0:00:02 > 0:00:04This week we return to Castle Coole on the most south-westerly
0:00:04 > 0:00:08county in Northern Ireland, and you're in for a bit of a treat.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11I love those items on the Roadshow that remind
0:00:11 > 0:00:13you of the days of Upstairs Downstairs
0:00:13 > 0:00:17and today we're going to show you a unique time capsule.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Castle Coole,
0:00:20 > 0:00:21in County Fermanagh.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12One mile outside Enniskillen sits
0:01:12 > 0:01:17James Wyatt's architectural masterpiece - Castle Coole.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And last time we visited, we showed you all the grand rooms inside,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24but from the outside there appears to be something missing.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27There's no basement.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30You can't see it from here,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32or from here,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34or even from here.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45You see there's a hidden part to Castle Coole.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Follow me, all will be revealed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51When this house was built in the late 1700s,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54it was the fashion that, in order not to spoil the look of the place,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59there should be no hint of the small city hidden away where
0:01:59 > 0:02:01servants were toiling underground,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05so the domestics and anyone making deliveries to the house
0:02:05 > 0:02:08had to use the tunnel and remain unseen.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Look, even the old keys are here. Huge, aren't they?
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Fantastically heavy.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24There was a strict hierarchy among the way the servants lived.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Footmen, for example, would share just one room, like this one.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32And in fact the very last footman at Castle Coole - Charles Battle -
0:02:32 > 0:02:34lived in this room and here he is.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39He left in 1936, and apparently footmen were chosen for the job
0:02:39 > 0:02:41because of their good looks.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44I guess in his day he was a very handsome chap.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47The servants' hall is where they ate their meals, socialised
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and took a well-earned rest.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52It's like they just stepped away for a moment.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59On the 3rd September 1891, the head cook at Castle Coole, Mrs Wasp,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03was busy with preparations for a special supper for Lord Belmore
0:03:03 > 0:03:04and his family.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07That night there was to be a ball to celebrate
0:03:07 > 0:03:09the 21st birthday of the eldest son, Armar.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Upstairs, the family were excited,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16getting themselves dressed up ready for the ball.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The Earl and Lady Belmore had 12 other children,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and the evening ahead was a big moment in their social calendar.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25After the ball, one of the children wrote,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29"A magnificent supper prepared by Mrs Wasp,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33"would have satisfied those who live, not wisely, but too well,
0:03:33 > 0:03:38"and rarely have such splendid fruits graced a board in this country."
0:03:38 > 0:03:44And all thanks to the dedicated team who lived hidden away downstairs.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46And from one dedicated team to another,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48it's time for us to welcome our guests,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50as we join our experts on the lawns
0:03:50 > 0:03:53of the National Trust's Castle Coole.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Well, here we are in County Fermanagh and, as a person who's
0:03:58 > 0:04:01mad about pots, County Fermanagh means only one thing to me
0:04:01 > 0:04:07and that is the Belleek factory, which is a factory here in Ireland
0:04:07 > 0:04:12making, and still making today, high quality pottery and porcelain.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17And here you've got a little piece of Belleek which,
0:04:17 > 0:04:18although it's not immediately obvious,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21is actually a little box, because the lid comes off.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24What can you tell me about it?
0:04:24 > 0:04:28My granny - was given it to her on Christmas 1940
0:04:28 > 0:04:32for a Christmas present from her mother-in-law at the time,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35and my granny then gave it to me some years ago,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and since that she's passed away.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I've had it ever since but nobody's ever seen it before.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43It's been in the house and that's where it sat and...
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And it's probably been... never been more than a few miles
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- away from the place that it was made.- Correct, yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Which is rather lovely, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52But it's actually a very interesting piece of Belleek.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It has a title, as most Belleek things do.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00- Uh-huh.- And the title is Jack At Sea, so Jack's a little sailor boy.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05- Yes.- And he's at sea and you can see that he's smiling.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- Yes.- And it has a box that goes with it, it's one of a pair,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14and the other box is called Jack On Shore, and it depicts
0:05:14 > 0:05:18the same boy looking really glum like that, because he's not at sea.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- He's not at sea. - So it's comic and fun.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Yes.- And the design for these two trinket boxes was
0:05:24 > 0:05:31registered by the Belleek factory on the 13th November, 1868.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35But we know that things were designed, say in the 19th century,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37but production may have carried on for a long time.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Yes.- So what we need to do is to see
0:05:40 > 0:05:42what mark is on the bottom of these pieces,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45because one of the marvellous things about Belleek
0:05:45 > 0:05:48is you can date them quite accurately from the mark.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50So let's have a look. Let's put that there.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55There we go, and here we see the black mark.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Yes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02For a period between 1926 and 1946.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So this is the third period mark,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08so we know that the box was made within that period,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11so that fits with your own family knowledge of it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- Yes.- It's a rare shape, it's a rare form.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19- Yes.- But it's also coloured, and that makes it even more desirable.
0:06:19 > 0:06:26I think I can safely say that for the rarity here, the appeal,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30we're looking at a piece that is worth...
0:06:30 > 0:06:32around £1,000.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33GASPS OF AMAZEMENT
0:06:39 > 0:06:41HE LAUGHS
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- Well, it's a rare piece. - So it is a very rare piece.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48It's an absolute joy to see it here in its home county.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- Yeah, didn't travel too far.- No.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56When a beautiful box comes to the table, I get very excited
0:06:56 > 0:07:00about what could be inside, so I'm going to open it and reveal
0:07:00 > 0:07:06what looks like a book, because I'm going to turn it round here now and
0:07:06 > 0:07:09you might think, "What's a jewellery specialist doing with a book?"
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But, in fact, it opens out
0:07:12 > 0:07:16to reveal it as a bracelet.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Now tell me, how did you come to have this?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Well, it was given to me when I was quite young.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27It was my great-grandmother's, and it has her name on it.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Well, this is what I love, is that, especially in the Victorian period,
0:07:31 > 0:07:37they loved novelty jewels and this is absolutely quintessentially that.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39It's absolutely exquisite.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I just love the chasing and the engraving and the piercing.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45And what did you think when you saw this?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47I don't really remember the first time I saw it.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51I was quite young, but I've always loved it and treasured it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53And you've appreciated the work that's gone into this.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Absolutely. - I mean this is all hand-done.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59All hand-pierced, which I just think is just fabulous, you know,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03to have a little tiny saw to saw all these pieces,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I can assure you is no mean feat.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07It's got this blue enamel
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and that would indicate to me that it
0:08:10 > 0:08:14would be around about 1840-1845, that sort of period.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19- Right, OK.- And with these half pearls on the spine of the book, it would
0:08:19 > 0:08:21be about sort of 15 carat gold.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Do you wear it?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I have done. It was my "something old" on my wedding day.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Oh, really?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Yes, but sadly it's a little neat now.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It is actually just... I think it might have had a change,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35because it's a bit small
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- and another panel could have been taken out.- Ah, OK.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42But the fact that usually, when something like this is named,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45it sort of limits its appeal,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49but I think "May" - well, that's a lovely May month -
0:08:49 > 0:08:54- so I think that wouldn't be of too much detriment to the piece.- OK.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57And I would say at auction you would be
0:08:57 > 0:09:00looking in the region of about £2,000 to £3,000.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04That's very nice, except it's not going anywhere.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Not going anywhere, no. Good.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12So, this looks very like you.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15No, it's actually in fact my grandmother.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- Hello.- Hello.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- And it was done in 1942. - '42, that's correct.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- In the middle of the war. - That's right, yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25By an Italian artist called De Gennaro.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That's correct, yes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29- Did you know him well? - Not really, no.- No.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I was just introduced to him
0:09:31 > 0:09:35and he decided to do my portrait and that's how it happened to be done.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- He thought you'd make a good sitter, obviously.- Obviously.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And so are you granddaughter?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Yes.- I see. And Mum in the background here?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- In the background, yes. - It is extraordinary,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48it's a bit like that Oscar Wilde story
0:09:48 > 0:09:52The Picture of Dorian Gray, you know, when generations age but the
0:09:52 > 0:09:57portrait stays fresh, and then it's turned around and here you are.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Younger still than here, it seems.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00It's drawn in pastel, isn't it?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Drawn in pastel.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- Now, portraitists often do this. - Yes.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Because pastel is something they can work in much more quickly
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and that means they can turn out a portrait in...how long did it take?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I think it took quite a few hours, you know.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I was sitting for about three weeks at two hours a day.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18It was quite a while, you know.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20- Ah, well he took his time. - Yes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24There are other pastel portraitists who can turn it out in an hour.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Extraordinary, isn't it?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- It would have taken months to do an oil painting.- Exactly.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- What's going on here? Is that your husband?- That's my husband.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37- And when was that done?- That was done two years before this portrait.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- I see, and did he...? - 1940.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Did your husband pay for this to be done?
0:10:43 > 0:10:44He did, yes, eventually.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47LAUGHTER
0:10:47 > 0:10:51He was obviously very charming. He's got a lovely smile, your husband.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- Yes, he had, very nice. - That's very good.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57So how were you feeling when this was done?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59You look rather sort of frozen cold, actually.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Yes, I wasn't too happy doing this.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I was just doing it because
0:11:03 > 0:11:05everybody said, "You must have it done."
0:11:05 > 0:11:10So I just went and said, "All right," but I wasn't too happy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I thought, I didn't know whether to smile or not
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and then I decided not to smile.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Oh, dear. Well, you're a good smiler, it's a shame.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Now, he's not a well known artist.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Not really, I think he just came during the war,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and that's what happened. He was probably more French than Italian.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29It sounds like it. I nonetheless
0:11:29 > 0:11:31think it's rather a good portrait in its way.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34You do look as though you've got other things to do, though,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- in the painting. - Yes, that's right.- I have to say.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38Yes, I think so.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Now, I would say that this portrait, if it was to come
0:11:41 > 0:11:45on the market would probably only be worth about £1,000 to £1,500.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Oh, yes, but it's not really the worth of it, you know.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It's just a family piece, and you know...
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- It means so much more to a family. - More, much more.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Thank you very much indeed, thank you.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05I love it when people bring chairs on to the Antiques Roadshow
0:12:05 > 0:12:08because every chair tells a story.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Do you have a story?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12It's been in my husband's family for a long time.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14His grandfather had it, gave it to his father,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and he gave it to us, but we really don't know what all that is about.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Do you have a history of this being in Ireland?
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Yes, I would assume it has always been in Ireland, yes.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- Right. Because I think it's been moved over from Scotland.- Oh.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Probably as part of the Plantation Movement.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Yes, the date would fit, yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:421681, a lot of Scottish Presbyterians came over to Ireland,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46mainly in the north, to be settled and given land to work.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Not very politically correct today, but it was what happened,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51it's part of the history,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and I believe part of this chair's history,
0:12:54 > 0:12:55which makes it very important.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57It's a really unusual chair
0:12:57 > 0:13:02but there are some in the Trades Hospice
0:13:02 > 0:13:03in Trinity - Trinity House,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I think it's called - in Aberdeen.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Oh, really?
0:13:08 > 0:13:12With different types of trades carved onto the back.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15And there are some, I believe, in Belfast as well.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Really?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Which were always thought to be Irish.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- But I'm sorry to disappoint Irish viewers, they're all Scottish.- Oh.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27It probably came into the east coast of Scotland,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30ie Aberdeen, probably from Sweden, in the 17th century.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It's absolutely right that date. And when you think how
0:13:33 > 0:13:35many of these dates are completely wrong on furniture.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40But what I'm absolutely fascinated by is this hammer.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42I mean, is there a guild called The Guild of Hammermen?
0:13:42 > 0:13:47- I don't think so.- I don't know. - I don't.- I just don't know.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50But just look for a minute at the detail. You've got this
0:13:50 > 0:13:53hammer here with a metal head and then it looks like four fins
0:13:53 > 0:13:57where it's been...the handle's been solidly pinned or riveted in.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And just there, a little hole there so he can just hang it up
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- when he's finished work at the end of the day.- Oh, yes.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04This tells such a wonderful story.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05And it's basically...
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- and more or less in its entire original state.- Good.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I think it's a fascinating chair.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14You've had it for a long time.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Do you value it highly?
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Value doesn't matter.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19It was curiosity, really, to find
0:14:19 > 0:14:21out what all that was about.
0:14:21 > 0:14:27I think that curiosity for this would put it in the region of...
0:14:27 > 0:14:28£2,000 to £3,000.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Oh, really? Well I hope the family will keep it.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35That was always our intention, that it will go on down.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36Thank you very much.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Thank you.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46Wonderful group of spoons, but is there any history behind them?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Unfortunately, I don't know.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51A friend of mine, they belong to her and she asked me to bring them.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Now she knows they're old,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56but apart from that she doesn't know anything else about them.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02Right, well, they are a very exciting little group of spoons.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06First of all they're Irish, which is very nice.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Secondly, if you look at these,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- can you see how they come into a point there?- Yes, yes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17That is known as Irish Pointed Old English,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21but sometimes referred to as Celtic Point.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Now most Irish silver you find was produced in Dublin,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29but if we look at what's happening here,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- can you see we've got the maker's mark and then word "sterling"?- Yes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Now in this case, these were actually made in Cork.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42- OK, yes. - And Cork is very desirable.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Now, normally when you come across serving spoons like this,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49you find literally just the plain bowl, as we've got with this one.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51But this, it only gets better.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Yes, that's really unusual, isn't it?
0:15:53 > 0:15:57We've got that lovely strainer in the centre.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02There are all sorts of theories as to what that was used for.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05And of course date-wise we're looking at the of the 18th century.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- That old?- Oh yes, these are George III,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11about 1790-1800, that sort of date.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16- That's very old.- Could just spill over into the early 19th century.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17All sorts of theories.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Some people say it's for serving up peas -
0:16:20 > 0:16:23scoop it out, drain it, serve it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I'm not convinced by that.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28One of my favourite explanations - I don't know that it's true -
0:16:28 > 0:16:33is that it was actually for getting rid of maggots out of game.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Oh, oh, dear.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Well, maybe, maybe not.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Then the six bright-cut ones, those we see again
0:16:41 > 0:16:46the "sterling" together with "CT" and that would be Carden Terry.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- Oh, right. - A very important Cork silversmith,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53really going into the 19th century, early 19th century.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Difficult market at the moment.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56Right.
0:16:56 > 0:17:03But value-wise, the six spoons,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07those have got to be £150 - £200 each.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Very good.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14The pair, because of the strainer,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I'm going to say we're looking at somewhere around
0:17:17 > 0:17:20the £2,500 mark for the pair.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Really? She'll be delighted. She'll be very surprised.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Right!- But she'll be delighted.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28HE CHUCKLES
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- I've been a jewellery valuer for 39 years.- Right.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41And I can truly say that in my experience I have never ever seen
0:17:41 > 0:17:47a box like this, and I've certainly never seen the contents like that.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51That is stupendous.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54In the world of antique jewellery,
0:17:54 > 0:17:55that is something special.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59I was given this by my mother-in-law, who sadly passed away,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02and she was a very theatrical person
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and she loved this sort of thing, and she would have worn these
0:18:05 > 0:18:09at the parties at Castle Coole and she gave it, very generously,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14to me, obviously before she died, and I've always treasured them.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Novelty jewellery is a Victorian feature. You know,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22you get things modelled in the form of things - cats, dogs.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- Yes.- You get crystals painted in relief,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28you get things like this, but
0:18:28 > 0:18:33very, very rarely, first of all do you get something that is so perfect
0:18:33 > 0:18:38in its composition and colour and, for me, I think this is unique.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Do you think that they were in that case,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43or do you think that someone got hold of a bird's cage
0:18:43 > 0:18:47and thought "I'll put the owls inside the cage"?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Because thinking about it, you don't tend to put owls in bird cages.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54They've always, as far as we know in our family, been like that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56As far as the date of these is concerned,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01around about 1865 to about sort of 1868
0:19:01 > 0:19:04would be the right period for them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08That's when Victorian novelty jewellery really took off.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13The birds themselves are beautifully coloured in brown
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and coloured sort of enamel
0:19:15 > 0:19:19to depict the feathers at the back.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Enamel decoration there,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25realistically suggestive of tawny owls, I think.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Right, tawny owls.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31The condition of them is generally speaking really very good.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34There's a few little flakes of colour missing at the front,
0:19:34 > 0:19:40but to be honest with you, I think that the damage is so minimal,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I don't think people would worry too much about it,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47because I think from the point of view of buyers,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50these are of paramount interest.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Naturalism, birds - which people love.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- Yes.- The cage...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58The box in itself.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01You know, it's got such meaning and such personality.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I would like to think that if these ever came up at auction -
0:20:04 > 0:20:08I'm sure you'd never sell them - but if they came up at auction,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11someone would comfortably pay £3,000 for them.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Goodness.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18I think they are so rare, they are fabulous.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Well it's very nice, you saying such lovely things about them
0:20:21 > 0:20:24because I've always been very fond of them and I do wear them.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27I'm just trying to think the last time I wore them and I think...
0:20:27 > 0:20:32You'll be horrified to hear, it was at a Harry Potter fancy dress party.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57We get some very unusual items on the Roadshow
0:20:57 > 0:20:59but I think this is the first time we've ever actually had
0:20:59 > 0:21:03a First World War cross from the battlefield.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- Now, this was your grandfather, I believe?- Yes, it was, yes.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Tell me a little bit about him. You have a photograph of him there.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Yes. My grandfather, he was in the Battle of the Somme
0:21:13 > 0:21:18and he was serving there, and he was hit by a shell.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It didn't explode but took both his legs off.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25He was taken to a clearance station
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and, obviously, he died,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32and then this was a cross off his grave.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36You've got another photograph, which I believe shows a different cross.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Yes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40So, this, I think, would have been the original cross
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- erected by his comrades.- Yes. - After he died.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48But these original crosses didn't survive for very long,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51because what was called the Graves Registration Unit -
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and you can see the GRU here -
0:21:54 > 0:21:57they were responsible for replacing all of the crosses
0:21:57 > 0:22:01with a uniform white cross, which this is one.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04And so, after the First World War in the 1920s,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07they had a massive programme of having to replace
0:22:07 > 0:22:11all of the war graves crosses and they put these in.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14But, after they'd erected these,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16there was then an even bigger programme
0:22:16 > 0:22:19to replace all of the war graves crosses with proper stone,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- um, stone headstones.- Yes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26And so families were offered the chance to actually have
0:22:26 > 0:22:30one of these crosses sent back to them, if they wished to do so.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Now I think most families said "No."
0:22:33 > 0:22:37They regarded it as too sad or possibly too gruesome.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Yes.- In the instance of your family, they said, "Yes".- Yes.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43These were mass produced in their hundreds of thousands.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Well, Britain and the Commonwealth lost nearly a million men,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49so you can imagine the quantities that were produced.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Um... But this is a very, very rare survivor and I think
0:22:53 > 0:22:56what's rather poignant is, at the bottom of the cross,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- although it's protected with silver foil..- Yeah.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01..is the soil that was actually still clinging to it
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- when it was pulled out. - That's correct, yes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06And you've very sensibly tried to protect it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08It's an extremely unusual object.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12In fact, it has virtually no collector's value as such.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- No.- But absolutely priceless to the family
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and also because you simply don't come across them.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Occasionally, you find them in churches,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and in memorial halls, but this is the first one
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I've ever come across actually in private hands and it's wonderful.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Thank you very much for bringing it in.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32You're welcome, yes. I wouldn't sell it anyway.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Good, I'm delighted to hear it.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Picture yourself in the year 1920-1925.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44You've been invited to go to some function -
0:23:44 > 0:23:50reception, dance, cocktail party, whatever it may be.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55You've got to wear something that looks quite practical,
0:23:55 > 0:23:56but makes a good impression.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And what we have in the box, I think,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03services that need extremely well.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11It's a brooch, set with a line of five white stones.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Tell me as much as you know about it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16It was my grandmother's and she left it to my father
0:24:16 > 0:24:21and when my mother died, she left it to me, and I've always worn it.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I've worn it to dinner dances, I wore it in the back of my dress
0:24:24 > 0:24:26when Lady Diana used to start that craze.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- Oh, right, so... - Yeah, on the back.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31So your grandmother would have worn it, you know, in 1925.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33She would have worn it to dinner dances,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- my mum wore it and then I've been wearing it.- Oh.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Did your mother give information regarding what it was,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41anything about it?
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Well, there's always been a family myth that my grandmother,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47who built the Strand Hotel in Portstewart,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50that most people knew about and went to for holidays
0:24:50 > 0:24:53in Northern Ireland before package holidays were popular...
0:24:53 > 0:24:56She was quite a wealthy woman, and the myth was
0:24:56 > 0:25:00that she bought diamonds from landed gentry who were on their uppers.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I was always told by my father and my mother
0:25:02 > 0:25:05that these diamonds probably were set into the bar by her,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07they were diamonds that she had bought.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So they've been sourced from disparate, different sort of places?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I don't know if they're all from one person, if they're a match or not.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- I don't know anything about the diamonds themselves.- Mm.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Well, first of all, let's just confirm exactly what they are,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- because they are diamonds. - All right. Good!
0:25:22 > 0:25:25So that's the first thing to reassure you about.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27They're round brilliant-cut diamonds,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30they're all period-cut stones.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Now, the thing about them is that they're awfully large.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Yes, we always thought maybe they would make five nice solitaire rings.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- Solitaire rings.- Yeah, more practical.- One for each finger!
0:25:42 > 0:25:44It's worth going through the weights of these stones.
0:25:46 > 0:25:491.25 carats,
0:25:49 > 0:25:541.25 carats, 1.25 carats,
0:25:54 > 0:25:561.25 carats,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58one and three-quarter carats.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01So that's mine in the middle, for my ring!
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Shall we run through the values individually,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06to give you an idea of what the value of this brooch,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09as a composition, would be, that you wear?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18This one here, £2,500 by itself.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23£2,500, £2,500,
0:26:23 > 0:26:24£2,500.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28That's £10,000 for the four small stones,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30then you've got the big one in the middle.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33And the big one in the middle is slightly off colour
0:26:33 > 0:26:35so I'm going to be a little bit cautious on that,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38it's a disappointing £3,000.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41In other words, your brooch - line of diamonds -
0:26:41 > 0:26:45is worth £13,000 to £16,000.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Now, don't forget, that's what you can sell it for -
0:26:50 > 0:26:52and you have to bear in mind that for insurance purposes,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57you'd be looking at the best part of £25,000 to £30,000 for it.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Ooh, better get it insured!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01You might consider that.
0:27:01 > 0:27:07It is a sparkling, spectacular, fabulous diamond line brooch.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Thank you. Lovely, thank you.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Congratulations.- Thank you.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16At first glance, a rather undistinguished
0:27:16 > 0:27:19piece of white porcelain, flat white porcelain.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21What's the family history?
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Well, the family history is,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- it was given to me 20 years ago by an aunt.- Right.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28I thought it was quite pretty,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32but there's something special about it and magical about it.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35There is indeed, and we are looking at in ambient light,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38in other words, the light is coming in and it's bouncing off
0:27:38 > 0:27:44and what we see is an image of a lady wearing a turban, and her hand.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46But this is a very special process,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49a ceramic process invented in the mid-19th century
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and it transforms utterly when you hold it up against the light.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55CROWD GASPS
0:27:55 > 0:27:58That is fantastic.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Mm-hm. It's beautiful
0:28:00 > 0:28:01It's absolutely beautiful.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05And your aunt, did she actually have it hanging up in a window?
0:28:05 > 0:28:08She didn't, but when I was in possession of it,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11I put it up to the window and I could see the glory of it then.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15But I didn't have the appropriate place to put it up, so I just put it in my wardrobe.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18But it was a younger sister who thought it was worth looking at.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20These were very, very popular in the mid-19th century.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- They were called lithophanes...- Yes.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26..which means a light-revealing stone,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- because it has a sort of stony look. - Yes.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- And the place you put them, was in the windows.- The window.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Sometimes you could even make lamps of them.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Fantastic detail and it's one of the best lithophanes I've seen.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41They were basically sold to people going abroad,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43they were basically souvenirs.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44She did travel a lot.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47She would have been a lady who would have travelled quite a bit.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48I don't know the origin...
0:28:48 > 0:28:51If you went to a foreign gallery in Munich, for example,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54you might want a copy of one of the masterpieces in the gallery
0:28:54 > 0:28:56and that's a relatively inexpensive way
0:28:56 > 0:28:59of getting one of those copies back home.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Don't often see them.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05The most celebrated manufacturer is usually considered to be
0:29:05 > 0:29:09KPM Berlin and there could be a mark underneath the frame.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12If there is, it's likely to be Berlin.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16- Value - somewhere around £200 to £300.- Mm-hm.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Great thing.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Well, in the early 20th century,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Diaghilev's Ballets Russes was taking the world by storm.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31He produced this new way of theatre, of ballet,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35from theatrical costumes to these wonderful dancers.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39And the impact of his whole performance was felt everywhere -
0:29:39 > 0:29:44from costumes, to textiles, to sculpture, to porcelain.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48And this, for me, just reeks of everything to do with Diaghilev,
0:29:48 > 0:29:49and to do with the Ballets Russes.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53But tell me, how do come to be in possession of such a wonderful object?
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Well, it belonged to my mother's aunt and uncle,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59who lived in San Francisco
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and at the outbreak of the Second World War,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05after my mother's uncle died,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08her aunt and cousin came back to Northern Ireland,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11but, of course, they couldn't come directly,
0:30:11 > 0:30:17so they had to come through... They flew to Portugal and then overland
0:30:17 > 0:30:22up through Europe, into Ireland and so into Northern Ireland.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27And it's just been in the family, and I recently was given it.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30- So they were there in the '20s, during that period.- They were, yeah.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33You wonder whether it had been bought there. Well...
0:30:33 > 0:30:34I really don't know.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Well, interestingly it MAY have been bought there,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- but it certainly wasn't MADE there. - Right.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42We've got to come right back across the Atlantic
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and go back into Europe. In fact, we've got to go into Germany,
0:30:45 > 0:30:50we've got to go into Thuringia and we have to go to one of the smaller
0:30:50 > 0:30:55but good sort of Volkstedt factories that were working at that time.
0:30:55 > 0:30:56And they were actually a firm
0:30:56 > 0:30:59that were producing this kind of ware at this kind of period.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02And if we move just round here,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05we have got quite a little complex mark,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08a crown and some interlaced characters there,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11and this is for a firm called Aelteste Volkstedter.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15And, basically, this is typical of their sort of work
0:31:15 > 0:31:18and they're looking across at other factories of the time
0:31:18 > 0:31:21and they're looking at what other people are doing,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and if you look at the movement and the dance and the pose,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26I mean, it is very sort of balletic, isn't it?
0:31:26 > 0:31:27It's lovely, yes.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30And so when she brought this back, did it go in the hold then,
0:31:30 > 0:31:35- did it get packed up with all their possessions? - It absolutely did not, no.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39My mother's aunt insisted on having it with her all of the time,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41so she nursed it the whole way.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Wow! Well, what a long journey it's had and I think
0:31:44 > 0:31:46because it has got that wonderful essence
0:31:46 > 0:31:49of the 1920s and that lovely elegant feel,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53it's a kind of figure that sort of exudes romanticism.
0:31:53 > 0:31:54And I think because of that,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I think people would actually find it incredibly appealing.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02So to go out and replace this today, I think you're going to look
0:32:02 > 0:32:06at a price tag somewhere between £800 and £1,200 for it.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09My goodness!
0:32:09 > 0:32:12It's a wonderful thing and I'm glad that she nursed it all the way home.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- Thank you.- It's lovely, thank you. - Thank you very much.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21We've had a very interesting day here at Castle Coole, to say the least.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25We've had one or two very dubious items - dare I say "fakes".
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Nice one.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30What can you tell me about this?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33I bought it about 14 years ago
0:32:33 > 0:32:36and I have a small collection of sculpture
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and the price I paid for it was quite reasonable,
0:32:40 > 0:32:45but after buying it, within six to eight months,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47the dealer came back to me and offered me
0:32:47 > 0:32:50four times the money that I paid for it.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55It has been sitting on its stand at home, you know, for years
0:32:55 > 0:32:56and I've often wondered,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59why did he come back and offer me more money for it,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01so the question I'm asking you is,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04is it genuine and what it's worth?
0:33:04 > 0:33:06So he feels he made a mistake, does he?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09I've no idea, but I was dubious when he came back.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14- Let's talk for a second about it before I pronounce on it.- Right.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Well, you know, Antoine Louis Barye,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20- one of the greatest French sculptors of the Animalier School.- Right.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25Started about 1840 and his work was very, very popular indeed.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28This is the Lion Et Serpent - Lion And Serpent -
0:33:28 > 0:33:29a very well known model.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33And he made a lot of things in his own studio
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- and then a lot of things were made posthumously.- Right.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39- And well into the 20th century. - Right.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41In fact, there was a whole group of fakes of his
0:33:41 > 0:33:45and other animal bronze sculptures done in Paris in the 1960s
0:33:45 > 0:33:47and a certain gentleman went to jail for doing them.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Really? OK.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- So, I have to make a pronouncement. - Right.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Is this right, or is it wrong?
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It's 100% genuine.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Very good, I'm pleased with that.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05Now we have to value it.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09I love the colour, it's that nice green patination that Barye liked.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12It doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles that you want,
0:34:12 > 0:34:17like the caster's marks and, that Barye also put on, the Barbedienne foundry,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21so I think it's relatively late, could be even 1900.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24- Really? OK. - Yeah, so I think it's posthumous.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26So you paid a "reasonable" price.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Is it dangerous of me to ask you what you paid for it?
0:34:30 > 0:34:31I paid about 3,000.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- 3,000 - and you call that reasonable?- Yeah.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Then the dealer came back
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- and offered you three or four times more.- Yes.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- Well, I think you should have taken it.- Really?
0:34:45 > 0:34:49But I'm wondering, in real life, whether he actually would have
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- paid you £9,000 - £12,000 for it.- Right.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57I think, today, it's worth certainly between £5,000 and £6,000.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00That's not bad, not bad. It's good.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Phew, it's genuine.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06HE LAUGHS Very good, thank you.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12We were really hoping we were going to see some Irish pictures today,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14and here they are with a vengeance.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17They're absolutely lovely and they're by Harry Epworth Allen,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20done in 1942 and 1943.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22And where are they of?
0:35:22 > 0:35:25They're scenes from Achill Island,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28which is off the coast of County Mayo.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30It's on the west coast of Ireland.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34I see, and this one's got a big mountain in the background,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37- what's that?- Yes, that's - as far as I know - that's called Slievemore,
0:35:37 > 0:35:43and the village here, I think, is the village of Keel on Achill Island.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47They've been in the family home since I've been a child
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and no-one in the family knows whether they're prints
0:35:51 > 0:35:53or whether they were originals.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57In fact, they ARE originals, but they're in egg tempera.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59- Now do you know what that is? - No.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- Well, you know you can mix watercolour with just water...- Yes.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04..and you can mix it with thickening agents of all kinds,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and one of the things you can mix it with is the yolk of an egg,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11a chicken's egg, and it actually works extremely well
0:36:11 > 0:36:15because it gives a lovely translucent look to the colours
0:36:15 > 0:36:17and that's what we're seeing here, painted on boards.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20This lovely sort of pastel effect that you get
0:36:20 > 0:36:23- is typical of egg tempera.- I see.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27- And each of them is dated on the back, '42 and '43.- Yes.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30This is just at the time when Harry Epworth Allen
0:36:30 > 0:36:32was just beginning to take up tempera
0:36:32 > 0:36:35as part of what you might call the British tempera revival.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- I see. - And did your family know the artist?
0:36:38 > 0:36:41No, I didn't... I don't think so.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46I think the only reason that they're in the house is because my mother
0:36:46 > 0:36:49was from County Galway and, when we were children,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52she brought the family twice to Achill Island
0:36:52 > 0:36:55for a holiday in the summertime, and...
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- So it had fond memories for the family.- That's right.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59So they bought these.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Well, that's the only conclusion that the family have come to.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Well, he also... He was such an interesting man,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07he was a bit of a war hero.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10In the First War, he won the military medal and lost his leg,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and so he was invalided really for the rest of his life,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and he worked for quite a long time
0:37:17 > 0:37:20as Arthur Balfour's private secretary.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Now, Arthur Balfour was, of course, the British Prime Minister,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- but his money came from a steel works in Sheffield.- I see.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31And that is where Harry Epworth Allen came from - Sheffield.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32- He was a Yorkshireman.- Oh, I see.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34And part of the Yorkshire Group of artists,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36but he went to Ireland quite a lot.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40I mean, if you look, they're heavily stylised with simplified forms
0:37:40 > 0:37:42for the sides of the gable ends of the houses,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45and it's almost abstracted, isn't it?
0:37:45 > 0:37:49And the dry stone wall is rather... Almost surreal,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- the way it's painted, don't you think?- Yes.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53These people, I suppose they're cutting peat?
0:37:53 > 0:37:54Yes, stacking the turf.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56And these mounds - yes, stacking the turf -
0:37:56 > 0:37:58- and these mounds are turfs. - That's right.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- To keep the buildings warm in the winter.- Sure.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03You're thrilled I hope to hear that they're originals.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Oh, yes! Oh yes, indeed, that's great, yes.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08And so I suppose, with all that talk, you've not really known
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- whether they were valuable or not. - No.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Well, in fact, they are valuable.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18They're worth between, well, £6,000 or £7,000 each.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20My goodness!
0:38:20 > 0:38:25CROWD GASPS AND LAUGHS
0:38:25 > 0:38:28That's telling you, that's wonderful. Yes.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Well, modern British pictures
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- are very, very sought after at the moment.- Yes.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36And he was another one of these strange British artists
0:38:36 > 0:38:40who had a unique vision of things and that's what people like,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43they like that individuality, that eccentricity
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and that determination to go your own way
0:38:46 > 0:38:48- and see things with your own vision.- OK.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50They're very beautiful.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Now, I know there are earlier compacts
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and, in fact, you've got some of them here,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01- but, to me, the glory days are Art Deco.- Yes.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06And I love these Art Deco compacts. What got you started?
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Well, I got married in 1973
0:39:08 > 0:39:12and I had to go to auction to buy some furniture.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14One of the things that I bought was a box
0:39:14 > 0:39:16for five quid, in those days,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19and in it was an Art Deco compact
0:39:19 > 0:39:23which had the most glorious powder puff
0:39:23 > 0:39:26and I fell, instantly, madly in love
0:39:26 > 0:39:28and I've just gone from bad to worse.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31- I mean, these are just sensational, look at the styling!- Thank you.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33This is everything of Art Deco -
0:39:33 > 0:39:36there's the power, the speed, the excitement.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I mean, women were going through a very interesting change time
0:39:39 > 0:39:41at that, you know, at that period.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43They were into, I mean, real...
0:39:43 > 0:39:46the sort of make-up, smoking, drinking, having fun.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49- Like today.- Exactly the same,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51which is obviously why you've got into this.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53And which is your favourite?
0:39:53 > 0:39:56I mean, I know which my favourite is, I've decided, but...
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- OK, that one, probably.- This one?
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Yes, yes, I think it's very special,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04the workmanship in it is absolutely exquisite.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Well, you're right.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Well, this one would be my favourite, I think that's exquisite.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14I mean, the styling of it, but also the Deco ones.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18And this one here, this is a beautiful little thing
0:40:18 > 0:40:26and inside it has its original bill of sale.
0:40:26 > 0:40:33- "Theodore Foster, silversmiths, one vanity case, 1921."- Yeah.
0:40:33 > 0:40:3850. I mean, that is a phenomenal sum of money for a little vanity.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41- Isn't it?- But, of course, these were luxury goods.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43This one, I love, the fact that you can...
0:40:43 > 0:40:46This is your digital diary of today.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49That's, yes, that's 1950s, that one.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51So you decided when you went to your hairdresser and...
0:40:51 > 0:40:53- Yeah.- ..and all the rest of it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55You certainly couldn't lose it in your handbag
0:40:55 > 0:40:56because it's so big.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Come on then, how many have you got? Admit to it.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- OK, in front of witnesses, about 500.- About 500.
0:41:03 > 0:41:04And that is a small collection
0:41:04 > 0:41:08because I belong to the British Compact Collectors Society
0:41:08 > 0:41:11and there's ladies who have thousands.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12It is a bit of an addiction.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Could we use "a love affair"?
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- A love affair. - I like... a love affair's good.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- A love affair with compacts. - Yeah, a love affair.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21OK, we have to look at them as a collection
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and some of these are very, very special indeed.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Now, I know what it's like as a collector
0:41:27 > 0:41:30because you don't often add up your whole collection
0:41:30 > 0:41:34and work out how much it's worth, or even how much you spent on it.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36But I'm looking at some of these compacts here
0:41:36 > 0:41:39and I see some of them at £300 to £400,
0:41:39 > 0:41:40maybe some at £500,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44some a little bit less, obviously, but you've got 500.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- Ish, ish.- Ish.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49That's a bit... Well, if we just take the 500
0:41:49 > 0:41:52and we say an average of £200.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54OK, you'd better do the maths.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58That adds up to maybe £100,000.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Ohhh! Oh, my goodness!
0:42:02 > 0:42:04CROWD LAUGHS
0:42:04 > 0:42:08I can see my daughters' digital clocks ticking immediately.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- They now love them. - Oh, absolutely.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14- "We've always liked them, Mum!" - They will always polish them.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16CROWD LAUGHS
0:42:16 > 0:42:18£100,000!
0:42:18 > 0:42:20You won't see that too often on the Roadshow!
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Well, it's been a day of fascinating revelations here at Castle Coole.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Until next time, from all the Roadshow team, bye-bye.