An auction expert called in to check through the contents of a crammed farmhouse in a village near Stevenage found he had a mammoth job on his hands – but he eventually unearthed treasure.

David Fletcher of fine art auctioneers Charles Ross discovered that the late owner of the property had moved into a caravan in the yard because the house was so stuffed with furniture and boxes of belongings.

And there were also three shipping-sized containers and a string of outbuildings brimming with items that had been packed away for a rainy day.

David, whose firm was called in by a law firm through Hitchin-based estate agents Stonegate Estates, admitted afterwards: “I was absolutely filthy by the time I finished.”

But dogged David assiduously worked his way through the inventory.

And his perseverance paid off when he discovered a collection of around 30 18th century English wine glasses in a mouse-chewed box buried deep amongst a quantity of old pots and pans deep in an old shed.

He also unearthed a late 17th century parquetry inlaid long case clock as well as a number of other clocks, a late 17th century ‘wainscot’ chair and china and glass including a Lalique vase and prized pottery by Doulton and other top names.

The glasses are included in a sale at the firm’s Woburn auction rooms today, and it’s estimated that they could fetch between £100 and £500 each.