The early years

For over sixty years, until purchased by North Bedfordshire Borough Council for redevelopment in the 1970s, the sale yard in Horne Lane, Bedford, known to most local people as Peacocks’ market, was the venue for regular weekly auction sales of an amazing variety of live and deadstock.

The sale yard was located opposite the Harpur Arms public house and Charles Wells’ brewery, on the site where the offices of the Pilgrim Housing Association are now, and only a short walk from St Paul's Square. Initially rented in parts, and later purchased from a Mr Frederick Reeve, the site had a long frontage to the north side of Horne Lane, and on the west side, a return frontage with access from Gravel Lane, a narrow lane that led through to Midland Road. The area originally included: livery stables; cottages, known as Tudor Court cottages; a house, known as The Market House; a wool store; and other buildings. There were Harpur Trust school premises to the north and east respectively occupied by Bedford Modern School and the Elementary, or Harpur Central, School.

The first sales were held in the back yard off Gravel Lane when the cattle market in Commercial Road was requisitioned at the outset of the First World War. By 1916, activity increased when sales commenced in the front yard and poultry sheds. During 1921 to 1922 the middle buildings were converted to an egg saleroom, and by 1923 sales were being held in the furniture yard and chick shed.3 An ancient wool shed, later known as the Tudor Rooms, was converted for use as a furniture sale room in 1926. The Horne Lane sale yards began to operate as one unit in 1933.

The front yard

The front yard was where larger items were sold including: horses; farm carts; machinery; cars and other vehicles; sheds and poultry houses; builders’ equipment; and materials such as baths, sinks, boilers and fireplaces. For many years the front yard sales were conducted by Walter Peacock. Walter was sure of a good company as his sales were usually most entertaining thanks to his quick wit, somewhat forthright vocabulary and forceful personality.

From 1947, when Richard ‘Dick’ Arnold was granted his first auctioneer's licence, his cheery personality soon established him as another great character as Walter's assistant and eventual successor.