Rare garden gnome is more than 100 years old
An exceptionally rare garden gnome believed to be more than 100 years old has been found in an overgrown garden in Staffordshire.
The 12ins statue, complete with red pixie hat and green breeches, almost went undiscovered when valuers looked over the property in Lichfield. It is expected to fetch up to £600 in auction.
The discovery was made by Charles Hanson, manager of Hansons Auctioneers, who also appears in BBC1's Bargain Hunt. The pottery gnome was spotted beneath dense ivy sitting on a stone, smoking a pipe.
He said: "It was remarkable. I will occasionally assess items in a garden such as stone urns, planters and staddle stones but this really was a case of hide and seek. I just spotted a glint of colour within the ivy and went to investigate." The pottery gnome was made by the Bretby factory in Swadlincote and is dated around 1900.
"It had probably sat in the Victorian red brick house since its date of manufacture. The colours are very well preserved despite enduring outdoor weather for over a century," said Mr Hanson.
The Bretby factory was established in Swadlincote, near Burton upon Trent, in 1887. Founded by Henry Tooth, it produced decorative and practical wares in rich glazes. Novelty items were popular and the gnomes were manufactured in the late Victorian period.
Gnomes first appeared in European folklore as benevolent creatures believed by some to reward the good behaviour of farmers, merchants and housewives with help in the fields, shops, and gardens at night.
Ceramic gnomes were initially manufactured in rural Germany by Phillip Griebel in the middle of the 19th century purely for decoration.
Garden gnomes were introduced to England in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham who wanted to liven up his rock garden with a little colour.
The Lichfield gnome will be sold by Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, on November 16. It is expected to sell for between £400-£600.
Mr Hanson said: "Since so many disappeared over the years through breakage, frost and snow, this gnome is a real rarity, exceptionally so."
He said he hoped that the gnome would find a home in Staffordshire when it is auctioned.
