The auction of Fine & Decorative Interiors this November features a collection of fine antique furniture, fine art and objects acquired to furnish The Knowle, an historic Victorian mansion frequented by three renowned 19th century families from Kent.
Joseph Hindle (1795-1874) was the vicar of the parish of Higham, Kent, from 1829-1874 – the longest incumbency ever served by a vicar of Higham. The village itself is located between the River Thames and the North Downs and midway between Gravesend and Rochester. Higham developed in two parts: to the north, the original Saxon village, and to the south a more recent settlement located around the main road linking Gravesend to Rochester which grew in size and importance in the 1800s. Hindle was born into a landed family in Blackburn, Lancashire, and his wealth allowed him to become closely involved in the public life of Higham, he helped to realise the building of the Primary school in 1847 and the restoration of the 14th century church, St Mary’s. From his own funds he paid entirely for St John’s Church (consecrated in 1862) and a new vicarage, although he passed away before it was completed.
In 1856 Hindle was living at Gads Hill Place, an imposing red brick house built in 1780 by Thomas Stevens a former Mayor of Rochester, when Charles Dickens purchased the property for £1,790. Dickens’ own connection with Kent was strong, although he was born in Portsmouth in 1812 the family had moved to Chatham when he was four and there they remained until he was ten. This relatively short period was stable and happy for Dickens, his father John was still solvent and the family prospered. Kent provided a number of experiences for Dickens – semi-rural landscapes, bustling towns, the Medway River and historic buildings and he explored the countryside and read extensively. His early impressions of the landscape and its people found their way into the highly evocative social and geographical contexts seen in his novels. As a boy Dickens had admired Gads Hill Place, and it is said that his father told him that if he worked really hard, he might live in it one day. It is thought that Gads Hill Place is the home owned by Miss Havisham and described in ‘Great Expectations’ and that it also features in ‘A Christmas Carol’. Dickens wrote at both Gads Hill Place and at the Swiss chalet, a Christmas present from the actor Charles Fechter in 1864, constructed in the wilderness area at Gads Hill Place. Dickens used the upper room of the chalet as his private study and here he wrote his later novels, including ‘Our Mutual Friend, on the day he died in his dining room in 1870 he was working on ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’.
Joseph Hindle continued to live at Gads Hill Place until he could move into The Knowle in March 1857. It is thought that Hindle’s new house was built from bricks from the old Rochester Bridge, dating from 1388 and demolished in 1856, Foords, the builders, certainly used these bricks to construct The Esplanade, Rochester, and the stone is very similar to that seen in The Knowle. When residing at The Knowle, Hindle was less than a mile from Dickens and the two met on a regular basis, they also corresponded on issues concerning property inspections and the supply of hay and wine during the transition period of the house purchase, and their letters are cordial and respectful.
In 1856 Joseph Hindle’s daughter, Mary (1834-1919) married George Rosher (1832-1877) at Allhallows, Kent. George Rosher was the grandson of Jeremiah Rosher, born in 1765 in Trewyn, Monmouthshire. In 1791 Jeremiah had married Sarah Susannah Burch, of Gravesend, the daughter of a successful lime merchant, Benjamin Burch, and by his late ‘20s Jeremiah was living and working in London where he established himself as a lime, coal and timber merchant. Lime was the main ingredient for mortar, concrete, plaster, renders and wash – all essential for the building of London. By 1807 Jeremiah and Sarah had eleven children and were soon to be living at Crete Hall, Northfleet, built by Benjamin Burch in 1800. Jeremiah was also a philanthropist, he was involved in the development of an area in Gravesend, known as Rosherville, which had its own station and stationmaster’s house. Jeremiah passed away in 1848 and one of his sons, Henry (1794-1877), along with two of his brothers, carried on the lime and cement business located in Limehouse, where Jeremiah had bought land and built housing. Henry married Sarah Susannah Gladdish, and George, born in St. Pancras, was one of their six children. George remained in the Gravesend area and followed the lucrative family tradition of marrying the daughter of a landowner with no sons when he married Mary Hindle.
Mary Rosher (née Hindle) continued to live at The Knowle until her passing in 1919, her children endowed a fund in her memory which provided prizes to be awarded to the children of Higham Primary school for their knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. In the 1930s The Knowle was acquired by the Brice family, local Kent fruit farmers, and in 1958 the Hunter family purchased the house. In the late 1970s Michael Baragwanath, a London-based chartered accountant working for Athena Fine Art Prints, made a career change when he and his wife Lynn bought The Knowle which they subsequently ran as a successful hospitality venue. Michael had a good knowledge of antiques and was an enthusiastic collector, it is Michael’s collection which dressed the couple’s apartment at The Knowle and comes to auction this November. Michael was also an active member of the Bentley Motor Club and along with his 1958 Bentley Continental he toured Malaysia for a month, at the invitation of the Royal Family of Malaysia.
Highlights from the collection include a small James I carved oak and marquetry coffer, with arched panels finely inlaid with urns of flowers and featuring an applied brass Stuart Royal coat of arms. The coffer had descended through Michael Baragwanath’s family since 1850, (lot 3, est. £2,000-3,000 +fees); a late 17th century Flemish walnut open armchair, upholstered in green damask with fringing, with an abundance of features – its leaf carved arms with lion head terminals above grotesque mask arm supports and the armchair joined with twist stretchers, (lot 53, est. £600-800 +fees, view here); a rare William and Mary oak-framed two-seat sofa, upholstered in 17th century Bargello tapestry and on baluster turned legs, (lot 17, est. £1,500-2,000 +fees). The sofa was offered at auction in 2009 at Christie’s in The Roger Warner Collection (the Burford based antiques dealer and collector) and in 2019 at Bonhams in The Olive Collection (antique oak furniture and delftware assembled by Pelham Olive), and a George I green japanned bureau on stand in the manner of John Belchier (lot 20, est. £1,500-2,000 +fees).
In addition to the wide selection of furniture the collection includes a number of fine paintings covering several genres from various eras – notably, White cat with butterfly, oil on board, (lot 60, est. £400-600 +fees) by Arthur Heyer (German, 1872-1931). Although he produced satirical drawings and book illustrations, Heyer is perhaps best known now for his depictions of animals, notably cats, specifically the white Angora as in this work, but also deer, hares, pheasants, chickens and dogs. Esther Peretz-Arad (1921-2005) was born in Bulgaria and trained as an artist and sculptor in Tel Aviv. She worked in many media and her paintings were invariably in the figurative style, as seen in Street scene, oil on canvas, circa 1970, (lot 68, est. £200-300 +fees). Peretz-Arad held many solo exhibitions throughout Israel and she participated in the 1960 Israeli art group show which toured the US. In 1943 she married the sculptor and violinist, Grisha Arad, with whom she had two sons, Atar Arad (b. 1945), violinist, professor of music and composer and Ron Arad (b. 1951) the industrial designer, artist and architect.
Finally, the colourful pair of 18th century Kangxi, Qing dynasty Chinese export green glazed parrots (lot 69, est. £800-1,200 +fees) – showing on the page before – was purchased from Santos, the renowned dealer in 15th–19th century Chinese porcelain. The parrot motif is frequently seen in Chinese art and ceramics and is associated with exoticism, status and auspiciousness, it can be dated from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD).
Fine & Decorative Interiors, bidding closes from 5pm Thursday 27 November | Browse and bid here
Viewing by appointment only: Tuesday 25 November: 10.30am-4pm | Wednesday 26 November: 10.30am-4pm | Thursday 27 November: 10.30am-3pm
Contact us to book your slot: info@thepedestal.com or +44 (0)207 281 2790