Yorkshire's only Napoleonic fort has been sold subject to contract

The identity of the buyer of Fort Paull near Hull- whose history dates back to 1542 - has not yet been revealed.

But auctioneer Andrew Baitson, who is selling the contents, says an auction will still go ahead next month.

In all nearly 1,000 items including the last remaining Blackburn Beverley aircraft in the country will go under the hammer.

People can place bids on three online platforms. The aircraft, which was originally built at Brough, near Hull, is currently on £1,100.

There are also waxwork models of the Royal family, Hitler, Henry VIII, Ann Boleyn, artillery, anti aircraft guns, Russian and other tank turrets and armoured personnel carriers - and a human skeleton currently priced at £650.

Mr Baitson confirmed that the the fort had been sold, subject to contract, but was unable to give details of the buyer, as it had been a separately negotiated deal.

He said: “An offer has been accepted and it is going through all the legals.

"All being well we will be continuing with a live auction on September 19, subject to Covid and everything else.”

"In the meantime you can peruse the lots and live bids online."

The online prices will be used to start the bidding. Cataloguing everything had taken a month and they were still adding extra lots.

“We are finding all sorts of interesting bits and pieces. There are a lot more uniforms than we thought and there’s about 2,000 manuals for various military vehicles,” he added.

Among the many unusual items for sale is a 30mm anti aircraft gun captured from the Argentinians in the Falklands War.

There's a Marmon Herrington Armoured Car and an ex Ministry of Defence riot control water cannon.

The 1952 Hawker Hunter aircraft, that once stood outside the Humbrol factory on Hedon Road, is also up for sale.

The fort, established during the reign of Henry VIII, fell into disrepair after the Second World War and in 1960 was sold off by the Ministry of Defence.

The refurbished buildings opened to the public as a visitor attraction in July 2000 as the Fort Paull Visitors Centre and Armouries, backed by the Royal Armouries, Tussauds and English Heritage.

In January, it was announced that the attraction would not be opening for the 2020 season.