0:00:31 > 0:00:35Here shall the actor strip his very soul
0:00:35 > 0:00:38To clothe it in another's charactery
0:00:38 > 0:00:42And eloquence, like a flight of doves
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Shall circle in the clear, expectant air
0:00:45 > 0:00:49And inspiration, reaching for the stars
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Glean a rich harvest here.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56That was part of a poem to celebrate the opening of this,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58the Chichester Festival Theatre -
0:00:58 > 0:01:01the first major UK venue in the 20th century
0:01:01 > 0:01:04to have a thrust stage with the audience on three sides,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07the way they did it in ancient Greece.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13Laurence Olivier was Chichester's first artistic director in 1962,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and his season of plays performed by the same ensemble
0:01:16 > 0:01:23is a tradition honoured again when the festival opens its doors from April to October.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Chichester Cathedral has drawn us back today.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The shrine to St Richard, who was bishop here in the 13th century,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35still attracts thousands of modern pilgrims.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39The building has suffered its share of catastrophe -
0:01:39 > 0:01:42it was consecrated for the third time in 1199,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45having been twice destroyed by fire.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48In 1861, the 15th-century spire collapsed,
0:01:48 > 0:01:53and restoring it took 100 years and a huge amount of money.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58But the separate bell tower from around 1400 has fared rather better
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and is now unique in England.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06So here we are in the welcoming depths of Chichester's cathedral.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Let's join our choir of experts.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13- Let's take it out. You know it's a covered bed?- Yes.- From experience?
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Oh, yes, I slept on it. For how long?
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- Emergencies?- From about five to about 35. 30 years on it.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26- You're familiar with it.- Yes. - Straight on it?- We had a mattress.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- So you couldn't fold it up?- No.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34I suspect that the original user of this was probably a servant.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- Yes.- And slept on a very, very thin mattress...
0:02:38 > 0:02:43- Probably.- ..so that it could be folded up and put away.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Yes, put away during the day.
0:02:45 > 0:02:51It's amazing to see one of these with their original bed. Mostly, they've been dismantled.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57- Let's put it away. It's very beautifully but simply made, isn't it?- Yes.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01It's held together with these leather strap hinges.
0:03:01 > 0:03:08These wedge-shaped bits of framework block it all into position and make it very secure.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Right, when do you think it was made originally?
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I think it could be up to 200 years old.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21It IS about 200 years old, between 1810 and 1820, something like that.
0:03:21 > 0:03:28It's certainly English and was made somewhere in the countryside. It's not a London-made piece.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- It came from Norfolk. - That's where you used it?
0:03:31 > 0:03:35- No, my mother was a Norfolk person.- Right.
0:03:35 > 0:03:41And she brought it from Norfolk to Sussex when they were married.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Right.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49Unfortunately, its main value lies in ripping the thing apart
0:03:49 > 0:03:56and turning it into a piece of furniture with a very definite modern use, ie a television cabinet.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00People would die to hide away their TVs, videos, hi-fis,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05computers, all that sort of modern electrical gubbins
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- into this piece, but then you've lost its original insides.- Oh, yes.
0:04:09 > 0:04:15It would be a very sad thing to do, but in pounds, shillings and pence terms, that's where its value is.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20£500, £600 - not a fortune, given how interesting it is.
0:04:20 > 0:04:27It's the amount of use and money that needs to be spent on it that limits its value.
0:04:27 > 0:04:34Anyway, jolly nice to see it, and I'm pleased to have met somebody who's slept on one of these things.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36You get no draught round the head!
0:04:36 > 0:04:41- The pillow doesn't fall off the back either.- No!- Brilliant.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49You've got so many of these, but you don't know what they are!
0:04:49 > 0:04:51I've got an idea they are Japanese.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Yes.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Um, they could be Mandarin buttons.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Mandarin buttons - I don't think we get Mandarins in Japan.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Oh.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Well, I don't really know. - Where did they come from?
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- I bought them when I was in my 20s. - Really?- Yes, at various places.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13And may I ask how long ago that was?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Well, I'm 94 now.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- You're 94?!- Yes.
0:05:20 > 0:05:26- You bought these in your 20s.- Yes. - Good time to buy. What did you pay?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- Oh...nothing over £2.- Really?
0:05:28 > 0:05:33- Yes.- OK, well, I'm going to tell you what they are.- Yes.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38- They are Japanese.- Yes.- They're kagamibuta - a form of netsuke.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- Yes.- They're a little toggle. The cord went through there,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and that went... was tucked up under your belt,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and you hung a pouch
0:05:50 > 0:05:54or a little box called an inro from it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56But these served another function.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01You tap out the contents of your pipe into it, so it was an ashtray.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Oh, that's interesting!
0:06:04 > 0:06:11Now, the Japanese, when they smoke a pipe, they have a tiny little bowl, only about that big.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The Japanese take one pinch of tobacco, light it,
0:06:15 > 0:06:20smoke it in one puff and then tap it out into one of these.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23My favourite is this one,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26which is all ivory, beautifully carved
0:06:26 > 0:06:32with a shishi with its pup, playing with a brocade ball,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35which has been stained and inlaid.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40On the base we've got another very well carved shishi and a signature.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- What kind of age? - I was just about to say,
0:06:44 > 0:06:49they're all the same sort of date. They're mid-19th century.
0:06:49 > 0:06:55This one's going to be worth more than the £2 you paid for it.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- That's something.- They all are.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03- We're looking at an average price of around £200 or £300.- Oh, really?
0:07:03 > 0:07:07This one, £1,000 to £1,500.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Goodness me! - You have a very good eye.
0:07:10 > 0:07:16- Thank you for bringing them in. - Thank you. I've enjoyed it.- Good.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- How long have you had this for? - More than 50 years,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22because it was a wedding present.
0:07:22 > 0:07:29- So you've been married for over 50 years. It's a very fashionable, popular object these days.- Yes.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35Made of tortoiseshell, veneered in a very nice casket form.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40This has got a sort of caddy top and it's still got, in the front here,
0:07:40 > 0:07:47a key escutcheon, because at this time of about 1820, tea was still an expensive commodity,
0:07:47 > 0:07:53and the servants were not allowed access, so the lady of the house had the key.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58If we open it up, we've got twin canisters -
0:07:58 > 0:08:00you could have a selection of tea.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You take the tea out of here, mix it in a bowl,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and then put it into your teapot.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Velvet lined at the top.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- These are made of ivory.- Are they?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Little turned ivory buttons.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Pristine. They're not broken.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19They're fragile, so it's nice to see them here.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And you're still using it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- Indeed I am.- Isn't that lovely?
0:08:24 > 0:08:29You have got tea bags in there that fit absolutely perfectly.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33It's so nice that people use something like this,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36because usually, they're just a decoration.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Be careful not to get steam on this,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44- because it will take the nice patina off the tortoiseshell.- Oh, yes, yes.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Because it's quite a valuable thing.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Well, I suppose so!
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Well, if I tell you it's worth £1,500...
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Well, yes. That IS a lot of money!
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It's a lovely dish - massive thing!
0:09:01 > 0:09:07Um...and transfer printed - this is a blue print, not a hand painting,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11but splendid and intended to be a hanging plaque.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15You've got these little holes for hanging it.
0:09:15 > 0:09:21This is safe and strong, cos it's massive. How long have you had it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:26I bought it in an antique shop in Torquay for £40
0:09:26 > 0:09:28about 20 years ago.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31The mark is interesting.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Watteau, the name of the pattern and Doulton, the factory who made it.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38But down here,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41there's the mark of the original factory
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- that Doulton bought up in the 1880s. - Yes.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Pinder Bourne. Doulton bought up Pinder Bourne.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51This is an original plaque acquired by Doulton's,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- so they put the print on it.- Yes.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59Made in 1881 and it's splendid, isn't it?
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- You like it, do you?- I LOVE it, yes.
0:10:01 > 0:10:08So the 40 quid has risen up to £200 or £300, which is nice. Nice increase,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13- but the pleasure of the pot is more than value.- I think so, yes.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16This is charming. Look at that page.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Her bleeding heart, I assume, and things like that.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Absolutely wonderful.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28I've seen 19th and 20th-century picture puzzle books,
0:10:28 > 0:10:34but I've never seen a 17th-century one, and this one - not printed,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37but actually an original manuscript.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- Where did you get it?- My husband inherited it from his grandfather,
0:10:41 > 0:10:48and we find it quite curious, the fact that it seems to have shorthand on one side...
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Shorthand on one side, yes.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54..the little texts with the puzzles and the beautiful little drawings.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58But it's a wonderful way to teach children.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00"Mourn much poor heart
0:11:00 > 0:11:02"Stand that friends must part."
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And so it goes on.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07"The young must die, old must die,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11"Something fade and so must you and I."
0:11:11 > 0:11:13It's lovely.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19- I presume the answer is on this side.- Right.- But in shorthand.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I don't know shorthand, I'm just guessing.
0:11:22 > 0:11:29- Looking at the binding, there's not much left of the spine to it, but that can be repaired.- Yes.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32I think it ought to be tidied up.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Here is a date - wonderful date on the end - 1694.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43- Um, possibly the shorthand was added later as a further exercise.- Right.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49But that's the beauty of these books, and this one is so pretty.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54I wouldn't be surprised if you could see this at £2,000. Oh, God!
0:11:54 > 0:12:00- Possibly more, but I think that would be conservative.- Right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05Somebody would look and say, "It's a silly old child's book, it's dirty."
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- But it...- But it's got it!- It has.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- It's colourful, it's beautiful, it's clever.- It's clever.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14It's cleverer than me!
0:12:14 > 0:12:19This is my grandmother and she gave the necklace to my elder sister.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- So that would date from when? - About 1917.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27That would tie in with the piece of jewellery,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29which is a very interesting design.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31It's by the firm Murrle Bennett,
0:12:31 > 0:12:37who made silver jewellery in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau style.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39This geometric design
0:12:39 > 0:12:44is more like the German and Austrian Art Nouveau designs,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46which tend to be rather geometric.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- It's silver. The stones are amethysts.- Are they?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52And a very nice little chain,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55with this very typical fastening -
0:12:55 > 0:12:58this bar through a ring, which looks dodgy,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01but is completely secure.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05My sister's always worried the clasp could come undone.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08You could put a safety chain on it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13I would, certainly for insurance, place a value on this
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- of somewhere in the £1,000 to £1,200 range.- Really? Oh, my goodness!
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- Amazing, isn't it?- Yes!
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It's been in England, North America, South America
0:13:25 > 0:13:28over the time we've had it in the family.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32- It's obviously been looked after. - Definitely so.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Because it is a little treasure.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38You've brought some evidence to show when it was...
0:13:38 > 0:13:44- What year is this photograph?- 1902 - it shows my grandfather's house.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49You could keep everybody busy if we could retrieve all the objects here,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54but here it is on the top right-hand corner of the mantelpiece
0:13:54 > 0:13:59and here it is 100 years later. Documentary evidence, wonderful.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Let's have a look at it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:08This was made in Austria by a firm called Loetz. Loetz specialised in iridescent glass
0:14:08 > 0:14:13and for a long time, they've been regarded as poor man's Tiffany
0:14:13 > 0:14:20which is very, very unfair, because they were making this type of glass before Tiffany,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- so it's worth knowing.- Wow.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Now, the glass itself, if we look at it,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30on the inside, it's a cobalt colour.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34The surface is covered with this amazing iridescence,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37which is a bit like a butterfly's wing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41In fact, Loetz called this papillon glass.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Oh?- And this silver...
0:14:44 > 0:14:47is achieved using electrolysis.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52It's immersed in an electrolytic bath,
0:14:52 > 0:14:58having covered the areas where they didn't want the glass to anneal.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01This would have been either wax or a rubber resist
0:15:01 > 0:15:06to prevent the actual silver building up in those specific areas.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11I'm not sure how long it would be in that bath, but several days,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16for that level of silver to build up,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20but obviously, it's got to build up enough
0:15:20 > 0:15:26for the decorator then to trim away and then carve in the decoration.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31It's one of my favourite bits of Art Nouveau glass - that is the style,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35with the floral decoration and the...
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- It's just such a sensual pot. It's shaped like Mae West!- It is.
0:15:40 > 0:15:46It is a wonderful pot, and there's very much of an organic feel to it,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50so it's a combination of emulating nature
0:15:50 > 0:15:55and top technology to bring all these elements together.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Just another thing to look at -
0:15:58 > 0:16:0099 times out of 100,
0:16:00 > 0:16:05you should have this feature, which is a ground pontil mark.
0:16:05 > 0:16:12This is the area where the pontil rod, used in the glass making, has been connected,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16snapped off and then it's polished away.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20It's always a sign of quality on any type of glassware.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24So we've got to come to terms with...with value.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30I know it's a family treasure, and I know it's probably priceless,
0:16:30 > 0:16:35- but if it was mine, I'd be insuring this for at least £1,500.- Thank you.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40It's been a treasure in the home ever since I can remember.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44This is a wonderful collection of miniature tools.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46My father actually made it.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51He was a coppersmith and a blacksmith in the dockyard
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- and he made all the pieces gradually over the years.- Terrific!
0:16:55 > 0:17:02He had a fantastic eye for detail and quality. If we have a look at one or two of them -
0:17:02 > 0:17:06this is a spirit level. Wonderful detail on the brass, there.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09A little drill. The nice thing is,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12they are all in working order.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- Yes.- So do you have a particular favourite or not?
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- I think the plane's quite nice. - Oh, yes, a miniature plane here.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- It's got a blade in, underneath. - Yeah.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30How long would it have taken him to make a single one, do you think?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It probably took him about a month, I suppose.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- A labour of love, and he just did it as a hobby.- Yeah.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Yes, a pair of shears I see here. Again, they work terrifically well.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47- A bow saw. They're almost all made of brass.- Brass and copper.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- That was his favourite metal?- Yes.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54- It was a relaxation, although almost a busman's holiday for him.- Yeah.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59A terrific craftsman. He made most of them when? In the '50s and '60s?
0:17:59 > 0:18:04Yeah, yeah, up until probably about the mid '70s, I suppose.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Individually, they're not of great value.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12But I would think, as a collection, they must be worth £1,500 to £2,000.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- Pleasure to see them. - Thank you for looking at them.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's a lovely collection of portrait miniatures.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22How did you come by this lot?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25They were collected by a family friend of my parents,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and he left them all to my mother.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Uh-huh.- And, er, there was a larger collection.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36When my mother died last year, in her will, it was split three ways,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39so we laid them out on the floor,
0:18:39 > 0:18:46and in turns, one, then my sister and then my brother took one, so unfortunately some are split.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Which ones do you like best?
0:18:48 > 0:18:53I like that one and I particularly like that one as well, it's lovely.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I love the beautiful gowns and the colours of it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- I just think they're pretty. - They are very pretty.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07I hoped you might pick this one - the frame is made up of piano keys.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- Is it? Oh, golly!- And it's all made up to look like an old miniature.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15This is not a rare miniature, but it's very pretty.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18If I could choose one to take...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- Yes.- This lady here is beautiful,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and whilst I have to say I don't know who she's by,
0:19:25 > 0:19:31there's something lovely about it, with this extraordinarily long neck
0:19:31 > 0:19:36and lovely hair and so on, and I suppose she's, er, about 1825,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39so that's rather lovely.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44And you've got here something which is quite out of the range.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48- Were there other oil paintings? - Not that I'm aware of.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52But for a collector, that's not a portrait miniature
0:19:52 > 0:19:56like these are. These are nearly all on card or ivory,
0:19:56 > 0:20:01whereas this is on a thin copper panel
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and, um, is Continental,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08whereas almost all of these are English,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11except for the two on porcelain.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13So we have a Continental portrait,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16probably northern European, about 1740.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19It's the earliest of the pictures.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- I can't value what your brothers and sisters have.- No.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27But you've got a wonderful collection,
0:20:27 > 0:20:33and even ones like this, which aren't particularly old or valuable,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37are still worth £150 to £200 for that one.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41A really good miniature like these ones, or the girl there,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45are going to be worth £500 or £600 each.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47And this one here,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51- probably £700 to £900.- Goodness me!
0:20:51 > 0:20:55It's a substantial lot, so it must have been a great collection.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58That's lovely, thank you very much.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03It was made in one of the loveliest periods of English clock-making,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06round about 1800, Regency period.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Where did you get it? Was it something you bought?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14It was a clock my grandfather bought, I believe, in Croydon.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Because he ran a pub opposite the auction rooms
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and he used to pop across there and buy things.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28He made a good buy. We know who the maker is. If we open the front here,
0:21:28 > 0:21:34it's signed indistinctly on the engrave there - Daniel de St Leu,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38who was an English clock maker but, like so many,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41was descended from Huguenot origins.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Two dials at the top there.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48The one on the left is numbered up to 31 - that's a calendar dial.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51The one on the right is numbered 0 to 60.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55You wonder what that is - not a seconds hand.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- No.- Do you know what it's for? - No, I don't, I'm afraid.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04We'll come back to that in a moment. Look at the back plate.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Beautifully engraved.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11You've quite correctly put the pendulum in there for travelling.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- Yes.- If we release that, away comes the pendulum and away it will tick.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Back to that dial, that mechanism on the dial which is numbered 0 to 60.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Have you seen what happens when you turn it round?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- No.- Right, let's do it. - Never bothered!- OK.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- You look at the back there.- OK.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37- Look at the top of the pendulum. Can you see what's happening?- Oh, yes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43- It's rising and falling - this is called a rise-and-fall mechanism.- Ah.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46And it's for the fine adjustment of time keeping.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51- I've got you, yes.- In other words, you can make the pendulum shorter or longer by that.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56But you have to physically turn the handle, turn the dial on the front?
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Yes, you can do that when the clock is working. You don't have to stop the clock.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06A pendulum works rather like a dog's tail - the shorter it is, the faster it wags,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09so to make a clock go fast, you make the pendulum shorter.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14And this whole mechanism there is called the rise-and-fall mechanism. So...
0:23:14 > 0:23:18a very lovely clock. Have you ever carried it by that handle?
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- No.- Good, good! I'll say straight away, "Good!" ..Don't!
0:23:22 > 0:23:26It might have been what it was intended for when it was made,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30but now the case is 200 years old, the glue's getting a bit dry.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35You pick it up one day, it'll make a lovely noise as it hits the floor!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38So always carry it from underneath.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Now, as to its value. I think a clock like this, at auction,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46would fetch certainly £3,500. Maybe £4,500.
0:23:46 > 0:23:52- Would it really?- It would. And if you see this in a good antique shop...
0:23:52 > 0:23:55somewhat more. It's a £5,000 to £6,000 clock.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- Is it really?- A lovely clock indeed. Beautiful in every way.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05In 1955, living in London in a flat,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10we wanted as much storage space as we could get, and we saw this large piece of furniture
0:24:10 > 0:24:17quite liked it, knew nothing about it, and bought it in the Kings Road, Chelsea.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21It immediately suggests what I would call Biedermeier,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25which is the sort of bourgeois furniture that becomes incredibly fashionable
0:24:25 > 0:24:28in the first half of the 19th century.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30And in Biedermeier furniture,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35you tend to have this reliance on simple shapes, on some classical decoration.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40And you have these very attractive sort of half-length pilasters here
0:24:40 > 0:24:43with little bits of carved decoration,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47which is more than you find on some Biedermeier pieces.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53Pure Biedermeier is 1815 to 1830,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57but it spreads more than that - 1815 to 1848, that sort of period.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01But the fact that it's got these carved pilasters
0:25:01 > 0:25:05is slightly different to a lot of the most obvious Biedermeier,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08which has no carving at all.
0:25:08 > 0:25:14And also, these sort of lozenge-shaped drawers, which are very bold, very geometrical.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18And it has its surprise when it pulls forward
0:25:18 > 0:25:24and has this, I think, really lovely secretaire drawer inside.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27It pulls down like that.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31And what's interesting about it is on the outside
0:25:31 > 0:25:35you have a native wood, walnut, and this is a paler wood -
0:25:35 > 0:25:38it could be birch - and ebonised decoration,
0:25:38 > 0:25:43which is also quite bold and dramatic on the inside.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49But on the outside, you also have this use of symmetrical veneers.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Why no handles?
0:25:52 > 0:25:59I think the handles were thought to get in the way of the whole simplicity of the front,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02so it works on a key, which isn't the most practical thing, I suppose.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06They're heavy to pull out once they're full. Very heavy.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Such things now aren't tremendously fashionable in this country.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14- They're much more fashionable on the Continent. What did you pay for it?- £25.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- £25 in...- 1955.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- Which was not nothing, then!- No!
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I think, nowadays...
0:26:24 > 0:26:28..maybe £1,500 to £2,000 - something like that,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32- which doesn't seem a lot for an extremely attractive piece. - Well, it's a good profit!
0:26:36 > 0:26:39We're talking plunder here, aren't we? Tell us about this dish.
0:26:39 > 0:26:451889, an iron steamship had a collision in the Channel just off the coast of Sussex
0:26:45 > 0:26:51with a sailing ship - it was a wooden one. The iron steamship sank
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and loss of life was nearly 50. The captain, also.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00It was carrying at the time a lot of china - 600 tons -
0:27:00 > 0:27:04some glass and some cotton.
0:27:04 > 0:27:10- And where was it heading for? - It was on its way to Madras and the china was picked up in Antwerp.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- It was collected there. - Is this expensive?
0:27:13 > 0:27:18It wasn't hugely valuable at the time. It was day-to-day types of stuff.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20And how much has been recovered?
0:27:20 > 0:27:26Over the years - since 1989 - quite a considerable amount of this has been recovered.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- And who is doing the recovering?- A lot of it is done by sports divers.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34You'd think the story would make it very valuable, wouldn't you?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Yes, but it's not hugely valuable.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43I think Henry said earlier on that it's going to be worth maybe £40 per piece,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46but it's got local interest to us - that's what we like about it.
0:27:46 > 0:27:53They were done by my grandmother in the 1910s and 1920s.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57They are extraordinary! Here's a bathing costume here...
0:27:57 > 0:28:03Put that on there... And lovely dresses here. There must be about 50 or 60 dresses.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Yes, I remember as a child that I was allowed to play with them on high days and holidays.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14- Yes.- And, um...that I've always treasured them. They were given to me when I was a teenager.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17She must have worked very hard because they are quite sophisticated
0:28:17 > 0:28:23and they're all hand-drawn and they're all coloured in with watercolour.
0:28:23 > 0:28:29She went to an art school in London and then became a dress designer,
0:28:29 > 0:28:35- apparently for somebody called Raymonde - Raymonde somebody. - Raymonde sounds terribly French!
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Well, I don't know if it's male or female, but that's all I know.
0:28:39 > 0:28:46And really I wanted to find out how I can find out more about fashion in the 1920s
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and whether she really did design anything that was worthwhile.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55You'd have to go to a fashion museum, or a fashion design museum.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- You could go to the clothing museum in Bath...- Oh, right.
0:28:58 > 0:29:05..and see what literature they've got and whether, in fact, they can trace him - or her - back.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10- Right.- But I think all of these are obviously, obviously good designs.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14This one's interesting, because it's almost contemporary, isn't it?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17You know, sort of very much off-the-shoulders,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20but also with a contemporary tattoo.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23And this one here...
0:29:23 > 0:29:25It's hardly decent!
0:29:25 > 0:29:30- No, well, she was a bit of a girl, I think, in her day.- Right.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34- The Roaring '20s! - Absolutely Roaring '20s!
0:29:34 > 0:29:36You've got about another 50...
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- I think so, yes.- ..sets of drawings. - Yes.
0:29:39 > 0:29:45So a fabulous collection of costume design of the 1920s.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48These 50 have to be worth somewhere in the region...
0:29:48 > 0:29:53Very hard to value, but I would have thought between £500 and £1,000.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Goodness me!
0:29:55 > 0:29:59They were my grandmother's. When my grandmother died,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02- my mother had them. When my mother died,- I- had them.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Well, they're really lovely
0:30:06 > 0:30:10and just about the prettiest sort of work that was done around the start of the century.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12And, actually,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16looking at them more carefully, I don't actually think that this...
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- ever had anything to do with that. - Really?
0:30:19 > 0:30:23This doesn't fit and the enamelling's quite different,
0:30:23 > 0:30:28- so I don't think it ever went together at all.- Well, I never!
0:30:28 > 0:30:31These were made abroad. And this one's got an import mark.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35They were made probably either in France or Switzerland,
0:30:35 > 0:30:41but they've got all this beautiful enamelling and it's all engine-turned underneath.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45And then you have this translucent enamelling on top,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49so that you get this lovely play of light through the enamel.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's just a delightful little miniature carriage clock.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55This is just for your rings...
0:30:55 > 0:31:00and of course this for scent. Really charming and delightful.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Very difficult to do this type of enamelling so beautifully.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06How old do you think they are?
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Well, this was imported into England in 1913,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13so it has a London import mark for that year,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17and the other pieces are of a similar period.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22Well, if you had to replace just this little clock alone,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24it would cost somewhere round...
0:31:24 > 0:31:27the £1,500 to £2,000 mark.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- What, for that little clock?!- Yeah.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Absolutely! And the scent bottle and the stand
0:31:34 > 0:31:40- I would say is probably another £1,500 to £2,000.- Good grief!
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Well...!
0:31:42 > 0:31:46I know he's English because I looked him up. An English artist.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52- What else did you discover about him?- That he exhibited a lot.- Yes.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55- Nothing else?- No.- OK.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59He was actually a very successful Victorian watercolourist
0:31:59 > 0:32:04and largely socially, because he taught the Queen how to paint.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08He was one of Queen Victoria's painting masters
0:32:08 > 0:32:13- and that, of course, takes you a very long way in Victorian society, as you might imagine.- Yes.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17I wouldn't say that he's one of England's greatest watercolourists.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21I'm not making great claims for him, but it's just that he firmed up
0:32:21 > 0:32:24on a very lively, colourful style
0:32:24 > 0:32:29that you can see very easily in this watercolour.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33- Isn't it a very lively little picture?- Yes, I love it!
0:32:33 > 0:32:37- Was it painted in Holland or here? - It looks more Dutch to me.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39But I can't be sure.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42I'd say it's probably worth...
0:32:42 > 0:32:44£800 to £1,200,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47which is quite a nice figure for a little thing like that.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49- Yes.- Yes?!
0:32:54 > 0:32:57A wonderful set from 1790.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01These are carefully-designed botanical drawings.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Sometimes the flowers are rather strange specimens...
0:33:03 > 0:33:06but these are nice. They're all British flowers...
0:33:06 > 0:33:10each one, looking through the different designs,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12were taken from the Botanical Magazine.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17It came out as a monthly periodical and each month you would acquire a few more pages...
0:33:17 > 0:33:23- Ah, yes. - ..with different illustrations of wonderful flowers drawn by Curtis.
0:33:23 > 0:33:29And the pottery factories would acquire the books and copy the designs onto them. Lovely specimen!
0:33:29 > 0:33:33It's always labelled clearly on the back of it.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Yellow-flowered dog's-tooth violet. They were an education in botany.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41- You'd learn your flowers from looking at the service.- Yes.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Many potteries, especially in Staffordshire, produced these sets.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50- They don't have a maker's name... - Yes.- ..but they are Staffordshire rather than Leeds,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54because they're whiter pottery. Leeds was creamier.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59- It's had a bit of a hard life, hasn't it?- Well, they were in London during the war
0:33:59 > 0:34:04- and we had a bomb 50 yards from the house and they got a bit chipped then.- So a bit chipped further.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Nowadays, usually these sets are split up, which is a sad thing.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Individual plates, like these with nice flowers...
0:34:11 > 0:34:16A single plate like that would normally cost today
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- round about £500.- Would it?!
0:34:19 > 0:34:24A dish like this is certainly going to be £400 or £500
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and you've got here 11 plates, even with some damaged.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- Yes.- I suppose we could be looking at a set here worth...
0:34:31 > 0:34:34perhaps about £4,000.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Ooh, are we?!
0:34:36 > 0:34:41I shall have to be more careful with it! Thank you very much.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- Is this a family piece?- Yes, it is.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49It's my late husband's maternal grandparents'.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- I believe it was a wedding gift. - Good heavens!
0:34:52 > 0:34:57Well, I've seen a number of these over the years.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02They normally date from, er... the early part of the 20th century,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05between sort of 1900 and 1920,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07and, um...I expect
0:35:07 > 0:35:13- you may have seen pictures of baskets strapped onto the back of motor cars...- Yes.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16..for picnicking in the grand style!
0:35:16 > 0:35:20And what I love about these sets is that they're not so much...
0:35:20 > 0:35:23the silver or the plate,
0:35:23 > 0:35:30it's the engineering - that they managed to get so much into such a wonderful compact basket.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33So let's just take a piece out.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35It's a nice weight.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Good heavens!
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Do you know, this is, I think, probably the first one
0:35:42 > 0:35:47I've ever seen with silver fittings inside.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52Here we've got a set of hallmarks - made in Birmingham
0:35:52 > 0:35:57and the date letter for 1900, so was that when they were married?
0:35:57 > 0:36:03I don't exactly know, but all I know is their first child was born in 1904, so it would be about then.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07So that sounds about right. But that is exceptionally unusual
0:36:07 > 0:36:09to have them made in silver.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Just look at the quality of this kettle here.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16It says...
0:36:16 > 0:36:22"Remove this lid, also cap from the spout before lighting lamp. Drew & Sons."
0:36:22 > 0:36:27Well, Drew's were a firm operating in Piccadilly
0:36:27 > 0:36:33at the late 19th century, early 20th century, and specialised in making these sort of things.
0:36:33 > 0:36:39And, um...what I particularly like is attention to detail.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41I mean, these spoons...
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- just the way they slot into these little holders!- Clever, isn't it?
0:36:45 > 0:36:51But look at that - a lovely little fleur-de-lys at the top, nice big hallmarks down the stem...
0:36:51 > 0:36:57You know, they really thought about doing everything in great style.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02- The spoon has got a small chip in it.- A little bit on the bowl,
0:37:02 > 0:37:07- but we can forgive it that because at least it's still here! - It's never used.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11- It sits in a cabinet.- Well, that's where it belongs nowadays.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16But originally made for mustard. The little mark underneath, the little crescent mark,
0:37:16 > 0:37:21- a tell-tale sign...- Yes. - ..which means Worcester.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- About 1770.- Yeah.- And the fence pattern - a popular pattern.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Well-made, beautiful condition, nicely-made little object.
0:37:29 > 0:37:35So a mustard pot and cover like that is worth about, um...
0:37:35 > 0:37:37£500. The spoon alone...
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- with a chip, about £800.- Is it?!
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Golly!
0:37:42 > 0:37:46We've got more... more treasures inside.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48We've got cups...
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and this is probably for sugar.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Ah! Here we are.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59- "Drew & Sons en route..." I like that!- Excellent, isn't it?
0:37:59 > 0:38:02"Piccadilly Circus, London West."
0:38:02 > 0:38:08This is...a rarity. A great rarity in superb condition.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- That's what collectors like. That's what buyers like.- Yes.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17I think this is such a nice set, I think it should be insured
0:38:17 > 0:38:22- for at least £10,000. - My goodness! How lovely!
0:38:22 > 0:38:27I don't know how many pieces of commemorative ware I've seen today,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30but 10...20...
0:38:30 > 0:38:36Some of them go back to Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39And what are they worth?
0:38:39 > 0:38:41£20 to £30.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46So for the person who bought them for, I don't know, two shillings in 1887,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50- no way have they proved a good investment.- Correct.- No.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55And I don't believe that any of these will. I mean, a lady came in earlier...
0:38:57 > 0:39:01..with a plate for the Golden Jubilee.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06She'd just bought it - I don't know whether it was this morning! -
0:39:06 > 0:39:10and she said, "Should I keep this as an investment?"
0:39:10 > 0:39:14- I said, "Don't think of it on those terms."- No.- "That is not the point.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16"The point is - do you like it?"
0:39:16 > 0:39:20"Oh, yes. I like it." Well, that's what it's all about.
0:39:20 > 0:39:26You've had, obviously, pleasure putting together these commemorative pieces,
0:39:26 > 0:39:30which range from the Jubilee pieces
0:39:30 > 0:39:36through the coronation of George V.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38- You've got...- Edward VII.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43Edward VII. We've got three of Edward VIII. Why three?
0:39:43 > 0:39:48They just happened to come along at the time and my son was just getting interested in this
0:39:48 > 0:39:53and I asked him if he was interested. He said, "Oh, yes. I'd like to buy those."
0:39:53 > 0:39:58Right. ..Well, this is, I think, the nicest one, really.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02- Beautifully transfer-printed. - Beautiful.- With hand-colour on.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07It goes all the way round. The date - May 12th, 1937.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12And on the bottom in gold, um...
0:40:12 > 0:40:17"A perpetual souvenir..." Well, only if you didn't drop it!
0:40:17 > 0:40:23"..in Paragon china". Paragon was a good factory, in fact.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27"Crowned Westminster Abbey, May 12th, 1937." Well, of course...
0:40:27 > 0:40:30- It didn't happen.- Didn't happen! - He abdicated.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34And people imagine that because he abdicated,
0:40:34 > 0:40:41these pieces are worth a lot of money, but he was a hugely popular Prince of Wales
0:40:41 > 0:40:46and enormous numbers were made for the Coronation in advance,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and, er...that was that.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54- George VI came along.- Correct, yes. - The bulk of what's here...
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- is £5 to £30.- Yes.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01But this one is going to be worth
0:41:01 > 0:41:04- £200 to £300.- Phew!
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- So...- I thought that was just pretty!- And we just like them.
0:41:08 > 0:41:14- They're good quality. That's what sets THESE aside from those.- Yes.
0:41:14 > 0:41:20- And if one is buying commemoratives, always go for the best quality that you can find.- Absolutely.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27This is quite remarkable - I can hardly believe it's walked in here!
0:41:27 > 0:41:30But you've brought me in the original manuscript
0:41:30 > 0:41:34of RM Ballantyne's "The Lighthouse". Explain yourself!
0:41:34 > 0:41:40Well, RM Ballantyne was a friend of my grandfather's. My grandfather got married in 1869
0:41:40 > 0:41:44and the date of this is 1865,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46so they were bachelors together
0:41:46 > 0:41:52and he was - my grandfather was - the keeper of the manuscripts in the British Museum
0:41:52 > 0:41:55and the keeper of the muniments in Westminster Abbey.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00- Good heavens! My old alma mater! - Yes?- I sang in the choir there.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02But this is quite remarkable.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Ballantyne was quite remarkable.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08He was born at the beginning of the 19th century in 1825.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11He died towards the end in 1894.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15And the first thing he did - one of his first jobs -
0:42:15 > 0:42:17was to work for the Hudson Bay Fur Company.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21- Oh, yes?- And I suppose he got a lot of his ideas
0:42:21 > 0:42:23for the many, many boys' books
0:42:23 > 0:42:28from Canada. But The Lighthouse is actually set in Scotland, isn't it?
0:42:28 > 0:42:32- Yes.- It's set off the coast of Forfarshire, or somewhere like that.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35But this is very exciting!
0:42:35 > 0:42:39- I'm going to say £8,000 to £10,000. - Really?- Yes.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44- You don't sound surprised.- Well, I AM! I think that's wonderful.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49And now I think I'll have a stroll around the cloisters, so from Chichester Cathedral, goodbye.