A TRIP to a Northumberland farm by auctioneer Chris Armstrong uncovered an Aladdin's cave of rural rarities.

Chris came across ranks of vintage tractors, dating from 1940, a series of stationary engines going back to the 1920s and a huge range of old farm machinery and implements including a 1939 plough, a 1958 verge trimmer and a 1920s turnip chopper and turnip drill.

There were also masses of tractor, vehicle and implement spares, a large assortment of vintage lawn mowers and 1950s bicycles.

The collection had been built up by Stan Moore, who lived at West Side Farm at Whitfield near Hexham.

“It was an Aladdin’s cave and the collection is absolutely phenomenal,” said Chris, who is based at Hexham and Northern Marts.

Mr Moore died in 2010 at the age of 90, and now his vast collection is to be sold on Saturday, September 8, at Hexham and Northern Marts in Tyne Green, Hexham, with viewing the day before.

It has taken 43 wagon trips to bring the items to Hexham.

There will be 1,200 lots indoors and around 60 larger lots outdoors.

As well as farming, Stan Moore was a highly-skilled engineer and inventor, who made all manner of implements for other farmers who wanted machinery to perform specific tasks.

Stan’s son Philip, who lives in Haltwhistle, said his father operated the school run for rural pupils after buying an American Ford V8 bus in 1953 and a Trojan diesel bus in 1957 from North Eastern Motors in Newcastle.

He also carried out contracting work for other farmers, such as ploughing and hay cutting and repaired farm and other machinery.

“When he picked up the children from farms to take them to school, he would take requests for contract and repair jobs,” said Philip.