Back to the Future for Louth auctioneers

The new saleroom is taking John Taylors back to the future. Image: John Taylors

History will be made . . . or perhaps more accurately re-enacted . . . this Tuesday when auctioneers John Taylors hold their first auction in a grand new auction saleroom in Louth.

It was only after the firm bought the Victorian building in Eastgate a year ago that research revealed it was the very place that John Taylor, the founder of the firm, had designed and built back in 1888.

Taylors director James Laverack said: “We were aware that the firm had premises in Eastgate in the late 19th century, but the auction posters of the time simply describe the address as ‘The Mart’. It wasn’t clear which building that actually was in Eastgate.”

Ironically, having created his dream saleroom, John Taylor was there for just 14 years. In 1902, he received an offer he couldn’t refuse, pocketed a huge profit on the £1,000 the building had cost him and went to the Cornmarket.”

Just one of the many golfing postcards going under the hammer. Image: John Taylors

James said: “Fast forward 120 years and we were looking for more a more spacious, high-profile location than the Old Wool Mart, the Georgian warehouse that has been home to the antique saleroom for the past 30 years. The search took quite a long time and then, out of the blue, 127 Eastgate became available.”

James added: “John Taylor would be amazed by modern property prices and shocked by the amount of money that has been invested in the repair, refurbishment and redecoration of the building, but I think that he would be rather impressed by the saleroom that has been created.”

Tuesday’s auction will see 586 lots of antiques, jewellery, watches, ceramics, collectables and furniture go under the hammer, with the star of the show is expected to be a massive collection of almost 2,000 golfing postcards, dating back to the late 19th. The collection was brought together by Ray Hardy, the one-time head groundsman at Leeds United, who only developed an interest in golf in his mid-forties after leaving the football club and moving to North East Lincolnshire in the 1970s.

James said: “It is the best golf postcard collection that we have ever seen. It has a massive topographical section that includes 294 cards depicting Scottish golf courses (we think all of them), over 600 featuring English courses, 183 Wales, Ireland Isle of Man, Isle of Aran and Isle of Wight and over 200 foreign courses.

“In addition, there are albums devoted to famous early golfers and golfing champions (some of the cards autographed) and dozens of humorous or unusual cards, including a series featuring famous actresses posing with golfing equipment.

“The Lincolnshire highlights of the collection include real photographic postcards showing the early days of the ‘Woodhall Spa Golf Links’. And the collection also includes an autographed card featuring six times Open Champion Harry Vardon (1870-1937), who was brought in to design the first 18-hole course at Woodhall that opened in 1904”.

The collection is to be auctioned in eight lots, that are expected to make a total of £8,000-£10,000.

The catalogue is available at www.johntaylors.com . The viewing sessions are on Sunday and Monday (February 4 and 5) from 1pm to 3pm. The auction starts at 10am on Tuesday February 6.