Shooting

Gavin Gardner Auction 2nd Sept 2013

Long considered one of the most beautiful women of the time and also the mother of future British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, Lady Randolph Churchill (1854-1921) was the American born English wife of Lord Randolph Churchill. A scarce 28-bore side lever hammer gun by H. Holland that was made for her will be offered in Gavin Gardiner Ltd’s sale at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Estimated to fetch £25,000-30,000, the gun dates from 1874 – the year that she married and gave birth to her first son, Winston and is part of a major private collection of Royal and Noble owned Victorian Sporting Guns and rifles.

Lady-Churchill-detailBorn Jennie Jerome, Lady Churchill was the American born English wife of Lord Randolph Churchill and the mother of British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Born in Brooklyn in 1854, she was the second daughter of financier, sportsman and speculator, Leonard Jerome. Long considered one of the most beautiful women of the time, she married Lord Randolph Churchill at the British Embassy in Paris on 15th April 1874. The couple had become engaged within three days of their initial meeting, though the marriage was delayed for some months. Their first son Winston, the future Prime Minister, was born that same year.

The gun in Gavin Gardiner’s auction is decorated with fine scroll engraving and the lock plates are lightly etched with owner’s name, “Lady Churchill”. The maker, which subsequently became Holland & Holland, confirms that the gun was made in 1874 for Lady Churchill and that it is described as a “new double breech loader, 28-bore with rebounding locks”.

Gavin Gardiner says: “Lady Churchill’s gun is a rare example of an early gun by Holland and Holland, a maker that is now one of London’s most famous, as well as the holder of two Royal Warrants. I am delighted to be selling this collection, which has been amassed over a lifetime’s collecting, and includes examples owned by some of the most renowned and famous shots of the golden era of game shooting.”

The collection comprises an additional 15 guns that were built for the best known and finest shots of the Victorian age including guns for both the first and second Duke of Cambridge, a gun built for King Edward VII, two hammer Purdey’s built for shooting legend Lord Ripon, a Purdey built for Lord Walsingham as well as a pair of guns built for Prince Albert, Prince Consort, and ordered as a present from Queen Victoria.

The auction of more than 200 lots of vintage sporting guns, rifles and shooting accessories, is the only sale of Sporting Guns to be held in the heart of London’s Mayfair and will have a strong section of 12-bore Sporting Guns by England and Scotland’s finest makers as well as a good selection of accessories and more curious items.

 

GREAT SHOTS!

 AUCTION INCLUDES A MAJOR PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ROYAL AND NOBLE OWNED VICTORIAN SPORTING GUNS AND RIFLES.

Gavin Gardiner’s April sale at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 will include a major private collection of Royal and Noble owned Victorian Sporting Guns and rifles.

Group-shot-landscape

The collection comprises 15 guns built for the best known and finest shots of the Victorian age including guns for both the first and second Duke of Cambridge, a gun built for King Edward VII, two hammer Purdey’s built for shooting legend Lord Ripon, a Purdey built for Lord Walsingham as well as a pair of guns built for Prince Albert, Prince Consort, and ordered as a present from Queen Victoria.

 

Duke-of-Cambridge-Purdey-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

A J. Purdey & Sons 12-bore hammer gun, built in 1871 for HRH Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge – the grandson of King George III and a cousin of Queen Victoria is estimated at £5,000-£6,000 (see illustration to left), while another example by J. Purdey & Sons – 12-bore bar-in wood hammer gun, built for Lord Walsingham in 1882, one of the greatest shots of his age is expected to fetch £6,000-£8,000.

 

Two guns by J. Purdey & Sons built for Lord Ripon, renowned as the greatest gameshot of all time include a 20-bore lever-cocking bar-in-wood hammer gun, built in 1880 (Est: £10,000-£15,000) and a 12-bore top-lever hammer gun, built in 1868 which is estimated at £6,000-£8,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duke-of-Cambridge-Purdey-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Royal guns include a 12-bore bar-in wood patent hammer gun, built by Westley Richards for Queen Victoria in 1869 as a present for her son, HRH the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, that carries an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 (see illustration), and a pair of 12-bore percussion hammer guns by Charles Lancaster, built for Prince Albert, Prince Consort and ordered by Queen Victoria as a present. The estimate is upon request.

 

Also included is a rare 8-bore hammer gun by John Dickson & Sons ordered by the eccentric Victorian collector Charles Gordon in 1886, and remaining in it’s case with all original tools and accessories, which is estimated at £15,000-£20,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Gardiner says: “I am delighted to be selling this collection, which has been amassed over a lifetime’s collecting, and includes examples owned by some of the most renowned and famous shots of the golden era of game shooting. The names Ripon, Walsingham and Edward, Prince of Wales conjure up images of the legendary shooting parties of Victorian England, these shots were well known to each other, and were responsible for some of the best shooting ever seen. I am honored to be selling such an important part of our shooting heritage.”

The auction of more than 200 lots of vintage sporting guns, rifles and shooting accessories, is the only sale of Sporting Guns to be held in the heart of London’s Mayfair and will have a strong section of 12-bore Sporting Guns by England and Scotland’s finest makers as well as a good selection of accessories and more curious items.

 

You can follow Gavin Gardiner on Twitter @GavinGardiner

For further information, please visit

www.gavingardiner.com or call 0044 (0)1798 875300

 

For further Press Information, contact Rachel Aked on 0044 (0)7790 732448/ Rachel@rachelaked.co.uk

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Gavin Gardiner is the only specialist firearms auctioneer holding his auctions in the heart of London’s West End, where he holds two sales each year as well as his prestigious sale at the Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland in August. Gavin has over 20 years experience in this field. Coming from a traditional background, he was brought up with guns and shooting and has been involved with the Gun Trade from an early age. He first worked for Sotheby’s in 1982 helping with weekend viewing of a Sporting Gun auction, while still at School. From that moment he was hooked and has been involved in almost every Sotheby’s Sporting Gun auction since. His passion became a full time job in 1987 when he joined Sotheby’s initially as a porter on a one day a week assignment to the Gun Department, this soon became five days and he never looked back. He has been involved with many memorable auctions over the years, including Sotheby’s sales in New York and Geneva as well as the renowned Gleneagles auction that has remained the market leader in this sector for over twenty years. He has also worked for one of the leading London Gunmakers which gives him a unique perspective in this field. Returning to Head Sotheby’s Sporting Gun Department Worldwide in 2001 he doubled turnover in his first year, and has continued to develop and refine the auctions since. He left Sotheby’s at the beginning of 2006 to establish his own company.

 

Sunday, April 5th, 2015