Cumbria

Group of first editions with a range of desirable extras comes fresh to market by family descent

Following furnishings in Edinburgh, a Carlisle sale offers books from the library of Clan Maxwell seat

Furnishings and personal items from Rydal Mount, the final home of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, will be offered at auction this month.

Contrasting contraptions both sell for strong five-figure sums in salerooms north and south

A rare first edition of Enid Blyton’s first published book, Child Whispers, hammered at £1400 in the Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) book sale on December 4.

Centre and shop openings across England give grounds for optimism in often challenging times

Auction house Mitchells in Cockermouth is hosting a book launch on Monday December 8 to mark the publication of a new tome cataloguing the life and work of ‘the Lake District’s most prolific painter’.

A rare collection of personal correspondence from fell walker, author and illustrator Alfred Wainwright (1907-91) walked away to a new owner in a timed online sale that ended on September 7.

Victorian and traditional landscapes may no longer command the prices they did two decades ago, but the right examples – especially when guided by cautious estimates – can still draw healthy competition.

Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944) inherited enormous wealth derived from his father’s coalmines.

Kirkby Lonsdale is the first of three fresh PBFA fairs this year with Frome and Dorchester to follow

A well-documented George II astronomical walnut longcase made by James Gandy of Cockermouth was the highlight of a recent sale at Mitchells’ (22% buyer’s premium) in Cumbria.

Second edition copy of Adam Smith classic work sells at £8000 in Cumbrian saleroom

The Cumbrian city of Carlisle has much going for it including a medieval cathedral and proximity to Hadrian’s Wall. The city also offers a few antiques and vintage businesses, so here are three to start you off.

Tommy nearly made the supreme sacrifice to support the Allied cause in the Second World War.

The hugely versatile Christopher Dresser sold 37 different designs to the Sheffield firm of Dixon and Sons from 1879-82.