RARE YARMOUTH AND GORLESTON RAILWAY POSTERS TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER
Two very rare inter-war railway posters advertising Great Yarmouth and Gorleston are to go under the hammer in Norfolk later this month – and are expected to be snapped up collectors for thousands of pounds.
The two LNER posters, by British artists H Forster and Septimus Edwin Scott, were published in London to promote holidays in the resorts, encouraging tourists to travel to the coast by train. Each poster has a pre-sale estimate of £2,500-£3,000.
The two posters are amongst 1,380 lots in a three-day Fine Sale at leading regional auction house Keys Fine Art Auctioneers at Aylsham – a sale which also includes three historical books about Great Yarmouth dating back almost 250 years.
The Yarmouth-related lots are:
- An LNER railway poster entitled ‘Great Yarmouth and Gorleston on Sea’, circa 1935, by Septimus Edwin Scott, published by Jarrold & Sons of London. Scott was a Sunderland-born illustrator and artist (1879-1965), a prominent inter-war advertising illustrator who is known for work on brands such as Lifebuoy soap, Mars chocolate bars and Players cigarettes, as well as railway posters for LNER. The pre-sale estimate for the 39x40ins poster is £2,500-£3,000.
- An LNER railway poster entitled ‘Great Yarmouth and Gorleston on Sea’ by little-known British artist H Forster, published by Waterlow & Sons of London.. The pre-sale estimate for the 40x50ins poster is £2,500-£3,000.
- A 1772 first edition book by Henry Swinden entitled ‘The History and Antiquities of the Ancient Burgh of Great Yarmouth in the County of Norfolk’, which has a pre-sale estimate of £120-£150.
- A 1776 first edition book by Charles Parkin entitled ‘The History of Great Yarmouth Collected from Ancient Records and Other Authentic Materials’, complete with engraved folding prospect of the town, which has a pre-sale estimate of £100-£120.
- An 1826 first edition book by John Henry Drurey entitled ‘Historical and topographical Notices of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk and its Environs, including the Parishes and Hamlets of the Half Hundred of Lothingland in Suffolk’, which has a pre-sale estimate of £50-£60.
Keys general manager Kevin Lines said the collection of Great Yarmouth-related items were being sold together locally for the first time. “The railway posters in particular have an international following, and indeed these very two posters have in the past been bought and sold at dealers as far afield as New York.
“We are delighted that they are being auctioned in their home county, and although there is sure to be competitive bidding from collectors throughout the world, it would be nice if they were bought by a local collector and stayed in the county.
“These kind of railway posters are extremely collectable, because they bring to life and era when Norfolk’s coastal resorts were really booming thanks to the railways bringing holidaymakers from all over the country. They represent a colourful and vibrant glimpse into a great period in Yarmouth and Gorleston’s history.”
The posters and books will go under the hammer on Thursday 17th March, the third day of Keys’ three-day Fine Sale. More details of the lots, and how to bid either at the sale or online, can be found at www.keysauctions.co.uk.