A virtuoso performer, Clifford Murphy was a charismatic man whose presence filled the auction room. A second-generation auctioneer, Murphy’s career spanned 35 years, from 1951-86. His home was the rostrum and he transformed the family firm of Hillyer & Hillyer from its north London base into one of the top-performing auction houses of his professional generation.
Murphy’s was a consummate skill. He built enduring relationships with auctioneers, clients and investors, with many becoming friends during their formative years, including the major figures of the time: Clive Pears John Burgess (BPT) Frank Sinclair (Mountview) and David Pearl.
He conducted proceedings with panache, wit and authority – glass of scotch in one hand and gavel in the other. His auctions were once described as more akin to a chat show than a sale. Regarded as “the best in the business”, he was unafraid of challenge, once confronting a group of disruptive squatters with: “You wouldn’t steal a car, so don’t steal a house. I’m not having you squatting in the Cumberland Hotel either.”
His generosity of spirit, combined with an ability to winkle bids out of investors, was legendary. While pre-eminent in selling traditional regulated tenancies and ground rents, he also introduced a new breed of public-sector clients to auctions, including the British Rail Property Board and the London Residuary Body. Murphy pioneered the use of regular one-day, 100-plus lot sales, moving venue from the London Auction Mart to the Connaught Rooms and, finally, the Cumberland Hotel.
After serving in the army as a physical training instructor, he trained in auctioneering under his father and qualified as a fellow of the Chartered Auctioneers and Estate Agents Institute in 1955.
A formidable personality, he died from a heart attack, following a prolonged battle with several illnesses, and is survived by his second wife Anne, and children Gary, partner at Allsop, Jacqueline, Spencer and Victoria.
Clifford Murphy: 25 October 1924 – August 15 2007.
