ARTEFACTS from the Dairyland Vintage Museum sold for £117,160 at auction following the closure of the attraction.

Five hundred people attended the auction conducted by HJ Pugh and Co along with 1,000 people online on Wednesday, January 29.

Many of the 370 plus lots sold for “well over than what was expected” including Clarabelle the cyber-cow that could be milked by children, which went for £1,900.

Clarabelle, Dairyland's mascot sold for £1,900 ( )

Among the highlights of the items auctioned off included an Austin tractor for £17,000, a Fordson tractor for £11,000 and a man trap for £1,400.

The Ford tractor sold for the most amount ever for that model ( )

Other items auctioned off included early implements, milking and early cider making equipment as well as vintage items such as enamel signs, cast iron seats and tools.

A number of historical artefacts from the Newquay area were sold including a stone linked to Treffry's Harbour of Refuge, a wagon from St Columb and a national telephone removed from Newquay.

The stone linked to Treffry's Harbour of Refuge ( )

One of the largest pieces that sold was a four-horse wheel round which was removed from Tregunnel Farm in Newquay in 1970, having been in use until about 1900.

It was powered by four horses which walked around it four times a minute to operate it as a driving stone mill and barn thresher.

The National telephone removed in Newquay ( )

Other interesting items that sold included Tresillian general store, a Victorian pillar box, a Penny Farthing, a Stamford Blackstone corn mill, a horse-drawn seed drill and a thunderbird scarer.

The Man Trap ( )

The Dairyland Farm Museum was amassed by farmer Rex Davey who thought people would be interested in viewing vintage machinery.

Tresillian Store ( )

Auctioneer Henry Biss said: “The auction was extremely busy.

“We had treble the amount of people attending the auction than expected.

“There was a tremendous crowd and tremendous prices were paid.

“We think the £17,000 paid for the Austin tractor is the highest amount that the model has sold for. The Fordson tractor also went for a very good price.

“Another highlight is the man trap that sold for £1,400, which was crazy.”

Dairyland Farm Park, which has been operating since 1975, shut on Sunday, November 3 as it is “no longer financially viable.”

The owners, who bought Dairyland in 2019, stated the attraction had to close following the challenges of Covid and the ongoing increase in operating costs resulted in the park making a significant financial loss every year despite two record seasons in a row under new management.