auction Archives - Page 2 of 4

Baroness Masham’s items to be auctionedNew auction house planned for Harrogate

A new auction house is planned for a Harrogate business park.

Plans to create the facility at Springfield Farm Business Park, near Kettlesing, have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council.

Springfield Farm is situated just off the A59 Skipton Road, seven miles east of Harrogate.

The plans propose converting an existing building on the business park to an auction house.

The site has been vacant since January 2023 and has been advertised for sale on Hayfield Robinson property consultants since last year.

The planning documents do not reveal which firm plans to move in, but correspondence between the council and the senior planner revealed the company set to occupy the unit “have auction houses elsewhere” and 10 jobs would be created.

If approved, the auction house will be less than five miles away from Thompson’s Auctioneers at Killinghall but Thompson’s director Kate Higgings said the proposed new venture was not part of its business.

Planning documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council say:

“The main proposed use of the application site is that of an auction sales rooms, with associated offices and storage space on the first floor.

“The proposed layout allows for one large auction room to be created and it is envisaged that only one auction sale would be conducted at any particular time. There would be one auction sale per week on a Saturday. The car park layout allows for a service yard for the delivery and collection of lots.

“Potential bidders will be able to attend the auction rooms in person, leave commission bids, bid via telephone or via one or more online platforms. There will be approximately 20 bidders likely to attend auctions in person and the existing car parking spaces will be sufficient for their business needs.

“It is anticipated that the auction rooms will employ around 10 full time equivalent staff including auctioneers, valuers, accountants, and administrative staff and porters.”

The council will decide whether to accept the plans.

Springfield Farm Business Park plans for a new auction house

Beatles poster at Harrogate’s Royal Hall fetches £3,000 at auction

An original poster for The Beatles when they played at the Royal Hall in Harrogate has fetched £3,000 at auction.

The Fab Four performed their only Harrogate gig on March 8, 1963 — just as they were on the cusp of superstardom.

They were supported by two local Harrogate bands, The Apaches and The Mustangs.

One of the members of The Apaches kept this poster, and it was purchased in the 1980s by the vendor from a picture framer in Harrogate.

It sold for £3,000 at Tennants Auctioneers’ toys, models and collectables sale on Friday last week (December 8).

A copy of The Beatles White Album, autographed by Paul McCartney, also sold for £1,800.

The album was purchased by the vendor in 1968 from Wilson’s in Norwich, but he was able to get it signed by his musical hero in 2001 visited the University of East Anglia where he worked.

Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, holds over 80 sales a year.

Were you one of the lucky ones who went to this concert and can remember it? Send us your memories on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Early ‘Mouseman’ furniture offered in Ripon auction

Carved oak furniture by the renowned Yorkshire craftsman Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson is to go up for auction in Ripon next week.

The items include pieces from the early days of the renowned Mouseman workshop in Kilburn, near Thirsk.

Central to the collection is an oak dressing chest from around 1930 to 1940, which is expected to reach between £4,000 and £6,000. It has two short drawers over two long drawers and is topped with a moulded mirror. Both the mirror and chest carry Thompson’s signature mouse carvings.

From the same era is a stand-alone oak dressing table mirror of exceptional colour quality which carries a guide price of £1,000 to £1,500. Another stand-out lot is a set of eight impressive oak panel-back dining chairs, each with the carved mouse signature, that has been valued between £2,000 and £3,000.

The pieces will be included in a Fine Art & Antiques Sale at Elstob Auctioneers on Wednesday, November 8.

Director David Elstob said:

“The work of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson has always been popular, particularly in the North of England, and we are lucky to have these highly sought-after pieces from his workshop in this sale.

“Quality English oak furniture is widely seen as a good investment at the moment so we are hoping to see a great deal of interest in these pieces.”

Robert Thompson (1876-1955) was part of the 1920s revival of craftsmanship inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. His style was characterised by a carved mouse on almost every piece, thought to have come about during a conversation about “being as poor as a church mouse”.

His furniture business in Kilburn is still run today by his descendants.

Elstob’s November Fine Art & Antiques Sale comprises more than 700 lots including a stunning Chinese huanghauli and hongmu ‘cracked-ice’ console table adorned with butterfly handles, a remarkable 19th century bronze figure of Hercules, and a large number of pieces by French designer René Lalique.

Thieves steal ‘large amount’ of equipment from Ilke Homes’ factory

Thieves have stolen a “large amount of equipment” from Ilke Homes factory in Flaxby.

The modular housebuilder, which employed 1,150 staff, went into administration in June. Nearly all staff immediately lost their jobs.

The equipment was stolen two days after it had been auctioned by administrators to realise the value of assets on behalf of creditors.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“North Yorkshire Police is investigating a report of a break-in at a large industrial premises near the village of Flaxby in North Yorkshire.

“It was reported that on August 19 a large amount of equipment worth thousands of pounds had been stolen from the premises.

“The investigation is ongoing at this time. No arrests have been made.”

Ilke Homes’ factory is close to junction 47 of the A1, about two miles from Knaresborough.

Ilke Homes’ site near the A1(M).

Administrators AlixPartners commissioned Hilco Valuation Services to auction items including electric hand tools, travelling cranes and tipping skips.

The Stray Ferret asked AlixPartners for details of the value of stolen items and whether the site maintained on-site security.

It declined to comment beyond a statement that said:

“We can confirm that there was a break-in and subsequent theft at a property relating to the Ilke Homes administration.

“The administrators are now working with insurers and all related parties to minimise any losses incurred.”

Ilke Homes, which was founded in 2018, reported a pre-tax loss of £34m in its latest accounts.

It claimed to produce operationally zero-carbon modular homes from its Flaxby site.

Police urged anyone with information about the break-in to dial 101 and quote incident number 12230156480

Abandoned Ripon redevelopment site is up for auction

New life could be breathed into an abandoned Ripon redevelopment site, which formerly housed the city’s first public library.

The site at Skellgarths/Water Skellgate has planning approval for six terraced houses and is up for sale by auction, with a guide price of £500,000.

Harrogate-based estate agents FSS has described the plot as:

“An ideal opportunity to acquire a site with planning approval for six terraced houses, in two blocks of three, together with the freehold of 18 Water Skellgate, which comprises of a recently converted detached building containing five apartments.”

The online auction is due to take place at 3pm on September 14.

The site is in Ripon’s conservation area, in close proximity to Ripon Cathedral and on the route to prime tourist attractions — Fountains Abbey in one direction and Newby Hall in the other. It is also one of the main thoroughfares leading to the city centre.

Following demolition of the library nine years ago, a start was made on the proposed residential redevelopment of the plot, but this came to a halt and the site became an overgrown eyesore that was initially fenced off with steel barriers.

After a call for action by Ripon councillors, more permanent hoardings were erected in 2020 by Harrogate Borough Council workmen.

Rare sword from Charge of the Light Brigade to be auctioned in Ripon

A sword that saw action in the Charge of the Light Brigade will go under the hammer at an antiques and fine art sale in Ripon on Saturday.

The sword was carried by Lieutenant John Chadwick, a troop leader in the charge of British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854.

Measuring just over a metre in length, the sword has been put up for sale by Lt Chadwick’s descendants and is expected to fetch between £500 and £700.

Regarded as one of the most infamous days in British military history, the battle lasted only 20 minutes and resulted in the deaths of 110 British soldiers with a further 161 wounded.

The near-suicidal charge was immortalised in Alfred Tennyson’s poem, depicting the plight of the 600-strong cavalry who rode into the ‘Valley of Death’.

Lt John Chadwick was one of only two officers taken prisoner at the battle. He managed to reach the Russian guns but his injured horse was unable to move any further and he was knocked from the saddle by an enemy lance.

The officer was taken prisoner by the Russians and released 12 months later at the end of the Crimean conflict. He died in Liverpool aged 52 in 1869.

Made by London firm Firmin & Son, the sword is decorated with an 1847 pattern. It is etched with a crowned VR royal cypher and accompanied by the name XVII Lancers, which is surrounded by scrolling foliage.

It is one of more than 700 lots at Elstob Auctioneers sale in Ripon

Auction house director David Elstob said:

“It is amazing to have an object with such a fascinating backstory.

“The Charge of the Light Brigade is such a well-known event in its own right but the fact that we know such a lot about the sword’s owner adds even more to its appeal.

“Lt Chadwick’s Crimea Medal, with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol were sold for £14,000 at a London auction house in 2020, so we are expecting a considerable amount of interest in the sword.”

The silver, jewellery, antiques and fine art sale features ceramics and glass, metalwork, silver, Asian art, objects of vertu, militaria, textiles, rugs and carpets, clocks and instruments, antique furniture and Yorkshire oak.

Other militaria highlights in the sale include an officer’s full dress sabretache of the 2nd Durham Artillery Volunteers, Seaham – a flat leather pouch with long straps traditionally worn by cavalry officers to the side of the waist belt – and a Victorian officer’s full dress sword belt of the Ordnance Department.

The auction starts at 9.30am on Saturday. All lots can be viewed online at www.elstob.co.uk and bidding on the day of the sale can be made in person, over the telephone or online.

Items can be viewed at the Ripon-based saleroom the day before the sale from 10am until 4pm.

Equipment from Ilke Homes’ Flaxby factory to be sold

Equipment and machinery from Ilke Homes’ factory in Flaxby near Knaresborough will be put up for sale this month.

The modular house builder fell into administration in June after failing to find a buyer or further investment. A total of 1,150 staff were made redundant.

Administrators AlixPartners has commissioned Hilco Valuation Services to auction off a number of items of machinery on Tuesday, August 17 at 10am.

The equipment from the factory, which closed when the company fell into administration, will be sold online.

It includes electric hand tools, ladders, tipping skips and machinery such as automated wall panel lines.

In a statement last month, AlixPartners told the Stray Ferret that it was in the process of realising the company’s assets.

It said:

“The administrators are now working with a small number of retained employees to realise the assets of the business on behalf of creditors and are soliciting expressions of interest for any or all of those assets.”

The factory at Flaxby was closed immediately after the company entered administration and all site activities ceased.

Administrators added the firm had “faced the challenges of unprecedented inflation and a lack of land supply linked to planning processes”.

Officials at Ilke Homes said previously that it needed additional funding to fulfil a £1 billion order book and to protect jobs, adding that new investment was needed to build its pipeline of 4,200 new homes.

For more information on the online auction, visit the Hilco Valuation Services website here.

Historic Harrogate home up for auction again with slashed asking price

Pineheath, the derelict mansion on the Duchy estate that failed to find a buyer at auction earlier this month, is to be re-offered for sale at a much reduced price.

The 17,000 sq ft, 40-room house on Cornwall Road in Harrogate was earlier marketed for £3.5 million, but will now be included in FSS’ next auction with a guide price of £3 million.

Pineheath was built in the 1890s and from 1927 was the Harrogate home of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a wealthy Indian shipping magnate who been knighted in 1922 after reportedly donating £1 million to the war effort during the First World War.

In its heyday as a family home, Pineheath was fully staffed and had gold-plated taps, a centrally-heated garage of Rolls-Royces, and its distinctive glazed cupola is said to have been covered in gold leaf.

Following the death of Sir Dhunjibhoy’s daughter in 2012, Pineheath was sold for £2 million to developer Jason Shaw.

The house currently has planning permission for conversion into 12 flats, and the lot includes the adjoining former chauffeur’s cottage, which has been refurbished into a pair of semi-detached coach houses yielding rent of £51,000 a year.

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said:

“The front runners at the June 8 auction have not been able to finalise funding and we cannot delay the sale any further so it has been included, with a much-reduced guide price of £3 million.

“This will, we believe, bring in a fresh impetus of buyers and should also allow parties to potentially sell the two already modernised coach houses if vacant possession is obtained, thus recouping capital and leave them with Pineheath as a standalone project.

“At around £1.6 million this could then be converted to a single residential house, though of course the already implemented planning consent for 12 apartments could also be continued.”

A 0.545-acre parcel of land behind the site, on Rutland Drive, is believed to be the last undeveloped parcel on the Duchy estate, but also failed to sell at auction for its £1.85 million guide price.

Mr Croft said:

“The building plot on Rutland Drive will not be publicly offered at this time as it became clear parties interested in the plot wanted to know Pineheath had sold and would therefore be developed and improved.

“So we will market it again, subject to a successful sale of Pineheath, although a fruitful purchaser of Pineheath will be able to negotiate a purchase of the plot post-sale if desired.”

Pineheath will be re-offered at auction by FSS on July 13.

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Unbeatable views for sale as Georgian windmill goes under the hammer

Househunters will be offered the chance of a lifetime next month, when one of the district’s most unusual homes is put up for auction.

Skelton Windmill is a seven-storey property with 360-degree views, which on a clear day take in York Minster, Ripon Cathedral and the White Horse at Kilburn.

The Grade II listed building was built in 1822 for grinding corn and was the windmill for Newby Hall until the First World War. It then remained derelict until it was converted into a home in the 1990s, and is now one of just 140 windmills left in the UK.

Simon Croft, partner at Harrogate estate agent FSS, said:

“This is one of the most unusual properties I’ve ever dealt with. We’ve only just gone live with it, so we’re still gauging interest. We’ll get a fuller flavour when we have our first viewings.

“When people see it, I don’t think they could fail to fall in love with it. It would be amazing as a family home, but it could also make a fantastic holiday let. Who wouldn’t want to stay in a place like that, with such amazing views?”

The Georgian windmill, which stands in open countryside north of Boroughbridge and east of Ripon, has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, three reception rooms and a study, plus 70 steps leading to a trap door onto the roof.

It has outbuildings, including an office, potting shed and carport, as well as 0.6 acres of gardens and paddock with orchard and wildlife garden pond.

Skelton Windmill was originally listed for sale with Strutt & Parker in spring 2022 for £925,000, but was reduced to £850,000 and then again in September to £799,950.

The property will be lot 7 in FSS’s online auction at 3pm on Thursday, July 13. Bidding will start at £600,000. Potential buyers should register interest online at least 48 hours in advance of the auction, which can be viewed on the day by both bidders and non-bidders.