Artefacts collected by Banchory geologist dubbed the north-east’s Indiana Jones expected to fetch £120,000 at auction

Artefacts from a late Aberdeen University professor’s collection will be auctioned off later this month.

Geologist Gordon Walkden was known as the north-east’s own Indiana Jones.

He was a finder of prehistoric rocks, and a decipherer of hidden royal artworks.

He died earlier this year aged 77, leaving behind a collection of 94 items that are now being auctioned off at Bonhams in London.

Prof Walkden began collecting fossils at a young age, but much of his later collection involved marbles from the Victorian era.

Among the items due to go under the hammer is an example of that marble, which also has links to four-time prime minister William Gladstone.

Hamish Wilson, who works for Bonhams said: “In my capacity as a valuer, over the past 23 years I have met quite a few collectors.

“This selection from his collection reflects the passion and wonder he held for his chosen area of collecting.”

He values the whole collection at around £120,000.

Table linked to former PM the most valuable item

The item expected to fetch the highest value at auction is the Gladstone table, a Victorian pedestal believed to have been made of stone excavated by William Gladstone, who served as prime minister for 12 years at various times between 1868 and 1894.

When he was in his early 30s, the Liberal wrote in his diary that he visited a cavern where he “spent some hours…digging and hammering” some “specimens of stalactite”.

The marble that he mined on that day is what collectors believe is now inside the table, known as the Gladstone Table.

It is estimated that it will sell for between £5,000-8,000.

Mr Gladstone was a regular visitor to Aberdeenshire, as his family owned the Fasque Estate, near Fettercairn.

The table was actually located inside the central hall of Fasque House, giving weight to the argument that the table was of great personal importance to Mr Gladstone.

‘Aberdeenshire’s answer to Indiana Jones’

Prof Walkden, who lived in Banchory, served as a councillor and set up the local heritage society, continued his geological work in his retirement.

His work on the unrecorded Victorian marble industry in Devon resulted in a Geologists’ Association guide on the subject.

He was also asked to identify some of the marbles used in the Albert Memorial Chapel in Windsor, and had latterly been researching the decorative use of marbles in major UK cities.

Mr Wilson, from Bonhams, said: “Mr Walkden was latterly invited to investigate some of the marbles used in the Albert Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle, were he wrote a report for the archives, discovering many hidden meanings to the pietra dura present.

“Indeed, it was the adventure of looking for and finding such fine specimens, be it fossil or mineral that led to some referring to Gordon as Aberdeenshire’s answer to Indiana Jones.

“So, it is no surprise that marbles and minerals indigenous to the UK were at the forefront of his mind when collecting.”

To view the full collection, which goes under the hammer on June 28, click here to see lots 103-164.