A collection relating to one of the most famous artists to live in Sussex has sold for more than ten times the expected price.

The haul of material relating to Sir Frank Brangwyn - which was discovered in rubbish sacks in the loft of a home in Eastbourne - fetched more than £50,000 at an auction.

Sue Thomas, painting valuer with Edgar Horn's auctioneers in Eastbourne, said: "The sale room was packed well before the start of the auction and the telephones were buzzing as the 40 lots went under the hammer.

"We were absolutely overwhelmed by how well it went."

Before the sale, the value of the archive, including books, rough sketches, photographs and letters, was estimated at £3,000 to £10,000.

But interest from private collectors and dealers increased the price of the collection, which had belonged to Edgar Peacock, son of Brangwyn's long-serving housekeeper, Lizzie.

Brangwyn enthusiasts travelled to Eastbourne to view the items, days before the auction. One collector spent four hours sifting through everything.

Most lots at the auction were picked up by three dealers.

The top price of £6,200 was paid for a folio containing designs by Brangwyn for a special exhibition in 1930.

Even the smallest lot, a bronze medallion of the artist, fetched £45 - more than twice its estimated price.

Distant relatives of Brangwyn, who spent his last 30 years living as a recluse in The Jointure in Ditchling, managed to buy some mementoes.

But the current owner of Brangwyn's former home, who hopes to put on an exhibition in 2006 to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, went home empty-handed.

Ditchling Museum also missed out as prices escalated beyond its budget.