New book celebrates life of an auctioneer
The fascinating life and career of a veteran auctioneer which also offers a nostalgic insight into a lost rural world is the subject of a new book entitled I Bid You Farewell: The Life of an Auctioneer by Neil Lanham.
Born in 1938, Neil Lanham grew up in post-war Britain, shaped by the hardships and traditions of rural life. Following the early loss of his father, Neil was raised by a determined mother in Newmarket and steeped in the stories of Suffolk farming folk, whose tales and resilience would guide him throughout his life.
His formative years working on his grandfather’s Red House Farm in Kersey in the county ignited a lifelong curiosity which led him to become one of the UK’s most successful auctioneers, uncovering hidden treasures and achieving more than 100 world record prices in the days before the internet and mobile phones.
After a childhood of selling second-hand comics and off-ration chewing gum to the boarders at school, Neil began his career at just 17 years old, in the world of auctioneering as an articled pupil at Grain and Chalk (now Cheffins), Chartered Auctioneers in Cambridge. Initially confined to drawing plans in a garret office and running errands, Neil’s determination saw him progress to the auction ring — where, by the late 1950s, he was selling farm machinery, livestock, and antiques — and setting up his company, Boardman Fine Art Auctioneers.
In I Bid You Farewell, Lanham charts an era of remarkable change in Britain’s auction houses, from the austere post-war years through the booming era of the 1980s, explaining the psychology behind the prices caused by dealers and collectors seemingly ‘discovering’ lots in this rural backwater and reveals the full story behind each extraordinary price. It also highlights how Neil was able to nimbly react to rapidly unfolding new markets, caused firstly by Harold Wilson devaluing the pound and then Margaret Thatcher, where bigger auction houses couldn’t. It is a true insight into the secrets of the auctioneers’ mind.
Through tales that span decades — from measuring in muddy fields to the genteel halls of East Anglia’s estates — I Bid You Farewell chronicles the quirks, scams, camaraderie of auctioneering to highlight not only the evolution of that world, but also the deep-rooted traditions of a rural Britain that has all but vanished.
The title I Bid You Farewell comes from an old Suffolk tale — a nod to the humour and warmth that runs throughout Neil’s writing. Now aged 87, Neil sees this work as his final offering, a swansong that not only tells his personal story but preserves the spirit of rural community life for future generations. a must-read for anyone who cherishes the heritage of the English countryside and the colourful characters who shaped it.
Today, Neil lives near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk with his partner, Janice.