Ben Fenton, of auctioneers BL Fenton, aged 81

Ben Fenton, who spent nearly 70 years with family firm BL Fenton and Sons auctioneers in Dundee, has died aged 81.

He conducted his last auction a few weeks ago and remained heavily involved in the firm he joined at the age of 15.

BL Fenton and Sons was established by his grandfather, also Ben, and the firm has been based on Victoria Road ever since.

His parents were Harry (Henry) and Winnie Fenton and he was educated at Morgan Academy in Dundee.

He left school at 15 and went straight to work in the family firm.

His son, Richard, said: “He began at the very bottom and worked his way up.

“He would work on the van, collecting and delivering, then he progressed to driving the van before becoming an auctioneer.

“He learned every aspect of the business from an early age.”

At one point in its history BL Fenton had its own showroom, which was stocked with furniture and household goods.

Ben met his wife-to-be Lilias in Broughty Ferry and the couple married in 1962.

They had two children, Richard and Steven, who now run the business.

Richard said his father took great pride in it being a family business that had served the city well for more than a century.

The post-war period, when some owners of large houses were downsizing, was a particularly busy time for the firm.

Although the mainstay of the business has been the sale of household items, silver, porcelain and antique furniture, there have been some outstanding prices set for artwork over the years.

A painting by Scottish artist John Maclauchlan Milne set a world record price of more than £20,000, while several works by James McIntosh Patrick have passed through the saleroom.

Golf and snooker were Ben’s two great hobbies. He played competitively over Monifieth golf links for many years.

“He began at the very bottom and worked his way up

CAREER: Ben Fenton worked at his family firm from the age of 15.