Rare Watermouth Castle arcade machines could make thousands at auction

Some of the vintage arcade machines at Watermouth Castle are set to go under the hammer at auction this month – with several rare pieces potentially worth thousands of pounds.

The new owners of the attraction near Ilfracombe, Escapade Group Ltd, bought the theme park from the Haines family earlier this year and have decided to thin out an extensive collection of automaton, arcadia, amusement and attraction machines.

Auctioneers Spicer’s of Goole in East Yorkshire will be selling the machines at its antique, arts and arcadia auction on November 24.

Amongst the highlights are a very rare set of four early Disney display automatons, with guide prices of up to £7,000 each, made by Pytram Ltd of New Malton, Surrey, around 1936/38, for the new Butlins resort in either Skegness or Cleethorpes.

These 190 by 90 centimetre square displays are thought to be unique and were a special commission from Billy Butlin with the backing of Disney, which wanted to push Mickey Mouse and his friends to a new audience in the UK. They are made of a fibrous celluloid, articulated and have a musical soundtrack using a polyphone disc.

Other auction entrants include a Play Football by Chester - Pollard Amusement Company, a Twins Drink Milk machine and a Laughing Sailor plus several vintage slot machines and games of chance.

Andy Spicer of Spicer’s Auctioneers and Valuers said: “Seeing the results of previous Spicer’s Arcadia auctions, the castle owners invited us to visit to appraise and value the machines in the castle with a view to offering a number of interesting pieces for auction.”

Watermouth Castle was designed by George Wightwick as a residence for the Bassett family in the mid-19th century and is not a true castle but a country house built to resemble one. It has been designated Grade II* listed.

In 1916 the castle was used as a convalescent home for army officers wounded in the First World War, and during the Second World War it was the headquarters for PLUTO, the Pipe-Line-Under-The- Ocean.

In 1977 the castle was purchased by the late Richard Haines and his wife - over the years they filled the castle with weird and wonderful machines and rides and transformed it into a place of wonder for people of all ages and it became one of North Devon’s premier tourist attractions.

All the machines up for sale can be seen on the Spicer's of Goole website.