A visit by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent marked the opening of a new environmentally friendly auction house at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers in Stansted Mountfitchet on May 8.

The princess, who has a love of antiques, said she was “delighted” to be opening the facility which is the largest straw bale building in Europe.

“I have a love of auction houses and I have seen some lovely pieces here,” said Princess Michael who is president of Partridge Fine Art in London. “It is very brave to be building new auction houses at the moment. I think the fact that it is built of straw is most exciting - I just hope it doesn’t blow away!

The innovative eco-friendly design of the building includes a frame built out of timbre from sustainable managed forests, solar water heating, and straw bale insulation that is three times the highest building control standards.

Sworders’ surveyor Robert Ward-Booth said: “This is a sustainable building for a sustainable business.

“This unique building has been greeted with great acclaim by independent architects, town planners and environmentalists, and it has been delivered on time and on budget.”

Managing partner Guy Schooling described the building as “different and modern” and said they were the “envy of most auctioneers in the country”.

Sworders was founded in 1782 in a coffee shop in Bishop’s Stortford and had has grown and prospered for more than 200 years.

Auction info www.sworders.co.uk

Posted: 05|11|08 at 9:03 am. Filed under: UK News.