Episode 5 Antiques Road Trip

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

All right, viewers?

..with £200 each, a classic car,

and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

I'm on fire! Yes!

Sold! Going, going, gone.

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

50p!

There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers.

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

Oh! Oh!

Ow!

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

It's the final leg of our tussle in a Triumph GT6...

..with Charles Hanson and Philip Serrell.

Auctioneers and best chums.

-I'm a bit wet sometimes, aren't I?

-No, you're not.

-You're lovely, Charlie.

-Thanks, mate.

Phil's a Worcester man...

..and some say he has an affinity with dumb creatures.

You see, that's really nice...

..but it's a little dear.

HE LAUGHS

Our Charles from Derbyshire is equally intuitive.

They say he can actually talk to antiques.

How much are you?

Are you really?

Where were you made?

Were you really?

Charles certainly acquired a fan club last time.

£240.

I think I'm just going to pack my car and go, Charlie.

I'll see you later.

He bought 30 fans

and made over £900 profit at the auction.

They're selling at £480 for the fans.

F-A-N-S, what does it spell?

Ah, it's like a recurring nightmare, Charlie.

Phil began with £200 and, after four trips to auction,

he's managed to increase it to a respectable £357.50.

But he's overshadowed by rival Charles,

who's turned his starting £200

into a mighty £1191.44.

Shall I lend you a fiver?

-Oh, shut up!

-No, shall I?

Our boys set out from Southport in the north west of England

and have covered over 800 miles as they weave their way towards

Cirencester in the county of Gloucestershire.

Today, they begin in Bucks at Old Wolverton

and then take a trip round the Midlands before heading

southwest for the deciding auction at Cirencester.

Now part of Milton Keynes, Old Wolverton dates back to

medieval times.

Sounds like Wolverhampton!

That was earlier in the trip, Charles.

The town's quite a transport hub too.

Once boasting a repair shop for the London to Birmingham railway

and then there's the Grand Union Canal which also passes through.

-And there is my shop.

-Take care.

I'm going to get him! Hold up!

Steady on, Phil.

With Charles safely inside,

it seems that Grandad's Collectibles features vintage, retro

and reproduction with the occasional antique just waiting to be spotted.

If that is rococo, it's worth maybe £300 or £400. It's priced at 65.

I have a feeling it's probably a reproduction.

And I've a feeling you might be right,

but there's enough of a mix here to get him excited.

METAL CLATTERS Sorry about that!

I suggest you move to another part of the shop, Charles, smartish!

That's nice. This is good.

Hidden in the corner...

Oh, that's nice. That's pretty. Look at that. Oops. Up she goes.

Art Nouveau, with these nice bronzed coopered mounts,

it ought to be a log bin or a coal box.

Circa 1890, a splendid Arts and Crafts oak-lined copper box

and it is really nice

and it's priced at £98. It's lovely.

I'm quite tempted with this, so I'll give it some thought.

So, while Charles ponders still further...

Phil's heading west. Quite appropriate, really!

Making his way from Old Wolverton to Sulgrave,

and the ancestral home of George Washington.

-Simon, Philip, how are you?

-Philip, welcome to Sulgrave Manor.

Yeah, it's lovely. This is a house and a half, isn't it?

It's a lovely house.

The manor was built on the site of an old

priory in the mid-16th century by Lawrence Washington,

a wealthy farmer and wool trader

who was the great-great-great- great-great-grandfather

of the first president of the USA.

So, this is 1550 and George Washington is when?

Eh, 1732 he was born, so we're talking 200-odd years before...

Well, there's all sorts going on here, isn't it?

-I mean, the first thing, we've got our flag...

-Yes.

-..and then we've got the stars and stripes.

-Yes.

-But you've got...?

-Yes, you've got the...

-Three stars and two stripes!

-Indeed, yes, on the front of the house.

-Yeah.

This is the Washington family coat of arms and it was awarded

to the family at the Battle of Crecy in 1346.

Is that where the stars and stripes comes from?

-Well...many people say it is.

-Yeah.

When George Washington became president of this new country,

a lady called Betsy Ross was given the task of designing and making

a flag for this new country,

and apparently it was Martha Washington, George's wife,

had a little word in Betsy's shell-like and said,

"My husband's first president,

-you should base the flag on his coat of arms."

-Oh, really?

I'm not sure what the Americans will make of the idea

that their flag is based upon English spurs

and rivers of French blood, but as the ancestral home of

the first president, it really is a must-see.

Not only do they have several portraits

and even items of clothing once belonging to George Washington,

but, in the great hall, they even have it in writing.

Our first known Washington,

a gentleman called William de Hertburn,

he was Lord of the Manor of Hertburn in northeast England,

had his manor confiscated from him,

really, by the Bishop of Durham,

but the bishop rather kindly gave him another one called

the Manor of Wessyngton, so he had to move with his family

-to Wessyngton...

-Wessyngton, Washington,

-Wessyngton, Washington...

-That's what it evolved into, exactly, yeah,

and, if that hadn't happened,

the president of the United States would now be living in Hertburn DC.

George's most influential forebear was his great-grandfather,

John, who emigrated to Virginia in 1657, becoming a tobacco planter

and subsequently, a captain of the local armed militia.

George followed in his footsteps and when the War of Independence

began in 1775, Washington was appointed commander in chief.

-Gilbert Stuart painted this...

-Yeah.

This is an original Gilbert Stuart, but it's not THE original.

Washington only sat for Stuart once and from that one sitting, Stuart

produced a very famous portrait called the Athenaeum portrait.

-Right.

-And the story goes that someone was visiting Stuart's studio

one day, saw the Athenaeum portrait and said to Stuart,

"I rather like that. Will you do one for me?"

And Stuart said, "Give me 100 and I'll do it."

-And, reportedly, Stuart did this about 130 times.

-Lord above!

He effectively made his living out of painting the same portrait

again and again and again.

A production line.

The Athenaeum original remained unfinished,

but Stuart's famous image of the first president's face was to

be reproduced about a squillion more times and counting.

-It's on the dollar bill.

-Is it?

And this is supposedly one of the great mistakes of history.

Back then, when you printed something, it was reversed

and the printers had to re-reverse it to get it the right way round.

Well, apparently, they forgot to re-reverse

the portrait of George Washington.

So, the dollar bill has the same face on it as you see here, but...

-The other way round.

-..it's the other way around.

-And he's still there now.

-And he's still there now to this very day.

-Tell me, does your canteen accept these?

-Uh, we will from you, Phil.

Come on, let's go for a cup of tea.

This has been fantastic. I really enjoyed it...

Now, talking of hard cash, any news on Charles' first shop?

How did you get on this morning, Charlie? Did you spend some money?

It was a really nice shop, it was a new...

-CHARLIE YAWNS

-..place.

-Tired!

-Am I boring you?

-Sorry, Phil!

-Am I boring you?

Actually, Phil, he didn't part with as much as a penny,

which should add a little spice to your trip to Brackley.

Just down the road from Silverstone, Brackley, is the home of the

Mercedes Formula 1 Grand Prix team and some fine Georgian architecture.

The Antique Cellar is huge.

Plenty of room and enough choice to, hopefully,

get our two revved up and off the grid.

These are nice... No, not really!

Lordy! It's turning into one of those days, but,

with his comfortable lead, Charles can dilly-dally as much as he likes.

The pressure is very much on Phil.

(I am not going to catch him up by spending)

(30 quid here and 40 quid there.)

(I've got to spend every last penny I've got.)

And speaking of Penny...

-Hi, Penny, you've got the key. Brilliant.

-Yeah,

-what would you like to look at?

-Penny, I'm going to look at

-that man in armour.

-Ooh!

-I like a knight in shining armour.

-There's nothing like a man in armour.

-Exactly.

Well, Phil's around somewhere, you know. Phil's around on the prowl.

-Now, what age is that?

-I can't imagine there's a great age to it.

A novelty cigar lighter, priced £25.

-That's quite nice, isn't it?

-That's rather nice, isn't it?

Yeah, it's just missing something, isn't it? What's it missing?

A sword.

Yeah. It is quite novel.

-It's quirky, isn't it?

-It is quirky.

Is there much room for manoeuvre in that price? What's your best?

-Not an awful lot, I'm afraid.

-Penny, whisper to me. Penny, whisper to me.

-£22.50.

-Say it again.

-£22.50.

-£22.50, yeah.

-The protocol in your big emporium is 10%, isn't it?

-Yes, it is, yeah.

And that's good. You know where you are, there's no hidden sort of...

£15? No, no. Take 15? No.

Because it's all about 10% in here, so you've got to be fair.

Close, but no cigar, Charles.

-Now, what's Phil got his eye on?

-Those are quite fun, aren't they?

I think they're quite nice, I mean, you know, they're...

no great age, probably 1920s.

But they're quite decorative things,

just made a little bit out of the ordinary by all this lot here.

This is mahogany, his is probably stained beech or something.

Well, he did buy a rudder on an earlier leg.

And as I'm so far behind,

Charlie, I do appear to be up the creek without a paddle.

This might do the job, mightn't they? Look at that.

We could perhaps have a go at those.

Nice, but at a £30 ticket price,

they're hardly the make or break gamble he had in mind.

Time to have a word with Penny.

-You just need a boat now.

-Absolutely.

A boat? Please don't tempt him.

They're nice!

-Yeah, well, they're a bit of fun, aren't they?

-Yeah.

I think they're probably painted, aren't they?

Rather than actually inlaid.

Looks like they're painted.

Ah, I think he's after a bit more than 10% by the sound of it.

(Can we do those for 20 quid?)

-What's on them?

-30.

-OK.

Phew! First buy at the very end of the day.

Now, how's he going to keep those hidden?

Better get an early night, chaps,

there's an awful lot of shopping to do tomorrow.

-Shall we pick some blackberries?

-I am not going blackberrying...

-Why not?

-..with you.

-Why not?

-People will talk. There's cars behind us.

Good grief, eh? Nighty-night.

-Next day, things are a trifle soggy.

-Charlie, why are we up the hedge?

Sorry, I can't see a thing out the window.

Well, I hope they can find their way to the next shop...

because the £20 that Phil lavished on a pair of paddles was, for

whatever reason, the sum total of their purchasing efforts yesterday.

I charge like a wounded rhino in here.

So, he's got to play a blinder today

and hope that Charles takes his eye off the ball,

because, with time running out, Phil's still over £800 behind.

Later, they'll be making for that

Cotswolds climax in Cirencester,

but the next stop is in

Northamptonshire at Weedon Bec...

birthplace of Leo G Carroll...

..Mr Waverley in TV's The Man From UNCLE.

-What are you doing?

-I'm trying to help you out.

With a friend like you, I don't need any help... Argh!

Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!

Now, pull yourself up! What's up?

THEY LAUGH Sorry! Sorry, Phil!

I'm sorry! LAUGHTER CONTINUES

So much for our agents being undercover.

Right, you go in that way and I'll go this way.

Um, why don't we think about it? Why don't I go that way?

No, no, because I want to go this way.

-OK, I'll see you.

-Bye-bye, Charlie.

TIM LAUGHS

Let's hope for Phil's sake, he's off in the right direction,

but there's plenty to choose from here at Shires Antique Centre.

Let the games commence, eh?

-There we go.

-That's the one.

-Just like that.

Charles, of course, has still got an awful lot of cash

burning a hole in his pocket.

Any really, really interesting bits of big silver that might

cost me £400? I can afford it!

Blimey, Charles!

Now, we know you're very fond of those.

-What's the best price?

-That can be...

-..today, 2,000.

-Could it, really?

-Look at that. You see...

-< Charge him more!

He's got plenty! Add some on!

Helpful, Phil(!)

Don't take it off! He's got thousands.

Get out of here!

If you don't ask the question, you never know. It's a wonderful thing.

I can't quite afford it. If it could go maybe a bit less, I could do.

A serious, serious work of art. I love it.

OK, let's forget the suit of armour. Even Moneybags here can't buy that.

Now, from top dollar to bargain basement.

It's a pine, probably late 18th century, pine box.

Quite sweet, you can use it for your shoes or for

whatever purpose you may find and then you've just got

some quite attractive Hornby bits and pieces in here, which is quite nice.

That's one way of describing them.

The market is pretty buoyant for such tin plate toys from the 1940s, '50s.

Here, you've got a Portland, plus circle, cement mixer

and this would be probably date again to the early '50s.

Yeah, I just feel... What's the best price on this?

Erm, we've got 10 on that. We could do that at 5.

Yeah, OK, I'll have that. Thanks very much. That's my first buy.

I'm a rocket today. I've got to get going. So, a fiver...

-Thanks very much, I'll take it.

-No problem.

-Lovely.

Right, I'll keep on going.

Thanks to John, Charles has finally got started.

His travelling companion's got his eye on a box too.

In the late 18th century, 19th century, before you went to bed,

you got a candle to put in your chamber stick

and went up the stairs and off you went, and the candles were

kept in a box at the bottom of the stairs and that's it.

It's called a candle box and that's just a really sweet thing.

It's going to make at auction £80 to £120, but...

(I think the dealer's missed a trick here,)

(because he said this is Victorian oak.)

(I actually think that's probably elm.

(Elm's a little bit more sought-after.)

'OK, I'm going to ask what the best they can do is,

'and perhaps see if we can put it by.'

I wonder what Alison can do on it?

The ticket price is £149. Wow.

-That belongs to our restorer. We're selling it for him.

-Right.

Um, the best on that is 120 on it, so...

-OK, can you hang onto that for me?

-Yeah, all right.

I think he'll be back. Charles, meanwhile,

has tracked down a cabinet with some very nice silver.

This is a lovely, what you call a George III silver helmet-shaped cream jug.

This is 1769, nine years after that madman came on the throne,

-who was...?

-1769...

-Which king was that?

-In France or in England? George the II.

-George the III.

-III?

-That's OK. Thanks for coming! It was George III and...

-I'm very much up on my French history!

-Yeah, good man, good man.

Not so hot on his British monarchs,

but Allan does have some good things.

Um, I like that.

-Just because...

-It's cheap as well.

-This...well.

-It is for what it is.

It's a pretty silver, neoclassical style sifter.

-What is it, Allan?

-It's a salter, I would imagine.

It is a salter, because you'll see here, when it's been cleaned

-on this cover, the holes have been filled in...

-With the cleaner.

-..by the cleaner...

-That wasn't me.

No, so, actually, now, if you were to use it, you wouldn't have any salt

come out, because the cleaning agent has, obviously, filled in the holes.

The ticket price on the sifter is £65, but the jug's a hefty £260.

What's the absolute best on that? To give me a life!

-I need to eat as well.

-Of course you do, absolutely.

(50 quid for that.)

It's pretty. £30?

-Make it 35 and we'll do it.

-Yeah, go on, I'll do it. Good man.

Thanks, Allan. And now, if I said to you...

what's the best on that?

85.

£80 to you.

Blimey, that's a big discount.

-It's 18th century. How often can you buy a bit of 18th century silver?

-Yeah, exactly.

-And what other piece of 18th century have you found...?

-Take 60, take 60!

-I'll do 65.

-Oh, don't say that!

I'll tell you what, call it 100 for the two.

-So, that will be 40 and that will be 60.

-Yeah.

-I'll take it. Thanks, mate.

-There you go, then.

-That's two down.

-OK, look, when the going gets tough...

-You've got to do it.

Well done. I think he's mad about that bargain bit of Georgian.

This is George III...

-1769, isn't it?

-Yes, cos it's hallmarked.

-Who was king of England?

-George the II.

-No, it was George the III!

Go on. Let's take you through it. Who was king of England?

-George III.

-Good lad. Put it there. That's a deal.

And they said HE was a bit eccentric!

Ah! Phil's got his eye on some of his beloved Worcester.

That was painted probably about 80 yards from my office,

and it's called "Painted Fruit" and people who painted fruit...

The greatest fruit painter there ever was, was a man called

Richard Sebright, and that plate was painted by Richard Sebright.

The ticket price is £190.

I just want to check there's no damage to it, and what's interesting

here...look, this is made in Worcester

and you can date it by counting up these...

That star there, I don't know if you can see that star,

they started putting that on in 1916 and then, each year after,

they added a dot.

So, you've got 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920,

1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925.

So, is that what the ticket says?

-1925.

-I should have read that in the first place.

Not so much fun though.

And then we want to look for restoration and the problem

with it is, you can see here, look, there's cut marks there, there...

..there and there. Now, that was to be 120 to 180 quid.

How are we fixed on that one?

Um, I can do...

-£150 on that plate.

-It's getting there.

If I bought the two, do you think you could do me a deal?

This and the candle box.

Could you really help me out?

£240 would be the best on the two.

When you only have £337.50, that is quite a sum,

albeit for a nice couple of things.

Can I give you £200 for the two?

I can't, unfortunately.

Can we split the two down the middle? Can we go 220 for the two?

And then I'll definitely have them both.

What am I doing here? What am I doing?

Gambling, Phil. You'll need to, if you want to catch him.

I really can't, I'm sorry.

-Put them by for me, I'll be back in a minute.

-OK.

Time for Alison to call the dealer.

Now, what's Charles getting excited about?

First, Worcester and now Derby. I think they're both feeling

a bit homesick.

It's a very sweet dog. Isn't that nice?

What's the best price on that? Could it be like...?

Could it be like £15, do you think?

I don't think we could do that far, but I think this dealer would

-probably go to 25 on that, at the best.

-OK.

Why I like this, it's obviously from my home town,

a nice Royal Crown Derby paperweight,

has its gold stopper, it's called The Spaniel.

Um, and it's just quite a nice object.

There are lots of dog lovers out there, it's posy...

Do you think she'd go 20 for it?

-Em...

-Is it worth a call?

-I think she'd do 20 on that.

-You sure?

-For you.

-It's a modern day collectible.

Put it there and say sold for £20. I like it.

Woof! Woof!

Yet another buy for Charles,

but how about Phil's double deal for the candle box and the plate?

All right, can we do it, my love?

-Yes...

-Oh, you're an angel!

-..deal's done.

He appreciates that's going to affect the value of it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's lovely. Thank you very much indeed.

Phil, having bagged that brace for £220, is off to pastures new.

But Charles just can't stop buying this morning.

-John, is this your squeeze-box?

-Yeah.

I just...the market at the moment is quite bullish for instruments,

be it violins, be it concertinas, which this one is and,

of course, this one's made by quite a good maker in Lachenal, London

marked, and if you have an auction which is vibrantly online,

these can do quite well, and, importantly,

what's really important to collectors, obviously,

when it comes to restoration, there's no holes in the actual squeeze-box.

There's a restored, I think, maybe hole on the corner here.

There's a couple of tears in the hexagonal

corners of the squeeze-box, but it's just a great thing and I can't

play them, but, you know, I wish I could do, because it's just folk art.

What's the best price on this? It's not priced, I don't think, is it?

We've got 120 on it. We could do that for 90 for you.

You wouldn't go a bit less, would you, at all?

-I was going to offer maybe £60 cash for it.

-I couldn't do 60 on it.

We could go to 80, but that would be the death on it.

But I think we're really close...

-..but I'll leave it for the time being.

-OK.

-I'll leave it.

Fair enough! He's already spent an awful lot, after all.

Time to settle up.

That's cost me 125.

I could almost make it up to a round £200...which would mean I'd

pay you £75 for the squeeze-box.

The man's nodding over there. That's a done deal then.

Well, if the boss accords!

-Thank you. Sure?

-Absolutely.

Guys, thanks ever so much.

Phew! That was some shop, with those two splashing out

over £400 between them and now Phil's after more...

..stepping a little further into the centre of Weedon Bec to visit

Helios & Co.

-Good morning, how are you?

-Not too bad.

-Philip.

-Hello, I'm Barry.

-This looks a shop and a half!

Yeah, impressive, isn't it?

Phil probably wishes he had a bit more than just over £100...

..but, with Barry's help, I'm sure a little something can be rustled up.

I mean, that's quite a nice piece. It's interesting.

I mean, it's well-made. Probably make a half-decent sort of...

-you know, wastepaper basket or something.

-A very good one.

Or you could describe it as a coopered jardiniere.

-And what would be the best you could do on that?

-70, is that good?

I quite like that.

I quite like that.

Yeah, this could go down well in Cirencester, Phil.

Now, what's he got there?

This is great. I love this. This is a lazy Suzy.

I'm not quite sure where it gets the nickname from.

But it's called a lazy Suzy, cos you would

sit at the dining table...

..and if you wanted your neighbour to have that...

..you spun it round to him like that.

The origins of the lazy Susan are hazy,

but they were said to be popular with car pioneer Henry Ford.

Some claim it's a German innovation,

but modern versions are often found at Chinese buffets.

I like that. It's very simplistic.

The price is £145, but Barry's come up with a third object to ponder.

Does that not interest you? That's rather fun, you know.

-A nice bit of 19th century...

-A little spinning wheel.

Yes, a spinning wheel. I'm not sure what for,

-cos it's not wool, is it? It's too small.

-No.

So, you'd put your foot on there, wouldn't you?

And then there should be a piece of twine

-that goes around there...

-Yeah.

..and then, as you treadle this...

But how could somebody work it with their foot, unless it was a child?

I think it's a child's spinning wheel.

It's a piece of decoration in its own right,

-so it would sit on a sideboard.

-On a sideboard, chest of drawers...

-Yeah, it would dress it.

-And it's a very interesting thing.

Quite, Barry. Now, there's really no messing about with these chaps.

All three items side by side and let the bargaining commence!

-I've got £117 and 50p to spend, that's my budget.

-Right.

He took that well, I thought.

The ticket price on that was 145.

The ticket price on that is 85 and the ticket price on that is 98.

You tell me what the best price is on each.

-Well, I mean, that one is going to be £90.

-OK.

-Those, I would do you 100 for the two, if it helps.

-100 for the two?

For the two, but that is the absolute bottom on them.

-I'm going to just shake you by the hand.

-Oh, all right then!

Yeah, that's wizard. I love those two.

So, with the spinning wheel and the wooden bucket, Phil's done.

-That's lovely.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much indeed.

Now, then, let's see what Charles has been up to.

He's triumphantly tootling in the Triumph

from Weedon Bec to Coventry in the West Midlands

to hear the naked truth about one of its famous ancestors.

-Hi, Abby.

-Oh, I thought you were Lady Godiva!

-No, no, afraid not,

-but I can tell you about her.

-And I'm Charles Hanson, good to see you.

-Nice to see you. Let's go.

-Fantastic.

Holy Trinity Parish Church in the very heart of Coventry city centre

has been part of the city's story since the 12th century

when it once stood beside the priory, established by Leofric,

Earl of Mercia, and his famous wife, Godiva.

I think, somehow, the spin on Lady Godiva has just become

-known as this sort of topless lady...

-Absolutely.

..who floats many a male boat.

Well, she was a really committed Christian woman

and believed that God wanted justice for the meek.

Lady Godiva said she would do what she did to protest against her

husband's taxes, and the way we know she protested,

the myth is that she rode naked on the back of a horse

through the city, um,

but she asked the people of Coventry to look away out of respect.

Close their shutters.

Exactly, and, of course, the story goes that this man called Tom

found a way of looking, um, and got caught.

And so the legend of the Peeping Tom was born.

The people of Coventry did get their tax cut and there's even

a window in Holy Trinity honouring the famous protestor.

Do you ever recreate the Lady Godiva scene? Is it a tradition once a year?

-We have a Coventry Lady Godiva.

-Do you really?

-There's a lady who, kind of, is Lady Godiva.

-Yes, is she here today?

Not here today, I'm afraid, no.

The Benedictine Priory was destroyed by Henry VIII,

but Holy Trinity survived and was restored in the 17th century.

The Puritans, however, took exception to a significant work of

medieval art, the Coventry Doom, and whitewashed it over.

Thankfully, this too has now been restored.

What is so doomful about that?

It's about the Last Judgment, so when Jesus comes back to earth

and judges people on the choices they've made in their life.

-Yes!

-Absolutely.

And so the boat-like things are actually coffins, so their souls

are coming, rising up from their coffins, and to be judged by Jesus.

The Victorians rediscovered the painting, but coated it

in a varnish which became so dark, it was almost hidden again.

Coventry was to overcome much worse hardships in the subsequent century.

-Has someone spilt a pot of ink down there?

-Afraid not, no.

It's actually marks from the Blitz from incendiaries that

fell through into the building during the Blitz.

The whole of the city centre was hit.

Obviously, we're right in the middle of the city centre,

right next to the cathedral,

which, sort of, so famously was completely destroyed.

When the Second World War began,

car manufacturing Coventry was considered a prime target

for Luftwaffe bombing

and there had already been several raids before the terrible night of

14th of November 1940, when the nearby cathedral was destroyed,

along with much of the city's ancient centre.

We have a picture of the morning after that night.

So, you know, from what would have been a maze of

little medieval streets and buildings all around the church,

all that's left is the church.

But the apparently miraculous survival of Holy Trinity did

have quite a lot of human help.

The vicar, the Reverend Graham Clitheroe, he and his team

kept vigil, basically, night after night, in case of attack.

On the night itself, they did amazing things like kicking

incendiaries off the roof so they didn't take hold.

They were so determined that this building would not be destroyed

and it wasn't.

Time now in the grounds of this beautiful and historic church

for our boys to finally reveal their wares.

Which is your favourite bit, Charlie?

-I love the box.

-Yeah.

-That appears to be...what, elm?

-Yes.

-Late 18th century. Is it a candle box, Phil?

-A candle box, yeah.

Gorgeous, gorgeous box, which, I think, will do really, really well.

If that came into my saleroom tomorrow,

I'd say I love your elm candle box.

I love your patination, Phil, as well. Gorgeous patination!

-I think somebody's put a lot of polish into that.

-They have.

That's over many, many years. I think, Phil, that would fetch

probably at auction between 150 and 250. What did it cost you?

-That cost £100.

-Yeah, that's a really, really good buy.

My second favourite lot is probably...

-what's the plate down here, Phil?

-Worcester, Richard Sebright...

..just about the best fruit painter there was.

You are the authority when it comes to Royal Worcester.

-I don't know about that, Charlie.

-No, you are!

-1925.

-That cost me £120.

-It's got a puce mark as well. Gorgeous.

-Yeah.

-See, that could make 300 quid.

-It could.

-You've got some big margins here, potentially, Phil.

-Oh, I don't know.

You have.

Yeah, but those could go either way, Charles. Now your turn.

This is my collection.

-Oh, that squeeze-box looks good, Charlie.

-What do you think?

-Well, these things make money, don't they?

-Yeah.

-I mean, they do.

-Um, and is that like 100, 150 quid's worth?

-I hope so. It's a Lachenal.

It's a good name.

It has got a few condition issues which will effect value,

but it comes with its box. Uh, it's got a few holes in the squeezer.

Oh, just details, Charlie, details.

-Exactly.

-How much was that?

-It was £75.

Yeah, so, £100, well, it gets you your money back, doesn't it?

-Well, exactly.

-Yeah.

-Exactly, but, Phil, I've bought some history.

-You know I love history...

-Charlie...

-Yeah?

-What on earth is that?

Oh, Phil, after our road trip, I'm going back to Derby, you know?

I'm going back to where it all began for me, Derby,

and this is Royal Crown Derby from the year 1997.

What's really rare is Imari was

always the design used on paperweights,

very rarely did they use a posy.

That's a posy dog

and the dealer wasn't quite aware of its potential, I don't think.

Hmm...

But what did they really think?

I've looked really hard in Charlie's lots and, for the life of me,

I can't see £1,000 in there this time.

I don't quite understand that Derby paperweight,

but, you know, Charlie's a Derby expert and if he says

that's what it is, that's what it is.

I really think Phil has saved the best till last.

I love almost everything he's bought.

I think his star lot must be his elm candle box circa 1760.

It could do very, very well, so, who knows?

He could make a £300 or £400 profit.

Whilst I think I'm going to struggle to catch him up,

I'm hoping I might just win this leg.

He'll do very well, but he won't catch me.

After starting out in Old Wolverton, Bucks,

the final episode of our road trip will conclude at a deciding

auction in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

# Antique road trip Antique road trip

# Make a profit Make a profit... #

-Were you annoying as a child?

-Yes, very annoying.

As the second largest town in the Roman province of

Britannia, Cirencester, or Corinium, must have been quite something.

Several hundred years later, it's now much,

much smaller than Londinium, but, none the less, no worse for that.

-Do you know what?

-Yes?

-Do you know how the loser always drives?

-Right.

I've been your chauffeur for a week!

Welcome to Moore Allen & Innocent, who've been doing this

sort of thing for so long they could have started out in an amphitheatre!

They didn't though. But what does auctioneer Philip Allwood

make of our two chaps' lots?

The Royal Worcester cabinet plate - pretty, well-painted,

lots of things going for it.

One downside, a little bit scratched,

so, 80 to 120, where, in good condition, it could be £200 or £300.

The concertina by one of the good makers, Louis Lachenal...

unfortunately, it's got a couple of little holes in the actual bag,

but still should be around the sort of £100, £150, around there.

Um, we shall see.

Charles began today's leg with £1,191.44

and he's spent just £200 on five auction lots.

-Good man.

-Whilst Phil started out with £357.50,

and he's parted with £340, also on five lots.

-Yes.

-Oh, you're an angel, you're an angel.

Catching Charles is a long shot, but can Phil do it?

His paddles could get him started.

-£30. 30, I'm bid on that.

-Good lad.

-At £30...

-That's a profit.

-£30.

5 here. At £30 a bid. At £30. 5 anywhere? Oh, five! Thank you!

-Good lad!

-35...in the room now at £40.

-Well, I can't believe it.

That's £12 I've made.

You've doubled your money, you've doubled your money.

At £40, you all sure then at 40?

I'm absolutely...phew!

That little profit's just a drop in the ocean.

Next is Charles' George III jug.

Who'll start me? Is that 50 to get on? £50.

-Oh, no!

-30 to get on then. £30. Got to be 30, hasn't it?

-1769. Oh, God!

-At £20 a bid here, it's go to be cheap at £20 only.

-At £20, 5, 30. At 30...

-It's cheap!

-40, 5, 50, 5,

-60, 5, 70, 5. At 75 here...

-Keep going! Come on!

At £75 in the room now. £75, you all sure?

75 it is, and that's number...

It could have been a lot worse. That could have been...£25.

Well, it looked like he was going to sell it for less than scrap.

Frightening, isn't it?

Or encouraging, Phil. A tiny profit after costs.

-It's a hard game, Phil.

-So you want to swap?

-..number 207.

-Lot number 19...

-No, I'm OK.

Phil's jardiniere or wastepaper basket,

who cares, as long as Cirencester loves it.

£30.

20.

Got to be £20. A tenner then?

£10, a bid then at 10, at 12, 15, 18, 20, 5, 30, at £30,

-am I right here at £30? 35 anywhere now...

-It's moving.

£30 is on my right. Selling here then on my right.

You all done then at 30?

How much did it make? £30? Oh, jeez.

It's looking like profits will be few and far between.

Hand on heart, I think it's worth nearly £100.

-Now for Charles' other bit of silver.

-50.

-Come on!

£30 to get on.

-Stylish little piece. £30.

-It's heavy, it's heavy.

-20 then...

-Oh, I don't believe it.

-£20, a bid here at 20.

-£20, 5, 30, 5, 40, 5, 50. At £50...

-Come on, one more!

-That's good, Charlie, that's good.

-That's disappointing.

All done then at 50.

-CHARLES SIGHS

-But you're nurdling a good little

profit, I mean, a little profit...

I'm pleased, Phil, you know what? Just to come here...

It's a tough auction house.

Yet another close one, but it's not over yet.

I'm nibbling along, Phil. I'm nibbling.

This is the big one.

If Phil's fruity Worcester does well, he could be back in it.

-£30 I've been bid here on the net, at £30, 5 anywhere now...

-120.

At 30, 5, anyone in the house here?

At £30, 5, £35, 40 if you like now, at 45 it's in the room.

-The cheapest thing I've ever seen.

-At £40...5, thank you, madam.

-At 45, 50 now...

-It's moving, now it's moving.

-At £50, 5 if you like.

-5, at 55...

-Now it's moving, it's moving, it's moving...

At £55, 60, at 65, 70 now then. At 65...70 on the net.

-At £70 it's here.

-We're moving.

-At £70, you all sure?

Selling it on the net then at 70.

That's just 50 quid down the drain, Charlie!

Someone's got a really good thing for a really low price.

How do you feel?

Uh, like I've felt every other day on this road trip!

Look at me! I love you, mate!

Time for Charlie's floral pooch to have its day.

CHARLIE HOWLS

-It's howling, Charlie.

-I know, it's howling for a profit.

-It's £20...

-It's a rare thing.

-£20 here only.

-It's cheap, isn't it, Charlie?

-It's cheap. Keep going.

At 30, 5 now, still cheap at £30. 5 anywhere now?

-At 35, 40 if you like, sir.

-Go on!

-Go on, sir! It's a rare thing!

-It's a rare thing! One more for the road!

-At £35 it's here...40.

-Yes!

-5 to me now at £40.

-Charlie, I love you.

-One more!

At £40, a bid here, you all sure now at 40?

-Good lad, brilliant.

-Well done, Charlie.

-Thank you, sir.

He's doubled his money.

I can't complain, at least I haven't made a loss.

-Yeah, absolutely, and I have.

-Exactly.

Thanks, Charlie.

Phil's candle box... will it set the auction alight,

-or finally snuff out his hopes?

-£30?

20. At £20, a bid there, £20, 5, 30,

at £30 on my left now, £30, 5 anywhere now?

-5, 40 to me, madam, at 35 here...

-Come on.

-..at £35 it's on my left,

at £35 it's sitting on my left then at 35.

That's for nothing, isn't it? It really is for nothing.

Another big loss and another big bargain for someone.

-Phil, look at me.

-Mm-hm...?

Thank you, madam...

-It's not quite the finale, is it, we wanted?

-No.

Charles' toy box was so cheap it can't fail.

-£5, a bid there, 8, 10, 12...

-Come on, internet!

At £12.50 if you like, now at 12 here,

15, at 15, 18 if you like, now at 15. 18.

At 18, 20 if you like now, at 18, 20, at £20, 5 now, at £20,

-it's selling on the net then...

-Going.

-Selling here at £20.

-Look over there, Phil. Look over there.

-At 25, in the room now...

-Come on.

-Come on, my son.

-Go on! Keep going, keep going!

-At 25, 30 if you like now.

-Keep going.

-At £5, they can't see you on the net, at £25...

-I'm over here! Sorry!

-It's too late anyway.

-Go on!

-At 25.

-Well done. Very good, Phil. Put it there.

-Well done, matey.

It's all going the way of the winner in waiting.

So, Phil just needs his spinning wheel to make over £1,000.

Start me, 50, £30, pretty little wheel there, £30...

-20...

-I don't believe this.

-20. A tenner?

A £10 a bid here at 10, 12 now if you like. At £10 a bid here...

-I just think that's funny.

-It scares me, yeah.

-At £10 only, at £10, 12 if you like now, £10...

-Thanks for coming here.

-Yeah, I've really enjoyed this.

-Really?

-GAVEL FALLS

-£10...

THEY LAUGH

Oh, my Lord! That cannot be worth £10!

Give me a hug! Give me a hug!

Charlie, how is that worth a tenner?

Oh, dear. At times like these, it's best to see the funny side.

I had a dream just then that that made £10.

I've had a nightmare!

What can Charles squeeze out of this one, I wonder?

-Start me at 100...

-Come on!

-100 to get on.

50 then. At £50 a bid there at 50, 5, 60, 5, 70, 5, 80, 5, 90...

-Go on.

-100 and 5. 110. At 110...

-Come on!

-120 now.

-Internet, come on!

-130, at 130, you all sure?

One more...

-GAVEL FALLS

-130 it is.

Great! Delighted!

So you should be, Charles.

When you had theatre, drama and romance,

I had tragedy, tragedy and tragedy!

You had speculation, speculation...

-Another humiliation!

-Another humiliation!

So, a week that was once very much neck and neck

has turned into a one-horse race.

Charles wins by a country mile.

Phil started out with £357.50 and after paying auction costs,

he made a loss of

£188.30, leaving him with a final total of £169.20.

Not your best outing.

While Charles began with £1,191.44,

and after paying auction costs, he made a profit of

£62.40, which means Charles,

with £1,253.84 is this week's runaway winner!

Well done, boy.

All profits, of course, go to Children In Need.

Charlie, let me shake you by the hand.

Phil...it's been a wonderful time!

-I've really enjoyed it. Thanks.

-It's a week I will never forget.

-No, neither will I.

-I mean it!

# I'm gettin' bugged driving up and down this same old strip

# I gotta finda new place where the kids are hip... #

Huh!

Grandad! Grandad!

# My buddies and me are getting real well known

# Yeah, the bad guys know us and they leave us alone

# I get around... #

-Give me a roar!

-Growl!

-# From town to town

-Get around round round I get around

-# I'm a real cool head

-Get around round round I get...

# I'm making real good bread... #

That's exciting!

-# I get around, round

-Get around round round oooo... #

THEY LAUGH

# Wah wa ooo

# Wah wa ooo... #

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip...

we're full of national pride as Anita Manning pipes up for Scotland.

TUNELESS NOTE

And James Braxton hopes for some right royal bargains.

-The Queen might be at the sale.

-Unlikely, James, unlikely!