Historic E&S paintings of Wolves legends up for auction - and much more
A group of six paintings of former Wolves legends have been discovered during a clean-out of rooms at the Express & Star.
The paintings, which were created by former staff member David Williams, were found in the old press hall at the paper's headquarters in Queen Street, Wolverhampton.
They represent six of the club's greatest players, with Harry Wood, Rev. Kenneth Hunt, Stan Cullis, Billy Wright, Peter Broadbent and John Richards all featured in the playing kit of their era.
Philip Brook, director of John Brook Yorkshire, was working to remove copper cables from an underground section of the building when he said he found the paintings lying on their side.
He said: "We were quite shocked when we found them, just lying their on their side in that area, and they were absolutely fabulous as they look in such good condition.
"It's the thing about this building, it's like a treasure trove, with so many things of industrial significance and we've been amazed with what we've found, including these paintings."
The six paintings are set to go up for auction as part of an online auction by C.W. Harrison and Son, along with a large number of books, magazines and football programmes found in and around the Express & Star building.
Auction manager John Mosby said it was a privilege to be able to put the items up for auction and spoke about the importance of the paintings.
He said: "I think its a privilege because you can see how well executed they are and they are part of the structure of Wolverhampton Wanderers and the city itself.
"We get to look at players like this and what they've achieved in the game and I almost felt knocked out that they'd just been put away and lost.
"We'd like to be able to see them together as a collection as it would be a shame to split them up and we would be happy to sell to the highest bidder if they wanted to buy all six.
"If you want to get hold of them, you'll have to bid and I think you'll find it's a unique piece of history."
The online auction ends on Monday, January 24. Visit cwharrison.co.uk for details.
Lots of choice as E&S takes on spring clean
You’d be amazed at the amount of items assembled at a newspaper over several decades.
The Express & Star’s offices in Queen Street continues to be at the heart of news gathering. But a spring clean every now and then doesn’t do any harm.
The auction includes scores of lots, and the chances are there will be something to interest everyone. They range from piles of old Aston Villa programmes and assorted cricket books to volumes of encyclopedias dating back to the mid 1950s as well as many lots of books related to Black Country nostalgia.
On a more practical level, there is a wide range of furniture, kitchen equipment and tools. The auction includes rolls of wire, florescent tubes and various plumbing equipment. And, as you would expect, there is also computer equipment, video cameras and digital cameras that have been replaced for the newspaper but remain in good working order.
* The online auction ends at 7pm on Monday, with viewing by appointment that day from 10am-3pm. To book call 07396 107346. Visit cwharrison.co.uk for full details.
