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Dolls' house decorated by Jane Eyre author Charlotte Bronte up for auction

The house, complete with its miniature furniture and dolls, is one lot in a two-day auction of the private collection of antique dealer Roger Warner, whose shop in Burford, Oxfordshire, attracted an impressive list of visitors and customers including Queen Mary, Princess Margaret, Walt Disney, Peter Ustinov, Bruce Chatwin and the Mitford sisters during its 50 years of service between 1936 and 1986.

The Christie's auction, which also features a piece of lace torn from a church altar by Oliver Cromwell and a desk chair used by William Wordsworth, has attracted 150,000 visitors to the online catalogue - the highest ever for a sale.

Arranged inside a cabinet, the George II four-room "baby house" dates back to 1750 but is said to have been redecorated by Bronte during summer 1839 when she worked as a governess for the Sidgwicks, a wealthy family living at Stonegappe in Skipton, Yorkshire.

Mr Warner is thought to have paid around £400 for it in 1974, and its auction guide price is set for between £5,000 and £8,000...

Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)