0:00:02 > 0:00:05This week we are at Hever Castle in the beautiful Kent countryside.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10And this is a place of many secrets because it was once home to
0:00:10 > 0:00:15one of the most famous and fascinating women in English history - Anne Boleyn.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Working on the Roadshow
0:00:57 > 0:01:01brings us to some remarkable historic houses across the country.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Our team of experts leapt at the chance to visit Hever Castle
0:01:05 > 0:01:09because it's here that you can get closest to Anne Boleyn.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12This is a replica of the clock that Henry VIII gave to
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Anne Boleyn on their wedding day in 1532.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19And it's particularly appropriate that he gave her a timepiece,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22given that he had to wait seven years for Anne,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and to marry her, he had to split from the Catholic Church
0:01:25 > 0:01:28and so change the course of British history.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Not long after, their only child, the future Elizabeth I, was born.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37And then, after just 1,000 days as Queen, Anne was executed.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42But even here, where Anne's short and dramatic life began,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46it's sometimes hard to find the real Anne Boleyn.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48We know this was most likely her bedroom,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51but we don't know what she looked like, for example.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57Is this her? Or this? Or this?
0:01:57 > 0:01:58And when was she born?
0:01:58 > 0:02:00When Henry VIII visited her here,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05was she an ingenue of 18, or a sophisticated young woman of 25?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Thankfully, there are objects here that give us
0:02:09 > 0:02:12that magical direct link to Anne herself.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14This is Anne's prayer book.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Incredible to think that she actually touched these pages
0:02:19 > 0:02:25with their dense type and beautiful illustrations.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And she and Henry VIII, when they were courting,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32used to write little notes to each other, in their prayer books.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And look, here, at the bottom of the page, it says,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39"Remember me when you do pray, that hope doth lead from day to day."
0:02:39 > 0:02:42And there's her signature just at the bottom there.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44"Anne Boleyn".
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And hopefully today's Roadshow will discover more magical objects
0:02:51 > 0:02:54which bring history to our fingertips.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59This looks most intriguing, all I can see is a little hand. Who's is this?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01This is Monty, my dog's rug.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02And where's Monty?
0:03:02 > 0:03:03He's at home.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- Well, how does he feel about this? - He's not very happy about it.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Let's see what it's wrapping up.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12My goodness, that's wonderful, isn't it?
0:03:12 > 0:03:14This is where I get a hernia.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I wonder who she's by. Is it signed anywhere?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Yes, just down here, just there, look.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Oh, yes, there we are. Lefebvre. Hippolyte Jules Lefebvre.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27And how did you come by her?
0:03:27 > 0:03:28She was left to me in a will.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32I used to go and have cups of tea with a little elderly lady
0:03:32 > 0:03:35down the road and she was on her own, so I used to keep her company.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And when she passed away, she left me in her will.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40How very nice, and was it on this as well?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- Yes, the whole thing. - The whole thing?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Gosh, you must have been a favourite neighbour.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- I made good tea!- You made good tea, excellent. Strong or weak?
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Strong.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- Well, it obviously kept her going for a while.- Yes, yes!
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- And what do you know about her? - Not a lot, actually.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57We tried a bit of Googling and we asked some people
0:03:57 > 0:03:59that we know that do auction things,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02but we can't find out a lot about her, which is why I'm here.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Well, I mean certainly as far as date is concerned,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08she is classically Art Nouveau, really,
0:04:08 > 0:04:09sort of late-ish Art Nouveau
0:04:09 > 0:04:12because we've got electricity coming in,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- and I think this is certainly pre-First War.- Right.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So, sort of circa 1910ish.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22And it's so elegant, isn't it?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24She's very beautiful, yes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Yes, yes, do... I mean, I dread to think,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- particularly with Monty... - I haven't plugged it in.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You haven't? Because it does look like Monty may have chewed this.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36No, it wasn't Monty, it came like that, but I haven't plugged it in.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I have been told it could be rewired, but I didn't want to touch it before I had it valued.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Well, obviously it loses some originality if you start to take out...
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- But I think you ought to, certainly if you intend to light her up. - Yes, OK.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And it wouldn't be impossible to get more glass beads as well.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54That's what I wanted to do, I wanted to sort of renovate her.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58- I think it would be a great thing. - I think she'd be really beautiful.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Yes, well, you know, these French bronzes of Art Nouveau style
0:05:02 > 0:05:04are still hugely desirable
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and I would imagine in today's market it would be worth
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- certainly £2,000 and possibly even as much as £3,000.- Oh, right.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15It's a really beautiful bronze. And I do think that you should have it rewired.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Renovated. That won't make a difference to the price, will it?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I don't think so. And you simply can't use it at the moment.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- I think it would be lovely if it was all up and running again.- Yeah, OK.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30This is an absolutely stunning spoon. Do you know what it is?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I know it's a caddy spoon.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Right. It's not just any caddy spoon,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- this is one of the best caddy spoons I've ever seen on a Roadshow.- Gosh.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Do you know anything about its history?
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Only that my father had had it for a number of years.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48He collected silver and this was one of his favourite pieces.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I knew it was very nice quality,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53but don't know a lot else about it, really.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56There are three ways in which caddy spoons tend to be made.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00They're either stamped in a die or they're made out of sheet,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03or they're cast, which is the best way, and this is a cast one.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05But just look at the wonderful detail,
0:06:05 > 0:06:11this fabulous swan's neck handle here.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The quality of this fluting, all this matting has not got
0:06:14 > 0:06:19any signs of wear on it at all, so it's in wonderful condition.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Even better news is that the collectors market at the moment
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- is really, really hot for great, rare spoons like this.- Is it?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30And if we have a look in the bowl here, it's got some hallmarks.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34IW. That's for James Wintle, a well known spoon maker.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And it's got a date letter "N" for 1848,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41so it's an early Victorian cast caddy spoon,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44great rarity and actually quite valuable.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Is it really?- Mm, I'm afraid it is!
0:06:47 > 0:06:53I would comfortably say we're looking at probably £1,500 to £2,000.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56No! Goodness me, I had no idea.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05So, can I ask you,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08are you an old rocker, to posses a portrait of Mick Jagger?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Well, I am, but I'm afraid I don't possess it.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- Oh.- I've brought it today on behalf of my employer.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Right. Is he a rocker?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18On the contrary!
0:07:18 > 0:07:22He's a very traditional gentleman, he's 89 years old
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and is very interested in the Belle Epoque
0:07:25 > 0:07:29and antiquities of one sort or another.
0:07:29 > 0:07:36But he saw this picture in 1966, fell in love with it, bought it,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40took it home and it's had pride of place on his studio wall ever since.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Well, what a great story, and what a great eye he had,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48considering he wasn't perhaps into contemporary music of the time.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Absolutely not.- And it was bought in the Lefebvre Gallery in 1966,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56which was a superb gallery, selling all the great sort of art,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and this is by Cecil Beaton.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- Correct.- Now, we know Cecil Beaton as a photographer
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and as a stage designer.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07And a producer of great plays like Gigi, My Fair Lady,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10so it's very surprising to know that
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- he is a seriously good painter as well.- Absolutely.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18And I believe that Cecil Beaton was always very interested in meeting
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Mick Jagger and first met him in the '60s, and according to biography,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I think by Hugo Vickers, who wrote the biography on Cecil Beaton,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30they met in the '60s and he loved his face, and he loved, he liked
0:08:30 > 0:08:34those cheeks and that incredible look that Mick Jagger has.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36I think he's captured it very well, of course.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40The style is very good because it's quite sort of Pop Art,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42quite Andy Warhol.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43- Yes, yes.- Do you see that?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45And I like the way he's brought it very close.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's like a photographer here. He's come
0:08:48 > 0:08:53very close into the portrait and it is like a photograph
0:08:53 > 0:08:56but done in this amazing style,
0:08:56 > 0:08:57and what a great painter he is.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Perfect.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04So what did it cost in 1966?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I believe it was in the hundreds, so I understand.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- The hundreds, quite a lot of money. - Quite a lot of money in those days.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Yeah, so I think I would insure it for £30,000.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Wow! Wow, wow!
0:09:17 > 0:09:19That is a significant sum.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It is, it's a good sum and I think it's worth every penny.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Thank you, I'm sure my... my chief will be very interested to hear that comment
0:09:26 > 0:09:28when he gets back from holiday.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31He'd better go again on holiday with the proceeds!
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- A good day's work.- Good, thanks for bringing it.- Thanks very much, Mark.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01What do you think of these? Are they nice, or not?
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- Be honest with me, are they fetching? - Well, it's not doing a lot for me.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- No.- It's the latest Roadshow attire for a rainy day.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12But we're enjoying ourselves nonetheless, aren't we, Geoffrey?
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We are, absolutely. A stiff upper lip and we're in Henry VIII's little palace,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- and what more could you ask, even in the wet weather? - You see, it's all going to be fine.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Well, wacky is the word that's usually stuck on me
0:10:24 > 0:10:27on this show, but, boy, does this take the biscuit.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31This is a really funny thing, I just love it, it's just amazing,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33tell us the story.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Well, sadly it's not mine,
0:10:34 > 0:10:39it belongs to an aunt and she bought it from auction
0:10:39 > 0:10:42in a box of...£5.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46But it was apparently buried in the sand at Herne Bay.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47And that's all we know about it.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50We wondered where the Loch Ness Monster had gone!
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It ended up in the sand at Herne Bay.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I actually really love it,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I mean it's a real shame its wings have gone.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00And it's an incomplete object, and so...you know.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04A bit of wacky, I just love it, but it's probably worth about four quid.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09On the other hand, you also brought that in.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- I did indeed. - And what's the story of that?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13This again, Auntie's.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19She bought it from a sort of bric-a-brac type store for a pound,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21a couple of years ago.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Did you know it was made of glass? - No.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Well, it is, and it dates from about 1760
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and is a really lovely academic antique.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39The story about it is that the 1745 excise tax was imposed on the
0:11:39 > 0:11:44production of glassware to finance the army to fight back the Scots.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The Scots were invading England, they got to Derby,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51and to finance the war against the Scots, they brought in a glass tax,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54in 1745, and through a loophole in this law, white glass
0:11:54 > 0:11:56was exempt from the tax,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59just at a time when English porcelain was coming in.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02You've got Bow, Plymouth, Bristol porcelain coming in,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05it's not very good but it's extremely expensive.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08On the other hand, you could make white glass fairly cheaply,
0:12:08 > 0:12:14So this is an imitation of English china, but it's made of glass.
0:12:14 > 0:12:181777, they realised the mistake, brought in a tax
0:12:18 > 0:12:22but by then it was gone, so this dates between 1745 and 1777
0:12:22 > 0:12:26and it probably dates to about 1755-60.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30It's made in South Staffordshire, it's just a really beautiful
0:12:30 > 0:12:33little gem that's 250 years old.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Wow.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37And is worth £600 to £800.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41No way! Well done, Auntie, wow.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45When I first saw this table, from quite a distance, I thought,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49"Well, there's another Regency table." Well, how wrong I was,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51because when I got up close to it,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I thought, "This is quite extraordinary."
0:12:53 > 0:12:56It looks like a table that should be much bigger
0:12:56 > 0:13:00because it's got quite a monumental character to it.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02I think I know why it was this size,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and that is to take this piece of rectangular green porphyry,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10extremely valuable, and only found in the Laconia region of Greece.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13So I think
0:13:13 > 0:13:17this table was made to fit the marble.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21And the table itself, the frame, is in a sense, to me,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24equal in value to the porphyry on the top.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Can you tell me anything,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29can you fill in the background of this table a little bit?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31A person called Mary Elgin,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36who was married to the Seventh Earl of Elgin,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41and he was an ambassador to Constantinople
0:13:41 > 0:13:45in the late 18th Century, early 19th.
0:13:45 > 0:13:53And they came back to the UK, in about 1802, I think.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56So are we talking about the Elgin who was responsible for
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- bringing the Elgin Marbles back? - That's right.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- Ah.- That's right.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05But she brought back this sheet of porphyry
0:14:05 > 0:14:11which I thought came from upper Egypt, but you say Greece.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13OK, you're the expert.
0:14:13 > 0:14:19And, apparently, it was considered to be very valuable at the time,
0:14:19 > 0:14:24more so than any other stone anywhere,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29and so that's the way things happened in those days.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Well, that is extremely interesting, because you mentioned the date 1802.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Yes.- Well, in 1804 in London,
0:14:35 > 0:14:40there was the opening to a very select public
0:14:40 > 0:14:42of a house which became very famous.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46It was the house that was remodelled by Thomas Hope,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50who was the most important arbiter of taste of the early 19th Century
0:14:50 > 0:14:55and from which much Regency design was to spring.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59And Hope had done an enormous Grand Tour, he was hugely wealthy,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and his house had a series of rooms, all of which had a different theme.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It had an Egyptian theme, a Greek theme, Indian theme,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09because he'd been to all these places.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10And from Thomas Hope
0:15:10 > 0:15:15allowing the sort of gentry and the aristocracy to go round his home,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19lots of other people picked up the styles that he was promoting,
0:15:19 > 0:15:25and this table speaks to me of the style generated by Thomas Hope.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28There's very strong Classical influences in it.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31The feet have this wonderful...
0:15:31 > 0:15:34beautiful quality feet, I should say,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36which are carved wood with a claw foot,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and then these anthemia, half anthemia scrolls.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42And then a plinth base which makes it very solid,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45coming up into acanthus leaves,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and it has a solidity which, I think is very sort of Classical,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51monumentality which is very Classical.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55But Thomas Hope also used something which was really relatively new
0:15:55 > 0:15:57in English furniture at that time,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01which was the introduction of stamped brass inlay.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06And you have a lot of that on this little table in different patterns.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08You have it along the top, around the porphyry,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10you have it on the frieze in a different pattern.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14And once more on the base, in this delightful little lacy pattern.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18And this was a new technology, being able to stamp brass.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23It's often associated with a maker called George Bullock.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27But there was also a maker who supplied the rich and the famous,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29many aristocratic patrons at the time,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32called George Oakley
0:16:32 > 0:16:37and he is known to have supplied many people like Lord Harwood,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39the Earl of Harwood.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and this table speaks to me of that sort of quality.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46It's a very, very top quality table, it's extremely exciting.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Good.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54Now, you've had it in the family a long time, have you had it valued?
0:16:54 > 0:16:55No.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I think you would be...
0:16:59 > 0:17:03I don't think I'm being over optimistic to say £20,000.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08Really? Yeah, well, it's not going to be sold.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I'm very glad to hear it, and when I say £20,000,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13that's not insurance value, that's a sale value.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15A sale value, right.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I have to... I'm not known for giving high valuations.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23This, I think, is the highest valuation I've ever given on the Roadshow and I think
0:17:23 > 0:17:28it's the best piece of furniture I've ever seen on the Roadshow and I'm absolutely thrilled.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Well, thank you very much. I'm overwhelmed.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Marvellous.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37This was given to me by my grandmother and she told me
0:17:37 > 0:17:41it was her grandmother's, so that's all I know.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44That's all you know. You didn't ask her any more questions?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47She went through it, she showed me all of her jewellery
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and explained each one, but I'm afraid I can't remember
0:17:50 > 0:17:55about this particular item so I've forgotten anything else she may have told me about it,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58unfortunately, and too late to go back and ask her now.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Yeah, we always wish that we'd asked more, don't we, at the time.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03- Yes.- Definitely.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Well, it is an absolutely gorgeous brooch and on
0:18:06 > 0:18:08a rainy and sunny day like we've had today,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10to see this dragonfly brooch,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14it would have been lovely to have actually seen some dragonflies
0:18:14 > 0:18:17in the garden, but at least we've got this one.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It dates from around about 1890-1900,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and it's a perfect example of jewellery
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- known as the Art Nouveau period.- OK.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28And the Art Nouveau period was all about natural things,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31female beauty, and also the wonderful effects that you get
0:18:31 > 0:18:34when you have a brooch like this, that if you touch it, it moves.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- Yes.- And this is what we call "en tremblant",
0:18:38 > 0:18:41so it's a lovely movement to the actual piece of jewellery.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45It's made with plique a jour enamel
0:18:45 > 0:18:49and if it's held up to the sunlight, then the sun shines through
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and it's rather like stained glass window, and the light
0:18:52 > 0:18:57just shines through and all the colour is beautifully picked up.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01And then, what's even more gorgeous about it is that the wings
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and the body are set with diamonds,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06and in the centre here we've got
0:19:06 > 0:19:10beautiful yellowy-green coloured diamonds.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Down on the tail we've got delicate sapphires which really help to match
0:19:14 > 0:19:17the plique a jour enamel and, as you can see here,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19it's trembling away.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21As it would have done, when it was worn.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Sometimes brooches like this were also worn in the hair on a hair comb.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- OK.- And unfortunately we haven't got the hair comb in the base of the box,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33but, even so, we do have the original brooch fitting,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35as we have here.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37OK.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Now, it's French, it's made by the designer that we can see here,
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Auger in Paris,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and he, like Lalique, was going to build up a fabulous collection
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and pieces of Art Nouveau jewellery.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Unfortunately. we don't know a huge amount about Auger,
0:19:53 > 0:19:58but his pieces do appear and are very popular.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And if I said to you it was worth around about £3,000,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03would you be pleased?
0:20:03 > 0:20:04Fabulous, it's beautiful.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's gorgeous, isn't it?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Well, what about if I was to tell you it's going to be worth
0:20:09 > 0:20:11between £8,000 and £12,000?
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Oh, my goodness! Wow, that's...
0:20:17 > 0:20:19That's astounding!
0:20:25 > 0:20:30Well, for me, the 1930s are what I like to call the age of elegance.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's all about streamlining, new materials
0:20:33 > 0:20:34and when you look at this,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I mean, this really is elegant. Something you live with every day?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Yes, it's in our bedroom.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41And where did it come from?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Well, I found it at Brick Lane, I got up early one morning,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47went down there about six o'clock, and found that one over there
0:20:47 > 0:20:52on a flatbed lorry and I just thought it was fantastic,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and then as I was sort of negotiating
0:20:55 > 0:20:57with the guy about buying it,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- I saw this as well. - And this is all there was?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01This was all that there was there, yeah.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Because obviously this is the remnant parts of what was once
0:21:04 > 0:21:07a much larger bedroom suite.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Fabulous dressing table, brilliant bedside cabinet.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14I can only begin to imagine what the wardrobe must have looked like,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16but I mean it's all about this new materials,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20I mean this is right there in the middle of the late '20s and '30s
0:21:20 > 0:21:23where they're really experimenting with streamlining.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26The machine age has come to be and everything is becoming so elegant.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31I mean, Deco is inspired by so many other cultures,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34everything from the ancient Egyptians to the Aztecs,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36to actually the mysterious Orient.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40If we look down here, we've got this wonderful symbol
0:21:40 > 0:21:43here which has echoes of Chinese about it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And, actually, if we look at Shanghai in the 1930s,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48they actually called it "the Paris of the Orient".
0:21:48 > 0:21:50But where does this come from?
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And if I'm being completely honest, I don't know,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57because this kind of furniture was sort of being manufactured all around the world.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Part of me thinks, is it French,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03has it come out of that French School of furniture making? Is it American?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Because you think, if you look at this metal
0:22:06 > 0:22:11- and all these forms, and I straightaway think of those chrome American diners.- Yes.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So I'm slightly at a loss to say where it's from,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15but the one thing that is undeniable
0:22:15 > 0:22:18is that it's got the most fantastic style.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23It's got all those elements of the new materials, the chrome,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25the black, the mirror, which all pull together to give
0:22:25 > 0:22:28everything that is the essence of that period.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's just knock out, absolutely knock out.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35So, I have to ask the question, what did you pay for it?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I paid, I think it was about 150 quid at the time for it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40- For all of it?- For all of it.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- Both pieces, £150?- Yes.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43Wow, great.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Because I think the fact that it has such a strong look,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51and the fact that it is something that would drop into any environment,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53to go and buy this today
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I think you will see a ten-fold increase.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59I think this is worth the best part of £1,500.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01OK, that's fantastic.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It's a great, great set and something that I seriously covet!
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Thank you very much.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Thank you for bringing it along, it's wonderful.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15This is certainly one of the smallest books I've seen today.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Just pulling it out of its little leather bag which is
0:23:18 > 0:23:22lovely in its own way, but look at this binding, isn't that gorgeous?
0:23:22 > 0:23:23It is nice, very nice.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25I think that's a 17th-century binding.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Oh, right.- This lovely calf skin
0:23:28 > 0:23:30with this beautiful gold tooling,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34but all the more beautiful because it's in miniature.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37How difficult it would be to create something like that.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Where did you get it from?
0:23:38 > 0:23:43We were in the Lake District for a weekend with my mother, a few years ago,
0:23:43 > 0:23:48and there was a market in Kendal and my mother purchased this.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50How long ago would that have been?
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Well, I think it's probably about 20 years ago now.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Let's open it up and have a look at it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Well, I have to say, from the title page, I'm not very much the wiser.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03It's just a series of hieroglyphics here.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- Yes.- I can read the name, Jeremiah Rich,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08and it does look like a 17th Century book.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Everything about this title page and portrait
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- says 17th Century to me.- Yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Apart from the Jeremiah Rich, it tells us it was
0:24:16 > 0:24:19printed in London, even says it was printed for the author and,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21"Are to be sold by Henry Eversden
0:24:21 > 0:24:23"under the Crown Tavern in West Smithfield."
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Lovely local colour.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Amazing, isn't it?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Flicking through the pages here
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and really I'm absolutely none the wiser, from the text.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- Do you have any ideas? - What it might be?- Absolutely.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Well, I assume it's a sort of Bible.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42I think it is a Bible, and I think it's a Bible in shorthand.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46And I think Jeremiah Rich here was one of the people who invented
0:24:46 > 0:24:51the system of shorthand that we still just about remember today.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54And so that's what makes this so interesting.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Oh, right.
0:24:55 > 0:25:01I would date this at about 1650-1660, and when I think of shorthand,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05I think of sort of early 20th Century and think of people in typing pools
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and shorthand writers, you know, early 20th Century, but, no,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- it went right the way back into the 17th century.- Yes, yes.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- Why a Bible in shorthand? - Yes, why indeed?
0:25:15 > 0:25:17What would be the point of such a thing?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21I think our friend Jeremiah Rich had this printed
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- as a kind of show-off piece.- Oh.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I think it's a piece of advertising.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30I think he was telling people he had invented this wonderful new system, everybody should learn it,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32and how amazing, he could get the whole of the Bible into
0:25:32 > 0:25:35this tiny little volume which fits in the palm of the hand.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38If this came up at auction, it must...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42it would have to make £1,000, maybe £1,500.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Gosh, good gracious me! Yes, yes.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Have you ever wondered how our experts can tell the difference
0:25:58 > 0:26:00between antiques that look pretty identical,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04but are poles apart in terms of value?
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Well, keep watching. This week, Andy McConnell, our glass expert,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10set us a challenge with three decanters,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12one of which is a basic model worth £250,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16one is a better one worth £1,500.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21and then the best one is worth a jaw-dropping £10,000.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I'm not sure I can tell the difference,
0:26:25 > 0:26:26but before Andy reveals all,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30I'm going to chat to our visitors and see if they can help me.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- It is really unusual to find one of these.- I've never seen another one.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Well, you have seen another one - we've got nine here in all!
0:26:42 > 0:26:47- So whose were they?- They were my father's and he was born in 1906
0:26:47 > 0:26:51so they were his toys and when my brother and I were children,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55we were allowed to play with them.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Really?
0:26:57 > 0:27:02But when I had my three children, I didn't let them play with them.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04That's very sensible of you actually.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Some would say mean, but I think very sensible.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08So he was born in 1906
0:27:08 > 0:27:14and so, if we assume that he was given these when he was five or so,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18that's 1911 and they would have been new for him then.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I would imagine so, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Was the family well-to-do? What was their...?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25No. Just an ordinary family.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Well, they certainly loved your father dearly because...
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- Do you know what they bought him? Do you know who made these?- No idea.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- No idea.- No.- Have you ever thought to look in their ears?
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- No.- You've never looked in their ears?- No.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41So you've never noticed that they've all got a little stud in their ears.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- Right.- What do you think...? Do you know what the stud means?
0:27:45 > 0:27:49That it's a Steiff...Sieff bear?
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Steiff, yeah. And so it's German
0:27:52 > 0:27:58and they first appear in the catalogue in 1897.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02Not this particular set, but as a range.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06And they did skittles of a mixture of animals,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11but they also did, more rarely, this wonderful set with the main bear
0:28:11 > 0:28:14who is known as King Ping - P-I-N-G.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19So whether that's where the kingpin in tenpin bowling comes from,
0:28:19 > 0:28:24I don't know, but anyway there he is in all his finery with his crown.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29So, your father born in 1906, this is about when he was five,
0:28:29 > 0:28:34so they've only had one careful owner, well, two now with you.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Do you have the balls that go with it as well?- No, sadly, I haven't.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- Did you have them when you were a child?- No.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44I don't think it's going to make a huge difference actually.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49They were really expensive in their day, these sorts of things.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53- And they're still very expensive. - Are they?
0:28:53 > 0:28:58- Somewhere around £8,000 and £10,000. - No. Really?
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- Even without the balls? - Even without the balls.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I think this is the basic.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10I'm going to say that the...
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Um...
0:29:13 > 0:29:15This is the better...
0:29:19 > 0:29:21..and this is the best.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24I'm not sure. Actually I'm going to change my mind, I think.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- Sure?- Yeah, I think, so, yeah.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29- Sure?- Positive, yeah.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33She really sounds like she knows what she's talking about.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39I don't think I've ever seen a necklace
0:29:39 > 0:29:42- that was better suited to an owner. Tell me about it, who chose it?- OK.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47Right, well, I just have this real passion for period jewellery -
0:29:47 > 0:29:49sadly for my husband of course -
0:29:49 > 0:29:54and I saw it in an auction and luckily enough he liked it too
0:29:54 > 0:29:58and so he bought it for me. I guess he quite liked me at the time so...
0:29:58 > 0:30:00- Clearly he still does.- Yes.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05But this is absolutely the most marvellous thing for me, personally.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09The maker of it was a speciality of mine throughout my entire career.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13When I first joined the jewellery trade, very little was known about this type of jewellery
0:30:13 > 0:30:18and I had enormous luck finding an archive and being able to write a book
0:30:18 > 0:30:23about the maker of this necklace who is undoubtedly Carlo Giuliano,
0:30:23 > 0:30:24the Italian working in London
0:30:24 > 0:30:28from a premises in Piccadilly, 115 Piccadilly.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32He was there from 1874 until 1895 when he died.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35This is the calibre of jewellery that was produced
0:30:35 > 0:30:37and it's loosely in the Egyptian taste.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41This is a sort of Nefertiti looking necklace, isn't it?
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Decorated with blue enamel,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46absolutely typical of Giuliano's work.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48What do you know about Giuliano?
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Well, I just know that...
0:30:50 > 0:30:52I think he worked with Castellani at the turn of the century
0:30:52 > 0:30:57and he was Italian and he set up this workshop
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- and passed it on to his two sons. - Two sons, absolutely right.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03And, um, I just...know that he always,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05well, as far as I understand,
0:31:05 > 0:31:09signed his pieces and this has no signature on it,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13and I'm just wondering why would he not sign some of his pieces?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Because he perfectly well knew who made them
0:31:16 > 0:31:19and it might have been a race in the workshop to get this out.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23There was an implied signature, so I don't think we need to worry about it
0:31:23 > 0:31:27because his signature's all over it. I can recognise the handiwork,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I can recognise the chain work from which it's suspended.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34There is absolutely not a shadow of doubt that this is by the most famous jeweller...
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Oh, that's really exciting.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40..working in London in the 19th century. The shop was a magnet
0:31:40 > 0:31:43for the contemporary elite.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46It not only attracted the people that could afford these things,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48which were jolly costly in their own time,
0:31:48 > 0:31:53but they wanted something that had some sort of academic background.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Giuliano was frequented by Queen Victoria and by most of her family.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the treasure of Helen of Troy,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05took it to Giuliano's shop to have it assayed and weighed.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Edward Burne Jones went there to have jewellery designed.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12William Holman Hunt, another famous pre-Raphaelite, went there,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15and the reason that they went there is that it echoed
0:32:15 > 0:32:20what was the sort of primary objective of art in the 19th century,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22which was to look back.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26This is a revivalist jewel, it's drawing on earlier sources.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29And the strongest possible source is ancient Egypt.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33It's nothing about intrinsic value.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36It's made of gold, it's gem set, it's decorated with enamel,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39but these are not why this thing was valuable,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42or indeed why it's valuable today. And it's your taste?
0:32:42 > 0:32:44I just think it's so pretty.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And every time I wear it, it's a real eye catcher
0:32:47 > 0:32:50and everybody...you know...sort of... I always get comments on it,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55- so I just love it.- Well, it is perfect for you. Throw the necklace away and keep the girl!
0:32:55 > 0:32:57OK, oh, well, thank you!
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Fantastic. But we have to deal with the necklace.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03It's still very enviable and I suppose the job that I can do for you
0:33:03 > 0:33:07is attribute it in the strongest possible terms to Giuliano,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10which frankly was in question.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11And having done so,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I think it does add a little bit of value in a strange way,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18and what might have been worth low thousands of pounds,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21suddenly spirals up like a firework
0:33:21 > 0:33:24and it isn't beyond the realms of possibility
0:33:24 > 0:33:28for this to fetch £15,000 and possibly even £20,000.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31They have fetched 20 in the past so...
0:33:31 > 0:33:34- Oh, that's wonderful, gosh! - And it has no intrinsic value,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37it's just simply...
0:33:37 > 0:33:40It's only gold, its melt value is measured in low hundreds of pounds.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Its artistic value is enormous, and its context is enormous
0:33:43 > 0:33:46and it's fallen, may I say so, very happily on you.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47Well, wonderful, wonderful.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51I've got to pass it on and I've got three granddaughters - what do I do?
0:33:51 > 0:33:56- Big problem, get two more necklaces. - Yes, you're right.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00- Easily done, wonderful. Thanks so much, brilliant.- Thank you.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12We've been setting our visitors, and you at home, a bit of a challenge.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Which of these decanters is the basic decanter worth £250,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19the better one worth about £1,500
0:34:19 > 0:34:24and the best worth no less than £10,000?
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Andy McConnell, now you set us this challenge,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31almost everybody had a different idea...about which was which.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36- Now what should we be looking for? - In a decanter?
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Well, it depends on whether you're collecting them
0:34:39 > 0:34:41because they are delicious antiques
0:34:41 > 0:34:45that you value as a collector, or as a practical object.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48The thing that people are missing out on,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50the reason that decanters are
0:34:50 > 0:34:54almost universally worthless in this country is we stopped decanting wine.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58We're drinking more wine than we've ever drunk in history
0:34:58 > 0:35:01but we're drinking it out of a horrid bottle that we plonk on our table.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04We're plonking our plonk on the table and it's horrid!
0:35:04 > 0:35:08I remember my dad used to always insist on decanting his red wine
0:35:08 > 0:35:11to get rid of the sediment at the bottom
0:35:11 > 0:35:13but now, as you say, we don't do that any more.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18Decanting your wine, you propel a four quid wine into a six quid wine
0:35:18 > 0:35:20simply by the act of decanting it.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23But I mean, you say... we used to have decanters,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25now they're not worth very much.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- We know one of these is worth a stonking amount.- Yes.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31So, how can you tell the difference between
0:35:31 > 0:35:33your cheap common-or-garden decanter
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- and something that's really significant?- It's not easy.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38There's no pretending the fact,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42as you and your visitors have found, it's not easy to suss it.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45But these are all... These were all made
0:35:45 > 0:35:48within 30 years of one another, they're all...
0:35:48 > 0:35:53Are they? Because I thought there was a significant difference in age.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57No, they're all 1740 to 1770...
0:35:57 > 0:35:59There's a 30-year span in here.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03- They're all 250 years old, as it were.- Right.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05So, striations... Look at the age of that.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08I mean, look how wonky donkey, all over the place that is.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11I mean, you might say...
0:36:11 > 0:36:14it's sort of semi true to say that,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18in this era, they were kind of making glass on bonfires
0:36:18 > 0:36:21as opposed to glass today that's made in a microwave.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26And if you can imagine cooking on a bonfire to cooking on a microwave,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29then the ease of glass making has changed.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33- The technology allows perfect crystal.- Right.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38So they're grey, they're not very well made and they're rustic,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40but that's their charm.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44But this one looks so different. I mean...
0:36:44 > 0:36:48I thought this looked more modern because it's just...you know...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- the kind of thing you see in a shop these days.- 1765-1770.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Shows what I know, eh?
0:36:54 > 0:36:56I'm hugely embarrassed actually
0:36:56 > 0:36:59because I just thought that must be modern. And then I looked at this
0:36:59 > 0:37:02and thought this stopper doesn't go with this decanter.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04It's the wrong stopper, look.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07- Just wiggle.- The style is all wrong.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11It's one of the reasons that most decanters are available in charity shops for £2.50
0:37:11 > 0:37:15and most of them have a stopper that doesn't fit and a little chip there.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20I put this as the best one because it looked the most basic actually.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24I thought a little bit of kind of counter psychology, it's...
0:37:24 > 0:37:28It was the most valuable and I thought the stopper was lovely.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Fiona, Fiona, let me put you out of your misery.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33- You got this one right.- Oh!
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Oh, OK.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- But you got those two wrong.- Right. So talk me through then.- I will.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Why is this the most basic, is it because the stopper doesn't fit?
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Because the stopper doesn't fit. It's also... This is a pretty good thing.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50I mean £1,500 for a decanter in Britain today.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52I mean, that's very unusual, you're talking cream here.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57It's just that we're talking extra cream with added champagne here.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59So why is this one so fabulous?
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Oh, this is a rare, rare thing - Jacobite.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05It is an absolute blinder.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07There are two others known in Castletown House
0:38:07 > 0:38:10which is directly related to the Jacobite cause
0:38:10 > 0:38:14which wanted to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne of Britain,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16supplant the Hanoverians.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20This was used by the Jacobites to toast the health of Bonnie Prince.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24This is a £10,000 decanter.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It's an absolutely rare, rare thing, it's a historic...
0:38:28 > 0:38:30It's a museum piece.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Well, there you are. If you want to raise a glass at home,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36why not pour your wine from a decanter?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39I hope that you've got some idea now what to look for.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42There are more tips about what makes decanters so special
0:38:42 > 0:38:45and the differences between them on our website, so have a look.
0:38:48 > 0:38:49Cheers. >
0:38:57 > 0:39:03What are you going to do with Green and Bohea?
0:39:03 > 0:39:08Well, hopefully tea would have been kept in them at one point.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13I don't know what bohea tea is.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15- Bohea was black fermented tea.- Ah.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20- Which is the tea we drink today really.- Yes.- Um, the point was that
0:39:20 > 0:39:26the lady of the household would conduct her tea party
0:39:26 > 0:39:31and tea was the first social activity
0:39:31 > 0:39:35which was controlled by women.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Up to that point, it was men.
0:39:38 > 0:39:39Yes.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42And then in came tea,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and the lady of the house did the stuff.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48And the impact was extraordinary.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51It altered all the furniture. You had to have special furniture.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56You had light furniture so you could pick it up and move it round.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59All the chairs that were sitting round the outside disappeared
0:39:59 > 0:40:01and little tables appeared.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06The lady of the house would have these on her sideboard
0:40:06 > 0:40:11and she would have her tea tray with teapot, milk jug etc.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18She would go to one of these, or possibly both,
0:40:18 > 0:40:23because she would often mix the two to her own specification,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26pour it into a tea canister
0:40:26 > 0:40:28which would go to the teapot.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32From the tea canister, it would go into the caddy spoon,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34- into the teapot.- Very involved!
0:40:34 > 0:40:38And you were judged really on how well you did it.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42You know...everybody's watching and thinking, "Hmm, not bad."
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Slightly different from just putting a teabag in a mug.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50- It's very sad, the teabag, although of course everybody does it.- Yes.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Do you know what these are made of?
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- I understand they're actually made of some sort of glass.- They are.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01- They look like porcelain.- Yes, they look like porcelain.- They're glass.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05And we can see this very clearly here,
0:41:05 > 0:41:09where the scar, or pontil mark, is.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11That's where they were held on an iron rod
0:41:11 > 0:41:13while they were being formed.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18They come from south Staffordshire.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19Yeah.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Bilston, somewhere like that, and they're hand painted,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26except for the stoppers.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Ah.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31And that is transfer printed.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Oh, I see.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37And in fact what's odd is that we've got two identical ones,
0:41:37 > 0:41:42which you would not normally expect to find, but anyway we have.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47They date from about 1770.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Really?- Yeah. Older than you thought?
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Well, yes, much older than I thought. I had no idea.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Yeah, and they're quite influenced by Meissen actually.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58These scenes of the birds on here
0:41:58 > 0:42:01are very Meissen in style.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04I love this white glass.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08I think it gives a brightness to the enamels
0:42:08 > 0:42:13which you find in no other way.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18On the reverse, we've got a glorious...
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Oh, I mean, these are wonderful!
0:42:21 > 0:42:23I want them.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28God, those are good. I mean, they don't get any better than this.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Fantastic to hear.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I'm very jealous.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36It would cost you...
0:42:39 > 0:42:42..£12,000 to £18,000 to replace them.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44No!
0:42:44 > 0:42:48Oh, my goodness. Are you being serious?
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- I am fairly. Yeah, absolutely. - Good Lord.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53They are top of the range.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54Gosh, thank you very much.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57They don't get any better than that.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02My mother, to whom they belong, is going to be very pleased at that.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Sit her down. Give her a cup of tea before.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09- Thank you very much, thanks.- Thank you very much for bringing them in.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14It's been one of those days on the Roadshow.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19We started in glorious sunshine then the heavens opened, it poured down
0:43:19 > 0:43:22so I got my very fetching blue poncho out and umbrella,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and now, I think...
0:43:25 > 0:43:30..yeah, it's stopped raining and we've come full circle.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32From Hever Castle and all the Roadshow team,
0:43:32 > 0:43:36until next time, come rain or shine, bye-bye.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00Subtitles by Ericsson