Sotheby’s to sell Vivien Leigh’s private collection

Auction house Sotheby’s has announced it will sell Hollywood icon Vivien Leigh’s personal belongings including her £2.6million Wiltshire home, a £15,000 mirror and the actress’ own signed copy of Gone with the Wind.

To mark the sale, the auction house has released never-seen-before footage from home videos of Leigh with her one-time husband Laurence Olivier.

The cinematic legends can be seen frolicking by the pool and playing with their pet dog during the footage, which offers a rare insight into one of the most talked about marriages in Hollywood history. 

Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier had one of the most talked about marriages in Hollywood but went their separate ways after 20 years of marriage in 1960

A fine romance: The pair are seen gaily embracing in the footage...

...which offers an insight into their marriage, which began after they both left their previous partners

A fine romance: The pair are seen gaily embracing in the footage, which offers an insight into their marriage, which began after they both left their previous partners

The rare footage was released to announce the sale of Leigh's private belongings by Sotheby's

The footage shows Olivier and Leigh enjoying a day in the sunshine, with Olivier in his swimwear

The rare footage, released to announce the sale of Leigh’s private belongings by Sotheby’s, shows Olivier and Leigh enjoying a day in the sunshine, with Olivier in his swimwear

A love affair worthy of a Hollywood movie: the home footage shows the couple relaxing in the grounds of their luxury homes

A love affair worthy of a Hollywood movie: the home footage shows the couple relaxing in the grounds of their luxury homes. Right: Olivier goes for a dip in the couple’s pool

The couple went their separate ways in 1960 but had captured the imagination of millions with their romance

The couple went their separate ways in 1960 but had captured the imagination of millions with their romance

Leigh was born in Darjeeling in 1913

She was originally married to Herbert Leigh Holman before she fell for Olivier's charms

Leigh, who was born in Darjeeling in 1913, was originally married to Herbert Leigh Holman before she fell for Olivier’s charms

Home life: the clips show Leigh smartly dressed but happy to play with her King Charles Spaniel, who dined with his very own bib

Home life: the clips show Leigh smartly dressed but happy to play with her King Charles Spaniel, who dined with his very own bib

Leigh and Oliver were wed in 1940 after a whirlwind love affair that saw them both leaving their respctive marriages. 

Their own union lasted for twenty years but came to an end in 1960, just seven years before Leigh died of TB aged just 53. 

The Sotheby’s sale, to be held on September 26th, will include items given to the pair on their wedding day, including a goblet gifted from Katharine Hepburn, who was one of only four guests at the union, which took place at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. 

The silver cup is expected to fetch between £8,000 to £12,000. 

Manor Farm House, Leigh's beloved Wiltshire home, is being sold by her grandchildren for a coll £2.6million

Manor Farm House, Leigh’s beloved Wiltshire home, is being sold by her grandchildren for a coll £2.6million

The Hollywood star's personal belongings and her home in Wiltshire are expected to make more than £3million when they go under Sotheby's hammer next month

The Hollywood star’s personal belongings and her home in Wiltshire are expected to make more than £3million when they go under Sotheby’s hammer next month

A goblet (right) gifted to Leigh and Olivier by Katharine Hepburn their wedding has a guide price of £8,000 to £12,000

A pair of Gucci high ball glasses will go on sale for £200 to £300

A goblet (right) gifted to Leigh and Olivier by Katharine Hepburn their wedding has a guide price of £8,000 to £12,000 while a pair of Gucci high ball glasses will go on sale for £200 to £300

Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell signed Leigh's copy of her book, which is included in the September 26th sale

Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell signed Leigh’s copy of her book, which is included in the September 26th sale

Jewels: A large mid 19th-century diamond bow brooch is among Leigh's personal jewellery

Jewels: A large mid 19th-century diamond bow brooch is among Leigh’s personal jewellery

A gold ring engraved with the words 'Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally' dating back to the 1940s has a price tag of £400 to £600

A gold ring engraved with the words ‘Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally’ dating back to the 1940s has a price tag of £400 to £600

Leigh shot by celebrated photographer Cecil Beaton at the British Embassy in Paris in 1947

Leigh shot by celebrated photographer Cecil Beaton at the British Embassy in Paris in 1947

For those with deep pockets, Leigh’s beloved home, in the Wiltshire village of Zeals, is the headline buy. 

Manor Farm House, currently owned by Leigh’s grandchildren, includes ‘a six to seven bedroom manor house set around a courtyard of beautiful Medieval stone barns’ and will go on sale for £2.6million.

Elsewhere in the collection, there are show-stealers galore including The Notley Mirror, an 18th-century carved giltwood mirror with a guide price of around £10,000 to £15,000. 

For fans of Leigh’s most famous role, as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind in the 1939 classic, there’s the actress’ own personal copy of the book, signed by its author Margaret Mitchell.

In the pink: A beautiful pink full length evening dress by designer Victor Stiebel is amongst the items going under the hammer

In the pink: A beautiful pink full length evening dress by designer Victor Stiebel is amongst the items going under the hammer

Artwork: Leigh’s own artistic efforts are also included along with her palette, paints and paintbrushes. Right: A work by Winston Churchill, owned by Leigh, that comes with a £100,000 price tag

British star David Niven's signed snap of him jumping into a pool is on sale for £300 to £500

British star David Niven’s signed snap of him jumping into a pool is on sale for £300 to £500

Leigh's 1953 appointment diary details a trip to Ceylon and her nervous breakdown in March of that year - the book is expected to fetch £1,000 to £1,500

Leigh’s 1953 appointment diary details a trip to Ceylon and her nervous breakdown in March of that year – the book is expected to fetch £1,000 to £1,500

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