6th March 2026 | by Anna Lambert on behalf of Wilson55
The Northern Art market is off to a strong start in 2026, as yesterday’s Northern Art Sale saw market-leading results achieved for our featured artists – art historically important lots sold for exceptional prices, new auction records were set, and high numbers were achieved throughout.
Extraordinary Provenance and Rare Opportunities
The term ‘unique’ has been used a lot throughout our March Northern Art Sale catalogue, for good reason. It was an honour for us to have been able to offer works from the collection of Professor W.J. Orville Thomas, which, through the personal relationship that he had with both L.S. Lowry and Harold Riley, meant that these works were bolstered by exceptional provenance and individual features. Lowry’s distinctive style has already made him one of the greats in British Art, meaning his work is always highly sought after at auction, but the story behind his original drawing, “A Harassed Mother”, added such unique art historical importance to the piece that it sold well above its estimate for an incredible hammer price of £41,000. To read more about how this drawing was donated as a raffle prize by Lowry, then won by Professor Thomas, please read the full article written about this here.
L.S. Lowry (British 1887-1976), "A Harassed Mother", pencil on paper. Sold: £41,000
L.S. Lowry (British 1887-1976), "Punch and Judy", uniquely signed by the artist, colour print. Sold: £6,100
L.S. Lowry (British 1887-1976), "Sunday Afternoon", uniquely signed by the artist, colour print. Sold: £2,900
Similarly, signed, limited edition prints are always attractive to collectors, but the offering of the two prints, “Punch and Judy” and “Sunday Afternoon”, signed by the artist outside of an official limited edition publication, captured significant attention. Professor W.J. Orville Thomas met Lowry through the friendly relationship that they both had with Harold Riley. It was Riley who then persuaded Lowry to sign some of the prints that Professor Thomas had bought. These prints are therefore not ‘limited edition’ as such, but instead, seemingly unique. This provenance and rare opportunity to own something entirely individual within Lowry’s oeuvre meant that the prints sold for £6,100 and £2,900. Signed under the same circumstances, Professor Thomas’s copies of Mervyn Levy’s “The Paintings of L. S. Lowry: Oils and Watercolours” and “Drawings of L. S. Lowry” also beat auction expectations and achieved £800 and £650 respectively.
Large-Scale Appeal
This sale saw an impressive selection of large-scale original works head to auction and achieve equally impressive results. Geoffrey Key’s “Cityscape” and “Bridges & Fence” each sold for £10,500 and £8,700, continuing Key’s streak at the top of our sales. We were also very excited to have had an original Maurice Wade oil painting included in the auction. Again, its large scale and striking imagery caught a lot of well-deserved attention during our viewing days, and the work ended up selling for £5,000.
Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "Cityscape", oil on canvas. Sold: £10,500
Geoffrey Key (British 1941-), "Bridges & Fence", oil on canvas. Sold: £8,700
Maurice Wade (British 1917-1991), "Three Chimneys", oil on board. Sold: £5,000
Auction Records Broken
James Lawrence Isherwood also had a particularly good day yesterday, with his painting “Rain, Household Cavalry” achieving £2,300. At this level, Isherwood reached a new auction record at Wilson55, and the highest hammer price for one of his original works at auction since the early 2000s. Another lovely painting from the artist, titled “Clare Bridge, Cambridge”, sold for £1,300 and again, sits towards the top of his record at auction. A beautiful selection of works by the Macclesfield-based artist Ben Kelly achieved similarly high prices, with all four of his works selling for £1,000 or above. A rarer artist to find at auction, these sales mark record highs and help to push the artist’s appeal on the secondary market.
James Lawrence Isherwood (British 1917-1989), "Rain, Household Cavalry", oil on board. Sold: £2,300
James Lawrence Isherwood (British 1917-1989), "Clare Bridge, Cambridge", oil on board. Sold: £1,300
Ben Kelly (British 1974-2024), "The Traveller", oil on board. Sold: £1,900
Other Sale Highlights:
Stuart Walton (British 1933-), "Wellclose Road, Leeds", oil on canvas laid on board. Sold: £2,000
Arthur Delaney (British 1927-1987), "Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester", oil on board. Sold: £5,100
Harold Riley (British 1934-2023), "Bridge Over the Manchester Ship Canal", oil on board. Sold: £1,700
Reg Gardner (British 1948-), "Red Barge in Winter", oil on canvas. Sold: £1,000
Liam Spencer (British 1964-), "Deansgate Dusk", oil on board. Sold: £3,200
Click here to view the full list of results from this sale
In other exciting Northern Art news; the first of our “The John Thompson Studio Collection” timed auction is ending this Sunday, 8th March, at 8pm. Click here to view the sale, which features works acquired directly from the estate of the artist, and are all being offered with no reserve – it’s an exciting opportunity to build, or even start, your Northern Art Collection.
We are now accepting entries for our next Northern Art Sale, taking place on 18th June. As always, please feel free to reach out to our Art Department via either Stephen Sparrow (stephen.sparrow@wilson55.com) or Anna Lambert (anna.lambert@wilson55.com) to ask about our complimentary auction valuations and getting your Northern Art included.
