0:00:32 > 0:00:38The last time we were here at Hampton Court Palace, we used the wives of Henry VIII as our guide,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42but of course the Tudors weren't the only royals to make their mark here.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48The Baroque palace on the south side of the grounds was built in the late 1600s by William III.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53It contained his private apartments and overlooked his private garden.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58For William, it was crucial that buildings and landscapes complimented each other -
0:00:58 > 0:01:01this was to be his Versailles.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17The gardens today are exactly
0:01:17 > 0:01:21what William would have wanted, but if he'd taken a stroll here
0:01:21 > 0:01:25in the 20th century, he wouldn't recognise his beloved privy garden.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Inevitably, changes were made over the years after the King's death
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and layers of modernisation and plant growth
0:01:34 > 0:01:38gradually obscured the old monarch's vision for the palace and gardens.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42By the early 1990s it was obvious that to make the most of the views
0:01:42 > 0:01:47from the apartments, there was an urgent need for restoration.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50The first step was an archaeological investigation.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Surprisingly, this didn't involve a lot of digging - it was more like an X-ray.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02Using probes, the team were able to establish just how much of King William's garden had survived.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08The results showed that original features were still there.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10There was more available evidence -
0:02:10 > 0:02:14the palace and gardens had been painted and sketched many times.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19This one, by Leonard Knyff, was done in 1703, the year after William died.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24It gave the perfect illustration of the period to be recreated.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31In 1993 the major work began, trees were transplanted,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33modern top soil removed
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and the freshly exposed surface cleaned by hand.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40The original paths and a drainage system were found.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43William's garden was beginning to re-emerge.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50When the time for planting came, authenticity was guaranteed - the restoration team would follow
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Daniel Marot's original designs for the king.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Tender exotic plants collected by William and Mary from all over the world,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02would be moved out of these glasshouses every summer to embellish the garden.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08After four years of back-breaking work, the palace got its view back.
0:03:13 > 0:03:19The Privy Garden was reopened to the public on 6th July, 1995
0:03:19 > 0:03:22by HRH The Prince of Wales.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Today the Antiques Roadshow is taking advantage of these beautiful surroundings.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35I think these are lovely things because they're puzzle jugs in delftware, tin glazed pottery.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- It is delftware?- Yes, delftware and around about 17...
0:03:38 > 0:03:42- 1760, something like that.- It's a miracle it's survived.- I know.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- It's lost all its spouts.- Yes. - You haven't knocked those off?
0:03:45 > 0:03:49- No, no. Nothing in my time. - How does it come to you?
0:03:49 > 0:03:55It was in a cottage that had originally been part of a very old pub in Cornwall,
0:03:55 > 0:04:00and my mother-in-law moved into it and it was on a corner of the stairs that you really couldn't see.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04And it must've been lying there for years before my husband found it,
0:04:04 > 0:04:10and realised it was a joke jug and worked out how to...how to drink out of it without spilling it all.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- So it was just found for nothing at all?- Yes.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- I've always dreamed of finding something like that.- Yes.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18So where...where was the cottage?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22It was not far from Plymouth, so we imagined that sailors used to come into the pub and drink
0:04:22 > 0:04:27- and play with the thing for years. - That's very likely, because very interestingly,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30we usually ascribe these cut-out holes of hearts -
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- they're little hearts... - Yes.- ..to Liverpool.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Liverpool delftware. So it's probably gone round the sea, down to Plymouth
0:04:37 > 0:04:42and used in a pub down there, because, as you say, it's a puzzle jug.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46"Gentlemen, come try your skill, I'll lay a wager if you will
0:04:46 > 0:04:50"that you won't drink this liquor all without you spill or let some fall."
0:04:50 > 0:04:55- You gave it to someone as a joke. - That's right.- And they tried to drink and out poured this...
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Yes, exactly.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Do you know how it works? - Well, I can't remember,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02but my husband and some friends could do it.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07- It seems to me that men worked it out better than women. - Yes, it's technically difficult.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It was full of beer, I expect, in the pub.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Well, the handle is hollow...
0:05:12 > 0:05:18- Yes.- And if you can get the liquid up through the handle without coming through the neck...
0:05:18 > 0:05:23- Yes.- ..And through the... out of one of the nozzles, you can suck it up like that -
0:05:23 > 0:05:28- up the handle and out of the spout. - I remember now.- But you have to cover up all the other spouts...- Yes.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32..Except the one and there's a secret little trap under there,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36a little hole which you have to cover as well, so it's like that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And then out comes the liquid...
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- Yes, I remember.- ..And it avoids coming through the holes. They're absolutely idyllic things.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Without the spouts, not quite so valuable.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51It would be several thousand pounds with all the spouts.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Thousands?! - Yes, yes, but without the spouts...
0:05:54 > 0:05:58It's such a lovely poem and in such good condition apart from that
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- that I think it's somewhere around about £600 or £700.- Good heavens.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06- And should be insured for £1,000. - Good grief.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- But apart from that, I think it's lovely.- Yes, it is lovely. - And you got it for nothing.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16- Ever since I inherited it about a year ago, it's been in a cardboard box underneath a bed.- You're joking.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- I don't know where to put it. Don't find it attractive enough to... - No?- ..To want to put it up.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Well, if it was mine I wouldn't have it under the bed. Let's just have a look.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30It's a lovely eight-inch dial and with a wall clock we measure them from the actual edge of the dial -
0:06:30 > 0:06:35there to there - rather than the case, and although this looks rather scruffy now,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37it would - when new - have been silvered...
0:06:37 > 0:06:43silvered on the brass and it would've looked magnificent against this brass bezel.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Again, that's scruffy but that could be taken nicely back,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50polished and lacquered and the features to look for -
0:06:50 > 0:06:53a lovely London signature...
0:06:53 > 0:06:57and a subsidiary seconds dial which is superb.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01- Most wall clocks, as you probably know, have a pendulum.- Yes.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07- The thing about this is it has a platform lever escapement.- Right. - And therefore the seconds hand.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13And the other great thing about it - most wall clocks that you will see will be white painted dials,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17this is going to be silvered, and most are a lot bigger.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20They're just fairly ordinary but this is small,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24technically it's lovely and it's very, very rare.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- So I must encourage you to like it a little bit more.- Right.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30And it's...
0:07:30 > 0:07:34When I said scruffy, you can see here that the rosewood veneer
0:07:34 > 0:07:39is starting to flake off a bit. It's all there but it does need attention.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43And...and look at that movement.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44What a cracking good thing.
0:07:44 > 0:07:50I can see the chain wrapping itself round the barrel and this fantastic lever platform.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55That's massive, it's got to be at least two inches in depth there.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And certainly an inch-and-a-quarter wide here.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Lovely, a really nice thing.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06I cannot believe that you have this under the bed. Have you ever thought of having it restored?
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Not really, I only...I've only owned it for a year and I do collect clocks. I haven't...
0:08:11 > 0:08:17- Who had it before, may I ask? - A foster brother who was older than me, who also collects clocks.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22- Did he ever have it running?- Yes, he had it running. He lived on a canal boat with smoky old chimney and...
0:08:22 > 0:08:25That might account then for its rather rough state,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30- if it's been a little bit damp here and there.- Yes, oh, yes. It's been through the mill with him.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It has. It's had a hard-working life but what a lovely thing.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's as nice as you're going to get - a little dial clock.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39So, you've got it under the bed in a box.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43You're not spending any money on it yet, but you must do because...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45I'm going to tell you what it's worth.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- Or have you any thoughts? - No, no idea.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52In good condition, how about £3,500?
0:08:52 > 0:08:58- No?!- Yeah. In the rough like this at auction it's going to make £2,200 to £2,500 in the rough.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- Good gracious!- It's a lovely thing!
0:09:04 > 0:09:09I can't tell you how exciting it is when you suddenly see, in a box, something like this.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12For me, it is extremely exciting.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Do tell me what you know about her.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Well, she was left to me by my grandmother when I was about 13.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23She had spent all her youth and adult life in the West Indies,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29mainly on Montserrat and Antigua, Her husband - my grandfather - was a doctor out there.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34They did have a daughter who died sadly with the flu epidemic after the First World War
0:09:34 > 0:09:39when she'd been sent back to boarding school. Whether it was her doll, I don't know.
0:09:39 > 0:09:46Or whether it was a thank-you from a grateful patient of my grandfather's to my grandmother, I don't know.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49In all my time learning about dolls -
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and one never stops learning -
0:09:51 > 0:09:56this is the first early black wax doll that I have seen.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00It's SO rare to have a black wax doll.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04I don't even know what goes into the wax to make it black.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I mean, I've seen black porcelain dolls, black bisque dolls,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12black china dolls, but I have not seen an early black...
0:10:12 > 0:10:17This is mid-19th century. This is 1850s.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21And as far as you know, it could have been made in the West Indies,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25but it defies the whole reason of making a wax doll.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Why not make a porcelain doll which won't melt?
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Who was she? Why did they make this personalised doll?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37She's got an open mouth with the remains
0:10:37 > 0:10:40of little teeth which could well be ivory.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Underneath this...real hair
0:10:43 > 0:10:49there are little tiny, tiny pins, pinning on the wig.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- Real nine-carat gold earrings. - Oh, my goodness!
0:10:53 > 0:10:59And when I got to the legs I thought, "Well, I'm going to see black wax legs."
0:10:59 > 0:11:00But they're not.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03They're, um... They're just...
0:11:03 > 0:11:08I think they're wood shavings with silk stockings.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Her little hands go right up to the elbow,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16that's wax and then after that it'll be wood shavings again.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19All the little stitching, got her own little bracelet -
0:11:19 > 0:11:21all in superb condition.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I find her extremely exciting.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Have you got her insured?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29No.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Um, I'm going to stick my neck out.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I'm going to say you should insure her for £8,000.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36My goodness!
0:11:36 > 0:11:41The mind boggles, doesn't it? You think, "This doll I've had all this time in this box."
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- Under my bed.- Under your bed!
0:11:43 > 0:11:45THEY LAUGH
0:11:46 > 0:11:53Late 18th-, early 19th-century mahogany chest of drawers. Perfect proportions, lovely thin drawers
0:11:53 > 0:11:58and those wonderful little French feet, or little French foot, just kicks out at the end.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Great-quality timber throughout and, yes, it does have later handles on.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- Yeah.- There's no doubt... - By my grandfather.- Oh, did he?
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- Oh, that's good! At least we've got some proof.- So we know who did it.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15- They would have been smaller in diameter and probably brass drop or knob handles.- I see.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It's a secretaire, right?
0:12:17 > 0:12:24- Yeah.- And we get at the inside. Oh, as we pull it down, look at that - "Gillows, Lancaster".
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Now, do you know something about Gillows?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Well, I looked up the archive in Westminster Library
0:12:30 > 0:12:34- where they've got all his original facsimiles of his drawings. - Excellent, right.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39And I came up with the conclusion this was about 1797,
0:12:39 > 0:12:45- but I couldn't find THIS model. I could find longer ones and shorter ones.- Yes.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49- All with this...- Arcaded section in. - Sure.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54Well, what you have to remember is that the drawing books were a guide to the client.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59- I see.- So the client would say, "I like the arcaded pigeon holes,
0:12:59 > 0:13:04"I like the drawers over the pigeon holes but I don't want it that width. I want it this width."
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- Oh, I see.- "But I want that pattern."
0:13:06 > 0:13:10So you won't find every dimension directly relating to that particular piece.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14It IS interesting and, of course, they were known for their superb quality,
0:13:14 > 0:13:21choice of timber, choice of metal mount - absolutely fabulous - and also, all the little handles.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27And then again, extra quality to the little clasp that takes this quadrant, well hidden inside.
0:13:27 > 0:13:34Very smart object. Totally useful and...and so good to look at. So how long have you had it?
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Well, I've had it since my father died,
0:13:36 > 0:13:43but, I mean, it's been in the family certainly since about 1860, and I suspect before that.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Yes, lovely. It has the feel of a family piece, do you know what I mean?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Well, it's these funny knobs, I think.
0:13:50 > 0:13:57Well, despite the funny knobs, it's still as pretty a piece and is worth £6,500 or £7,000.
0:13:57 > 0:14:03- Really?!- Oh, yes. Absolutely. Super little bit of furniture as well. - Thank you very much.- And thank you.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09The intriguing tale of this picture began with the label on the back - "Portraits of Grand Papa's Pets,"
0:14:09 > 0:14:16- and I gather you've been doing some quite crucial research.- Yes. I knew that they were related.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It's a family painting.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23I discovered that they are my great-grandmother's sisters, and that the painting -
0:14:23 > 0:14:27the Grand Papa who commissioned the painting -
0:14:27 > 0:14:32was my great great great-grandfather who was Benjamin Vulliamy, clockmaker to the King.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36So as clockmaker to the King, did he have any links with Hampton Court?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Yes. At one time he mended the astronomical clock.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44He was asked to restore it in the mid-19th century.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47How were you able to establish that this picture belonged to him?
0:14:47 > 0:14:54I did family history research and then, more recently, I found his will at the Public Records Office
0:14:54 > 0:14:59which actually confirms that it was HIS painting and that he left it to his daughter.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- It's mentioned in the will? - Yes.- And you found the will?- Yes.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05That's a great bit of arcane research. That's amazing.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Now, we do know a little bit about this artist, do we not?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Because you have seen him referred to in the will,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16but have you worked out who he might be and where he fits in?
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Er, no. I've just looked him up in books on artists.
0:15:20 > 0:15:26I just know that he was particularly famous for drawing dogs and any other animals that...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Yes, he was, he was one of the...
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Part of that Victorian phenomenon. He was a sort of pet and portrait artist,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37He was actually from Ireland originally. His name was Richard Robert Scanlan,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39signed clearly in the left-hand corner.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45But what's so lovely about it is, that it sort of sums up and serves up deliciously on a plate
0:15:45 > 0:15:50all that Victorian sentiment that we associate with portraits of that period.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I feel that the chair itself, very much in the way Victorian art does,
0:15:54 > 0:15:59sort of symbolises Grandpa in a way, and this is a device that was used from Van Dyke onwards
0:15:59 > 0:16:05in child portraiture. You had to dwarf the children. It's a great way of making those children look small.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08The next bit is the artist imbues the dogs.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12This is that Victorian technique that Landseer perfected so well.
0:16:12 > 0:16:18He's imbuing the dogs with human expressions and that look of doleful expectation upon the...
0:16:18 > 0:16:23lurcher's face as he eyes up the biscuit held teasingly by the child.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28- But where I think it works best of all... Do you know her name, the little girl in the middle?- Yes.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33- She was Lucy Frances Christian Rego. - We'll call her "Lucy with the hairstyle" at the moment.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Because Lucy has a very similar hairstyle,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38if it was a bit unwashed, unkempt and slept on all night,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40as the dog on the left.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46And I mean it's not too far-fetched because the placing of the eyes and the manner of the hair
0:16:46 > 0:16:49makes a superb juxtaposition.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55So this is anthropomorphising Victorian painting at its best and of course,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57the title itself - "Grandpa's Pets".
0:16:57 > 0:17:01- You don't think for one moment it just refers to the pets?- Oh, no.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Um, he's quite a valuable artist, for one particular reason,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and that is that he's Irish
0:17:07 > 0:17:12and also, he is good at doing this type of work
0:17:12 > 0:17:19which is, as I say, very representative of Victorian art.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- You had it valued about 20 years ago?- Yes, yes.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26They said between £800 and £1,000.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Well, I think we can confidently say that it's three, four,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- possibly five times that now. - Really?!
0:17:32 > 0:17:39- I'd happily put an insurance valuation of anything up to £5,000 on this.- Really?!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41So...yes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43SHE LAUGHS
0:17:43 > 0:17:45So how long have you had these pieces?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I inherited them when I was three years old.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- Gosh, what an inheritance! - Yes, they're lovely, aren't they?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Where did they come from?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56They were my grandparents' on my mother's side.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01- I know that my grandparents had them in India for most of their working life.- Right.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Um, then they retired to South Africa and they went there with them,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and then they came to me about 27 years ago.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12- You don't happen to know when your grandparents got married?- I don't.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17My reason for asking is because a set like this was very often a wedding present
0:18:17 > 0:18:21- from a groom to his bride. - Oh, right!
0:18:21 > 0:18:25That goes right back into the 17th century, this sort of period.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31Um, of course what we've got here, the hand mirror, a couple of brushes, this wonderful box.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I have to say that box, I think is a stunner.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37We've got the inscription running around here
0:18:37 > 0:18:43"Omar Ramsden et Alwyn Carr me fecerunt".
0:18:43 > 0:18:48And that's of course the very famous Ramsden and Carr partnership.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53They were actually from Sheffield, although these are London pieces.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58- Right.- We've got maker's mark of Omar Ramsden and Alwyn Carr there,
0:18:58 > 0:19:04but the date, in this case, is really quite evocative, it's 1915.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- Right.- Start of right towards the beginning of the First World War...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09with a decoration
0:19:09 > 0:19:15I think is wonderful for that period, we've got St George and the dragon.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Because 1915... What could be better at that time?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I think that's wonderful.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26The roses became very much a feature of Ramsden and Carr work - Tudor roses.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Had you thought in terms of value?
0:19:28 > 0:19:35- Not at all.- I think today I would not be surprised to see that selling somewhere...
0:19:35 > 0:19:37between about...
0:19:37 > 0:19:41say £6,000 and £8,000.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Really?!- Really.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46I'm in shock.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49OK. Well, don't be too shocked!
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Now, let's have a look at THIS jug.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54And gosh, what an inheritance!
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Claret jug, of course,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and of course we've got the same makers - Ramsden & Carr.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03But here we're a bit earlier, actually - we're back to 1905,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06a far more peaceful time, and what have we got? We've got grapes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The roses are there as well.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's also interesting to see on this as well
0:20:11 > 0:20:14this hammered surface.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And this was very much a reaction
0:20:16 > 0:20:19against industrialisation.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21They were saying, "Look, this is handmade."
0:20:21 > 0:20:23On the top of course
0:20:23 > 0:20:27we've got these cabochon stones,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and that's very much Arts and Crafts movement coming through -
0:20:30 > 0:20:35the idea that you would use the stone in its much more natural state.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So...
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- had you thought about value on this one?- No.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Right.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Um...I think with this,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48we're actually looking at...
0:20:48 > 0:20:52again £6,000 to £8,000.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Wow!
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Thank you. That's amazing!
0:20:56 > 0:20:59It was a very nice little inheritance, that.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- Thank you very much. - Thank you for bringing them in.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Obviously this is a microscope. Is it something you ever use?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10No, I'm afraid not. My husband gets it out occasionally.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Well, it'll still work today
0:21:12 > 0:21:15as well as the first day it was actually built.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Now, it's made by Ross,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and after his death in the early 1860s,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21the initials changed from "A Ross" just to "Ross",
0:21:21 > 0:21:25so we know it's probably late '60s, early '70s period,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and it had this special feature
0:21:27 > 0:21:29which meant you could look through both eyes,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31rather than just having to use one.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34So it's what's called a binocular microscope,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and a single tube is a monocular.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41To a collector, it is the height of Victorian engineering and one of the best makers you can buy.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46I don't know if you ever played with it, and it's made to be played with,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50but, I mean, all the alterations you can make, all the fine adjustments
0:21:50 > 0:21:52here, here, below... you can adjust the mirror here...
0:21:52 > 0:21:57It's a superb piece of engineering. Ever thought about the value?
0:21:57 > 0:21:59We thought, a few hundred pounds, possibly 1,000.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Well, it comes in its beautiful original mahogany box.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05It comes with a full set of accessories.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09It is...I keep on going on about the condition is perfect.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10For insurance purposes,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15- you should be thinking about 2,500. - Gosh!
0:22:15 > 0:22:19It would be very difficult to find an example as good as this.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21They say three's a crowd, but this is quite a crowd -
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- there's you, me AND... Vivienne Westwood!- Indeed, yes!
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I'm just going to do something very rude -
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I'm just going to check that we have...
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- We DO have the label - that's all right.- Good, good.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- This is a great dress.- Thank you. - Tell me where you got it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I actually bought it...or my husband bought it, I should say.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44I'd seen it in a magazine spread and absolutely fell in love with it. And we happened to be up in London -
0:22:44 > 0:22:50this is 14 years ago - and I just happened to guide him down the Kings Road towards the World's End.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55- I do that to my husband sometimes. It works, doesn't it?- It did, and it also happened to be my birthday.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- How could he possibly resist? - Absolutely.- And it looks terrific, I have to say.- Thank you.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01Even now, 14 years on,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04there's something about Westwood designs
0:23:04 > 0:23:07that have this sort of classic feel to them.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Vivienne Westwood, she's an icon really in late-20th-century design.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14She and Malcolm McLaren
0:23:14 > 0:23:16created punk rock
0:23:16 > 0:23:19with their shop in the King's Road called Sex,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21and out of that
0:23:21 > 0:23:26came this wonderful, extraordinary passion for design
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and a very quirky and a very English type of design.
0:23:30 > 0:23:37- What did you pay for it? Sorry... - It's OK.- Am I allowed?- I'm trying to remember. Yeah, it was about £250.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- I can believe that.- Mmm.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42I have to say, today I would...
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I would have thought we're talking about 300, 400,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- so it hasn't shot up in value. - No, no.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51But the great thing is - unlike almost anything else that you buy and wear -
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- it hasn't gone DOWN in value.- That's true.- It's not worth nothing.- Yes.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- Will you continue wearing it?- Yes, I love it. I would never sell it,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02because I adore it and love wheeling it out every now and again.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06- Fantastic. I hope you and Viv have a great future together.- Thank you.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Well, it's off with the sandals and the ankle socks - we're all ten years old again.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17This lovely scene is brought to you by a contender for collector of the series.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Russell Potts.- Hello. - This is a lovely selection.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Have you been crazy and mucking about in boats ever since childhood?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26No, not really. I had toy boats when I was a boy,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30but I laid them aside until... oh, the early '70s
0:24:30 > 0:24:34when I got heavily involved in radio-controlled model-yacht racing.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37And then from that, I started looking at the history
0:24:37 > 0:24:39and I started writing about the history.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43What is the size of your own personal collection?
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- It's probably pushing 90.- There are so many types and sizes.- Yeah.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- Which is the oldest one you've brought?- The oldest one that I've got here...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56..is this boat here.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58This is Swallow -
0:24:58 > 0:25:02one of the racing classes that modellers use,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and she dates probably...
0:25:04 > 0:25:06from 1890.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09She's a lovely boat and she's carved out of a single piece of wood,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11which is fairly unusual,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and the sails are almost certainly the originals
0:25:14 > 0:25:17from when she was built.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- You buy them and you actually restore them as well?- Yes.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25This one I've had the deck off and relined the inside and a new coat of varnish, new lot of string, but...
0:25:25 > 0:25:30- She's still an old boat. - Oh, still an old boat, yes.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34There's nothing that is not 100 years old, except for the rigging.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37They're all beautiful without a doubt. Tell me which is...
0:25:37 > 0:25:39out of this selection...
0:25:39 > 0:25:43the most expensive...of your boats.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- In terms of what they're actually worth?- Yes.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Probably THIS one, because she's bigger...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53In antique dealers' terms,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55she's visibly a work of craftsmanship -
0:25:55 > 0:25:59there's lots of different bits of wood beautifully put together.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I suppose on a good day at auction you might get 1,000, 1,200,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- perhaps a little more.- Not as much as I would have thought.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10No, I mean, the market for old boats is divided into people like me,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14who are interested in them because they're old model yachts,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19and interior decorators who want something snazzy for a niche in the flat they're decorating.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- With you, it's love.- Oh, absolutely.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25When you talk to an enthusiast, you start getting enthusiastic.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- I want to see a boat sail, please. - Right, OK.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30This is one of Paxton's toy boats,
0:26:30 > 0:26:35which he made as a sideline to his main business of making shipping-company models
0:26:35 > 0:26:39and it probably dates from 1900 or so.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- But it works?- It works, yes. - Let's launch her.- Let's have a go.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52God bless her and all who sail in her!
0:26:52 > 0:26:54APPLAUSE
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Well, I just didn't expect to see an Art Deco bedroom suite
0:27:00 > 0:27:04in William III's royal palace. I mean, it's travelled some way.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06- It's come a long way.- Yeah.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08We bought it in Boston
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and shipped it over to the UK.
0:27:11 > 0:27:17We liked it, because we'd seen some Bel Geddes work at the V&A exhibition on Art Deco,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20so we decided that's Bel Geddes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22It WAS, so we made a bid for it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Well, he's an amazing character, Bel Geddes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28He's one of those great pioneers of industrial design.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32It's very distinctly American in some ways, don't you think?
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Yeah. It's interesting whether it is Deco or whether it's modernist,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40which they tend to use in some of the books on Bel Geddes,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43but if you look at the end of the bed,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45that has very much a Deco theme to it,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49but the rest of the furniture I think is sort of moving towards the Deco idea coming out of Europe,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and then Bel Geddes was concentrating more on the engineering
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and then trying to bring design to bear on basic engineering
0:27:57 > 0:27:59to make it more modern, more acceptable.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03They wouldn't have been enormously expensive when they were made,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07but the idea was to bring really good modern design to utilitarian objects.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Exactly, yeah, yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11You have the great book, one of his great books.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14There's a couple of pictures in here,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18which might illustrate his style, and there is a picture of the bed,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22which is how he got to blend
0:28:22 > 0:28:24the design of sort of functionality
0:28:24 > 0:28:27with design and engineering.
0:28:27 > 0:28:33But then there's a couple of other things that perhaps never quite made it into production,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36and there was his car for the 1930s,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40which is probably now a people carrier in 2004.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- It's all about that streamlining, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- It's all aerodynamics, industrial design.- Yes, beautiful.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48And he even designed...
0:28:48 > 0:28:52It wasn't just the shape, but he even went on to design sort of the inside and how it was laid out,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56and then even more fantastic perhaps is the aeroplane.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58This had about seven levels.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00It had decks...it was like an ocean liner, wasn't it?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03And it landed on water and it even had a promenade.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05So an amazing designer.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08He's a bit like a sort of 1930s equivalent of Leonardo da Vinci
0:29:08 > 0:29:11with these fantastical designs.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13He even designed the first rotating restaurant
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and he had an idea in Manhattan
0:29:15 > 0:29:19of having a floating airport off the south of the island.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- Yes. - He was an extraordinary character.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25That's really interesting, because it was originally from Manhattan -
0:29:25 > 0:29:27that's what the people who sold it said.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31If one can find out the original commission, for whom it was made,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34that would add enormously to the interest, the value of it.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36He used a lot of different makers, Bel Geddes,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40but one of the ones he particularly used in the late '20s, early '30s,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42was Simmons, and what's nice
0:29:42 > 0:29:47- is that each and every part of this is labelled, in the drawers, stencilled on the back.- Yes, yes.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49I mean, it's very interesting -
0:29:49 > 0:29:52he's a particularly interesting designer, Bel Geddes.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57I think he's one of those people who will become increasingly valuable
0:29:57 > 0:30:02as his importance in the development of industrial design is appreciated.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05You bought it in Boston cheaply?
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Hmm...it wasn't so cheap -
0:30:07 > 0:30:09they wanted 2,500 for it.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13- Right. - And we actually got it for 1,800.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16- Hard bargaining. - Which is about £1,000 today.- Right.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19And then shipping it across wasn't as expensive as we thought,
0:30:19 > 0:30:24- because they shipped it by volume and not by weight.- It doesn't weigh very much, does it(?)
0:30:24 > 0:30:27It weighs an absolute ton, yes.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Well, I think, even at the early stages of his market,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I think if you were to offer a suite like this at auction,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36you might easily get...
0:30:36 > 0:30:40- £2,000, maybe £3,000 for it. - That's good.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43- That's not bad.- Would the market be here in the UK or in the US?
0:30:43 > 0:30:45In the US at the moment, yeah.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- We're not selling.- I hope you find the rest of it.- Thank you.- Thanks.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55It really is the most fascinating collection of watch keys.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59I'd love to know where they came from and who started it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03They belonged to my mother, who started collecting 54 years ago,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06and she collected them for a charm bracelet originally,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09because they were about five bob each,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13so she said it was a cheap way of getting a charm bracelet together.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Five bob each, so what's that...?
0:31:15 > 0:31:19- About 25p...- Yes! - ..in new money, yes.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21How many are there?
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Roughly about 357 altogether.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27- Roughly(!) I love it! - My daughter counted them, so yes.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I've taken a few out already of the ones that I really rather like
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and I haven't even got to this drawer underneath. Oh, my gosh, look!
0:31:34 > 0:31:37This is absolutely unbelievable -
0:31:37 > 0:31:42everywhere I look, there are just fantastic examples of everything.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43Some of the ones I really love...
0:31:43 > 0:31:48I mean I love anything to do with animals. You've got a unicorn here,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51this lovely little fox's mask there.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Absolutely charming, with a little hard stone back.
0:31:54 > 0:32:00The pipe is fantastic, but I think probably my favourite so far
0:32:00 > 0:32:05is this dog here, and I don't know if you've ever tried turning them,
0:32:05 > 0:32:11but if you can imagine, bearing in mind you wind a watch up once a day and if you left it to the evening,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- as many people did...- Yes. - ..you've had a drink or two...
0:32:14 > 0:32:18If you tried to wind it the wrong way, you'd do great damage to the watch,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22so this actually has a ratchet inside, and if you wound the watch the wrong way,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25- that freewheels against the ratchet clockwise.- Oh, isn't that clever?
0:32:25 > 0:32:30It actually does it, so there's a proper ratchet in there.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33- Don't you think that's charming? - Ingenious, yes!
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Masonic ones - the ever-watchful eye, the trowel, the set square -
0:32:36 > 0:32:38it's all here, isn't it?
0:32:38 > 0:32:39They're beautiful.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43And they're representing over 200 years of key-wound watches.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48OK, there are a few plated items, but the majority of them are gold.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51I won't start telling you an individual amount for each one,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53because that would be stupid.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Just bear in mind that some of these aren't worth that much.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02- No.- But others are worth £200 or £300 each.- That much?
0:33:02 > 0:33:04So if you actually think about it,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06350-odd of these...
0:33:06 > 0:33:09even an average
0:33:09 > 0:33:11of...say, £50
0:33:11 > 0:33:14or an average of £80...
0:33:14 > 0:33:16we're very nearly up to £25,000.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Ooh! Yes...right.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25- It's a good investment. Thank you. - It's been a great investment. - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29"Success to the farmer, The plough and the flail,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33"May the landlord ever flourish, And the tenant never fail.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37"Long may you live, Happy may you be,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41"Blessed with content, And from misfortunes free."
0:33:41 > 0:33:43- Hear, hear! - That's a jolly nice piece.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47I hope you're going to be able to tell me all about MA Richards.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Well, a little of it, yes.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53It came through my mother, but she got it from her aunt,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and this lady on here
0:33:55 > 0:33:57was her mother-in-law.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00This was Mary Ann,
0:34:00 > 0:34:01and her surname I don't know,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04but she married Thomas Richards who was a farmer,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06so it's been in the family a while.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09It's very important that this information
0:34:09 > 0:34:12be sort of put down and attached to the object,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16because after all it is half the interest of the object.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19In itself, it's a very fine thing.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23It was made by Edwin Beer Fishley,
0:34:23 > 0:34:29- who had a pottery at Fremington, which is in North Devon.- Indeed.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33And he was greatly admired by Bernard Leach.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37And Bernard Leach was enormously influenced by Fishley.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42I mean, this is rural pottery at its traditional best.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45The glory of Leach has sort of rubbed off backwards,
0:34:45 > 0:34:51- and people collect Fishley, because he was admired by Leach. - I had no idea at all.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53So that affects the value,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57because on one hand, you've got a family heirloom handed down
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- with nice documentation, which is important.- Indeed.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05And on the other, we have the fact that Mr Fishley is now collected.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- You wouldn't be able to replace it. - No.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10But if that were in a retail shop,
0:35:10 > 0:35:15I think you might well have to pay £1,500 or £2,000 for it.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Good heavens! That's more than my insurance limit, I think!
0:35:18 > 0:35:25Well, it is a great treasure and a lovely family heirloom and a most exciting piece to see.
0:35:25 > 0:35:31Well, here we have a rather sad-looking copy of "The Ascent of Everest" by John Hunt.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Look at the state of the spine,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36and the top here is all frayed.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40But when we turn up inside, a completely different story.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44There's a picture of Tenzing on the top of Everest,
0:35:44 > 0:35:49and then there's this tiny little rusty pin with the Everest pig.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54- Now, tell me about it. - Well, in 1924 I wrote a letter -
0:35:54 > 0:35:57with help, because I was only eight years old -
0:35:57 > 0:36:02and sent him this little silver pig, and he took it up Everest as far as he went.
0:36:02 > 0:36:07- But this was Howard Somerville going to Everest?- Yes, it was Somerville's expedition.- Right.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11- But Noel was the photographer on it, and he knew my father.- Right.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16But he didn't go on the final ascent where only Somerville and Mallory went.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21- Yes. That was the one where...? - They were killed.- They were killed, Mallory was killed.- Yes.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25Now, when he came down, he gave it to Somerville
0:36:25 > 0:36:31to send back to me, but then in 1951 I sent it, on behalf on my son,
0:36:31 > 0:36:36- on the next expedition to Everest. - And this was Eric Shipton's.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41Yes, that was Eric Shipton's, but it didn't come back from the '51
0:36:41 > 0:36:44for a long time, and then he posted it to me,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and in 1953 he said, "Send it back to me,"
0:36:47 > 0:36:51and he gave it to Charles Evans to look after.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56Then, after this book - Hunt wrote the book - they had a big reception.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00- A party.- Yes, a party.- A party to launch the book.- Yes, that's right.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04A book launch at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington.
0:37:04 > 0:37:10- Yes, yes.- And I remember... - You were invited?- I was invited, and I met Tenzing and Hillary,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and they gave me back my pig and he actually told me...
0:37:14 > 0:37:19- So Tenzing had actually taken it right to the top? - Yes, he said he had.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22And there's the picture of Tenzing, right on the top of Everest.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27So, that is one of the most widely-travelled silver pigs I've ever come across.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29There is a letter from one of them
0:37:29 > 0:37:35saying that it's probably been on Everest more than anybody else had at that time.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39- Of course, now people get there quite easily. - They have summer holidays up there.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I don't know to value this, you know.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46No. Well, it's of great sentimental value to my family.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51- Well, of course it would be. - And great interest to them, so it hasn't got a "value".
0:37:51 > 0:37:54A jolly little porker.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59My husband just came home with it one day, like he came home with many things, including a puppy one day.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03- He would just turn up with all sorts of things. - Do you know about the artist?
0:38:03 > 0:38:07I don't. I just know he's Sir Frank Brangwyn.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10I know that there's a museum of Frank Brangwyn in Wales
0:38:10 > 0:38:13where we used to live, but apart from that, no.
0:38:13 > 0:38:19You're dealing with here, an artist who was literally the most famous artist of his day,
0:38:19 > 0:38:26when was active, certainly in Britain anyway, at the beginning of the last century.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30I mean, Frank Brangwyn is the only artist, as far as I know,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34- who has a building named after him in Los Angeles.- Really?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37He was knighted, he was feted,
0:38:37 > 0:38:42he was probably more in work doing major civic commissions
0:38:42 > 0:38:44than any other artist of his day.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48- You had the picture cleaned, didn't you?- Yes, I did. Was that a mistake?
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Well, who knows? But what did it look like beforehand?
0:38:52 > 0:38:57It was very dull, very flat, and you couldn't see the vibrance of the colours at all.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00And now it's sort of... It sparkles.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04This makes a rather nice allegory of his stylistic life,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08because when he first started painting, he was rather dull,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11grisaille - grey and white work -
0:39:11 > 0:39:14and then about ten or 20 years into his career,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18he suddenly discovered colour,
0:39:18 > 0:39:23- rather like you discovered colour with this picture on your wall.- Yes.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And wham, he changed,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28and suddenly greens, blues, yellows began to filter through.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32- And of course reds, which I gather is your favourite colour.- Yes.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36But unfortunately, round about the same time, old master painting -
0:39:36 > 0:39:39and this is more old-master painting than modern painting,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- if you think what was going on in France, with Picasso...- Right.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46...and Braque and all of those followers and movements.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50This type of art could look a little bit stilted,
0:39:50 > 0:39:55and what happened as the century progressed, this megastar artist
0:39:55 > 0:39:57who now adorns your wall with such colour,
0:39:57 > 0:40:02became less and less fashionable and it's only in recent years that he's begun to come back,
0:40:02 > 0:40:08- and in the year 2006 there's going to be an exhibition of his work in Leeds.- Oh, right!
0:40:08 > 0:40:11You have a star here who's orbiting.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15I think it would be fair to say that in the present market,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19given where Brangwyn is now, where he will be quite soon,
0:40:19 > 0:40:24- an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000 would be pretty well appropriate. - Really?!
0:40:24 > 0:40:30- It's a great-looking picture. - I love it.- You've re-presented it with tremendous aplomb.
0:40:30 > 0:40:36Well, it's a family object which has been handed down from mother to daughter,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and it belonged to my four-greats grandmother,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42who was Rosamund Croker,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44known as "the beautiful Miss Croker."
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Whose painting we've got here.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52This painting was exhibited in the Royal Academy Exhibition
0:40:52 > 0:40:55of 1827 and she's wearing the jewel.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57It's really amazing, isn't it?
0:40:57 > 0:41:01And she is a ravishingly beautiful lady, isn't she? Where did she live?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04She married Sir George Barrow of the Admiralty
0:41:04 > 0:41:08and they lived, actually, for some time near Hampton Court,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11and she is, I think, buried over the river in East Molesey.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12She lived till she was 92.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13Really?
0:41:13 > 0:41:15And had eight children.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17My goodness.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18The portrait is 1827, I think,
0:41:18 > 0:41:22it tells us conveniently on the back of this lovely postcard.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26I suppose one might have thought that perhaps it was made FOR her,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28but I think it probably isn't.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32I think it's much earlier than that, I think it's 100 years earlier.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35She was only 17 when this was painted, so it was...
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- And was she married at the time? - No, she married later on.- Hmm.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43So possibly it was something from the family jewel casket,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47brought to her to furnish this remarkably beautiful portrait.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51And not only stylistically can we guess at this earlier date.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56I mean, it's the way in which the gold is phrased, the way it's cut, the way it's chased,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59but also the coral's significance. The coral was thought in antiquity
0:41:59 > 0:42:04to be the fossilised blood of Christ, and was a talismanic jewel to wear.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08It was particularly effective against witchcraft and fascination,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and younger people were thought to be very much more at risk of that,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and that was where the magic lies.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18So here you have an object that sort of transports you into the room
0:42:18 > 0:42:24where this portrait was painted and that's pulse-makingly exciting, I think.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27It's cast and it's made by hand -
0:42:27 > 0:42:30it positively reeks of quality,
0:42:30 > 0:42:34and I think, really, it's unrepeatable and well-documented,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36it's full of context and fascination
0:42:36 > 0:42:39associated with the beautiful portrait of a beautiful girl,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41so I think it's time to go a bit mad.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45And I think I'm going to say...
0:42:46 > 0:42:48..£30,000.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50My goodness.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53My goodness.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- Thank you so much.- Thank you.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Another fine day at Hampton Court.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Now we'd like to thank the Tudors
0:43:01 > 0:43:05and the other royal families who've lived here, for their hospitality.
0:43:05 > 0:43:12They always were kind to visitors - Henry VIII even had a 24-seat toilet facility built for his staff.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15It was called "The Great House of Easement"
0:43:15 > 0:43:20And on that relaxed note, from the privy garden at Hampton Court Palace, goodbye.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd