Contents of a newspaper’s former offices go under the hammer

The contents of the former offices of a local newspaper are to be auctioned next month by Yorkshire auctioneers Walker Singleton.
The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.
The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.

The auction, which features almost 1,000 lots, is taking place following the decision by Newsquest, the owners of the Southampton-based Southern Daily Echo, to close its offices in Test Lane.

Howard Eastwood, director of machinery and business assets at Walker Singleton, which has offices in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax, said: “The contents provide a wonderful snapshot of the British newspaper industry. They include 200-year-old antique printing presses; a plethora of regional paper archives, ephemera and memorabilia; and over 200 computers, 200 workstations and a range of assets from fitness to catering which supported Echo journalists and printers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We will also be auctioning high-specification fire protection systems, water treatment and data centre equipment, so the scope and scale of the lots is wide. The sale encompasses all of the remaining assets from Test Lane.”

The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.
The contents of the former offices of the Southern Daily Echo are to be auctioned next month.

Mr Eastwood said that he expected strong interest from a diverse range of buyers from across the UK.

“Local historians, archivists and sporting memorabilia collectors will surely be drawn to the library of back copies of the newspaper and sporting almanacs. Meanwhile the high-quality office furnishings by the likes of Herman Miller will attract specific attention, as will the extensive range of premium-brand IT.”

He added “Bidding is now open to anyone who registers with us at www.walkersingleton.co.uk and we fully expect focus on the auction to increase as we move toward a close on November 5.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This high-profile instruction runs concurrent with Walker Singleton’s ongoing involvement in the sale of the printing presses of the Barnsley Chronicle on behalf of the liquidators of Yorkshire Web Offset.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.