An auction with significant ties to Andover will take place online on September 12.
Newbury-based auctioneer Dreweatts is presenting a sale of Fine Clocks, Barometers, and Scientific Instruments in a live online auction and among the historic offerings is the private collection of the late Leonard Fuller, a key figure in Andover known for his contributions both to the community and the broader engineering world.
The Fuller family, long-time residents of the St Mary Bourne estate in Andover, were passionate collectors of antiques, including fine ceramics, silverware, and books.
Leonard Fuller, in particular, developed a deep interest in horology, assembling a meticulously curated collection of clocks that were displayed throughout his home and maintained in pristine working order.
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Not only was he an admired collector of the finest clocks, but the family business was a famous one in Hampshire, called ‘Taskers’, which made many engineering items, but excelled in the production of bespoke high-specification road trailers.
Leonard joined the business as a young man to assist his father, Arthur, who is renowned for building and designing a special trailer, at his own cost, called the Queen Mary trailer to transport spitfires and other aircraft back to the factories to be repaired during WWII.
This design was comprehensively adopted, with the Queen Mary trailer being subsequently put to use across the globe.
Sadly, Taskers suffered many pressures after the war requiring the location of the firm to be moved from the Anna Valley site to a lower-cost base further north.
This was devastating for Leonard and many of the other highly skilled staff. So he and a few colleagues set up a new company in 1984 called Andover Trailers which is still in business.
He continued to work full-time right up until his late 70s, and then decided to go part-time and then fully retired at the age of about 82.
He still kept in contact with Andover Trailers but this now allowed a little more time to focus on the things he wanted to do.
He loved travelling with his friends to Greece, Italy and beyond exploring historical sites and was fascinated by the engineering skills of the Romans and Greeks.
Leonard also followed in the Fuller family’s passion for collecting and established his own particular interest in horology putting together a carefully considered collection with the clocks placed throughout the house and kept in working condition.
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He also continued to work with machinery, making his own clocks from basic metal and using his lathes and other engineering tools whilst still entrusting the maintenance of his valued timepieces to highly experienced antiquarian horologists.
He sold the firm to another passionate mechanical engineer in 1992 but continued as a director.
Leonard was also a director of the trade body SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) where he became a driving force for change and standardisation in the UK, and also worked with Europe to set new standards.
For more info on his outstanding collection and the auction, visit: auctions.dreweatts.com/auctions/9024/drewea1-10481
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