0:00:02 > 0:00:06If I told you this week the Antiques Roadshow is coming to one of the finest Tudor houses in the land,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10you'd probably think of Hampton Court. The chances are the words Layer Marney Tower
0:00:10 > 0:00:16won't be on the tip of your tongue. But just look at it! It's one of Britain's best kept secrets.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Essex.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03One of the great things about working on the Antiques Roadshow
0:01:03 > 0:01:05is I get to see some of Britain's finest buildings.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10And this week I've been brought to the tallest Tudor gatehouse in the land.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Rising from the Essex landscape, it's a pretty impressive sight.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22But who on earth would build it?
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Step forward, Sir Henry Marney.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32He's not a household name, but he was, in fact, Henry VIII's first and most trusted advisor.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36From the start of his reign in 1509, Henry VIII showered Marney
0:01:36 > 0:01:39with honours, giving him the most important jobs in the land.
0:01:39 > 0:01:47And Marney was wise, grave, quiet, totally loyal. The perfect courtier.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50No scandal, which might be why you haven't heard of him.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Of course, Henry Marney wasn't the only advisor to the king.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00Some are rather better known, like Cardinal Wolsey, who built the famous Hampton Court.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06Wolsey and Marney were bitter rivals, both vying for the king's favour.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Sir Henry Marney might have been a modest man,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but when it came to building this place, he couldn't resist
0:02:12 > 0:02:16a bit of one-upmanship, because his gatehouse is taller
0:02:16 > 0:02:17than the one at Hampton Court.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24In fact, it's even slightly higher than the tower of the church next door,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27making Henry just that little bit closer to God than local worshippers.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Sadly, Henry Marney didn't see his vision completed.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39He died in 1523 and the house was never finished.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Still, you can tell this was a man who wanted to be remembered,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48so I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see the turnout here at Layer Marney
0:02:48 > 0:02:51for the Antiques Roadshow.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53With this magnificent building behind us,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58we come down to something which is slightly less magnificent
0:02:58 > 0:03:01from the outside. It's a handmade dolls' house
0:03:01 > 0:03:06which has been rather sadly covered with gloss paint.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09But unlike, I think, a lot of dolls' houses,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11the interesting bit is not on the outside,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16but on the inside, because what it lacks in decor
0:03:16 > 0:03:22and originality on the facade, it makes up in spades in the inside.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's a wonderful thing. A family dolls' house?
0:03:24 > 0:03:30It's been in our family ever since it was made in the early 19th century.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Fantastic. And looking at it, you can see, in fact,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39that it has been added to over the years. Yes, a lot of what we're looking at
0:03:39 > 0:03:44is early-mid-19th century, then there are some later bits,
0:03:44 > 0:03:49but it ends up with a lovely little Christmas stocking
0:03:49 > 0:03:50which has been coloured in by hand.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Was that from your childhood, or somebody else's?
0:03:53 > 0:03:54No, it's not, it's my daughter
0:03:54 > 0:03:59- and she used to hang up stockings for the dolls every Christmas. - Fantastic!
0:03:59 > 0:04:01There are a couple of pieces of furniture
0:04:01 > 0:04:06made by two companies - Schnegel and Kestner
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and they were quite expensive at the time,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13having been handmade and then imported.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17So the interior was something that money was spent on.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20So you've got a group of objects here that have
0:04:20 > 0:04:25been put together by somebody who wasn't constrained by money,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27because these things were expensive,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31but also wanted to make something very personal for the family.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34What other personal things do you think are in here
0:04:34 > 0:04:36that particularly excite you?
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Well, the grandfather of the twin girls who first had the dolls' house
0:04:41 > 0:04:44was an artist called James Gibbs who I don't know much about.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I think he was quite prolific with watercolours
0:04:47 > 0:04:52and with drawings as well, and for his granddaughters
0:04:52 > 0:04:55he's done two small drawings especially for this dolls' house,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00- and then there are four lovely watercolours that he's done as well. - May I take one out?- Of course.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Oh, that's absolutely fabulous!
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Well, it's a sort of lakeland scene, presumably in the Alps.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Yes. Possibly, or Lake District, I don't know.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16- It could be Lake District. I'm not good enough on my lakes to be able to identify it.- No.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Ah, well that's very nice. On the back it says,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22"Painted by James Gibbs in 1835,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"Ann's great-great-grandfather."
0:05:27 > 0:05:29There is a James Gibbs
0:05:29 > 0:05:34listed as being an artist working in that period.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38He certainly exhibited in the Royal Academy at about that time.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- He does not appear to have been widely exhibited other than that.- OK.
0:05:43 > 0:05:49- But there's no question that the work itself is absolutely exquisite. - They're very sweet, aren't they?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52So we have a lovely dolls' house
0:05:52 > 0:05:56with family connections which have been added to over the years,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and as a result, I would say that the house and the contents together,
0:06:00 > 0:06:06- I would put at between £2,500 and £3,000.- Oh, right. OK.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08But what I would encourage the next generation to do,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13as your daughter did, with the little addition of the Christmas stocking,
0:06:13 > 0:06:19- is just put perhaps one thing from the 21st century in there.- Right.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- Just to surprise the next generation. - Very good, thank you very much.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24That's great, thank you.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32- Isn't it fascinating how you've got the shell as a detail at the top of the building?- Yes.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34And shells were just so popular in decoration.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Where have you brought this from?
0:06:36 > 0:06:40We've brought it from Australia, Ian. We were coming to the UK
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and one of the reasons was to bring this tray to the Antiques Roadshow
0:06:43 > 0:06:45which we watch regularly at home.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Because we don't know anything about its history.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52We know which family it came from, but we don't know anything else,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55except the date, which we had identified earlier.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- OK, so the date you've identified as...- 1773.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02That is the date letter for 1773.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07- Right, and we think it was made by Philip Norman.- Absolutely spot-on.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08That's all we know.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The only problem now is that, unfortunately,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Philip Norman would not recognise this.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Really?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19It's a naughty piece of silver!
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Ooh, should we be showing it on TV?
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Well, the object has actually been made
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- out of a 1773 piece of silver. - Right.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35They've done a beautiful job on it, but Philip Norman probably made
0:07:35 > 0:07:41a salver or something like that, and it's one of those interesting things.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Always when you look at a piece of silver, you should date it
0:07:44 > 0:07:50- in your mind's eye first, and THEN look at the hallmarks.- Right.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Now, to me, when I looked at this, to me, 1900.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Now you're saying you know the family from which it came.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Yes, yes.- What's the story there?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The story there is that our son, who owns it, is adopted,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05and his paternal grandparents passed it to him,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and their forebears go back to Lord Shaftesbury
0:08:08 > 0:08:13and to King Edward Ironsides and to Charlemagne.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- Wow.- So they do go back a long way, so we just wanted to find out
0:08:16 > 0:08:18something about the tray.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Certainly, whoever has made it in its present form
0:08:22 > 0:08:25has done a wonderful job. This is the most beautiful chasing,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30and all the insects appearing in it, the bee over there,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33butterflies, the plants.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Very high standard of workmanship.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- Right.- So it's somebody good that's done it,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- but also somebody naughty who's done it.- Right, right.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47- Because technically, it should go to the assay office.- Right.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- And be brought within the law. - So we should scarper, should we?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52THEY LAUGH
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Well, when's your return flight?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56We could go tomorrow.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58I don't think you need to be quite that quick.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02But bring it within the law
0:09:02 > 0:09:06and then it's going to actually have a commercial value.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- Right.- Which, with the quality of this, I would have thought
0:09:10 > 0:09:12we'd be looking easily £600, £700, £800.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Right, that's interesting, very interesting.
0:09:16 > 0:09:23As it is, it would be a criminal offence in England to sell it.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24We don't intend to sell it.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Well, I persuaded my mother to buy it from a church jumble sale
0:09:33 > 0:09:35when I was about six, and it was just black.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39The lady on the stall said it was a Chinese whistle.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41A Chinese whistle?!
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Yeah, and she said a part had broken off the back, so...
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- Oh, I see, this hole here. - That part, yeah.- OK.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I've been trying to play it for years, but I can't get
0:09:48 > 0:09:53- a sound out of it. Other than that, I haven't got a clue what it is. - Where do you blow it?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Where do you think it was made?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I presume China or Japan, there's writing on the back.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Yeah, we've got some writing here.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03There we are, that is actually a signature.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I'll put you out of your misery.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09That is actually a Japanese signature and, in fact, the whole decoration
0:10:09 > 0:10:13of this piece is typical Japanese metalwork of the late 19th century.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16You've got a lovely praying mantis in there.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Look at him with his beady eyes.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20He's ready to pounce on something.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I mean, this is exquisite metalwork,
0:10:22 > 0:10:28but the fact is, it's not a club, it's not a whistle.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32I'm not going to be a musician, then, after all these years?
0:10:32 > 0:10:36But what you could be is a flower arranger.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43This is a vase for hanging on the wall...
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Ah!
0:10:46 > 0:10:50..into which you put a lovely flower.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56It's very rare. I've never seen one in metal before like this.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Beautiful thing. But polished, I'm afraid, rather over-vigorously.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well, when I got it, it was completely black
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and I was six or seven, so I...
0:11:06 > 0:11:08That's what it should have stayed.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12If it had stayed black, I would have given you some good news,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15but I'm going to have to disappoint you on the valuation front,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19because this late 19th-century little hanging flower vase
0:11:19 > 0:11:21is probably worth £300 to £500.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27- Really?- Yeah, but I suggest, rather than making war,
0:11:27 > 0:11:32we make peace and I offer you my little rose.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Thank you very much.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Well, I never had a clue.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45So you've brought me a rather battered cookery book.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Here we are, "Cookery." - That's all it says.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And it looks as though the upper and lower cover are pretty well off,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- like all the best cookery books. - It's been well used, I think.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56It's an 18th-century cookery book. It's quite old.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01- So I gather from inside. - So how did this come to you, then?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- It descended to me through the family.- An unbroken family line.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Oh, yes. Yes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Quite simply, it's called The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10And I like the subtitle,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14"Which far exceeds anything of the kind ever yet published."
0:12:14 > 0:12:16- Optimistic. - Now, there's no author's name on it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20The title page simply says, "By a Lady."
0:12:20 > 0:12:22A lady! That's all it says.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- That's all I know.- Yes, she really doesn't give very many clues.- No.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26Well, I should tell you
0:12:26 > 0:12:30it's actually a very interesting and very important cookery book.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- Is it?- It's not just important.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I think you could actually say it's a revolutionary cookery book.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's written by a lady by the name of Hannah Glasse.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- I don't know if that rings any bells. - None at all.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43She lived in the 18th century.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Wasn't terribly rich, she wasn't terribly poor,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49but she was terribly important in retrospect,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52because she changed the way we cook, the way we think about food.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Up until Hannah Glasse, I think we always deferred to the French.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58We assumed that the French were the people who could cook,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and I think we still do, to some degree.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03But Hannah said, "No, this is absolutely wrong.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07"English cookery can be just as good and I'm going to show you how it's done."
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Just look at the title here.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12You get a sense of her character from the title page.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18Chapter III. "Read this chapter and you will know how expensive a French cook's sauce is."
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Already in Chapter III she's having a go at the French
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and saying, you know, all very well, but it's expensive.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27This is kind of thrifty English cookery.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31She says, "Take your hare when it's cased and make a pudding.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35"Take a quarter pound of suet and as much crumbs of bread,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38"a little parsley shred fine and about as much thyme
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- "as will lie on a sixpence when shred," and so on.- Lovely.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46So these are quite simple ingredients for good wholesome cookery
0:13:46 > 0:13:48and that's why she's so important.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Very rarely do we see a book
0:13:50 > 0:13:54which has really changed the course of a kind of history,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and Hannah Glasse's book is certainly one of those,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59so it has got a commercial value.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03A copy of this would sell quite happily at auction
0:14:03 > 0:14:07for £8,000, £9,000.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- GASPING - I've got to carry that home.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Yes. What a responsibility!
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Every week, our specialists are setting us a challenge.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28They're bringing along three antiques which,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31to my eyes, all look incredibly similar.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34But one is a basic model, one is rather better
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and one is a wonderful example of its type, the best.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40This week it's Will Farmer's turn, our ceramics specialist, of course,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42with these Art Deco figures.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Now, one of them, the basic one, is worth about £200,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48the better one, up to £2,000,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52and the best one up to £8,000.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53I'm going to try and work it out later,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56but to begin with, I'm going to ask our visitors,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and then Will will put us out of our misery and tell us all.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05When we come to the Roadshow,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09most of us expect to see rather good furniture.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- I'm looking here at a frankly pretty basic table.- Yes.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It was my mother's campaign table.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- Hang on. Your mother's. Let's say, who was your mother?- Mary Whitehouse.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- OK, so you are Mary Whitehouse's son. - Richard, the middle one of three.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28- Right. So this is the table upon which she prepared her campaign.- Yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30The table would be covered in papers.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I didn't understand what any of them were.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36They were strewn all over the table, she'd always be on the telephone,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and she was brilliant at manipulating the press
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and getting stuff into the press that she wanted to talk about.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- She was great at her own PR, wasn't she?- Yes, absolutely.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50So she fought very hard to achieve
0:15:50 > 0:15:54standards of decency in broadcasting,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- very simply, and in publishing. - Yes, yes.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01She was offended by the open sexuality of the 1960s
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and she launched this campaign, Clean Up TV Campaign,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- in 1964 in Birmingham.- Yes.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- The response was huge and it built and built from there.- Yes.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16And that led into the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- which had something like 150,000 members.- Something like that, yes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24- I just want to read her manifesto, which I think sets her in her context.- Yes.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28"We men and women of Britain believe in a Christian way of life.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30"We want it for our children and our country.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33"We deplore present-day attempts to belittle or destroy it
0:16:33 > 0:16:37"and particularly we object to the propaganda of disbelief, doubt and dirt
0:16:37 > 0:16:41"that the BBC pours into millions of homes through the television screens."
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So the BBC was her target.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- Her enemy.- Her enemy, and I think she particularly attacked
0:16:47 > 0:16:50the Director General at the time, Sir Hugh Carleton Greene.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54He didn't like her. Actually, she wasn't to be mentioned
0:16:54 > 0:16:57by any member of the BBC staff under any circumstance,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59and he had a painting in his office,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03a large multi-breasted portrait of my mother
0:17:03 > 0:17:05which he used to use for dart practice.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Where is that painting now? - I've no idea.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- Now, you're the next generation. - I am.- What do you think about her?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I don't particularly believe in what she stood for.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I don't really agree with the campaign, particularly.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I just think she's a remarkable woman because she stood up for
0:17:23 > 0:17:26what she believed in, really, which is quite amazing.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29What was she like as a mother? What was she like to live with?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- We certainly felt sidelined and secondary to the campaign.- Yes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It was rather unfortunate that she started the campaign when we were young teens.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- It was a crucial time for you. - Yes, no sex and violence
0:17:40 > 0:17:42when that's the only thing we were interested in.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- Yeah, you wanted to go and see The Clockwork Orange.- Right, yes.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And she actually watched a lot of porn and violence.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- Really?- And I began to wonder.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53This painting interests me,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56because this is clearly a John Bratby of her.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I would have thought he was the last painter
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- she would ever have chosen.- I know, I know. I think it's brilliant.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04It encapsulates her as a person perfectly.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- Yes, so you're happy with that? - Oh, yes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- I think it's a really striking image. - It is, yes.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12You know, those burning eyes, that passion, is all there, isn't it?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Yes. This was a dress that she used to use for speaking.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I remember that. Yeah, I can remember the film of her speaking.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I'm very glad you've brought it in, because you, the family,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24have the responsibility to keep that memory going.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Maybe this has to go to a public collection.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30The values are very difficult. A Bratby painting is straightforward.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33It's £2,000 to £5,000, depending on the subject.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36She'd probably be more because she's quite an important subject.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39What's an old kitchen table worth?
0:18:39 > 0:18:40Ten quid? You know.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42What's all the paperwork worth?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Nothing until you see the story,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and then it becomes a very important social archive.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- Enjoy the painting in her memory. - We usually keep her behind the door.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Behind! No, no, bring her out. She deserves to be seen.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56It's such a great image.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Do you mind if I say that this a very grown-up-looking lady indeed
0:19:02 > 0:19:04in this photograph?
0:19:04 > 0:19:06She was. She was my grandmother
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and she was a very grown-up-looking lady.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And she's dressed really very formally indeed,
0:19:12 > 0:19:17with jewellery that I can only describe as utterly stupendous.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Did she wear it with a certain kind of...?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Because she looks quite relaxed.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25She wore it with great style, and in fact, as a child,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29my very favourite dressing-up dress was that dress,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- once she'd finished with it, yes. - What, 1950s? '52, '53,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- that sort of period?- Shh! Yes, that sort of thing.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Well, when you were very young indeed, of course.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- She's wearing a wonderful tiara.- Yes.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46A diamond necklace there with stones the size of marbles,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50a pair of diamond drop earrings there,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53which are almost beyond belief
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and then she's wearing, here, a bracelet.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Do you want the good news or the bad news?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Whatever you should wish to give me.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Well, the tiara was one of seven owned by her mother.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- Seven?- Seven, one for every day of the week, as you do.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14The necklace, apparently, was Marie Antoinette's
0:20:14 > 0:20:19and went to an aunt of mine. The earrings I've never seen.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22But the bracelet is here.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27A wonderful Deco diamond plaque bracelet.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- So this is the piece that has filtered down to you? - It's all that's left.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37It's set with plaques, very Deco with those geometric plaques,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41mounted up in, I would assume, probably platinum.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47And the central core is a line of large diamonds
0:20:47 > 0:20:49in three-by-three formation.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52So each of these plaques,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54which might be called a cartouche-shaped plaque,
0:20:54 > 0:20:59has got a central large diamond and two smaller diamonds.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04The total weight of diamonds is probably in the region of 20 carats.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09- Wow!- So it is, really, a stupendous bracelet.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12As far as the value is concerned,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the value of it is largely driven by the quality of the diamonds
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and actually, when you look at the stones through a lens,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21you find they're slightly mixed in quality.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25They're not all absolutely perfect well-matched stones.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30The impact it makes is extraordinary,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33but as always, you know, the jewellers who look at these things
0:21:33 > 0:21:36look at it in a rather cold, dispassionate light,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40where they get their lenses and they examine each stone, stone by stone.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Now, having said that, on the basis that we've got something
0:21:43 > 0:21:45in the region of around about 20 carats,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49such a large piece... What shall we say?
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Something around about £15,000.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59She was a good shopper! Wow!
0:22:05 > 0:22:10- Do you know anything about Art Deco? - No, I like it, but I don't know anything about it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- Perhaps the basic. - We've got three Art Deco figures here.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Basic, better, best.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18One is worth up to £200,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21one up to £2,000,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and one is a beautiful example worth up to £8,000.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I've probably got it totally wrong!
0:22:32 > 0:22:34It looks very, very aged,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and you couldn't reproduce something to make it look that aged.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- You sound like a man who knows what he's talking about.- A bit.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I could be wrong, though. You're going to prove me wrong now.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I just wonder if she's the best one,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and she, although gorgeous, is the better one.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Best, better, basic.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01We'll find out.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I couldn't believe it when I first saw this.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It takes me back to evenings in the summer,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16when I was sort of sent to bed rather earlier than I wanted to.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20And I'd bring out my Orlando books.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25And this is the maquette, the sort of study with the original sketches,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29by the authoress and illustrator Kathleen Hale,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32for Orlando Buys A Farm, a book I remember well.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37One of a series done between, late '30s right through, I think,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40until about 1970 she was producing these books.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45But this is amongst the earliest of them and I would say this looks to me like sort of '40s
0:23:45 > 0:23:50and I feel I've got a real artefact, certainly a real artefact of my childhood.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52And how did you come by it?
0:23:52 > 0:23:57My husband bought it, because he was the same, he'd been brought up on Orlando...
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Saw that it was for sale when Kathleen Hale went into a home
0:24:03 > 0:24:08and they needed to sell her things so that...to keep her in this home.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10How long ago was that?
0:24:10 > 0:24:15I should think about 15 years. I can't really remember, but over 15 years ago.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Because I believe she died relatively recently, yes.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24- Yes, I mean she straddled the century, didn't she?- Yes, yes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29But I love the idea of anything that shows the creative process,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and you can feel the author sort of bearing down upon the publishers saying,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38"This is my idea for the top right-hand corner, this is for the left-hand corner",
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and I love the views, you know, we're looking at these cows from above.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I mean, what a hilarious look at a cow,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48but also what a rather sort of captivating way of looking at a cow as well.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52- Yes, yes.- And the pigs as well.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Pigs, which are lovely.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58I mean, they don't need any explanation, do they, really?
0:24:58 > 0:25:02This is a sort of, you know, lyrical poetry in a drawing, isn't it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Oh, gosh, it's just, it's just really wonderful.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12But it's not exactly the same as the first book, because quite a lot has been left out.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16- That just makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- You get closer to the soul of the author.- Yes.
0:25:19 > 0:25:26If this were to come up for sale, I can easily see it making £10,000 to £15,000.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Oh, that's rather nice, it's gone up, then.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35We've had a heck of a turnout here at Layer Marney.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40As you can see, people are queuing there, and there was at one stage a three-mile tailback of cars,
0:25:40 > 0:25:46and then just look up here, because people are all the way up to the gatehouse, as you can see.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Now, what we like to do at the Roadshow is we've got a little clicker,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and here's our clicker lady. Hello.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55We work out how many people have come in and so we can tell how big the crowds are.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- So how many have we got? - We've got 2,458.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03Gosh, that's a lot and we're only just halfway through the day.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09- What?!- Gird your loins - there's a lot more to come.
0:26:09 > 0:26:16Well, for all intents and purposes it just looks like a fairly ordinary skeleton timepiece, doesn't it?
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- I would think so.- Do you find it attractive?- I love it.
0:26:20 > 0:26:26I inherited it when I was about 14 from an old aunt, who was probably at that time
0:26:26 > 0:26:32probably about 75, 80, and nobody in the family seems to know anything about it.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38OK. Obviously the first thing to talk about is the maker, Charles Frodsham,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Strand, but the interesting thing is
0:26:40 > 0:26:47- straightaway, we've got two seconds dials.- Yes. That's...
0:26:47 > 0:26:53- And then it's got two pendulum suspensions on the back.- Yes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Why on earth would you want to do that?
0:26:56 > 0:27:01I don't know. Somebody once said it was going to be a demonstration clock, but I don't know.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05They're absolutely right and looking at the number,
0:27:05 > 0:27:12883, we can date this pretty much to 1850-1851.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- Goodness, yes.- So I think there's a very, very good chance it was made
0:27:16 > 0:27:21- as a demonstration piece for the Great Exhibition in London of 1851.- Oh! Oh, goodness.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Let's just start the pendulum off,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30which is currently working on the...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32side with the recoil,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36the anchor escapement and you can see that working there
0:27:36 > 0:27:38on that little seconds.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- Yes.- And then just stopping briefly -
0:27:42 > 0:27:45you probably have never noticed this,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50but there's a knob here, which, by pushing in this knob here,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53we are disconnecting the drive to the anchor escapement
0:27:53 > 0:27:58and transferring it to the other escapement here.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Oh, I see, yes, yes.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04And it is purely to demonstrate the different escapements.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09The hands are absolutely superb, have you noticed these lovely... cut-out spade hands.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14- Yes, they're beautiful. - It's the finest quality, the whole thing is magnificent.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19- It's got maintaining power, it's got four levelling screws here.- Yes.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23With the spirit level in the middle.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28- This is an exceptionally rare thing. I believe it to be unique. - What, this clock?- Yeah.- Really?
0:28:28 > 0:28:34- So made for the Great Exhibition of 1851.- Amazing.
0:28:34 > 0:28:42I'm quite confident to say that anybody, of which there are many skeleton clock enthusiasts,
0:28:42 > 0:28:47would pay a minimum of £15,000 and I think it would probably go for
0:28:47 > 0:28:54actually at least £20,000 and maybe a little bit more. It is a unique item.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Most clock people would kill to own it.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03There's always a tale behind autograph books.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06So what's the tale behind this one?
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Well, I used to go to Charlton, when I was a youngster, with my parents.
0:29:10 > 0:29:17I went from the age of eight, and get the autographs of the players as they came in,
0:29:17 > 0:29:23including the Manchester United players - before Munich, this was, in 1955.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26You used to go up and say, "Autograph, please,"
0:29:26 > 0:29:29when you recognised them, you did, in those days.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33A few years later, disaster strikes and we had the terrible,
0:29:33 > 0:29:39terrible Munich air disaster where the majority of the team is killed.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43- Players you'd met...- Oh, terrible, it was a Thursday, I can remember.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47And when I was coming home from school and my mother's waiting at the door
0:29:47 > 0:29:48to tell me about it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Oh, yes, I can remember it as if it was yesterday.
0:29:53 > 0:30:01Oh, yes, there's Duncan Edwards, who was in the air crash, David Pegg, Roger Byrne, Berry,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05he was in the air crash as well, and it was very dramatic,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09that match, the first match afterwards.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14They played Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup and they didn't know who the team was going to be,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and they had to sign players from here, there, and everywhere they could.
0:30:17 > 0:30:23And they won 3-0 and by a wave of emotion, they got through to the cup final that year.
0:30:23 > 0:30:30It was obviously a very, very poignant time for you because you, you kept the newspaper reports.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34Oh, yes, because it's a memory from that time.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Well, it's also, interestingly, a reasonably valuable memory
0:30:38 > 0:30:45because it's an autograph book that's stuffed with all sorts of signatures, there are footballers and cricketers.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- Cricketers.- So I think in terms of value, around about £600.
0:30:49 > 0:30:56No! 600! Just being a youngster and getting autographs.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Will, you set us a challenge earlier on, to work out which of these three
0:31:06 > 0:31:09figures is the basic model worth about - was it £200?
0:31:09 > 0:31:11£200-£300.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13The better one, up to 2,000.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17- Yeah.- And the best one up to 8,000.- Yes. - I've put them in the order I think.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I reckon this is the basic one because it looks the most basically painted.
0:31:21 > 0:31:27It was a toss-up between these two, I've got to be honest. In the end, I thought
0:31:27 > 0:31:30this was such an unusual shape - I've never seen anything like this before -
0:31:30 > 0:31:34she could either be the best or the worst and I plumped for the best.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37I have no idea, is the truth of the matter.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41So come on, tell us about them and how we would be able to tell the difference.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Well, I mean, these figures are all about the period.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46We are Art Deco 1925-1935,
0:31:46 > 0:31:53which really, as we know, it comes out of Paris and the 1925 exhibition.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57It's all about exoticism, it's all about Josephine Baker, the rise of Hollywood,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and everything gets about fashion and these gorgeous girls.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03And also beautiful bodies.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Oh, fabulous, I mean these girls were sexy, they were sassy,
0:32:06 > 0:32:11they were about clothing and dancing, and everybody was having fun.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15This is a brilliant era, and of all the factories, and there were many that made figures,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17really the best ones are coming out of Europe.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21They're coming out of Germany, Austria and Italy. And we start this end
0:32:21 > 0:32:25with this figure, which is actually made by the firm of Katzhutte or Hertwig,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28the Hertwig Company, and if you look underneath, it's actually
0:32:28 > 0:32:33very clearly marked with a little cat inside a house.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39And Katzhutte means cat house, so if you've got that mark, you know you've got a Katzhutte.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Now they were, you know, they were
0:32:41 > 0:32:44a firm of note, they were a fairly heavy going firm,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47they produced lots and lots of figures,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50but they were looking over the fence at their rivals and thinking,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54"We can do that, we can do it cheaper, quicker, and get it out."
0:32:54 > 0:32:59That's what all of this is about, the amount of man-hours that have gone into making them.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04So she's nice, she's stylish, she's got a good pose.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08But when you move to the middle here, we're going into Austria now, to the Goldscheider firm.
0:33:08 > 0:33:1319th century in their origins and massive manufactures of figurines.
0:33:13 > 0:33:19And by the 1920s and '30s they were employing some of the leading artists of the day, and it's starting to get
0:33:19 > 0:33:24a little bit more unusual, a bit more quirky. I mean, here she is in her tulip dress.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28And also, looking at the paint work, there's just so much
0:33:28 > 0:33:33- more care and effort gone into her face particularly.- Exactly. This has been air brushed in, and painted on.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35She is beautiful, I think.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38She's gorgeous. I've known this girl a long, long time. LAUGHTER
0:33:38 > 0:33:40I think we should hear more.
0:33:40 > 0:33:47Absolutely. When you get to the end, she's Italian, and the Italians know their fashion.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- Bit of va-va-voom about it. - Bit of va-va-voom.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53I mean, all of these girls are "a la mode", but she is on the button.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58She's designed by a lady called Helen Konig Scavini, who actually formed the firm Lenci.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03And the thing about Scavini as a senior designer was,
0:34:03 > 0:34:04she just had it.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09This has got humour, it's called Colpo di Vento, which basically means "in the wind"
0:34:09 > 0:34:14and she is literally holding her skirt down, and holding her hat on, and this humour, this comedy
0:34:14 > 0:34:20comes through in Lenci and it's what people love, but also if you just pick her up and have a look,
0:34:20 > 0:34:26- she's also clearly marked underneath, you've got all the marks there of the firm.- Oh, yeah.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31Lenci, made in Torino, and the big thing is look at the faces, and just look at her eyes underneath there.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36Scavini did these beautiful, smoky, almond eyes which actually, they are...
0:34:36 > 0:34:43again, it's this sex appeal, it's just sexy, it just oozes that spirit of that time.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46And they're all fabulous, but she is the one that struck me the most.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Well, you are a very stylish girl.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54- Time to put you out your misery? - Yes, so come on.- You've got it absolutely bang on.- Have I?
0:34:54 > 0:34:57- Hooray, we've done it!- So you're a bit disappointed, aren't you?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59I'm disappointed. Shucks, you've got it.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03That is complete fluke because this was such an unusual one, I didn't know what to make of her.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08The Italians know their fashion and it just oozes from this figure,
0:35:08 > 0:35:14and that's why this figure, you'd be looking at a price upwards of sort of £8,000 for her.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18I mean, value here, we're looking about sort of £200 to £300 mark.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23Move to the middle, we're looking at towards sort of £2,000.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26When you get to the end, it's all about the quality, it's about
0:35:26 > 0:35:30the amount of man-hours that have gone into it, and also about the humour.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35Hooray, I got it right. It probably won't be repeated, but now at least, if you have
0:35:35 > 0:35:39an Art Deco figure at home, you've got some idea now what to look for.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56- Your husband collected jade.- He did.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59And can I ask you whether you like it.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Not particularly.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02Why not?
0:36:02 > 0:36:05There's something eerie about it.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06Eerie?
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Well, neither of my children liked it.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13As children, they used to run past it.
0:36:13 > 0:36:20It used to be on a shelf along the landing and they would run down the stairs as fast as they could.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- This was the bogey man.- It was.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25First of all, what part of the world does it come from? That you presumably know.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27I'm assuming China, yes.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32Yeah, it is Chinese and it's known in China as a Buddha's hand citron.
0:36:32 > 0:36:39It is a member of the citrus family, it's almost inedible but it is fragrant.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43- Oh.- The Chinese like putting Buddha's hand citrons into rooms
0:36:43 > 0:36:50in order to give the room a perfume and well, I think you'd agree, that it is very finger-like, isn't it?
0:36:50 > 0:36:54- Mm, oh, yes.- The fingers referring to Buddha
0:36:54 > 0:36:59make this a very significant Buddhistic symbol.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03The fingers appear to be drawing in.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Exactly, that's what's eerie about it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:12But that should encourage you, because the Chinese see that as pulling in wealth,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15and just to make the point even more auspicious,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19we have these little bats flying around,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21which also bring wealth and happiness,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25so you've got one major Buddha's hand citron and you've got
0:37:25 > 0:37:30a second Buddha's hand, and look at the carving on that, the under cutting, the attention to the leaves.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33And when you think that jade is an incredibly hard substance,
0:37:33 > 0:37:40to create something that complicated in a very, very hard substance is actually really rather clever.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46- OK, well the question is - is it going to bring you wealth? - Bit late now.
0:37:47 > 0:37:52- Do you know how much your husband might have paid for it?- No idea.
0:37:54 > 0:38:01Well, the fashion for jade at the moment is quite good, the Chinese in particular like buying jades
0:38:01 > 0:38:04of a good quality - this is quite auspicious.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07It's difficult to date it exactly when it was carved.
0:38:07 > 0:38:14It could be 18th century, I have a feeling it's more likely to be 19th century, but it's a good object
0:38:14 > 0:38:18and I think in today's market it would probably fetch
0:38:18 > 0:38:25- somewhere in the region of £10,000 to £20,000.- Good. I don't think he'll sell it, though.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Do you know, I have never seen this engraving before?
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Good Lord, really?
0:38:32 > 0:38:36I mean, I think it's an absolute joy.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38- Who did it belong to?- My grandmother.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43- What sort of period?- '20s.- Right. - '20s or slightly earlier, I imagine.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46So your grandmother owning this - tell me about her.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51- Well, she was a chorus girl in the Gaiety Theatre.- Wow.
0:38:51 > 0:38:58- And my grandfather, his parents actually owned the Gaiety Theatre at the time.- Wonderful.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02And were not particularly pleased that he married a Gaiety Girl
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and I understand cut him off without a penny.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07- Oh, that's so sad.- There we are.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12- And of course it is a lady's visiting card case.- Absolutely.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15The quality of this is above the norm.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Oh, that's good to hear.
0:39:17 > 0:39:24Because generally what you find is the top just flips back on a hinge, or slides off, in some cases.
0:39:24 > 0:39:30But this one, with this button release, is lovely, a nice sign of quality.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The maker's mark there, we've got the maker George Heath.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37- 1887 is the actual date on it.- Is it?
0:39:37 > 0:39:42- I mean, for example, look at that engraving. Can you see how that bird just goes across there?- Yes, yes.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47- And all this of course down to the opening of Japan to the West.- Mm, mm.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52Now, as to value... gosh, what is the most gorgeous Geisha worth?
0:39:53 > 0:40:00I think you'd be hard pushed at auction to get her for less than £1,000.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Good Lord.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03Good Lord.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Well, that's marvellous.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09I think she's gorgeous, not just marvellous, she's wonderful.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14It's well known by the people who watch this programme that I'm very excited by railway history.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18I just love the way it fits into our lives.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22What we've got here are some exceptional things that really go back to the early days of railways.
0:40:22 > 0:40:29And here we have, I know, an image of John Dixon, who was an associate engineer, surveyor,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33working with Stevenson in those early days.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34So where do you fit in?
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Well, all these records were in my husband's family history box
0:40:38 > 0:40:44and I did go through them 30 years ago and found all these items.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- He is a Dixon, is he? - Yes, he is, yes.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Right, so we've got a direct link back into those early days.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53- Yes.- This is a letter from Dixon, who was there.- Yes.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58- During the Rainhill trials.- Yes. - When The Rocket was first shown. He's describing what he saw.- Yes.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02I mean, I think it's just, you know, I touch that, and I'm there myself.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07- Absolutely.- Here is someone who was watching The Rocket, a great success.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- Yes.- All the other locomotives fail.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12And that was the beginning of the modern railway history.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Absolutely. Amazing.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17And these are extraordinary - very early Stockton and Darlington tickets.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- Very thin bits of paper...- Very thin.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25..that were cut out and filled in by the man in the ticket office.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Yes, yes.- And again, this is the very beginning of that history.
0:41:28 > 0:41:35- Yes.- I think it's extraordinary, I'm really excited by just the physical contact of these things.
0:41:35 > 0:41:41- Yes, they are. - But most of all I want to know about this. Why have you got a parcel?
0:41:41 > 0:41:46Well, this is a parcel which was produced by my husband's great-uncle,
0:41:46 > 0:41:53and he had made up a parcel which is the intimate story of the origin of the railways
0:41:53 > 0:42:00- and he made it up in 1925 at the centenary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway.- 1925.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04But it says at the bottom that it's to be carefully preserved for
0:42:04 > 0:42:11the bicentenary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway in 2025.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13This is annoying - we've got 14 years to wait.
0:42:13 > 0:42:19- I know, it's all sealed up with sealing wax.- I'm not allowed to open it.- So we're not allowed to open it.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24- I mean, as to valuing that, I've no idea. Until we know what's in it. - Until we know what's in it, no.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- It could be thousands of pounds, or ten pounds.- Oh, yes.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32But it's a great time capsule. The letter is a hugely valuable document.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34A witness of the Rainhill trials.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38I can see that fetching up to £2,000 or £3,000, because it's such
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- an important document in terms of the railway history.- Goodness.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44The tickets - what's a railway ticket worth?
0:42:44 > 0:42:49Not much. These sort of tickets from those early days are going to be
0:42:49 > 0:42:52£50 to £100 each, possibly more.
0:42:52 > 0:42:58- So I think one of these tickets would easily take me home. - I don't think so!
0:43:04 > 0:43:08I wonder if anyone would notice if I just prised this open here.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11I expect they would, and Paul Atterbury would have my guts for garters,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14because it says here, "Not to be opened till 2025".
0:43:14 > 0:43:19Until next time, from Layer Marney and all the team here, bye-bye.