The world’s oldest independent eyewear company C.W. Dixey & Son, and makers of glasses for Sir Winston Churchill are to attend the auction of a pair of Sir Winston’s glasses by Northamptonshire auctioneers JP Humbert on 16 March, and are sending ‘Sir Winston’ in an attempt to get his glasses back.

The Sir Winston look-a-like will attend the auction – in authentic period dress – in a hope to ‘reclaim’ the glasses for the manufacturer C.W. Dixey & Son. He will be accompanied at the auction by the current owner of C.W. Dixey & Son, Simon Palmer.

The auction catalogue describes the reading spectacles as being made made by C.W. Dixey & Son in 1954 for the former prime minister who was often seen wearing the distinctive glasses when speaking in public.

Simon Palmer commented, “These glasses are an iconic piece of British history. When we discovered that they were going on sale, we were keen to come along to the auction – with ‘Sir Winston’ – to bid on the glasses in the hope of ensuring they will remain in the UK to be enjoyed by many future generations”.

Simon’s discovery of three lost Royal Warrants in 2009 inspired him to revive the name and launch a brand new collection inspired by Sir Winston Churchill’s frames that will be known as Chartwell and will be available from June 2011 in selected outlets. The collection will feature 10 optical and a small range of sunglasses. The Chartwell collection starts at £440, inclusive of VAT. All frames are presented with a luxurious leather case, and all patrons are invited to enter their name in into the company archives and to become part of the history of C.W. Dixey and Son.