Late councillor’s history of Perth to go up for sale

Several thousand Fair City items on offer

A treasure trove of documents, books and pictures detailing Perth’s history is to go under the hammer at auction.

The several thousand items that will make up 100 lots form part of the estate of noted antiquarian George (Stanley) Keay, who died in December.

Mr Keay, known to all as Stan, was a former Perth town councillor and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and also worked with General Accident.

For more than 50 years he gathered everything he could lay his hands on that related to the city he loved.

The collection will be among 1,000 lots that go up for sale tomorrow at Iain M Smith Auctioneers and Valuers, based at Perth Aerodrome.

Maps, watercolours and engravings show how the city of Perth has changed and expanded over the years.

Books on horseracing, cricket, football and bowls chronicle its sports while hardback volumes of Leslie’s Directories – a precursor to the Yellow Pages – detail its people and businesses.

Those perusing the pages of the directories – the earliest is from 1852 – can search for residents by name and address or by profession.

Mr Keay was also a keen supporter of Perth Theatre and there are many posters and programmes detailing its past productions – among them a programme for the 1982 pantomime Aladdin.

The family favourite will return to the stage as the first show in the theatre’s renovated auditorium.

Another lot comprises a small collection of Perth crested ware – china made in Stoke on Trent for the Fair City’s tourist market in the 1930s and 1940s.

Historical volumes detail the lives of the titled families that once called Perth home, while stunning photographs show it in years past – including one of trams on Perth Bridge.

There are also five albums of postcards that show how the city has changed over the years. A number depict Perth Bridge, with a boating station to the fore.

The auction sale begins at 10am, with bidding beginning at 12.30pm.

Auctioneer Iain Smith with some of the items collected by former councillor and Perth historian Stanley Keay.