0:00:38 > 0:00:40'Hello, Radio Olympia.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44'This is direct television from the studios at Alexandra Palace.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:51Alexandra Palace, London, where in 1936 television began.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55For eight years in the 1960s, I worked here as a BBC newsreader
0:00:55 > 0:00:58alongside such family favourites as Robert Dougall,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Richard Baker and Kenneth Kendall - Bob, Dickie and Ken.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06And one night, I recall, in 1962 I was required to announce
0:01:06 > 0:01:09the death to the nation of Marilyn Monroe,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13and I did it with what one critic said was an "almost brutal sense of drama".
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Well, I was upset, we all were.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Today's Roadshow should trigger some more cheerful memories for all of us.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Just down the hill in Priory Park is a perfectly preserved example
0:01:27 > 0:01:31of what used to be everyone's childhood favourite, the fairground.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36It's one of the most exciting and colourful Roadshow settings we've ever had.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57These steam yachts date back to 1921 and there are only two sets of them anywhere in the world.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We used to call it the Big Bertha, as I recall.
0:01:59 > 0:02:05It put you in suspended animation with that feeling of weightlessness at the end of every swing.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Would I like to go in it again?
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Yes, one of these days.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The attractions have been lovingly restored by the Carter
0:02:16 > 0:02:20family, who've been preserving fairground antiquities for 30 years.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Not just the big rides, but the side shows
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and candy floss machine have been rescued
0:02:25 > 0:02:30from the scrap heap and returned to full working order.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Each winter is spent doing serious renovation before their annual spring and summer tour,
0:02:36 > 0:02:42and here at Priory Park they've kindly agreed to set up a day early for our Roadshow.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Roll up, roll up, 20 world class antiques specialists,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50free valuation every time, come and get it!
0:02:53 > 0:02:58If you've come for a valuation, I can tell you, looking at the label, this is worth 17 and sixpence.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- Lovely.- And how long ago was that?
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Not in my lifetime.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Do you have any idea?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I suspect the '20s?
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Yeah, I think that's a pretty good bet. So where does this come from?
0:03:12 > 0:03:18My parents collected Moorcroft.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23I believe that they purchased this piece about 20 years ago.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27I remember it from my mid-teens on the sideboard.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32I remember it turning up and being put on in the lounge and it's been there ever since.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Do you like it? That's the other thing.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Well, they have a few pieces and of the pieces they've got, I like this one more.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43There are some that I'm not so keen on but this one I do like a lot.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49This is a product of Moorcroft in the Cobridge Works, probably just after...
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Well, just before or just after the First World War.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Wow.- So your guess is pretty darn good. Fantastic shape.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02It's a Chinese shape, it's known as a Meiping, it's basically derived from the 18th century.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's a beautiful thing. Slip trailing is the technique,
0:04:05 > 0:04:11and then you fill in the cells with these wonderful colours and, well,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14that tells us everything. It's at home, being used?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16It is indeed.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Well, great thing, glad you use it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:2517 and sixpence around the time of the First World War, what do you think it might be today?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I have not the foggiest.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I really don't know, I know that Moorcroft
0:04:31 > 0:04:35- is often valued quite highly. - Yeah, yeah.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37But I really have no idea.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41I would think it's probably somewhere in the region of
0:04:41 > 0:04:43maybe £2,000 to £3,000.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46That's a substantial sum.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- Enough to put you in a bit of a spin? - Yes, indeed.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58So you've managed to decorate most of your house through car boot sales?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02- Yes.- Generally, yes. When we were first married we had no money, so we went to
0:05:02 > 0:05:06car boot sales and bought things like curtains and furniture,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09just to kick things off, and the addiction started.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- Most weekends?- Yes. Except winter. Too cold in the winter.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- Yeah.- Now, you found this in just such a one, right?- Yes, yes, I did.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Very pretty. What do you know about it?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I don't know anything about the artist or how old it is so that's...
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I hope you can tell me something.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30I'm delighted to see it because this is a really prime example of Victorian schmaltz that works.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It's that high sentiment, that high saccharin, which somehow
0:05:34 > 0:05:40when it's done well enough, and I think this is done beautifully well, it somehow is all forgiven.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44This represents two children scrumping plums,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and it's just the sort of subject matter that late Victorian
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and Edwardian audiences adored.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53There were two or three artists who pioneered
0:05:53 > 0:05:57this particular refinement of Victorian saccharin.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03- One of them was Fred Morgan and the other one was an artist called Arthur Elsley.- Yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Now, turning this round,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08there are two inscriptions on the back,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- one at the bottom which says "frontispiece".- Yeah.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15- Right.- And then the other, and you'll hardly pick it up with a camera,
0:06:15 > 0:06:21it says here, in reinforced script, I think the words "Arthur Elsley".
0:06:21 > 0:06:23With the expression "frontispiece"
0:06:23 > 0:06:27written on the back, that fits in with what Elsley
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and his contemporaries were doing, because a lot of these images
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- were so popular, they hit such a nerve...- Right.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- ..that they were used in calendars, on biscuit tins.- Oh, wow.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- They were used as popular images in posters.- Yeah.- Gosh.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Looking at this, you can see it's done by an artist who can really paint.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50So often it's done by poor imitators and you don't get the fineness of execution.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53If you look at the way the eyes and lips are done, with a small brush,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57with real delicacy, they can look rather blobby with a lesser hand.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01In this case, they almost have a miniaturist's clarity and fineness.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I'm going to pretty well attribute this to Elsley,
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- but I don't think it really matters in valuing this picture.- Yeah.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- What did you pay for it? - I paid £200 for it, which I thought was a lot of money.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19- Yeah. - But as soon as we saw it, we loved it so much, we just had to have it.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20So we scraped it together.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Will you give me the time and date of your next car boot sale?
0:07:23 > 0:07:25This is worth about £3,000 to £5,000.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- You're joking!- Wow!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- Really?- Gosh.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- That's amazing. We should go and find some more.- OK.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37- Fantastic. That's mind-blowing, thank you very much.- Keep hunting!
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Yeah, lovely, thank you.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44This is not only a beautifully made piece of real jewellery set with diamonds,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47but it's also a piece of Minnie Mouse memorabilia.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51And that's a very potent combination indeed because there's a whole public
0:07:51 > 0:07:56for jewellery and a whole public for Minnie. How long's it been with you?
0:07:56 > 0:08:02At least 15 years, the memory gets foggy beyond that, it could possibly be slightly longer.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04And what circumstances did she move in?
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- She was a present.- Oh.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- I think for Christmas. - How marvellous. From?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- From my husband. - Sweet, that's wonderful.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Jewellery-buying husbands are rare, and ones that buy
0:08:15 > 0:08:18really animated bits of jewellery like this are rarer still.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Were you amazed when you saw her?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I was. She's such fun and I've never seen anything like her before.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Obviously there's other Disney memorabilia but nothing like that.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32No, possibly just a hint of it in costume jewellery but never ever in
0:08:32 > 0:08:35real jewellery and this is a real jewel, isn't it?
0:08:35 > 0:08:39It's platinum, and diamonds, and enamel, and highly animated.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45I think we can pretty confidently say that this comes from the very first years of her image too.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I thought she looked like an early version.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53So from, well, 1928, 1930, something like that.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56It's reflected in the craftsmanship. The mille grains settings,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00which means a thousand grains and there are thousands of grains
0:09:00 > 0:09:02holding the diamonds in their place.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05So what a complete joy that is. And do you wear her?
0:09:05 > 0:09:07I think I've probably worn her about once.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12- Once?- I know, I know, I know. - That's not very daring, is it? Why?
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Probably because I don't go to many places where I could wear her.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Oh, I think you could wear her anywhere.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- She is lovely, yeah. - And she's almost a badge, isn't she?
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- One wouldn't be surprised to see her in that role at all.- No, no.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29No, give her an outing because she's charming and everybody's pleased to see her.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33And the intrinsic value of the diamonds, well, it's very low.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36It's hardly worth... low hundreds of pounds really.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40No more than £300 or £400 but I haven't the slightest
0:09:40 > 0:09:45hesitation in valuing her for, well, £3,000 or £4,000, £5,000.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Oh, my goodness!
0:09:49 > 0:09:51An expensive badge!
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Very expensive badge!
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Thank you. Wonderful.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59When I first saw you with your collection of domestic brushes,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03the first thing I thought was "Thank goodness I have a vacuum cleaner."
0:10:03 > 0:10:08Because this is what life was like at the turn of the century
0:10:08 > 0:10:11for the Edwardian and Victorian lady's maid.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14It's a fascinating collection, where did you find it all?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18I found some of the brushes
0:10:18 > 0:10:26in various places like sales, and my grandmother collected
0:10:26 > 0:10:28lots of them as well.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34Starting was with these hat brushes,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and this brush here as well.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- How old are you?- Ten.- Ten years old.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42What is it about brushes that you really, really enjoy?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Well, I like the
0:10:44 > 0:10:48wood and the textures and
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- bristles of the brushes. - Yeah, because when we look at the bristles,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- they are quite intricately made, aren't they?- Mm.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00And something like this, this is "Guess the use", really.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Have you got an idea behind that one?
0:11:03 > 0:11:07It cleans like the top and the corners of the ceiling.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11It's quite interesting to see how it works actually. What do you do?
0:11:11 > 0:11:12Pushed it into the corners?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15That would have brushed straight lines and this bit, the corners.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Yeah, that's fascinating, isn't it? What's that one?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's a black brush.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Yes, it's a blacking fireplace brush.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29This is quite a clever one actually, because it's sort of in two parts.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34You've got the brush, but you undo that and the black lead would have been in the top.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39You would have brushed that onto the grate and then used the brush to polish it off.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And then once they'd done that, it was on to the carpets and floor.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And what would you have used for that?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49This brush here was used for carpet beating,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53which is like beating the dust out of the carpets.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58They used to put things like tea-leaves,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00slightly moist tea-leaves, on the floor
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and then that would absorb the dust,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05but also give a fragrant smell to the room.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09So, it's quite interesting knowing how they did all of this really.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13There are so many here, but is there a real favourite amongst them?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It's this brush.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's used for brushing fur coats
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and the bristles are very soft.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22It's wonderful, isn't it?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Well, if we had to put a value on all of these together -
0:12:25 > 0:12:29aside from the social history which I think is worth millions -
0:12:29 > 0:12:32probably we're talking about a collection here
0:12:32 > 0:12:37that's worth close to £300 or £400 in total.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So it's a real treasure trove.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Who owns these?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- I do.- Are you sure?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Well, they belonged to my boyfriend's aunt.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- She was from Poland.- Right.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- Your boyfriend's aunt?- And they've been given now to my boyfriend.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- But they're nice, aren't they? - Do you know where they're from?
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- No, no idea.- Have you ever looked at them properly?
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Yes, but it doesn't mean anything.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I don't know what the bottom means, there's some stuff on the bottom.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09There is stuff on the bottom. It says "Burmantofts Faience".
0:13:09 > 0:13:12It's a factory in Leeds in Yorkshire.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- Near my home town. - Excellent.- Looking good.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Looking good. They do, they look lovely.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20They date from, well, just before 1890,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22round about 1880, 1885, that sort of period.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- Wow!- Goodness. - Older than I thought, actually.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- They are copies of a Persian form, a Persian decoration.- Right.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This is the type of decoration you'd find on Iznik pottery
0:13:32 > 0:13:37dating from round about 1450 to 1480, that sort of thing.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- Are they a pair?- But they're copies?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41They're not a pair.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44And they are copying that type of decoration.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50When I first saw them, there's a designer at the end of the Victorian period called William de Morgan,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53they look just like de Morgan vases.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55But they're not.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- They're not de Morgan vases. - Oh, no, who did them then?
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- They are Islamic. I've told you that, they're Burmantoft faience.- Right.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04And what do you want to know?
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- She wants to know how much. - How much they're worth.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It's great, cut to the... I mean, why not? OK, OK, OK.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12- This one's got a bit of damage. - Right.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- It's worth...- It's the prettiest. - You think so?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- I prefer this one, with the dragon, it's nicer.- OK.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20But, anyway, the money.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23You're laughing!
0:14:23 > 0:14:24Well, it is quite funny.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28This one's worth about £3,000, because it's damaged.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I'm gonna cry.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33- This one isn't damaged. - How much is that worth?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- Can I kiss him?- Goodness me! - Do you want to buy 'em?
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- Thank you very much. - That's terrific.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46How are we gonna get them home?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- We'll have to get a taxi. - I didn't even wrap them.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51OK, thank you very much.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The best bits of Burmantoft's Faience have made 18,000.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- Wow!- Goodness.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59But they're not a pair, a bit of damage - they're great!
0:14:59 > 0:15:00Thank you very much.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08I literally can't contain my excitement,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12because I'm reading here "Ronnie Barker Scripts".
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Now, the promises that makes for me are...well, I can't describe them
0:15:17 > 0:15:21because if what is in this envelope is what it says on the front,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25then I'm possibly about to hold something very historic, I think.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Let's have a look what we've got.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33What we appear to have is A4, handwritten A4.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Flicking through various...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Yes, Gerald Wiley.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Gerald Wiley, I'm not sure that many people know,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44but that was Ronnie Barker's name essentially.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47And I see, as I've said that, "four candles".
0:15:47 > 0:15:51This is the script for the famous four candles sketch.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Now for me, if there was ever a sketch in English comedy,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59it's the four candles sketch by The Two Ronnies.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It just is one of the funniest things I've ever seen
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and it is probably one of the most famous English comedy sketches.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09"An old ironmonger's shop, a shop that sells everything,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13"garden equipment, ladies tights, builders supplies, mouse traps, everything."
0:16:13 > 0:16:17"Please discuss" it says in brackets, so that suggests this is a draft.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- Yeah, they look like that. - Absolutely.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23This looks like a rough draft that was written by Ronnie Barker.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26That's...that is so exciting.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28"RB enters.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30"A workman, not too bright either" it says.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32"Ronnie Corbett: Yes sir?
0:16:32 > 0:16:35"Ronnie Barker: Four candles.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37"Ronnie Corbett: Four candles, yes, sir.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40"He gets four candles from a drawer. 'There you are.'
0:16:40 > 0:16:45"Ronnie Barker: No, fork handles!"
0:16:45 > 0:16:47It's just... It's just brilliant.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- It gets funnier as it goes on... - Absolutely, I can't read..
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Afterwards I'm gonna have to read this,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- because the thought that he wrote this...- I know. It's gorgeous.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- Absolutely amazing. - How did you come across them?
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- Well, my mother was very ill and she came to live with me.- Right.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07And she used to shuffle through her papers all the time.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10She was forever kind of, you know,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12looking at her old papers and throwing stuff away
0:17:12 > 0:17:17and I always used to look through the bags that she said were rubbish.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- Right.- And in them was this.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23So I said, "What, well, you know, what's this?"
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and she said that it had appeared on her desk
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- when she had worked as a fundraiser. - So they're kind of...
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- She didn't really explain.- So they dropped into your lap by accident?
0:17:33 > 0:17:34I think I rescued them.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36They could have ended up in the bin?
0:17:36 > 0:17:37They probably could.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39If we look through, there are others -
0:17:39 > 0:17:42You're welcome, M'Lord, a very funny sketch.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45It says, "Quickie - one and half minutes."
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I like to think that they are the real thing.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I mean, I've no way of knowing that.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53As I say, I found them in an envelope in my mum's things, so you know...
0:17:53 > 0:17:58In terms of authenticity, I think there are a few little bits of work
0:17:58 > 0:18:00that perhaps need to be done on this,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02just to confirm that they're absolutely right
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and perhaps some handwriting comparisons or something similar.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Having said that, I feel very good about this.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12It's a one-off, it's a rare thing,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15but it might surprise you to think that someone would be prepared
0:18:15 > 0:18:22to probably pay £2,000 for this one alone.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27And that's a speculative valuation, £2,000 at auction,
0:18:27 > 0:18:32because, frankly, it's almost an impossible thing to put a price on.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34CHILDREN SCREAM
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Here we are at Priory Park at Carter's Steam Fair
0:18:39 > 0:18:42with all these wonderful Victorian pieces around us
0:18:42 > 0:18:48and you've brought this fantastic satinwood-veneered cabinet.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52The piece as a whole is beautifully drawn, it's just so well balanced.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Please tell me about it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Well, my father gave it to me.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01I've had it about 45 years and it lives in my lounge.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07I've got china, bits of silver and a drinks cupboard in the middle.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09What I particularly like is this gallery
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and the way it's encased the top shelf.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Then you have these wonderful astragal-glazed doors.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Very, very pretty with this carving here.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I think this is a lovely feature
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and then the best thing of all is this roundel.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- It's in the style of a lady called Angelica Kauffmann.- Yes.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30She was an 18th century artist.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33This piece is actually the same age as what's going on around us.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35It was made about 1900, 1910.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39I imagine this would have been made by one of the leading furniture makers of the time
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and I'm thinking of a company like Edwards & Roberts,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- or sold by a retailer called Maples.- Maples.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49It's standing on little square tapering legs
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and what we call spade feet.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56This works in a modern house, it works in an older Victorian house.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- Yes.- It's very well proportioned.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Being that it's satinwood, it's up there in the fashion
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- because people don't want brown furniture.- No.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- They want lighter, blond furniture.- Yes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14- I would place a value between £4,000 to £6,000.- Yes.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16This type of furniture only goes up in value.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22It's not often we get a Leonardo da Vinci on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26but I think we have to tell everybody that it is in fact a copy.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27But an early copy.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- I bought it at auction.- Did you?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- And how long ago? - Almost exactly 40 years.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36And what did you pay for it then?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- £140.- Goodness me!
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Well, looking at this, it's just fantastic
0:20:41 > 0:20:43because, you know, when one sees copies,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46you try and date them and this is quite early
0:20:46 > 0:20:53- and I'm sure... This is a copy of Leonardo - Leda And The Swan.- Yes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57What is interesting is that the story of Leda and the swan,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00as you know, Jupiter comes down, falls in love with Leda,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03who's married to the King of Sparta,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and he comes down and makes love to her
0:21:05 > 0:21:10and she lays these eggs which hatch out as human
0:21:10 > 0:21:14- and one of them was Helen of Troy. - Helena and Clytemnestra.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Yes, and it's absolutely fantastic.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19And do you know where the original is?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- It's a lost painting. - It is indeed.- It was destroyed.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25It was on wood, it was destroyed at the court of Louis XIV
0:21:25 > 0:21:27as far as we know, but nobody knows.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30His mistress ordered it away.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Well, there is a write-up on the picture in the 1600s
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- when it was in Fontainebleau.- Yes.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And they say that it was on three separate pieces of panel,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43the panel split in three ways, and it just disappeared.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48But, of course, there were copies done
0:21:48 > 0:21:52from people who saw the picture and also Leonardo's pupils.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57- And one was Cesare da Sesto and there's a very good copy I think in Wilton House.- That's right.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- I've been to see that. - What really fascinates me,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04is actually was this painted in Italy or somewhere else?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07From someone that might have seen it in Fontainebleau?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Now, looking at the colour here of the buildings there
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and the colour of the trees, sort of green and blue,
0:22:13 > 0:22:20it's very much like Dutch 16th century, early 17th century pictures.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Possibly this could be a Dutch-Flemish copy of the original
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- and it is early which is very, very important.- Yes.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32So you bought it in the 1960s for...?
0:22:32 > 0:22:34£140.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41Well, any copies of Leonardos that come up do quite well.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42This is a very big copy...
0:22:44 > 0:22:46..and commercially I'm just gonna say that
0:22:46 > 0:22:51I think this would be worth £30,000 to £50,000 at auction at least.
0:22:51 > 0:22:57- It's a wonderful early example and you enjoy it.- Very much so.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01I love the smug look on her face.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Well, when you see it, I mean I must say,
0:23:03 > 0:23:08- the arm here is quite large, isn't it?- Truck driver's arm.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Truck driver's arms!
0:23:09 > 0:23:12BELL DINGS
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I have to admit, when I first looked at this,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17I had absolutely no idea what it was.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22I admired it, I liked it, because it looks almost like a scarab beetle,
0:23:22 > 0:23:28the shape here and this fantastic Art Nouveau design trailing here
0:23:28 > 0:23:29and then the heart below.
0:23:29 > 0:23:36So, obviously made in the Art Nouveau period - 1890, 1895, 1900.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38But what was it for?
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Luckily it's all revealed when you actually press where it says "press"
0:23:42 > 0:23:48and down it comes and what we've got is a beautiful hand basin.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Beautifully shaped and the tap here
0:23:52 > 0:23:58which, if you just press slowly like that, out comes your water,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01you'd then have washed your hands,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03been handed that towel by your butler, maybe.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06As a piece of engineering it works beautifully
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and I think it's a statement of Art Nouveau in its own right.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10It is, yes, it is.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12We bought it at an antiques fair
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- because we're sort of Art Nouveau collectors.- Oh, right.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19And saw it, thought it was extremely unusual and fell in love with it,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21so felt we must take it home.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24We didn't know what we'd do with it or where we'd put it
0:24:24 > 0:24:25but we just bought it.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27You have this set up somewhere?
0:24:27 > 0:24:31We do. We have it in our bedroom, not usable, but just on the wall.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- OK. Well, my feeling it's certainly not English.- Right.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Although the language is English. My feeling it's certainly French.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42- OK.- And it's in this fantastic heavy nickel on probably brass.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45So a very luxury item.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49This wouldn't have been used in some second-rate hotel.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- It would have been either on a carriage.- Right.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Or on a yacht.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- OK.- Not the one that you'd pay your ticket to go on.- Yes.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00This would have been a private yacht or a private carriage
0:25:00 > 0:25:03because the quality is just absolutely breathtaking.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06And what I like about it as well,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10when you've finished, it said, "Empty slowly"
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and up it went and the water gets drained away.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Wonderful piece of engineering.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- Very simple but the great thing about it - it works.- Yes, it does.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22If I were you, because we're here at Carter's Steam Fair,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25you should buy a nice gentleman's steam yacht of about 1890.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29And then put this back in it because that's exactly what it was made for.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- OK.- Can you remember what you paid for it?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We only paid £250 or £300 for it, something like that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- How many years ago? - Maybe ten or 12 years ago.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42I think today you'd have to pay more like £1,500 to £2,000.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- So a wonderful buy.- Goodness me. - And a most unusual object.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Thank you, well it will stay on our wall.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Roundabout, carousel, call it what you like,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58no fairground is complete without the galloping horses.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02And tucked away behind the engine of this particular set is Anna Carter
0:26:02 > 0:26:04who is the owner of the fairground.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Anna, all this looks brand new and fresh licks of paint and all that,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09but it's not really new, is it?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12No, the ride dates from 1895
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and obviously you do have to replace bits and pieces,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18but most of it's original.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21We think the horses are made by Anderson in Bristol,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23they were Italian carvers.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28Obviously, they do take quite a battering over the seven months,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31so every year we have to retouch them and varnish them
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and there are 30 horses, so it's quite a task.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- And all the art work you did yourself?- I'm afraid I did.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Long winters in the shed. - And the engine?
0:26:41 > 0:26:46It had been taken off in 1954 and converted to electric,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48so we decided we'd convert it back.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53We searched for an engine and we actually found one in 1976
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and it fitted exactly,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59so we think it's possible it was the same engine.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Now, you and your husband John weren't fairground people,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04so how did you get into this lark?
0:27:04 > 0:27:06We were actually art students who met up
0:27:06 > 0:27:10and we got into promoting shows, air rallies,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14military vehicle rallies, antiques fairs, collectors' bazaars
0:27:14 > 0:27:19and when we did our outdoor shows we were let down by showmen,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22because obviously part of the revenue is to have a funfair in.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26So one day he said, "We really ought to have some of our own equipment."
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And he came home one day and said he'd found this roundabout,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33sort of gently rotting away on a permanent site
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and he said, "Would you mind if I bought it?"
0:27:36 > 0:27:39"Well, you do what you like", you know, thinking he was joking
0:27:39 > 0:27:44and he came home one day and said he was negotiating to buy it.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48So, instead of doing a sensible thing like getting a mortgage
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and buying a house, we bought a fairground ride.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54But we've gone on, I mean the steam yachts,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57we rescued from a scrapyard in Glasgow
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and I think that really has been a huge achievement,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03because it would have just been lost for ever
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and it's the only travelling set in the world.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09There is one that comes out occasionally
0:28:09 > 0:28:12but this one travels week after week for seven months of the year.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16CAROUSEL MUSIC
0:28:32 > 0:28:37"Darling Grandma and Grandpa, my time is practically ended now.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40"I shall be on my way to New York when you get this card.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45"A few weeks and I shall be back home again. With fond love, Willie."
0:28:45 > 0:28:49And another one, "Dear Mabel, my time is nearly finished now
0:28:49 > 0:28:52"and I hope you will be quite well now.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54"Remember me to Percy.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58"With love, Willie." Now, who was Willie?
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Willie was my great uncle and he was a bandsman on the Titanic.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03William Theodore Brailey.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07So he was playing Nearer My God To Thee, was he?
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Yes, I mean, he was a pianist in the band
0:29:09 > 0:29:12so I'm not quite sure whether he took his piano up on deck
0:29:12 > 0:29:16but he did play the violin and the flute as well.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19- Yes.- And there were, of course, two bands on the Titanic
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and he was in the trio.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23And so why did he like going on boats?
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Well, he was a frustrated composer
0:29:26 > 0:29:30and I think it was a way of making some money as well.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34In fact, the White Star Line had beaten down the musicians' rates
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and they were paid quite poorly.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39They were freelance, in fact.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41They weren't actually employed by the White Star Line.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43- Was his body ever found?- No.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48What did the family actually think about him going to sea?
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Well, they really didn't want him to go to sea at all.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I think because they didn't want to have him away from them,
0:29:54 > 0:29:55because they were long sea voyages,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58but they were also worried about him and concerned.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01And when he went to see my grandmother
0:30:01 > 0:30:03he said, "Musicians always die young."
0:30:03 > 0:30:07Apparently she always said he paced up and down the living room floor
0:30:07 > 0:30:09and she begged him not to go.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12She said, "Don't go, Willie, please don't go."
0:30:12 > 0:30:13And he said, "No, I must go."
0:30:13 > 0:30:18I think possibly people do have a romantic vision of dying young,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21but I mean it was a very heroic death.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24It was and, of course, the family always said
0:30:24 > 0:30:26that if he hadn't have died there,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29- he would have died on the fields of Flanders.- No, it's very sad.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33So tragic. And this thing here,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36this is a sort of a hand bill, I suppose?
0:30:36 > 0:30:38They never came in for any compensation,
0:30:38 > 0:30:43the families rather didn't, so the Musicians' Union published this.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45I don't quite know what you'd call it,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48but it was to sell to get funds for the musicians' families.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50And here he is...
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- That's Willie, yes.- There he is.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56And then at the bottom here we've got "Nearer My God To Thee."
0:30:56 > 0:30:58"Or if on joyful wing,
0:30:58 > 0:31:03"Cleaving the sky, sun, moon and stars forgot, upwards I fly.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08"Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee."
0:31:08 > 0:31:10- Yes.- I think that's, you know...
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Yes, it still brings a lump to my throat.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14It's quite extraordinary.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Well, as you probably know, Titanic memorabilia is very desirable.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22A conservative estimate on this little lot...
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Oh, would be somewhere in the region of a couple of thousand pounds.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30You're joking?!
0:31:30 > 0:31:33This is, this is, you know, the stuff of history.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41You were in the building industry many years ago.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44- Yes.- And you got this from where?
0:31:44 > 0:31:49I was working in conversion work, and they sent us to an old building
0:31:49 > 0:31:54to strip it off, to clear it out and they had all the panels on the wall, you know, all the woodwork.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- Oh, yes, yes.- We had to clean that out and put it in the skip
0:31:57 > 0:32:00so this was in the panels, you know.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02So it was too good to throw away, I kept it.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Oh, right. But whereabouts was this?
0:32:05 > 0:32:06Was this in London or the country?
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Yeah, in London. I was in Knightsbridge.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Right. OK, so what's interesting to me is this.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16This has elements of something to do with the City of London.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20- Is it?- It's a City piece, because with these winged griffins
0:32:20 > 0:32:26and the way it's been executed here, somebody important
0:32:26 > 0:32:28had connections in the City.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- Oh, I see. - Was the room very, very dark?
0:32:31 > 0:32:34No, the house was condemned altogether, the place,
0:32:34 > 0:32:39- the building was condemned, that's why they sent us to rip everything out.- Right.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Because as I say, it must have been a fabulous building, because this is mahogany.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46It's solid mahogany. This is all hand-carved.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- Hand carved.- It's a very clever piece how it's done, this is
0:32:49 > 0:32:53one piece of mahogany and were there other ones like this or was this...?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57No, no, there was ordinary panels all around the room.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01- Yes.- But all woodworm, you know, and this was above the
0:33:01 > 0:33:04fireplace or chimney breast, above the fireplace. Above the fire.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07And this split here, did that happen...?
0:33:07 > 0:33:09No, this happened whilst we were stripping, taking it off,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12because we'd got to rip everything out of the wall.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- Can I ask you a very rude question? - Yeah.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19When you were working then, how much money did you get in a day's work?
0:33:19 > 0:33:23I can't remember, in the '60s, you know, I can't remember exactly what it was.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25£25? £18?
0:33:25 > 0:33:28I don't think it was as much as £25, you know.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30It was less than that, I think about 15 per week.
0:33:30 > 0:33:3215.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34What do you think this is worth today?
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- No idea, that's why I brought it here.- All right.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Well, this is highly collectable because people love coat of arms.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45- Yeah.- I would put a value on this between £600 and £800.- Yeah.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47So I think it was a good day's work.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Yeah, it is, isn't it? Yeah.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55When I first saw this box, it was a bit of a pulse-making moment, because it's a highly
0:33:55 > 0:34:00distinctive one made of holly wood and I wanted to open it very much
0:34:00 > 0:34:03and to find inside exactly what is there.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- Tell me about them.- They're a pair of cufflinks that I inherited
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and they've come from my grandfather, I know that much.
0:34:10 > 0:34:16Other than that not very much except what's written there, which I managed to decipher.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20- And how did you decipher it? What does it say?- It is Faberge, isn't it?
0:34:20 > 0:34:24- Hopefully, you can tell me more. - Well, no, I can. Absolutely.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26And of course it does say Faberge, it also says
0:34:26 > 0:34:31St Petersburg, Moscow and London and that is a very exciting thing
0:34:31 > 0:34:36to see in a box but it's absolutely no guarantee of the fact that the contents are actually by Faberge.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40They're almost certainly mounted in platinum and I say that with
0:34:40 > 0:34:44authority, because there's no hallmarks on them and that is
0:34:44 > 0:34:49a fascinating thing in one regard but it's a slight disappointment in another.
0:34:49 > 0:34:56And the absence of hallmarks would mean that all I can say is that they look like Faberge and that wouldn't
0:34:56 > 0:35:01be quite enough to bring the full excitement on but we were saved by the tiniest little inventory number.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06- Oh, yeah.- On a panel here and it's a sequence
0:35:06 > 0:35:08of about five numbers
0:35:08 > 0:35:12and it's a stock number and Faberge was a very, very meticulous shop.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Every piece had an inventory number so when the customer brought it
0:35:16 > 0:35:22back for valuation, or for whatever purposes, they could look it up and know every detail of its manufacture.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24The weight of the sapphires, for instance, would be part of it.
0:35:24 > 0:35:31- Oh, right.- Then, the next step is to try to find out the exact provenance of them and whilst you were waiting,
0:35:31 > 0:35:36I made a phone call to some colleagues of mine to see if I could establish whether
0:35:36 > 0:35:43the inventory number referred to the London ledgers and to an exact buyer, an exact price and an exact day.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48Well, I have to say sadly, that didn't happen, but that's the sort of bad news,
0:35:48 > 0:35:54- but the good news is the sequence of the stock numbers is absolutely exact for a Faberge object.- Great.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00So here we have a pair of cufflinks of incontestable provenance from Faberge. And do you both wear them?
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- No, I haven't worn them yet. - You haven't yet.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05- I like the idea of yet.- So do I!
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Very good.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10I want to say a bit about the magic of Faberge, really.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12This was the biggest jewellery manufacturer in the world, the
0:36:12 > 0:36:19biggest goldsmiths firm in the world - St Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, London, agencies in Siam.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23And the London branch opened in 1903 and it finished in about 1917.
0:36:23 > 0:36:30And in this case we can see his address on the lid satin as London, so we can say with every confidence
0:36:30 > 0:36:35that these were made between 1903 and 1917, which dates them very precisely.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40They look very nonchalant and very simple little cabochon sapphires in platinum mounts
0:36:40 > 0:36:43but they are by the greatest jeweller
0:36:43 > 0:36:48of the 20th century and so we have to consider their valuation.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- Have you got any ideas? - I haven't got a clue actually, no.
0:36:50 > 0:36:56I started out thinking £200 and then went up to, I don't know what, £2,000 or something like that.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58- They're only jewellery.- No, I know.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02I think that at one stage in their existence that was certainly true.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Now the value of Faberge things has been amplified enormously by the
0:37:06 > 0:37:09renewed interest from Russia that's opened up and people can afford them
0:37:09 > 0:37:13and so I haven't really the slightest hesitation
0:37:13 > 0:37:16in valuing these for £15,000.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20Good grief.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22OK, right. Mmm, right.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26- Better get onto the insurance people.- Never imagined that.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28- Wow.- Back in the box, anyway.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Great piece. Fantastic.
0:37:30 > 0:37:36"New Musical Express, 1964 to 1965 Poll, presented to John Lennon."
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Now, I may be mistaken but you are not John Lennon.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41No, I am not John Lennon.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42Relationship there or...?
0:37:42 > 0:37:47Right, my grandmother's sister, Auntie Lil as she was known to us,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50her daughter Cynthia was John Lennon's first wife.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55And when I was about 10, 12 years old we used to go and visit John and Cynthia at the big house,
0:37:55 > 0:38:01as we called it, quite a lot and I was given lots of things that were around the house at the time.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02- Including this.- Including that.
0:38:02 > 0:38:08Well, it's not a great work of art, I have to say. One wouldn't normally be looking at it.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- It's great to hold anything that was presented to John Lennon.- Yes, yes.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15But actually this is a presentation which has got a sting in the tail.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- Yes.- Because if I show
0:38:17 > 0:38:20the next bit, it's actually...
0:38:20 > 0:38:23he was voted "runner-up
0:38:23 > 0:38:26"British vocal personality".
0:38:26 > 0:38:28I think that's probably why it was given to me at the time.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31He'd had his nose put out of joint, perhaps.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34It's not one of those he would have highly prized.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36No, not at the time.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40- Even so, collectors would highly prize it.- Oh.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44It's, I think, a wonderful bit of history.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48I mean, how many times would he have ever failed? Very, very seldom.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53So, yes, a little sort of throwaway thing given to you as a child.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55I think we're talking about £600 to £800.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Oh, right, good.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01- And if you get two people there... - It could go up.- it could go up.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05- It could really be a prize worth having.- Right.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12- You're chairman of a charity. These ladies around us used to work for the charity.- Yes.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15And this picture here is owned by the charity.
0:39:15 > 0:39:21That's right. The charity is John Grooms and that was founded in 1866
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and it therefore was in existence
0:39:24 > 0:39:29at the time this picture was painted and the artist was alive.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33I think we think that the artist painted the picture
0:39:33 > 0:39:40and then he heard about the charity which was then called John Grooms Crippleage and Flower Girls Mission.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46She's got some flowers here and one in her hand and
0:39:46 > 0:39:52we think it may well be that they were flowers that were made by the flower girls of John Grooms.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57There's no way of telling but I think that is what motivated
0:39:57 > 0:40:05the artist to donate the picture, which he did personally in about the year 1902.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09It's interesting to examine the motivations of this artist,
0:40:09 > 0:40:13because we're dealing with William Powell Frith, a very interesting man.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16He did with a paintbrush what Charles Dickens did with a pen.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Well, they were friends, you know. - Indeed.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Well, what I perhaps hardly need to tell you is he went on even to illustrate Dickens.
0:40:23 > 0:40:29But what he did was, instead of, as a lot of painters of that day did, which was to follow the academic
0:40:29 > 0:40:34route of the Royal Academy, he thought, "Ha-ha, I know what would really interest the public,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38"let's go out and let's concentrate instead of high-flown subjects,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41"let's concentrate on people, on incident."
0:40:41 > 0:40:46It's got in the top right-hand corner, that little vignette of something going on.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50- He can't resist it.- Yes. - Here is a man and a woman, there's
0:40:50 > 0:40:54something a little bit more than them having bought a flower, there's a little bit of romance.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Yes, she's just putting it in his lapel, isn't she? Rather like this one.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Much like, absolutely.
0:41:00 > 0:41:06Now, what is wonderful also is I gather we have here today, not only the ladies who used to work
0:41:06 > 0:41:12in the charity till the '60s making the flowers, but someone here who actually sold the flowers.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- You were in the showroom, I gather? - Yes, I was in the showroom for 40 years.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Selling flowers to all and sundry, these type of...?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Selling flowers, because we used to have coach parties twice a week
0:41:22 > 0:41:25and Christmas time we used to have quite a lot.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29So we had to have extra help in the showroom for selling the flowers.
0:41:29 > 0:41:35So these flowers would have been produced for all the charities around that wanted fake flowers?
0:41:35 > 0:41:37- And there were a lot of them.- Yes.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41- Did you make some of the flowers yourself?- Yes, I started...
0:41:41 > 0:41:46When I first started John Grooms, I was 15 years old at Clerkenwell
0:41:46 > 0:41:51and I started making artificial flowers then, they taught me how to do them.
0:41:51 > 0:41:59- She's one of our oldest residents now from the original days of flower makers, weren't you?- Yes.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02- Yes.- Well, I must say we're very privileged on the show to
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- have you along and indeed all your companions as well.- Yes.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10- But we must talk about value, because this is after all a chattel of the charity.- Indeed.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14So we're all on edge to know what you feel it's worth.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Well, no pressure then.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20I think that this is a very good example of his
0:42:20 > 0:42:24genre painting but it's not the grandest and most monumental.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26She is extremely pretty,
0:42:26 > 0:42:31the flowers are beautifully done and the whole story,
0:42:31 > 0:42:38the provenance, the way that the people associated with it and where it's come from, enhances the picture.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40I feel
0:42:40 > 0:42:46fairly confident on that basis that it is worth between £40,000 and £60,000.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Is it really? As much as that?
0:42:48 > 0:42:53Goodness me. Well, we'll have to make sure it's insured for that value.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- And will the charity hang onto it? - Oh, we certainly will, yes.
0:42:56 > 0:43:02And I think we will find some occasion when we can exhibit it,
0:43:02 > 0:43:08particularly being able to say that it was on the Antiques Roadshow and this is the real picture.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12- I'm delighted.- Thank you so much. - Thank you and thank you everyone around you.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16No doubt about it, if you want white-knuckle thrills and
0:43:16 > 0:43:20hair-raising moments, the Antiques Roadshow is the place to come.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Many thanks to the Carter family for showing us all the fun of the steam fair, for
0:43:24 > 0:43:28everyone who came to have a go, and to Priory Park for being our venue.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31From Crouch End in North London, goodbye.