0:00:01 > 0:00:04Welcome back to the Old Royal Naval College,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07just a short stroll from the National Maritime Museum
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and the Royal Observatory, and we discovered so much plunder here on our last visit,
0:00:11 > 0:00:16we're back for more. So, welcome again to the Antiques Roadshow from Greenwich.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56In 1696, when Christopher Wren started work
0:00:56 > 0:00:59on the Royal Naval Hospital for Retired Seamen,
0:00:59 > 0:01:05he designed this grand and perfectly symmetrical array of buildings.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08But there was one stipulation - a command from Queen Mary
0:01:08 > 0:01:10that he leave a gap down the middle.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It was so that the Royal eyeglasses would have
0:01:15 > 0:01:19an unimpeded view to the Thames from their summer holiday home.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21But this was no ordinary home.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26This is Queen's House and it caused a revolution in British architecture.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31It was the first building to incorporate all the qualities acquired from the Classical world,
0:01:31 > 0:01:36principles of perfect proportion and mathematical precision.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41The genius behind this exquisite home is Inigo Jones, who, after
0:01:41 > 0:01:46studying in Italy for three years, built it for Queen Anne in 1616.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52The Great Hall is a huge, perfect cube of 40 foot by 40 foot
0:01:52 > 0:01:55with a strikingly patterned black and white marble floor,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59which accentuates its precise geometrical principles.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02But it's not the most impressive feature here.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06The spiralling Tulip Stairs was yet another first.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10It gives the impression it's floating because the cantilevered staircase
0:02:10 > 0:02:15supports itself without the aid of a central column and never before
0:02:15 > 0:02:19had such a feat of design and engineering been seen in Britain.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And although it's called the Tulip Staircase,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25the flowers on the iron railings are actually fleur-de-lys.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30After the royal lease expired on Queen's House, it was given over
0:02:30 > 0:02:32to the Royal Naval Hospital
0:02:32 > 0:02:35as a home for the orphaned children of seamen.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39For nearly 200 years, this whole site was the Royal Naval Hospital,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and now it's the Old Royal Naval College, a charitable trust
0:02:43 > 0:02:47allowing everyone to experience the beauty of our venue.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Over to our specialists.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52This is an extraordinarily sumptuous box, isn't it?
0:02:52 > 0:02:58It's been in the family for a long time and it's been in pride of possession in our corner cabinet
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and I just like looking at it,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but I'd like to know more about the background and its history.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09My understanding is that it is the Empress Eugenie,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12who was married to Napoleon III,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16but apart from that I don't know an awful lot about it.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Well, I must say, that's quite a corner cabinet, I mean, to bring
0:03:19 > 0:03:24that out, it's a fantastic example of late 19th century goldsmith's work.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And it's in the 18th century taste,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29in homage to her predecessor, Marie Antoinette.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32And we see the Empress of France
0:03:32 > 0:03:35effecting that style in the miniature in the front.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40She's actually wearing a pearl parure, a necklace and earrings,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42from the French crown jewels,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45which is a pointer to what happens next.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49When we open it, we can see the inscription on the lid says,
0:03:49 > 0:03:55"Given to Countess Cowley by the Empress Eugenie, May 6th 1872."
0:03:55 > 0:03:58And I think that that's a critical date,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00because it was around and about that time
0:04:00 > 0:04:03that Napoleon III and the Empress were exiled from France
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and they came to live here in the United Kingdom.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09From that moment on, their story is related to the United Kingdom,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12rather than France. Extraordinarily brave lady.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15She survived an assassination attempt when she went to the opera,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18and some of her attendants were blown to smithereens
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and she was spattered with blood.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24And to show her immense bravery, she continued to go into the opera
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and sat there, stained in blood, whilst the opera proceeded.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30But the inscription is, I think, critical because
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Lady Cowley and her husband were at the Embassy in France.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37And it's my guess - and it is only a guess at this time - that this box
0:04:37 > 0:04:41was given by the Emperor and the Empress as a thanks
0:04:41 > 0:04:44to Lord and Lady Cowley for making it possible for them
0:04:44 > 0:04:46to come here and live in the United Kingdom.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50So, goodness me, what do we make of a gold box, made of enamel,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54of chased gold, in the Louis XVI taste,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58but actually made in the 19th century for a 19th century Empress?
0:04:58 > 0:05:00It's pretty hot stuff, isn't it?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It's loaded with all kinds of emblems of love and faithfulness.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06And when the history's properly painted in,
0:05:06 > 0:05:11I have every confidence that someone somewhere will be prepared to give
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- in the region of £8,000 to £10,000 for it.- You're joking.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Unbelievable!
0:05:18 > 0:05:22It obviously will never come out of our family,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26but to know that it's such a valuable piece. Unbelievable.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31These look as if they came out of a fantastic baronial hall.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Where did you get them from?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- They were in my father's cafe. - A cafe?
0:05:36 > 0:05:40A cafe. Either side of a counter, built in.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46So when it was finished, the cafe,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50we retrieved these and kept them. They've been in my loft for years.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52- And where was the cafe?- Woolwich.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Woolwich?! I wonder how they got there?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I'd love to know myself! I don't know.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Because they certainly didn't start off life in a cafe.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- I've known them for 40 years.- And lions, right from the earliest time,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08from the Egyptians and the Greeks,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13they've meant majesty, victory, pride, sex, power.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16This was always the story about lions
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and so they were very, very popular
0:06:18 > 0:06:22in the 19th century when these were made.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Look at these wonderful features, you know, the claws.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Even the teeth and the tongue. Have you seen it?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Fantastic. And they would have come from some major house.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35I'd love to know the history, yeah.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Well, these came from some really wonderful, as I said, in a baronial hall.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42And they would have had a wonderful marble top on them.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- That's it, yes. Lovely.- Fantastic.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48And they're the sort of thing that today,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52an interior decorator, a designer, would love them.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58If you saw these for sale at £2,000, you wouldn't be surprised
0:06:58 > 0:07:01because they're great things.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03It's great that you kept them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- I have all these years, yes. - From the cafe.- Yes.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07That's fantastic.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13We'll never know what house they came from, but they certainly would have had an interesting history.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17As somebody born in London, who spent a lot of his childhood in London,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I was very much driven by the Thames.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I loved it, I loved everything to do with it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And I can remember the Thames
0:07:23 > 0:07:27when it was full of ships and busy with tugs all over the place.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32Of course, it's all gone now. But these actually take us back into that story, don't they?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35They certainly do. I can trace my history back
0:07:35 > 0:07:40for 35 years on the tugs, but my father was with the firm 46 years
0:07:40 > 0:07:42and my grandfather, 52 years service.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- But the river is in you? - Oh, most certainly. Oh, yes.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48What is this company? What is the W flag?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The W stands for a firm called William Watkins.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54They were the first people, first company on the River Thames
0:07:54 > 0:07:57that had steam-powered paddle tugs
0:07:57 > 0:08:00of which the Monarch was the first one that they had.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04They then developed over many years and more tug companies were formed.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07The firm that my family were very much involved with
0:08:07 > 0:08:09were called W H Alexander's
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and they also were steam-powered.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Does the company still exist?
0:08:14 > 0:08:16There still are tugs on the Thames.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Various companies have been bought out, takeovers.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22We're, in fact, owned by a Danish company now.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Here, we're going right to the beginning of
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- the history of Thames tugs, aren't we?- We are.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Paddle tugs, 1830s,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33but what excites me about this model of a tug called the Monarch
0:08:33 > 0:08:36is that, I think everybody knows that great Turner painting,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38The Fighting Temeraire.
0:08:38 > 0:08:45That huge ship from Trafalgar being towed to the breakers, in a sunset,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48with this dirty steam tug hauling it along.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49This is that tug, isn't it?
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- It certainly is.- I mean, it makes me quite excited to think
0:08:53 > 0:08:56that this is the beginning of that modern age.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01That painting's about the change from old Britain to new Britain, which Turner recorded in 1838.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04This dirty little tug is what did it.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10And if we move on - much bigger, much more modern. What date is that?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- 1870, something like that. - Right. Bigger ship,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16but equally important.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19What is one of the most famous sights in London?
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Cleopatra's needle. How did it get here?
0:09:21 > 0:09:27Well, it was towed from Egypt in a special iron casing, by tug boats.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32And in 1877, when it came over, in a storm in the Bay of Biscay,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34it broke loose and was lost.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37And eventually it was found floating
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- and it was this tug that brought it home.- That's correct.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44So, what we've got here is, in a sense, two crucial moments
0:09:44 > 0:09:48in Thames history, represented by boats that people don't think about.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51They think about great ships and the Belfast and all that,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55but to me, the reality of Thames life is tugs. Is that fair?
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Yes, it's so ingrained in so many people's lives.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01So these are great maritime models.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Because of the association with Turner, that's a very important model.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10I'm going to saying probably about £800 to £1,000 for the top one
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and £2,000 to £3,000 for the bottom one.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But the history is sort of written into then, somehow.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17It's beyond the value.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- They are lovely things. Thank you. - Thank you.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31So why do you think this is Derby?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Because I watch all the programmes and I love flowers.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I know everything about flowers
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and I know that that rose is the cabbage rose.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- We're talking about this rose here? - Yes, the roses.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46So I know that Derby. And if you say it isn't, I'll be very upset!
0:10:46 > 0:10:51There was one man at Derby very famous for his painting of roses and his name...?
0:10:51 > 0:10:56I don't know names. I can't remember names. That's not my age, I never could remember names.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Well, I'm going to tell you. His name is Billingsley.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It is a Derby, isn't it? Isn't it?!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Well, Billingsley did teach people how to paint roses at Derby,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09but everybody else in Staffordshire did exactly the same.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13So the question is, is this Derby or is it somebody copying Derby?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15No, definitely not.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18That a Derby. That's Billings, whatever his name is!
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Shall we have a look?- Yes please!
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- That is not a Derby base.- Oh.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28What is it? I know it's over 200... You're sure it's not Derby?
0:11:28 > 0:11:33It's definitely Derby - it's his rose...
0:11:33 > 0:11:39You see, a style of painting doesn't necessarily mean it comes from where the style originated.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43It's something very good, I know. It's not rubbish. It's good.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- You like it?- I do like it.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- So it can't be rubbish?- No!
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- It is 200 years old. It's early 1800s.- That's it.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56OK? And the gold is good, but it's not as good as Derby.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Derby was fantastic on the gilding.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- So I'm going to say this is Staffordshire.- Yes. Staffordshire...
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Derby was Staffordshire, wasn't it, no?
0:12:04 > 0:12:10- No, Derby usually is in Derbyshire. - Ah, that's not Staffordshire. I'm not very good at places either!
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- Anyhow, it's a lovely thing and you like it.- Yes, I do.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17It would be worth more if it were Derby, so I hope you won't be disappointed when I tell you
0:12:17 > 0:12:20it's probably only worth somewhere in the region of £200.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Well, I only paid £3 for it, so what about that?!
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Thank you! It's not Derby, but it's....
0:12:28 > 0:12:30I hope my wife isn't watching this!
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- You don't know who done it then?. - No.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39No, cos there's something written underneath.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- We'd need a detective to tell you that.- Oh, I'm not that clever. I only watch you people!
0:12:43 > 0:12:48- You watch a lot of television, don't you?- Oh, I do. When your programme comes, everything goes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Except for me pussies. They can stay on the chair, I go on another chair.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- How many of those have you got? - Well, the one we rescued, cos she was ill treated.- Just the one?
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The babies died, she was pregnant again, so we took her on.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03I won't say what one it is, I don't want to be up for libel, but...
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Well, make sure pussy stays away from this,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- because cats are very dangerous to china.- I know, I know. Thomas is a little terror.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- Thomas?- Thomas. That's the baby. Cos we rescued....
0:13:12 > 0:13:18Thomas wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Derbyshire and Staffordshire anyway...
0:13:19 > 0:13:22These paintings belong to my godmother
0:13:22 > 0:13:27and I've borrowed them back because I grew up with them.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- This one was my godmother. - She painted that?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- And that's the naval college. - 100 yards from where we are now.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And how long ago? About 1950, it looks like.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40A bit later than that. Sort of 60s, 70s or something.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46- And she was a Greenwich artist through and through, sort of thing. - And her name? A C?
0:13:46 > 0:13:51Anne Christopherson. She painted mainly the river in Greenwich
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and there are several, I think, in the Maritime Museum.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Very nice sort of cool, glacial greens there, aren't they?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And very much of their time, really, if you are saying that
0:14:01 > 0:14:05it's sort of late 50s, early 60s. And this picture?
0:14:05 > 0:14:09That is by her late husband, John Christopherson,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13who was a self-taught artist
0:14:13 > 0:14:16and he painted mainly buildings, quite a lot of Greenwich.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19He has much more as sort of modern touch, hasn't he?
0:14:19 > 0:14:20A lot of texture in the paint.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- He might even have mixed some sand into that, I think, to get that. - It is quite textured, isn't it?
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It is. And a very flat perspective and bold colours.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- It's quite clear that he is more of a modernist then she was. - She's much more traditionalist.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35But then you don't get more modern than these.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40They went on holidays every year to Cornwall, to St Ives.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46What was rather fantastic was that my godmother and her husband, John,
0:14:46 > 0:14:54knew all the new wave artists of the 50s and 60s in St Ives.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56And how did this get to your godmother?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59My godmother actually met Wallis when she was a child
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and she saw him with a load of paintings outside his house
0:15:03 > 0:15:05and asked her father if he'd buy her one
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and they were only a shilling or so each.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12He said, of course he'll buy her painting but he'll buy her a proper one.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14- So she didn't buy it. - She didn't get it?
0:15:14 > 0:15:19She didn't get it, but years later she did get her own way when she bought this one.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I see, she bought it herself later.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- So she never let go of that idea?- No.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26And this Alfred Wallis, he is a naive painter.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29He was in fact THE naive painter
0:15:29 > 0:15:36because he was discovered really by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood in St Ives in the late 1920s.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38He'd been a fisherman all his life, hadn't he?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I believe he liked to paint with boat paint
0:15:41 > 0:15:44because he thought that was proper paint.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- And not on proper materials?- No. I don't think he could afford it.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Because he was naive and completely self-taught,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53all his perspective is completely flattened out.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- Well, it doesn't have any perspective.- No.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01And objects in his pictures, they take on a size that's relative to their importance to him
0:16:01 > 0:16:04rather than any kind of visual scheme he might impose on it.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07You see that here. He's obviously a man who knows ships.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I imagine the rigging is exactly correct.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13I like the way the torn-off strip, which is a part of the object...
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- It also suggests waves, almost. - Yes, quite.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22But this artist was another native Cornishman. This is Peter Lanyon.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I suppose there's a flatness to that, too, in the same way that this is flat, so is this.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31It's this getting back to a fresh primitive eye that was so important with St Ives artists.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36What is remarkable about these two is that of the whole, all of the St Ives artists,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39these are the only two native Cornishmen amongst the group,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- amongst the entire group. - I think they are, aren't they?
0:16:42 > 0:16:47Because a lot of people disappear down to Cornwall during the war.
0:16:47 > 0:16:54So a lot of very sophisticated artists went there to get back to a sort of purer way of seeing.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56But these two, they were looking out.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00I hadn't realised that. That's really interesting.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02So, values...
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Now, your godmother's picture and her husband's, what d'you think?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Probably £500 or £600 I should think.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- Perhaps a bit more. I don't know. - That's spot on, I'd say.- Right.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19- Moving on, what about him? - John's paintings are beginning to get a bit more liked.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23That's probably maybe £1,000 now, maybe a bit more? I don't know.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Yes, well, you might know better than me, I hate to admit
0:17:26 > 0:17:28because they're very local painters
0:17:28 > 0:17:32and Greenwich has that strange sort of...insular feel, hasn't it?
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- It's really quite a self-contained environment.- Yes.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Whereas these two artists have world reputations.
0:17:39 > 0:17:45And this Alfred Wallis, for example, is probably worth between £20,000 and £25,000.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Right.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50He's very collected. And he's very valued.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51And so is Peter Lanyon.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56This small painting, which has these wonderfully vibrant colours,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and I think works extremely well
0:17:58 > 0:18:01is worth between £20,000 and £30,000.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Well, that's very interesting.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05If my godmother was here now
0:18:05 > 0:18:09I think she'd tilt her head to one side, smile
0:18:09 > 0:18:11and say, "Well, isn't that marvellous?"
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- And then offer you a cup of tea. - Perfect.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18OK, So, a rather an interesting water clock.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- How old do you think it is? - Well, it came with a court cupboard
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and a 16th century monk's bench.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29My parents bought it in 1944 in London because they lived in London.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35It was just three items of furniture that they started their married life with, I think.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40So this oak piece looks rather good alongside the other oak bits of furniture?
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Yes, wonderful, actually.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45So, had you thought about this date down here,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Mr Dryden of Frome, 1623?
0:18:48 > 0:18:53It is a very old date. But I would love it to be from that date
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- but I don't know.- Let's just look at the general principle of it
0:18:56 > 0:19:00which is that you put the water in there and there's a float
0:19:00 > 0:19:05and you then turn the tap on, let it drip out into a bin down below
0:19:05 > 0:19:11and as the float descends, the time is read off, on these twin scales.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12Carved in oak.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15And it certainly looks the part.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17D'you want the bad news?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19I think so, yes.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Well be bad news basically is that nothing like this was ever made
0:19:24 > 0:19:27of the period we're talking about.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And they are all made 300 years later than that date
0:19:33 > 0:19:38- in Birmingham by a firm called Pearson Page.- No.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42All made in the 1920s and you can still see copies
0:19:42 > 0:19:47of their catalogues with numerous different designs of water clocks.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53They are wonderful concoctions but typically early 20th Century bits of fun and games.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- They weren't meant to deceive.- No.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00If I was to quote you as a novelty item, between £300 and £400,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- would that be very disappointing? - No, not at all.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08Because it would be a miracle if it had been originally there.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Thank you very much.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15Well, you've brought along this rather bizarre and quite small shirt.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21- Yes.- And it says on the front, it's embroidered, "Sister Susie's Shirt".
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Now I know a little bit about this, because in the First World War,
0:20:25 > 0:20:32in 1914, there was a tongue-twister song, a novelty song, and the chorus went something like this.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35# Sister Susie's sewing shirts for soldiers.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40# Such skill at sewing shirts our shy young sister shows.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44# Some soldiers and epistles say they'd rather sleep with thistles
0:20:44 > 0:20:49# Than the saucy soft short shirts for soldiers sister Susie sews. #
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- How about that? - You've done a good job of it.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Ha, ha, ha! But that was a novelty song, written in 1914.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56I've seen it online.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And it was sung by such people as Al Jolson, at the time.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04But why is this tiny little shirt Sister Susie's shirt?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08All I know about it is that my grandmother told me
0:21:08 > 0:21:14that my great-grandfather had it in the First World War, which was her father-in-law.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17And that they were sent to the Australian soldiers from the schoolgirls.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- You're Australian(?) - Yes!- How did I guess(?)
0:21:20 > 0:21:22My mouth might be giving me away!
0:21:22 > 0:21:28- OK, so sent... - Sent as a care package item,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32but also to be used practically, as a wash bag.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35So this is actually a wash bag? OK.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The idea was that they could put their socks in it, as a wash bag,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43but I believe also they could take the buttons off, if they needed a spare button.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And I believe some were sent
0:21:46 > 0:21:49with a normal tape measure and a sewing thread and needle,
0:21:49 > 0:21:54so they could repair their items, but that's my rough knowledge.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- Does this have a tape measure in it, as well?- It has a special tape measure, I believe.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03I will just bring it out very gently because it's...is it satin or silk?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Oh, gosh, it's got to be silk, hasn't it?
0:22:05 > 0:22:10- I think it's silk and it's painted silk, so I believe that makes it extra special to me, at least.- Yes.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Isn't that beautiful?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And we've got painted inches here.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Yes. And each of the flags.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Each of the flags of the Allied powers.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22My goodness, it goes on forever.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It might go off the table, at this rate!
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Let's bring it off this end. What is at the end?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- It has a date.- Right.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Which is what I'm most interested in, to find out more about.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- Are we going to reach the end? - Yes, yes, here we go.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Because it says, "Remember Gallipoli, April, 1915."
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Did he serve during the time of the Gallipoli campaign?
0:22:42 > 0:22:44I know he didn't serve at Gallipoli. He was at the Somme.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46OK, now, this was him?
0:22:46 > 0:22:50This was him. Aged 21, I believe, because it says so on the back.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- "Uncle Reg, aged 21 years."- Wow. And you've brought a letter?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- I've bought one of his letters. - Dated? What was this?
0:22:57 > 0:23:01- "July 3rd, '17."- 1917.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06It says, "We have had news this week that the SS Mongolia has been sunk,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08"with the whole of May's mail".
0:23:08 > 0:23:11And then, "..on which to me means
0:23:11 > 0:23:14"that all my letters from England, and some from you, have gone.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19"To say nothing of a parcel, including my diary, which I valued,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22"as it had been written from the beginning of the war".
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Later on, it goes into the letter to say that three bags of mail
0:23:26 > 0:23:32were saved from the ship and, hopefully, he feels that his diary may be in one of those bags.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- Did you never find out whether they were?- I haven't had a chance
0:23:35 > 0:23:40to go through his top room yet, because it hasn't been touched since before he died in 1981.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- That will be my job.- OK.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44So, are you a historian?
0:23:44 > 0:23:46I'm the family archiver.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50But I did go to uni and do history, just so I could learn a little bit.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54- And this is just the tip of the iceberg?- Yes. These are my primary documents.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Well, you know, there is a value to all these things.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02He was a very brave man. I hate putting values of this sort of thing.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05It's priceless to me, so the monetary value won't matter.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10This very, actually, quite rare object today, I have to say,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13together with the letter, the photograph, the tape measure
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and all the other objects, which I'm sure amount to a huge amount,
0:24:17 > 0:24:22I would guess that a collector would certainly pay
0:24:22 > 0:24:24somewhere in the region of £500-£700 for it.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25- That much?- Oh, yes!
0:24:25 > 0:24:29That's, like, 1,500 Australian dollars!
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- That's my ticket home!- Fantastic!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- Don't go home too quickly. - No, no, no.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Over the last 20 years, there's been a big anti-smoking campaign.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45So, most cigarette cases are usually not worth much more
0:24:45 > 0:24:49than the scrap value of the metal. But there are one or two exceptions.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53And you've brought along something
0:24:53 > 0:24:56which I think is a little bit special.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58By the way, are you warm? Is it hot in here?
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- It is quite warm.- The temperature's going to go up quite a bit,
0:25:02 > 0:25:08because you've brought along quite an amazing cigarette case
0:25:08 > 0:25:11with the most beautifully painted enamel on it
0:25:11 > 0:25:14of a reclining nude. And it's actually signed,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17"R. Gilbert" at the bottom. Do you know anything about its history?
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Not a lot, no. My husband bought it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- Did he?- I think he thought it looked rather like me!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Well, as I said, this is absolutely stunningly painted.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The case was actually probably made in Austria.
0:25:32 > 0:25:38It was imported into Chester. And these marks at the top here are import marks for Chester.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Imported by the Demiere Brothers in 1910.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48The great thing about enamelled cases is that they have got to be perfect
0:25:48 > 0:25:50to be worth anything.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56- Right.- Has anybody ever given you an idea of what something like this might be worth?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58No, they haven't, no.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01If it didn't have any enamel on it,
0:26:01 > 0:26:08- it would be worth, probably, in the region of £20-£25.- Right.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But because not only is the enamel perfect,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14but it is a very saleable subject. A case like this
0:26:14 > 0:26:18is probably worth between £1200-1500.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Very good. Very good.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- Yes, I shall look after it. - Well, I think you should.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28When I was told there was a young man with some automata,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I must admit, I saw that you were a young man, but I didn't realise
0:26:31 > 0:26:34that they were the sort of automata that, actually,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- they're electric toys, aren't they? - Yes.
0:26:38 > 0:26:44- So they don't really work on their own wind-up, but they wind up in terms of electricity?- Absolutely.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49And I'm absolutely riveted by them and you obviously are, too.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Tell me, tell me, did you buy them all at once? How did you find them?
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Well, I was very lucky. In the early 80s I went to America a few times.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01In California, I had to meet this chap who was selling the five.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And I saw them in his shop and I just fell in love with them
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and I, luckily, had the money, enough, sufficient money,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11to buy them at the time and I've brought them back with me.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13How was he describing them to you?
0:27:13 > 0:27:17He described them as actually what they were - advertising material.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22They used to, the company that made these, Barringer Brothers,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24would ship them out all over the United States
0:27:24 > 0:27:29to jewellery shops, for example, Tiffany's, places like that.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So the Barringer Studios actually were in Pasadena?
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- So they were already in California? - Yes, they were.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41So you went out to California and they had all these in one shop.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43But I gather that they only made
0:27:43 > 0:27:47less than 100, for displays like this,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- advertising in jewellers' shops. - Absolutely.- Because, actually,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56- there are only a certain number of jewellers' shops that would want them.- Quite, yes.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57And be able to afford them too.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Because I would have thought in their day, they would have been expensive to hire out.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And also, if I were Tiffany's, and I think this is what happened,
0:28:05 > 0:28:10they'd start with one, and then maybe after a month or two or three months, they'd change it.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14They'd ring up and say, "Actually, can I see your catalogue?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17"Can we have this one for another three months"?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- So they would swap them over. - Yes, that makes sense.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24And I think they were working in the 1920s right through to the 1950s.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28And these are around the late 1930s.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31So we start with the car, which, I suppose,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35he's just bought her a wedding ring and engagement ring.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It does say diamond, so she's a lucky girl.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40And they're off, just married...
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I wonder where they're off to.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- I'd like to know!- And then this one
0:28:45 > 0:28:49- I find a little bit... - Creepy?- Saucy.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Saucy, yes.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56Maybe they were told, "You are not to marry this man" and they're going off having had the babies.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02- The babies look almost as big as their parents.- They are pretty big.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06It's hilarious. I just... I could watch that and I'd
0:29:06 > 0:29:09then think, "Oh, what a lovely ring that is over there in that window."
0:29:09 > 0:29:11So what a clever idea.
0:29:11 > 0:29:17- And what did you pay?- 1,000 in 1986.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- For all of them?- All of them, yes.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24- Well, that was probably almost 2-1 then, wasn't it?- Yes, it was.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- So, say 500 or 600?- Yes.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29- So £100 each, more or less? - Yes, more or less.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I would put each one up to 500 each.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- Possibly 1,000 each.- Really?- Pounds.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36Yes...
0:29:36 > 0:29:40And the enjoyment - you could go round the country giving displays.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43If anyone wants me to, yes.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45- Thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Well, we don't get many Roman marble busts on the Roadshow,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08so I'm delighted you brought this fellow along.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- But he's suffered a bit over the years, hasn't he?- Yes, indeed.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14- He's got a few bits missing.- How did he come into your possession?
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Well, around two years ago, the Italian bank I was working for
0:30:18 > 0:30:21in London closed down and was taken over.
0:30:21 > 0:30:29- Yeah.- So they decided to have a blind auction of all their fixtures and fittings, and amongst many things
0:30:29 > 0:30:35that I bought - books, paintings, a sofa - was this wonderful piece.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37And why did you buy him?
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Because he always, he always stood in the middle of the boardroom
0:30:41 > 0:30:45and whenever we had Christmas parties or drinks...
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- There he was.- Yes, and at the end of the evening
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- I was there with him and my arm around him so...- Excellent.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53..So he became my drinking partner.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Terrific! Now, how old do you think he is?
0:30:55 > 0:31:00Well, um, my heart would like to tell me it's Roman
0:31:00 > 0:31:06but I think my head tells me that it's probably a 1960s replica.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Well, I've had a good look at him.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13He's definitely not a replica from the 1960s, you'll be glad to hear, but to me neither is he Roman.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17If you look at his face, obviously he's lost his nose,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21but the Roman figures of the period that you see, the Emperors and so on,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25are immensely strong characters and they're powerfully carved.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27This face to me is a little bit weak,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31his eyes particularly are not as strong as they should be, and in
0:31:31 > 0:31:36general, his appearance is not gutsy enough to be of the Roman period.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40- Having said that, as I say, he's not brand new.- No.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44So I suspect he was probably made in the mid-18th century.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46- OK.- For the grand tour, perhaps,
0:31:46 > 0:31:51the Englishman travelling abroad wanting to take back a Roman bust in memory
0:31:51 > 0:31:55of his trip, and this is the sort of thing he would buy.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58So probably middle of the 18th century, that sort of period.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Now, do you know who it is?
0:32:00 > 0:32:03When there was the exhibition at Bristol Museum last year
0:32:03 > 0:32:07of Emperor Hadrian, I went and saw it, had a look,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and I recognised the face and especially the beard.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11I believe it's Emperor Hadrian.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16- You could well be right, because the beard certainly is very similar, isn't it?- Yes.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19And you've got the rather sort of mop of hair on the top,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22which again you see in some Hadrian's portraits.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25I think he's a splendid figure. You have him displayed at home?
0:32:25 > 0:32:30Indeed. He's in our dining room, he looks over us when we eat and
0:32:30 > 0:32:32at Christmas he wears a party hat.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36- Joins in the festivities.- Oh, yes, so he's part of the family.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39- Oh, terrific!- Yeah. - Well, I think he's great.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42So you bought him at a private auction.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- Yeah.- Tell me how much you paid for him.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46- £50.- £50?
0:32:46 > 0:32:52If he was Roman then he'd be worth considerably more but as we've said, he's not modern.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55I think he's mid-18th century, and I suspect if this came up at
0:32:55 > 0:33:00auction you'd probably be looking at a value of £2,000 to £3,000.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- So you've done pretty well. - Really? Wow!
0:33:06 > 0:33:11Well, hopefully Hadrian will enjoy many Christmas parties yet to come with you and your family.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16That's great news. He is going back in that little hole in the dining room where he sits.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19- Delighted to hear it. Thanks very much.- Thank you.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Now, you wait for a bus and three come along at once.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- Aren't they wonderful?- And what do you do with these Routemasters?
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Of course, they used to be plying the streets up and down London
0:33:30 > 0:33:32and of course we don't see them anymore.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35We've rescued them from the scrap heap and we've restored them, and
0:33:35 > 0:33:38we put them back on the road because people still love them.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41They have gone completely from London streets, have they?
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Not completely. There are two heritage routes left,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48- still run by Transport for London. - I used to go to school in one.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51I remember hanging on to the pole and judging when the right
0:33:51 > 0:33:55- moment was to jump off and keep running!- Were you good at it?
0:33:55 > 0:33:57I never fell over, put it that way.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- I fell over lots of times. - Well, these are fabulous things.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03I have to say, we have an expert on this programme who spent much of his childhood
0:34:03 > 0:34:06travelling on Routemasters, he's very fond of them. Paul Atterbury.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09- I think he's the man you need to see.- I'd love to meet him.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13This is such an appropriate place to see something like this.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16It is a beautiful clinker-built boat,
0:34:16 > 0:34:21dating from about 1880, 1890, I think.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24On rockers. It is incredibly unusual.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Do you know anything about its make-up?
0:34:28 > 0:34:29It was my grandfather.
0:34:29 > 0:34:36And it was a very well known boat-building firm
0:34:36 > 0:34:39from Brightlingsea in Essex.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Was it built as an apprentice piece?
0:34:42 > 0:34:47Well, I think it was similar to an apprentice piece but they were
0:34:47 > 0:34:53absolutely normal for boat builders to build them for the family.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55So, this was for family use.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Yes, definitely.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00The person in the picture is my aunt.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03I have a picture of him and my aunt.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06He was obviously incredibly proud of it.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08She looks about two. She's not looking too happy in there.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Presumably the rocking of the boat!
0:35:12 > 0:35:18So, with something like this, it does have a commercial value as well.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23I have no hesitation in saying that if it went into the right sale,
0:35:23 > 0:35:27I think that a pre-sale estimate of £1,000-£1,500 is probably quite conservative.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Yes, yes.
0:35:29 > 0:35:35To the right person who could appreciate its worth, its beauty, you know?
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Over the years on the Roadshow,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39I've learnt never to be surprised by anything.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42But today, you've broken that rule.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44You've brought me Routemasters.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47My favourite bus. Why have you done that?
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Well, I run a company that runs Routemasters,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and what better for a roadshow than something that runs on the road?
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Perfect. Can we go and have a look?
0:35:55 > 0:35:56Please.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03This brings it all back.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05I love the Routemaster for two reasons.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11One, because I think London Transport in this period and earlier was so great for design.
0:36:11 > 0:36:17The way tube stations looked, the posters, signage, lettering.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Everything was designed to perfection for its function.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23And of course it was designed by London Transport.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25As the perfect London bus.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27The second, of course, is my own memories.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31I was a child in London when the first Routemasters came in
0:36:31 > 0:36:33and I can remember that excitement
0:36:33 > 0:36:36in Trafalgar Square or wherever of seeing my first Routemaster.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40It was big, it was different, it was wonderful. And very exciting.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43I have to say, I am a sufficiently sad person to have gone out on that
0:36:43 > 0:36:49last scheduled Routemaster night in London to see my last sight of one in service. It was very memorable.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52- What about your memories? - Similar to yours, really.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I can remember being late home for tea one day because I waited
0:36:55 > 0:37:00for the one Routemaster that was new on to the route and got into terrible trouble with my mother.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Obviously you're more serious than I am!
0:37:02 > 0:37:06I just think it's a great bus, and it's wonderful to be in one again.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10So nice to go in and see these seats, the lighting, that funny yellow ceiling.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12It's exactly as I remember it.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Well, we take great pride in restoring them
0:37:14 > 0:37:17to the way they were and how people remember them.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And the one in front, in fact, was one of the last to come off.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Now, I suppose we've got to talk about the value of it.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24How do you value a bus?
0:37:24 > 0:37:30I know that when whatever it was called - Transport for London, whoever - was selling them off,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32at the end of Routemaster service,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36I know they were £2,000 each because a friend wanted to buy one.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39What are they worth now? £10,000? £15,000?
0:37:39 > 0:37:43I think it depends upon the condition and of course they are appreciating all the time.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45As there are less of them, they become more valuable.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48So classic design becomes the antique of the future.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52- I think they will become an antique of the future.- Wonderful.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Now I'm going to do what I've always wanted to do. Hold on tight, please!
0:37:55 > 0:37:56RINGS BELL
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Now, we often come across chargers like this
0:38:00 > 0:38:02decorated often by an amateur
0:38:02 > 0:38:05depicting an attractive female,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07and they're not very interesting.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10We never know who they are, we never know who the artist is,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12and they're decorative and that's it.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15However, I don't think this is the case with this.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18- Do you know who it is? - Yes, I do, it's Ellen Terry.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Ah! Right. A very famous actress of her era.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23And how do you know it's Ellen Terry?
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Well, in the first instance, I recognised it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30My wife and I were going to see some friends on a Sunday night.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34We passed an antique shop and in the back I saw the plate and I recognised Ellen Terry.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38And a few weeks later it was my birthday and my kind wife,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Christine, produced it for me, for my birthday, which was marvellous.
0:38:42 > 0:38:48At the time, I was working with Sir John Gielgud and we were doing a play.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Just a minute - you were working with Sir John Gielgud? That was kind of convenient!
0:38:52 > 0:38:54- It was handy, yes. - They were related, weren't they?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56They were. She was his great aunt.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59He was a member of the Terry family, his mother was a Terry.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03And I was stage managing a play called Half Life
0:39:03 > 0:39:06at the Duke of York, which had transferred,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08and Sir John was in the company.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10So I took a photograph of the plate,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13because I knew it was her but I didn't know the part,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16so I showed it to him and I said, "Do you know which part it is?"
0:39:16 > 0:39:19And he said, "Oh, yes, it's Ellen in Much Ado About Nothing,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22when she played Beatrice to Irving's Benedick".
0:39:22 > 0:39:27So that kind of solved the problem, and then later on we found this photograph
0:39:27 > 0:39:29which shows her in the same role.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Not quite in the same costume - she's got sort of...
0:39:32 > 0:39:35I think whoever's done this painted the lace, gave her more pearls,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38but he's neglected to put this rather complicated costume on.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40He's kept it very simple.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42This was proudly signed "E Williams"
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and dated '84, for 1884, which is absolutely typical of this period.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49They were all made in the 1870s-1880s.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54By the 1890s, they were dying out a bit as a pastime.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57So you've transformed a fairly ordinary plate by the fact you
0:39:57 > 0:39:59happened to know Sir John Gielgud,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02just happened to be working with him,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06into something which is really a slice of theatrical history.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11And consequently, you've changed it from being worth, you know, £100,
0:40:11 > 0:40:16to something which I think a theatrical collector would pay £500, maybe £800 for.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Maybe even a bit more. Thank you for bringing it in.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21- It's quite made my day. - Thank you very much.
0:40:21 > 0:40:27I think you've brought along a bit of a cheeky monkey, today, haven't you?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- I did.- In more ways than one.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32So, the question is, a piece of glass like that,
0:40:32 > 0:40:37you went out and bought it, or you saw it at a car boot,
0:40:37 > 0:40:42or it's in an antiques shop in Paris, or what?
0:40:42 > 0:40:43No, I actually didn't.
0:40:43 > 0:40:49When I came to London in 1985 I worked as a chambermaid.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52And one of the guests in the hotel actually left it behind.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56It went into lost property for six months, as it had to,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59and the guest never came back to reclaim it,
0:40:59 > 0:41:05so after the six months in lost property, it went to me.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09- So here we are.- Let's have a look at your monkey, shall we?- Yes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I'm saying a monkey - I think it might be sort of a gibbon.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Or he might be a lemur.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Because what do you get in Madagascar?
0:41:17 > 0:41:19You do get the lemur.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20You do, you see.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Because, if we turn this over,
0:41:23 > 0:41:28you've got a mark on there which says Lalique, doesn't it? OK.
0:41:28 > 0:41:34Now, that has me asking one or two questions, OK?
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Because this is not a typical Lalique mount.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Now, the point is that this opalescent glass, because it has
0:41:43 > 0:41:46got that nice milky, bluey quality to it, no doubt that is Lalique.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- So, that's definitely Lalique. - No doubt about it.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52But there is a Madagascar connection.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Because originally, he was from a family of lemurs
0:41:56 > 0:42:03and all their faces were around the perimeter of a Lalique glass bowl.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08And I think what's happened is that somebody has got hold of a bowl,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12and they have cut out all the monkey, all the gibbon, or the lemur,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16whatever it is, they've cut them out and they've had them mounted.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20But I don't believe it was the Lalique factory that did it.
0:42:20 > 0:42:26Because I don't think the mount's good enough, and why put "R Lalique" on there?
0:42:26 > 0:42:30Because I think this has been done at a later stage.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35When it comes to date, this bowl was made round about 1930, 1932.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37But again, looking at those mounts,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40I think those mounts have been put on in the post-war period.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45- I think those mounts are 1960s, possibly even 1970s.- Right.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50So, they shouldn't have "R Lalique" on there.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55Because for anything to have the "R", has to be within his lifetime.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58He died in 1945.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Either way, I think it is an object of desire.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- Really?- Well, I do.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08When it comes to valuation, I've never seen one sold,
0:43:08 > 0:43:14but I would not expect that to be offered for less than £500.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Should you ever decide to sell it.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Thank you very much.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24My father was a sergeant's lieutenant based in Hong Kong
0:43:24 > 0:43:28in the British Navy when of course it was a British base.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31And he had a young family. He didn't have a lot of money,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34but he collected little bits of jade that, at that time, didn't
0:43:34 > 0:43:36cost too much money.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40- And this was in the 19... - Early 1960s.- Right. OK.
0:43:40 > 0:43:45It's a wonderful display and lesson in all sorts of aspects of jade.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47I mean, the different objects, for a start.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51We've got here, we've got a hat pin or hair ornament.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55These are belt hooks which are carved with dragons and so forth.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57You probably know what these are?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00No! I don't.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Well, they are called bi-discs.
0:44:02 > 0:44:09They're curious objects which were placed upon the bodies in tombs in Neolithic times and they continued
0:44:09 > 0:44:13making them in China. And these ones, these two look 19th century.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16But interestingly, they have still got these little knobbles
0:44:16 > 0:44:20on the surface, which you see on the ones from the Shang dynasty,
0:44:20 > 0:44:24thousands and thousands of years ago.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27These two here, they are archers rings, so you don't...
0:44:27 > 0:44:32when the bowstring whacks your hand. Vases, carvings of animals.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37And the other thing it shows us is all the different colours that jade can come in.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40And at different times in Chinese history, different stones
0:44:40 > 0:44:43have been used and different ones have been more popular.
0:44:43 > 0:44:44Commercially at the moment,
0:44:44 > 0:44:49white jade is very sought after by the Chinese.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51There is a good example.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Very white, much whiter than almost anything else on here.
0:44:55 > 0:44:56And what would that be?
0:44:56 > 0:45:00- Would that be just like an ornament, or, the rabbit?- What, this one?- Yes.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05This one is carved, pretending to be a section of bamboo.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08It's got bamboo leaves on it and if you cut a piece
0:45:08 > 0:45:13of bamboo inside, you see that's the internal structure of the bamboo plant as it grows.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17- Yep, got you.- And of course the Chinese make works of art in lacquer,
0:45:17 > 0:45:21in bamboo, there are plenty of good bamboo carvings, in boxwood,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23but Jade is one of the most highly prized.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26And it's fabulous to see such a lot of it.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Dating it has always been difficult.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Some things you can be fairly categoric about.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34You don't tend to see the very bright jadeite,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36which is this apple green colour,
0:45:36 > 0:45:41until the second half of the 18th century, really.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Unlike pottery and porcelain, where you can look at the material
0:45:45 > 0:45:49and say, this was not produced until such a time, jade was all formed tens
0:45:49 > 0:45:52of thousands of years ago, so how does one date it?
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Well, it comes down to style, really.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58This hair ornament stands a good chance that it's 18th-century.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00The quality is very, very fine.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Some pieces I think are 20th century.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05This little vase here is a relatively crude affair.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08But they're terrific. I love the animals as well.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Yes, I like the animals. I think that's what he liked collecting.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Yeah. Are there any you particularly want to ask about?
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Possibly the little horse, I like.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22This is carved in a much earlier style.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24It's a late Ming, 17th-century style.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Can that actually be tested, or is it just...?
0:46:27 > 0:46:31No, you can't test it. What you can do is compare it very closely with other
0:46:31 > 0:46:35ones that are known to have been in collections at certain times.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37But it's fabulous to see so many pieces.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40I think you're a very lucky girl.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- Yes, I am! - They really are quite valuable.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46There should be in excess of £15,000 here.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48That's very, very nice to know.
0:46:48 > 0:46:54- Yeah.- It's super. And there may be single pieces which make 1,000 or 2,000 individually.
0:46:54 > 0:46:55Yeah. Amazing.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59You're probably wondering why I want to talk about something
0:46:59 > 0:47:02so humble as a child's napkin ring and spoon.
0:47:02 > 0:47:07What I love about the Roadshow is that it throws up the odd gem
0:47:07 > 0:47:14of an object which may look unspectacular, but you have brought along such a gem.
0:47:14 > 0:47:19The clue to it is written in the lid here, Liberty & Co.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Now, this is a christening present. And is it your christening present?
0:47:23 > 0:47:27No, it was my husband's auntie's christening present.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29And she was born in 1910.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Right, well, that also gives a very good clue
0:47:32 > 0:47:34to what I want to talk about.
0:47:34 > 0:47:40Because it actually has hallmarks on the side here for 1909,
0:47:40 > 0:47:45and it has the Liberty & Co hallmark on the edge here.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50But there's one very special reason why a little napkin ring
0:47:50 > 0:47:55and spoon like this is so special, and that is the designer.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57One of the most famous designers
0:47:57 > 0:48:02of the early 20th century was a chap called Archibald Knox.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06- Oh!- And he is a top, top man.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10The enamel on the ring and on the spoon is very typical of his work.
0:48:10 > 0:48:16He worked as a designer for Liberty exactly at this time.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20Not only that, you've got everything in the original case.
0:48:20 > 0:48:26So it's a pretty special lot, it's a collector's lot.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30We're probably looking at something here worth at least £1,000.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Good grief!
0:48:34 > 0:48:36No, I had no idea.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38It's that special.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41He is one of the most popular names at the moment.
0:48:41 > 0:48:48There's a real surge in art-nouveau silver at the moment, particularly by Archibald Knox.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55When I first met you and you showed me the box saying
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Vauxhall 30D, somehow I assumed it would be full of Vauxhall cars.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02But how wrong was I?
0:49:02 > 0:49:06Because they are not Vauxhalls at all, are they?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08They're Dinkys,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10but there's a Packard,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12and a Rolls-Royce.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15I think it was my father that bought them for me,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18shortly after I was born,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21which would have been probably '39, '40.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Not many more were probably bought during the war.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27I mean, none were made during the war.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And then afterwards,
0:49:30 > 0:49:33I started buying them myself when I was nine or 10,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35with a little bit of pocket money.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38And went on buying them until I was about 14 or 15.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42All of which I have still got. This is just a small selection.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46- In total, how many Dinkys do you have?- I should have counted them before I came out.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Probably about 40.
0:49:48 > 0:49:54And, as you can see, I hardly played with them so they are in pretty good condition.
0:49:54 > 0:50:00I personally like the tanker here because I am just a few years younger than you
0:50:00 > 0:50:04and this one was brought out in the fifties.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08In 1952 I think it first came out.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11I didn't think I had bought it as long ago as that. Good grief!
0:50:11 > 0:50:13But we have to talk about value.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15So, yes.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18These early ones, pre-war,
0:50:18 > 0:50:23probably worth anywhere between £150 and £300 each.
0:50:23 > 0:50:29The tanker, again in its original box, worth another £150-180.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32You multiply that by the 40 you've got,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and you're not talking about hundreds, but low thousands.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Yes, I think that's true, yes, yes.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43As a child, I enjoyed playing with my Dinkys, but I never kept them as nice as you did.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48So I admire you, because my Dinkys are now worthless, whilst yours are still worth a fortune.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51It is interesting you had some.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54- Thank you very much indeed. - It's a pleasure. Thank you.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57It was my father's. He passed away about 10 years ago
0:50:57 > 0:51:01and it was part of my inheritance. I chose to take this little box.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05- It's been in the family for a long time.- You chose it, well done you!
0:51:05 > 0:51:08- Well, hopefully, yes.- So, where do you think he got it?
0:51:08 > 0:51:11He used to travel, so I'm thinking it may be from China
0:51:11 > 0:51:15or somewhere like that because we used to have quite a few pieces from China.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19That's the only reason I'm thinking that. Apart from that, I have no idea.
0:51:19 > 0:51:24OK. On the surround, this lovely what we call guilloche enamel.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28That's the pattern of the enamel, so it's sort of zig-zaggy.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32And over that, we have lovely roses, for love.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36And then in the middle, you have again enamelling, but
0:51:36 > 0:51:41it's all to do with love and harmony so you've got two goddesses and then you've got Cupid,
0:51:41 > 0:51:46so you have harmony and love and it must have been a wonderful present
0:51:46 > 0:51:52- for someone, a beloved, if you like. - So I'm glad I've got it then. Yes.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54And then underneath,
0:51:54 > 0:51:56we have a number.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00And it actually says,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03it says, Swiss, see?
0:52:03 > 0:52:06Now, the Swiss maker
0:52:06 > 0:52:10would have been someone called Charles Margerathe.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16And this would have been somewhere near Neuchatel, which is called St Croix.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23And these would have been made by this firm somewhere between the 1920s and 1930s.
0:52:23 > 0:52:24If we can get it going...
0:52:26 > 0:52:28BIRD TWEETS
0:52:40 > 0:52:44Well, what I love about it is they are actually real bird feathers.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48- Oh, right, OK.- And they've still got the lovely colours, too, which a
0:52:48 > 0:52:52lot of these birds from such a long time ago, they lose their colours,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54they lose their feathers, they moult.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59- And... Have you ever thought of its worth?- No idea.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03Well, if it were to go into an auction,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06in the right sort of auction, it would probably make £1,500.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08- Right, OK. Yes.- So...
0:53:08 > 0:53:12- That's a very nice... I think I shall get that insured.- Well done!
0:53:12 > 0:53:15- Yes, thank you very much. - A delightful piece.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17Shall we get it going again?
0:53:28 > 0:53:35These wonderful gold medals tell me that the owner was somebody who was
0:53:35 > 0:53:38very important in the Peninsular War.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41This was Sir Richard Fletcher,
0:53:41 > 0:53:46who was my grandfather's great grandfather, I think, and
0:53:46 > 0:53:53he built the lines of Torres Vedras which kept Napoleon out of Lisbon during that war.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Now, let's talk a little about the Peninsular War,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59because in the early 19th century, the French
0:53:59 > 0:54:05- had virtually overcome all of Europe, apart from Britain of course.- Yes.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08And in 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar,
0:54:08 > 0:54:14defeated the Spanish and the French, but Napoleon made a great mistake.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19- Yes.- He then decided to overthrow the Spanish, who were his allies,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21- and to take over Spain.- Yes.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26So that gave Britain a chance to get into the Iberian Peninsula.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28Now, Fletcher,
0:54:28 > 0:54:32- Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher?- Correct.
0:54:32 > 0:54:37..Was the most important royal engineer at that time,
0:54:37 > 0:54:41and he was appointed to Wellesley, then Wellington's staff.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46- Yes.- So he would have been in day-to-day contact with Wellington.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49He would have been literally sitting almost as we are here.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52- Yes.- Opposite that famous commander.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55- Yes.- Wellington.- Yes.- What a wonderful thing to imagine, actually.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59- Yes, yes.- So what are the medals we've got here?
0:54:59 > 0:55:02The top one interests me because this isn't a British medal.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- No, no.- It looks to me like a Portuguese medal.- Yes.
0:55:05 > 0:55:11And I think I'm right in saying it's the, is it the Order of the Tower and Sword or something like that?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13- That's my understanding, yes. - Yes, OK.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Presented by the King of Portugal, yes.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20And then looking at the bottom here, at six o'clock, we've got a
0:55:20 > 0:55:25very foreign-looking medal which is the Sultan's Medal.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30Which was awarded in 1801 for services against the French in Egypt,
0:55:30 > 0:55:34of course, and so Fletcher would have taken part in that campaign as well.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35Yes, yes, yes.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39But the medals that really interest me are the two either side of...
0:55:39 > 0:55:43- I guess this is his portrait, is it? - I'm sure it is, yes.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Well, this is a wonderful silhouette portrait of Fletcher.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50This medal here is the Army Gold Medal.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52And what does it say on there?
0:55:52 > 0:55:55- Talavera.- Talavera?
0:55:55 > 0:55:581808.
0:56:00 > 0:56:05- And across at three o'clock we have the Army Gold Cross.- Yes.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Now this medal here usually is inscribed.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12Let's have a look on the edges of what's called a cross pate and it
0:56:12 > 0:56:17says here, "Lieutenant Colonel" - "L Colonel", so Lieutenant Colonel -
0:56:17 > 0:56:22"Sir Richard Fletcher", and this is a terribly important medal.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26- In fact, Wellington himself was awarded that medal.- Yes, yes.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30Well, you know, he was a greatly loved man, Fletcher.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- Yes, yes.- He took great care of the staff under him.- Yes, yes.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37And he was killed at San Sebastian.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Yes, yes.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44By a bullet, and his loss was greatly felt by everybody under his command.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47- Yes, yes.- And I think I'm right in saying that his officers
0:56:47 > 0:56:52- subscribed for a memorial in the hills above San Sebastian.- Yes.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54- Where I think he was buried.- Yes.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Now there is a value to these medals, you know.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00- Yes.- Certainly the top medal and the bottom medal,
0:57:00 > 0:57:05I suppose they'd be worth £2,000, £3,000, something like that.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08But these two are quite important.
0:57:08 > 0:57:14And this medal would be worth, because it's Fletcher,
0:57:14 > 0:57:18somewhere in the region of £15,000.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22- Yes.- And this medal, the Cross, is worth £35,000.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27So the whole lot together, in my view, could be worth
0:57:27 > 0:57:30as much as £50,000 at auction today.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32It's a wonderful, wonderful collection.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34Are you going to keep it in the family?
0:57:34 > 0:57:37- Going to go to the Royal Engineers Museum, I think.- It is?
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Yes, well, it's set in my will.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Well, I think they are very fortunate
0:57:42 > 0:57:46and I know they cared greatly about Fletcher, I know that.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49And I think it will find a very warm welcome. Thank you.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57We've had a great day here in Greenwich by the River Thames.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00People have brought all sorts of fascinating items for us to look at,
0:58:00 > 0:58:04including, of course, these fabulous Routemaster buses.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07And things are drawing to a close here now, so I thought,
0:58:07 > 0:58:09what better way to depart than on one of these?
0:58:17 > 0:58:20So, from the Antiques Roadshow in Greenwich, bye-bye.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:47 > 0:58:51E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk