Manchester Town Hall 2 Antiques Roadshow


Manchester Town Hall 2

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Manchester Town Hall - the ultimate example of civic pride

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and they say its foundations are built on bales of cotton.

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Hmm.

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Welcome back to a second helping of Antiques Roadshow from Manchester.

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'The official opening of Manchester Town Hall

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'was to be a glamorous affair,

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'so the monarch was invited.'

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But Queen Victoria declined to attend

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when she got wind of the Mayor's radical beliefs.

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He'd wanted to produce a newspaper for the poor called

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The Poor Man's Guardian - outrageous!

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Ironically enough, though, it was the Mayor who stood in for her

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when this magnificent building was opened on the 13th September 1877.

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And here he is, the radical himself, Abel Heywood.

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The architect was a northern lad, Alfred Waterhouse.

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He designed cotton flowers all over the building.

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It became known as King Cotton's Palace -

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a reference to the vast amounts of cotton imported to Manchester

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for the manufacturing of textiles.

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And you can see bees everywhere too,

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as busy Manchester was a hive of industry.

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130 years on and the town hall is just as busy as ever.

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This is still the place you come to register

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births, marriages and deaths

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and it's a favoured Hollywood location.

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Only recently Meryl Streep was spotted striding down the corridors

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dressed in the familiar attire of Margaret Thatcher.

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The Mayor's staterooms are where the great and the good

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have been wined and dined over the last century or so.

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Benjamin Disraeli, Dr Livingstone - I presume?

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Sorry, couldn't resist that.

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Winston Churchill - he was made a Freeman of the City,

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they've all been entertained here.

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Today we are the guests of Manchester City Council

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and what a spectacular place for our experts to weave their magic.

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The story of Manchester's industrial history

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is dominated by a word, which you hear all the time,

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and it's cotton, cotton, cotton, cotton, cotton and cotton.

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It's what you hear all the time.

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There's another part of Manchester's industrial history,

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which is pressed glass.

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And Ancoats was stuffed with pressed glass works.

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That's Manchester,

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that really is a piece of Manchester's genuine past,

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as much as any cotton you could think of - and it's survived!

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I'll tell you what, it's survived a lot more than the cotton, hasn't it?

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-Yes!

-It's in a lot better condition that a shirt you would have bought!

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So, come on, tell us about your bit of it.

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Well, it's a piece that was always in Grandma's house

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and when Grandma died 18 years ago, obviously, the house was cleared

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and it was just passed down to myself, as a member of the family,

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and when we had family get-togethers

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Grandma always used to put the celery in it!

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Which is really bizarre, bearing in mind it's a celery vase!

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Is it really? Right.

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It's a celery vase.

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It's not really, they've described it as a celery vase

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because the tax on practical glass was less than on fancy glass.

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So, if they called it a flower vase, it would have cost more

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but because they called it a celery vase, you could sell it cheaper.

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-Right, so...

-And as for date, well, we know how old it is

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cos there's a little mark down here.

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It's a design registration lozenge.

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It's about 1865.

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-Oh, REALLY?

-Yeah, really.

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1865?

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It's not a fantastically valuable thing. What's it worth?

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30 or 40 quid sort of money but the fact is, it has survived

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-and it's still here...

-It is.

-..proudly proclaiming MANCHESTER!

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So we can use it for celery then? Legally!

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THEY LAUGH

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Cock Robin merrily singing his heart out on a Victorian tree branch,

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in a gold frame, in the original fitted box.

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What's the story behind it?

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It was my maternal grandmother's.

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I know nothing about it

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and I would like to know how the robin got there!

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-Yes, because he's trapped within, isn't he, really?

-Yes he is, yes.

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It's in incredibly good condition.

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The reason is, as I do always say,

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if you've got the original box for the item,

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goodness me, that really does help to keep the condition

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absolutely top grade.

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What it is, it's called a reverse crystal painting.

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Take a bubble of rock crystal, engrave it from the back

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-and paint the detail of the robin from the back.

-Oh.

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So it's painted on and if you could see, literally, behind it,

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you'd see that there's a sort of engraved hole filled up with paint.

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Very high quality gold frame, 18 carat gold frame,

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and at the back, like all the best Victorian pendants,

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-a locket compartment for you to put a photograph or a lock of hair.

-Yeah.

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Probably given, do you not agree, as a Christmas present? Do you think?

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Probably, yes.

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I would have thought so.

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-All right, been in the family all these years.

-Yes.

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Do you wear it?

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I don't now but I have worn it when I was much younger,

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I used to wear it with a black velvet ribbon with an evening dress.

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It's not valueless, they are very collectable

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and this one is a particularly good one, in a Hunt and Roskell box.

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Would you like to hear that it's worth something in the region of £2,500?

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That's a very nice surprise, thank you.

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-Would you be pleased then?

-I'd be very pleased, yes.

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Just my height, this.

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Oh, God, yeah. It's handy to lean on.

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-It's a big pot!

-Good.

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Where did you get it from?

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My mother bought it in 1945...

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..from in a shop in Manchester.

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-Fantastic, and you've had it ever since?

-Yes.

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-Do you like it?

-I do like it, yes.

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Do you know what it all means?

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I don't, not at all.

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I'll tell you something.

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As I approached this pot I knew instantly what it was...

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-Japanese.

-Lovely.

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-It isn't!

-Oh.

-THEY LAUGH

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-Once I got close, I realised I was wrong.

-Right.

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It's actually got a fair amount of Japanese influence on it

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-but it's actually Chinese.

-Oh, right.

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-And dates from the middle of the 19th century.

-Right.

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-So it's 150 years old.

-Right.

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Do you know what these are?

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Look like overgrown tulips.

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-They're actually peaches!

-Oh, right.

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And a peach in China, is a symbol of longevity.

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Well, it's an omen that she bought it - she lived to be 98!

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It works!

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So, you're going to live to 98 - oh, you're not 98 yet are you?

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I'm 80!

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Er, down here we've got...

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-immortals on different animals...

-Yes.

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..and they're the Taoist immortals, not Buddhist but Taoist.

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-Different religion.

-Right.

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And I think this would be very saleable

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to the modern Chinese market.

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And I think you would get somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000 for it.

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Do you know how much it cost?

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No, tell me.

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-I'm going to show you.

-Yes.

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My Dad bought it, in a shop, a furniture shop in Manchester...

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..in 1945...

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-..five pounds.

-It's gone up 1,000 times.

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The first one I bought about 15 years ago,

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just from a local antiques fair,

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and then the other one I bought about six or eight months later,

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again just at a local antiques fair, so...

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Are you an Art Deco collector?

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Because these obviously do date from the 1930s.

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I do like the Art Deco period.

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-So you're a bit of a magpie, yeah?

-Yeah.

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Well, first of all, let's just look at the features,

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cos the features immediately tell you that you're looking at something

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-which is from that, sort of, inter-war period.

-Yes.

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Because it's amazing, you can look at fashion plates

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and ladies have got these elongated faces,

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erm, and also it doesn't need much for me to know

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that there's a mark behind there that's going to say Goldscheider,

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although it's a little bit obscured.

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So we know that they're made in Austria,

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and this one, I notice, benefits actually from a label as well.

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Yeah, I only noticed that last night when I took them off the wall.

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-And you've been living with them for 15 years!

-I know.

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That's incredible.

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I mean, I love this particular one, I've seen this one before

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-because look at that hair!

-Mmm.

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-Ringlets of jade green.

-Yeah.

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I mean, to be honest with you, it looks like a hairdresser's nightmare

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-where a perm has gone badly wrong in the rinse, or whatever!

-It does.

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But this is the sort of object that collectors are very keen to have.

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They made a whole range of wall masks, including THIS one.

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Now, this one does set the pulse racing.

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I've got to say it's a rare subject.

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Anything to do with skiing these days is always at a premium.

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You even find auctions in London

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dedicated to skiing posters and skiing memorabilia,

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so she would sit well in two distinct sales.

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-Obviously an Art Deco sale and a skiing sale.

-Yes.

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Well, let's just go back to this girl.

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-How much did you pay for that?

-120 for that one.

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-OK.

-That was more expensive than the other one.

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All right, well let's take this one.

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120, today...

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the market for that is going to be nearer £300 or thereabouts. OK.

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Now, when you say more expensive for our ski girl.

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That was the cheaper one.

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-Oh, that was the cheaper one?

-Yeah.

-Oh, right, so how cheap is cheap?

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-Well, it was £100 for that one.

-£100.

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Erm, I've not seen this before,

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and I've seen a lot of Goldscheider masks,

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so I wouldn't hesitate to quote you somewhere in the region of £800

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to possibly, possibly £1,000.

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Wow, that's amazing!

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That is amazing.

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So, the Crystal House or Crystal Palace

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-was built for the Great Exhibition in 1851...

-Yes.

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..and it was, you know, the most exciting thing

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that had happened at that time.

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Six million people -

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-a third of the population of Great Britain - came to see it.

-Wow.

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It was 990,000 square feet

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and so there were a tremendous number of commemoratives

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made for this event...

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-and you've brought one.

-Yes.

-Where did you get it?

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-I got it from my great aunt.

-And did she go? Do you know?

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I'm not sure

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but I think it must have been passed down through the family.

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Well, it was such a spectacular event

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and many, many things were produced...so they're quite common.

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Right.

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But I've never seen this one before.

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Right.

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-So, and I LOVE the verse.

-Yes, so do I.

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-Because it's not very good, is it?

-It's strange.

-It's very strange.

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"These are the soldiers so gay and so bright

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"Who like to play best but are willing to fight

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"In defence of the Police, so active and bold

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"Who mind not the heat and fear not the cold."

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THEY CHUCKLE It's lovely.

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So produced for this -

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I haven't seen this one before, so rarer than most,

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and I think you would have to pay about £500.

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Wow! Just for this?

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My goodness.

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Heavens!

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I can't believe that, I really can't.

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So if you don't mind me asking you, sir,

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this is meant to be hanging in Mottram Church,

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what's it doing, today, at Manchester Town Hall?

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Well, we, in 1980, bought a biscuit company in this cotton mill

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and, within a year, we were clearing out store rooms

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and were throwing out all the junk.

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And some of the boys discovered this amongst the junk.

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So, you bought your biscuit factory

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-that happened to be an old cotton mill.

-Yes.

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This was found there.

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Yes, it was.

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It's been hanging in reception in the biscuit factory ever since.

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-And so its history is incredibly rich, isn't it?

-Yes, it is.

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Because it says here,

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"The South Side of Mottram Chancel is Repaired By and Belongs to

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"the Earl of Warrington as Lord of the Manor of Stayly."

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So, Mottram Church, where is that?

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Well, Mottram church is in Stalybridge,

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which is in the village of Mottram itself.

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And it's between Stalybridge and Glossop,

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about 15 miles east of Manchester.

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This shield actually dates from 1694,

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when the Earl of Warrington placed it in the church at Mottram.

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Because this armorial, the sort of focal point of it,

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-is incredibly detailed, isn't it?

-Yes.

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-It goes back generations, really.

-Yes.

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Explaining, you know, his blood line,

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-it's a bit like a family tree, if you like.

-Yes.

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So, presumably, it was hanging in the chancel or...

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actually, looking at it,

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one wonders whether it might even have formed part of the, sort of,

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the panelling within that chancel.

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-There's a curious square just here, isn't there?

-Yes.

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-A good repair!

-Yes, a good repair, possibly even a door or something.

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We're not sure whether it's a door or a panel

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but it certainly hung in the chancel for about 150 years

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and it was only moved by a guy called Chapman,

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a wealthy mill owner from the area,

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who bought the chancel from the church and decided, in his wisdom,

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that he was wealthy enough to take out all the accoutrements

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that were in the chancel, replacing them with his own.

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So, at that time the armorial shield disappeared,

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that was in 1854 or thereabouts,

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and destroyed everything that was within it for his own goods.

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And this of course disappeared at that time.

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But interesting that it was never actually destroyed or thrown away,

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and not hard to imagine why

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because it STILL has that richness to it, doesn't it?

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And so when you purchased the old cotton mill as your biscuit factory,

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what did you pay for it?

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Oh, we paid well over the odds, we paid £1.

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A pound? SHE LAUGHS

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-A whole pound.

-And that was for the factory, machinery and this.

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-One whole pound?

-One whole pound, yes.

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Well, we bought the debt as well, I have to say,

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but, you know, not a bad deal.

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Well, it is such a visually attractive object

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and a very similar armorial panel to this

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was sold a couple of years ago, at auction,

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-and I think probably surprised everyone by fetching £12,500.

-Yes.

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Now the question with this is, where does that sit alongside it?

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I think its provenance is fantastic.

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So, I would think, really, that it's got to be worth at least that much,

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possibly as much as...

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£15,000.

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Sounds very nice, yes, I wouldn't argue with that, sounds very good.

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Not for sale!

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-My father used to work for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company...

-Right.

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..in the Abadan Oil Refinery.

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And then planned to live out there but unfortunately,

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along with other foreign residents, were thrown out

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after some dispute over the oil company,

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-and he came home and brought these Persian rugs with him.

-Right, OK.

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Well, let's talk a bit about exactly where they come from.

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We call them Kashan -

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Kashan is a city in the Isfahan Province of Iran,

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and rugs, traditionally, were made there

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in the 17th and early 18th century, to this pattern,

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and they were made in royal workshops. Very, very high quality.

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Of course rugs from that period are extremely rare

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and extremely valuable.

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I use the term "rugs", as well,

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because people seem to get a little confused -

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often people say "carpets".

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Carpets, in my mind, have to be something quite a lot bigger.

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These are very definitely rugs.

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The interesting thing about the business of making these rugs

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is when the Afghans invaded Iran in 1722,

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production of these rugs virtually ceased, and production didn't really

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resume until around about the mid 19th century,

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and there's a very interesting little idiosyncrasy

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that ties these in with Manchester.

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Would you have any idea what that might be?

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I understand some of the carpets were made of Manchester wool.

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Ah, well, that's good, because

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actually you've pretty well hit the nail on the head!

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Because, in fact, there was a shortage of good quality wool

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in the late 19th century.

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Between about 1890 and 1930

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they couldn't get enough good quality wool

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to manufacture these rugs in Iran,

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so, effectively, what they did was,

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they imported merino wool from Manchester,

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which is quite incredible, isn't it?

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So that's the connection.

0:18:300:18:32

But I think dating them is a LITTLE bit difficult.

0:18:320:18:37

They're 20th century.

0:18:370:18:40

When did he pick them up?

0:18:400:18:41

1950s?

0:18:410:18:43

I reckon that my father probably left Iran,

0:18:430:18:47

Persia, about 1950, at the latest.

0:18:470:18:50

Right, OK, well, frankly I think

0:18:500:18:52

they date from pretty close to that period.

0:18:520:18:55

I can see that this one's got some new fringing on the bottom of it,

0:18:550:18:59

a replacement fringing,

0:18:590:19:00

but I think they date from around that period

0:19:000:19:02

or not long before that period,

0:19:020:19:04

so they're early 20th century, perhaps.

0:19:040:19:07

Price wise, a matching pair like this

0:19:070:19:10

are probably going to sell for about £2,000 at auction.

0:19:100:19:14

You're joking!

0:19:140:19:15

That is a surprise.

0:19:190:19:20

I mean, to me the value of the rugs is the sentimental value,

0:19:200:19:24

that my father worked there and brought them back here.

0:19:240:19:27

If there is a connection with Manchester,

0:19:270:19:29

well, that would be fantastic

0:19:290:19:31

thinking that the rugs have come home.

0:19:310:19:33

-Lars, how's it going?

-OK, thank you.

0:19:360:19:38

How many items do you think you've seen today, so far?

0:19:380:19:41

-Cos there've been SO many people here.

-Items? My goodness...

0:19:410:19:43

-Well, how many people then?

-People...

0:19:430:19:45

somewhere between 200 and 300 people on ceramics, just me, yeah.

0:19:450:19:48

Wow, wow. Anything stand out particularly?

0:19:480:19:52

Well, we've seen a HUGE variety of things

0:19:520:19:54

but the thing that, sort of, stands out is a recent report from outside,

0:19:540:19:58

that a gentleman, who has been seen in here,

0:19:580:20:00

with what he says was valued at £5,000,

0:20:000:20:04

has broken it outside.

0:20:040:20:06

Ooh.

0:20:060:20:07

Now, I don't recall seeing anything worth £5,000

0:20:070:20:10

so, it's a bit of a mystery.

0:20:100:20:13

Well, at least it broke outside, and not inside.

0:20:130:20:17

I'm hoping he's going to bring the bits in!

0:20:170:20:19

Here we are, standing in Alfred Waterhouse's, in my opinion,

0:20:220:20:25

his masterpiece, the great Town Hall.

0:20:250:20:29

And you might think it's a bit OTT

0:20:290:20:31

and then you look at your clock,

0:20:310:20:33

which is, again, a wonderful example of Victorian...decoration.

0:20:330:20:38

Is it something you have at home sitting in pride of place?

0:20:400:20:43

It is, yes. We, erm...

0:20:430:20:45

It's in the hall and people see it and remark on it when they,

0:20:450:20:48

when they visit and it's a conversation piece.

0:20:480:20:52

The clock isn't too accurate but we love it, you know, yeah.

0:20:520:20:57

You've exactly said the words = you "love it",

0:20:570:20:59

because some people might say this is something that is SO Victorian

0:20:590:21:05

and it's over-ornate.

0:21:050:21:07

I mean, just starting at this top and this sort of wonderful dome,

0:21:070:21:10

with the finials and the lion's head coming down to the spandrels -

0:21:100:21:14

and what are these strange ears at the side?

0:21:140:21:18

They are so over-the-top Victorian in many ways

0:21:180:21:22

and either you love it, or you hate it,

0:21:220:21:24

and, I have to say, I'm a bit of a 19th century fan, so I love it.

0:21:240:21:27

Now, as a clock, it was made in Germany.

0:21:270:21:30

-Probably around about 1900, somewhere about 1890.

-Really?

0:21:300:21:35

So about 110 years old but as a long case clock, not terribly exciting,

0:21:350:21:39

not terribly valuable UNTIL you reveal what's in the front here.

0:21:390:21:44

Yes.

0:21:440:21:46

And we open it up and what do we have? We have a disc musical box

0:21:460:21:50

and that makes it really desirable to a collector.

0:21:500:21:54

And what makes this interesting is that you can have endless discs.

0:21:540:21:57

How many have you got at home?

0:21:570:21:58

Six or seven, similar sort of things.

0:21:580:22:02

That's probably the favourite tune, I think, that we've got on for you.

0:22:020:22:05

Because so often with musical clocks, it has one tune, or maybe two,

0:22:050:22:09

and I should after ten years -

0:22:090:22:10

my goodness you'd be rather bored with those tunes!

0:22:100:22:12

-But you can change the discs and change the tune.

-Yes, of course, yes.

0:22:120:22:15

And the whole clock, musical movement, was made in Leipzig

0:22:150:22:19

by the company called Symphonion.

0:22:190:22:22

-Right.

-There were two big companies,

0:22:220:22:23

Polyphon and Symphonion, great competitors.

0:22:230:22:26

But this is a Symphonion long case clock,

0:22:260:22:29

it was made for the home -

0:22:290:22:30

some were made for pubs, where you put a penny in the side,

0:22:300:22:32

but this is a home model.

0:22:320:22:34

And therefore, to a collector, a rare piece.

0:22:340:22:37

At auction today...

0:22:380:22:40

..we're probably thinking about a figure of between £7,000 and £9,000.

0:22:410:22:45

Really? As much as that? Gosh.

0:22:450:22:48

TUNE TINKLING

0:22:480:22:51

Well, for decades and decades the name Carlton Ware

0:23:010:23:05

has been synonymous with some fantastic ceramic creations,

0:23:050:23:09

from floral embossed wares, to teapots with legs.

0:23:090:23:12

But in the middle of it all, there is a period where they produced

0:23:120:23:16

some of the most opulent and extravagant wares,

0:23:160:23:19

like these in front of me.

0:23:190:23:20

So tell me, how come you are the lucky owner of two fabulous pieces?

0:23:200:23:25

Well, they've been in my family for as long as I can remember,

0:23:250:23:28

they originally were my grandma's and she's always had them.

0:23:280:23:32

I believe before that,

0:23:320:23:34

I think they were her dad's,

0:23:340:23:37

-possibly back to the 1920s, I think.

-OK.

0:23:370:23:40

So give me a bit of a background of you and your family in the 1920s.

0:23:400:23:44

-Were you, shall I say, well-heeled?

-I can't say I was.

0:23:440:23:48

What about Grandma and Grandad?

0:23:480:23:50

I think yes, they were. My grandad started, with his father,

0:23:500:23:54

a building firm back in the 1920s and as far as I know did quite well.

0:23:540:23:58

They were quite wealthy.

0:23:580:24:00

So these would have been bought for Grandma then? Or Great Grandma?

0:24:000:24:03

-Great Grandma as far as I've been told by my dad.

-So both of them?

0:24:030:24:06

Both of them. There was a third piece.

0:24:060:24:09

There was another vase exactly like that one

0:24:090:24:11

and there was an accident a few years ago with it

0:24:110:24:14

-and I threw it away.

-OK.

0:24:140:24:19

Well, everything you're saying

0:24:190:24:21

in terms of the time, the era, adds up perfectly

0:24:210:24:23

because this is Carlton Ware in the 1920s.

0:24:230:24:27

Specifically, this is Carlton Ware about 1929

0:24:270:24:30

under the artistic directorship of a chap called Enoch Boulton,

0:24:300:24:34

and he was a designer of some serious excellence.

0:24:340:24:37

I mean, he really was the boy.

0:24:370:24:39

He knew what he was doing and he was reacting to everything

0:24:390:24:43

that was coming out of Europe in 1925 at the big Paris Exhibition.

0:24:430:24:46

And in fact a lot of people today now say that this pattern,

0:24:460:24:50

these vases, these pieces actually epitomise

0:24:500:24:54

the British interpretation

0:24:540:24:56

-of the Art Deco Movement at this period.

-Oh, gosh.

0:24:560:24:59

These are seriously important design items of their time.

0:24:590:25:03

-Right.

-So this period, there is good and there is great.

0:25:030:25:07

And is that the zigzag pattern? Am I right in...?

0:25:070:25:11

Well, the pattern is actually, for me, another name

0:25:110:25:14

that just perfectly epitomises the whole era.

0:25:140:25:17

This is known amongst all of us, and from the pattern books, as Jazz.

0:25:170:25:22

Oh, OK.

0:25:220:25:24

And what else is going on in the 1920s and '30s? It was the Jazz Age.

0:25:240:25:27

It was the music, the new creation, the new people.

0:25:270:25:30

These really daring, daring young people

0:25:300:25:33

who were doing everything different to their parents.

0:25:330:25:36

And how much more different could this be

0:25:360:25:39

from a load of Victorian chintz and florals?

0:25:390:25:42

-So with great, comes great interest.

-OK.

0:25:420:25:47

With great interest, I have to tell you, comes great prices.

0:25:470:25:51

OK.

0:25:510:25:52

And you threw one of these away.

0:25:520:25:54

Well, if I tell you that you've thrown away

0:25:540:25:58

-somewhere in the region of £800 to £1,200.

-Wow.

0:25:580:26:02

Oh, gosh. Oh, dear.

0:26:020:26:05

And if we then move up to the bigger piece,

0:26:050:26:07

-and we actually call these the gondola.

-Yeah.

0:26:070:26:10

If we actually go up to this,

0:26:100:26:12

you're looking somewhere more like £1,500 to £2,000 for it.

0:26:120:26:15

Wow. Oh, dear.

0:26:150:26:18

These epitomise everything

0:26:180:26:20

that was going on in that era at its absolute best.

0:26:200:26:24

The interpretation, the understanding, the idea

0:26:240:26:27

and, more importantly, the execution.

0:26:270:26:29

-They are an absolute joy, so continue to treasure them.

-I love them.

0:26:290:26:32

Yeah, fabulous. Thank you.

0:26:320:26:34

Last time the Antiques Roadshow team visited Manchester Town Hall

0:26:470:26:50

was back in 1989 - there were lots of great finds but it was also a

0:26:500:26:55

rather sobering day for a young man who met our art expert Philip Hook.

0:26:550:26:58

So this is just what we wanted to find in Manchester,

0:27:000:27:03

the familiar image of the industrial landscape

0:27:030:27:06

and the magic signature

0:27:060:27:09

at the bottom here, LS Lowry.

0:27:090:27:11

Can you tell me how you came by these two pictures?

0:27:110:27:14

Well, I've a classic car restoration company.

0:27:140:27:17

And about three years ago I was doing

0:27:170:27:19

a job for a chap in London on an E-type Jaguar and he was short of

0:27:190:27:22

the payment by about £250 and we was casually talking about antiques and

0:27:220:27:28

whatnot, old cars, and he asked me would I like to take this painting.

0:27:280:27:31

And I took the painting and that's how I acquired it.

0:27:310:27:34

Well, you brought these in earlier and I've had the chance

0:27:340:27:37

to consult with Sandra Martin from the Manchester City Art Gallery

0:27:370:27:43

and I'm afraid she tells us neither of these are actually by Lowry.

0:27:430:27:47

Yeah, well...

0:27:470:27:50

Which is not the best news, and apparently there are, even now,

0:27:500:27:53

fakers at work producing Lowrys - it's a big business when a Lowry...

0:27:530:27:59

I mean, had this been genuine it could have been £20,000 or £30,000.

0:27:590:28:02

Rupert Maas, you're on our art team today -

0:28:070:28:09

any fake Lowrys turned up so far?

0:28:090:28:11

Not as yet, but we're always on the QV for them.

0:28:110:28:13

The thing is that they were faked prodigiously

0:28:130:28:16

particularly by the Greenhalgh family, you know, local boys

0:28:160:28:20

from Bolton, Shaun Greenhalgh now doing time for faking Lowrys

0:28:200:28:24

and they're out there in their thousands, perhaps.

0:28:240:28:27

We don't really know but we do see a lot of fake Lowrys.

0:28:270:28:30

And people are increasingly turning to the internet

0:28:300:28:32

to buy paintings these days, aren't they?

0:28:320:28:35

Yes, well it seems easy but you're only looking at a photograph,

0:28:350:28:37

you can't see the actual thing

0:28:370:28:39

and it's a particularly dangerous thing to do.

0:28:390:28:42

What kind of things are being faked these days?

0:28:420:28:44

Well, Lowry has been faked - everyone knows now -

0:28:440:28:47

a lot of people do, that there are fake Lowrys out there,

0:28:470:28:50

so people - the fakers - they move on to pastures new

0:28:500:28:53

and I understand that Greek painting is being faked a bit now

0:28:530:28:58

and also progressive Indian painting.

0:28:580:29:00

They tend to target the areas which are in the sort of

0:29:000:29:04

£20,000 - £30,000 maximum range because that is the area

0:29:040:29:07

which is least researched and most remunerative.

0:29:070:29:10

Pays the most!

0:29:120:29:13

Thank you! Pays the most, but anything below that

0:29:130:29:16

is not worth doing and anything higher than that,

0:29:160:29:19

somebody's written a book about it and there's knowledge.

0:29:190:29:21

Knowledge is the faker's enemy.

0:29:210:29:24

Rupert, thanks very much.

0:29:240:29:26

You have been warned.

0:29:260:29:28

My goodness, it's dusty, so it must be old.

0:29:280:29:33

How old?

0:29:330:29:34

I don't know exactly, we've had it just over 20 years

0:29:340:29:37

but I don't know exactly how old it is.

0:29:370:29:39

And where did it come from?

0:29:390:29:41

My father bought it off somebody

0:29:410:29:43

and it's just been sitting in a warehouse ever since.

0:29:430:29:46

20 odd years ago, that would take us to around 1991?

0:29:460:29:50

Yeah, yeah.

0:29:500:29:51

-Which is exactly the date we've got on this lovely colourful sticker.

-OK.

0:29:510:29:55

The year of the Ram, 1991.

0:29:550:29:57

But the thing that really interests me is this here.

0:29:570:30:01

Now, have you translated this?

0:30:010:30:03

I haven't, no, no.

0:30:030:30:06

You ought to have done, because that's going to help you date it.

0:30:060:30:09

In here, we've got a date.

0:30:090:30:11

Those two characters tell us that this was made

0:30:110:30:14

either in 1804 or in 1864.

0:30:140:30:18

-OK.

-The Chinese cycle of years goes in 60-year chunks.

-OK.

0:30:180:30:23

So we can say that this gong

0:30:230:30:24

almost certainly dates to either 1804 or 1864.

0:30:240:30:30

From the point of view of value, or importance,

0:30:300:30:33

it doesn't make any difference.

0:30:330:30:35

-Right, OK.

-We just say it's 19th century,

0:30:350:30:38

and as far as I'm concerned, that fits perfectly with the gong.

0:30:380:30:42

OK.

0:30:420:30:43

Now the stand could be anywhere in the 19th century,

0:30:430:30:46

it's a very, very traditional Chinese stand

0:30:460:30:49

-and it is indeed a stand for a gong such as this.

-Yes.

0:30:490:30:53

The only problem with it is,

0:30:530:30:55

you haven't got the little circular cushion

0:30:550:30:58

that usually sits just between the gong itself...

0:30:580:31:01

-Ah right, OK.

-..and the top of the stand.

-OK.

0:31:010:31:04

And the reason to have a cushion on there

0:31:040:31:06

is when you actually strike the piece, it allows it to resonate.

0:31:060:31:09

Ah.

0:31:090:31:11

So, I think this dates from the 19th century.

0:31:110:31:14

-Do you use it for anything?

-No, like I said,

0:31:140:31:16

it's just been sitting there for the past 20-odd years.

0:31:160:31:19

Not for bringing the children down for early morning breakfast?

0:31:190:31:23

No, no, not even that.

0:31:230:31:24

-You've been to China, I guess.

-Yes, I have, yes.

0:31:240:31:28

-And you've seen these in China?

-In temples, yes.

0:31:280:31:31

-In temples.

-Temples, yes.

0:31:310:31:32

They're usually tucked away

0:31:320:31:34

-either in the corner of a room or right next to the door.

-OK.

0:31:340:31:38

And they strike them and they usually bring people to prayer.

0:31:380:31:42

-Right.

-Just as bells do all over the world.

0:31:420:31:45

-Right.

-Now, without the cushion,

0:31:450:31:46

-I'm afraid we're not going to make a great noise, are we?

-OK.

0:31:460:31:50

-Let's have a go, shall we?

-Sure.

0:31:500:31:53

THE GONG RESONATES

0:31:530:31:55

Huge resonance, it's still going.

0:31:580:32:01

Get a cushion and your children will have fun with this,

0:32:010:32:04

waking you up on a Sunday morning.

0:32:040:32:07

-It's a purely decorative object.

-Yeah.

0:32:070:32:10

It has no collector's value.

0:32:100:32:11

-This is - the value of this lies in what it looks like.

-OK.

0:32:110:32:15

To buy one of these,

0:32:150:32:17

I think you would spend...

0:32:170:32:20

-somewhere between £1,000 and maybe £2,000.

-OK.

0:32:200:32:23

Yeah, interesting to know, yes.

0:32:250:32:28

When I saw this, this morning, the phrase that came to mind was

0:32:310:32:34

"hiding your light under a bushel".

0:32:340:32:36

Because out of this plain box, we have this rather magnificent plaque.

0:32:360:32:40

-And this is just the back side of it, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:32:420:32:45

Here it is here, and I don't need to tell you what it is.

0:32:460:32:51

You know what it is - what is it?

0:32:510:32:53

It's a Royal Lancastrian pottery plate.

0:32:530:32:57

It is indeed,

0:32:570:32:59

and this has been in your family or something you've bought?

0:32:590:33:02

It's from my great grandfather.

0:33:020:33:04

He was given it by a member of the Pilkington factory

0:33:040:33:07

who he was friendly with at the time.

0:33:070:33:09

Right, so was he in the pottery business as well?

0:33:090:33:12

No, he was a director of an engineering company in Swinton

0:33:120:33:15

and they became friends and this was given to him as a gift.

0:33:150:33:19

Well, what a gift it is. I mean, it's magnificent.

0:33:190:33:22

I think there's no...

0:33:220:33:24

I think highly appropriate, you know, in the Gothic surroundings

0:33:240:33:27

of Manchester Town Hall, we have here not a Gothic piece,

0:33:270:33:31

but an Arts and Crafts piece, which was a movement

0:33:310:33:34

which ran at the same time, and a little bit beyond

0:33:340:33:36

and, I mean, what a plate -

0:33:360:33:38

we've got St George and the dragon here,

0:33:380:33:40

dragons around the outside and you notice how this side is black,

0:33:400:33:44

this side is much more lustrous.

0:33:440:33:47

These lustre colours were fired at very high temperatures

0:33:470:33:50

to get the red and the lustre,

0:33:500:33:52

they almost had to burn the pattern off

0:33:520:33:54

and if they didn't control the kiln...

0:33:540:33:56

-These were coal-fired kilns - no switching a button on.

-Yes.

0:33:560:33:59

Coal-fired kiln, the whole of this design could be destroyed.

0:33:590:34:03

-It is, it's magnificent.

-Yeah.

0:34:030:34:06

And look at the back, I mean the back is as beautiful as it is.

0:34:060:34:10

And I mean even the way that the colours have sort of run

0:34:100:34:13

and given this lovely sort of bloom to it.

0:34:130:34:15

Here we've got the mark, here, the P and the bees for Pilkington's,

0:34:150:34:19

the Royal Lancastrian Pottery.

0:34:190:34:21

And we've also got... Have you noticed here?

0:34:210:34:24

There's another mark there as well.

0:34:240:34:26

-Have you seen that before?

-I have, yes, I can't remember what it is.

0:34:270:34:31

Well that's the mark of Richard Joyce,

0:34:310:34:33

-who was one of the artists at the factory.

-Right.

0:34:330:34:36

And whether it was a presentation piece

0:34:360:34:39

particularly for your great grandfather...

0:34:390:34:41

I'd like to think it was, because it is...

0:34:410:34:43

-It's not a run-of-the-mill piece, it's a special piece.

-Yeah.

0:34:430:34:47

And, you know, as a consequence, it's worth a special price.

0:34:470:34:50

I think if this was to come to auction,

0:34:500:34:53

there would be no problem at it getting £10,000 to £12,000.

0:34:530:34:58

-Right.

-So maybe it should go back in its box.

-Yes.

0:34:590:35:02

-And back to the bank for your great grandchildren.

-Definitely, yeah.

0:35:020:35:06

We've had so many people here today.

0:35:110:35:13

Do you know, by lunchtime, we'd had 3,000 people come along

0:35:130:35:17

to Manchester Town Hall, all queuing, very patiently...

0:35:170:35:20

Thank you.

0:35:200:35:21

..and all with their own little boxes and bags and things.

0:35:210:35:25

Hello - pouncing on you - what have you got in there?

0:35:250:35:28

Beatles autographs.

0:35:280:35:30

Beatles autographs? Oh, can I have a look?

0:35:300:35:32

Just a few.

0:35:340:35:35

And how did you come by these?

0:35:350:35:37

I used to work in the fan club in the '60s

0:35:370:35:39

and when I left school we used to just go up there,

0:35:390:35:42

just like for an hour, you know, just after school.

0:35:420:35:45

That is a great Scouse accent, I can tell you!

0:35:450:35:47

Yes, so we just ended up getting friendly

0:35:470:35:51

and we ended up working there

0:35:510:35:53

just like, you know, school holidays, we got a guinea a week.

0:35:530:35:56

What, and you - so you were working at the Beatles' fan club?

0:35:560:36:00

Yeah, just helping out, just cutting labels off the actual letters

0:36:000:36:04

and sending people photographs.

0:36:040:36:07

So show me these autographs, then.

0:36:070:36:09

-John Lennon.

-John Lennon.

0:36:090:36:12

Ringo Starr, George Harrison

0:36:120:36:15

and Paul McCartney.

0:36:150:36:17

-"This is from us Beatles."

-This is from us Beatles.

0:36:170:36:20

So who's written that then?

0:36:200:36:22

I think that looks like John Lennon's writing, that one.

0:36:220:36:25

Fantastic, and what else have you got in here?

0:36:250:36:28

Just a few - got a Christmas card

0:36:280:36:31

and actually similar type of things.

0:36:310:36:35

-And this is to you?

-Yes.

0:36:350:36:36

-So a Christmas card to you from the Beatles?

-Yes.

0:36:360:36:40

Hang on, hang on, let's have a look.

0:36:400:36:42

"To June, best wishes, Ringo Starr" with a little star.

0:36:420:36:45

"George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney".

0:36:450:36:48

How fantastic!

0:36:480:36:49

Now, has anyone valued this for you yet?

0:36:490:36:52

No, no, I haven't had it valued yet. I'm just waiting.

0:36:520:36:56

Brilliant. Well, we might have to go and find someone to have a look.

0:36:560:36:59

Great.

0:36:590:37:01

When I was in Manchester back in the 1970s and an undergraduate,

0:37:010:37:05

certainly we didn't have anything like this

0:37:050:37:07

to get to university and back, it was the boring bus.

0:37:070:37:11

This is what's termed as an apprentice piece,

0:37:110:37:14

but I've seen lots of apprentice pieces but this is the real McCoy.

0:37:140:37:18

Yes, it is, we know that this is the actual model

0:37:180:37:21

that the apprentices at the factory and the works

0:37:210:37:23

where they actually made these trams,

0:37:230:37:25

the apprentices made this just to prove that they could do the job.

0:37:250:37:30

And then having proved that they could do it,

0:37:300:37:33

presumably they were then allowed to go on

0:37:330:37:35

and actually be part of building the full-size ones.

0:37:350:37:38

Yes, and we have the only remaining full-size one left

0:37:380:37:41

out of the 515 that they actually made.

0:37:410:37:44

You personally or...? No, you're the Chairman of the Tramway Museum.

0:37:440:37:48

Yes, the Tramway Museum have it, it took 25 years to restore it,

0:37:480:37:52

but it is in full operating condition,

0:37:520:37:55

we have occasionally run it in Heaton Park

0:37:550:37:58

and we take it to other places to actually operate it

0:37:580:38:01

but it costs a lot of money to hire suitable horses to run it.

0:38:010:38:05

-So we have one full-size.

-Mm.

0:38:050:38:07

-And one apprentice model and that's it.

-Yes.

0:38:070:38:10

And what makes this one so unusual?

0:38:100:38:12

I see it's got... On the front, it's called something patent.

0:38:120:38:15

It's an Eades patent -

0:38:150:38:17

instead of having two staircases and two driving points,

0:38:170:38:21

this only has one staircase and one driving point,

0:38:210:38:23

and when it got to the terminus,

0:38:230:38:26

the driver could lock the brakes onto the truck on it.

0:38:260:38:30

Unlock the body and then the tram would do this.

0:38:300:38:33

-Wow!

-The whole body was designed on a turntable,

0:38:350:38:38

so it could turn round

0:38:380:38:40

and set off back in the direction they'd just come from.

0:38:400:38:42

-So obviously horse-drawn.

-Yes.

-So one, or two horses.

0:38:420:38:46

Usually two horses side by side and when it came to a hilly area,

0:38:460:38:49

they'd keep extra horses at the bottom of the hill

0:38:490:38:52

and they'd put on a trace horse on the front to pull it up the hill.

0:38:520:38:55

That is amazing. I mean, what a lovely bit of engineering.

0:38:550:38:58

Rather than like a train, you had to build a turntable,

0:38:580:39:01

which would have been huge and very expensive.

0:39:010:39:04

Just a little cunning design like this got round the problem.

0:39:040:39:07

And they also didn't have to lay extra track to build turning circles

0:39:070:39:10

and it just saved an awful lot of money.

0:39:100:39:13

Now these, I understand, were introduced in, what, the 1870s?

0:39:130:39:16

It's mid 1870s and they ran through till the...

0:39:160:39:20

last ones operated early in 1903.

0:39:200:39:22

And that was because they were phased out

0:39:220:39:24

because no more horse-drawn?

0:39:240:39:26

Yes, the electric trams came in and they gradually replaced

0:39:260:39:29

the lighter-weight tracks that these ran on

0:39:290:39:32

with heavier-weight tracks for the electric trams

0:39:320:39:35

and all the overhead wiring that was required for the electric ones.

0:39:350:39:38

And I think you've brought along a picture showing Piccadilly.

0:39:380:39:43

Yes, this picture of Piccadilly shows lots and lots of trams in it,

0:39:430:39:47

and every single one of them is one of these trams.

0:39:470:39:50

And you see congestion, even back then.

0:39:500:39:52

Exactly, definitely, it was quite bad then.

0:39:520:39:55

-And the only one left?

-Yeah.

0:39:550:39:56

You can't reproduce it, really historic,

0:39:560:40:00

such an ingenious way of turning it around.

0:40:000:40:03

I really love it and it's part of Manchester's history.

0:40:030:40:06

-Exactly, very much so.

-I would have thought...

0:40:060:40:09

well, if Manchester Corporation didn't buy it back,

0:40:090:40:11

any collector would pay £12,000 to £15,000 for it.

0:40:110:40:14

So a fantastic piece.

0:40:140:40:16

Well, we are delighted to own it and we're even more delighted

0:40:160:40:20

because we actually have the full-size version as well.

0:40:200:40:23

Don't ask me to value that!

0:40:230:40:25

This is really nice - I mean, I like wheel engraving,

0:40:250:40:28

it's one of the most delicate forms of glass decoration.

0:40:280:40:32

What you do is that the engraver holds the glass

0:40:320:40:35

against rotating copper discs,

0:40:350:40:38

which they put a kind of abrasive slimy stuff on,

0:40:380:40:43

and scratch the decoration onto the glass,

0:40:430:40:46

and I think that works well, don't you?

0:40:460:40:49

Well, it's come out beautifully,

0:40:490:40:51

I think the engraving is absolutely first class.

0:40:510:40:54

So it's Stourbridge, that's where it was made, the glass.

0:40:540:41:01

And it dates from about 1870-1880 so did you have it as a child?

0:41:010:41:07

No, my sister and I were clearing a friend's house out after she died,

0:41:070:41:13

and it was just lying in a box with some glasses

0:41:130:41:16

and it just caught my eye, I thought how beautiful it was.

0:41:160:41:19

So you said, "I'll have that".

0:41:190:41:21

I said, "Oh, can I have it?" and she said, "Yes".

0:41:210:41:24

-So how long ago's that?

-About 10 or 15 years ago.

0:41:240:41:28

So it's about 130 years old.

0:41:280:41:31

The downer on it is that this isn't silver.

0:41:310:41:34

-Oh.

-If it was silver, it would be worth pots of money,

0:41:340:41:37

but as it is, we're talking about Greek revival,

0:41:370:41:40

Stourbridge made, wheel-engraved claret jug.

0:41:400:41:43

Claret jug that's worth £500, which is not bad value, eh?

0:41:430:41:49

Very good, and how much would it be worth with the claret in it?

0:41:490:41:52

Oh, let's go and find out, shall we?

0:41:520:41:54

Right, we'll meet after the show.

0:41:540:41:57

Ah, here you are.

0:41:590:42:01

-Can I interrupt? I saw this lady earlier on.

-Yes.

0:42:010:42:04

Have you spoken about what this is worth yet?

0:42:040:42:07

Not quite, we were just about to do that.

0:42:070:42:09

Well, come on then, put me out of my misery,

0:42:090:42:11

and put you out of your misery, as well.

0:42:110:42:13

It's a wonderfully personal little collection,

0:42:130:42:16

very, very pertinent, I love it

0:42:160:42:19

and I think this is going to make between £3,000 to £5,000 at auction.

0:42:190:42:23

-You're joking.

-Absolutely not.

-Oh, that's wonderful.

0:42:230:42:27

-Is that a surprise?

-Very much so - didn't think...

0:42:270:42:31

Didn't think that much at all.

0:42:310:42:32

Thank you, John, Paul and Ringo.

0:42:320:42:35

It is, yeah, that's lovely.

0:42:350:42:38

It's years since I've seen any of these on a Roadshow.

0:42:400:42:43

They're really sweet little things. Where did you get them?

0:42:430:42:46

My mother left them to me.

0:42:460:42:48

And you know what they are, or...?

0:42:480:42:51

Very little, I think are they Royal Worcester?

0:42:510:42:53

Absolutely, they're Royal Worcester

0:42:530:42:55

and it'll say so on the bottoms.

0:42:550:42:57

Let's have a look.

0:42:570:42:58

This one here, yeah, we've got a Royal Worcester mark just there

0:42:580:43:03

and there's a date code and it will date them

0:43:030:43:05

to around about the end of the 19th century.

0:43:050:43:08

Right.

0:43:080:43:09

They'll be about 1898, somewhere around there,

0:43:090:43:12

but what's important about these ones is the decoration

0:43:120:43:16

and who they're painted by - have you had a look at this closely?

0:43:160:43:19

-Not really, no.

-Because if you look at either of them,

0:43:190:43:23

-you see there - the signature?

-Oh, yes.

0:43:230:43:26

It says "Baldwin" - Charles Baldwin was the son of a piano tuner

0:43:260:43:32

but he went into painting

0:43:320:43:33

and he painted on Royal Worcester porcelain.

0:43:330:43:36

At the beginning of the 20th century he went into...

0:43:360:43:39

I think he gave up and went into watercolours,

0:43:390:43:41

he exhibited at the RA, but Royal Worcester collectors,

0:43:410:43:45

-when they see things by Baldwin, they get excited.

-Oh, right.

0:43:450:43:48

This particular shape of vase comes in two sizes

0:43:480:43:51

because I looked at them and I thought...

0:43:510:43:53

and then I remembered, it's only the large ones

0:43:530:43:55

-which should have covers.

-Right.

0:43:550:43:57

These ones are almost exactly the same

0:43:570:44:00

but the large ones came with covers.

0:44:000:44:01

These small ones were made and sold without covers.

0:44:010:44:05

So, all is looking pretty sunny about them.

0:44:050:44:08

Fantastic.

0:44:080:44:10

I don't suppose you know this one's cracked?

0:44:100:44:13

I thought there was a little hairline crack on one of them, yes.

0:44:130:44:17

Yeah, it looks little, but it runs all the way round the outside here.

0:44:170:44:20

-Round up there and up into the rim.

-Oh, what a shame.

0:44:200:44:24

So effectively you've got a couple of vases,

0:44:240:44:27

you've got one in really good order, one with a crack,

0:44:270:44:30

-almost invisible but it's still there.

-Yeah.

0:44:300:44:32

And that makes a huge difference to the price.

0:44:320:44:35

But if you put them into auction they would make £3,500 or £4,000.

0:44:350:44:38

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

0:44:380:44:41

They're that sought after, even in that condition.

0:44:410:44:44

Fantastic, I'll make sure I get them insured now.

0:44:440:44:47

Earlier on, Fiona and Rupert were having a conversation about fakes,

0:44:470:44:51

and fake Lowrys, and here we have a wonderful Lowry

0:44:510:44:57

with a covering letter,

0:44:570:44:59

which gives really good provenance to the picture.

0:44:590:45:02

The picture really speaks for itself

0:45:020:45:04

because it is just typical Lowry

0:45:040:45:06

and beautifully painted.

0:45:060:45:08

So how come you have the painting and the letter?

0:45:080:45:10

Well, my father was an amateur artist in Manchester,

0:45:100:45:13

something of a junior contemporary of Lowry

0:45:130:45:16

and a very big fan of Lowry, and he collected several scrapbooks

0:45:160:45:21

of art gallery catalogues, newspaper cuttings,

0:45:210:45:23

anything he could lay his hands on, to do with Lowry

0:45:230:45:26

and he did use to meet up with Lowry occasionally

0:45:260:45:29

and at some point told Lowry about the scrapbooks.

0:45:290:45:33

Lowry was interested, wanted to borrow them,

0:45:330:45:36

ended up keeping them far too long, really,

0:45:360:45:38

and so when he returned them,

0:45:380:45:40

he was a bit embarrassed about how long he'd had them,

0:45:400:45:42

and he gave this little picture as a present.

0:45:420:45:45

It's explained in the covering letter.

0:45:450:45:47

And I've got a transcript of the letter here

0:45:470:45:49

and I think it's just absolutely fantastic.

0:45:490:45:52

"Dear Mr Kay, I have this day left your book in Bloom Street

0:45:520:45:57

"and offer you my sincerest apologies for the delay.

0:45:570:46:01

"I do hope you will forgive me.

0:46:010:46:03

"Do try and forgive me, please, yours sincerely, LS Lowry."

0:46:030:46:07

And then we have,

0:46:070:46:08

"PS - I have put inside the parcel a very tiny oil sketch

0:46:080:46:13

"which I hope you will like".

0:46:130:46:15

It's interesting that we have this letter,

0:46:150:46:18

because it's dated 1955 so we can actually put a date on the painting

0:46:180:46:23

and do you know - I have seen big Lowrys, I've seen a lot recently -

0:46:230:46:29

when I look at that, if I wanted a Lowry, that is what I would like.

0:46:290:46:33

Why? We've got here a street scene in Manchester,

0:46:330:46:38

Salford with the factory buildings,

0:46:380:46:41

we've got the smoke coming out of the chimney,

0:46:410:46:44

we've got these children -

0:46:440:46:46

and I do get annoyed when people start talking about

0:46:460:46:48

"matchstick men and matchstick dogs,"

0:46:480:46:51

because, in fact,

0:46:510:46:53

he was much more than that.

0:46:530:46:55

It was the way the flicks of paint - the legs, the boots

0:46:550:46:59

on the children walking up the street there - it's just fantastic.

0:46:590:47:04

And where are the albums, the scrapbooks?

0:47:040:47:06

The albums are now in the Lowry Centre

0:47:060:47:09

as part of the Lowry Collection.

0:47:090:47:11

They were donated after he died about ten years ago.

0:47:110:47:14

That is fantastic.

0:47:140:47:16

And did Lowry and your father have tea together or...?

0:47:160:47:19

-Well, they used to meet at parties.

-Really?

0:47:190:47:21

And my father visited Lowry's house several times.

0:47:210:47:24

So they did know each other, although not well.

0:47:240:47:27

I think he must have really liked him,

0:47:270:47:29

to give something like that, it's so personal.

0:47:290:47:32

And, you know, it's a small picture.

0:47:320:47:36

What would something like that be worth today,

0:47:360:47:39

with this information as well?

0:47:390:47:41

Well, and I'm saying this conservatively,

0:47:410:47:45

I think that that would make

0:47:450:47:47

in the region of £30,000 to £50,000 at auction.

0:47:470:47:51

Quite amazing! Not that we've any intention of getting rid of it.

0:47:510:47:55

No, but I just think it's wonderful.

0:47:550:47:57

It's everything in a big picture, in a small picture,

0:47:570:48:01

and it ticks every box, absolutely beautiful.

0:48:010:48:03

What are the chances of that?

0:48:080:48:10

One minute I'm talking about fake Lowrys with Rupert Maas

0:48:100:48:13

and the next minute, the real deal comes along!

0:48:130:48:16

Mind you, Lowry was a local lad, so maybe we could have expected it.

0:48:160:48:19

Anyway, we've had a great day here at Manchester Town Hall.

0:48:190:48:22

I hope you've enjoyed it. Until next time, bye-bye.

0:48:220:48:26

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