Fleet Street to the Sunlit Shores of Spain

We are delighted to have been instructed by the family of celebrated British cartoonist and artist Peter Maddocks to sell a collection of his original artwork in our Summer Antiques Auction on 22 July 2026.

While many readers may not immediately recognise the name, generations of newspaper readers will certainly know his work. Maddocks was one of Britain’s best-known newspaper cartoonists, producing cartoons and comic strips for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Telegraph, Private Eye and many other national titles over a remarkable career spanning decades. His long-running political strip “No.10”, poking fun at life inside Downing Street, became a favourite with readers throughout the 1970s and 80s.

Here in Plymouth, we are fortunate to see all sorts of collections pass through the saleroom, but it is not every day that artwork by a nationally known Fleet Street cartoonist arrives in Devon. The collection has been consigned by the family and offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a man whose work once appeared daily in newspapers across Britain.

After retiring to southern Spain in 2000, Maddocks swapped newspaper ink for bright acrylic paints, producing colourful character studies and vivid caricature-style works inspired by the light and atmosphere around him. The paintings have an immediate charm and humour which clearly come from the hand of a born cartoonist.

What makes the collection particularly appealing is that the works are not overly formal or highbrow. They are lively, accessible, and full of personality — the sort of paintings that make people stop, smile and look twice. Several have already drawn strong interest from visitors to the saleroom.

For collectors of cartoon art, newspaper history or simply striking decorative pictures, this is a rare opportunity to buy works from an artist whose drawings once appeared on breakfast tables across Britain every single day.

The collection can now be viewed at Plymouth Auction Rooms ahead of the sale, by appointment.

Captions

001 – ‘Reggie the Veggie' by Peter Maddocks, 91 x91cm

002  ‘Market Day’  a large-scale piece by Maddocks 122 x 153cm

005  ‘Waiting for God’ 122 x 153cm

010  ‘Bar Rosa’ 122 x 153cm