Dress Circle of York costumes will be auctioned online

Dress Circle of York provided costumes for local and national theater productions including Les Miserables, The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof before deciding to draw the final curtain and close permanently on December 19, 2020 the owners are retiring.

Following the closure, the owners decided to sell the contents of Dress Circle through Ryedale Auctioneers, based in Kirkbymoorside, which is also featured on TV on Really/Discovery’s ‘The Yorkshire Auction House’.

Costumes from a production of “Cinderella”. (Image: Ryedale Auctioneers)

The company was started in 2002 by Stephen and Jill Outhwaite in an empty barn on their Haxby farm and was an instant success.

Over the next 18 years, Dress Circle provided quality costumes and props for theater groups and individuals across the UK and grew to become a well-known name in the industry.

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News of the company’s closure came in November 2020 in the form of a written statement on its Facebook page.

The statement read: “Jill, Stephen and the team are extremely sad to announce that Dress Circle of York will be closing permanently on December 19, 2022 and Jill and Stephen are retiring.

“We would like to thank all of our valued customers for their support, laughter, kindness, understanding, cakes and chocolates over the past 18 years.

“We will miss you and wish you all the best for the future.

“Stay safe and sound as we take our last bow.”

A costume of Nana the dog from Peter Pan (Image: Ryedale Auctioneers)

The contents will be auctioned off May 9-12 in a timed online auction via Ryedale Auctioneers’ website.

This includes over 14,000 costumes, from vintage wedding dresses to squirrel costumes to full dress sets for My Fair Lady.

Other items include Aladdin and Spamalot costumes, over 1000 hats, former Opera North costumes, stage makeup, theater props and more.

The costumes will go under the hammer online at Ryedale Auctioneers (Image: Ryedale Auctioneers)

The pieces can be viewed at Dress Circle of York, Low Grange Farm, Haxby, York, YO32 2QW over three days, 7th, 9th and 10th May between 10am and 4pm.

Angus Ashworth, Director of Ryedale Auctioneers, said: “It is a remarkable and extensive collection which rarely comes on the market and we hope to see interest across the country.”

You can find more information and offers at:

Angus Ashworth (Image: Newsquest)