0:00:42 > 0:00:44As you know, on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47we're not only on the lookout for lovely and interesting objects,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51but also for lovely and interesting places in which to find them.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56So my hopes ran high when I was told that we were coming to a place
0:00:56 > 0:00:59that was once described as the Paris of the North.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05It has to be said that, on the face of it,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10the jolly seaside town of Southport in Lancashire doesn't immediately
0:01:10 > 0:01:14bring the French capital to mind, but the evidence for this extravagant claim
0:01:14 > 0:01:18lies away from the sea front in a tree-lined boulevard called Lord Street.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23In the 19th century,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Southport was a fashionable resort,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29so much so that in 1838 the exiled Prince Louis Napoleon of France -
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Napoleon's young nephew - came to spend a season here.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Louis and his chums did all the seaside things -
0:01:36 > 0:01:38hunting and shooting - but legend has it
0:01:38 > 0:01:41that he was so impressed by the elegance of Lord Street
0:01:41 > 0:01:44that, when he finally got home and became emperor,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48he had Paris rebuilt in its image, albeit on a slightly grander scale.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50At least, that's how the story goes.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57For another 100 years, Southport attracted a discerning clientele,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00who came here to enjoy evenings at the theatre,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03fun-filled days in the open-air pool,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and romantic nights at the grand dance hall.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Except that it didn't HAVE a grand dance hall.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It wasn't until 1932
0:02:11 > 0:02:15that the Paris of the North had its own palais de danse.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17It was an immediate success with everyone
0:02:17 > 0:02:22and the weekly tea dances were chock-a-block and cheek-to-cheek
0:02:22 > 0:02:23throughout the year.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25The exterior of the Floral Hall
0:02:25 > 0:02:28doesn't give much of a hint of the beauty that lies within,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31but that makes it even more of a pleasant surprise.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41In its time, the Floral Hall has hosted just about every kind of crowd-pulling event.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Today it's the Roadshow.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45We're delighted to be here
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and to see that Southport has turned out to join us.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51I'll go and hand over to the experts and organise the tea dance.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Now, when I arrived at Southport station last night,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I did not see this clock.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- No!- Is that because YOU have it, rather than the station?- Yes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- So why have you got it?- My dad was station supervisor at Southport
0:03:06 > 0:03:09in the '60s and early '70s,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11and when they pulled the old station down,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14several of the items were sold off,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- and he bought that clock at that time.- So he knew it, he'd worked with it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Yes.- Right, what we've got here
0:03:20 > 0:03:24is a wonderfully documented station clock.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It tells us the whole history of Southport station.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Go back to the 1870s.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32There we have a company called the WLR -
0:03:32 > 0:03:36the West Lancashire Railway - which developed a line
0:03:36 > 0:03:38eastwards from Southport.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40They were the first owners of the clock.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Looking at the face, we've then got WLR again.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45They were then taken over by LYR,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48which is the Lancashire Yorkshire Railway,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and they in turn became,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54in 1923, part of LMS. And, although it's not marked,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58in due course, that became British Rail. So it's gone through
0:03:58 > 0:04:02all those owners. And I love the fact that, in the 1960s,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04there it still was, ticking away.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05And you have it at home?
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- I do, yes.- And it's working?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It was, but it doesn't work at the moment.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It would certainly be worth restoring. This is very collectable.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Railway clocks are anyway. It's not a special clock. It's fairly standard.
0:04:17 > 0:04:24Railway clocks are very desirable, particularly if they come from small, minor companies.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29The West Lancashire didn't have a long life, it was soon absorbed, and anything to do with that
0:04:29 > 0:04:32has great local interest. If this was not a railway clock,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35you're looking at £300, £400, £500.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Because it's a railway clock with that history,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- we're looking at £1,500.- Really? As much as that?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43As much as that. So mend it. Get it ticking.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Right. I will do.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48What's wrong with that?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I don't think there's anything wrong with it.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- There is.- I love it.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55You may love it, but it doesn't exist.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59- How do you mean?- You've got a tiger attacking a lion.- Right.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- Never happens.- Ah, well.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Different continents. - Well, I never realised that.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The only time those two came together to fight
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- was in the Roman amphitheatre. - Good heavens.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11But the extraordinary thing is
0:05:11 > 0:05:15that these Japanese groups - we see them endlessly
0:05:15 > 0:05:17with tigers attacking lions,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20BUT...for the western market.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- Ah.- And the western market said,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"We want a fight between a lion and a tiger,"
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and the Japanese said, "Fine, no problem."
0:05:28 > 0:05:31This one - we've got a couple of tigers attacking a rhino.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34This I don't think I've ever seen.
0:05:34 > 0:05:40- It's a really brilliant bit of sculpture. Do you like it too?- I love it to bits.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42- I've known it all my life. - Where did it come from?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Um, my grandfather, I believe,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48acquired it 75-80 years ago
0:05:48 > 0:05:51from a captain of a Sikh regiment.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55My grandfather was working at a hotel in London
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and I believe they were gifted to him after he looked after him for a while.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I wonder why he had got Japanese things.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03I don't know.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06It's a bit of the story I don't have, unfortunately.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It sounds slightly wobbly, the story.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- You know what family stories are like.- Exactly.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Um, this one is made
0:06:13 > 0:06:15in two sections,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19so you can detach one tiger.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And we've got a nice mark
0:06:22 > 0:06:24on this one.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's heavy!
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- It is.- Incredibly heavy.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I'll have to lay it down, I think. It says,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35"Dai Nippon" which means "great Japan"...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- HE READS OUT THE JAPANESE MARK - Dates from around...
0:06:38 > 0:06:421880, 1900. And while we've got it upside down,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45just look at the detail on those paws.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Fantastic. Um, well...
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I love them, you love them.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The market for Japanese things at the moment
0:06:52 > 0:06:53- is not good.- Mm-hmm.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56But these transcend that, really,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00because they are decorative, good-quality objects.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04This one, I think would make in the region of £2,000-£3,000.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Wow!
0:07:06 > 0:07:10And that one, I think would probably make £4,000-£5,000.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12That's fantastic. I'd no idea.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19So are these beguiling pair of Regency beauties
0:07:19 > 0:07:21anything to do with your family?
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Well, the two girls the daughters of William Hazelwood,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28who was Lord Nelson's solicitor.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30The girl on the left
0:07:30 > 0:07:32is Horatia.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Named after Horatio?- That's right. Named after Lord Nelson.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39He WAS going to be her godfather but, unfortunately,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- he never made it home. - Fate intervened.- That's right.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49Horatia then married my great-great-great-great-grandfather
0:07:49 > 0:07:51and married into our family.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I inherited that picture about 15 years ago.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- So this really is an ancestral portrait.- Definitely, yes.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I don't think I can see a family resemblance.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01No, hopefully not!
0:08:01 > 0:08:06I must say, I was absolutely delighted to see this
0:08:06 > 0:08:08because it's not often on the show
0:08:08 > 0:08:10that we get really high-quality miniatures.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I can't tell you who it's by,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15despite the fact that, on the back, it says confidently
0:08:15 > 0:08:19that it's by an artist called Stephanoff,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- who actually didn't do miniature, boringly.- Right.- So it's not by him.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26But, with a bit of work, we might find out. But, in a sense,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28it doesn't matter, because it's a charming story -
0:08:28 > 0:08:33the would-be goddaughter of the great Horatio Nelson,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- called Horatia...- That's right. - ..and her sister.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39What I also really love about the picture is the detail,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43the charm as expressed in the ringlets and the curls
0:08:43 > 0:08:44and the dresses.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Have you thought about
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- what it might be worth? - I was quoted
0:08:48 > 0:08:50about £200
0:08:50 > 0:08:55about five or six years ago, but nothing since then.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Even without an artist,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59a pair like this, of beauties,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02because beauties actually do do rather well,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05with so fabulously delineated dresses,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07although they are slightly faded,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10are just the sort of thing that collectors want,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14so I would confidently say that this was worth £2,000-£3,000.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Very good. That's excellent. - But it will remain your ancestral portrait?
0:09:18 > 0:09:19- I don't think I'll sell it.- Good.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22It's often very difficult
0:09:22 > 0:09:26to date African objects but conveniently, here,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- we've got a date of 1919.- Oh, yes.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33So what was going on with your family in Africa in 1919?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Well, it was my husband's father
0:09:35 > 0:09:41and his wife were part of a Baptist missionary society delegation
0:09:41 > 0:09:46who went out to Africa to visit the missionaries
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- in Belgian Congo.- So it was in the Belgian Congo?- Yes.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- Which of these...?- That was my husband...- Right.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54..and that was his sister,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and that was his mother, Florence.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00They both went to Africa in 1919.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02So this is the couple that collected these pieces?
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- Yes.- I see. And your husband then went back again...?
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Yes, then he trained as a minister and as a teacher,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- and he went as a missionary in 1928. - Right.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19In the Congo. Now, this is a place, really,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22absolutely in the middle of Africa. It's about as central as you can get.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27It took him a month and you had to go by paddle steamer, I think.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32Most people, when they come back from a trip, bring back a small souvenir
0:10:32 > 0:10:36or a sombrero or whatever it might be, but these aren't exactly light.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I expect, in those days, it was the idea to bring back,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and you probably put them all in a crate.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47- Coming by sea, it's not like air travel.- No, quite.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51I wonder whether he'd be allowed to take this on board now!
0:10:51 > 0:10:56- And did he ever show you how to play this?- Er, I don't know.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I just always used to, you know... TWANGING
0:10:59 > 0:11:02It's sort of done like that.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07It's not going to win many musical awards, this particular one, is it?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10But I'm sure that, if you were skilful,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- you'd be able to play it beautifully.- Yes.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I'll put that down for a moment.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17This piece is most extraordinary.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- It's a drum...- Yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- Do you know what these are made of? - I think they're made of
0:11:23 > 0:11:27the resin from the tree which I believe originally would have been white.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- I see. Right.- But over the years... I mean, it's what...
0:11:31 > 0:11:36- 87 years.- Nearly 100 years ago. Exactly.- It's the year I was born.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- And, um, it's hollowed out.- Yes. And the two sides
0:11:40 > 0:11:44are different so that you get two different tones.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And they call one the high
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and the other the low,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55or else the male and the female, the male being the dominant.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Well, quite.- Yes.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02They had, I believe, a huge village drum
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and they had a chap who sat there and drummed messages.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Said that the Reverend So-and-so was on his way.- That the missionaries were coming up
0:12:11 > 0:12:13or visitors were coming.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16And then this was a horn, of course,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- which takes a lot of blowing, I can tell you.- It does.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21It's a fantastic thing.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- This is a single tusk.- Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28And we know, obviously from the date your father-in-law brought it back,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- that this must pre-date 1919, anyway.- Yes, it must.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33And I think the colour on it
0:12:33 > 0:12:35is actually not just, um...
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- from handling. I think they do stain them.- Oh, do they?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42So there is a range of tones.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I'm going to just see, because this...
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- Do you think I should try and blow this?- Yes!
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- How do you do it, then? - You just blow in there, I think.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52BELLOW
0:12:52 > 0:12:54SHE LAUGHS
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Rather you than me!
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It's quite a noise that, isn't it?
0:12:59 > 0:13:00So there we are.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04It's very difficult to know how to value some of these things
0:13:04 > 0:13:08because they're of great sentimental value to you, and lovely family connections.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11These sorts of things do turn up at auction.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15They're... You know, they're not that rare, actually,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17but, none the less, I think, you know,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- an example like this one will be worth perhaps £100-£150.- Yes. Yes.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I think the drum is terrific,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27particularly as it's intact with these pieces as well,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- so perhaps that's going to be £500 or £600.- Is it? Yes.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36But I do think the horn is a wonderful tactile object as well,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and, you know, perhaps it's worth at least £1,000.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- It may be more, even.- Yes.- As I say, it's not something we see an awful lot of,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48but it's a treat to see it. I must say, I've never blown a horn like that before.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55- These are, without doubt, the most comfortable barber's chairs I've ever sat in.- Yes.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I love them, but why did you get them?
0:13:57 > 0:14:02My husband and I had a hairdressing barbers' salon in Formby
0:14:02 > 0:14:06and we found them in an old salon-supplies company.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08They were in an old warehouse
0:14:08 > 0:14:14- and they're from Horne Brothers, where the Beatles first got their mop tops done.- The famous barbers?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- Yes.- You can trace, by direct purchase and sale,
0:14:18 > 0:14:25- back to that salon.- We can.- So we know these are actually the chairs the Beatles sat on.- Definitely.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27What other proof have you got?
0:14:27 > 0:14:32We've got photographs of the Beatles sitting in the actual chairs in Horne Brothers in 1963.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So we've got here...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36There's Paul sitting down,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39having his hair cut by John, and George and Ringo looking alongside.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- Yes.- So we've got the purchase and sale orders,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- and we've got the photograph. - We have. We have.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Well, that's pretty good provenance.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Now let's look at the chairs themselves.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54These were probably made, what, in America?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Yes, Chicago, I believe.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59In the early '60s, and would've been brought over here.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Presumably they do,
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- although they might not work today, you could go up and down.- Backwards and forwards.- Adjust the footrest.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- Yes.- And presumably here they had the little basins...
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- Yes, for all the shaving stuff. - Or having your fingers manicured.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I mean, they're great chairs. Um...
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I think, you know, they are quite trendy today,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and people do like to put them into loft apartments.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25As chairs, they're worth maybe £1,000.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27But I think, with the Beatle connection,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29you're talking about £10,000 each,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and, if you found a lock of hair down the back,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- you could add an extra £1,000 each. - £10,000 each? Not for the pair?
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Great pieces.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- Great provenance. Thanks so much for bringing them in.- Thank you.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49I sometimes get very jealous of my colleagues on jewellery and ceramics
0:15:49 > 0:15:52because they can get intimate with some of their objects.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55But when I see something as grand as this, I don't mind.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59This is something that's come out of a great big house,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03you're there, you look very natural with this piece. Have you lived with it for a long time?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06We've had it, uh, 30-odd years.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It was, um, given to me
0:16:09 > 0:16:11by a splendid old aunt and uncle
0:16:11 > 0:16:14who lived in Merevale in Warwickshire,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19to where, as children, we were evacuated during the war.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21So I've known it since I was... could walk underneath.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Right!- And it's got lovely memories. It was in the dining room.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And there weren't many sweets in the war but when there WERE some,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- they were kept on the shelf in this cupboard.- Oh, wonderful!
0:16:33 > 0:16:35And I can open it cos it's just got a catch there.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- So, how did it come to you?- Well,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42My aunt and uncle moved from Merevale House
0:16:42 > 0:16:44to a smaller one
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and rang up to see if we'd like it.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I was at work.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51You tell them...!
0:16:51 > 0:16:55The aunt asked if we'd like it. I thought, "It's far too big."
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So I said, "No, thank you, we don't want it."
0:16:58 > 0:17:03When John came home from work I told him what had happened and it nearly caused a divorce!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05So he rang up straight away and said he would like it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Thank goodness for that!- Absolutely.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- So do you have a large dining room? - Yes.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Excellent. Because what people don't often realise
0:17:15 > 0:17:19is there wasn't really such a thing as a dining room,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23even in a grand English house, until the second half of the 18th century.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27And it was really Robert Adam designing for great houses
0:17:27 > 0:17:29like Kedleston and Osterley.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34But, fascinatingly enough, he designed sideboard tables
0:17:34 > 0:17:37with separate pedestals.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40But what happens a little bit later on,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43particularly in the early 19th century,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45which is when this piece dates from,
0:17:45 > 0:17:50is that the pedestals and the table come together, they join together.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53So you get this extraordinarily grand, rather opulent...
0:17:53 > 0:17:56rather masculine piece of furniture.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And the design of this sort is very much associated
0:17:59 > 0:18:03with one of the taste-makers of the early 19th century, Thomas Hope.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07The brass railings acted as a background
0:18:07 > 0:18:10to the display of the family plate,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14large chargers, that would have really displayed who you were,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17how grand you were.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22This is mahogany banded in this ebonised wood.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It's very strong, very bold.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28And, of course, the pedestals
0:18:28 > 0:18:31were to have plate drawers
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and cellarettes, quite often.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38And so sometimes they're lined or foiled with lead.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And... Oh, right, this is...
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- They both are.- Oh!
0:18:43 > 0:18:46This is not just lined with lead - this pretty well IS lead!
0:18:46 > 0:18:48It's really, really heavy.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And what's fantastic, and you so rarely see,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56is that inside you've got the little plug.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58I can't get it out.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01No, that one's soldered in. I think at some time it must have leaked.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06So, originally it would have been drained... It would have held water
0:19:06 > 0:19:09for rinsing glasses, for cooling wine.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13And you would then take out the drawer and drain it from there.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16That is absolutely wonderful. That is superb.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It really is heavy, isn't it?
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Well, I think this is a stupendous piece of furniture.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Absolutely...original.
0:19:25 > 0:19:31It's got little tiny bits of really not very significant damage on it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35I think if you were having to replace this,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40you'd be looking in a grand dealer's, at least £10,000.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45There's one little piece of information. I don't know whether you know.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- I don't even know if I should go into this...- The more I find out about it, the better.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56- Well, you know that the British had this curious idea that women leave the dining room...- Yes.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59..after the meal and go off and have tea or whatever?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02The gentlemen stayed with their port, telling stories.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Well, in order to... not have to leave the room
0:20:07 > 0:20:11to relieve themselves, to go off to the closet somewhere,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13they would often...
0:20:13 > 0:20:17have a pot in the pedestal.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22- Yes.- And would - discreetly, I hope - get up from the table
0:20:22 > 0:20:26- and piddle in the pot!- They could almost get underneath there!
0:20:26 > 0:20:29So, not particularly savoury in the dining room
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- but that is certainly what happened. - We keep wine glasses in it!
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Oh, this is really nice, this is lovely.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- A letter from John Betjeman. - Yes.- Dated...
0:20:40 > 0:20:451963. So I guess he was already a fairly elderly gentleman.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49So how in 1963 did John Betjeman come to be writing to you?
0:20:49 > 0:20:55- I'm intrigued.- I was still at school and I was trying quite hard to write myself,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and taking myself very seriously.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01And instead of writing
0:21:01 > 0:21:06- to footballers or pop stars, I was writing to writers.- Fantastic.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10So you sent a letter speculatively to John Betjeman?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Yes, I sent him some of my stuff and, lucky for me, he replied.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So he read your poems. Was he kind about them?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21He was, yeah. Yeah. He was very kind!
0:21:21 > 0:21:26"Dear Mr Whall," which is you, "my secretary kept back your poems for me to read
0:21:26 > 0:21:31"and I'm very glad she did. You write about what you really see and feel,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36"and you are not literary and derivative. Both qualities are rare.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40- "I wish you every success." That's really very nice, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- He was very kind. - He is being very kind.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- Fantastic. You must have felt really very encouraged.- I was, yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50- As a young poet.- Yeah, yeah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53What I like about this particularly is that he goes on.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57He doesn't just say what he thinks about YOUR poems, he seems to be telling us -
0:21:57 > 0:22:00telling YOU - what HE likes in HIS poems.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Look at this. "Personally, I like
0:22:03 > 0:22:06"rhyme, rhythm and 'trad' poetry,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09"but I don't think it's the only kind."
0:22:09 > 0:22:14- I think that's beautiful because that really sums up what Betjeman is for so many people.- Yes, yeah.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I can only imagine how you must have felt
0:22:17 > 0:22:19when the post came in the morning
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and these envelopes were plopping through the door
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- and you knew - or hoped - something was going to come.- I hoped.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30So, say, this brown envelope comes through the post,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32postmarked 31st January, 1967...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Who's it going to be from? This is very nice, again.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37This is Henry Williamson,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40who I suppose we think of most as a nature writer.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- He wrote Tarka The Otter. - And Salar The Salmon.- These are the things we know him best for.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49And he says, "Thank you for sending me your poem.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52"I could see at once that it is good."
0:22:52 > 0:22:54He doesn't just say "good", he underlines "good".
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- How did you feel when you read that? - That was enough!
0:22:58 > 0:23:02It's very hard to say whether these kind of things have a commercial value.
0:23:02 > 0:23:09- Of course.- Obviously, in terms of your development as a writer, they're absolutely immeasurable
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- in value.- I think so, yeah. - Did you carry on writing?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Yes, I have done. I'm still trying!
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Right, so you've got Betjeman,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20you've got Blunden, you've got Williamson...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- This is RS Thomas.- Mm.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27It's a nice little group. I suppose one could put a value
0:23:27 > 0:23:30of perhaps a couple of hundred pounds on them.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34But, as I say, the value is so much more to you, as a writer.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40I think it's the kind of thing I would like to pass on, I would like to leave to grandchildren and so on.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45- I think that would be lovely, to keep them together.- Yes. - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Your mother was clearly a multi-tasking lady.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Very much so, yes.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56So which came first - the mechanics or the fashion?
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Oh, the fashion. She went from school.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03I don't know whether she did a fashion qualification somewhere,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06but she then went to work for Gorringes in London
0:24:06 > 0:24:08as a fashion designer.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10And hence these wonderful designs.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Did she ever talk to you about it?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16A little, but when you're a teenager,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19unfortunately, you're not all that interested.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- She died when I was 25.- Oh, no!
0:24:22 > 0:24:26That's such a shame. The first one we've got here,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30this is very appropriate for being here on the promenade because
0:24:30 > 0:24:33that's a wonderful beach design.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I think it's come full swing
0:24:35 > 0:24:40because some of the beachwear that we have today
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- looks very like that.- I remember her wearing something similar she made
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- when I was a child.- Amazing!
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I don't quite understand this...
0:24:50 > 0:24:52little signature here.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Well, she was called Doris Mould
0:24:55 > 0:25:01but she signed all her artwork backwards - "Dluom Sirod".
0:25:01 > 0:25:05- Dluom Sirod!- Apparently, it was one of the things of the day. ..Sirod.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10- So, Mould came first and then... - Doris Mould.- Fascinating.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I didn't know that. I learn something every Roadshow.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I'm going to just pick that one
0:25:15 > 0:25:19because of the, if you like, the tartan effect.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I've got a dress with that tartan
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- so it's still very much in vogue. - Yes.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30I see here.. We don't advertise on TV but...
0:25:30 > 0:25:32um, look at this!
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- The original Liberty print.- Yes.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37For the most wonderful dress.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40That could be Princess Diana's dress, couldn't it?
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Then we come on to another one,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46and this is a silk, which is absolutely stunning.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49She's very good, the way she shows off these tiny waists and...
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The faces aren't great but who cares when you've got a great body!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59This is one of my favourites.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03This is crepe georgette, which is absolutely stunning.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And it shows, in fact,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10a man with what looks like either a lion or a poodle,
0:26:10 > 0:26:11I'm not quite sure!
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I've never looked at that properly.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16People who make new fabrics
0:26:16 > 0:26:20would give their eye teeth for these early pieces.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- Samples.- They can make different colours out of them and patterns
0:26:24 > 0:26:29- for today's fashion. So where do the mechanics come in?- Ah...
0:26:29 > 0:26:361941, I think it was, she joined the FANYs, the Female Army Nursing Yeomanry.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40And I think she was fairly quickly seconded into the ATS.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Um, and the Army decided to - as Mother put it -
0:26:44 > 0:26:49find out whether women were capable of doing mechanics!
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And she and three or four or five others were sent.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57And she told of lying under an Army lorry with three pairs of boots sticking out.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01And it was the first time she'd heard some very awful swearing.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06And she's rolled out from under the lorry, "Excuse me, sir, but what does that mean?"
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- At which point five men went purple. - Oh, how wonderful!
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- She had a great sense of humour. - She had to, I should think.- Yes.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17That was my mother,
0:27:17 > 0:27:18I think when she joined the FANYs,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21when she left Gorringes.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24And that's at our wedding in 1969, a little bit later,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28- but it shows you how elegant she was. - Yes, absolutely.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32So what are you going to do with them?
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Well, the family will keep some, we will frame some and keep them.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41But I've nearly 50, so I don't know whether some of them should be in a museum
0:27:41 > 0:27:44or whether to sell some of them or what. I mean...
0:27:44 > 0:27:48If you put them into auction, I don't think they'd make a huge amount of money.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51The name is not well-known enough.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55- No.- If you were lucky, you'd get, say, £50 - £100 each.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59But having said that, she's such an interesting woman
0:27:59 > 0:28:03and you've got all these family. And in a way...
0:28:03 > 0:28:08- We might keep them, I think. - Because it's very unusual to have a mechanic who's a woman
0:28:08 > 0:28:14- AND an artistic fashion designer. - Yes.- They don't normally go together.- No!
0:28:32 > 0:28:36You have a collection of post cards. You've brought this one in,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41- it's interesting?- Yes, it's a very special one, to do with the Titanic.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Anything to do with the Titanic is absolutely magical.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50Yes. Well, we had a student living with us and his aunt had passed away,
0:28:50 > 0:28:55who lived in Birkdale, which is about five minutes from here.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59He asked could he store some of her furniture in a room we had.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04There was a collection of postcards so they said, "Have whatever you wish."
0:29:04 > 0:29:09- We chose the postcards and this one was in the collection.- Wonderful.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Let me tell you about Titanic postcards, in general.
0:29:13 > 0:29:19- If you have one that's photographic, they command quite a lot of money. - Oh, right.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24But if you have one that's printed, as this one is, they're not so important.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- Right.- But...
0:29:27 > 0:29:32this is the magic, and I'd better read it.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37It says, "My dear Clara, we have heard good news.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40"Aunty has not gone down with the Titanic.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43"She has been listed in the paper 'saved'.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48"We'll see you tomorrow. With best love. Alice."
0:29:48 > 0:29:53Wonderful. Imagine the joy that this postcard must have generated!
0:29:53 > 0:29:57- Oh, yes.- And the postmark is the 19th April,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00so this is five days...
0:30:00 > 0:30:03- After, yes.- ..after the Titanic sank.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Wonderful little postcard.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09- It's very special. - So we come to values.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- Yes.- Any idea?
0:30:11 > 0:30:14- No, not really.- Well...
0:30:14 > 0:30:20one was sold, which was photographic, to an American on the telephone,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and it fetched £700.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24Oh, gosh.
0:30:24 > 0:30:31Now, yours isn't photographic as such, but it's the message on the back here
0:30:31 > 0:30:37that makes it so important, and of course, your postcard is certainly worth more than £1,000.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Oh, gosh.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Thank you very much!
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Would you describe yourself as a romantic?
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- Yes, I would.- Why?
0:30:47 > 0:30:52Well, I think it runs in the family. My mother was very much the romantic.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58The reason I ask is because I wonder how you would have felt
0:30:58 > 0:31:01if somebody had given you...
0:31:01 > 0:31:03that diamond heart.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08Cos I think, as a gift, I think this is absolutely beautiful.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13- Yes, I quite agree.- It does, I have to say, bring out the romantic.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17You can't get a more romantic shape than a heart.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Tell me a little bit about it.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Well, it belonged to my late mother.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26She died around four years ago. She bought it privately.
0:31:26 > 0:31:33- I don't know how much for. - Do you know when she bought it? - Probably about 18-20 years ago.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38All right, we can see it's absolutely packed
0:31:38 > 0:31:41with diamonds at the front.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46The way that the diamonds are set is described as "pavee set".
0:31:46 > 0:31:50And what the jeweller has done when he made this,
0:31:50 > 0:31:56in the centre, he's placed a drop-shaped white diamond,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59of great beauty and great purity.
0:31:59 > 0:32:05That drop-shaped diamond in the centre is then contrasted with the surrounding diamonds,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07which are known as "rose-cuts".
0:32:07 > 0:32:11To reinforce the importance of the heart,
0:32:11 > 0:32:15you've got diamonds in the pendant loop.
0:32:15 > 0:32:21As beautiful as the front of this piece is, there's another feature about this piece, which, I must say,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24I find really... I can connect with.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Because when you turn it over, you have a locket compartment.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32- Did your mother use that compartment?- No, she didn't.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Well, this is not glass.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39This is rock crystal. That shows the pedigree of the piece.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Within, you've got the whole cage-work setting
0:32:43 > 0:32:46of the diamonds at the back,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50showing you just what a complex design the setter has used.
0:32:50 > 0:32:56Like a lot of late 19th century pieces, it's mounted in gold and silver.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01It wasn't until the 20th century that you started to see the development and use
0:33:01 > 0:33:08of new methods, like platinum. So the date of this is round about the very end of the 19th century.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13The other thing about it is, doesn't it look very nice in the box?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16It's true to say that a fitted case for something
0:33:16 > 0:33:19shows it off to its most beautiful effect.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Has a jeweller looked at it? Has it been valued ever?
0:33:23 > 0:33:27When my mother died, the estate had it valued
0:33:27 > 0:33:31and they valued it at between £1,200-£1,500.
0:33:31 > 0:33:37- How long ago would that have been? - About four years ago. - So, £1,200-£1,500...
0:33:37 > 0:33:42I think is too low, for all the reasons that I've given to you.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45You've got this wonderful white diamond in the middle,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48this packed out rose-cut diamond frame,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53the condition of it, which is absolutely as if it had come off the jeweller's bench yesterday,
0:33:53 > 0:33:57in the original fitted box, and...everyone loves hearts.
0:33:57 > 0:34:04If you did something commercial around February 14th, imagine how many people would like this!
0:34:04 > 0:34:07So I think I'm going to beat that price.
0:34:07 > 0:34:13- I think this is worth at least £4,000-£5,000.- Gosh. Good heavens!
0:34:15 > 0:34:20So we have a photograph of a very impressive looking lady. Who is she?
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Leonora Cohen. She was the mother-in-law of my godmother.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28- Did you ever know her?- No. I might have met her when I was very small.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32But she, obviously, was a considerable age.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36We've got here... This is hers. Why did she get the OBE?
0:34:36 > 0:34:38- She was a suffragette.- Right.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40And is she in this photograph?
0:34:40 > 0:34:45- She is this lady here.- So here we have a Radio Times cover from 1974.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49- How old was she then?- She was 100.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54- So these, presumably, were three surviving suffragettes.- Yes.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56What do you know about her career?
0:34:56 > 0:35:03I don't know that much, to be honest. I have some newspaper clippings, but I don't know that much about her.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08- Do you know what suffragettes are? - No, not really.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12- I think they tried to get the vote. - Exactly.
0:35:12 > 0:35:19Leonora Cohen, as far as I know, was a very, very important suffragette.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21- She was.- She was right at the heart of the movement.
0:35:21 > 0:35:27- Mrs Pankhurst... Do you know her?- I think she was the most famous one.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Mrs Pankhurst was, in a sense, the key suffragette. She got it all going.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38She gathered together this group of militant women who were prepared to fight to put it on the line.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Leonora Cohen was, in a sense... Bodyguard is the wrong word...
0:35:42 > 0:35:47but she was a personal assistant who travelled round with her.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50But the key thing, of course, is what is in here.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54To me, this is total and complete magic. Do you know what it is?
0:35:54 > 0:35:59- I think it's a medal of some sort. - That's right.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Do you know why these medals were given?
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- No.- One of the things the suffragettes did,
0:36:05 > 0:36:09was when they were breaking windows or whatever, they were often arrested,
0:36:09 > 0:36:14and when they went to prison, they refused to eat, and they refused to drink.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19They carried on their protest in prison. Can you imagine, you've been arrested and taken to prison,
0:36:19 > 0:36:27- and then, you don't eat or drink. They were either force-fed... - I think she was force-fed.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32From what I know of her career, she did two crucial things. One - she went into the Tower of London,
0:36:32 > 0:36:38and with an iron bar hidden in her coat, she broke one of the cases and hit the crown jewels.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- Why did she do that?- It was all about bringing attention.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47You had to do violent things. Otherwise, the papers wouldn't report it.
0:36:47 > 0:36:54And here she is, I think, going back to the Tower of London. She's visiting the scene of her crime.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56She was locked up in the Tower.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01But later, when the Prime Minister Asquith came to talk in Leeds,
0:37:01 > 0:37:07she threw a brick through a window, again, to attract attention, to say, "Look, we're fighting!"
0:37:07 > 0:37:12and for that, she was locked up in Armley Gaol in Leeds. And that's when she did her hunger strike.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18So then, only those women who had taken part in the hunger strikes were given the medal
0:37:18 > 0:37:21by the suffragettes. I'm gonna read this...
0:37:21 > 0:37:26"Leonora Cohen, by the Women's and Political Union in recognition of a gallant action,
0:37:26 > 0:37:31"whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship
0:37:31 > 0:37:36"a great principle of political justice was vindicated." Wonderful stuff, I think!
0:37:36 > 0:37:41But this is what you've got. So these are the remains of that great career.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46- But she lived to be over 100. - Absolutely fantastic. - What a heroine!
0:37:46 > 0:37:52I'm just so excited about this, but I think these were great days of our history.
0:37:52 > 0:37:58- I wish people fought like this now. - So do I. We're very proud to have her as part of our family.- Yeah.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03You must really think this was a great woman. You're so lucky.
0:38:03 > 0:38:09- Now, in Roadshow terms, of course, values. Do you know what all this is worth?- I don't have a clue.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14The OBE is not really significant - it's a few hundred pounds - because there are lots of them.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Come to this.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Here we have...
0:38:18 > 0:38:20the tops.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24It's the medal for hunger strike. They're very rare.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It's in the box. It's personalised to her.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And, therefore, that is going to be...
0:38:32 > 0:38:34as good as it gets.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38She was also a key figure - a lieutenant of Mrs Pankhurst.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43- You've got there, I would say, about £7,000.- Oh, my God!
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Gosh!
0:38:48 > 0:38:54- It's a lot of money, but this is family history. You must never, ever sell it!- No, I would never sell it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58- Would I be able to put it somewhere where people could see it? - You can lend it to a museum,
0:38:58 > 0:39:04to Armley, to Leeds Museum. There must be other suffragette stuff there. It should be seen.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06It cannot get better than that.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Thank you very much.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14We've had some amazingly long queues here today,
0:39:14 > 0:39:19which is quite appropriate for a place which has boasted the longest pier in the country.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23It also boasts the smallest pub, but that's another story.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26From Southport, for now, goodbye.