A Journey Through the Decades: Our Family Legacy

For our long-time customers, welcome back down memory lane. For those new to us, here’s a bit of our history.

It all started in the 1950s with my father, John Burden, who worked at a general auction in Cannard’s Grave, Shepton Mallet, selling farm equipment and spare parts. One day, a car was entered into the auction, drawing interest from far and wide. After a competitive bidding process, the car was sold, and from that moment, the idea of a dedicated car auction business was born. The rest, as they say, is history.

In the 1960s, my father opened Frome Motor Auction Sales in Somerset. The business became so successful that by the end of the decade, it was acquired by British Car Auctions.

After selling Frome Motor Auction Sales, my father launched West Country Motor Auctions Ltd in the late 1970s on the West Wilts Industrial Estate in Westbury, Wiltshire, in response to popular demand for an independent auction house. In the mid-1980s, the business was sold to the Wincanton Group.

In September 1985, we opened Westbury Motor Auctions Ltd on Brook Lane in Westbury. It became part of the Auction Consortium and was eventually sold to the Scarborough family (Aston Barclay).

In keeping with the family tradition, I opened Westbury Car Auctions Ltd in October 2011, following the passing of my father in 1999 and my brother Peter in 2003.