The Team

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Philip’s entire working life has been devoted to the fine art and antique auction world with over 40 years of experience. Having joined Sandoe Luce Payne Fine Arts in 1988, Philip acquired the company and relaunched Wotton Auction Rooms as sole owner in 1991. Having spent four decades building on the strong local foundations of the business stretching back as far as 1855, Philip has tirelessly and without falter built a reputation of honesty and integrity within the local community and throughout the wider market, now often receiving instructions by the third generations of families he first assisted in his early beginnings in Gloucestershire. When not busy attending valuations and putting together the next sale in Wotton-under-Edge, Philip proudly regularly contributes as a valuer with The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, a position he has held now for over 20 years. Philip is a highly experienced generalist, finding interest in virtually all areas of the wider market, with his particular passions found in early country furniture, folk art, coins, medals and books - the area which started his love affair with antiques, as his parents owned and ran a celebrated antiquarian book shop in Burford in the 1960’s and 70’s. Like Joseph, Philip is invited to host numerous talks and charity auctions each year across the Cotswolds and further afield, many of which he has now been hosting annually for many years.

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With over 15 years experience in the fine art and antique auction world, Joseph returned to Wotton in late 2023 to re-join his mentor Philip Taubenheim as joint owner and partner in the company, a homecoming after training as a junior auctioneer with Philip in the early years of his career. In the years in between Joseph’s stations at Wotton, he has held prominent positions with some of the largest leading provincial sale rooms across the UK, culminating as senior valuer and associate partner with Gorringe’s of East Sussex. Joseph has also led an active role in the wider industry with various committee positions to date to include proudly serving as president of NAVA Propertymark (The National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers) then at the age of 22, the youngest premier in the association’s history, a group devoted to championing excellence and best practice in the industry. A proud generalist, Joseph conducts valuations for all purposes across the wider market. His principal interests include early British and continental works of art, Chinese and Islamic works of art, wristwatches, fine wines and whisky. Alongside the day job Joseph conducts over a dozen charity auctions annually and gives numerous lectures and talks to groups across the UK. He is an active member of The Select Society of Auctioneers and is a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars. Joseph is also a columnist with Cotswold Life Magazine.

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With a background in the legal world, Jo brings excellent organisational and interpersonal skills to the team.
Since initially joining the team in a part time capacity in 2022, Jo quickly progressed to the role of Operations Manager at the start of 2024.
This immersive role sees Jo responsible for the daily running of operations within the hustle and bustle of a busy sale room team.
Jo is also a very knowledgeable and passionate books specialist with a particular interest in the earlier side of printed works and scarce 20th century literary first editions.

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Izzie Balmer is a familiar face on the BBC, appearing on The Travelling Auctioneers, Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt and Flog It. When not travelling around the nation filming, Izzie works as an independent consultant, valuer and auctioneer. Izzie holds the prestigious gemmology (FGA) and diamond (DGA) diplomas from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. Together with her passion for jewellery, Izzie has over a decade of experience working as a general valuer.

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Having worked alongside the Wotton team for a number of years in his role assisting with our house clearance and transport provision, Craig joined the in-house team here in 2023 and has quickly become an integral part of the Wotton family. Responsible for assisting clients as they deliver consignments or as purchases are collected, Craig is instantly recognisable by his cheerful willingness to help and inimitable sense of humour!

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Ellie boasts the accolade of starting her sale room career before any of us at Wotton Auction Rooms – first attending the sale room here with her mother Julia (our then paintings and ceramics specialist) when she was just a few months old!
Her role has developed since then, following Ellie’s joining the team formally in 2014 – progressing quickly to ultimately reach the position of head of the jewellery department, having completed her GEM-A qualifications in 2023.
Accommodating everything from Roman, to Renaissance Revival jewels, to fine pieces by the likes of Cartier and Boucheron, Ellie is responsible for valuing and cataloging across our broad and diverse jewellery department. From within this broad church, Ellie’s favourites include the quality of Georgian pieces, alongside tourmaline and works in enamel.

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With over 30 years experience in the fine art and antique auction world, Tim's sale room career began with Lots Road Auctions back in 1989, conducting his first auction for the celebrated London saleroom in 1991, quickly progressing to the position of sale room manager from 1998 - 2003. Following a brief hiatus in warmer climes via a spell in Barcelona in 2004, Tim then relocated to the Bristol area before joining the team at Wotton for the first time back in 2008 as auctioneer and valuer before assuming a senior management position with Dreweatts Bristol Auctions until 2018. In 2022 we were delighted to welcome Tim back to the team at Wotton as auctioneer and senior valuer. Tim's wealth of knowledge across many market areas sees him responsible for cataloguing across the board with us today, curating our silver, glass, carpets & rugs and decorative arts departments.

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Hayley has worked alongside Philip and been an integral part of the team at Wotton for over 15 years now and is synonymous with the warm welcome clients expect and so enjoy when dealing with us. Responsible for issuing auctioneer's valuations, managing marketing and fielding enquiries from the public, Hayley's role is a varied one which sees her supporting the successful output of all areas of the firm's operations.

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Toby graduated with a degree in BA Fine Art (Hons) at the Bath School of Art and Design in 2014 and spent a year of his degree studying at the Xi an Academy of Fine Art in China. In 2017 he started his auction career at Leonard Joel auction house in Melbourne, Australia where he trained as an auctioneer while managing their Furniture and Interiors department. Since he returned to the United Kingdom in 2019, Toby has worked freelance as an auctioneer and valuer for auction houses around Bristol and joined the Wotton team in 2022. Responsible for curating our pictures and Asian art departments, Toby's knowledge and research skills are the enviable result of years of study and saleroom experience.

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A highly experienced accountant, Liz's passion is found in the numbers of the business, delivered in a varied role which sees her responsible for management of the routine accountancy of the auction rooms alongside data management analysis and much more. Her position has developed and grown in the eleven years in which Liz has been a vital member of the Wotton team. Liz also oversees compliance within the business, ensuring that in the ever-changing and evolving fine art market, we are consistently and unfailingly compliant with all updates in law and legislation, ranging from recently updated rules on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations to The Ivory act and GDPR.

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Responsible for overseeing and successfully managing the running of the office, Jo's role is a varied and immersive one ranging from preparing and launching our online auction catalogues, managing bids and sale result implementation on auction week to providing the professional, informed and ever-helpful front of house welcome which our clients so appreciate when dealing with Wotton Auction Rooms. Having joined the team back in 2016, Jo has developed keen understanding and knowledge in all areas of the business and routinely assists during home valuation visits and in the sale room during the cataloguing process. A true all-rounder, there's no element of our operations she can't assist with.

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Having joined the team as an apprentice in 2022, Eliza has proven herself to be a talented and enthusiastic younger member of our team, having embraced the opportunity to learn from the generations of experience and knowledge represented in her colleagues.
With a natural talent and flair for photography, in Spring 2024 Eliza's role developed to focus principally on photography and digital marketing, working closely with colleagues in all departments of the business.
Alongside her role in photography, Eliza is gaining experience in cataloging items representing the broad spectrum of the wider market together with further broadening her experience in sale day clerking and general operational support as required by the business.

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Having started his auction world career with Wotton at the age of just 16, Andrew is a highly experienced and universally respected specialist with over 30 years of experience.
Responsible for organising the daily logistics of one of the largest furniture and garden / architectural salvage departments in the UK, Andrew’s knowledge of these market areas is the enviable result of years spent learning and honing his craft as markets have changed and developed.
Within these broad and varying fields, Andrew’s particular interests are found in vernacular furniture, the English Arts & Crafts movement and ecclesiastical / gothic antiques and architectural salvage.

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A member of the Wotton team for over a decade, Lucy started her sale room career as a saleroom assistant and photographer. In the years that followed Lucy has striven to develop her already enviable knowledge in fashion, textiles, toys and collectables. She now compliments our diverse service offer in providing the specialist knowledge required to manage these departments which have grown year on year under her stewardship.

If not being fussed over by any given number of the team, Inca loves nothing more than a gentle flick through The Antiques Trade Gazette in bed beside her very own fan heater in the office…it’s a dog’s life!