Wincanton Auctions are delighted to have been instructed to assist with the sale of the Private Collection of The Late Great George Withers in Association with Dore & Rees. February 28th 2024.

George Withers was well known and respected within the Antiques and Collector community. The following biopic is reproduced with the kind permission of Dore & Rees.

George Withers was born in 1946 in the village of Hallatrow, and spent his formative years growing up on a farm in Charfield, Gloucestershire. As early as 14, his fascination with antiques started to emerge. His family recollects him struggling one day across the field at the back of the farm carrying one of his first modest purchases - a grandfather clock. 

George left school at 15 to work in the local Malthouse and began dealing in his spare time. At 21, he opened his first shop on London Road, Bath; this was to be the first of many in the Bath area, always filled to the gunnels, to the point that visitors had to enter through the door sideways and slide between the hoard of antiques on display. 

For a time, George had a stall at Portobello, London, and sold at the antiques fair in Bath Pavilion. In the early 2000s George moved with his family to Ye Grange in Bathampton, where he displayed many of his treasures. 

Those who knew George well, knew him to be a collector, and a rather reluctant seller, preferring to covet and keep his pieces for his own enjoyment. Around 2003 Ye Grange was sold and George moved to Peasedown where he lived out his remaining days surrounded by his beloved antiques.

The Dore & Rees sale will take place on Wednesday 21st Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd February 2024 with viewing Friday 16th - Tuesday 20th February 2024. More information may be found on their website at https://www.doreandrees.com/the-private-collection-of-george-withers. Wincanton Auctions will oversee the second part of the Sale on the 28th February with over 1000 lots of European Furniture, Art and Porcelain, Paintings, Clocks and Barometers and Antiquities. Viewing will be available Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th February 2024.

The auction will be held live at our saleroom and hosted on Easy Live Auction and The Saleroom online bidding platforms.