Dr Sebastian Pryke

Sebastian was Senior Risk and Valuation Adviser within the Art and Private Client division at Hiscox, the specialist High Net Worth insurer, for almost a decade. This included particular responsibility nationwide for building valuations and historic buildings, and geographically for Scotland and the north of England.

He started his career as an Historic Buildings inspector at Historic Scotland and was then a Fine Art auctioneer for ten years. During this time he was a Director of Phillips Scotland and Head of Furniture at Lyon & Turnbull, where he was instrumental in helping to re-establish the firm as one of the UK’s leading independent auctioneers.

Sebastian is exceptionally well informed on the history of Scotland and its buildings. He wrote his doctorate at St Andrews University on the Eighteenth Century Furniture Trade in Edinburgh and was for a long time Secretary and Committee member of the Historic Houses Association for Scotland. He has contributed to many academic Journals, as well as more popular magazines and has lectured widely, including for NADFAS and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.