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Pam Harman exhibition

Pam Harman (right) with art group members Janet Maitland and Carole Moule from the 2013 Chew Valley Arts Trail

THE work of the late Dr Pam Harman drew crowds to St Andrew’s Church in Chew Magna, with two-thirds of her paintings and sculptures being sold in aid of church funds.

Pam, a local GP, was involved with the church in many ways, including being a lay reader there, helping run the Sunday school for a while, and also being a member of the PCC.

Also with her friends, she set up the Igbetti Art Group, which met weekly at her home in the High Street. The group also held many exhibitions there, some of them fundraising.

Rector, the Rev Richard Greatrex, said: “It was a great meeting point for lots of folk to share news and stories, especially about Pam, who was much-loved in the village.”

Busy time at Mendip Auction Rooms

MARCHhas been one of the busiest months ever at the Mendip Auctions Rooms with five auctions held to enable consignments to be sold.

The first saw continued interest in Asian art, with a beautiful embroidered blue silk robe selling for £1800, followed by a Persian style carpet for £850 – the demand for Asian art is one that has been leading the international art and antiques market for years and shows little sign of abating.

However, the Fine Art, Antiques, Silver & Jewellery auction mid-March once again reinforced the expertise in Killens in the sale of watches and jewellery with a vintage Omega Seamster 30 making £1600, whilst an earlier timepiece in 9ct gold sold for £1000.

Staying in Europe, an early 20th century G. Puglisi Reale & Figli violin jumped up to £2000 on March 22nd. It is fascinating how every auction brings its own highlights and sometimes surprises, keeping the auction rooms team and the public on their toes.

April looks to be just as exciting, crowned at the end of the month by Classic Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia.

The lots come in all sizes, from a scratch-built airplane – a one of a kind that was flown by its owner but is now in need of a rebuild and a little TLC – to a recently restored 1960s French Paloma Palomatic scooter 49.77cc, a 1927 Austin Flatbed, and a classic London Black Cab.

With the expertise in cataloguing and photography of this field, Killens are well placed to provide a skilled and entertaining preview and auction as well as a warm welcome at the Mendip Auction Rooms.

Contact the team at Killens on 01749 840770 or email enquiries@mendipauctionrooms.co.uk for further assistance

Lee is creating a buzz

DORE & Rees Auctioneers are going from strength to strength under the new ownership of Lee Young, a familiar face on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.

Dore & Rees, in Frome, loved by locals and a popular destination on collectors’ South West tours for many years, was bought by Lee in May 2021 and has been creating a buzz in the auction world ever since.

The transition from bi-monthly general auctions of household goods to specialist curated sales has been the key to success. Lee and the team have carefully updated the interior to create a new look saleroom and have opened the business up to a global audience through the launch of a new website and offer of online bidding across three international auction platforms. Auctions are running beyond expectations, with specialist sales of Fine Asian Art and Classic Cars topping the results chart. More specialist auctions are coming in the months ahead.

Lee is a well-known face on the BBC Antiques Roadshow

Lee Young with a career that spans three decades and several disciplines. Starting out as a porter in 1988 at Messenger May & Bavistock in Surrey, Lee then moved on to become a saleroom manager at Phillip’s. At the age of 25 he was promoted to become their youngestever branch manager in charge of the bustling Ringwood saleroom.

Lee then became Furniture & Works of Art specialist at Sotheby’s routinely handling world-class objects. In 2002 Lee relocated to the US, joining America’s oldest auction house, Freeman’s of Philadelphia, heading up their European Art department. Returning home in 2007, Lee took up the same position for Scottish firm Lyon & Turnbull before transitioning to Head of Asian Art in 2010 when the Chinese art market was at the height of its global boom.

Moving to the West Country in 2017, Lee joined Duke’s auctioneers in Dorchester as Managing Director and Head of Asian Art. The move to Dore & Rees marks a real milestone in his career, and he is working closely with the team, both new and old, to develop the brand into an internationallyknown, thriving regional auction house and community hub for design.

Lee is currently putting together his next Fine Asian Art auction which will be held on Monday, May 16th, closing for entries on Friday, April 8th. This auction builds on the successes of the May and November 2021 auctions where strong prices were achieved with international bidding. He is available to meet by appointment at Dore & Rees in Frome or at a convenient location for a free valuation of works of art of Chinese, Japanese and South East Asian origin including ceramics, bronzes, jades, furniture, sculpture, pictures, robes and rare books.

Bidders go pop-eyed at Clevedon Salerooms

CLEVEDON Salerooms held their Spring Quarterly Specialist Sale on Thursday, March 10th. With significant consignments from properties in Bristol, North Somerset and the Mendips amongst the 500 lots on offer, lively bidding was in evidence throughout the day resulting in an impressive selling rate and some equally strong prices.

Memorabilia of the golden days of rock and pop always creates excitement when it appears at auction – especially when it comes with a solid gold provenance. So it was with high hopes that a small album containing around 40 autographs from some of the top stars and groups of the 1960s was offered for sale.

Collected in person by the vendor who worked at the legendary Bath Pavilion where the acts played, the album was brought to one of the weekly valuation days held at the saleroom.

The vendor was very modest about his illustrious former career but his little album told a different story. Inside were a roll-call of names that read like the line-up for a fantasy episode of Ready, Steady, Go! including Pink Floyd, the Yardbirds, Cilla Black, and the Hollies.

After a fierce battle between an internet and a telephone bidder, expectations were very rapidly exceeded and it was finally knocked down to an American buyer for an incredible £3,200.

An unusual late Qing Dynasty hardwood and painted enamel relief panel, which despite some condition issues, also quickly

eclipsed its estimate to become one of the sale’s top selling lots at £4,600. For those with more contemporary tastes, a Whitefriars “Banjo” vase was the focus of spirited bidding which saw it sell for £1,000. This certainly surprised the vendor With CHRIS YEO who had bought it when new for the grand sum of £10 as a last minute Christmas present for his wife.

Clevedon Salerooms’ next specialist sale (for which further entries are invited) will be held on June 9th. For details of this and other sales, together with information about valuation days at the saleroom and other locations, please visit the website www.clevedonsalerooms.com