0:00:35 > 0:00:39This week the Antiques Roadshow has found its way to Coventry,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43once described as one of the finest medieval cities in Europe.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47It was still looking good on the night of November 14th 1940,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50when 500 German bombers amassed over Coventry
0:00:50 > 0:00:55and subjected it to the most savage air raid of the war so far.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01For eleven hours, the Luftwaffe pounded the city,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05dropping 30,000 incendiary bombs and 500 tons of high explosive.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19When the people finally crawled out from the shelters,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22they found their beautiful city ablaze and in ruins.
0:01:22 > 0:01:30The onslaught was so severe that the Germans invented a chilling new word to describe the devastation.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33"Coventry", they said, "had been Coventrated."
0:01:33 > 0:01:35EXPLOSIONS
0:01:41 > 0:01:46In the heart of Coventry, St Michael's Cathedral lay shattered.
0:01:46 > 0:01:53Standing amongst the wreckage that day, the Provost, Dick Howard, vowed that his church would rise again.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00In the competition that followed to find a replacement,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05one plan stood out above all others- Sir Basil Spence - who was later knighted for his efforts,
0:02:05 > 0:02:12proposed that the ruins should remain and a striking new cathedral built alongside.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26The result was a testament to the cutting edge architecture of the 1950's.
0:02:26 > 0:02:33Spence described his creation as a casket of jewels to be filled with exciting new works of art.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Sir Jacob Epstein contributed a statue of St Michael defeating the devil.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Graham Sutherland created a massive tapestry.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It was the largest in the world and weighed a ton.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Other treasures include a Baptistry window by John Piper
0:02:57 > 0:03:01studded with 195 panels of light.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09And there are bronze statues by Elizabeth Frink.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16And at the west end, an immense engraved window.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Through it, the two cathedrals are brought together.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Still loved and never forgotten, the old St Michael's Cathedral
0:03:30 > 0:03:36provides the setting for today's Roadshow, the perfect place to bring treasures from the past.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42It's a little bit of Australia dropped down into Coventry.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44How does a bit of Australia get here?
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Well, it was sent by some long-distance relations who emigrated to Australia from...
0:03:48 > 0:03:53- Hang on, hang on, hang on. Emigrated, or were sent to? - No, emigrated. OK.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56From Shropshire, from Bridgnorth in fact, around that area.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02And what they did, at Christmas 1890, they sent back a parcel full of these
0:04:02 > 0:04:10emu eggs and various curios and Australian beads and bits of Australian shells and the like,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and what happened was that my great grandfather, I think my great grandfather,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19- actually made them up into the dome that we see today.- Very interesting.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- What I love is this letter that goes with it.- Absolutely.
0:04:21 > 0:04:28Um, and it says, "By this mail we're sending a parcel containing curios,
0:04:28 > 0:04:33"there are three emu eggs, one painted on, and another carved"
0:04:33 > 0:04:35which I presume is this one -
0:04:35 > 0:04:39"and the third quite plain" so that you get a sort of view of decorating
0:04:39 > 0:04:46emu eggs in the round, and then it goes on to say "there are a quantity of quandongs"
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Don't ask me what they are, please.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54Well, my knowledge of Australian fauna and flora has rapidly risen
0:04:54 > 0:04:57because I now know what a quandong stone is
0:04:57 > 0:05:00which is this, this little thing in the middle here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I think when one's looking at a dome like this, my goodness,
0:05:04 > 0:05:0920 years ago you would see hundreds of these in the course of a year.
0:05:09 > 0:05:15People had them handed down from their relatives and they were Victorian curiosities.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18And I have to say, we very seldom see them now,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21they are about as unfashionable as you can possibly get,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25except when they come with such an interesting story,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30and also when they shed light on what must have been a real parcel of curiosities.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Imagine - there you are, sitting in Bridgnorth
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and out of this parcel tumble
0:05:36 > 0:05:40these extraordinary never-before-seen objects
0:05:40 > 0:05:45from a - almost a sort of fairy tale land, far far away, that they're never going to see -
0:05:45 > 0:05:51and out comes this sort of treasure of iridescent shells
0:05:51 > 0:05:57and extraordinary beans and eggs the size of, you know, ten goose eggs.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02You can imagine that this was almost like getting a piece of rock from Mars.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Do you like it?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Yes, I do, it goes in the house. It's in a nice place.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- It suits the place where it is. - Exactly.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13It's out of the way cos it's very, very delicate. It's 117-120 years old, I think I'd be delicate.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- And a bit cracked, maybe.- Well, yes.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Value is not going to be huge.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I would say in auction,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26you'd be lucky if you got more than £150 or £200 for it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- That's not the point.- Not important.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31The point is, looking into it and having the glimpse
0:06:31 > 0:06:34of this wonderful foreign land.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39They were my grandmother's and they were on her mantel piece
0:06:39 > 0:06:43and I got them when she died, and there was a note in them that said
0:06:43 > 0:06:46that they came from the home of her great grandmother.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49So this is grandmother saying they're from her grandmother
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- Yes, sort of five generations back. - Heavens!
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And there's a letter here.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- From somebody who'd tried to find out something about them.- Yes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02It says, "The cache bowl with its stand is French,
0:07:02 > 0:07:09"I've seen this decoration on a large piece before and I should say about 1775".
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- Do you think that?- I have no idea.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Have you looked into them at all?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I've tried but nobody's ever known,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20well, nobody that I've talked to has ever known anything about them.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25Now they have, inset into the small ones, they have a chunk of glass,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30a glass sort of pot pourri, a pot, which I don't think should be there.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36These are flower pots or cache bowls, in which you would grow a plant inside,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and they have a hole which is the - for the water to leak through
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- into the, into the base there.- Yes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49- So that's rather nice, and they're not French.- Right.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53I think they're Coalport, English. They're English porcelain,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58made around about 1800-1805 something like that,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and beautifully painted
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and I think the painting has been done in London.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Coalport often sold the pieces to London decorators
0:08:08 > 0:08:13and I think the decorating studio was Baxters, in London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I've seen pieces decorated with exactly the same patterns
0:08:16 > 0:08:21which are signed by Baxter, so I think if it's not Thomas Baxter himself,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25it's one of the pupils in his studio in London.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I think they're absolutely splendid, beautifully decorated
0:08:28 > 0:08:34but they're of fair value. I mean you're looking at, probably for a full garniture like that,
0:08:34 > 0:08:41- you're looking at something worth around about £8,000.- Gosh! Yes...
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- They're super things. Do take great care of them, won't you?- Yes.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Well, this rainy weather absolutely reminds me of Scotland
0:08:54 > 0:09:00and here we have the quintessential idea for me of Scotland
0:09:00 > 0:09:02with the mist coming down the mountains
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and these highland cattle here in the foreground.
0:09:05 > 0:09:11- Tell me, are you Scottish, have you any connection with this part of the world?- No, I'm not Scottish,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16- I've been up to Scotland a lot of times and I admire the place.- Right.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Well, as you can clearly see it's by Louis B Hurt, Louis Bosworth Hurt,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and I guess from the style it's around the 1880s
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and, of course, it's oil and canvas.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29What I love about typical Victorian artists is that
0:09:29 > 0:09:32they paint so beautifully and so well
0:09:32 > 0:09:38and, look, you can see almost every aspect of the coat on this Highland cow. Wonderful.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40So have you always loved the artist?
0:09:40 > 0:09:44My wife and I, we've admired these paintings for a long, long time,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- and we never expected to be able to own one ourselves.- Mmm-mm.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52And my wife's uncle passed away,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55left us some money and that's what we invested it in.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Well, he was a very prolific artist and yet not much is known about him.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03We know he came from Derbyshire. So he wasn't even Scottish.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08But he, to me, is one of these artists that knew his market
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and therefore he is best known, and only known really,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- for painting Highland scenes with Highland cattle.- Yes.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20Now, the pricing's quite interesting of Louis Bosworth Hurt,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24because in the sort of '90s, or certainly the late '80s,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29a lot of Japanese were coming to this country and they were all playing golf up in the North,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34St Andrews or going to Gleneagles and all those sort of places,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38and I think they thought "This is just what we want to remind us of these wonderful days of golf"
0:10:38 > 0:10:42so the prices for Louis Bosworth Hurt went up and up and up.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47They've come down a bit over the last five years,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49possibly due to the Japanese economy, I don't know.
0:10:49 > 0:10:57But this is a great, great example. He varies a lot in size. The big ones, obviously, are more valuable.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- I've seen the big ones.- You've seen the big ones. I think this is a great work
0:11:01 > 0:11:05and if it appeared today on the market I'd expect it would make
0:11:05 > 0:11:08sort of between £7,000 and £10,000 -
0:11:08 > 0:11:13- it could even do a bit better with the wind behind it...as they say. - I hope so. I hope so.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It's a wonderful, wonderful work, and thank you for showing it to us.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- Thank you.- Pleasure.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22So what are you doing bringing us this bit of old log?
0:11:22 > 0:11:26It's actually a bit of old log from HMS Victory in Portsmouth.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Ah, so what's the story, then?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Well, we were down in Portsmouth and we went to visit the Victory,
0:11:33 > 0:11:38to see some of the restoration work and they have a shop on the premises
0:11:38 > 0:11:43and they have a certain collection and I thought it was quite unique
0:11:43 > 0:11:45because it was the only piece in the collection
0:11:45 > 0:11:48that just looked like it had been actually taken off the ship.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- What have you got to prove that then?- I've got this document.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Oh I see, they give you a certificate.- Yes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The deed of provenance which says,
0:11:57 > 0:12:03"In 2004, this was sold for the 'Save the Victory Fund'",
0:12:03 > 0:12:04which is great, isn't it? Yes.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09- Because, frankly, you do need that piece of paper to stay with this for all time.- For sure, yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14But as they have to restore the Victory continuously
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and they've got waste products which are effectively lumps of old oak,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- it's a perfectly legitimate thing for them to sell. - To generate income.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25You're quite right. And I think this thing's actually got great charm
0:12:25 > 0:12:30because on the back side we can see this rather curious orange paint,
0:12:30 > 0:12:35but certainly in the surgeon's department on Victory,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38the wooden walls were painted red so that the blood,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42as they were doing those terrific operations - wouldn't show.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45This looks orangey, but I'm not saying it wasn't an original
0:12:45 > 0:12:47kind of part of the vessel,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51maybe from where the surgeon's quarters were.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Got a bit of scorched timber there which could be something to do with the galley.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- Here we've got what looks suspiciously like magnolia.- Yeah.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03But not just one layer of magnolia, there are multiple layers there,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- so that's been painted up for a couple of hundred years.- Yeah.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- I think this is a great object.- I thought it was quite unique.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10You paid how much for this?
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- I think it was £600.- £600?- Yeah. - Did you really?- Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I mean, if you were to sell it at auction with the Victory provenance,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- I think you might get £200 or £300 for it.- Yes.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24But it's a patriotic gesture in a way, isn't it?
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Yes, yes, because you're making a contribution
0:13:27 > 0:13:29to keep this vessel in prime condition.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Quite, so what do you use it for at home?
0:13:32 > 0:13:33It's on top of the cabinets
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- and the wife puts just a pot pourri in it, that's it.- Pot pourri?
0:13:36 > 0:13:41- Yeah.- Well, I don't know what Britain's premier naval hero
0:13:41 > 0:13:46- would have to say about you keeping pot pourri in a bit of his ship. - Probably wouldn't be amused.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51So, how long have you had this delightful-looking doodle?
0:13:51 > 0:13:56Well, I think it's from 1973, when my daughter bought it for Daddy
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- for his Father's Day celebrations. - Uh-huh.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07And, um, she said that this is one of David Hockney's doodles.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12- So this is a present, then?- Yes. - From David to your daughter,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16- who in turn gave it to your husband. - Yes, that's right.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18- As a Father's Day present. - That's right.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- What a hugely generous Father's Day present.- Well...
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Now, here's a photograph to go with it.- That's right.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28And this shows David with his round glasses and rather slouchy hat,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- and on the left...? - His very great friend Mo,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35according to what Diane used to talk to me about them.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Now how did your daughter know David?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I do not really know how she met him,
0:14:40 > 0:14:45- but she did know Ossie, Ossie Clark. - Ossie...the fashion designer, yes.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49- They were friends of his. - And there's a charming inscription on the reverse -
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- "All my love to you, from David". - That's right.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- That would be to your daughter. - That's to my daughter, Diane, yes.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58And the drawing itself - have you contemplated what it might represent?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01No, I don't know, I just can't think.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06I think it could be him, because with the glasses - I don't know.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I mean apparently, according to Diane, he did numerous...
0:15:09 > 0:15:13While he was talking or on the telephone, he was just doodling
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and doing things like that, apparently.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Yes, he was a phenomenal... Is a phenomenal draftsman, because he's still alive.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25He's extraordinarily important in the, in the late 20th century
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- and he's still extremely active today.- Yes, yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Now, one thing that he was particularly good at,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and something that always mesmerises me,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38- is his ability with crayons and with pencil.- Oh, yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41And you've got it here, this phenomenal cross-hatching.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45There's a feeling of energy, almost violent energy
0:15:45 > 0:15:48like the splash of water in a swimming pool, for example,
0:15:48 > 0:15:53- to refer to one of his other works. - Yes, that was... I can remember that one.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Yeah, I can remember that one.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57And then the glasses, you see he was very good at portraits,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01and in fact he made portrait painting respectable again.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04There was so much abstract art around in the '60s and '70s
0:16:04 > 0:16:08that doing figurative paintings of peoples faces
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- wasn't, sort of, overly cool.- No.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12But he made it cool again.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17Have you considered what a little doodle like this might be worth?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- It is, after all, a doodle.- Well, it never occurred to me at all.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25I just feel honoured now that I've been able to bring it
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and for you to see it and to talk to me about it.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- Well, my job is also to put a value on these things.- Oh, is that right?
0:16:33 > 0:16:38And so I will do so. Um, believe it or not, I'm going to start, not with the drawing but the photograph,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42because the photograph itself is a rather fascinating object.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47It's intimate, it shows the man in a way that's appealing
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and because of the inscription on the reverse,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54connected specifically to an event and a person, it's...
0:16:54 > 0:16:56From both an artist's point of view,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and also an autograph collector's point of view,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02an interesting little object, and believe it or not,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- I think this photograph is worth £200 or £300 on its own.- Really?
0:17:06 > 0:17:10I can't believe it. It's such a nice picture too, isn't it?
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It is too, and the drawing?
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Well, I'm pretty confident that there would be a number of people who would like this.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I think it is a self-portrait
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- and I think it's worth between £5,000 and £7,000.- No!
0:17:23 > 0:17:26No - really?
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Oh, my goodness, I really don't... Can't believe it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:37I can't believe it. Really? I'm absolutely stunned.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Oh, Eamonn, did you hear?
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Good gracious me!
0:17:46 > 0:17:50So here we are, surrounded by the ruins of Coventry's old cathedral,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53destroyed with much of the old city in November 1940,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and of course that's a moment
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- that is forever in the city's history, isn't it?- Oh, very much so.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- Were you here? Or not you, but your family... Sorry.- Certainly not me!
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I am a Coventrian and my mother was here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09She actually lived in Bradford but they had a small shop just by the hospital
0:18:09 > 0:18:14and she walked through this cathedral on the morning after the raid.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15So as just a mess of destruction.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18It was just total destruction and it was such a shock.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Which takes us to that bit of burnt metal.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Bit of burnt metal, yes. These incendiaries, this particular device
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- was dropped in this area and... - During the raid?
0:18:28 > 0:18:31During the raid, it was recovered during the raid, um,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and brought to the museum roughly about 10, 12 years ago.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39The Midlands Air Museum has lots of local history to do with...
0:18:39 > 0:18:42It is mainly about this area and the industry of this area.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45So that was picked up in the aftermath of the raid
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and that would have been a cluster of incendiaries.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Yes. They did tremendous damage as we see above us here.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54With fire, more than high explosive, wasn't it?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Once the fire got the hold, there was nothing they could do.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Talking of Germany and aeroplanes, here is, presumably,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- a piece of an aeroplane. A swastika...- That's correct.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08..and some strange colouration which I don't quite recognise.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Well, the gentleman that brought this, or we acquired it from,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14had used it in his garage to test spray paints on.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- So, to him it was just a convenient piece of metal.- Yes.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Very kindly, though, he informed us about it
0:19:20 > 0:19:25and as you can see, it has the original swastika on it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- So, this is a tail fin, isn't it? - It's a tail fin of a Ju 88.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Here's one I made earlier, as they say!
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Here we have the model of the same plane.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- That's the actual aircraft model. - This is the tail.- That's the tail.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43That's a model made of the actual aircraft itself, based in France.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I'll fly that back into its hangar carefully!
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It's made a safe landing.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50So, shot down in the area, this is the relics of that...
0:19:50 > 0:19:56These are the relics, and the museum contains a wide variety of these relics
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- and manufactured things in this area. - It's right you have them.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03They're museum objects, they're history and so their value is actually incidental.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08- It is.- But let's not go there. This is living history, and I think it's great to see them.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12It's important to get people close to these things so they can talk
0:20:12 > 0:20:16- from families to relations... - And think about the people, the people in that aeroplane
0:20:16 > 0:20:20flew over there, all that story, they were shot down or whatever.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- It's an extraordinary period in our time.- It is. - And we must remember it.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- We must remember it, yes. - Thank you for helping me do so. - You're welcome.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Among 30 years of exciting Roadshow discoveries, there's been a fair selection of sporting relics.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45One we all liked was a Wimbledon singles trophy that turned up when we took the show to Australia.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49John Baddeley got to Melbourne and was amazed to find a magnificent cup
0:20:49 > 0:20:55engraved with the name of one of his relations who won the title back in 1893.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Here's an action replay of various sporting highlights, including John's magic moment.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07This, you might say, is the bat that won the Ashes.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11A great swimmer with his multitude of trophies. That's absolutely fantastic.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15That's one of the first gutta-percha golf balls. That dates from 1850.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20It's one of John McEnroe's old rackets. Even though he's a really good tennis player,
0:21:20 > 0:21:27he did have some arguments with the line judges and so obviously got a bit annoyed.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32It's an England international cap?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It was given to him by Laurie Scott.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39Oh, I see, it's inscribed. "Very best wishes, Laurie Scott". Yeah.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- What relationship is he to you? - He's my grandfather.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47He was an official in the FA for 20 years.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50"Jasmine, lots of love, David Beckham." Excuse me!
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I like David Beckham so I got his autograph.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Here are the great Campbells, father and son. Must be something in the air here!
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Courage, I think, courage.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07This is the actual football that was used in the 1911 Cup Final.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Recently a cricket bat similar to this sold for in excess of £20,000.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15You can't be serious!
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- On the side there is 1893.- Yes.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26Wilfred Baddeley. Well, my name's John Baddeley, he's a distant relation of mine.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30- How wonderful.- So I hope you don't mind if I give it a quick kiss.- No!
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And then do the classic...
0:22:34 > 0:22:37THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD
0:22:45 > 0:22:50Oh, very good. No collection of beadwork would be complete without
0:22:50 > 0:22:55one of those. Now, I have to ask.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- Yes.- What's a nice boy like you doing collecting beads?!
0:23:00 > 0:23:05We've got furniture and basically I wanted something else to collect
0:23:05 > 0:23:11and I looked at tapestries, and if you've got the money, you can buy a collection tomorrow.
0:23:11 > 0:23:18Beadwork, I found, was hard to get because the stuff I've got now has took nearly 30 years.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Really interesting. And when you started out, can you remember
0:23:22 > 0:23:25what sort of money you were paying for these things?
0:23:25 > 0:23:28The first piece I ever bought was a tea tray, and I bought that from
0:23:28 > 0:23:33a second-hand shop in Spon End in Coventry and it cost me 20 quid.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36That's affordable, isn't it? Now, the history of beadwork
0:23:36 > 0:23:40is sort of a history of Europe, because originally
0:23:40 > 0:23:45in the 17th century and the early part of the 18th century, the English were
0:23:45 > 0:23:49perhaps the best exponents of beadwork. You get some wonderful
0:23:49 > 0:23:54beadwork objects, baskets, trays, as well as beadwork pictures
0:23:54 > 0:23:59from the Charles II period. Then the French took over as being the greatest
0:23:59 > 0:24:06exponents of beads, then the Germans took over, and then back in the mid-19th century,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09back it came to England, so it's really...
0:24:09 > 0:24:13- Gone full circle.- It's gone full circle. I'm going to zero in on
0:24:13 > 0:24:16just a few that have taken my eye particularly.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Now, the first, actually, is quite a modern piece, which is this...
0:24:20 > 0:24:271917 Turkish prisoner of war snake, which was, I believe, for their girlfriends originally.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30That's the reason why the flower's in.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36Exactly. Made by prisoners of war, from the Great War, they produced
0:24:36 > 0:24:41- these rather crude, I have to say... The beads are huge.- They are. - And the work is quite crude.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- But brought them back as souvenirs for loved ones.- Yes.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49- And this is a... I suppose when it's uncurled it's what? About...?- Six foot.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52This is six foot, is it? Heavens!
0:24:52 > 0:24:56That's very impressive that that's six foot. So that I like.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02The other piece which I think is just terrific is the parasol.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Now, I'm going to open this carefully because
0:25:06 > 0:25:11the silk lining is just beginning to go. Look at that.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17Again I would have thought probably dating from the 1840s, 1850s, this one.
0:25:17 > 0:25:24Beadwork is a dying art. I've been fortunate enough to be out in Malaysia
0:25:24 > 0:25:28and that's one area where you do see beadwork still being practised.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The Malays are very keen on beadwork and there are a lot of practitioners there
0:25:32 > 0:25:35still doing it, so that's one area in the world where
0:25:35 > 0:25:41it is very much alive. When we come to value it, you said that the first piece
0:25:41 > 0:25:45you bought cost £20. What's the most expensive piece that you've bought?
0:25:45 > 0:25:51- £800.- £800. Well, even that doesn't surprise me. I've seen pieces
0:25:51 > 0:25:56of beadwork going for well into four figures and sometimes into five figures.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01What does one say about a collection like this on the table? What's this worth?
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Well, I would have thought we're certainly looking at
0:26:05 > 0:26:10£8,000, maybe £10,000 just on the table, and...
0:26:10 > 0:26:11I am shocked.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16It's a great area to be collecting, well done for collecting it when you started out,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and good luck with filling the very small gaps that probably still exist.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I'm looking around me trying to work out where this
0:26:25 > 0:26:28very appealing piece of stone came from.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I gather it was originally part of the old cathedral
0:26:31 > 0:26:34and what I want to know is how come you have it?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I'm one of the volunteer archivists at the cathedral
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and this sits on the windowsill in our office
0:26:40 > 0:26:45and every time I come into the office I see it
0:26:45 > 0:26:50and it just delights me. I think it's a lovely piece of stonework.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52There's a lovely story to it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57On the night that the cathedral was actually bombed, a policeman on duty
0:26:57 > 0:27:02was walking by and this fell at his feet
0:27:02 > 0:27:06and he picked it up and he had
0:27:06 > 0:27:10every intention of bringing it back to the cathedral at a later date
0:27:10 > 0:27:13when things had settled down.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18But he never did and he didn't know what to do with it, so he buried it in his garden.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- So, not knowing what to do with it, he buried it? - He buried it in his garden.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I suppose that's as good a solution as any!
0:27:24 > 0:27:30Many, many years later, this policeman had retired by this time
0:27:30 > 0:27:35and he'd become ill and he was taken to hospital.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38And he started to worry about this little head.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- This buried head.- This buried head!
0:27:40 > 0:27:45So he said to his wife, "You must return this to the cathedral."
0:27:45 > 0:27:50So she brought it back to the cathedral and it was very dirty
0:27:50 > 0:27:56and he made a remarkable recovery from his illness, which he wasn't expected to.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- So...that's how the story goes. - A little bit of divinity at work.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03- Well, yes.- What a wonderful tale!
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Now, do we know who it is?
0:28:05 > 0:28:10It's the head, supposedly, of St Osberg, who founded the original cathedral -
0:28:10 > 0:28:13there's been three cathedrals on this site.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18But I have a feeling this is part of a later regime rather than the original cathedral.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22a slightly crisp, slightly romanticised appearance.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26- I'm pretty sure that this comes from the late 19th century- Oh, right!
0:28:26 > 0:28:30But it's not surprising, because I gather there was work done
0:28:30 > 0:28:33on the cathedral facade in the late 19th century
0:28:33 > 0:28:39and I think it's more than likely that it was part of that campaign, as it were.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40Right.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45But still a fascinating object, a very poignant reminder
0:28:45 > 0:28:48of the terrible tragedy that befell the place.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54Personally, I think it's an extremely attractive object.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58It's the sort of thing I would love to put on a mantelpiece or a table, well-lit.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02And with that tale attached to it, even though it's late 19th century,
0:29:02 > 0:29:07I think it has a sort of appeal that gives it value.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12- I realise the cathedral would never consider selling such an object. - No, we wouldn't.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16But as we have the rough business of putting values on things,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20I would say it was worth £800, £900, £1,000.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Goodness me!
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Well, I think the cathedral would be delighted with that figure.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28My goodness!
0:29:28 > 0:29:31You're paying as much for the story as you are for the object
0:29:31 > 0:29:33but the two together I think make it
0:29:33 > 0:29:36a rather emotive and attractive little treasure.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Oh, that's lovely. Thank you very much.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44This is one of the most magnificent chess sets I've ever seen.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45Tell me about it.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50I don't know a great deal, but my father bought it, I understand,
0:29:50 > 0:29:56in about 1930, surprisingly perhaps in a second-hand shop in Coventry,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00I understand, for what was then the magnificent sum of £5.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02£5!
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Which I think was a lot of money in those days, in about 1930.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Was he a keen chess player, your dad?- Oh he did play, yes.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10He and a friend.
0:30:10 > 0:30:15My father built in the garden a chess table out of tiles,
0:30:15 > 0:30:22and he and a friend used to play of a summer's evening, in the garden.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24They would take these chess men out
0:30:24 > 0:30:27and because they were a little bit bigger than normal,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29he had this slightly enlarged chess table which he built
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and they'd sit in the garden and play chess.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34How positively pastoral!
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Not quite, in the centre of Coventry, perhaps!
0:30:38 > 0:30:41If he bought them in a junk shop around 1930
0:30:41 > 0:30:44they were already quite old by then.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- Really?- These are Chinese and they would have probably been
0:30:48 > 0:30:51exported out of the port of Canton
0:30:51 > 0:30:57some time around 1880 to 1900, I expect.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01You might call this chap, perhaps, the king.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04On the other hand, he could very easily be the emperor,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06because he IS an emperor.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08And each of the pieces are mounted
0:31:08 > 0:31:12on these concentric reticulated rings
0:31:12 > 0:31:15and if I give that a little wiggle like that,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18you can see that inside this ring, which has been
0:31:18 > 0:31:22elaborately pierced out of a solid piece of ivory, there's another ring,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24- and inside that another. - I think there are five.
0:31:24 > 0:31:30Five rings of ivory all carved out of solid ivory within one another!
0:31:30 > 0:31:32If that isn't a complicated enough process,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35- you've done that for every single piece.- Yes.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37The capital pieces as well as...
0:31:37 > 0:31:41The small ones, I think, only have one inside - the pawns -
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and these others have two, and the big ones five.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45You really are showing off
0:31:45 > 0:31:49if you've carved your ivory to this extraordinary degree.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51- It's an odd way of spending your life.- Yes, quite.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56But if you look at the emperor's robe, all the way round this robe
0:31:56 > 0:32:00is the most incredibly intricate design of foliage
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and the whole thing, in terms of its quality,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05is reflected from top to bottom,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07but not just this piece,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11because all the other pieces are made to a similar standard,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13which I think is quite remarkable.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17I think in terms of arriving at some sort of value,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- you have to take into account the condition.- Yes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23And the condition of the reds is not as hot as it might be.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26For me, this set ought to make
0:32:26 > 0:32:30- somewhere around £3,000 to £4,000, that sort of amount.- Yes.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34- Good return on a fiver! - On a fiver, yes!
0:32:38 > 0:32:43Here we have a rather wonderful coloured lithograph
0:32:43 > 0:32:44by Sir Terry Frost
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and it's dated and numbered in pencil
0:32:47 > 0:32:50on the bottom right-hand side here,
0:32:50 > 0:32:5457, and a limited edition, 23 out of 30.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Interesting, Terry Frost.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Nowadays there's a huge amount of interest in his work.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02He's one of the leading 20th century figures in British art,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06he's represented at the Tate and international museums.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09And he's certainly one very well-respected painter.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Can you tell me just a little bit more about
0:33:12 > 0:33:14the history of the picture?
0:33:14 > 0:33:15Terry was my cousin.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17Was he a wonderful family man?
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Yeah, he was very much a family man, yeah.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23My sister and I lost our parents quite young
0:33:23 > 0:33:27and he used to step in and look after us as much as he could.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31They didn't have much money but what they had, they took us with them.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33He was born in Leamington
0:33:33 > 0:33:39but was one of the ones that was in the St Ives School
0:33:39 > 0:33:41in the '50s.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43And that was in '57, as you can see.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49He was a prisoner of war and when he came back from the War,
0:33:49 > 0:33:55my father, his uncle, was very disparaging of him wanting to be an artist -
0:33:55 > 0:33:57"Oh, get yourself a real job, lad!
0:33:57 > 0:34:01"What are you on about, talking about 50 shades of green?!
0:34:01 > 0:34:05"Get yourself back in the bike shop," or wherever it was he worked before the War.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10Do you know much about his imprisonment in Bavaria?
0:34:10 > 0:34:16The bits that he told us, I think it was a pretty dark period in his life.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18He didn't want to tell you much about it.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22I think he had a lot of worries about whether he should continue his art
0:34:22 > 0:34:28because as I've said, he wanted to do it, he felt a calling to it,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32but people expected you to work then, especially just after the War.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Men in grey suits - there wasn't much colour, was there?
0:34:35 > 0:34:38No, not at all. Can you tell me the subject of this picture?
0:34:38 > 0:34:40No, I'm afraid I can't.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45If you asked Terry what a picture represented, he'd say,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48"It's whatever you make of it, it's whatever YOU want to see in it."
0:34:48 > 0:34:51What do you have in the envelope?
0:34:51 > 0:34:53I thought you might be interested in these.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56The kind of Christmas cards he used to send which were
0:34:56 > 0:34:59definitely a bit different, as you can see.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03- These are wonderful! And that's an original Terry Frost?- Yes.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04An original Terry Frost.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09I love the Christmas tree. And then inside we also have
0:35:09 > 0:35:11a piece of art by him too,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14and a lovely note to you and your husband.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18- They were always like that.- 2001, only three years before he died.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20That's right, yes, yes.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21That's really wonderful.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23This is an older one, that's '73.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25That's earlier.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28There's a bootlace tied through it.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30That's a great design too,
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- and so he'd send these to family and friends every Christmas?- Yes.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38- What a wonderful thing to do!- It was lovely. He was a lovely person.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42I suppose value doesn't really matter, they have such sentimental value.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43I'd never sell it, I was just interested.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Terry Frost, the major oils can make
0:35:46 > 0:35:49tens of thousands of pounds now, he's seriously well regarded.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53A colour lithograph print from the '50s, which is a great period too,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56this was just after he was working with Hepworth down in St Ives
0:35:56 > 0:36:00and this is probably worth about £600 to £800.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04And the cards, they can be worth anything from
0:36:04 > 0:36:05£200 to £300,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10maybe up to £400 to £600 for a truly original work,
0:36:10 > 0:36:15but certainly works by Terry Frost now are seriously collected, internationally,
0:36:15 > 0:36:20- literally worldwide, and it's a pleasure to see them. Thank you. - Thanks very much.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- Are these family jewels? - Yes, that's right.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31What's their history in the family with you?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34They always seemed to be there, you know, from Grandma, really.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- Did they?- Yes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39- And have you been wearing that one?- I have worn it, yes.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42And most of your life? Tell me about its history for you.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Well, Mother used to wear it, yes.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- And you're a Coventry girl, aren't you?- Yes, that's right.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54- You've lived through all Coventry's terrible history as well as its marvellous history.- That's right.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59- At the time of its worst trouble, where were these kept in the house?- Upstairs.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00And where were you?
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I was downstairs when the Blitz was on, with Mother under the stairs,
0:37:04 > 0:37:08and father was fire-watching on the corner.
0:37:08 > 0:37:13- That must have given terror a whole new meaning.- It did, yes.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17You know, when the bombs were dropping, we were all scared.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21And then, cos it was the fire bombs that dropped on top of the cathedral,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25they burnt the roof, the screen, the floor and the pews.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Then, you see, it just had to burn
0:37:27 > 0:37:30because there was no water to put out the fires,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34all the water hydrants were put out of action, yes.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38What is remarkable about jewellery, about family jewellery really,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42is that it is a link with the past and it goes from one generation to another.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47The miracle for us today is you're sitting in the burnt-out cathedral,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51sitting with your family jewels and both of them have come through.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Yes. That's right, through the Blitz.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57This is a Victorian gold bracelet.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01It may have been made in Birmingham which is incredibly close by.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- Yes, yes.- And it's nine carat gold.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07It's a very popular form and a very desirable form because it's so wearable.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10And I suppose it dates from about 1890
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- and might've been your Granny's present.- Yes, it was Grandma's.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16- Perhaps for her wedding.- Yes. - It's a lovely thing.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- This one is a Victorian vinaigrette, a silver one.- That's right.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25A vinaigrette actually more often than not contained scent,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- rather than vinegar as the name suggests.- Yes, yes.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33In a time, frankly, when there was more of an assault
0:38:33 > 0:38:35on one's nostrils than there might be today.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39So you simply opened that up and found, you know, a scent within it,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42held it to your nose, and it dates from the 1870s.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47It's made by a popular Birmingham craftsman called George Unite.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50The value of these things is jolly, jolly pleasing
0:38:50 > 0:38:52because that one's so wearable.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55If you were to go and buy that in a smart retail shop today,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59well, maybe...maybe £600 or £700.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01- Never!- To buy it again, absolutely!
0:39:01 > 0:39:04And then this one here,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06astonishingly £200 or £300.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Never! I can't believe it. It's fantastic.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13- They're an emblem of survival, aren't they?- That's right.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15You came through, these came through
0:39:15 > 0:39:17- and that's the only thing that really matters.- Yes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21- What a wonderful thing, thanks for bringing it.- That's all right.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24I've seen a number of three-handled cups,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28and mugs and things over the years, they're usually called loving cups,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32but I've never seen one with three handles and three spouts.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35It sounds like you're up for some wild parties with this!
0:39:35 > 0:39:38But the first thing I notice,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41it's got an interesting inscription on the lid which says,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44"Presented by the Guild of Freeman of the City of London
0:39:44 > 0:39:46"to the City of Coventry Freeman's Guild
0:39:46 > 0:39:51"to commemorate its incorporation, 9th March 1946."
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- Well, I'm a Freeman of the City of London.- Oh, right!
0:39:54 > 0:39:59So I'm interested to know how this has come into your possession,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and to know actually if it's used, and are you a member of this guild?
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Certainly I'm a member of this guild,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09- and the Coventry Guild goes back to 1300 or something like that.- Right.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11But it was dissolved by Henry VIII.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14- In the mid 16th century.- Absolutely.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18It was reformed again in 1946, and at that time
0:40:18 > 0:40:24the City of London presented us with this as a gift for our guild.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28- You asked the question, is it used? - Yes.- It is used very regular.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31How come you haven't brought some wine along for us to try it out?
0:40:31 > 0:40:35I didn't know if it was allowed in the cathedral!
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Well, that's great to hear that it's still used. And how...
0:40:38 > 0:40:41It was passed from person to person, so would I hand it
0:40:41 > 0:40:45with my right hand or left hand? Which direction does it go?
0:40:45 > 0:40:50The ceremony of the loving cup means three people are standing at the same time.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51- Right.- The person drinking,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54one to the left, who will actually take the cup,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57take the lid from the cup and bow to each other.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59That's to your left, that would be.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02The one to the right would actually turn his back on you
0:41:02 > 0:41:06- and defend your back while you're drinking.- Ah!
0:41:06 > 0:41:09It's to stop you being stabbed in the back whilst taking a drink!
0:41:09 > 0:41:13- Well, I think Coventry's moved on a bit since that!- Yeah.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15- And did you drink out the spout? - You do, yeah.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- Oh, right.- You need to drink from the spout,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21if you try to drink anywhere else you're liable to wear...
0:41:21 > 0:41:23two stripes down your shirt!
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Well, you know, the history behind it is wonderful,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30but I've got to tell you that as a piece of silver, this weighs a ton.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32It's fabulously made.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36If we look inside, we see that the decoration
0:41:36 > 0:41:39on the outside is not embossed, it's not pushed out from the inside,
0:41:39 > 0:41:45all this is applied, so that's a much more time-consuming procedure.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48It also has all these rather interesting little...
0:41:48 > 0:41:54what they call cabochon cut agates, cabochon meaning just the rounded surface to it.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58But all this decoration, which is done in a very sort of Art Nouveau,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03bordering onto Arts and Crafts style. And...
0:42:03 > 0:42:06We've got a coat of arms on here. Do you know anything about it?
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- Unfortunately, no, very little. - Right.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11We've got other bits of information here.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15The maker's mark, C & Co, is for Carrington and Company
0:42:15 > 0:42:17who were well-known London retailers.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20But perhaps most importantly, because this piece,
0:42:20 > 0:42:25although it was presented in 1946, was actually made in 1908.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30- Oh, right!- So we're right in the middle of the Art Nouveau period.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35But a fabulous piece of silver. I've never seen anything quite like it.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37I'd love to see it in action one day!
0:42:37 > 0:42:39You'd be most welcome.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44Well, I would say, because of the amount of workmanship in this piece,
0:42:44 > 0:42:50it's got to be insured for anything between £10,000 and £15,000.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53- Oh, right!- It's a really lovely piece of silver.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57It's quirky, it's got history. Thank you for bringing it along.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Absolute pleasure, thanks for all your information,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01that'll be most useful to us.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08Two powerful themes at Coventry are remembrance and reconciliation,
0:43:08 > 0:43:12and to prove the point, an exact replica of this statue
0:43:12 > 0:43:17here in the ruins of the old cathedral, stands in the Garden of Peace in Hiroshima, Japan.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20It was presented on behalf of the people of Coventry.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24We shall certainly remember our visit, so thanks to the Dean
0:43:24 > 0:43:27and all Coventrians for their welcome and showing us their treasures.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29For now, goodbye.