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Bidding Hots Up For Top Lots Heritage eBay Auction
By Graham Spicer
10/10/2007
Image: photo of two men dressed as roman soldiers
Get the chance to be a Roman soldier for the afternoon at Arbeia Roman Fort. © Tyne and Wear Museums
Bids are coming in thick and fast for the Top Lots Heritage Auction on eBay, with the first items coming under the hammer on Thursday October 11 2007.
Many lots are already attracting bids of hundreds of pounds, like an exclusive personal tour inside the stones at Stonehenge, which has so far had 23 bidders with a current price of £401.
Top Lots was launched to raise funds for independent museums, galleries and heritage sites, with 80% of the proceeds from the online auctions going to the venue offering the lots and the other 20% going to the Association of Independent Museums.
Popular lots include a day at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, including a footplate ride, which is currently on at £285.75 with 30 bids so far. Fans of swashbuckling adventure can bid for a day learning sword fighting at the Royal Armouries in Leeds with the man who taught the Monty Python team, currently going for £500, and a ghost tour and overnight stay at Dover Castle is on at £460.
Image: photo of a steam train travelling through a rural landscape
One of the popular lots is a day on the scenic North Yorkshire Moors Railway. © NYMR
You could have your portrait painted and unveiled in Sheffield’s Graves Art Gallery in Sheffield, then get to keep the painting – currently £430 – or take a tour of London’s historic palaces with history expert Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, on at £155.
There are still a few bargains to be had, however, like the chance to be a Roman soldier for an afternoon at Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields, currently on at £32, or an exclusive director’s tour of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which was a snip at £18 last time we logged on.
While the first lots are being wrapped up, others still have several days to run and more items will be revealed on October 11. Those items will then be up on eBay for 10 days, with the last chance to bid on a unique heritage experience on October 21, when the final auction will close.
For more details, see the Top Lots website.
All bidding prices were correct at time of writing but are likely to change as the auctions progress.
Stonehenge (English Heritage)
Stonehenge, SP4 7DE, Wiltshire, England
Open: Opening Times:16th - 23rd October: 0930 - 1700; 24th October - 15 March: 0930 - 1600; 16th March - 31st May: 0930 - 1800; 1st June - 31st August: 0900 - 1900, 1st September - 15th October: 0930 - 1800.
Recommended last admissions no later than 30 mins before closing time. Stonehenge will be closed promptly 20 mins after advertised time.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering Station, Pickering, YO18 7AA, North Yorkshire, England
Open: 29th March to 2nd November Every Day approximately 9.30am to 5.30pm, Some Weekends in November/December. Please ring for winter times and dates.
Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds
Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds, LS10 1LT, Yorkshire, England
Open: Daily 1000-1700
Closed: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Dover Castle (English Heritage)
Dover Castle, Castle Hill, Dover, CT16 1HU, Kent, England
Open: Apr-Sept 1000-1800, Nov 1000-1700, Nov-Mar 1000-1600
Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield
Graves Art Gallery, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 1XZ, South Yorkshire, England
Open: Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00
Closed: Sundays
English Heritage (Central Office)
1 Waterhouse Square, 138 - 142 Holborn, London, EC1N 2ST, England
T: 020 7973 3000
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum (Tyne & Wear Museums)
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, Baring Street, South Shields, NE33 2BB, Tyne & Wear, England
Open: Easter-End September
Mon-Sat 1000 - 1730
Sun 1300-1700
October-Easter
Mon-Sat 1000-1600
Closed Sun
Closed: Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton, Wakefield, WF4 4LG, West Yorkshire, England
T: 01924 832631
Open: Sumertime: Daily 10.00am - 6.00pm, Galleries 11.00am - 5.00pm.
Wintertime: Daily 10.00am - 5.00pm Galleries 11.00am - 4.00pm.
Closed: 27 - 31 December 2007
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