0:00:29 > 0:00:31Today we're in north Somerset.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34We're visiting a moody and magnificent place -
0:00:34 > 0:00:38an historic jewel that has only recently come to light.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49Tyntesfield is reckoned to be the last great Victorian estate in the country.
0:00:49 > 0:00:56The house was bought in 1843 by William Gibbs, who was one of the wealthiest commoners in the land.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01When William's great-grandson Richard, Lord Wraxall, died suddenly
0:01:01 > 0:01:07in 2001, the whole estate was put up for sale, lock, stock and barrel.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Lord Wraxall lived alone,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13and no-one had any real idea what lay inside the house.
0:01:19 > 0:01:26Behind the shutters, beneath the dust sheets, lay a time capsule on a monumental scale.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37This was a place where nothing had been thrown away in four generations.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42The accumulation of bits and pieces made for a perfect record of times past.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51An inventory had to be made, and the final tally of items both large and small,
0:01:51 > 0:01:59from the fine furnishings of the gentlemen's library to the last bed pan and collar stud came to 40,000.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Could this Victoria Mary Celeste be rescued intact?
0:02:06 > 0:02:11Or would rarities like this heated billiard table go to the highest bidder?
0:02:11 > 0:02:16As rumours spread that Kylie Minogue might snap the place up,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20the National Trust sprang into action.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31The Trust had just 50 days to raise £20 million.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Heritage funds were trawled, and over 70,000 private donations
0:02:35 > 0:02:39came in, including £1,500 raised by the local bus driver.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49In the nick of time, the total was reached, and the estate was saved.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Tyntesfield lives on.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Today we're joined by some of those who helped to save Tyntesfield.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16They've not come empty-handed, of course, and our experts are ready.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Do you like this? We love it. Is it out on display?
0:03:22 > 0:03:28Always, yes. When my mother was a child, it was always on the sideboard
0:03:28 > 0:03:35in front of a mirror, so that she and her brothers could see the little bare bottoms of the babies.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Do you see what I mean? I do!
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Four cheeks for the price of two!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Absolutely, and four on the front.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47How wonderful. It is lovely. Do you know what it is?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50We just call it Cupids. I'd love to know more.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It was my great-grandparents'.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58To start with, they cannot be cupids, because cupids have wings.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04People always muddle up, you get cupids which have got wings,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08"amorini", which are little naked figures, or "putto".
0:04:08 > 0:04:13We don't know what these are. They are just naked little boys.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17They date from about 1870.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20It is probably a table centrepiece.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24This flange took a lid. I wondered about that.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27It took a lid, so that's missing.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30We've never had it. It's come from Staffordshire.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Three factories could have made this -
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Minton, George Jones and Wedgwood.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44That's interesting, cos we are connected with the Wedgwoods,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49but the side of the family that came from was not. Tell me more.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52My great-grandmother was a Miss Wedgwood.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56We were descended from Thomas Wedgwood. Interesting, because...
0:04:56 > 0:05:01This is from the other side of the family. But it's Wedgwood!
0:05:01 > 0:05:06How interesting! Isn't it fascinating? I'm thrilled.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10It's majolica wear, which is now very collectible.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Despite the fact that it has lost its lid, I think we are looking at close on £1,000.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Really? Mmm.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23I just love it, so whatever price you had said, I would still love it.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Well, it's £250 a cheek!
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Thank you very much. Thank you so much.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Oh, they're lovely!
0:05:37 > 0:05:39A very remarkable snuffbox.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I want to know what YOU know about it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47It came into our family in the early 1800s.
0:05:47 > 0:05:54It was in fact my great, great, great-grandfather who had it
0:05:54 > 0:05:56as a gift from his brother-in-law.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01And where do you think it's made? Erm, Russia? Absolutely.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05And the technique? No, I would like to know that.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's a technique called niello, old Italian for "black".
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Here is a black alloy laid into the surface of the silver.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18It is achieved by engraving the surface of the object and then
0:06:18 > 0:06:23filling the engraving with an alloy of tin, lead, copper and sulphur.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27It is the sulphur that gives it is very sultry, black, leaden look.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31And it says, "Peace in Europe 1814."
0:06:31 > 0:06:36There is no doubt that that refers to the fact that Alexander I,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40who appears on this box, vanquished Napoleon. The Tsar?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43He was the Tsar of Russia.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49And he is walking arm in arm with a personification of Europe across a very peaceful scene.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Hovering above is the eagle, with garlands of laurel for victory, over both of them.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Russia has been under siege throughout history,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03but that was the most violent and threatening moment for them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08What better than to commission boxes to give thanks for that
0:07:08 > 0:07:12and raise the status of the Emperor to an almost god-like figure,
0:07:12 > 0:07:17walking arm-in-arm with a woman emblematic of all of Europe. Yes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Now, where was it made? One of the hallmarks says 84,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25which is a statement on the quality of the silver in the box.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It is 84 parts silver in 100.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33These are called zlotniks. And another rubbed mark here,
0:07:33 > 0:07:39telling me this box was made in a town called Veliki Oustioug. Whoo!
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I don't expect you to repeat that first time round! No!
0:07:43 > 0:07:48That was the centre of niello, where the finest pieces were made.
0:07:48 > 0:07:55Now the Russians are now trying to buy back their culture wherever it is offered for sale.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59And the prices for Russian things have escalated enormously.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04I think there is no problem about this box being worth £3,000
0:08:04 > 0:08:07as a replacement value.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Wow! Yes!
0:08:09 > 0:08:13My brother and I inherited them in 1971 from a cousin.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18He had one, and I had the other. So they have been apart for 30 years.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22This is the first time you have seen them together? For over 30 years.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Where did they come from?
0:08:24 > 0:08:29My cousin lived in Folkestone, but before that, we don't know.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34She used to go on the Grand Tour in, I presume, the Edwardian era.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38She may have picked them up there or just bought them somewhere.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43The Grand Tour suggests Italy and the Mediterranean.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48It is absolutely typical of the Edwardian Grand Tour.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52They're Edwardian pastiches of the Georgian originals.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56But what is fascinating is this contrast.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00We've got satinwood on this one with a mahogany border.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05It has been French-polished. The white chalk is showing through.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10This one here, you've got mahogany in reverse and satinwood.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15So, a complete contrast. I don't think I have ever seen that before.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19My first reaction - was it made as two of these in satinwood
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and two in basic mahogany? But I don't think so.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28The whole of the front flows beautifully, with the same contrast in woods.
0:09:28 > 0:09:34It's an interesting concept of a pair - a real pair, because they are not identical.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39I think that adds value. They are card tables, are they? Oh, yes.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43I don't know when they were last used to play cards on, though.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48It's got that wonderful smell of auntie's front room, front parlour.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Like naphthalene moth balls, it's... it's wonderful.
0:09:52 > 0:09:58And lovely, original condition. Let's date them to around 1890, 1900.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02You've got a pair of tables, but they are apart.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Yes. So what about the valuation? How have you got them insured?
0:10:06 > 0:10:11I insure one table, my brother insures the other,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16but valued as being half of a pair - they'll end up together, eventually.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22Now, that is important. People traditionally say a pair is worth three times the amount of one.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27There is no mathematical equation - it's a vague guess of what a pair might be worth.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32I think if you saw one of these in a shop today, on its own,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36it might retail for £2,800 to £3,000.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41But a pair of them like this...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44definitely £10,000. Gosh. Whoo!
0:10:48 > 0:10:52You look remarkably like the man in the photograph.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I didn't really notice, but I suppose now you point it out...
0:10:57 > 0:10:59What's the relationship?
0:10:59 > 0:11:03My great-grandfather. Looks like a pretty tough man.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09Had a bit of reputation, bit of a tyrant, the scourge of the whole trawler fleet. Really?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12He was obviously brave, because this watch
0:11:12 > 0:11:18is something that was presented for rescue services and bravery at sea.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23The Americans and the Germans presented watches to captains
0:11:23 > 0:11:28of ships from other nations that had saved THEIR citizens.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33It says, "Presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II to Captain Bryant
0:11:33 > 0:11:37"for services rendered in the North Sea -
0:11:37 > 0:11:41"22 November 1903."
0:11:41 > 0:11:46Then a portrait of the man himself on the back.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Movement, signed by Eppner of Berlin,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54in a presentation box also from Eppner of Berlin.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Tell me what actually happened.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02Well, it was a German smack, or schooner, called the Joanna
0:12:02 > 0:12:06had sunk off the North Sea.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09There were five or six of the sailors -
0:12:09 > 0:12:13this was before the First World War - in their lifeboat,
0:12:13 > 0:12:18which was capsizing. Probably had 5 or 10 minutes left to float.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22This was in the middle of the night, and they heard shouting.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26And my great-grandfather turned up for the rescue. Right.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31He was presented with this watch by the German consul in Hull
0:12:31 > 0:12:33on behalf of the Kaiser.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38With it went free accommodation in the state-run hotels
0:12:38 > 0:12:43and also free transport on German Railways. Really? Yes.
0:12:43 > 0:12:50I don't think he ever took up this offer and I'm wondering if it is still open!
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So this presumably was your great-grandmother? Yes.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59She had 13 children, of which my grandmother was one of them.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04As I say, he was a bit of a scourge and a tyrant and he eventually died.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Allegedly he fell between the trawler and the quayside in Hull
0:13:09 > 0:13:12having had a couple too many.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17And Madam there danced up and down the street on that occasion.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20What a character!
0:13:20 > 0:13:26I've seen a couple before, but never with such a complete history.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32It is an impossible thing to value, because it is of family importance.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36I can say that although it is a pleasant enough gold watch,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40it would be £200-300 without the history.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44As it is, something between £2,000 and £3,000. Really?
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Fantastic story. Thank you.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52Here at Tyntesfield, nothing was thrown away for four generations,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57which would be of interest to the person we are about to meet.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01She is the contender for the title of "Collector of the Year"
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and she calls herself the "colossal collector".
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Anne Blight of Bristol. A colossal variety of things you collect, Anne?
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Yes, I do have a variety, yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17Buttons, buckles and jewellery and marbles and shoes and handbags.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21And what started you off? When I was seven years old,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25I collected shells from the seashore, like we all do.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30And what drives you on? Well, I am a manic collector.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35If I didn't do it, I would do something else, like drinking!
0:14:35 > 0:14:39It's a bug, and we collectors are all the same.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Isn't it a therapy for you as well? Yes, it is my way of learning.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I am dyslexic, and buttons teach me great deal.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I have to go and investigate, read all about the makers
0:14:52 > 0:14:58and the materials. How many buttons have you got?
0:14:58 > 0:15:03My husband says I've got 150,000. Let's have a look over here
0:15:03 > 0:15:09at some of the early ones - are these the most expensive ones?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The 18th century, like all antiques, are the most expensive.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18Then we have the Road To Ruins. Road To Ruin? Yes.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23They're from men's waistcoats. They used to wear them when gambling.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28Horse-racing, cards and snooker. And the ladies, of course.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Wine, women and song! Quite wicked!
0:15:30 > 0:15:35They're beautifully laid out, which is your work as well, of course.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Is this tapestry your work?
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Yes, I make a Christmas tree each year and take a photograph of it,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47make it into a Christmas card and send it to my button friends.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52So you're organised, are you? Yes, there's a British Button Society
0:15:52 > 0:15:56and an American one - I belong to them both. They're wonderful.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00That one looks expensive to me. Yes, it's a large enamel.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05It's my most expensive button. How much? It cost about £400.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09£400. Yes, they're rare.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The others are a lot less expensive.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Let's see some other examples of your...mania, really!
0:16:17 > 0:16:21The bags. Yes, I use buttons to decorate everything.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I make bracelets, earrings, necklaces.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28You never stop collecting? No.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33Three boot fairs a Sunday, every Sunday.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Your house must be amazing. I do have a button gallery.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41But it's full, and my husband says, every time I leave the house,
0:16:41 > 0:16:47"Do not bring anything back!" What he thinks I'm leaving for, I don't know!
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Of course I bring something back! This is a new jacket, with buttons.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56Would you like them? I would, from you, Michael. I'm honoured.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01"Football Association of Wales, international champions 1933-34.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06"Presented to TJ Mills." That was my father, Tom Mills.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10He was a Welsh full-time soccer player, and that year
0:17:10 > 0:17:15was the first year Wales had won the Triple Crown championship.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Against England, Scotland and Ireland. This was presented
0:17:19 > 0:17:22to every member of the team.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And your father was a member of that team? Yes.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I was born in that year, so he was on top form when he played.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35Do you know what it is? It's a table centrepiece
0:17:35 > 0:17:39whereby you unscrew the head completely... Yeah.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42..fill it with meths... Yeah.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45..light it up, smoke your cigar,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49then lick it out, because otherwise you push it back in
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and you get a flame shoot up your arm. How do you know?
0:17:53 > 0:17:58It happened to me last year when I was showing it to some friends.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04Do you remember it being used in your house? Yes, one Sunday night,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09the family was around the table, a box of cigars, a box of cigarettes,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13everybody smoking away, playing cards for money.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17My grandmother came in from chapel, all in black, with a veil.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20She said, "The Devil will have you!
0:18:20 > 0:18:25"Playing cards and gambling on a Sunday. He will drag you down!"
0:18:25 > 0:18:30Another dragon! Absolutely terrifying!
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Let me tell you a bit about the piece itself.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It's not silver. It's electroplate.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41We have a mark on the back of the wing her. Yes.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44"W & H" for Walker & Hall.
0:18:44 > 0:18:50They were well-known silversmiths and electroplaters from Sheffield.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54If it wasn't for the inscription on the plaque,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59we'd be looking at about, say, £400.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03But I think because of the sporting connection,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08I think we're looking perhaps double that, maybe a bit more.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13I think it's a really good thing. That's interesting.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Thank you for bringing it along. It's a pleasure.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Now, this artist is a Londoner, Nora Davison, a woman, of course.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But from the sheer quality of this picture,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31we should make her an honorary Bristolian. Good idea!
0:19:31 > 0:19:35So, where are we? We're in the old docks of Bristol.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Presumably the turn of the last century.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Ships loading and unloading in what now is an area of pleasure.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48I see. Not a busy hub any more. No.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Floating restaurants and things. That's right.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Bristol has the highest tidal fall of any port in the world
0:19:55 > 0:19:59apart from one in...Newfoundland. Yes, I think so.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Somewhere near the Bay of Fundy, anyway.
0:20:03 > 0:20:0740ft of fall, which is quite astonishing.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10This gives rise to the expression,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14"All ship shape and Bristol fashion." Did you know that? No.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Would you like to? As a Bristolian, I should do.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Because of this tidal fall,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25all the ships had to have everything stowed very carefully.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29At low tide, they'd all settle on the mud,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33the ships would lean over, and everything would fall out,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37UNLESS it was properly stowed away. Sounds very logical!
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Sounds all right to me!
0:20:40 > 0:20:45I think it encapsulates the bustle of this very, very busy port.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50It must have been immensely busy in the 1890s, when this was painted.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55I love this ship here, there is a chap painting it.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59What about you? As a Bristolian, it reminds me of my birthright.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04I'm fond of the ripple effect on the water and the reflections.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09We don't know much about the artist, so I can't put a huge amount on it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And yet...it's so good! So very good.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18It's got to be worth £2,000, £2,500, maybe £3,000 actually.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20WOMAN LAUGHS That IS a surprise.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25You've got an important royal plate here, from a royal service.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Royal? Royal. It's royal, yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32It's called the Duke of Cambridge service.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36The Duke of Cambridge was the brother of the Prince of Wales.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40The Prince of Wales, in 1818, ordered this service
0:21:40 > 0:21:45and gave it to his brother as a present - you've got panels of fruit,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48landscape panels, and panels of birds,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52set against this iron-red, swagged decoration,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56which is very, very rich indeed.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01Then, to gild the lily, we've got the flower spray in the centre.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05And the plate has some pieces stuck into the rim.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Do you know how that happened? Yes, my husband was given a dozen,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16to regild, and to make payment, the person who asked him to do it
0:22:16 > 0:22:20gave him this one, and it had a hair crack in it... Right.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Unfortunately, he liked... He photographed all of them, I think.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29He took it out in the garden, onto the crazy paving...
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Oh, no! ..where there was a bush, put it on a table with...on a stand.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39A puff of wind came along, and it went... Oh!
0:22:39 > 0:22:44Everyone was upset. I think I cried. The children were yelling. Oh, no!
0:22:44 > 0:22:49My husband, if we'd had a cat, he would have kicked it.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54Anyway, he just stuck it together in what he calls a museum mend.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57A straightforward, honest restoration.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01It's in a cupboard at home and it doesn't show.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06Different people will view this damage in different ways.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Some will say, "It's from the Duke of Cambridge service. I don't mind."
0:23:10 > 0:23:15But the richer collectors will hang on for a perfect example.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20So, difficult to value, but we're looking at £1,500 or £2,000. Really?
0:23:20 > 0:23:25It reflects its importance as a key piece of Welsh porcelain.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Right. Thank you very much. Not at all. Thank you.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34This is an untouched and original-looking ensemble.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39The microscope, marked Beck of Cornhill, is superb
0:23:39 > 0:23:43in its originality - that address is telling as well.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46They were only there for a year, which was 1879.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50We couldn't ask for a more precise date on that!
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Can you tell me how you have them?
0:23:52 > 0:23:58My great aunt, her partner was a collector of various items.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01One of his particular interests
0:24:01 > 0:24:04was scientific items.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I think there was a history of doctors and engineers in the family.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Have you ever set the microscope up and had a go?
0:24:12 > 0:24:17It comes with an oil lamp, in a separate case, like that one.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21I haven't actually managed to set it up so it works.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I wouldn't be able to keep myself in such suspense.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25I wouldn't be able to keep myself in such suspense.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28This horseshoe holds the mirror.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33In the case, you'll have the mirror, clean up the lenses,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37and you should be away. Yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41What really interests me is this cabinet of slides here.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46This is one of the best cabinets of slides I've ever seen.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51I'm used to seeing small cabinets of slides, but this is superb.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56This tray here has some fascinating microphotographic slides. Yes.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00These are things that I very rarely ever see.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Some of these are marked "JBD", which is John Benjamin Dancer.
0:25:05 > 0:25:11He is the gentleman that originally devised microphotography
0:25:11 > 0:25:14between about 1841 and 1845.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18These particular slides aren't quite that early,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23but they are quite rare things, and very much sought-after by collectors,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27more by people who are interested in photography.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31They tend to favour certain types of microphotographs.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36They're no so interested in Ripon Minster, for instance.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41But they would be in a picture of the Great Eastern, Brunel's ship.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Or even a telescopic appearance of the sun.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Some of these slides are worth £100 each. Wow.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54The microscope on its own - it's a superb binocular microscope,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58which can be converted into a monocular microscope -
0:25:58 > 0:26:03we know the date...that's worth £1,500-£2,000 at auction. Wow!
0:26:03 > 0:26:08But I can't even begin to quantify what's in this mahogany case.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12To me, the case is worth £300-£400 on its own.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16I don't think that case of slides is worth
0:26:16 > 0:26:19any less than £2,000-£3,000. Wow!
0:26:19 > 0:26:24A superb case of slides - one of the best I've seen for a long time.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Lovely to see, and thanks for bringing it along. My pleasure.
0:26:29 > 0:26:36Sir Edmund Elton was a baronet, a very eccentric man by many accounts.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42He decided to set up what is arguably the first studio pottery in England.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48Studio pottery meaning he was more interested in the pots than in any financial return.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51This is typical of his wares.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Some people would say they...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56are ugly,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59others would say they are naive.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04But they have a wonderful vigour about them and are very typical
0:27:04 > 0:27:09of the Arts and Crafts movement of which he was a part.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12He called it the Sunflower Pottery.
0:27:12 > 0:27:19He did originally, but then changed it to Eltonware, because he was told it was a better commercial name.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And it was sited at his house, Clevedon Court.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29I was administrator at Clevedon Court for 10 years and I cleaned this collection every year.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Wonderful.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Where did you get this one?
0:27:33 > 0:27:37This was my leaving gift when I retired. I got the lithograph
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and the pot.
0:27:39 > 0:27:47What a wonderful leaving gift. That's terrific. Which one of these is Sir Edmund?
0:27:47 > 0:27:54This is Sir Edmund. He has the right stance, "I'm in charge here." He was a very tall man, over six foot.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59An extraordinary thing to do, to decide, "I'm going to be a potter."
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Do you know who the other two are?
0:28:02 > 0:28:08This is George Masters, who was taken as an apprentice straight from school
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and stayed with him all his life. Outlived him by two years.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16He was a hunchback, well known in Clevedon.
0:28:16 > 0:28:22Between the two of them, they really made the pottery. What else did you do at the house?
0:28:22 > 0:28:26We had to clean all the collections in the house in the winter months.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29This was the most daunting for us. My husband and I have worked there.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32He came to work with me.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36We had to carry these pots to a table.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42He would hand it down to me on two hands, and I would carry it.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48That is the most daunting thing in a National Trust house, not to drop it.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Then we would brush it. That's all we did to clean it.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Then we would put it carefully back on the shelf.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01But as we cleaned it, we became very familiar with it.
0:29:01 > 0:29:07But his great thing was glazes, very high glazes, and shape.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12I really couldn't have been given a better pot for glazes and shape.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18No choice, but you got it. You felt you were getting to know the man, and I felt
0:29:18 > 0:29:24he was a man who was inspired by everything, but had no commercial brain, he never made money.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26It was a jolly nice gift.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Eltonware is now very collectible.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34A piece like that is going to be worth in the region of £300 to £500.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Oh, you do surprise me.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41When I was there for 10 years, it never got above £100, a little pot.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45It is now doing very well. I'll have to look after it. You will!
0:29:45 > 0:29:48It's a great treat to see all these pieces together, thank you.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55One of the great pleasures of the Roadshow for all of us is when that special item comes to light.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Have you ever thought of what happens when the Roadshow rolls out of town?
0:29:59 > 0:30:05We thought we'd track down a few items from our last series and see what happened to them.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08We discovered this in Scarborough.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16We are looking at a carving knife and fork,
0:30:16 > 0:30:21with the handles made out of the teeth of sperm whales.
0:30:21 > 0:30:27'Hilary Kay suspected this piece of scrimshaw was the work of the first documented scrimshaw artist,
0:30:27 > 0:30:32'Edward Burdett, from Nantucket in America, which is why she thought it may be valuable.'
0:30:32 > 0:30:38They really are staggeringly beautiful, and very important
0:30:38 > 0:30:40in the history of scrimshaw work.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44I would have said we are talking between £10,000 and £15,000.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48As much as that? Yes, definitely as much as that.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53Following their visit to the Roadshow, the owners decided to put the piece up for auction.
0:30:53 > 0:31:00Last year, it went under the hammer in San Francisco where it sold for a staggering $61,000 -
0:31:00 > 0:31:03"a cool 61 thou' ".
0:31:03 > 0:31:05And there's more.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Remember Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland?
0:31:09 > 0:31:12He hasn't been out of a bag for 40 years, at least.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17You have been keeping him in a bag? 'Bunny Campione was thrilled to see this Steiff bear.'
0:31:17 > 0:31:2030,000 of them were made.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24And very few remain, particularly in good condition.
0:31:24 > 0:31:32If you were to buy him, you'd have to pay £20,000, at least. Is there a wheelchair to take me away?!
0:31:32 > 0:31:34'It gets better.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39'When it came up for auction, he realised over £23,000.'
0:31:39 > 0:31:42He says he's very happy in his new home.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Not everyone gets as exciting news and not everyone wants to part with their precious pieces.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53An intriguing situation developed in Redruth last year when we saw a fine portrait.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Her name is Betty Clover.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02We don't know her or her family.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04She looks like a bit of a tomboy.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08She's been roped in from the garden where she's been charging around like a lunatic.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12'This picture of a young girl was a mystery to its owners.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16'After the programme was broadcast, the son of the young lady
0:32:16 > 0:32:19'contacted the Roadshow and solved the mystery.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23'She was one of three sisters known as the Cheshire belles in the 1920s.
0:32:23 > 0:32:29'She was 14 when this was painted and went on to marry four times.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33'As a result of that contact, the owners of the painting decided to give the portrait'
0:32:33 > 0:32:41to her son, with another item from a different viewer, which is the very dress she wore in the portrait.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44A very nice story - they'll make a film out of that one.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Let's hope there are more like that in this series of the Roadshow.
0:32:48 > 0:32:55H Clark, Clevedon Lodge, Tyntesfield near Bristol. Who, H Clark?
0:32:55 > 0:33:00My uncle. So this was his collection of cigarette cards.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04I hope this isn't a dreadful question to ask -
0:33:04 > 0:33:10I hope he didn't die a terrible death of a smoking-related disease. He never smoked in his life. No!
0:33:10 > 0:33:16So all these cigarette cards he collected, not one cigarette passed his lips. A perfect collection.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Who do they come from?
0:33:18 > 0:33:21My dad gave them to me. My dad's the gentleman on the tractor.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26Dad working on a Tyntesfield tractor. What was his role there?
0:33:26 > 0:33:28He worked on the farm. Did he?
0:33:28 > 0:33:31And your uncle too? No, no.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35My grandfather before Dad worked on the gardens.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Ah, so, is your grandfather somewhere in here?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43He's the second one in. This one here.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46And whereabouts is this? It looks familiar.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50In the gardens down across...
0:33:50 > 0:33:54That's a wonderful building and what a wonderful group of gardeners.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Six gardeners running the estate.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00So that was your grandfather.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Harold was his son.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08Look at this set of cigarette cards, all to do with gardening.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11With all the tricks of the trade.
0:34:11 > 0:34:17It's so sweet, Harold has completely defaced the value of these cards!
0:34:17 > 0:34:20What about you and your family?
0:34:20 > 0:34:27Do you have any connection with the estate yourself? My father was born in Clevedon Lodge.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Which we drove past to get here.
0:34:30 > 0:34:36When he got married, he lived in the stable yard, which was over the back,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40which is where I was born. I spent my childhood on this estate.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Fantastic. There's a picture of children here. This is you?
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I'm the one on the end.
0:34:46 > 0:34:52The one not wearing the dress! What memories do you have of Tyntesfield as a lad?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Lovely memories.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59A wonderful childhood. Lady Wraxall, the lady dressed in black.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04What was she like? I'm sure she was very nice, but I was intimidated by her.
0:35:04 > 0:35:10I used to hold on to Dad's leg as a small child. So she was an imposing figure. Yes.
0:35:10 > 0:35:16Did you have the run of the place? This is the closest I've been to the front door, even when I lived there.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21We were made to go around the back if we came anywhere near the house.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25So definitely not to be seen. No. How extraordinary.
0:35:25 > 0:35:31I suppose the sad news is the memories are worth more than the objects. Absolutely.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36Particularly since Harold was so keen that his cards never got mixed up
0:35:36 > 0:35:41with anyone else's, he wrote his name on them. But they're a lovely memory.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46The fact here we have these wonderful gardening tips,
0:35:46 > 0:35:54collected by the gardener at Tyntesfield and given to his son - it's worth more than money.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Absolutely, yes. Great, thanks so much for bringing them in. Thank you!
0:35:58 > 0:36:04This is a wonderful cider mug. How many pints would it hold?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06It says five pints on there.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10This is a picture of...is it him - John Weir?
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Yes, it's John Weir. That's my grandfather. Your grandfather having a drink out of this actual mug.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19This is in Picture Post. In Picture Post. He looks absolutely tiddled there.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21He was a happy man.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23I bet he went very happily!
0:36:23 > 0:36:26This is his name on the front.
0:36:26 > 0:36:32And dated 1874, in Conglesbury, which is near here?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34About three or four miles away. Yes.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39What is great is it has the farmers arms, with all the details
0:36:39 > 0:36:43about farmers, their merry lives, and difficult lives, of course.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46And you're a farmer. I am a farmer.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51Is it true they used to serve cider to the farm workers as part of their wages? In the summer months, yes.
0:36:51 > 0:36:58On a hot summer's day, to swig a bottle of cider is quite easy.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Wonderful. Cider is so traditionally Somerset.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06One thinks of Somerset and cider together.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08I think it's great.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Priceless in the family, of course.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13But it has a value outside.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18A good cider mug like that, well printed and in fantastic condition,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21it's going to be £300 or £400.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25So, thank you for bringing it along. And carry on drinking cider!
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Good old Somerset cider.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Well, this is a completely magnificent collection of jewellery.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34Have you been wearing it?
0:37:34 > 0:37:39No, it doesn't really suit the life I live. Not ever, not once?
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Sometimes the brooch, just occasionally.
0:37:41 > 0:37:48What about the necklace? No, it's not comfortable to wear, and if you can imagine, it doesn't hang flat.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53And I don't go to the right sort of occasions. It doesn't hang properly.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55No, it's very long, isn't it?
0:37:55 > 0:38:00What's happened is that each cluster has been separated by an extra link.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03It's completely reversible but it's spoilt the look of the jewel,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07which is very, very magnificent indeed, isn't it?
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Yes.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13And rubies and diamonds, mounted in gold and set in silver.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16This actually helps us enormously to date it.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20This is a mid-to-late 19th-century piece of jewellery.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23The diamonds are set in silver because they are white stones.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26And the magnificent rubies are set in gold.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28This was to be worn in candlelight
0:38:28 > 0:38:33when the scintillation was at its best, and the colour of the settings
0:38:33 > 0:38:36was much less important. Tell me, were they granny's?
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Great-grandmother.
0:38:37 > 0:38:43The great-grandfather was a very naughty old man and every so often he would have to give great granny
0:38:43 > 0:38:46a present to make up for misdemeanours. Really?
0:38:46 > 0:38:49So I think these things came separately
0:38:49 > 0:38:51because they don't seem to be a set.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54No, they don't, actually. Three misdemeanours.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58It does say somewhere that the price of a good woman is above rubies,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00and he should have acknowledged that.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04Maybe he just had to pay for it. It's a great story.
0:39:04 > 0:39:10In a strange way, at least there were some compensations for him being distracted, so to speak.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Anyway, he was distracted over a period of time,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15and I don't believe the distractions
0:39:15 > 0:39:19started in 1860 and ended with the earrings which were later.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21In between, this jewel here,
0:39:21 > 0:39:26if I told it was a bracelet, you would think I was mad.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30Yes. At the side here is a little aperture
0:39:30 > 0:39:33which tells me that's a bracelet clasp.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Here we see a gold mount and gold the setting for the ruby,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39and silver settings for the diamonds.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41In this case, we call them "mille grains" settings,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43which means "1,000 grains".
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Again, that's a very important part of dating this jewel.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51This is creeping dangerously towards 1900s. Nothing wrong with that,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53it's a good pitch for jewellery.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57Have you thought about the central ruby? Have you seen one of that size before?
0:39:57 > 0:40:01I don't really look at rubies very often. I do actually.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03I'm sure you do!
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And I can tell you that is an absolute whopper.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Now, earrings - I think great-grandfather...
0:40:10 > 0:40:16Grandfather. There are three reasons for him to feel guilty perhaps...
0:40:16 > 0:40:19And others we know nothing about. Exactly.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23We have no knowledge of that! And here is a pair of earrings.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Rather shallow rubies but quite nice large ones. And the diamonds
0:40:27 > 0:40:31are very minimal here, set in platinum and gold.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33So we're well into the 20th century.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38We don't know really where these rubies have been since they have been brought out to the ground.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42They may have had the most fantastic history we can only guess at.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47Perhaps they were worn in the east. Perhaps they were recut. Another deep fascination about stones.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52They are millions and billions of years old in the ground, brought out,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56cut by man to release all this natural beauty, and very exciting.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00So everybody wants them and, with what, comes value. Any ideas?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02None at all.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07I don't think I want to know. No. It's a bit frightening, I agree. I'm getting a bit frightened.
0:41:07 > 0:41:12How many clusters are there? Have you ever counted them?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15No. I think there are 30 clusters.
0:41:15 > 0:41:22As you were coming to the table, I counted them. Some are very small.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24The one in the middle is much bigger.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27So it is an average valuation for each one.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I think that average is a price of...
0:41:30 > 0:41:32£30,000.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38And, um, this one ruby alone...
0:41:38 > 0:41:43But it absolutely reigns supreme over any other ruby in the necklace,
0:41:43 > 0:41:44because it's twice the size
0:41:44 > 0:41:47and it's coupled with four pretty nice diamonds.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Any girl would be quite happy to walk off with one of those diamonds.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55I don't think without doubt that's worth any less than £25,000.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Oh. Are you bludgeoned with all this?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Yes. Completely bludgeoned.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05It's quite cruel, isn't it? And the earrings that match it all
0:42:05 > 0:42:09are perfectly nice, but they're not quite as dramatically valuable,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13because they are rather flat. They are large rubies but flat ones.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Um, say, £7,000.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20So it is £60,000 more for the whole suite of jewellery.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22That's quite a guilt thing.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25That would buy me quarter of a leg of a racehorse.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29It would, that's one way of looking at it. These would last longer.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Thank you - absolutely marvellous.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Thank you. Brilliant, thank you.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42There's a poignant scene - a group photograph of people who either work here at Tyntesfield,
0:42:42 > 0:42:47whose families have worked here for generations, one or two even born here on the estate.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50If you'd like to see Tyntesfield for yourself, the National Trust
0:42:50 > 0:42:54is allowing limited tours, so come along and enjoy it for yourself.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57In the meantime we have to move on to our next destination.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00From north Somerset until the next time, goodbye.