Episode 15 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts with ?00 each,

-a classic car and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-That hurts.

Have I got it the right way up?

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

-There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

-I look like the Mad Hatter.

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

I'm only in this programme to be Anita Manning's chauffeur.

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah.

This week, the 1965 Sunbeam Alpine has carried experts Anita Manning and Philip Serrell

across the north of England. It's been an eventful journey.

I need somebody to help me. I need a mechanic.

It's a great pity, as far as I'm concerned,

that the government have abandoned the scrapping scheme, because that's where I'd put this.

Auctioneer Phil, from Worcester, is a man who likes to buy big.

How much is the tractor?

Anita from Glasgow, also an auctioneer sometimes forgets to buy at all.

She is bonkers, honestly, completely bonkers.

Phil started this road trip with ?00

and has built that up to a handsome ?75.86,

employing some unusual tactics.

I don't want to do boring antiques, I want to go and buy something really daft again.

Anita also began with ?00

and has turned that into an only slightly less impressive ?06.74.

The bond between Phil and Anita has grown strong

and, as their last road trip gets underway, they just take a moment.

-It's the last leg.

-Yeah, I know.

-Are you going to miss me?

-Yeah, I've enjoyed this trip you know, really I have.

-You've been jolly good company.

-Ah, it's been great.

-Are you going to catch me up today?

-Well, you never know. I can be a dark horse.

So can I. I'm going to leave you here.

Wait for me.

This week the road trip started out in Ford in the far north of England,

ventured into Scotland, before winding its way southwards

and will conclude today at Harrogate in Yorkshire.

The final leg takes our pair of experts from Eccleston in Lancashire

across the Pennines to the grand finale in Harrogate.

Eccleston sits on the River Yarrow,

is one of the boroughs of St Helens and was once home to their rugby league team.

Hoping of conversions of bargains into profits,

our two experts both start their shopping together.

-Here we are, eventually.

-This place looks massive, doesn't it?

-Right, let's go then.

-OK.

-I'll race you.

-No, no, no. Hey, no racing.

Phil and Anita's first stop is Bygone Times in Eccleston.

-Good luck.

-And to you.

-Not too much.

A collection of individual stalls housed in an old weaving mill

that used to make parachutes during the Second World War. Chocks away!

The trouble with a place like this is that it's absolutely massive.

And so you've got to just try and, you know.

It really is a question of seeing the wood for the trees.

Anita has beaten a path to this big boy.

Philip thinks I make a lot of noise.

With that big drum I could make a lot more noise.

-It must appeal to her

-bass

-instincts. Ticket price, ?8.

It's a bass drum.

I don't know anything about it. I don't know how old it is,

but I do like it and I think it's quite good fun, and it seems in perfect working order.

I'm no expert on percussion but I'd say that's working.

That's great fun, isn't it?

Phil, meanwhile, is dancing to the beat of a different drum.

Now, that is good fun, isn't it?

The old melody's still there, isn't it? You know, I haven't lost it.

So, that's a bit dodge.

That clearly doesn't work at all.

There's something missing here.

The snare drum doesn't work,

there's no bass drum pedal and the high-hat's broken.

Apart from that, it's fine. Walk away, Phil.

At the other side of this huge complex, Anita is getting into her rhythm,

haggling down the phone with the absent owner of the bass drum.

Can you bring that down to about 30 quid?

?0.

Oh, that sounds great.

Now, what I want to do is to buy the wee music stand as well.

You've got that in at 6.50.

Could I buy that at ??

The lot for 30? You are a darling.

Interesting haggling technique, that. The owner has taken less than Anita offered.

She's given me both of them for ?0. Isn't that lovely?

Come on, Phil, time to start buying.

I think that's a really nice thing.

That's a scribe for marking out mortise and tenon joints

when you're making a piece of furniture.

It's in rosewood and brass.

You look at the calibre of that and the workmanship in that.

I think this one's got some cheap things.

Phil wants a closer look. If we can just get this cabinet open.

-Have you got the right keys yet?

-Have you got the right key yet?

-I have.

-Are you sure?

-Definitely.

-Really?

That's all right, I've changed my mind now, thanks. I don't want anything.

That's lovely, isn't it?

I just think that's a really lovely thing.

And what happens is, that block should move.

And then this thing here moves up and down there.

And then you mark the piece of timber like that.

This is a Stanley spirit level, isn't it?

So this was made in 1896 and it's American, so... I never knew that.

So Stanley tools must have originated in America.

Phil's thinking of making up a job lot of tools.

When did you develop this passion for DIY, Phil?

Oh, look at that. Can I have a look at that thing there, please?

Which is a... What is that?

It's a Ward Payne mortise lock chisel.

That's a serious taparooney-booney, that is.

Ah! A taparooney-booney. You don't see many of those about these days.

So can I have a look at that as well, please?

And that's a mortise chisel. So, presumably, that would have,

you'd have gauged the wood out with that, that you'd marked,

so there's a bit of a connection between the two, isn't there?

How much is that?

That's ?9. What else have we got?

19 and 9 is... How much is 19 and 9?

You should have bought a slide rule, Phil.

28 and 12.

That's, sort of, 40 quid, isn't it?

Inner sanctum. Come on, in we go.

Time for some tough talking, best done in the secrecy of the staff room.

20 squid. You can't do any better than that? 20 squid.

25?

You're doing this job well, aren't you? Go on, 20 quid.

-Go on then, it's a deal.

-You're a gentleman. Thank you very much indeed.

The real joy of this is that if they do fail at auction, I've always got a new career, haven't I?

Great, Phil is up and running.

And Anita's money is obviously burning a hole in her pocket.

-Look at those lampshades. They're fabulous, aren't they?

-Do you think so?

-Yes. Is that modern, is that new?

-It will be, yeah.

Do you like that type of stuff? I see it's got a sort of retro feel.

I like it but I wouldn't have it in my house.

I wouldn't have it in my shed, even for a mere ?2 asking price.

It's the lime green, it's just so obscene.

I like it because it's so in-your-face

It's a thing that somebody will either love or hate.

But it's a bit of fun about it.

You know, it's looking back to the 1960s

and I remember the 1960s myself.

-Can you do me a deal on it?

-We can do it for 6.

-You can do it for 6?

-Yes.

-That's a deal. Thank you very, very much. Thank you.

-Do you think I'll make a profit on that?

-No.

I think Phil will think that this is probably the most horrible thing

that has been bought on the Antiques Road Trip.

Well, I think that's a bit unfair

but I still don't think he'll like it much. Oh, careful, Anita.

Now, what's Phil messing about with?

Well, this is a wool-winder and you're in the wool area

and mills are prevalent.

This is an old mill. And I just think this is just a real cool thing.

Like an old, married couple, Phil and Anita are starting to think with one mind.

Because on the other side of this huge emporium...

And this is a wool-winder.

And I think that this would be a nice thing

to buy in this building.

I think it must be Victorian. It's ?75, which is a lot of money,

but I want to spend some money.

If you're going to put something into auction,

you've got to buy things that you can't put a price on.

So if you buy a Worcester figure or a Doulton vase or a whatever,

all you've got to do is look it up on any price guide site

and it will give you the value of it.

Go find one of those. Well, you might do,

but it's going to be harder to find.

Phil decides that his wool-winder is worth a punt.

So it's off to the front desk

to see if there's any give on the ?0 ticket price.

The thing is, I've got to be tactically clever here,

cos Anita's about ?0 or ?0 behind me,

so I've got to try and box clever.

Buy mean, but at the same time, buy things I like or are interesting.

This is a real good bit of fun.

Now watch my lips, Paul. 25 quid.

-Go on, have a deal.

-Go on then.

-Good man! Right, I've got to get polishing now.

Have you got any Brasso and a duster, please?

Anita also wants to get a good price for her wool-winder.

The dealer isn't around, so she must negotiate with Emma,

one of the assistants at the centre.

I can take 10% off that, then, without contacting them.

Right, OK. It's at 175.

10% off, that's taking me to about 160.

Would I be able to buy that for,

say...

...130?

-Yeah, I'll do it.

-You'll do that?

-Yeah. No problem.

-You're a wonderful Lancashire lass.

-No problem.

-Thank you very much.

-All right, thank you.

I feel quite touched. I got it for 130.

I don't know what it's worth. I don't know how it works.

But it makes me think about Lancashire.

Two antiques experts, two wool-winders.

There's the robust, down to earth model,

and the classy, elegant, but more expensive end of the market.

-Did you have a nice time?

-I had a really good time.

-Good, wasn't it?

-Clearly, you did well.

I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it.

Tell me a woman that doesn't enjoy shopping.

Some money has been spent, some items bought.

So I think Phil can take his foot off the pedal for a while

and do a bit of sightseeing.

Anita drives him the six short miles

from Eccleston to Chorley.

-That's a lovely house, that.

-I'm looking forward to this.

See you later. Have a good one. Spend lots of money.

I love that house.

Phil is off to meet Pamela, who's going to show him round Astley Hall.

And you've brought the weather with you.

There's been a property on this site since the 16th century,

with much of the current house being designed and built in the 1660s,

when Richard Brooke married the heiress to Astley Hall, Margaret Charnock.

It's famous for its plasterwork ceilings

and, no doubt, Phil will be looking forward to seeing those.

-Can I look at your kitchen?

-Yes.

-Which way do we go?

Or the kitchen(!) I'm sure the kitchen is lovely too.

This is a fantastic room. I love these things here.

-That's a lump of sugar.

-It is, yeah.

Because that's how, before granulated sugar...

-And these are for cutting the sugar.

-They are.

The social history of seeing that and that

as your sugar is fantastic.

It's the arrival, isn't it, of sugar during the Tudor period?

Now, Phil. The ceilings. Can we see the ceilings?

That's a fantastic door.

The whole of the panelling in this room is absolutely fantastic.

-Oh wow, let me look.

-The door is simply part of the panelling

that fits into the whole of the room.

That's just fantastic, isn't it?

And now that the gilded work has been restored,

doesn't it have a fantastic reflection against it?

It's just, you know, a massively expensive timber, that.

Absolutely, for the period, yeah.

It's a very fine door, but the ceilings,

they might be worth a passing glance(!)

These magnificent 17th century ceilings

are often said to be amongst the finest in England.

The plaster is made of a mixture of mud, horse hair and wine,

with some of the figures made of leather and lead.

You know, you say about the social history aspect of it?

I feel that's the bit I like about it.

It's just showing off the wealth of the Brooke family.

This young couple, they get married and it does celebrate their marriage.

You've got all the little cupids. You've got... I think that's a little dove that he's holding.

The 3D 17th century magnificence couldn't fail to be appreciated

by a man of breeding and culture such as Phil.

He's in for a real treat.

You know, hand on heart, genuinely, I don't like this.

-Oh.

-I just find it a bit overpowering,

a bit scary, and it's a bit the stuff of nightmares for me.

-But that doesn't mean that you can't appreciate it.

-No.

There's a corn on the cob over there, look.

Exactly, and that is what the Brooke family are trying to say, aren't they?

They're reflecting new foods.

It's reflecting their wealth. They can afford...

They're trying to show that they can afford this type of food that's come from the Americas.

The work in it is unbelievable, isn't it?

There's not that many buildings with this type of ceiling left in them

-and that's why people come here.

-You say not many.

I wouldn't profess to be the most travelled person,

but I've never seen a ceiling like this.

I tell you something, I mean, I can really appreciate this,

but I'm definitely going to go to bed tonight with the lights on, let me tell you.

Meanwhile, Anita has driven just over 12 miles, from Astley Hall to Darwen.

She has already bought three items

and is hoping to find a couple more in this Aladdin's cave.

This is very, very interesting.

-Oh gees, it's lovely to see you.

-Nice to meet you, lovely.

This is...wow!

This is fabulous. This is like an adventure playground.

Anita has to generate ?0 on Phil

to win this week's road trip.

She needs to find something that will make some serious cash.

There is stuff everywhere.

Everywhere.

If that's a watercolour, it's a nice watercolour.

On the other hand, if it's a print, a copy of the original painting,

it won't be worth nearly as much.

Shop owner, Stephen, can give us some background on the artist.

He lives in the same village as me. Adrian Rigby.

-He's quite well known.

-Is this a watercolour or a print?

I think so. I think it's a watercolour, yeah.

I'm not sure. To be absolutely 100% sure, you'd need to have it out.

Yeah, I know.

-How much is it?

-?0.

?0? For what might be a print?

Be careful, Anita.

There's so much stuff here. I'm going to leave that there

and I'm going to think about that strongly.

Shop owner Stephen can sense Anita is keen on the bird

and comes up with an intriguing offer.

A former colleague who actually bought this.

He remembers, he bought it from a from a charity shop.

He thinks it's definitely a watercolour and he said,

if you buy it, he'll donate half back to the charity.

-No pressure there.

-That sounds great.

I'll tell you, there's another thing that I fancied.

Something completely different.

I looked at this wee darling here.

It's got a lovely, naive quality.

-The horse has a twinkle in its eye.

-Yeah.

I quite like that as well. Is that very expensive?

-No, he's buyable, I think.

-He's buyable.

-I think it is.

-But you don't know how much money I've got left.

-No, I don't, no.

-85.

-85.

-Yeah.

-Doesn't cost a lot to feed.

-Doesn't cost a lot to feed.

-It doesn't, no.

If I bought the two of them together,

could I be in the region of 100 quid?

GASPS

-Is that sore?

-Very sore!

-Is it?

-Is it lethally sore?

-Almost.

-Is it?

-Almost.

165 and you've offered 100.

So what about we split the difference at 135?

What about 125?

-Done.

-You are a darling. Thank you so much.

So, Anita has now spent ?91 on five lots

and is nicely positioned for the auction in Harrogate.

-It's all going very well.

-Thank you.

Which is more than can be said for the car.

-Got it.

-Hurray!

That's better. Anita heads off to pick up Phil

and then it's off to the hotel for a well-earned rest after a busy day shopping.

Oh. The car has other ideas.

The clutch. Neutral.

The car is going nowhere fast. And it's rush hour.

She's not going to be popular. Uh-oh.

Here's a nice young man coming along to her rescue.

-Do you know anything about cars?

-Maybe not.

I need somebody to help me. I need a mechanic.

Meanwhile, Phil waits patiently.

Just when all seems lost, a white van man comes to the rescue.

I can have a quick look if you want?

Come on. You're a pair of darlings.

I've got a friend who's a mechanic. Do you want me to get him here?

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, yeah, he'll be all right. I'll ring him up now.

They've got a pal who's a mechanic

and they're going to phone him

and see if he'll come up and give us a hand.

Aren't they nice? Quite good-looking as well.

Meanwhile, Phil waits patiently.

What's it done?

-Has it just stopped?

-It's just stopped.

A pair of jump leads seem to be the solution.

This is like a wee party, isn't it?

-They look like they've been to better parties.

-There we go.

CHEERING

I don't know why it stopped but I know it's running.

Meanwhile, Phil's called a cab. Night-night.

The next morning, and on the way to the first shop of the day,

Anita reflects on her car trouble of yesterday.

She is being a little temperamental at the moment.

She's doing not too badly this morning.

That's cos we haven't changed gear yet.

Yesterday Anita spent ?91 on five items,

including a wool-winder and this big bass drum.

Phil spent ?5. He also bought a wool-winder,

together with a collection of joiner's tools.

It's a serious taparooney-booney, that is.

The pair are ultimately heading to Harrogate.

And the first drive today takes them from Darwen to Haslingden.

-This looks rather nice, Philip.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

Anita isn't planning to buy any more items,

so she's on Easy Street this morning.

I feel very, very relaxed today

because I've bought five items,

I like them all. I'm under no pressure to buy any more.

Phil, on the other hand, has only a couple of auction lots,

so he needs to get cracking.

Phil Serrell is under pressure

and that's exactly where I like him to be.

That's an interesting thing. What on earth is it?

I quite like that but what on earth it is,

how old it is and what it does, I haven't got a clue.

Maybe shop owner Peter can help him out here.

-What do you think that is, then?

-We've had several ideas,

but the one that we're settling on, we think it's a viscosity tester.

Viscosity is the stickiness of liquid, for want of a better word, isn't it?

So you actually put the oil on, put the block on,

and then raise the gradient until, obviously, you get the movement

to give you the viscosity of that liquid.

I think you've got a very vivid imagination, sir.

Phil's found another item that's just the ticket.

Now there's a sellable lot, if ever I saw one.

It's a ticket collector's thingy, look,

off a bus or a train or something.

Oh, I think we've got to have a look at that.

How could you possibly live your life without having...

"any more fares?" I think those are fun as well.

Those carpet bowls, we better have a look at those.

They do what they say on the tin.

They're a set of bowls that you play on the carpet inside.

So when it was raining and you couldn't get onto the bowling green,

you got your carpet bowls out and you played on the carpet.

Phil lines up his three potential buys at the front desk.

Time to start bargaining.

Right, so we've got a real sporting lot here, haven't we?

-That looks like you've got a price on for ?8.

-Yes.

-That was priced up at how much?

-45.

Right, that's 45. And that's 42.

-Well, individually, I mean, that could be 15.

-OK.

-That's going to have to be in the region of ?0.

-OK.

And these, again, in the region of ?0.

Right. I'm going to pass on that. I think it's a great lot, that. But I just...

I think it's too much of a gamble at auction.

OK, so now we're down to two items.

The carpet bowls and the mystery slope.

I'm going to definitely buy that, cos I think it's lunacy, I mean,

how can you sell what you don't even know what it is?

So, now, can I give you 30 quid for the two?

No. No, I can't do that.

-If you do 35 for the two, I'll have the two.

-I can do 40 for the two.

OK. Put that one over there. What's the best on that one?

-15.

-OK.

-I'm going to buy that. I'm definitely going to buy that. I'll have just that, thank you.

-OK.

It looks like Phil is walking away with just one item.

Although, the last minute arrival

of the owner of the ticket machine could change things.

I would give you a tenner for it but I wouldn't give you any more for it than that.

Give us 15 quid and we'll call it right.

12 quid and I'll give you a first class ticket.

-Go on then.

-You're a gent. Oh, hold on.

Oh look, it's broken there, look.

-You've bought it now.

-You're a gentleman. Thank you very much indeed.

Once the deal is done, Anita returns to see how Phil's been getting on.

-Hi Phil, how are you doing?

-Yeah, really well. You?

-Good.

-I've got something for you. Yeah.

-Oh, bus tickets? Thank you very much.

-Is the car not going? 13 pence.

-That's second class.

-Cardiff?

-Yes, Cardiff. Bye-bye.

Cardiff will have to wait, as Phil is offering Anita a luxury,

no expense spared, chauffeur-driven trip

from Haslingden to Burnley.

Oh, looks like they've put the flags out.

Our duo couldn't really visit Lancashire without at least one trip to a cotton mill.

And what a mill this is.

Queen's Street Mill, operated from 1895 until 1982,

and once housed over 1,000 working looms.

It's now Grade 1 listed

and has Scheduled Ancient Monument status.

Anita is meeting up with Conrad Varley.

-Hello Anita.

-Hello.

-Welcome to Queen's Street Mill.

-Oh, thank you very much.

I've been so excited about coming here because this is the last working mill.

The last working mill, as such, in the world.

I mean, at one period there was 100 mills of this size

producing plain calico.

So, at one period, there was more looms than people that actually lived in Burnley.

By 1982, calico production on such a scale was no longer financially viable,

and Queen's Street became a working museum.

Over 300 working looms are preserved in the weaving shed.

For once, Anita is not the loudest thing in the room.

Shame Phil's not here to see it.

What a noise!

You used to have to work in this eight hours per day.

-How did they communicate?

-Well, the method was called mee-mawing.

-Mee-mowing?

-Yes, but that was sort of like reading people's lips.

I would have said, "Hello, Anita".

-And I would say back, "Hello, Conrad".

-You've got it.

It's so loud that I've got to get out of here.

These looms are still powered by the factory's huge tandem compound steam engine.

The steam for that engine comes from the boilers, lovingly tended by boiler man Terry.

It's a Lancashire boiler. It's 30 foot long.

It's eight foot in diameter.

And, as you can see, the working level of water is water from there, right down to the base.

And we are, in fact, boiling 5,000 gallons of water.

So there's plenty of cups of tea or plenty of water for showers.

What we have...

-is that.

-Wow!

One man would actually run both boilers in his day.

And, if you just have a look at the coal there, that was a morning's work.

There's three ton of coal there, approximately.

And he went through six ton of coal per day, one man, all on his own.

Do you think if anybody can shovel coal, I could have a wee shot?

-Oh, yes, certainly. We've got some gloves here.

-All right.

What we'll do is we just go through.

Right. Small bit.

And try and swing.

Right.

Just a wee drop. Right.

Hey!

You've done it before.

That's the life of a Lancashire boiler man. They were very proud men,

all the brasses were always cleaned. They were very proud of what they did down here.

-You're quite proud of what you do?

-Oh yes. Yes. Yeah, it's mine.

-It's as simple as that.

-It's your baby.

-It's mine. Yeah.

As Anita struggles to build up a head of steam,

Phil is in much the same position.

Needing to buy and buy quickly for the auction in Harrogate,

he's heading to Whalley.

This large village is famous for the Whalley Arches,

a 48-span viaduct that crosses the Ribble Valley.

It dates from 1850 and contains 7 million bricks.

Phil will be hoping that Whalley has other old items of interest,

as he still needs to fill his swag bag for the auction.

So, a quick hello to shop owner, Philip Davies, and he's up and running.

And how much is that, there's no price on it?

I quite like those, how much are they?

-And what about all these corkscrews?

-They're a tenner each.

-Yeah, and those are?

-They're a fiver each.

-And how much is that one?

I say, Phil, steady on.

-OK, let's have a look round then.

-Do have a look.

And what would that be to a local collector? 3 and a half thousand?

And how much is that? How much is that?

And how much would a little wall clock like that one be?

Finally, Phil sees sense and calls in a little local knowledge.

Right, I'm going to need your help. I'm thinking that I need to go down

somewhere between the 20 and 40 quid route.

And I don't know, is there anything you would suggest to me?

The owner points Phil in the direction of a four-piece cruet collection.

-Are these old figures, these?

-1900, 1920s.

They're continental, aren't they?

Either that or Scottish, you know, Portobello.

Colourful little characters from Scotland? I'd have thought you'd had enough of them, Phil.

-And how much are those?

-They can be ?0 each.

I think I quite like those two, actually. There's a salt and a pepper.

-Can I give you 15 quid for those two?

-No, 20.

Go on then, I'll have those two off you.

-There we are.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you, Philip.

Just across the road is a shop that Phil simply couldn't resist.

The shop is called Country Furniture, but that doesn't really do it justice.

How much is the tractor?

This is a shop that will appeal to Philip's penchant for the big bits of stuff.

Those are lovely, those are hitching posts for horses.

So you'd have those outside your, sort of, country house,

and you just hitch up to them.

Phil's favourite items are those that take at least three people to lift.

These cast iron beauties are either hitching posts or stable ends,

used as decoration in construction of riding stables.

They have a ticket price of ?00, the pair.

I'm definitely going to have these, right.

I'm definitely going to have these cos I think they're great fun.

You'll have to be quick, Phil. Looks like there's another interested party.

I'd like to try and buy them for 80 or 100 quid, the two.

Phil has to pay the full 100 for the horses

but that could still be a good each-way bet.

He hands over the cash to the very shy shop owner and the deal is done.

Phil's hoping these two will be cast iron certainties at the auction.

OK, it's time for the big reveal.

-D'you want to see what I've bought?

-Yes, let's go for it.

-Right, you ready?

-A wool-winder.

-It's a tensioner.

Right, right. Well, I love this type of thing.

I really do like it. But what I'd like to know is what is that?

Well, it's a really well-made thingy.

Those, the gentleman in the shop told me they were Portobello, Edinburgh.

-Right, OK.

-But I've got no idea.

-What sort of prices did you pay? I paid ?5 for that.

-That's all right.

-I paid ?0 for these two.

-Good.

I paid ?5 for my tools

and I paid 12 quid for my On The Buses.

Philip! Why did you buy an old bus ticket machine?

I thought I could get rid of you with it.

-What, to go to Cardiff?

-There is one other thing.

-There's one other thing?

-I bought these.

-Oh, they're fabulous.

-And I paid a lot for these.

-What did you pay?

-Well, I paid ?00 for them.

-I don't think that's dear, Philip.

-I don't know.

-Come on, let's have a look at yours.

-Right.

Let's get...

Is this a case of great minds think alike?

No, I think it's more anything I can do, you can do better.

But I love these. I absolutely love these.

And this is typical of, sort of, mill area, isn't it?

Well, you see, I have fallen in love with Lancashire.

What is that?

-Are you going to wear it?

-It's a wee hat.

Widow Twankey. You didn't buy that?

I bought that. I couldn't resist it.

-How much was that?

-?.

Listen, it took me back to the '60s.

It took me back to the time of lime green and shocking pink.

I think you're absolutely right. No, it is shocking.

That is truly up there

with some of the worst things I've ever seen in my life.

-Philip.

-What?

-This is so bad that it's good.

Come on, let's see what else you've got. What's this?

It's a watercolour by a Lancashire artist.

I don't know very much about him

but I know enough

to know that that is a very competent work.

-Good subject.

-I paid ?25

for the horse and the watercolour.

-So that's 60 quid a piece or whatever.

-60 quid a piece, just about.

-And how much was your wool-winder?

-I paid ?30 for it.

-And Philip, you know how you think that I make a lot of noise?

-Yes.

Well, what do you think about...

-...this?

-This is the last leg, isn't it?

And I bought a big bass drum.

And a big banger.

-Fantastic.

-Great minds think alike. Wool-winders, horses.

-Absolutely right.

-We have a theme.

Rubbish.

Get out of here. Do not hit that drum, thank you.

But what do they really think?

Well, I'm seriously underwhelmed by Philip's items.

I think they're all right, but they're just all right.

-But

-has been redeemed

by buying those wonderful cast iron horse posts. I really like them.

They might be the thing to get him out of a hole.

I like her watercolour, I think that's a good thing.

And I think the old whirligig, the wool-winder, I love that to bits,

so, you know, it'll be an interesting one, this.

After starting out in Eccleston in Lancashire,

the last part of our trip will end up in Harrogate,

soon to be On-Sea if this rain keeps up(!)

I got to tell you, I don't care if I'm never, ever, ever,

sitting in this car ever, ever, ever again.

-I love this little car.

-You love it? Well, you're more than welcome.

OK, Serrell.

-That's just fantastic.

-Stop moaning.

-Shut up.

Phil and Anita have entered their items into a general sale at Thompsons auctions in Harrogate.

It's a busy old place but, if you turn up early, you can usually find a seat.

As the regulars hunt for bargains, auctioneer Laurence Peat gives us his honest opinion.

Well, my initial reaction when the lots came in,

I was a little bit surprised with the standard lamp, to say the least.

I thought that might have been a freebie. But I don't know what they paid for it,

but we'll see if we can make profit for them.

The horses were very different, without a doubt.

Quite a unique item.

Let's hope we've got the right buyers here for them today.

Anita began with ?06.74

and she spent a total of ?91 on five auction lots.

D'you know, it's great when you buy things that you love.

Phil started out with ?75.86

and has spent ?92, also on five auction lots.

You never know when a stretcher might come in useful.

As they prepare for the last auction of the week, there's everything to play for.

Anita only needs to make up ?0.

-OK, Phil.

-Are you ready?

-Last one. Am I going to catch up?

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

-No. It's all about winning, this.

First up, the ticket machine. Will this prove to be a first class bargain?

I have to start on commission here at ?8. 40 anywhere?

It is with me at 38, do I see 40? It seems cheap at 38. 40. 42. 45.

-45?

-That's ridiculous.

48 with me. One more, you might be lucky.

-50, thank you. At ?0.

-?0!

It's good value at 50. All done, I'm going to sell at ?0.

Well done, you big chancer.

Who says you can't make money out of public transport?

It's not about winning, as long as I do,

it's just about taking part. All right?

Second up today are Phil's salt and pepper pots.

Start here with me on commission at ?8. 20 anywhere?

Bid is with me at 18, do I see 20? 20, 22 and 25.

25 in the room at ?5. At 25, any advance on 25?

I haven't lost any money on those. I'm happy with that.

?5, I'm going to sell at ?5.

That's what they deserved, they were a nice, sweet pair. You haven't lost any money.

Phil's salts away. A ? profit on the cruet set.

It's your tools and that slopey-dopey thing.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-They've got "engineer's slope", not slopey-dopey.

-No, I thought engineer's slope.

-It's a dopey that's bought the slopey.

It's Phil's tools up next, sold as a combined lot of five.

Starting on commission at ?8. 30, 32 and 35.

In the room at 35, 38, 40, 42, 45.

-You're in profit, Phil.

-52, 55. 55, sir?

-55, 58, 60, 62.

-Go on, you beauty.

65, 68. Are you sure?

-Smile.

-65 at the back. At 65. 68, new bidder.

70, 72, 75,

78, 80, 82.

No, 80 at the back. At ?0, at 80.

Are we all done? I'm going to sell at ?0.

-I'm pleased with that.

-That's a great result.

Just the right tools for the job.

Phil more than doubles his money there.

-Stop smiling.

-Stop poking me, please.

-Stop smiling.

It's a shift change of the auctioneers.

Kate Higgins takes over to try and sell the first of the two wool-winders.

This is Anita's classy model.

She's high hopes of making big money with this.

Start the bidding at 50, 55 anywhere? 55 in the room.

60 anywhere else? Gentleman's bid here at 55, do I see 60?

In the room at ?5, selling now at ?5. 278.

I bombed. I bombed.

Ouch. That hurts.

Anita's wool-winder winds up losing her ?5.

What's the state of play at the minute?

It's too complic... I'm too depressed to even count my money.

Phil's cheaper lot is up now in the big battle of the wool-winders.

Start the bidding at 100, 110 anywhere?

On commission at 100, do I see 110?

110, 120. No, still on commission at 120, 130 now.

-Have they got the right wool-winder?

-On commission at ?20.

I'm just absolutely flabbergasted.

No, it's not a wind-up. Phil's wool-winder wins.

Actually, I'll tell you what, you've got to laugh, haven't you?

So my wool-winder, my grotty little wool-winder,

has just made double what yours has made.

Maybe this will drum up some much needed profit for Anita.

-Start me at ?0. 10 anywhere?

-I've just...

15 with the lady. 20 anywhere else? Lady's bid here at 15. 20 now.

In the room at ?5. Selling now, on my left at ?5.

You're having a good sort of day, really, aren't you, so far?

Anita is looking well and truly beaten.

I think this is the one that I've got to put all the money on.

-Is it?

-Hi-ho Silver. Let's hope he gets away.

Maybe the rocking horse will be a better bet.

His name is Silver, start me at ?0. 20 anywhere?

?0, surely. 20 we have, do I see 25?

Gentleman's bid here at 20. 5 anywhere?

In the room here at 20. Are we finished? 25, 30. 35.

40 here. 45 anywhere else? Seated bid at ?0.

Are we finished? Selling in the room at ?0.

-Oh, Philip.

-Silver trails in at the back of the field.

And that's another loss for Anita.

That was the one that I was counting on.

-So I'm going to struggle here.

-That's sad.

It's going to have to be green lamp to the rescue.

Standard lamp with lime green shade, ?0.

10 anywhere? ?. 5 do we have?

Anybody at ?? 5 we have, at the back of the room, do I see 8?

In the room at ?, selling now at ?.

-Is that everything's just dived?

-Everything has not just dived,

it has sunk to the bottom.

Look on the bright side. At least you won't have to take it home.

-Are you ecstatic?

-No, I'm not,

I'm getting very anxious about my bloomin' horse posts.

Back to Phil now, and the hitching posts.

Start me at ?0. ?0 surely?

50 we have. 60 anywhere?

Gentleman's bid here at 50.

60, 70, 80, 90.

-On my right here at 90.

-It's a result, I think.

100 anywhere else? In the room at ?0.

Selling, gentleman's bid at ?0.

I know that in the right place,

I think those are ?-400's worth.

Ah, you won't be the first punter to lose a tenner on the horses.

My last lot is coming up, my very nice watercolour.

And it's a good subject and I really like it.

This really has to fly if Anita is going to catch Phil.

Signed Adrian C. Rigby, watercolour of an eagle,

and 40 bid, 45 now.

On commission at 40, do I see 45?

With me now at ?0, are we finished? 45 in the room.

-50 anywhere else?

-(Come on!)

Gentleman's bid at ?.

That's every single one.

The eagle has failed. And Anita's last hope has gone.

Well, we better go and start the sieve up for the last time, hadn't we? Come on.

Not Anita's best day. She lost money on every lot.

She started this leg with ?06.74

and, after auction costs, has lost ?59.80,

leaving her with a total for the week of ?46.94.

Phil fared a bit better. Starting with ?75.86,

he has made a profit of ?07.30,

giving him a total for the week of ?83.16.

That makes Phil Serrell the overall winner of this week's road trip.

All the profits our experts make will be donated to Children In Need.

Well, Phil, I really thought I had a chance of catching you up on that one.

Do you know, at the end of the day,

it doesn't matter who wins or loses, does it?

SNORTS

Well, what a week this road trip's been.

-Let me have a look at the back.

-Yes!

This feels a bit like a romantic assignation.

...peace and quiet.

Off you go, off you go.

Watch it! Go, Phil.

Does that give me a certain look?

You're not going to be this smiley, cheery person the whole week, are you?

I can't help it. All I need now is a man.

I don't think I should have bought this.

-No.

-It's been one of those days, hasn't it?

-Drive on!

-Hold my hand, hold my hand!

-I am not holding your hand.

-Oh, no.

-Can we go again?

Next week on the Antiques Road Trip, we're on a remarkable journey,

as Mark Hales is quick on the uptake.

I'm looking for antiques.

And Mark Stacey dives for a bargain.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd