The photo of W&H Peacock’s new auction centre on the edge of Bedford says it all. This is a biggie.
Opening this week (Monday, October 16), with the inaugural sale on Saturday, October 28, the site provides “five spacious auction rooms, a reception area, offices, meeting rooms, gallery display areas and a fully serviced restaurant, open six days a week”, says the firm.
Not to mention more than 200 parking spaces that are available at the 35,000sq ft centre situated at Eastcotts Park, close to the southern bypass on Wallis Way, Bedford.
Sale shifts
W&H Peacock plans to move its regular Saturday auctions plus monthly sales of antiques and collectables to the new centre and also hope to extend the variety and types of specialist sales.
“Some current sales will continue at the existing auction rooms in Newnham Street,” the firm says.
“ We hope to expand the variety and types of specialist sales
The restaurant overlooks the salerooms with seating for more than 100. Wifi and private conference rooms are among the other facilities on offer. Landscaping around the site includes a “feature oak”, along with “diverse native landscape planting, bird boxes, bat boxes, log piles and Lacewing habitat”, according to the W&H Peacock website.
Boer War veteran
W&H Peacock was formed in 1901. Walter Peacock had just returned from the Boer War to find that he had lost his job at Stafford, Rogers & Merry auctioneers.
As recounted in the company’s history on its website: “Outraged by his former employers’ behaviour, he founded the company as a direct rival to them and held his first sale at Bedford cattle market in September of the same year.”
In April 1902, Walter’s brother Harry became a partner, forming W&H Peacock.
Now also involving Locke & England, the business as a whole includes auction centres in St Neots and Leamington Spa.
W&H Peacock
Established:1901
Next sale: 21 October 2017
