When Lyon & Turnbull returned to the market in 1999, it needed a home that would represent both its historic roots and its modern aspirations. The building chosen for its new headquarters was an inspired choice: a 19th-century neoclassical church in Edinburgh’s Broughton Place.
OUR 200 YEAR HISTORY
The Broughton Place Saleroom
26 November 2024
Lyon & Turnbull
The conversion transformed a place of worship into a place of presentation. Its soaring ceilings, arched windows, and open interior lent themselves naturally to display, creating a light-filled environment ideal for showcasing works of art and design. The renovation balanced sensitivity to the original architecture with the practical needs of a 21st-century auction house. Behind the scenes, the building was equipped with climate control, specialist lighting, and digital systems for global broadcasting, a far cry from the handwritten ledgers of earlier decades.
The Broughton Place saleroom quickly became a symbol of the firm’s renewal. It represented the fusion of tradition and innovation that defines Lyon & Turnbull’s approach: a respect for history combined with a willingness to embrace change. It was here that the company staged landmark sales in Scottish art, fine furniture, design, and jewellery, reaffirming its position at the centre of the UK’s regional and national art markets.
The building also functions as a public space, hosting exhibitions, lectures, and events that extend beyond the commercial side of auctioneering. For collectors and visitors alike, the saleroom provides a setting where art can be viewed in context, not just as objects of value, but as expressions of creativity and culture.
Over two decades later, Broughton Place remains the beating heart of Lyon & Turnbull. Its mix of heritage architecture and modern technology reflects the company’s enduring identity: rooted in Scotland, engaged with the wider world, and committed to connecting people, art, and ideas.
[1999 - 2026]