Positive attitude at Ronsons

Above: A large timber framed Pagoda, arched gothic style windows and doorway, zinc and copper roof, sold for £6,800 to a local private (est £5k-£8k)

Above: A pair of iron gates from Twickenham rugby ground by T W Palmer sold for £1,100 (est £1k-£2k), one of two pairs which sold at the sale.


Sandhurst, Gloucestershire UK - THE auction sale at Ronson Reclaim by Brightwells on 6th May 2010 resulted in around half the lots being sold. There was a good turnout of bidders on the day and the top lot was a reclaimed garden pagoda which sold locally for £6,800, followed by a Portland stone fountain basin which sold for £2,000 to the USA. Ron Jones, owner and founder of Ronsons, said that the sale was a success and he definitely wanted do another next year.

"It went well," he said, "we pitched the reserves on our own lots quite low which resulted in some good sales. But some lots put in by the trade had too high a reserve, and so did not sell. Ronsons was keen to move stock. It is about time to start knocking the prices down. This is about moving money basically. My catchphrase for 2011 is that you lose on the swings and gain on the roundabout. You have to move, not stagnate."

"Regarding the future, Ronsons will be going back to its roots by moving away from the high end architectural and garden ornament and back to concentrating on basic reclaimed building materials at our Sandhurst site. Darren (Ron Jones son and business partner) will continue trading at the top end with Lichen Garden Antiques at his Tetbury showroom."

Asked whether the sale date coinciding with polling day had an impact on the auction, Mr. Jones was cryptic. "I specifically chose the date of the election," he said, "which meant that we had a lot of tourists at our sale."

Ronson Auction Catalogue & Results
Ronson Reclaim
Lichen Garden Antiques