Continuing a run of exceptional single-owner sales, Sworders is to sell the principal contents of the Cheshire country house Boden Hall in March 2025. The carefully curated selection of period furniture, objects and fine paintings were assembled for the Georgian home by its most recent custodians, Victoria Wrather and her late husband William.
With its long sweeping drive manicured formal garden and intricate neoclassical plasterwork, Boden Hall is the textbook Georgian manor. Set in almost 70 acres of land, it was once home to the renowned H & R Johnson Tile family from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire from 1919 to 1997.
William, a Manchester surveyor and developer, and his wife Victoria, a successful decorator and interior designer, purchased the estate 27 years ago. Together, they embarked on a major restoration project that returned the house, garden and outbuildings to their former glory as well as restoring the swimming pool, tennis court kennels and a large Victorian glasshouse. In particular, the interiors at Boden were transformed.
Both William and Victoria were dyed-in-the-wool collectors. Victoria collected teapots (finishing with close to 400) while William had a particular love for walking sticks, corkscrews, vintage cars and vintage bicycles. They bought together and built many friendships with the dealers and collectors who shared their singular passions.
Interiors
However, as evidenced by the curated selection of period furniture, objects and fine paintings that feature in Sworders’ sale, the décor at Boden Hall was a carefully studied blend of timeless elegance and modern comfort. This was the fruit of natural flair, a deep knowledge of period architecture and the function of buildings and an admiration for the work of renowned 20th-century British decorator and antiques dealer Geoffrey Bennison (1921-84) – master of the ‘layered’ look.
Although Victoria had semi-retired from her busy working life as an interior decorator, she took on Boden as another challenge engaging the services of her curtain makers, carpet fitters, upholsterers, kitchen and bathroom fitters and tilers etc and alerted the antiques trade to the pieces she was looking to buy for the property. In particular, with the Cheshire dealers Michael Wisehall and David Bedale, purchasing many items from both over the years.
Following the recent sale of Boden Hall, Victoria has moved to a smaller property. It is, she says, “time for another family to enjoy Boden and all it has to offer.”
Complementing the original panelled pine window shutters and marble fireplaces, the selection of fine furniture includes pieces such as an 19th century painted carved wood and marble console table, estimated at £2,000-4,000 and a pair of William IV gothic revival oak card tables, pitched at £3,000-5,000.
The Irish furniture in the sale, including an extraordinary mahogany sarcophagus form peat chest (£2,000-3,000), was mostly bought from Michael Wisehall who lived in both Knutsford and Dublin.
Georgian grandeur such as this was softened with the addition of pictures from the Modern British canon and the occasional note of playfulness. Expect to find conversation pieces as varied as a Michelin compressor with its Bibendum man (estimate £300 – 500) (a Second World War airman’s sheepskin flying jacket and trousers (estimate £200 – 300) combined with the important paintings that provide the sale with its headline lots.
Portraits
William became interested in buying art through a picture dealer who worked from one of his properties in Manchester. In addition to many good 18th and 19th century pictures, in the Nineties and Noughties he purchased several works by top-drawer 20th century painters.
These include a double portrait of the artist’s wife Hazel and his daughter Eileen by Sir John Lavery (estimate £180,000 – 250,000). It came to Boden Hall from a previous property, having been purchased around 30 years ago.
All will be coming up for sale in Stansted Mountfitchet on Tuesday 4th March 2025.
Auction Viewing:
London: 10th – 21st February 2025
Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, 15 Cecil Court, London, WC2N 4EZ
Stansted: 28th February, 2nd & 3rd March 2025
Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, CM24 8GE
Auction Details:
Better by Design: The Principal Contents of Boden Hall
Tuesday 4th March 2025
Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, CM24 8GE
Live bidding available at www.sworder.co.uk
See also: Michelangelo’s Rare Sketches Make US Debut at Muscarelle Museum of Art
