0:00:32 > 0:00:38In certain circles, alcohol has long been regarded as the Devil's brew.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Ironic, then, that Benedictine monks should found a beer industry
0:00:43 > 0:00:47in the town of Burton-upon-Trent 1,000 years ago.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50It's still going strong.
0:00:52 > 0:00:58One in eight pints of beer supped in the UK is brewed in Burton.
0:00:58 > 0:01:05Millions of barrels a year pour out from this town, which is home to the biggest brewery in Europe.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11People live in the shadows of the fermentation and malting towers.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17When Saxon earl, Wulfric Spot, built Burton Abbey, where a pub now stands,
0:01:17 > 0:01:22the monks discovered that the local water was uncommonly hard,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26which made it perfect for brewing pale ale.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32Until the 17th century, before hops entered the mixture, beer was sweet and flat,
0:01:32 > 0:01:38but healthier than water - it was sterilised in the brewing process. Children drank it,
0:01:38 > 0:01:45but only from the second, less potent brewing. Thus was born the phrase "small beer".
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Burton is a testament to the Victorian entrepreneurial spirit
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and to the Bass family, who first came here in 1777.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Along with their brewing industry, they were civic-minded,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03building many of the churches and buildings, including the town hall.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Step inside this dignified edifice and you're in for a big surprise.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11ORGAN PLAYS
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Presenting the mighty Wurlitzer, built in 1925 in New York State
0:02:36 > 0:02:40and now a star attraction at Burton-upon-Trent.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44You name the tune. Roll Out The Barrel? Certainly.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Burton never stopped expanding.
0:02:51 > 0:02:59This model shows how it looked in 1921, when 32 breweries produced three million barrels a year.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05Today, Burton's ales are produced by the remaining six breweries,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10which roll out five million barrels, and that's no small beer.
0:03:13 > 0:03:21We're on the bank of the River Trent. The folk of the Meadowside Leisure Centre are our hosts.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28And we welcome a new expert to the porcelain table, Fergus Gambon.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32A beautifully-carved hibiscus and a terrific rose.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36These abundant flowers - all on an elephant!
0:03:36 > 0:03:41- Yes!- Where does your elephant live? - It lives in the lounge.- Yes?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- On a very nice carved table.- Yes.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49And I can look at it all day long, and night as well, if I want to!
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- How did he get to you?- My father. My father was a big antique collector.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58As long as I can remember, it's been in the family.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- Of course, he's an African elephant. - With the large ears.- Yes!
0:04:02 > 0:04:07He's beautifully carved. The ivory is almost certainly African,
0:04:07 > 0:04:13- but you know the country of origin, presumably?- No.- You don't?- No!
0:04:13 > 0:04:15He was actually made in Japan.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- Really?- Mm-hm.- Oh, I didn't know that!- Made in Japan,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23at the end of the 19th century and encrusted
0:04:23 > 0:04:28with stained ivory, mother-of-pearl and stained organic materials,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30probably horn and tortoiseshell.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34These darker bands are stained ivory,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and again right down to the tassels,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40probably tortoiseshell or horn of some sort.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45What's being represented is a ceremonial elephant,
0:04:45 > 0:04:51draped in these caparisons and this saddle cloth, and hung with tassels,
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- I like this beautiful fringe.- Yes. - It's almost blowing in the wind.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Yes, it is nice.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04It isn't solid ivory. The elephant is made on a wood-block core.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Then, very carefully,
0:05:06 > 0:05:11they'd choose slivers and quadrants of sectioned elephant tusk,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15which would then be put onto the wood core.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20- He's got lovely, smiling eyes, hasn't he?- Yes! Yes!
0:05:20 > 0:05:23One thing I've got to ask you - is he insured?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Yes.- How much for? - I can't remember.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Well, um, I think if you were to sell this at auction,
0:05:31 > 0:05:36you are likely to get somewhere between £7,000 and £10,000.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Really?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Really?!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Oh!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Oh, I say! Oh!
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- I thought it was enamel.- Right.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- But that's all I know. - It IS enamel.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59It's made not far from where we're sitting now in Burton-on-Trent,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02um, in South Staffordshire.
0:06:02 > 0:06:09At the time, South Staffordshire was the great centre for the production of enamel boxes of this sort.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14And can you guess from the way it's decorated, when it was made?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Round about Nelson's death?
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Yes, because, in fact, it's painted rather charmingly
0:06:22 > 0:06:27with a figure and she's weeping over what looks like a tomb.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29On the tomb, we can see -
0:06:29 > 0:06:34"he is no more", and there is a tiny N - N for Nelson.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36There is!
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I can see that.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43As we all know, Lord Nelson died in 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48- Do you know what the box is for? - I know it's not a pill box.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I have read somewhere, but I've forgotten.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- They're called patch boxes. - That's right, patch box.
0:06:55 > 0:07:02- And patches were little things that people stuck on their faces as a point of vanity, really.- Oh, right!
0:07:02 > 0:07:07When you open it, you find a rather unfinished-looking area in the top.
0:07:07 > 0:07:15It looks rather unfinished because it was designed to be covered up with a mirror,
0:07:15 > 0:07:21so that you would put on your patch and look in the mirror to see how it looked.
0:07:21 > 0:07:28If it were decorated in any other way, with just flowers or figural subjects,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31it would be worth perhaps...
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- £300 or £400 at auction.- Right.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39But there are a lot of collectors for anything connected with Nelson,
0:07:39 > 0:07:47and I think a reasonable auction estimate would be perhaps between £1,500 and £2,000.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53- Oh!- A substantial increase.- It IS a lot more.- Because of Nelson.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- That's surprising, though.- Good. - Yeah.- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:07:57 > 0:08:04- How does a flashy mirror end up here?- It belonged to my wife's great aunt,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08When she died, the house was cleared of the main furniture,
0:08:08 > 0:08:15and I offered to clear out the rest of the house and I was given this mirror for doing that.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- And what do you think about it? - It's absolutely wonderful.
0:08:19 > 0:08:27It's an unusual style - different to a lot of English furniture and certainly other English mirrors.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32The best clues as to where it's from are the glass panels down the side,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35creating a framework for the mirror.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40They've got this very thick enamel jewelled on top of the glass.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42This is often called jewelling.
0:08:42 > 0:08:49- It's typical of glass produced in Bohemia in the late 19th century.- Right.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51That might suggest it's continental.
0:08:51 > 0:08:59Looking at the mounts which give it this incredibly, sort of smart, decorative appearance,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04they're not quite as good when you get close up to them.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09They've been cast in a mould and, generally, pieces that are cast
0:09:09 > 0:09:16are then chased and finished to really sometimes a very high degree before they're then gilded.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19These are a bit crude around the edges.
0:09:19 > 0:09:27- Has it been regilded recently?- Yes. - Yes. So that's what gives it this very bright appearance.
0:09:27 > 0:09:35I would expect this to have been made, dating it from the glass, in the late 19th century.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39If you were to find this in a smart mirror shop,
0:09:39 > 0:09:46- it would probably have a price tag of £1,000 to £1,500. - Right. That's very good.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- Not bad payment for clearing a house.- Not bad! I'll look for more!
0:09:51 > 0:09:57The inscription here, "quanto ti vo bene" is the title of a song -
0:09:57 > 0:10:04How Much I Want You and was sung by Mario Lanza in the 1950s. This rather pre-dates the '50s.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08He's a love-struck young shepherd, I suspect.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13The reason he's probably a shepherd is he's got a sheepskin jacket on,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and it's just beautifully observed, isn't it?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It's incredible how the sculptor has got this pocket,
0:10:21 > 0:10:26- which is full of bits and pieces, pulling down a bit.- Very detailed.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Fantastic, isn't it?
0:10:28 > 0:10:33It was made in Florence in the 1880s in the classical tradition.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35A piece of nice Carrara marble.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39This was considered to be very commercial as well,
0:10:39 > 0:10:46bought by English tourists and brought back here. But how did it end up in your collection?
0:10:46 > 0:10:52I don't know how my grandfather got it - must have been at an auction.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- Locally? - Yes, he attended many an auction.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- He had a house full of nice things. - Yes, he bought a lot of...
0:11:00 > 0:11:05There's a rather curious connection, because this is a Venetian song
0:11:05 > 0:11:12- and made in Florence, and this is a Venetian piece. - I didn't know that.- Yes.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18Here in Venice, you've got much more the carnival approach to sculpture.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22This was a more serious, traditional culture,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26- and this was much more, in today's terms, the party culture.- Yes.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It shows clearly in the piece,
0:11:29 > 0:11:35and, of course, there wouldn't have been great reserves of marble in Venice,
0:11:35 > 0:11:43- and so it's carved in wood.- Would it have been used for a practical purpose, for actually taking snuff?
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Possibly, because there's a box, but it's probably a replacement.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53- I'd be very surprised if that's the original box there.- Right.
0:11:53 > 0:11:59If it is the original box, it was just to add an element of realism.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01The detail is beautifully observed.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06You've got the little pinch here, and he's looking very satisfied.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- Which is your favourite? - The snuff man.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14They're probably worth about the same sort of money,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18but they're quite different markets, I think...
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- That's surprising.- Yes.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25This at auction would probably make £2,000, £2,500 - that sort of level.
0:12:25 > 0:12:32The snuff taker would make £1,500 to £2,000, so there is a slight difference in the two,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35but I'd have him rather than that one, too.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40- Yes, it's got more character and heart.- I think so. Yes.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46- This is damaged. Would it be worth having it restored?- Who damaged it?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49It was my husband's grandma's.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53She had a pair and she dropped them both.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57One smashed, and this one, she's managed to repair.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- Did anybody tell her off?- They would have done.- They would have done.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Do you know what happened to the value when she dropped them?
0:13:05 > 0:13:10- The one that smashed would be worth nothing!- Right.- But I don't know.
0:13:10 > 0:13:17They're Wedgwood Fairyland lustre vases, one of the most collectable 20th-century ceramic commodities.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19The Americans are crazy for them,
0:13:19 > 0:13:24so the pair, when perfect, before your granny went on the rampage,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- would have been worth somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000.- Oh.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31The one that you've got left now,
0:13:31 > 0:13:37which on its own, perfect, would have been worth £2,000 to £3,000,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41is now worth, maybe, if you get it nicely repaired...
0:13:43 > 0:13:45..£300 or £400.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50- That much? That's nice.- I'm glad you can look on the bright side!
0:13:50 > 0:13:56- Well, I could think of words to say about Grandma... - You're an optimist, aren't you?
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Tell me, is this glass half-empty or half-full?
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Yes, hmm.
0:14:05 > 0:14:11Well, this is a football team that every fan in the country would recognise.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The 1966 England World Cup winning team with all the signatures.
0:14:15 > 0:14:22- How did you get it? - I bought it off a guy eight years ago, who was strapped for cash.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27- And he collected all the signatures? - He collected all the signatures.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Including the Kenneth Wolstenholme one.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35"Some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over. It is now!"
0:14:35 > 0:14:36Lovely!
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Did you pay a lot of money for it? - I paid £120.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45That's reasonable. There's a lot of interest in World Cup memorabilia,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47particularly of the '66 side,
0:14:47 > 0:14:54and I would think today, at auction, this would probably fetch between £500 and £700.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- Grand.- Great thing.- Yes.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00You have a name at the top here, George Manderfield.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- The wife's father's great-uncle. - The wife's father's great-uncle,
0:15:05 > 0:15:12- so that probably takes it back over 100 years. It has to be, doesn't it? - I should think so.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17- The M should have been N.- N? - Yeah, not Manderfield, Nanderfield.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- So they sent away for it somewhere and it came back misspelt.- Yes.
0:15:21 > 0:15:27I wonder whether they paid for it. Perhaps they got away with it!
0:15:27 > 0:15:32The raspberry and blackberry fool colour tends to be a northern thing,
0:15:32 > 0:15:39Yorkshire and even Portobello, on the Scottish Borders, so it could have been from one of those places.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I also love these frogs and newts inside.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48This is a loving cup, which passes from one to another. As you did so,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52you drank down and revealed these things at the bottom.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58- Has it been used and treasured in the family?- It came down through the family.- Yes.
0:15:58 > 0:16:04The son's grandma give it him, in the last couple of months.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- As recent as that?- Yes, because he's into antiques now.- Yes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14This is a great antique to have, and a long family tradition helps it,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19but in the open market place, you're looking at £150 to £200.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25- But much more to the family.- That's right.- Thank you for bringing it.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- I'll give you the bad news first. - OK.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33Although this looks like a 16th century suit of armour, it isn't.
0:16:33 > 0:16:40- So what is it?- Well, the good news is that it's not a modern fake and that it is in fact a Victorian copy.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- Right!- Made for decoration of houses and castles.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- Right.- We need to go back just before Victoria's reign,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53to Sir Walter Scott and all his novels, like Ivanhoe, which is 1819,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58and then Quentin Durward and all these tales of medieval derring-do,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03knights rescuing ladies, stimulated the Victorian imagination.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07It stimulated it so much that the 13th Earl of Eglinton
0:17:07 > 0:17:13decided in 1839 to hold a tournament. All the nobles would trick themselves up in armour,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17get on horses and beat the living daylights out of each other.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22- Right.- It really captured the Victorian imagination.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27So it's a very nice Victorian copy and it really does look the part.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32- Oh, it does!- I bet it looks great in situ.- It really does look superb.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Any thoughts about the value? - Haven't a clue.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42- It's £2,000 to £3,000, because it's a wonderful decorative piece.- Wow!
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Is there a market for stuffed animals these days?
0:17:46 > 0:17:55There is a certain market. It's not enormous and the market is very selective about what they'll buy,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- and there are huge pitfalls. - Like what?
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Like whether you can sell it or whether you can even own it!
0:18:02 > 0:18:06These things are governed by international legislation.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- Is this because they're protected species?- Yes, absolutely.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species -
0:18:16 > 0:18:20lists the animals you can and can't sell.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24When I rang up DEFRA, the Department of the Environment,
0:18:24 > 0:18:31that controls this in Britain, I asked for a concise, simple list of what I can or what I can't sell.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34They sent this huge pile of stuff,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37hundreds of pages, mostly with Latin names.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- Stuffed full of information. - Stuffed full.
0:18:41 > 0:18:48Suppose you were left a tiger skin with a head or an elephant's foot, are you not free to sell that on?
0:18:48 > 0:18:54It depends when Uncle Eric shot it, if it was Uncle Eric that shot it at all.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It's a bit of a grey area, this.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01The CITES regulations cover things pre-1947.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05'47 arbitrarily was chosen as the date.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Post-1947, you have to have a completely-known provenance for it,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13so that you know it's not a recent casualty.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17What about this woodpecker? Is that a good one?
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Um, it's certainly a good one. This one has got a great provenance.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It came from the Eton College collection.
0:19:26 > 0:19:33Eton decided they didn't want their collection of birds. It's got a known provenance and a known date,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38but it's also... The taxidermist was one of the greatest,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Roland Ward.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44What's the most bizarre example you've come across?
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Swans are bizarre. You wouldn't want a swan in your front room today.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54- You'd have to ask somebody very special to stuff a swan.- Certainly.
0:19:54 > 0:20:01Every swan belongs to the crown. They're all marked. Their beaks have certain markings,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and there's a man called the Queen's Usher who you would have to ask.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10They're not interested in ones that are clearly old,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14but a recently deceased swan, you'd need permission.
0:20:14 > 0:20:22Really, the rule of thumb is to avoid things post-1947, unless you've got a licence for it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28What's the story behind this?
0:20:28 > 0:20:35I was on the flea market at Derby and as soon as I saw it, I thought, "I must have that!"
0:20:35 > 0:20:38"How much is it?" They said, "It's got to be £2".
0:20:38 > 0:20:42So that was it. I was £2 short, but, I mean, I love it.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48- The carving.- This is made of cedar wood. It's got this fantastic glow.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50And this wonderful figuring inside.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56- Any idea of where it comes from? - No.- Not Derby, originally.- No.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- Switzerland.- Switzerland!
0:20:58 > 0:21:04- It's actually a pap boat...- Oh! - ..so it would have been used to feed infants with.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10- It's got a sweet handle here, that's carved in the shape of a bear.- Yes.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15- And then a fantastic sort of acanthus leaf to the base.- Yes.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20- And on the top here, this typical rose and leaf decoration.- Yeah.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25- I think this dates from the mid 19th century, around 1850.- Uh-huh.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30- A treen collector would pay £300 to £500 for one of those.- No?!
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Yeah, it's a really lovely example.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38- I rescued it from my father. - What was he going to do with it?!
0:21:38 > 0:21:42- Attack it with a drill.- I don't believe it! And do what with it?
0:21:42 > 0:21:48Clean it. I took it off him, and it came into my possession and...
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Well, I'm delighted you did!
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Um, it's a table screen,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and the Orientals used table screens
0:21:56 > 0:22:02to prevent draughts when they were writing script.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Decorated in various tones of gold, and this IS gold, on a black ground.
0:22:07 > 0:22:14We've got different gold, silver... Gold in at least two colours, maybe three,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16with a scene of Mount Fuji.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19This is the sort of landscape
0:22:19 > 0:22:24which the tourist to Japan would have seen in about 1900,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- and he would have bought this as a souvenir.- Right.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35Got on here the signature of Komai, who is the leading maker of these,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38so it's a really very nice thing.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I mean, I congratulate you on protecting it for posterity!
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- I always loved that. - Isn't that brilliant?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49For insurance, you ought to put on
0:22:49 > 0:22:54£1,800, maybe £2,000. It's a really very, very nice screen.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56That's lovely.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01I bought it because it's not like anything I've seen before,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- the spout's in the wrong place. - Yeah.- So...
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Well, it's quite an interesting piece,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11because it's made in Japan.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17- Oh!- And so that's where it starts, at a place called Arita.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It was shipped in the white,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22so the decoration is not Japanese.
0:23:22 > 0:23:30- Right.- It probably came over in one of these massive loads of porcelain from Japan
0:23:30 > 0:23:33in the very early 18th century.
0:23:33 > 0:23:40- Right.- And it's clearly gone through Holland, because the decoration on this is very curious.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45It's jumbled, and the flowers - so-called chrysanthemums -
0:23:45 > 0:23:48are almost like an amateur would do.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53The thing that reveals it is the extensive use of red, iron red.
0:23:53 > 0:24:00And this is characteristic of Dutch decorators who worked in large numbers,
0:24:00 > 0:24:05painting not only Japanese and Chinese porcelain but also Meissen.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07So this is an interesting piece.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12- Yes, yes.- It would be made, I think, for soy sauce.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17- Right!- There may have been a little domed lid to sit on top of it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22- Yes.- And you pour, like a coffee pot today,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27or you side-pour, and it's very easy to work that way, as you can see.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- I love it! - What did you pay for it?
0:24:30 > 0:24:37It's a while ago. I think I paid about £4 for it, because it was a village sale and...
0:24:37 > 0:24:41It's probably worth about £200 to £300.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44- Oh!- Yeah.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- Right!- Maybe a little bit more.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53- Oh, that's wonderful, but I just like it.- Yeah, I like it, too.- Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57We've got an absolute Victorian classic subject here, have we not?
0:24:57 > 0:25:00The picturesque old cottage
0:25:00 > 0:25:06with the girl by the gate and the hollyhocks and ducks on the pond.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11It is just such a classic subject for Victorian artists.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17I think, for many people, these kind of pictures are classic England.
0:25:17 > 0:25:24There are many artists who did this kind of thing, the most famous being Helen Allingham and Birkett-Foster,
0:25:24 > 0:25:31but these are by another rather less-known artist, but nonetheless good, called Claude Strachan.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Actually he's Arthur Claude Strachan, in full.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38It's a lovely example of his work,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42in particularly nice condition. Can you tell me about these
0:25:42 > 0:25:47- and how you came by them? - They came from my grandfather.
0:25:47 > 0:25:54- Yes.- Um, when my grandfather moved into a nursing home, my father - my late father - brought them home.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59- I liked them, so my dad gave them to me.- What happened to the frames?
0:25:59 > 0:26:04The frames were taken off, because they were broken and damaged.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09They've actually spent quite some years tucked away in a trunk.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Well, that's kept them in this lovely, fresh condition,
0:26:13 > 0:26:20but they're so nice that, if they were mine, I would frame them and put them on the wall.
0:26:20 > 0:26:26Let's look at the second one, again a classic English cottage view,
0:26:26 > 0:26:31but more emphasis on the garden - hollyhocks and sunflowers,
0:26:31 > 0:26:37children playing in a stream. Well, they're in watercolour,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41but Strachan, like so many 19th-century artists,
0:26:41 > 0:26:46also used body colour. It's a white heightening added to watercolour
0:26:46 > 0:26:50to make the colour stronger and for these white highlights.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Yes.
0:26:52 > 0:27:00This enabled Strachan to get these very strong, bright, pure colours. Look at the colour of that -
0:27:00 > 0:27:05- the hollyhock and sunflowers.- Yes, yes.- They're beautifully done
0:27:05 > 0:27:13and they're in really super condition, so I would date these watercolours about 1900, 1910.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Just to put that one down again.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Um...let's talk about the value now.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26I would say that both of them, in a sale,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- would make at least £3,000 to £4,000.- Really?!- Each one.
0:27:30 > 0:27:38- I'm surprised.- A nice surprise, I hope...- Yes!- ..and will hopefully encourage you to get them framed.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I've had it ten years. It came from an aunt.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46It's a type of doll that's called a Grodnertal doll.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51It was made in Germany and Austria in the early 19th century.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56So we're probably looking at a date of about 1800, 1810.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02The nice thing is the condition and how original it is and the clothing.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07There are certain indications which are typical of Grodnertal dolls,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and if we look at the head first,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12and one has to handle delicately,
0:28:12 > 0:28:18she's got a wonderful painted face, a blush to the cheeks and, typical of Grodnertal,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22is you have the black curls coming round
0:28:22 > 0:28:27and a little yellow comb, which is another distinctive feature.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30The bonnet is probably original,
0:28:30 > 0:28:35because it's stylistically of that period. Isn't the dress delightful?
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Yes. It's not been touched, as far as I know.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43The dress is all original. You've got the lovely delicate lace here,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45going down to the Huguenot silk -
0:28:45 > 0:28:50in pretty good condition, considering it's 200 years old.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54The body is wonderfully articulated, the wooden body.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59- The hands are fairly crudely done, which is typical.- Yes.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03And if we look at the legs, jointed like that,
0:29:03 > 0:29:08absolutely wonderful, so they can move around. Super.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13On the market today, this would probably fetch £1,500 to £2,000.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- Right! That's nice!- Yeah.
0:29:16 > 0:29:22- I brought it home as excess baggage on the aircraft.- Excess baggage?!
0:29:22 > 0:29:30- Did you take the legs off?- They took the legs off for me and wrapped it in some old sacks and paper.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Wow!
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- Goa makes a lot of sense.- Does it?
0:29:35 > 0:29:40One would have said this border was typically Goan,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44inlaid here into an Oriental rosewood,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49with a scene which is, I suppose, an earthly paradise.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54We've got a prince here who's got his lover, or attendant, or virgin,
0:29:54 > 0:29:59or whatever she is and a few more lined up in the background.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I see.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Now, when they sold it to you,
0:30:03 > 0:30:08did they give you any idea of what age it might be?
0:30:08 > 0:30:14- They said 90 years old.- 90? - 90 years old.- And did they say what the material was?
0:30:14 > 0:30:18No. I wondered about the white material,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21is it ivory or bone?
0:30:21 > 0:30:27Now, there is something called the CITES convention and that is an international agreement
0:30:27 > 0:30:34- which prevents the export or movement of ivory from one country to another.- Right. OK.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39And breaking the CITES convention is an extremely serious offence,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43- I mean VERY serious.- Right.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48With huge fines... and the destruction of the object.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Oh.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55- But...- Mm-hm?- This is not ivory.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Oh, good. I'm relieved about that.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Oddly enough, this is camel bone.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- Right. - But the real clue, if you look...
0:31:03 > 0:31:10- to here, you will see little black or brown lines or dots.- I see, yeah.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15And those are the blood vessels running through the bone.
0:31:15 > 0:31:22- You can't carve those away and you will not find them on ivory.- OK.- So it's absolutely indicative.- I see.
0:31:22 > 0:31:28- Camel bone gives you the whitest material - I think that's it.- Right.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- What did you pay for it?- Er...
0:31:31 > 0:31:33- About £1,000.- About £1,000.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37- Well, you got a good £1,000 worth. - Right.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- It makes a wonderful table.- Mm-hm.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43The difficulty is the amount that's missing.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46I think it was such a good buy,
0:31:46 > 0:31:52that to spend another £500 or £600 having those extra bits put back...
0:31:52 > 0:31:58- Yeah.- That's worth doing, and then you would have something worth probably £2,000.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02- £2,000.- So it would be a worthwhile investment.- I'll investigate it.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05That's what I call bone china!
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Let me hazard a guess - Blackpool, end-of-pier, 1987.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11- Afraid not.- Oh!
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Apparently German, 1900, made as a joke for a medical student.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Good heavens! And what actually is it?
0:32:19 > 0:32:25It's a hideous teapot, and this is the spout here where it pours out.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27So...
0:32:27 > 0:32:29the devil's brew goes in there.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31- Absolutely.- And out it comes here?
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Yes, and there's a sugar bowl and tea cups.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39- Similar design?- Yes. - And do you use it happily?
0:32:39 > 0:32:43No, my grandmother produced it yesterday from the cupboard
0:32:43 > 0:32:47where she'd hidden it for 30 years in case it frightened anybody.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- Who was the medical student? - No idea.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Extraordinary. But how do we know that it was a medical student joke?
0:32:55 > 0:33:01- It's what one of the experts said. - You don't want to believe them.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11This is a splendid flower piece. What's your story behind it?
0:33:11 > 0:33:16I bought it off a dealer and restorer
0:33:16 > 0:33:20who was retiring, and I understand he was looking to reduce some stock
0:33:20 > 0:33:25in his upstairs rooms, which he'd had going back to the 1930s.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30- It's, as I say, wonderful size, very decorative.- Yes.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33But the question mark is - who's it by?
0:33:33 > 0:33:38He hadn't found a signature, and I didn't notice one then,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42but some time later, I did notice on the shelf,
0:33:42 > 0:33:47- in the bottom right-hand corner, was the name of Jean-Baptiste.- Yes.
0:33:47 > 0:33:53It is just there. It's brilliant of you to have actually observed it.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56As soon as one thinks of a flower piece,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01particularly in this country and, even though it's a French name,
0:34:01 > 0:34:07- only one artist comes to mind - Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer.- Yes.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11- And he was a painter, a flower painter of Louis XIV.- Yes.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- He died, I think, in 1699.- Yes.
0:34:14 > 0:34:21And the Duke of Montague, who had Montague House, was ambassador to the court of Louis XIV.
0:34:21 > 0:34:28He met Monnoyer and brought him to this country, where he had a very successful career.
0:34:28 > 0:34:35- You do find paintings by Monnoyer in stately houses in England.- Yes.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40- Now, is it by him or is it not?- Yes, that's a good question, I think.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46- Because he did have studio assistants and he did have people who copied him.- Yes.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51Now, I think if one looks at the quality of the painting,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55one has to pick up on information there.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59Here, in this tulip, it's really very well painted
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and makes me feel it's original.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06But there are passages in the painting, in the centre,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08that are somewhat disturbing.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Here, though they're more prominent,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15they don't have the reality, they're cosmetic.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18I don't really like these flowers.
0:35:18 > 0:35:24- So it's a bit of a mixture, so it could be studio.- Yes. - With cosmetic additions.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30Studio, of course, would be that Monnoyer would be the chief painter,
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- but he would have many assistants in his studio working...- Helping him.
0:35:34 > 0:35:41- Now we come to the question of the valuation.- Yes. - This is the sweet and sour,
0:35:41 > 0:35:47because if it actually had been by Monnoyer and in wonderful condition,
0:35:47 > 0:35:52- Yes.- It would have been worth probably £300,000 or £400,000.- Yes.
0:35:52 > 0:36:00But, as studio, in this condition and with this very obvious restoration on the picture...
0:36:00 > 0:36:04- Yes.- I'll be very conservative and say £5,000 or £10,000.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Right. Oh, that's fine. That's quite pleasing, really, to me, yes.
0:36:09 > 0:36:16- We was told it's called The Lady By The Pool. - That's a good description.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21She is by the pool, in a swimming costume, and it's a nice blue pool.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23This is unmistakably Italian.
0:36:23 > 0:36:31Italians have an eye for pretty girls, and it's reflected in this beautiful piece of modelling,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33probably done during the 1930s.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37- She looks a bit of a flapper, doesn't she?- Yes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:44And there she is, sitting out by the pool, demurely cross-legged, and the modelling of her is exquisite.
0:36:44 > 0:36:50The man who modelled her knows what a pretty girl's body looks like -
0:36:50 > 0:36:54he's obviously been to a swimming pool or two in his time.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59It's beautifully done. I love the costume, the mermaid costume.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03She works all the way round. That is what I look for
0:37:03 > 0:37:10in a good ceramic figure, whether it's an 18th-century or a 19th-century or, in this case,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14a mid-20th-century figure. So what's it for?
0:37:14 > 0:37:19- Keeping your make-up in.- It is! It is for a dressing table.- Right!
0:37:19 > 0:37:24It was made in Turin, almost certainly by a factory called Lenci.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29To clinch the argument, all we have to do is to look for one detail,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31in the mirror - did you see it?
0:37:31 > 0:37:36- The lips.- The only thing reflected in the mirror -
0:37:36 > 0:37:39her lips.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42- It's a great touch.- Yes.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46- So are you going to put her on the dressing table?- I think so!
0:37:46 > 0:37:51Throw your lipsticks and creams and whatever you may use.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54She belongs on a nice big dressing table.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57I guess that if you sold her today,
0:37:57 > 0:38:03- she'd fetch somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000.- Goodness! Wow!
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I wasn't expecting that!
0:38:05 > 0:38:12This piece really represents the age of elegance and shows that that age never totally disappeared.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17Is it something you've owned for a long time?
0:38:17 > 0:38:22My great-uncle bought it from an auction in Wales, in about 1922.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27And then my parents inherited it when my great aunt died.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31It is an extremely elegant piece of furniture.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35In style, this relates back to the Sheraton period,
0:38:35 > 0:38:40to the 18th century, when a lot of furniture was made in satinwood.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Painted decoration is typical of that period.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48But it seems to me to date from maybe 100 years later.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52- So this is what might be called Sheraton revival.- Yes.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54And it's an extremely nice example.
0:38:54 > 0:39:02The painted decoration is a little stiffer, a little less free than one would find in the 18th century.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07But the top is screwed to the bottom like this -
0:39:07 > 0:39:10on an 18th-century one, that would slide back.
0:39:10 > 0:39:17The form is just slightly boxier, slightly less flowing than one would see,
0:39:17 > 0:39:23and one can see that, both in existing pieces of furniture, and also in pattern-book designs.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28So it's a very nice and actually very desirable piece of furniture.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33- Right.- Do you want an indication? - I'd love an indication, yes.- Um...
0:39:33 > 0:39:38It's something that I would suggest today you insured for...
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- £4,000.- Oh, gosh!
0:39:41 > 0:39:47- And it's very, very pretty.- Lovely! I was thinking something like £500.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- I'm glad it's better.- Brilliant.
0:39:52 > 0:39:58These medals commemorate military campaigns in Queen Victoria's reign.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00I wonder how you came by them.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04They belonged to me grandfather. He earned them.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09- He actually won them. Who was your grandfather?- Joseph Reilly.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11And I can see from there,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15the most important one is the Crimea Medal,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18so he was in the Crimea. Which regiment?
0:40:18 > 0:40:23- 17th Lancers.- Ah, right, so that's part of the famous Light Brigade.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26- Yeah.- From Tennyson's... - So I gather.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31- Was your grandfather one of the chargers?- He charged with them, yes.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Right. That's the Crimea medal.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40You've got these four clasps on it, for four of the most famous battles
0:40:40 > 0:40:45that you find on regimental histories - Sebastopol, Inkermann,
0:40:45 > 0:40:51Balaclava - very important - and also the Battle of the Alma.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57It would be impressed with his name, and we can see that's there -
0:40:57 > 0:41:00J Reilly, 17th Lancers.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03That confirms that was given to him.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09THIS medal was given to British soldiers by the Sultan of Turkey,
0:41:09 > 0:41:14because the British were bailing him out against Russian aggression.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Turkey was "the sick man of Europe".
0:41:17 > 0:41:23The Russians wanted it because it would give them a warm-water port.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27That would upset the balance of power in Europe.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32It's one of the reasons why Britain went to war against Russia in 1854.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37Then your grandfather was sent to India to deal with mutinous sepoys
0:41:37 > 0:41:43in 1857 to '58, so that's the sort of record of his service.
0:41:43 > 0:41:50It's absolutely wonderful to sit with this, knowing the man whose chest it was pinned on,
0:41:50 > 0:41:55went down that valley behind Lord Cardigan - we've all seen the film.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00You can imagine it as they started off, very slowly moving forwards,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04and then at the trot to conserve the horses' energy.
0:42:04 > 0:42:10Finally, when they were getting towards the Russian batteries,
0:42:10 > 0:42:16the leaders would have said - for the lancers - to the trumpeter, to blow "Engage enemy!",
0:42:16 > 0:42:21- which meant the lancers came down and then charged.- That's right.
0:42:21 > 0:42:28The dragoons and hussars would have stuck their swords out at the charge.
0:42:28 > 0:42:35And it's incredible to think that that was given to a man who was there. It's very humbling.
0:42:35 > 0:42:41- Good job they didn't kill them all, or else I wouldn't be here.- Yes!
0:42:41 > 0:42:46- Have you thought about what they might be worth?- Not really.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Well, Crimean War stuff is very, very sought after,
0:42:50 > 0:42:57and a group as important as this to a man who charged with the 17th in the Light Brigade -
0:42:57 > 0:42:59between £5,000 to £7,000.
0:42:59 > 0:43:05- Very nice! More than I thought! - Thank you for bringing them.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Very interesting, thank you.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11Another fine selection, from the grand to the grotesque.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16If you want to know more about taxidermy, go to our website...
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Now at the end of a long, hot day,
0:43:18 > 0:43:24it's time to check that Burton's breweries are doing a good job.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Until the next time, goodbye.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Subtitles by Emma Biggins BBC Broadcast 2003
0:43:52 > 0:43:55E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk