid in person at our lunch. If you place a bid online please therefore be aware that you may still be outbid by a guest bidding live at our lunch.
Prior to the online bidding closing at 10am on Tuesday 3rd December, the current highest bid for each lot will be displayed next to that lot on this webpage. The bids will be updated at regular intervals each day.
At the lunch on 3rd December guests will be able to make bids in person for each lot. Instructions for bidding in person will be available at the event.
Live bidding will close at 2.40pm and winners, who may have bid online previously or in person at the lunch, will be informed shortly thereafter.
Please click here to see our Auction Terms and Conditions.
Place an online bid here
If you would like to make an online bid in our Silent Auction please fill out the form below. Please read our Auction Terms and Conditions before placing a bid.
Please note that if you wish to bid on more than one lot, you will need to fill out a fresh form for each one.