0:00:02 > 0:00:04How far will you go to woo your beloved?
0:00:04 > 0:00:07In 1762, the 5th Earl of Dumfries created one of the finest
0:00:07 > 0:00:12love nests you'll ever see, only to be rejected by his intended.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Welcome to the Roadshow from Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12The 5th Earl of Dumfries was a military man,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15proud Scot and a huntin' shootin' fishin' enthusiast.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18His passion for Lady Mary Douglas,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20the daughter of a friend, led him to this...
0:01:20 > 0:01:25a surprisingly feminine and highly fashionable house for the time.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The Earl's efforts to win his bride left a unique legacy -
0:01:31 > 0:01:33it resulted in the most important collection
0:01:33 > 0:01:37of Chippendale and Scottish furniture from the mid 18th Century.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The 5th Earl didn't have the taste for all of this,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44he relied on architect Robert Adam, who was part of
0:01:44 > 0:01:49a great Scottish rebuilding programme, making and creating contemporary Palladian mansions.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57Dumfries House became a hot bed of cutting edge design, from Thomas Chippendale's Director Catalogue.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01This is the best collection of that style you'll ever see.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04With his ever-quickening pulse,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07the Earl visited Chippendale and took quite a fancy
0:02:07 > 0:02:10to his sinuous S-shaped feminine designs
0:02:10 > 0:02:15with their coquettish curves and come hither flaring.
0:02:15 > 0:02:22This table and chairs cost £85 and were placed here for after dinner card parties 250 years ago.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24And they haven't been moved since.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The Earl was so intoxicated with his designer house
0:02:27 > 0:02:31that he also employed the best of Scottish furniture designers
0:02:31 > 0:02:35who produced a rather more masculine look than Chippendale.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48The Earl of Dumfries built his home for love of a woman and then she rejected him.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Well, he was 40 years older than her,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and then the old Earl's exuberance took another knock -
0:02:54 > 0:02:56In 1762 when the house was completed,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Chippendale's elaborate decoration furniture
0:02:59 > 0:03:02immediately fell out of fashion.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07But it's not all bad news -
0:03:07 > 0:03:09the Earl did find a young wife for his home
0:03:09 > 0:03:11and what remains is a picture of
0:03:11 > 0:03:16a style of living and furniture design from the mid 18th century
0:03:16 > 0:03:18now worth millions.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22What makes it so special is that nothing has changed,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25until last year when disaster almost struck.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31In 2007, the contents of Dumfries House
0:03:31 > 0:03:34were very close to going under the auctioneer's hammer.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Everything was catalogued, tagged and ready for sale
0:03:37 > 0:03:40when a charitable trust, headed by Prince Charles,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43stepped in and saved it for the nation and now everyone can see it
0:03:43 > 0:03:48and I'm delighted to say that Prince Charles will be joining us to tell us more.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52But now, despite the grey skies, the people of Ayrshire are keen
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to meet our experts for this week's Roadshow.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Well, this is a charming little cabinet.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Do you know anything about it all?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- Not a thing, not a thing.- Really?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04OK, so is it a family piece?
0:04:04 > 0:04:09No, no, no, I bought it at a house sale 15 years ago.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Right. How much was it then?- £300.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Well, that was a good buy.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I've always thought so because I love it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Well, that's good, it is a little Italian cabinet.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Oh, it is?
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Cabinets themselves came in the early Tudor period,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27really, into England but they really developed
0:04:27 > 0:04:33in Western Europe and the name actually lent itself to its purpose
0:04:33 > 0:04:38and essentially it was a little architecturally motivated thing...
0:04:38 > 0:04:42piece of furniture... sometimes huge, sometimes even smaller than this,
0:04:42 > 0:04:48and this is where a gentleman would have hidden his latest...
0:04:48 > 0:04:53ah... his latest purchase, his latest object of art.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Inside here you see it's quite plain.- Yes.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Originally, there was a complete compartment which went inside there
0:04:59 > 0:05:03which would have little mirrors and probably a little inlaid floor,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- rather like an inner hall, OK?- Yes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09And that was the cabinet and in that cabinet,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14he would place his latest objet de virtue or object of art,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17a little jewel. That was his cabinet piece and he would show it
0:05:17 > 0:05:22to his cabinet friends, only his closest associates.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- And that's where we get the word Cabinet in government from.- Ah.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- Closest associates, right.- Mm.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Anyway it is, I think, er...
0:05:31 > 0:05:37round the sort of 1700, 1720 - that sort of period
0:05:37 > 0:05:45and it uses ebony and ivory in this amazingly delicate pattern.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47You see these shapes, right?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- They're figures in black, right?- Yes.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54There will be another little cabinet like this with a simple door
0:05:54 > 0:05:58with those reversed so the figures will be in ivory
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and the background will be in ebony,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04just as we can see here, and there it is.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07So you have the ebony and then you have the ivory figures,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10all of which are delineated and etched
0:06:10 > 0:06:14and then they rubbed lamp black into them and that made them
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- stand out in black and white, like that, OK?- Uh-huh.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Fabulous little thing, but even without its centre part,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I think you did very well with your £300.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- You think so?- Yeah.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Erm...
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I should think you've probably earned round about £2,500 on it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- What?- Yes.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39That's amazing! Ooh, that's amazing!
0:06:39 > 0:06:40- Yes, certainly.- Wonderful.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42I'll come shopping with you next time!
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I went to buy, I went to buy a lawn mower
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- at this house sale.- You did?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50No, I bought this instead.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51LAUGHTER
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Your husband sent you to buy a lawn mower.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Well, he had the... seeing as I was going to this house sale...
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- he said, our lawn mower's had it. - We need a lawn mower, yes.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- And so you came back with that.- Yes. - He must have been really thrilled.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Oh, thrilled, he was absolutely amazed!- I'm sure he was amazed.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10LAUGHTER
0:07:10 > 0:07:14If you'd bought the lawn mower, that would have been worth a fiver today,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16so this was the better buy.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Of course it was.- Thank you very much indeed, wonderful.- Thank you.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25You've brought along a selection today of objects very Scottish but
0:07:25 > 0:07:30local in so far as that collectively they get known as Mauchline ware.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Mauchline, M-A-U-C-H-L-I-N-E.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- Yes.- And a village no more than...
0:07:35 > 0:07:37How far from here?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39About eight miles from here
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and in the 19th century,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46a pair of very brilliant brothers who worked in a quarry,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50on the river, developed the idea of producing boxes,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55but the interesting thing is, all this work here is referred to
0:07:55 > 0:08:00as Mauchline ware, but in fact the town of Cumnock really pioneered it,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and that tends to be forgotten
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and here we are on the edge of Cumnock
0:08:04 > 0:08:06with this great house saved for the nation,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11and some of this work here is a real example of the creativity of Cumnock
0:08:11 > 0:08:13in the early 19th century.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Well, I'd like to add probably two more names,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Victoria and Albert,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22because, of course, they popularized anything Scottish.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27What is more normal for me is to find this type of object,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31which, as you can see, is in a pale wood and in sycamore
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and in this case, it's actually been printed with a design,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38and on one side, you've got Floors Castle
0:08:38 > 0:08:42and the other side you've got Kelso,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46um, and these are things which even today, it's fair to say,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48are relatively affordable,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53because I know that I could go and buy something like that for,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54for maybe £50 to £80.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59But that is going to appeal not just to a tartan ware collector,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03but obviously to a, to a visiting card collector, let's have a look,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05because...
0:09:05 > 0:09:10that, I would have thought, is going to be in the sort of...
0:09:10 > 0:09:11around the £100 to £150 mark.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Now, the collection itself was put together by yourself?
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Well, my father, being an Ayrshireman, couldn't resist
0:09:18 > 0:09:24collecting Mauchline ware and he collected from before the war,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26right through to about 1970.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31If there's one box on here that is special to you
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and your father, which one would it be?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35I think this box is very interesting
0:09:35 > 0:09:37which is a Cumnock made box.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Let me put it there.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43The scene it depicts is a very famous covenanting scene.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47In 1685, Highlanders who absolutely terrified the Lowlands,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49came down to Mauchline,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53they dragged three covenanters out into the town and shot them.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- Oh, dear.- And this is the scene depicted on this lid.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00So when it comes to, to price,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- do you know how much your father paid for them?- No, I don't.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04He's quite mean...
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I would have thought it was between sort of £60 to £100, he would never
0:10:08 > 0:10:12admit to anything more than that. In the '60s, it was a lot of money.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Yes, of course it was. Something like this today, um, I mean it's...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Damaged.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Yes, but its importance has been spelt out.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I would suspect that that has got to be at least £500 plus
0:10:24 > 0:10:25to a collector.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Fantastic. Thank you very much.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33There's a label on this box which says Clyde Model Dockyard.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Now, I know it as a maker of all kinds of engineered models,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42whether they were yachts or trains or whatever.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- Now, did you know the shop, Clyde Model Dockyard?- Oh, yes.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48When we were kids, we used to go and get all our toys there.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53And we used to... model aeroplanes...
0:10:53 > 0:10:55balsa wood you need to stick them all up together.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57It was a great place.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Good quality shop, it's a good quality box, let's see
0:11:02 > 0:11:05if we've got something good quality inside it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Off comes the lid, out comes the first bit of rail.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Well, now first of all, looking at the bit of rail,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15it's a gauge 1 rail which is one and three quarter inches
0:11:15 > 0:11:19between the tracks here, so that's a good sign.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Out comes the tender,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25nice looking tender,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I'm going to ask you to pop that on the track.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- And...- Quite nice.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41Quite nice!
0:11:41 > 0:11:48I love, I love your talent up here for, you know, under-description...
0:11:48 > 0:11:49"Quite nice", he says.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52This is...fantastic!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Please put it on the track.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58And I'm going to move the box away
0:11:58 > 0:12:01so that we can see it in all its glory.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06And what else? In the box here, there are a few more bits of track,
0:12:06 > 0:12:07some bits of paper.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14So, this train, I can date pretty much to...
0:12:14 > 0:12:181906 to 1912.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21You can see the letters G-B-N
0:12:21 > 0:12:25in this sort of radiating, um, lozenge here and that's a mark
0:12:25 > 0:12:33that this particular company used from about 1906 to about 1912
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and the name of the company,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38the GBN stands for Gebruder Bing of Nuremberg.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- Ah.- So interestingly, although it's in a Clyde Model Dockyard box,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47they were just being the retailers rather than the manufacturers.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49He obviously never played with it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Oh, he did, he used to run it in the garden.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- Run it in the garden?- Yes, the track was laid out in the garden,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- and he could run it.- But it's perfect, there isn't one...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03He must have looked after it very well.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- It's never been repainted. - No.- How extraordinary.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Well, we can see that it's spirit fired
0:13:10 > 0:13:15so it's a live steam train fired by spirit
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and here are all the accoutrements to fill the spirit burner.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21We've got the measuring jug, the little funnel,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23the oil can here,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27and so the burner was put underneath the train
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and it would operate by live steam.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36It's a huge excitement for me to see a train like this.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41I suppose in over 30 years in the antiques business,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I have never seen a better one.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46It is in fabulous condition.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Absolutely everything is there.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It's one of the rarest trains I've ever seen,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57not because of its outline but because of its condition.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59My first reaction is to say...
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Well, you know, is it going to be worth £5,000?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07The answer is certainly it's going to be worth £5,000.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Gosh, that's amazing,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10absolutely amazing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14But I think in the right auction with the right buyers there,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18you could see it going for between £7,000 and £10,000.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Gosh, can't believe that.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22I really can't.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26All the ingredients of a Roadshow classic... a delighted owner,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29an excited expert, and what a remarkable object.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I reckon that may be even more cherished from now on.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40One of the great bonuses for me on the Roadshow
0:14:40 > 0:14:44is getting privileged access to some remarkable venues
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and Dumfries House is a bit of a jewel.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Earlier on, in the introduction,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I told you about the rescue mission to save this house.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Well, the support of one man in particular was invaluable.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'Prince Charles spearheaded that rescue mission.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05'Recently I joined him at Dumfries House to find out why he felt he had to get involved.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Your Royal Highness, why was it so important to save Dumfries House?
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Well, the most important thing, of course,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17was the fact that it was an intact and unique collection
0:15:17 > 0:15:19which is very rare -
0:15:19 > 0:15:23to have a house that still has all its original furniture
0:15:23 > 0:15:28and everything made for the house, in this case by Chippendale
0:15:28 > 0:15:33and those three great Edinburgh furniture makers -
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Mathie, Brodie and Peter.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41I remember hearing about this house and I knew there was going to be
0:15:41 > 0:15:49a problem coming up because Lord Bute wanted to, to sell it,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53and all sorts of people who knew about it said it was absolutely magical,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and I don't know, I'm one of those people who feels that
0:15:56 > 0:16:00it's so important not to lose something that is totally unique
0:16:00 > 0:16:04so I'm afraid I felt we had to do something in this case
0:16:04 > 0:16:07but you can imagine it was quite a challenge.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09And it must have been pretty nerve-racking
0:16:09 > 0:16:12because it was a last-minute reprieve in the end?
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Oh, awful, yes. You see, I'd heard about it four years before
0:16:16 > 0:16:21but I did try a little bit to see if I could find somebody
0:16:21 > 0:16:23to help - £45 million,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25a hell of a lot to find.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Anyway, nobody was really interested and as you know,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30the National Trust for Scotland
0:16:30 > 0:16:35sadly didn't get anywhere so again, I thought, well,
0:16:35 > 0:16:43nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I asked to see Lord Bute and then...
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Anyway, we gradually managed to put something together but it was absolutely last minute
0:16:48 > 0:16:53because I don't know whether you knew that the pantechnicons with all this furniture in
0:16:53 > 0:16:57had got halfway down the motorway and at one o'clock in the morning,
0:16:57 > 0:17:03they got the telephone call and turned round in a motorway service station in Cumbria or somewhere
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and drove all the way back, and it was as close as that.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Now, we've had the privilege of filming in many of the rooms here at Dumfries House.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Do you have a favourite room here?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Yes, I do. It's the, um, the dining room
0:17:16 > 0:17:19which I think is incredibly special.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I don't know what it is, it has a really wonderful atmosphere
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and the light when it comes in,
0:17:25 > 0:17:31is very special, but also the, the plasterwork is of such high quality
0:17:31 > 0:17:39and that Bassano painting which is set in this rather beautiful frame.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40The whole thing, I think,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45has again a unique atmosphere, so that's my favourite room.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49So, um, I think there were quite a lot of rather
0:17:49 > 0:17:52frustrated people who had their eye on all these bits of furniture!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Can you imagine what would have happened to this house?
0:17:55 > 0:17:59It would have been totally denuded of everything...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and all the pelmets, everything.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And we would have been back to the same situation
0:18:04 > 0:18:06that happens so often with country houses,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09where it would have become derelict is my guess,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14because they would never have found another use for it, and you know,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17we would have been left with a crumbling ruin.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20And we'll hear the vision for the future of Dumfries House
0:18:20 > 0:18:23from the Prince of Wales at the end of the programme.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Meanwhile, back to the experts hard at work in the gardens.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Well, David, you're the...
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I would say...
0:18:32 > 0:18:33you're the curator?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37No, I'm the caretaker of the house, look after the house.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Well, having had a tour with you last night, I would have thought
0:18:40 > 0:18:44you're more the custodian - you've been here some years.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Me and my wife have looked after the collection for 11 years
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and we've looked after it just as if it was our own
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and we really appreciate everything that's in the house,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56we would hate to see anything get damaged or anything like that,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59we just love all the contents that's in the house.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Well, it's a rare privilege to be with you, and also
0:19:02 > 0:19:07to be able to touch, without white gloves on just for a second,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09a piece of furniture which we know
0:19:09 > 0:19:11came from the workshops of Thomas Chippendale
0:19:11 > 0:19:15and you've seen the original documentation for this piece.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Yes, I've seen the original receipts for the furniture.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Do we know how much this cost?
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It cost six pounds, eight shillings.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Six pound... When was that?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27In 1759.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30What, what struck me too was... we were talking last night about
0:19:30 > 0:19:35that piece of timber and the other leaf the other side,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38quite thin, but straight, it's never warped.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Now it's never warped because the house has been allowed to breathe. And that's what you've done.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Yes, you must open the house up and let the air through it,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50especially in the summer, not so much in the winter, but in the summer,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53the house must be kept at a certain temperature
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and I think that's how the leafs on haven't warped because...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Nothing's moved, nothing's moved.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00The chap before me, Dick Freeman,
0:20:00 > 0:20:06- told me when the house should be open and when it should be closed. - And you picked it up from there?
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Picked it up from there.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12This particular table, it's quite severe, it's not what people think of
0:20:12 > 0:20:17as typical Thomas Chippendale, and yet it is from his drawing book,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19it was quite severe and restrained
0:20:19 > 0:20:23but the proportions have that little edge to any other of the period.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Now, it was called...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28is it a breakfast table or a supper table or a tea table?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31On the original receipt, it was called a breakfast table.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Right, breakfast table it is then. After all, they should know. And...
0:20:35 > 0:20:40I think I mentioned to you that sitting on my grandmother's knee,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43she would impart all sorts of bits of knowledge, some of which were
0:20:43 > 0:20:45pearls of wisdom, some were not.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48One of the things she told me was that
0:20:48 > 0:20:55tables of this sort with an open, but enclosed compartment below, this case
0:20:55 > 0:21:00with chicken wire, sometimes with Chinese fencing type fretwork,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05was to store the silver for breakfast or fine porcelain.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Now, you've got a better story than that.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Well, the story I was told about it was...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- all these houses had dogs in them. - Right.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And they put the breakfast in there, and the dogs couldn't get in to eat the breakfast.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19LAUGHTER
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Grandma, I think you've got a lesson to come there.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Well, who could possibly dispute such a practical story?
0:21:27 > 0:21:33Whether or not it's true doesn't really matter, it happened in this house. It's of a Pembroke type.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35You see them in most good stately homes.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Of course, prices...
0:21:38 > 0:21:42because there isn't another one like it, this is so fully documented.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47What's interesting is that with Chippendale, we think of lots of scrolls and raffle leaves,
0:21:47 > 0:21:52here you've got pure Gothic design in blind fretting, what a joy,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54and fancy living with this lot for 11 years.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I have a pretty good job but I'm envious, I really am.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03And I think you've done a wonderful job, and continue to do so, and, and I hope to come and see you again.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Now, this is what I would call a "love it or hate it" object.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- What do you think of it? - Well, I love it, I mean
0:22:15 > 0:22:21I bought it 30 years ago and it hangs in our home and we love it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I'm glad you said that because I absolutely love it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It's the most fantastic pietra dura picture I've seen in years.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Do you have any idea what it's sort of made of?
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Well, I thought it was marble,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35inlaid marble but I really don't know.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39I mean pietra dura literally translated means "hard stone".
0:22:39 > 0:22:42This is like a souvenir piece from Italy, it sort of follows
0:22:42 > 0:22:45in the tradition of the Grand Tour
0:22:45 > 0:22:49which you'd have taken in the late 18th, early 19th century.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52I mean, this is a later pietra dura picture which
0:22:52 > 0:22:56I'd sort of date at sort of 1880, the late 19th century, basically.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Um, but the quality of it is just mind blowing.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03It's a fascinating process, I mean, each piece of marble
0:23:03 > 0:23:09is individually cut and chosen for its shading purposes.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The wine bottle - that little piece of shading,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16that's an individually cut piece of white marble which is put in,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20purely to give the illusion of a reflection. Where did you get it?
0:23:20 > 0:23:25Well, I bought it over 30 years ago from a business of a former employee
0:23:25 > 0:23:29which was being wound up, and I've had it ever since.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- And how much did you pay for it? - I paid £110 for it.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Wow, which 30 years ago would be £800 or so, is that?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Yes, yes, that was quite a lot of money.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- It is a lot of money.- 1970s.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45But I mean your investment has paid off. I mean, if you think,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49well, let's say that's £800, if you times that by...
0:23:49 > 0:23:55four, I mean I'd say in the region of sort of £5,000 or so for, for...
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It's just such a stunning piece.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It needs an international market, it's such a good piece.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Well, we love it and we've got two daughters so we certainly
0:24:04 > 0:24:07won't be selling it, it'll be staying in the family.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26We're all sheltering out of the rain in here. Hello, this looks interesting. What's in here?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- A ram's head.- A ram's head?
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Yeah. Yeah it's snuff mole.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- It's a what?- A snuff mole.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35A snuff mole, can I have a look?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Yeah, sure.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Oh, my word!
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- Can I lift it out?- Yeah.- I feel funny about touching it, actually.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46So what in heaven's name is this, then?
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's a ram's head but what does it...
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- You use it for taking snuff.- How?
0:24:51 > 0:24:55You open this up and you keep the snuff in there,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and, let's say you're having...
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- Where its brains would be?- Yeah, basically where its brains would be.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03And let's say you're having a dinner party,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06at the end of the dinner party usually, one would take this
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and wheel it around on these, on these wheels.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Oh, my goodness!
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And then you would take turns having some snuff
0:25:14 > 0:25:18and it was a tradition in the Victorian age
0:25:18 > 0:25:20that this was instead of smoking.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22It is truly hideous, isn't it?
0:25:22 > 0:25:24- Do you want to try some?- Try some?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28OK, how do I do that?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- Well, OK.- Get this spoon.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- Right.- And the you just put it sort of in there.- In there?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Yeah, and you sniff it up.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38Is that too much.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- No, that's fine.- That's fine. - You'll be fine. You might sneeze.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And then you have to sniff it up.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- It's fine.- I dare you.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51OK. Oh, God, I can't believe I'm doing this.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Aagh! God, eurgh!
0:25:55 > 0:25:57That... Eurgh!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59That is revolting!
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Very wet out there.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So we've got... we're lucky, we've come inside.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Wonderful room,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12and wonderful object.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13- Thank you.- Do you like it?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I've loved it since I was a small girl and I used to
0:26:16 > 0:26:20visit this old lady at home called Mrs Robertson and I come from
0:26:20 > 0:26:24the Isle of Jura so we always used to call it the Japanese box.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So were you, as a child, allowed to play with it?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- Yes.- Were you really?- Yes.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Not a good idea.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Children and works of art...
0:26:34 > 0:26:38But you were very good. as far as we can see, we've only got one chip
0:26:38 > 0:26:42but apart from that, it's in really good condition. Where do you keep it?
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Well, right now I keep it in a cabinet but I have to say
0:26:45 > 0:26:47when I was at university, it was my jewellery box.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52- Oh, my God!- And I know, and I had it in a rucksack... yes.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Oh, no, no, no, I don't want to hear that!
0:26:55 > 0:26:57HE LAUGHS
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Do you know what it is? - No, haven't a clue.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Haven't a clue, no, right.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Well, this is Japanese,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09and it's a small chest called a kodansu.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And it's made out of wood and then lacquered.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Various mounts we've got, the handle, the hinges, the catch,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23are all in silver which has been engraved
0:27:23 > 0:27:30and the body is in different tones of gold lacquer
0:27:30 > 0:27:36and silver and these were used for keeping small objects in.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39But I think this one,
0:27:39 > 0:27:45which is actually, of its kind, relatively late, say 1870, 1880,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49was probably made for the Western market.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53And if you look at this, we've got irises on here
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and we've got swirling water.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59When these arrived in Europe,
0:27:59 > 0:28:06they influenced the artists and the manufacturers in Europe
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and what came out of boxes and prints
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- and works of art like this, but the Art Nouveau Movement.- Oh, right.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- This is Art Nouveau.- Oh, OK.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And it started really in Japan.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22If we open it,...
0:28:22 > 0:28:24we have this fantastic...
0:28:26 > 0:28:33..variety of lacquers, tiny little specks of pure gold on this drawer,
0:28:33 > 0:28:38abalone shell let into, um, black lacquer here which gives
0:28:38 > 0:28:43the most fantastic iridescent effect and then silver dots on here.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46It all works absolutely brilliantly.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50Um, I think it's a nice thing...
0:28:50 > 0:28:54The market for Japanese things is a bit soggy at the moment
0:28:54 > 0:28:58but I think, you know, that if this came up for auction today,
0:28:58 > 0:29:03we would be looking around £1,500, £2,500.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06- Oh, right.- Happy?- Yes, but I wouldn't sell it,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08I've had it for so long now and I've loved it.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- I've got to put my chequebook away have I?- Yes.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13- Thank you.- No, thank you very much.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Slipware dishes like this were only ever sold locally close to
0:29:20 > 0:29:23the potteries where they're made so family history is vital
0:29:23 > 0:29:26in pinning them down. What's the history?
0:29:26 > 0:29:31Well, it came into our family about 1850 through my great grandfather.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34He had a joinery business down in Langholm in Dumfriesshire,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38and apparently did some work for a gentleman
0:29:38 > 0:29:43in a small hamlet called Gilnockie and couldn't pay for the work and
0:29:43 > 0:29:46gave him the plate in exchange for the work that was done.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51Well, 150 years ago, or so, the dish itself goes back even more,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I suppose we're looking here at the beginning of the 18th century,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56so 1720, 1750...
0:29:56 > 0:30:01They're not easy to date, but what a wonderful thing to have got.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05I mean, the dish itself is a great piece of slipware.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08You can feel the potter making it, can't you?
0:30:08 > 0:30:11I mean just dribbling the clay, different colour clay,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14just mixed out of the ground and mixed with water into a rather
0:30:14 > 0:30:19sticky sludge but just trailed and dribbled on to form a pattern.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23The design is very much a sort of Middle Eastern design of...
0:30:23 > 0:30:28tulips and roses copied by the Dutch potters in Holland,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31copied by English Delftware potters and then by
0:30:31 > 0:30:36a Scottish slipware potter producing a splendid dish just to use, just to
0:30:36 > 0:30:42decorate your home and then coming down in the family to you today.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45For slipware, it's not bad condition.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49It's got a few cracks but I suppose originally, it was used,
0:30:49 > 0:30:55it was around in the home but then, I suppose... Is it treasured now?
0:30:55 > 0:30:58- Yes, very much so.- Where do you keep it?- In the cupboard.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01What's it doing in a cupboard?
0:31:03 > 0:31:06It needs to be kept safe but a design like this,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10you want to really show it and display the wonderful spirit
0:31:10 > 0:31:13because that's what slipware is all about,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17it's a spirit in pottery which is mixed of age,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20it has a great charm and nowadays, great value.
0:31:20 > 0:31:26I mean 150 years ago, it was worth the price of a job.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Today, that dish is going to be...
0:31:29 > 0:31:30£15,000.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Ooh!
0:31:33 > 0:31:34- 15... - HE LAUGHS
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Goodness!
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Slipware is what all the great plate collectors...
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Now, um,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49- dare I say it doesn't look too much at first sight, does it?- No.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52- Been through the wars a bit on the frame, hasn't it?- Yes.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54At least it's behind glass so it's protected.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59- Now, what is it, do you think? - Well, it's a painting of
0:31:59 > 0:32:03William Nicholson, he painted it, he's the artist.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07He was living up in my mother-in-law's house,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10my grandparents' estate,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15while he was ill one summer and he painted it when he was here.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19- So he was recuperating.- He'd been recuperating yes, from an illness.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20He didn't sign it?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24We always looked for a signature but we couldn't see anything.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26But it's indisputably his work.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30- Oh, good.- It's, um, it's a picture of three calves in a meadow,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32in a sunlit meadow with a great backdrop of
0:32:32 > 0:32:34tall trees of different varieties
0:32:34 > 0:32:36and sky beyond, it's lovely.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39There's a multitude of different greens and yellows...
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I don't normally like those colours together and you suddenly realise
0:32:43 > 0:32:47what a complicated picture this is, when you start to really look at it.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- Do you know about William Nicholson? - No, nothing.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Well, he's one of the sort of...
0:32:53 > 0:32:58If you could think of three of the most important Edwardian portraitists, he'd be one of them.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- Oh, right. - Encouraged to paint by Whistler.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05Augustus John and Orpen would be the other two, perhaps, but he's one of the greats.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07- Right.- There's no question,
0:33:07 > 0:33:12and he painted in this very slick way, er, with very solid colours
0:33:12 > 0:33:18and very clean lines and then later, because this is, we think...
0:33:18 > 0:33:20- ..an early one. - When was he at...
0:33:20 > 0:33:23I'm not sure. I think it was before the war.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- Before the Second War? - Yes.- So in the '30s?- Yes.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30That would make sense because I think it's a relatively late one,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35he died in 1949 and actually, he seems to sort of...
0:33:35 > 0:33:39slip away from that very high finish, that very Edwardian way of painting,
0:33:39 > 0:33:44into a much more, you know, much looser more relaxed form of painting.
0:33:44 > 0:33:50What he also became famous for was all those amazing still lives of lusterware jugs, very silvery jugs
0:33:50 > 0:33:52with maybe a bone-handled knife
0:33:52 > 0:33:55and a single piece of fruit on a plate on a table,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58and they're very clean and they're very beautiful.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00So this is completely different then?
0:34:00 > 0:34:05Very experimental indeed, but I think it's a really interesting picture.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08It took me a while to come to see it, to be honest,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10when I was looking into it, and then I noticed
0:34:10 > 0:34:13how he got this wonderful transparency in the trees
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and the confidence of some of these brush marks here,
0:34:16 > 0:34:20these are brush marks, I think, going across the top of the meadow.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Now, um...
0:34:22 > 0:34:26Something like that, not what people expect by Sir William Nicholson,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29but nonetheless, I think it's going to be worth something
0:34:29 > 0:34:31in the region of £30,000.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33My goodness!
0:34:33 > 0:34:38Oh, and I haven't cared when these little bits fell off.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40I wouldn't worry about the housework.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48And if, in fact it had to be bought retail then, then probably £50,000
0:34:48 > 0:34:50or £60,000 might be closer to the mark.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Oh, goodness.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57Not surprising we've seen so many golf clubs today as we're surrounded
0:34:57 > 0:34:59by some of the most famous golf clubs in the world,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry. Do you play golf?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Yes, yes, I do play golf, yes.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09- At a local? - Yes, yes, I play in Troon.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12The majority of collectors who collect golf clubs
0:35:12 > 0:35:16are male and, um, you're the first female golf collector I've ever met.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- What interests you in it?- I just like the history of golf clubs,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24fascinating, I find the woods they used
0:35:24 > 0:35:28and the metals that they used very interesting and I just... I just...
0:35:28 > 0:35:32There's such a variety, it's fascinating, just really enjoy it.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Well, you brought a lot along today.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37I'm going to select three that I particularly like.
0:35:37 > 0:35:43The first is what's commonly termed maybe a blacksmith's type.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- Yes.- It's one of the earliest type of irons,
0:35:46 > 0:35:51completely smooth-faced and, they often have this rather crude fitting
0:35:51 > 0:35:54between the stem and the actual iron.
0:35:58 > 0:35:59This is an extraordinary one.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Yes, I didn't think it was an actual golf club when I got it.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Well, it looks like a segment of an orange doesn't it?
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- Um, but it's a driving iron, I understand?- Yes, yes.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12And this would have been used on the fairway or from a tee?
0:36:12 > 0:36:15It would be used on the fairway and it's quite handy
0:36:15 > 0:36:19if there were hoof marks on the course or rabbit scrapes.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21- So, this was to get you out of trouble?- Yes.
0:36:21 > 0:36:27Well, this probably dates from around about the 1880s, 1890s
0:36:27 > 0:36:32but probably my favourite piece out of the whole collection is
0:36:32 > 0:36:34not really a golf club at all, is it?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36No, no.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38But it's a walking stick.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- Yes.- And I understand - and you may tell me I'm totally wrong -
0:36:42 > 0:36:44that this was called a Sunday stick?
0:36:44 > 0:36:46That's right yes, a Sabbath stick, yes.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Back in the end of the 19th century,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52- you were not allowed to play golf on a Sunday.- That's right, yes.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54- But you could go for a walk.- Indeed.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56And when the minister wasn't looking,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59you could turn it around and have a quick practice.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Absolutely, yes.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04And can I ask how much you paid for it?
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Yes, I paid £250 for it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- Which was not an insubstantial sum. - No, no.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12But I think this is a real gem. It's in perfect condition,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14it's got the Troon maker on it
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and it's in absolute pristine condition...
0:37:17 > 0:37:22I think today at auction, you'd have to pay £450, £500
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- so I think that's a real beauty.- Yes. - Great fun.- Thank you very much.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29- Well, thank you very much and good golfing.- Thank you, thank you.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Where has this rather unpretentious vase been lurking
0:37:33 > 0:37:36before you brought it along today?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38It's been in up our loft, we cleared out our loft,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41and we came across this and we were going to bin it...
0:37:41 > 0:37:45We thought it was just a heap of junk. We were going to bin it
0:37:45 > 0:37:50and then we thought, we'll hold on to it because we heard the Antique Roadshow was coming here.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- But I actually bought it at a car boot.- Yeah.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56And it had like a plant inside it, a kind of purple plant.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00We bought it, for the plant because it was quite nice in the bowl.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Yeah, so you're not emotionally attached to this, are you?
0:38:03 > 0:38:05- I can tell.- No.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- No?- No.- Well, do you know, do you know who made it?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- I don't know anything about it. - Can I tell you?
0:38:11 > 0:38:15- Yes.- If you look very carefully, there's actually a name on it
0:38:15 > 0:38:20and the name is sort of lurking behind here... we'll turn it round...
0:38:20 > 0:38:23and that name is Lalique.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28- And so... Have you heard of Lalique? - Lalique?- Lalique.- Lalique, no?
0:38:28 > 0:38:31OK, well you're on a rapid learning curve today, aren't you?
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Well, let me tell you about Rene Lalique.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38He started off life as a jeweller and he became France's premier
0:38:38 > 0:38:43jeweller during the sort of 1890s, 1900 period in the grand days of
0:38:43 > 0:38:48the Art Nouveau style and then he turns his attention, in around about
0:38:48 > 0:38:551990, 1910, to glass making and he became probably the number one
0:38:55 > 0:39:01commercial glass maker of the entire 20th century, so he's got quite
0:39:01 > 0:39:07a good pedigree and there's lots of different types of Lalique glass.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Yours is that little bit different.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Now and then, you get something called a cire perdue
0:39:14 > 0:39:19or a lost wax process and this is a candidate,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22um, because this originally would have been made in wax.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27The idea being that once you'd modelled it in wax, you would then
0:39:27 > 0:39:32encase it using a liquid sort of fire clay slip which would then set hard
0:39:32 > 0:39:37around it, so hard in actual fact that what would happen is...
0:39:37 > 0:39:41once it had set solid, you would bore a hole into it,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45straight through to the wax and then you would put it, and
0:39:45 > 0:39:50heat it in an oven, and all the wax would drip out leaving a void inside
0:39:50 > 0:39:55into which you would then pour molten glass which would then fill the void.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Now once you've done that, the only way you're going to get it out
0:39:59 > 0:40:01is to break the mould, so that means
0:40:01 > 0:40:06that a cire perdue piece, or a lost wax process is, is a unique piece.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09So there's only one of these whereas you might get several hundred...
0:40:09 > 0:40:12and in certain cases thousands of his other designs.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15So that makes it that little bit more special.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Date wise, I suppose you could be anywhere around about
0:40:19 > 0:40:231920 to maybe 1935 so car boot...
0:40:23 > 0:40:27- Yes.- For plant. How much were they asking for the plant?
0:40:27 > 0:40:31I only paid a pound, well a pound, the vase and the plant, uh-huh.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36You paid £1 right, OK. The questions I get asked about this programme...
0:40:36 > 0:40:38The first question people ask me -
0:40:38 > 0:40:42they say, "Have you ever broken anything on the Antiques Roadshow?"
0:40:42 > 0:40:45That's the most familiar question I get.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50The other question is, "What's the most expensive thing you've ever had on the Antiques Roadshow?"
0:40:50 > 0:40:54I remember it was probably in Grimsby about 15 years ago
0:40:54 > 0:40:58and it was a great big huge French jardiniere, that was Grimsby then,
0:40:58 > 0:41:02but I've got to tell you know that as of today, I think it might be this.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- Because this is worth... - You're joking?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Well, it's worth a mere £25,000.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Oh, my God!
0:41:10 > 0:41:16Now, we've had a lot of clouds over here today. You know that, don't you?
0:41:16 > 0:41:19And they do say that every cloud has a silver lining.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23I can honestly say that we've only had one cloud with a silver lining
0:41:23 > 0:41:25and it's your vase.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Now, tell me about your loft.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29LAUGHTER
0:41:29 > 0:41:32No, I don't think I will.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Quite a moment for Eric.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37He tells me he's been waiting a mere 27 years for such a moment
0:41:37 > 0:41:41and I think there'll be a bit of a celebration in one Ayrshire home tonight.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45Before we close, just time to hear about something of a new beginning.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48The rescue of this house by the Heritage Trust
0:41:48 > 0:41:52that was set up to look after Dumfries House doesn't end here.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55The Trust is keen to ensure it continues to play an important role
0:41:55 > 0:41:58in revitalising the economy of this region,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02it's an enterprise close to the heart of the Prince of Wales.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05I felt that here's an opportunity
0:42:05 > 0:42:08to see if we can begin the regeneration process
0:42:08 > 0:42:15for an area which has... which suffers from great disadvantage in East Ayrshire,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17a former mining community,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21all the mines have closed and it just seemed to me here was
0:42:21 > 0:42:24a real chance to do something worthwhile
0:42:24 > 0:42:28and to link the local community with the house.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33It all hinges on this enabling development
0:42:33 > 0:42:38on the edge of Cumnock, which is the local town and I want to try and see
0:42:38 > 0:42:43if we can do a version of what we've already been doing
0:42:43 > 0:42:47with the Duchy of Cornwall on the edge of Dorchester at Poundbury
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and you know, mix used development
0:42:50 > 0:42:57to try and bring in, you know, extra employment
0:42:57 > 0:43:02and new people and to improve the environment and to link that
0:43:02 > 0:43:07extension to Cumnock and Auchinleck with, you know, the grounds here
0:43:07 > 0:43:11so that you actually create something really worthwhile.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14That's the aim, if it can be done well.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17And if we can keep it going,
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and not have to sell the furniture eventually
0:43:19 > 0:43:22because we haven't got any money, that will be a success.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Your Royal Highness, thank you very much.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35It's been quite a visit to Dumfries House, with special guests and some unexpected finds.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Thanks to all those who joined us.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41From Ayrshire, until next time, bye-bye.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd