Member Article

College contents to go under the hammer

People will have the chance to take home a piece of Gateshead College’s history as the entire contents of the Durham Road campus go up for auction. More than 6000 items valued at around £40,000 from the 1950s building will go under the hammer during an online eBay style auction which opens today. A sauna, commercial catering equipment, filing cabinets, massage couches, microscopes and cash registers will be among the items up for auction on www.charterfields.co.uk.

David Cheetham, Gateshead College principal, said: “We’ve now moved to our brand new Baltic Campus and have all new equipment so absolutely everything at Durham Road will be put up for auction. There are some really good quality pieces of office furniture as well as lots of commercial catering and salon equipment available. We’re expecting a lot of interest from local businesses and those people looking to take home a piece of the college as a memento.”

Gateshead College’s Durham Road building was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip in 1955 and for 53 years the building was the college’s largest site. The site closed last month when staff and students moved to the new Baltic Campus at the Gateshead Quays and people have already started leaving their tributes to Durham Road campus on the dedicated www.gatesheadcollegehistory.co.uk website.

A full catalogue, including images of the items, is available on the Charterfields website. The Durham Road campus will be also be open on 11 March between 10am and 4pm prior to the auction for viewing.

Funds raised from the auction will be offset against new equipment bought for the Baltic Campus, which features new learning resources, a spa and beauty suite; commercial bistro, cafés and gardens.

Anyone wishing to bid must first register on the Charterfields website. The auction opens at 9am this morning and closes at 9am on 17 March. For further information email enquiries@charterfields.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .