More than 3,000 pieces of Winston Churchill memorabilia to go under the hammer at Newbury auction house
The first part of a private collection of Churchilliana will go on sale at Special Auction Services Newbury.
A carpenter from London was so fascinated by Sir Winston Churchill and especially his tactics during the Second World War that he amassed more than 3,000 pieces of memorabilia.
The first sale will be held at the SAS showrooms in Plenty Close, Newbury on Wednesday, August 10 at 10am.
Keith Routledge, a carpenter by trade from Enfield, London, was born after the Second World War in 1956, but during his lifetime he became fascinated by the strategic aspect of war.
This led to his interest in Sir Winston Churchill.
Militaria, Collectables and Antiques expert at SAS, Adam Inglut, said: "He didn't purchase his first piece of memorabilia until the 1990s, but over the next 25 years he added to his collection and he eventually amassed more than 3,000 pieces."
In order to house this huge collection, Keith decided to convert his loft in Enfield into his own small museum, which he dedicated to the great man.
Within his collection he had pieces dating from the 1940s right up to the present day, purchasing from various auction houses, fairs and antique shops throughout the United Kingdom, as well as a few also purchased from mainland Europe.
The collection includes a vast range of ceramics, glass, silverware, metalware, artwork and other collectable items.
Mr Inglut said: "It covers all aspects of Churchill’s life, from when he was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874, through his time fighting in the Second Boer War, to him becoming a political figure and the most famous British face of the Second World War, up to his death in 1965."
Keith died in 2019 and SAS will be selling the single-owner collection of more than 200 lots in two parts.
The second sale will be in November. To find out more about the collection and view the items visit the SAS website.
The whole collection has an overall auction estimate of £20,000 to £25,000.
