The collection will go under the hammer at The Fine Sale on 16th and 17th September.
08/09/2026 Decorative Items
A selection of art and antiques from Grade II* Listed Ogston Hall, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, will be offered at Cheffins’ Fine Sale in Cambridge on 15th and 16th September. The collection is being sold by descendants of Gladwyn Turbutt, the renowned Derbyshire historian, author and collector whose family had lived at Ogston Hall for generations.
Turbutt sold Ogston Hall in 1973, following it being in the family’s possession since 1717. A passionate collector of art and antiques, he assembled an extensive collection during his lifetime, with works acquired from across Europe and Asia sitting alongside generations of Turbutt family possessions.
Several of the items being offered for sale by Cheffins have remained within the Turbutt family collection at Ogston Hall for centuries, providing a rare insight into the history of the house and the collecting interests of the family. Other pieces from the collection have already been gifted to institutions including Derby Museum and Nottingham Museum.
Ogston Hall itself has a remarkable place in Derbyshire’s history. The house, at Brackenfield near Alfreton, is recorded in the Domesday Book, with parts of the building dating back to the 16th century. It was also once home to one of the most significant literary discoveries in British history: an early edition of Shakespeare’s First Folio, which remained at Ogston Hall for around 150 years before being sold by the Turbutt family to the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1906.
The Gladwyn Turbutt Collection at Cheffins comprises approximately 130 lots, including 30 lots directly from the family collection at Ogston Hall.
Among the highlights is a group of Chinese ceramics collected by Richard Turbutt (1689 – 1758) and particularly notable is an early Chinese famille rose tea and coffee service, from the Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng Emperor (1722-1735), which carries an estimate of £3,000–£5,000. There are also two rare 18th-century brass dog collars, each engraved “Willm. Turbutt Esq. of Ogston Darbyshire”. The inscription refers to William Turbutt, who lived at Ogston Hall from 1768 to 1837.
The collection also includes several family portraits, including a pair of portraits of Gladwyn and Ellen Turbutt by Henry William Pickersgill. The sale also includes works acquired by Gladwyn Turbutt himself during his long collecting career. Among these is a still life by Dutch artist Paul Theodor van Brussel (1754–1795), estimated at £6,000–£8,000, alongside a moonlit view of Windsor Castle by British artist Sebastian Pether (1790–1844). Furniture and decorative arts include an important Louis XV carved wood and gilded console table, estimated at £3,000–£5,000, and a 19th-century French gilt-bronze and white marble revolving mantel clock, modelled as The Three Graces, estimated at £1,500–£2,000.
Brett Tryner, Director at Cheffins, said:
“Ogston Hall is one of Derbyshire’s most important historic country houses and the provenance of this collection makes it particularly fascinating. These are not simply objects of quality; many have a direct connection to the Turbutt family and to the history of Ogston Hall itself. Some of the family pieces have been at the house since the 18th century, while others reflect Gladwyn Turbutt’s own remarkable passion for collecting. He had an exceptional eye for quality and continued collecting well into his 90s. It is a privilege to be bringing this group to auction and to be able to share these pieces with a new generation of collectors. For anyone with an interest in Derbyshire history, the Turbutt family or the history of collecting, there is a particularly strong story behind this collection.”
Auction: The Fine Sale – 15th – 16th September 2026
Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA
For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk