In September 1939 Mary Emma Keyser, the widow of Charles Edward Keyser, the former Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Berkshire, died. The family were forced to sell Aldermaston Estate that had been the home for the Keyser’s. The auction took place between the 20-21 September 1939 with the entire estate being broken up onto 394 different lots. This included the Manor House which was sold for £17,000 (the equivalent of approximately £910,445 in today’s money, 2023). As part of the sale the auctioneers produced a catalogue for buyers detailing every property to be sold. The original owner of this catalogue made a note of how much each property was sold for as the auction progressed.
Watercolour of a Sit Down Demonstration, Greenham Air Base
Watercolour by Marjorie Heather, 20th century.
