Furniture, fixtures and fittings from Bath’s iconic Francis Hotel, ranging from four poster beds to artworks, are to be auctioned off next month ahead of its £13m refurbishment.
The sale, which will be held on 3 July by Paulton-based specialist hospitality auctioneers Pro Auction, will also include writing tables, seating lamps and drapes along with what the auctioneer describe as “ancillary pieces found within a hotel of such standing”.
Bath Business News revealed details of the refurbishment in April, with all the Queen Square hotel’s 98 bedrooms being upgraded along with the creation of a new thermal spa.
The renovation, which is due to begin next month, will also include a reconfiguration of the historic hotel’s lobby, the unveiling of a new restaurant, as well as a new snug bar.
Pro Auction describes itself as “a high-end auction house providing a bespoke and sophisticated service to both buyers and sellers”.
Its clients include looking to buy upmarket furniture, fixtures and equipment and those wanting to dispose of luxury property items for the best return.
The firm regularly stages auctions of luxury hotel furniture, fixtures and fittings, along with sales of vintage toys and upmarket furniture.
Three years ago it offered more than 8,000 items for sale from the five-star Westbury Hotel in London’s Mayfair over three days and more recently sold furniture and lighting from the historic bars and restaurants at Simpson's in the Strand.
Pro Auction auctioneer Simon Rose said of the Francis Hotel event: “This is a fantastic hotel content sale – the variety of well-maintained lots will appeal both to the hotel operators and private buyers alike.”
The Francis, which is part of the three-venue Sutton Hotel Collection, called in award-winning interior designers at 
London-headquartered UK architecture firm 3DReid to work on the design concept, which takes inspiration from the Georgian era.
Alongside a reinvention of the bedrooms and suites, the refurbishment will include a ‘complete reimagining’ of the ground floor and lobby including the introduction of a snug bar, which will be open to the public during the day before becoming an ‘intimate space”’ for hotel residents to relax over a pre or post-dinner drink.
The hotel restaurant will become the Townhouse Brasserie, which will showcase the finest British cuisine focusing heavily on seasonal and locally grown produce cooked over an open hearth in front of guests.
The refurbishment will also include a new thermal spa and three treatment rooms, tapping into Bath’s ambition to be the UK’s number one city for wellbeing.
The hotel was one of the first Georgian buildings in Bath and was originally the home of acclaimed 18th century architect John Wood the Elder, who designed the city’s iconic Queen Square, Royal Crescent and The Circus.
It became a hotel in 1884 after Emily Francis, the widow of Bath builder Solomon Francis, merged seven Georgian townhouses.
The sale takes place at The Francis from 10am on the 3 July with a preview of the available lots at the hotel is the previous day by appointment with the auction house.
