Parliamentary Wellhead

Two fascinating lots are coming up for auction at Ewbank's the auction house at Send near Woking. They are two wellheads that originated in the old Palace of Westminster that date from before the fire in October 1834. This hexagonal carved stone well-head, carved in relief with alternating shields, of lion rampant and three lions passant, all topped with a crown, 34" diameter, 36" high, with later added cast iron frame, (total height, 91").  This would originally have formed part of the Gothic Revival work of Wyatt on the Houses of Parliament around 1805 and was probably removed following the fire of 1834 and the subsequent rebuilding by Sir Charles Barry. It is known that prominent political figures of the day including Sir Robert Peel were given statues and architectural fixtures.

The provenance is that it was removed from a private residence in Guildford, Surrey. The family remember this as having been in situ for very many years. The estimate is £ 3,000-5,000 and it, along with another similar piece comes up for sale on 18 December.