Antique appraisal sees rocks sell at auction

Following an antique appraisal, a collection of rocks has been purchased at auction by an overseas buyer for nearly £20,000.

The seven stones - believed to be from Giant's Causeway in County Antrim - went under the hammer at Summers Place Auctions in West Sussex, having been moved from their home at Rathmore Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland last year.

They were originally purchased by the organisation in 1974 to be used as protection against car bomb attacks after several sports pavilions across the country were damaged in explosions.

Following this, they were bought by a man who had plans to introduce them as a landscape feature in his garden, but found they were too large for the project.

Giant's Causeway itself is a coastal route that extends 11 miles to Carrick-a-Rede, with basalt stone columns left by volcanic eruptions some 60 million years ago - but a National Trust spokeswoman said it cannot be proven that these monoliths are in fact from the World Heritage site.

Posted by John Folwell