In the market for nostalgia...

As part of an occasional series on Yorkshire’s auction markerts, Sarah Todd relives some old memories in York

REMINISCING and swapping stories has been a key theme of this series of features looking at Yorkshire’s livestock markets.

There were tales up my sleeve about childhood visits to York Market, sorry Auction Centre, with my grandpa. He wore a suit to market and we always called home via the bank to “get the cheque put in” and pick up an evening newspaper.

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Chewing the cud was not the first thing on James Stephenson’s mind. The head of the family firm behind this market was charming company – he personally carved the beef for my sandwich – but didn’t want to waste time looking backwards.

Apart from a short interlude commenting on his golden retriever’s name, Reg (noteworthy because James’s late father was called Reg), any rose-coloured nostalgia about this market was swept aside to concentrate on the present day.

“Our vision for the traditional auction market is to have on-site activity seven days a week,” explains James.

“Be it a machinery sale, farmers’ market, car boot sale, motor, furniture, fur and feather or horse auctions – that’s just a handful of the events we have – the aim is to be busy every day.

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“There are a lot of fixed costs with a market such as staff and equipment and those that survive will be the ones 
that are open to new 
ideas.”

This correspondent’s visit was on a Monday, a traditional fatstock sale day, with about 300 cattle forward to go under the hammer.

Edward Stephenson, son of James’s late brother Nigel, was selling, with Stephen Burley in the rostrum for the sheep and Richard Tasker in charge of the pigs.

Apart from Edward, who shares the cattle selling with James Stephenson, the sixth generation of other family members to be involved in the market are James’s daughter Juliet, who heads the accounts department. James’s son Tom is mostly involved in farming but helps out when needed. There is also Edward’s brother-in-law, auctioneer Rodney Cordingley.

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With a family interested in ponies – his wife is the district commissioner of the Sinnington Hunt Pony Club – Rodney is a regular 
face at the monthly horse sales.

James Stephenson confirms that he still wears his bowler hat on horse sale days and does, just for a moment or two, allow himself to be drawn on a little trip down memory lane to when these auctions were held at Wetherby and later Rufforth. To the good old days when there were ladies in headscarves and bow-legged gents in tweeds who most definitely knew a good ’un from a bad ’un.

The aforementioned Richard Tasker, earlier selling sheep, is a partner in the business and has been at the forefront of many of the market’s innovations.

He’s the man behind the hugely successful monthly machinery sales, which started off with just 250 lots and now bring in around 5,500 items to be sold. At the last count, the sale attracted buyers from at least 19 different countries.

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“It’s amazing how many languages are spoken around the salefield,” says Richard, who accommodates those who can’t be present with a computer-based I-Bidder system that records the action via a webcam and allows bids to be made online.

“This sort of thing is the future,” chirps in James. “Markets can’t survive if they’re left to the old fossils. For me it’s all about the next generation.”

Another of Richard Tasker’s innovations is a reward card system, giving points based on every time an item – such as an animal or machinery – is sold through the market. These points can then be spent against commission charges and in the café, but also on services such as the lorry wash.

Quite a few butchers who buy their stock through the mart have also got involved, rewarding card holders with deals such as 10 per cent off items bought in their shops.

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Some of the stall holders at the farmers’ market are also offering special deals to reward card holders.

Tel: 01904 489731.

City realm of the cattle drover

The market moved to its present site at Murton, just off of the Hull road on the outskirts of York, in March 1971.

Previously it had 
been situated at the
Barbican within the city 
walls.

A generation of farmers can still remember cattle being driven on foot through the city.

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Many would arrive at the railway station before being herded through the streets of the city to the market.

Thursday, when it’s the store market, is a popular day for the retired farmers to meet up and share a bit of banter in the café.

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