Churchill's reading glasses sold at auction

Sir Winston Churchill's reading glasses were marked with a single dot on the frame

A pair of reading glasses worn by Sir Winston Churchill has been sold at auction.

The round-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses were made for the wartime prime minister by opticians C W Dixey and Sons.

Three pairs of Churchill's spectacles were still in their possession when he died - one was given to his Kent home of Chartwell and another sold in 2011.

This last pair was sold at Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey for £6,000.

Dixey and Sons said: "Usually three pairs of spectacles were made to Churchill's prescription and kept at the Cavendish Square showroom, later the Wigmore Street practice."

They were loaned to the previous owner, also an optician, by the makers as he was developing a range in the style of Churchill.

Churchill's glasses were marked with metal dots on the frame to indicate their purpose - one dot for reading and two dots for speeches. He also had glasses made for sketching, painting and card playing.