By Patrick LowmanTHE public will be able to buy a slice of an historic town's past today when dozens of artefacts locked away for almost 20 years are auctioned.

By Patrick Lowman

THE public will be able to buy a slice of an historic town's past today when dozens of artefacts locked away for almost 20 years are auctioned.

Memorabilia dating back more than 100 years from the old Sudbury Museum, which closed in 1986, is being sold at the town's Olivers auctioneers.

Money raised at the sale will go towards the running of the new Museum and Heritage Centre - due to open at Sudbury Town Hall later this month.

Included in the sale are a Victorian mahogany court dock and witness stand, which are together expected to fetch up to £300.

The dock and witness stand come from the old courtroom, which was situated to the left of the main entrance in the town hall and was used for the Quarterly Assizes.

At the rear of the court, now aptly named Gaol Lane, was the entrance to the jail where prisoners were held overnight ready for the assizes the following day.

A collection of historic advertising signs, all of which once hung in Sudbury, are also up for grabs, including promotional signs for El Dorado Ice Cream, Cadbury's Cocoa and Woodbine cigarettes.

Other highlights include a mahogany display case used to display borough artefacts at Belle Vue and a typewriter that was used by the Old Borough's Rate Payers Office.

A number of items including clocks, furniture, agricultural tools, shop tills, old stoves and Victorian letter presses, all of which have historic links to the town, are also on sale.

The town artefacts were displayed at Muniments Room at Belle Vue House, but after the reorganisation of local governments in 1974 the collection was moved to the Sudbury Railway Station building that was demolished in 1986.

The artefacts were then stored back at Belle Vue House before they were transferred to the town hall basement in 1991.

James Fletcher, auctioneer, said: “This sale will give people the chance to get their hands on a slice of the town's history. There are some fascinating bits and pieces and there has been a lot of local interest.

“I hope we can find a good home for all the items and the sale should raise a few thousand pounds towards the new centre.”

patrick.lowman@eadt.co.uk