Somerset art collection to go under the hammer in Honiton
Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
An extraordinary private collection of artwork, uncovered in a Somerset bungalow, is set to go under the hammer this July in Honiton, Devon.
The impressive assembly, amassed over a lifetime by the late Captain Richard J Campbell OBE, will be auctioned by Chilcotts Auctioneers on Saturday 12th July at the Dolphin Sale Room on Honiton High Street.
The Captain Campbell Collection features more than 135 individual pieces, spanning from the early 1800s to the present day.
The artworks remained largely hidden from public view until their recent rediscovery, offering a rare glimpse into the collecting passion of a man whose life was steeped in history and service.
Captain Campbell, a distinguished Royal Navy hydrographer and commanding officer, began building his collection in 1962. Over the decades, he sourced works from prestigious London galleries and respected West Country dealers. His naval background and love of the natural world are reflected in the themes of the collection, which includes marine and landscape works by renowned artists such as Edward Seago, Marcel Dyf, William Wyllie, Montague Dawson, Alexandre Louis Jacob, Charles Brooking and Dominic Serres.
The collection extends beyond paintings. Captain Campbell also gathered an impressive selection of historic glassware, including Georgian air-twist Jacobite wine glasses and a rare Dutch Zeeland province armorial wine glass dating back to around 1750. Modern glass art also features, with pieces by celebrated contemporary artists such as Peter Layton, James Denison-Pender and Jonathan Harris.
Known not only for his artistic interests but also for his service to the nation, Captain Campbell played a key role in the conversion of HMS Hydra into a hospital ship during the Falklands War - a contribution that earned him an OBE in the 1983 New Year’s Honours List. He retired in 1994 and spent the rest of his life surrounded by the artworks he so carefully collected.
Auctioneer Duncan Chilcott praised the collection for its breadth and depth. “It is rare for one person to embrace such a wide variety of tastes and techniques, from traditional oil and watercolour paintings to contemporary sculpture and art-glass,” he said. “As auctioneers it has been a privilege to curate the Captain Campbell Collection and to play a part in bringing such a significant collection to light.”
The auction will offer both in-person and live online bidding via the-saleroom.com and easyliveauction.com. Individual pieces are expected to fetch anywhere between £100 and £20,000, with a 25 per cent buyers’ premium applicable.
Public viewing will be open from Wednesday 9th July to Friday 11th July, between 9.00am and 4.00pm. The auction itself begins at 10.00am on Saturday 12th July.
( Photos: Chilcotts Auctioneers 📸 )