Historic items - including a rocket - in Billingshurst sale

Three unusual items of historic importance are to be sold at an auction in Billingshurst next month.
A rocket is among historic items being sold at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst SUS-190222-153427001A rocket is among historic items being sold at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst SUS-190222-153427001
A rocket is among historic items being sold at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst SUS-190222-153427001

They include parts of the Berlin Wall, a rare 10-metre long rocket and some wrought iron gates which once graced the entrance to an estate that was home to a mistress of King Edward V11.

The items will go under the hammer at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst on March 12.

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Two sections of the Berlin Wall will be on sale, 30 years after the historic moment when it was brought down in 1989. They are expected to be sold for between £5,000 and £18,000.

Meanwhile, a rocket made of titanium, stainless steel and aluminium is expected to fetch between £8,500 and £11,500 at the auction. It was built in 1960 and was able to reach altitudes of 66,000 feet and speeds of Mach 3 with a range of up to 22 miles. The rocket is part of a family developed in the late 1950s to combat America‘s long range bombers.

Also up for sale are two Georgian-style wrought iron gates formerly housed at Easton Lodge at Great Dumow in Essex, once the home of Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, who became a socialite and mistress to King Edward VII,

Each pair of gates is estimated to fetch between £15,000-£25,000. Guests who would have been driven through the gates include George Bernard Shaw, Gustav Holst, Ramsay McDonald and HG Wells whose family lived in one of the estate properties.

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In 1918, a fire severely damaged the Jacobean wings of the house, thought to have been started by one of the countess’s pet monkeys.

Each pair of gates is estimated to fetch between £15,000-£25,000 when sold at the Summers Place auction.