Cumbria auction house thriving online during lockdown

An auction house says business has been "absolutely outstanding" after it made changes to the way it operated during the coronavirus pandemic.

1818 Auctioneers, near Milnthorpe, in Cumbria, has been unable to run live sales since lockdown.

Instead, the 200-year-old company has been running online ones timed to allow people to bid over a series of days.

These have been described as incredibly successful, with two resulting in record prices for individual items.

This included a sketch by Alfred Wainwright which was expected to sell for hundreds of pounds but went for £10,200.

The new format, described as "similar to e-bay but only in style", means auctions are open to online bidders for 16 days.

Salesroom manager, Bill Nelson, said: "It's a changing world, and we have to evolve.

"Whilst there's nothing to beat the buzz of a live auction, it can be the very thing that puts people off bidding.

"Plus, the online ones give people more time to view and think about it.

"It's been absolutely outstanding - the number of people registering to buy and the percentage of items sold has increased by a phenomenal amount."