A SINGLE buyer swept the board yesterday at an aristocratic carriage sale in Northumberland.
A dealer acting for a mystery North East collector outbid all comers at the Anderson & Garland auction at the National Trust’s Seaton Delaval Hall.
The historic carriage collection belonged to the former owner of the hall, Lord Hastings, who died in 2007.
His son, who farms in Norfolk, decided to sell the carriages, which have been on display in what was once the hall’s estate brewery building.
“We had people from all over the country but this was a very determined bidder, ” said auctioneer Julian Thomson.
Top prices paid by the buyer were £2,700 for a Victoria carriage of 1900, £1,500 for a 1900 horse-drawn game cart, £1,400 for a rally cart of the same date with corduroy upholstered seats, and £1,100 for a 1920s harvest wagon.
The bidder also paid £500 for a market cart from 1910, £620 for a Governess cart dating from 1916 , £800 for an American viceroy cart and £110 for a 1920s trumbel cart.
The buyer also snapped up a Wells Fargo-style US mail stage coach which had been built as a film prop. That fetched £540.
Among the many outpriced bidders were sisters Helen and Hayley Atkinson, who live near the hall and who had hoped to buy one of the carriages which would have been given run-outs on the estate.
Another disappointed would-be bidder was David Calvert, who had travelled from Richmond in North Yorkshire.
He represented the Carriage Foundation, whose members tour the UK and Europe to inspect historic carriages.
He had found out about the sale by chance while visiting the hall on a day out.
Mr Calvert said: “I was disappointed not being able to buy but the carriages made exceedingly good prices .
“There was a lot of history in the collection and the fact that some of the carriages had the name of Lord Hastings on iron plaques on the sides made them more important.
“The game cart especially is of great interest because only the bigger estates had them, while the rally cart was a farmer’s Sunday vehicle.”
