Collecting ironstone china where beauty meets utility

For 5000 years a boulder stood unremarked in a Dorset valley, until one summer day an archaeologist noticed something curious about it...

From topless staddle stones outperforming complete ones to two versions of the same desk selling on the same day 212 miles apart, bizarre occurrences are par for the course at contents sales

With their potent blend of wild looks and mystery, Britain’s ancient sites have an enduring magnetism–and there are far more of them than you might imagine, says Tom Howells

Used in the construction of Florence’s Duomo and favoured by 19th-century architects and designers, Impruneta clay is as solid as rock, finds Arabella Youens

Ironmongers’ Hall, London EC2 The home of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers

Our columnist Willow Kemp on how the work of ceramicists delivers soul, shape and story to the home