A SET of false teeth that were worn by Winston Churchill have been snapped up at a Cotswold auction for a staggering £18,000.

The teeth were on offer to the public as part of a large collection of memorabilia that featured in the Cotswold Auction Company's February auction.

The collection of items went under the hammer at the auction saleroom in Cheltenham on February 6.

Potential buyers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on Churchill's gold-mounted dentures, which were designed by his dentist, Sir Winfred Fish, and made by Fish's technician, Derek Cudlipp. 

The false teeth of the former British Prime Minster first sold at an auction by Cudlipp's son to Gloucestershire-based collector of Churchill's memorabilia George Ridgeon in 2010.

Other memorabilia from Mr Ridgeon's collection in the Cotswold sale included a microphone reputedly used by Churchill on VE Day to announce the end of the Second World War.

The microphone sold for £11,500, plus buyer’s premium.

Director of Cotswold Auction Company Liz Poole said: “We were absolutely delighted with the international interest in the sale of Churchill’s false teeth and other memorabilia, which included phone bids from collectors in the United States and UK.

“The story generated global media coverage and featured in the news as far away as Canada, the US and Poland.

“In successfully bidding on the teeth, the buyer has snapped up a unique piece of our country’s history.”