LAWRENCES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Objects of Vertu Specialist
Anthony has worked at Lawrences since 1986 and enjoys living and working in the West Country.
He catalogues the Objects of Vertu but has a wide general knowledge which keeps his interest in many fields and he enjoys the research that can make all the difference to a successful sale.
Anthony has had the enjoyment of finding some exciting things in the course of his work. A valuation for a long standing client in Scotland unearthed a 17th century Map of North America and Canada. The map was both rare and valuable in showing early Colonial settlements and was bought for £203,150. The fact that it was lying forgotten beside some water tanks in an Aberdeenshire attic makes it one of those charmed discoveries that he will not forget!
Bimmy has been in the jewellery auction business for 30 years and is a qualified gemologist - FGA.
Bimmy catalogues the jewellery and watches for our Timed Online auctions and is also available for free advice and valuations at our Valuation days at The Castle Hotel in Taunton.
Chris joined Phillips Auctioneers in London in 1977 and within a few years progressed to the valuations team. He had regular valuation responsibilities for the North & West London region. During the 1980's he helped initiate & set up quarterly Piano Sales which became very successful. By the early 1990's Chris had moved to the Bayswater auction rooms in West London as Manager. The two large sale rooms there alternated weekly sales and the turnover quickly progressed to about £80,000 per week.
In 1993 Chris joined Lawrences where his extensive and varied experience was ideally suited to a lively large & busy provincial saleroom. He has developed the weekly sale and undertakes & co-ordinates the majority of the valuation work. He has expanded links with solicitors & other professionals.
Chris has been lucky enough to be a member of the MCC since 1985 and enjoys nothing better than getting to the ground early on the first day of the Lords' Test to soak up the atmosphere. Chris and his wife enjoy travelling now that both of their sons have their own careers.
Connor is our Silver Valuer, working alongside our external Silver Consultant offering a personal and confidential service in the valuing, selling and acquisition of collections or individual items of silver.
He joined Lawrences in 2012 and his love of silver saw him progress quickly to become assistant in the department, where he has worked on the sale of a number of important collections.
He lives locally and when not kept busy with work, he loves to travel the country on his motorbike. Connor also loves to travel abroad to different countries to meet people from foreign cultures but mainly to see new landscapes and natural features.
Job Titles:
- Head of Photography
- Photographer
Dean is Head of Photography and joined Lawrences on the exact date of 8th of August 2022. Many years previous, this date was also one that president Nixon resigned on in 1974. Dean felt like this was the start of one leader dropping out to now one leader taking on a new role of which he had never done before.
Dean lives locally and when he's not running around juggling with ceramic vases in the photo bay, he likes to go on race tracks and abandoned airfields where he likes to burn rubber in sports cars. Failing that, he will be sat in a grandstand watching British Touring Cars smash into each other.
Although a lover of dogs, he is yet to have a pooch of his own due to renting where a landlord won't allow dogs. He was disappointed about this, but got over it quickly. So now he goes for walks with his girlfriend Amy to go and spot dogs to make friends with. That is just as good as he doesn't need to clean up after the mess they make. Dogs make him smile.
Hayley is a highly experienced Valuer and Head of our Furniture, Clocks and Rugs department.
Hayley joined Lawrences in 2022 having recently moved to the area, but has worked for several auction rooms in various counties. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and has played an important part in achieving high prices for clients across the West Country and further afield.
She is happy dealing with individual items for private clients as dealing with large estates.
Hayley's areas of interest in antiques and collectables are broad but she particularly likes English & Continental ceramics from all centuries.
In her spare time she enjoys walking, bird watching, visiting nature reserves, also museums, galleries and exhibitions of interest.
Joshua joined Lawrences Wessex taking on the role of cataloguer. Having been a Saleroom Manager of a busy Cotswold auction house for the last five years, he assisted with the cataloguing, photography and stock control of numerous large country house sales. He brings a wide range of experience and a good general knowledge of antiques.
Linzi grew up in Suffolk, the daughter of an antiques dealer and spent much of her childhood in salerooms all over the country. She completed foundation studies in Art and Design at Birmingham University, specialising in Photography and Textiles. Whilst studying, Linzi enjoyed voluntary work experience at Fellows auction rooms before starting her working career at Keys auctioneers as an assistant in the Pictures and Books department. In 2004 she moved to Somerset and joined Lawrences where she met her husband, Simon, and they now have two children.
Linzi enjoys the creativity of her photography role, especially handling an interesting variety of items every day. Linzi also assists Chris Flower and the other specialists with the administration of Insurance and Probate Valuations.
In her spare time Linzi loves to sew and started a small but successful hobby business making bags and personalised items for children, as well as teaching sewing at local schools. She also enjoys walking and visiting the beautiful Dorset coast.
Job Titles:
- Coins, Medals & Militaria Specialist
Matthew is a highly experienced general valuer who brings experience and professionalism to his work producing written valuations for probate, insurance and other purposes. Matthew is an enthusiastic auctioneer and has played an important part in achieving high prices for clients across the West Country and further afield. As happy dealing with individual items for private clients as dealing with large estates, and on one occasion an entire museum contents, Matthew is a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors qualified valuer.
With specialisms in the English Arts and Crafts Movement, for which he was awarded a PhD, and twentieth century design Matthew has published and lectured widely to many different groups and societies. An enduring love of the fine and decorative arts allied to a professional approach to client relations makes Matthew an important part of the team in Crewkerne.
Matthew catalogues our Coins, Medals and Militaria auctions and loves researching the history that these sales cover. With a long held interest in coins and medals Matthew is always interested to see interesting and unusual items.
He has lived in Dorset for many years, currently in Lyme Regis. Once a keen triathlete, he now cycles regularly and runs only occasionally. An enthusiastic motorcycle tourist and a lover of contemporary art of all varieties, Matthew is a regular theatre and gallery goer.
Almost 40-years experience as an Auctioneer and General Valuer for London and provincial auction houses. Matthew has run a busy salesroom and opened valuation offices, and in a Senior Valuer position, he is experienced in carrying out cataloguing and valuations, for sale and probate purposes.
Miranda joined Lawrences in 1999 and has been the jewellery specialist since 2004. She started her career at Christie's in London where she worked in 19th century British pictures. After jewellery, paintings are a favourite interest and she enjoys visiting exhibitions whenever she can and loves collecting pictures by contemporary artists. A recent hobby is walking, whether it be on the hills of Somerset and Dorset or the hills in Sapa in Vietnam! She also enjoys the theatre and opera and a visit to Covent Garden is always a treat.
She lives in Charlton Musgrove, near Bruton, with her husband and three daughters, one of whom has followed her into the art world and is now working at Christie's, so life repeats itself!
Job Titles:
- Director & Picture Specialist
Following a degree in the History of Art at the University of St. Andrews, Richard began his career at Sothebys in 1987. He worked in their salerooms in Chester, Sussex and London for nearly nine years, focusing on British and European pictures and prints. Richard joined Lawrences in 1999, having previously been an Associate Director at Phillips Auctioneers where he oversaw picture sales and valuations for the firm in Central Southern England.
Since joining Lawrences, Richard has achieved great successes with works by artists as varied as John Atkinson Grimshaw, Winifred Nicholson (for whom Lawrences held the world record auction price for almost a decade), William Heath Robinson, Paul Sandby and Joseph Farquharson. He carefully researched an oil painting by John William Godward that was bought for £380,000.
Richard is a regular lecturer, devising talks for study days at Lawrences on themes as varied as Mona Lisa and Minimalism and also speaking to local art groups, Somerset County Museum, NADFAS and Sothebys Institute of Art amongst many others. He was a regular contributor to Antique Collecting magazine for over 20 years.
Richard lives near Dorchester with his wife and two daughters. He would have liked to meet Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Walter Sickert, Neil Armstrong and Lord Lucan but nowadays he just wishes to meet his next deadline.
Job Titles:
- Well Respected Consultant
Robert Ansell is a highly experienced and well respected consultant for our Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Photography department. Robert joined Sotheby's Sussex in 1984, working initially as a gallery porter. The following year was he transferred to the Book Department, serving an apprenticeship under Simon Heneage and spent the next seven years developing his knowledge of antiquarian and modern books, sourcing material for quarterly sales from across Sotheby's regional network. In 1991 he began working as an independent consultant, providing expertise for Hamptons Fine Art (Godalming), Sotheby's (Sussex and London) and John Bellman Auctioneers (Wisborough Green) where he established a series of regular and successful book sales. He joined Sotheby's London full-time in 1994 as Head of the General Book Department, becoming a Deputy Director in 1998. Since 2001 Robert has lived and worked in Somerset, where he is Managing Director of a specialist publishing company.
Ryan joined Lawrences in 2015, starting in the General Saleroom as a Porter before becoming our General Saleroom Manager and enjoys meeting both old clients and new on sale and viewings days and answering any queries.
Ryan lives locally with his fiancé Kim and his two children Caitlyn and Harrison. When not kept busy with work and keeping his two young children entertained, he is fond of local walks with his three dogs, Joey, Lucy & Toffee!
"Just wanted to say what lovely staff you have. Literally everyone is so polite and friendly and it really is a pleasure dealing with all of them. I'm sure you know the above but honestly I have dealings with loads of rooms and none of the staff are a patch on yours."
Simon has been with Lawrences since 1997, starting in the General Saleroom as a Porter before becoming an Auctioneer and Valuer. His particular interests include Collectors and Sporting items, 19th and 20th Century Design, and Ceramics, Oriental and Works of Art, a combination which makes his work both varied and interesting. His interests in 19th and 20th Century Design include Moorcroft Pottery, Lalique, Clarice Cliff, Whitefriars Glass and Doulton Pottery.
He particularly enjoys meeting clients on the large number of home calls he does every year, always with the possibility of finding something exciting. A visit last year unearthed a fascinating collection of Brooklands Motor Racing Memorabilia, including silver trophies, original artwork and photographs from the 1920's.
Simon also conducts a large number of valuation days throughout the South West and recently discovered a rare Jumeau doll which the owner had won in a raffle some 50 years before which sold for a remarkable £7,880.
Trains are another interest of Simon's with recent sales including the largest section of trains Lawrences has ever sold, amongst them being the Arnold Cole Collection of early models and scratch built engines which realised over £12,000.
Simon has always been based in West Dorset, having grown up in Stoke Abbott and attended Beaminster School and now lives near Broadwindsor. His interests include Sports such as Cricket and Snooker, and he still plays for Beaminster Cricket Club on a regular basis. He is also interested in History and Archaeology, and studied History at College as part of a Teaching Degree. He is also fond of local walks with his Spaniel George.
Job Titles:
- Head of Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography
- Head of Our Books
Sophie is Head of our Books, Manuscripts, Maps and Photography department where she works closely alongside our highly experienced and well respected consultant Robert Shehu-Ansell. She oversees two book sales a year, which contain a fascinating range of books, maps, manuscripts and photographs. With a particular interest in private press books from the 20th century, Sophie is always keen to hear from those looking to buy or sell single books or entire libraries.
She has always had an interest in art and antiques, starting with Wedgwood from the age of nine. She is now an honorary member of many Wedgwood societies in the U.K. and abroad and attends many symposiums on the subject throughout the year. In 2018 she undertook an internship at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, working alongside curators cataloguing the largest collection of Wedgwood held outside of England, with her research now being published online.
More recently she has completed a degree in the history of art from the university of Plymouth where she has gained a good understanding of the wider artistic and historical genres and changes.
When not at work she can regularly be found visiting rare and antiquarian book fairs, researching Wedgwood, exploring museums and appreciating the countryside and beaches that the West Country has to offer.
Vivien is one of our longest serving members of staff. She joined Lawrences in 1995 as a Viewing Assistant at Crewkerne and our then, Taunton Saleroom. She later became Head of Viewing Staff at Crewkerne.
She is married with three grown up children and six grandchildren and has moved all over the South West. She was born in Poole and was educated at Parkstone Grammar School for Girls and subsequently obtained a Secretarial Qualification at Poole College for Further Education. She now lives in Broadwindsor, on the Dorset/Somerset border, with her husband, two whippets and Lord Percy, a large ginger cat.
Vivien enjoys meeting both old clients and new on Sale and Viewing days, to help them look over items and answering any queries.
She was Secretary of Chard Show for 20 years and is currently Joint Chairman for the Pony Section on the Melplash Agricultural Show Horse Committee. She is Beaminster Area Team Council Member for St John's Church Seaborough Parochial Church Council. Vivien enjoys Point to Point Racing and supporting Southampton Football Club. She loves cooking and naturally collecting Works of Art.