Fine Arts Sale, Royal Hotel - Trust Annual Report 1981
Not everyone would go to a Fine Arts Sale in search of an aspidistra. Nor was ours, like Gracie Fields', ' the biggest aspidistra in the world.' Nonetheless, it sold with alacrity.
Until about a fortnight before the Sale the Committee was in some anxiety — only a handful of items had been offered despite the advance notice. However, a gentle personal reminder jogged our members into action and in the end the Fine Arts came thick and fast, and in some cases weird and wonderful. Among the weird was a piece of driftwood circa about 1900, embellished by cuttings from a Book of Hours. Among the wonderful was a Wyllie print which topped the score with £65, and a charming plaster cast of Pan holding a baby. A Victorian wig stand and a child's cup and ball game, both beautifully fashioned in polished wood, were charming. Rich and rare were silver sugar tongs and a pair of silver bonbon dishes, and generous was the gift of an 18ct. gold wrist watch.
Fortunately the sale was on one of our rare warm sunny days, and the Trust, thanks to the help of Jeffrey Smith and his son, made a total of £262, and as the weathervane on Chesil Church has been declared beyond repair, we have decided to donate £150 of this sum towards its replacement.