0:00:32 > 0:00:37Welcome to a part of England that's full of legend from irascible gods
0:00:37 > 0:00:41to cantankerous witches to visions of a religious nature.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47We've come back to Clitheroe, a delightful town in the Ribble Valley of Lancashire.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Fable and folktale dominate the proceedings,
0:00:51 > 0:00:58and this 900-year-old castle guards what's claimed to be the oldest borough in the land.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05The Norman keep hasn't seen a lot of action, except for this gash,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09supposedly caused by an angry exchange between rock-hurling gods.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14Another explanation is that Oliver Cromwell fired a cannonball at the keep
0:01:14 > 0:01:19from nearby Pendle Hill, obviously on a clear day.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23For centuries, people have enjoyed a climb to the top of Pendle,
0:01:23 > 0:01:29but when George Fox clambered up here in 1652, he experienced more than a breath of fresh air -
0:01:29 > 0:01:35he had a vision of God which inspired him to form a new religion, Quakerism.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It was also the haunt of the so-called Pendle witches -
0:01:39 > 0:01:43rival matriarchs who scared the locals with their spells
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and were dragged off to Lancaster and hanged.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The good townsfolk of Clitheroe had no truck with boiling toads.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56They earned an honest living making clogs and toiling in cotton mills.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00That's now gone, but the hole that was left has been replaced by another.
0:02:00 > 0:02:07Over the years, this cement quarry has provided welcome employment and added yet more mythical creatures
0:02:07 > 0:02:13to the Clitheroe landscape, in the shape of these modern earth-moving monsters.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22But that's enough of local legend. Our job is to unearth the real thing.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The Roadshow comes from the Roefield Leisure Centre.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28These are knife boxes, obviously.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- How long have you had them? - We've had them about three years.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- And you inherited them?- Yes, we did.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- It's unlikely you'd have bought them in this rather sad state.- No.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40We'll deal with that in a minute.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45The first thing is to open the lid and see whether or not...
0:02:45 > 0:02:51fortunately, yes, these retain their original pierced containers,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55simply because so many... Let's have a look at the other one.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Right. Lovely.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02- ..so many have been taken out or gutted and made into stationery boxes...- Yes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08..in the 1920s, so that's good. We then only have to consider restoration.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12I've just noticed something - you see this wonderful panelling?
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- Yes.- That marquetry was put in about 1780, 1790.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23That's the colour that the furniture of that time would have been. When you see it on bits of furniture,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26that's how bright the colours were
0:03:26 > 0:03:32and that looks almost new, which is wonderful, so we need to just look and see how bad these really are.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37- That one, I think, only needs the hinge fixing and the front.- Yes.
0:03:37 > 0:03:44Now, it looks pretty awful, but, in fact, if these were taken to pieces, it's not a very complicated job
0:03:44 > 0:03:48to put them back together, and when they're done, I think,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52both of these boxes will be worth in the region of £400 to £500 each.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Thank you. I also inherited this cabinet.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- This one?- Yes.- Let's have a look.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Wow!
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Well!
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Well, you know, this is very interesting,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12because in 20 years' time,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16this is the type of furniture somebody will be talking about,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20because this is the 1920s version...
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- ..of a sort of Queen Anne cabinet. - Yes.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The original of this didn't really exist, but the form did -
0:04:29 > 0:04:33the cabinet with lacquer or painted decoration,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37large hinges in the Chinese manner on an English-type stand.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Parcel gilding - that means partly gilded -
0:04:41 > 0:04:44so you have little parts of gilding here
0:04:44 > 0:04:49to show the highlights on a walnut base with these cabriole legs.
0:04:49 > 0:04:56The two were put together any time after 1680 through to about 1715, the end of Queen Anne's reign.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02The originals will by that time, I'm sure, be so scarce and so valuable
0:05:02 > 0:05:08that I doubt people will be bringing them along outside of a museum,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12whereas, of course, the 1920s versions,
0:05:12 > 0:05:19which this is, have not been considered really worthy as antiques yet.
0:05:19 > 0:05:26Time will catch up, and when you look at it clinically, this is a good-looking piece of furniture.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- It's very pretty, isn't it?- Yes.
0:05:28 > 0:05:34- We like it.- And it has... The little drawers work. Oh, look!
0:05:34 > 0:05:41"Hamptons of London". That explains, because they were extremely good quality makers
0:05:41 > 0:05:46known for their products, and retailers,
0:05:46 > 0:05:52this superb quality here, which you very rarely find, actually, on this type of furniture.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Look at that!
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Couldn't better that.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Look at these. Lovely.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Well, that's a little bonus...
0:06:02 > 0:06:05..and inside is plain, I presume?
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Yes.- They nearly always were. Just a couple of shelves.- Yes.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13- And it's a cocktail cabinet or drinks cabinet.- Yes.- Let's see...
0:06:13 > 0:06:18When I first started the business, these cabinets were £10 to £15.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Mind you, that is in the 1950s - that's a long time ago.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27But they were almost only second-hand, you see.
0:06:27 > 0:06:34However, time has increased. Now a little cabinet would be in the region of £2,500 to £3,000.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41- Very nice. - Yes, but of course the original would be £20,000 or £30,000.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45- Right.- As prices go up, here we have the antiques of the future.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Aren't these beautiful? They look just like Royal Crown Derby Imari,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- but they're not.- No.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- Who actually did them?- My mother.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Your mother painted all these?- Yes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03- She did the whole lot?- Yes, she did. - Was she trained at the factory?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06No, she just went to evening classes
0:07:06 > 0:07:11when she'd be... Oh, she'd probably be about 60 before she started,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16and, of course, she was hooked then - she couldn't leave it alone.
0:07:16 > 0:07:23I can imagine. There's a great vogue nowadays for china painting by ladies. They join clubs.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- Your mother wasn't in a club? - No, she did it purely as a hobby.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31I'm president of one of the clubs and I know how keen they are.
0:07:31 > 0:07:38It's a wonderfully satisfying thing to do, but this is remarkably professional. It's incredible work.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Absolutely beautiful, and in such wonderful condition,
0:07:43 > 0:07:49but if you bought these from, say, Royal Crown Derby, these would be into the £1,000 bracket.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53That's not saying these will be, as they're painted by your mother,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57but they're still going to be of fair value.
0:07:57 > 0:08:04You might think about insurance of, say, I think £500 on each piece, as they are quite superb.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Fisher girls, obviously, fisher girl looking out to sea,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11got her baskets, waiting for the boats to come in.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I've had a look, but I can't see a signature.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- No, we haven't. - What can you tell me about it?
0:08:18 > 0:08:22- Not much. It was in my parents' house for many years...- Yes.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- ..then it was handed it down to me. - You've had it cleaned.- Yes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32- I can see. They couldn't find a signature?- No. I've had somebody trying to find a signature -
0:08:32 > 0:08:37she's an antique valuer and she's not been able to find one either.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43- I think I've got an idea.- You have? - I'll tell you who I think this picture's by.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48- Milner. William Edward Milner. You may not have heard of him. - I haven't.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52He has a distinct style and distinct colours he uses,
0:08:52 > 0:08:57and as soon as I saw this picture, I thought, "Milner".
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Now, he is known for sort of country scenes and farming scenes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07He lived in Gainsborough in Lincolnshire.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Now, there is something called Gainsborough Museum,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14where there are a number of pictures by Milner.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- You'll have to make a trip there. - Go and find out.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23Check up - if it IS by Milner, it's certainly worth £2,000 or £3,000.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29In fact, I think it could be more, perhaps £3,000 to £5,000, so very exciting little discovery.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Thank you very much.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Lovely flagons - where do they come from?
0:09:36 > 0:09:43They come from our local parish church, but I've brought them from the bank where they're secure.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48That's a sensible idea these days, but do you use them on occasions?
0:09:48 > 0:09:54We use them for the main festivals, Christmas and Easter and...
0:09:54 > 0:09:58That's great. I'm a great believer that church plates should be used.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02It's so sad when it does so often reside just in the bag.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07As objects, they're fascinating with their development and history,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12and these two together do show some of that development.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18The origins, most people don't realise, are actually secular, not ecclesiastic,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22and if you go back into the 16th century,
0:10:22 > 0:10:29you find that pairs of flagons were being produced which were very much, if I cover up the lip there,
0:10:29 > 0:10:35very much that form, and you'd use them at banquets when replenishing the wine cups, this sort of idea.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40You see them in paintings carrying them in, which is wonderful,
0:10:40 > 0:10:45but then, as we move into the 17th century, they became obsolete for secular use
0:10:45 > 0:10:51and people started to give them to churches for replenishing the Communion Cup.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The church thought, "What a wonderful idea,"
0:10:54 > 0:10:58so they started to make them specifically for church use
0:10:58 > 0:11:05and so, of course, today people associate them, because so many of them are in churches, with churches.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12And that form was very much the sort of elongated tankard, if you like, continued through the 18th century.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14So, when you look at the lid,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18that of an 18th century tankard with the thumbpiece,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23but then as you move on to this one... Where are we?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Yes, it's got, um...
0:11:26 > 0:11:291828, actually, for this one,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32and the maker - Emes And Barnard.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38Very good maker, that's Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- Right.- The firm was registered, funnily enough,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44as Widow Emes and Barnard.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Is it unusual to have a lady doing it?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Lots of women were involved in the running of companies -
0:11:51 > 0:11:54we had some wonderful women silversmiths.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59- Really?- Actually, Rebecca Emes was one of the best.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Probably the best was Anne Tanqueray. There are over 300 recorded.- Really?
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Oh, yes, so the Emes and Barnard of that period,
0:12:08 > 0:12:15and by then, 1828, you've got a lip coming - they decided that would make it easier to pour.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Now, what's fascinating is that they...
0:12:18 > 0:12:23having got that one in your church, they obviously decided they wanted another one,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28and I have to say they didn't spend quite so much money this time.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34This one has these wonderful mounts here - really, really good quality.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40Notice how much more simple these are, just looking at the lip, that's a very simple lip,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44these wonderful leaves, so perhaps there wasn't so much money.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- No.- Have you noticed what's happened to the lid?
0:12:48 > 0:12:51The thumbpiece has disappeared,
0:12:51 > 0:12:58- and in its place you've now got a finial.- Yes.- So you can see all the time there's this evolving form.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03- This is also Barnard's, but this is after Rebecca Emes has retired.- Yes.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05So you've got Barnard's on their own.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10- Right.- Um, we're 1836 for this one, so just those few years later...
0:13:10 > 0:13:17- Only a few years between them. - Yeah. I would've thought probably to insure for £2,000 each.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Right, yes. Excellent. Thank you very much.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25I was left it by my Godmother, who was also my mother's sister.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30It was left to me as a jewellery box, but I don't know its history.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Do you use it for jewellery?- No.
0:13:32 > 0:13:38It has these little drawers to accommodate jewellery and they have nice wooden linings,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41so that'd be absolutely right,
0:13:41 > 0:13:48and in the old days, when it was made, it might have been intended for such things.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- OK.- How did your family come by it?
0:13:51 > 0:13:56Well, my aunt worked for the manageress of a shop in Clitheroe
0:13:56 > 0:14:03and apparently an elderly gentleman took a fancy to her and kept bringing her presents,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06apparently he was well travelled. That's all I know.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11She was given it just before or just after the war, but I'm not sure of the date.
0:14:11 > 0:14:18- Yes. Did he travel in Japan?- I've always thought it was Japanese and there might be some bronze in it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Somebody told me there was bronze in it, but it's not all bronze.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27Yes, well, there's a whole variety of metals in here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32If we look at the front door, you've got a flaked gold background,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37which has been damascened into the background of bronze,
0:14:37 > 0:14:44so to damascene a metal you take a rough file, and then into that burr, rather like Velcro,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- you hammer another metal...- Right. - ..and polish it
0:14:47 > 0:14:52until it takes on this absolutely smooth surface that we've got here.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57And this little character is a man called Fuku-rokujin.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- "Fuku", believe it or not, is Japanese for "happiness".- Right.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- He's the god of happiness.- I did wonder what the figures meant.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Round the side,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12you've another of the gods of good fortune and happiness -
0:15:12 > 0:15:17a man called Daikoku, recognisable because he's got a little hammer,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and inside the drawer, I noticed two cranes,
0:15:21 > 0:15:27and the cranes, again, symbols of long life and happiness,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32so the gift was to encourage her to live long and happily.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- How nice.- Which is very nice.- Yes.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40And beautifully made around 1900, so quite late,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44and it could've been bought by this man in Japan.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49- Yes.- What he would've paid then would've been a small amount,
0:15:49 > 0:15:55but at auction today, this would make easily £2,000 to £3,000,
0:15:55 > 0:16:01- um, and it's a cracking bit. Lovely. Beautifully made.- Thank you. - Thank you for bringing it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Pugs galore! Pugs to the left of us and pugs to the right of us!
0:16:06 > 0:16:08What started you off collecting pugs?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Well, I had live pugs originally.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16- Yes.- And one sort of develops an interest in the breed,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19so I started collecting anything to do with pugs.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- They're fascinating dogs.- Yes. - Which is your favourite?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- The white one.- This one? - I think so.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Yes, that's very beautiful.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33- Beautifully modelled. They always have little bells round them.- Yes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37They derive, of course, from Meissen. This is a Meissen one,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39the crossed swords of Meissen,
0:16:39 > 0:16:45early 19th century, but very beautiful, and you have the partner?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- I do, but she's broken.- Shame!- Yes.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53A beautiful thing, and there was a big vogue in Germany for pugs.
0:16:53 > 0:16:59- Were they mixed up with the Masons? - So I believe, but I don't know any details.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02They had pugs when they weren't allowed to be Masons,
0:17:02 > 0:17:09and so pugs represented the Masonic movement, and if somebody saw you with a pug,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- they knew you were a Mason.- Really?
0:17:12 > 0:17:16I gather so. They produced great ones. That really is beautiful.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- Yes.- It's super, and they go from German ones - lots of German ones...
0:17:21 > 0:17:26In fact, this great big girl here is a German pug.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Massive. Is this life-size?
0:17:28 > 0:17:33- Slightly larger, I think.- Larger. - Just slightly, yes, I think. Yes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39This one...this group is actually Worcester. It's a wonderful little group of Worcester pugs
0:17:39 > 0:17:43modelled by James Hadley back in the 19th century -
0:17:43 > 0:17:47about 1870, something like that - and that...
0:17:47 > 0:17:49They are sweet, but strange colours.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Very strange.- This is fun.- Yes.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57This little chap is wonderful. I suppose, he's an iced water jug?
0:17:57 > 0:17:59You put iced water in there...
0:17:59 > 0:18:05- I suppose so.- When you pour it out, the ice doesn't drop out through the mouth...- No.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- ..or it'd plonk into the glass. - I'd never thought of that.
0:18:08 > 0:18:14He's a Staffordshire chap. I suppose end of the 19th century, but he's absolutely hilarious fun.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Would you call him a fairing?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19No, he's better than a fairing.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22These are fairings, little German fairings.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27- Yes.- Things you bought at the fair. - That's right.- They're cheapos,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29but he's a good quality ornament.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32He's great. It's terribly exciting.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36The whole collection is great. It gives you enormous joy?
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- Oh, enormous pleasure. - Are you worried about their values?
0:18:41 > 0:18:46I am about Prudence, whether I ought to insure her separately.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- Who?- Prudence.- Prudence.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- I call her Prudence.- I see.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Prudence for a pug dog. Prudence. Yeah.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Well, she's German majolica,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and majolica is now very, very popular.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06- If it were a Minton one or a George Jones one, it would be in the many thousands.- Of course.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09But I suppose this German one...
0:19:09 > 0:19:14you've got to be thinking of £2,000 or £3,000 for Prudence.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18The others aren't in that league. A Meissen one, being one of a pair,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22the other one broken, is going to be about £600 or £700.
0:19:22 > 0:19:29Very nice chap. The pair would be up into the.. well into the four-figure bracket...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Yes.- ..if the other one had been perfect.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- Yes.- The Worcester group is nice.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41We must be thinking somewhere in the terms of, I suppose, £400 or £500,
0:19:41 > 0:19:46- and the other ones are up into the £100 bracket, most of them.- Yes.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50The water jug is very fun - £100 - but a lovely collection.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- Thank you very much. - Enjoy them.- I will indeed.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58- Carry on collecting pugs.- I will. Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:19:58 > 0:20:04This is a delightful piece. Tell me where you got it and what you know about it.
0:20:04 > 0:20:10I don't know a lot about it. Me aunt left a few pieces of jewellery.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15That was one I thought was pretty, but I was told it was plastic.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- Were you? By whom?- A jeweller. He's retired from the trade, so...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I see. Actually, this...
0:20:22 > 0:20:25it is a shell cameo,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27but he might've been a bit deceived,
0:20:27 > 0:20:34because this pink background comes from a particular sort of shell. It's a conch shell -
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- pronounced "conc" and spelt "conch". - Yes.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41There are two sorts - common ones with the brown background
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and this is the much more uncommon type, called a strombus shell,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and it's beautifully carved with...
0:20:48 > 0:20:53I would say Cupid and this dove which is the symbol of love.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- Yes.- It's all very symbolic
0:20:55 > 0:21:00and it's got this beautiful little Neoclassical detail below it.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02It's charming and delightful.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08I'd say the period of the carving on this is around 1875 to 1880,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13and so I think you should insure this for something like about £750.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- You're joking!- No. - For a piece of plastic?
0:21:16 > 0:21:21- Well, it's rather an expensive piece of plastic.- It is, isn't it?
0:21:21 > 0:21:26This isn't a red book, but I thought you'd like it.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30If you'd put it in your archives, I'd be very pleased.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- My...- 40 years old almost.- It is. - Yes, in '63.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- This is a valuable thing. - Well, with a dust jacket,
0:21:38 > 0:21:45- but I thought that you'd like it for your family to say, "That's what Grandpa did."- Grandpa?!
0:21:45 > 0:21:52- You never know, in years to come, Great-Grandpa! - Yes, it's heading that way.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54He's called Daniel Ridgway Knight.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57He's not English, but he's American,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and he was an American artist, born in Pennsylvania in the 1830s,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06and he studied in the Academy of Pennsylvania,
0:22:06 > 0:22:12but he gave that up and, in 1861, came to Paris and studied in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17He loved Paris so much, he went back to America, came back with his wife,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21and he lived in Paris, really, from the 1870s onwards,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and had a studio 15 miles outside Paris.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Obviously, this is taken from that area.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31It's a wonderful one. How did it come into your family?
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- It was passed down from my father-in-law.- Right.
0:22:34 > 0:22:40- It's been given about 20 years ago. - 20 years ago? My goodness!
0:22:40 > 0:22:46- I don't know how long they had it. - Right. And no French or American connections in your family?- No.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Let's look at it. It's very important to look at pictures -
0:22:50 > 0:22:53so many people say, "I never noticed that."
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Look at the detail of this 19th century artist -
0:22:57 > 0:23:01this wonderful still life of the vegetables.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Obviously having a cup of coffee before or after they go to market.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Yes.- And look at the dog waiting patiently.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- Yes.- And the old men playing cards.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's full of life, it's full of...
0:23:14 > 0:23:21And it's so beautifully painted, every detail is there, the colouring of the clothes. It's just wonderful.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23It seems to be life's so simple.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28- Exactly. Wouldn't it be nice? Not so simple today, is it?- No.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- Well now, have you ever had it valued?- No.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36What do you think it's worth? Two million dollar question!
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I shouldn't ask that. It's unfair.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Yeah, I mean, we know it's pretty old. A nice piece.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Yes, but most people think old means money, but that isn't the truth.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- It's rarity, it's what's in fashion. - Yes, yes.
0:23:51 > 0:23:58- Because it's old doesn't mean money - a portrait from 1700 could be worth very little.- Yes.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03But this is a very in-vogue artist and the Americans are interested
0:24:03 > 0:24:07- because they haven't got a huge school of art.- Right.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Even if they lived in Paris...
0:24:10 > 0:24:13So, well, I think, if it came up for auction,
0:24:13 > 0:24:20- and it's the saleroom value we're talking about - £20,000 to £30,000.- Really? Oh, my goodness!
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I can't tell you now! Won't tell my husband!
0:24:25 > 0:24:30This is an important rifle, from the historical point of view -
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- it's the first breech-loading rifle to be used by the British Army.- Yes.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40It's called a Snider after the American inventor of the action, who was called Jacob Snider,
0:24:40 > 0:24:47and who produced this action to convert muzzle-loading firearms into breech loaders.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51From the 1860s, cartridges started to be developed,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and governments found they had full arsenals
0:24:54 > 0:24:59of these fine muzzle-loading arms, which were immediately obsolete,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04so they looked for conversions to save money and give them space
0:25:04 > 0:25:07so they could develop a proper breech loader.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10My feeling is this was built as a breech loader,
0:25:10 > 0:25:15- but using this action intended to convert muzzle loaders.- Yes.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20This one is built by Thomas Turner of Fisher Street in Birmingham.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Turner was there
0:25:23 > 0:25:26from 1838 to 1890,
0:25:26 > 0:25:33and he was a very prolific maker of small arms, and a contractor to the War Office
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and he was a very important man in the Birmingham gun trade.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43This would've been made for a soldier in the Volunteer Movement -
0:25:43 > 0:25:46a citizen army, fashionable in Victorian times.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50They'd to go to Wimbledon Common and shoot. They had many social events.
0:25:50 > 0:25:58This would've been bought by each soldier and it would have been made to a proper government patent,
0:25:58 > 0:26:05- so it'd fire government ammunition, so it's a sort of semi-military arm...- Private-militia-like?
0:26:05 > 0:26:10Yes, yes, they were part of the sort of defence of the realm.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16It was the patriotic duty of everybody to join up and its action is very interesting, very simple -
0:26:16 > 0:26:20pull the hammer back, pull that protector off,
0:26:20 > 0:26:25and to load it you just flip the breech over, drop your cartridge in,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29flip that back, and you're ready to go.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34It was really a very clever idea - very simple and very efficient.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Where did you get it from? It's in very, very good condition.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44I went to a gun shop for a foresight for an old airgun I had.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49I knew the gunsmith and he said, "I've some old guns upstairs."
0:26:49 > 0:26:55When I got there, I spotted this box with these two guns in,
0:26:55 > 0:27:00so I came down and asked him if he wanted to sell them and he said,
0:27:00 > 0:27:07"I was going to put them on the wall, but people might be looking at them instead of my wares,"
0:27:07 > 0:27:11so I gave him £20 for them, but that's about 40 years ago.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13£20 for the two?
0:27:13 > 0:27:18- What happened to the other one? - I sold it when I got married.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- Oh, right. So, effectively, this owes you nothing?- No.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Today you would expect to pay
0:27:26 > 0:27:29about £650, £700 for a rifle like this
0:27:29 > 0:27:34in as good a condition as this, and it's in excellent condition.
0:27:34 > 0:27:40It's got its original finish by a prominent maker. A great piece of history.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Yeah, I like the rifle itself. I have it over the fireplace.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49- It's an excellent piece. Thanks for bringing it.- Yes, thank you.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55- Aha, do you know what this is? - It's the Italian mark for Genoa.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59You're right. In fact, it's the mark of the Savona factory,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04which somebody's written on the label, but what object is depicted?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I can't see without me specs!
0:28:06 > 0:28:09I'll tell you, then - a lighthouse.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14- Right.- In the old days, you didn't have a light at the top of a tower -
0:28:14 > 0:28:18you had a boom into which you put a burning bush which was then raised.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21That's the lighthouse mark of the Savona factory.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25You've got a nice Savona majolica dish painted with...
0:28:25 > 0:28:29well, it's probably Nero, the Roman Emperor.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- Yes.- It's Claudius Caesar Nero Domitius Augustus VI.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36We've a burning city in the background - that'd confirm Nero.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41I'd like it to be more hilly, if it's supposed to be Rome.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43It's from a long way off, you know!
0:28:43 > 0:28:47It's worth somewhere in the... Do you know what it's worth?
0:28:47 > 0:28:52I'm not bothered about the price - I'm the custodian of this plate.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57- I'm not going to tell you.- I'm not bothered. I'd say it's about £600.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02- You've done my job for me! - That's what I said. - Would you like to take my table?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- It's not going to pick up that dust. - It isn't, is it?
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- I'd be here for 10 years.- I'm sure.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11How did you find this?
0:29:11 > 0:29:14It belonged to my husband's great-aunt.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18She was 96 when she died and we've had it about 16 years.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- So it has a history of family use? - It's been in the family a while.
0:29:22 > 0:29:29- Having just had a go with it, I can see it doesn't generate much of a vacuum any more.- Not at all.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34It has a dust bag inside it with a seal, like a giant bicycle pump.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39Obviously, you literally suck the bits off the floor into it.
0:29:39 > 0:29:45- Yes.- It worked then, and obviously it was relatively efficient at the time.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49When I say "time", I'm talking round about 1900, 1910.
0:29:49 > 0:29:56Now, we're not talking high value - it's just an interesting domestic item. It's a bygone item
0:29:56 > 0:30:00that really is quite, quite socially interesting, I suppose.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06- I've sold these at auction in their boxes for about £80. - Right.- Not an enormous amount.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11- No.- They are curios. Without its box, it'll be worth £50, £60.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16- Yes.- It's the kind of thing that generates a bit of interest.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20- Yes.- Thank you for bringing it along.- Thank you.
0:30:20 > 0:30:26- Who is she?- A lady called Carol Stewart who hails from Kirkcudbright in Scotland.- Yes.
0:30:26 > 0:30:33And the painting was done of her when she was about five years old, we think,
0:30:33 > 0:30:38which would date it at about 1914-ish,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41by WS MacGeorge.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Yes, I see the signature. That's William Stuart MacGeorge.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- Yes.- So...been in the family?
0:30:48 > 0:30:55Yes, the lady in question was a very, very close friend of my mother's,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59and she actually gave it to my mother about 35 years ago,
0:30:59 > 0:31:06and as my mother no longer has the space to take care of it, she's given it to me for my safekeeping.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- You're a lucky man.- Thank you. - It's a charming picture.
0:31:10 > 0:31:17Well, now, MacGeorge was a late-19th century, early-20th Scottish Impressionist,
0:31:17 > 0:31:24and is well known for pictures of children, very often groups of girls in a landscape, in a wood,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28but this is unusual - I don't see many of these.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33This is a portrait by him, an actual commissioned portrait.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36In one sense, a charming Scottish picture,
0:31:36 > 0:31:41but also a picture of Edwardian childhood. Couldn't be more typical.
0:31:41 > 0:31:48Well, MacGeorge's pictures of girls are very popular and very saleable, and, I would say, in an auction
0:31:48 > 0:31:55you're going to get at least £5,000 for this - £5,000 or £6,000 - and it's such a charming image.
0:31:55 > 0:32:01- If you cleaned it and took the glass off, you should be insuring it for £10,000.- Wow.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08My father gave it to my mother, um, about in the '30s, I think.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13They did a lot of socialising and I think Mum wore it lots.
0:32:13 > 0:32:19I can remember her wearing it and that's all there is to it, really.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- It is a very wearable thing. - It seems quite ageless.
0:32:22 > 0:32:29Yes, absolutely. Well, I think it probably was made a little earlier than the 30s -
0:32:29 > 0:32:33it's typical of the Edwardian style or the Belle Epoch
0:32:33 > 0:32:37after jewellers had started using platinum to mount diamonds in,
0:32:37 > 0:32:44because platinum's very hard and strong and they're able to get away with the minimum amount of metal
0:32:44 > 0:32:48and produce this sort of very delicate lacy effect,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52and if one looks at the gallery here,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and you see how delicately that's done,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58how little there is and how beautiful it is,
0:32:58 > 0:33:03and how nice the back of it is. This would be a natural pearl.
0:33:03 > 0:33:10- So irregular, isn't it?- Fished from the Arabian Gulf, as the cultured pearls hadn't been invented.
0:33:10 > 0:33:17It didn't come on the market until about 1920, so, um, quite a valuable piece of jewellery.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22- I've not noticed half those things! - Why should you?- You're the expert.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27- Do you have it insured at all? - Um, nothing spectacular, no.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33I think you'd find it very hard to replace this for much under £3,500 to £4,000 today,
0:33:33 > 0:33:39- so perhaps you should... - That's lovely to hear. Thank you. - Thank you for bringing it along.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42It's a piece I bought eight or nine years ago.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45I fell in love with it when I saw it.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49You couldn't not. I mean, made what 1680, 1690.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- I would've guessed, but... - Before the 18th century.
0:33:53 > 0:33:59This lovely turned columns with balustrades, and this perfect gate-leg action, comes out,
0:33:59 > 0:34:06You've got to fall in love with that! It's a little person! It's absolutely wonderful.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11Now, this is cherry wood and... Oh, look at that moulding! Look at that!
0:34:11 > 0:34:17- I fell in love with the pattern on the... - Well, you've got a gun barrel stem,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20bobbin turning, then a baluster,
0:34:20 > 0:34:24so you've three patterns, which is great, and these are Persic columns.
0:34:24 > 0:34:31A Persic column is one that's turned to match one end to the other, so that's identical, this end to that,
0:34:31 > 0:34:38so a Persic column turning - complicated to do when you've just got a pole lathe to work with,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42and fruit wood is a devil - it's unstable, anyway,
0:34:42 > 0:34:48so he chose carefully the timber, then obviously was a master turner.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53The thing is, somebody would look at it and say, "The leaves have been cut.
0:34:53 > 0:34:59"They wouldn't make it like that," but I don't think so, because, if you look here,
0:34:59 > 0:35:04this is dry, as we saw underneath. Very, very dry, lovely, crisp.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08The way these pegs stand out is magic, little natural shrinkage,
0:35:08 > 0:35:15and then, gradually, you get to the shiny part where the duster would have caught, OK?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Now, two things to look at.
0:35:17 > 0:35:24Firstly, round the edge here is the sort of patination that comes from lifting up a leaf over 300 years.
0:35:24 > 0:35:31You can't fake that - that wouldn't be there if these leaves had been cut, because they'd be down here.
0:35:31 > 0:35:37The other thing - and most definite to me - is that this is where it's been polished.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42If the leaves came to there, this would be as dry as this part here.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47- Yes.- I mean, that makes sense, doesn't it? I think fantastic!
0:35:47 > 0:35:50This is so beautiful.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54- Some of these... That's original. - Are they original?
0:35:54 > 0:35:59That's an original foot. Some have been replaced, but I'd forgive that.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03These are still here, the little end feet.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06That follows through. That's the same piece of wood.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09If we were that old, we'd have had OUR feet replaced!
0:36:09 > 0:36:13I'd like to believe I'd have my own feet then!
0:36:13 > 0:36:17But absolutely super. Now, then, what about price?
0:36:17 > 0:36:23- Um, what did you pay for it?- From memory, I think it was about £950.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28Well, today a little table like that would certainly cost about £6,500.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Very good to know. Thank you very much.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37- I bought them in auction. - Tell me how much you paid for them.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42Roughly, it'll be about £250 the pair, but I'm not sure.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46- Where do they live at the moment? - In my guest bedroom.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50- Yes. Is it very bright? - No, they're not in the sun.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Good - try to get as little light hitting them as possible,
0:36:54 > 0:36:59because these are wonderful paintings, but paintings in silk,
0:36:59 > 0:37:06and when a Westerner looks at a Chinese image, usually these long, beautiful hanging scrolls,
0:37:06 > 0:37:11we in the West can get perplexed by the notion of Chinese perspective,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- but you like them.- I love them.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Things that are far away in a Chinese image
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- are rendered at the top of the painting.- Oh, yes.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25And as you get closer to where you're standing,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30- the foreground comes closer and is at the bottom of the picture.- Yes.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35In Western painting, we have the distance disappearing behind.
0:37:35 > 0:37:41The Chinese don't like that, because you lose the adventure of travelling through a landscape,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and this is a fantastic adventure.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49- Yes.- Isn't it wonderful?- It is.- We have a distant lake up here.- Yes.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52And we see a flight of geese coming south,
0:37:52 > 0:37:59and then the embroiderer has changed the wave pattern to give you this torrent as we go through a ravine
0:37:59 > 0:38:04and this junk coming through the water into a placid lake below
0:38:04 > 0:38:07where a couple of scholars... Isn't that wonderful?
0:38:07 > 0:38:12- They've illuminated the change by the river pattern.- Yes.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16This is...this, I suppose, is the clincher, this wonderful journey.
0:38:16 > 0:38:22We go from the mountains, these wonderful clouds swimming, as they do in China.
0:38:22 > 0:38:29- Is that the sun?- Fabulous! There's an intensity to that sun, because they've foiled the thread.- Yes.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33And then you move through these wonderful towers,
0:38:33 > 0:38:38a properly sort of embattled fortress on the river front,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42a few sampans and fishermen's junks,
0:38:42 > 0:38:46a look-out post here popping out of the water,
0:38:46 > 0:38:51and then another fort here with a flag hanging there,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- but the piece de resistance is this. - Yes, the little steamer.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- It's a paddle boat.- Yes.
0:38:58 > 0:39:04- A touch of Western technology... - Yes, yes.- ..in otherwise conventional Chinese format.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08It's a wonderful thing. I'm not a marine archaeologist -
0:39:08 > 0:39:14- I couldn't tell you the date of the steamer.- No.- But I'd put it around the year 1890, 1900.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18- Yes.- They are, without doubt, the best embroidered panels,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22that I've ever seen in this genre. I think they're lovely.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27- You paid the right price - £250. - Not expensive, were they?
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Well, I think £250
0:39:30 > 0:39:33would buy you a very smart pair
0:39:33 > 0:39:36of mother-of-pearl inlaid frames.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40- Yes, yes.- So I would reckon the frames are worth £250.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42With...
0:39:42 > 0:39:45the six panels,
0:39:45 > 0:39:49I cannot seriously see those being offered
0:39:49 > 0:39:51in a good antique shop
0:39:51 > 0:39:56- for anything less than £2,000. - Lovely. Lovely.
0:39:56 > 0:40:02My boyfriend bought it at an antiques fair. I know nothing about it, but I think it's a plant pot.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06That's right. Do you use it for plants?
0:40:06 > 0:40:10No, for decorative purposes - haven't put a plant in it.
0:40:10 > 0:40:16- But it's up and displayed?- Yes. - As you say, it's a plant pot,
0:40:16 > 0:40:21stands on its own little base, so we can lift it off,
0:40:21 > 0:40:28which is good for plants, because it lets the air get underneath and the water can drain out of it.
0:40:28 > 0:40:35We've got a date on the bottom. we've got "Baxter" and "1802" and 1802 isn't a model number -
0:40:35 > 0:40:40that's the actual date of production for this piece.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46Thomas Baxter's an interesting chap. He was a Royal Academician, so he was trained as an artist,
0:40:46 > 0:40:52but went into china painting. There was a vogue for china painting.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54They brought French blanks,
0:40:54 > 0:41:02pulled them in from Paris, took them to a decorating establishment, which Baxter ran, and they painted them.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06This is not French. It's quite interesting - it's a Coalport blank,
0:41:06 > 0:41:11so it's a blank made at Coalport, brought to London,
0:41:11 > 0:41:17decorated in Baxter's establishment, beautifully decorated.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- I've a feeling this is Lady Hamilton.- So Lord Nelson?
0:41:21 > 0:41:28Yeah, Lord Nelson-Lady Hamilton. I've seen other Baxter work which depicts Lady Hamilton.
0:41:28 > 0:41:34She's shown in a casual style in this blouse, but I think that's a view of Lady Hamilton.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38We can see that he's a marvellous artist.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43He wouldn't know how this was going to turn out. The colours are so different -
0:41:43 > 0:41:47they're all drab blacks and greys and browns -
0:41:47 > 0:41:52only when it's fired and refired and refired do the colours come up,
0:41:52 > 0:41:57so it's a skilled piece of work, and not only is the painting skilled,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00but the gilding -
0:42:00 > 0:42:05all this gilding has been beautifully laid out in squares.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10It's really quite dramatic - simple, but dramatic,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14and Baxter did this when he was about 20.
0:42:14 > 0:42:20So he's only a young man when he was doing this, and, in 1814, he set up his own china painting school,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24um, and produced lots of other wares.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27And this is in perfect condition.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32It's a rare object. What did your boyfriend pay for it?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34About £140.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36£140, right.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Auction value - £7,000 to £9,000.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Oh, my God!
0:42:44 > 0:42:48It's a very fine, very rare object.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52It's a museum piece - it's signed, it's dated.
0:42:52 > 0:42:58- It's a fantastic piece of porcelain. - Oh, my word!- Bit of a shock? - Yes, I daren't pick it up now.
0:43:01 > 0:43:08They say Clitheroe is half in Lancashire and half in fairyland. It's time for us to tiptoe away.
0:43:08 > 0:43:13Many thanks to the Clitherovians for having us back again. Goodbye.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32Subtitles by Peter Hastie BBC Broadcast 2003