The clearance of a neglected local property by Lincolnshire auction house Batemans (20% buyer’s premium) unearthed several treasures including two watercolours by the 18th century British painter Thomas Girtin (1775-1802).
The estate had belonged to the late Joseph Hay, a childless bachelor who died intestate some four years ago. The auction house was entrusted with the valuation after Hay’s next of kin were finally traced earlier this year.
“We had to crawl our way through the overgrowth to get into the property. It was a bit of a time warp inside, nothing had really been moved since the property was built in the 1960s,” said Batemans’ managing director Greg Bateman.