Duke’s are delighted to be holding our inaugural ‘Dorset Auction’ a sale to celebrate the history, literature, arts and crafts of the county. Featured in this auction will be the Derek Mills Library: A Collection of Thomas Hardy and Dorset Books. 

Dorset’s natural history and stunning landscape has long been a source of artistic inspiration and attracted visiting artists such as John Constable, Joseph Turner, Paul Nash and Stanley Spencer, as well as those who fell in love with the county and settled here, such as Frederick Whitehead and Dame Elisabeth Frink.

Similarly, Dorset was and remains a creative source for authors and poets, from Jane Austen and John Fowles drawing inspiration from Lyme Regis and Enid Blyton’s reimaginations of the Isle of Purbeck in her ‘Famous Five’ series, to names synonymous with the county, such as T.E. Lawrence and William Barnes.

Dorset’s most famous literary figure, is of course, Thomas Hardy, the man responsible for some of the greatest works of English Literature - including Jude the Obscure,Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

It is due to this rich history that Duke’s are proud to add The Dorset Auction to our annual calendar of sales. 

Auction: Thursday 22nd July at 10.30am
Viewing: Monday 19th - Wednesday 21st July, 9.30am - 5pm