CAMRA’s 36th National Breweriana Auction will be held on Saturday 22 October 2022 and, after a great time in October 2021, the venue will again be Burton Town Hall. Have you ever fancied owning a slice of brewing history?
If so, this auction, run by CAMRA’s Games & Collectables Group, is just the thing for you. If you have never been to the National Breweriana Auction before, it is great fun to take part in and is an opportunity to get some great bargains. Many of the items on sale can appreciate in value. Like any CAMRA event, there will, of course, be some decent beer on sale all day, from a local brewery.
There will be around 150 auction lots; everything from mirrors to trays, advertising signs, water jugs, flagons, bottles, books and pump clips as well as a few more unusual items. We are also expecting there to be a number of stands selling brewery memorabilia, thus adding to the atmosphere in this wonderful Victorian venue.
There are all sorts of items from all over the country to decorate your home. The trays include one from the Star Brewery Co. Ltd of Eastbourne, which was founded in 1886, although the brewery itself dated from 1777. It was acquired by Courage, Barclay & Simonds Ltd in 1965 with 43 tied houses. Brewing ceased in 1967 and the brewery was demolished in 1971.
Also from the south, we have a Young’s Brewery sign. Although it is believed that there has been brewing on the site since the 1500s, Young’s came into being in 1831, closing in 2005 when brewing moved to Bedford with the formation of the Wells & Young’s Brewing Company.
Young’s sold their brewing interests in 2011 to concentrate on retailing. Sambrook’s Brewery has now moved onto the site so, happily, brewing continues.
Moving to the midlands, there will once again be an item from Offiler’s; this time a water jug. This Derby brewery was set up in 1876 and once owned 238 pubs. It became a subsidiary of Charrington United Breweries in 1965 and closed the following year.
As usual, there will be a number of items from Burton such as an Ind Coope Double Diamond sign. This beer was trademarked in 1876 by Allsopp’s, who merged with Ind Coope in 1934. By 1958 it was the fastest selling bottled beer in Britain. It was, it is said, a favourite tipple of the late Duke of Edinburgh. The brewery site is now owned by Carlsberg.
Burton on Trent is easily accessible by train and the Town Hall is just a short walk from the railway station. The event starts at 10.30am, with the opportunity to view the lots and browse the breweriana stands. Bidding starts at noon and is normally finished by 3pm, giving a chance to have a final perusal of the stands before visiting some of Burton’s iconic pubs and heading home. Entrance is by catalogue (£3.00), available on the day or in advance by post for £4.45 (includes postage) from Bill Austin: 07789 900411 or baustin1951@btinternet.com. If you can’t get there, postal bids are accepted, just contact Bill. The venue is wheelchair accessible. For more details go to www.gandc.camra.org.uk.
As we don’t know how the situation will develop in the autumn, we will continue with our measures including bigger distances between seats and, with such a big hall, we feel comfortable we can keep everyone safe.
Christine Cryne