Signed photographs of Crossroads star Noele Gordon set to be auctioned

A collection of signed photographs of an iconic actress known as the "Queen of the Soaps" is going under the hammer.

The images are of English actress Noele Gordon, best known for playing Meg Mortimer in British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, which was of course set in a fictional hotel in Birmingham. 

As well as starring in Crossroads, Noele was also a TV presenter and was credited as the first woman to be seen on colour television. She later became the first woman to interview a British prime minister during ITV’s first chat show, Tea With Noele Gordon, when she interviewed Harold Macmillan. The collection is of eight, signed ATV Television publicity photographs and a photo of Noele that's signed "To Caroline, Here’s my latest picture! Love Noll".

It's expected to reach around £150 to £250 when it goes under the hammer. The collection has been put up for sale by a woman, who wishes to be anonymous, who was "adopted" by the couple.

She said: "I was ‘adopted’ as surrogate grandchild by Jockie and Nolly and was asked over to play at Weir End, where they both lived when Nolly wasn’t in Birmingham filming. They used to let me play on their baby grand piano and Jockie used to make tea parties for me with dollies and teddies as company.

"There was a local lady who made beautiful handmade soft toys. Nolly and Jockie had several of these made for me, which I still own."

The woman said she even saw Noele star in the musical Gypsy and that her dad, who was the actress' GP, visited her before she died in April 1985.

She said: "We saw Noele in Gypsy, and I remember how upset she was when Crossroads was axed.

"My friendship with her went from about 1970 until 1981 when I left home for college. My father last visited her in her final months, in Birmingham."

The collection will go under the hammer at Ewbank’s in Guildford, Surrey on February 15. Visit https://www.ewbankauctions.co.uk to bid.