0:00:30 > 0:00:33This week we're back at a favoured spot -
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Dyrham Park on the Gloucestershire/Wiltshire border.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Dyrham was once the home of William Blathwayt,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43a civil servant in the days of James II and William of Orange.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49Blathwayt used his substantial income to transform a rather run-down Elizabethan manor house
0:00:49 > 0:00:54into a Baroque-style mansion, set in formal gardens fit for a king,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58with terraces, parterres and fancy waterworks.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03Standing over the whole glorious scene was the figure of Neptune.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08He used to gaze down over a water cascade of 224 steps
0:01:08 > 0:01:12leading to a great fountain... most impressive no doubt...
0:01:12 > 0:01:17but sadly the terraces and the parterres were already out of date by the time they were completed.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23Then the trend was for landscaped parkland, developed by the likes of Capability Brown.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Now Neptune surveys only a grassy slope.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36But the house is remarkably intact, and much of the contents remain,
0:01:36 > 0:01:41including one of the finest collections of Delftware in the country,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45assembled by William Blathwayt at the end of the 17th century.
0:01:45 > 0:01:52These flower vases are the rarest of their kind, designed to display tulips at a time when a single tulip
0:01:52 > 0:01:55was valued more highly than a whole house.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58There's fine furniture here too.
0:01:58 > 0:02:05The book press is one of a pair designed for Samuel Pepys, a friend of William's uncle, Thomas Povey.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10It was Povey who gave William a taste for the Dutch ceramics and paintings which filled the house.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Sadly the Blathwayts had a change of fortune in the mid-19th century.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Colonel George Blathwayt, who fought at the Battle of Waterloo,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24inherited the house and the estate, but not the contents.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30Before George's time, the estate had passed to the widow of a former owner, who married again.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36When she died, she left the house to the family of her first husband, and the contents to her second husband.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41Now, George was not a wealthy man, but he was determined to keep it all together, so he took out
0:02:41 > 0:02:49a massive loan of £50,000, 2.5 million in our money, to buy back the contents and to do up the house.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53George Blathwayt was a popular man, and when he died in 1871,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58all the shops in nearby Bath closed for the day as a mark of respect.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01His tenants carried his coffin to the church,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06and he lies in the family plot next door to his beloved house.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10And today we've brought our team of Roadshow experts
0:03:10 > 0:03:14to add their own particular colour to the garden of Dyrham Park.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I take it you're not at all afraid of insects? Oh, no.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Where did this magnificent lamp come from?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Well, my uncle acquired it about 20 years ago.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30Did he? It was bought on his travels and it's now with us.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Is it? Are there any bits missing?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Yes, a fringe that goes round the top.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37It goes into these little holes?
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Yes, it goes into all of the little holes and it's beaded.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Beaded glass? Yes. And how far down does that hang?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46About four inches. Yes.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And they're coloured, the beads, are they? Yes.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55Because this is a wonderful object that includes a number of materials. You've got bronze, gilt bronze,
0:03:55 > 0:04:04and within the shade itself are these extraordinarily beautiful coloured glass panels, in marigolds,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08a sort of pinkish marigold, and then these cabochon stones
0:04:08 > 0:04:13on the top here which are centres probably for some cast sunflowers.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's the most extraordinary object. Thank you.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20And something the like of which I've never seen before, which is a thrill,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and so it belonged to your uncle and he went on his travels. Did he travel anywhere in particular?
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Yes, to France, America, he was...
0:04:27 > 0:04:32he was born in, in Australia so he... he travelled around.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Well, I think that he must have had quite advanced tastes
0:04:36 > 0:04:42to have been tempted by this lamp 20 or 30 years ago, because 20 or 30 years ago,
0:04:42 > 0:04:50it would have been regarded as hideous. It's in the form of a macabre insect, I suspect a mayfly,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and this mayfly has its mandibles out,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58gripping a sort of stylised lily pad,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02but it's not like any lily pad that really exists,
0:05:02 > 0:05:09so it's out there grabbing this thing with this weird expression on its face.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13In feeling the thing is very much Art Nouveau,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17it's a sort of wacky, mad expression of the Art Nouveau,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20with an organically inspired iris,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25and the Art Nouveau artists loved an iris - it had lots of curves
0:05:25 > 0:05:30and vigour and power to that organic form - and that makes up
0:05:30 > 0:05:33this extraordinary swirling base.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37If we turn it upside down, we'll see it says "France",
0:05:37 > 0:05:43stamped twice, so the country of origin, after the tariff act of 1891
0:05:43 > 0:05:46required the country of origin to be stamped on it,
0:05:46 > 0:05:52so it's after 1891, and I suppose I'd date it at around 1900 or so.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57The beauty of the thing for me must be when it's lit up,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01with a beaded glass fringe, and you look through these petals.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Have you ever seen it illuminated? Yes.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Yes, it's beautiful, quite stunning.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11And what do you think something like this might be worth?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Have you got any ideas?
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Yes. Like what? Um, 5,000?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Not bad. I had on the tip of my tongue, £5,000 to £8,000.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22£6,000 to £9,000, maybe.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27It would be fun to research and try and arrive at the original designer,
0:06:27 > 0:06:33because some would say he might have been on drugs.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35But whether on drugs or not...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It's wonderful. ..it's a really dazzling object.
0:06:38 > 0:06:45It's wonderful to see the statues in a garden setting, but I hope it's not something you keep in the garden.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47No, no, we keep them under the piano, as a matter of fact,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49as we haven't got room for them anywhere else.
0:06:49 > 0:06:55Under the piano? Right, well, they're so completely different in their form and their type of sculpture,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59they're two very distinctly different schools, one following on from another.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Any guesses as to which is earliest?
0:07:01 > 0:07:07Well, I think this is 19th century, the one nearest me. What do you know about him?
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Well, it's either by or after a French sculptor called Chaudet.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16It's got the unusual title of "Cupid presenting a rose to a butterfly",
0:07:16 > 0:07:18except that we've lost the butterfly, I'm afraid,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and we seem to have a wasp there but not a butterfly.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Well, he's acting rather well.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26But yes, just here, I mean, you're missing some fingers here. Yes.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28And so there's a butterfly there?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Yes, I think so, yes, yes, yes.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Well, you're quite right, it is by Chaudet, Denis Antoine Chaudet, who was working in the...
0:07:35 > 0:07:37was born I think in 1770...
0:07:37 > 0:07:421769, 1770. Died in 1820. So he's working in that Neo-Classical period
0:07:42 > 0:07:46at the end of the 18th century and into the Napoleonic period.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Are they both things you've had for a long time?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52If they're under the piano, I imagine you inherited them.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58Yes, my father-in-law bought them in the late 1940s or early 1950s from a stately home that was selling up,
0:07:58 > 0:08:04but I can't fix which one it was, and that's all we know about it really.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Right, so you don't know how much they cost or anything? No. Right.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Would this be by Chaudet or after Chaudet?
0:08:10 > 0:08:16That is the million-dollar question, but I think, in this case, it's relatively easy to, um, to answer,
0:08:16 > 0:08:23because Chaudet didn't actually make this in marble himself, ever, it was exhibited at the Salon in 1802...
0:08:23 > 0:08:28if I remember correctly... and it wasn't actually made in marble until about 1819...
0:08:28 > 0:08:31at the end of his life. So I think you'll have to say,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35if it was catalogued, you would say after Chaudet, because they all have to be after Chaudet. The problem is,
0:08:35 > 0:08:41how long after Chaudet, and that is the impossible one to really put one's finger on, but I would say,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45let's say the second quarter of the 19th century, that sort of date.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47I don't think it's any later. No.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53But there are a lot of copies around, an awful lot of copies around, so it's a fairly common sculpture.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55This one also is a...
0:08:55 > 0:08:58it's an image I know very well. I have a... It could be...
0:08:58 > 0:09:03There's a group of sculptures made...for Queen Victoria.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Yes. Around the 1850s, she had sculptures done of her children,
0:09:06 > 0:09:11and one of person that comes to mind, for this sentimental type of child sculpture, is Mary Thorneycroft,
0:09:11 > 0:09:17who was a well trained, very, very highly regarded sculptor, and it is 1850-1860...
0:09:17 > 0:09:22despite the WWI look of the helmet, here - it is just a romantic sun hat.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27It's very naturalistically carved, and this is where the difference is between the Chaudet and this one.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Yes. As a generation later, we're now into Romantic sculpture
0:09:30 > 0:09:33of very much the mid 19th century,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37with this ivy leaf, the vine on the tree trunk,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41and a lizard creeping up, probably going to tickle the sleeping child,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44just nonchalantly asleep, and they couldn't have done it as...
0:09:44 > 0:09:46in such a relaxed way a generation before...
0:09:46 > 0:09:48with the Chaudet... It's completely...
0:09:48 > 0:09:53This figure here would have been an anathema to these people - they would have hated it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58So you've inherited these and no idea of the value. Um...
0:09:58 > 0:10:02I'm going to put a modest £3,000 to £5,000 at auction on the Chaudet.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06In its present condition? In its present condition. Really?
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Unnamed...important Romantic School, mid-Victorian, um,
0:10:11 > 0:10:12more problematic.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14It is a well-known sculpture.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20I'm going to say £3,000 to £5,000 again. Really? Yes, yes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24They belonged to my husband's family...
0:10:24 > 0:10:30I believe that his grandparents were given it as their wedding present.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35Right, so... in fact, we've actually got an inscription here which is for 1910.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Oh, right. Now, the design of this is absolutely fascinating...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42because underneath here
0:10:42 > 0:10:48we've got the facsimile signature of Dr Christopher Dresser.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Now, Dresser is very exciting, very exciting.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58It was Dresser who very much introduced functionalism into design -
0:10:58 > 0:11:01everything was very carefully worked out,
0:11:01 > 0:11:09so with this teapot, when you look at the way the handle is positioned and so on, as you're pouring that,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14it is actually designed so that the centre of gravity actually remains constant.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's lovely to pour tea from. Do you use it? Yes. Ah, that's great.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Just occasionally. Special occasions, things like that. You need to enjoy these things.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25But it is lovely to use, it pours beautifully.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28The date of this... OK, we've got a 1910 inscription
0:11:28 > 0:11:33there, but that's a bit confusing, because this is actually earlier.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37It's not silver, it's electroplate. It's electroplate, yes.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42So we don't actually have an absolutely positive date on it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46We've got the original design registration mark there,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51and the makers in this case are James Dixon.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57Now, Dresser designed for a whole group of people, most...principally for Huken and Heath,
0:11:57 > 0:12:02in fact, he was their design consultant, but he also designed for Elkingtons
0:12:02 > 0:12:09and of course Dixons, and interestingly some of his most exciting designs are for Dixons.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14And that's another point with him, the whole idea was to bring the cost down
0:12:14 > 0:12:21so that the public at large could, could really enjoy good design.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24The sadness was that they didn't want to know.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29What they wanted was what I always refer to as the "Podsnap".
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Our Mutual Friend has this lovely passage where Dickens describes Mr Podsnap's silver
0:12:34 > 0:12:40as having broken out in an eruption rather than being ornamented.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46And in 1880, when this would actually have been produced, around 1880,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49that was very much what most people wanted.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53It was only the avant-garde of the day, the dilettantes and so on,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57who really went for this, and it was designed to be mass produced as well.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Right? I think it looks very modern.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Oh, it does, I mean I quite agree with you.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05If you were to put that into a design centre today,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I think a lot of people just wouldn't bat an eyelid. Yes.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And this is a fascinating feature.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Look at the foot there. The way that rivet appears on the top,
0:13:15 > 0:13:20he's emphasising the construction, not disguising it.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Lovely, lovely detail. The sort of thing you see in architecture today,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27but I have to keep reminding myself
0:13:27 > 0:13:33that teapot, the other pieces with it, they are 120 years old.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Yes, and when I found that it was electroplate,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40I thought it wasn't worth anything and I was going to send it to the sale room for £20.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44If that was to come up in auction today,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49I would suggest they would be estimating at £4,000 to £8,000.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Heavens!
0:13:51 > 0:13:56Now, we're here in front of some of the best embroidery I've seen in my life. What can you tell me about it?
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Well, it was done my Mrs Delaney who is my six times great-aunt
0:14:01 > 0:14:06and it was done around about 1760, we believe in the family.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09She was an exceptional woman in the applied arts.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15Right, I mean I've heard her name. She crops up in all sorts of references of that period.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18The embroidery on this panel is absolutely exquisite.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23I know one of her favourite flowers was the lily of the valley, and we see it beautifully shown there.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28And of course we have the drawing for it too here which is marvellous.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Now, presumably when she made something like this, which was part of a costume, I guess...
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Yes, a court dress. A court dress. A court dress, I understood, yes.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41She would have started off with a little drawing like this and then she would have taken
0:14:41 > 0:14:43a larger piece of paper, like this,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47which is also one of her marvellous pieces of work.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51And she would have done the drawing just out of her head, freehand,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55with consummate skill, and pricked round the edge of the design
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and then pinned that drawing onto the fabric and dusted through
0:14:58 > 0:15:04the little holes that were left and so there she would have got a tiny white dotty outline on the garment
0:15:04 > 0:15:09and then she could start embroidering with these wonderful silks. It's a masterpiece, isn't it?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Absolutely wonderful. We know that she wore this court dress.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13Yes, yes.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And so which part of the dress is this? The back and sides.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20The back and sides and the two side panels.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22That joins onto the rococo border.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26But of course she wasn't just an embroideress, she was an artist,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31she was a botanist, thus we see the flowers and things looking so terribly lifelike.
0:15:31 > 0:15:38And Joseph Banks of course, the great explorer, sent flowers to her from Kew to copy in collage.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40So he must have had a huge regard for her.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44But this is the most incredible collection you've brought in.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50It gives us an insight into a lady who in her time was in the highest echelons of society in the land,
0:15:50 > 0:15:56and her work has come down to us, because people like you have looked after it and made something of it.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00It's irrelevant to talk about valuation on something like this,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03because it's never going to be sold, it's part of your family history...
0:16:03 > 0:16:09but it ought to be covered for insurance...somewhere about £10,000 to £12,000 something like that,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13for the whole collection, because it is absolutely irreplaceable.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Well, this is a highly distinctive French leather box for a piece of jewellery, but more than that,
0:16:18 > 0:16:23it's obvious that it belonged to a noble lady whose initials are CL. Is it part of your family?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27No, no. Where did this wonderful thing come from?
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Well, my father used to buy jewellery for my mother, at the beginning of the war,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and I understand he bought several pieces...this was amongst them...
0:16:35 > 0:16:40that he thought if the Germans invaded that he'd have something to barter with.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45Goodness, well, that's very far-sighted, isn't it? It really is, and in the meantime, your mother got
0:16:45 > 0:16:49to wear a most magnificent diamond and pearl and ruby brooch!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52What do you feel when you wear it?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Do you love it? I do, but it's not something I can wear every day.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I have worn it to dinner dances but not lately.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04No, it's fantastic. it is a piece of 19th-century French jewellery,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09and this is a little hidden message of love, because it's "bee"
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and then "sure" with the pin "of my love",
0:17:12 > 0:17:16so it's a message probably from this noble gentleman to this noble lady,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18we've next-to-no-chance of finding out who that is. No.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21But it's a perfect specimen in its box.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Have you any idea of its worth? None.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Well, it is an intrinsically valuable object, it's a very desirable object,
0:17:27 > 0:17:33I think enviable object, so I haven't any hesitation in putting it down for £4,500 today.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Very nice.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41Well, its part of a dinner service which was given to the Sultan of Oman by William IV.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It was sent out in this vessel, the "Prince Regent"
0:17:45 > 0:17:48which was also given to the Sultan, but...
0:17:48 > 0:17:52I'm not quite sure of the story, he didn't like the ship...
0:17:52 > 0:17:59he was disappointed he wasn't given something a bit more superior, but I think he liked the dinner service.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02But no-one knows where the rest of the dinner service is now,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05the Sultan hasn't got it any longer, I understand.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07There's one plate in the Royal Worcester Museum, because I think
0:18:07 > 0:18:11everything that they made, they kept one piece of, I believe.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17That's right yes. And that plate is there, but we don't know much about where the rest of the service is.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22I've no idea how it came into my family, and actually we'd like to try and find out.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27It's a Worcester service, it would have been made by the Flight Barr and Barr partnership,
0:18:27 > 0:18:32it was probably one of the last gifts by William IV. I think this was made
0:18:32 > 0:18:38in about 1836. It's nice that it's got the crest on, it's beautifully painted. What is the crest?
0:18:38 > 0:18:44This would be... Now was he a Sultan at that date? I think he became a Sultan a little bit later, actually.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Right. What was he called then? I think he's the Oman of Muscat.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49That's right, yes, I think, yes.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Take the cover off...
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Very often you've got painted titles or impressed marks on the bottom.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05There's no impressed factory mark here, but we have got...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07the title of the ship, Prince Regent,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and you've got that quite right, entering Muscat Cove.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15And on the other side, let's have a look at the back, because that...
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Beautifully painted. Virginia Water, is that Surrey?
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Yes, why should it be Virginia Water?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Nice scene of the English countryside, probably no other reason than that.
0:19:28 > 0:19:34It's a fabulous thing, actually, it's sort of English Regency porcelain
0:19:34 > 0:19:36at its...at its best, really.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41The green is traditionally quite a difficult colour to sell.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46Oh. If you have a blue ground service and a green ground service, the blue ground service...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48all other things being equal... will make more money. Really?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Yeah, really. You're looking at in the region of £3,000.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Really?! As much as that?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Even though it's damaged? Yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01"Henry Varley, success to the wire workers."
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Tell me.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08Well, my family had...we're involved in the wire manufacture business
0:20:08 > 0:20:13going back two hundred and something years, since 1773...
0:20:13 > 0:20:20and, um, this was...to do with the union,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25which is the Amalgamated Society of Wire Drawers and Kindred Workers.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Does that have an easy acronym?
0:20:27 > 0:20:31No. It was formed in the Industrial Revolution in 1840.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35So the jug is associated with your family trade, but the name Henry Varley?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37That means nothing to me.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Right. But it's always been in the family, and I imagine it was handed down from generation to generation.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46OK, what about this one? William and Mary Johnson.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52Well, William Johnson was my great-great-grandfather's brother
0:20:52 > 0:20:57and he died in 1860, only aged about 49, 50,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and that was him and...
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Well, hang on, he died, sorry in 1860? He died in 1860.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06And how old was he? 49.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11He was 49 in 1860. That's his father. And yet we've got a date of 1776.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Yes, because that was when the firm was started.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17You've given me a conundrum. Well... Really? Well, yes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20I'll show you why.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Well, first of all, let's just tell you about this piece of pottery.
0:21:23 > 0:21:30The pottery is what we call pearl ware. It's a generic name, it's given to the sort of...
0:21:30 > 0:21:37white-coloured pottery covered in a glaze which, where it cools, tends to go blue, and it starts off
0:21:37 > 0:21:39in Staffordshire around the 1770s,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44and here it is on a jug which probably stylistically
0:21:44 > 0:21:49I would date to around the 1830s, maybe early 1840s.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52It's very difficult actually to place it, I certainly can't place,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I can't say where in the country this was actually made.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59This is the conundrum, because the date you've given me for this fella,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03and then you tell me that this was the established factory...
0:22:03 > 0:22:06the problem is that the porcelain...
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and this is porcelain whereas that is earthenware...
0:22:08 > 0:22:13the porcelain is actually of the period, the 1770s. Right.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It's a very bluish porcelain, it's rather naive painting,
0:22:17 > 0:22:23the strap handle which looks Worcesterish is in fact not Worcesterish, it's another factory.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27In fact, Manchester is the clue, because up in Liverpool at this time
0:22:27 > 0:22:30there were several, about half a dozen porcelain factories
0:22:30 > 0:22:33producing porcelain. It is sadly damaged. Yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35As is this.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38That's been well used.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41They both have. Yeah, do you continue to use them?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Um, not so much that one, but this one is used.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49I caught my sons using that as a tooth glass once upon a time.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53With the washing-up liquid. Oh, I see, scullery brush holder.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55But we took that away. Well, why not, why not?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It does show the stress of scullery brush using, actually.
0:22:58 > 0:23:06OK, well, this pottery jug also with its crack, that is probably worth somewhere in the region...
0:23:06 > 0:23:13let's say of £200 to £300, something of that order.
0:23:13 > 0:23:19This because it's earlier and because it's porcelain and yet it's got that horrible crack in the bottom,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21well, it's a difficult thing to put a value on,
0:23:21 > 0:23:27but if I were to say somewhere between a mere £3,000 and £5,000... would that surprise you?
0:23:27 > 0:23:32It probably would, yeah, better not use it as a tooth mug any more or as a scullery brush.
0:23:32 > 0:23:40What is interesting about Eastern European art at the moment is that it's always been very undervalued.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42No-one has really been interested in it,
0:23:42 > 0:23:49but in the last five years, suddenly, the Eastern European countries are making considerable sums of money,
0:23:49 > 0:23:55and their art has gone up in value - in certain cases, it's doubled in value in the last few years.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Really? This is by a very well-known artist, Chelminski, who...
0:24:01 > 0:24:05we're not sure where he was born, but I assume he was born in Warsaw,
0:24:05 > 0:24:13but he painted at the end of the 19th century and died, I think, in the 1920s, something like that.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19But this is a very, very nice example of his work, and he seems to specialise in military themes.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21The Poles have a great love of horses and things like that, don't they?
0:24:21 > 0:24:25That's right. And I think this is probably why he... Going back through many years.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Exactly, and he loved painting pictures of horses.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Tell me, did you inherit it?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Well, no, I bought it many years ago in Bath. Oh, you bought it?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Oh, yes. Aha, and were you drawn to it because it was Polish? Yes.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Did you know it was Polish?
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Well, I know the Polish names, which is the artist obviously,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49but I didn't know that it was a Polish subject or anything.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Right, right. But the name which attracts me and the subject.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The subject. The subject, of course.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59What I like about Chelminski is he really knows how to paint horses,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and the atmosphere's here - you can feel the dust being kicked up, can't you? Yes.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I suppose it's slightly unusual that it's a summer view.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Most of the Chelminski's I've seen have been winter landscapes. Oh, I see, yes.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17And if you look, it's nicely signed at the bottom here and dated 1880.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It's quite dirty, isn't it? It's sort of yellow.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Bit sort of yellow.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27But having said that, it's in lovely condition, it's on this nice panel, painted on wood,
0:25:27 > 0:25:32which I sometimes prefer to canvas - it seems more solid and rather nice.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Oh. Can you remember what you paid for it when you bought it?
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Well, I paid I think over £4,000. Right, right.
0:25:40 > 0:25:47I would say that it should be insured now for perhaps at least £10,000,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51possibly even a little bit more, but this is a very hot market
0:25:51 > 0:25:56at the moment, and anything Eastern European seems to be selling well.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Well, it belonged to my grandfather.
0:25:58 > 0:26:06He was married in 1910, and his brother gave him a cheque,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11and I believe he bought it with the proceeds of that cheque,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14round about that time.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Around 1910. Well, certainly at first glance, it is absolutely 1910,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and it's the sort of thing that could be
0:26:20 > 0:26:23by one of the big London makers, I'd imagine.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28Um, this type of very, very good quality but giving a country look.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Have you looked to see if it's signed or are there any signatures anywhere?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Well, in here,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37there's a sign for Maple's.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Now, I thought Maple's was just a dealer.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Well, a lot of dealers do put the names on, so that can be confusing, there are often...
0:26:44 > 0:26:48There are one or two very well-known firms who are still going today,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53who for the last 50 to 100 years have been putting a name on, their little label on,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57even on antique pieces, whether they made it or restored it or whatever.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02But Maple's was a dealer, a retailer, of course, a very well-known name,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06but they also made furniture and had furniture made for them,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09but when you look at the way it's made...
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Let's just take an example here.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15You've got this wonderful oak here with the medullary rays showing,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17so it's been cut on the quarter.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22It's a more expensive cut, which even without the label suggests a good quality, top-notch maker,
0:27:22 > 0:27:27possibly a London maker, using expensive timbers and, of course, the decoration.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32You've got this wonderful barber's pole, almost chequered stringing here, or banding,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35which is, as is the oak, emulating the late 18th century.
0:27:35 > 0:27:43So the whole shape and form, the use of the timber and the decoration, is typical of the late 18th century.
0:27:43 > 0:27:49But the Maple's leads us to believe that it is early 20th century,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and there's one other factor - that's the size and proportion.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It's slighter tighter and smaller than it would be if it was a Georgian original.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03What's interesting is that as I stand here sort of thinking about the price,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I really think that it's worth as much as a Georgian original,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10which is not a huge amount. Don't get over-excited.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16They're fairly common pieces in the Georgian period and they're not that easy to place in a house.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19This is, because it's smaller, I think it's worth as much,
0:28:19 > 0:28:24certainly at auction - £1,500, £2,000.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Possibly therefore you should insure it for up to £3,000,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32which is what you'd go out and buy a Georgian one for, albeit bigger.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34More than I expected.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Very, very pretty pot. It's Wedgwood, of course. Yes.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44But the particularly nice thing about it is the Powells have decorated it. Right.
0:28:44 > 0:28:51The Powells were sort of outside decorators, though sometimes they worked at the Wedgwood factory,
0:28:51 > 0:28:57but here is their work, gorgeous decoration on the top and this lovely little landscape here. Indeed.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Almost looks Chinese, doesn't it?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Oh, Chinese. It is...these, like, sampans or...
0:29:02 > 0:29:07but it might be Italian Lakes or Swiss Lakes or something like that. Right.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09The Powells were super painters.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I don't think we've ever had a piece by them on the Roadshow before... Really?
0:29:13 > 0:29:16..which is surprising, because they did some beautiful work.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21How did you come by it? Oh, I bought it recently at an auction. Oh. Yes.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24I did spot it. I wasn't certain of the monogram underneath.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Yes, the monogram is the Powells.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Yeah. The model number is the shape number in the Wedgwood factory.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Ah. Normal Wedgwood impressed mark.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Their work is now quite collectable,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37especially among the American collectors of Wedgwood.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39They're mad keen on Wedgwood over there,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and I suppose an American collector would pay,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46I don't know, something like about £300 or £400 for a piece by Powells.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50It's not... It's not enormously valuable yet, but it deserves to be.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54Worth hanging on to. And the day will come when this is highly desirable.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56The funny thing about tortoiseshell
0:29:56 > 0:29:58is it isn't tortoiseshell at all - it's turtle.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03Nowadays, people are keen not to kill these beautiful animals.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Tortoiseshell is something that won't be made again,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08never used again in this sort of way.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12But it WAS a very everyday domestic material that was used
0:30:12 > 0:30:15from the most humble boxes, like this little chap,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17which would have been in somebody's pocket,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21full of snuff, used regularly,
0:30:21 > 0:30:26to very glamorous objects, which were obviously prized
0:30:26 > 0:30:27for holding expensive things.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30And a superb card case,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32absolutely marvellous.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36All sorts of nice bits of etiquette go with card cases, and that's lovely.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40It's actually got the name of the person who owned it on the back - M Eaton.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Yes, I've just noticed that. Very nice.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46That's obviously made specifically for them.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49That's inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which again is a very nice touch.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Probably the creme de la creme is this little number here,
0:30:52 > 0:30:57which looks astonishingly expensive and wonderful from the outside.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My word! And we're not disappointed when we open it up inside.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Look. Yes. Isn't that wonderful? Beautiful.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08I love the scissors and the machine work on the...
0:31:08 > 0:31:11I don't think it is machine work. I think that's all done by hand.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16They would have pounced that with a very, very fine little punch,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20which would have made all the designs that have gone into the metalwork.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24It really does make you want to start sewing, doesn't it? No.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27You're not a seamstress? I'm not at all.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Do you think it was ever used?
0:31:29 > 0:31:31I don't know. It was one of those things...
0:31:31 > 0:31:35It was called a necessaire, and a lady would always have possessed one of these,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38because it had everything in it that she needed
0:31:38 > 0:31:40for her everyday mending, sewing, amusements.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Is it French? It could well be French.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45The French were good at making these fine objects.
0:31:45 > 0:31:51Now, what I haven't managed to see is actually the gold mark.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Unless you can get that tested and say that it is gold,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56I can't presume that it is.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02From a valuation point of view, I think we're looking at about £800 for the lot. Right, OK, yes.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05So where did this picture come from?
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Originally Southampton, where my father's from.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12It spent a long time in his house, and then subsequently he gave it to me some years ago.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14And where did he get it from?
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Um, his mother gave it to him. Where would she have got it from?
0:32:18 > 0:32:20The next generation back.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Fine, so this has been in your family then for...
0:32:22 > 0:32:25since the 1850s or 1860s? Since it was woven, yes.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29And is that the...? That jolly tar would be your great-grandfather?
0:32:29 > 0:32:32That's right. And that's his ma, is it?
0:32:32 > 0:32:34That's right. Your great-grandma.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36That's correct. Brilliant.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Well, it's called a wool-worked picture,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42rather than a silk-worked picture, because the material is wool... Yes.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46..with these extraordinary long, horizontal stitches.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51It's the sort of thing that sailors on their journey,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53when they had any spare time did,
0:32:53 > 0:32:59either to make extra pin money or to give as presents on their return to their port. Yes.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03What I like about this one is it's got an unusual brown ground,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06which makes it look as if it's faded, but it's not faded.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10There's lots of colour remaining in the oval reserve in the middle.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Great from your point of view as an heirloom. This is an heirloom, isn't it?
0:33:14 > 0:33:19What are you going to do with it? Well, I shall pass it on in turn, as long as it stays in the family.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21I shan't sell it. There you are.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25It really is an heirloom, and I think it's worth between £500 and £700.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27I see. Insure it for £500.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Good.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31Michael, I had to show you this,
0:33:31 > 0:33:35because it chimes in quite nicely with the house. Oh, a coin.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Oh, it moves around. Be careful. Someone wanted to get at that coin,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43and you can see it's been broken underneath.
0:33:43 > 0:33:44Is it a valuable coin?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Have another look at it. See what you can make out of it.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51I can see the names of William and Mary. That's right.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53It's, in fact, a half crown.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58It's a William and Mary half crown, done probably in the late 1690s here,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00absolutely contemporary with the house.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03It's been inserted into this glass tankard
0:34:03 > 0:34:09and unfortunately ruined by somebody deciding they wanted the half crown.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Or breaking into the glass to put the half crown IN.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14HE CHUCKLES
0:34:14 > 0:34:16This is very interesting to have the calendar
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and the original watercolour together.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Who did this belong to? Well, it was my father-in-law's.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26He was a builder's merchant and he used to send calendars to his customers.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29I think this must have been one that he sent in 1942.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31These were printed for the companies.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35They'd buy the pictures and send them to their favoured clients.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39What is interesting is that this is by a man called Ernest William Haslehust,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42and he died in the 1940s and was painting from the 1860s.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47I've seen a lot of his work. This is a particularly large painting of a garden by him.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Garden pictures were very popular in the early part of the 1900s.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55He's not the most famous of garden painters,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58like EA Roe was, who makes thousands.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03But this, the Haslehust, is a very affordable picture.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08I think it would be worth somewhere in the region of £800 to £1,200 at auction.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lovely.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14My uncle collected watches, and I've got a lot more,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16but these are the two
0:35:16 > 0:35:18I thought I'd bring to you to see.
0:35:18 > 0:35:19Let's start with this case,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22the silver one.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27I believe it's a biblical scene, New Testament,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31and is probably Christ at the Well. Yes.
0:35:31 > 0:35:32However, the gold one,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34is a scene from the Classics.
0:35:34 > 0:35:40We have a figure on my left there of Perseus with his shield.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43I believe this here is Andromeda,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47and on MY right down the bottom is the sea monster.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49He rescued her from the sea monster,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52and I've a feeling this is what it is.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Let's go back to the silver one,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57because this is a rather more special watch in many ways,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01because it has the name of pendulum watch... Yes.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03..which is silly, because it doesn't have a pendulum.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05You can't have a pendulum in a watch.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08It's the balance for the weight in the centre.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10You can't see the rest of the balance.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14It's also a particularly fine watch by a particularly well-known maker,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16and you know who that is?
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Joseph Windmills. Joseph Windmills, yes.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22In fact, it was your uncle you say who... Yes, he wrote all this.
0:36:22 > 0:36:29He wrote all this. Well, it does actually say, "Case made by J Mauris 1683." Yes.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31I'm sorry, I think I'm going to contradict that.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35I don't believe it is. I believe he read it upside down.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38It's not JM or IM, as in the case, it's actually the other way round.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42It's WI, and it stands for William Jacks. William Jacks, yes.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45That was the case-maker for Windmills.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Now, if we open it up,
0:36:48 > 0:36:53you can see by these - what are called pair-case watches -
0:36:53 > 0:36:56there's the outer case, this one here is the inner case.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00If we open it up, you see it's different to most watches.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03You can't see the balance ticking on the back there.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05It's on the front,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07because you can see it through the dial.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10But there's the name, Joseph Windmills, London.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15The date, I think, is slightly later than 1683.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17The early sort of 1700s is more likely.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20But that's the inside of this particular watch.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23The other one is rather more traditional.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Oh, before we go that far,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30the face, the dial...
0:37:30 > 0:37:33sorry to tell you that's not original, neither are the hands.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36The dial of this one would actually resemble the Windmills watch.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41This dial dates from the 19th century and it was changed then, together with the hands.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Look at the movement of this one,
0:37:44 > 0:37:50and you'll see what I mean about the more traditional movements.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56So there you have a very great maker, Joseph Windmills,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01a slightly less-known maker, Samuel Toulmin.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Probably the watch dates from the sort of 1750s.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06But when you come to the value of them,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09on the gold one here, although it is a gold watch,
0:38:09 > 0:38:14the condition of the case here is going to be all-important in its value. Yes.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18As is the fact it is not an original dial.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21If this was in absolutely perfect condition,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23one might look at a figure of £3, 000 or £4,000,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26but I think we've got to bring the figure down to nearer £1,000
0:38:26 > 0:38:31because of the condition it's in, which shows how carefully you must look after these. Yes.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Come to the Windmills watch, though, and this one here,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37the condition of the, er...
0:38:37 > 0:38:42scene on the back here is very, very much better.
0:38:42 > 0:38:48Added to this is the fact that Windmills is a very well-known and respected maker.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52You're looking at a figure around sort of £4,000 for this watch.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Yes. Even though it is a silver one rather than gold. Yes.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57This is a very interesting little brooch,
0:38:57 > 0:39:02twinned hearts with a crown, a card from the King and Queen. Tell me more.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07Well, this was presented to my sister by the Queen Mother at Christmas.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12She always gave gifts to her staff, and it was in 1938, I think, wasn't it?
0:39:12 > 0:39:16'37, according to the cover. Bang on.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Isn't that marvellous?
0:39:17 > 0:39:22She gave all her staff a present at Christmas, and this was my sister's present.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24What was your sister doing at the palace?
0:39:24 > 0:39:28She was the head chef. Marvellous. Quite a relic. Yes.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Do you know why it's a double heart and a crown above?
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Well, no, unless it just represents affection, I would imagine.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38It's a Scottish background, actually.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Maybe Queen Elizabeth decided to choose that one...
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Because she was Scottish. It's called a Luckenbooth brooch,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48which means it not only brings luck but is a traditional Scottish shape.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52It would have arrived with this charming dedication card.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Your sister must have been very touched, I imagine.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Oh, she was indeed. Was she?
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Lovely memories of Queen Elizabeth. Marvellous. Well, a family relic...
0:40:00 > 0:40:02It's only made of marcasite.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05I gathered that. It's nothing to...
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Nothing of value, it's just the...
0:40:07 > 0:40:09The whole point about these things
0:40:09 > 0:40:12is that it's not to do with intrinsic value. No, no, no.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16And to have a most touching gift from Queen Elizabeth is... Sentimental.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Possibly one of the most famous ladies in the world. Oh, yes.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24And here's something that comes from her heart to somebody that she was very fond of.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25I mean it's invaluable.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Invaluable. Well, that's more valuable than the money.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30It's worth more than anything. Yes.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Thanks for bringing it. My pleasure.
0:40:33 > 0:40:40I know very little about it, but it, um...belonged to my wife's family,
0:40:40 > 0:40:44and they originated in Norwich.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Any idea of the date?
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Not at all, I've no idea.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51No. Now, this is absolutely fascinating.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55The overall form, especially with the decorative details that we've got here,
0:40:55 > 0:41:01you might expect this to be early 17th century.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05It's not actually early 17th century, it's late 17th century. Oh, I see.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07But it is 17th century,
0:41:07 > 0:41:16and these marks are amongst the rarest marks to be found in English silver.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Are they? What we've got there are the marks of a chap called Thomas Hutchinson,
0:41:21 > 0:41:26and Hutchinson was actually working in Great Yarmouth.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Now, that's too far removed from Norwich. No.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33But there are literally only a few such pieces known to exist.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38It's one of the rarest locations to find any piece of English silver.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41What have you been doing with it? Looking a bit grubby.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Well, I don't do anything with it.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Well, I can see that! Sits on a shelf.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Right, I think it does deserve
0:41:49 > 0:41:52a little bit of a clean every now and again.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Yes, I'm not all that houseproud.
0:41:54 > 0:41:59It has over the years had one or two...there's been a repair.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01You can just see it just at that point.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05I wouldn't touch that at all because, I mean, with a piece like this,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09anybody would want... There are avid collectors of East Anglian silver.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13So what about value? Have you got it insured or anything?
0:42:13 > 0:42:17No, I've not had it insured or... no idea of the value.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Right. It's a difficult one to call.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24I'm going to give you a guesstimate,
0:42:24 > 0:42:30which it has to be, because I cannot remember any such piece coming on the market.
0:42:33 > 0:42:40I would suspect we would be looking in excess of £5,000 or £6,000. Good heavens!
0:42:40 > 0:42:44And if it went significantly higher than that,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47it would not surprise me in the slightest.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49I see it as a tin cup!
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Well, that's the Roadshow for you.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55MICHAEL: What seemed to be a tin cup turns out to be a rare piece of silver.
0:42:55 > 0:43:01Thanks again to the National Trust for letting us enjoy Dyrham Park. Until the next time, goodbye.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Subtitles by BBC