Interior Designer Nicky Haslam has leased the Hunting Lodge in Hampshire, England since 1978. He’s recently given up the lease and his collection of paintings, furniture, sculpture, antiques and books are to be offered for sale at Bonhams in London on Wednesday, 20 November 2019.

“The Hunting Lodge has a rich history. It was built in the 16th-century for King Henry VII as a rural escape, when the royal forest stretched from Windsor to Winchester, and its distinctive Jacobean façade was later added in 1620. The site, now a National Trust owned property, was believed to be where Prince Arthur, the elder brother of Henry VIII, first met his wife, Catherine of Aragon. 

In the 1970s, Hunting Lodge was then given to the National Trust by celebrated interior designer John Fowler, founder of Colefax & Fowler, after which it passed into Nicky Haslam’s hands on a long lease in 1978. The house has since achieved iconic status in the world of interior design, helped by Nicky’s book, Folly de Grandeur, which the designer wrote in 2013.”

Bonhams Director of House Sales and Private Collections, Charlie Thomas, said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snap up a piece of design history. We are delighted to be able to offer Nicky’s substantial collection at Bonhams, from the Gothic Revival garden seats on the terrace to the shelves upon shelves of signed books and biographies.”

Sounds like it’s going to be one of those auctions that go down in history so make sure you register.