18/02/2026
A pair of antique chairs designed in 1880 for Bushloe House in Wigston sold for over ten times its estimate of £3,000 - £5,000 at auction on 17th February.
The chairs were offered at Gildings Auctioneers’ Fine Art & Antiques sale in Market Harborough and attracted intense competition from collectors across Europe. Designed by renowned Victorian designer Dr. Christopher Dresser (1834–1904), the historically significant furniture sparked an incredible telephone bidding battle before achieving the final hammer price of £56,000.
As a pioneer of industrial design, most of Dresser’s designs were intended for mass production. However, this pair of chairs were particularly covetable as part of what was arguably his most significant private commission. This was for the owner of Bushloe House, Hiram Abiff Owston, a prominent Leicester solicitor who counted Dresser among his clients.
As part of Dresser’s Bushloe House suite of Japanese-influenced Aesthetic Movement furniture, the chairs had been on loan to Leicester Museums since the 1960s, while a wardrobe and two armchairs are displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
“Given their exceptional provenance and importance as Dresser-designed masterpieces of the late 19th-century Aesthetic Movement, we anticipated strong interest,’ comments Gildings’ director Will Gilding. ‘However, witnessing two telephone bidders engage in a respectful yet determined contest, resulting in a final hammer price far exceeding expectations was an incredible moment in the saleroom.”
With black ebonised frames adorned with gilt channels and dots, and upholstered in rich red velvet, the chairs encapsulate Dresser’s trailblazing design aesthetic.
“While these chairs may look traditional today, it’s hard to overstate how strikingly modern they would have appeared in 1880,” explains Will. “The ebonised and gilt detailing creates a bold, yet elegant profile strongly influenced by Dresser’s travels to Japan. And despite some minor wear, the enduring soundness of the frames is a testament to their incredible quality as well as their groundbreaking design.”
Bushloe House was built around 1850 by Leicester architect Stephen Fry and underwent a major transformation in 1866 when Owston purchased the property. As part of an ambitious extension project, he enlisted Dresser to redesign and decorate the interior, creating a fully bespoke aesthetic environment incorporating abstract painted friezes alongside custom-made fittings and furniture.
Acquired by the local council as offices in 1942 and extended in the 1970s, the Grade II listed building on Station Road served as Oadby and Wigston Borough Council’s headquarters until it was vacated in 2023 after it was put up for sale.
Will adds: “For Gildings to be presented with this unique opportunity to offer this remarkable pair of chairs with such stellar provenance has proved a personal ‘bucket list’ moment for me. The final result was humbling, and it proves that Dresser remains the name to cause shockwaves on the international stage.”
Gildings specialist Fine Art & Antique auctions showcase the very best of the items recently brought into the saleroom. The results of the auction can be viewed here FINE ART RESULTS
Those with similar items to sell can arrange a free, no-obligation valuation.
