The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2015 - Issue 40 | Page 57

Holmfirth Auction Mart

Holmfirth
Auction
Market
Run by farmers, for farmers
»»It was in 1951 – the year
of the Festival of Britain – when
Holmfirth Attested Auction
Market Limited was established
in this traditional, West Yorkshire
farming community. Later, it
was thanks to the extraordinary
popularity of the superb
television comedy, “Last of the
Summer Wine”, that the area
became known as “Summer
Wine country,” becoming a
tourist hotspot for visitors
from all over the world. But
farming remains very much the
backbone of this community.

‘farming remains
very much the
backbone of this
community’
The Auction Mart was set up
by a group of local farmers who
each purchased a £100 share,
some of which are still owned by
their descendants today. Their
aim at the time was primarily to
buy and sell dairy cattle which
were TT tested, as the other
market in Holmfirth did not offer
that important TT accreditation.
Chairman Antony Hobson
(who farms himself in
Stalybridge), said: “Everyone
who works within the market
is either a farmer or a farmer’s
wife and we generally all
muck in together. It provides
welcome extra income for the
shareholders.
“This is a very traditional
m