A bit like Oxford colleges, the three main London auction houses all have some claim to being the oldest in the world. Christie's is as good as any, with James Christie having carried out the his first sale in London on 5th December 1766.

Since then Christie's has established a global reputation as auctioneers of some of the greatest works of art and antiques. The firm moved to its headquarters in St James' in 1823 where it remains to this day.

The famous Great Room there has seen its fair share of wonders with the recent sale of the Collection of Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild fetching a cool £50 million, a world record for any European single-owner estate.