A UNIQUE pair of candlesticks designed and owned by the leading Victorian architect, Augustus Pugin, has sold at auction for nearly 10 times the estimated guide price.

The lot was part of a collection of items designed by the man behind the Gothic splendour of the Houses of Parliament which were put up for sale by Pugin’s great-great-grandson, who lives in Bishop’s Stortford. The pair of gilt brass candlesticks, featuring the Pugin coat of arms alongside the lions from his wife’s family crest, made �68,000 - almost 10 times the starting guide price of �7,000.

The sale held by Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers in Stansted Mountfitchet marked the bicentenary of Pugin’s birth in 1812 and attracted private and trade buyers from the UK and the US.

The candlesticks were designed by Pugin for his own use at his family home, The Grange in Ramsgate, Kent. They were purchased by Blairman & Sons, dealers who specialise in furniture and fine art of the Gothic Revival style.

Other highlights of the sale included a pair of silver-plated tazzas which sold for �19,000, four times the guide price of �3,000 to �5,000.

A framed silk bow on which Pugin had written ‘Worn by my grandfather, W Welby Esq of the Middle Temple at the coronation of George III, 1760’, and with a guide price of �400 to �600, sold for �1,150.

The entire family collection sold for �137,000.

Sworders’ managing director Guy Schooling said: “The buyers at the auction regarded these candlesticks as the holy grail of Gothic Revival art.

“Not only were they created by Pugin, the leader of 19th Century Gothic style, but they featured his family coat of arms and have the most impeccable provenance. Their rarity and exceptional history will continue to make them extremely desirable pieces.”

The auction was held at the Sworders’ Country House Sale in Stansted Mountfichet, Essex on Tuesday April 24.