On 18 October 1826, an advert appeared in the Edinburgh Post Office Directory announcing that Jonathan Lyon had commenced business as an auctioneer. At the time, Edinburgh was bustling with new development, and dozens of men styled themselves as “auctioneers.” Few, however, would leave a legacy as lasting as Lyon’s.
OUR 200 YEAR HISTORY
Jonathan Lyon’s First Auction: The Beginning of Scotland’s Oldest Auction House
26 November 2024
Lyon & Turnbull
From Spirit Merchant to Auctioneer
Born in 1795, Lyon began his career not in the saleroom but as a spirit merchant, running a small premises on Market Street. The shop doubled as a pub and off-licence, a far cry from the elegant auction rooms that would later define his firm.
But opportunity soon presented itself. By 1826, Edinburgh’s New Town was expanding, creating demand for appraisers and auctioneers to handle household sales, property, and seized goods. Lyon seized the chance to reinvent himself.
A Humble Start
The first sales under Lyon’s name were modest, often household goods and everyday items. But these early auctions quickly established his reputation, and before long he was entrusted with the contents of New Town homes, valuable property, and even unusual consignments ranging from livestock to fine furniture.
Within a generation, Lyon’s son William joined him in the trade, and in 1863 William entered a partnership with William Elliot Turnbull. From that point, the business took on the name Lyon & Turnbull, cementing its identity as a firm rooted in both family and expertise.
What began as a single advert in 1826 would, over the next two centuries, grow into Scotland’s oldest auction house, one that today operates not only from Edinburgh but also London and Glasgow, serving clients across the UK and internationally.
Jonathan Lyon could not have imagined that his small Market Street saleroom would evolve into a company setting world record prices for art, jewellery and design. His first auction in 1826 was not just the sale of a few household items, it was the opening chapter of a story that continues nearly 200 years later.
[1826 - 1900]