0:00:52 > 0:00:55The land of song is also a land of castles.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01The sheer scale and beauty of Powis Castle in mid Wales is quite operatic.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04High on a narrow ridge overlooking the Severn Valley,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09this red stone fortress has hardly changed since the Middle Ages.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13With a little help over the years, the formal gardens look today
0:01:13 > 0:01:19pretty much as they would have looked when they were first laid out in the 17th century.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33Conway, Caernarfon and Harlech were all built with one purpose -
0:01:33 > 0:01:39to keep the Welsh in check, but Powis began life as a stronghold of Welsh princes.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Sandwiched between its powerful neighbours to the west,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Gwynedd, and to the east, England.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52The princes of Powis held on to their kingdom and when the medieval
0:01:52 > 0:01:57wars were over, their castle endured while others fell into decay.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03In 1587, Powis was sold to the hugely wealthy Herbert family,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06who had estates in England and Wales
0:02:06 > 0:02:08as well as connections with the English monarchy.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11The first Herbert to live here, Sir Edward,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15put his mark on the castle in various ways, including the creation
0:02:15 > 0:02:17of one of its most romantic rooms,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21the long gallery, festooned, as you might expect, with family portraits.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34As with all dynasties, some generations devoted themselves to enhancing the family home,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37others were more interested in their own private pleasures,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40so the place had its good and its bad times.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47In the early 1900s, the 4th Earl, George Herbert, and his wife Violet,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50decided it was time for some serious restoration.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56George worked on refurbishing the interior of the castle, remodelling several of the principal areas,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00like the dining room and the oak drawing room.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The formal gardens were Violet's territory. She took personal charge
0:03:07 > 0:03:11of the staff and drew up elaborate plans to revive the baroque gardens.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21She somehow found time to keep a journal.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26She wrote "I see velvet lawns and wide paths,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30"rose gardens, fountains and clipped yews,"
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and she boasted, "The garden shall be one of the most beautiful,
0:03:34 > 0:03:39"if not THE most beautiful, in England and Wales".
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Did she succeed?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44What do you think?
0:03:44 > 0:03:48So thanks to the Herberts for bringing Powis back to its former glory,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and beyond, and thanks to our
0:03:50 > 0:03:53host today, the National Trust, who have been giving it
0:03:53 > 0:03:56the famous white glove treatment for over 50 years.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- They look like twins. Are they? - They were bought at the same time.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05My great grandfather bought them for his two daughters,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10which would have been my grandmother and my great aunt, and they've stayed in the family ever since.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13That's my grandmother and my great aunt.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15And with the bears.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18With the bears, new, newly bought in about 1910.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Fantastic, and were they kept together all that time?
0:04:22 > 0:04:26They were passed on. One was given to me and one was given to my cousin.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- Yes. - Who's recently decided that she would
0:04:30 > 0:04:35move house and didn't want hers any longer, so I said, "Please, please let me have them back together".
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Well done, you, because it's so unusual to get this size and the fact that they're a pair.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Oh, really?- So which one was yours?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Um, this one.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50This one I've had since I was about ten.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55- Really?- Yes.- How fantastic. Sadly they're not by Steiff.- No, no.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- We did know that.- You did know that. Who do you think they're by?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01We don't know but we think they were bought at a trade fair.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I'd love to know what he paid for them, because they look so
0:05:04 > 0:05:10- different here when they were new to when they've been so much loved. - They've been loved.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16And it could be that one should be called Fred Bear and the other Thread Bear! What do you think?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18- Sorry.- I think you're right.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23So when you inherited yours, was he like that?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Probably yes, I think they were well used by the two little girls.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32Yes, this one's had, um, suede pads put on because obviously they
0:05:32 > 0:05:36wore out and your one's had felt pads put on,
0:05:36 > 0:05:41and originally they would have been felt, not suede.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- Oh, right.- Um, equally I think yours has been kissed so much on the mouth
0:05:45 > 0:05:49that he's had a little bit of a face-lift if you like,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but aren't they absolutely splendid and such a big size.
0:05:53 > 0:05:59I said they're not by Steiff but they are German and I can't pinpoint which make it is.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The speciality about them is that they're together and they're twins,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06so I would insure them...
0:06:06 > 0:06:08for £2,000.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Really?
0:06:11 > 0:06:16- Wow!- It is so rare to get this size, exactly the same,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19with this wonderful history.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Well, thank you very much.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Pleasure.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30This is the sort of piece I absolutely love,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32but what do you do with it?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I don't know, that's a question we've been asked many times.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Right. OK, so it's really quite an intriguing piece.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Now, what you actually have to do...
0:06:42 > 0:06:44first of all you open up the top bit.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- Yes.- Then that extends.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Mm.- And that comes up.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It's never done that before.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- No, it hasn't.- We've talked about it at many parties.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Do you know, I can see that, look at all that muck round there.- Yes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03I've been to many of Celia's dinner parties and after a few drinks we've tried to find out what it did.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08- And we've never been able to. - I don't think after a few drinks is the right moment to try to find...
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Much more fun, though!
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Much more fun. - That is true, that is true.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15So, the tube that we've got here...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17can you see there?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Just an opening at the top, OK?
0:07:19 > 0:07:25- Yes, yes. - Now, you have to take this off.- Ah.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29And then, you've got this lovely spring, OK?
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- Right.- And what you do is put a candle inside there,
0:07:34 > 0:07:40then put that in, that spring loads the candle, OK?
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- Mm, right.- Then, that screws back in.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- And the way that's curved there at the top.- Yes.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54As the candle is burning, it holds it at exactly the right level.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56- Oh, right.- Oh, right.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58And so the spring is just steadily pushing that up.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Ah, so it's slowly making it...
0:08:00 > 0:08:06Yes, as it burns down at the top and just pushes, and it keeps it at the right level to reflect...
0:08:06 > 0:08:08at least when it's clean.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12This is a reference to your cleaning ability.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16And it keeps it at exactly the right level to reflect the light back.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Now, there are two other things you can do with it.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The mind boggles.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Now, if you're going to read in bed or something like that.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- Oh.- That then hooks on, OK?
0:08:29 > 0:08:36Or, if you haven't got somewhere suitable to hook it, you then...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Let's get that right.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Isn't that beautiful, the way that works?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- It is beautiful, it's lovely. - It's amazing.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48That splays out so you can then, with that up, read.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Ah, so all has been revealed.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56So the little piece that's under here,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- what's that for? - Ah, now that's fascinating as well.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02There wouldn't be matches, would there?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Yes, there would.- There would be matches, oh, so that's what it is.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Just close that up for a moment.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10That's the striker and then... well, I say matches, they would be Vestas.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- Yes.- Yes.- So, it's a travelling piece, of course.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- Right.- And would be part of a whole travelling set.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22- Yes.- So it really is the most fascinating and rare piece.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28We've got the London hallmarks there and those are actually for 1878.
0:09:28 > 0:09:34- Yes.- And the company involved is that of Frederick Purnell.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36It's not the easiest of pieces to put a value on.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40I can't remember one coming on the market recently. They only rarely
0:09:40 > 0:09:46come on the market, but I think we're looking at at least £2,000.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Oh!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Wonderful.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56- Party time.- Won't be sold, won't be sold, but at least we can tell our friends at dinner parties now.
0:09:56 > 0:10:02- Now we know.- It's cast a bit more light on it, hasn't it? - Yes.- Oh! Well done. I like the pun.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- Oh, that's funny, thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14It was a present from my late husband.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Do you collect this sort of thing?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18No, no, it was just a one-off.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19He just turned up with it?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- Yes. - And did he say anything about it?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Only the usual endearments when he gave me a present.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- How sweet, and do you love it?- Yes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- I think the workmanship is fabulous. - So do I.- But I've no idea...
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Incredible, isn't it? - ..where it's came from or anything.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Right, well, if you go back to the 18th century,
0:10:36 > 0:10:41great time for giving presents to ladies.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Ladies like little things, you know, and you would indeed, as he gave it to you...
0:10:45 > 0:10:51This would, in about 1770-75, have been given to a loved one.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55And what it is, it's a blue glass bottle which has been facet cut,
0:10:55 > 0:11:03they've cut these lozenges into it, very akin to drinking glasses of the time, then it's been enamelled.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05One of the main enamellers in London...
0:11:05 > 0:11:10and this is London decorated at the time... is a man called James Giles.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13He did everything from drinking glasses to little toys.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17This was coming under the class of a toy at the time.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23And this one is very unusual for being so well delineated.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27We've got landscapes in here, sort of Chinoiserie landscapes,
0:11:27 > 0:11:35mad birds, flowers and this fantastic bouquet of flowers on the back side.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- And the little bees as well. - Butterflies, indeed.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Original gold cover, and original stopper.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- That's often missing.- Yes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49Now, the lady would have taken this to Vauxhall Gardens, which were the great place
0:11:49 > 0:11:53for entertainment of the time, music and shows,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58and as she passed some disgustingly pooey
0:11:58 > 0:12:01member of the populous, she would have...
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- ..onto her handkerchief.- Yes.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10Just to cover up the pong, and of course everybody did smell then, you know, we didn't bathe.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- No deodorants. - No deodorants, absolutely right.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19I think that's a corking example and we're looking at somewhere between...
0:12:19 > 0:12:21£1,500 and £1,800.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Oh, wow.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- As much as that?- Indeed, it was a lovely, lovely present.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32It certainly was, certainly was, you've made me feel weepy now.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Oh, bear up.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42- An original script. "Dr Who" 1977. I mean obviously that's the Tom Baker days.- Indeed, yes, yes.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I mean, in my view the best Dr Who.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- Mm.- It's debatable, yeah.- Debatable.
0:12:48 > 0:12:55- How did you get hold of this? - My wife's aunt, who was the mother of one of the people on the team,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58was using it for scrap paper.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02in fact, on the back you've got about doing dried flowers, and it was only
0:13:02 > 0:13:07afterwards that she suddenly discovered what she'd actually got and it was a Dr Who script.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Someone should be in trouble...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They really... I mean, they've done such...
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Well, not a terrible thing, but it has made a huge difference. I mean,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20the "Women's Institute flowers for growing and drying"
0:13:20 > 0:13:25- written all over the back of a '77 Dr Who script does take some beating.- Quite.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27It was only when we discovered...
0:13:27 > 0:13:32or when the wife discovered what it was that we "Oh, this is worth keeping," as simple as that.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Yeah, I mean, to have something like a Dr Who script, "Horror of Fang Rock",
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I mean, you can't get a better title than that.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- No.- And have you ever seen this episode, or..?
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Yes, we actually bought the DVD of it, and we haven't actually gone through yet to make sure
0:13:46 > 0:13:50that it is verbatim but that's one of the things we want to do.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- Right, I mean these now are so hugely collected.- Right.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59- I mean, with the latest series that Dr Who's been doing, the value of the things has just shot up.- Really?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03So it's staggering, but in this sort of condition you'd be looking at...
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- easily sort of £300-£500.- Right.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10Without the dried flower scribbling, you'd be looking at £500-£700.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Yes.- And it's something which is steadily rising so...- Really?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15It doesn't matter that much, but obviously to the sort of
0:14:15 > 0:14:20purist collector, it will make a bit of a difference, but it's such a fun object.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Who is this charming little girl, and how did you come by it?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27It's my daughter Sarah. We were on holiday in Plymouth
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and we saw a studio that was advertising
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- on the window that you could go in and have a pencil drawing done. - So this was on the street?
0:14:34 > 0:14:41On the street, yeah, in Plymouth Hoe and we went in and Mr Lenkiewicz was there, we didn't know who he was.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46- Mr Lenkiewicz was the artist? - The artist, yes, that's right, got no idea who he was at the time,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50but, um, just thought it would be nice as a little souvenir.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- And can you remember the experience of...- Yes, very well.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Um, he just sat with her, and my husband and I just sat to the side
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and it was done in about two or three minutes, very quick.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Two or three minutes?- Yes, yes, very quick.- What did the artist look like?
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Very scary.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Um, he'd got very long hair, dressed in black, completely in black,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13didn't speak to us at all,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16he didn't say a word at all and when he'd finished drawing,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20he just held it up for our approval and we said "yes"
0:15:20 > 0:15:24and that was it, he just held his hand out for the money and that was it, really.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- And the money was? - £3, I think. Yes, £3.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29£3, right. And the date we're talking about?
0:15:29 > 0:15:321975.
0:15:32 > 0:15:38- And I suppose many portrait painters make their living first by doing that.- That's right, yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43The extraordinary thing is that you chose with that £3 an artist who was to become one of the most...
0:15:43 > 0:15:45That's right.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48..well known, talked about, infamous artists of the last ten years.
0:15:48 > 0:15:55- Yeah, yeah.- Certainly when he died recently, his studio estates were sold in a number of auctions
0:15:55 > 0:16:00- and caused great interest, because he was a bizarre figure, was he not? - Mm, very.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05- Do you know much about him? - Um, just that he liked to paint dead people and I do know that after his
0:16:05 > 0:16:12death, um, they did find a body that had been embalmed in his studio, in a drawer.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- Nice(!)- Yes, very nice, yes(!)
0:16:15 > 0:16:19- I mean, he was infamous on a number of levels.- Yeah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25Well, rather like a good share option, you bought into
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- an interesting artist at an early stage, before he took off.- Yes.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- So you paid for it, £3.- £3, yes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:39- Well, it is your daughter, very pretty as she is, it's not the subject that everyone wants.- No.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43They sort of would prefer portraits of tramps which is what he did very well.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- Yes, yes, yes, that's right.- But having said that, it's so charming,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50it's done with such swiftness and it's worth about £500 or £600.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Really? Really?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55LAUGHTER
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Well, I gave it to her a couple of years ago
0:16:58 > 0:17:01when she moved into her own house and I said to her "Would you like this?"
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and she said "No, thank you,"
0:17:03 > 0:17:06but I've got a feeling she's going to say "Yes, please" now.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09That's wonderful.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's a bit of a name drop but not so very long ago, I was at
0:17:13 > 0:17:20the top of the Rockefeller Center in New York in Manhattan, drinking a Manhattan, and I can tell
0:17:20 > 0:17:25you now, having drunk one of those, I know exactly how the Americans got
0:17:25 > 0:17:31a man on the moon because I've drank the stuff that got him there, but it's good to know that the cocktail
0:17:31 > 0:17:34is alive and well here in Welshpool,
0:17:34 > 0:17:40because you are the proud owner of a fascinating cocktail cabinet.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46I'm definitely the owner but I'm not particularly fond of it, I've got to admit, No, not particularly.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- Bit of a monstrosity. - You think it's a monstrosity?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Yes, I think it is. My husband loves it and that's why we've kept it,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55but I would have taken it to the dump if I'd have had my way.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57You would have... Now, it's very interesting...
0:17:57 > 0:18:02I'd like to know where the dump is here in Welshpool because I would be a regular visitor there if this sort
0:18:02 > 0:18:07- of thing was to turn up, because at first glance, it could be anything, couldn't it?- Yeah.
0:18:07 > 0:18:14What is interesting is the use of peach-mirrored glass. Now, peach mirror and a sort of strange
0:18:14 > 0:18:19electric-blue type of mirroring, very popular in the 1920s, 1930s.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22If I'm going to date this, I would say it's probably around
0:18:22 > 0:18:28about 1930-1935 so it's of an age where they're using new materials.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Yeah.- Shall we have a look inside?
0:18:31 > 0:18:37- Inside, OK.- Because if I was to pull this forward, and that is seriously heavy,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40that is very heavy indeed.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Um, you're missing, obviously, a layer there, you're missing a tray
0:18:45 > 0:18:49and they usually slide in, as you can see, there are the two slides... you've not got that?
0:18:49 > 0:18:56- There was one, it was broken when it was given to us.- Hang on, you said it was given to you?- Yeah.- OK.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01A friend of ours living in Brighton and he moved to Thailand and he gave us this because he obviously couldn't
0:19:01 > 0:19:04take it to Thailand with him, so it was a present, basically.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- Bit of a reluctant present? - For me, yes.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11I don't want to labour the point. I mean, let's face it, at the end of the day, as long as it goes
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- with your curtains, that's all that matters, isn't it?- Oh, yes. - You know.
0:19:14 > 0:19:21I can't see any maker's label or retailer's label but I think it's safe to assume that it's British.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- OK.- And you keep it well stocked.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Is this your normal sort of range of drinks because there's...
0:19:27 > 0:19:32- It's a bit thin on the ground, - but, yeah. It is a bit thin on the ground, complete with,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- with cocktail glasses.- Yes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37That's just crying out for a margarita, isn't it?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Possibly.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42So, you've got a little bit of damage here.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- Yeah.- Have you got that? - Yes, the piece is...
0:19:45 > 0:19:46- Oh, you've got the piece?- Yes.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51OK, so I'd advise you get that put back on as soon as possible.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- Yeah.- Mm, nice friend?
0:19:53 > 0:19:54Yeah, very nice friend.
0:19:54 > 0:20:02Yes, I think so too because if I wanted to go and replace this today, I've got quite a good
0:20:02 > 0:20:08- precedent because this is the second one I've seen in a week. Can you believe it?- Oh, right. No.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I've not seen one for about 20 years, I see two in a week.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14The other one was in a saleroom in London
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and it was priced in the region of...
0:20:18 > 0:20:20£1,500-£2,000.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- Wow!- Yeah?
0:20:22 > 0:20:24- I still don't like it any better.- No!
0:20:24 > 0:20:30- They say money talks, but in your case it doesn't make a jot of difference, does it?- Not really, no.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- No.- I can't get rid of it because our cat sits on the top of it, so...
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- Your..?- Cat.- Oh, really?- Yes, yes.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39So it's not so much a cocktail cabinet, it's more a cat stand.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- Yes, cat stand.- OK.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46This is the most decadent cat stand I think I have ever had the privilege of handling.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51- But given a choice, could you make mine a Manhattan?- Yes, for sure.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10In Roadshow folklore, there is one name that always brings a smile to
0:21:10 > 0:21:13the faces of people who didn't even see him when he was on the show.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Looking back over 30 years, there is no doubt that he helped
0:21:16 > 0:21:19to make the show a hit, and the show made him a star.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21That's what I like best of all...
0:21:21 > 0:21:24this. The proper baby chair, that...
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I should think that's worth about, er...
0:21:27 > 0:21:28something like...
0:21:28 > 0:21:32You haven't given up all hope of having children, have you? Eh?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Bless my soul.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36No.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44I'm talking of course about Arthur Negus and looking back with me is Arthur's daughter, Ann Savery.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Ann, very nice to meet you. How did Arthur get involved in the very first place?
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Well, he started on Going For A Song
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and later when the Antiques Roadshow was conceived,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the producer called him and asked him to take part, which he did.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02And he always seemed to enjoy it so much, he was very relaxed,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05sort of avuncular. Did he enjoy it as much as he seemed to?
0:22:05 > 0:22:12Oh, he enjoyed it immensely, he was never nervous, he was always in anticipation of what he might find,
0:22:12 > 0:22:19what treasures may be brought in. He was always more interested in the craftsmanship than the value.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29I don't know whether people can imagine what this is,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31but it's on an adjustable column here like this
0:22:31 > 0:22:36and of course it can be raised and fixed up at that height
0:22:36 > 0:22:40and so now everyone will know, it is in fact a wool winder,
0:22:40 > 0:22:46but it really is the best one I think I've ever seen, it honestly cannot be faulted.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Well, my husband will be pleased about that, he'll say "It was a good investment after all".
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Yes, he'll sleep better tonight. - Yes, he will.- Yes, indeed.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Now, what was Arthur's passion? I imagine it was furniture.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04Furniture came first, always, he loved wood, he used to stroke the
0:23:04 > 0:23:09table tops, the cabriole legs which gave rise to a lot of jokes,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13but I think probably his favourite find was
0:23:13 > 0:23:20a cabinet maker's tool box, because his father was a cabinet maker and it brought back so many memories.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Well, let's have a look inside, see what the chap did.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Now you see you'll be rather surprised
0:23:26 > 0:23:29because we'll strip it down a bit, just take that away.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35There you see is a man who you can nearly hear him saying "I won't take
0:23:35 > 0:23:40"my tools away in a box like this, I'll make a little fittings to go in here",
0:23:40 > 0:23:47all in mahogany, all banded with satin wood, everywhere little satin wood bands, all the drawers
0:23:47 > 0:23:50fitted, like this, little drawers.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57All got tools, rules, odds and ends, everything. Now what's in here?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- That's another compartment, Arthur. - Yes.- For more tools.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Let's have a decko.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07By the time I get this out, it'll all be broken,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09but it'll be all right.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14Good lord, that takes me back, oh, 50, no, 60 years.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18- Yeah. - When I used to come home from school
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and my father would be in a workshop like you would,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23perhaps he'd join two bits of wood together like this
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and he'd say "Just come and help... Just put this hand screw on there"
0:24:26 > 0:24:28And I used to screw it down, tight,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31the tighter you get it, I thought "Lovely"...
0:24:31 > 0:24:36- Oh, I'd love some of these, I would really, I'm very pleased to have met you.- Thank you very much.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Yeah, and thank you for bringing it all down, thank you.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41The great thing was of course, he knew from first-hand
0:24:41 > 0:24:46how these things were made, but what was it like for you to have your father a star?
0:24:46 > 0:24:51Well, I lost my identity and became "Arthur Negus's daughter" long ago.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56He was recognised everywhere and I was very fortunate to have him as a father.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01- And I think we all benefited. Ann, thank you very much. - You're welcome, Michael.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10What have you got in your bubble wrap?
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Well, I've got some commemorative ware which is really very appropriate
0:25:14 > 0:25:17for the location today, it's about Powis Castle.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22- Right.- And the commemorative ware is in respect of Viscount Clive.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23So this is Powis Castle here?
0:25:23 > 0:25:28This is Powis Castle but not the view that we see from this angle, it is from the other side of the castle
0:25:28 > 0:25:30which was originally the front entrance.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Ah, right before some alterations.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- That's right. - Well, you've got that one there.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41- I've got one as well, snap.- Oh. - Now mine's come out the castle,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43so where did you get yours from?
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Where did I buy mine? I bought mine from an auction several years ago, I collect local
0:25:48 > 0:25:52memorabilia and in particular Powis Castle because it's always been a very special place to me.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55So what do you think's happened here with this title at the bottom?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Well, it commemorates the attaining of his majority
0:25:58 > 0:26:01of Viscount Clive on his 21st birthday.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07It's quite an interesting one in that it is reputed that Viscount Clive, who eventually became
0:26:07 > 0:26:13the 3rd Earl of Powis, there was a large party and in fact the statue behind us, Pegasus, was originally
0:26:13 > 0:26:19a fountain, and to celebrate they actually filled the fountain with beer, so that it spouted beer.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Right. The interesting with these things is obviously they were made
0:26:22 > 0:26:27for a grand dinner for him attaining his majority, but you never know whether they were given to the
0:26:27 > 0:26:30guests or whether the guests kind of took them away,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34as I have with Lord Powis' plate today, so, er...
0:26:34 > 0:26:37but he is getting it back, I've assured them.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41They're fascinating and, you know, an ordinary plate like that
0:26:41 > 0:26:43is worth £20 or £30. Take my hand away,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48you have Powis Castle in the middle, it turns a plate from £20 to £30
0:26:48 > 0:26:50to one almost worth £200 or £300.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- Hopefully you paid less than that. - I did pay slightly less, but it was some time ago.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Thank you for bringing it in.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Well, if I was to say to you that all the jewels on this table
0:27:04 > 0:27:07meant exactly the same thing, would that come as a surprise to you?
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Yes, it would actually.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Because they're so varied aren't they?- Yeah.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15A strange sort of grey stone here, an amethyst, and mother of pearl and
0:27:15 > 0:27:19little coloured stones, but tell me about them in your family.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24Well, I believe they belonged to my great grandmother, Penelope Godber,
0:27:24 > 0:27:30and, um, they lived in Malaya before the war, Second World War.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34During the war I think she was a nurse and when everyone was told
0:27:34 > 0:27:37to evacuate, which happened very, very quickly, she refused to leave
0:27:37 > 0:27:43until the very last boat went, which was then bombed and then they were in the lifeboat which
0:27:43 > 0:27:50was then machine-gunned so she didn't survive, but we found out from the book that was written afterwards.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53It was a very sad story but her husband and my grandfather went
0:27:53 > 0:27:59back to find her after the war, and of course they didn't,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02but they did go back to where they used to live because they'd...
0:28:02 > 0:28:06apart from trying to find her, they'd hidden all their valuables under an
0:28:06 > 0:28:11outbuilding in a big jam jar, and it was still there, that's how we've still got them.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13- And these were in jam jars? - I think so, yes.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Yes, how marvellous, what an extraordinary story and this
0:28:16 > 0:28:18says a lot about jewellery in a way because it's very permanent.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21I just wanted to talk to you a little bit about the meaning of
0:28:21 > 0:28:24them all, because they do actually mean roughly the same sort of thing.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28This is arguably a sort of cameo really but it's made out of the most
0:28:28 > 0:28:32- extraordinary material, looks like sort of grey soap, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Have you thought about it at all?
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Well, I don't like it, I think it's morbid and ugly.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- You really don't like that one at all.- No, not really, no.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Well, it's jolly interesting art historically because it's actually made of grey lava
0:28:43 > 0:28:47and it's a volcanic rock and it comes almost certainly from Vesuvius
0:28:47 > 0:28:50and it was a little souvenir that you might bring back from Pompeii.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55The subject matter's really rather funny actually because it's called "The sale of Cupids"
0:28:55 > 0:28:57you can see the girl has a little cage full of...
0:28:57 > 0:29:00instead of chickens, she's got Cupids for sale
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and these girls are buying them and so...
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- Oh.- It's sort of love for sale, you know, I mean, that would be nice, wouldn't it?
0:29:06 > 0:29:10I'm not sure, anyway this is an amethyst and pearl brooch and the amethyst
0:29:10 > 0:29:14- stands for devotion and devoted love.- Mm, yes.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19So love for sale, devotion, pearls for Venus, need we say more?
0:29:19 > 0:29:22And this one too, it's a heart- shaped jewel and it's
0:29:22 > 0:29:25amongst the more surprising of all three on the table.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- Well, that's just fun, isn't it? - It is fun.- Yeah.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32But it's a great deal more than fun actually, says he with some menace in his voice.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- OK.- Because there's a sort of handwriting in jewellery of this
0:29:35 > 0:29:39sort and actually I do recognise this handwriting as being that of
0:29:39 > 0:29:42a family of jewellers, at least a married couple of jewellers
0:29:42 > 0:29:44called Georgie and Arthur Gaskin.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Now they were working in Birmingham in the Arts and Crafts taste
0:29:47 > 0:29:48and they are jolly famous.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51- Scaring me now!- And...
0:29:51 > 0:29:53That's what I'm trying to do...
0:29:53 > 0:29:57So mother of pearl hearts surrounded by forget-me-not flowers in silver,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59heightened with little precious stones,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02an Arts and Crafts jewel, so three sentimental jewels
0:30:02 > 0:30:06with a more than sentimental, if not almost
0:30:06 > 0:30:09unbearably tragic history, bringing them all together at
0:30:09 > 0:30:14this table, and a bewildering range of prices really, because if you're lucky enough to find this...
0:30:14 > 0:30:18And I don't think you would be lucky actually because... I do like that, it's a bit austere
0:30:18 > 0:30:25- but I think it's a good, good thing, you might not have to pay more than, say, you know, £120 for it.- Mm.
0:30:25 > 0:30:31This one curiously out of fashion at the moment yet very, very beautiful and very intense pure colour of
0:30:31 > 0:30:38purple, probably no more than say £200 or £300 also completely given away I think in the modern climate.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42This one rather different, Gaskins are very collected, very sought after,
0:30:42 > 0:30:47- people like jewellery with an identity and, um...- I've got good taste then!
0:30:47 > 0:30:51You certainly have, you just love it and it comes from your heart, you knew nothing of this
0:30:51 > 0:30:55before that, you did love it, so I'm going to value that one at...
0:30:55 > 0:31:00- well, close to £1,000.- OK. Good.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10This is every girl's dream, a beautiful white wedding dress and it was yours.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Tell me a little bit more.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17It was made by Laura Ashley, one of the first wedding dresses she ever made.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21My brother in law was the head chemist of Laura Ashley at the time,
0:31:21 > 0:31:26when I was getting married and I'd already bought three dresses,
0:31:26 > 0:31:31the bridesmaid's dresses and I couldn't find anything that I really liked,
0:31:31 > 0:31:37and he mentioned it to Laura Ashley and she said she had a bolt of silk
0:31:37 > 0:31:40and that she'd run me up a dress if I wanted one.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- When was this? Mid 1970s?- 1975.
0:31:43 > 0:31:50So you're not shopping for this, you're going in to the factory which is, what, 20 miles away in Carno.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55- That's right, in Carno, where it was, yes.- Yes, so you're going in there and she's fitting you herself?
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Yes, she measured me up for the dress.
0:31:57 > 0:32:04But that's absolutely astounding to actually meet her, and the design is totally of its time. I mean,
0:32:04 > 0:32:09mid 1970s, this was the style and, um, of course, Laura Ashley had come
0:32:09 > 0:32:16to fame really in the 1950s actually when, um, Audrey Hepburn first wore a headscarf in Roman Holiday.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18I don't know if you remember that film, a wonderful film.
0:32:18 > 0:32:24She wears a headscarf and suddenly headscarves for girls take off and of course there is
0:32:24 > 0:32:30Laura Ashley in her kitchen, sewing and stitching and screen printing headscarves, and, from there,
0:32:30 > 0:32:37it developed into a very profitable business and something like this is just absolutely of its time.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42It's got the high Victorian neck and wonderful slimline bodice.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46How elegant you look here. Really, really lovely
0:32:46 > 0:32:50and then you follow it down and of course you get the trademark
0:32:50 > 0:32:55frill at the bottom, which is really all part of her style.
0:32:55 > 0:33:02- To have something with such importance, goodness me, how do I price it?- Don't know.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04How do you price a wedding day?
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- Exactly, yes.- Um, this is the sort of thing that I'd love to
0:33:07 > 0:33:10see in a museum and that's where it should be, it should be on show...
0:33:10 > 0:33:14I'm afraid your picture should be with it for all to see
0:33:14 > 0:33:21and, um, I think really at least £500 upwards possibly.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- Really?- Yes, yes.- It cost me nothing.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29Well, it's a fantastic piece of design and it's not only about
0:33:29 > 0:33:32the style and the fashion and the value but it's about your memories.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36Well, it's pretty obvious you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near ceramics, isn't it?
0:33:36 > 0:33:39- No, he's a bit damaged, isn't he? - What have you done to it?
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Well, he's always been like this.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43He belongs to my father and he's known him to be broken
0:33:43 > 0:33:48for nearly 90 years so I can't take any responsibility for that, really.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50And where do you keep him? I mean...
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Well, I keep him on top of the piano, he spent the last
0:33:53 > 0:33:58previous 80 years up in the attic and my father used to play with him
0:33:58 > 0:34:03when he was a little boy and then we used to try and stick him together when we were children and...
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Well, he's a fabulous thing. Do you know anything about it?
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Nothing at all, it's just quite fascinating really and we just took advantage of you being here
0:34:10 > 0:34:15today to come along and see if you knew anything about it, because I've never seen anything like it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- It's a great model and it's got a great story as well.- Has it?- Yeah.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24- Oh.- It's a Staffordshire model and it's telling a piece of wonderful social history. This chap here...
0:34:24 > 0:34:29- Poor chap, yes.- Well, you've bust it so much that you can't see what it should say there.- Right, OK.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31It should say "The death of Munro".
0:34:31 > 0:34:37- Right.- This chap was an officer out in India.- OK, yes.
0:34:37 > 0:34:43He went out shooting one day on an island not far from Calcutta, this is in the 1790s.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48- Right.- In December he went out shooting and it all went wrong.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50LAUGHTER
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Yes, badly wrong.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- He lost.- Yes.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58And, um, the tiger got him and ate him.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00They celebrated it in the Staffordshire potteries here.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03- Right.- And made models.- Right.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07This model is made by a chap called Obadiah Sherratt and
0:35:07 > 0:35:10it's quite famous in pottery terms for having table bases like this.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14So this is one from that period?
0:35:14 > 0:35:16This is a Staffordshire model made in the beginning of the
0:35:16 > 0:35:2019th century. It's a great thing. It's also pretty unusual.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Well, I've never seen one, yeah.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- It would be a hell of a lot better if there was a bit more of it.- Yes.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Um, funnily enough his brother was eaten by a shark.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36- Oh, dear.- I've never seen a model of that, but it's quite true, this chap was called Hugh, he was
0:35:36 > 0:35:39eaten by a tiger and his brother Alexander was eaten by a shark.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43- They weren't lucky, were they? - No, they weren't. I mean, some families really don't get the luck.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- No.- Sometimes damage affects the value, of course.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Yeah!
0:35:51 > 0:35:55I suppose if you stuck him in an auction,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57he'd make somewhere between £500 and £1,000.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59- What, like this?- Yeah.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01No!
0:36:01 > 0:36:03- Like this?- Yeah.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Goodness me, so what would he be worth if he was whole?
0:36:07 > 0:36:08Well £15,000.
0:36:08 > 0:36:13- No!- Yeah, it's a really good model.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14- Is it really?- Was.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Was, yes. Goodness me.
0:36:20 > 0:36:26And now as the sun starts to think about setting on the noble and craggy features of our experts,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28it's time to say goodbye from Welshpool,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30which incidentally was once called simply "Pool"
0:36:30 > 0:36:36and they added the Welsh bit in 1830 to avoid confusion with the other Poole in Dorset.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41Either way, it's a very nice place to be, and from the luscious Powis Castle, goodbye.