Arborfield
Local History Society

 Auctions - Bear Wood Estate, 1912

The Bearwood Estate had been put up for auction in 1911. Around half, known as the 'outlying portions', were parcelled up into 124 Lots and offered for sale over three days in March 1911, but many failed to sell. The remainder of the Estate surrounding the Mansion and its ornamental parkland was offered for sale in five large Lots at an auction in London in July 1911, but surprisingly, not one of the Lots reached the reserve price and all were withdrawn.

In September 1912, another attempt was made by the Executors to sell the remaining outlying portions. An advertisement appeard in the Reading Mercury of 14th September:

SALES BY AUCTION.

BY DIRECTION OF THE EXECUTORS.

BERKS AND HANTS.

“BEAR WOOD” ESTATE.

Outlying Portions at WOKINGHAM, WINNERSH,

FINCHAMPSTEAD, EMBROOK, and YATELEY.

VALUABLE FREEHOLD PROPERTIES,
including
Attractive RESIDENCES (Large and Small),

Choice BUILDING PLOTS and SITES,
ACCOMMODATION and MARKET GARDEN LAND,
WATER MEADOWS, DAIRY FARM, SHOPS, COTTAGES, etc.,


To be SOLD by AUCTION, at the Town Hall, Reading, on Thursday and Friday,
September 19th and 20th, at 2.30 each day, in convenient lots.

After listing the agents and the auctioneers, the advertisement concluded with this Note:

The Vendors are willing to allow two thirds of the purchase money to remain on Mortgage.

The following map (which can be seen at Reading Local Studies Library) shows the Lots covering Wokingham Town; click on the image for a larger version, which reveals that land along Wellington Road had been sub-divided into separate building plots numbered Lots 44 to 63, which if sold would have changed the face of Wokingham quite considerably:

 The second map shows properties around 'The Throat' junction of the Finchampstead and Sandhurst Roads south of Wokingham, again sub-divided into separate building plots numbered Lots 26 - 34:

The Reading Mercury of 21st September recorded the rather disappointing outcome, at least as far as the Executors were concerned.

THE BEAR WOOD ESTATE

SALES AT READING.

The depressed condition of the Estate Market, owing to recent and threatened legislation, and to other causes, was again evidenced on Thursday and yesterday (Friday) when, by direction of the executors, outlying portions of the Bear Wood estate in Berkshire and Hampshire came under the hammer in the Town Hall, Reading.

The auctioneers were Messrs. Trollope, of Mount-street, Grosvenor-square, etc., Mr. H. C. Trollope and Mr. James Baker, of that firm, selling alternately. The solicitors were Messrs. Cooke, Cooper and Barry, of Wokingham, and Messrs. Soames, Edwards and Jones, of Lennox-street, Strand, W.C., these firms being represented respectively by Mr. Barry and Mr. Edmonds. There was a good and representative attendance at Thursday's auction, but proceedings were far from spirited.

Mr. Trollope remarked that for some time past they had been realising a good deal of the outlying portion of the Bear Wood Estate, and a very considerable total sum had been obtained; but they wanted to sell more. The reserves on this week's lots had been modified very considerably as compared with previous offers, so that it would not be the fault of the vendors if they did not sell. A further and unusual offer was made on this occasion, viz., that two thirds of the purchase money on any lot could be left on mortgage at 4½ per cent.

The nationalisation [meaning transfer to the National Trust?] of the view from the famous Finchampstead Ridges would soon, they hoped, be accomplished, and negotiations were now in progress with Water and Gas Companies to bring supplies to the Ridges, and then on to Crowthorne Village, and Mr. Walter was prepared to meet the companies on vary favourable terms; but the reserves had not been increased in consequence of these projected improvements. Lots 35 and 72 had been sold by private treaty, and lot 8 (three and a half acres of woodland, to the west of “North Court”), had been withdrawn. They had had proposals for a good many other lots, but the vendors, to avoid disappointment, had decided that the auction should go through in the usual way.

The lots were then submitted. Lots 1, 2 and 6 were sold to Mr. Denys Egginton (Messrs. Egginton and Son, auctioneers and valuers, Reading), for one client; lot 4 was knocked down to Mr. Monk Smith; lot 5 to Mr. Reynolds, and lot 32 to Mr. W. M. Colebrook (Messrs. Colebrook and Co., Reading), the names of the other purchasers not being divulged. Out of the 33 lots offered on Thursday, only eight were sold, the total amount realised by the day's sale being but £2,520.

The lots disposed of were:-
Lot 1, 7a. 0r. 34p., of freehold accommodation grass land, now let to Mr. F. J. Milam at £7 10s. per annum - £170, Mr. Egginton.
Lot 2, the freehold residence known as “China Cottage”, Longwater Lane, near Finchampstead, with capital garden, the whole extending to about 1r. 12p., let to Miss Taylor at £30 per annum - £420, Mr. Egginton.
Lot 4, a pair of superior cottages on Cricket Hill, Finchampstead, the actual and apportioned rental being £15 12s. per annum - £320, Mr. Monk Smith.
Lot 5, a pair of freehold cottages adjoining the foregoing, producing together £13 per annum - £280, Mr. Reynolds.
Lot 6, a pair of freehold cottages, close to the above, producing a total rental of £18 4s. per annum - £300, Mr. Egginton.
Lot 12, freehold building site of 3a. 3r. 30p., close to Wellington College Station - £400.
Lot 32, a woodland site of 4a. 0r. 24p., with cottages between Wokingham and Wellington College Stations, £380, Mr. Colebrook.

The results of yesterday's auction were even more disappointing, only three lots being actually knocked down out of 35 offered, although the low reserves, and special conditions, should have tempted investors. The whole amount realised was £895, but Mr. Trollope announced that lot 72 – a freehold residence close to Wokingham Station, let to Mr. A. Andrews, with a small piece of ground, the whole comprising 4a. 1r. 8p., and producing an actual and estimated rental of £98 7s. 3d. per annum, had been disposed of privately.

The lots finding purchasers yesterday were: -
Lot 37, a freehold cottage and garden known as “White Cottage”, Embrook [sic], with a capital garden, let at 2s. per week, and thus producing a total rental of £5 4s. per annum, sold at £145.
Lot 70, “Bourton”, a freehold semi-detached villa residence, with stabling, garden, small lawn, &c., let to Mr. E. A. Ballock at £27 10s. per annum, sold to Mr. J. H. Monk Smith at £400.
Lot 71, An adjoining and similar residence, with stabling and garden, 0a. 6r. 27p., let to Mr. J. H. Monk Smith at £28 per annum – Mr. Monk Smith, £330.
 
Of course the unsold lots are open for private treaty.

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