Tripod table belonging to David Cameron's parents – £30,000 at Dreweatt Neate of Donnington Priory.
The highlight of Dreweatt Neate's January 18 Furniture and Works of Art sale at Donnington Priory was this George III mahogany tripod table, left, with its piecrust top and a column and legs smothered with acanthus carving. Its provenance was given as The Old Rectory, Peasemore in Berkshire, a property that was quickly identified in the press as the family home of the new Conservative Party leader David Cameron. The table had a leg repaired and a chip to one of the scroll feet but it left its £7000-9000 estimate way behind, selling to a buyer in the room at £30,000 (plus 17.5 per cent buyer's premium).
