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Chapter Nineteen - W. & H. Peacock Reborn
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Summary
On 29 September 2000, the various auction businesses, by then owned by the Bradford and Bingley Building Society, were acquired by Mark Baker. Mark, who had started as a clerk at Peacocks in 1975, was at this time managing Peacocks’ Bedford and St Neots Auction Centres, and the new business acquired both these divisions plus the Locke & England and Ambrose auction businesses.
The trading name of the businesses at Bedford and St Neots was immediately re-designated as W. & H. Peacock whilst the businesses trading as Locke & England in Leamington Spa and Ambrose in Loughton, Essex, retained their local trading styles. It was particularly fitting to see the Peacocks’ brand back in existence in Bedford nearly one hundred years after the business was formed in September 1901.
A major asset of the new business was the existing team of loyal and competent staff who helped to make the transfer of business back to the Peacocks’ brand a seamless transaction.
The first major sale by the new Peacocks was held in Bedford for the Panacea Society. This landmark sale was held in a marquee at the Panacea Society site in Albany Road, and comprised antique furniture, collectables, ceramics, textiles and jewellery. It was held over five days from 17 July 2001. The Times described the auction, of over 3,000 lots, as, ‘the biggest auction to take place in England this year, and probably for many years to come’. Bedford was the world-wide headquarters of the society, which had been formed in c. 1913 by a group of women who shared an interest in the writings of the prophecies of Joanna Southcott (1750–1814). Led by Mable Baltrope, the society campaigned to have Joanna's sealed box of prophecies opened by a meeting of the Bishops of the Church of England. By the 1930s there were over seventy members living in the Albany Road area of Bedford.
Since the re-launch of Peacocks the auction business has moved to keep track with the changing fashions in furniture and the ways in which customers wish to buy. A new website was launched, and more importance placed on providing the entire service from valuation and collection through to sale.
The business has developed a high reputation over a wide area with a dedicated team of experts.
List of Maps and Illustrations
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- 20 November 2014, pp vii-viii
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Index of Places
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- 20 November 2014, pp 437-446
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Chapter Four - The Sale Rooms, Lime Street, Bedford
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Summary
The first sale at Lime Street
Peacocks took over sale rooms in Lime Street, Bedford, for regular weekly sales of antique and modern furniture in 1903. The premises had previously been occupied as an auction sale room by Mr Herbert J. Rayment.
Following an advertisement in The Bedfordshire Times and Independent on 23 March 1903, the first sale was held on 3 April 1903. Furniture had been removed from ‘Goldington Avenue, Waterloo Road and other residences in Bedford’. The ‘Splendid Household Furniture’ included:
A handsome French Dining Room Suite comprising large sideboard, dinner wagon, 10ft. dining table and 6 chairs. Cottage pianoforte in rosewood frame, pine writing table, bamboo, mahogany and other occasional tables, brass kerbs and fire implements, coal hods, Persian rugs, Brussels and Axminster carpets, Indian matting, linoleum and stair carpeting, oak bookcase, carved oak, cane seat, wicker and other occasional chairs; a quantity of books and ornaments; Bedroom appointments consisting of brass rail and iron bedsteads and French spring mattresses, wool mattresses and excellent bedding; mahogany, pine and painted chests of drawers, cane seat chairs, pitch pine wardrobes with plate glass doors, large linen chest, box ottoman, toilet glasses, marble top washstands and commodes; tapestry, plush and other curtains, and numerous effects.
Management and organisation of the sales
Sales were held on Fridays with the exception of Good Friday and Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day, when these occurred on a Friday. The sale room was approached down a wide passageway, which opened out into the main room where a broad table stood in the centre with the auctioneer's rostrum at the rear. A staircase led up to the first floor sale room. Furniture for sale was placed all-round the sides of the room and passageway with further items upstairs. Glassware, china, silver plate and silver were displayed on the large table, which would be surrounded by dining chairs for sale.
The building became a hive of activity on Mondays and Tuesdays as furniture and other items were brought in. Only the better items were accepted for sale at Lime Street, the remainder being sent down to the Horne Lane sale yard for the Saturday sale. By Wednesday morning chaos was turned into order; the items for sale were duly lotted up and numbered ready for the catalogue.
Contents
- Keith Lazenby
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Chapter Seven - 26 Newnham Street, Bedford
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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A new sale yard in the heart of Bedford
The prospect of closure of the Horne Lane sale yards owing to the forthcoming redevelopment of the area made it a necessity to identify and acquire suitable alternative premises for the weekly auction sales. The partners decided that, while an out-oftown site might offer advantages, the whole essence and character of Peacocks’ sales related to the ability of regular visitors to call in when in Bedford for other purposes. The partners were highly conscious of the institution of Peacocks’ market that had been created and developed by Saturday sales over sixty years. For many people, a weekly visit to Peacocks was a regular part of their routine, and it was decided to continue to offer that facility if at all possible.
One day, in the spring of 1973, Jonathan Knights had occasion to visit the former Castle Press printing works premises at 26 Newnham Street, Bedford. These were vacant following the collapse of the printing company, and had been for sale for many months through London agents. The sheer size of the premises, not apparent from the street, immediately alerted him to the possibilities for conversion to an auction centre. The property was large enough to replace the Horne Lane sale yards, to absorb the Lime Street sale room activities and accommodate the auction offices as well.
With a prominent, modern, two-floor office block at the front and single-storey buildings behind, the property extended to a floor area of over 20,000 square feet. Loading facilities were restricted, but were capable of improvement by demolition of a boiler house and toilet block. The location was almost ideal, only a relatively short walk from the town centre and Lurke Street multi-storey car park and with on-street parking nearby.
Jonathan Knights quickly arranged for the other partners to view, and having first ascertained that planning permission for change of use was likely to be granted the decision was made to purchase. The partners’ offer was accepted on the understanding that contracts would be exchanged quickly, with an early completion, and the deal was done.
As it was not necessary to move in immediately, part of the premises was temporarily let for storage. The remainder was let to Survey Design and Construction Ltd (now well-known as SDC Ltd and still a Bedford-based company) for use as stores for their expanding construction business.
Chapter Fourteen - Ministry of Supply Sales, Peacock, Merry and Swaffield
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Summary
Ministry of Supply sales, 1947–1952
Many people will have largely forgotten, or may never have known, the shortages that persisted in the early years following the Second World War. Food, clothing, furniture and petrol were rationed. Materials for manufacturing and building were subject to strict regulations and many prices were controlled. This environment meant that there was considerable interest in the post-war Ministry of Supply sales undertaken by Peacock, Merry and Swaffield.
Throughout the British Isles there were vast quantities of surplus military vehicles, equipment and other items stored in depots, awaiting disposal. One such, Elstow Storage Depot, was sited some four miles south of Bedford, off the A6 trunk road, close to approaches to the village of Wilstead. Now developed as The Wixams, this huge depot and the adjacent munitions factory once extended as far as Ampthill Road at Kempston Hardwick.
The task of disposal lay with the Ministry of Supply which, assisted by the Chartered Auctioneers’ and Estate Agents’ Institute, selected a panel of auctioneers to sell the items for disposal by public auction, without reserve. Following a meeting in London attended by Robert Peacock, the best-known chattel auctioneer in Bedford, Peacocks were appointed to the panel. The first sale to take place at Elstow Storage Depot was held on 10 and 11 March 1947, when some 350 motor vehicles, 60 factory trucks and miscellaneous equipment including electric motors, cine equipment, 800 stereoscopes and gun sighting telescopes came under the hammer.
The prospect of Peacocks enjoying sole local control of these attractive sales led Jack Merry of Stafford, Rogers and Merry Ltd, the Bedford auctioneers, to make representations to share the work. Arising from these representations a special partnership trading as Peacock and Merry was formed for the second sale at Elstow, which lasted for four days from 30 June 1947.
The Peacock and Merry partnership had conducted just two sales before Norman Foster made persistent overtures on behalf of Swaffield & Son, the old-established Ampthill auctioneers, to participate in the work. Thus it was that a consortium trading as Peacock, Merry and Swaffield was established, and held its first sale at Elstow for three days from 4 November 1947. This partnership continued for thirty-eight sales until the final three day sale from 9 September 1952.
Preface
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- 20 November 2014, pp xi-xiv
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Summary
This memoir is of Peacocks, not birds of a feather, but a family firm of auctioneers, estate agents and surveyors. The story spans nearly a hundred years in and around the county town of Bedford, through war and peace, good times and bad times. It tells of some of the characters, principals, staff and clients, as seen through the eyes and memories of the author and others, including former employees, clients and customers. This book is intended to reflect the period from 1901 to 1988 when the business was privately owned, but as the partners and many loyal staff continued association with their new masters, some references to more recent Wilson Peacock years have been included.
Peacocks has touched the life of Bedfordians over several generations through varied activities, some of which may come as a surprise to the reader. The business also extended far beyond the boundaries of Bedfordshire, into the surrounding counties of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire as well as into many other parts of the country. Peacocks has acted for clients throughout the world, in some cases for generations of the same families.
Contacts with Peacocks may have been associated with one or more aspects of the business, including: sale or purchase of residential, agricultural or commercial property, at auction or by private treaty; letting or leasing of property as a landlord or tenant; valuation of real estate or chattels for probate, sale or letting; land and building surveys; sale or purchase by public auction of furniture, antiques, general chattels, produce, poultry and other livestock, vehicles and other items; acting as insurance agents; storage of furniture and household goods; the Egg Packing Station; the conducting of charity auctions and other charity events; assistance with various local organisations.
Known simply as Peacocks to many people throughout its history, the firm has traded under various names during its development including: Walter M. Peacock, 1901; W. & H. Peacock, from 1902 to 1969; W. & H. Peacock Western & Co., from 1970 to 1975; Peacock, from 1976 to 1988.
By the 1980s many insurance companies, building societies and banks were competing with each other to acquire estate agency businesses, and approaches to the partnership were strongly resisted.
Chapter Sixteen - The Rutland Road Store, Bedford
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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In 1906, Peacocks opened a furniture repository located off Midland Road, Bedford, just to the rear of the corner premises then occupied by Cooper's Seed Merchants and still known by many local people as ‘Cooper's Corner’. The premises had previously been occupied as a workshop by George Harrison, a builder.
The building had two floors and contained a simple goods lift. The premises were useful as they enabled the firm to store furniture and household effects for clients going abroad. Perhaps more importantly, the firm could accommodate large quantities of furniture or other goods destined for sale until space was available at the Lime Street sale rooms or at Horne Lane.
During the Second World War, the premises were requisitioned and used for government storage purposes. After de-requisitioning, their usefulness diminished as fewer clients required long-term storage.
In 1955 the building was eventually sold to the Melbreck Furnishing Company who owned the adjoining shop premises at 119a Midland Road.
Chapter Five - 6 Dame Alice Street, Bedford
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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A new estate agency office
The office at 6 Dame Alice Street, Bedford, was opened in 1928. It remained at the heart of the estate agency activities until January 1964, when the present office at 58 St Loyes Street opened. Conveniently located in a prominent position, a short distance from the High Street and near the General Post Office, 6 Dame Alice Street was the centre for house sales and lettings, valuations, surveys, rent collection, property management, insurance and arrangement of residential property auctions. The premises were formerly a public house, the Anchor Inn, and later became the Rosery Tea Rooms. The three-storey building was timber-framed with part stucco exterior and was probably of eighteenth century or earlier origin.
The property was owned by the late Cecil Clarabut, whose own business occupied the adjoining premises. Cecil Clarabut ran a very successful radio and electrical business, and as an expert in early radio had experience of working with the British Broadcasting Company.2 His extensive premises included a large shop and a recording studio at the rear. His outside broadcasting equipment provided audio services for most important local events such as the Bedford Regatta, Elstow May Festival and the sports days held by large local companies for employees and their families.
With the opening of 6 Dame Alice Street, Harry Peacock maintained a close interest in the estate agency activities, though his own office remained at 10 Lime Street. The Dame Alice Street office was first managed by Walter George Riddy, who is said to have been a hard taskmaster. His assistant was George Robinson who later became manager, and was subsequently a partner in the firm until his retirement at the end of 1963. Frank Jeffery joined the staff in 1935 as an assistant and sales negotiator.
Bedford's property market in the 1920s and 1930s
Between 1928 and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the office dealt with a wide variety of properties for sale or to let by private treaty. Due to the depression, and the threat of war, the property market was slow. There was very little demand for the various large country houses, which remained on the market for several years. A number of large houses were eventually sold for demolition and redevelopment, a fate that resulted in the loss of Cranfield Court and Kempston Hoo. The materials were sold for salvage.
Appendix 2 - Property Auction Records, 1902–1988
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Works Cited
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- 20 November 2014, pp 421-426
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Chapter Eleven - Lettings and Property Management
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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The rented property market and the Rent Restrictions Acts
Lettings, rent collection and property management were always very important to the general estate agency activities of the business from its foundation in 1901, but, from 1972, property management was developed as a specialist department. Peacocks’ first advertisement of a property to let appeared in The Bedfordshire Times and Independent on 20 September 1901, when 15 Whitbread Avenue, Bedford, was offered to let at a rent of one pound per month.
In the period before the First World War it was more common to rent than purchase, especially for the working class but also for many middle class people too. Wages were low and jobs insecure, and very few working class people could contemplate a purchase. Many properties were bought for investment purposes and there was virtually no difference between the value of a property with vacant possession or when let. Indeed, some properties would be more likely to attract a buyer if already satisfactorily let. It was a free market with no rent control or security of tenure, and a tenancy could be ended by a landlord simply by serving a notice to quit. A landlord could distrain on a tenant's goods to recover arrears of rent.
In Bedford, following the building booms of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, there was a surplus of larger houses in the Poets Corner and Saints areas that attracted interest from families drawn to Bedford by the Harpur Trust schools. A landlord would happily redecorate a house throughout if a tenant could be found for a three-year term at a rent of fifty to sixty pounds a year. A number of country houses were also available.
The First World War brought much change. The arrival of the 51st Highland Division in Bedford created a huge demand for accommodation. In addition to billeting soldiers with families, empty houses were requisitioned by the military authorities and owners were paid on the basis of ‘per head, per night’ for those accommodated. Many of the soldiers were unaccustomed to flushing toilets and running water from indoor taps in the bathrooms they found in Bedford. A number of the properties suffered badly from damage during the military occupation, but owners were compensated for dilapidations when properties were derequisitioned after the war. During the war rented housing became difficult to obtain and rents were raised.
Chapter Eight - Baldock and the A1 Offices
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Summary
Acquisition of business in Baldock and Biggleswade, 1937
The estate agency office at 8 High Street, Baldock, together with an office in the Market House, Biggleswade, was acquired by Robert Peacock in 1937, following the death of Charles Sidney Knowles PASI who had founded the practice. Charles Knowles had also run a small cattle market in the Market Square at Baldock, but that had ceased trading before Robert Peacock took over the business.
The Baldock office building was prominently located at the end of a terrace close to the Market Square. There was a frontage to the Great North Road, the A1. This brought the main road traffic through Baldock until the opening of the A1(M) bypassed the town. The three-storey building, which also had a cellar, had originally been a cobbler's shop. The premises were rented at the princely sum of just £1 per week – plus rates – and for a period of years the first floor was sublet to a chiropodist at 30s per week.
The work of the Baldock office was typical of a general estate agency practice and embraced sales, valuations, surveys and property management. A number of successful property auctions were held in the area, and Peacocks was prominent in the town and surrounding villages.
The first property auction carried out by Peacocks as successor to the late Charles Knowles was held at the Swan Hotel, Biggleswade, on the 18 June 1937. Four lots were offered but only one sold, which comprised four cottages in Cheyney Street, Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire. The cottages fetched £155. The remaining three lots were sold after the auction. The most notable was of these was 27 - 31 Shortmead Street, Biggleswade, which consisted of a business premises and two cottages with a site of over an acre and a half, bought by Bryants Cycle Merchants of Biggleswade.
An important sale was held on 29 October 1949 at The Sun Hotel, Hitchin, when as joint auctioneers with Drysdale Nurse & Co. of London W1, the Bygrave Manor Estate near Baldock was offered. The estate comprised a farm bailiff's house, a modern residence, farm buildings, fifteen farm-workers’ cottages and some 1,030 acres. The farm was sold, with vacant possession, to Mr G. Brookbanks. In addition there was an estate of thirty-six houses, seven of which were sold to the sitting tenants.
Chapter Nine - Property Auction Sales
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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A tried and tested method of sale
Throughout the history of Peacocks, property auction sales have formed an important part of business activities, especially when market conditions have been appropriate for this well-tried method of sale. It can be claimed that a property sold by public auction has achieved the best price obtainable in the open market. While this statement may attract some criticism and debate, not least at times when the availability of short term bridging loans has been restricted, it has certainly proved effective in the past, as the Peacocks’ auction records reveal.
Public auction has long been accepted as the method of sale to adopt when a forced sale has to take place, as evidenced following the repossession and disposal of properties on behalf of mortgagees after borrowers have defaulted. Auction is also especially effective for: sale of properties of unusual type and character where accurate valuation is exceptionally difficult; where there are several keen prospective buyers; and in cases where the parties interested in the proceeds of the sale cannot agree.
Auction sales provide security for both the vendor and the purchaser as a legal contract is created on the fall of the hammer, thus avoiding the uncertainty associated with sale by private treaty, where there are often long delays prior to formal commitment. The vendor has the satisfaction of knowing the resulting price, and the purchaser knows he is certain of the purchase. There can be no gazumping, and any disappointed prospective buyer at least knows that a price has been paid above his own best bid.
There is little doubt that in the atmosphere of a crowded auction room, the competition of the bidding can result in a higher price being achieved than might have been secured by private treaty negotiation. The success of an auction relies on an inherent characteristic whereby the desire to have something is enhanced by the knowledge that someone else wants the same thing. Conversely, an auction is doomed to failure when there is only one potential purchaser present, or if there is no one prepared to bid at all.
Subject Index
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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Chapter Thirteen - Fun and Games
- Keith Lazenby
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The annual cricket match
One of the author's early recollections, as a young pupil at Peacocks, was the great enthusiasm for enjoyment shown by the partners and staff. This took various forms including the annual cricket match against F. W. Western & Co. of Biggleswade. This was the highlight of the summer, and one Thursday afternoon in 1948, the author was instructed to be at the Igranic sports field in Kempston (at the corner of High Street and Cemetery Road) in order to take part.
The F. W. Western side was captained by Brian Porter and the team included his elderly father and a number of guest players from the Sandy solicitors E. T. Leeds Smith & Co., who were also keen cricketers. The author cannot remember who won the game, but has recollections of a very generous tea, followed by the players and supporters retiring to the King William IV pub for further refreshment. Cricket matches against F. W. Western were annual events for a number of years, and were greatly enjoyed by both sides.
The Peacocks’ archive contains some letters about an earlier, pre-war, friendly cricket match arranged between Robert Peacock and Brian Porter in 1938. The correspondence includes a list of rules agreed by the two teams; one of the rules was that ladies would not be put under restrictions as to bowling as it was felt by the participants that they could be ‘quite reasonable about that’. There are also letters relating to the return challenge match held on Thursday 15 June 1939, which Peacocks lost by seventy runs.
There were also cricket matches against Stafford, Rogers & Merry, for which a coveted trophy – a silver coated china chamber pot - had been purchased at an auction. The celebratory beer after the matches was, however, only drunk from tankards!
Research for this book revealed an amusing poetic description by John Williams of a Peacocks’ cricket match held at Bromham Park on 27 June 1935. The author is indebted to David Henson, George Henson's son, for the text. The poem, between ‘town’ and ‘county’ sides, mentions many of the members of staff involved including Ronald Craig and Robert Peacock (the respective captains), Bill Clarke, Jim Brooks, Reginald Damon and George Robinson.
Chapter Eighteen - The Surveyors Club
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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No book about Peacocks would be complete without reference to the Surveyors 1921 Club. This club has had close associations with the firm since its formation in 1921, when the founder members were A. W. Foll, N. B. Foster, E. E. Geeves, H. L. Peacock, W. M. Peacock, H. E. Perks (who was elected as the first president) and J. C. E. Robinson.
‘The Club was really founded on the Midland Railway, midnight train, from London, after a Valuers’ Meeting. The Seven Founders, led by H. E. Perks and whipped in by E. E. Geeves, decided to form a Club to provide an informal Bedford discussion group. The primary object being the elucidation of the then Agricultural Holdings Act 1920, later the 1923 Act. The first meeting was held at the Auctioneers’ Institute in Russell Square, London on 15th July 1921, followed by the first dinner at the Russell Hotel.’
As noted above, the decision to form the Surveyors 1921 Club arose from a desire to understand new legislation that followed the First World War, in particular the Agriculture Act 1920. The club then developed to provide opportunities for regular meetings and discussions of professional interest, coupled with meetings of a more social nature. The club has, and still retains, a strong emphasis on encouragement of younger members by enabling them to meet and gain knowledge from the older or more experienced members.
Membership of the club is still largely restricted to Chartered Surveyors and younger persons in the course of training, though a percentage of the membership is now drawn from allied professions. The broad range of members is taken from surveyors in private practice, in corporate employment, from local government, and from the Valuation Office Agency, together with a number of solicitors and architects. Membership, steady at round sixty members for many years, grew steadily to over 120 by 1971, and peaked at over 140 by 1995. The current membership is around ninety. Membership is kept ‘live’ by a rule demanding a minimum level of attendance each year.
The requirement for all Chartered Surveyors to undertake continued professional development has enabled the club to offer members a useful bonus by arranging meetings on topics that qualify for that purpose.
Chapter Twelve - Advertising and Publicity
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- Pride of Peacocks
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Early advertising in local newspapers
The importance and value of advertising and publicity to any business should not be underestimated; it is, however, particularly important to auctioneers and estate agents. Peacocks have enjoyed a continuous relationship with the local press in Bedford throughout the firm's history, especially with the Bedfordshire Times newspaper series. The first advertisement placed by Peacocks appeared in The Bedfordshire Times and Independent on 20 September 1901, regarding the aforementioned house to let in Whitbread Avenue. The following week, a house with: ‘8 bedrooms, bath h & c. first class servants’ offices, in the highest part of Bedford. Repainted and decorated throughout …’ was advertised to let at sixty pounds per annum. In the same paper the business also advertised a furnished thirteen bedroom mansion within three miles of Bedford aimed at, ‘HUNTING MEN & OTHERS’. The property has not been identified although it is possible that it was Howbury Hall, Renhold, as this property was later recorded in 1919 in Instruction Book 4 and the accommodation is strikingly similar.
On 13 December 1901, Peacocks advertised the intention to hold monthly sales of: ‘HORSES, HARNESS and VEHICLES, IMPLEMENTS, BICYCLES & c. Next Sale, SATURDAY, DEC 21, 1901, at Two o’clock sharp’, at Bedford Cattle Market. The advertisement of the 20 December 1901 listed the items for sale on the following day as:
CHESTNUT Cob, 8 years, 14 hands, the property of Messrs H and W Quenby Kempston; Chestnut yearling COLT by ‘Kendall’. Bay Yearling FILLY by ‘Janisary’ dam by a Derby Winner bred by Jas. E. Platt Esq., Howbury Hall. Bay COB, rising 3 years, 11 hands, quiet to ride and drive, the property of Bedford Tradesmen. Turnout comprising Bay PONY, new light Pony TRAP and set of Brown Harness. Bay MARE, 8 years, 15 hands, quiet to ride and drive; a 2 wheel Lorry, Pony Chaise, 2 Tradesmen's and Luggage Carts, and several sets of Harness, also a number of Pneumatic and Cushion Bicycles, nearly new.
A rival newspaper to The Bedfordshire Times and Independent was The Bedfordshire Standard, with offices at 61 High Street, Bedford. This paper, and others, was also regularly used by Peacocks to run adverts for auctions, for example, The Bedfordshire Standard was used on 3 July 1903 to advertise a sale to be held at the King William IV Inn, Kempston, on 10 July 1903.
Chapter Three - 10 Lime Street, Bedford
- Keith Lazenby
- Introduction by Richard Moore-Colyer
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- Book:
- Pride of Peacocks
- Published by:
- Boydell & Brewer
- Published online:
- 02 June 2023
- Print publication:
- 20 November 2014, pp 27-36
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Opening the office
The office at 10 Lime Street, Bedford, was opened in 1906, initially to deal with farming accounts and as the office for Bedfordshire Chamber of Agriculture. Walter Peacock was Secretary of the Bedfordshire Chamber of Agriculture from 1906 to 1918, and was followed by his brother, Francis ‘Frank’ J. Peacock from 1918 to 1924. The premises were originally leased from Mr F. R. Hockliffe, who owned a large bookshop at 86 and 88 High Street, on the corner with Lime Street. Hockliffe's also ran a second-hand bookshop at 8 Lime Street, largely supported as a source of books needed by pupils at the Harpur Trust schools. The various other agricultural and auction office activities were transferred to Lime Street when the 84 High Street office closed in 1925.
Mr Walter and Mr Harry Peacock at Lime Street
Walter and Harry Peacock had adjoining offices, on the first floor, separated by a wooden partition. For a long period, they enjoyed the use of a single telephone passed from office to office through a sliding hatch in the wall as necessary.
Two more different personalities than Walter and Harry might be difficult to find. Walter was a rather rumbustious character with a most colourful vocabulary, perhaps reflecting his former army service, and ideally suited to dealing with the farmers and horse dealers. It was quite an experience to be taken out by him on a job; he did not suffer fools gladly. Until his pupils came to know him better, he could seem quite scary. In contrast, Harry was very quiet and gentle and never known to use strong language. Harry Peacock was much liked by the staff as he was very kind and had a lovely sense of humour, but he was very careful with money. He was wonderful at placating irate clients who came with any complaints. Harry had a high reputation as an auctioneer and valuer of antique and modern furniture, and maintained an interest in the activities of the estate agency side of the business. The partnership between Walter and Harry relied upon complete mutual trust and there was no written agreement through over fifty years as partners together.