Doubts over sale of Churchill's spectacles

A pair of reading glasses said to have been worn by Sir Winston Churchill went under the hammer for £6,000 at auction last week, over three times the guide price.

The glasses, made by C.W. Dixey & Son, were sold by Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers at a special Christmas auction held at Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey, 11 miles from Churchill’s Chartwell home in Kent.

In the listing details, the round rimmed tortoiseshell glasses were described as having single white dots on each temple to denote they were for reading. Other glasses were made for card playing and speeches.

Provenance came from Peter Varnes, a former director of the company, who issued a typed letter outlining that the glasses were one of three pairs made for Churchill and kept in C.W. Dixey & Son stores. A post auction report on the BBC said the glasses were worn by the former Prime Minister.