Antiques expert hangs up his gavel after 50 years
March 2026
Stalwart of the antiques community Stuart Triggol will be retiring after more than five decades in the sector at the end of March.
The veteran of the saleroom began his career helping out at a country house sale at West Bagborough, West Somerset, in the school holidays of Easter 1974, so it is appropriate he will be bowing out just before Easter 2026.
His retirement will provide more time for his many and varied hobbies. He is Chairman of Cheddon Fitzpaine Flower Show, now in its 80th year. He is busy with preparations for the show, which will take place on Saturday, July 25.
Stuart is also a regular participant in drama productions by The Cheddoners and plans are already in place for next year’s show, scheduled for March. He also enjoys following all equestrian sports, in particular eventing, an annual visit to the Badminton Horse Trials is a particular highlight.
He has also recently moved house and has inherited a large mature garden with a magnificent magnolia and camellias.
A keen gardener he is busy putting his own stamp on the grounds.
There is also a large paddock – perfect for his Fox Red Labrador Retriever, Benson, and his sister’s dog, Socks, to run off steam.
Stuart looks back fondly on his time with Greenslade Taylor Hunt. He joined the firm’s forerunner WRJ Greenslade & Co in October 1975.
There was no antiques saleroom back then instead sales were conducted on site – everywhere from grand country houses to unremarkable terraced properties.
“People would be shouting bids up the stairs,” remembers Stuart.
So different to now where the internet allows people to participate in an auction from the comfort of their own home at the click of a button.
Everything was manual and done on paper, computers were in their infancy and not part of the set-up.
Stuart was determinedly “low-tech” and back in the day would compose adverts for the Somerset County Gazette by cutting out the previous week’s advert and then use a Pritt Stick to stick onto a new piece of paper and fill out in pen the details of that week’s lots and then get a colleague to take the A4 paper to the Gazette to be printed for that week’s paper.
Stuart will miss the camaraderie of the saleroom and the opportunity to unearth unexpected finds on house calls.
A particular career highlight for Stuart was the sale of the Joy Barnes Collection. He was on the rostrum when the hammer came down at £325,000 for a Barbara Hepworth sculpture – the highest individual price ever achieved at a Greenslade Taylor Hunt antiques sale.
He also enjoyed the big country house sales such as those at Gerbestone Manor, West Buckland, near Wellington, and Uphill Manor at Weston-super-Mare.
The veteran of the saleroom began his career helping out at a country house sale at West Bagborough, West Somerset, in the school holidays of Easter 1974, so it is appropriate he will be bowing out just before Easter 2026.
His retirement will provide more time for his many and varied hobbies. He is Chairman of Cheddon Fitzpaine Flower Show, now in its 80th year. He is busy with preparations for the show, which will take place on Saturday, July 25.
Stuart is also a regular participant in drama productions by The Cheddoners and plans are already in place for next year’s show, scheduled for March. He also enjoys following all equestrian sports, in particular eventing, an annual visit to the Badminton Horse Trials is a particular highlight.
He has also recently moved house and has inherited a large mature garden with a magnificent magnolia and camellias.
A keen gardener he is busy putting his own stamp on the grounds.
There is also a large paddock – perfect for his Fox Red Labrador Retriever, Benson, and his sister’s dog, Socks, to run off steam.
Stuart looks back fondly on his time with Greenslade Taylor Hunt. He joined the firm’s forerunner WRJ Greenslade & Co in October 1975.
There was no antiques saleroom back then instead sales were conducted on site – everywhere from grand country houses to unremarkable terraced properties.
“People would be shouting bids up the stairs,” remembers Stuart.
So different to now where the internet allows people to participate in an auction from the comfort of their own home at the click of a button.
Everything was manual and done on paper, computers were in their infancy and not part of the set-up.
Stuart was determinedly “low-tech” and back in the day would compose adverts for the Somerset County Gazette by cutting out the previous week’s advert and then use a Pritt Stick to stick onto a new piece of paper and fill out in pen the details of that week’s lots and then get a colleague to take the A4 paper to the Gazette to be printed for that week’s paper.
Stuart will miss the camaraderie of the saleroom and the opportunity to unearth unexpected finds on house calls.
A particular career highlight for Stuart was the sale of the Joy Barnes Collection. He was on the rostrum when the hammer came down at £325,000 for a Barbara Hepworth sculpture – the highest individual price ever achieved at a Greenslade Taylor Hunt antiques sale.
He also enjoyed the big country house sales such as those at Gerbestone Manor, West Buckland, near Wellington, and Uphill Manor at Weston-super-Mare.