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Mallams Auctioneers has been conducting specialist, fine art, and general sales since its establishment in 1788. Today, the company offers expert valuation and advice across a wide range of areas, including Paintings and Sculpture, Ceramics and Glass, Modern and Post-War Art, 20th-Century Design, Silver and Jewellery, Furniture and Garden Statuary, Chinese, Japanese and Islamic Art, Clocks and Barometers, Books and Manuscripts, and Collectables.
With a rich heritage spanning more than two centuries, Mallams is recognized as one of the leading auction houses in the UK.
Founded by Richard Mallam in St Aldate's, Oxford, Mallams has been an integral part of the city’s business life since 1788. Richard's vision inspired future generations of the Mallam family to carry on the auctioneering tradition. Richard’s son, Thomas Mallam (1786–1850), followed in his footsteps as an auctioneer and also worked as a tobacconist and timber merchant. The family home, which is now the principal’s residence at St Hugh’s College, adds to the historical significance of their legacy.
Initially operating from Gloucester Green, Oxford, the business flourished under the Mallam family name. Thomas Mallam later managed the auction house at 128 High Street and served as the Mayor of Oxford in 1839 and 1846. After Thomas’s death, the business was carried forward by his sons: Thomas Mallam junior founded a solicitor’s firm at the same location, while James Richard Mallam continued to grow the auctioneering side of the enterprise. To this day, the solicitor’s firm operates as Herbert Mallam Gower at One St Aldate's.
In the 1950s, Mallams Auctioneers relocated to St Michael’s Street, its present address. The auction room was originally housed in a pre-fabricated hut situated in the garden of 24a St Michael’s Street. It initially operated under the name “Mallam, Payne and Dorn,” which was later simplified to "Mallams."
In 1986, a purpose-built saleroom and offices were opened at the same site, designed by Barnett, Briscoe, and Gotch. This new building, named Bocardo House, continues to serve as the home of Mallams Auctioneers today. Situated in the heart of Oxford, one of the world’s most renowned cities, Mallams remains the only auction house at the city’s core.
With over two centuries of distinguished history, Mallams Auctioneers takes immense pride in its heritage and continues to be a prominent name in the auctioneering world outside of London.
