Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Newcastle upon Tyne
Riverside engineering sites on the Tyne are big, and when one closes the sale is a big job. A subsea or offshore fabrication firm at Walker or Newburn leaves behind a fabrication hall with overhead cranes, welding bays, a large plate roll or press brake, a machine shop, test rigs and pressure test bays, a paint shop and a yard full of steel, skids and lifting gear. Alongside it there are offices, a stores and a fleet of vans and plant.
A site dispersal sells the whole site in one online timed auction. We catalogue every item, hold a viewing, run the bidding for a week or two and then manage the riggers, hauliers and van buyers until the building is empty.
Bidding runs online and is open to buyers anywhere in the UK and further afield, so the catalogue matters.
Fabrication halls, test bays and lifting gear
Start with the cranes. A riverside fabrication hall often has several overhead cranes of high capacity, and they can be among the largest lots in the catalogue. They also do the work during collection, so we sell them as the last lots to leave and agree with the buyer a date after everything else has gone.
Plate rolls, press brakes, large lathes and borers are listed with their capacities and dimensions, because anyone bidding on large plant from a distance has only the listing to work from. Welding sets, positioners and column and boom manipulators are catalogued for fabricators across the UK. Test rigs and pressure test equipment are listed for the offshore and subsea trade, which runs from the Tyne to the north of Scotland and beyond, and the bidding is online.
Lifting gear, slings, shackles and spreader beams are sold in lots with their test certificates where they exist, because a current certificate lets a buyer put the gear to work without a retest.
Riverside roads and the route to the A1
Newburn Riverside, the estates around the A1 Western Bypass and the older roads at Walker all differ, so the route out is checked rather than assumed. A large plate roll or a crane girder needs that check before collection day, and we do it as part of cataloguing and put the constraints in the lot notes. Where a piece is too long or too heavy for the road, the Port of Tyne handles project cargo and a buyer can ship out by water.
Buyers organise and pay for the removal of their lots, working to method statements agreed before the day, with disconnection by qualified people. We agree the order of the window with you, usually the heavy lifts first and the racking crews and van buyers after. Yard steel and skids are sold by weight or by the stack and leave on flatbeds.
The trade in Gateshead, Wallsend, North and South Shields, Cramlington, Blyth and Morpeth is close enough to attend a viewing day, and Team Valley is across the river.
What these sales can include
- Complete production lines
- CNC lathes and machining centres
- Presses, guillotines and folders
- Overhead cranes and hoists
- Compressors and air receivers
- Forklift trucks
- Racking and storage systems
- Tooling, spares and consumables
- Inspection and test equipment
- Welding and fabrication equipment
- Office furniture and IT equipment
- Canteen and welfare equipment
- Vehicles and trailers
The auction
The sale runs as an online timed auction, open for bidding for a fixed period with a viewing day at the site before the close. Lots close in sequence, and a late bid extends the closing time for that lot so nobody is beaten by the clock. Bidders register online, and the sale is advertised to the trade for that type of equipment.
Lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, and buyers are expected to inspect before bidding. The buyer pays the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately on the invoice. Once paid, the buyer collects within the agreed window. Our staff are on site throughout collection to check off each lot and control access.
For very large sites the sale may be split into two or more auctions, so the building empties in stages and production can continue in one area while another is cleared.
The complete site dispersal auctions page covers what a site dispersal involves, preparing the site, removal and heavy lifting, timescales and what to expect.
Questions about selling in Newcastle upon Tyne
- The overhead cranes are the biggest items on site. When are they removed?
Last. Buyers of the large machines usually want the cranes available during collection, so they are offered as separate lots with a removal date agreed for after the rest of the site has cleared. The buyer of a crane arranges a specialist crew to dismantle the crane and the runway beams, under a method statement we approve, and the landlord is told in advance if the runway beams are part of the building. We treat the cranes as a final phase rather than a lot like any other.
- We have offshore project equipment that only a few firms would want. Is an auction the right route?
Often yes, because bidding is online and a buyer does not need to be on the Tyne. Where a single item is of very high value and the market is a handful of buyers, we may suggest private treaty for that item alongside the auction for the rest of the site. We give you a view once we have seen the equipment. Either way, the specialist lots are listed with full detail and photographs so that the right buyers find them.
More questions about site dispersals
Related services
Guides
- Auction or private treaty: which route to choose
Auction gives you a fixed date and an open market. Private treaty gives you a negotiated price and privacy. This guide sets out when each route suits, what you give up with each, and why many sales use both.
- Closing a business: a timeline for selling the assets
Work backwards from the day you hand the site over. This guide covers lease end and dilapidations, when to instruct, when staff should leave, when to keep the power on, and how to leave enough room for collection and making good.
- What insolvency practitioners need from an auctioneer
For office holders realising physical assets. Covers the instruction letter, the asset schedule and valuation basis, retention of title, finance checks, site security, health and safety during the sale, and the reconciliation you need for the file.