VIP guests treated to exclusive auction preview

VIP guests were treated to an exclusive preview of antiques, paintings and books going under the hammer at a Cotswolds auction house.

The event also gave guests the chance to learn more about the work of the Addington Fund, which celebrates its 15th anniversary next year.

The special private viewing was at the saleroom of Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on Wednesday, November 4, ahead of the Selected Antique, Picture and Antiquarian Book Sale two days later.

Sale highlights included a Distinguished Service Medal won by a navy deserter who later committed an heroic act in the Boer War medals, a one-off Doulton stoneware clock by the renowned ceramic artist George Tinworth, a large collection of 19th century Chinese and Japanese ivory carvings, and a circa 1903 Liberty & Co Cymric silver and turquoise inlaid inkwell by the famous Scottish art nouveau designer Archibald Knox.

The event was also an opportunity for guests to find out more about the Addington Fund, the Warwickshire-based charity that provide homes for farming families living in England and Wales who have to leave the industry, through no fault of their own, and by doing so will lose their home.

The ARC-Addington Fund was set up in 2001 as the Churches’ response to Foot and Mouth Disease, when it distributed grants totalling £10.3 million to over 22,000 applicants. Around half a million pounds of this was raised through a public appeal in the Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard, spearheaded by Lady Apsley – now Lady Bathurst – the Fund’s vice patron.

Moore Allen & Innocent is a supporter of the charity, and the two organisations shared a platform at this year’s Cotswold Show, of which the company was a lead sponsor.

For more information about buying and selling antiques at auction, log on to mooreallen.co.uk