Author: Rupert

Parham A Jewel Amongst Country Houses

The Long Gallery, © Parham/Rupert Toovey

Since building began in 1577 only three families have lived at Parham. It is a jewel amongst the country houses of the British Isles, the more special because it is still a home stewarded and loved by its current custodians Lady Emma and her husband James Barnard.

Parham is a fine example of an Elizabethan H-plan centred around the traditional Great Hall. It is constructed of sandstone known as Amberley Blue. Stone from Pulborough, Caen and Bath are also employed for the quoins and dressings beneath a Horsham stone roof. Interestingly the house was probably lime washed. Many of the timbers date from the 1570s.

Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. They employed the architect Victor Heal to supervise the work and together oversaw the restoration with great attention to detail. Victorian additions were removed and the rooms returned to their original Elizabethan form. The character of the house is also defined by the wonderful collections of paintings, textiles and antique furniture which speak into the English Country House taste. The interiors are comfortable, eclectic and layered giving voice to the passions and interests of successive generations. The pieces were collected for their association with Parham and its story. Clive and Alicia installed heating, electricity and contemporary plumbing.

The Great Hall, Parham © Parham/Jonathan James Wilson

The Great Hall’s original Tudor oak panelling is subtly limed and bathed in light from its tall mullioned windows which face south to the Sussex Downs. It is at the heart of this beautiful home. The fine portraits, the Tudor and later furniture and the four hundred year old narwhal tusk (they were sold by Tudor sailors as Unicorn horns) speak into the procession of our island history and the family which saved and furnished this wonderful house.

The Long Gallery is a remarkable space The famous theatrical set and costume designer, Oliver Messel, painted the ceiling in the Long Gallery which was put in by the Pearsons in the 1960s.

Clive and Alicia opened Parham to the public in 1948, not out of need but out of a genuine desire to share their home with others, a tradition continued by Lady Emma today.

This optimistic place provides a window onto our past and our future, an historical narrative from the first Elizabethan Age to today. Parham house sits confidently and quietly in its landscape and gardens. A visit is the perfect summer holiday treat. To find out more go to www.parhaminsussex.co.uk.

Toovey’s Strike Gold with Australian Sculptures

A mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold and gem set figure group, titled ‘Satin Bower Birds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’, by S.A. Schagen

Toovey’s have just sold two Australian gold sculptures of two Satin Bowerbirds and a Koala for £238,500 in their August specialist objects of virtue sale.

These finely modelled sculptures were entered by a Sussex based private collector. He had inherited them from his late father, a proud Australian, who purchased them new in the1960s. Art has the power to unite us with our roots, heritage and home. Over the millennia silver and gold have been used to create the finest objects of virtue. I am often asked what an Object of Virtue is. The term comes from the French Objets de vertu and describes pieces made in gold, silver, enamel, bronze, ormolu, glass, porcelain, semi-precious stones, etc which are valued for their artistic virtuosity.

There was virtuosity in the impressive mid-20th century Australian varicoloured gold figure group, titled ‘Satin Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus violaceus’ by S.A. Schagen which was very finely modelled. The detail and composition was superb. The sculpture measured 52cm wide and made £200,000. It depicted a courtship display between a male dancing with wings outspread, and a female bird standing in her nest or bower made of a bed of sticks. The scene was given life with a scattering of shells, opals and agates, and two platinum and sapphire feathers. The Satin Bowerbird is a native of the forest habitats of Australia’s East Coast and New Guinea. Mature males have violet-blue eyes and are uniformly black in colour whereas the female birds are a distinctive green-brown.

A mid-20th century Australian gold model of a Koala bear by S.A. Schagen

The emblematic Koala, a herbivorous marsupial, lives in the coastal regions of southern and eastern Australia. Although often called Koala Bears they are actually closely related to Kangaroos and other marsupials with pouches to nurture their young. Remarkably they feed on poisonous eucalyptus leaves. The endearing sculpture of a seated Koala was also beautifully detailed. With his typical fluffy ears he had a slightly surprised look on his face. Measuring just 10cm high he realised £38,500.

Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for some 30 million years which allowed so many unique species to evolve, species which speak into Australia’s identity like these sculptures.

Toovey’s specialist, William Rowsell, is delighted with the results for these sculptures. He is already looking forward to his autumn Objects of Virtue sale and inviting entries.

Parham’s Gardens a Place of Beauty, Blessing and Encounter

Parham’s famous Wendy House

There are many beautiful gardens in these sceptred isles but very few have the unique and exceptional voice of Parham’s walled gardens.

The gardens are going through a renaissance thanks to the vision of Head Gardener Andrew Humphris and the patronage of Lady Emma and her husband James. It is more than 30 years since Lady Emma and James came to Parham with their young family and made it their home. They follow in the footsteps of Lady Emma’s great grandparents, Clive and Alicia Pearson, who fell in love with Parham as soon as they saw it. The house was in a poor state when they bought it in 1922. Lady Emma and James’ time has also been marked by renewal and long-term stewardship in this ancient, generous place.

Parham’s famous shimmering blue and golden borders enfold the visitor and engage all your senses. Their rich scent. The thrumming of bees and other insects accompany the bird song as butterflies dance in the heat of the late afternoon. It is exciting to see so much life in these abundant gardens. The light and breeze moves playfully through the exquisite planting where the groupings of plants create flowing compositions of colour and texture. In the blue borders the white umbellifers amplify the upright purple salvia leading your eye and your heart through the borders. The planting is still naturalistic and, reassuringly, instantly recognisable as being in the tradition of the ‘Parham way’ and yet there is something new too. A vital expression of the timeless qualities of this place, and yet fresh and evolving.

Parham’s exquisite blue border with the Dovecote and park in the distance

Away from these borders clouds of soft white hydrangeas and veronicastrum lead you to the Wendy House. It gives the impression of having been part of the walls for centuries but it was designed by Victor Heal and built in 1928 for Clive Pearson’s daughters Veronica, Lavinia and Dione. It is a child-sized cottage with a finely made oak front door beneath a beautiful wrought iron balcony. It provides a wonderful space for children to lose themselves in their imaginations away from their ‘i-Things’. Other borders set off the ancient walls with rich colour.

The garden at Parham is a place of beauty, blessing and encounter and the perfect place to visit as a summer holiday treat. Whether you are visiting for the first time or returning to an old friend, as I often do, Parham’s gardens never fail to delight. Visit www.parhaminsussex.co.uk to find out more and book your visit to the gardens.

Finely Curated Collection of Coins and Medallions Provides a Window into 17th Century England

An Edward VI 1551 Tudor Crown, obverse and reverse

This week I am in the company of Toovey’s coin specialist, Mark Stonard, who is celebrating the sale of the remarkable Robert Pearce of Normanton Hall, Normanton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire collection of coins and medallions.

I ask Mark about the late Robert Pearce’s collection. He says “It was a carefully curated collection started in the 1940s. It comprised largely of English Crowns from Edward VI in 1551 to Elizabeth II in 1977. The Edward VI crown from 1551 depicts the boy king on horseback. It had a typically Tudor look to it. It was a third period Crown and a fine issue mint-marked Y. On the reverse you see a shield on a cross. It was fascinating to see its provenance with the original approval invoice from B.A. Seaby Ltd, dated 6th March 1946 for £9. It realised £1500.”

“Alongside the coins was a pretty comprehensive collection of wonderful 17th and 18th century medals and medallions. Most of them celebrated or commemorated points of British history from the turbulent 17th century including the repercussions of the English Civil War and Commonwealth. The story of the medals included a Charles I cast and chased silver royalist badge by Thomas Rawlins. These were usually given to officers in the King’s army and also others who helped the King and Queen. It made £1300.”

Charles I cast and chased silver royalist badge by Thomas Rawlins, obverse and reverse

Mark continues “What was remarkable was the way Robert put together the collection of coins and medals just after the Second World War – another time of great uncertainty in the history of our nation. He had a great eye and bought a number of big and impressive things. He curated them carefully laying them out in his multi-drawer coin collectors’ cabinet. They provided a remarkable window into 17th century England. Among the medals were examples by some of England’s finest engravers and medallists including Thomas Simon, Thomas Rawlins and John Roettiers.” Mark explains how Thomas Simon’s career spanned the Commonwealth and the restoration of Charles II. Thomas Rawlins was a playwright and medallist. The Roettiers were a family of celebrated engravers and medallists. John was the most significant of the Roettiers engravers and would become Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint in 1670. Mark adds “All these men were born into the 17th century world of the English Civil War but found a path to create beautiful objects. Objects which still delight collectors today.”

Mark Stonard is always happy to share his passion for this specialist field with collectors at Toovey’s.

Dinky Toys Delight Historic Motor Racing Enthusiasts and Toy Collectors Alike

A Dinky Toys No. 249 Gift Set Racing Cars, comprising a No. 233 Cooper-Bristol, a No. 232 Alfa-Romeo, a No. 234 Ferrari, a No. 235 HWM and a No. 231 Maserati

As the noise and drama of the Goodwood Festival of Speed fade to memory I am looking forward to the 2024 Goodwood Revival which celebrates racing cars which would have raced in period at the famous circuit.

The racing circuit started life as a perimeter track to the World War II RAF Westhampnett airbase. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon permitted the first race organised by the Junior Car Club which was held on the 18th September 1948.

There was a terrific appetite for motor racing after the war. Goodwood would become famous for its Glover Trophy Formula One non-championship race and the Goodwood nine hour sports car endurance races.

Just weeks after the introduction of driving tests in Great Britain, the No. 23a racing car became the first model vehicle to bear the brand Dinky Toys when it rolled off the production line in April 1934. However, the history of this household name of toy manufacturing already had its foundations firmly laid prior to the production of this little car. Meccano had been produced at the same Liverpool factory since the early 1900s, created by toy pioneer Frank Hornby.

The delightful AA set with its diorama box is a lovely example of this early period and sold at Toovey’s for £140 despite being a little play-worn.

A pre-war Dinky Toys No. 44 AA hut, motorcycle patrol and guides, boxed

The Second World War halted production of toys at the ‘Binns Road’ factory in Liverpool with attention turning to war work. They even raised funds for a ‘Meccano’ Spitfire by creating a special pendant to purchase the aircraft.

Like Goodwood Dinky Toys enjoyed a renaissance after the war years. In 1947 Dinky ‘Supertoys’ were launched to great success. Dinky Supertoys were a larger scale than that previously offered and were produced for nearly two decades. The entire range of Dinky vehicles included planes, military vehicles, cars, vans and lorries. In their striking boxes and bold colours, these are as prized among collectors today as they were coveted by children of the day. The Dinky Toys No. 249 Gift Set Racing Cars, comprised cars which would have raced at Goodwood in period’. It made £950 at Toovey’s. Dinky Toys remain popular with collectors of toys and historic motor racing enthusiasts and Toovey’s toy specialist, Chris Gale is inviting entries for the next specialist toy sale.