A seemingly unassuming little blue and white teapot stirred up a bidding war when it went under the auction hammer during a sale at Oxburgh Hall.

The 18th century porcelain teapot, a rare early example of Lowestoft porcelain, proved one of the star lots selling for £1,600, double its estimate, at Diss auctioneers TW Gaze's Christmas sale at the National Trust property.

Lowestoft Porcelain was first established in 1757 and produced household pieces such as teapots, tea bowls and personalised birth tablets at a factory in Crown Street, before closing in 1802.

The teapot was formerly at Great Yarmouth's South Quay Museum but had spent the last 40 years or so in private hands.

Auctioneer Elizabeth Talbot said: "Dating from the early years of the factory's production, not long after it began operating in 1757, the rib-moulded spherical body shows the adventurous spirit of the Suffolk potters who were trying to emulate the highly sophisticated precedents set by trend-setters such as Worcester."

A 1902 Royal Mint set of gold coins issued to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII produced the sale's highest price, selling for £4,000.