Auction house Ewbank’s is hosting an auction of illustrations by Gareth Floyd for the BBC series Jackanory, created in the 1970s and 80s, including art from “Stig of the Dump” by Clive King and many more – some 1200 artworks in all.
Jackanory was a BBC children’s television series that first ran from 1965 – 1996. The stories were generally illustrated with pictures drawn by distinguished illustrators including Quentin Blake, Gareth Floyd and Barry Wilkinson, while presenters included Tom Baker, Dudley Moore, Ian McKellen, Spike Milligan and Rik Mayall.
Gareth Floyd worked on the series for nearly 15 years and up for auction is a whole collection comprising over 1200 illustrations, consigned by the artist.
Unsurprisingly, “Stig of the Dump“, one of the most famous children’s books ever, takes pride of place in this auction, with some artworks from the story offered individually. But also are included is art from one of the very earliest stories Floyd illustrated, “The Outlanders” written by Helen Cresswell, first broadcast in 1972, along with her wonderful tale, “The Bongleweed” (1974); plus “Five Children and It” illustrations by E. Nesbit (1976, some some sadly damaged, but still wonderful), “Nothing Ever Happens on Sundays” by Margaret Greeve (1976); “The Ghost of Thomas Kemepe” by Penelope Lively (1977); “Chase Through the Night” by Max Fatchen; and some illustrations from “The Bionic Moles” by nine-year-old competition winner Clare Moseley, broadcast in 1980.
The Outlanders by Helen Cresswell (1972) 
The Bongleweed by Helen Cresswell (1974) 
Illustration identified as from Priscilla Pentecost by Barbara Willard (1975) 
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1976) 
Nothing Ever Happens on Sundays by Margaret Greeves (1976) 
The Dolphin Crossing by Jill Paton (1976) 
The Ghost of Thomas Kemepe by Penelope Lively (1977) 
Ferret Summer by Brigid Chard (1978) 
Willow’s Luck by Gabriel Alington (1978) 
The Treasure of Dubarry Castle by Lindsay Brown (1979) 
Chase Through the Night by Max Fatchen (1980) 
The Bionic Moles by Clare Moseley (aged 9) (1980) – did Clare go on to become an author? 
The Dangerous Journey by Elizabeth Renier (1983) 
The Otterbury Incident by Cecil Day-Lewis (1983)
Some artworks are, unfortunately, unidentified, but the very sight of them will surely bring back fond memories to many, who may be able to identify the mystery stories.
Now aged 80, Gareth Dennis Floyd who was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, but spent his childhood at Halesworth, Suffolk and now lives in Guildford, studied at Lowestoft school of Art, under Eleanor Doris Varley. His many works as both published author and illustrator of children’s books and young adult books include The Whispering Knights, The Midnight Fox, The Real Live Dinosaur and Other Stories, and The Night-Watchmen.
His passion for railways and railway modelling is reflected in The Model-Railway Men, written by Ray Pope, published in 2017.
“This is an unprecedented sale, with artwork from one of the most iconic children’s TV series ever broadcast,” said the firm’s Chris Ewbank, who told The Guardian he believes the sale offers fans of the programme a chance to “recapture a piece of their childhood” by buying illustrations from “a truly talented artist”. “Each image is an impressive size, so would hang well on the wall,” he said.
Ewbank’s, which is also hosting an Entertainment, Memorabilia & Movie Props on 12th August featuring music posters and more is the Premier International Antiques and Fine Art Valuers and Auctioneers in Surrey, South London, Hampshire and the South East region, holding quarterly Fine Auctions; and regular specialist sales of Jewellery, Silver, Clocks, Watches and Instruments, Fine Art, Ceramics, Antique Furniture and Works of Art
• View the auction and bid at The-Saleroom, which closes on 22nd August 2021 here
• Jackanory: The Personal Collection of Illustrator Gareth Floyd 1.00pm 22nd August 2021 | Ewbank’s, Burnt Common Auction Rooms, London Road, Woking, Surrey GU23 7LN – see web site to view lots
Web Links
• The Guardian – ‘I’ll paint you a story about Jackanory…’ TV show’s art up for sale
• BBC Genome: Chronological List of Jackanory Stories illustrated by Gareth Floyd
• Wikipedia: Jackanory – List of Episodes
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Auctions, Books, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds
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