0:00:40 > 0:00:45To those who welcome the takeover of Britain's high streets by identical chains of coffee shops
0:00:45 > 0:00:51and quick food joints, this week's Roadshow destination will come as something of a disappointment.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This is the Medway town of Rochester,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57the favourite haunt of a literary giant.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12After all that I have to tell you that Charles Dickens never actually lived in Rochester,
0:01:12 > 0:01:17although as a boy he spent five years in the area and came back for the last thirteen years of his life.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21When young, the author of "Great Expectations" and father of ten,
0:01:21 > 0:01:27used to take long walks with his own father in the vicinity, doing mental notes for his future blockbusters.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Any building here that features in a Dickens novel, proudly carries its own plaque.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42Right in the centre of town is a mansion we know better as the home of the eccentric Miss Haversham.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And the Guildhall was the place the writer had in mind when young Pip
0:01:45 > 0:01:48sealed his apprenticeship with Jo Gargery.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56You can almost hear the stage coach pulling up outside the Bull Hotel
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and spilling out Pickwick and his cronies...
0:01:59 > 0:02:02they liked The Bull... good place, nice beds...
0:02:02 > 0:02:04according to Mr Jingle.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09After Canterbury, Rochester has the oldest cathedral in the land.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14It so appealed to Dickens that it became a central character in
0:02:14 > 0:02:18his final unfinished novel "The Mystery of Edwin Drew".
0:02:18 > 0:02:25It told of intrigue involving cathedral staff in the fictional town of Cloisterham.
0:02:25 > 0:02:32Mystery, intrigue, larger than life characters, Dickens would have loved The Antiques Roadshow.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Our story opens in the cathedral nave.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40On the face of it, it's an ordinary dish, an oblong piece
0:02:40 > 0:02:45of Staffordshire pottery, very plain. Do you use it?
0:02:45 > 0:02:50- Not at the moment, I have used it, in my childhood it's been used.- Yes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Christmas, when there were seven of us.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54Yes. And did you do the washing up?
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Oh, no, mother would never let me touch it.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00- Really?- I washed one piece recently and thought "Oooh".
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- You're frightened of it because... - I'm still frightened of it.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- It is actually quite special.- Yes.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Um, of all the 1920s and '30s designers you would ask somebody
0:03:10 > 0:03:18in the street to mention in pottery, this is the designer who everybody has on their lips, Clarice Cliff,
0:03:18 > 0:03:25and the fact is that she is designing for a pretty ordinary industry but she brings to it
0:03:25 > 0:03:31a pretty extraordinary imagination, and I think an incredible bravery, because there you have that standard
0:03:31 > 0:03:38- oval and then just in the corner, just placed in the corner, you've got this dinky little landscape.- Yes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:45If we were to focus really close on that landscape, you're looking at something that is almost surreal.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51- So you've got the surreal striking off against the ordinary and I think that's what makes her special.- Yes.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Now you've got a whole service.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59A dinner service, three, four cereal bowls and four breakfast cups and saucers.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Hang on, we, we actually, well you've got it listed here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03That's very helpful.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Yes.- So just quickly totting it up
0:04:05 > 0:04:09it looks as though you've got getting on for what, 40 pieces?
0:04:09 > 0:04:14- Yes, almost, yes. - And I can't see a single chip or fracture or breakage anywhere,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16maybe those went in the bin?
0:04:16 > 0:04:21No, no, no, there are two tiny chips in two of the dinner plates at home.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23If we, if we look at the pottery in close up,
0:04:23 > 0:04:28let's have a look here and on the back we've got everything we need to know, it says "Made in England"
0:04:28 > 0:04:34we have the facsimile signature of Clarice Cliff and there, the name, the famous name "Bizarre".
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Yes.- Which is not this specific pattern name, but the range...
0:04:37 > 0:04:45- Yes, yes.- ...which this particular pattern belongs to, and there you have the actual pattern number, 6153
0:04:45 > 0:04:50and incidentally if you ever forget what the date of it is, over there, pressed into the clay.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Right, yes.- 33". 1933.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I don't need to write anything down for you, it's all written on the back.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59And I've never noticed that before.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Now you have absolutely no idea what this service is worth?
0:05:03 > 0:05:09No I haven't, I haven't. I know it was a treasure to my mother, she had it as a wedding present in 1934.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13OK, so we have what's called a "tabula rasa".
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I am going to tell you that if you put this up for auction...
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and assuming all of the rest of it which we see listed, is in good condition...
0:05:20 > 0:05:27- Yes, it is.- You would certainly be looking for an auction room price of somewhere between £4,000 and £6,000.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Mm, amazing!
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Well, I'm not exactly a religious man, but I remember from my days...
0:05:38 > 0:05:41when I was a little boy at Sunday School that bit in...
0:05:41 > 0:05:46I think it's Isaiah, the Book of Isaiah, when they said they should beat their swords into plough shares,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50This sword quite obviously hasn't been beaten into a plough share, has it?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- No, no, certainly not. - And where did it come from?
0:05:53 > 0:06:00Well, my niece, who's got a house in Sevenoaks, she had a leak in her roof a few... well, last week...
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and of course called in Dad.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Dad goes up to the roof, goes to find the leak, goes to
0:06:07 > 0:06:11the chimney breast and he found that hidden behind the chimney breast.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- What on earth was it doing there? - We don't know but it's at least
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- must be 200 years old because I went into the internet with the name...- Now that's this name here?
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- That name, there. - The name of the swordsmith.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Yes, and the internet took me into the Maritime Museum.- Excellent.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30And the Maritime Museum had 174 swords but only two of this make.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Right, well, he's actually quite an unusual sword cutler, I have to say.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38- Yes.- Um, it says here on the label, "S Brunn,
0:06:38 > 0:06:45"sword cutler to HRH the Prince of Wales".
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Now the Prince of Wales refers to the Prince Regent.- Prinnie.
0:06:48 > 0:06:56Exactly, exactly, so we can date that, probably right at the beginning of the 19th century.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- Yes.- It's a Scottish Officer's broad sword.- Oh, Scottish...
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Now if we take it from the top, looking at the hilt,
0:07:04 > 0:07:11this basket hilt would have been completely gilded and it would have been beautiful to see originally.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16- Oh, right.- The original shagreen, or fish skin grip is still there, the problem is the condition.- Yes.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Now you can see that the scabbard itself is split.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22I... Will it come out?
0:07:22 > 0:07:27We tried but we didn't pull it out, because we were afraid that we might damage it.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- No, that won't come out.- So we left it as it is, and we thought
0:07:29 > 0:07:32if the Antique Roadshow want to get it out, they can get it out.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I can't get it out, but I guess you will be able to get it out.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40I think looking at it, you've got a double-edged sword, so it is a broad sword.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Been used a bit, hasn't it?
0:07:42 > 0:07:48- Looks a bit like it has.- Someone's chopped a tree down with it.- It's a good sword, or it was a good sword.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I think in that condition, well, what's it going to be worth?
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Once it's restored it's going to be worth something in the region of £600...
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- £800.- As much as that? Oh!- What?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02We was thinking of £20 or £30 and we'd go out for a meal with it.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06You could buy a bloomin' good meal for that sort of price today.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Yes, well...they'll be absolute... they'll be absolutely amazed.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11- Wonderful.- And so will I...
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- and I've got me fifteen minutes on television, fantastic.- Thank you.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19This is a gorgeous pot isn't it? Made by the Grainger factory at Worcester,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I suppose for pot pourri... do you use it for pot pourri?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- I don't, not really, no.- You don't?
0:08:25 > 0:08:30No, I just put it out as it is, actually I've got the plug-in for the different smells.
0:08:30 > 0:08:36Oh, you must use this, yes. It's gorgeous, we call it pierced ivory.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- Yes.- It's meant to look like a piece of ivory, made in
0:08:39 > 0:08:41the Parian body.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Yes.- And it's pierced by a man called Alfred Barry.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- I knew his daughter very well and she told me all about him.- Oh, you did?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- He did this superb work and it's a beautiful little thing isn't it?- Yes.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Lovely, absolutely gorgeous, so how long have you had it?
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Well, I'm not quite sure, I suppose I've had it about 30-35 years.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- Yes.- My husband bought it for me.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- Oh, did he?- Yes. - So it's a romantic thing.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Well...
0:09:06 > 0:09:08A nice memory of him and a beautiful pot.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Yes, yes, so it is.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13But the date coding is given by...
0:09:13 > 0:09:17- that's the normal Grainger mark there.- Yes.- With the shield.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Oh, I see, yes, yes, yes. - And the letter "I"
0:09:19 > 0:09:23is the date code for eighteen...
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- 1898.- Is that really?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- So it's over a hundred years old.- Is it really? I didn't realise that.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31- Oh, it is, so it's jolly nice indeed. - Oh, I didn't think it was as old as that.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35And the reticulation is very beautiful, it's somewhat dirty inside.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- Well, yeah, I don't very often wash it.- No, no, no, it should be...
0:09:38 > 0:09:40High days and holidays.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43It shouldn't be washed too often but it could do
0:09:43 > 0:09:45with a nice one in a soft soap.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Something gentle, warm soft soap.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51That's right, to be honest with you, I'm always a little bit nervous when I wash it.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Yes, I'm sure, I'm sure.- But, um,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57at the moment... it's been packed away for a couple of months.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- But it should come out now, filled with pot pourri.- Yes, yes.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- Get rid of that mechanical stuff. - Yes, yes, will do, yes.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- Used to be a beautiful smell. - Oh, OK, then I'll take your advice.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Lovely, and the value now is about £1,000 or even a bit more.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13- Is it really? - Yes, so look after it.- Oh, I will do, don't worry about that.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15And more particularly, enjoy it.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Oh, now you've started an argument, my children will all want it now.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Oh, will they? Oh, well, oh, well don't tell them it's worth that.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- These are really nice. What do you know about them? - Well, not really very much.
0:10:30 > 0:10:37I understand though that they were made by the Vimini factory in Italy, a small factory, but that's about
0:10:37 > 0:10:42all I know, apart from the fact that there's a lot of movement about them and they're rather beautiful.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44They're very elegant, aren't they?
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And how long have you owned these?
0:10:47 > 0:10:54Well, this one I bought 40 years ago in an auction in Maidstone,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and when I bought that I fell in love with it, and decided I'd like to collect more of them
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and in 40 years I've managed to collect one more, so not been very
0:11:02 > 0:11:06successful, that was 20 years ago in Greenwich market I bought that.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Well, I've got some news for you there's a remarkable coincidence, I...
0:11:11 > 0:11:15about a year ago I bought two of these, I found them
0:11:15 > 0:11:20at a boot fair and I have bought the two of them for £100...
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I thought they were Vimini...
0:11:22 > 0:11:29- as you say.- Yes.- Which is an Austrian lamp glass works, these are made by blowing gas through a pipe and
0:11:29 > 0:11:35melting rods of glass together, this is how these are made, so I had these out and somebody walked into the shop
0:11:35 > 0:11:41and he said, "Oh, you have some glass by Istvan Andras Karamoni"
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and I go "What?"
0:11:43 > 0:11:47"Istvan Andras Karamoni" and I said, "What are you talking about?"
0:11:47 > 0:11:49he said, "These, these". I said, "No, they're Vimini".
0:11:49 > 0:11:55He said, "They are not, when I was a child living in Shirley, near Croydon,..."
0:11:55 > 0:12:03- No.- "..my next door neighbour was Istvan Andras Karamoni and I used to go round for sixpence a week
0:12:03 > 0:12:08"after school, I would help him and watch him make these figures
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- "in a bedroom at the back of his house in a suburban Croydon".- Amazing.
0:12:13 > 0:12:21He's a Hungarian, arrived from Budapest in about 1954 in England and his most famous group is
0:12:21 > 0:12:26a group of stags, one of which was given to Princess Margaret at...
0:12:26 > 0:12:32as a wedding present, so whilst they certainly look like Vimini,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35they are this guy with the very easy name.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40- Forgotten it already.- We'll write it down.- Yes, thank you.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44So when it comes to value, I can't help but feel
0:12:44 > 0:12:47that that's got to be worth £250.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52I think it's really elegant, sexy, spontaneous and rare.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- This one, I have this figure.- Yes.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- Set on one of these boards. - Ah, right.
0:12:57 > 0:13:04- So I think this is actually damaged and there is a replacement foot, so I would put £50 to £75.- Right.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05- But that's the least.- Good.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Here we are, "Rochester, I owe everything to this place"...
0:13:08 > 0:13:13Dame Sibyl Thorndyke, doyenne of the English stage and worldwide
0:13:13 > 0:13:18traveller, there is one place whose memories she treasures most in all...
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Rochester.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- She was a fabulous actress, wasn't she?- She was, wonderful.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28Really very very good, and here she is "After a few words with Mrs Pugh, wife of
0:13:28 > 0:13:33"Dr David Pugh, who live at 2 Minor Canon Row, Rochester"...
0:13:33 > 0:13:35the Thorndykes' first home in Rochester.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40So tell me, what is the connection between you and Sibyl Thorndyke?
0:13:40 > 0:13:47- I went up to see her on her 90th birthday in 1972.- Right.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51On behalf of the Children of the Medway Towns with...
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- What are the Children of Medway? - Well, they have produced over a hundred birthday cards for her.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Right, and this is, this is her opening her cards.
0:13:57 > 0:14:04This is her opening her cards with my own small daughter who was then
0:14:04 > 0:14:05- five.- Oh, well I think that's absolutely splendid.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- But the real prize was seeing her. - Seeing her face to face.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Seeing her and spending half an hour in her company.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Oh, I think that's splendid. What else have you got here?
0:14:16 > 0:14:18You've got a couple of signed photographs.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23- Yes.- You've got quite a few letters, you've got the Order of Thanksgiving
0:14:23 > 0:14:30Service for the life of Sibyl Thorndyke Casson in Westminster Abbey. Did you go to that?
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Yes, I did, yes, and it was a wonderful occasion.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Yes, absolutely wonderful, and then you've got here the biography.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41- That's right.- Tell me about that. - Well, when I went up
0:14:41 > 0:14:48with the cards and the children, she said to me, "You know my son John has written a book about me"
0:14:48 > 0:14:53and I said "Yes, I know, Dame Sibyl, my husband is going to give it to me for Christmas"
0:14:53 > 0:14:58and she said "No, he isn't, my dear, because I'm going to give it to you now"
0:14:58 > 0:15:03and she sent me into the kitchen with the little old Irish lady
0:15:03 > 0:15:05who was her companion
0:15:05 > 0:15:06to the cooker,
0:15:06 > 0:15:12and I was amazed to see this cooker, this spotless gas cooker
0:15:12 > 0:15:15which she never used, because she didn't like cooking,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and it was full of these books that she was going to give away.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- That's a marvellous place to put books.- In the cooker.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Absolutely tremendous. I love this bit
0:15:25 > 0:15:29"Dear Mrs Walker, I'm so very glad you like the book, I think John has made a very
0:15:29 > 0:15:35"good job of it, I enjoyed it too, thank you for writing me such an interesting letter, full of memories.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40"I don't know whether you mean the school that was in King Street, or the one in St Margaret's.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43"I have wonderful memories of the one in St Margaret's...
0:15:43 > 0:15:46"PTO...
0:15:46 > 0:15:51"because I taught in Sunday School there from time to time; I was ten years old.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54"If you mean the one in King Street, the old Board School...
0:15:54 > 0:15:56"we used to spit at it when we passed"
0:15:56 > 0:16:00which is wonderful "because it wasn't a church school
0:16:00 > 0:16:06and then she signs it elaborately, "Good luck, sincerely Sibyl Thorndyke Casson"
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and a wonderful signature there too.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- Yes.- Now tell me, what about values? Have you any idea of values?
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Well, I wouldn't part with any of it, but I have no idea at all.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Well, as you can imagine, she lived until a great old age.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- 94.- And so she signed quite a lot of stuff.- Yes, she did.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31But I think you've got... and with your memories and all the other bits and pieces that you've got here...
0:16:31 > 0:16:35I think you've got the best part of £500 or £600.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37- Good gracious. - Now be careful as you go home.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- Yes, I will, thank you. - All right, thanks for bringing it in.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48It was my great grandfather's, he was in the navy in both
0:16:48 > 0:16:54world wars and he survived both and we don't know how he came across it, but it comes apart.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Ah, look at that.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01OK, well... have you ever seen anything like this before?
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- Not at all, no.- Right, well, I have.
0:17:06 > 0:17:12In the early part of the 20th century when this was made, there was no television,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- there was no radio, people had to find their own amusement.- Yes.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And so handicrafts were the thing of the day, people
0:17:18 > 0:17:24wrote poetry, they played music, they, they drew, they painted, they played with metalwork, and that's
0:17:24 > 0:17:30exactly what this is, it's a little novelty, and somebody who had a tremendous talent with his hands.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35- Yes.- Perhaps with the lathe, has taken two pennies, and they had to use two.- Yes.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41- And they've cut the tails off of one and the heads off of the other.- Yes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47And they've turned away the centre of the head and they've made a little tiny box.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- What's it worth? Well, frankly, I think it's quite rare.- Yes.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I'd pay £50 for that, just for a novelty.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- I know.- I think it's fantastic. - And my mum says...
0:17:58 > 0:18:02It's a penny then, so it's got to be about half a penny nowadays.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08The half penny today converts to about £50 so I think you've got a lovely object there.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Yeah, I really like it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22In its three decades, the Antiques Roadshow has been introduced by no less than five presenters...
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Bruce Parker was the first, there was Angela Rippon,
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Hugh Scully was the longest serving presenter and then came me...
0:18:29 > 0:18:33that was in the year 200o. But the experts started very young...
0:18:33 > 0:18:36When did the name Hilary Kay first go up in lights?
0:18:36 > 0:18:41It was early on, it was '79/'80 I mean back in those early days.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Did you ever think very hard about what you wore?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Well, I suppose I should have done. No, I didn't...
0:18:46 > 0:18:50was the answer, which means that I made all the classic telly mistakes...
0:18:50 > 0:18:56huge patterns, bra-less, uncomfortable shoes and you just
0:18:56 > 0:19:02had to learn by your own mistakes and you know, thankfully here we are now with all those mistakes learned.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Well, go back now please to a really outstanding early memory.
0:19:06 > 0:19:15Well, the one fantastic object from those really early days was the automaton that was found at Bognor.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19And that was special for so many reasons, I mean firstly it was
0:19:19 > 0:19:26the time that I was working with Arthur Negus and you can imagine, I'd grown up with "Going For A Song"
0:19:26 > 0:19:31and that was just such a sort of hero worship thing for me
0:19:31 > 0:19:37then, to be working with Arthur, so that was number one, and then you had this wonderful object which really...
0:19:37 > 0:19:42how it ever escaped from a museum I've no idea, I mean it was just a great thing,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and then thirdly, I mean... bit naughty...
0:19:44 > 0:19:51but I just loved the client, the owner, with her wonderful hat and you know, long skinny boots.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56She was, she was just wonderful, so I mean the three made it into a real priceless memory for me.
0:19:56 > 0:20:02Are you interested in music yourself, because the songs are really very pretty, aren't they?
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Well, I was a professional singer myself and then a lecturer of music.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- Well, I never, but it's a beautiful object.- It is lovely.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Er, to actually put a value on an item like
0:20:14 > 0:20:18this is difficult, because as I said, it's a really museum piece.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21But I would have thought at an auction,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26he should realise between £6,000 and £8,000.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Oh, that's a lot, isn't it?
0:20:29 > 0:20:33It is a lot, but he's worth every penny, I think.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37And the automaton itself went on to great glory.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42It did, I mean much later on, I don't know, 15 or 16 years later the owner phoned me up at
0:20:42 > 0:20:46the auction house where I was working and said she'd decided to sell it
0:20:46 > 0:20:52and when it came up for sale it actually went for £84,000
0:20:52 > 0:20:56which was a huge sum, I mean it was then, it still is a huge sum now.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- Well, your campaign medal's in the post.- Ooh, good.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And there are other contenders for that title and we them the Young Ones.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06MUSIC: "The Young Ones" by Cliff Richard
0:21:34 > 0:21:38At first sight there seems to be no immediate connection
0:21:38 > 0:21:42between this piece of slightly crudely formed oak
0:21:42 > 0:21:46and a beautifully made boat, tell us what it is.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Well, my great grandfather
0:21:49 > 0:21:54was a boat builder but he was acquainted with Charles Dickens
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and either watched, or played, cricket with him at Gads Hill House
0:21:57 > 0:22:06and a tree was in the way, Dickens wanted rid of it, and my great grandfather bought it.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- Right, and that is what this piece of paper is all about.- It is indeed.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And this is a what, a typescript from...
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It's written on the top there.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18God, it even gets better,
0:22:20 > 0:22:27So it says "This piece of oak was grown at Gads Hill, the tree of which it is a part, interfered with
0:22:27 > 0:22:31"the prospect at a cricket match at which I was one of the players"
0:22:31 > 0:22:32- ie your great grandfather.- Indeed.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36"And Dickens expressed a wish for its removal.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- "I offered to buy it". Well, that was very opportune.- Absolutely.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- I mean a boat builder needs oak, doesn't he?- He does indeed.
0:22:41 > 0:22:48And there is the actual cheque that he gave to Charles Dickens to purchase this oak tree.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- For ten pounds.- And he paid £10 for an entire tree, but...
0:22:53 > 0:22:57..well, of course I'll pay lip service to being interested in Dickens while
0:22:57 > 0:23:03I'm here in Rochester, my main interest is actually in the boat and I love boat models.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Great.- This is absolutely meat and drink to me.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- I live on the Thames.- Right.
0:23:08 > 0:23:15On the upper Thames and so I'm very used to seeing nice clinker built dinghies, although this, to my eye,
0:23:15 > 0:23:20is not a Thames proportion, is it, is it a Medway boat?
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I think it is, um, he built boats for the local fishermen.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29- Right.- Because Medway at the time was famous for sprats, oysters and shrimps.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34Interesting that I see that these, certainly the seats in the thwarts are made of oak
0:23:34 > 0:23:39and I think the planking is as well and wouldn't it be wonderful to think that it was from the tree?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42That would be terrific.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- That would be special. - What other evidence of the family is there?
0:23:45 > 0:23:50We do have a photograph of Edward Lemon which is here.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52What is that he's standing next to?
0:23:52 > 0:23:57He's standing next to a pulpit which he carved for "The Arethusa"
0:23:57 > 0:24:01which was then a training ship for The Shaftesbury Homes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04So there I was, very very rudely at the beginning saying this is
0:24:04 > 0:24:08slightly crudely formed oak plaque and I think you'd agree, it is.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12- Oh, yes.- But that... actually he improved, didn't he, over the years?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14- Yes, he got better. - He got pretty good.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Yes, he did, yes, he did.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Um, no, they're great things and what wonderful things of local interest.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- Yes.- What are they worth?
0:24:21 > 0:24:26As a piece of...essentially a piece of treen, carved wood,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I would say it's £200 or £300.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- Right.- But of course we've got the Dickens connection to, to cope with.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37- Yes.- And the Dickens market is quite strong.- Oh, right.
0:24:37 > 0:24:43- And I think that it is worth many hundreds, certainly the best part of £1,000.- Good heavens!
0:24:43 > 0:24:45That's... that's better than we expected, that's really good.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- It actually compares directly with the value of this.- Really?
0:24:49 > 0:24:55Because I saw a very similar hull, for sale recently, and that was also priced at just under £1,000.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Good heavens.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01So with all the extra interest, with the photograph and...
0:25:01 > 0:25:06I suppose, you know, you're well on top of £2,000.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08When did you last ride a bike in a cathedral?
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- Oh, let me think. - Do it all the time, do you?
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Yeah, pretty much.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15So where did you find bikes like this?
0:25:15 > 0:25:20Well, they were delivered to my great grandfather who had a dairy, a very small dairy at
0:25:20 > 0:25:25the bottom of a very small lane, and the tanker couldn't get down the lane to the dairy so as far as
0:25:25 > 0:25:29we know, the dairy supplied him with the tricycles to get the milk from the dairy to the tanker.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31So when was that do you think?
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Um, as far as I know my grandfather got them in 1947.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Oh, quite late.- Oh, yeah, quite late.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39So what did they have on here? Milk churns?
0:25:39 > 0:25:44Yeah, it would have probably had bottled milk on it, or milk churns, and the same with this one.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48So were they given to you as good bikes? Were they in good condition?
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Um, when I got them they were, yes, but they weren't when my father found them.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56My father found them on my granddad's farm
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and he restored them when he was 16, which must have been 30 years ago.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04So let's get down to basics. Why do you want to ride bicycles like this?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07They're heavy, they're old-fashioned.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- Because they're absolutely great fun, I mean I do my groceries on that one.- Do you?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- I do.- There's plenty of room for your supermarket bags.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18- I don't have a driving licence, I've got no other way of doing them. - That's great.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21My mum and dad rode on their first date on this tricycle.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23She on the front, he on the back?
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Yeah, he cycled her to the pub and they had lunch together, and that was their first date...
0:26:27 > 0:26:29they've now been married 22 years.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Well, what a start! She had to say yes, didn't she?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Oh, definitely and then came along me and my brother,
0:26:35 > 0:26:40she strapped our carry cots to the front of that and took us down the shops, then took us cycling.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Um and then of course... family history...
0:26:43 > 0:26:45we had to repeat it, my boyfriend cycled me to the Prom on that one.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Fantastic, what riding or carrying?
0:26:48 > 0:26:52- My boyfriend cycled and I was sat on the front.- How elegant.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53It was absolutely wonderful.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Now, in Roadshow terms... value.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- What are they worth to you? - Priceless.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- Priceless.- I think if I sold them, my uncle would actually kill me.- Well, that's fair enough, in that case.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06They're so precious to me, I'm the fourth generation to have them.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- I don't care what they're worth. - No, well, in that case, I'm not going to tell you.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Please don't.- No, let's keep it as a wonderful bit of...
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- bit of family history and mystery. - Yes, they are, they are brilliant.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I think they're great, and in fact I've always wanted to ride a delivery bike so off I go.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22- Well, there you go, bye-bye.- Bye.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It's a fabulous service, that's what I like about this so much,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- it's a very, very tactile piece, it feels like fur.- Feels like fur?
0:27:30 > 0:27:36It's a gorgeous thing, gorgeous, gorgeous, and it's a fabulous form as well. Do you know what it is?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38No, you tell me.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Well, you must have looked. - Yes, it's Ruskin but I don't know anything about it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46It's Ruskin Ware yes, it says so on the base here "Ruskin Pottery 1909"
0:27:46 > 0:27:50it's a factory near Birmingham set up just before the end of the 19th century
0:27:50 > 0:27:54by a chap called William Houghton Taylor, he set it up with his father
0:27:54 > 0:28:02and they made these wonderful high fired, high-temperature flambe-glazed vases inspired by Chinese pieces
0:28:02 > 0:28:07principally, for around about 30 years or so, but they are terrific quality.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11In this vase it's using a high-temperature, copper-edged
0:28:11 > 0:28:14flambe glaze, it's a very difficult glaze to control in the kiln.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19In some areas, if you don't get the oxygen levels exactly right, you get
0:28:19 > 0:28:26these slightly grey areas and the very best examples have a very even glaze, but it's a really pretty vase,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30it's a really pretty shape, it feels lovely.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34At auction, I'd expect it to fetch £800 to £1,200.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Wow!
0:28:37 > 0:28:42Really? Oh, my God. Oh, thank you very much.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43I think it's lovely.
0:28:47 > 0:28:53On this table you have almost encapsulated my entire childhood, do you realise that?
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- I didn't realise that. - It's a worry isn't it?- Yeah.
0:28:56 > 0:29:03But we had a toy shop in our village and I'd save up my 2/6 every week
0:29:03 > 0:29:05and buy something, because Corgi...
0:29:05 > 0:29:09I hate to say it, all those Dinky toy fans out there...
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- Corgi were the ones to buy. - Absolutely.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14And to prove it, we have the fact
0:29:14 > 0:29:20- that you are a registered member of the Corgi Model Club.- That's right.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22I was always a Corgi fanatic.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Exactly, well, I mean Corgi set up in 1956 which was quite
0:29:26 > 0:29:30a long time after Dinky, but they had this big selling point, didn't they?
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Their slogan was...
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- "the one with windows". - Yes, "the one with windows".
0:29:34 > 0:29:39- And then they had suspension and then they had dual headlamps.- Absolutely.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44And they got really early into sort of film merchandise and TV world.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- Yes, they did, yes, yes. - So they had, um obviously James Bond.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49- Bond.- Here we have James Bond.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51- They had The Avengers.- That's right.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.- Yes. - Man From Uncle.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56- Yes, I remember those. - Queen Hornet.- Yes.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58OK, so when did you start collecting?
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Well, I'm not a collector as such, these are just my childhood toys.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05They all date from the late '50s to probably the mid '60s.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Yes.- And, er...- So were you a pocket money hoarder as well?
0:30:07 > 0:30:11- Er, yes, certainly, for the... for this one.- Yeah.
0:30:11 > 0:30:17I saved up two shillings a week which was my pocket money for
0:30:17 > 0:30:23eight weeks, sixteen shillings, and my mum added the one and six, and I went to Dartford and purchased it
0:30:23 > 0:30:30from the toy shop but the majority come from one of my sisters, so three older sisters, very spoiled
0:30:30 > 0:30:35and my sister Elaine used to come home from work every Friday, most Fridays with a toy.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36No!
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Invariably it was a Corgi toy.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43So good for her, so this is, this is the spoilt spoils from, from a little brother.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Absolutely, absolutely.
0:30:45 > 0:30:53- Brilliant, so amongst all these with me, I think my favourite was probably the caravan.- Oh, OK, OK.- Which is...
0:30:53 > 0:30:57I don't what that says about me but closely followed, I have to say...
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- by... oh, you haven't got it here.- What's that?
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Which was a wonderful Corvette.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06- Chevrolet Corvette.- Yeah.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Oh, it's there, oh, you've got it!
0:31:10 > 0:31:13And I am in seventh heaven now, you're not going to see this again,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16that's going to slip nicely into my handbag.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18So my favourites. Your favourites?
0:31:18 > 0:31:24- My favourites was the James Bond Aston Martin, the Ecurie Ecosse car transporter.- Yes.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29- And funnily enough the circus set. - Well, I think the circus has got so much going for it.- Yes, yes.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31- Lots and lots of accessories.- Yes.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35- But the great thing here is the condition.- OK.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39Now, sad boy, or boy that played with his toys?
0:31:39 > 0:31:43I had two lots of toys, toys I played
0:31:43 > 0:31:46outside with, and toys I played indoors, these were the indoor toys.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- Very good, very good.- Yes.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51OK, so value.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Which is the most valuable, do you think?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Well, I thought, I thought it was the James Bond Aston Martin
0:31:56 > 0:32:00but I believe it could be the circus set, in that case I don't know.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04I think it's this. I think it's the gift set number 1.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- No.- Actually.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10I mean I know you've got a dink in the lid here, but gift set number 1
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- can fetch about £500.- Good grief.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17So I think that's your cracker...
0:32:17 > 0:32:22- the circus models come next at around £350-£400.- OK.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27This comes third, this is going to be around £300 and the rest are going to
0:32:27 > 0:32:31add up, I mean when you go through and add them all up in your head...
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Sure, sure.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37I reckon we're getting to £2,000 without any problem at all.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39- Really. Really?- Yeah.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43- So, well done for saving your money and buying them.- Thank you.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Thank you to Elaine
0:32:45 > 0:32:48for giving them to you every Friday
0:32:48 > 0:32:52and well done for keeping them in such great shape because now
0:32:52 > 0:32:55you've got something that really is just as exciting as it was.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58I'll have to take more care of them, because they're stored in the loft.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- Not good.- And subject to extremes of temperature.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03- Which leads to metal fatigue. - Absolutely.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07So get them down from the loft, have them out on display, they look fantastic.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Yes, right.
0:33:09 > 0:33:17This is a most strange and unique form of glass decorating that is applied to this jug.
0:33:17 > 0:33:24It was made by Davenport who are a porcelain company in Staffordshire,
0:33:24 > 0:33:31and this is their contribution to glass making history and it is called "the Davenport patent"
0:33:31 > 0:33:35and it's supported by the application of the word "patent"
0:33:35 > 0:33:40to the base of this jug which is a real cracker.
0:33:40 > 0:33:46Now the Davenport patent concerned the application of sugar water
0:33:46 > 0:33:52and black ink to the body of the glass,
0:33:52 > 0:34:00fine-tuned with a stiletto to leave an image that was created by firing it.
0:34:00 > 0:34:06It was patented in 1806 and they abandoned the making of it in 1811
0:34:06 > 0:34:12and they made examples for the Tsar, and the Prince Regent.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17This is the market it was aimed at, so tell us your part of the story.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22Well, it was handed down to me by my mother who was
0:34:22 > 0:34:27a very astute lady, actually, and did know her antiques.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29You're not surprising me with that nugget.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- No, and, um...- She was French. - And, um, yes, she was French.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38- Right. Well, not that I think that has any bearing, because this is as English as roast beef.- Yes.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42The scene is one of the famous scenes - the scene is The Huntsman.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45There are other ones that are geometric patterns,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49acanthus decoration up here, this is classic Davenport, I knew it the second I saw it, you know.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Yeah, I knew.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55Well, we have a couple of problems with it and that is that
0:34:55 > 0:35:03it is, has got a right bash here and it's got a chip here, none the less I can tell you, with confidence
0:35:03 > 0:35:06that these are restorable, you can get this stuff out.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Now a group, a collection went up under the hammer last year of
0:35:09 > 0:35:13Rummer wine glasses, now the Rummers went for £2,000 each
0:35:13 > 0:35:17so I've got no hesitation at all...
0:35:17 > 0:35:19albeit that it's quite damaged...
0:35:19 > 0:35:25- on putting a valuation of between £4,000 and £5,000 on this jug.- Wow!
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Taken my breath away.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30I love doing that.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Fascinating group of silver, where did they come from?
0:35:35 > 0:35:40They are in fact the silver ware of our local church which is part of the Rochester Diocese.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45Right, right, so what are they all about?
0:35:45 > 0:35:48So first of all, this one.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Wonderful piece of silver.
0:35:50 > 0:35:58You've got an inscription here which reads "the gift of Robert Mann Esquire, Anno 1750"
0:35:58 > 0:36:01but that's not the date of the piece.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05- Ah.- OK, the piece itself...
0:36:05 > 0:36:09you've got the date letter there for 1698.
0:36:09 > 0:36:15Oh, right. Was it in its previous life, a paten for a chalice?
0:36:15 > 0:36:16- It was just a plate. - No, really a dish.- A dish.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21Simply a dish, domestic use, not for church use at all.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23- Oh, right, ah.- OK?- Yeah.
0:36:23 > 0:36:29- So I think with this one we're looking probably around £1,500 to £2,000 mark.- Right.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32OK. What have we got here?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Ex dono Francis Withams,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Militus, I think that means he is a military man, I might be wrong,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42my Latin is absolutely hopeless.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47And here we've got this rather curious...
0:36:47 > 0:36:51it reads 1691-2, so this
0:36:51 > 0:36:54this must have coincided with that change
0:36:54 > 0:36:59in the year, but again the date actually is deceptive.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04- In this case, we've got the date letter for 1683.- Oh, right.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- And this is actually a dinner plate, really.- Oh, right.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Of the reign of Charles II but of course you have to remember
0:37:12 > 0:37:16with the Reformation, domestic silver like this was perfectly acceptable.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18So what about value on this one?
0:37:18 > 0:37:25Well, we had an idea from... no, the overall value of these,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29I think it was something like two and a half K or something.
0:37:29 > 0:37:30£2,500 you reckon overall.
0:37:30 > 0:37:36- Yes.- Well, this on its own is somewhere between £5,000 and £6,000.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40- Are you noting this down?- Yes.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45So when you inherited this, why on earth did you keep it?
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Well, I just think it's the most beautiful object in its own right,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53I love the colour, I love the shape, I love the intricacy, and it's got
0:37:53 > 0:37:59so many clues all over it, I just think it's a fantastically beautiful piece of art...artwork, really.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04Well, it's a cow horn beaker made in the 18th century and it just makes you smile.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07I'm smiling all the time, every time I hold it.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11- Exactly.- Well, it's a funny, there's a lot of sort of little funny pieces in it, in the carving.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Well, it is full of humour.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18Well, curiously, I think we need to start at the bottom because it says here
0:38:18 > 0:38:22"this is for his Royal M...
0:38:22 > 0:38:31"KG"... or GK... so His Royal Majesty King George and this chap here is wearing a garter star, or a star.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- Oh, right.- So perhaps this is King George, and conveniently it says "KG"
0:38:35 > 0:38:38there and also, what on earth is this rather strange...
0:38:38 > 0:38:41This is a compass of some sort and it has north, south, east, west
0:38:41 > 0:38:44but the east and west are in the wrong position.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48So I assume it wasn't a very educated person that made it.
0:38:48 > 0:38:54Well, he's certainly very skilful, but who is he, I wonder, and here, over this rather bizarre
0:38:54 > 0:38:59royal arms with the supporters, the lion and the unicorn, I mean look at this unicorn, what a mad unicorn that
0:38:59 > 0:39:02is, it's terrific, isn't it? The inscription - where you would expect a sort of garter inscription -
0:39:02 > 0:39:08- says "God knows this horn is mine". - It's a very personal piece, isn't it?
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Absolutely, it's mine.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15The whole thing has been cut back in relief, it's quite extraordinary, rather than incised.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19A lot that I've seen are incised and why I love this is the low relief on it.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24- Yes.- I think that's just beautiful, and it feels nice, everything about it's right.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It does feel right. It's just the most lovely thing.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30This very silly dog about to lick or bite King George's hand,
0:39:30 > 0:39:35so now we've got to try and work out what date, and which King George.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40The coat of arms is definitely Georgian, it has the lions,
0:39:40 > 0:39:46the harp, the fleur de lys, I'm not sure what this fellow is, but it's not quite right.
0:39:46 > 0:39:51Well, I think there's another final clue in here in terms of its date in that
0:39:51 > 0:39:57- the outfits that they're both wearing appear to be mid-18th century. - So this is George II, you think?
0:39:57 > 0:40:03I think it's George II, yes, I don't see why not, and everything about it has got...
0:40:03 > 0:40:07it's just the most lovely primitive object and I don't mean by "primitive"
0:40:07 > 0:40:10rudely, I think it's a fabulous primitive object.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12When you inherited it... how long ago did you get it?
0:40:12 > 0:40:1430 years ago Mum gave it to me.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Well, it was probably worth a fiver then,
0:40:16 > 0:40:21but I think now that it's one of the most charming things I've seen for a long time and
0:40:21 > 0:40:26at auction I think it should make somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Well, it's too beautiful to sell.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Well, absolutely, I would never sell it if it was mine, I think it's a lovely object.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37So we're up now to sort of £7,500 or so...
0:40:37 > 0:40:39that sort of level, what about this one?
0:40:39 > 0:40:41We know nothing about it at all.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44No, it's a total mystery to us.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Let's just slide those over there.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52This is actually what's known as a steeple cup,
0:40:52 > 0:40:59from this obelisk or steeple on the lid, this was a tremendous feature
0:40:59 > 0:41:03at one particular period and time, it absolutely screams when it was made.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08- Yes.- And that period was the reign of King James I.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The actual date in fact...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13just fits rather tightly on there.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Did you find the hallmark because we...
0:41:15 > 0:41:17We've got a full set of marks there.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- Oh, yes.- Ah.
0:41:20 > 0:41:26Right. And we've actually got the London date letter there for 1619.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29What are you using it for?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32For high days and holidays, for Communion.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Right, again interesting because it's actually not a Communion cup.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40Ah, that was going to be another question because all the people
0:41:40 > 0:41:43who use it say it's dreadfully uncomfortable to drink from.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48- Right.- Bearing in mind the Communion practice of helping someone to drink from it.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- Indeed, it is a secular drinking cup. - Oh.
0:41:50 > 0:41:56And again it's the secularisation with the Reformation and it was perfectly acceptable for somebody to
0:41:56 > 0:42:00present to a church what was actually their domestic drinking cup.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05You have to be somebody quite important to have a standing cup and cover of this sort of size and scale.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08What about these brackets in the stem?
0:42:08 > 0:42:14Eating you see when this was made, was to a large extent a hands-on operation,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- just think of your hand covered with mutton fat.- Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Got a jolly good grip there.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Works beautifully. Sort of value today...
0:42:24 > 0:42:28I would be thinking in terms of about
0:42:28 > 0:42:33£50,000, maybe £60,000.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36We can pay the Rector's salary now.
0:42:39 > 0:42:4150 to 60K?
0:42:41 > 0:42:42Yes, yes.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- Plus the price of...- Plus those.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48It had previously been hinted at, possibly about 2K. Well, that's unbelievable.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- A bit of an improvement on two thousand.- Isn't it just?
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Yes, I mean you couldn't buy that for two thousand, you might just
0:42:55 > 0:43:03about be able to buy that one for two thousand, so please do make sure that you put them somewhere safe.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Yes, they'll be going straight back to the bank as we leave here.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- A very good idea.- Yes.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16With all my talk about Dickens setting one of his novels here in Rochester Cathedral,
0:43:16 > 0:43:21so much restoration has gone on, that if he came back here, he wouldn't recognise the place.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Although one or two of the pillars still have a distinct
0:43:23 > 0:43:27outward lean, but then if you were a thousand years old, wouldn't you?
0:43:27 > 0:43:33Thanks again to the Dean and Chapter for having us, and from Rochester in Kent, for now, goodbye.