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London’s literary benches fetch high sums for charity
The illustrated sculptures, featuring celebrated characters such as Sherlock Holmes, reach almost five figures a piece at auction
A collection of literary-inspired benches were recently sold at auction to raise money for the National Literacy Trust.
A public auction was held on October 7 at the Southbank Centre, with some pieces selling for a near-five figure sum. Proceeds will help to raise literacy levels amongst disadvantaged children in the UK.
The 50 unique BookBenches were designed by a selection of local and renowned artists, including many of the books’ original illustrators. Originally scattered across London during the summer, they pay homage to such celebrated literary minds as Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf and Dr Seuss.
Below is a list of the ten most popular BookBenches auctioned off, in ascending order of sell price.
|
Bench title (inspired by…) |
Author |
Artist/Illustrator |
Sell Price |
|
Katie in London |
James Mayhew |
James Mayhew |
£7500 |
|
Dr Seuss |
Theodor Seuss Geisel |
Theodor Seuss Geisel |
£7600 |
|
The Wind in the Willows |
Kenneth Grahame |
Mik Richardson |
£7500 |
|
The Librarian (Discworld series) |
Terry Pratchett |
Paul Kidby |
£8000 |
|
Always Try to Be a Little Kinder Than is Necessary (Peter Pan) |
J M Barrie |
Sian Storey |
£8000 |
|
From the Gruffalo to Scarecrows: The World of Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson |
Julia Donaldson |
Axel Scheffler |
£8500 |
|
Please Look After This Bear. Thank You. (A Bear Called Paddington) |
Michael Bond |
Michelle Heron |
£8800 |
|
James Bond stories |
Ian Fleming |
Freyja Dean |
£9000 |
|
War Horse |
Michael Morpurgo |
Rae Smith/Gerard Strong |
£9000 |
|
Jeeves and Wooster |
P G Wodehouse |
Gordon Allum |
£9500 |