Back in 2020 when the pandemic hit, staff worked from home and carried out various tasks that could be done remotely. We were able to do the sort of things we always wished we had the time to do. One such task was typing up thousands (3110 to be exact!) of handwritten photocopied entries of sales catalogues from the Messrs Nicholas, Auctioneers, Estate Agents and Valuers of Reading collection (ref. D/ENS).

William Richard Nicholas moved to Reading from Southampton in 1882 and set up his auctioneers, estate agents and valuers business on 85 Broad Street by 1885. In 1888 the office moved to 1 Blagrave Street, with a second office opened in London at 60 Pall Mall, Kensington; this later moved to 43 Pall Mall.

William Nicholas had also moved to Kensington but died in 1901, and by 1906, Richard Watkin Denyer was now part of the business which became known as Nicholas, Denyer & Co. The Reading Office moved to King Edward Buildings, 1 Station Road. The London office continued to run from 43 Pall Mall, whilst further offices operated in Tunbridge Wells, Newbury, and later, Wokingham. Nicholas Estate Agents moved offices to Caversham in the late 20th century and were still operating in 2025. You can find out more about them on their website.

This vast collection of sale catalogues covers areas across Berkshire including the main towns of Bracknell, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Wokingham, and areas in West Berkshire. It also includes out county areas such as Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, London, Surrey, Essex, Sussex, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire, Devon, Breconshire, and Somerset.

The sales catalogues were originally in bound volumes which were in poor condition, so they were dismantled for better preservation. Unfortunately, they do not start until 1918 and many volumes for many years were missing when deposited.

A bundle from 1937 includes freehold property of “Two Old Brick and Tiled Cottages” on Lower Henley Road, Caversham, for a mere £38 produced from an annual let – that's about £2,231.22 in today’s money.

Sale catalogues can be really useful for those interested in discovering more about the history of their house, or where an ancestor lived, or just a general interest in local history. It can give you a sense of what an area was like long ago which can then be compared to what is there today.

This sale catalogue is for a wet boathouse made of timber and corrugated iron, in Sonning-on-Thames. The boathouse was situated “directly in front of the White Hart Hotel” (now the Great House Hotel), which was situated near a bridge built by John Treacher in 1790.

It is difficult to see from images of the hotel online if the boathouse still exists today. There does appear to be some sort of structure that could be a boathouse – but equally it could just be an ice-cream hut! Perhaps you could take a walk along the river and find out for yourself? Do let us know what you discover.

Talking of discovering things, did you know that our latest exhibition is all about the River Thames? It opens on 11 June 2025, is available during our opening hours and is completely FREE. Find out more on our Events page.