OUR 200 YEAR HISTORY

From Post-War Resilience to Renaissance, 1930–1999

10 November 2024

Lyon & Turnbull

A Firm Without Its Founders

The death of Jonathan Lyon in 1930 marked the end of direct family involvement in the management of Lyon & Turnbull. For the first time, neither the Lyon nor Turnbull families were guiding the firm. Yet the business continued, sustained by the loyalty and experience of its staff. In a gesture that reflected this continuity, 2,000 shares in the company were offered to employees at 14 shillings per £1 share, and thirteen members of staff took up the opportunity. The firm maintained a strong culture of care, with regular bonuses and long-serving employees forming the backbone of its operations.

Among these was Ord Kennedy, who began as a clerk, became an auctioneer in 1936, was appointed director in 1958, and ultimately served as Chairman. His career exemplified the stability and internal progression that characterised the firm through the mid-twentieth century.

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Post-War Cultural Life and Exhibitions

In the years following the Second World War, Lyon & Turnbull remained closely connected to Edinburgh’s cultural life. In 1952, the firm hosted an exhibition by the Edinburgh Sketching Club at its George Street saleroom as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Opened by Earl Haig—himself a painter—the exhibition reflected the continuing importance of art within the firm’s activities.

Two years later, the artist Anne Redpath opened a subsequent exhibition in the same space, reinforcing Lyon & Turnbull’s role not only as auctioneers but as active participants in Scotland’s artistic community. Other later events included an exhibition of water colours by the Polish artist Bronislaw Kopczynski in 1957.

By the 1960s, public interest in art in Scotland had grown significantly. Auction rooms attracted large audiences, and reports noted that both dealers and private buyers flocked to sales. This enthusiasm continued into the 1970s, when collectors increasingly recognised the value of Scottish art and antiques. Items of national significance were keenly contested, with local buyers eager to retain cultural heritage within Scotland.

Curiosities and Unusual Sales

At the same time, Lyon & Turnbull maintained a broad and often eclectic range of sales. Auctions were not confined to George Street; they were held across a variety of locations, from country houses such as Polmont House near Falkirk to more unconventional venues like the old fire station in Junction Place, Leith.

A particularly memorable sale took place in 1969, when the fire station was transformed into an auction space filled with decommissioned engines, ladders, and equipment. The highlight—a 1952 Leyland Comet fire engine—sold for £530, illustrating how the firm combined practical disposal with public spectacle.

This diversity extended to the objects themselves. Alongside fine antiques and works of art, Lyon & Turnbull became known for its more unusual lots. Director William Plews later recalled auctions that included coffins—inviting bidders to “try them out for size”—as well as an Egyptian mummy, a ship’s wheel, stuffed fish, and even a 25-foot mahogany conference table.

Such sales captured the unpredictable and often theatrical nature of the auction room.

The Famous Lane Sales

Central to this atmosphere were the firm’s famous Lane Sales, held in South West Thistle Street Lane. These regular auctions of household goods and bric-a-brac attracted a wide cross-section of society. As one director described it, the crowd ranged from “the peer of the realm to the local dustman.”

The Lane Sales became an Edinburgh institution—part marketplace, part social gathering—and were even said to draw visitors from overseas.

Our 200 Year History

Commercial Success and Loyal Clients

Despite its traditional character, Lyon & Turnbull continued to achieve notable commercial success. Throughout the late twentieth century, the firm retained a loyal client base, supported by strong relationships with legal firms handling estates. Around 85 per cent of buyers were private individuals, and while the company maintained a relatively low profile, it nonetheless achieved significant results, including a Scottish record price for furniture when a Regency bookcase sold for £54,000.

What set Lyon & Turnbull apart during this period was not only its range of sales but also the personalities of its auctioneers. Figures such as Ord Kennedy Reid and William Plews were remembered for their wit, charm, and distinctive style.

Auctions at George Street were as much social occasions as commercial transactions, defined by humour, accessibility, and a sense of community.

Yet by the 1980s and 1990s, the wider auction world was changing rapidly. Larger, more corporate firms were modernising their practices, adopting new technologies and global marketing strategies. Lyon & Turnbull, by contrast, remained committed to its traditional approach - handwritten ledgers, straightforward catalogues, and long-established personal relationships.

For many clients, this continuity was part of the firm’s appeal. But it also left the business increasingly out of step with a changing industry.

“Going, Going…”

The death of Chairman Ord Kennedy Reid in 1993 marked the end of another long chapter in the firm’s history. Having been with the company since his youth, he was only the third chairman in its existence, and his passing symbolised the gradual fading of a particular era.

By 1998, the pressures facing the firm could no longer be ignored. The directors reluctantly announced that Lyon & Turnbull would close at the end of the year. Although the decision had been anticipated, it came as a shock to many who regarded the firm as a cornerstone of Edinburgh life.

Under the headline “Auction room going… going… after 173 years,” The Scotsman captured the sense of loss felt by staff and clients alike. William Plews, who had joined the firm as a fourteen-year-old office boy in 1935, reflected on a lifetime spent in the salerooms.

From modest beginnings earning ten shillings a week, he had witnessed decades of remarkable sales and unforgettable objects. Looking back, he remarked that it was almost impossible to imagine anything that had not, at some point, passed through Lyon & Turnbull.

The Final Auction — and a New Beginning

On 5 December 1998, what was believed to be the firm’s final auction took place—a sale of oil and watercolour paintings. The hammer fell, and with it seemed to close the chapter on Scotland’s oldest auction house.

Yet even at that moment, there remained a sense of possibility.

William Plews expressed a simple hope: that someone might take on the business and continue its story.

Within a year, that hope would be realised.