Tyntesfield Antiques Roadshow

Today we're in north Somerset.

We're visiting a moody and magnificent place -

an historic jewel that has only recently come to light.

Tyntesfield is reckoned to be the last great Victorian estate in the country.

The house was bought in 1843 by William Gibbs, who was one of the wealthiest commoners in the land.

When William's great-grandson Richard, Lord Wraxall, died suddenly

in 2001, the whole estate was put up for sale, lock, stock and barrel.

Lord Wraxall lived alone,

and no-one had any real idea what lay inside the house.

Behind the shutters, beneath the dust sheets, lay a time capsule on a monumental scale.

This was a place where nothing had been thrown away in four generations.

The accumulation of bits and pieces made for a perfect record of times past.

An inventory had to be made, and the final tally of items both large and small,

from the fine furnishings of the gentlemen's library to the last bed pan and collar stud came to 40,000.

Could this Victoria Mary Celeste be rescued intact?

Or would rarities like this heated billiard table go to the highest bidder?

As rumours spread that Kylie Minogue might snap the place up,

the National Trust sprang into action.

The Trust had just 50 days to raise £20 million.

Heritage funds were trawled, and over 70,000 private donations

came in, including £1,500 raised by the local bus driver.

In the nick of time, the total was reached, and the estate was saved.

Tyntesfield lives on.

Today we're joined by some of those who helped to save Tyntesfield.

They've not come empty-handed, of course, and our experts are ready.

Do you like this? We love it. Is it out on display?

Always, yes. When my mother was a child, it was always on the sideboard

in front of a mirror, so that she and her brothers could see the little bare bottoms of the babies.

Do you see what I mean? I do!

Four cheeks for the price of two!

Absolutely, and four on the front.

How wonderful. It is lovely. Do you know what it is?

We just call it Cupids. I'd love to know more.

It was my great-grandparents'.

To start with, they cannot be cupids, because cupids have wings.

People always muddle up, you get cupids which have got wings,

"amorini", which are little naked figures, or "putto".

We don't know what these are. They are just naked little boys.

They date from about 1870.

It is probably a table centrepiece.

This flange took a lid. I wondered about that.

It took a lid, so that's missing.

We've never had it. It's come from Staffordshire.

Three factories could have made this -

Minton, George Jones and Wedgwood.

That's interesting, cos we are connected with the Wedgwoods,

but the side of the family that came from was not. Tell me more.

My great-grandmother was a Miss Wedgwood.

We were descended from Thomas Wedgwood. Interesting, because...

This is from the other side of the family. But it's Wedgwood!

How interesting! Isn't it fascinating? I'm thrilled.

It's majolica wear, which is now very collectible.

Despite the fact that it has lost its lid, I think we are looking at close on £1,000.

Really? Mmm.

I just love it, so whatever price you had said, I would still love it.

Well, it's £250 a cheek!

Thank you very much. Thank you so much.

Oh, they're lovely!

A very remarkable snuffbox.

I want to know what YOU know about it.

It came into our family in the early 1800s.

It was in fact my great, great, great-grandfather who had it

as a gift from his brother-in-law.

And where do you think it's made? Erm, Russia? Absolutely.

And the technique? No, I would like to know that.

It's a technique called niello, old Italian for "black".

Here is a black alloy laid into the surface of the silver.

It is achieved by engraving the surface of the object and then

filling the engraving with an alloy of tin, lead, copper and sulphur.

It is the sulphur that gives it is very sultry, black, leaden look.

And it says, "Peace in Europe 1814."

There is no doubt that that refers to the fact that Alexander I,

who appears on this box, vanquished Napoleon. The Tsar?

He was the Tsar of Russia.

And he is walking arm in arm with a personification of Europe across a very peaceful scene.

Hovering above is the eagle, with garlands of laurel for victory, over both of them.

Russia has been under siege throughout history,

but that was the most violent and threatening moment for them.

What better than to commission boxes to give thanks for that

and raise the status of the Emperor to an almost god-like figure,

walking arm-in-arm with a woman emblematic of all of Europe. Yes.

Now, where was it made? One of the hallmarks says 84,

which is a statement on the quality of the silver in the box.

It is 84 parts silver in 100.

These are called zlotniks. And another rubbed mark here,

telling me this box was made in a town called Veliki Oustioug. Whoo!

I don't expect you to repeat that first time round! No!

That was the centre of niello, where the finest pieces were made.

Now the Russians are now trying to buy back their culture wherever it is offered for sale.

And the prices for Russian things have escalated enormously.

I think there is no problem about this box being worth £3,000

as a replacement value.

Wow! Yes!

My brother and I inherited them in 1971 from a cousin.

He had one, and I had the other. So they have been apart for 30 years.

This is the first time you have seen them together? For over 30 years.

Where did they come from?

My cousin lived in Folkestone, but before that, we don't know.

She used to go on the Grand Tour in, I presume, the Edwardian era.

She may have picked them up there or just bought them somewhere.

The Grand Tour suggests Italy and the Mediterranean.

It is absolutely typical of the Edwardian Grand Tour.

They're Edwardian pastiches of the Georgian originals.

But what is fascinating is this contrast.

We've got satinwood on this one with a mahogany border.

It has been French-polished. The white chalk is showing through.

This one here, you've got mahogany in reverse and satinwood.

So, a complete contrast. I don't think I have ever seen that before.

My first reaction - was it made as two of these in satinwood

and two in basic mahogany? But I don't think so.

The whole of the front flows beautifully, with the same contrast in woods.

It's an interesting concept of a pair - a real pair, because they are not identical.

I think that adds value. They are card tables, are they? Oh, yes.

I don't know when they were last used to play cards on, though.

It's got that wonderful smell of auntie's front room, front parlour.

Like naphthalene moth balls, it's... it's wonderful.

And lovely, original condition. Let's date them to around 1890, 1900.

You've got a pair of tables, but they are apart.

Yes. So what about the valuation? How have you got them insured?

I insure one table, my brother insures the other,

but valued as being half of a pair - they'll end up together, eventually.

Now, that is important. People traditionally say a pair is worth three times the amount of one.

There is no mathematical equation - it's a vague guess of what a pair might be worth.

I think if you saw one of these in a shop today, on its own,

it might retail for £2,800 to £3,000.

But a pair of them like this...

definitely £10,000. Gosh. Whoo!

You look remarkably like the man in the photograph.

I didn't really notice, but I suppose now you point it out...

What's the relationship?

My great-grandfather. Looks like a pretty tough man.

Had a bit of reputation, bit of a tyrant, the scourge of the whole trawler fleet. Really?

He was obviously brave, because this watch

is something that was presented for rescue services and bravery at sea.

The Americans and the Germans presented watches to captains

of ships from other nations that had saved THEIR citizens.

It says, "Presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II to Captain Bryant

"for services rendered in the North Sea -

"22 November 1903."

Then a portrait of the man himself on the back.

Movement, signed by Eppner of Berlin,

in a presentation box also from Eppner of Berlin.

Tell me what actually happened.

Well, it was a German smack, or schooner, called the Joanna

had sunk off the North Sea.

There were five or six of the sailors -

this was before the First World War - in their lifeboat,

which was capsizing. Probably had 5 or 10 minutes left to float.

This was in the middle of the night, and they heard shouting.

And my great-grandfather turned up for the rescue. Right.

He was presented with this watch by the German consul in Hull

on behalf of the Kaiser.

With it went free accommodation in the state-run hotels

and also free transport on German Railways. Really? Yes.

I don't think he ever took up this offer and I'm wondering if it is still open!

So this presumably was your great-grandmother? Yes.

She had 13 children, of which my grandmother was one of them.

As I say, he was a bit of a scourge and a tyrant and he eventually died.

Allegedly he fell between the trawler and the quayside in Hull

having had a couple too many.

And Madam there danced up and down the street on that occasion.

What a character!

I've seen a couple before, but never with such a complete history.

It is an impossible thing to value, because it is of family importance.

I can say that although it is a pleasant enough gold watch,

it would be £200-300 without the history.

As it is, something between £2,000 and £3,000. Really?

Fantastic story. Thank you.

Here at Tyntesfield, nothing was thrown away for four generations,

which would be of interest to the person we are about to meet.

She is the contender for the title of "Collector of the Year"

and she calls herself the "colossal collector".

Anne Blight of Bristol. A colossal variety of things you collect, Anne?

Yes, I do have a variety, yes.

Buttons, buckles and jewellery and marbles and shoes and handbags.

And what started you off? When I was seven years old,

I collected shells from the seashore, like we all do.

And what drives you on? Well, I am a manic collector.

If I didn't do it, I would do something else, like drinking!

It's a bug, and we collectors are all the same.

Isn't it a therapy for you as well? Yes, it is my way of learning.

I am dyslexic, and buttons teach me great deal.

I have to go and investigate, read all about the makers

and the materials. How many buttons have you got?

My husband says I've got 150,000. Let's have a look over here

at some of the early ones - are these the most expensive ones?

The 18th century, like all antiques, are the most expensive.

Then we have the Road To Ruins. Road To Ruin? Yes.

They're from men's waistcoats. They used to wear them when gambling.

Horse-racing, cards and snooker. And the ladies, of course.

Wine, women and song! Quite wicked!

They're beautifully laid out, which is your work as well, of course.

Is this tapestry your work?

Yes, I make a Christmas tree each year and take a photograph of it,

make it into a Christmas card and send it to my button friends.

So you're organised, are you? Yes, there's a British Button Society

and an American one - I belong to them both. They're wonderful.

That one looks expensive to me. Yes, it's a large enamel.

It's my most expensive button. How much? It cost about £400.

£400. Yes, they're rare.

The others are a lot less expensive.

Let's see some other examples of your...mania, really!

The bags. Yes, I use buttons to decorate everything.

I make bracelets, earrings, necklaces.

You never stop collecting? No.

Three boot fairs a Sunday, every Sunday.

Your house must be amazing. I do have a button gallery.

But it's full, and my husband says, every time I leave the house,

"Do not bring anything back!" What he thinks I'm leaving for, I don't know!

Of course I bring something back! This is a new jacket, with buttons.

Would you like them? I would, from you, Michael. I'm honoured.

"Football Association of Wales, international champions 1933-34.

"Presented to TJ Mills." That was my father, Tom Mills.

He was a Welsh full-time soccer player, and that year

was the first year Wales had won the Triple Crown championship.

Against England, Scotland and Ireland. This was presented

to every member of the team.

And your father was a member of that team? Yes.

I was born in that year, so he was on top form when he played.

Do you know what it is? It's a table centrepiece

whereby you unscrew the head completely... Yeah.

..fill it with meths... Yeah.

..light it up, smoke your cigar,

then lick it out, because otherwise you push it back in

and you get a flame shoot up your arm. How do you know?

It happened to me last year when I was showing it to some friends.

Do you remember it being used in your house? Yes, one Sunday night,

the family was around the table, a box of cigars, a box of cigarettes,

everybody smoking away, playing cards for money.

My grandmother came in from chapel, all in black, with a veil.

She said, "The Devil will have you!

"Playing cards and gambling on a Sunday. He will drag you down!"

Another dragon! Absolutely terrifying!

Let me tell you a bit about the piece itself.

It's not silver. It's electroplate.

We have a mark on the back of the wing her. Yes.

"W & H" for Walker & Hall.

They were well-known silversmiths and electroplaters from Sheffield.

If it wasn't for the inscription on the plaque,

we'd be looking at about, say, £400.

But I think because of the sporting connection,

I think we're looking perhaps double that, maybe a bit more.

I think it's a really good thing. That's interesting.

Thank you for bringing it along. It's a pleasure.

Now, this artist is a Londoner, Nora Davison, a woman, of course.

But from the sheer quality of this picture,

we should make her an honorary Bristolian. Good idea!

So, where are we? We're in the old docks of Bristol.

Presumably the turn of the last century.

Ships loading and unloading in what now is an area of pleasure.

I see. Not a busy hub any more. No.

Floating restaurants and things. That's right.

Bristol has the highest tidal fall of any port in the world

apart from one in...Newfoundland. Yes, I think so.

Somewhere near the Bay of Fundy, anyway.

40ft of fall, which is quite astonishing.

This gives rise to the expression,

"All ship shape and Bristol fashion." Did you know that? No.

Would you like to? As a Bristolian, I should do.

Because of this tidal fall,

all the ships had to have everything stowed very carefully.

At low tide, they'd all settle on the mud,

the ships would lean over, and everything would fall out,

UNLESS it was properly stowed away. Sounds very logical!

Sounds all right to me!

I think it encapsulates the bustle of this very, very busy port.

It must have been immensely busy in the 1890s, when this was painted.

I love this ship here, there is a chap painting it.

What about you? As a Bristolian, it reminds me of my birthright.

I'm fond of the ripple effect on the water and the reflections.

We don't know much about the artist, so I can't put a huge amount on it.

And yet...it's so good! So very good.

It's got to be worth £2,000, £2,500, maybe £3,000 actually.

WOMAN LAUGHS That IS a surprise.

You've got an important royal plate here, from a royal service.

Royal? Royal. It's royal, yes.

It's called the Duke of Cambridge service.

The Duke of Cambridge was the brother of the Prince of Wales.

The Prince of Wales, in 1818, ordered this service

and gave it to his brother as a present - you've got panels of fruit,

landscape panels, and panels of birds,

set against this iron-red, swagged decoration,

which is very, very rich indeed.

Then, to gild the lily, we've got the flower spray in the centre.

And the plate has some pieces stuck into the rim.

Do you know how that happened? Yes, my husband was given a dozen,

to regild, and to make payment, the person who asked him to do it

gave him this one, and it had a hair crack in it... Right.

Unfortunately, he liked... He photographed all of them, I think.

He took it out in the garden, onto the crazy paving...

Oh, no! ..where there was a bush, put it on a table with...on a stand.

A puff of wind came along, and it went... Oh!

Everyone was upset. I think I cried. The children were yelling. Oh, no!

My husband, if we'd had a cat, he would have kicked it.

Anyway, he just stuck it together in what he calls a museum mend.

A straightforward, honest restoration.

It's in a cupboard at home and it doesn't show.

Different people will view this damage in different ways.

Some will say, "It's from the Duke of Cambridge service. I don't mind."

But the richer collectors will hang on for a perfect example.

So, difficult to value, but we're looking at £1,500 or £2,000. Really?

It reflects its importance as a key piece of Welsh porcelain.

Right. Thank you very much. Not at all. Thank you.

This is an untouched and original-looking ensemble.

The microscope, marked Beck of Cornhill, is superb

in its originality - that address is telling as well.

They were only there for a year, which was 1879.

We couldn't ask for a more precise date on that!

Can you tell me how you have them?

My great aunt, her partner was a collector of various items.

One of his particular interests

was scientific items.

I think there was a history of doctors and engineers in the family.

Have you ever set the microscope up and had a go?

It comes with an oil lamp, in a separate case, like that one.

I haven't actually managed to set it up so it works.

I wouldn't be able to keep myself in such suspense.

I wouldn't be able to keep myself in such suspense.

This horseshoe holds the mirror.

In the case, you'll have the mirror, clean up the lenses,

and you should be away. Yeah.

What really interests me is this cabinet of slides here.

This is one of the best cabinets of slides I've ever seen.

I'm used to seeing small cabinets of slides, but this is superb.

This tray here has some fascinating microphotographic slides. Yes.

These are things that I very rarely ever see.

Some of these are marked "JBD", which is John Benjamin Dancer.

He is the gentleman that originally devised microphotography

between about 1841 and 1845.

These particular slides aren't quite that early,

but they are quite rare things, and very much sought-after by collectors,

more by people who are interested in photography.

They tend to favour certain types of microphotographs.

They're no so interested in Ripon Minster, for instance.

But they would be in a picture of the Great Eastern, Brunel's ship.

Or even a telescopic appearance of the sun.

Some of these slides are worth £100 each. Wow.

The microscope on its own - it's a superb binocular microscope,

which can be converted into a monocular microscope -

we know the date...that's worth £1,500-£2,000 at auction. Wow!

But I can't even begin to quantify what's in this mahogany case.

To me, the case is worth £300-£400 on its own.

I don't think that case of slides is worth

any less than £2,000-£3,000. Wow!

A superb case of slides - one of the best I've seen for a long time.

Lovely to see, and thanks for bringing it along. My pleasure.

Sir Edmund Elton was a baronet, a very eccentric man by many accounts.

He decided to set up what is arguably the first studio pottery in England.

Studio pottery meaning he was more interested in the pots than in any financial return.

This is typical of his wares.

Some people would say they...

are ugly,

others would say they are naive.

But they have a wonderful vigour about them and are very typical

of the Arts and Crafts movement of which he was a part.

He called it the Sunflower Pottery.

He did originally, but then changed it to Eltonware, because he was told it was a better commercial name.

And it was sited at his house, Clevedon Court.

I was administrator at Clevedon Court for 10 years and I cleaned this collection every year.

Wonderful.

Where did you get this one?

This was my leaving gift when I retired. I got the lithograph

and the pot.

What a wonderful leaving gift. That's terrific. Which one of these is Sir Edmund?

This is Sir Edmund. He has the right stance, "I'm in charge here." He was a very tall man, over six foot.

An extraordinary thing to do, to decide, "I'm going to be a potter."

Do you know who the other two are?

This is George Masters, who was taken as an apprentice straight from school

and stayed with him all his life. Outlived him by two years.

He was a hunchback, well known in Clevedon.

Between the two of them, they really made the pottery. What else did you do at the house?

We had to clean all the collections in the house in the winter months.

This was the most daunting for us. My husband and I have worked there.

He came to work with me.

We had to carry these pots to a table.

He would hand it down to me on two hands, and I would carry it.

That is the most daunting thing in a National Trust house, not to drop it.

Then we would brush it. That's all we did to clean it.

Then we would put it carefully back on the shelf.

But as we cleaned it, we became very familiar with it.

But his great thing was glazes, very high glazes, and shape.

I really couldn't have been given a better pot for glazes and shape.

No choice, but you got it. You felt you were getting to know the man, and I felt

he was a man who was inspired by everything, but had no commercial brain, he never made money.

It was a jolly nice gift.

Eltonware is now very collectible.

A piece like that is going to be worth in the region of £300 to £500.

Oh, you do surprise me.

When I was there for 10 years, it never got above £100, a little pot.

It is now doing very well. I'll have to look after it. You will!

It's a great treat to see all these pieces together, thank you.

One of the great pleasures of the Roadshow for all of us is when that special item comes to light.

Have you ever thought of what happens when the Roadshow rolls out of town?

We thought we'd track down a few items from our last series and see what happened to them.

We discovered this in Scarborough.

We are looking at a carving knife and fork,

with the handles made out of the teeth of sperm whales.

'Hilary Kay suspected this piece of scrimshaw was the work of the first documented scrimshaw artist,

'Edward Burdett, from Nantucket in America, which is why she thought it may be valuable.'

They really are staggeringly beautiful, and very important

in the history of scrimshaw work.

I would have said we are talking between £10,000 and £15,000.

As much as that? Yes, definitely as much as that.

Following their visit to the Roadshow, the owners decided to put the piece up for auction.

Last year, it went under the hammer in San Francisco where it sold for a staggering $61,000 -

"a cool 61 thou' ".

And there's more.

Remember Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland?

He hasn't been out of a bag for 40 years, at least.

You have been keeping him in a bag? 'Bunny Campione was thrilled to see this Steiff bear.'

30,000 of them were made.

And very few remain, particularly in good condition.

If you were to buy him, you'd have to pay £20,000, at least. Is there a wheelchair to take me away?!

'It gets better.

'When it came up for auction, he realised over £23,000.'

He says he's very happy in his new home.

Not everyone gets as exciting news and not everyone wants to part with their precious pieces.

An intriguing situation developed in Redruth last year when we saw a fine portrait.

Her name is Betty Clover.

We don't know her or her family.

She looks like a bit of a tomboy.

She's been roped in from the garden where she's been charging around like a lunatic.

'This picture of a young girl was a mystery to its owners.

'After the programme was broadcast, the son of the young lady

'contacted the Roadshow and solved the mystery.

'She was one of three sisters known as the Cheshire belles in the 1920s.

'She was 14 when this was painted and went on to marry four times.

'As a result of that contact, the owners of the painting decided to give the portrait'

to her son, with another item from a different viewer, which is the very dress she wore in the portrait.

A very nice story - they'll make a film out of that one.

Let's hope there are more like that in this series of the Roadshow.

H Clark, Clevedon Lodge, Tyntesfield near Bristol. Who, H Clark?

My uncle. So this was his collection of cigarette cards.

I hope this isn't a dreadful question to ask -

I hope he didn't die a terrible death of a smoking-related disease. He never smoked in his life. No!

So all these cigarette cards he collected, not one cigarette passed his lips. A perfect collection.

Who do they come from?

My dad gave them to me. My dad's the gentleman on the tractor.

Dad working on a Tyntesfield tractor. What was his role there?

He worked on the farm. Did he?

And your uncle too? No, no.

My grandfather before Dad worked on the gardens.

Ah, so, is your grandfather somewhere in here?

He's the second one in. This one here.

And whereabouts is this? It looks familiar.

In the gardens down across...

That's a wonderful building and what a wonderful group of gardeners.

Six gardeners running the estate.

So that was your grandfather.

Harold was his son.

Look at this set of cigarette cards, all to do with gardening.

With all the tricks of the trade.

It's so sweet, Harold has completely defaced the value of these cards!

What about you and your family?

Do you have any connection with the estate yourself? My father was born in Clevedon Lodge.

Which we drove past to get here.

When he got married, he lived in the stable yard, which was over the back,

which is where I was born. I spent my childhood on this estate.

Fantastic. There's a picture of children here. This is you?

I'm the one on the end.

The one not wearing the dress! What memories do you have of Tyntesfield as a lad?

Lovely memories.

A wonderful childhood. Lady Wraxall, the lady dressed in black.

What was she like? I'm sure she was very nice, but I was intimidated by her.

I used to hold on to Dad's leg as a small child. So she was an imposing figure. Yes.

Did you have the run of the place? This is the closest I've been to the front door, even when I lived there.

We were made to go around the back if we came anywhere near the house.

So definitely not to be seen. No. How extraordinary.

I suppose the sad news is the memories are worth more than the objects. Absolutely.

Particularly since Harold was so keen that his cards never got mixed up

with anyone else's, he wrote his name on them. But they're a lovely memory.

The fact here we have these wonderful gardening tips,

collected by the gardener at Tyntesfield and given to his son - it's worth more than money.

Absolutely, yes. Great, thanks so much for bringing them in. Thank you!

This is a wonderful cider mug. How many pints would it hold?

It says five pints on there.

This is a picture of...is it him - John Weir?

Yes, it's John Weir. That's my grandfather. Your grandfather having a drink out of this actual mug.

This is in Picture Post. In Picture Post. He looks absolutely tiddled there.

He was a happy man.

I bet he went very happily!

This is his name on the front.

And dated 1874, in Conglesbury, which is near here?

About three or four miles away. Yes.

What is great is it has the farmers arms, with all the details

about farmers, their merry lives, and difficult lives, of course.

And you're a farmer. I am a farmer.

Is it true they used to serve cider to the farm workers as part of their wages? In the summer months, yes.

On a hot summer's day, to swig a bottle of cider is quite easy.

Wonderful. Cider is so traditionally Somerset.

One thinks of Somerset and cider together.

I think it's great.

Priceless in the family, of course.

But it has a value outside.

A good cider mug like that, well printed and in fantastic condition,

it's going to be £300 or £400.

So, thank you for bringing it along. And carry on drinking cider!

Good old Somerset cider.

Well, this is a completely magnificent collection of jewellery.

Have you been wearing it?

No, it doesn't really suit the life I live. Not ever, not once?

Sometimes the brooch, just occasionally.

What about the necklace? No, it's not comfortable to wear, and if you can imagine, it doesn't hang flat.

And I don't go to the right sort of occasions. It doesn't hang properly.

No, it's very long, isn't it?

What's happened is that each cluster has been separated by an extra link.

It's completely reversible but it's spoilt the look of the jewel,

which is very, very magnificent indeed, isn't it?

Yes.

And rubies and diamonds, mounted in gold and set in silver.

This actually helps us enormously to date it.

This is a mid-to-late 19th-century piece of jewellery.

The diamonds are set in silver because they are white stones.

And the magnificent rubies are set in gold.

This was to be worn in candlelight

when the scintillation was at its best, and the colour of the settings

was much less important. Tell me, were they granny's?

Great-grandmother.

The great-grandfather was a very naughty old man and every so often he would have to give great granny

a present to make up for misdemeanours. Really?

So I think these things came separately

because they don't seem to be a set.

No, they don't, actually. Three misdemeanours.

It does say somewhere that the price of a good woman is above rubies,

and he should have acknowledged that.

Maybe he just had to pay for it. It's a great story.

In a strange way, at least there were some compensations for him being distracted, so to speak.

Anyway, he was distracted over a period of time,

and I don't believe the distractions

started in 1860 and ended with the earrings which were later.

In between, this jewel here,

if I told it was a bracelet, you would think I was mad.

Yes. At the side here is a little aperture

which tells me that's a bracelet clasp.

Here we see a gold mount and gold the setting for the ruby,

and silver settings for the diamonds.

In this case, we call them "mille grains" settings,

which means "1,000 grains".

Again, that's a very important part of dating this jewel.

This is creeping dangerously towards 1900s. Nothing wrong with that,

it's a good pitch for jewellery.

Have you thought about the central ruby? Have you seen one of that size before?

I don't really look at rubies very often. I do actually.

I'm sure you do!

And I can tell you that is an absolute whopper.

Now, earrings - I think great-grandfather...

Grandfather. There are three reasons for him to feel guilty perhaps...

And others we know nothing about. Exactly.

We have no knowledge of that! And here is a pair of earrings.

Rather shallow rubies but quite nice large ones. And the diamonds

are very minimal here, set in platinum and gold.

So we're well into the 20th century.

We don't know really where these rubies have been since they have been brought out to the ground.

They may have had the most fantastic history we can only guess at.

Perhaps they were worn in the east. Perhaps they were recut. Another deep fascination about stones.

They are millions and billions of years old in the ground, brought out,

cut by man to release all this natural beauty, and very exciting.

So everybody wants them and, with what, comes value. Any ideas?

None at all.

I don't think I want to know. No. It's a bit frightening, I agree. I'm getting a bit frightened.

How many clusters are there? Have you ever counted them?

No. I think there are 30 clusters.

As you were coming to the table, I counted them. Some are very small.

The one in the middle is much bigger.

So it is an average valuation for each one.

I think that average is a price of...

£30,000.

And, um, this one ruby alone...

But it absolutely reigns supreme over any other ruby in the necklace,

because it's twice the size

and it's coupled with four pretty nice diamonds.

Any girl would be quite happy to walk off with one of those diamonds.

I don't think without doubt that's worth any less than £25,000.

Oh. Are you bludgeoned with all this?

Yes. Completely bludgeoned.

It's quite cruel, isn't it? And the earrings that match it all

are perfectly nice, but they're not quite as dramatically valuable,

because they are rather flat. They are large rubies but flat ones.

Um, say, £7,000.

So it is £60,000 more for the whole suite of jewellery.

That's quite a guilt thing.

That would buy me quarter of a leg of a racehorse.

It would, that's one way of looking at it. These would last longer.

Thank you - absolutely marvellous.

Thank you. Brilliant, thank you.

There's a poignant scene - a group photograph of people who either work here at Tyntesfield,

whose families have worked here for generations, one or two even born here on the estate.

If you'd like to see Tyntesfield for yourself, the National Trust

is allowing limited tours, so come along and enjoy it for yourself.

In the meantime we have to move on to our next destination.

From north Somerset until the next time, goodbye.