British comedy legend Eric Morecambe’s lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal treasures are set for auction – revealing the secrets of a national treasure.
Some 40 years after the nation lost him, everything from the iconic genius’s glasses to the piano he practised on to deliver a famous Morecambe and Wise Christmas special TV sketch with conductor André Previn – the one where Eric ‘plays all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order’ – are set to go under the hammer.
His antiques, collectibles and art, including a painting of the star by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, will show the ‘other side’ of the man who made millions laugh. Away from the TV studios, he liked fishing, birdwatching and collecting everything from clocks and fob watches to beer mats.
The sale of 700 lots, the entire contents of Brachefield, Eric’s former home in Harpenden, Herts, also demonstrates his dedication to his comedy craft. Secrets of his success are revealed by a mountain of never-before-seen items including gag and sketch ideas galore.
Eric never threw anything away, ever, according to Hansons Auctioneers, which will offer The Eric Morecambe collection on January 10-11, 2025.
Hansons said: “Every handwritten note offers new insight into his character.Though he made comedy look effortless and was arguably the most naturally funny man Britain has ever known, he never stopped working on new material. Take, for instance, an instruction manual for a stereo – it’ll be covered in jotted ideas for gags. Eric kept absolutely every scrap of paper. He was constantly honing his craft, even when he and comedy partner Ernie Wise were the most successful performers in the country attracting millions of viewers.
“Eric was a national treasure and yet remained humble and hungry, constantly working on his talents. There are dozens of joke books, each one underlined, altered, annotated – where he’s re-working gags. He literally never stopped. Some people think success is down to luck. It’s not. It’s down to endless hard work and a passion for what you do. Eric had that in spades. Add Ernie Wise and their script writer Eddie Braben into the mix and magic happened.
“This collection offers a new understanding of a comedy genius. It also shines a light on Eric’s family life, likes and loves, which included country pursuits and antiques. Plus, we gain fresh insight into the rise to fame of Morecambe and Wise, Britain’s best loved comedy duo.
“We have Eric’s wife, Joan, and family to thank for enabling this important collection to be shared with the nation. Joan passed away on her 97th birthday on March 26 [2024] leaving the Morecambe family’s mountain of memories perfectly intact. She lost Eric to a heart attack in 1984 when he was only 58 but loved him to the end. She never let anything go, though she outlived him by four decades. This sale allows us to complete the Eric Morecambe story.”
Sale manager Victoria Sheppard said: “The sale of the contents of Brachefield, a red brick 1930s Arts and Crafts property, closes the chapter on a family home which has stood still since Eric’s passing in 1984. I cannot describe how it felt to enter the house not long after Joan had died. Reminders of Eric were everywhere. It was like a shrine to him. I was in complete awe.
“What we found was truly magical. As a Fine Art valuer I was immediately impressed by the antiques. The formal lounge was packed with 17th to 19th century paintings, mainly landscapes, both Dutch and English. This was mixed with 18th and 19th century furniture, clocks and porcelain. And in the centre of the room was Eric’s Challen baby grand piano.
“Fascinating finds include loving letters from Eric’s parents and a poignant message from Ernie Wise revealing how close the pair came to splitting up. Ernie explained that, with a very heavy heart, he wanted to break up the duo before they continued and became massive. He signed it ‘your best pal’. Thankfully that never happened. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Eric’s death from a heart attack in 1984.
“Everyone loved Morecambe and Wise. Consequently, there are telegrams from Prince Philip and letters from King Charles, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and comedy legends Ronnie Barker and Tommy Cooper.
“Nostalgia abounds thanks to playbills and posters, right from the beginning, as well as photographs and scrapbooks of cuttings, documenting his very first performances and reviews when he was a child.
“There are thousands of photos of Eric with celebrities of the day, some signed and inscribed, including actor Cary Grant. We’ve found costumes from memorable sketches and numerous props including Eric’s famous ventriloquist dummy, Charlie, below. Eric and Ernie took Charlie to America to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. The dummy was even in an episode of TV crime series The Sweeney. Every find, every little piece of paper is important. It’s truly remarkable.”
A reminder of The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, essential Christmas Day viewing for millions from 1969 to 1980, comes courtesy of Eric’s Des O’Connor records. When singer Des appeared on the show Eric feigned passing out when given a Des O’Connor album, ‘If you want me to be a gonna get me an LP by Des O’Connor’.
Another memorable Christmas Show appearances came courtesy of newsreader Angela Rippon in 1976. She stunned the nation when she stopped reading the news to deliver a dazzling dance routine. Angela pays tribute to Eric in the auction catalogue.
Hansons said: “It’s thanks to Eric and Joan’s three children, Gail, Gary and Steven, that Eric Morecambe fans have this opportunity. The auction will celebrate their parents’ lives and a comedy career like no other. They hope, like Morecambe and Wise’s trademark song, Bring Me Sunshine, this sale will light up lives for legions of fans. The auction is also timely as the comedy duo’s centenary anniversaries are fast approaching. Yorkshireman Ernie Wise was born in 1925 and Lancashire’s Eric Morecambe in 1926.”
Gary Morecambe – The definitive end of a wonderful era
Eric’s son Gary Morecambe, 68, an author from London, said: “The idea of others enjoying entertainment history, which for us was in fact our family belongings, while striking a gently melancholic note, simultaneously signals a whole new beginning, both for the memorabilia itself and for us, the Morecambe family of Gail, Steven and myself. We are genuinely so excited by the forthcoming auction of our mother and father’s lifelong possessions, and those related to our father’s legendary comedy partnership with Ernie Wise.
“While these wonderful items are undoubtedly valuable memorabilia, for us they have been the items we have lived with, and through, for much of our own existence – from childhood to parenthood, to grandparent-hood! Seeing them about to go to new homes, in many varied directions, marks the definitive end of a wonderful era – an era that certainly, for Gail and I at least, began in the 1950s.
“I think what makes it such a unique occasion, and such a momentous time in our lives, is that our mother barely touched anything in the house after our father’s death 40 years earlier. Hence we have had everything quite literally under the same roof for 56 years. They took ownership of the property in 1968. One never expects this day to arrive, but arrive it has, and now we celebrate a remarkable legacy created by the genius of Morecambe and Wise.
“When thinking about my father, it’s always easy to contemplate the great comedian he unquestionably was to the detriment of the other side of his life – the home-loving man, who had a serious passion for the natural world.
“This ‘other side’ to him, away from the television studios, the public and comedy itself, was mostly seen through two specific countryside interests – fishing and birdwatching. Sure, he collected clocks and fob watches, the former adorning his house up until we had to clear it.
“It was, however, outside the house that his true passions lay. It began with photography, something he was quite good at, and as an interest he never fully deserted. But it was the photography that led him into the back of beyond, where feathered creatures really began to capture his imagination, both at home and abroad. Birdwatching was key to everything, always taking walks with his binoculars and note book; a true ornithologist.
“Like fishing, these outdoors pursuits had begun in childhood through his father, who had the same passions. Maybe it was show business getting in the way for many years, but following his heart attack of 1968, he returned to his boyhood memories, recalling what pleasure nature had given him, and given his father, too.
“In the early 1970s, my father found a countryside compatriot in the artist and naturalist Gordon Beningfield. Gordon inspired him, partly through fishing together, and taking countryside rambles, but also through his wonderful watercolours – scenes of kingfishers and dormice, pheasants and owls. [Beningfield paintings are in the auction]
“In terms of collecting, one could add to my father’s list fishing flies – practical as well as colourful – and fishing rods. While many have now gone, some still remain. Add to this his collection of smoking pipes. In all these aforementioned items one sees the complete man.”
Gail Stuart – We grew up sharing dad with the British people
Eric’s daughter Gail Stuart, 71, from Northamptonshire, said: “It has been an interesting year! One of those years where you have a real sense of it being the end of an era. A dawning realisation that we have to make difficult decisions about the family home and all the contents.
“I was 12 when we moved into Brachefield. We all knew very quickly that this house had a magic to it that mum and dad only added to. To say dad loved living there is an understatement. He thrived there! His creative juices flowed there. For mum it was the garden. She loved the house but she LOVED the garden, spending many hours out there planting out the beds and all the pots. Dad loved looking at the garden but he LOVED having space for his hobbies. Mum always said hobbies were his hobby.
“To be able to have ticking, chiming clocks all around the place. To hang some wonderful paintings all around the place. To have room for a baby grand piano he could play and to have his own office where he could write. This was very special and never taken for granted.
“Growing up you have no idea your childhood is blessed not just with the material surroundings but blessed to have two such special individuals as our parents. Both had great gifts, both made their lives about family, both were always kind, humble, honest. Both received an OBE. All my memories are in glorious technicolor.
“We grew up sharing dad with the British people, the amazing fans. It wasn’t until dad died that I realised the affection for dad and for Morecambe and Wise ran so deep. Knowing it made sharing him through my childhood feel OK. It has helped to inform this decision to share what was left in our home with the world at large. Dad would love that. That is the legacy.”
Eric Morecambe: John Eric Bartholomew OBE (1926-1984), known by stage name Eric Morecambe, took his name from his home town, the seaside resort of Morecambe in Lancashire. He was the co-star of BBC television series The Morecambe and Wise Show, which for the 1977 Christmas episode gained UK viewing figures of over 28 million people. One of the most prominent comedians in British popular culture, in 2002 he was named among the top 40 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll – placed above David Beckham and Henry VIII.
Auction: The Eric Morecambe Collection will be offered at Hansons Auctioneers’ Derbyshire saleroom on January 10-11, 2025.
Explore the collection
Video: Inside Brachefield, the Morecambe family home
Video: Family memories with Eric’s son Gary Morecambe
Catalogues and bidding
Lots will be available to view online from December 2, 2024 and hard copy catalogues can be pre-ordered ahead of distribution in December. To find out more, visit www.ericmorecambe.com
Auction & bidding
Bids can be placed in advance of the auction, or during the sale days, at online bidding platforms: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com – you must register to bid on the platforms
Advance/telephone bids can also be arranged.
All enquiries: [email protected] | 01283 733988 / 07402 276866
