0:00:01 > 0:00:04We know when we're in for a great day because amidst
0:00:04 > 0:00:06the clamour of the crowds there's an inner silence.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's our experts, like Alec here, concentrating hard
0:00:09 > 0:00:12before they let loose on some fine object put before them.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16There were lots of those here when our charabanc arrived in Somerset.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19So much so, that we could welcome you to a second helping
0:00:19 > 0:00:21of great finds from Wells.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59The Roadshow is all about discovery, revealing the story of antiquities
0:00:59 > 0:01:02that have survived through the centuries, that have touched
0:01:02 > 0:01:04people's lives, and sometimes
0:01:04 > 0:01:07tell us a little something about how we live today.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And all of that applies to where we find ourselves now.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Just look at this.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14CHORAL MUSIC
0:01:28 > 0:01:31People sit and admire the west front of the cathedral,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34rather like our experts scrutinise a painting
0:01:34 > 0:01:35and it's an amazing achievement,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40given that work was begun on it almost 800 years ago.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Inside is no less impressive.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Engineers today are awestruck by the brilliance of 14th-century thinking.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54These scissor arches stabilise the whole building and prevent
0:01:54 > 0:01:58the collapse of the central tower, much of it made from local limestone
0:01:58 > 0:01:59quarried from the Mendips.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17This has to be my favourite corner - the tomb of Bishop Bitton reputedly
0:02:17 > 0:02:20the most ancient engraved slab in England and at one time
0:02:20 > 0:02:22thought to be a cure for toothache.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25According to legend, one touch and the agony was gone,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27which is why it's so worn here.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30In the 19th century when they opened up the tomb, they discovered
0:02:30 > 0:02:35the skeleton of the bishop perfectly preserved and every tooth intact.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46There are four ancient gates which shut off the palace from the rest
0:02:46 > 0:02:50of the city, odd you might think, for a bishop's home to be built
0:02:50 > 0:02:51in such a defensive manner,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54with a moat, portcullis, even a chute
0:02:54 > 0:02:57for pouring molten lead or oil on would-be attackers,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01but it was built during a time of real social unrest,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03so they weren't taking any chances.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Today, the drawbridge is down as we welcome the people of Wells
0:03:11 > 0:03:14to the gardens of the Bishop's Palace.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Now, I can see you're holding a Bunnykins bowl, that takes me back
0:03:20 > 0:03:24to the 1970s when I worked for Royal Doulton and surprisingly I had a lot
0:03:24 > 0:03:27to do with Bunnykins cos I was involved in their history,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29but tell me, why have you got the bowl?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31I'm here with the bowl because my...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I'm the niece of the original artist.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Barbara Vernon Bailey.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39So I've brought along the bowl, but I've also brought along
0:03:39 > 0:03:40the original painting to go with it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Which I have here
0:03:42 > 0:03:46and this is a drawing by Barbara Vernon Bailey for that bowl.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47For that bowl.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49She intrigued me because...
0:03:49 > 0:03:53most people I think know she was a nun and suddenly
0:03:53 > 0:03:55one day she invented this, sort of,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59series of rabbits and her family ran the company at that point,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and they put it into production
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and to everybody's amazement it took off.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- Yes.- And has gone on and gone on and gone on. What was she like?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10She taught me, I was at school, in her school and she taught me,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12she was terrifying, one assumes
0:04:12 > 0:04:15because she painted rabbits she was gentle and soft.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Lovely and Beatrix Potter-y.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20But she was terrifying, very tall with an enormous hooked nose
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and an enormous chin and she would lean over you and sort of...
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Very strict and everyone was terrified of her.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- So, this is very unlike her, really? - Completely, completely alien to...
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- We all knew her as Babs.- Babs.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Completely alien to the person I know.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37That's what I love because I wanted to know
0:04:37 > 0:04:39what an extraordinary person,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42who is a nun who designs rabbit tableware and you've answered.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- Not, not who you assume. - Not what you expect.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50I mean to be fair it was a very, very successful design, early 1930s,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53onward and onward, there are hundreds of designs
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and hundreds of collectors, because there are rare designs
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and early versions and all that sort of collector stuff.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Is this the only drawing you've got? - No, I do have one other drawing.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- And again related to a piece. - Yes, I mean I have about 60 pieces.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11So, lovely drawing, there's the bowl, what's the drawing worth?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- No idea. - No idea, they're pretty rare.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19I think a Bunnykins collector is going to pay £300, £500
0:05:19 > 0:05:21for one with a provenance like yours.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- It couldn't be better, straight out of the family.- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Out of the nuns' lair, as you might say, out of the convent.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28I didn't steal it.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Actually, on the back, it says Christmas present.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41So we've got rather a lot riding on this question,
0:05:41 > 0:05:47and the question is, is this an original drawing by Renoir?
0:05:47 > 0:05:52- It came into the family through an uncle who was a dealer, really.- Yes.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54With a very, very good eye.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55- A good eye.- A very good eye.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Did he have very good pictures? - Yes, he did, he...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01He did have good pictures. He also had a lot of glass
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and china, which went to the Ashmolean
0:06:03 > 0:06:07and he had quite a lot that went to Bristol City Museum, so...
0:06:07 > 0:06:08His name was Jimmy Montfort, and...
0:06:08 > 0:06:12A lot of modern things too which was interesting, Bacon, for example.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- Bacon?- Mm.- So he had a roving eye, you might say.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16A very, very roving eye, absolutely.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- But very, very high quality. - Very high quality.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Most of his collection is now in museums.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Well, then we've got to take this object very seriously indeed.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27The first thing to say about it is...
0:06:27 > 0:06:30with the frame and everything... what a pretty thing it is.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34It is, it's been on our... since Sarah and I can remember,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- forever, and it...- You're sisters, are you?- Yes, we are.- I see.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41And it's just been part of the fabric of wherever we've lived.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46But you've never asked the question, "Is it a print or a drawing?"
0:06:46 > 0:06:50We've always been led to believe it's a print, we never queried it.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Right. OK, well we've got to find out, because if it's an original
0:06:53 > 0:06:56it's worth, you know, well into five figures,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and who knows where you stop after that?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02It's, it's incredibly convincing as a drawing,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04this is the thing, isn't it?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- Well...- Mm.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09There are ways of telling, but I'm afraid all of them
0:07:09 > 0:07:14involve taking it out of the frame, so we've got to start with that.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Er...now...
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Put the frame down here.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21And then, the first thing we can see
0:07:21 > 0:07:26is that it's on quite a thin sheet of paper,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and, er, if we look there, there's a sort of blind stamp there.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Yes.- Um, now the question is...
0:07:33 > 0:07:35is that a collector's mark or a publisher's mark?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37What do you mean by a blind stamp?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40That is when it's embossed and it's actually pushed
0:07:40 > 0:07:43into the paper rather than a stamp where it's been inked
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- and then stamped onto the paper.- OK.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Um, and usually, when they're, when they're blind stamped,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52I have to say, it's usually a publisher's thing,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56when they're pushed through the paper, so that's the first clue.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59You could have told that without taking it out of the frame,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03but, um, the next thing we do, is that we've got to look at it
0:08:03 > 0:08:06in a raking light, at a very, very slanting light.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Luckily we've got some nice sun which is English September,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14so we'll use that. If you hold it up to a very raking light,
0:08:14 > 0:08:20so you catch the surface texture of the paper and the marks on it,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24what you're looking for is a change in the sheen that you can see.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28There should be a mattness where the crayon is.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32The next thing I'd do is actually hold it up to the light again,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35but this time we're looking through the paper
0:08:35 > 0:08:39rather than on the paper, and if you hold it up,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41you can actually see that it's on laid paper,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45which means that's a wire mesh that they've dropped the wet paper onto
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and lifted it out of the water,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52and it leaves the wire marks as a slightly thinner area in the paper.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Um, that's actually a good sign, because if it was on a woven paper,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59that's not made that way, it wouldn't have those wire marks,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and a lot of prints were. However,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07put it flat down again, look at the drawing and you'll see
0:09:07 > 0:09:09that the crayon has picked up
0:09:09 > 0:09:14lines from the laid paper that it was drawn on.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17You can actually see them, very faintly along here
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and if we lift it up to the light again,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23you can see that those lines do not correspond
0:09:23 > 0:09:27with the laid paper lines of this paper.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- Do you see?- Yes, very clearly.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34So we need to catch that line there, which is actually
0:09:34 > 0:09:40the line of the drawing, and then compare it to this line here,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42which is the line of the paper,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and the same here, and the same here.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I'm afraid it's a clincher, it's a print.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- Ah.- There's no way round that. - Oh.- I'm really, really sorry.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55It would have been too amazing for it to have been anything else.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- We never thought that it was anything else.- No, we didn't.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00But it's great to have asked the question.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04As a decorative object in that frame, it's absolutely lovely.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- And its provenance is special to us. - Its provenance is very good, erm...
0:10:07 > 0:10:11A couple of hundred pounds is the most I could really put on it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- Thank you so much.- Thank you.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19"This sword was given to my grandfather, Thomas Atkins,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23"timber merchant of Northampton Wharf, Regents Park, North West,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28"by a manservant of Lord Nelson's, who was friendly with my grandfather
0:10:28 > 0:10:32"and he gave it for some services in connection of wood
0:10:32 > 0:10:34"supplied for the funeral of Lord Nelson,"
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- and it's signed, Rosa J Atkins. - That's great, isn't it?
0:10:38 > 0:10:44Erm, my grandfather... His mother used to clean for a Miss Atkins
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and she took a liking to him and decided,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51because she had no children, she would pass the sword on
0:10:51 > 0:10:55to my grandfather, so it's been in our family for three generations.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00Right, as it refers to wood in connection with the funeral
0:11:00 > 0:11:04of Lord Nelson, it might be just the coffin that Nelson
0:11:04 > 0:11:07was transferred into at the time, who knows?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- Yes.- It's one of those things lost to history.- Yes, yes.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16And when one takes the sword out of its scabbard, look at that...
0:11:16 > 0:11:20A mercuric gilded blade.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25Now this of course is illegal today, you mustn't do any mercuric gilding,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27so many young apprentices were killed
0:11:27 > 0:11:30through the fumes getting into their lungs when the blades
0:11:30 > 0:11:33were taken out of the vats that they made it illegal.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37There were more fatalities in the cutlery trade than any other trade
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- in London at the time.- Gosh.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42But to, to see this in this condition,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44it is truly, truly wonderful.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48It's a sword that would be carried by a naval officer, of course,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and the date of manufacture would be around about 1800.
0:11:52 > 0:11:58A very well-known London maker, and of course the grips are ivory.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- Right.- I notice that they've got the Hanoverian coat of arms
0:12:02 > 0:12:04on the blade.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Would it have been a dress sword? - No, no, it's a fighting sword.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11A lot of people think that because the blades are blued and gilt,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13they are purely for show. They're not.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Right.- This is a fighting sword.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20I would value this sword at somewhere between 6 and £8,000.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Crumbs!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Well, we're seeing two family miniatures here
0:12:28 > 0:12:31in the lovely autumn sunlight, tell me all about them.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Well, the first one there that you've got
0:12:35 > 0:12:39is a miniature portrait of Lord Robert Carr,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42who was the second son of the 3rd Marquis,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and he was killed at the Battle of Culloden,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48so this is a memorial bracelet really, but the Carrs in fact sided
0:12:48 > 0:12:51with the Hanoverians, which was...
0:12:51 > 0:12:55from the Scottish point of view, was rather, not so good, really.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- No.- And defeated Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Extraordinary, isn't it?
0:13:00 > 0:13:04People remember it as one of the bloodiest confrontations
0:13:04 > 0:13:06in the United Kingdom. It was hideous, wasn't it?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09A horrendous slaughter.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13I mean, he was one of the few Hanoverians who actually
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- was killed by the Highlanders. - And the Duke of Cumberland
0:13:16 > 0:13:19was Commander in Chief and had the curious accolade
0:13:19 > 0:13:22of Butcher Cumberland due the way he pursued and murdered the Scots.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27He pursued the Scots and this man's brother and father pursued...
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Went with Cumberland and did the dirty work, as it were.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32My goodness. What a terrifying story.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36The funny thing is that it certainly is an 18th-century miniature,
0:13:36 > 0:13:37but the bracelet is 19th century.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- Oh, is it?- And what's interesting is that it's been cut down
0:13:41 > 0:13:43to be accommodated into this bracelet,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47his head is too far up in the, sort of, composition.
0:13:47 > 0:13:54This is... I think it was owned by my ancestor, his great-nephew,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Lord Mark Carr, who was a sailor,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01and he was very strongly establishment.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Yes, I see, strong establishment.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06And he would... He liked the association
0:14:06 > 0:14:08with the fact that he'd been killed at Culloden
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and he was showing his loyalty to the Crown.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14My goodness! That's certainly evident from that.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- And that would have been worn by his wife.- Yes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19I suppose there was a great antiquarian interest
0:14:19 > 0:14:22in one's ancestors, and that's probably how that happened,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25because the bracelet, in my view, is about 1840
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- and certainly not an 18th-century one.- Right.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31And it's very interesting, but your family goes on with yet more
0:14:31 > 0:14:33fascinating connections in the form of this one.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37- Tell me, tell me about that.- That was given to my great-grandmother,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and she had been Queen Victoria's
0:14:40 > 0:14:44lady of the bedchamber and lady-in-waiting.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And, and clearly it is a memento of great affection, isn't it?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50And it says just that, it says, "For Countess Antrim,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53"from her affectionate Victoria RI..." -
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Queen and Empress it means -
0:14:55 > 0:14:59"..1891," and it's 30 years after Albert's death,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01she was 30 years a widow, wasn't she?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Yes.- Well, 40 years a widow, but this was her 30th year,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07and it's interesting that she chooses opals
0:15:07 > 0:15:09as Prince Albert's favourite stone was the opal,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13he was fascinated in the refracted light that it makes, and, um,
0:15:13 > 0:15:14by this time she was Empress of India
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and presided over two thirds of the world's surface
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and three quarters of its population,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23so if you had a bracelet from her, it was rather a good thing to have.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- Yes.- I bet there was a very deep curtsey
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- when she received that, don't you think?- I should think so, yes!
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- Marvellous.- One of the things that she did was -
0:15:31 > 0:15:33my great-grandmother - she used to...
0:15:33 > 0:15:36She was quite a tall woman, and she used...
0:15:36 > 0:15:38when Queen Victoria went into Hyde Park,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- she used to run alongside the carriage.- My goodness...
0:15:41 > 0:15:43A sort of marathon lady-in-waiting!
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Sort of, jogging!
0:15:45 > 0:15:48That's how she stayed thin, there's evidence she was thin
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- because she's got a tiny wrist. - Yes, yes.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Aren't they marvellous? That's what jewellery is all about really,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and family connections.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00This one here is of great historical interest, maybe 6, £700 for that.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I think something quite different for this, this has enormous appeal,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07it has to be 4, £5,000,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and in a way that's only a fraction of what it means to you and I, so...
0:16:10 > 0:16:14- Absolutely, yes, one doesn't think of value in...- No, not at all.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- ..these sort of objects. - No, one doesn't,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and I'm thrilled with them, thanks so much, brilliant. Wonderful.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Lady Bowman, you've a fascinating story to tell about your time
0:16:31 > 0:16:34in the run-up to the Second World War and during the war.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37You started off as a debutante in the run-up to the war, didn't you?
0:16:37 > 0:16:40In fact, we've got a picture of you here. Tell me about this.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Well, yes, well, I had...
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- By the way, do call me Christian. - Christian, I will, thank you.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48We had a lovely time, we had a wonderful summer,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51which was nothing but, sort of, dances and champagne and music,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and, oh, it was gorgeous,
0:16:54 > 0:17:00and just like that, down came the war, and literally, within...
0:17:00 > 0:17:05oh, just over weeks, I was in an absolutely horrible factory.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08How did that come about? Because you decided
0:17:08 > 0:17:10that the life of a debutante was not for you,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and you wanted to go to work in a factory
0:17:12 > 0:17:17making rivets for Halifax bombers. Why did you decide to do that?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19All the chaps in my family were in the Army,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and one of my brothers was at home on leave and I said,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27"What shall I do?" And he said, with a certain wisdom
0:17:27 > 0:17:31beyond his years, he said, "This war is going to need aeroplanes,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34"why don't you see if you can get a job in an aeroplane factory?"
0:17:34 > 0:17:36And then we both looked at each other.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39I didn't know how to do it, so he looked
0:17:39 > 0:17:41in the London telephone directory,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and the first entry he came to which he knew the name of,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49was the name of the... Handley Page, they were called,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51who made these bombers. And so I rang up
0:17:51 > 0:17:54and asked to speak to the staff manager,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58who was a bit surprised, but anyway, within a week I had a job there.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00And your job was doing what?
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Well, this is three little bits of metal,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and they came to me in little, sort of, jagged shapes,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10just stamped out, and I had to bend them
0:18:10 > 0:18:14into the right shape and drill them with these little holes, the reason
0:18:14 > 0:18:18I have this one is that I made that hole crooked, so it wasn't any good.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Of course, because it would have to be absolutely precise.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- They did.- I can see, it's gone in at an angle there.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I don't know what you call them, but they went into
0:18:26 > 0:18:30the leading edge of Halifax bombers all along there.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Have you met any of the people
0:18:32 > 0:18:35who flew the planes for which you made these?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39- Oh, yes.- These key, small-but-essential bits of metal.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42After the Times published my letter saying,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45"Please, I want to meet somebody who flew Halifaxes,"
0:18:45 > 0:18:48one came through the letterbox eventually
0:18:48 > 0:18:51from a squadron leader saying would I go and join them
0:18:51 > 0:18:55at their reunion, and I was absolutely thrilled,
0:18:55 > 0:19:01and so I went and they were absolutely so nice to me,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and every single one of these people are heroes,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07they are all brave, brave men who flew these planes
0:19:07 > 0:19:12night after night after night. Some of them had done over 50 sorties,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15being shot at and, you know...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I'm looking, this is someone from the Royal Canadian Air Force there.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Yes, there were all sorts of nationalities,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23including Swedish, rather strangely.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27DFC here, so recognised, yes, with a medal.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And I'm just so glad that there's still this...
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Some, sadly, are not, of course...
0:19:35 > 0:19:37But they're here and they're having a good time,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- I hope. We certainly did. - We certainly had a good time
0:19:40 > 0:19:42hearing your story, thank you so much.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It's a tiny cupboard, look, I can put my hand on it like that,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55as you can, but small though it is,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57it is absolutely stuffed full of something
0:19:57 > 0:20:01that, in a way, we'll never see, it won't fall out -
0:20:01 > 0:20:03it's social history.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So let's show there...
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- and it's clearly a 20th-century key cupboard.- Yes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And you fell in love with it. Why? What was the thing?
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Nothing to do with keys. I found this in a antique shop in West London.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18I walked into the shop, it was on the wall, the door was closed,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23- I opened the door and realised what it was.- Yeah.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26And one of the first key fobs I read
0:20:26 > 0:20:30is down here which is, "Miss Naomi McGore's jewel case,"
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and I just was enchanted.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Did you know of the family when you bought it?
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Not at all.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41- Right, and how did you track it down?- Um, well some of the keys
0:20:41 > 0:20:43- had the name McGore on them.- Right.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46- And really I wanted to find where the key case came from.- Yes.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- Because obviously it belongs to a house.- Sure.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52And I went on the internet and I did some research
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and I actually found out that the McGores
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- lived in Horsham in West Sussex. - And the house?
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- It is called Forest Grange. - And does it still exist?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05- It does.- That's remarkable, isn't it? Let's look at the object itself.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Here we have the wireless cabinet, two wireless cabinets,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11so they were obviously very advanced, technically.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15They had Daimlers, they even mention the make of car, erm,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18and so on, then they had a cricket pitch as well, didn't they?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Where did I see the cricket pitch? - Up there.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24There it is, and in the pavilion they had a dining room
0:21:24 > 0:21:27with its own lock, so they were obviously very wealthy.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31If we look here, we see this colour-coded chart.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- Now Bramah keys were actually very advanced in their time.- Right.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37They were invented in the late-18th century,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- although this is obviously much later.- Right.- And so you could...
0:21:41 > 0:21:45With one key, you could open every single lock in the house.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46- Here's the master key.- Oh, right.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51And so other persons, their key would only open certain locks
0:21:51 > 0:21:53relevant to their job in the house.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- Oh, right, right. - And so we can look down here,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58and here we have Mr McGore, the owner of the house,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and his key, number one...
0:22:01 > 0:22:03It fits everything all the way down.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Should he want to, he could go into everything,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10and the gardener here, with key number three,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14and he can open far fewer locks, look, absolutely blank,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and I suspect we won't get any colour
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- until we get to outside things.- Yes.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22And here we have it, all laid out in front of us,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26there's the occupations, there's the keys that they had access,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30there's the cupboards, the rooms, the stores that they had access to,
0:22:30 > 0:22:31and the tragedy is, of course,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36the tragedy is that, you know, not long after this was made,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40so many of the male staff of this house were killed.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42They would have joined up, and they would have
0:22:42 > 0:22:46gone to the trenches, and how many of them came back?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49In a way this is, this is sort of evocative
0:22:49 > 0:22:54of the last throes of the Edwardian, grand country house...
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- Absolutely.- ..that simply wasn't going to reappear after the war.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- You loved it.- Absolutely, yes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- And you paid...?- £300.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- How long ago?- Ten years ago.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11That, to me, is an indication of how much you loved it.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- I did, I fell in love with it. - But I think it's...
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It's gone up a little bit, but in real terms, not a great deal.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20- Let's say £500 in round figures. - Oh, right, that surprises me.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I wouldn't matter if it hadn't increased a penny,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- cos...- Well, I think it slightly has. - It's not the money, like you say.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Now, it's the era before the movies, it's before the television,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35it's before everything that we take as entertainment today,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and yet there were interesting moving images around,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- this being one of them.- Right, yes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46- And it was down to a device called a magic lantern.- That's right.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50And these are some of the slides that went with the magic lantern.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Now, tell me a little bit about what we have here.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I noticed on this particular slide,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00there were some initials, here we go, WMS.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04That's my grandfather's name, William Martin Smith.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06And what was his profession?
0:24:06 > 0:24:08He was a public wharfinger.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Nobody knows what a public wharfinger is.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Is it something that you get locked up for, or...(?)
0:24:13 > 0:24:15THEY LAUGH
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It's public warehouse keeping, but on the banks of the River Thames,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22he had one of those big warehouses the barges came up to.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26So that was his day job, but in the evening he was...
0:24:26 > 0:24:30- Was he something else?- Yes, he was closely involved with the church,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33so this was part of the entertainment and education of the children.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37There were dozens of companies producing magic lanterns,
0:24:37 > 0:24:38the devices themselves.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42- Yes.- And, of course, then the slides to go with them.- Yes.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Now the slides came in various types, didn't they?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I mean, I've perhaps picked one of the more interesting ones,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53but some of the, the less exciting perhaps, more prosaic,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55are ones that don't move.
0:24:55 > 0:25:01Things like this which are panoramas of different things going on,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04it looks like all sorts of high jinks.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Sort of Guy Fawkes night.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It certainly looks as if there's some sort of party going on there.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Yes, there's another one that shows Queen Victoria's
0:25:13 > 0:25:15procession to the House Of Lords.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Ah, and there she is,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21The Queen Going To The House Of Lords, fabulous.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Yes, all hand-painted.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Have you ever seen a magic lantern show itself?
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Well, yes, we've got a magic lantern at home
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- and my father used to show these slides.- Oh, fantastic.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Well, now, this one, I rather like.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Showing the curvature of the Earth.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Showing the curvature of the Earth,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42this is a lever-operated slide
0:25:42 > 0:25:47where there's a man standing on the top of the world there,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50just as we feel today, on top of the world, don't we?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54So there they are on top of the world, and you can see the ship
0:25:54 > 0:25:56disappearing over the horizon line
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and then if I switch the lever
0:25:59 > 0:26:01back the other way, up it comes,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03first of all you see the masts,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05a bit more of the masts, the sails,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and then you see the whole ship
0:26:07 > 0:26:11as it comes up over the surface of the Earth.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Fabulous object.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17The most valuable individual slide...
0:26:17 > 0:26:21- Yes.- ..is going to be the chromatrope slide,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25and this particular one is going to be worth
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- about £150, which is good news. - Ooh! Yes...
0:26:29 > 0:26:34So, if we're adding it all together, I would have thought
0:26:34 > 0:26:40we're getting on for perhaps between 800 and £1,000 on a good day.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- I'm very pleased I came!- I'm delighted, and let's just finish,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47we'll send everybody into psychedelia land
0:26:47 > 0:26:51by finishing on this one, off you go.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56# Oh, it's such a perfect day
0:26:56 > 0:27:02# I'm glad I spent it with you
0:27:02 > 0:27:05# Oh, such a perfect day
0:27:05 > 0:27:10# You just keep me hangin' on
0:27:10 > 0:27:14# You just keep me hangin' on... #
0:27:17 > 0:27:23I use it to keep all my bills and my envelopes and my writing stuff
0:27:23 > 0:27:26down here, and actually I've just found something at the back
0:27:26 > 0:27:29that I didn't know was there,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and above I use it as a china display cabinet.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It seems to me that that's what it was made for,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- a display cabinet. It's a very feminine piece of furniture.- It is.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43It's absolutely tremendous, it's got slightly odd proportions.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47It's a very tall piece of furniture, the cornice in particular
0:27:47 > 0:27:49is a bit on the narrow side,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53but the eye is taken by the painting across the frieze which is lovely.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Then you've got these Corinthian capitals which stick out
0:27:57 > 0:28:00very prominently on top of the reeded columns
0:28:00 > 0:28:03which come down the side in a very architectural way,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07which lead the eye down past all the wonderful ceramics,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10or whatever one's got in there, to this extraordinary...
0:28:10 > 0:28:13it should be a cylinder top,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17but it's kind of flattened cylinder top, it's kind of a mixture
0:28:17 > 0:28:20between a cylinder and a secretaire, a flat-fronted secretaire,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22or a fall-front secretaire. And then on down
0:28:22 > 0:28:25into what becomes a pedestal desk,
0:28:25 > 0:28:30so you've got storage, the sort of business end and the display end,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33but this must have been made for a woman, do you think?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Yes, I was thinking maybe Lady Hamilton or something like that.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Well, absolutely, and original to the early-19th century,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- I think exactly the period you were saying, of Lady Hamilton.- Yes.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46And so let's have a quick look inside, and I think
0:28:46 > 0:28:50you might need to help me. Oh, it goes back very easily.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53So there we've got drawers,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56pigeon holes, as you'd expect and it might look a little bit low,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00but in fact this slides out so you can get your knees underneath it.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Here, a little reading slide,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07so everything for the, the blue stocking, in a way.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09SHE LAUGHS
0:29:09 > 0:29:11So I think it's...
0:29:11 > 0:29:16an absolutely splendid piece, so where could it have been made?
0:29:16 > 0:29:17Ireland perhaps,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20erm... Or one of the centres out of London.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23York was a great centre,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Bristol even was a great centre of furniture making,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- but I don't think you're ever going to know for sure.- Really?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Now, is this a family piece, or how did you come to get...?
0:29:33 > 0:29:37Well, my grandmother acquired it during the Second World War
0:29:37 > 0:29:42from an antique dealer in Andover, and she got a lot of stuff from him,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44and I think she got it at very reasonable prices.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I think now you'd be looking at
0:29:47 > 0:29:50about £5,000 if you were to try and sell it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Yes.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55So, it's such a decorative piece.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Well, I...I really love it.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00- So useful.- And Lady Hamilton stays in the mind!
0:30:02 > 0:30:04- Why did you bring me a toast rack? - I don't know.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08I was thinking, "What'll I take?" And it was there and I thought,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11"I'll take it," never dreaming that you'd think enough of it to show it.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14I think it's wonderful, what do you think it is?
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Well, at first, when I first saw it in a charity shop on a shelf,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21I thought it was 1970s, because in the '70s or '80s,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25- we had a sort of revival of this brown, didn't we?- Yeah, we did.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Then when I reached and put it down,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29I thought, no, it is different,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33it reminded me of like the Doulton Harvest jugs.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35So I looked for a Doulton mark, but there isn't one,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39so I was disappointed, but it was £6.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42You're halfway there, you said Doulton, it's not Doulton,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44but it is salt-glazed stoneware.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47- Ah, so... Ahh...!- So, where else was salt-glazed stoneware made?
0:30:47 > 0:30:52It was made in Derby, it was made in Bristol, it was made in Nottingham.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54I'm going to go for Nottingham.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58- Mm.- That sort of soft colour that you get in the Nottingham ones.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Doulton is often much darker, but it's the same material.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05I think this is about 1840s, 1850s.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Wow.- And it's so rare, because I've discussed it
0:31:09 > 0:31:12with one or two of my colleagues, none of us have ever seen
0:31:12 > 0:31:14a salt-glazed stoneware toast rack.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18The decoration is Rococo Revival, which was at that period,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21but all these things are wonky. You know, and I can see them
0:31:21 > 0:31:24thinking, "Let's make toast racks." They had a go and they thought,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27"Oh, not very good, it doesn't work very well,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30"Give up, don't bother with toast racks." Go on making the jars
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and the pots they're good at, so I think there were very few
0:31:33 > 0:31:36salt-glazed stoneware toast racks. And it is immaculate.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Untouched.- I know, I couldn't believe it myself.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41So, £6 in a charity shop.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Hmm...
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Well, I think this is a...
0:31:45 > 0:31:48a very expensive toast rack, I think we're going to say...
0:31:48 > 0:31:50£250.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Wow! SHE LAUGHS
0:31:53 > 0:31:55- Yes, a lot of money. - It is, for a toast rack,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59but it's not a lot for a very, very rare salt-glazed stoneware one.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01- Fantastic.- Great object.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04This is a spectacular group
0:32:04 > 0:32:08of late-18th, early-19th century miniatures,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11all pastels, and they're absolutely wonderful,
0:32:11 > 0:32:15especially with these frames and these lovely swags here.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16Now, are they your family?
0:32:16 > 0:32:21They're my mother's family, who lived at the Manor House in Frenchay,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23- the Tanner family.- Yes.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28And they've just always been passed down to my mother,
0:32:28 > 0:32:30her mother and down the family.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35- And do you know all the names of the sitters on here?- No.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38This one on the right, here, the elder lady,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I think I'd be rather worried if she was my mother-in-law,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44- she's terrifying! - I quite agree, yes.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47The ones down here which are absolutely charming,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51beautifully observed pastels, look at that.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Um, we come to the name of the artist
0:32:54 > 0:32:59- and I see, on the back of one, it's got James Sharples.- Yes.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Which is very interesting, because in the late-18th century
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and early-19th century, if you wanted to be painted,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08you'd go, you know, to a really good portrait painter,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11and, of course, portrait painters went where the money was.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- Right.- Now he was an interesting man, born in Lancashire,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and was supposed to be a pupil of Romney's,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20but came down to work in Bath, and he also
0:33:20 > 0:33:23worked in New York and Philadelphia, which is really interesting
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- for a pastel portrait painter. - Yes, at that time, yeah.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Yeah, and I would think, you know, these would have been...
0:33:30 > 0:33:32I'd have thought that these would have been painted
0:33:32 > 0:33:36in the Bath area. He came down to Bath in the early 1800s,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39and these look to have been painted sort of 1800-1805,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43- that sort of date. Would that tie in with what you know?- Yes.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45And on the back of one of them, from...
0:33:45 > 0:33:51My grandfather wrote notes on the back, and he's around, circa 1800.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53So is this how you hang them at home?
0:33:53 > 0:33:57Um, no, there are some swags that join them all together,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01I've got a picture here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:02God, they're wonderful!
0:34:02 > 0:34:05It's like something off a Wedgwood pattern,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07- all those swags there? - Definitely, yes.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11And what adds value to these, which I think is so interesting,
0:34:11 > 0:34:19is that James Staples worked in America and in England.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- Yes, yes.- And because he worked in America and England,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25er, it would add value because of the American connection.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30- Yes. Oh, right, yes.- So we then come to putting a value on them,
0:34:30 > 0:34:34and I think, as I said, if he'd been a normal English artist,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36I would have said 4 to 6, 5 to £700.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- I think this is worth certainly £1,000 to £1,500...- Right.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41I think this one's worth 1,000 to 1,500,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- even though she's quite fearsome, it's beautifully done.- Right, yeah.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50- These are worth 1,000. I think some of the lesser ones like this...- Yes.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54..which are slightly rubbed, because pastel can be rubbed quite easily...
0:34:54 > 0:34:57- Yeah.- ..are worth, probably, sort of
0:34:57 > 0:35:006 to £800, so it mounts up, you know, you've got one,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04- two, three, four, you've got about £6,000-worth there.- Well, thank you.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06- OK.- Thank you very much.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12"Am I not a man...
0:35:12 > 0:35:14"and a brother?"
0:35:14 > 0:35:18And there's the figure of a kneeling slave...
0:35:18 > 0:35:23"British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society."
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- What an interesting object. - Very interesting?
0:35:26 > 0:35:27- How did it come to you?- Erm,
0:35:27 > 0:35:33in 1960 my mother bought a table from a friend of a friend
0:35:33 > 0:35:35who was moving into an old people's home,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39and she paid £5 for the table, which was a Victorian card table,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42beautiful table, she's still got it. That was in the drawer.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47- So it was...- A complete surprise that it was there.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- Yeah.- And it's basically been in a drawer
0:35:51 > 0:35:54for the last 50 years. That's carnelian I believe.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Yeah, carnelian just like my ring, which is also a cameo.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Hm, and I presume that's silver.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05- I think that is.- Or maybe pewter. - I think it's steel.- Steel, right.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07This is a seal, and you would need something
0:36:07 > 0:36:09really, really strong, so lignum vitae
0:36:09 > 0:36:14or maybe rosewood with a steel cuff and then this lovely carnelian...
0:36:14 > 0:36:20It's a beautiful thing, and let's see whether it works.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24Now, I'm going to push really hard,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28and let's keep our fingers crossed
0:36:28 > 0:36:30that it doesn't hang on.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?
0:36:35 > 0:36:40Actually, it shows you just how finely carved that is.
0:36:40 > 0:36:41Imagine carving...
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Thinking backwards to carve that relief and getting all the muscles
0:36:45 > 0:36:49and the detail, the perspective of the figure is some tribute.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54Now, this is an image I recognise from my ceramics background.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58In 1787, Josiah Wedgwood, who was a prominent member
0:36:58 > 0:37:01- of the Anti-Slavery Society... - Right.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03..commissioned one of his artists,
0:37:03 > 0:37:09we think it was William Hackwood, a very talented carver of cameos,
0:37:09 > 0:37:14to create a special medallion which shows a kneeling slave...
0:37:14 > 0:37:15- And that's the same?- ..with...
0:37:15 > 0:37:19More or less in this position, he's actually shown in profile...
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- Right.- ..in the original cameo.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24A year later, we know that Josiah Wedgwood
0:37:24 > 0:37:27sent over to Benjamin Franklin a whole consignment
0:37:27 > 0:37:30of these anti-slavery medallions.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- Ah.- And because it was such a popular cause
0:37:33 > 0:37:35amongst many people in the States,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38these medallions were worn as badges...
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Well, rather like, you know, modern political badge.- Yes.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43But as we know,
0:37:43 > 0:37:48they didn't succeed in getting slavery abolished until, what, 1833?
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- Yes.- Which is a whole 50-something years later.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56Yes, I sort of guessed it was prior to 1830.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Now, this would have belonged...
0:37:59 > 0:38:02It would be nice to know who owned that piece of furniture...
0:38:02 > 0:38:06This would have been a very, very prominent member I think,
0:38:06 > 0:38:08of the Anti-Slavery Society.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11This is an incredibly poignant piece of social history,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14and for that reason it's going to be worth
0:38:14 > 0:38:16a lot more than your average cameo.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19I'm going to say it's worth somewhere in the region of...
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Well, let's say, £1,500 to £2,000.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Really?
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Better than a wad of notes, though, isn't it?
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Certainly is, and...
0:38:29 > 0:38:34Well, the value is meaningless really because it'll go back in the drawer.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38What we've got here...
0:38:38 > 0:38:41unusually, is face-down,
0:38:41 > 0:38:43and it's a mirror...
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and what I want to know is...
0:38:46 > 0:38:49weren't you dying to get it out of its box
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and see what was going on at the back?
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- I mean, how long had you had it in the family for?- All my life.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58- You've known it all your life. - And my father's as well.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00So it's been in the family for a long time.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03- A long time, and it's been in this case.- So, very carefully,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07with my colleagues, we've taken off the wooden back
0:39:07 > 0:39:10and first of all, we've come across some brown paper
0:39:10 > 0:39:13with the name "Roberts". Does that mean anything to you?
0:39:13 > 0:39:15- Yes. - Roberts of Rotherham.- That's right.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19- That's it, and that, that's your maiden name.- My maiden name.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21- Mother's name.- So that shows it.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- Never seen that before.- OK, Mr Roberts of Warren House, Rotherham
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- was your father?- That's right. - So let's just take this away.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Yes.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32I'll put the paper over here.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Oh, my goodness me.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39Look at that! Is that green baize? Gosh.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- How fabulous is that?- Wow!
0:39:41 > 0:39:45- Look at this original colour to this lovely, lovely...- That's amazing.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48That's absolutely astonishing.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51- Italian best-quality velvet.- Is it?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53So this is the back of the mirror,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56but what's really interesting is...
0:39:56 > 0:40:00- Do you see how you've got this line where the colour is different?- Yes.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- Yes, oh, I know what... Yes. - And so this was the support
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- for the mirror. And it was... - It's a stand, isn't it?
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- Must have been free-standing.- It's been on a wall for so many years.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12It was never meant to be hung,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15it was for... It's a lady's toilet mirror.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17- Is it?- Yes.- Oh, my goodness me!
0:40:17 > 0:40:21- Well, let's look at the front and see what we can see there.- Right.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24- I need your help.- Righto. - So if we just lift...
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Incredibly heavy! Oh, the dust of ages in here!
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Now if we just tip the frame back,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34look, out it comes... Wow, what a moment...
0:40:34 > 0:40:37- Now, if I support it, perhaps you could just...- Yeah, OK.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40That's great, thank you, marvellous.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- That's lovely.- And we'll just put it on the easel.- Righto.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54So, here's your mirror.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- Wow!- What a magnificent thing.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03- Yes.- What we have here is a toilet mirror,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07dating from about...1660.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11- Oh, it's earlier?- Yes, yes.- Sewn...
0:41:11 > 0:41:16by...let us imagine a young lady of noble birth...
0:41:16 > 0:41:20This is a grand piece.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22A supporter...
0:41:22 > 0:41:27of the crown...the monarch, because we have the King and the Queen...
0:41:27 > 0:41:30This is what we call stump work.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36- Yes.- And the stump work are the parts where the embroidery is raised up,
0:41:36 > 0:41:41and it is done by stuffing sheep's wool
0:41:41 > 0:41:45underneath the embroidery to raise it up off its background.
0:41:45 > 0:41:51So if we start down here, what you have is a silk ground
0:41:51 > 0:41:55with the outlines drawn out, and then the embroiderer
0:41:55 > 0:41:58would have just started with the background, rather as you do
0:41:58 > 0:42:01when you're painting a picture, and then...
0:42:01 > 0:42:04you do the more complicated bits,
0:42:04 > 0:42:09the stump work face here, the stitching forms a little pocket,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13you pull the tiny stitches in, it makes it a pouch,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17you stuff the face, and then she has the three-dimensional effect.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Now, what do you think these leaves are?
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- We guessed at silver or gold? - Gold leaf that's gone black, is it?
0:42:24 > 0:42:30Absolutely right, it's silver thread which has tarnished to the black.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33- Yes.- So can you imagine...
0:42:33 > 0:42:36when this was freshly sewn, the vibrancy?
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- Must have been absolutely terrific. - Yes.- The silver,
0:42:39 > 0:42:44the lovely silk at the back, here's more of the velvet along the front,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46and what about the tortoise-shell frame?
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- It's magnificent, isn't it?- It is.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55Tortoise-shell was introduced into England in the mid-17th century
0:42:55 > 0:42:57through Holland, from the Dutch colonies.
0:42:57 > 0:43:03Tortoise-shell was a very rare and very expensive item,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06and what they've done here, which you can see
0:43:06 > 0:43:10through the tortoise-shell here is, the ground of the frame is covered
0:43:10 > 0:43:15in foil, silver foil, and then the tortoise-shell is set over the foil,
0:43:15 > 0:43:20so in the candlelight, this would have all scintillated and sparkled.
0:43:20 > 0:43:26It's a sign of immensely expensive, good-quality piece of workmanship.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Well, where on earth does one start to put a price on it?
0:43:30 > 0:43:33And I think that...
0:43:33 > 0:43:37collectors - in spite of its condition -
0:43:37 > 0:43:41would be prepared to pay somewhere between £5,000 and £7,000 for it.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43That's absolutely stunning.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50It was worth coming back to Wells for a second helping.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Glorious objects, and the weather wasn't bad either.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Thanks to the Bishop for letting us camp out in his wonderful gardens.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59From the Roadshow, bye-bye.