THOUSANDS of items belonging to the late Felix Dennis, the entrepreneur publisher who was the driving force behind the Alne Wood Park natural burial ground in Great Alne, have gone on sale at a three-day auction.

Possessions from his 12 homes around the world have been catalogued and are being sold in a giant marquee in Dorsington, near Alcester, between September 29 and October 1.

Mr Dennis, aged 67, died at his Dorsington home in June last year after a two year battle with throat cancer.

Among the 2,000 lots offered will be a large theatrical figure of Captain Hook complete with parrot on his shoulder, a silver Ascot trophy modelled as Joan of Arc and a 1987 yellow Rolls Royce Silver Spirit.

Two fine art auction houses Bigwood Fine Art Auctioneers in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shrewsbury-based Hallshave have teamed up to take on the task of bringing together the lots.

Christopher Ironmonger, director of Bigwood Fine Art Auctioneers and a business colleague of Mr Dennis for more than 12 years, said: “The auction will provide an opportunity for the world to appreciate the magnitude of his collection, as we are selling the contents of many homes there will be lots at auction estimates ranging from just £10 to over £50,000.”

Jeremy Lamond, fine art director at Halls in Shrewsbury predicts it will be the UK’s landmark auction of 2015.

“Estate auctions of this type are few and far between and it’s particularly fitting that it’s being held on Felix’s estate,” he said.

“It’s a hugely exciting and eclectic sale with literally something for everyone.

“There is a delightful mix of antique and modern with 17th and 18th century oak and walnut furniture alongside contemporary designer furniture and objects.”

All the proceeds will go to his estate and the major beneficiary of this is The Heart of England Forest Charity.

In 1989, Mr Dennis had a vision to create a 30,000 acre forest in the heart of England, from the ancient Forest of Arden to the Vale of Evesham. The one millionth tree was planted around two years ago.

Mr Dennis rose to fame as one of the editors on the underground alternative magazine ‘Oz’ which was involved in a celebrated obscenity trial in 1971, where he and co-editor Jim Anderson were acquitted on appeal after initially being found guilty and sentenced to harsh jail terms.

He later became a highly-successful magazine publisher with responsibility for such titles as ‘Viz’, ‘Fortean Times’ and ‘Bizarre’ as well as ‘Maxim’ and ‘Stuff’, and forged a successful second career as a poet.

Alcester residents may remember Mr Dennis as the guiding force behind the Forest of Dennis, a plantation of more than a million native saplings near Great Alne, and more recently, the controversial plans to create the Alne Wood Park natural burial ground, an 85-acre area of forest off Spernal Lane. 

Further details on the auction are avalaible at hallsgb.com.