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Historic Saxon cross’ future a mystery
MYSTERY surrounds the future fate of an historic Peterborough artefact after it was withdrawn from going under the hammer.
The late Anglo-Saxon stone section of a cross shaft, which dates back to 11th century AD, previously had a prominent place at St Pega’s Hermitage, in Peakirk, near Peterborough.
Although the Hermitage is a listed building, the rare piece of the city’s extensive Anglo-Saxon heritage was not covered by the status and the building’s owners decided to put it up for auction.
But before the hammer could even be raised - let alone fall - at Bonhams auctioneers in New Bond Street, London, yesterday the lot was withdrawn.
Instead, the owners of the stone, which valuers expected to raise between £7,000 and £9,000, have begun negotiations with an unnamed private bidder.
A spokesman for Bonhams auctioneers said: “It has been withdrawn for possible private treaty discussions. So, now it’s a case of waiting to see what the seller wishes to do.
“We are involved in the situation in that we are advising our client. I suspect that it might be sorted quite quickly, but it could take up to a week.
“In a case like this we are here to advise the seller. It’s one of those situations where we have to be discreet about potential buyers.”
However, news of the withdrawal from the auction has been met with a cautious response from Peterborough City Council and leading academics, who hope the artefact can remain in the city.
Anglo-Saxon historian, Dr Avril Lumley Prior, of Sherborne Road, Peterborough, is part of a campaign involving several academics who want to see the stone put in Peterborough Museum.
She said the stone is part of a Peterborough school of Anglo-Saxon art from the late 10th to early 11th centuries.
Dr Prior said: “We have been running a campaign to stop the cross from being sold off. We feel we would lose a part of our heritage if it was sold. I feel the best place for it would be Peterborough Museum where everybody can see it.
“It’s great that it’s been withdrawn from auction but obviously we now want to know where it could be going.”
When news of the scheduled auction broke last week, the city council said it hoped to raise the funds to bid for the item and re-house it at either the city’s Cathedral or Peterborough Museum.
However, a spokesman for the city council today distanced themselves from the sale of the stone.
The spokesman said: “This is an interesting development with regards to the future of the cross. We hope that this will mean it is safeguarded and that it can remain in Peterborough.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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