Props, costumes, and other items from the hit TV series Downton Abbey have sold for £1.73 million (€1.99 million) at a charity auction in London, six times the pre-sale estimate, the auction house Bonhams has revealed.
Watch: (L-R) Downton Abbey stars Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, and Joanne Froggatt talk to RTÉ Entertainment's John Byrne about Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
The "bell wall", the servant's call system that appears from the first series to the last, proved to be the prize item, selling for an eye-watering £216,300 (€248,958) against an estimate of £7,000 (€8,057).
The Bonhams sale, which featured everything from dresses to a car and a clapper board, ran online from 18 August until Tuesday to mark the 12 September release of a third film - Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
The film brings to a close the British saga, which included six highly successful seasons on the small screen.
Another sale highlight was Lord and Lady Grantham's 1925 Sunbeam saloon car, which still runs, and sold for £172,500 (€198,545), against a pre-sale estimate of £30,000 (€34,530).
The dress worn by Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, at her wedding to Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) sold for £21,760 (€25,045).
A walking cane used by Maggie Smith's character Violet Crawley went under the hammer for £28,160 (€32,412).
Watch: (L-R) Downton Abbey stars Allen Leech, Harry Hadden-Paton, and Hugh Bonneville tell RTÉ Entertainment's John Byrne about the end of an era
The clapper board used in the production of the film Downton Abbey: A New Era sold for £9,600 (€11,049), with the auction realising £1,735,744 (€1,997,817) in total.
120 million viewers
The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the UK children's charity Together for Short Lives.
"As the new release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is currently number one in the UK and Ireland box office, it is thrilling that the concurrent Bonhams auction has so exceeded expectations," said Gareth Neame, CEO of Carnival Films, which produced the series.
"I am delighted that not only will the props and costumes from the series be preserved - and hopefully cherished - by their new owners, but also that they have raised so much money for our chosen good cause," he added.
Bonhams marked the sale with a free "special exhibition" in London, where fans could come face-to-face with some of the items.
"Over the past month, we've welcomed visitors from around the world to New Bond Street to view the exhibition and take part in the sale," said Charlie Thomas from Bonhams.
"With every lot sold and final prices far surpassing expectations, the auction stands as a true testament to the enduring appeal of Downton Abbey," he added.
The television series, created by Julian Fellowes, first aired in the UK in 2010 before conquering the world.
It tells the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants over a 30-year period, spanning six seasons and 52 episodes.
More than 120 million viewers worldwide have seen the show, according to Bonhams.
Source: AFP
