Wormington Grange

Exemplary collection of English country house furniture and contents comes to auction
Wormington Grange
12th, 13th & 14th May 2021

Duke’s Auctioneers of Dorchester are delighted to have been appointed to sell the contents of Wormington Grange by auction on the premises.  

Wormington Grange nestles in parkland close to Broadway in the Cotswolds.  The main house was built in the 1770’s for Nathaniel Jeffreys.  It was then extended for Josiah Gift by Henry Hakewill in the 1820’s, whose additions included a new east wing adjacent to the grand entry hall with Ionic columns, and stables of neo-classical design after Sir John Soane.  

Wormington Grange has been the home of John Evetts since the 1970’s and his family for the last 100 years having been purchased by his great-grandmother in 1920.  His grandfather, Lord Ismay, held numerous notable military roles including Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Defence 1940-1946 and chief military assistant to Winston Churchill.  

Evetts has applied his diligent curatorial approach to furnishing the house with the best of English country house furniture from the 1810s to 1840s, taking a lead from Hakewill’s extension to the main house.  His passion and commitment to authenticity has driven the creation of this consummate collection.  All the notable makers of the period are represented in number.…Gillows of Lancaster, Lamb of Manchester, Taprell and Holland (later Holland and Sons) Heal and Sons, Howard and Sons.

Since 1976, Evetts has been part of The Landmark Trust team, working closely with the founders John and Christian Smith in the early days.  As Furnishings Manager, he travels widely, sourcing furniture and interior fittings and applying his curatorial eye to creating authentic and liveable interiors reflecting the design and history of each property.

Evetts is moving to a smaller, earlier house and is excited to start collecting again.  He says of the Wormington Grange auction, “Maybe there’s going to be someone out there who is doing up a house of this period who will benefit from being able to buy in a two-day sale what it’s taken me 45 years to collect”.

Cristian Beadman, Head of Sale, comments: “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.”

Wormington Grange
12th, 13th & 14th May 2021

Viewing 
8th - 11th May 2021
10am - 5pm