Episode 6 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts...

I don't know what to do.

-HORN TOOTS

-..with £200 each, a classic car

and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

What a little diamond.

The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

Back in the game...Charlie!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

SHE GASPS

So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

-Oh!

-This is the Antiques Roadtrip.

Yeah.

Welcome to a brand-new trip in the company of a couple of auctioneers.

Look at these staddle stones here. It's a shame they're not for sale.

We could pick a few of those little stumps up.

Steady on, fellows, we're still on the introductions.

-GEARS GRIND

-Sorry.

Yeah, that'll be Charles Hanson at the wheel,

Derbyshire doyen and Roadtrip regular,

in the company of debutant Raj Bisram.

-Do you prefer Raj or...?

-Raj.

-Raj, OK.

-Or sir.

-Excuse me?

Kentish man Raj might be new to this particular malarkey,

but he's been in the trade for over 30 years.

He loves paintings, furniture and big deals.

I look at you and I think, "Yeah, you are at the kingpin."

You're a man who has that maturity.

-Like a fine wine, you've prospered...

-Keep talking, Charles.

Before antiques, Raj was also a sportsman of some renown.

I was a qualified ski instructor but I'd also raced as well around Europe.

-On snow?

-Yeah, on snow.

-Charles sounds impressed.

But then, the feeling is clearly mutual.

-You've done ten series.

-Yes.

If I could ask you for one bit of genuine advice on my first one,

what would it be?

Just buy what oozes your fancy, if that makes sense.

OK. Yeah, yeah. No. Well, OK.

I hope we're taking notes.

With £200 each and a 1967 Triumph Herald between them,

their journey starts out at Corsham in Wiltshire

and takes in most of the south-west

of England before ending up

about 900 miles later

at Crewkerne in Somerset.

But the very first pin on our Roadtrip map is poised over Corsham

and the opening auction will take place

at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire.

-Do I have to comment about your driving?

-Am I driving well today?

-You're doing very, very well.

-Thanks a lot.

But what's that burning smell?

Built of a lot of very lovely Bath stone,

which is still quarried hereabouts,

Georgian Corsham has featured in a fair few costume dramas

over the years. No wonder that Nick Mason,

the millionaire Pink Floyd drummer, has a home nearby.

-I will see you later.

-Come back with treasure, OK?

-Wish me well.

-See you later. Bye!

-OK, Raj, the division bell sounds.

-Hello, I'm Raj.

-Raj? My name's Anne.

-Anne, lovely to meet you.

-Easy to meet.

-This looks like the ideal shop for Raj's very first

-Roadtrip purchase.

-I'll have a little look round

and then if I find anything, we'll have a little haggle or something.

-How does that sound?

-Yeah.

-OK, great.

It'll only be a little haggle though cos I'm quite a determined lady.

Could be interesting, a rummage under Anne's stern gaze.

Already spotted something though.

That's quite a nice late 19th-century riding crop.

It's not one of the top, top quality ones because it's not got

a silver collar, but it's in pretty good condition, really.

The ticket price is a cracking £8.

Time to talk to Anne and granddaughter Amelie.

Would you take a fiver?

-Um...yes. I'm sure we would.

-You would?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

-You're most welcome.

-My first deal. Thank you very much indeed.

-Yes.

-Now you'll always remember me for that.

-I will.

Well, that was easy enough. Now, what about Charles,

blissfully unaware of his rival's rather modest start?

I'm very excited to be working with Raj

and he's somebody I rate very highly,

and I think Raj is a numbers man,

and what frightens me is he may be putting noughts

on the end of his profits and leaving me in the lurch.

On your metal, Charles, and on your way to Somerset and Bath,

where a lesser man might be distracted by the wealth

of gorgeous Georgian architecture, not to mention the buns.

Apparently, Jane Austen once overdid it

and got a tummy ache from Bath buns.

-Good morning.

-Oh, good morning.

-Now, we've been here before, Charles.

-I think you're Caroline.

-Yes, I am.

-Good to see you. How are you?

-And I think you're Charles.

-I am indeed.

Good to see you. And when I came to see you a long time ago,

you called me Romeo and I called Caroline Juliet.

-It's good to be back.

-We had fun and games up on the gallery.

-Yes, we did.

-Lordy, there's certainly plenty of props in here.

It was a grocery shop once, back in the 19th century,

but now it's as full of as many antiques as Caroline can squeeze in.

Sometimes, rather then look at eye level, go down...

-RATTLING

-Whoops.

Oh, do be careful, Charles. You'll cause a landslide.

-I do like this.

-Yes.

-Tell me where it came from, Caroline.

I got it privately. I can't say anything more.

-No.

-I can't say it came from Sir...

-or the Lord and Lady...blah, blah, blah.

-No.

But what we've got is a beautiful Persian scalloped silver tray.

What I like is the quality of this chased decoration

on the border here and these, what appear to be herons

or fanciful birds in this very arabesque cast and chased landscape.

How much is on it, Caroline?

110. Is there much room there for negotiation?

-Not a great deal.

-No. I love your style. You're in stripes like me.

If I said, "Caroline, what's your very best price?"

-Well, I'll do one of you.

-Oh, yes.

-I'll wave my arms around.

Well, Charles, I can do it for...

-90.

-90, OK. It's almost half my spending gone already.

Can I think about it and I'll come back to you shortly?

-OK.

-Thanks, Caroline.

So, while Charles ponders spending almost half his kitty,

what's his rival got up to?

Well, this is very interesting. It's an egg timer,

but obviously it says here actually it's been made from an old bobbin,

and it's probably a 19th-century bobbin made from one of the mills

in the north of England, which gives it a little bit more mystery.

That's a very unusual little thing. There's two there.

Another one here, a much larger one. This one, I don't think is as old.

The larger one has got £10 on it and the smaller one has got £5 on it,

and they might make a nice little lot of kitchenalia at the right price.

They're already pretty reasonable, Raj.

Anne, these two egg timers... What's the best price on both of them?

Tenner.

We're close. SHE LAUGHS

-We're close, we're close.

-£10.50 then.

Aah. Your maths is terrible, isn't it?

-Yes, awful.

-You seem to go upwards instead of downwards.

-Yes, I wonder why that is.

-OK. £8, we have a deal.

Make it nine.

I've got to stick out for eight.

There's not a lot in them.

No, there's not much sand in them, is there?

You can't use them for anything. OK. We'll say £8.

-Eight? Lovely. Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

Never mind the zeros, we haven't had double-figures here yet.

Back in Bath, Charles has some glass in mind.

-This is quite interesting, isn't it?

-That is nice.

-Have we got a price on it?

-No.

-No, we haven't.

Not overly old, is it?

-Oh, it's about '20s.

-I just quite like the form of this.

It's just got the look of the Art Deco.

-I tell you what, I'll do it for 25.

-Thank you very much. OK.

-That is worth something.

-I'll give it some thought.

Where does that leave the silver tray, I wonder?

While Caroline takes a look out the back,

Charles has a decision to make.

I'm quite keen to buy the tray,

so I'm hoping I might just get her down one more bit

and if she came down towards maybe 70, £75, I could be...

-WHISPERS:

-She's back.

Your silver tray... OK? It's had some restoration here, hasn't it?

You've got some solder wear there, can you see?

Oh, isn't that chewing gum or something?

Obviously you've got to make money on it as well.

Well, just a teeny-weeny bit.

I know, but you've got a big business here and I admire you.

I've got two cats I have to feed.

Go on.

-Yeah, go on.

-Will you take £70 for it?

I thought you were going to say something like that.

-I think it's full of far-eastern promise.

-I tell you what, 80.

-Oh, don't do this.

-I've come down!

-I know you have.

-Look, 75 and that's it.

-70, it's a deal.

-I thought we were friends.

72. It'll make about 120 easy.

And if it doesn't?

Well, tough.

-I'll take it. Thanks, Caroline.

-Right! Whoo-hoo!

-£72.

With his deal done, Charles gets his hat.

Raj is also after a bit of silver,

-but not in quite the same price range.

-Yep, it's definitely silver.

It's got a few dents in it though. It's a bit damaged.

It all depends what it can be.

-Anne?

-Yes, Raj.

-I wonder...

-Can we have a little chat about this?

-I'm sure we can.

-It's quite a nice little silver urn.

-It is.

-It's a late-19th...

What would they have used that for then, Raj?

I'm not exactly sure, to be honest, what this was used for.

-No smell in it?

-No, there's no smell.

I believe that you've got £15 on it, but it is a little dented.

-Can I make you another amazing offer?

-Yes, they usually are.

A fiver for it?

-Yes, I'll let you have it.

-Fantastic. Lovely.

Thank you very much. Three little buys and I believe that comes to £18.

-Yes.

-But if I buy all three AND I pull out some cash,

would you take £15?

-I've got to try a little bit more.

-Cheeky.

-Yes, I'll do that for you.

-You're very, very kind indeed.

-You're most welcome.

-Let's shake on it. Thanks again.

Raj is clearly a man with a strategy.

Meanwhile, way out west,

Charles is about to take a break from the shopping

by the Avon Gorge in Bristol where,

close to the Clifton Suspension Bridge,

the Victorians built an equally astonishing

but much less well-known feat of engineering -

a funicular railway, which once carried passengers from

fashionable Clifton down to take the waters at the Hotwells spa below.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Good afternoon. May I come through?

-Yes, certainly.

-Am I on the right platform?

-You are.

-You are indeed.

-I'm Charles Hanson.

-I'm Maggie Shapland.

Great to see you. What an amazing place.

Maggie and her fellow enthusiasts have been hard at work attempting

to restore the long-disused railway to its 1893 pomp.

I can see over here, Maggie,

-behind you, almost a plan of how it was back in the 1890s.

-Absolutely.

So, the railway tunnel... You can see, here's the top station.

-So that's where we are now?

-That's where we are at the top.

-Right.

You can see that the heaviest car goes down, the lightest car goes up.

-Yes.

-So, you had a water tank at the top and you had a water tank

underneath the floor at the bottom. The Clifton Rocks Railway

was the brainchild of the publisher and entrepreneur George Newnes.

He wanted Bristol Spa to rival that of nearby Bath and,

on the opening day, the railway carried over 6,000 passengers

on a thrilling ride.

-It's quite steep, isn't it?

-It's one in 2.1.

-Crikey me.

And just down there, you've got a facade which looks to be like

-the wooden front of how a tram would have looked.

-That's right.

That's actually a full-size replica.

That wall shouldn't be here.

-Yeah.

-They've built all these walls on top of the railway line.

How long would it take me to get from up here

-to down where I'm going?

-40 seconds.

-You're 500 feet as the crow flies, 230 feet vertically.

-Got you.

The engineering is amazing.

To try and understand how they could plough through this limestone...

-Absolutely.

-..put in this ingenious method of transport

-is just incredible.

-Yes. They're just so ambitious.

But unfortunately the railway, unlike its illustrious neighbour,

never made quite enough money.

The Grand Spa Hotel became the Avon Gorge Hotel

and the pump rooms were turned first into a cinema, and then a ballroom.

Newnes's railway was sold then and finally closed in 1934,

but just a few years later it was to enjoy a very different use.

-Thank you. Where are we going?

-Well, we're going down to the shelters.

When war broke out in 1939, the city was certain to be a target

for enemy bombing, so the Ministry of Works and Buildings

took over the tunnel and quickly constructed a safe place

for the people of Clifton and Hotwells,

where they could shelter deep underground.

So, now you can see where we got the turnstile from.

We cut a hole in the wall. It took us ten hours.

You'll see there's still two more turnstiles in there

-and you can see the railway lines there.

-It's just amazing, isn't it?

The restoration has also unearthed many artefacts

from the war years, when hundreds of local people

spent night after night in this cold and dank place.

Maggie's colleague Peter can vividly remember what life was like.

-I can see the railway track still underneath the cemented steps.

-Yes.

They're steps to sleep on, actually.

These are the sleeping places, all these concrete slabs.

The dads might be out in the war or fighting away somewhere,

but the mums and the kids, and I was one of the kids at the time,

would be coming into these places, sleeping here.

And once you had your own card, which allowed you to come in,

that was your slot.

What was the feeling like amongst people

when they were in here together?

Was there a sense of wellbeing, "We're safe", or was it more,

"Goodness me, what's happening above there?

"Are we going to hear a bomb drop?"

Well, of course, I was only three or four at this time

and I looked at it differently

because Mum and Dad went off all night. Dad was on the docks,

my mother was out driving a truck with sandwiches and tea

for the firefighters. We just thought it was a bit of excitement.

In early 1941, BBC Bristol followed,

removing the four carriages from the bottom of the tunnel

and constructing several ingenious chambers to be used as studios

so that if their headquarters in Whiteladies Road took a hit,

they could still carry on broadcasting.

When the sirens went, we jumped in a little truck,

and then came down here, and they manned this until the all clear went,

and then they went back again.

It truly was amongst the corporation's more unusual

studios, carrying on until the 1960s.

If the war hadn't come, this might never have been used again

for anything, but it had another life just during those few years.

After that, it closed. Then it was just left to rot but I don't think

now anybody would have the guts to fill it in after what we've done.

-It has such history and long may that continue.

-Yes.

Now, somewhere deep in the Wiltshire countryside,

Raj is still shopping,

although he could do with an alpaca warning...

just outside the village of Langley Burrell at Fairfax Antiques.

-Hello, hello, hello.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm Elizabeth.

Hi, I'm Raj.

Our new boy's already acquired three lots today

for the princely sum of £15,

but it's all on a much grander scale here,

with almost 10,000 items for sale.

There is a price tag for those for about 220 each.

A mixture of antiques and reproduction.

-They're foam. These have aged well, haven't they?

-They have.

-They must have been out there a long time because they almost look like the real thing.

-Yes.

They are the real thing, those two.

-These two are the real thing?

-Yes.

-Oh.

Tricky business. Be on your guard, Raj.

But if there's a bargain here, I'm sure you'll find it.

This is an old military water bottle issued to the troops

during the Second World War, this one.

You see a lot of militaria,

but you don't often see the water bottles for some reason.

-It's quite different. That's on my list of come-back-tos.

-OK.

Not a bad spot, Raj. Now, what else has Elizabeth got?

These are quite nice wall lights, the brass ones.

Those are very pretty but they're very expensive.

Very saleable but... Gee whiz. They're priced at £95 each.

-I think it's for the pair, actually.

-Oh, is it? Is it for the pair?

Even at the pair, that's still pushing it, but...

I might be inclined to make a little bit of an offer on those.

OK, time to talk to the proprietor, Harriet Fairfax.

-Hello.

-Hello, Lady Fairfax. I'm Raj. How are you?

-Good.

Well, I've had a lovely look round.

You've got some lovely, lovely things all over the place,

-which brings me onto these. These are nice and decorative.

-They're French.

They're French, they're very, very decorative,

but really I've got to make a profit and they're going into auction.

I'd be happy paying 25 for them.

-Each or for...?

-No, for the pair.

-For the pair.

-Maybe 30.

-Do you know...?

-Yes. I'm going to splash out. £30.

-OK, OK.

-We have a deal.

-That's good.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-That went well.

So well that he's decided to have a go at his other little find.

I mean, it's in really nice condition and £35 on it.

If I can get this for 15 or under, I'll be happy.

-I'm back again.

-Oh...

-Yeah, well, to be honest, I was drawn to it.

-Yeah.

I know roughly what these fetch at auction

and please don't take offence, and if you say no, I totally understand,

-but I'll give you £10 for it.

-OK...

-What do you think?

I think that's all right.

Yeah. I'm happy to pay a tenner for it, but any more than that...

-Yeah, I think that's OK.

-Brilliant. Will we shake hands on that?

-Mm.

Fantastic. Thank you very much indeed.

Great. So, now he just has to make it past the livestock.

Hello, hello, hello... Ooh! HE SPEAKS GIBBERISH

Mind it doesn't spit. Nighty-night.

Time for Raj to take a turn with the Triumph.

I need to go on a driving course. I wish I could find the gears.

All you do... Go into third now, so go up.

Yeah, but foot on the clutch first.

-Yeah, it was, it was, it was.

-That's it, lad. You'll get this.

These cars, you have to caress them and it's clutch...

-and then gear stick.

-Do you like walking?

Luckily, Raj has taken to the shopping

a bit quicker than the driving,

acquiring some silver, an army canteen, some sconces,

a riding crop and some egg timers for a mere £55...

-Can I make you an amazing offer?

-Yes, they usually are.

..leaving £145 in his wallet, while Charles went for a very different

approach, splashing out £72 on just one item.

I thought we were friends.

Which leaves him almost £130 to spend today.

-Raj, R-A-J?

-R-A-J, yeah.

-In English it means king.

-In English Raj means king?

-King, yes.

-Crikey me.

Later, they'll be making for an auction at Winchcombe,

but our next stop is in Hungerford.

Perched on the westernmost edge of Berkshire,

the point where southeast meets southwest England,

Hungerford, in a quiet sort of way, is something of a transport hub.

A good spot for antiques, too.

-Good to see you. What a gorgeous part of the world.

-Isn't it?

-Hungerford.

-Yeah.

-And you know what, I'm hungry for antiques.

Yes, he was on a bit of a diet while Raj merrily tucked in,

so time to pig out, Charles.

-A lovely Victorian boar's head. Isn't he wonderful?

-Pricey though.

-Ah, YOU look more like it.

-I love the little sheep. That's cute.

A little antique porcelain figure of a ewe, priced £95.

In the 18th century, the likes of Chelsea as a factory

and Charles Gouyn, they were renowned

for making these whimsical objects.

Often they were made as scent bottles or were just toys

for ladies of an important house to enjoy.

The dealer's put, "Possibly Rockingham." Ah-ha. How much?

-What about 80?

-It's got a couple of chipped ears.

He's a small little sheep. He's a bit tired. Do you want to do £50?

-Well, let's see if I can squeeze £50 out of him.

-OK.

-I might hold him for a second. Is that OK?

-You may. Get acquainted.

-Yes, I will do.

-Or even go for a stroll. What's he seen then?

I quite like him. He's not overly exciting, but it's always quite nice

to question a label, and I'm a Derby man.

I'm a Derby ram and this is my Derby ewe. How are you, girl?

So, in fact, she was made in Derby not Rockingham.

Sometimes you really can't leave a bit of Derby history behind

and if she can be the right price, I think this Derby girl's

coming to auction. I'll find Alex.

-What you think, Charles?

-Yeah, I like her.

What's the best price on her? Have you called the dealer?

-50 offered. 60 is the bottom. OK?

-Yeah, fine.

I think his crook is firmly around that little ewe, Alex,

but he's still got the appetite for more.

This tray here is probably a tray from the late 18th,

early 19th century. People often will grumble about condition

but where you've got honest wear like here, splits on here,

and it's got stains on, you've got scars.

But to me, if you want a good brew with a pedigree,

why not serve it on something that's had experience?

Alex, this tray here, it's tired, it's a bit worn...

OK, I understand the condition isn't at its best,

so I think that we can do a pretty good deal on this.

It's priced a £19.99.

I like your retail style but what's your wholesale hardness?

-Well, what about £9.99?

-Really? £9.99?

Well, do you know what? I will happily give you £10...

OK, add the extra penny on.

..because when you can serve tea on a tray and say,

"My tray was made 15 years before the Battle of Waterloo."

That's history. Thanks a lot.

-That means I owe you 70 for the ewe and the tray.

-OK.

It could make a fiver, some experts like Raj could even say,

"Hanson, you've bought some firewood."

So, with his Derby ewe in pocket

and a nice bit of Georgian firmly in hand, Charles seems happy enough.

But what about Raj as he takes our route back west

towards Salisbury Plain and the village of Avebury,

where he's come to find out about Alexander Keiller,

the man who put the village on the World Heritage map?

-Hello, there.

-Hello.

-Hi, Ros. I'm Raj.

-Hi. Welcome to Avebury.

Beautiful. It looks gorgeous.

Nowadays, this 16th-century manor belongs to the National Trust

but back in 1935, it became the headquarters of

the Morven Institute for Archaeological Research,

an incredible project to restore the stones

of the Avebury Neolithic Henge,

but the Scottish millionaire behind it was no less fascinating.

He was the last of the Keillers of Dundee Marmalade family

and, when he reached its majority, he got out of marmalade

and really spent the rest of his life using that money

-to do interesting things.

-Indulging his passion?

-Yes.

As well as archaeology,

Keiller was passionate about quite a lot of things,

trying his hand at fast cars, the study of witchcraft

and a good deal of wine, women and song.

He was a very sociable person, I think.

One skiing trip, they got through 150 cocktails

before dinner and there were only 16 of them...

-Sounds like a good night out.

-..and he said something like,

"I think it was 150, but after that I don't recall." So...

Keiller learned to fly during World War I

and in the 1920s he made his first real foray into archaeology,

piloting a De Havilland to take the aerial photographs

that were published as Wessex from the Air.

He also bought a Neolithic site nearby

to save it from development and then turned his attention to Avebury.

So, when Keiller arrived, what was here?

Not many of the original 200 stones were visible at all.

In fact, there were only 15 standing.

In the Middle Ages, they'd taken to burying the stones

and in the 17th and 18th centuries, they'd taken to breaking them up

-and building houses and walls.

-Keiller set about restoring

the four and a 4,500-year-old monument,

three huge circles that surround the village.

He also built a museum.

All in all, a vastly expensive project, which not only provided

much-needed employment in the area but also provoked some controversy.

He went to great lengths, didn't he, to clear some of the site?

Oh, absolutely. It was an enormous undertaking

and, in fact, he actually pulled down a small number of buildings,

including a couple of houses in this part of the site,

because they were actually on the line of the stone circle.

For all the work that's been done, we're still nowhere near discovering

what the true purpose of Avebury or nearby Stonehenge really was.

However, one particular stone does have a story to tell.

We call that the barber-surgeon and it was one of the stones

excavated by Alexander Keiller in 1938, and they found

a skeleton of a man between the stone and the side of the pit.

He had a pair of iron scissors and a little metal probe object

and three coins, and the coins allowed it to be dated to the 1320s.

Keiller came round to thinking that it could be a barber-surgeon,

people who shaved, cut hair but also did little medical things, too.

Some of Keiller's ancestors had been barber-surgeons and whalers

in the North Sea, and I think he rather liked that connection.

Keiller's work was interrupted when the war broke out in 1939

and, a few years later, he sold his land to the National Trust.

He died in 1955, but the incredible legacy

of the playboy-turned-archaeologist remains.

Avebury became a World Heritage Site in 1986.

In a slightly busier bit of the county,

Charles is on the search for just one more shop

in the market town of Royal Wootton Bassett. It joined Leamington

and Tunbridge Wells in getting that rare prefix in 2011.

Wow. How are you?

-I'm doing very good.

-You must be Ed, as in the front door.

-As in "eddintheclouds".

-Eddintheclouds. Great.

Perhaps the name refers to the almost virtual nature

of Ed's business, with quite a bit sold online, but Charles,

despite his now limited funds, is certainly enjoying a close look.

-I love your little chair over here.

-The little Orkney one?

-Liberty and Co.

-Just tell me. We call it an Orkney chair why?

-They were made in Orkney.

-Were they?

-They were.

Liberty were shipping probably about a couple of hundred a month

-but they're just a classic...

-Isn't that a gorgeous chair?

-Circa 1910?

-1900, 1910.

-The best price would be...?

I would probably say 190.

Oh, I wish I hadn't spent all my money earlier on. Oh, no.

I can't afford it!

And if you can't stretch to the chair,

don't even think about this hallstand.

This is in that Voysey, Art Nouveau...

-It's Shapland & Petter.

-Shapland & Petter.

-From their catalogues.

-Oh...

If I guessed, I would have thought you would retail that today for...

-£1,250.

-You are bang on.

-1,250. There we go.

OK, Raj, watch me. I can play big, as well.

Time for Ed to point Charles towards something more affordable

-I think I've got a stool for you.

-Have you?

-Yes.

-This one here?

Yeah. Again, it's most likely Liberty & Co.

-The coffee stool is what they were sold as originally.

-So, this is a Liberty retail stool?

-Yeah, Liberty, in the 1880s, were into this kind of...

-Moorish...

Moorish look.

Funnily enough, I spoke to a gentleman who possibly thinks

-these were possibly made in Tunbridge Wells.

-Really?

Yeah, when the Tunbridge Ware market declined.

You've got almost this Islamic Moorish-influenced top

in mother-of-pearl, in ebony. But over the years,

the mosaic has become lost and the jigsaw is very incomplete...

-Yeah, sadly.

-..because there's no bits to go with it now.

-I like this but it is tired.

-Somebody could have a go,

peel the tops off and have a cute little stool with that.

Yeah. I think it's quite attractive. How much is it?

In that condition, £25.

-Goodness me.

-That is affordable.

-You can't say no to that.

-No.

Let me give it some thought. There was one thing just downstairs

that caught my eye, and what I'm quite tempted to do

-is put the two together and see what price we come out at.

-Okey doke.

Now we're getting somewhere. What's he spotted down there?

Aah, some proper Tunbridge.

Here we have got a complete micro-mosaic of parquetry,

inlaid in rosewood and ebony, and this I presume is a clothes brush?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, a clothes brush of probably 1900, 1910,

made in Tunbridge Ware. How much could that be?

-It's £15.

-£15, yeah. Do you now to use a clothes brush, Ed?

-Barely.

-No, well, you ought to. No, I'm only...

So, what I'd like to do is make you an offer for the Liberty stool

-upstairs...

-Yup.

-..and this small clothes brush.

If I said to you, "Eddie, I'll take the two",

could you give me any discount on the two together?

-What could you do for me?

-Oh...

-How about if I said to you 30?

-That's really good.

Yeah, I'd be silly to say no.

-Thanks a lot.

-Good luck with them.

Thanks a lot. I'm delighted. That's great.

It's not bad, Charles. Now, whither Raj?

Remember his flying start?

He already has quite enough for the auction, thanks very much,

but just in case, he's come to Devizes,

that charming Wiltshire market town, to see if he can manage

just one more purchase.

-SHOP DOORBELL RINGS Hi, I'm Raj.

-I'm John.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, John.

-What a lovely shop you've got here.

-Thank you very much.

I'm sure he says that to all the proprietors

but this time, he surely means it.

There's got to be a bargain or two tucked away in here.

You've got a nice big collection of apothecary jars.

I cleared a chemist shop that had been stored up since about the 1950s.

These are quite collectable as well, some of these.

They are. They're almost a museum in one piece.

-There's a few headache cures in there.

-Yeah, I bet, I bet.

That's a no to the jars then. What is his game?

I was very nervous at the start, to be perfectly honest,

and up against Charles, as well...

He's a tough cookie, so I've decided to tread softly at the moment.

I wonder if he's got any silver downstairs.

Ah, well, in that case. Yes, that one.

It's a pretty little Art Nouveau silver rose vase,

is what I would call it, and it's got a few dents on it,

but it's quite pretty. It's priced at £45, which I think that John knows...

It's a little bit on the heavy side. What could be the best on it?

30 quid. You're right, it's a little bit dinked.

What other silver have you got?

That's a nice little silver sugar shaker, isn't it?

The hallmark is extremely rubbed and I would say

that its period was...

maybe only just. I would say this is probably turn-of-the-century.

What would be the best on this?

Well, as it just got here, I could probably flip that for 160.

That's not a bad price but you have to remember,

this is my first Roadtrip, OK, so a lot hangs on this for me,

so I need a little bit of help along the way.

-I'll give you a little bit of beginner's luck.

-OK.

I'll do that for 135 and that's the death on it.

He's got the cash, but he's sticking to his cautious tactics.

-Back to the vase.

-Can you do a bit better on that for me?

-28.

-How about 20?

-It's too tight.

-20 is too tight?

-Cos it is damaged.

-I know.

-And I'm going to have to sell it

-with something else.

-It's...a little bit low.

Shall we say 24 and we've got a deal?

-We've got a deal.

-OK.

-Thank you very much indeed. Lovely.

A final canny buy for our Raj.

Now, let's remind ourselves what they both acquired.

Charles spent £172 on a silver dish,

a ewe, a Liberty table,

a George III tray and a clothes brush,

while Raj parted with just £79 for some sconces,

egg timers, a water bottle,

a riding crop and some silver.

So, what did they make of all that lot?

He knows the game. He's been here before

and, to be honest, it's a nice parcel.

I wouldn't say he's bought knobbly knick-knacks,

but he's bought some very small lots.

I know I've played cautious, but...

fingers crossed it should be OK.

He was telling me in the car how he's spent in the past, £1,000

for this, £5,000 for that and in fact his table top

in our first road trip is very much £5 that, £10 that.

Charles has bought well, but watch out for the newbie.

After setting off from Corsham,

our experts are now heading

for their first auction

at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire.

-# Heigh-ho

-Heigh-ho!

# Heigh-ho! #

# Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to auction we go.

-See, you can sing!

-Well, I can do Heigh-ho.

Designated as a walker-friendly town, Winchcombe features

on six long-distance footpaths, including the 102-mile Cotswold Way.

-This is it.

-Here we go.

-We've built our foundations on this, OK?

-High five.

-Good luck.

Welcome to British Bespoke Auctions, home of the famous Bella.

Pretty, ain't she?

I wonder what auctioneer Nicholas Granger makes of our lot's lots.

There's a couple that are a bit dodgy, if I can say that word.

The little table, the Liberty-style table needs a lot of work to it.

There's a couple of little silver items,

which are quite nice but damaged again.

They're worth something but how much will they do on the day? We'll see later.

My favourite is definitely the 18th-century Persian silver dish.

I think that is spectacular. I think that's going to do well.

-That would be my tip for the day.

-So, who will win the first round?

Roadtrip regular or our brand-new boy?

Just have a quick look round at the people in here.

They're smiling away. Hello, madam. She's here. We'll be OK.

We're starting off with Raj's sconces.

I'm going to start off here with a commission bid.

-With me at £35 on the book.

-Wow.

-At 35, 38, 40.

40 now with me. Looking for 42, and 2 and 5

and 50, 55. £55 we have.

-At £55.

-Wow.

-Do we get £60? Have we got 60 in the room?

Raj is jumping up and down. We've got 50 here. We need £60.

I'm going to give fair warning with the sconces at £55. Are we sure?

-Going once, twice...

-Well-played.

-At £55...

-GAVEL BANGS

-..sold. Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-The first of many, I'm sure.

-I can relax now.

-That's amazing! £55.

What a start. You've almost doubled up.

Now for Charles's bargain Tunbridge Ware brush.

-If this doesn't make £40...

-Get out of here!

..you're going to have to hold me back

cos I'm going to put my hands up, OK?

Brush yourselves down with this one. With the bidding at £30.

-Oh, wow!

-Commission bid. Looking for 32 now.

-Let's go.

-We're looking for a 32.

-Come on.

-32, 35, and £38 here.

£38 we've got now. It's got to be worth 40, surely?

-Charlie, it's got to be worth 40.

-I hope so.

-We've got 38 here then.

We're going to sell it at £38 then.

-Going once and the hammer goes down. Sold. Thank you.

-That's good.

More profits. We started well.

-So, you're ahead.

-It's amazing.

-So now I'm playing catch up.

Well, reach for your whip then, Raj. Another cracking buy.

Commission bids on this, ladies and gentlemen,

-at £28. At 28, now looking for 30.

-That's awesome.

32, 35, 38,

42 with you. £42. We have £42 in the room now on my left at 42.

-That's awesome, well done.

-With you in the room at £42.

And 45 sitting down, sir, on my right. At 45 and 8?

At 48 here. Looking for 50. Do I have 50 on the net?

I've got 48 in the room then.

I'm going to crack the whip at £48 then.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Sold.

-That's massive.

-Yeah, I'm pleased with that.

-Who is this guy?

Advantage Raj. Will Charles's George III tray carry all before it?

Who'll start me on this at £20? £20 we're looking for.

-It needs a little bit of repair but it's a nice tray.

-Thanks, mate.

-Thanks, mate! How are you?

-At £20. Looking for 22 elsewhere.

Have I got 22 in the room or at home?

-It's a George III tray, ladies and gentlemen.

-Oh, it's wonderful.

-I'm looking for £22.

-Good man!

-22 we've got now

and 25, you're going to go. Now I'm looking for 28.

Thank you, sir, you're a good man.

-We will sell then...

-That's a good price.

-It's cheap, it's cheap.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Sold to the room.

You're a good man. Thanks a lot.

I'm going to try that on my next thing, OK?

So, could I have some support?

Worth a try, Raj. Maybe on your egg timers.

Start the bidding on those, shall we? At £20, we're looking for.

Looking for £20 in the room. OK, 15 I'll take.

-£50? 50?

-15.

-How much?

..at £18 in the room. Now I'm looking for 20.

-Brilliant. That's massive profit. Well done.

-Shh!

I'm not finished yet, I'm not finished yet.

At 25 sitting down here. Looking for 28 elsewhere.

28 on the net now. 28 and 30, sir?

£30 sitting down.

-W-w-wait, I'm hoping that it's not over.

-One more bid perhaps?

-One more bid?

-I'm going to sell then at £30...

-GAVEL BANGS

-..to the room. Thank you.

He kept quiet, but they still picked up a profit.

Can Charles's Liberty table match it?

-I could be in trouble. Here we go.

-Here we go.

-Pray, Hansen.

Don't look round. Cut that out.

-A low cheeky bid at £15.

-Oh!

-At £15.

-Oh!

-Shh...

Looking for 18. At 18 with you, sir, in the room...

-You've done it, you've done it.

-I'm still down.

Would you like to go, sir? 28, would you like to go?

-28 now with you at £28...

-I'm still very down.

-..at 28 on my right. At 28 bid.

-Hello, the world. You're out.

Going once, twice at £28 to the gentleman in the room.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Sold. Thank you.

Someone's got a bargain. Now for Raj's little silver collection.

-It's a good lot. Will it make £100?

-No. Oh, shut up.

-You're just winding me up now.

-Who's going to start the bidding at £15?

-At 15, we've got here straight away.

-Profit. Is that profit?

-No.

We've got £15 on this for Raj. Have we got 18 elsewhere? At 18.

-We've got £15 only, in the room or at home.

-The game's on now.

-At £18.

I'll sell at 15 then. A bargain. And 18 on the net now.

We've got 18 in now. Thank you, at 18. Looking for...

-High-five. High-five.

-No, no. Shh! Be quiet, you.

At £18 to the net... Sold. Thank you.

-Off we go!

-HE GROANS

That's his first loss.

HE BLEATS Sorry?

-HE BLEATS

-I hear the big bleat, don't I?

Quite. Charles's favourite ewe. Was she a bit of a gabble?

I'm praying. This could flop.

I'm looking for £30 in the room or at home. It is Derby.

-You've got a commission at 15.

-I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble.

Looking for £18 in the room or on the net. At £15 a commission bid.

At 18 sitting down in the room. At 18 now. At 18. Looking for a 20.

-Thank you, 20 in the room now.

-Oh, no.

-Now at £20 and 2?

Would you like to go, sir? At 22.

And 5? Are you sure?

-Oh, I don't believe it.

-At £22 in the room then.

Going once, twice at £22 on the sheep.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Sold.

No words necessary. Charles has made a big loss.

But can Raj take advantage with yet another bargain buy?

Starting the bidding at £15. We have on that at 15.

Looking for 18 elsewhere. At 15 now. I'm looking for £18.

It must be worth more. At 18 in the room, sir, thank you very much.

At £18 with you. Looking for 20 now.

At £18, we're going to sell. Once, twice, at £18...

-Get it down.

-..hammer down. Charles says, "Hammer down."

-Sold!

-That'll do. Thank you, that's OK.

-That's good. Happy? Look at me.

-Yeah.

A tidy return but it all comes down to the Persian silver,

Charles's biggest buy. The auctioneer's tip, too.

-Don't worry, Charles. It's going to be all right, OK?

-All right. Thanks.

Commission bids on this, ladies and gentlemen. At £120 starting.

-Get in. We're in business.

-130. Looking for 140, 150...

-Let the net run now.

-Come on, then!

-160, 170, 180.

180 now. Looking for 190. 190 now on the net, 190.

-I'm pumped up.

-That'll be 220.

-Let's go.

-200 we've got here.

-At 200 and 220 now.

-Come on then!

-At 220, 220, 240 now.

-240 bid!

-This is good.

-Yeah.

..at 240. We're looking for 260.

Once, twice, at £240...

-Sold.

-Thanks a lot. Thanks, auctioneer.

-Well done.

-Thanks a lot, chief. Thanks very much.

-That's a good buy.

Charles's boldness pays off and the old hand wins the day.

-Come on, mate.

-HE GROANS

Raj, who started out with £200, made, after paying auction costs,

a profit of £59.58,

leaving him with £259.58 to spend next time,

while Charles began with the same sum, and after paying auction costs,

he made a profit of £117.46

so he takes an early lead with £317.46.

-I'm getting the idea now.

-You are, yeah.

-So, game on.

-Ah, the sunshine.

-Don't tell me, it reminds you of Persia.

-What a day.

Next on Antiques Roadtrip, there's double deals...

How much are they for the pair?

-£100.

-And between friends?

-110.

-CHARLES LAUGHS

-..and car-boot sales.

-Raj?

-Keep your eyes closed.

What's going in the boot? There's a fair weight in there.