Incredible piece of maritime history with a link to Titanic found in Durham house

And the items which are each worth thousands of pounds are going up for auction.

Eight original light fittings from the RMS Olympic have been discovered in Durham.

Auction estimates of £15,000

They are believed to be from the First Class quarters and experts at Anderson & Garland Auctioneers say they are ‘thrilled’ to be putting them up for sale.

They will feature in the Summer Country House & Fine Interiors Auction on July 23 and July 24 and are divided into three lots: two large, two medium, and four small.

They are estimated to sell for up to £15,000. 

The sister ship to the Titanic

The Olympic was a mirror image to its sister ship, The Titanic, and almost every detail inside and out of the ship was identical.

The RMS Olympic, which operated from 1911 to 1935, was the first of the three Olympic-class ocean liners built in Belfast, Ireland, with Titanic and Britannic following.

After a distinguished 24-year career, including a notable service as a naval ship during the First World War, the Olympic was sold to Sir John Jarvis in 1935 for £97,500.

She was partially dismantled at Jarrow and its fittings were auctioned off locally.

Last artefacts from the ship fetched £42,000

A spokesperson for the auctioneers said: “Over the years, various artefacts from the Olympic have surfaced in auctions, including three other light fittings sold by Anderson & Garland last year, which fetched over £42,000.

“By the end of her service, the Olympic had completed 257 round trips across the Atlantic, carrying 430,000 passengers and covering almost 2 million miles.

“Of the three lots at auction with Anderson & Garland this summer: The two large fittings are estimated at £4,000-6,000 and are believed to be from the First Class Lounge.

Relics from the grand staircase in First Class

“The two medium fittings are estimated at £2,000-£3,000 and feature an inverted dome form with acanthus leaf decoration with hobnail-cut glass, with fittings for three bulbs, and are believed to be from the First Class Grand Staircase.

“The four smallest fittings are estimated at £4,000-6,000 and are believed to be from a First Class corridor.”

All the pieces were removed from a property in Lanchester Road, Durham, where they had been since the late 1930s.  Viewing of the items will be held at Anderson House in Newcastle on July 19, 20 and 22, with the auction on July 23 and July 24.