Hartland Abbey 2 Antiques Roadshow


Hartland Abbey 2

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Today's Antiques Roadshow returns to the spectacular coast

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of north-west Devon.

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What a view!

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And it's certainly windy.

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Down there, nestling in its own little valley,

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is Hartland Abbey,

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which is today's location for the Roadshow.

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Back there is Hartland Point,

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marking the end of the Bristol Channel

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and the start of the Atlantic.

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That way is Cornwall.

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This is a dramatic coastline with wild weather

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and stories to match.

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This is Hartland Quay, 15 miles along the coast from Bude.

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Once it was a thriving harbour,

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the only way of bringing in supplies to the remote Hartland area.

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But there isn't a harbour here any more.

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Its pier was washed away after the last cargo came here in 1893.

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Strong winds, treacherous seas, vicious rocks,

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mean this coastline is famous for one thing,

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shipwrecks.

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And the first recorded wreck

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was at Hartland in the 14th century,

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and since then, hundreds of ships

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have been lost here, some with terrible casualties.

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It's still dangerous now.

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As long as there have been wrecks, the sea has washed up objects

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on the shore, like this find from the ship, the Green Ranger,

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that was wrecked here in 1962.

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Thankfully, no-one was killed.

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The ship was being towed to be re-fitted

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when a line broke in fog,

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but a heroic lifeboat rescue attempt was thwarted

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because the Green Ranger's seven crew members

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were so convinced of their watery fate,

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they were sitting below decks drowning their sorrows,

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and couldn't be tempted out.

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It wasn't until the next day that the men of Hartland

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finally brought them safely to land.

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And there's a direct link between shipwrecks and Hartland Abbey,

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because the story goes that when it was founded in the 11th century,

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it was as a gesture of thanks for the safe delivery from a shipwreck

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of the father of King Harold.

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Anyway, let's hope the lifeboats are in for a quiet day,

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as hundreds of Devonians have arrived

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for today's Antiques Roadshow.

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It's a beautiful pot.

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I think it's absolutely lovely with these swans swimming

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-on this matt blue ground.

-Yes.

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Which is fantastically rare.

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Usually, flying in the sky.

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-Oh, really?

-Wonderfully done, and the date of it...

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Oh, here we are!

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The Royal Worcester mark gives you a date of five...ten dots, ten dots.

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-1901.

-Oh, was it? Oh, I thought it was older than that.

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But it's absolutely beautiful

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and very, very rare to get the swans swimming in the water.

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Charlie Baldwin was an incredible painter

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-of swans.

-Oh, right.

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And specialised in them.

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And they are now, of course,

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some of the most collectable of Royal Worcester pieces.

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-Oh, really?

-So, what's its history?

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Well, it's been in the family, I would think, about a hundred years.

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My mother passed it on to me.

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I did have it valued about 20 years ago,

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and they put 2,500 on it.

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I think you'd better change your insurance.

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Right. Really?

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-I think, if this was flying swans...

-Yes.

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..it would be £5,000, £6,000, perhaps.

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Because of the rarity of the swimming swans, £7,000 to £8,000.

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Good grief! Oh, dear.

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I'd better not drop it on the way out, then.

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No. I hope you won't.

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Thanks, Mum.

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God bless her.

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It's very realistic, this snake.

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It moves and feels uncannily

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like the real thing.

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Spookily good. Ssss.

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I'm sure it hissed at me, there.

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-Do you know what it's made of?

-No.

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It's made of iron, by an armourer in Japan.

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Japanese metal work was breathtakingly good.

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They would spend two years, three years on one blade,

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hammering it, folding it, heating it,

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until it was fantastically sharp.

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And as a, sort of, sideline,

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they would make amusing metal work objects, like this.

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The articulation is... Ooh, he's alive, I swear it!

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..is all on the inside so you can't see it.

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So would this sort of thing have been exported or...

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This would have been exported.

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He has gold eyes. We've got a tongue in there and a row of teeth.

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He's brilliant.

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The greatest maker of these, in fact,

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I think the man who developed them was called Myochin.

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And I... Because this one's so good

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I had hoped that this was by him.

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But we have a maker's mark, which is Su Shin.

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One would call it school of, school of Myochin.

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What sort of date, is there, on it?

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Well, they're fiendishly difficult to date.

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-But I'd be happy to date this one to mid-19th century.

-OK.

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Where did he come from?

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I inherited it from my grandfather,

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and I don't know where he got it from.

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He was a Scot, so it could have come from trading activities

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in the Far East in the beginning of the 20th century.

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-Yes, yes, yes.

-Possibly.

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I think he's utterly wonderful. Do you like him? You like it?

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Really scary when I was a child.

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-Really?

-I didn't like... He moved...

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Thought it was real, yeah.

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Didn't like it.

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He's actually quite valuable.

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£1,200 to £1,500, possibly a bit more.

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Thank you.

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We've got this fabulous quilt,

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photo of royal memorabilia,

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and a car. What's the story?

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I inherited it from my mother,

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and she inherited from a gentleman,

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who had been in service at Sandringham,

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whose father was head chauffeur for royalty,

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and his wife was lady-in-waiting and she was a seamstress at the time.

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His wife was given this piece of patchwork in recognition

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for her time in service,

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and it was said that it was all ballgown dresses

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of the ladies of the household.

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So, if that's true or not, I'm not 100% sure,

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but it's all silk.

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And when she retired she came to Devon to live

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she didn't complete it because, sadly, she passed away,

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but my mother inherited it

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and we've had it wrapped up in tissue paper in the wardrobe ever since.

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I mean this is stunning silk, beautifully done,

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and you would like to think that these pieces

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might have been dresses worn by the princesses.

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Yes, that's what we were told, yes.

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Well, I mean that's lovely,

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and, you know, I'd love to think that,

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and with its royal associations, you know,

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we've got to give it some value.

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I don't think it's going to be tremendously valuable.

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No, no, no.

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I think this is a piece that's going to be more valuable to you.

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Very much so, it's a family heirloom, really.

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You know, I would say, if it came up for sale,

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with its royal connections you know maybe £100 roughly.

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Yes, yes, I understand, yes, yes.

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The photograph.

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The photograph is what was wonderful

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because Mr Cornell senior, the actual chauffeur,

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was given this on his retirement,

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and it was signed by all the princes of the household,

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of Sandringham, which was quite special.

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So these are all the children

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-of George V.

-Yes, they are, yes.

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And this was in 1908.

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We're looking at, you know, the future George VI,

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we're looking at the Duke of Windsor.

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-Yes.

-We're looking at the lost prince, John.

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-Yes, John.

-And, of course,

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-you have all the signatures here.

-Yes.

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Probably, John signed by Mary,

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-because he'd be too young to sign his name.

-Yes, could be, could be.

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This is a really momentous time in British royalty.

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Well, yes.

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You know, we see lots of royal memorabilia, obviously.

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I've seen a lot of photographs,

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not of all of them together, actually, that's rare in itself.

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But it's the signatures that make this so special.

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To have all those signatures of those youngsters.

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Pessimistically,

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I think it could sell for £3,000.

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Oh, goodness me, gosh.

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Optimistically, maybe even £5,000.

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Oh, my goodness me! Would never have believed it.

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Better look after it a bit better, didn't I?

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Absolutely superb inkstand.

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-Actually, I'd love to own it myself.

-Really?

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But how long have you had it?

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-Well, it actually belongs to my mother-in-law.

-Right.

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And she bought it in a jumble sale. She's 91, now.

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It's Alice and she bought it when she was ten.

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Her mother gave her two old pennies to spend in the jumble sale

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and she spent one on this one.

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A very shrewd mother-in-law.

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And she took it to school and used it, the ink well.

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Oh, I love it, I love it.

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Well, there are so many collectors

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who would give their eye teeth for this.

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-Really?

-There are three groups.

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There are people who collect owls, and this as I say an absolute joy.

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There are people who collect ink wells, and of course ink

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going in there, and there are people who collect... And what we've

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got here is the maker's mark

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of Sampson Mordan and Company.

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They are the one of the most collectable

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and sought after of all firms.

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Oh, gosh.

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It was made in about 1900.

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So, what is the Sampson Mordan owl ink well worth today?

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-I'm going to stick my neck out.

-Right.

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And I think you'd be jolly lucky to acquire this today

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for an investment of one penny for the sum of £500.

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Oh, really? That's fantastic. She'll be so pleased.

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That's wonderful.

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And I think she is, as well.

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Yes, yes, she is.

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You don't look, to me,

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like the typical sort of person who would sew.

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Not really, no.

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So, what's with the thimble?

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The thimble, basically my great aunt gave it to my mother

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and she left it in her sewing box for 25 years

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and she recently discovered it,

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and has given it to me,

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and we want to find out more about it, basically.

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What a kind gift.

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-Yes.

-It's made of tortoiseshell and gold.

-Yes.

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You can probably see that very clearly here.

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Have you ever wondered or read what's written underneath here?

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-"Piercy's patent".

-Piercy's patent.

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Piercy's patent, John Piercy was a goldsmith

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and maker of small fine objects,

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who's registered in Snow Hill, part of Birmingham

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well known for its jewellery trade, in about 1818,

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-So, this probably dates from around then, around 1820.

-Wonderful.

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It's quite a scarce thing. Often you find the little gold parts,

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but the tortoiseshell is normally quite badly damaged.

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-Yes.

-You've obviously looked after it well.

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It's just been sat in the sewing box, so no-one's handled it,

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touched it, so it's stayed in quite good condition.

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Such a small thing.

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-It's actually got quite a nice value.

-Oh, really?

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I can see collectors paying there are many, many thimble

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collectors and I can see collectors paying

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anything from sort of £350, £400 for it.

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Cor, that's pretty good.

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That's quite nice, actually.

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So, do you think any other members of your family might want it back?

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Mum might, might take it back off my hands now.

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"My dear Mrs White,

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"I am writing to let you know how very much I appreciate

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"the magnificent job which you did during your recent visit

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"of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, to Jamaica.

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"Indeed, I must say, "that in spite of all your

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"additional responsibilities, "which were many,

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"you never failed to be your usual charming self."

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And this is from Sir Colin Campbell, who was at Kings House, Jamaica.

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-Yes.

-Now, how did you get this letter?

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My Mum used to be

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the housekeeper there.

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And he was the first Governor, Jamaican Governor General,

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and she was the head housekeeper

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and a lot of dignitaries

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passed through visiting.

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And the Queen Mother visited,

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and that was a gift left to her.

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-This brooch here?

-Yes.

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-Good grief!

-On her visit.

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-How amazing. That's absolutely gorgeous.

-Yes.

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It's gold, and then it's set with cultured pearls in the centre,

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and, of course, we've got the initials "ER" at the bottom.

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Yes, lovely.

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And it is from the period that it was given to her, the late '50s,

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early '60s, very typical of that period.

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Early '60s.

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Wonderful, natural outline of the brooch in this leaf,

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textured leaf design which was very popular

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at the time.

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But then, of course, we move to this bangle here,

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and how did she obtain this bangle?

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Another visitor to the King's house

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-was Haile Selassie.

-Gosh!

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Because, of course,

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he was associated with the Rastafarian Movement, wasn't he?

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-Yes.

-Yes, the Rastafarians revere him as a prophet,

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so that was very important to them.

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I mean, the streets were lined from the airport.

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The crowd was ten thick.

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The Rastafarians saw he was going to bring

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peace and harmony and...

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Yes, to the world.

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..to the world, didn't they?

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And, of course, he was Emperor of Ethiopia.

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Not only that,

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Haile Selassie also has connections with this abbey, here.

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Indeed he does, doesn't he? He came to stay, didn't he?

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That's right.

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He was living in Bath at the time, for a few years,

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and he came here and opened the village fete which

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we actually have a photograph, here,

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of him when he was at Hartland.

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So, here he is, and Sir Dennis Stucley,

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the then owner of Hartland Abbey isn't that amazing?

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-That's something yes.

-Yes, exactly,

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but why would he bring a bangle like this to Jamaica,

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I mean, it is a magnificent piece of jewellery,

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gold, beautifully tooled

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in this lovely rope work manner,

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and the black detailing that goes around it.

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Thinking it might be camel hair.

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Well, it is hair, but it's not camel hair,

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it's actually elephant hair.

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They're seen as themselves as having peace and harmony, as well,

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and so to plait the hair, as we have here, within the bangle,

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has great sentimental connotations to it,

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and, of course, we also have the cipher

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on the front here as well.

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So, two beautiful pieces of jewellery for, obviously,

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a lady that he was very, very fond of,

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Selassie and also the Queen Mother.

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Very appreciative of the work that she did,

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and, I can tell she was extremely well loved by both of you, as well.

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-Still is.

-And still is, that's wonderful. Naturally, values.

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If they came up for auction with all the history that we have with them,

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the supporting letters, etc.

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the brooch would probably fetch

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somewhere between £600 and £800

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and the bangle, I think, which is absolutely gorgeous...

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-Yes.

-..probably around about £1,500 £2,000.

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Lovely, lovely.

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That's interesting.

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It's so good to see

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a genuine 17th century

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piece of oak furniture

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in this wonderful condition.

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What do you know about it?

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Well, it was something I always admired. I worked for somebody,

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and they became very close friends,

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and she said to me, "When I die, I'd like you to choose

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"piece of furniture"

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and I chose this.

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-Right.

-I've always loved it.

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She had it in her, in her home.

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And what do you use it for now? Where is it placed in the house?

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Well, it was quite a job emptying it.

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It's full of Christmas things, actually, and photographs.

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Right, right.

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Well, this piece of furniture was a piece,

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which, let's say, travelled around.

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-That's what we wondered.

-Hence the carrying handles on the sides.

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-Yes, yes, it's very heavy.

-It is extremely heavy.

0:16:510:16:54

And these handles would take the weight?

0:16:540:16:57

Yes, they would be strapped around and put on the back of a cart

0:16:570:17:01

and when we see these lovely dental mouldings along the top,

0:17:010:17:05

it, to me, just says it's an English piece of furniture.

0:17:050:17:07

-Yes.

-It's lovely.

0:17:070:17:09

-Yes.

-Very simple, unpretentious, and you've got this raised panel.

0:17:090:17:14

But when it's opened, it's fabulous.

0:17:140:17:15

It's stunning, isn't it? I know.

0:17:150:17:17

-Because all these handles they're original.

-Mm, Yeah.

0:17:170:17:20

And, I'm just going to pull this drawer open here.

0:17:200:17:22

Just to say how original this piece is.

0:17:220:17:25

Look at that! That handle's never ever been disturbed.

0:17:250:17:28

It's exactly the same place, yes.

0:17:280:17:30

Yeah, beautiful, and it just sits so comfortably there, doesn't it?

0:17:300:17:34

Mm, mm.

0:17:340:17:36

The date of this, I say, is about 1680-1690.

0:17:360:17:41

It's an early piece of furniture.

0:17:410:17:43

It's a marriage piece, a marriage chest.

0:17:430:17:46

Oh, that's nice to think of that, yes.

0:17:460:17:47

Presents and linens and lace,

0:17:470:17:50

they would have been placed in these drawers.

0:17:500:17:53

The condition is lovely, it's really really good.

0:17:530:17:56

Unfortunately, the only thing which has happened you've got

0:17:560:18:01

the original hinge here but this hinge at the bottom, here,

0:18:010:18:05

that's been replaced, and the same on the other side, I did notice.

0:18:050:18:08

Right, right, right.

0:18:080:18:10

But, apart from that, it's a genuine article.

0:18:100:18:13

The colour is delicious, made of oak.

0:18:140:18:19

The top, as you can see, is in two planks.

0:18:190:18:21

-And see these little delves?

-Yeah.

0:18:210:18:25

Because it's never been disturbed,

0:18:250:18:27

they're just slightly raised up, and that's a lovely little feature.

0:18:270:18:31

A lot of antique things have gone down in value,

0:18:310:18:33

but when you get something like this,

0:18:330:18:34

which is honest, straightforward and holding a colour,

0:18:340:18:38

this is what the collectors want, this wonderful patination.

0:18:380:18:43

I would put a value on this between £3,500 £4,500.

0:18:430:18:46

Right, right.

0:18:460:18:48

It's just such an honest collectable piece.

0:18:480:18:52

Now, when I was growing up in the Scottish Borders,

0:18:520:18:55

I had an irrational fear of the dentist,

0:18:550:18:57

and when I saw this, today,

0:18:570:19:00

it came rushing back.

0:19:000:19:02

Tell me about this.

0:19:020:19:05

Well, this is a...

0:19:050:19:07

Georgian tooth key.

0:19:070:19:09

-It's for extracting molar teeth.

-Yes.

0:19:090:19:11

It's what all the best...

0:19:110:19:13

My dentist assures me,

0:19:130:19:14

it actually belongs to a very good friend of mine,

0:19:140:19:17

and he assures me that it's what all the very best dentists were using

0:19:170:19:21

-in the mid 1700s.

-That's...

0:19:210:19:22

So, you might be interested in this.

0:19:220:19:24

But, equally, you might be interested in how it actually works.

0:19:240:19:27

I just say I know what you're going to do, now, and I'm...

0:19:270:19:29

So, he's been teaching me how to use this,

0:19:290:19:30

and the first thing you need to do

0:19:300:19:32

is to make the patient say "ah".

0:19:320:19:34

-Right, OK, so aaaaah.

-Aaaaah, so, aaaaah, OK,

0:19:340:19:37

and then, you sort, of pick it up and you, then you insert it

0:19:370:19:41

very gently, like this,

0:19:410:19:42

and, um, you, sort of, wind it round like this, and then.

0:19:420:19:46

-And is it going to make a noise?

-It does make a noise.

0:19:460:19:48

-Oh, I mean...

-There. It comes out.

0:19:480:19:52

-And the patient collapses.

-And the patient collapses.

0:19:520:19:55

And then you could actually put it in again, quite quickly,

0:19:550:19:57

-and do it all over again.

-Do it all over again.

0:19:570:19:59

It's quite easy, really.

0:19:590:20:01

Well, you know something, actually,

0:20:010:20:03

it's Georgian I would think,

0:20:030:20:04

you know 1760-1780,

0:20:040:20:06

and it is what all the up-market dentists would use.

0:20:060:20:09

I'd probably value it at about £60 to £80.

0:20:100:20:13

-Really?

-But I'd pay you double not to use it on me.

0:20:130:20:17

It never ceases to amaze me,

0:20:200:20:22

how far people will travel

0:20:220:20:23

to come to the Roadshow.

0:20:230:20:25

We've had people come from New Zealand, from Australia, from China.

0:20:250:20:29

But this is a first,

0:20:290:20:30

because you've interrupted your honeymoon to come to the Roadshow.

0:20:300:20:33

That's correct.

0:20:330:20:34

My goodness, and you got married in the house here, didn't you?

0:20:340:20:37

-That's right, yeah.

-We got married on Saturday, yes.

0:20:370:20:40

Just on Saturday.

0:20:400:20:42

And this is you in the Alhambra hallway, here.

0:20:420:20:44

I was filming in there earlier on, actually.

0:20:440:20:46

And were you there? Were you a bridesmaid?

0:20:460:20:48

-Yes, did you have a lovely day?

-Yes.

0:20:480:20:51

I bet you looked beautiful in your bridesmaid's dress.

0:20:510:20:53

So, what happened, then? Where did you go on your honeymoon?

0:20:530:20:56

We've been to London for a few days.

0:20:560:20:58

And did you bring anything along today?

0:20:580:21:01

-We did bring some china along, today, yes.

-And was it worth it?

0:21:010:21:03

Oh, absolutely, it's been an absolutely wonderful day.

0:21:030:21:06

What I was meaning was, was it worth bringing the china?

0:21:060:21:09

Not really.

0:21:090:21:11

Well, I have to say, this is a fairly impressive cuckoo clock.

0:21:160:21:19

Are you a collector, or have you acquired it fairly recently?

0:21:190:21:23

I've got several clocks but this is the most valuable.

0:21:230:21:25

And how long have you had it for?

0:21:250:21:28

About seven year.

0:21:280:21:29

And where did it come from?

0:21:290:21:31

A house clearance, and all these bits was fall off,

0:21:310:21:35

it was wet and damp, you know.

0:21:350:21:37

So, you have actually

0:21:370:21:39

done the restoration, yourself?

0:21:390:21:40

Yes, my cousin, mainly.

0:21:400:21:42

There will be a cuckoo in here. Does anything else happen?

0:21:420:21:46

-Music box in the bottom.

-A music box?

0:21:460:21:48

-Yes.

-I like. How many tunes does it play?

0:21:480:21:50

It plays six tunes.

0:21:500:21:52

I'm going to turn it round, it is quite heavy.

0:21:520:21:55

I notice, here,

0:21:560:21:59

we have part of an old trade label

0:21:590:22:01

-from Camerer Kuss and Co.

-Yes.

0:22:010:22:04

And I'll take the back away, and again,

0:22:050:22:09

down here below the gong, another trade label from Camerer Kuss.

0:22:090:22:12

Yes.

0:22:120:22:13

And the joy of this cuckoo clock, compared to many,

0:22:130:22:16

this is a spring-driven clock.

0:22:160:22:19

Many of the later cuckoo clocks, as you know, hang on the wall

0:22:190:22:21

-and they have those weights that look like pine cones.

-Yes.

0:22:210:22:26

But this is a wooden plated, Fusee cuckoo clock.

0:22:260:22:30

And just looking at the style, with this metal bridge,

0:22:300:22:35

across here, and these

0:22:350:22:37

lovely little coiled springs

0:22:370:22:39

on the edge of the ratchets,

0:22:390:22:41

I'm fairly happy to say to you

0:22:410:22:44

that this is by a very good maker called Johann Baptist Beha.

0:22:440:22:46

-Right.

-And we're talking here

0:22:460:22:49

a date of the mid-19th century, so this is a good early clock.

0:22:490:22:53

Let us also just have a look down here

0:22:530:22:56

at the musical box.

0:22:560:22:59

Gosh, that's pretty fine, as well,

0:22:590:23:03

with four bells

0:23:030:23:04

and a magnificent comb.

0:23:040:23:08

So, we'll see if the cuckoo's doing his thing. OK.

0:23:080:23:11

So, he didn't really want to do very much there, did he?

0:23:150:23:19

One o'clock that was.

0:23:190:23:20

Right, OK.

0:23:200:23:22

Right, now, here he comes up two o'clock.

0:23:220:23:26

Oh, we won't go off on two o'clock. I can tell you that.

0:23:270:23:29

Oh, when does he...?

0:23:290:23:30

It only goes off is that because it's not meant to?

0:23:300:23:32

Yeah, I don't, I don't think it's meant to.

0:23:320:23:34

OK, so it only goes off...

0:23:340:23:36

Three o'clock he should go off.

0:23:360:23:37

Three o'clock, six o'clock and nine do you think?

0:23:370:23:39

-No, every hour.

-Every hour, but not at one and two.

0:23:390:23:42

-Not at one and two.

-OK, that's a new one on me. I love it.

0:23:420:23:45

OK, so there he is, cuckooing.

0:23:480:23:51

And here we have the music.

0:23:510:23:53

What's this one?

0:23:570:24:00

-I don't know what that tune is, to be honest.

-He's stopped.

0:24:070:24:10

No, and then so you reckon it will do another tune

0:24:100:24:12

-at four o'clock etc, etc.

-Yes.

0:24:120:24:14

But he doesn't want to do it at one and two.

0:24:140:24:16

Just pop it back together.

0:24:160:24:18

So, it's got its trade label,

0:24:220:24:23

-it's by one of the best makers of this sort of clock.

-Yes.

0:24:230:24:26

It's a very good size,

0:24:260:24:28

but it is very much in the rough.

0:24:280:24:30

It does need complete restoration.

0:24:300:24:33

So, in its current state,

0:24:330:24:35

I reckon it at auction in the region of £2,000.

0:24:350:24:38

Somewhere about it.

0:24:380:24:40

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

0:24:400:24:44

When it is restored,

0:24:440:24:45

it would certainly be in the region of £5,000.

0:24:450:24:48

It would?

0:24:480:24:49

But there's a big difference between in the rough and top retail.

0:24:490:24:53

I don't often get pictures on the Roadshow with the glass

0:24:560:25:01

shattered on its front.

0:25:010:25:02

It's been twenty years in my garage, that's why it's broken

0:25:020:25:05

and for twenty years I've been threatening to throw it away.

0:25:050:25:08

About forty years ago I owned a mansion

0:25:080:25:12

the other side of Bideford

0:25:120:25:14

and it had about fifteen bedrooms,

0:25:140:25:18

and all my guests and myself saw an apparition.

0:25:180:25:22

Not every night, now and again, of a woman walking along the corridor

0:25:220:25:26

in the bedrooms, about one o'clock in the morning.

0:25:260:25:29

At the same time, you could always hear piano.

0:25:290:25:31

It was always Chopin being played,

0:25:310:25:32

you could hear this throughout the house.

0:25:320:25:34

They were looking at a ghost?

0:25:340:25:37

Yeah, yes,

0:25:370:25:39

but it was a friendly ghost, I mean,

0:25:390:25:40

you know, the apparition, you couldn't see what it was,

0:25:400:25:43

all you could see was a blue haze.

0:25:430:25:46

And then, one day, the amazing part was,

0:25:460:25:48

one day I was in Bideford, in a little street in Bideford,

0:25:480:25:52

and an old lady came out of a shop and said,

0:25:520:25:54

"Are you master of Hills?"

0:25:540:25:56

That's, do I own Hill House?

0:25:560:25:57

"Yes".

0:25:570:25:59

She took me round the back of the shop and gave me this picture

0:25:590:26:02

and I was shocked because that picture is painted

0:26:020:26:05

in the drawing room of Hill House, my house,

0:26:050:26:07

and that's the apparition we'd seen

0:26:070:26:09

and that's the piano she was playing on.

0:26:090:26:12

So, I then hung the picture back in its place

0:26:120:26:15

and nobody heard this all again for years.

0:26:150:26:18

By returning her to the house, you put the ghost to rest.

0:26:180:26:22

Yeah, and I tried giving this back to the people who own the house now,

0:26:220:26:26

and they don't want it so.

0:26:260:26:28

Do we, therefore, suppose that they're suffering

0:26:280:26:30

as a result of not having this picture?

0:26:300:26:32

I don't know. You can suppose that, but it's all a bit...

0:26:320:26:36

I mean, I must say, I'm, sort of,

0:26:360:26:37

slightly shivering having heard that story.

0:26:370:26:39

She's painted by, or rather,

0:26:390:26:42

drawn in pastel by an artist called Cyril Roberts.

0:26:420:26:46

It's signed and dated in the lower left-hand corner.

0:26:460:26:48

A reasonably prominent pastel painter,

0:26:480:26:52

who worked in Paris.

0:26:520:26:54

-I mean, she is not what you would describe as a modern taste face.

-No.

0:26:540:26:59

She's not, you know, one of those

0:26:590:27:02

diaphanous, impressionist figures

0:27:020:27:04

that we attach considerable price tags to, these days,

0:27:040:27:07

but, as for value, well, as a pastel in not great condition

0:27:070:27:12

the surface is not as fresh as it could be,

0:27:120:27:15

the subject isn't ideal but is quite pretty.

0:27:150:27:18

It's worth perhaps £500 or £600.

0:27:180:27:21

So ghost, or no ghost, it's not the sort of thing

0:27:220:27:26

that you can really leave knocking around in your garage,

0:27:260:27:30

-I suggest.

-No, no, OK.

0:27:300:27:31

Who is responsible for these little toys?

0:27:430:27:46

-My dad.

-Your dad. He collects them, does he?

0:27:460:27:49

Yes.

0:27:490:27:50

If you had to pick one,

0:27:500:27:52

-which one would you pick?

-That one.

0:27:520:27:55

-Do you know what that is?

-Yes.

0:27:550:27:58

-What is it?

-Shishi.

0:27:580:28:01

Very good, excellent. A shishi is exactly what it is.

0:28:010:28:04

It would be a Buddhist lion if you were Chinese,

0:28:040:28:08

but he was actually carved in where?

0:28:080:28:11

-Japan.

-She knows her stuff.

0:28:110:28:13

I tell you, twenty years from now, she'll be on the programme.

0:28:130:28:17

She wants to be a pilot, so I don't know about that.

0:28:170:28:19

Oh, well we have pilots as experts on the programme,

0:28:190:28:21

-it's quite possible.

-There you go.

-Yeah, he's carved in wood.

0:28:210:28:24

And he's a really strong vigorous bit of carving.

0:28:270:28:32

I mean you see this hole?

0:28:320:28:35

That's where the cord would have gone,

0:28:350:28:37

which you tied it there,

0:28:370:28:40

but it's actually jolly big for a netsuke

0:28:400:28:43

and it may be just an okimono,

0:28:430:28:45

but it's got age.

0:28:450:28:48

I mean, it's early-19th, even possibly 18th-century in date.

0:28:480:28:53

Very, very nice.

0:28:530:28:55

These two are an object lesson

0:28:570:29:01

in ivory carving.

0:29:010:29:03

-That's elephant ivory.

-Yes.

0:29:030:29:05

And they're both water buffalo.

0:29:050:29:06

This one is quite nice,

0:29:080:29:09

dating from the second half of the 19th century,

0:29:090:29:12

but if you look at the way the carving has been done

0:29:120:29:17

for this rope, for example, it's actually not that good.

0:29:170:29:21

It doesn't, kind of, work as a rope should do.

0:29:220:29:27

Whereas, this one, is absolutely fantastic,

0:29:270:29:31

just look at the way that runs across his back.

0:29:310:29:34

And you can tell how old it is,

0:29:340:29:36

by the fact that his backbone has worn

0:29:360:29:40

and we've also got wear to the rope at those two points.

0:29:400:29:45

You'll never find that on a later one.

0:29:450:29:49

We've got a reserve, here, with a signature in it,

0:29:490:29:53

but it's too worn to read.

0:29:530:29:56

So, that's, I think, a very, very nice one.

0:29:560:29:59

And...

0:29:590:30:02

-..do you know anything about this one?

-No.

0:30:020:30:05

Do you like this one? You like that one.

0:30:050:30:07

But what have we got? We've got a temple bell.

0:30:080:30:12

-And it's a sennin, isn't it?

-With a what?

0:30:120:30:15

A sennin, I think.

0:30:150:30:17

Oh, now we're getting in here deep.

0:30:170:30:19

Actually, no, but I'm very impressed.

0:30:190:30:23

This is a wonderful Japanese legend

0:30:230:30:26

-of a girl who fell in love with a priest.

-OK.

0:30:260:30:31

And the priest spurned her.

0:30:310:30:33

He said, "I don't want anything to do with you."

0:30:330:30:36

And, so, she turned into a demon and she lured him to a temple bell

0:30:360:30:41

and he went inside the bell

0:30:410:30:44

and she wrapped herself round the bell

0:30:440:30:48

and then made it red hot, so he was burnt to a cinder.

0:30:480:30:52

And this is her, and she's called Hannya,

0:30:520:30:55

and she's got that horrid face you can recognise her by.

0:30:550:31:00

So, that's what that is.

0:31:000:31:03

So, what values do we have?

0:31:030:31:06

Has he had any training on what to buy or...

0:31:070:31:10

-No.

-Just good eye,

0:31:100:31:11

that's what I've always put it down to, but maybe I'm biased.

0:31:110:31:15

Well, I have to say,

0:31:150:31:16

I'm full of admiration.

0:31:160:31:18

He has got almost

0:31:180:31:20

entirely good objects.

0:31:200:31:25

That one would fetch around

0:31:250:31:27

£1,500 to £2,000.

0:31:270:31:28

That one would fetch

0:31:310:31:33

around £300 to £500, only, because he's not that good.

0:31:330:31:37

Hannya would fetch around

0:31:370:31:40

£700 to £1,000

0:31:400:31:42

and that one would fetch around

0:31:420:31:46

-£1,500 to £2,500, as well.

-Really?

0:31:460:31:48

Sitting on the table,

0:31:480:31:51

£10,000 to £15,000 worth at least.

0:31:510:31:55

I hope he didn't pay more than that.

0:31:550:32:00

What a beautifully made bowl you've brought in.

0:32:040:32:09

-Is it a family one?

-It is.

0:32:090:32:12

It belonged to my husband's aunt

0:32:120:32:14

and she was given it as a wedding present in 1932 by her company,

0:32:140:32:19

and that was quite a nice wedding present for her.

0:32:190:32:22

Very generous present.

0:32:220:32:24

And when you look at the way it's actually produced

0:32:240:32:26

we've got all this lovely piercing, that's all hand piercing,

0:32:260:32:31

beautifully engraved.

0:32:310:32:33

In fact, the engraving would have been done

0:32:330:32:35

-before the piercing.

-Right.

0:32:350:32:37

And then all of these swags,

0:32:370:32:39

as you go round, are all cast separately

0:32:390:32:41

and applied to the body.

0:32:410:32:43

I mean, it's made the way it should.

0:32:430:32:46

Right.

0:32:460:32:47

Do you know where it was made?

0:32:470:32:49

-No, I don't.

-Well, in fact the marks

0:32:490:32:52

we've got underneath, here,

0:32:520:32:54

are actually for The Netherlands.

0:32:540:32:56

-Oh.

-From the 19th century. 1850-1860.

0:32:560:33:01

Gosh.

0:33:010:33:02

But what's been happening there? The handle's all out of shape.

0:33:020:33:07

-Ah, well that happened during the war.

-Right.

0:33:070:33:10

The bowl always lived on the sideboard

0:33:100:33:11

but a V2 bomber hit the house.

0:33:110:33:16

That was blown off the sideboard and,

0:33:160:33:18

as we understand,

0:33:180:33:20

that got bent but the glass never got broken.

0:33:200:33:22

Wow! It's generally the other way round.

0:33:220:33:25

-yes, exactly, yes.

-The glass gets broken.

0:33:250:33:27

But, amazing that that glass has actually survived.

0:33:270:33:31

-Yes.

-So, what is a 19th-century Dutch,

0:33:310:33:35

blasted-by-a-V2 bowl actually worth?

0:33:350:33:41

I would have said that bowl, today, probably set you back the best part

0:33:410:33:46

-of £2,000.

-Gosh, my goodness.

0:33:460:33:50

It's a delightful bowl.

0:33:500:33:52

Yes, so very generous wedding present, wasn't it? From her boss.

0:33:520:33:55

Well, the French have two words for jewellery, we only have one.

0:34:020:34:06

They have a word for gem set jewellery,

0:34:060:34:08

and a word for artistic jewellery.

0:34:080:34:09

This is joaillerie

0:34:090:34:11

and this is bijouterie, and, in a way,

0:34:110:34:14

we've brought the polarity of what it means, to the table.

0:34:140:34:16

But tell me about them with you, what about this diamond star

0:34:160:34:19

-it's yours, isn't it?

-Yes, it has come down through the family,

0:34:190:34:24

it's one of three and the two others are still in the family, I believe,

0:34:240:34:29

and I don't often get a chance to wear it, needless to say.

0:34:290:34:33

No, what do you feel like when you do wear it?

0:34:330:34:36

I've worn it to a ball.

0:34:360:34:37

Yes, and was it like champagne? Did it raise your spirits and...

0:34:370:34:40

Quite nervous about it

0:34:400:34:42

but my husband's father insisted

0:34:420:34:44

that I wear the star to this ball because, you know, showing off.

0:34:440:34:46

-He was quite right.

-Yes.

0:34:460:34:47

And interesting that there were three of them

0:34:470:34:49

because there's a little fitting on the back,

0:34:490:34:51

and it actually suggests to me

0:34:510:34:53

-that it's part of a tiara.

-Yes.

0:34:530:34:55

-And did you know it was?

-No, I don't know much about it.

0:34:550:34:57

Maybe the flanking ones are smaller that's the convention

0:34:570:35:00

with these things

0:35:000:35:01

and it's a highly successful jewellery design, the star, really

0:35:010:35:05

because, of course, the diamonds return the light like the stars do.

0:35:050:35:08

-Yes.

-And date-wise, any thoughts about that?

0:35:080:35:10

Eighteen something?

0:35:100:35:12

Yes, eighteen something's really good because it was a fashion

0:35:120:35:15

that existed in 1800 and was still going strong

0:35:150:35:19

in the 20th century.

0:35:190:35:20

Even Chanel made jewellery in the form of stars like this.

0:35:200:35:23

-Oh, yes, yes.

-But this is an English star and it's backed in gold

0:35:230:35:27

and set in silver and the diamonds are there simply decoratively.

0:35:270:35:30

Their value is not in their sort of gemmology of them,

0:35:300:35:33

-the purity of them, the colour.

-Yes.

0:35:330:35:34

But it's actually all about the return of light

0:35:340:35:37

and a beautiful object.

0:35:370:35:39

These objects are really made at about the same time.

0:35:390:35:41

They're both mid 19th-century jewels with very different intentions.

0:35:410:35:45

-This is art jewellery. Tell me about that.

-Well, this one, I think,

0:35:450:35:49

my grandfather must have collected it.

0:35:490:35:51

He was in the Royal Navy

0:35:510:35:53

and he, sort of, bought things all over the place.

0:35:530:35:56

And I inherited a desk off him and this was in a cigar box.

0:35:560:36:01

-In a secret box.

-Well, just a jumble of, sort of...

0:36:010:36:04

A jumble thing because it's slightly naughty, isn't it?

0:36:040:36:07

It is, the concept of it is slightly naughty

0:36:070:36:09

because here is a Satyr, a half man, half goat,

0:36:090:36:12

associated with, sort of, carnal love in antiquity

0:36:120:36:18

and he's trying to advance his relationship with a siren,

0:36:180:36:21

a mermaid, and they're in a thick embrace, there

0:36:210:36:25

-and it's made of steel.

-Really?

-Steel?

0:36:250:36:29

Yes, it's rather wearing sables on the inside of your mackintosh

0:36:290:36:32

because it's steel on the outside.

0:36:320:36:34

-Yes.

-And on the inside is beautifully lined with pure gold.

0:36:340:36:38

It's a very, very distinguished object, indeed.

0:36:380:36:42

It's the sort of object made throughout Europe,

0:36:420:36:44

and one of the manufacturers of such objects was a fellow in Paris,

0:36:440:36:47

oddly enough, called Tissot, and it may be that he made that.

0:36:470:36:51

I think it's sculpture in miniature.

0:36:510:36:53

It says everything about art jewellery, to me,

0:36:530:36:55

and we've got to have a little bash at valuing them. Curiously enough,

0:36:550:36:59

for the reasons that you were a little bit reticent

0:36:590:37:01

to wear this to that dance,

0:37:010:37:03

is the reason it's not as valuable as it jolly well ought to be,

0:37:030:37:06

because the fashion for wearing these in the UK has fallen away.

0:37:060:37:10

-Yes.

-That kind of entertaining doesn't really happen.

0:37:100:37:12

But I think that's probably got to be

0:37:120:37:15

worth £4,000 to £5,000 of anybody's money

0:37:150:37:17

and I'd like to think it was worth more, but it just might not be.

0:37:170:37:21

This one here, is worth, well,

0:37:210:37:24

close to as much.

0:37:240:37:26

-Good grief.

-I think somebody who wanted that very much,

0:37:260:37:30

would be quite keen to give, you know, £2,000 to £3,000 for it

0:37:300:37:34

if it was properly described,

0:37:340:37:35

because it's a highly original concept

0:37:350:37:37

and there are avid ring collectors,

0:37:370:37:38

so what a strange story masses of diamonds, masses of art,

0:37:380:37:41

-both apparently valuable, and both you love, don't you?

-Yes.

-Yes.

0:37:410:37:46

-What do you think now?

-I'm amazed.

0:37:460:37:48

People bring along ships made of all sorts of things to the Roadshow,

0:37:540:37:58

often of matchsticks, of course.

0:37:580:38:00

What's this made of?

0:38:000:38:01

Cloves, you can smell it, actually cloves.

0:38:010:38:05

-So you can. So...

-Its smell lasts.

0:38:050:38:09

-So, each individual clove. Look at that!

-Yes, yes.

0:38:090:38:12

-And do you know how old it is?

-Between 1850 and 1900.

0:38:120:38:15

And why make a ship out of cloves?

0:38:150:38:17

Well, the Ambonese, in Indonesia, it's a native tribe in Indonesia

0:38:170:38:22

made these as tourist attractions, which they then sold to the tourists.

0:38:220:38:28

The smell of that time has come down through the centuries.

0:38:280:38:31

-Yes, yes.

-It's an amazing thing to see.

0:38:310:38:33

Yes, it's something so unique

0:38:330:38:35

that, well, that's why I thought I'd bring it along today.

0:38:350:38:39

Well, one day on the Roadshow, we'll have smellovision.

0:38:390:38:42

Wish you could smell it. So strongly of cloves.

0:38:440:38:48

This drawing is titled

0:38:530:38:54

-"Putting the Changi Guardian to bed".

-Yes

0:38:540:38:57

Now what was the Changi Guardian?

0:38:570:38:59

The Changi Guardian was the newspaper for the prison camp of Changi.

0:38:590:39:04

And eight copies were typed each day,

0:39:040:39:08

and I have one of the copies, just here.

0:39:080:39:11

This is an original copy.

0:39:110:39:13

That's an original printed, or should I say typed,

0:39:130:39:17

in Changi Gaol by one of the characters

0:39:170:39:19

that you see in this cartoon.

0:39:190:39:21

Well, Changi Gaol, of course,

0:39:210:39:23

was used by the Japanese to house prisoners who were in Malaya,

0:39:230:39:28

Singapore

0:39:280:39:31

-during the Second World War.

-Yes.

-From 1942 onwards.

0:39:310:39:35

Changi Gaol was built to house

0:39:350:39:39

600 people.

0:39:390:39:41

The Japanese put 5,000 people

0:39:410:39:43

in that gaol for three and half years.

0:39:430:39:48

My grandparents were in Malaya at the time.

0:39:480:39:53

My grandfather working for the Colonial Service

0:39:530:39:56

as an agricultural chemist. He was taken by the Japanese.

0:39:560:39:59

Both my grandmother and my grandfather

0:39:590:40:01

spent the whole three and half years in Changi Gaol.

0:40:010:40:04

And were they separated in Changi Gaol?

0:40:040:40:07

They were. There was the men's section,

0:40:070:40:09

or the men's camp, and the women's camp.

0:40:090:40:11

So, they had little contact with each other during that time.

0:40:110:40:15

They had to secretly pass notes to each other,

0:40:150:40:20

through friendly guards

0:40:200:40:23

or people who were passing from section to section,

0:40:230:40:26

that they knew they could trust.

0:40:260:40:28

Should they have been found out, then it was very, very dire indeed,

0:40:280:40:31

the consequences.

0:40:310:40:33

-I should imagine.

-Yes.

-And this one, this little note here says,

0:40:330:40:38

"My dearest one."

0:40:380:40:39

So, is this one of the notes they would have passed to each other?

0:40:390:40:42

This is one from my grandmother to my grandfather.

0:40:420:40:44

It would have been folded up as you see into a very small space

0:40:440:40:47

and passed through the camp that way.

0:40:470:40:50

"I am glad that the Red Cross have been misled

0:40:500:40:53

"and our true conditions of living

0:40:530:40:57

"and housing have not been revealed". Why do you think that is?

0:40:570:41:01

They were pleased that their parents

0:41:010:41:03

didn't really know what plight they were in,

0:41:030:41:07

because they were in a dreadful state, all of them.

0:41:070:41:11

My grandfather kept a diary for the first year while he was in there,

0:41:110:41:14

and after five months or so, in the diary,

0:41:140:41:18

they are saying how thin they are becoming from starvation diet.

0:41:180:41:22

Little did they know they had another three years of this.

0:41:220:41:25

Incredible, isn't it?

0:41:250:41:26

It is. My grandfather caught malaria,

0:41:260:41:29

my grandmother had dysentery three times while she was in there

0:41:290:41:33

and the priest offered her the last rites.

0:41:330:41:35

-Really?

-The last time, and she said,

0:41:350:41:40

if I do go, if you could get my wedding ring to my grandfather

0:41:400:41:43

in the men's camp, then he will know. She survived.

0:41:430:41:47

Now, you've brought along a few drawings, paintings, as well.

0:41:470:41:50

Now, what does this one show?

0:41:500:41:53

This one is painted by my grandmother

0:41:530:41:55

this was painted in the gaol and this shows how, in the women's camp,

0:41:550:41:59

they got a little privacy.

0:41:590:42:01

They put a curtain on bamboo poles going across here,

0:42:010:42:05

so, in between each curtain there was a bed.

0:42:050:42:07

And this really illustrates the living conditions.

0:42:070:42:09

Their living conditions as it was for the women.

0:42:090:42:12

Now, this photograph.

0:42:120:42:13

This is just after they'd got back.

0:42:130:42:16

They both were in hospital when they arrived in Britain,

0:42:160:42:18

because they came back as skeletons on stretchers,

0:42:180:42:21

and so, this is shortly after they bought their dream cottage.

0:42:210:42:25

-This is in their garden.

-Now, that's marvellous.

-Yes

0:42:250:42:28

And do you have many more drawings and pictures and documents?

0:42:280:42:32

Yes, many many paintings and drawings from my grandmother.

0:42:320:42:35

-How many do you have?

-I must have forty or fifty.

0:42:350:42:40

A number of these very good cartoons

0:42:400:42:43

by a man called C Jackson.

0:42:430:42:46

Well, you know, we come to the stage where we have to talk about value,

0:42:460:42:51

but I sometimes feel rather uncomfortable

0:42:510:42:55

with items such as these, talking about value.

0:42:550:42:58

There is a collector's market, would you believe,

0:42:580:43:02

for this type of item, and if you've got forty or fifty paintings,

0:43:020:43:05

I would think that the market would be

0:43:050:43:08

in the low hundreds, maybe £300 £400,

0:43:080:43:11

-but the value isn't is not the important thing.

-No, no.

0:43:110:43:13

It's the historical aspect, the fact that here we have

0:43:130:43:17

living proof, documentation, of a period in our history

0:43:170:43:22

that many people have forgotten about, of the Second World War.

0:43:220:43:26

Yes, yes.

0:43:260:43:27

And I'm so glad to have seen it, and been witness to this today.

0:43:270:43:32

Thank you very much, indeed, thank you.

0:43:320:43:35

Boys Preparatory School, and you know it does exactly

0:43:370:43:41

what it says on the tin,

0:43:410:43:43

-because out of that box, came this.

-Yes.

-And it is wonderful.

0:43:430:43:47

We've got eight students, a teacher. He looks like,

0:43:470:43:52

he looks like a school master should do, doesn't he?

0:43:520:43:55

With his moustache, but he doesn't have a cane so...

0:43:550:43:58

-No.

-That's one good thing.

0:43:580:44:00

-That's Mr Brown.

-That's Mr Brown?

0:44:000:44:03

Now, you're saying that with some conviction.

0:44:030:44:05

Did you play with this, then?

0:44:050:44:07

Oh, yes, of course I did.

0:44:070:44:09

But it's much too old to be yours, so, it came to you as a child?

0:44:090:44:13

-Yes, yes.

-Whose was it before?

0:44:130:44:15

-Well, it came from my mum's side of the family.

-Right.

0:44:150:44:17

I don't know much any other history.

0:44:170:44:19

-Did you go on to be a school mistress?

-Oh, no.

0:44:190:44:22

-You got it all out of your system early did you?

-Yes, yes. Oh, yes.

0:44:220:44:25

The whole thing is just gorgeous.

0:44:250:44:28

Now, I'm absolutely certain that it's all come from Germany.

0:44:280:44:31

-Do you think so?

-Absolutely. On the back, there,

0:44:310:44:34

-it says "foreign".

-Yes.

0:44:340:44:36

And that is a very good indication that it came from somewhere

0:44:360:44:39

-that didn't want to identify itself.

-Oh, I see, yes.

0:44:390:44:43

So, my feeling is that it's around about the time

0:44:430:44:46

of the First World War.

0:44:460:44:47

-Would that fit in with your mum's...?

-Yes, because she was born in '08.

0:44:470:44:50

-There we go.

-So that would be about it.

-That would fit in.

-Yes.

0:44:500:44:53

-Because she wouldn't have been given it as a tiny tot.

-No. Oh, no.

0:44:530:44:56

She'd have been given it when it was more, you know,

0:44:560:44:58

she was old enough to be able to deal with it.

0:44:580:45:00

It's absolutely charming.

0:45:010:45:03

I think it's given you, obviously, a huge amount of play value.

0:45:030:45:07

-Oh, yes.

-I'm hoping that I can get my play value out of it too.

0:45:070:45:12

But value-wise,

0:45:120:45:14

I would put it at between

0:45:140:45:16

£400 and £600 without any question

0:45:160:45:18

and, I think, on a good day, it could fetch even more than that.

0:45:180:45:22

-Yes. Oh, well, it'll never go, leave our family.

-Quite right too.

0:45:220:45:26

-I'll leave it to one of the things.

-So, there we go. The class of 1915.

0:45:260:45:28

-That's right, yes.

-Just great.

0:45:280:45:31

Well, Vue De Launceston, I mean, it's a French title,

0:45:390:45:43

but I assume we're looking at Launceston in Cornwall, here.

0:45:430:45:46

Yes, yes.

0:45:460:45:48

And tell me, why is it in French?

0:45:480:45:51

It belonged to my great-great-great grandfather.

0:45:510:45:54

He was Mayor of Launceston

0:45:540:45:56

in the second half of the 19th century.

0:45:560:45:59

When he was a very young man, he was fishing in the river

0:45:590:46:03

and he got into some sort of difficulties.

0:46:030:46:06

The castle at the time was being used,

0:46:060:46:09

I think, as a prisoner-of-war camp for higher ranking

0:46:090:46:14

French naval officers and one of them spotted

0:46:140:46:18

my great-great-great grandfather

0:46:180:46:21

and he went over his boundary and rescued him,

0:46:210:46:24

and they struck up some sort of a friendship

0:46:240:46:27

and he later presented him with this picture.

0:46:270:46:32

A wonderful, wonderful story and of course let's just think about it,

0:46:320:46:35

because I can see in the bottom right-hand corner,

0:46:350:46:37

it's got a date 1808.

0:46:370:46:39

So this was a French prisoner-of-war

0:46:390:46:42

and the detail that this officer has painted,

0:46:420:46:46

it's like a miniature, and I think he's, sort of, hankering for home,

0:46:460:46:50

because I feel the, sort of, Frenchiness feel to it.

0:46:500:46:53

And it's not, obviously, in deepest Cornwall, is it?

0:46:530:46:57

And it seems quite a liberal existence.

0:46:570:47:00

There he is,

0:47:000:47:03

probably allowed outside the confines of the prison,

0:47:030:47:05

-so a sort of open-air prison, really, wasn't it?

-Yes.

0:47:050:47:08

That chance meeting,

0:47:080:47:10

I think is just wonderful and you've got a piece of history,

0:47:100:47:13

and I think a really, really beautiful view of Launceston

0:47:130:47:18

from the early 19th century.

0:47:180:47:20

So, the great moment, valuation.

0:47:200:47:24

Is it something you've considered?

0:47:240:47:26

Well, it only belongs

0:47:260:47:27

half to me, because my sister owns the other half,

0:47:270:47:30

so I can't really sell it.

0:47:300:47:31

I wasn't suggesting you sell it.

0:47:310:47:34

I've got strict instructions to pass it on to my nephews, so.

0:47:340:47:37

Shall I whisper it to you, then? No, well, it is difficult to value,

0:47:370:47:41

because nothing similar's been on the market.

0:47:410:47:43

But I would say something like this was worth at least £2,000 to £3,000.

0:47:430:47:48

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

0:47:480:47:51

Gosh, it's delightfully wonky, isn't it?

0:47:540:47:56

-That's right, yes.

-But that begs the question

0:47:560:47:58

is it misshapen because it's cheaply made or because it's very early?

0:47:580:48:03

-What do you know about it?

-Well, they were given to me from my uncle's estate

0:48:030:48:06

and my father brought them over amongst some other dishes,

0:48:060:48:08

said, "You can have those." So, I've had them ever since.

0:48:080:48:12

-And are they things you just liked?

-Yeah, I just liked collecting plates

0:48:120:48:15

so it was something I've always enjoyed having, actually.

0:48:150:48:17

I mean, the design, I suppose, Japanese influence, here

0:48:170:48:21

somewhere back along the line, but these were made in Italy,

0:48:210:48:26

they're Italian porcelain.

0:48:260:48:29

And, actually the backs are such an extraordinary colour.

0:48:290:48:32

-Yes.

-As if it's so dirty and it really is, isn't it?

0:48:320:48:35

I mean, it does feel dirty and scruffy, because this was amongst

0:48:350:48:39

the very earliest Italian porcelain.

0:48:390:48:41

We're going back to the 1740s.

0:48:410:48:43

They hadn't really discovered the pure white porcelain

0:48:430:48:46

that made porcelain in Japan, and made porcelain in Meissen,

0:48:460:48:49

which was the great European porcelain.

0:48:490:48:51

Instead they've used local clays,

0:48:510:48:53

and produced their own version, which is this colour.

0:48:530:48:56

It is, I think, just charmingly irregular.

0:48:560:48:59

Yes, that's right.

0:48:590:49:01

They come from near Florence.

0:49:010:49:03

This was the first period of production at the Doccia factory.

0:49:030:49:06

At that time they were developing nice bright colours.

0:49:060:49:11

I love this flame orange, it's really a super colour.

0:49:110:49:13

Yeah, it's beautiful.

0:49:130:49:14

-Is that what appealed to you?

-Oh, yes, I think they're stunning.

0:49:140:49:16

I did think they were Chinese, originally,

0:49:160:49:19

but I'm not terribly sure on ceramics, so...

0:49:190:49:21

The Chinese would have made them, and the Japanese,

0:49:210:49:24

so perfectly formed.

0:49:240:49:25

Instead, these are as if they melted in the kiln

0:49:250:49:28

and they couldn't get the temperature quite right

0:49:280:49:30

at this time.

0:49:300:49:32

It just took a few years to perfect it.

0:49:320:49:34

By ten years later they were making superb porcelain at Doccia.

0:49:340:49:36

But at this early first period I like it, because it went wrong.

0:49:360:49:41

-Oh, right.

-And the design Tula Panno we call this.

0:49:410:49:45

So quite rare things to find.

0:49:470:49:48

-Oh, really?

-Yes, so...

0:49:480:49:50

They were just given to me in a pile of other plates

0:49:500:49:52

and I thought, "I'll keep those," and I've had them ever since, so...

0:49:520:49:55

You did the right thing, because now the pair are worth

0:49:550:49:59

£3,000.

0:49:590:50:01

Really? Really?

0:50:010:50:04

I thought a couple of hundred.

0:50:040:50:06

I never thought it would be that much.

0:50:060:50:09

-Wow, gosh, shocked.

-It's good that they're wonky and early.

0:50:090:50:12

Well, I'll treasure them even more now, actually.

0:50:120:50:14

-This is what every bookseller dreams of.

-Really?

0:50:170:50:20

Going through a load of second-hand books

0:50:200:50:22

and suddenly coming across

0:50:220:50:24

inscriptions by the author,

0:50:240:50:26

or even better, as in this case, a poem by the author.

0:50:260:50:30

"When I was a farmer And walked o'er my land,

0:50:300:50:32

"I found a gold sovereign Wherever I did stand.

0:50:320:50:37

"But now I'm a scribbler And nude as a carrot

0:50:370:50:40

"All stuck full of feathers And words like a parrot".

0:50:400:50:43

And then this wonderful inscription, here, and it says,

0:50:430:50:46

-"For Maggie and Marcus".

-Yes

0:50:460:50:49

And then "With love from Carol"...

0:50:490:50:51

That's his wife.

0:50:510:50:53

.."and Ted Hughes",

0:50:530:50:56

which is who we're talking about. It's a wonderful inscription

0:50:560:50:59

on a perfectly ordinary book.

0:50:590:51:02

So, what is the connection between you and Ted Hughes?

0:51:020:51:04

Well, we met through a fur coat I won't go into...

0:51:040:51:09

-Through a fur coat!

-I won't go into it any more than that.

0:51:090:51:11

Are you sure you don't want to expound?

0:51:110:51:13

No. And we became really good friends. My then husband

0:51:130:51:17

and Carol and Ted and we had many many happy evenings.

0:51:170:51:20

-Because he used to live down here.

-Yes.

-Obviously he lived down here.

-Yes, yes, yes, yes.

0:51:200:51:25

That was when he was Poet Laureate, was it?

0:51:250:51:27

-Before and after, yes.

-Well, you have these wonderful inscribed books,

0:51:270:51:31

you've also got this... How did he give this to you?

0:51:310:51:33

I mean, this is a poem, and it says,

0:51:330:51:37

"For Maggie and Marcus with love from Ted" in pencil, there,

0:51:370:51:40

-and then this extraordinary poem here.

-Yes.

-Which I can hardly decipher at all.

0:51:400:51:43

-No, nor me.

-It's called, "Fox Riddles".

-Riddles.

0:51:430:51:47

-Go on, what's the first line?

-I would have to see it, I don't know it by heart.

0:51:470:51:50

No. "Who's the best dressed in the" something "room?"

0:51:500:51:52

Gentleman in England.

0:51:520:51:53

In England, yes. Oh, anyway, it goes on like that.

0:51:530:51:56

-It is quite difficult.

-It's enormously difficult, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:51:560:51:59

But how lovely to have these that were actually,

0:51:590:52:02

that he actually did and gave you on various occasions.

0:52:020:52:07

He used to turn up with, with his latest book,

0:52:070:52:09

and then he would inscribe it either for us or for our children.

0:52:090:52:11

I suspect this is unpublished, isn't it?

0:52:110:52:14

-I think it is unpublished.

-Well, it...

0:52:140:52:16

I did show it Carol and she didn't think it was published.

0:52:160:52:19

..from your point of view it's unread,

0:52:190:52:20

as well. This, I think, is rather fun, this piece, here.

0:52:200:52:25

It's nothing that one would think of Ted Hughes as doing, really, is it?

0:52:250:52:28

No, I don't know that he's known for his drawings.

0:52:280:52:31

-Yes, and yet you have, over here, you've got other things actually.

-Yes.

0:52:310:52:35

-Signed by him, and there's a pike.

-Well, he was a great fisherman,

0:52:350:52:39

but I think he was very comfortable drawing,

0:52:390:52:42

it only took him a moment to do them.

0:52:420:52:44

-And this one for Leo, September 1990.

-That's my son, yes.

0:52:440:52:46

Werewolf's friend. I mean that's an absolutely wonderful inscription,

0:52:460:52:50

-isn't it?

-Yes.

-Well, I suppose we have to go on about price,

0:52:500:52:54

-which always seems a shame.

-Yes, it does really.

0:52:540:52:58

I mean, he was a greatly loved poet and, you know,

0:52:580:53:00

benefited us all, I'm sure, by his wonderful poetry.

0:53:000:53:04

A signed poem, unpublished, has got to be worth the best part

0:53:050:53:09

of £1,000.

0:53:090:53:12

The books, themselves, not desperately valuable,

0:53:120:53:16

first editions maybe.

0:53:160:53:18

Somewhat abused, I think, they've been read.

0:53:180:53:21

-Read in the bath or whatever.

-Yes.

-But it hasn't affected them, really, at all,

0:53:210:53:24

and they are all in superb condition, are going to be worth,

0:53:240:53:27

what, I don't know, £400 or £500 each, easily.

0:53:270:53:31

-They're really very exciting.

-Thank you.

0:53:310:53:34

At first look, this looks like it should be a piece

0:53:380:53:42

of Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre by Daisy Makeig-Jones, but it isn't.

0:53:420:53:46

What's going on?

0:53:460:53:48

Well, Daisy Makeig-Jones was my great aunt

0:53:480:53:51

and, really, I've brought it along, today,

0:53:510:53:54

just to get to know a bit more about what it really is.

0:53:540:53:58

My brother's got one and my sister has another design,

0:53:580:54:02

and it will be interesting to see your opinion of this one.

0:54:020:54:04

Well, I've looked at it, and this is one of her original drawings,

0:54:040:54:09

this is her original drawing for the plaque, and it is very rare.

0:54:090:54:16

You know her, she was your great aunt,

0:54:160:54:18

but she was a very interesting character,

0:54:180:54:20

she wrote, not a begging letter, but she basically wrote a letter

0:54:200:54:23

to the Wedgwood firm to say "I want a job as a designer,"

0:54:230:54:26

and they took her on as a trainee

0:54:260:54:28

and in two years she had her own studio.

0:54:280:54:31

She started off doing what Wedgwood called ordinary lustres,

0:54:310:54:34

which were plain, sort of, a powder colour grounds with dragons,

0:54:340:54:39

butterflies, dragonflies, that type of thing on it,

0:54:390:54:42

and then in 1915-16 she started her Fairyland Lustre.

0:54:420:54:45

And it's interesting, she wrote a little book

0:54:450:54:48

called "Glimpses of Fairyland", which was partially

0:54:480:54:51

a brochure, partially made-up stories, which she illustrated

0:54:510:54:55

and one of the things she used to describe Fairyland Lustre

0:54:550:54:58

was the stuff that dreams are made of,

0:54:580:55:01

so, it's rather lovely that this design has that same name on it.

0:55:010:55:04

There's this, as well. What's going on here?

0:55:080:55:10

This is very curious.

0:55:100:55:12

We've always wondered what it is,

0:55:120:55:13

because it looks like plastic,

0:55:130:55:15

it's got her goblins

0:55:150:55:19

clearly running through, but we have no idea.

0:55:190:55:22

And this belonged to Daisy?

0:55:220:55:24

We believe so, yes.

0:55:240:55:26

Well, it's not plastic,

0:55:260:55:28

it's glass

0:55:280:55:29

and it's actually one of the rarest pieces of pressed glass

0:55:290:55:32

in the world.

0:55:320:55:34

Must take care of it.

0:55:370:55:38

Nothing to do with Daisy Makeig-Jones

0:55:380:55:40

apart from she owned it. It's actually made by John George Sowerby in Gateshead

0:55:400:55:45

in the north-ast of England in the 1870s.

0:55:450:55:48

It's a type of glass which they called Queen's Ivory.

0:55:480:55:51

Nobody has ever seen one.

0:55:510:55:54

Sunderland Museum have a piece of one

0:55:540:55:56

and that's the only one anybody has seen.

0:55:560:55:59

I rang three prominent collectors, today,

0:55:590:56:02

and they've all said they've never seen one.

0:56:020:56:04

So, it's not the rarest piece of pressed glass in the world,

0:56:040:56:07

but it's one of them.

0:56:070:56:09

So, I suppose, we've got to come to values.

0:56:120:56:16

Designs by Daisy Makeig-Jones don't come up.

0:56:160:56:20

When, in 1931, she was sacked by Wedgwood,

0:56:200:56:23

she stormed into the office and she ordered a boy to smash all her vases,

0:56:230:56:28

so they're a difficult thing to value.

0:56:280:56:30

Likewise, the piece of pressed glass nobody in the world's ever seen apart from a fragment.

0:56:300:56:34

We know them from catalogues, which is why we know.

0:56:340:56:37

And, bizarrely, they're described as tiles,

0:56:370:56:39

although I think they're actually tiles for making into plaques like this,

0:56:390:56:42

not tiles to put in the bathroom it's simply not thick enough to plaster on the wall.

0:56:420:56:46

So, it is difficult to value but I rang a leading pressed glass collector this afternoon

0:56:460:56:52

and I said to him, "I yu saw this for sale, would you pay a thousand pounds for it?"

0:56:520:56:57

And he said, "I'd hesitate, but I would."

0:56:570:57:00

So, your aunt's bit of plastic is a very rare piece of thousand-pound glass.

0:57:000:57:06

This, if it was a plaque by Daisy Makeig-Jones, we would know exactly what value it is.

0:57:060:57:12

Again, it's a difficult thing to say, but I know if this came for auction

0:57:120:57:16

-we'd be looking at a figure between £6,000 and £8,000, potentially more.

-OK, thank you very much indeed.

0:57:160:57:23

So, I'm going to give you that back. I've spent almost my whole Roadshow career

0:57:230:57:28

-hoping one of those turns up

-Thank you very much indeed.

0:57:280:57:32

Remember at the beginning of the programme

0:57:330:57:35

I was telling you that this area has long been famous

0:57:350:57:38

for shipwrecks and objects that have washed up on the shore over the centuries.

0:57:380:57:42

Well, you might be imagining, as I did, caskets of jewels or gold coins

0:57:420:57:49

perhaps not a can of peanuts. But this has an amazing provenance,

0:57:490:57:53

because this was on a ship during the Second World War

0:57:530:57:57

that was dispatched from this area, an American ship to help the troops at D-Day.

0:57:570:58:01

It was a cargo ship full of food.

0:58:010:58:03

It was torpedoed and it sank, and this washed up on the shore.

0:58:030:58:06

Now, even though there was rationing at the time,

0:58:060:58:09

the people that found it, never ate the peanuts,

0:58:090:58:12

and I can tell they're still in there.

0:58:120:58:14

From the Antiques Roadshow at Hartland Abbey, bye-bye.

0:58:140:58:19

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0:58:440:58:48

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