Burstow & Hewett

Burstow & Hewett, auctioneers and valuers in Battle

Burstow & Hewett is a family firm of qualified auctioneers and valuers operating from Battle, East Sussex. The company presents itself as established in 1790, a date it cites in its own historical section, and organises sales across two distinct venues: The Abbey Auction Gallery and The Granary Saleroom. Its activity covers both the auction calendar and a set of advisory services around buying, selling and appraising objects.

Two salerooms with different sale profiles

The Abbey Auction Gallery hosts the firm's specialist sales. The calendar shown at the time of writing included 20th Century Design and Fine Art, both on 22 October, and Luxury Watches, Jewellery & Silver on 23 October. Later in the same calendar appeared a single-owner collection of tribal art and antiquities under the title The Africa Room, scheduled for 18 November, and a sale of Science, Natural History & Curiosities on 27 November, for which entries were still invited.

The Granary Saleroom concentrates on the more general end of the catalogue. Its Homes & Interiors sale was listed for 28 October and a second session devoted to Furniture & Rugs for 29 October; in both cases entries had closed and the catalogue was announced as forthcoming. The two rooms therefore separate specialist and decorative-art sales from household and interior lots.

Departments and categories of goods

The firm's departments indicate the range of material it handles: jewellery, watches and clocks, fine art, furniture, and general collectables. Within jewellery, the site distinguishes rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, silver jewellery and brooches, and it maintains a separate area for luxury goods and watches. The recently sold lots give a concrete picture of this breadth, from wristwatches by Rolex, Patek Philippe and Bremont to an Art Deco emerald and diamond ring, a Boucheron chameleon ring and a vintage Hermès gold chain bracelet.

Other results illustrate the same variety beyond jewellery: a group of Great War service medals, a South African family medal group spanning the South African War and both World Wars, a 19th-century oil portrait of a greyhound, a Jacques Staunton chess set, a set of Thonet bentwood chairs, Chinese and Samson porcelain, a Doulton Lambeth stoneware mouse menu holder and a collection of gold proof coins. The sale of Annie Oakley's presentation-engraved target gun is also documented among the results.

Valuations, probate and non-profit work

Valuations are a core service. The company offers free online valuations alongside home visits and valuation days held at its salerooms. It also lists probate valuations and a non-profit line of work among its services, and it has publicised specific valuation events, such as a free jewellery, watch and silver valuation day in Battle.

Buying, selling and practical arrangements

For buyers, the site sets out a buying guide describing the different ways of participating in its auctions, and it runs timed auctions in addition to conventional sales, with an explanatory article on bidding in that format. For sellers, a selling guide accompanies the valuation route, and the firm states a reputation for achieving the best prices for clients. Practical tools include a fees calculator, information on shipping and a click-and-collect slot booking system. Auction alerts, previews and valuation-day announcements are offered through a free sign-up.

The Boutique at Burstow & Hewett

Alongside the salerooms, the company operates The Boutique at Burstow & Hewett, a retail side selling jewellery, watches and silver, with sections for rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches and luxury goods.

Team, recruitment and visitor information

The firm presents itself as a family business and devotes sections to its team, described as family members and employees working both front-of-house and behind the scenes, and to its history. It also maintains a vacancies page for those seeking work in the antiques trade; at the time of writing it advertised a position for Head of Photography & Media. A visit section covers planning a trip to the auction rooms in Battle.