The Derbyshire auction house has been holding regular sales at the Georgian mansion at Wolseley Bridge, near Cannock Chase, since autumn last year when it sold the contents of the former occupier St Bede’s Prep School, which closed last year. It completed the purchase in May and has embarked on a new strategy.
“I want to make Bishton Hall accessible for people and make it a destination for history lovers,” said Charles Hanson.
“It will become a social day out. I admire Tennants in the north and Dreweatts in the south and I want to make this a Midlands destination.”
“We will display items in the rooms of this Georgian gem. I want to put the antique back into interior
Hanson added: “We will display items in the rooms of this Georgian gem which I hope will inspire people to decorate their own interiors… I want to put the antique back into interior.”
Country house sales
Hansons’ main saleroom in Etwall, Derbyshire, will focus on quarterly collector sales such as silver, jewellery, militaria and toy sales while Bishton Hall will host quarterly fine art and antiques auctions as its ‘Country House Auction Showroom’.
Alongside regular sales at Bishton it will hold weekly valuation days.
Hanson said: “Etwall became so busy that we were not able to turn around sales as efficiently as I would like so we really needed a new venue for our fine art and antiques auctions.”
The company plans events and talks at Bishton Hall and may open a tea room for visitors to enjoy the grounds of the property such as its Temple Garden.
Hansons new premises at Bishton Hall where the auction house will display items in the rooms to "inspire people to decorate their own interiors".
The space open to the public will be on the ground floor with upper floors used for staff. It has hired three new staff members and around five people will be based at the mansion.
The firm also operates Hansons London, launched in January 2018, at The Normansf ield Theatre in Teddington where it holds bi-monthly sales.
