The watch going under the hammer was presented to 19th century politician Cecil Rhodes whose statue at Oriel College in Oxford attracted criticism due to his imperialist exploits.

The College installed an explanatory plaque which described Mr Rhodes as a “committed British colonialist” who had “obtained his fortune through exploitation of minerals, land and peoples of southern Africa”.

Mr Rhodes was a student at Oriel and left the college £100,000 when he died in 1902.

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The Cecil Rhodes statue in High Street

Now, a watch linked to Mr Rhodes is expected to fetch hundreds of pounds.

The Dent travelling watch, housed in its original wooden case, is accompanied by a handwritten note stating that it was presented to Mr Rhodes by Sir Charles Metcalfe, consulting engineer on the Cape-to-Cairo Railway project.

The note reads: “This watch was bought by the late Sir Charles Metcalfe, consulting engineer for the Cape to Cairo Railway. Sir Charles presented it to Cecil Rhodes. It was always put in Mr Rhodes’s travelling dispatch box.”

Mr Rhodes remains one of the defining and most controversial figures of the British Empire.

Having made a vast fortune through the South African diamond industry and the De Beers mining empire, he became Prime Minister of Cape Colony and pursued his dream of a British-controlled railway stretching from Cape Town to Cairo.

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William John Young’s biography (Image: Hanson Auctioneers)

The territory of Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe and Zambia – was named after him.

In his last will, he provided for the establishment of the international Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford, the oldest graduate scholarship in the world.

The watch itself was made by Dent of London, a clock and watchmakers and the firm associated with the mechanism of Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster.

The timepiece was acquired by Mr Rhodes’s assistant and travelling companion, William John Young, whose remarkable memoirs describe the final days of the empire builder.

The watch was consigned for sale by Mr Young’s grandson who also lives locally and remembered his grandfather as a “very smart and upright man”.

While not wishing to be named he hoped the watch would be sold to someone who appreciated its historic worth.

The Dent travelling watch (Image: Hanson Auctioneers)

More than a century after his death, his legacy continues to provoke debate because of his role in colonial expansion and racial segregation in southern Africa.

Oriel College set up an independent commission in 2021 for the statue honouring Rhodes’ memory and this recommended the statue’s removal and the plaque in the city.

The College’s plaque acknowledged that “some of his activities led to great loss of life and attracted criticism in his day and ever since”.

The watch, along with a photo of Mr Young, and a typewritten copy of his memoir have an estimate of £800 to £1,000 at Holloways, part of the Hansons Auctioneers umbrella, in Banbury on June 17.

The Kings Arms in Sandford-on-Thames, part of the Chef & Brewer collection operated by Greene King, reopened to the public last weekend.

King’s Arms in Sandford near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

Situated near Sandford Lock, the historic pub has been given a top-to-bottom refresh designed to modernise the space while preserving its character.

The internal upgraded space at the King’s Arms near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

Internally, the layout has been reconfigured to improve flow, with upgrades to the bar area, repositioned service points and new furniture and décor to create a more comfortable and inviting setting.

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The external upgraded space at the King’s Arms near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

Accessibility has also been improved, with new flooring and a refreshed layout making the venue more welcoming for all visitors, including those with dogs.

The internal upgraded space at the King’s Arms near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

Outside, the pub’s large riverside beer garden remains a key attraction. Enhancements include a renovated pergola, extended seating areas and improvements around the prominent horse chestnut tree, creating an appealing space for outdoor dining throughout the year.

The external upgraded space at the King’s Arms near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

Customers can also enjoy a new seasonal menu featuring traditional pub favourites, Sunday roasts and more contemporary dishes.

To mark the reopening, local resident Ann Bishop was invited to cut the ribbon. The pub has also made a donation to Oxenford Cricket Club as part of its community support efforts.

The internal upgraded space at the King’s Arms near Oxford (Image: Greene King)

General manager Lee Hyland said the investment had “truly transformed” the pub while maintaining its long-standing appeal to both locals and visitors.

The 66-year-old was born in the city and grew up in Blackbird Leys before going on to star in projects such as Jeeves and Wooster, Blackadder and The Night Manager.

He is perhaps best known globally for his role as the titular character in House, which ran for eight seasons between 2004 and 2012.

Another one of Mr Laurie’s biggest hits was the spy thriller, The Night Manager, which was released in 2016 and saw him play off against Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine.

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The six-episode series saw the 66-year-old win a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his villainous part as Richard Roper.

He reprised the role in a shock return during the long-awaited second series, which was released earlier this year.

Writer Janet Murray took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticise the long-running medical drama, suggesting each episode followed a repetitive formula in which Dr House initially misdiagnoses a patient and nearly loses his job, before eventually solving the case and avoiding dismissal.

“Eight seasons of this?” she asked, drawing an unexpected response from actor Hugh Laurie.

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“Thanks for your critique,” wrote the Blackadder star on X. “We actually tried a couple of episodes where House gets it right first time, but they were only 6 minutes long. NBC weren’t happy.

“Then we tried some where House never gets it right, and the patient dies. The audience wasn’t happy.”

He continued: “One could apply your trenchant analysis to other art forms: JS Bach wrote 30 Goldberg variations on the same chord structure; Frida Kahlo painted 50 portraits of herself; Henry Moore, what??

“The point is, or was, variations on a theme; if all you see is hospital, medical blah blah, then it wasn’t meant for you. Nonetheless, I look forward to your first novel!”