After months of closure, H&H Auction Rooms plans to host their first sale of the year, with lots open for viewings on the first day lockdown is lifted. 

On the first day that people are allowed, H&H Auction Rooms will be opening its doors for people to view in the region of 500 lots in time for the post-lockdown auction sale to be held on the 15th of April. The public will be allowed to view the sale in person, and leave a commission bid, with the H&H Auction Rooms team being on hand to provide guidance.

With a total of 500 lots, highlights of the sale includes a unique selection of artistic pottery pieces, items collected over time from the Potfest festival and market (held in Penrith since 1994), and a collection of very old-fashioned glass codd-bottles.

With viewings scheduled to be open to the public between 09.00 and 17.00 on the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th April, H&H Auction Rooms are looking forward to welcoming bidders and seeing people start to trade again. This is how the sales will be conducted in the short-term, as the prospect of a further loosening of restrictions remains uncertain.

Upon announcing the reopening, Stephen Farthing, Head of H&H Auction Rooms at Borderway in Carlisle, said: “It’s really exciting for us to finally return to hosting sales and welcome people through our doors. With the prospect of things opening up, H&H are very much on the front foot and want to get back into action as soon as possible. Everyone has missed the buzz of the auction room, even more the social side of trading, which is why we’ve planned a sale for immediately after lockdown is set to be lifted.”

H&H Auction Rooms are well-prepared and familiar with ensuring a Covid-safe environment. H&H ran sales last year in the summer and autumn which were highly successful. Stephen continued: “At H&H we’ve got a tried and tested set-up that is based on a one-way system, giving viewers plenty of personal space as they move through the lot displays. Markings on the floor help guide people through, and it's a very effective way of operating a viewing as we know from last year’s successes.”

Since lockdown, people have taken up their own sort of creative activities, with popularity of specific items linked to crafting particularly strong at the moment at H&H Auction Rooms. From sewing and knitting machines to rolls of material, all sorts of home crafts are proving very popular, typically along with silver and gold jewellery, and bullion, as gold has gone up quite a lot during this time of uncertainty.

Stephen commented on some of the lots: “This sale has got very interesting items, including a large-bodied vase with an intense glaze reminiscent of Pilkington art ware from internationally renowned Japanese Potter Fumihiro Fuyushiba, and some other pieces from lesser-known artists. We've also got some fantastic old-fashioned glass bottles which are a little slice of local Cumbrian history. Starting off the collection is an example of very early codd-bottles that were manufactured to withhold the pressure of carbonated drinks, from the aerated water company in Wigton.”

Scheduled on the first day possible that customers can legally go and see items in person, H&H is looking forward to welcoming back the public to lot viewings starting on the 12^th April. The sale will be managed so that people follow social distancing guidelines and will then be allowed to submit commission bids. If you require any more information about the sale on 15^th April, the H&H Auctions Room team will be happy to help. Please visit www.hhauctionrooms.co.uk or telephone Stephen on 01228 406 320.

H&H Auction Rooms is one of the longest established auction houses in the North of England. It has roots in Carlisle back to 1890, when the firm was founded by H E Winter. In 1999 it became part of H&H Group plc, one of the largest livestock auction groups of companies in Europe.