‘The History of Midland Marts – the journey of an auctioneer’ with Brian Pile.

Midland Marts ran the Banbury cattle market from 1925 until 1998. It was the largest cattle market in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. Prior to the First World War animals were sold on the streets of the town centre, with all the inconvenience to the general public, and the mess which animals made.

Brian was born into a farming family and his introduction to auctioneering was at Henley-in-Arden market. After Henley High School he had joined the local market company. This was the start of his 50-year career. His first experience as an auctioneer was selling produce such as jams and cakes. However, after a work dispute he left and joined Banbury Market. He started on small jobs such as selling calves and then he moved on to selling sheep in much bigger numbers. During his long career he had many varied assignments, ensuring that both sellers and buyers were treated fairly was an important part of the job,

Banbury market was on a 30 acre site in Merton Street, east of the railway. This location was convenient for loading cattle onto trains for transporting around the UK. In addition, Banburyhas good road links to the Continent and significant business was done with countries such as the Netherlands. The success of the company in the1970’s led to it being listed on the London Stock Exchange. By the 1990’s it was owned by Royal Life Insurance. Their interest was in the estate agency business which had come with Midland Marts. The Banbury market sitewas more valuable as house building land, so when the lease expired in1998 the cattle market ceased to trade.

After that Brian worked at various places. One of these was Bicester MOD Camp. The MOD produced a catalogue of surplus items, without much description of the lots for sale. He told the story of a Ford Escort van which was sold without an engine. The buyer was naturally very annoyed. Another problem was with a JCB excavator which failed to sell. Enquiries found that it had been hit by a train. One half was on one side of the line and the other on the opposite side. Both these cases demonstrated that any lot for sale should always be seenbefore making a bid.

Brian was thanked for an entertaining presentation.

Our next meeting is on Monday 1^st June featuring “Bar Codes – Lines that changed the world”, with Peter Jordan. We meet at 7:30pm in the Village Hall. New members and guests are welcome.

Eric Darvell, Secretary

The Art of Spring Clearing with a Tidy Mind by Caroline Cahit

At our April meeting, Caroline gave an interesting talk on a subject which we try to avoid: spring clearing. She is a member of the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers. This group have a code of conduct which aims to promote high standards of advice and ethics, with confidentiality being very important.

Spring clearing is the reduction of clutter which accumulates with time. Typically, this is done in spring, although autumn is also a suitable time. Most people accumulate possessions. The result is clutter which sooner or later must be confronted. Clutter interferes with cleaning. A tidy mind refers to having an organised and clear way of thinking. The phrase suggests maintaining a tidy environment which in turn can positively influence our wellbeing.Caroline started her business in 2024. She had previously worked for the Nationwide Building Society, where she had seen the problems faced when moving house. She recommends starting to declutter well in advance of a move. The best way to start is with a series of small tasks. There is satisfaction achieving small wins, and this encourages you to do more. Each item removed creates space and becomes an act of self-care.

Caroline recommended that each category, such as paperwork, is done on a house-wide basis. In the first instance deal with mail promptly. Immediately discard junk mail. Most business paperwork is not required after around 6 years. Books can be divided into fiction and nonfiction. Ask yourself how much you read in a year. Reduce the number of books by discarding those you are unlikely to read again. Clothing mounts up and we end up wearingonly about a quarter of our wardrobe. Do not be tempted to pile clothes onto a bed when you are sorting through them. It is overwhelming. The rule for clothes is one in, one out. Aim to have surplus space in storage places. Leave sentimental items to the end. They are the most difficult to deal with. 

Surplus items can be disposed of in various ways. This aspect promoted the most questions after the talk. There are websites for books. Problems arise when assessing value and help may be needed. It is not easy to know where to get it. Local charity shops welcome saleable items. Stuart Cummings thanked Caroline for her lively and interesting talk. 

Our next meeting is on Monday, 11^th May at 7 30 in the Village Hall. Brian Pile will talk about the History of the Midland Mart – the journey of an auctioneer. Visitors are welcome.

Eric Darvell, Secretary