0:00:02 > 0:00:04We've all heard of Dracula, but did you know
0:00:04 > 0:00:08he was based on one of Britain's greatest Romantic poets?
0:00:08 > 0:00:11The blood-thirsty Count was originally a character
0:00:11 > 0:00:15in a book written by the physician to Lord Byron.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18They clearly didn't get on very well, because the physician
0:00:18 > 0:00:22chose to immortalise his patient as the fanged fiend.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Welcome to Dracula's home, Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21We think of the cult of celebrity as a modern invention,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24but here at Newstead Abbey is the equivalent
0:01:24 > 0:01:27of a 200-year-old scrapbook plastered with celebrities,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31that once belonged to the great Romantic poet Lord Byron,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34who back then was the biggest celebrity of them all.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Nowadays, images of famous footballers or pop stars
0:01:43 > 0:01:46are stuck on bedroom walls, collected in sticker books,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48or plastered all over the internet.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52But back in the early 19th century,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Byron had images of his celebrity icons,
0:01:55 > 0:01:56many of whom he knew,
0:01:56 > 0:02:02plastered all over this screen, when he lived here from 1808 to 1814.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06It's crammed with pictures and news articles of people
0:02:06 > 0:02:09he admired from the world of the theatre.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13On this side are the stars of the stage, all over the place.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Look at these - there's Sarah Siddons here,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19and the celebrated actor Edmund Kean.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23I think they were the Kate Winslet and the George Clooney of their day.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28This side reflects what might seem an unusual obsession
0:02:28 > 0:02:31for a Romantic poet, and that's boxing.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32This character here is John Jackson,
0:02:32 > 0:02:37he was the Muhammad Ali of his day, and at huge cost,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Byron hired him to be his own personal boxing instructor.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44It's a crucial part of Byron's history
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and an amazing record from 200 years ago.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It was almost lost when he sold it to pay off debts,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53but fortunately Byron's publisher tracked it down
0:02:53 > 0:02:57and brought it back to Newstead, where it's resided ever since.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59The screen is just one of a collection of objects here
0:02:59 > 0:03:02belonging to the great man. This is his desk,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04at which he used to write some of his poems.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06His ink well, his candlesticks,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and these of course are his boxing gloves.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12We'll be seeing more of those later in the programme.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Our experts won't be pulling any punches with their valuations,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19as they welcome the good folk of Nottinghamshire and beyond.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22So, you've brought a little couple here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- A little pair of tiny, tiny dolls. - Yes.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Can you tell me anything about them?
0:03:27 > 0:03:29They used to be in my grandma's house,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31at the top of the stairs in a doll's house.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Right, so they had their own residence.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- They had their own residence, yes. - Yes.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And somehow, I think when we cleared out, my aunt kept them
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and she eventually gave them to me.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41And what happened to their residence?
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- Where did that go?- No idea. - So they've been homeless ever since.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- That's it, they've lived in a drawer.- Right, OK.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- Any idea how old they are? - No idea, really.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53But I think they were there in 1907 because my mum could remember them.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- Right, so we can get them back to 1907.- Yes.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Actually, they're rather older. - Right.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I think they were made around about 1820-1830
0:04:02 > 0:04:03so they're nearly 200 years old.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- Oh, I didn't realise they were as old as that.- No, they are.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Well, their fashions actually display their age quite well.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11- Oh, right.- But what's really unusual
0:04:11 > 0:04:13is this chap's dressed as a gentleman.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16You don't get many male dolls at that period,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20and they were made in an area called the Grodon Valley
0:04:20 > 0:04:24which was on the border of Italy and Germany.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25Oh, right.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Their lovely faces are painted and then gessoed over the top,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32or varnished over the top, and they're hand whittled.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34And what's even more interesting about them, when Queen Victoria
0:04:34 > 0:04:38was young, before she ascended the throne, she and her governess,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Baroness Lehzen, decorated dolls and dressed dolls just like this.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- Oh.- It was a fashionable thing to do.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49So they're really early and really sought after.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Oh. Not rubbish, like my son says?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- He said they were rubbish?- Rubbish.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Really? Well, they're far from rubbish.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01To a doll's house collector, they're little gems of Regency fashion.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- Oh.- And, you know, I've noticed the condition's not good.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05No, not really.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09They're both missing an arm So they're probably not worth much.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12£1,000.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- Not rubbish. - Not rubbish.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Not rubbish, very nice.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Tea is served.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Thank you, yes, tea for two.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Tea for two. Tell me about these.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Well, I don't know very much about this, Lars, at all,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- other than I do know it is Royal Crown Derby.- Yeah.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37And it was in me mother's house since about 1980, I think,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41but what little bit of research I have done,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- I've never seen one in the rust colour.- Right.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- I've only ever seen it in blue and white.- OK.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52And I've never seen it on a swivel - what I would call a party Susan.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54A party Susan?
0:05:54 > 0:05:56But I think this is called a lazy Susan.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- That's what I would call it.- Yes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00And the idea is, you just keep it on the table
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- and you can serve tea very, very easily on the round table.- Yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- By just rotating the stand. - That's right.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09We've got underneath the mark of the Royal Crown Derby factory,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13they've called the pattern Wilmot and there's that little diamond
0:06:13 > 0:06:15that gives us the actual date
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- when the design was taken out as a patent.- Yes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21But you've also got these. Tell me about those.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Well, I'm hoping these are Pinkston.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Pinkston being?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Pinkston, from the Pinkston ceramics factory
0:06:28 > 0:06:34which I think was opened around 1796, maybe a little earlier,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39I'm not sure, but I think by the early 1800s it was closed again.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- But there's no markings at all on it.- No markings.- None.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Let's have a quick look. No markings.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Are you sure? - Well, I've had a close look.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- Even in the sunshine! - How close did you look?
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Do you see that, and that, and that?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Those are the little setting marks,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03the spurs on which that would be perched in the kiln
0:07:03 > 0:07:08when it was being fired. An absolute giveaway for Pinkston.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Oh, right.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12So you're right, Pinkston, but much earlier.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18So we go from the 1880s back to the late 1700s, early 1800s.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20The colours are exceptional.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22This wonderfully thin palette -
0:07:22 > 0:07:26you've only got a very small number of colours.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Tones of green, a little brown and then just a tinge of blue here.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Beautiful landscape. I mean, this is as close as we get,
0:07:34 > 0:07:39without exaggeration, to John Constable on porcelain.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43And the style is typical of Pinkston,
0:07:43 > 0:07:44as is the quality of the gilding.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49I mean, the gilding is as bright as the day it came out of the kiln.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52A continuous landscape, unbroken, beautiful thing.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57I mean, this is stunning, and I have to say, I'm going to come clean.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Given the choice between the late Victorian transfer printed...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Yes, yes, I understand.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07..and exquisitely hand painted, there is no competition.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09But is that reflected in the price?
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Oh, I couldn't tell you. I would hope so.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18I think you could buy a lazy Susan today, from Derby,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22for around maybe £500 to £800.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Maybe a bit more in a shop, but at auction £500 to £800.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32- Very nice.- For a Pinkston trio - it's an incomplete tea service -
0:08:32 > 0:08:38- £500 to £800.- Oh. Yes, very nice.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43So this is a good instance of something that is so much better
0:08:43 > 0:08:47in quality than that, being worth so much more as well.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- It doesn't always work like that. - No, it doesn't.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Very nice, thank you very much.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57So I've been through ten volumes of this stuff, all to do with royalty.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Kings, queens, jubilees and all the rest of it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- What started you?- I saw a Silver Jubilee chocolate wrapper,
0:09:03 > 0:09:081935 Silver Jubilee, on the internet and I was lucky enough to win the bid
0:09:08 > 0:09:11and subsequently I've found nearly 100 different wrappers,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15but I went on to collect paper ephemera, way back as far as I can.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17What grabs you about chocolate wrappers?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I think the artwork's fantastic and it was a throwaway item
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and yet there's in many cases a real picture of the king and queen,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25in many cases the wrapper's embossed.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Yes, but you see you've preserved the silver paper.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Silver paper, it's the only one that I've got
0:09:30 > 0:09:32of nearly 100 chocolate wrappers
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- where someone's bothered to save the silver paper.- Well, I'm gob-smacked.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I really am, absolutely incredible.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But those don't quite excite me as they obviously excite you.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I'm much more interested in this sort of stuff
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- which are coronation tickets.- Yeah.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Which I find absolutely incredible.
0:09:47 > 0:09:54Here is one for the present Queen's coronation, 2nd day of June 1953.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Embossed, signed by the Earl Marshall.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01that's a beautiful 1953 piece of coronation memorabilia.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- Do you know, I've never seen one of those.- Right.- What is it?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09- It's a ticket for George III's coronation.- George III's coronation.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13- Yes. So it's very old.- It's very old indeed!- Older than me!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16One of the 18th century... George III's coronation,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I mean he was, he was on the throne for nearly 60 years.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- The man who lost the Colonies. - The man who lost the Colonies,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24the man who lost America, yes indeed.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29Printed in bisque and the symbols of the coronation all around it.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31That is incredibly rare.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Now you didn't find THAT on the net?
0:10:32 > 0:10:36- No, I bought it from an ephemera dealer in London.- Yes,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and I expect you paid a small fortune for that.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39I paid a fair amount.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43And then of course you go to George IV, they're much more, much more...
0:10:43 > 0:10:44That was a very expensive coronation.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46It was one of the most expensive,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- because they dressed up in medieval costume.- Yeah.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And they paraded around the streets.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- Now this one is a number- 10. Yeah. - But it's signed by Clarence.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55This is the Duke of Clarence.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The Duke of Clarence, who was his brother.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- Became William IV.- So this is a king's coronation ticket.- Correct.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03In actual fact.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09So, we've got George IV here, we've got his brother, William IV here.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Now that's not a particularly special ticket
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- but it's on a very, very interesting colour of mauve.- Yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And then this one here - that is Queen Victoria's.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Tiny coronation, they didn't want to spend much money on it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24So, let's go for a valuation of the coronation tickets.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27We start off with the George III.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28I think that's very rare,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32best part of £1,000 quite easily.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36The Queen - well, they aren't particularly rare,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39they do turn up. I would say no more than about £100.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Going back to Queen Victoria,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45not many tickets around,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- probably £300-£400, possibly £500 for that one.- Yeah.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Again, William IV - if you've got the set
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- you've got to have him, haven't you? - Yeah.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- So we're talking about £200-£300 for that one.- Yeah.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And, of course, George IV,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03there were many done and the security printing
0:12:03 > 0:12:05obviously attracts a lot of people.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07They are incredibly attractive
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and so I would say for an ordinary one
0:12:09 > 0:12:14we would be talking about £300-£400, possibly £500.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20- But - we've got a signature of a king here.- Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24So a king's ticket going to his brother's coronation,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26the future king...
0:12:26 > 0:12:28it's unique, isn't it?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Well, if I was into chocolate wrappers, as you are,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38and I was valuing those as a few hundred pounds or £100 each,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I'd have to value that at thousands of pounds,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42say £5,000.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Thank you very much.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52The most beautiful white marble Hellenistic Victorian bust
0:12:52 > 0:12:57- of a gentleman, and it's by Patric Park, a Scot.- Yes.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- And he was born in Glasgow.- Uh-huh.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01- Lived there for most of his life. - Uh-huh.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05And he moved right at the end of his life -
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- he died in 1855 - it's dated on the back.- Yes.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11To Manchester. What do you know about him?
0:13:11 > 0:13:13He was on a railway station,
0:13:13 > 0:13:19he went to help a porter struggling with a heavy load,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and he burst a blood vessel and it killed him.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25That was in 1855.
0:13:25 > 0:13:32But his work can be found in Holyrood House in Edinburgh
0:13:32 > 0:13:36and a museum in London, so he's quite an eminent sculptor.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Very much so.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It's in white Cararra marble and it is flawless.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43His face is wonderfully smooth
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and then his hair is a little rougher
0:13:45 > 0:13:47where it's been carved and not finished,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and when you look closely at it, you can see how he's made it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Because, you know, a sculptor will look at a beautiful piece
0:13:53 > 0:13:59of Cararra marble like this, and he'll try to see the form within it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02If you think about it, it's the complete opposite
0:14:02 > 0:14:05of making a sculpture out of clay, where you're ADDING to it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Instead he's cutting away the material
0:14:08 > 0:14:10to reveal what he imagines inside.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And he uses various things to help him, for example
0:14:13 > 0:14:15with the sitter, with the gentleman himself,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18he'd use a pair of callipers to measure the side of his head,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and the top of it, and then working on the raw block of marble -
0:14:22 > 0:14:24you just have to imagine a big block here -
0:14:24 > 0:14:28what he'd do is, he'd drill through to the required depth,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31using a drill, and that would give him his marker points
0:14:31 > 0:14:33to chip away to.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And you can sometimes see - and I think you can see here -
0:14:36 > 0:14:38where the drill has gone into the side of his head there.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42That's a mark to help the sculptor get the width of the forehead right.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I'm looking for clues as to the sitter, at the moment.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The thing is that, because he's quite a good sculptor,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51it should be possible to find out who he is.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Now I've had a bit of a look but I can't immediately,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58with the facilities available to me now, nail the sitter.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00But most of his sitters were very eminent men.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03If we knew the sitter, it might make a difference to the value,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- and so we need to find out.- Yes. - If we don't know the sitter,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I think it's worth between £4,000 and £6,000 just as it is,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- and cheap at the price.- Yes.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14But if you went to a specialist sculpture dealer,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I can see that being in five figures easily.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18They'd do the research, they'd find the sitter,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21they'd realise its true value.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Needs work. That's one of the best busts I've seen.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I'm a keen dog lover, I've got two terriers,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33but, you know, both of my terriers would pass clean through this
0:15:33 > 0:15:37dog collar. I've never seen a dog collar quite like this before.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Tell me something about it.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Well, this dog collar has been passed on to me by my father
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and my understanding is that there was a huge bull mastiff
0:15:47 > 0:15:50in the 19th century which wore this dog collar, but I don't,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I'm afraid, know anything about the Mrs Winton who's on the label.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Right, OK.- As to whether she actually took the dog for a walk,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- or whether it was a guard dog. - I don't think it looks like
0:16:00 > 0:16:02the kind of dog that you would have taken for a walk.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Judging by the stature of this collar, I think it's more
0:16:05 > 0:16:08likely to have obviously been on a guard dog of some type.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I can see that there are two addresses.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13We've got Mrs De Winton, 20 Pont Street, South West,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16so that's Belgravia in London - very smart address.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19If we turn it round and look at the other brass plaque, we've got
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Mrs De Winton. Is that... Ms... Sorry, my Welsh is terrible. It's...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- Maesllwch Castle.- Maesllwch Castle, Glasbury, Radnorshire.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Is this your family?
0:16:29 > 0:16:31This is my family.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33They were considerably better off, let's just say,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36in the 19th century, thus they had two addresses.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Right, OK, OK.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Now, I see that you've brought your dog with you today as well.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- Obviously this is not going to fit your lovely dog.- No, no.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50It's got a lot of interest for collectors of dog collars.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53I'm not sure that you would ever, ever want to sell it of course.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55No. I don't think I would.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58It's an interesting piece, and I don't think I'll ever have a dog
0:16:58 > 0:17:03that big, although a lot of people in Nottingham do, I have to say.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But certainly I'm surprised to find people collect them.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Well, we're going to have to talk about value,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12because this dog collar would make £1,000 at auction.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Really?! Good grief! Good grief.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Absolutely.- Amazing.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Not only have you brought me some fabulous jewellery to look at,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28you've brought me this fantastic photograph of the items being worn.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Well, this is my grandfather and my grandmother and he was the Sheriff
0:17:32 > 0:17:37of Carmarthen and this is in their dress clothes, and my grandmother's
0:17:37 > 0:17:42wearing the diamond necklace and the earrings in the photograph.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Absolutely stunning. They're beautiful and, you know,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48she's wearing the perfect dress for the jewels, isn't she?
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Yes, yes, absolutely.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Now the actual necklace, it has a name
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and it's called a negligee pendant.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- Oh.- Have you heard that? - No, not at all.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59I'm not quite sure why.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02I can't imagine people walking around in their negligees
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- wearing... Well, maybe they do, with a diamond pendant.- Oh, how lovely.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10That name suggests the elegance and, I mean, these are just absolutely
0:18:10 > 0:18:12quintessentially just so elegant,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15this photograph showing the jewels. Have you worn them?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Yes, absolutely. On any occasion I can.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- Any excuse.- Yes. If it's a ball or whatever.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25And I was particularly excited
0:18:25 > 0:18:29because my niece wanted to wear the earrings for her wedding
0:18:29 > 0:18:34as a sort of to be borrowed, and that was very special for me as well.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36How wonderful to have them documented
0:18:36 > 0:18:38- and to be passed down through the generations.- Yes.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And still being loved and worn, that's what's so special.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- Looking at the pendant first, it's in platinum.- Yeah.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- Now, it dates slightly earlier than the photograph.- Oh, really?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Yes, it's about 1900.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Oh, I didn't realise it was that old.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- Yes, yes, it's about 1900-1905.- Yes.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02And we've got what's called knife wire edges
0:19:02 > 0:19:06that those diamonds, beautiful diamonds, have been suspended from.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- They are cut, sort of the 1900s, 1910 cut.- Yes.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17Still has the full 57 facets but the angles are slightly softer
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and so, therefore, they're not so sharp
0:19:19 > 0:19:23- as the modern brilliant cut that we know today.- Oh, right, yes.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Then you've got the ear pendants here,
0:19:26 > 0:19:32again with that knife-wire edge motif suspending the two diamonds.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Similar cut, same period,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39and they're just under a carat in weight, each of the stones,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42but again a really lovely quality.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And the ring - well, this is about 1920, this is slightly later.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51Oh, right. I love the emerald cut diamond in the centre.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- Is that what it's called? - Well, it's a step cut diamond.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58This is quite an unusual cut because it's square, but it has a few
0:19:58 > 0:20:01more facets than you would normally expect for a square cut diamond.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- Oh, right.- So it really is quite unusual,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09and the beautiful little sapphires around the side on the edge there.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- Yes, I really like those. - And the baguette cut diamonds.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15The attention to detail of this ring is really quite superb and
0:20:15 > 0:20:21again, you've got about 1.8 carats, quite a large stone in the centre.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- Oh, right.- I mean, you know, value.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Collectively you're looking around about £20,000.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30What?!
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Oh, I didn't expect that.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42I mean, you know, they really are fabulous. They really are fabulous.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- Oh, God.- And definitely had fantastic taste.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Yes, she did, didn't she?
0:21:00 > 0:21:04This week's Basic, Better, Best Challenge is a bit of a
0:21:04 > 0:21:06bittersweet experience for me.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09These are vinyl records, remember those?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And these belong to Marc Allum and he's brought them along.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13There's Hank Williams...
0:21:13 > 0:21:16MUSIC: "I Saw The Light" by Hank WIlliams
0:21:16 > 0:21:18..Jimi Hendrix...
0:21:18 > 0:21:20MUSIC: "Castles Made Of Sand" by Jimi Hendrix
0:21:20 > 0:21:22..and the Sex Pistols.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24MUSIC: "Anarchy In The UK" by Sex pistols
0:21:24 > 0:21:27And one of them, the basic one, is worth £20.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29The better is worth 200,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and the best is worth £500.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Now, I don't know about you, but I gave all my records away
0:21:36 > 0:21:40years ago and I hope I'm not going to regret it today.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Anyway, let's see what our visitors think first.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Here we have Basic, Better, Best. Which do you think is which?
0:21:49 > 0:21:50I kind of think Hank Williams is the best.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- You think Hank Williams is the best. - Yes.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54The basic one is worth £20,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58the better is worth 200, and the best is worth 500.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Sex Pistols basic, erm...Jimi Hendrix better.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- This one's basic...- Right.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11- ..this one's £200...- Better. - And this one's the best.
0:22:11 > 0:22:18Hank Williams basic. Erm, Sex Pistols better and Jimi Hendrix best.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23Sex Pistols basic, Hank Williams better and Jimi Hendrix best.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- And were you a fan?- Yes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33At the end of the 19th century, I don't think most fireplaces,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37or hallways, were complete without their set of tiles.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40But where did this set come from?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It came out the old Pearsons Department Store
0:22:42 > 0:22:46and when it was being demolished after the fire, my uncle bought them
0:22:46 > 0:22:49out of there, gave them to my aunt, who refused to have them in the
0:22:49 > 0:22:55house and they've been wrapped up in newspaper in the garage ever since.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Really? So that's where he kept them, these prized possessions.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Well, they were a nice save.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I mean, interesting, if we look at the two panels,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08quite clearly we've got the depiction of air and fire.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Ah, that's what it is.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14- So I can only assume somewhere is earth and water.- Right.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Sadly your uncle wasn't quite there early enough to get the full set.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20What a shame.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22These are classic interpretations of this
0:23:22 > 0:23:26sort of style at the end of the 19th century, and I've gone all over
0:23:26 > 0:23:32them and temptingly and teasingly, down the bottom, there is the
0:23:32 > 0:23:36most faint signature, which I believe to read as Babb, B-A-B-B.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42And a date of 1876, 1874.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46I've got to be honest, I don't know the artist.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48They are a plastic clay tile,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51rather than what we call a dust pressed tile.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55It's a certain type of manufacture, so it's clay thrown into a mould,
0:23:55 > 0:24:01fired, tin glazed and then they've been hand enamelled on top.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Everything about them screams to me of that late movement
0:24:05 > 0:24:07going on at the end of the 19th century.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10They've got essence of William Morris, they've got essence
0:24:10 > 0:24:15of the Pre-Raphaelites. They almost look like stained glass panels.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Yes, yes.- So whether they've drawn their interpretation from that
0:24:18 > 0:24:24really needs a little bit more research, but they are sensational.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- Beautiful, aren't they?- So, value.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32I'm going to go with a slightly open book in the fact that I haven't
0:24:32 > 0:24:36tracked down who this artist is, or clarified that signature, so I'm
0:24:36 > 0:24:40going to go on their pure artistic merit and how good they are,
0:24:40 > 0:24:46and I think for that alone, these panels are worth at least £800.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51Wow. Wow. For something that's been in the garage.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54But let me go on further, £800 each.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Wow.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03That's a holiday. They're too beautiful.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05They are beautiful tiles.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07If earth and water are out there somewhere,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11they would make a sensational set of tiles and I think a little
0:25:11 > 0:25:15bit more research will only take them further. They are exquisite.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22My goodness, how glamorous. Matches you two ladies as well.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26So tell me, is this something that's come to you from your family?
0:25:26 > 0:25:31It was given to my mother by a lady called Adele Roscoe who,
0:25:31 > 0:25:36with her husband, ran the Palais de Dance in Mansfield
0:25:36 > 0:25:42from 1927 and they closed in 1967.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I think were quite well-known ballroom dancers, weren't they?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- Very well-known, yes, yes. - Yes.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50So is something that she wore herself?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54- These apparently belonged to her mother.- Right.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And she was supposed to have danced to the King of Spain in that
0:25:57 > 0:25:58particular dress.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Really? And what sort of date would that have been?
0:26:02 > 0:26:051910 or... I don't know.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09OK. Well, I think that story may be slightly far-fetched
0:26:09 > 0:26:12in that this actually, I don't know whether you know,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14this is not actually a dress at all.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17It's been made into a dress, but actually what it is, it's
0:26:17 > 0:26:23an Egyptian dowry shawl and you've probably wondered what this thread,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26which looks slightly gold on there.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- It's actually silver and it's just tarnished slightly.- Oh.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32If you just polish that up, it actually would shine again.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35These were given with ladies when they got married,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37as part of their dowry.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It's been cut across the centre and has had this stitched onto it
0:26:40 > 0:26:43to make it into a dress.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Typically these date from between about,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49about 1915-1925 or thereabouts.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52But it hails from North Africa, from Egypt.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55And the shawl - presumably that was hers as well.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57That was hers as well, yes.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Well, the shawl is actually older than the dress.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05The shawl is a Cantonese shawl dating from the very late part
0:27:05 > 0:27:06of the 19th century.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09What's remarkable about this one is that it's in fantastic condition.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12They're not particularly uncommon, you do see them,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15but often they're holed or their colours have faded, but this
0:27:15 > 0:27:18is fabulous, it's like the day it was new and I'm assuming this is
0:27:18 > 0:27:21actually a very large piece as well. They're generally very, very big.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- Is it something you've worn yourself?- I have, yes.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Because I've often seen people wearing these at fancy dress
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- parties actually.- I have, yes. - OK, well, that's perfect then.
0:27:30 > 0:27:37With regards to value, these perfect in their shawl form currently
0:27:37 > 0:27:41sell for £400 to £600, something in that order.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44However, the fact that it's been made into a dress,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48as lovely as it is, it does devalue it somewhat, to be honest with you,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and we've got a little hole there, so I think value is not
0:27:50 > 0:27:58going to be huge on that. Possibly £150 perhaps, or thereabouts.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Whereas, the shawl is actually a far more desirable thing.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04It's very, very in vogue now, people love this sort of thing to
0:28:04 > 0:28:07decorate their houses, and that at auction would probably
0:28:07 > 0:28:11sell for maybe £250, £300, somewhere in that region.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13- Right, very interesting. - Right, very nice.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Earlier on, Marc Allum set us our Basic, Better, Best Challenge
0:28:26 > 0:28:30with vinyl records, remember? The basic one is worth £20,
0:28:30 > 0:28:35the better £200, and the best £500.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Now, I would like to think I might know something about vinyl records,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41but, Marc, I have absolutely no idea.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- We've got Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix and the Sex Pistols.- Yep.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49I mean, I presume it's about rarity but that's as much as I could go on.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51It's not always just rarity
0:28:51 > 0:28:53but that, obviously, is extremely important.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55So what should we be looking for?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57I presume it's not the fact that this is a 45
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- and this is an LP. - No, not necessarily at all.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03So, where should we start when trying to assess these three?
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Well, I've tried to foil you, I suppose, in doing this.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09So what I've done, I've given you a very old single,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11which is Hank Williams, I Saw The Light.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14This is an EP in fact, and was made in 1955.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16In the centre here we've got Jimi Hendrix's second album,
0:29:16 > 0:29:22Axis: Bold As Love, 1967. This has an insert inside it.
0:29:22 > 0:29:29Here we've got the Sex Pistols first single, Anarchy In The UK, 1976.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Not only is it their first single on EMI, but it's got
0:29:33 > 0:29:36a mis-credit on it, it's got a producer mis-credit on it.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- Oh, so this has got a mistake on it? - Got a mistake on it.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44Not only that, only 5,000 of them were made, so after that, it
0:29:44 > 0:29:48was obviously changed, but this one is not only the mis-credit, it's
0:29:48 > 0:29:52got the "Demo record, not for sale," so that was a promotional copy and a
0:29:52 > 0:29:56mis-credit, so those are the kind of idiosyncrasies you're looking for.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58When I've seen this with our visitors,
0:29:58 > 0:30:00we all came up with different answers.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02I went for basic being Hank Williams,
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Jimi Hendrix better and then I presumed that the Sex Pistols
0:30:06 > 0:30:09with the demo record, was the best.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11You got one right here.
0:30:11 > 0:30:12- Shall I tell you which one it is? - Yes.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14It's basic.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15And so why is the Hank Williams, the basic one?
0:30:15 > 0:30:19He's just not as collected, so he's worth £20.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22If we go on to these two, you've got these two the wrong way round.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27OK, so this is obviously better then, the Anarchy In The UK,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30so after all you said about it, why is this not the best one?
0:30:30 > 0:30:32That was the foil in the collection here,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35because one of the most valuable records ever made is
0:30:35 > 0:30:39the Sex Pistols, God Save The Queen, but it's on A&M.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- And that's where people get confused.- The A&M label?
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Yeah, they were only on A&M for a very, very short time,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47and when God Save The Queen came out,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51actually most of those were destroyed and only a few exist.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55There have been instances of that single selling for over £12,000.
0:30:55 > 0:31:02- Gosh.- That is one of the holy grails of the vinyl world.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06So that was the foil and that's worth about £200.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Because there are more of them, it's just not as desirable.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12- Absolutely. - So Jimi Hendrix is the best - why?
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Why, well, what we could say?
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Jimi Hendrix, one of the most iconic musicians of all time.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20This is a mono edition of the album, which was later re-editioned
0:31:20 > 0:31:25in stereo. It has inserts in it, which are complete and those inserts
0:31:25 > 0:31:28make a big difference to the price, the condition of them as well.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Very, very sought after. This album is worth £500 to a collector.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35There'll always be iconic in music, and certainly...
0:31:35 > 0:31:39You know, my wife on countless occasions has
0:31:39 > 0:31:44tried to make me get rid of my vinyl, but I lug box upon box of it
0:31:44 > 0:31:48around and unlike yourself, I'm never going to get rid of it, Fiona.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50You say your wife tried to persuade you to get rid of all
0:31:50 > 0:31:54your vinyl records. I did actually chuck out all my husband's records.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56He might not be too happy with me now.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Do you know, we've had the most extraordinary things on the Roadshow.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03We've valued all sorts of unspeakable things -
0:32:03 > 0:32:05monarch's underwear -
0:32:05 > 0:32:10and here we are at Newstead and we've got a pair of boxing gloves.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11Explain.
0:32:11 > 0:32:18Well, Byron was born with a deformed, or a damaged, right foot.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22This deformity or damage that occurred at birth,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25- caused Byron to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.- Right.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29Now despite this - or possibly more likely because of it -
0:32:29 > 0:32:33he became a great sportsman and his favourite sport was boxing.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37It was boxing. And he's boxing with gloves, because common people
0:32:37 > 0:32:42fought with their fists, gentlemen fought with gloves.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45I know that Byron sparred with gloves that he called muffles.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Muffles, and here they are.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50There are references in letters from Byron's servant,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Joe Murray, to his lordship's boxing gloves being
0:32:53 > 0:32:56stored in the great dining room along with the fencing equipment.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58And that's where you found them.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Well, certainly that's where Thomas Wildman found them
0:33:00 > 0:33:03when he bought Newstead from Byron in 1818.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06And he was a fellow, he was a colleague at school, wasn't he?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Yes, a good friend in fact, yes, yes.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12- And Byron learned boxing at school. - He did.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16- When he arrived at Harrow, inevitably he was bullied a bit. - Yes.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20He was taunted about his disability and being hot-tempered and proud,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23his immediate response was to give any of his tormentors a good
0:33:23 > 0:33:27thrashing and very soon he got a reputation for his skills
0:33:27 > 0:33:32in fighting and became a champion of the younger, weaker boys
0:33:32 > 0:33:34who he protected from the bullies.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- Absolutely splendid, and he always used them here.- Yes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40And he did the most extraordinary things here at Newstead, didn't he?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43- He did, well, he... - I mean, he shot guns in the hall.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45He ran a bachelor residence here
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and he had great fun in the years that he lived here
0:33:48 > 0:33:49before his marriage.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52He swam in the lake, he rode horses,
0:33:52 > 0:33:56he fenced, he was a great marksman, but his great passion was boxing,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00because as he said, he got the most exertion, it was the most
0:34:00 > 0:34:03extreme exertion that he got from boxing and that was important to him,
0:34:03 > 0:34:08because in addition to survival tactics, for Byron, boxing provided
0:34:08 > 0:34:13- a means of keeping fit and he was very obsessed with keeping fit.- Yes.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17These are hallowed relics. Not only did Byron's hands inhabit
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- these gloves, wrote his poems with these hands...- Yes.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22..and everything else.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25They are as close as we can almost get to Byron.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29They're extremely personal, and look how tiny the hands are.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Yes, they are, aren't they? Yes, little fingers.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- Have you tried them on? - No, of course not!
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I'd be tempted, but anyway, my hands are too big.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40It would be awfully exciting to try them on.
0:34:40 > 0:34:41It would, it would, it would.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- Now, you don't want me to value them.- Not allowed to.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46No, of course not, absolutely.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48I wouldn't dream of valuing them, I'm a bookseller,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I'm in antiquarian books, why should I value gloves?
0:34:51 > 0:34:53But let me tell you, I'm interested in memorabilia
0:34:53 > 0:34:57and signed memorabilia come to that.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00I suppose the only thing I can think of is a pair of Henry Cooper's
0:35:00 > 0:35:05gloves, signed by Henry Cooper, £5,000.
0:35:05 > 0:35:06Impressive.
0:35:06 > 0:35:12Not signed by Byron, Newstead Abbey, couldn't be better,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14on the Antiques Roadshow...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16- I couldn't possibly tell you. - Thank you.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Well, thank you for bringing them in.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23I know you didn't have far to come, but they're great.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Well, here we have Neptune carved in this amazing shell,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32looking over this collection of cameos.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34How did you get to have so many cameos?
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Well, the cameos belonged to my grandfather.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42I never met him because he died when my father was 16, in 1929,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45but this was his collection.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48My grandfather bought them at auction, I think.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50And they've always been in the family
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and they were left to me in my father's will.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58Well, they really do show sort of a very male side to perhaps
0:35:58 > 0:36:00collecting as far as jewellery's concerned,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04because way back in the Renaissance period, it was the fashion
0:36:04 > 0:36:08and the thing to do, to build a huge collection of cameos,
0:36:08 > 0:36:12whether they be shell cameos, as we have the majority here, or even
0:36:12 > 0:36:17cameos carved in agate, and leaders such as the Medicis over in Italy
0:36:17 > 0:36:21were collecting these cameos to show that they had power and wealth.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24There was a big revival of cameos in the Victorian period because
0:36:24 > 0:36:28they too were looking back to the Renaissance period for inspiration
0:36:28 > 0:36:33in design and also back to the Classical period where they were
0:36:33 > 0:36:36looking at the ancient cameos, also for inspiration in the jewellery.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39And the majority of the cameos that you have here
0:36:39 > 0:36:42- are from the Victorian period. - Well, that would figure.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46And I think to see Neptune obviously carved in the shell, it just
0:36:46 > 0:36:52brings home the fact that these cameos do come mainly from shells.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58And it's a really very delicate and intricate way of producing
0:36:58 > 0:37:01a wonderful picture within a shell or a hard stone.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Subject matters are always very important
0:37:04 > 0:37:06when it comes down to cameos.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07So here we've got Hebe
0:37:07 > 0:37:12and the figure of the eagle, which is actually representing Zeus,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15so that's a very, very well carved cameo.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18You've got depth there, which is important, you've got an even colour
0:37:18 > 0:37:21in the whiteness and very fine quality carving and then here,
0:37:21 > 0:37:27a chariot with the horses and the lovely delicate stars.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- I mean, what attention to detail to get that.- I know, I know.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33And then over here, this is an interesting one,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36- it's actually made out of lava. - Oh, right.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Because during the Victorian period, of course,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42there was real interest in Mount Vesuvius and the cameos were
0:37:42 > 0:37:45carved out of the lava and they come in a variety of colours.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48And we've got a lovely ram carved into this one here,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- which of course will represent Aries.- Yes.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Now I know that we've only got a few here on show, haven't we?
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- That's right.- So how many have you got in your collection?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Well, erm...we've got 36.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01Well, if they are all as good a quality as this,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05and showing such a variety of subjects et cetera,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08then to a collector I think if you were to re-offer them
0:38:08 > 0:38:12at auction, then I can see somebody paying in excess of possibly
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- £2,500 to £3,000 for them.- Really?
0:38:15 > 0:38:18That's a lot. That's lovely. Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20- But I'm not going to sell them.- No.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30This is an absolutely fantastically dynamic image, isn't it?
0:38:30 > 0:38:33A real battle scene, we've got tanks pushing in from there,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36German and Italian tanks,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39pushing down onto this line of very beleaguered gunners
0:38:39 > 0:38:42manning their 25-pounder guns.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46It's by Terence Cuneo, who is one of the greatest
0:38:46 > 0:38:49war artists of his generation.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Can you tell me the action that it depicts?
0:38:51 > 0:38:54It's describing the Battle of Knightsbridge, which took
0:38:54 > 0:38:58place on June 6th 1942.
0:38:58 > 0:39:03My regiment, the South Notts Hussars, had been given the order
0:39:03 > 0:39:08to fight to the last man and the last round,
0:39:08 > 0:39:13and not to retire, so we knew we were fighting a last stand,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16and this painting by Cuneo
0:39:16 > 0:39:22is marking position after a long day's battle.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25So this is actually a picture of an action that you fought in?
0:39:25 > 0:39:29I fought in that battle. I am in fact that man there.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- You are that man there.- And the reason I say that, is because
0:39:32 > 0:39:35the regiment was wiped out.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38By some miracle, I was the last man, virtually,
0:39:38 > 0:39:45and I fired the last round, and when Cuneo was commissioned to paint this,
0:39:45 > 0:39:50he needed someone to tell him what it was about, and I spent many, many
0:39:50 > 0:39:54hours with him, describing the situation which he later painted.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- So you are the man that pulled the handle.- Yes.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- Fired the gun.- Yes.- And did the round hit anything?- Yes, it did.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03That last round I fired, which was later than this,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07it was about six o'clock at night, did hit a Mark IV tank
0:40:07 > 0:40:11and then this man standing at the side of me, was killed
0:40:11 > 0:40:17because a German tank had come up behind us and fired a machinegun,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19almost point blank, blasted him into the shield.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22And I took a deep breath and waited for mine.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27For some reason, it didn't fire and I survived and am still here.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30And so we can see on the extreme edge there,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34the artist has built up paint using a technique called impasto,
0:40:34 > 0:40:35to give the impression
0:40:35 > 0:40:37that there's a great bang as the shot hits the tank
0:40:37 > 0:40:39- and it fetched the turret off. - Exactly.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Which is normally fairly terminal for most tanks.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- And very close of course.- Yes.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- Because by this time, the tanks were right upon us.- Yes.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50It's interesting that this is part of your story, it's also
0:40:50 > 0:40:53part of mine, because I was in the South Notts Hussars as well.
0:40:53 > 0:40:54Were you really?
0:40:54 > 0:40:59I was, and I can remember being in the gun park at the drill hall
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- in Bulwell, which is just down the road from here.- Indeed, yes.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05And Terence Cuneo came round to start to make
0:41:05 > 0:41:08sketches of the guns, because we were still using the 25-pounder
0:41:08 > 0:41:12in the 1970s because it was an excellent training gun,
0:41:12 > 0:41:15and I can remember the commanding officer coming round and saying,
0:41:15 > 0:41:20"Right. I need people to act as artist's models for the artist
0:41:20 > 0:41:23"who is coming round," and there were three or four chaps
0:41:23 > 0:41:26from my troop taken out who were placed by the artist
0:41:26 > 0:41:28in the position that he wanted, round the gun
0:41:28 > 0:41:30and he made his preliminary sketches from it.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33- Amazing.- I can remember for many years,
0:41:33 > 0:41:36sitting in armchairs conducting research in the officer's mess
0:41:36 > 0:41:39into gin and tonic and fine wines, and this picture
0:41:39 > 0:41:43always gazed down on us. I understand it's no longer there.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46That's correct, it now hangs proudly at the Queen's Royal Lancers
0:41:46 > 0:41:49in Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum at Thoresby Courtyard,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Thoresby Park, which is about 20 miles from here.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- So, it's still very much within Nottinghamshire.- Absolutely.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58The greatest feature of the picture for me, the bit I like,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00is his trademark of the little mouse.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- Little mouse, firing... - And there he is,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- he's got his own little 25-pounder. - There he is, yes.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07If I'm any judge of the matter, I think he's been fairly
0:42:07 > 0:42:11successful from that pile of burning wreckage there.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15I said that Cuneo was perhaps the greatest military
0:42:15 > 0:42:19painting artist of his age and as a result of that,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21his pictures are very, very much sought after.
0:42:21 > 0:42:28If you had to buy this, this is between somewhere £30,000-£40,000.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30It is a fantastic painting
0:42:30 > 0:42:32and it's just wonderful to see it here at Newstead today.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- Thank you. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40We've thoroughly enjoyed our day here in the glorious
0:42:40 > 0:42:42gardens of Newstead Abbey,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45but I wonder if you've noticed some noises off while we've been filming.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- That piercing cry you might... - DISTANT SQUAWKING
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Like...like that,
0:42:49 > 0:42:54is not one of our experts exclaiming at some marvellous object
0:42:54 > 0:42:56placed before them.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It's the peacocks who are wandering around, looking gorgeous,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03but apparently they're vicious, so I've been giving them a wide berth.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07From all of us here at Newstead Abbey, until next time, bye-bye.