In the South East, Gorringes cleared £7.97m worth of goods at the rostrum in 2001 compared to £6.6m in 2000 (All totals quoted in this report are hammer). The Sussex firm merged with local auctioneer Julian Dawson last year and benefited from Sotheby’s ending most of their sales at Billingshurst.
Yorkshire auctioneer Tennant’s were one of the only firms to show a decline in turnover, from £7.2m in 2000 to £6.8m in 2001. But managing director Rodney Tennant said “we had a torrid time due to Foot and Mouth”, and he noted that business had picked up significantly in the last third of the year.
In Wiltshire, Woolley and Wallis managing director Paul Viney recorded sales revenue “in excess of £5m”, last year, up by 12 per cent on the 2000 financial year, while similar percentage improvements were seen at the Dorchester salerooms of Hy. Duke, where turnover was up by 15 per cent to approximately £3m, compared to the year ending 2000.
Auctioneer Guy Schwinge said that he was “obviously pleased with results for last year, especially considering the slackening of demand for mid-range goods”.
Another West Country auctioneers to have increased their turnover in an area of the country with low stock density were Lawrences of Crewkerne, whose turnover rose from £3.2m in 2000 to £4.1m in 2001, despite the closure of their Taunton salerooms.
Halls of Shropshire were the only firm contacted by the Antiques Trade Gazette who reported no real increase from last year, with turnover remaining at approximately £3.5m. However, they had been badly affected by floods and auctioneer Richard Allen noted that the value of lots consigned was higher than last year, by as much as 23 per cent in picture sales, even though fewer lots were consigned to sale.
Figures were not available for Berkshire-based Dreweatt Neate or Lyon and Turnbull of Edinburgh.
2001 disasters fail to dent hammer totals in provinces
Terrorism, war, Foot and Mouth, recession – 2001 was not an easy year for the antiques market, but with one or two notable exceptions the big firms of provincial auctioneers not only weathered these difficulties but increased their sales turnover last year, according to annual figures released last week.
