Mitchells Auction Company was established in 1873 as a multi discipline firm serving the needs of the local community as auctioneers of both livestock and furniture. Company founder Robinson Mitchell is credited with developing the first purpose-built livestock auction mart in England.
The company has steadily evolved over the last 140 years and relocated its Livestock and Land Agency Divisions to an agricultural park on the outskirts of Cockermouth in 2002 to enable the firm to expand. This made way for Sainsbury’s supermarket to be built in the town centre whose building design reflects some of the features of the original livestock auction mart on the site.
Mitchells Antiques & Fine Art Auctions remains in Cockermouth town centre and operates from a splendid Victorian building as a specific business with a dedicated and friendly team of office and saleroom staff.
The saleroom has increased it’s profile dramatically over the last twenty years and, having been elected to join SOFAA (The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers), is regarded as Cumbria’s leading antiques and fine art auction house. Membership of SOFAA coincided with the firm’s record sale of just over £655,000.
We are proud to offer a comprehensive auction service and hold various types of auction covering everything from Antiques and Fine Art to useful Household and everyday items, through our Specialist Sales, Country Sporting Sales, Toy Sales, Maritime and Transport Sales, Tool Sales and Weekly Home and Garden Sales, selling everything you can think of.
Antique Dealers and private buyers alike tell us that Mitchell’s saleroom complex is without doubt one of the most atmospheric in the country. Occupying a refurbished cattle market, the octagonal auction ring, surrounded by tiered wooden bench seating, conjures up the atmosphere of a bygone age and is completely suited to the sale of antique furniture and effects.
The adjacent gallery spaces are spacious and atmospherically lit providing a high-quality setting and pleasant ambience for the display and viewing of antique furnishings and fine art goods for sale.
In addition, two further large salerooms enable us to sell a very wide variety of objects – with almost 50 auctions a year, there is always something interesting and stylish for sale at Mitchells!