0:00:02 > 0:00:05Manchester Town Hall - the ultimate example of civic pride
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and they say its foundations are built on bales of cotton.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09Hmm.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Welcome back to a second helping of Antiques Roadshow from Manchester.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'The official opening of Manchester Town Hall
0:00:59 > 0:01:01'was to be a glamorous affair,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'so the monarch was invited.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:06But Queen Victoria declined to attend
0:01:06 > 0:01:08when she got wind of the Mayor's radical beliefs.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11He'd wanted to produce a newspaper for the poor called
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The Poor Man's Guardian - outrageous!
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Ironically enough, though, it was the Mayor who stood in for her
0:01:17 > 0:01:22when this magnificent building was opened on the 13th September 1877.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26And here he is, the radical himself, Abel Heywood.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The architect was a northern lad, Alfred Waterhouse.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35He designed cotton flowers all over the building.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38It became known as King Cotton's Palace -
0:01:38 > 0:01:42a reference to the vast amounts of cotton imported to Manchester
0:01:42 > 0:01:45for the manufacturing of textiles.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47And you can see bees everywhere too,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50as busy Manchester was a hive of industry.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55130 years on and the town hall is just as busy as ever.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57This is still the place you come to register
0:01:57 > 0:01:58births, marriages and deaths
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and it's a favoured Hollywood location.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Only recently Meryl Streep was spotted striding down the corridors
0:02:05 > 0:02:09dressed in the familiar attire of Margaret Thatcher.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The Mayor's staterooms are where the great and the good
0:02:15 > 0:02:18have been wined and dined over the last century or so.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Benjamin Disraeli, Dr Livingstone - I presume?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Sorry, couldn't resist that.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Winston Churchill - he was made a Freeman of the City,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29they've all been entertained here.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Today we are the guests of Manchester City Council
0:02:34 > 0:02:39and what a spectacular place for our experts to weave their magic.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The story of Manchester's industrial history
0:02:42 > 0:02:44is dominated by a word, which you hear all the time,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and it's cotton, cotton, cotton, cotton, cotton and cotton.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50It's what you hear all the time.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54There's another part of Manchester's industrial history,
0:02:54 > 0:02:55which is pressed glass.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00And Ancoats was stuffed with pressed glass works.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03That's Manchester,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06that really is a piece of Manchester's genuine past,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09as much as any cotton you could think of - and it's survived!
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I'll tell you what, it's survived a lot more than the cotton, hasn't it?
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- Yes!- It's in a lot better condition that a shirt you would have bought!
0:03:16 > 0:03:18So, come on, tell us about your bit of it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Well, it's a piece that was always in Grandma's house
0:03:21 > 0:03:26and when Grandma died 18 years ago, obviously, the house was cleared
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and it was just passed down to myself, as a member of the family,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and when we had family get-togethers
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Grandma always used to put the celery in it!
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Which is really bizarre, bearing in mind it's a celery vase!
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Is it really? Right.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43It's a celery vase.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's not really, they've described it as a celery vase
0:03:46 > 0:03:51because the tax on practical glass was less than on fancy glass.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55So, if they called it a flower vase, it would have cost more
0:03:55 > 0:04:00but because they called it a celery vase, you could sell it cheaper.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- Right, so...- And as for date, well, we know how old it is
0:04:03 > 0:04:05cos there's a little mark down here.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It's a design registration lozenge.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's about 1865.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Oh, REALLY?- Yeah, really.
0:04:13 > 0:04:151865?
0:04:15 > 0:04:19It's not a fantastically valuable thing. What's it worth?
0:04:19 > 0:04:2430 or 40 quid sort of money but the fact is, it has survived
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- and it's still here...- It is. - ..proudly proclaiming MANCHESTER!
0:04:28 > 0:04:32So we can use it for celery then? Legally!
0:04:32 > 0:04:33THEY LAUGH
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Cock Robin merrily singing his heart out on a Victorian tree branch,
0:04:40 > 0:04:45in a gold frame, in the original fitted box.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46What's the story behind it?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It was my maternal grandmother's.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50I know nothing about it
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and I would like to know how the robin got there!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- Yes, because he's trapped within, isn't he, really?- Yes he is, yes.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It's in incredibly good condition.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02The reason is, as I do always say,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04if you've got the original box for the item,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07goodness me, that really does help to keep the condition
0:05:07 > 0:05:09absolutely top grade.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14What it is, it's called a reverse crystal painting.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20Take a bubble of rock crystal, engrave it from the back
0:05:20 > 0:05:26- and paint the detail of the robin from the back.- Oh.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30So it's painted on and if you could see, literally, behind it,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34you'd see that there's a sort of engraved hole filled up with paint.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Very high quality gold frame, 18 carat gold frame,
0:05:39 > 0:05:45and at the back, like all the best Victorian pendants,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- a locket compartment for you to put a photograph or a lock of hair.- Yeah.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Probably given, do you not agree, as a Christmas present? Do you think?
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Probably, yes.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56I would have thought so.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01- All right, been in the family all these years.- Yes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02Do you wear it?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I don't now but I have worn it when I was much younger,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09I used to wear it with a black velvet ribbon with an evening dress.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14It's not valueless, they are very collectable
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and this one is a particularly good one, in a Hunt and Roskell box.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Would you like to hear that it's worth something in the region of £2,500?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26That's a very nice surprise, thank you.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Would you be pleased then? - I'd be very pleased, yes.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Just my height, this.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Oh, God, yeah. It's handy to lean on.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- It's a big pot!- Good.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Where did you get it from?
0:06:40 > 0:06:42My mother bought it in 1945...
0:06:43 > 0:06:45..from in a shop in Manchester.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Fantastic, and you've had it ever since?- Yes.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- Do you like it?- I do like it, yes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Do you know what it all means?
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I don't, not at all.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57I'll tell you something.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03As I approached this pot I knew instantly what it was...
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- Japanese.- Lovely.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- It isn't!- Oh. - THEY LAUGH
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- Once I got close, I realised I was wrong.- Right.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15It's actually got a fair amount of Japanese influence on it
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- but it's actually Chinese.- Oh, right.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23- And dates from the middle of the 19th century.- Right.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- So it's 150 years old.- Right.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28Do you know what these are?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Look like overgrown tulips.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- They're actually peaches!- Oh, right.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38And a peach in China, is a symbol of longevity.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Well, it's an omen that she bought it - she lived to be 98!
0:07:43 > 0:07:45It works!
0:07:45 > 0:07:49So, you're going to live to 98 - oh, you're not 98 yet are you?
0:07:49 > 0:07:50I'm 80!
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Er, down here we've got...
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- immortals on different animals...- Yes.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04..and they're the Taoist immortals, not Buddhist but Taoist.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Different religion.- Right.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10And I think this would be very saleable
0:08:10 > 0:08:13to the modern Chinese market.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18And I think you would get somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000 for it.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Do you know how much it cost?
0:08:21 > 0:08:22No, tell me.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- I'm going to show you.- Yes.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29My Dad bought it, in a shop, a furniture shop in Manchester...
0:08:31 > 0:08:32..in 1945...
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- ..five pounds. - It's gone up 1,000 times.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The first one I bought about 15 years ago,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47just from a local antiques fair,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52and then the other one I bought about six or eight months later,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54again just at a local antiques fair, so...
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Are you an Art Deco collector?
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Because these obviously do date from the 1930s.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I do like the Art Deco period.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03- So you're a bit of a magpie, yeah? - Yeah.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Well, first of all, let's just look at the features,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09cos the features immediately tell you that you're looking at something
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- which is from that, sort of, inter-war period.- Yes.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Because it's amazing, you can look at fashion plates
0:09:17 > 0:09:19and ladies have got these elongated faces,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22erm, and also it doesn't need much for me to know
0:09:22 > 0:09:27that there's a mark behind there that's going to say Goldscheider,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29although it's a little bit obscured.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31So we know that they're made in Austria,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35and this one, I notice, benefits actually from a label as well.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Yeah, I only noticed that last night when I took them off the wall.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41- And you've been living with them for 15 years!- I know.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42That's incredible.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I mean, I love this particular one, I've seen this one before
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- because look at that hair!- Mmm.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- Ringlets of jade green.- Yeah.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I mean, to be honest with you, it looks like a hairdresser's nightmare
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- where a perm has gone badly wrong in the rinse, or whatever!- It does.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04But this is the sort of object that collectors are very keen to have.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10They made a whole range of wall masks, including THIS one.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Now, this one does set the pulse racing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I've got to say it's a rare subject.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21Anything to do with skiing these days is always at a premium.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23You even find auctions in London
0:10:23 > 0:10:28dedicated to skiing posters and skiing memorabilia,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31so she would sit well in two distinct sales.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Obviously an Art Deco sale and a skiing sale.- Yes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Well, let's just go back to this girl.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- How much did you pay for that? - 120 for that one.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- OK.- That was more expensive than the other one.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44All right, well let's take this one.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46120, today...
0:10:46 > 0:10:52the market for that is going to be nearer £300 or thereabouts. OK.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Now, when you say more expensive for our ski girl.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57That was the cheaper one.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Oh, that was the cheaper one?- Yeah. - Oh, right, so how cheap is cheap?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- Well, it was £100 for that one.- £100.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Erm, I've not seen this before,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and I've seen a lot of Goldscheider masks,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12so I wouldn't hesitate to quote you somewhere in the region of £800
0:11:12 > 0:11:16to possibly, possibly £1,000.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Wow, that's amazing!
0:11:18 > 0:11:19That is amazing.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24So, the Crystal House or Crystal Palace
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- was built for the Great Exhibition in 1851...- Yes.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31..and it was, you know, the most exciting thing
0:11:31 > 0:11:34that had happened at that time.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Six million people -
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- a third of the population of Great Britain - came to see it.- Wow.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43It was 990,000 square feet
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and so there were a tremendous number of commemoratives
0:11:46 > 0:11:48made for this event...
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- and you've brought one.- Yes. - Where did you get it?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- I got it from my great aunt. - And did she go? Do you know?
0:11:54 > 0:11:55I'm not sure
0:11:55 > 0:11:58but I think it must have been passed down through the family.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Well, it was such a spectacular event
0:12:01 > 0:12:06and many, many things were produced...so they're quite common.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Right.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09But I've never seen this one before.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Right.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- So, and I LOVE the verse. - Yes, so do I.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- Because it's not very good, is it? - It's strange.- It's very strange.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21"These are the soldiers so gay and so bright
0:12:21 > 0:12:23"Who like to play best but are willing to fight
0:12:23 > 0:12:26"In defence of the Police, so active and bold
0:12:26 > 0:12:28"Who mind not the heat and fear not the cold."
0:12:28 > 0:12:31THEY CHUCKLE It's lovely.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33So produced for this -
0:12:33 > 0:12:37I haven't seen this one before, so rarer than most,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and I think you would have to pay about £500.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Wow! Just for this?
0:12:43 > 0:12:45My goodness.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Heavens!
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I can't believe that, I really can't.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54So if you don't mind me asking you, sir,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57this is meant to be hanging in Mottram Church,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59what's it doing, today, at Manchester Town Hall?
0:12:59 > 0:13:06Well, we, in 1980, bought a biscuit company in this cotton mill
0:13:06 > 0:13:11and, within a year, we were clearing out store rooms
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and were throwing out all the junk.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18And some of the boys discovered this amongst the junk.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21So, you bought your biscuit factory
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- that happened to be an old cotton mill.- Yes.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25This was found there.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Yes, it was.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31It's been hanging in reception in the biscuit factory ever since.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35- And so its history is incredibly rich, isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36Because it says here,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41"The South Side of Mottram Chancel is Repaired By and Belongs to
0:13:41 > 0:13:46"the Earl of Warrington as Lord of the Manor of Stayly."
0:13:46 > 0:13:49So, Mottram Church, where is that?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, Mottram church is in Stalybridge,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54which is in the village of Mottram itself.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56And it's between Stalybridge and Glossop,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01about 15 miles east of Manchester.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05This shield actually dates from 1694,
0:14:05 > 0:14:11when the Earl of Warrington placed it in the church at Mottram.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Because this armorial, the sort of focal point of it,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- is incredibly detailed, isn't it?- Yes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- It goes back generations, really.- Yes.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Explaining, you know, his blood line,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- it's a bit like a family tree, if you like.- Yes.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27So, presumably, it was hanging in the chancel or...
0:14:27 > 0:14:29actually, looking at it,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33one wonders whether it might even have formed part of the, sort of,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35the panelling within that chancel.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- There's a curious square just here, isn't there?- Yes.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- A good repair!- Yes, a good repair, possibly even a door or something.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45We're not sure whether it's a door or a panel
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but it certainly hung in the chancel for about 150 years
0:14:48 > 0:14:53and it was only moved by a guy called Chapman,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56a wealthy mill owner from the area,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01who bought the chancel from the church and decided, in his wisdom,
0:15:01 > 0:15:06that he was wealthy enough to take out all the accoutrements
0:15:06 > 0:15:10that were in the chancel, replacing them with his own.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14So, at that time the armorial shield disappeared,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18that was in 1854 or thereabouts,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and destroyed everything that was within it for his own goods.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And this of course disappeared at that time.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29But interesting that it was never actually destroyed or thrown away,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and not hard to imagine why
0:15:31 > 0:15:35because it STILL has that richness to it, doesn't it?
0:15:35 > 0:15:41And so when you purchased the old cotton mill as your biscuit factory,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43what did you pay for it?
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Oh, we paid well over the odds, we paid £1.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49A pound? SHE LAUGHS
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- A whole pound.- And that was for the factory, machinery and this.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- One whole pound? - One whole pound, yes.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Well, we bought the debt as well, I have to say,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01but, you know, not a bad deal.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Well, it is such a visually attractive object
0:16:04 > 0:16:09and a very similar armorial panel to this
0:16:09 > 0:16:13was sold a couple of years ago, at auction,
0:16:13 > 0:16:19- and I think probably surprised everyone by fetching £12,500.- Yes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Now the question with this is, where does that sit alongside it?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I think its provenance is fantastic.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33So, I would think, really, that it's got to be worth at least that much,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34possibly as much as...
0:16:34 > 0:16:36£15,000.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Sounds very nice, yes, I wouldn't argue with that, sounds very good.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Not for sale!
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- My father used to work for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company...- Right.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51..in the Abadan Oil Refinery.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54And then planned to live out there but unfortunately,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57along with other foreign residents, were thrown out
0:16:57 > 0:16:59after some dispute over the oil company,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04- and he came home and brought these Persian rugs with him.- Right, OK.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Well, let's talk a bit about exactly where they come from.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07We call them Kashan -
0:17:07 > 0:17:12Kashan is a city in the Isfahan Province of Iran,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and rugs, traditionally, were made there
0:17:15 > 0:17:19in the 17th and early 18th century, to this pattern,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and they were made in royal workshops. Very, very high quality.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Of course rugs from that period are extremely rare
0:17:25 > 0:17:26and extremely valuable.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I use the term "rugs", as well,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30because people seem to get a little confused -
0:17:30 > 0:17:32often people say "carpets".
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Carpets, in my mind, have to be something quite a lot bigger.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37These are very definitely rugs.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41The interesting thing about the business of making these rugs
0:17:41 > 0:17:46is when the Afghans invaded Iran in 1722,
0:17:46 > 0:17:51production of these rugs virtually ceased, and production didn't really
0:17:51 > 0:17:54resume until around about the mid 19th century,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58and there's a very interesting little idiosyncrasy
0:17:58 > 0:18:00that ties these in with Manchester.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Would you have any idea what that might be?
0:18:03 > 0:18:09I understand some of the carpets were made of Manchester wool.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10Ah, well, that's good, because
0:18:10 > 0:18:13actually you've pretty well hit the nail on the head!
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Because, in fact, there was a shortage of good quality wool
0:18:15 > 0:18:17in the late 19th century.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Between about 1890 and 1930
0:18:19 > 0:18:21they couldn't get enough good quality wool
0:18:21 > 0:18:24to manufacture these rugs in Iran,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26so, effectively, what they did was,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28they imported merino wool from Manchester,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30which is quite incredible, isn't it?
0:18:30 > 0:18:32So that's the connection.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37But I think dating them is a LITTLE bit difficult.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40They're 20th century.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41When did he pick them up?
0:18:41 > 0:18:431950s?
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I reckon that my father probably left Iran,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Persia, about 1950, at the latest.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Right, OK, well, frankly I think
0:18:52 > 0:18:55they date from pretty close to that period.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I can see that this one's got some new fringing on the bottom of it,
0:18:59 > 0:19:00a replacement fringing,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02but I think they date from around that period
0:19:02 > 0:19:04or not long before that period,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07so they're early 20th century, perhaps.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Price wise, a matching pair like this
0:19:10 > 0:19:14are probably going to sell for about £2,000 at auction.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15You're joking!
0:19:19 > 0:19:20That is a surprise.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24I mean, to me the value of the rugs is the sentimental value,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27that my father worked there and brought them back here.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29If there is a connection with Manchester,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31well, that would be fantastic
0:19:31 > 0:19:33thinking that the rugs have come home.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Lars, how's it going?- OK, thank you.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41How many items do you think you've seen today, so far?
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- Cos there've been SO many people here.- Items? My goodness...
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Well, how many people then? - People...
0:19:45 > 0:19:48somewhere between 200 and 300 people on ceramics, just me, yeah.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Wow, wow. Anything stand out particularly?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Well, we've seen a HUGE variety of things
0:19:54 > 0:19:58but the thing that, sort of, stands out is a recent report from outside,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00that a gentleman, who has been seen in here,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04with what he says was valued at £5,000,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06has broken it outside.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Ooh.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Now, I don't recall seeing anything worth £5,000
0:20:10 > 0:20:13so, it's a bit of a mystery.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Well, at least it broke outside, and not inside.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I'm hoping he's going to bring the bits in!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Here we are, standing in Alfred Waterhouse's, in my opinion,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29his masterpiece, the great Town Hall.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31And you might think it's a bit OTT
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and then you look at your clock,
0:20:33 > 0:20:38which is, again, a wonderful example of Victorian...decoration.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Is it something you have at home sitting in pride of place?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45It is, yes. We, erm...
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It's in the hall and people see it and remark on it when they,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52when they visit and it's a conversation piece.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57The clock isn't too accurate but we love it, you know, yeah.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59You've exactly said the words = you "love it",
0:20:59 > 0:21:05because some people might say this is something that is SO Victorian
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and it's over-ornate.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I mean, just starting at this top and this sort of wonderful dome,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14with the finials and the lion's head coming down to the spandrels -
0:21:14 > 0:21:18and what are these strange ears at the side?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22They are so over-the-top Victorian in many ways
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and either you love it, or you hate it,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and, I have to say, I'm a bit of a 19th century fan, so I love it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Now, as a clock, it was made in Germany.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35- Probably around about 1900, somewhere about 1890.- Really?
0:21:35 > 0:21:39So about 110 years old but as a long case clock, not terribly exciting,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44not terribly valuable UNTIL you reveal what's in the front here.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And we open it up and what do we have? We have a disc musical box
0:21:50 > 0:21:54and that makes it really desirable to a collector.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57And what makes this interesting is that you can have endless discs.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58How many have you got at home?
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Six or seven, similar sort of things.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05That's probably the favourite tune, I think, that we've got on for you.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Because so often with musical clocks, it has one tune, or maybe two,
0:22:09 > 0:22:10and I should after ten years -
0:22:10 > 0:22:12my goodness you'd be rather bored with those tunes!
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- But you can change the discs and change the tune.- Yes, of course, yes.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19And the whole clock, musical movement, was made in Leipzig
0:22:19 > 0:22:22by the company called Symphonion.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23- Right.- There were two big companies,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Polyphon and Symphonion, great competitors.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But this is a Symphonion long case clock,
0:22:29 > 0:22:30it was made for the home -
0:22:30 > 0:22:32some were made for pubs, where you put a penny in the side,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34but this is a home model.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37And therefore, to a collector, a rare piece.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40At auction today...
0:22:41 > 0:22:45..we're probably thinking about a figure of between £7,000 and £9,000.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Really? As much as that? Gosh.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51TUNE TINKLING
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Well, for decades and decades the name Carlton Ware
0:23:05 > 0:23:09has been synonymous with some fantastic ceramic creations,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12from floral embossed wares, to teapots with legs.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16But in the middle of it all, there is a period where they produced
0:23:16 > 0:23:19some of the most opulent and extravagant wares,
0:23:19 > 0:23:20like these in front of me.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25So tell me, how come you are the lucky owner of two fabulous pieces?
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Well, they've been in my family for as long as I can remember,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32they originally were my grandma's and she's always had them.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I believe before that,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I think they were her dad's,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- possibly back to the 1920s, I think. - OK.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44So give me a bit of a background of you and your family in the 1920s.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- Were you, shall I say, well-heeled? - I can't say I was.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50What about Grandma and Grandad?
0:23:50 > 0:23:54I think yes, they were. My grandad started, with his father,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58a building firm back in the 1920s and as far as I know did quite well.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00They were quite wealthy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03So these would have been bought for Grandma then? Or Great Grandma?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- Great Grandma as far as I've been told by my dad.- So both of them?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Both of them. There was a third piece.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11There was another vase exactly like that one
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and there was an accident a few years ago with it
0:24:14 > 0:24:19- and I threw it away.- OK.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Well, everything you're saying
0:24:21 > 0:24:23in terms of the time, the era, adds up perfectly
0:24:23 > 0:24:27because this is Carlton Ware in the 1920s.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Specifically, this is Carlton Ware about 1929
0:24:30 > 0:24:34under the artistic directorship of a chap called Enoch Boulton,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and he was a designer of some serious excellence.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I mean, he really was the boy.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43He knew what he was doing and he was reacting to everything
0:24:43 > 0:24:46that was coming out of Europe in 1925 at the big Paris Exhibition.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And in fact a lot of people today now say that this pattern,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54these vases, these pieces actually epitomise
0:24:54 > 0:24:56the British interpretation
0:24:56 > 0:24:59- of the Art Deco Movement at this period.- Oh, gosh.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03These are seriously important design items of their time.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- Right.- So this period, there is good and there is great.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11And is that the zigzag pattern? Am I right in...?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Well, the pattern is actually, for me, another name
0:25:14 > 0:25:17that just perfectly epitomises the whole era.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22This is known amongst all of us, and from the pattern books, as Jazz.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Oh, OK.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And what else is going on in the 1920s and '30s? It was the Jazz Age.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It was the music, the new creation, the new people.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33These really daring, daring young people
0:25:33 > 0:25:36who were doing everything different to their parents.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And how much more different could this be
0:25:39 > 0:25:42from a load of Victorian chintz and florals?
0:25:42 > 0:25:47- So with great, comes great interest. - OK.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51With great interest, I have to tell you, comes great prices.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52OK.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54And you threw one of these away.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Well, if I tell you that you've thrown away
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- somewhere in the region of £800 to £1,200.- Wow.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Oh, gosh. Oh, dear.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07And if we then move up to the bigger piece,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- and we actually call these the gondola.- Yeah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12If we actually go up to this,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15you're looking somewhere more like £1,500 to £2,000 for it.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Wow. Oh, dear.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20These epitomise everything
0:26:20 > 0:26:24that was going on in that era at its absolute best.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27The interpretation, the understanding, the idea
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and, more importantly, the execution.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- They are an absolute joy, so continue to treasure them.- I love them.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Yeah, fabulous. Thank you.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Last time the Antiques Roadshow team visited Manchester Town Hall
0:26:50 > 0:26:55was back in 1989 - there were lots of great finds but it was also a
0:26:55 > 0:26:58rather sobering day for a young man who met our art expert Philip Hook.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03So this is just what we wanted to find in Manchester,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06the familiar image of the industrial landscape
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and the magic signature
0:27:09 > 0:27:11at the bottom here, LS Lowry.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Can you tell me how you came by these two pictures?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Well, I've a classic car restoration company.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19And about three years ago I was doing
0:27:19 > 0:27:22a job for a chap in London on an E-type Jaguar and he was short of
0:27:22 > 0:27:28the payment by about £250 and we was casually talking about antiques and
0:27:28 > 0:27:31whatnot, old cars, and he asked me would I like to take this painting.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34And I took the painting and that's how I acquired it.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Well, you brought these in earlier and I've had the chance
0:27:37 > 0:27:43to consult with Sandra Martin from the Manchester City Art Gallery
0:27:43 > 0:27:47and I'm afraid she tells us neither of these are actually by Lowry.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Yeah, well...
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Which is not the best news, and apparently there are, even now,
0:27:53 > 0:27:59fakers at work producing Lowrys - it's a big business when a Lowry...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02I mean, had this been genuine it could have been £20,000 or £30,000.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Rupert Maas, you're on our art team today -
0:28:09 > 0:28:11any fake Lowrys turned up so far?
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Not as yet, but we're always on the QV for them.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16The thing is that they were faked prodigiously
0:28:16 > 0:28:20particularly by the Greenhalgh family, you know, local boys
0:28:20 > 0:28:24from Bolton, Shaun Greenhalgh now doing time for faking Lowrys
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and they're out there in their thousands, perhaps.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30We don't really know but we do see a lot of fake Lowrys.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32And people are increasingly turning to the internet
0:28:32 > 0:28:35to buy paintings these days, aren't they?
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Yes, well it seems easy but you're only looking at a photograph,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39you can't see the actual thing
0:28:39 > 0:28:42and it's a particularly dangerous thing to do.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44What kind of things are being faked these days?
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Well, Lowry has been faked - everyone knows now -
0:28:47 > 0:28:50a lot of people do, that there are fake Lowrys out there,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53so people - the fakers - they move on to pastures new
0:28:53 > 0:28:58and I understand that Greek painting is being faked a bit now
0:28:58 > 0:29:00and also progressive Indian painting.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04They tend to target the areas which are in the sort of
0:29:04 > 0:29:07£20,000 - £30,000 maximum range because that is the area
0:29:07 > 0:29:10which is least researched and most remunerative.
0:29:12 > 0:29:13Pays the most!
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Thank you! Pays the most, but anything below that
0:29:16 > 0:29:19is not worth doing and anything higher than that,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21somebody's written a book about it and there's knowledge.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Knowledge is the faker's enemy.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Rupert, thanks very much.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28You have been warned.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33My goodness, it's dusty, so it must be old.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34How old?
0:29:34 > 0:29:37I don't know exactly, we've had it just over 20 years
0:29:37 > 0:29:39but I don't know exactly how old it is.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41And where did it come from?
0:29:41 > 0:29:43My father bought it off somebody
0:29:43 > 0:29:46and it's just been sitting in a warehouse ever since.
0:29:46 > 0:29:5020 odd years ago, that would take us to around 1991?
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Yeah, yeah.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55- Which is exactly the date we've got on this lovely colourful sticker.- OK.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57The year of the Ram, 1991.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01But the thing that really interests me is this here.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Now, have you translated this?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06I haven't, no, no.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09You ought to have done, because that's going to help you date it.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11In here, we've got a date.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Those two characters tell us that this was made
0:30:14 > 0:30:18either in 1804 or in 1864.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23- OK.- The Chinese cycle of years goes in 60-year chunks.- OK.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24So we can say that this gong
0:30:24 > 0:30:30almost certainly dates to either 1804 or 1864.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33From the point of view of value, or importance,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35it doesn't make any difference.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38- Right, OK. - We just say it's 19th century,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42and as far as I'm concerned, that fits perfectly with the gong.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43OK.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Now the stand could be anywhere in the 19th century,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49it's a very, very traditional Chinese stand
0:30:49 > 0:30:53- and it is indeed a stand for a gong such as this.- Yes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55The only problem with it is,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58you haven't got the little circular cushion
0:30:58 > 0:31:01that usually sits just between the gong itself...
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- Ah right, OK. - ..and the top of the stand.- OK.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06And the reason to have a cushion on there
0:31:06 > 0:31:09is when you actually strike the piece, it allows it to resonate.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Ah.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14So, I think this dates from the 19th century.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- Do you use it for anything? - No, like I said,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19it's just been sitting there for the past 20-odd years.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Not for bringing the children down for early morning breakfast?
0:31:23 > 0:31:24No, no, not even that.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- You've been to China, I guess. - Yes, I have, yes.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- And you've seen these in China? - In temples, yes.
0:31:31 > 0:31:32- In temples.- Temples, yes.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34They're usually tucked away
0:31:34 > 0:31:38- either in the corner of a room or right next to the door.- OK.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42And they strike them and they usually bring people to prayer.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45- Right.- Just as bells do all over the world.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46- Right.- Now, without the cushion,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50- I'm afraid we're not going to make a great noise, are we?- OK.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53- Let's have a go, shall we?- Sure.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55THE GONG RESONATES
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Huge resonance, it's still going.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Get a cushion and your children will have fun with this,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07waking you up on a Sunday morning.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- It's a purely decorative object. - Yeah.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11It has no collector's value.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15- This is - the value of this lies in what it looks like.- OK.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17To buy one of these,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I think you would spend...
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- somewhere between £1,000 and maybe £2,000.- OK.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Yeah, interesting to know, yes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34When I saw this, this morning, the phrase that came to mind was
0:32:34 > 0:32:36"hiding your light under a bushel".
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Because out of this plain box, we have this rather magnificent plaque.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45- And this is just the back side of it, isn't it?- Yes.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51Here it is here, and I don't need to tell you what it is.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53You know what it is - what is it?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57It's a Royal Lancastrian pottery plate.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59It is indeed,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and this has been in your family or something you've bought?
0:33:02 > 0:33:04It's from my great grandfather.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07He was given it by a member of the Pilkington factory
0:33:07 > 0:33:09who he was friendly with at the time.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Right, so was he in the pottery business as well?
0:33:12 > 0:33:15No, he was a director of an engineering company in Swinton
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and they became friends and this was given to him as a gift.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Well, what a gift it is. I mean, it's magnificent.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I think there's no...
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I think highly appropriate, you know, in the Gothic surroundings
0:33:27 > 0:33:31of Manchester Town Hall, we have here not a Gothic piece,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34but an Arts and Crafts piece, which was a movement
0:33:34 > 0:33:36which ran at the same time, and a little bit beyond
0:33:36 > 0:33:38and, I mean, what a plate -
0:33:38 > 0:33:40we've got St George and the dragon here,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44dragons around the outside and you notice how this side is black,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47this side is much more lustrous.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50These lustre colours were fired at very high temperatures
0:33:50 > 0:33:52to get the red and the lustre,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54they almost had to burn the pattern off
0:33:54 > 0:33:56and if they didn't control the kiln...
0:33:56 > 0:33:59- These were coal-fired kilns - no switching a button on.- Yes.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03Coal-fired kiln, the whole of this design could be destroyed.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- It is, it's magnificent.- Yeah.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10And look at the back, I mean the back is as beautiful as it is.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13And I mean even the way that the colours have sort of run
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and given this lovely sort of bloom to it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Here we've got the mark, here, the P and the bees for Pilkington's,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21the Royal Lancastrian Pottery.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24And we've also got... Have you noticed here?
0:34:24 > 0:34:26There's another mark there as well.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- Have you seen that before?- I have, yes, I can't remember what it is.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Well that's the mark of Richard Joyce,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- who was one of the artists at the factory.- Right.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39And whether it was a presentation piece
0:34:39 > 0:34:41particularly for your great grandfather...
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I'd like to think it was, because it is...
0:34:43 > 0:34:47- It's not a run-of-the-mill piece, it's a special piece.- Yeah.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50And, you know, as a consequence, it's worth a special price.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I think if this was to come to auction,
0:34:53 > 0:34:58there would be no problem at it getting £10,000 to £12,000.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- Right.- So maybe it should go back in its box.- Yes.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06- And back to the bank for your great grandchildren.- Definitely, yeah.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13We've had so many people here today.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17Do you know, by lunchtime, we'd had 3,000 people come along
0:35:17 > 0:35:20to Manchester Town Hall, all queuing, very patiently...
0:35:20 > 0:35:21Thank you.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25..and all with their own little boxes and bags and things.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Hello - pouncing on you - what have you got in there?
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Beatles autographs.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Beatles autographs? Oh, can I have a look?
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Just a few.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37And how did you come by these?
0:35:37 > 0:35:39I used to work in the fan club in the '60s
0:35:39 > 0:35:42and when I left school we used to just go up there,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45just like for an hour, you know, just after school.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47That is a great Scouse accent, I can tell you!
0:35:47 > 0:35:51Yes, so we just ended up getting friendly
0:35:51 > 0:35:53and we ended up working there
0:35:53 > 0:35:56just like, you know, school holidays, we got a guinea a week.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00What, and you - so you were working at the Beatles' fan club?
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Yeah, just helping out, just cutting labels off the actual letters
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and sending people photographs.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09So show me these autographs, then.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- John Lennon.- John Lennon.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Ringo Starr, George Harrison
0:36:15 > 0:36:17and Paul McCartney.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20- "This is from us Beatles." - This is from us Beatles.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22So who's written that then?
0:36:22 > 0:36:25I think that looks like John Lennon's writing, that one.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Fantastic, and what else have you got in here?
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Just a few - got a Christmas card
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and actually similar type of things.
0:36:35 > 0:36:36- And this is to you?- Yes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40- So a Christmas card to you from the Beatles?- Yes.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Hang on, hang on, let's have a look.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45"To June, best wishes, Ringo Starr" with a little star.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48"George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney".
0:36:48 > 0:36:49How fantastic!
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Now, has anyone valued this for you yet?
0:36:52 > 0:36:56No, no, I haven't had it valued yet. I'm just waiting.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Brilliant. Well, we might have to go and find someone to have a look.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Great.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05When I was in Manchester back in the 1970s and an undergraduate,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07certainly we didn't have anything like this
0:37:07 > 0:37:11to get to university and back, it was the boring bus.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14This is what's termed as an apprentice piece,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18but I've seen lots of apprentice pieces but this is the real McCoy.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Yes, it is, we know that this is the actual model
0:37:21 > 0:37:23that the apprentices at the factory and the works
0:37:23 > 0:37:25where they actually made these trams,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30the apprentices made this just to prove that they could do the job.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33And then having proved that they could do it,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35presumably they were then allowed to go on
0:37:35 > 0:37:38and actually be part of building the full-size ones.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Yes, and we have the only remaining full-size one left
0:37:41 > 0:37:44out of the 515 that they actually made.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48You personally or...? No, you're the Chairman of the Tramway Museum.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Yes, the Tramway Museum have it, it took 25 years to restore it,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55but it is in full operating condition,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58we have occasionally run it in Heaton Park
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and we take it to other places to actually operate it
0:38:01 > 0:38:05but it costs a lot of money to hire suitable horses to run it.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- So we have one full-size.- Mm.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10- And one apprentice model and that's it.- Yes.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12And what makes this one so unusual?
0:38:12 > 0:38:15I see it's got... On the front, it's called something patent.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17It's an Eades patent -
0:38:17 > 0:38:21instead of having two staircases and two driving points,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23this only has one staircase and one driving point,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26and when it got to the terminus,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30the driver could lock the brakes onto the truck on it.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Unlock the body and then the tram would do this.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38- Wow!- The whole body was designed on a turntable,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40so it could turn round
0:38:40 > 0:38:42and set off back in the direction they'd just come from.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46- So obviously horse-drawn. - Yes.- So one, or two horses.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Usually two horses side by side and when it came to a hilly area,
0:38:49 > 0:38:52they'd keep extra horses at the bottom of the hill
0:38:52 > 0:38:55and they'd put on a trace horse on the front to pull it up the hill.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58That is amazing. I mean, what a lovely bit of engineering.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Rather than like a train, you had to build a turntable,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04which would have been huge and very expensive.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Just a little cunning design like this got round the problem.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10And they also didn't have to lay extra track to build turning circles
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and it just saved an awful lot of money.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Now these, I understand, were introduced in, what, the 1870s?
0:39:16 > 0:39:20It's mid 1870s and they ran through till the...
0:39:20 > 0:39:22last ones operated early in 1903.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24And that was because they were phased out
0:39:24 > 0:39:26because no more horse-drawn?
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Yes, the electric trams came in and they gradually replaced
0:39:29 > 0:39:32the lighter-weight tracks that these ran on
0:39:32 > 0:39:35with heavier-weight tracks for the electric trams
0:39:35 > 0:39:38and all the overhead wiring that was required for the electric ones.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43And I think you've brought along a picture showing Piccadilly.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Yes, this picture of Piccadilly shows lots and lots of trams in it,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and every single one of them is one of these trams.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52And you see congestion, even back then.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Exactly, definitely, it was quite bad then.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56- And the only one left?- Yeah.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00You can't reproduce it, really historic,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03such an ingenious way of turning it around.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06I really love it and it's part of Manchester's history.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Exactly, very much so. - I would have thought...
0:40:09 > 0:40:11well, if Manchester Corporation didn't buy it back,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14any collector would pay £12,000 to £15,000 for it.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16So a fantastic piece.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Well, we are delighted to own it and we're even more delighted
0:40:20 > 0:40:23because we actually have the full-size version as well.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Don't ask me to value that!
0:40:25 > 0:40:28This is really nice - I mean, I like wheel engraving,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32it's one of the most delicate forms of glass decoration.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35What you do is that the engraver holds the glass
0:40:35 > 0:40:38against rotating copper discs,
0:40:38 > 0:40:43which they put a kind of abrasive slimy stuff on,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46and scratch the decoration onto the glass,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and I think that works well, don't you?
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Well, it's come out beautifully,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54I think the engraving is absolutely first class.
0:40:54 > 0:41:01So it's Stourbridge, that's where it was made, the glass.
0:41:01 > 0:41:07And it dates from about 1870-1880 so did you have it as a child?
0:41:07 > 0:41:13No, my sister and I were clearing a friend's house out after she died,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16and it was just lying in a box with some glasses
0:41:16 > 0:41:19and it just caught my eye, I thought how beautiful it was.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21So you said, "I'll have that".
0:41:21 > 0:41:24I said, "Oh, can I have it?" and she said, "Yes".
0:41:24 > 0:41:28- So how long ago's that? - About 10 or 15 years ago.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31So it's about 130 years old.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34The downer on it is that this isn't silver.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- Oh.- If it was silver, it would be worth pots of money,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40but as it is, we're talking about Greek revival,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Stourbridge made, wheel-engraved claret jug.
0:41:43 > 0:41:49Claret jug that's worth £500, which is not bad value, eh?
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Very good, and how much would it be worth with the claret in it?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Oh, let's go and find out, shall we?
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Right, we'll meet after the show.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Ah, here you are.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04- Can I interrupt? I saw this lady earlier on.- Yes.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Have you spoken about what this is worth yet?
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Not quite, we were just about to do that.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Well, come on then, put me out of my misery,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13and put you out of your misery, as well.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16It's a wonderfully personal little collection,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19very, very pertinent, I love it
0:42:19 > 0:42:23and I think this is going to make between £3,000 to £5,000 at auction.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27- You're joking.- Absolutely not. - Oh, that's wonderful.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31- Is that a surprise? - Very much so - didn't think...
0:42:31 > 0:42:32Didn't think that much at all.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Thank you, John, Paul and Ringo.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38It is, yeah, that's lovely.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43It's years since I've seen any of these on a Roadshow.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46They're really sweet little things. Where did you get them?
0:42:46 > 0:42:48My mother left them to me.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51And you know what they are, or...?
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Very little, I think are they Royal Worcester?
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Absolutely, they're Royal Worcester
0:42:55 > 0:42:57and it'll say so on the bottoms.
0:42:57 > 0:42:58Let's have a look.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03This one here, yeah, we've got a Royal Worcester mark just there
0:43:03 > 0:43:05and there's a date code and it will date them
0:43:05 > 0:43:08to around about the end of the 19th century.
0:43:08 > 0:43:09Right.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12They'll be about 1898, somewhere around there,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16but what's important about these ones is the decoration
0:43:16 > 0:43:19and who they're painted by - have you had a look at this closely?
0:43:19 > 0:43:23- Not really, no.- Because if you look at either of them,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26- you see there - the signature? - Oh, yes.
0:43:26 > 0:43:32It says "Baldwin" - Charles Baldwin was the son of a piano tuner
0:43:32 > 0:43:33but he went into painting
0:43:33 > 0:43:36and he painted on Royal Worcester porcelain.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39At the beginning of the 20th century he went into...
0:43:39 > 0:43:41I think he gave up and went into watercolours,
0:43:41 > 0:43:45he exhibited at the RA, but Royal Worcester collectors,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48- when they see things by Baldwin, they get excited.- Oh, right.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51This particular shape of vase comes in two sizes
0:43:51 > 0:43:53because I looked at them and I thought...
0:43:53 > 0:43:55and then I remembered, it's only the large ones
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- which should have covers.- Right.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00These ones are almost exactly the same
0:44:00 > 0:44:01but the large ones came with covers.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05These small ones were made and sold without covers.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08So, all is looking pretty sunny about them.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10Fantastic.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13I don't suppose you know this one's cracked?
0:44:13 > 0:44:17I thought there was a little hairline crack on one of them, yes.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Yeah, it looks little, but it runs all the way round the outside here.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- Round up there and up into the rim. - Oh, what a shame.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27So effectively you've got a couple of vases,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30you've got one in really good order, one with a crack,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32- almost invisible but it's still there.- Yeah.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35And that makes a huge difference to the price.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38But if you put them into auction they would make £3,500 or £4,000.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- Really?- Yeah.- Wow.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44They're that sought after, even in that condition.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Fantastic, I'll make sure I get them insured now.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51Earlier on, Fiona and Rupert were having a conversation about fakes,
0:44:51 > 0:44:57and fake Lowrys, and here we have a wonderful Lowry
0:44:57 > 0:44:59with a covering letter,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02which gives really good provenance to the picture.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04The picture really speaks for itself
0:45:04 > 0:45:06because it is just typical Lowry
0:45:06 > 0:45:08and beautifully painted.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10So how come you have the painting and the letter?
0:45:10 > 0:45:13Well, my father was an amateur artist in Manchester,
0:45:13 > 0:45:16something of a junior contemporary of Lowry
0:45:16 > 0:45:21and a very big fan of Lowry, and he collected several scrapbooks
0:45:21 > 0:45:23of art gallery catalogues, newspaper cuttings,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26anything he could lay his hands on, to do with Lowry
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and he did use to meet up with Lowry occasionally
0:45:29 > 0:45:33and at some point told Lowry about the scrapbooks.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Lowry was interested, wanted to borrow them,
0:45:36 > 0:45:38ended up keeping them far too long, really,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40and so when he returned them,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42he was a bit embarrassed about how long he'd had them,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45and he gave this little picture as a present.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47It's explained in the covering letter.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49And I've got a transcript of the letter here
0:45:49 > 0:45:52and I think it's just absolutely fantastic.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57"Dear Mr Kay, I have this day left your book in Bloom Street
0:45:57 > 0:46:01"and offer you my sincerest apologies for the delay.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03"I do hope you will forgive me.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07"Do try and forgive me, please, yours sincerely, LS Lowry."
0:46:07 > 0:46:08And then we have,
0:46:08 > 0:46:13"PS - I have put inside the parcel a very tiny oil sketch
0:46:13 > 0:46:15"which I hope you will like".
0:46:15 > 0:46:18It's interesting that we have this letter,
0:46:18 > 0:46:23because it's dated 1955 so we can actually put a date on the painting
0:46:23 > 0:46:29and do you know - I have seen big Lowrys, I've seen a lot recently -
0:46:29 > 0:46:33when I look at that, if I wanted a Lowry, that is what I would like.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38Why? We've got here a street scene in Manchester,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41Salford with the factory buildings,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44we've got the smoke coming out of the chimney,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46we've got these children -
0:46:46 > 0:46:48and I do get annoyed when people start talking about
0:46:48 > 0:46:51"matchstick men and matchstick dogs,"
0:46:51 > 0:46:53because, in fact,
0:46:53 > 0:46:55he was much more than that.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59It was the way the flicks of paint - the legs, the boots
0:46:59 > 0:47:04on the children walking up the street there - it's just fantastic.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06And where are the albums, the scrapbooks?
0:47:06 > 0:47:09The albums are now in the Lowry Centre
0:47:09 > 0:47:11as part of the Lowry Collection.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14They were donated after he died about ten years ago.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16That is fantastic.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19And did Lowry and your father have tea together or...?
0:47:19 > 0:47:21- Well, they used to meet at parties. - Really?
0:47:21 > 0:47:24And my father visited Lowry's house several times.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27So they did know each other, although not well.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29I think he must have really liked him,
0:47:29 > 0:47:32to give something like that, it's so personal.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36And, you know, it's a small picture.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39What would something like that be worth today,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41with this information as well?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45Well, and I'm saying this conservatively,
0:47:45 > 0:47:47I think that that would make
0:47:47 > 0:47:51in the region of £30,000 to £50,000 at auction.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55Quite amazing! Not that we've any intention of getting rid of it.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57No, but I just think it's wonderful.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01It's everything in a big picture, in a small picture,
0:48:01 > 0:48:03and it ticks every box, absolutely beautiful.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10What are the chances of that?
0:48:10 > 0:48:13One minute I'm talking about fake Lowrys with Rupert Maas
0:48:13 > 0:48:16and the next minute, the real deal comes along!
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Mind you, Lowry was a local lad, so maybe we could have expected it.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Anyway, we've had a great day here at Manchester Town Hall.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26I hope you've enjoyed it. Until next time, bye-bye.