Well-known local auctioneer and valuer John Butler died peacefully at home in his beloved Marden on 3 February.
A farmer’s son, he forged a career outside farming, joining Lambert and Symes (later Lambert & Foster) in 1964 and working with landowners and farmers throughout Kent and Sussex.
He was best known as a highly respected auctioneer, presiding over many sales of land and farm machinery, and was renowned for his fruit expertise. In its heyday, the annual Horsmonden Hard Fruit Sale, which he sold at for many years, could see over £500,000 worth of fruit crops on the tree sold from orchards in Kent and Sussex in just one afternoon. John enjoyed the trust of sellers and buyers to assess crops in the orchard accurately, which was key to the success of the sale.
Later in his career, John’s land agency work evolved to dealing with some significant sales of farms and development land which, for some landowners, were life changing.
John was always willing to pass on his knowledge, spending time with Lambert & Foster’s young graduates, encouraging and teaching them ‘on the job’. He was always loyal and had the clients’ best interests at heart; he could read people well and knew whether to choose ‘stick or carrot’ when solving a problem.
Work was his passion, but he maintained plenty of outside interests and was a keen member of Marden Tennis Club. He put together an enviable collection of classic cars – MGs were his favourite – which he drove with members of the Maidstone Historic Vehicle Group, which he chaired for 16 years.
John was also a keen musician and part of Wealden Folk, who performed locally for many years. Always excellent company, he will be sorely missed by his colleagues, clients and friends.
