Tennants Auction House

Tennants Auctioneers is a long established auction house that, up until the mid-1990s, operated from a succession of converted buildings. In 1994 they had built this building in Leyburn, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, and have created a space that pulls in visitors even on non-auction days.

Throughout the year they have a series of special auctions of which the most bizarre is, possibly, the one which deals with taxidermy and natural history. You can see both antique and modern examples of the taxidermist art and other natural history products.

There is an exhibition area, which is used to promote future sales or to support the company's lecture programs. Lots of information is provided and the material presented is of the highest quality. Previous topics include the history of male fashion going back to the 17th century and mid-20th century furniture design. It is easy to forget you are in a commercial building, it has the feel of a museum.

The exhibits vary from month to month so repeat visits are definitely worthwhile. There is an informal cafe (which serves excellent  cheese scones, among other things) and a more formal restaurant  if you wish to eat something more substantial.