Astra Antiques’ much anticipated two-storey extension has had a breath of new life. The extension now stands proudly to the rear of the old World War 2 “H” Block, complete with its roof and windows.

With the Steel Work in place it was only a matter of time before the shell of the extension started to take shape. The Brick work had begun although the traditional British weather decided to keep work to a minimum with heavy down pours.

The extension hit a couple of brick walls recently, which has delayed the project for the last month. A mixture of asbestos surveys, and delays on the steel work brought the entire building work to a sudden and unplanned stop.

This resulted in 40x lorry loads of dirt and rubble being removed. Yet alas, no discovery of long buried and forgotten World War 2 treasures were found. Sorry to disappoint those enthusiasts.

The first step was the mammoth task of emptying the original two out-buildings used as Storage space. No easy job given these were both filled to their limits over the course of the last ten years, packed to the ceiling with hidden treasures.

This young woman seemingly came out of nowhere. No history to her face, no name to her legend. There were no marks found on her body to suggest any type of Murder or struggle, so the cause of Death has always been linked with Suicide.

“My interest was first sparked in antiques by my interest in history, visiting country houses and learning about life from times gone by, I knew I’d become an auctioneer by the age of fourteen”.

So in light of the occasion, the manager himself has a few words to say on his start in the Trade, his passion for the business, and his look back on the last 10 years.

This new enhanced method of Taxidermy and the results it produced became rather popular. Not only to be exhibited, but to become something many would include in their own homes.