Steve Bucknell

What is your role at RWB Auctions?

My job title is General Manager - and that about says everything! I am responsible for the day-to-day running of RWB Auctions - including business planning, team recruitment and management and running the operations within and outside the salesrooms. I do my fair share of cataloguing and selling and have a passion for Georgian and Victorian furniture and ceramics, glassware, clocks and books.

What brought you into this role?

My dad was an antique dealer from the 1960s through to the 1990s and then carried on with renovation work until about 2010. So I grew up with antiques - helping in his shop in Bisley, Gloucestershire and with house clearances from the age of about 10. I often went on buying trips with him and attended many auctions. When just a young teenager, in the early 1980s, I started working with the local auctioneers in Cirencester, Hobbs and Chambers and from there went on to study to become a Chartered Surveyor. After 30 years working in property, I returned to the world of Antiques, as a dealer at Old Bank Antiques in Royal Wootton Bassett. It was then just a matter of time before the directors asked me to combine my property knowledge and passion for antiques to create the RWB Auction experience.

What has been a highlight of your Career so far?

Opening a fabulous new auction house with a brilliant group of people who share my desire to create a service based on the needs of the customer.

What book do you currently have beside your bed?

It's called "The Blue Jackets, or Chips of the Old Block" by W H G Kingston. It's a first edition (1853) and tells of the exploits of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Royal Navy. When I have finished with it I will probably put it through our auction house - it must be worth thousands!