The kitchen showing the old range still in position

Auctioneers were sent to survey an agricultural estate near York...and walked into the farm that time forgot.

Antique furniture, classic cars, a horse-drawn plough and a vintage tractor - one of only three of its kind in the country - were uncovered on the farm John Baulcomb had called home for more than sixty years.

The Yeoman of England vintage tractor, worth up to £10,000, was discovered along with petrol receipts from 1945, numerous gas masks, a combine harvester, a selection of lawn mowers and a JCB. Some of the items date back 50 years.

There was also an Allis Chalmers tractor, thought to be around 40 years old and worth between £2,000 and £5,000, and an old Morris Oxford car.

The most modern piece of machinery on the 100-acre farm was an R-registered tractor - from the first time round, 20 years ago.The farm, in a village on the outskirts of York, had been in Mr Baulcomb's family for two centuries.

When the 75-year-old farmer died in December he left the whole estate to his relative Paul Eastwood, but due to other commitments Mr Eastwood was unable to take it on.

He approached Summersgill Auctioneers to put it under the hammer, sparking what the company describes as its most unique find in 42 years of business.

Auctioneer Tim Summersgill said: "When we first arrived, it literally looked like it had not been touched for 60 years - the place where time had just stood still.

"It appears the farmer was a real hoarder of absolutely everything - we were amazed at what we found.

"Obviously he also kept a lot of junk, but this has been matched by some real vintage items of farm machinery."

The property and its contents - valuable items have been removed - will be up for auction later this month, and Mr Summersgill is hoping the event will attract people from all over the country - including television companies who might be interested in buying the ancient machinery for future productions.

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

The farm called home by John Baulcomb and his ancestors for more than 200 years is a gateway to agricultural history.

The antique tractors that greet visitors, the ancient farm machinery, the wartime gas masks and paperwork from more than 50 years ago are a collector's paradise.

But for Mr Baulcomb, who has died aged 75, this was the place he called home.

The excitement that his collection will spark among nostalgia enthusiasts would, more than likely, have filled him with surprised awe.

For Mr Baulcomb wasn't a collector. He didn't make an effort to find and keep his equipment, and he was probably totally unaware that what filled his home was worth tens of thousands of pounds to the many expected to turn up at the auction for his belongings.

Mr Baulcomb was a man who merely did not like to throw things out. He was, as auctioneer Tim Summersgill said, "a real hoarder of absolutely everything".

He survived by selling barley and wheat while nestling among the junk that he saved were gems including a vintage tractor thought to be one of only three in the country, old combine harvesters, cars, lawn mowers and other highly-prized collectors' items.

It all suggests that Mr Baulcomb knew little of their value.

From outside, the farm - situated in a village on the outskirts of York - looks like any one of hundreds scattered around North and East Yorkshire; so there remains this question.

How many other people's homes could be collectors' treasure troves ?

see COMMENT 'Peep into the past'

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