0:00:31 > 0:00:35We're in the foothills of the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39where ancient castles and abbeys dot the landscape...
0:00:41 > 0:00:45..where a once thriving colliery lives on as a working museum,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50and where voices raised in harmony still echo through the valleys.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We're at the gateway to Wales - Abergavenny.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02There's been a settlement here for 6,000 years. The Romans named it Gobannium.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08But with the Norman Conquest, a castle was built and the town of Abergavenny established.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14The Normans never trusted the Welsh, and the Welsh returned the compliment.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Their mistrust was justified in 1175 when William de Braose,
0:01:18 > 0:01:23the Ogre of Abergavenny, invited local nobles for Christmas dinner at the castle.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27In the bloodiest episode in the castle's history, all the nobles -
0:01:27 > 0:01:30the best men of Gwent - were hacked to death.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33The resulting vendetta went on for years.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Some of those nobles are buried here in St Mary's church,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41which houses the most impressive collection of medieval tombs
0:01:41 > 0:01:44of any parish church in Britain.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56The hills surrounding Abergavenny
0:01:56 > 0:02:01include the volcanic shaped Sugar Loaf and the Holy Mountain, or Skirrid Fawr.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03But amid the beauty,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06more dark history.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10On the slopes of Holy Mountain stands the Skirrid Inn,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13the oldest public house in Wales. It once doubled as a court room,
0:02:13 > 0:02:19and 900 years ago, a sheep rustler named John Crowther breathed his last, dangling from this beam.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22His death kicked off a grim tradition.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28Over the years, no less than 180 unfortunates died in this stairwell.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32During the 17th century, when Hanging Judge Jeffreys presided,
0:02:32 > 0:02:37the beam was so fully employed that the dragmarks of the rope can still be seen.
0:02:40 > 0:02:451952 is a year Abergavenny and Wales will never forget.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48The year of the Helsinki Olympics,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and the showjumping team of Foxhunter and Harry Llewellyn.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Harry was a steeple chaser and came second in the 1936 Grand National,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00but 16 years later he won Olympic Gold.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06Foxhunter's memorial and Harry's ashes lie at the top of Blorenge Hill.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Today's venue is Abergavenny Leisure Centre.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The show is about to begin, so please take your seats.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Just two or three years after my father bought it,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21we had a family friend come round who was a member of the RAF,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and he used to stand at the front door
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and throw his hat across the hall so it landed on the Japanese man,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30because he disliked him so much.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33On one occasion the brolly came out and fell on the floor.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The damage is not very much, but a little bit there on the handle,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and it's very slightly dented on the outside.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46But it is indicative of how much Japanese artefacts were disliked at that time,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- shortly after World War II.- Right.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- I wonder what he paid for it? - Well, my father paid £10 -
0:03:52 > 0:03:55at least, that's what he said.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59He might have paid more, and didn't want to tell my mother.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Supposing he might have paid £20, it still wasn't a huge amount of money.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09In the post-war era, things Japanese were really not particularly appreciated.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It was made around 1900,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16and at that time, the Japanese metal workers
0:04:16 > 0:04:20no longer made armour in the quantities that they had previously.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26They still had all the skills to do so, so they turned their hands to producing decorative artefacts,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28using all their metalworking skills.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32This particular piece is by a man called Miyao.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- It is Miyao? - It's signed on the leg, here.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41It's a mixture of bronze and other coloured metals,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45and it is just wonderful, wonderful quality.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48He produced a number of figures of peasants and characters,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and here you've got a chap with an ape on his shoulder and a parasol.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54It's just fantastic.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57All the symbols on it are auspicious
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and represent things, according to the Japanese -
0:05:01 > 0:05:04the chrysanthemum is the national flower, and so on.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08This is the sort of thing which I would have thought, at auction,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13you could expect it to make somewhere between £4,000 and £6,000.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So, you know, a jolly useful investment by your father.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19So, are you telling me you got all these from car boot sales?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Except for that one.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23How amazing!
0:05:23 > 0:05:28- Why do you like Ian Fleming?- Well, the art work on the books was...
0:05:28 > 0:05:33When I started collecting the paperbacks I just found the artwork interesting,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38and then after that, I started to look at the writing of Ian Fleming.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43When I bought this book here, about... I think that was about three years ago.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47When I was reading it I found that this guy here, James Bond...
0:05:47 > 0:05:52I'm not sure whether that was the inspiration for the James Bond character,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- and that is what I wanted to know. - That's what you want to know.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- Well, James Bond was an American ornithologist.- Right.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He wrote a field guide to the birds of the West Indies.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Ian Fleming liked to go to the West Indies, so there was a link,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- and he'd read James Bond's book. - Right.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14In a way what he did was, he just grabbed his name and he used it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17After that, they got to know each other on a personal basis,
0:06:17 > 0:06:22and so this is a collector's item in its own right, because of the connection.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- I didn't, I didn't realise that. - So, it's very amusing.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31The unusual thing about the whole collection is that most of them are in just such beautiful condition.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Picking up at car boot sales, they tend to put them in cardboard boxes on damp ground,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and the damp comes through like... There's one or two. That one there.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- Diamonds Are Forever?- The edge went because it was in a damp box.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49- Yes, you can see there's a bit of damage, and that makes a crucial amount of difference.- OK.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54This WOULD have been worth a few hundred, and it's probably reduced it to more like two or three.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- OK.- With the damage on the edges, here.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03Dr No is another very good one, which is now worth £300 or £400.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Altogether, on this table, excluding Casino Royale,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11we've probably got in excess of £2,000 worth.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17- My God.- Do you know, this is the first book he ever wrote? - Yes, yes.- Yes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Um, and it's... From a collector's point of view,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Casino Royale has a tremendous premium.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- This is the book that, in a way, launched his career.- Right.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And it was published in, er, 1953.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35If I said it was worth a few hundred pounds, would you be surprised?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- Don't know.- What about if I said it was worth a few thousand pounds?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Thousands?
0:07:44 > 0:07:49- Yes.- I would be a bit shocked. - You would be a little bit shocked? - Yeah, I would, yeah.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55And if I said to you that recently it's been fetching between £5,000 and £7,000 at auction?
0:07:55 > 0:08:00- Never.- And you say you bought it at a boot sale.- Yeah.- Wow!
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Do you remember how much you paid for it?- Yeah.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Most of the books cost between 50p and £1.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Well, there's a return for you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I inherited it from my old grandfather. "When I'm gone,"
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- he said, "this will be for you. It'll be yours".- Right.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23It's always been appealing. I think it's got a sentimental sort of effect.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It is, and people, of course...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Here we have a mother hen, and of course she's got...
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- And the little ducklings. - Ducklings, yes. - I think that is the appeal.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38- All being looked at and looked after.- Yes, yes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40She's got rather a cross look on her face,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44I don't know if she's happy with her new charges and her brood, but...
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Yes, the tea time...
0:08:46 > 0:08:51The old cabbage leaf appealed to me because it's so natural, you know.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- The artist is Robert Morley.- Yes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58And you can see the date of the picture there in the far corner.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02This was painted when he was in his early 30s.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08It could do with a jolly good clean! Where have you been keeping it? A smoky room, or over a fireplace?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10No, we haven't touched it. No.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15My wife would like to have it repaired and renovated and cleaned.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Yes. Well, other than the varnish, there's a jolly good rip in it,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23which has been repaired and as if something had happened.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- That was always there. - It was always there.- Yes.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32- A picture like this, in its original frame, should actually have an original label on the back.- Oh, yes?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35It is there, and of course it's got the title,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- which, of course, is "The Foster Mother".- Yes.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44And it's also got the price which he asked for the painting, which was 31 pounds and 10 shillings.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49- I didn't know that.- Quite a lot of money at the time.- I suppose so.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Now, the painting would clean well, but with such damage on it,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57with this tear, it would have to be relined as well.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- Oh, I see.- And that would obviously incur considerable costs.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06But we must assess the value of the painting at this particular moment,
0:10:06 > 0:10:11and I would have thought that something like £2,000 or £3,000.
0:10:11 > 0:10:18If it was well restored, probably £3,000 to £4,000 or £5,000 for insurance would be the right figure.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Yes, I see, yes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- Where did this come from? - We're not sure, really.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28My great uncle was in the Navy, so he travelled the world.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Did he get to Ireland, do you know?- Not that I know of.- No.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Well, this is actually a tea caddy,
0:10:36 > 0:10:41but this is the box to hold the tea caddy,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46as obviously you'll appreciate, and this is Irish.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I've checked, and this apparently is manchineel wood,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56which I can claim no knowledge of whatsoever, but apparently it's extremely rare.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- Oh. - I love that when you look at it,
0:11:00 > 0:11:05it's supposed to be octagonal, but in fact it's slightly off shape.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Which I think gives it great character. When you hold it, you can sort of feel that.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Let's have a look at the caddy itself.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Now, it's actually marked
0:11:16 > 0:11:18on the body,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20there,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and again on the lid, there.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27What's a bit frustrating here
0:11:27 > 0:11:30is that there's no maker's mark.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33This is what the Irish often did.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37If they put a date letter on, they left off the maker's mark,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and if they put a maker's mark on, they left off the date letter.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The date... Actually, you've got the date,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Dublin date letter there, the "E" of 1825.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So it's George IV.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55The box is absolutely spot on
0:11:55 > 0:11:58for that sort of date as well, in Ireland.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03So, to have those two coming down together like that is really quite something.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Had you thought in terms of value?
0:12:07 > 0:12:11I took it to the Roadshow in Merthyr. That was 13 years ago.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- Right.- And it was valued then, I think at around £200.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20- Two hundred pounds?- Mm.- Yes, I think we need to rethink that.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26Irish silver has become highly sought after in the intervening period.
0:12:27 > 0:12:34That box alone is worth in excess of £500 without the caddy.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39The caddy on its own, I would be thinking in terms of...
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- A couple of thousand pounds. - You're kidding me.- No.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51And put the two together, original to each other,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54it's got to be in excess of £3,000.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59- You've made me very happy. - In fact, I would be insuring it for nearer five.- Good Lord.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- So, that's not bad news. - I'm completely gobsmacked.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08If this refers to what I think it does,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12it's one of the most politically incorrect clocks I've ever seen.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- Sorry.- Can you enlighten me?
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Um, it was given to my parents in the '50s.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It was made in 1939,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26to commemorate the agreement between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30"Peace in our time". He came back waving a piece of paper.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36In that week they made two of these, and this is one of them.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I've never seen one, and if there's only two...
0:13:39 > 0:13:44The other one is supposed to be in a museum in Birmingham. We haven't been able to locate it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- It's possibly buried in the vaults. - Yes.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- Goodness me. Value... I haven't got a clue.- How nice.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56- I'll give a number, I think it's fascinating, I think it'll be £500. - All right.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58You know the secret.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Hey presto, the settee table.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- Leatherette seats. Are they comfortable?- Well, fairly comfortable, yes.- Let's try.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Well, yes, fairly comfortable.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I think there's someone in here, trapped.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22What does a respectable lady like you do with six decanters?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I look at them occasionally, and just wish that they were all full.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31- Well, could you not fill them up? That's what they're made for.- Yes.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36These were made in Spain, at a place called La Granja, in about 1790.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37Oh, really?
0:14:37 > 0:14:42And it would appear that the box was made for them in England.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- I see.- Still in the Georgian era.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Yes. - So they're almost contemporary.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52If you really made it look nice,
0:14:52 > 0:14:58- I think it would be worth between £2,000 and £3,000.- Good heavens!
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- Do you know what date the table is? - No idea.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- I have been... Somebody told me it was William IV.- Absolutely.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- Is that right?- Bang on, absolutely.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Intrinsically relatively plain furniture like this mahogany,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16but it was the time they started reviving the Rococo period,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19so this type of carving would be very popular.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22So, did they make the table with this carving,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26or was the carving added later as a bit of decoration?
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Let's see if there are any clues on the back at all.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The top is a different colour, this whole surface, to the sides.
0:15:35 > 0:15:42So the top has been repolished, and the suggestion would be that it was repolished when it was carved,
0:15:42 > 0:15:48if the edge was recarved. So there's no original patination of dirty fingermarks going under the table.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54Had there have been, it might have suggested that perhaps, amazingly, this Rococo decoration was original.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59- Right.- It certainly did happen, but not on a plain piece.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- So, the Victorians got at it? - The Victorians, yes,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- but only... It's only 1830 anyway. - Right.- Have you had it a long time?
0:16:07 > 0:16:13- Is it a family piece?- It was bought by my parents in 1945. I've no idea what they paid for it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17But look at the size of it! I mean, how many people can you seat at that?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Well, you can get...
0:16:19 > 0:16:23When it was originally bought, there were 18 chairs around it which my mother didn't buy,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29but that's comfortable. 20 is fine, and 24 you can squeeze in.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34- At a pinch, at Christmas.- Yes, and... We use it fully out a lot.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- But if there are just two of you, you need a railway, do you? - Well, no.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42You just put these bits together, and you've got a nice square table.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Right. This is how you see it in a catalogue or a saleroom, isn't it?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's rather nice, complete with dust and everything.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Nice mahogany under frame using oak as well, so you've got mahogany here,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and that's the bottom of the leaf, mahogany splat there, oak there,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02and pine there. They're economising, not using the solid mahogany.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07- But it has been repolished. - Yes.- And we have to say that it's been recarved on the edge.- Yes.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Been glorified, Victorianafied.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Have you got it insured at all?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- Yes, it's insured for ten thousand. - £10,000...
0:17:17 > 0:17:20So, could you replace...? I'm trying to sort of think of a logic here.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Could you replace it for £10,000?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I think you've got to put a bit more on that.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32I think I'd say £15,000. Insurance DOES go out of date.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Insurance goes up, and can go down. You've got to keep it quite high,
0:17:35 > 0:17:42because to go out and buy a 22 or 24-seater dining table, £15,000.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Thank you very much indeed.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Geoffrey, people bring you things to see.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Suppose they've dug them up?
0:17:51 > 0:17:55That's the most exciting way to find things, possibly.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Here's a medieval ring set with a cornelian intaglio
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- with an inscription round it. It's actually 14th century.- Wow!
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It was found in 1760.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Its discovery was reported to the Society of Antiquaries that year.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13In those days the finding of these objects was rather random -
0:18:13 > 0:18:18you had to wait for the earth to turn them up, to see them on the surface
0:18:18 > 0:18:22and see a gleam of gold. Today, the issue is much more complex,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26because people use metal detectors, and objects of this nature -
0:18:26 > 0:18:30which is a ring brooch of a similar date, set with sapphires -
0:18:30 > 0:18:35- are turning up in quite large quantities.- So, what must you do if you find something like this?
0:18:35 > 0:18:41The thing to do is to be careful. You've suddenly stumbled into an immensely complex environment.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46and the first thing to do is take your discovery either to a local museum, or indeed to the Coroner,
0:18:46 > 0:18:52who will decide whether there are any rights to this jewel beyond your own.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55And if they have established those rights, who gets what and when?
0:18:55 > 0:19:01Well, if the object is of sufficient importance, certainly you will get some financial reward for it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:08More often than not, the object will be returned to you, because it may not be of national significance,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12but if it is, a museum will get it. It used to be called "treasure trove".
0:19:12 > 0:19:17It is something to beware of, for all people using metal detectors today.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Join a society where there is some advice given to you there.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24We can't go into great depth here,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26but there is something that you can discover on the website.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29It's the site of DCMS,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33which is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38and it's a very odd title for it, but you can tap in on your computer,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41for the pitfalls in finding things.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I wish I could keep this.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48So, why does a man of your age have a doll's house?
0:19:48 > 0:19:52I'd just seen it, and fell in love with it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Well, I just think it's the most terrific doll's house.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59It's on a scale and proportion that you don't generally see,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and I think it really epitomises the time in which it was made.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05If you look at this door,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07it's got a very Art Deco step to it,
0:20:07 > 0:20:13and it actually looks like quite a surburban door, but very stylised for that 1920s period.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Then, as well, the fact that it's got this pebbledash effect
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that was typical again of the 1920s period,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24with these very stylish Deco-looking porthole windows.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It's an incongruous mix, really, of designs,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31when you then look at the complete scale of it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37- Wow, it's certainly in what an estate agent would call "original condition", isn't it?- Yes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43It doesn't look as if anything's happened to it, in fact, since it must have first been made.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- Can you explain what this is? - It's a lift to all the floors.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It originally worked by battery - there's electrics at the back.
0:20:50 > 0:20:57- The lift is in the bottom and I think you pull the string there.- Oh, I see.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03Gosh, and what looks like an incredibly sort of Art Nouveau lift is in this shaft in the middle.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Yeah.- Gosh, that's amazing.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11- And there's also rooms in the attic.- Let's have a look at those.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- Gosh, and all this panelling! Someone's gone to considerable trouble with it.- Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:24It's strange, because it looks as though it's a pretty English style, thinking back to the front door,
0:21:24 > 0:21:30but when you see this rather gabled, um, hipped roof, it looks slightly more Dutch.
0:21:30 > 0:21:37- Yeah.- In fact, if we look at the spindle doors here, that obviously enclose the lift...
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- Right.- They're quite Continental. I can just imagine those - or gates like that -
0:21:41 > 0:21:44to a lift in a hotel, or something.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50- This is probably my favourite room, in fact - the nursery.- Yeah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56We know it's a nursery because it's got this frieze of nursery rhyme characters,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58all round the edge.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02In fact, there was an illustrator of children's nursery rhymes
0:22:02 > 0:22:06called Henrietta Willebeek Le Mair.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10She was working from 1910 to the late 1920s,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14and this is very, very typical of her work. And as she was Dutch,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- it just makes me wonder even more if this is.- Do you think it's Dutch?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It could be, looking at the style,
0:22:21 > 0:22:26- and I think the combination of that and these Dutch illustrator's pictures, yes.- Right.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30When you bought it, what were you told about it?
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Originally, they sold all the fittings off, and it's been left in a garage for 10 or 20 years.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38That's the greatest tragedy, really.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- Yeah.- That a house on this scale, untouched and in original condition,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- has actually not got any of the original fittings.- Yeah.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- What did you pay for it?- £150.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53£150. I think that if you were to offer it for sale,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I can see it fetching up to the £1,000 mark.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01That's great. Thanks a lot.
0:23:01 > 0:23:07I'm sorry - I don't know anything about it. I bought it in an auction in Colwyn Bay six weeks ago.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Right, so it's fresh?- It's fresh.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- So I'm the first mug in, in a sense. - You're the first to see it.- OK.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Well, the basic concept here is what we call a sun and moon watch.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23They go back into the 17th century, even possibly earlier than that.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28The idea is that you use a conventional hand for the minutes, here,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33and then you have a turning disc which has the sun and the moon,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36so that the hand goes round once an hour.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42The sun comes up at six o'clock in the morning and goes down at six o'clock in the evening,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47and the moon comes up at six o'clock in the evening and goes down at six o'clock in the morning, backwards.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- Is that right?- I've no idea.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I'm going to pull it apart, if you don't mind.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57I promise I'll be able to put it back together again. Not advisable.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01I should put a sign up, shouldn't I? "Dangerous. Don't try this at home".
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Right. Well, that is the first point here, if we look.
0:24:05 > 0:24:13If we start with 6 dots, 7 dots, 8 dots, 9, 10, 11, 12.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15- Yes.- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- So it must run backwards.- Yes, yes.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23Anyway, as I said, these watches go back into the 17th century,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25and the plate we're looking at here,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30this plate which is inlaid in silver for the moon, gold for the sun, and blued -
0:24:30 > 0:24:33they inlaid some steel, and the steel is polished and blued.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The blueing has died away - it's looking browny-grey,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40but that plate I will bet is circa 1700,
0:24:40 > 0:24:45whereas this watch is obviously considerably later.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- Now, I've got a maker's name on it. - Owain.- Owain.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Gwilim Ab Owain...
0:24:53 > 0:24:54LLan...
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- Llangefni.- Llangefni, OK.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02And it says "Number 1, 1815".
0:25:03 > 0:25:07If you've looked at the engraving it's really very crude, isn't it?
0:25:07 > 0:25:12- Yes.- It's not good quality compared to the watches of this period.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Usually the balance cocks and the engraving were done by amateurs,
0:25:16 > 0:25:22- they were done by out-workers.- Yes. - Sometimes working people, farmers and wives who did it in the evening,
0:25:22 > 0:25:28but they were very skilled and they worked to very accurate patterns, particular designs.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31This is really somewhat wayward, all over the place.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- I would say that it was therefore done by the man himself.- Right.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I've had a look and I can't find anything on him,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42so I think he is a completely local watchmaker.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46As I say, hand-done engraving. They've used a piece of glass
0:25:46 > 0:25:48in the end of the balance cock,
0:25:48 > 0:25:53so you can see through to the balance, but it gets worse! Or better, as you might say.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58It's usual for these watches to have a fusee...
0:25:59 > 0:26:02..and a barrel and a chain.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Here, we've got two barrels,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11with a fusee chain running off one barrel onto the other barrel,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and then off that barrel, being wound onto the fusee.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18So, effectively, you are doubling the power,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22- cos you've got two main springs pulling on one thing.- Right.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26My guess is that it would probably go for more than the usual 30 hours.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31- Yes.- I would say... Again, you just can't even see it here,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34but inside there is an extra wheel in the train,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36so it probably goes for 8 days.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41So, what we've got is a completely amateur watch, dated 1815,
0:26:41 > 0:26:47using a piece that he probably found from a much earlier watch, 1700,
0:26:47 > 0:26:52and he's created a complete watch around it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:588-day going and going in reverse, and the reason it goes in reverse
0:26:58 > 0:27:04is that every time you add an extra wheel in a train of wheels, it goes the other way.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08- Right.- He's added an extra wheel to make it go 8 days rather than one,
0:27:08 > 0:27:13or whatever the duration is, and ended up with it going backwards.
0:27:13 > 0:27:19He hasn't been put off at all - he's simply engraved the dial backwards. It must have been made for himself.
0:27:19 > 0:27:231815 is also the date on the case - there's a hallmark.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28It's not just put together out of bits he's found - a lot of work's gone into it.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33- Extraordinary. You think you've seen everything, then this turns up.- Yes.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37I'm going to ask you an embarrassing question now - what did you pay?
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I paid £600 approximately, altogether.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Oh, I think that's all right.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I mean country sales are not always bargains by any means.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- Sure.- I would have said, an 8-day watch...
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I would say that's worth £1,000 of anybody's money.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00It's quite an extraordinary object. Are you any the wiser?
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Well, it's unusual, I mean, I thought it was unusual when I saw it.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- Great. Well, I admire your courage. Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- What is it?- It's a carbide lamp, used underground.- Used underground?
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- And did you ever use this one?- Yes. - How on earth do you use it, then?
0:28:20 > 0:28:23- Unscrew the top.- Right.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28- Pull the top off, fill it full of carbide.- Would you have a supply of that with you?
0:28:28 > 0:28:34- Yes, yes, keep the carbide in a tin. Water goes in there.- Right.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Turn the tap on then and it'll drip.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Water dripping onto the carbide, and that forms the gas.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Light it there... Of course, the reflector's missing off there.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52- And how long would it last? - A couple of hours. - Then you'd fill it up again?
0:28:52 > 0:28:56- Yes.- There can't be many still left in miners' hands.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59- It belonged to my grandfather. - As well?
0:28:59 > 0:29:03- Yeah.- Lovely.- He done 50 years in the Miriam Colliery in Ebbw Vale.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07- Fantastic.- Then he survived the explosion in 1926, of course.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12- Commercially, then, it doesn't matter what it's worth. - No, no. Sentimental value.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16I suppose it's probably worth no more than £30 or £40, but...
0:29:16 > 0:29:19- Worth more than that to me. - Exactly, exactly.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24This parrot's head is carved out of beech and stained with a colour,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26to make it these bright colours,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30and looks as though it's the handle to a very short cane.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33What's in the bottom, here? It's stamped "Vickery".
0:29:33 > 0:29:37That's a good firm of makers based in London. Oh, my goodness.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Right, so it's a parasol.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Presumably we put the top in here,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45turn the whole thing upside down...
0:29:47 > 0:29:52Silk can be quite fragile, but look at that. What a beautiful shape.
0:29:52 > 0:29:59- Dates from probably around the 1920s, and I would value it at £200 to £300.- Thank you.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Now, how did you come by this bit of Sung porcelain?
0:30:02 > 0:30:07Well, I didn't know it was Sung porcelain. It was 20 years ago,
0:30:07 > 0:30:12therefore it must have been South-East Asia, in a flea market,
0:30:12 > 0:30:18either in Ho Chi Minh Ville or Phnom Penh, but I think probably Phnom Penh.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22- Was it called Ho Chi Minh Ville then, already?- Yes. Yes, yes.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- Or Ho Chi Minh City, really. - Yes, Ho Chi Minh City.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Well, if we go back a little bit in history,
0:30:28 > 0:30:34the whole of Cambodia was a Chinese province.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Anam, I think the whole thing was called. But this doesn't come from there.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41This is a metropolitan piece.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46It's a class called Ding Yau wares, these wonderful creamy white wares
0:30:46 > 0:30:50which have a very beautiful porcelain.
0:30:50 > 0:30:56I mean the actual body. This is one of the earliest porcelains you get,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00- and it's really beautiful creamy and white, the actual ware.- Yes, yes.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05I'm perplexed by this stuff. I think it would come off, but you haven't tried to remove it.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- No.- I don't think that's fired in.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11But, I mean, the supreme beauty of the object
0:31:11 > 0:31:17is this sort of carved and moulded panel on the top,
0:31:17 > 0:31:23which, if one looks carefully, actually depicts a flowering peony,
0:31:23 > 0:31:27with little sort of struts of slip
0:31:27 > 0:31:30holding the pattern of the glaze.
0:31:30 > 0:31:36- Yes.- And it's a classic piece - it's 800 years old.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- Wow.- It's about 1200.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43This is one of the earliest... The earliest white porcelains you get.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48- It has got a little problem, not too serious.- Yes.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Little fritting there,
0:31:50 > 0:31:55and it might annoy the most perfectionist Chinese collector,
0:31:55 > 0:32:00but there you have something that's 800 years old.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Did you pay a lot for it?
0:32:03 > 0:32:07I very much doubt that we paid more than between 20 and 30 dollars.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Well, since the opening up of the People's Republic of China,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14more stuff has become available.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19This may seem awfully little for something that's 800 years old -
0:32:19 > 0:32:24- I think it's worth between £2,000 and £3,000.- Right.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29- I think you're very lucky. - Lucky, yes. I'm not sure about skill or cleverness.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34We inherited it from my husband's uncle about fifteen years ago.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37- Is there another one?- Yes, yes.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- There is? Ah.- This is the lady.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Yes. And you have a little boy that goes with that?
0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's supposed to be the Prince of Wales
0:32:48 > 0:32:54- and the Princess Royal as children. - That's absolutely right.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00The little girl that we have here is the eldest child of Queen Victoria.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05She was born in 1840, and then her brother,
0:33:05 > 0:33:11the little boy that you have, went on to become King Edward VII.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14And she actually married the Kaiser of Germany,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and went on to become the mother of Kaiser Bill.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- Yes.- In the First World War.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23So, they're a very interesting historical pair.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25She's so early.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29- This is very early for Staffordshire flatback figures...- Yes, yes.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34- Which is what she is.- Yes.- As you can see she's got a flat back.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39- Yes, yes.- So she would have sat on a chimney piece, as an ornament, she and her brother.
0:33:39 > 0:33:45And the lovely thing about her is that the pottery is so white.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49This is a sign that it's a really early piece,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- and she's got these beautiful clear colours, this wonderful...- Yes.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58Hand-painted turquoisy-green, and this rather bright orange,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02- which you don't really think of as a Victorian colour.- No, no.
0:34:02 > 0:34:08- And the other one's in good condition?- Perfect condition -
0:34:08 > 0:34:10nothing wrong at all.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15Well, I could see that this pair, in the right auction,
0:34:15 > 0:34:21- could go for as much as £2,000, even £2,500.- Is it really?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24- Yes.- Oh, my goodness.- It is. - Goodness, gracious me.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28I'm a jewelaholic really, yes. I never pass a jeweller's.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34I look in every jeweller's that I come across when I'm out shopping.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36- Who's gives them to you?- My husband. - That's nice!
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- That's a rare husband!- Yes, Oh, yes.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43- Look at this. Did he give you that one?- He gave me that one, yes. - My goodness.
0:34:43 > 0:34:49He purchased that about four or five years ago. He gave it me then for Christmas and birthday.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Ah, and what do you know about it? Tell me what you think.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Well, I only know that I think it might be Art Deco - is it so?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00It is Art Deco without doubt, yeah. Very geometric.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04- Yes.- Looks for all the world like an Odeon cinema.- Yes, it does.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06We like that in jewellery design,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10because what we're really looking for is art and design boiled down.
0:35:10 > 0:35:17This is, you know, the minutest expression of all kinds of architectural and design shapes,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and there are two rather interesting things about the diamonds.
0:35:20 > 0:35:26One is the fantastic purity of them, they're very white and quite clean.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31There are very very few inclusions, which is wonderful, but we can tell that they've been reused.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Bricks from an older house have been put in here.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37A house that was built about 1860.
0:35:37 > 0:35:43The techniques of cutting diamonds have changed over the years, and these are 19th century diamonds.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Somebody's taken them from another piece of jewellery and remounted them,
0:35:47 > 0:35:52- and built an Art Deco house. It's a brilliant house, isn't it, if we extend the metaphor?- Lovely.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57- Lovely thing. Do you wear it?- I wear it regularly if I'm going out.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59- Marvellous.- Going somewhere special.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Did he tell you how much he paid for it?
0:36:02 > 0:36:08- Well, he did.- Did he? Come on, are you going to whisper?- £4,500.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Well, I think it's a great bargain, frankly - to get something...
0:36:11 > 0:36:15you know, with perfect context, with wonderful, wonderful material,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18to give to somebody who loves you, I think that's a fabulous sum.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23I think 50% more for insurance, without any doubt at all.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28Say £6,000, maybe £7,000, for insurance. They're very beautiful diamonds.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Well, this is a watercolour by an artist I know well.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35In fact, I could say I've known this artist most of my life.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39He was born in Newcastle, as I was, and it's John Atkinson.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Do you know its title?
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- I don't.- Does it have a title? - No, I don't think it does, no.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- It looks like "The Morning Ride". - Oh, right.
0:36:48 > 0:36:54- That kind of thing, doesn't it? - Actually, I think it might be Rotten Row in London.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59- In London, I wondered, I wondered that.- Possibly. That's the most I know about it.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Yes. That makes it interesting, because he's a Newcastle artist.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06He worked in Northumberland, County Durham and Yorkshire.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10He painted horses, horse fairs, gypsies...
0:37:10 > 0:37:13John Atkinson was a lovely artist.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Worked mainly in watercolour,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17though there's body colour added.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21- You see the white heightening he's used here?- That.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26Yes, and what I like about this is particularly the sense of movement.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- The feeling of those riders. They're moving, aren't they?- Mm.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33It's got a feeling of action about it.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38I also like the dappled light, the sun coming in through the trees.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43It's interesting being in London, because he didn't come to London much, didn't work in London.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47In a sale, this would be £3,000 to £4,000,
0:37:47 > 0:37:52- and you should insure it for £5,000.- Right.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57So, we move on now to something completely different.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59A snow scene.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04A snowy landscape with a rather smartly dressed lady there.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Now, this is by a French artist.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11- Yeah.- Called Georges Croegaert, and it's signed here.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15I think it's a delightful little landscape.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19It's beautifully observed. It really does have a feeling of snow and cold and winter about it.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24It's a delightful little picture, got a lot of atmosphere.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Now, Georges Croegaert is a late 19th century French artist
0:38:27 > 0:38:32who was famous for one thing, and that's for painting Cardinals in red robes.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Those pictures of Cardinals which usually everybody hates,
0:38:36 > 0:38:41of Cardinals taking snuff and eating and drinking a great deal,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45and disporting themselves in an un-Cardinal-like manner.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49Here, Croegaert is showing us
0:38:49 > 0:38:54that he can do something different, and paint landscape.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57He's clearly painted a real landscape here.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Somewhere outside Paris, I would imagine.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04Croegaert lived his whole life in Paris, and I think this one...
0:39:04 > 0:39:07That's worth more than the Atkinson.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- I would value that now at £10,000 to £15,000.- Really?
0:39:11 > 0:39:17Yes, I would. So, two very different but very delightful pictures.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Yes. It's my grandmother's, who died when she was 103.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26She had a lot to say for herself, and she said to my mother,
0:39:26 > 0:39:31"That spoon, my girl, will be handed down to the youngest girl".
0:39:31 > 0:39:35That's rather nice. The spoon itself is what's known as a trefid spoon.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- A trefid?- A trefid... See how it's got these three sections at the top?
0:39:39 > 0:39:43- Oh, tri, yes.- Yeah, so that's where the name comes from.
0:39:43 > 0:39:49- Those date principally from about 1660 through to about 1700.- Really?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Yes, OK.
0:39:51 > 0:39:57You get the plain, ordinary ones. This one's rather more special - it's a laceback.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Not only do we have the decoration on the front of the stem, there,
0:40:01 > 0:40:06- but we've got this most wonderful lace-like decoration on the back of the bowl.- Yes.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09The reason the decoration is there
0:40:09 > 0:40:14is because the French put spoons like that on the table.
0:40:14 > 0:40:20- Oh, yes, now that is interesting. - These were the first spoons that were made to go on the table,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- which is why they called them table spoons.- No, really?
0:40:23 > 0:40:29Because they were set in the French way, that's why they're decorated and initialled on the back.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Oh, that's wonderful.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Can I just ask you what the initials mean at the back, there?
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Those... Almost certainly, that's going to be a marriage,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43- so we've got AB at the top and then WN underneath.- Ah.
0:40:43 > 0:40:48- AB at the top would be the husband, and WN I would expect to be the wife.- Oh.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52- And then 1699, that would be when they got married.- Oh, how sweet.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Isn't that lovely?- That is lovely.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59- Almost certainly, that's what those will represent.- Yes, yes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Now, maker's mark only repeated three times -
0:41:03 > 0:41:10this is a provincial spoon, and it's by Richard Sweet of Chard.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13That makes it quite a rare spoon.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17He's repeated his mark to make it look like a set of hallmarks.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- Have you ever thought of value on this?- Absolutely not,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25- because my mother used to dish up greens with it.- Used to...?
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Dish up the greens.- Isn't that wonderful?- Because she didn't...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- It was used, she didn't know the value of it.- And why not?
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Well, it's survived jolly well, and condition is important here.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39It is in very good condition.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Oh, how lovely.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45At auction, I would fully expect a spoon like that
0:41:45 > 0:41:49to sell in excess of £2,000.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52When I've been on this Roadshow,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56and people have been told they've got something really special,
0:41:56 > 0:42:02and they go, "Oh," and I think that is the best news I have had.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07I am SO pleased we came, and Ian, you are wonderful.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11Have I got time to tell you about my grandmother? Yes, quickly.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16She died when she was 103, and she wasn't a very nice person. Very Victorian.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21- She used to tell me to walk along with a bustle on my back.- Right.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25She was a little bit of a spartan lady, and very Victorian,
0:42:25 > 0:42:29and I didn't think she was very nice to her children.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34So when she died at 103, I didn't go to the funeral.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39When my mother told me she was dead, I said, "Are you sure? Go up and check".
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Anyway, funeral. No, I wouldn't go.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46But I did ask about her when it was all over,
0:42:46 > 0:42:51and somebody told me they had to push the button three times before the coffin would go.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Ah, right - she was obviously reluctant to go.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58- She was one of those, but God bless her.- Absolutely.
0:42:58 > 0:43:04Well, in a town that's nearly 1,000 years old, you would expect interesting items.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09We've certainly seen quite a few, but for sheer nostalgia, this is the piece for me -
0:43:09 > 0:43:12the old settee table.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15I'm sure my Auntie Phoebe had one of these.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17I'll just sit here for a while.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Until the next time, from Abergavenny - goodbye.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27Subtitles by BBC Broadcast 2003