Auctions

Auctions are a way of life here in the West Country. Sometimes they are held in purpose built salesrooms, sometimes in village halls, sometimes in barns, sometimes even in fields. Sometimes they are house clearances - or the combined contents of several houses. Sometimes they are the actual sales of houses themselves. Some are sales of specialist items such as stamps, cars, livestock or fine art; others are more general sales. All are great fun. Yet there are still people who are afraid of attending. They are frightened of bidding accidentally and buying something they don't want, afraid of being cheated, too self-conscious to dare to raise their hand and bid for an ...  Read the complete review

Last week I went to my first auction, and felt that I’d found a secret Aladdin’s cave. Auctions can be found in most towns and cities, selling an assortment of items or specialising in particular items. They can take place in a richly decadent auction room (e.g. Sotheby’s) or at remote outdoor locations (e.g. Farmer Giles’ cow-dung infested field). My visit took me to the auction house in my street! Despite living here for 9 months I’d previously not had the courage to enter Victorian ex-school (2 classrooms which echo the same sense of centrally heated standards of the Victorian era, therefore absolutely none at all) ...  Read the complete review