THE contents of the home of former Taunton MP Sir Edward du Cann are to go under the hammer at auction.

A total of 104 lots, including a rare preliminary bronze sculpture of the Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, are expected to go for an estimated £90,000.

His family has instructed auctioneers to sell the possessions from his apartments at Barrington Court and Westminster, which also include a bronze copy of the Lady Thatcher statue in the House of Commons and a bronze bust of Labour Prime Minister Clement Atlee.

The Churchill statuette is likely to be sold for around £50,000, with the Thatcher expected to fetch £1,000 and the Atlee model £400.

Sir Edward, who died last September aged 93, was MP for Taunton from 1956 to 1987 and served in the governments of Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home in the early 1960s.

He first met Churchill when he stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for West Walthamstow in the 1951 election, where Atlee was the sitting MP.

He was later chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs and was influential in the campaign that saw Thatcher oust Sir Edward Heath as party leader.

Sir Edward’s passion for political history and intrigue is reflected in a small collection of ceramics, which will be included in the auction at Duke’s of Dorchester on Thursday.

Subjects include the repeal of the Corn Laws, naval victories, including the Battle of Trafalgar, and a number of rare pieces of pottery commemorating election results.

It is hoped his significant collection of 18th and 19th Century political cartoons will go to the National Portrait Gallery in London, while some political memorabilia has already been given to the Museum of Somerset, in Taunton.

Guy Schwinge, of Duke’s, who is handling the sale, said: "Sir Edward was a hugely important political and business figure.

"At the height of his career, Sir Edward’s name was rarely off the front pages and it is a great honour to be selling so many fascinating objects from his collection, which give a clear insight into the man behind the public figure.

"The bronze of Churchill is an iconic piece of sculpture."

Sir Edward lived in Cyprus in his latter years, although he maintained apartments in Barrington Court and Westminster. He lived at Cothay Manor for several years during his time as Taunton MP.