Photograph capturing proclamation of Queen Victoria's death identified at valuation day

A PHOTOGRAPH capturing the moment when Cirencester's Victorians were told they were now Edwardians was the highlight of an antiques valuation day held in the town.

Auctioneers from Moore Allen & Innocent raised funds for the charity Cirencester Housing for Young People (CHYP) by valuing antiques brought by members of the public to the CHYP Shop at The Waterloo.

Among the most interesting antiques was an original photograph print taken by renowned photographer F Mortimer Savory, showing the crowds who attended the proclamation of the death of Queen Victoria in Cirencester Market Place.

The photograph shows hundreds of men – and far fewer women – listening to the proclamation, which resounded not just across the United Kingdom, but across the Empire.

As well as Cirencester parish church, long-established business names including Trinder Chemist, tailor and outfitters Hamper & Fry, and chemist W Griffiths can be seen in the photograph.

The proclamation was made by Cirencester's civic leaders on January 23, 1901, a cold but sunny day, following the Queen's death at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight on the morning prior.

Most residents would have read of the Monarch's passing in their morning newspaper, and gathered in the Market Place for the preordained announcement.

The proclamation would have contained the official statement from the government: "Her Majesty the Queen breathed Her last at 6.30pm, surrounded by Her Children and Grandchildren."

There would have been a period of solemnity, followed by cheers – and the raising of bowler hats, trilbies, and cloth caps – as the announcement that her son Edward would ascend to the throne.

Taken from the first floor window of a shop in Cirencester Market Place – possibly Savory's own studio – the image suggests the announcement was made from the south porch of the church before the crowd turned around to face the camera.

F. Mortimer Savory was the son of Charles H Savory, who was an early pioneer of photography in the 1860s and had a printing business in the town. Frederick Mortimer Savory worked as a photographer from the 1870s until the early 1900s, mainly capturing individual and family portraits, and creating an important photographic archive of the town and its residents.

The photograph was brought to the valuation event by Jean-Pierre Lego, originally from Brittany, who worked on the Concorde project at Fairford and Filton, and returned to the town three years ago.

The photograph was valued at between £50 and £80, although the owner insisted he had no intention of parting with it. It lives safely in storage, but a reproduction – digitally enhanced to bring out the details – hangs on Mr Lego's wall.

Other antiques identified included a circa 1969 9ct gold Omega Seamaster gents wristwatch, which was valued at £800 to £1,200, and various pieces of jewellery, ceramics, and paintings.

The event, now in its eighth year, raised over £100 for CHYP.

To find out more about Moore Allen's valuation services, visit mooreallen.co.uk