Henry Aldridge & Son

Now famous for a career of filling stadiums as one of the biggest and most successful bands in the world, Pink Floyd played more humble venues back in the day.

A postcard letter written by a survivor of the Titanic disaster sold for £230,000 (£300,000 with premium included) at Henry Aldridge & Son last month – a record for a letter related to the disaster.

In last week’s news story about auction house overall sales totals for 2024 (ATG No 2679) we said that the highest-value objects sold in the UK by any regional auction house last year were two Antonine over-lifesize busts of empresses which hammered at £600,000 each at Lyon & Turnbull.

Lanchester Road in County Durham is a route leading eventually into the village of that name, surrounded by fields but essentially unremarkable.

A tartan deck blanket, a pocket watch and a first-class dinner menu were all top-sellers in the latest auction of Titanic, White Star and Transport Memorabilia at Henry Aldridge & Son (plus 26.4% buyer’s premium).

The Harrison semi-automatic pedestal knitting machine was designed c.1900 for producing rib socks.

A huge plan used during the British Titanic inquiry was the top lot of Henry Aldridge & Son’s (22% buyer’s premium) latest auction dedicated to Titanic, White Star and Transport memorabilia.

When RMS Queen Mary was launched in 1934 it was not only at the cutting edge of technology but also featured some of the grandest interior designs ever seen aboard an ocean liner.

A pair of militaria highlights related to Irish regiments that came up in recent auctions.

More than 20 yards of Morris & Co fabric and two Howard & Son chairs were among a group of lots consigned to auction in Wiltshire with a provenance to Haselbech Hall, Northampton, and the Bower Ismay family.

As part of Henry Aldridge & Son’s auction of Titanic, White Star and Transport Memorabilia on November 19 a group of 21 lots associated with Wild West showman and powered flight pioneer Samuel Franklin Cody (1867-1913) is on offer.