0:00:04 > 0:00:08We've reached the most northerly point on our journey with the Roadshow,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11and our venue today even has its own railway station.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13And what a spot for it!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow
0:00:15 > 0:00:17from Perthshire in the Scottish Highlands.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03In 1844, the Duke of Atholl objected
0:01:03 > 0:01:07to a proposal for a railway to run through his land,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09the Blair Atholl Estate, near Pitlochry.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11These paintings were done to convince the Duke
0:01:11 > 0:01:13how trains would enhance the look of the landscape.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18It took until 1863 for the line to finally arrive.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23On the eve of the opening, the Duke
0:01:23 > 0:01:27took a trip around his estate, enjoying the novel experience
0:01:27 > 0:01:30of travelling more than 50mph!
0:01:32 > 0:01:34A stone's throw away from the station is our venue.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Known as the gateway to the Highlands of Scotland,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Blair Castle sits in the centre of an estate
0:01:40 > 0:01:44which covers a staggering 145,000 acres.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Thank goodness the Duke of Atholl changed his mind
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and allowed the railway to be built through his land,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53because the train brought one of our experts to Blair Castle
0:01:53 > 0:01:56only this morning. You came on the sleeper. I had a wonderful time.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00I bet I had a better journey than you. You probably did.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Thank heavens the station's still open. Over to you now to kick off proceedings.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Thank you. Here we go.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Well, from the Highlands of Scotland
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to a part of London I know very well, Finsbury Circus.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I used to live down the road. Oh.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17But not Finsbury Circus as I knew it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20What's going on? This is Finsbury Circus
0:02:20 > 0:02:24as painted as a circus during the war
0:02:24 > 0:02:28when my mother-in-law, who's in the centre here,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32was in charge of all the next-of-kin Red Cross parcels
0:02:32 > 0:02:36that came into London to be sent on out to the prisoners-of-war.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39They had to open them, check all the contents,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41make sure that nothing was disallowed,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43repack them, and then sent them to Geneva
0:02:43 > 0:02:48so they could be sent to the prisoners-of-war. So this was a vital place
0:02:48 > 0:02:53and are these cartoons of all the people working with her? They are.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55This was painted by one of the team,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58a lady called Mary McNeil. Right.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I think it's a wonderful image, evocative of a very essential
0:03:02 > 0:03:04but often forgotten wartime service.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The Red Cross parcel was absolutely crucial
0:03:07 > 0:03:10for the thousands of people in prisoner-of-war camps.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Because it went through the Red Cross, it was allowed.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16If you read any biography or story about escapes,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Colditz or wherever, the day the parcels arrived was always a wonderful moment.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Yes. They were sent out every three months.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Yes, we also know, indirectly of course,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28they used things like the tins of milk
0:03:28 > 0:03:30from the parcels for escape attempts.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33They made air vent tunnels, all sorts of things.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37They weren't allowed files or knives. No, and I love the way you say they were checked,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41because of course families would think, I'll put in a knife, I'll put in a file.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46And had those gone through and been found by the Germans - and the same happened in reverse -
0:03:46 > 0:03:51the whole thing would have fallen into abuse and the Red Cross would have been stopped doing it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54This is one insight into that. It's a lovely cartoon.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57She's not a great artist, not a professional, it doesn't matter,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00it brings to life the sort of spirit of the time,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and you can see the characters of certain people,
0:04:03 > 0:04:08the poodle, the bird, they're obviously reflective of how they actually were.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11The poodle was a Cockney who was in charge of cash
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and at one time the person was found to be pinching the money. Ah.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20So she was sacked and another Cockney came in who was very efficient.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23A poodle on its best behaviour. That's it.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It's a great item, it's history rather than a painting.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29What's it worth? Gosh. I think because of what it shows,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33and the insight into a very difficult period in British history,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38it's an insight that to me is worth ?300 to ?500, certainly. Mm-hm.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Just the family history. That's nice.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Thank you very much. And now back to the wilds of Scotland.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I hope you enjoy it. I shall.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51You're really getting value for money here.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54You've brought in not one vase, but at least 30.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58There's a lot on it, isn't there? Fantastic detail. Yeah.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Lovely, I love it. When did it come to you?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04We had it given to us about 30 years ago,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07but it's been in the family for as long as I can remember,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and I've always loved it. There are a pair.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12You've only brought one of the pair,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16which is just as well, otherwise we could spend all day looking at these. Well.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18How closely have you looked?
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Well, every time I take them down off the cabinet to dust them,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24which isn't very often,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I see something different and think, ooh, lovely.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28And I was just looking today,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33I noticed this lovely pot of fruit or flowers up here.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34You can keep seeing things,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36but you need to stand very closely
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and this vase here is just so beautifully painted.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44This arrangement of vases, of teapots, of fruits,
0:05:44 > 0:05:50generically in China is known as "a thousand scholar's objects"
0:05:50 > 0:05:52and when you see it on a vase like this,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56it's really re-affirming the scholarship of the owner.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58These are all, or many of them,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01are the things you'd expect to see on a scholar's table. Yes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04As decoration, but also referring to all sorts of things,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07much deeper, in Chinese culture.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10And let's just have a look, shall we?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12You've got a fabulous flower pot here,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16and the painter's actually painted the scene
0:06:16 > 0:06:18you would see on a celadon flower pot.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24There's a little figure... Gorgeous. ..crossing a bridge on a stream.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28These extraordinary fruits are known as "Buddha's hand citron".
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Then you've got this table with scholar's objects.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35No scholar's table would be complete without a screen,
0:06:35 > 0:06:41and on this one you've got a dragon pursuing a pearl. Right.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And there you've got an ancient Chinese bronze.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Wow. Amazing.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47It's known as a chui. A chui.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52And dates all the way back to the Zhou and the Shang dynasties.
0:06:52 > 0:06:59So I mean, we could go on and on with this.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Each one of these vases is credible in its own right
0:07:03 > 0:07:07and then the painter has done a fantastic job of converting
0:07:07 > 0:07:11these beautiful patterns which you're used to seeing on much bigger pieces,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13onto these tiny miniatures.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Do you think one person painted the whole thing, or would it have been done by different artists?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20I think one person painted the whole thing.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24If you compare it with painters in the City of Jingdezhen in China today,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27you would expect the painting of this piece
0:07:27 > 0:07:31to have taken approximately 20 or 30 days.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Right. And you've got two of them. Yes, isn't that wonderful?
0:07:35 > 0:07:40It dates to the mid 19th century so it's 160-odd years old.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42OK, it's a family thing.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46We're going to have to tell you what it would be worth.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50I think it's somewhere between... We're talking about a pair? Yes.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Somewhere between ?3,000 and ?5,000.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Right. Lovely.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59But I won't be selling them, I love them.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Well, I think this is a really special little piece of glass.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I presume you've known it for years. Well, my grandmother was fostered,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and when she was 13,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14her father came to North Wales and wanted her to keep house for him in Shropshire.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Her friends were really upset that she was leaving,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and that was given to her as a leaving present.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23So about 1910 she was given that and I've had it since she died in '97.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And what do you reckon of it?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I don't know much about it, other than that she was given it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I really don't know. Do you peer into it and examine it?
0:08:31 > 0:08:35As a child, I loved it and that's why I asked for it
0:08:35 > 0:08:38when Nana died, because of the little animal figures in it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41There's a veritable zoo living in here, isn't there? You wouldn't think...
0:08:41 > 0:08:43To the casual glance,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46you could just pass over this as another piece of life's fluff,
0:08:46 > 0:08:52but if you zoom in on here, there's a whole world living inside here. What have we got?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Monkeys, goats, donkeys
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and all sorts of other things going on in there.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Most interestingly there's some letters in there, aren't there?
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Yes, that's what I wondered about, because I wondered if it was made
0:09:07 > 0:09:09in that year, in 1848, or what.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14There's also, there's a date and a letter, isn't there? There's a B.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Yeah. And an 1848. Yes. So I've no idea.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19And the B pretty good
0:09:19 > 0:09:23because it is La Cristallerie de Baccarat,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Baccarat. Right. Ie, one of the world's greatest paperweight makers.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Oh, right. Not just French, but "hot French"! Oh, right.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And the detail in here, the packed, compact,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39action-packed centre of this,
0:09:39 > 0:09:44is the result of an amazing amount of very hard work. Mmm.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49It's a bit bashed, so the bad news comes with the good. Mm-hm.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53That's called a wallop in anybody's language. Right. That's another one.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58Uh-huh. Which leaves it worth only...
0:09:58 > 0:10:01?700 or ?800. Oh, right.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05That's lovely. And I'm pleased to know that it's a good one. It is.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Judging by the finial on this lovely silver jug
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and a splendid badge on your jacket,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17do you have a connection with this piece?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Yes, I do. This was presented to the curling clubs in Atholl
0:10:21 > 0:10:24by the Duke of Atholl in 1853,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and Eve and I are both members of Dunkeld Curling Club,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30and the Duke of Atholl was also a member.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32That's the connection. Right.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Now, we have with us
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Eve Muirhead, who is the triple junior world champion, is that right?
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Yeah, yeah. I'm the first person to win three years in a row, which was great.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm fortunate enough to travel around the world.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52My first medal was won in USA, second one in Sweden
0:10:52 > 0:10:54It's fantastic we've got all this history here,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57surrounding curling.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Was curling actually played here at the castle?
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Yes, it was played
0:11:01 > 0:11:03in the grounds of the Hercules Garden
0:11:03 > 0:11:07and this is a picture of the Hercules Garden and curlers taking part.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Do you know when this might have been taken? About the 1900s.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Right. So you had to be assured
0:11:14 > 0:11:17that the water froze over every year in order to play.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Yes, we didn't play every year, unfortunately, but most years, yes.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Right. Well, let me talk about the silver jug at the moment. It's got
0:11:25 > 0:11:29beautiful engraving on the front, here, of a curling scene
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and you've very kindly brought along a book here which seems to have
0:11:33 > 0:11:37an almost identical engraving by Sir George Harvey.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41What I particularly like is the chap throwing himself on the ground
0:11:41 > 0:11:44in despair at having lost a game. Does that still happen?
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Yes, it can happen.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51This piece was actually made in England
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and it's got a good set of hallmarks here, made by the Barnard Brothers.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Oh, right. And made in London in 1841. Oh, we didn't know that.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04So it was made quite a bit earlier than when it was first presented.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09So I suspect that the Duke of Atholl had this hot-water jug
0:12:09 > 0:12:12in the house somewhere, didn't have any use for it and thought,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15"I'll give that as a curling trophy."
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Yes, we're very pleased he did.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Because there's quite a few years between when it was made
0:12:20 > 0:12:22and when it was first presented. Yes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Now, I need to sort of put a value on it,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27which is pretty nearly impossible because, you know,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30there's so much local history in this,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and how do you value local history?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37If the jug didn't have any engraving on it whatsoever,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41we'd be saying it was sort of ?1,000-?1,200.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45If it was sold somewhere miles away from here,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I think it might make ?3,000. Oh.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50But it could make any price, because there'd be
0:12:50 > 0:12:54a lot of people around here who'd love to get their hands on it,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56because it's a very handsome piece of silver.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59There are a lot of clubs around here. That's correct, yes.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02But that symbolises, really, what it's all about,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05so thank you so much for coming along.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07No problem. Thank you for speaking to us.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13This is a clan heirloom with a rather unusual story, isn't it?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16And when I say, "clan", it's MacPherson Clan. Correct.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19There are MacPhersons in... I feel embarrassed to say clan,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23but Bruce, Sutherland and MacPherson are where my family comes from.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26You couldn't come from better stock, if I may say so.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27So, tell me about this spoon, then.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It was the property of a very colourful gentleman
0:13:30 > 0:13:35called Captain John MacPherson, who lived at the end of the 18th century
0:13:35 > 0:13:38in a farm called Ballachroan about 40 miles north of here.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41He was a very successful person on two counts.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43One was in farming, a very advanced farmer,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48he introduced rotation of crops, turnips for winter feeding,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51both of which were unusual at that time. Neeps?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Yes, very much neeps. And, secondly, he was a recruiter for the army.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Remember we were fighting the French, there was a dire need of young men to join the infantry.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03He adopted slightly underhand methods when recruiting for the army.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06He was reputed to go and make a young man rather drunk,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08put a shilling in his pocket and say,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12"Ha-ha! You've taken the King's shilling, come and join with me."
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Similarly in... because of his success,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18his neighbours suspected he was in league with the devil.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21His success recruiting for the army? Yes, and also as a successful farmer.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24They were envious, obviously. They spread rumours that he was
0:14:24 > 0:14:28in league with the devil, that the devil would give him success in this world
0:14:28 > 0:14:32but things would catch up with him at the end of the day.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33So, where does the spoon come in?
0:14:33 > 0:14:37The spoon comes in, in so far that before his recruits were marched off,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41he used to feed them with broth, probably from his own produce,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and this was the spoon that was used to spoon it out. Oh, I see.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48So he'd be stirring his neeps and tatties and what have you. Yes.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51You're worried this bit will drop off, I'll be very careful...
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and then he would pass it to the, sort of, hapless recruit.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56That's right. Yes. You're mine now.
0:14:56 > 0:15:03However, Nemesis caught up, because on the last few days of 1799,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06he and four companions went up into the Cairngorms,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09into a very remote place called Gaick, for a hunting expedition.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13They did not return. A party went out to look for them,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16they discovered there'd been an avalanche.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The bothy where they'd been staying had been swept away
0:15:19 > 0:15:24and all five men died. So, the devil caught him at the end of the day.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So the devil won out. But the spoon remains.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Thank goodness he didn't take it with him!
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Great story. Thanks very much.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Thank you very much, Fiona.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00Well, in April 1919, this is a lost luggage label, and, do you know,
0:16:00 > 0:16:06I'm rather pleased that this object was retrieved from lost luggage.
0:16:06 > 0:16:13It's a sensational piece of 18th-century engineering.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16But there's a wonderful story with it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21It was a machine owned by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25and she had a lady-in-waiting, Mrs Delaney,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29who was a very famous lady and very famous for her embroidery.
0:16:29 > 0:16:36And Queen Charlotte and the King had a party at Windsor
0:16:36 > 0:16:41and presented this machine to Mrs Delaney
0:16:41 > 0:16:46in thanks for all that she'd done for the Queen and the Royal Family.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50She has been well documented, and nobody has anything
0:16:50 > 0:16:53but lovely things to say about Mrs Delaney
0:16:53 > 0:16:57and she became a companion for the Queen, for Queen Charlotte,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02and they were rough contemporaries, but her work is renowned.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05There has just been, for instance, an exhibition in New York
0:17:05 > 0:17:08featuring Mrs Delaney's work.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Her work appears in the British Museum, in Windsor Castle,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16in all the royal collections, and she is this super-star
0:17:16 > 0:17:23in embroidery terms. People worship Mrs Delaney's needlework.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27And, in fact, there is a tiny scrap of her work here,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31which shows what she is perhaps best known for,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34which was working in bright colours on black.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38I do love this little section in the letter.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41She describes the machine here,
0:17:41 > 0:17:47"a weaving machine for making fringes of a new and most delicate structure,
0:17:47 > 0:17:52"yet it is of such simplicity as to be very useful.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56"You will imagine my grateful feeling when the Queen presented it to me."
0:17:56 > 0:18:01So, indisputable provenance and a lovely object,
0:18:01 > 0:18:08made of mahogany which of course was the new great material of the day.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11With ivory.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16You've got this to hold the strings, which are knotted onto here
0:18:16 > 0:18:23and then you would have woven these incredibly delicate fringes,
0:18:23 > 0:18:29here we go, which were the height of fashion at the time.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34And alongside that you've got another great mechanical device.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It's a spool winder. On goes the spool.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41And you turn the handle
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and the thread is put on evenly, backwards and forwards.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49It's got a lovely feel to it, I love 18th century design. It's wonderful.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54It's as smooth as smooth. It is, it is, it's got a great feeling to it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It's a lovely piece of cabinet maker's art.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59There's a button here, for instance.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04You push that, and there is the secret drawer.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09And value... With the royal connection, I have no hesitation
0:19:09 > 0:19:11in thinking that this would fetch
0:19:11 > 0:19:13upwards of ?10,000.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14CROWD GASPS
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Oh...oh, dear.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22No, I shall never be tempted.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I say I shan't be tempted.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31So, we've got Minnie and we've got Mickey.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33You have inherited or played with these?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Yes, no, they were never allowed to be played with,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40they've been in a pillow case since 1936
0:19:40 > 0:19:44when their owner, who was my uncle, died. Oh. He had rheumatic fever
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and he was very poorly. Whenever he got too ill, he was taken to hospital
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and they were his friends in hospital.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52He died on his 11th birthday.
0:19:52 > 0:19:5411! And they were with him when he died
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and the pillow case that he was lying on when he died,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02was what they used to wrap them up and he's been in that pillow case...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Well, how many years is that? Quite a few decades, anyway.
0:20:05 > 0:20:24Yes, absolutely. This is the first time they've spent any time out.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27that got my eye when you brought them in.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32Mainly because Mickey is more common, he's by, probably, Dean's,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34which is an English company and they made lots of them.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Minnie is in such good condition, this is what is so extraordinary,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43so he obviously talked to them, but he didn't handle them very much
0:20:43 > 0:20:46because she's completely untouched in terms of...
0:20:46 > 0:20:49She's pristine.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53I'm going to pick her up, do you mind? Go for it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I just love these little shoes,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00heels, I mean absolutely enchanting.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Now, you probably know, because you've read that.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07That is the Steiff label, Steiff being the German teddy bear maker,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10if you like. Well known for teddy bears but they made all sorts
0:21:10 > 0:21:14of other animals and toys and this is the first Minnie
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I've actually seen, in this condition, by Steiff.
0:21:17 > 0:21:28Really? Yes, and she would have had, and I can see it,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30And I've actually been to Germany
0:21:30 > 0:21:34and seen how they put these buttons in, they're metal
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and they clamp them in and they're very difficult to take out,
0:21:37 > 0:21:43but obviously your uncle, your uncle's mother... Yes.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46..must have thought, "I'm not going to let my poor child,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49"who's poorly anyway, start eating a metal button."
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Which was probably lead.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Will you hand them down, will you?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57That's up to my mother because it was her brother that died
0:21:57 > 0:21:59and she has six children, so she has to decide which of us...
0:21:59 > 0:22:03I'm the eldest so hopefully she'll choose me. But she has five others.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08I really loathe to tell you what I think she's worth.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09I think he's probably worth...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11probably about ?200 to ?300.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Right.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15But this one in this condition,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and it's Minnie which is rarer than Mickey...
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I would not hesitate putting
0:22:20 > 0:22:23?3,000-?4,000 on her.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Wow!
0:22:25 > 0:22:27She's quite pricey, isn't she?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29I just think she's heaven. Great.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Have you ever looked really closely at this face?
0:22:38 > 0:22:43It's a wonderful serene expression, beautifully modelled.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46She is, she's great. Do you know, this dates from 1680?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48No!
0:22:48 > 0:22:52I didn't realise it was nearly as old as that. How did you get it?
0:22:52 > 0:22:56My husband inherited it from his mother and he just remembers it
0:22:56 > 0:22:59on her dressing table in Ireland but doesn't know anything
0:22:59 > 0:23:02about the background of it. So, she might have been a collector?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05She was definitely a collector. All round the house were things
0:23:05 > 0:23:08that she had collected at auctions and also on her travels.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It's a beautiful figure,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13it's Chinese, it's Chinese Blanc de Chine porcelain, white of China.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It's a figure of the Bodhisattva, Kuan Yin,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17she's the goddess of mercy. Yes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20And usually she's seated on a lotus throne
0:23:20 > 0:23:23but here she's got two attendants either side,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and it's a really beautiful piece of sculpture.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30The robes, they hang loosely, they flow, terrific thing.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Blanc de Chine was made in the Dehua area and the Fujian Province
0:23:34 > 0:23:35towards the end of the Ming Dynasty
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and right up to the present day. You can get really quite brand-new
0:23:39 > 0:23:41white figures, which are really nasty.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44So how can you tell that it is that age?
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The way it's been sculpted, this lovely creamy colour of the glaze
0:23:48 > 0:23:53and it's very strongly moulded. The way the base is finished... Yes.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57..is quite right for the end of the 17th century. Yes.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's a really lovely figure and it's a really nice thing to see.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02And, great.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It's got a value, of course.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07At the moment it's filthy, but once it's been cleaned up,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09it's in lovely condition.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12If you went down the end of Bond Street,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15into Clifford Street, somewhere like that you'd expect to pay
0:24:15 > 0:24:17?5,000-?5,500 for this.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21My goodness, worth cleaning then? Absolutely. Carefully, carefully.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Will do. Thank you. Thanks for bringing it. Thanks for your help.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Now, he's a boy isn't he, not a girl.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Absolutely right, yes, in fact he is my great-great-great-grandfather.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Crikey. What date would that be, roughly?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37We're looking at 1760s.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41And he went on to be a soldier? He's playing with toy soldiers there.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44He did, even though he was dressed in a little smock,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46which they tended to be in that period,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50he went on to join the Enniskillen Dragoon Guards. Right.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53And became Lieutenant Colonel. So a very high ranking officer. Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And who painted it?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58We think it's Masquerier and that's why I brought it today
0:24:58 > 0:25:00because I'm absolutely fascinated.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03And Masquerier is a really interesting character, isn't he?
0:25:03 > 0:25:06They thought he might have been a Napoleonic spy... Yes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08..during the Napoleonic Wars,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12which is great fun, but he proved he was actually born in Chelsea,
0:25:12 > 0:25:13so that was all right.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16So he managed to get off the hook on that one. I didn't know that.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21But it's a sweet little portrait but there are little things about it
0:25:21 > 0:25:24that make me worry it might be rather more studio than the master.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Mmm-hmm. Slight weaknesses in the hand, for example,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31And I think, actually, I might feel the need to downgrade it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Shall we say that it's a little more studio than master?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Fine. I think we have to. Yes.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39But at any rate, even there, it's still worth, I would say,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41between ?4,000 and ?6,000. Thank you.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46So, staying with your great-great-great-grandfather. Yes.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50This is a miniature of the Masquerier painting. That's right. Isn't it?
0:25:50 > 0:25:53And you've got these miniatures, any one of which we could take.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Problem is we haven't the time.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59So, I'm just going to pick out three which just scream quality to me.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And I think you know the ones I mean. I think I do.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04They're by John Smart the Elder.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06This one, and this one and that one. That's right.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10They are wonderful. Thank you.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13I would have considered that perhaps the earliest John Smart
0:26:13 > 0:26:15that I'd ever seen, it's dated 1765.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Really? When he was still very young. Yes, yes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20And it has that restraint, and that very blue palette
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and that very simple background that he became famous for innovating,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and particularly, particularly good at.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31And he's wonderful, there's such insightful character in his face,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and it's such a fine portrait.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37And he was very famous for delineating every eyelash
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and the general character of the man just shines out,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42although tiny, in a very, very powerful way.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47This one's later, this is 1770 when he started painting them
0:26:47 > 0:26:49a little larger, and the palette changed, as you can see,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54from 1765 to this richer, warmer palette.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57They're just, they're just... just wonderful.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I'm not going to try and value the rest of your miniatures now.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Let's take the 1765 one first.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Being early is not necessarily good for John Smart.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10But this early I think I'd better be safe and put
0:27:10 > 0:27:14?10,000 to ?15,000 on that, but that's conservative.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16You ought to insure it for a lot more. Really?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Yes, I would say ?20,000. Really? Yes.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And then this one, which is very pretty. I mean, it is later, 1770,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26but it's larger and it has that warmer palette and, of course,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29it's a female sitter again, and rather a pretty one, I think.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31That one, I think we'd better put
0:27:31 > 0:27:34?20,000-?30,000 on, for sure.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36But we ought to be a little safe
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and perhaps put ?40,000 on it for insurance.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Gracious. Yes.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46And then we come to this and what a cracker he is.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I think we're going to have to put ?20,000-?30,000 on him,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54but insure it for ?50,000. 50. Yes.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Heavens. But they are wonderful,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02really, really good. Fascinating. Well, thank you very much indeed.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06So have you known this long, madam?
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Yes, I have. How long have you known it? 46 years.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11And do you smoke it?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14No. So where does it come into your family?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Oh, it came through my husband.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19So does he smoke it?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21No, I'm a non-smoker.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23So where did you get it from?
0:28:23 > 0:28:24From my mother.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Did she smoke out of it?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29No, she collected it.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Ah, she collected antique, wacky stuff?
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Red glass, Bristol glass. Bristol.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Well, don't get me going on Bristol glass,
0:28:38 > 0:28:43because it's about as Bristolian as I am from Hong Kong.
0:28:43 > 0:28:49There's no way. This was made in about 1880, thereabouts. Right.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52And I can tell you, as a statistical fact,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55there were no glassworks in Bristol at that date. Oh.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59This was probably made in Yorkshire, I would think.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Oh, right.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03But what a wacky item.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05I don't think it was ever intended to be used really.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10It's purely a silly thing which is naturally the reason I like it so much.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Good.
0:29:12 > 0:29:13That's nice.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17The values of these have fallen, they're not what they were.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18Yes.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Nonetheless, I mean, what a completely preposterous idea,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24to have a glass pipe, but I just love the idea of you knowing
0:29:24 > 0:29:27it for so long and neither of you thinking of using it.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Value today is not a great deal, about a couple of hundred quid.
0:29:30 > 0:29:31OK.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35But I can't imagine a wackier pair to own it.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36Thank you very much.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38You're most welcome.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41We'll have some whisky in it. You won't! You cheeky girl.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Looking at these figures,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49they could date from no other era than the 1950s.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51They absolutely shriek the decade.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54They're by the Briglin Pottery in London
0:29:54 > 0:29:58and designed by the Parkinsons from Kent, and what a stellar cast.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05We've got Paul Robeson, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Margot Fonteyn
0:30:05 > 0:30:06and Vivien Leigh.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08How did these stars come into your life?
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Well, it comes into my life through my late aunt who lived in London
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and very much supported the theatre in London.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21She and her late husband supported also the potters.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26Her home was a shrine to the '60s and didn't move.
0:30:26 > 0:30:33Even up to her death in 1990 it was still very much a home of the '60s.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35So a temple. It was a temple.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38It sounds just the sort of place I would love to go into. Yes.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Did she know the people behind the Briglin factory?
0:30:41 > 0:30:43She did. Yes, she did.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44Was it Brigitte Goldsmith?
0:30:44 > 0:30:48It was Brigitte Goldsmith through my late uncle.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Well, it's fascinating because it was Brigitte Goldsmith
0:30:52 > 0:30:55whose husband was Herbert Lom, no less.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Another stellar figure from the film world particularly.
0:30:58 > 0:31:05There was this great tradition in Britain of making
0:31:05 > 0:31:09so they turned to Richard and Susan Parkinson who had a pottery in Kent. Yes.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12And Richard... Susan designed them,
0:31:12 > 0:31:16and Richard made them and these are very typical,
0:31:16 > 0:31:23this sort of greeny colour, this use of this decoration here, this almost scruffy look to it.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Here on the bottom we've got perfect mark "designed and made
0:31:27 > 0:31:30"for Briglin by Susan Parkinson" and it's numbered number six.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Now these were quite expensive figures to make, they were
0:31:34 > 0:31:39in the Design Centre in London and they were four guineas apiece.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Paul Robeson is the rarest figure, maybe no more than six were made.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45There are two missing. Oh.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Maria Callas is missing and Alec Guinness is missing.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50So it's not the full set.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54But they are so rare on so many levels and I don't know
0:31:54 > 0:31:58if you know, but when these were on sale, Charlton Heston bought a set.
0:31:58 > 0:31:59Yes, he did.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02And the Duke of Edinburgh bought a set. What a stellar cast.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Absolutely.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Apart from... Myself! Apart from these people here.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09And the difficulty for me, pricing them,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12is pricing something which is so rare.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15But we know what Briglin pottery makes,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17we know what the Parkinsons' work makes,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20so I've been doing a little bit of calculation
0:32:20 > 0:32:24and I think, bearing in mind that Paul Robeson is the rarest figure
0:32:24 > 0:32:27and bearing in mind that it's not the full set.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29These figures, to the right collector,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32could make anything between ?8,000 and ?10,000.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Oh, my goodness me.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37So I hope you've got a lot of bubble wrap and cotton wool
0:32:37 > 0:32:41and you're not going back on a rackety train home.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Absolutely not. My goodness.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46What a wonderful tribute to your aunt who had immaculate taste.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48She had wonderful taste.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51And I'd have loved to have met her, she sounds fabulous.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53She was a lovely lady, I miss her very much.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Thank you for bringing them, it's made my day.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58These are the nicest things I've filmed this year, I love them.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Just before the Roadshow started this morning
0:33:02 > 0:33:05I was really hoping and dreaming I would see some really good
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Scottish art from the 20th century and you've brought along
0:33:09 > 0:33:17a fabulous picture of Edinburgh by a very rare painter, William Crozier.
0:33:17 > 0:33:32Yeah, all we know is the painting's called Edinburgh By Moonlight,
0:33:32 > 0:33:44And they both exhibited together quite a bit and they formed,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47And they tried to move away from sort of the traditions
0:33:47 > 0:33:51of 19th century art and moving more towards modern art.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53Do you know a great deal about Crozier?
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Not really, no. Don't know an awful lot about him.
0:33:56 > 0:33:57Well, it sounds to me
0:33:57 > 0:34:00like this was a gift from Crozier to your grandfather.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02But Crozier had, slightly tragic,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05because he's recognised as one of great Scottish modern artists.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07But he was a haemophiliac.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12He was born in 1893 and died in 1930
0:34:12 > 0:34:14so he had a very short life.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Crozier is well known for his cubist pictures.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21He went to France and studied under Andre Lhote,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25so there's a cubist element to his pictures which are very favourable.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28And there are four pictures I think, in the National Gallery of Modern Art,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30and there was a great show in 1995.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33So he's very well sought after.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35But because of his short lifespan
0:34:35 > 0:34:41there aren't a great deal of pictures out there.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44You can almost imagine being here, an evening in Edinburgh
0:34:44 > 0:34:47on the streets, and the little gentleman on the left is lighting
0:34:47 > 0:34:49probably a pipe or a cigarette
0:34:49 > 0:34:51which creates this great glow.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53I would date this to about 1920
0:34:53 > 0:34:58and it gets slightly away from his cubist subjects and more towards
0:34:58 > 0:35:00the traditionalist subjects that you'd see
0:35:00 > 0:35:02by artists such as Anne Redpath.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04This is a very rare and sought after painting.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09And I could certainly see it making ?2,000 to ?3,000 on the present market.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Wow. That's a shock.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's a very simple question, do you like this?
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Well, it's a nice shape, it's quite tactile and I don't know, I just
0:35:20 > 0:35:25liked it, just bought it and thought I'd just keep that in the shed.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27So it lives in a shed? It's been in the shed a long time.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Not in the house? You can't like it that much.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33OK, well it's my turn now. I don't like it very much at all.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37I think it's quite a crude pot, I think it's fairly lumpy,
0:35:37 > 0:35:43this sort of Japanese-style tea glaze is very, very mottled.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48I just think I've seen better pots. OK.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51But I'm sorry to disagree with you. It's a matter of taste.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53That's OK. I still like it, no matter.
0:35:53 > 0:35:59Good, but the point is, it isn't actually whether you and I like it or not. No.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04This is a pot that was made by one of the greatest
0:36:04 > 0:36:07studio potters working in Britain.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09OK. Does that surprise you?
0:36:09 > 0:36:15Well, it does really yes, because I just bought it as it was a pot.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Have you heard of, have you heard the name Bernard Leach?
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Yes, I have heard of him. OK, that's fine, we're not going there. OK.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Bernard Leach came back from Japan,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29I think at the end of the First World War and he came back
0:36:29 > 0:36:33and started his pottery in St Ives in the very early '20s,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and he brought back with him a Japanese friend,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Shoji Hamada, and they worked together
0:36:38 > 0:36:42to set up the whole sort of studio pottery movement in Britain.
0:36:42 > 0:36:47Right. And this pot dates from that early period.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51So this was made in 1923-1924. Gosh, really?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53And it was made by Hamada.
0:36:56 > 0:36:57There's the evidence.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01That's the standard
0:37:01 > 0:37:04St Ives Leach pottery mark, which all the pieces had. OK.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06That is Hamada's monogram.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Oh, my goodness.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Now Hamada only marked pieces in the first few years of his life
0:37:12 > 0:37:14because he said after a while,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18"I shouldn't really have to mark things, the pot is my signature.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22"If people can't tell it from the pot, they shouldn't know me." Gosh.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26And so pieces with his signature on, or his monogram,
0:37:26 > 0:37:31only occur in the first two to three years of production.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33So you like it very much, I don't like it at all,
0:37:33 > 0:37:38but it is Hamada, it is early, it is an important piece, I acknowledge that.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Therefore, we've got to talk about value.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43So how would you feel if I said to you ?1,000?
0:37:43 > 0:37:46I'd say that would be very nice.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49But I'm not going to give it to you, because I wouldn't pay ?1,000
0:37:49 > 0:37:53to save my life to have that pot, but that's what it's worth.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Oh, my goodness, that is fabulous.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58I think it only cost me a pound, or 50p.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Well, you did very, very well.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05I'd like to think I might have bought it for a pound or 50p, but I fear I might not have done.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11There are lots of treats involved with working on the Antiques Roadshow
0:38:11 > 0:38:13and I have to say, one of them
0:38:13 > 0:38:15is very occasionally
0:38:15 > 0:38:18to come across something that is
0:38:18 > 0:38:20the best of its kind,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23and this is one of those moments.
0:38:23 > 0:38:24Now your job here is...?
0:38:24 > 0:38:25I'm the archivist,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28so I look after all the papers
0:38:28 > 0:38:29and documents mainly
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and also have a curatorial role
0:38:32 > 0:38:33for the display
0:38:33 > 0:38:35and the things in the castle.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37But there is rather a lot of them.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38There's six rooms of documents
0:38:38 > 0:38:40so there are few things I don't know.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42You're forgiven for not knowing
0:38:42 > 0:38:44about something quite as esoteric as this.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47It is a train set, obviously,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49and for me it is,
0:38:49 > 0:38:50perhaps the expression,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52one of the best expressions
0:38:52 > 0:38:55of the master tin-maker's art.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58This is all hand-made out of tin,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00with occasional little pieces of brass,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02a few tiny exceptions,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04the little whistle here
0:39:04 > 0:39:05is turned wood,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08the lamps here are turned wood,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11the carved figures are wood covered
0:39:11 > 0:39:14in a sort of gesso and then painted,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17but otherwise it is exquisite
0:39:17 > 0:39:21metal working at its very best.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Do you know who the original owner would have been,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26The child that it was bought for?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28No, I'd like a date from you first.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30I've got a couple of options here,
0:39:30 > 0:39:31so if you can give me some sort
0:39:31 > 0:39:34of indication of when it was made.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36All right. I'm going to have to come to that,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39because that's the sort of end of the story.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41We need to establish first of all
0:39:41 > 0:39:43who it was made by. Right.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47And on the bottom of several
0:39:47 > 0:39:48of these little pieces
0:39:48 > 0:39:50there is the name Buchner.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56Now Buchner is, sounds German, is German.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01He was based in Nuremberg and we know that he was there in the 1870s.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06Oh, right, that's nice, yes. So that is one clue.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11However, in 1835 the Bayerische Ludwigsbahn,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14the Bavarian State Railway,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18ordered the first commercial locomotive for Germany.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22A train that was christened "der Adler", the Eagle.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25That train ran in 1835.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29Now while it would be wonderful to think that this was
0:40:29 > 0:40:33from that period, I think it's a tad later.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37No, but that would fit pretty well, I quite like that. Ooh, go on then.
0:40:37 > 0:40:43Because in 1840, this man was born.
0:40:43 > 0:40:48He later went on to become the 7th Duke of Atholl,
0:40:48 > 0:40:53so I'm wondering if five years on, this would have been
0:40:53 > 0:40:59perhaps the height of fashion for some duke to buy for their son.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04Would that fit well with the period? That would fit really well.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Because I think around 1845-1850 is exactly where I would put this.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10That would be perfect.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13I'm quite glad about that, yes. That's really exciting.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15There would be somebody here at that age
0:41:15 > 0:41:20that would really be thinking a train is a good present.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24What I'd like to do is to just enjoy the object,
0:41:24 > 0:41:29because the more you look at it, the more fabulous it is.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31The boiler here is faceted,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33just as the original would have been,
0:41:33 > 0:41:34you've got the tender here
0:41:34 > 0:41:35and then coming back,
0:41:35 > 0:41:40you've got the three classes of coach.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42First class, closed in. Right.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Second class, just with a roof and third class,
0:41:46 > 0:41:47well, you take your risks.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48You hope it's a day like this.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51As it always is, in Scotland!
0:41:51 > 0:41:53But look, just look, look,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I'm sure you've done this, Jane,
0:41:56 > 0:41:57but I'm going to do it too. Yes.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02In there, all these fabulous little people.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05It looks like a sort of outing from Jane Austen,
0:42:05 > 0:42:06a little bit later in date,
0:42:06 > 0:42:12but you know, there they all are off on their picnic or whatever.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13It's interesting as well,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15because they were having proposals
0:42:15 > 0:42:17for the railway to come here
0:42:17 > 0:42:20in the 1840s and the then duke
0:42:20 > 0:42:25was a bit doubtful about it, and later became quite enthusiastic,
0:42:25 > 0:42:27and it was this son that finally saw
0:42:27 > 0:42:30the railway come through here.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32So it really ties in very well.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33Isn't that extraordinary?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36It's the right sort of date for it all happening.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40So the bringing of a model train, a toy train,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43into the household could have triggered all that?
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Obviously the son got very enthusiastic about the railway,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49he was a director and he was here when it went through. Yes.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51And the night before the railway opened,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53they gave him a special ride
0:42:53 > 0:42:56from the top of his lands at Drumochter,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58and he went at the unprecedented speed
0:42:58 > 0:43:01of 50mph for the first time ever.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Isn't that great? It's a good story.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05It's a fabulous story and I'm not going to doubt it.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09I think you're absolutely right on that, it's too good to miss.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Let's talk about value.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14This is an incredibly esoteric thing,
0:43:14 > 0:43:15it is not mainstream. Right.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18There are probably half a dozen people in the whole world
0:43:18 > 0:43:20who would want this,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22but they have deep pockets
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and I would be confident in saying
0:43:24 > 0:43:25that this would fetch
0:43:25 > 0:43:27something between
0:43:27 > 0:43:29?25,000 and ?35,000 at auction
0:43:29 > 0:43:32and for insurance, certainly ?50,000.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34It's still going back in the case
0:43:34 > 0:43:36and back in there I'm afraid!
0:43:36 > 0:43:39And you've got the key? That's it.
0:43:39 > 0:43:40Thank you so much for bringing it
0:43:40 > 0:43:42out of its glass case
0:43:42 > 0:43:51and for linking it in with the history of railways at Blair.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56We've had rather a locomotive theme on the show today.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00We started with the railway and we've ended with a rather smaller version.
0:44:00 > 0:44:01We're all rather chuffed.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04From the whole Antiques Roadshow team from Blair Castle
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and the Scottish Highlands, until next time, bye-bye.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38Subtitles by Ericsson