0:00:02 > 0:00:06This week's Roadshow venue wouldn't win any beauty contests
0:00:06 > 0:00:09but it's what helped Britain conquer the skies.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Whoa!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Look at the size of that!
0:00:20 > 0:00:24In here, our best boffins tested the designs of, among other things,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27the Spitfire, the Hurricane, parachutes.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's quite a story.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Welcome to The Antiques Roadshow
0:00:31 > 0:00:34from Farnborough Wind Tunnels, in Hampshire.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Farnborough Wind Tunnels borders Farnborough Aerodrome.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23This is where the history of British aviation -
0:01:23 > 0:01:26from kite flying, ballooning, gliding
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and then powered flight - really took off
0:01:29 > 0:01:31in the early 20th century.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35What was known as the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough
0:01:35 > 0:01:38pioneered our jet engine industry.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The development of the Hurricane, the Harrier Jump Jet,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44the perfect delta wing of the Concorde...
0:01:44 > 0:01:49and yet, this historic site could have been lost to us for ever.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51The whole area was being sold off
0:01:51 > 0:01:54by the Ministry of Defence in the early 1990s,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57when a former RAF fighter pilot, working nearby,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00wondered what was shaking the foundations of his office.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02He stumbled across one of the wind tunnels
0:02:02 > 0:02:06carrying out its final test before decommissioning.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Findlay Gordon decided the site was worth saving
0:02:09 > 0:02:11and with friends, colleagues and councillors,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16launched a charity - The Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, or FAST.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Together they set out to save the dusty remains of design models,
0:02:22 > 0:02:23prototype engines,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26buildings, from the scrap heap,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29to save a crucial part of Britain's aviation history.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Facing down the MOD,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38they spear-headed a campaign to save this -
0:02:38 > 0:02:43the oldest wind tunnel building in the UK, built originally in 1916.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Nothing sums up the achievement of that group better
0:02:59 > 0:03:05than this incredible piece of design and technology built in 1935.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09The laminated mahogany propellers are 24 foot long.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14The space is so huge that full-size aircraft were tested here.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It took three years for the plucky band to win through
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and secure the future of these buildings
0:03:22 > 0:03:23by getting a heritage listing,
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and they also rescued hundreds of thousands of objects and images.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The wind tunnels are decommissioned now,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33but I'm told they can be operational
0:03:33 > 0:03:35if they're plugged into the national grid.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Today they can be admired on occasional open days,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40so we're delighted to bring a large crowd
0:03:40 > 0:03:43to today's show to admire them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And, by the way, today's volunteers helping our visitors,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49are members of FAST who saved this whole site.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- You need to go to the shed. - Hiya.- Morning!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56A fabulous Victorian shell house.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- Yes.- Where did you get it from?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Well, there was a second-hand furniture dealer in Aldershot
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and there's an old guy there reminded me very much of Charlie Chaplin,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09used to wear - a little chap - a bowler hat,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12we brought it home, and we've had it ever since.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And where has it been for all those years?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17On wardrobes, top of cupboards,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20it's always been on a shelf somewhere.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21And you love it?
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Oh, yes, yes.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28What I love about it is the amazing detail.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33You've got this fabulous peacock there and the gentleman,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37and all these different shells which would have been imported.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- Yes, yes. - What did you think about it?
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Do you remember it growing up?
0:04:40 > 0:04:43I do, me and my brother used to spend hours just...
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I used to spend hours with my face pressed up against the glass,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48trying to see all the little detail of it,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51because if you look in the windows, it's all completely furnished
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and there's children playing in the front room and it's just amazing.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59My favourite is the little old woman just coming out of the door,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01with her shawl on.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- And she's feeding the chickens. - Yes.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- And the little pussycat chasing the mouse.- Yes.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- Yes, yes. - I mean, that's just beautiful.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And it would have been made about 1850 or 1860,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- it's quite early Victorian. - Yes, yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Of course, the Victorians were very keen on worthwhile pastimes
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and I could see possibly the man of the house
0:05:22 > 0:05:25actually making the house itself,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and then a woman putting all these shells on,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and it would have taken months to do.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Have you ever seen any like this before, or...?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36This is one of the most detailed ones I've seen.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37I've seen shell houses before,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40they were that sort of early Victorian period.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41They started in the 18th century
0:05:41 > 0:05:44but the early Victorian period they were very popular.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48- I know you've got a glass dome for it too which keeps it...- Yes.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- It's in beautiful condition.- Yes.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I would say, if this came up for auction,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57you'd put an estimate of £800-£1,200.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Really?- But I could see it, I could see it selling for more than that
0:06:00 > 0:06:02because it really is sensational.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Oh! Thank you very much.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- There you go. Happy? - Oh, yes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I love this picture. I mean, it's so Impressionist
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and that's what, I think, makes it attractive.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22So do you think this is French?
0:06:22 > 0:06:26No, I think it's German because on the signature it says "Berlin '87".
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Quite right, 1887 that would be,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and you can see the signature above.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35"JUL" - Jul for Julius,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and then Jacob or "Ya-cob". J-A-C-O-B.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And he's a minor artist, born in 1842,
0:06:41 > 0:06:42died in 1929.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45That's literally all the facts we have about the artist.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49But I assume, as it's inscribed "Berlin",
0:06:49 > 0:06:51that he lived and worked in that region.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Doesn't always follow that, of course,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56because many artists studied abroad so, you know,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59you could have Norwegians, for instance,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- where I believe you may originate from...- Yes, I do.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04..that studied in Dusseldorf,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07so you often see a picture by a Norwegian artist signed "Dusseldorf"
0:07:07 > 0:07:11- but that's just by-the-by.- OK.- Did you buy this picture or inherit it?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13No, I inherited it from my grandparents.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- Right.- It was bought in Norway
0:07:16 > 0:07:18from a very posh arts shop,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21by my grandfather, but I don't know any more about it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25There's a big connection between Norway and Germany.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Right.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And so there was a lot of artists from Germany painting in Norway
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- and vice versa.- Right.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35And I love this picture,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39but it is very much a sort of typical Impressionist style.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43This was just after the real sort of true Impressionist period in France,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48in the 1870s, so the influence of Impressionism
0:07:48 > 0:07:49is creeping across Europe,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52and you can see with these beautiful broad strokes of the clouds
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and this idyllic landscape here in front of us.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59I think it's just beautiful.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Well, I mean there is always a good market for German art
0:08:02 > 0:08:04but if it had been French -
0:08:04 > 0:08:06been by a French Impressionist such as Monet -
0:08:06 > 0:08:09ooh, we'd be talking about a lot of money, wouldn't we?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12For this size, two or three million,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15but being German, I would say we're probably looking at
0:08:15 > 0:08:20- something in the region of £3,000-£5,000.- Right. OK.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Not too bad?- No, very good.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26Reading, writing and arithmetic
0:08:26 > 0:08:29are still obviously part of the national curriculum,
0:08:29 > 0:08:35- but here we've got an 18th-century book on penmanship.- Right.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38The art of lettering, calligraphy.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- Right.- Can you tell me, where did you get it from?
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Well, there was... where I worked there was a gardener
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and he used to be given material
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and things that weren't wanted to burn on a bonfire
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and I used to chat to him,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55so he very kindly said,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58"Oh, if there's anything that interests you, I'll keep it."
0:08:58 > 0:09:02And he gave me that and of course I was delighted, couldn't believe it.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- Yes.- So lovely. - It is, it's a charming book.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08I mean, it is a lovely book. It still gives me a bit of a thrill.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- And it's typical sort of 18th-century binding as well.- Yes.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And we've got the name of the calligrapher,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17the person who wrote it, here, it's "John Lewis..."
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and "..is the true owner of this book,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- "written in the year of our Lord God 1734"- Yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- What I hadn't realised when I opened it...- Yes?
0:09:25 > 0:09:27..it's actually an alphabet.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Oh, yes, because it's quite difficult to decipher the initial letters.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33The initial letters, absolutely,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35the initial letter of each page is in alphabetical order.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- Oh, wonderful, yes. - And so here, on the first page,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40is a capital A and it reads -
0:09:40 > 0:09:45I've just managed to decipher it - "A wise man will..."
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and then it gets rather tricky, actually!
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- But that's the A, the capital A. - Oh, right, yes.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52And then if we go a bit further on,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- this one is a "C" for contentment. - Yes.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59"Makes a man happy without a fortune."
0:09:59 > 0:10:02And again he's signed it, "John Lewis 1734".
0:10:02 > 0:10:06This coincides with a book that was published
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- by a chap called George Bickham.- Oh.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Who published a book called "The Universal Penman"
0:10:11 > 0:10:14which is the classic calligraphy book.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- Yes.- And I have a suspicion that
0:10:18 > 0:10:23young John Lewis possibly had a copy of Bickham in front of him
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and was either copying it, or imitating it.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- Yes, yes, yes. - If we go a bit further on...
0:10:29 > 0:10:32that I think is a "G", although it's terribly complicated.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Yes.- But it does work out as being a G.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37He was quite good at it, wasn't he?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Oh, he was very good, very competent, absolutely.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It's so...it's exciting to have it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I mean, I enjoy looking at the way he sort of developed it.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Some of the styles are different, aren't they?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Yes, indeed, we've got some sort of old...
0:10:49 > 0:10:51- what one might call more Gothic script.- Yes.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- And then there's the sort of typically...- Little head.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56These lovely decorations as well.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- Yes, yes.- Absolutely charming and it's worth money, actually.- Really?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I think if you... if it came up for auction,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06- it would make somewhere between £300-£500.- Really?
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- I'm amazed at that!- It's charming.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11I thought, being a sort of one-off thing, it wouldn't.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Well, that's what makes it so interesting, it is one-off.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19- It's lovely, thank you.- Oh, well, thank you. That's very, very helpful.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23This is called a cap tally.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It goes around the cap of a naval man, a sailor.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29I thought it went round the arm.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32No, it's around the cap and it says "HMS Hood".
0:11:32 > 0:11:34That's a very famous ship.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Now, why do you have this?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Well, my great-grandad was on the Hood when it sank.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41He was a boatswain.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- A very important job.- Yes. - And these are his medals?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Yes.- So of course he would never have got to wear them, would he?- No.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51You've brought this album, tell me what's in the album.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Well, in the album are the pictures he took
0:11:53 > 0:11:57before he had to fight against the Bismarck.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02And if we go onto this page... there's a picture of him in here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05That's him, that's your great-grandfather?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- Yes.- In uniform.- Yes.- Now, the interesting thing about that
0:12:08 > 0:12:11is that he's wearing a cap tally that says "Submarine" on it,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13so there's a reason for that -
0:12:13 > 0:12:18whether he did serve in submarines at some point, I don't know.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Now, the interesting point about this cap tally is,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24during the Second World War, because of the danger of spying,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27the ship's name was taken off the cap tally,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30so it only said "HMS" so you couldn't identify...
0:12:30 > 0:12:31If you saw a sailor in a port,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34you couldn't identify which ship he was from.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- I see. - Had to keep secrets during the war.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Now, do you know the history of the sinking of the Hood?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- Yes. - Do you know how it was destroyed?
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- Yes.- What do you know about that?
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Well, I believe it was hit in the decking by the Bismarck.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Well, there was a great battle that took place
0:12:52 > 0:12:56because the Bismarck was the pride of the German navy
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and it was thought to be the greatest battleship ever built
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and almost indestructible.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07And we, the British, desperately wanted to sink the Bismarck
0:13:07 > 0:13:11and we sent several ships to hunt for the Bismarck
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and the Hood was one of those ships.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Now, HMS Hood was one of the greatest battleships
0:13:18 > 0:13:20we've ever built in this country.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23It was regarded as the pride of the British Navy
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and right at the beginning of the battle,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29the Bismarck sent several salvos - several shots -
0:13:29 > 0:13:33towards the Hood and one of them went into the Hood
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and probably exploded the magazine - all the ammunition.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41And the explosion was almost instantaneous
0:13:41 > 0:13:46and the ship just exploded into thousands of pieces.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48It was a terrible explosion
0:13:48 > 0:13:52and over 1,000 men died on that ship,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54including your great-grandfather.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57What do you think of him?
0:13:57 > 0:14:01I think of him as a very powerful man.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05He must have been very brave to fight for his country
0:14:05 > 0:14:09and important to be chosen for the Navy.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12But you've got other photographs here too.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Well, that is him sitting on the Hood.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16This is actually on the Hood itself?
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Yes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20That's a great photo.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I know you're not interested in the value - I'm sure you're not -
0:14:23 > 0:14:27- but collectors do pay lots of money for this sort of thing.- Yes.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And there's a very interesting story behind it,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33so I think the medals, the cap tally
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and all these photographs are probably going to be worth
0:14:36 > 0:14:38something in the region of £800-£1,200.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Well, I'll tell my grandad that.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Now, don't get confused, this isn't Gardeners' World,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49this is The Antiques Roadshow
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and it's really interesting to see some garden pieces
0:14:52 > 0:14:54on The Antiques Roadshow for a change.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I love the way they've been beautifully weathered.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Well, I think they're very old.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- How old?- Well, they've been in my family for as long as I can remember.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06And what else can you tell me about them?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Well, I don't know where they came from,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12but my parents thought they were worth quite a lot of money
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and I went to the Watts Gallery a few years ago
0:15:15 > 0:15:20and I spotted the pots there and I came home and said to my husband,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- "I've seen my pots at the Watts Gallery."- Bingo!
0:15:23 > 0:15:26And I saw another one in Godalming Museum on another occasion
0:15:26 > 0:15:28and that's all I know about them,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31so I can only assume they're Watts pots.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35It was Mary Watts who actually started the business down in Compton
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and they're a Scottish family
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and her husband, George F Watts,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43he was a famous artist
0:15:43 > 0:15:44and she had time on her hands
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- and so she started this business of making pottery.- Yes.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52And they were digging the local clay - this red clay -
0:15:52 > 0:15:55and this is the latter part of the Victorian period
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and red clay was highly fashionable
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- and these were actually moulded, it's a moulded cast.- Yes.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05And she was selling to the top garden designers.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10She was selling to Gertrude Jekyll, Lutyens and Liberty in London.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- They were selling these pots. - All the best names.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- Exactly, the top names, especially Gertrude Jekyll.- Yes.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19And in the Jekyll gardens you will see them on a ledge.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- Oh, right.- Because they normally put them on a ledge.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Well, actually, they are...
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The part of the garden they're on is raised up,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29so from the house they are raised.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34- Well, that's aesthetically how they should be shown.- Oh, right.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- Right, so we've got to get down to values.- Yes.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Now, these are one of the few items where you can sell these singly
0:16:40 > 0:16:41and they're still quite valuable.
0:16:41 > 0:16:47I think you've got to look at between £1,500 and £2,000 a pot.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48They're marvellous!
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Oh, great. Thank you.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54So you were doing a house clearance?
0:16:54 > 0:16:58- Yes.- And...?- My parents' house.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00And somebody came along and offered you how much?
0:17:00 > 0:17:04- £2,500.- For this?- Yes.- OK. - It started off lower than that,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08then gradually crept up throughout the afternoon.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09So you were bargaining?
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- No, I told him it was not for sale. - It wasn't for sale.- Never.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17So you turned down £2,500. You've also brought this painting along.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- Yes.- Before I tell you whether you made the right or wrong decision,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24I'm going to ask Mark to tell us more about your painting
0:17:24 > 0:17:26because that really looks lovely.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Well, it is lovely and it's the most beautiful view of Hammersmith.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Yeah.- In London.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And it's by EC Williams - Edward Charles Williams -
0:17:35 > 0:17:37one of the great painters of Victorian England,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40born in 1807 and died in 1881.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43He was part of a huge family of landscape and town painters,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46the Williams family, but I've always thought that EC
0:17:46 > 0:17:48was one of the better ones.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53And what I love about it is the sort of nice early depiction of London
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and you can see it's before The Embankment was built
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and you've got the old Hammersmith Bridge, so it's beautiful.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Do you live near there or...?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Yes, we used to, we were in Earls Court.- Oh, not far away at all.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- No. - And you journeyed over this bridge?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08I journeyed over the bridge, yes,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and I journeyed along The Embankment.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I used to work in the East End, so went back and forth frequently.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19So let's say you wanted to raise £2,500.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Well, I think I could do better for this.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I think this little picture's worth £3,000-£5,000 on today's market.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Really? I would never sell it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Oh!- Sorry!- After all that!
0:18:29 > 0:18:32After all that, I would never sell it, no, I love it.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35No, you must keep it, because it's really lovely and I'm very envious.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37- Thank you.- So, Lars, what about you?
0:18:37 > 0:18:39So you're going to sell the jar instead, is that right?
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- No, I'm not selling anything. - We're not doing very well.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- Not doing very well, are we? - Let's have a look.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I'll tell you a bit about the jar. Do you know anything about it?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50No, not a lot. I think it was in my grandparents' house.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53It's one of those things that's been part of the family
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- for as long as I can remember.- OK.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57This is a very, very bold, unusually bold mark,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00for a piece of Chinese porcelain. You've got six characters.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Great Qing dynasty, Kangxi. Year made.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Kangxi is the clue here.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11This is an emperor who reigned from 1662 to 1722
0:19:11 > 0:19:16and almost every Kangxi mark that one sees is wrong.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19And it's very, very bold as well.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20What is nice about this,
0:19:20 > 0:19:25is this wonderful imperial lemon yellow enamel glaze
0:19:25 > 0:19:28you've got on here, so that is supposed to be reserved for -
0:19:28 > 0:19:32that particular colour - is reserved for the Emperor and nobody else.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37- Oh, quite right!- So at £2,500, actually, I would say take it,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39if this were a copy of the Kangxi period,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43then £2,500 is an extremely generous offer.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46However, it is actually of the period it says,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49so it's probably worth between £5,000 and £10,000.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51LAUGHTER
0:19:51 > 0:19:53How fantastic!
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Oh, I'm so pleased I didn't.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It's very lucky he wasn't calling at your door!
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Oh, I'm delighted. I love this. I love this vase.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Again, it's not for sale.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I love this piece of furniture
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and I've watched Antiques Roadshow for many years,
0:20:11 > 0:20:12but I've lived in South Africa
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and haven't been able to get to The Antiques Roadshow.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18And we came to Surrey last year and I looked on the website
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and I saw you were in Farnborough.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I thought, well, this piece of furniture I'd love to bring.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26This is one of my loves. It's campaign furniture,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28which is basically military furniture
0:20:28 > 0:20:31made for high-ranking officers
0:20:31 > 0:20:33at literally the top level.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And its construction is what I love about it.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40It's made of best mahogany but all this comes apart -
0:20:40 > 0:20:43it's the early flat-pack furniture, basically.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It would all be stored in little boxes
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and it's just unbelievable to find furniture like this.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51A few years ago, this would have been sold as a shelf
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and no-one would have realised. In the last few years,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57people have really taken military furniture seriously.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59But it needs to have a history.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Have you got any history within the family?
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Well, yes, we do.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07My grandfather's great-grandfather was Sir John Hindmarsh
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and he was born in 1785,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I think, and died in 1860
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and he fought in seven battles.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17He was a naval officer
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and he then became the first governor of South Australia.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22And have you worked out which battles he was in,
0:21:22 > 0:21:23before we get onto Australia, or...?
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Yeah, quite a number of them - the Nile, Trafalgar, um...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30OK, that's pretty impressive!
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Yeah, and there apparently is a letter, which I haven't seen,
0:21:33 > 0:21:34but a letter from Nelson
0:21:34 > 0:21:38which appointed him to the ship for Trafalgar
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and which is part of the family history.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46So this was in my grandparents' house
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and I have assumed that it belonged to him
0:21:49 > 0:21:51but because I didn't know how old it was...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It's bang on that date.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I mean 1830-1860, it wouldn't have changed much in style.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I would say this is around 1830-1840.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03I mean, you can only imagine what this piece of furniture has seen,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- which is why I love campaign furniture.- Yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08The battles this could have been in!
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Pieces like this, say in the Battle of Trafalgar or the Nile,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14they were all flat-packed
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and put into one of the boats and towed behind the ships.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Because one of the biggest causes of death was splinters.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So you didn't want pieces - cannonballs coming through,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25all this being shattered. So they used to pack it all away.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27That's another reason for the flat-packing.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Such a brilliant system.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And these aren't right.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- Oh, they're not? - No, the finials, these are later.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- You wouldn't have things like this. - I wondered because they do look odd.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Exactly, and they would just have a manly finial,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- a very small finial on top. - A manly one, yeah, I like that.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- And all this would go.- It does, it does.- Pack down and it's brilliant.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Pack right down.- And the condition - it needs a little bit of work.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- I would get this repaired, tidied up and polished.- Yeah.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53But find out that history.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56If you can tie anything to a letter or an order,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59go through any of the old paperwork, it makes a difference.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01As it stands, as a nice piece of campaign furniture,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03it would be £600 to £800.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06If you can tie it to the battles,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09then it goes up to sort of £2,000 to £3,000 -
0:23:09 > 0:23:11makes quite a big difference.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Provenance is so important with this stuff. Thanks very much.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Thank you very much. Really interesting, thanks.- It's great fun.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23These are the notebooks of Sir George Cayley,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27who was born in Yorkshire in 1777
0:23:27 > 0:23:32and by 1800 he had formulated the theory of flight
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and he understood the forces
0:23:34 > 0:23:37that act on what we would call an aeroplane today.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40He designed the caterpillar track which was used on, you know,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43large earth-moving equipment and military vehicles.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45He designed the self-righting lifeboat.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48In this diagram here of the wheels,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51he was looking for a light wheel, so he designed a tensioned wheel
0:23:51 > 0:23:54which actually is what's used in bicycles today.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56So he designed the bicycle wheel.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- So a real English polymath. - A real English polymath.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Now, I really am a layman, but even I can see that this diagram here,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06which has helpfully been dated 1804,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- that's 100 years...- 100 years before the Wright Brothers.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10..before the Wright Brothers.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Even I can see that's a prototype aeroplane.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16We have wings at the front here and a tail plane at the back.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20The Wright Brothers actually got into aviation through flying models
0:24:20 > 0:24:23that were based on Cayley's designs
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and they have acknowledged this in their writing.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30So, Sir George Cayley - a little-known Yorkshireman -
0:24:30 > 0:24:34is the father of aerodynamics and aeronautical science.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Tell me, what about powering these aeroplanes?
0:24:37 > 0:24:41I mean, he was gliding, which is clearly a major step forward.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43But, as I understand it, in order to take flying forward,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46you must have some way of powering yourself...
0:24:46 > 0:24:48- He understood...- ..through the air.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50He understood that you needed lift from the wings
0:24:50 > 0:24:52to counterbalance the weight
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and you needed thrust to counterbalance the drag.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57If you look at this diagram down here,
0:24:57 > 0:25:03here you see an aircraft with the wings to lift it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06The propulsion, which are flapping wings, as he called them,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and they are powered by this engine,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11which was an internal combustion engine
0:25:11 > 0:25:13that he designed to run on gunpowder.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Now, clearly, he never built it but the concept is there.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20And an undercarriage, so that is an aircraft as we would recognise today.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22When would he have drawn this?
0:25:22 > 0:25:24This was in 1848, towards the end of his life.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Can you tell me why they're here at Farnborough now?
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Well, yes, I'm a trustee of the Royal Aeronautical Society
0:25:31 > 0:25:32and about 100 yards from here
0:25:32 > 0:25:34in one of the other historic buildings,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37you've got the National Aerospace Library,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41and this is an example of some of the treasures we have in that library.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43This little remark caught my eyes.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49George Cayley writes, "You, to whom it may concern when I am gone,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53"may find the seeds of thought in these scrawls."
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Never a truer word. - That's perfect, isn't it?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58And so these are going to have very considerable value.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04I can quite easily see these making £30,000 or £40,000 at auction,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08possibly very considerably more.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Well, they're going to remain safe
0:26:10 > 0:26:13in the National Aerospace Library, Justin.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Now, whilst flowers like lilies
0:26:19 > 0:26:23are sometimes associated with mourning,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26do you think that this originally was used as some mourning jewel?
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- Because I don't, do you?- No.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I can only tell you it was a 21st birthday present.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Oh, right, OK.- In 1909.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Which is about the right period for it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Where do you think it comes from?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Well, I don't know.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I know my grandparents used to go to France quite often.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45That would be right.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I think it's turn of the century, so we're looking at 1900-1910.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51In other words, 1909 would be absolutely perfect.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55And I think it's a prime example of the Art Nouveau theme.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59It is that typical, naturalistic Nouveau look
0:26:59 > 0:27:04that was all the rage at the start of the 20th century in France.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08It is enamelled all over the surface,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12it's got these charming natural pearls
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and it's got the detailing -
0:27:14 > 0:27:16diamond chips going down the front.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22Most importantly, it's in absolutely terrific condition.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Because when these get damaged, when they chip,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28they lose an enormous amount of value.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31When they have all the components in place
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and it's as prime as this, it adds to the value.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I think if such a piece of jewellery
0:27:36 > 0:27:39in that condition came up at auction,
0:27:39 > 0:27:40£2,000-£2,500.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44That's very nice, but it has to go to my daughter.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48- It's a 21st birthday... - Well, that's a nice thing to hear,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49but bear in mind,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52the value will keep on rising. It's a great piece.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- I'm delighted to hear it. Thank you. - Thank you very much.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00This is a letter from my uncle,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04who was a sergeant major in the Grenadier Guards, 1914, in France.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08He was actually a witness to the Christmas Day truce
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and the football match which we understand took place
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and we know it did because it's mentioned in his letter.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- In this letter?- In this letter.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18It's a pencil-written letter.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Most of these letters home were written in pencil.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Oh, I see here, it says that he's buried 69 men,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27"And then the next thing happened -
0:28:27 > 0:28:30"a football kicked out of our trenches
0:28:30 > 0:28:33"and German and English played football.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37"Night came and still no shots.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41"Boxing Day the same, and has remained so up till now."
0:28:41 > 0:28:43- Isn't that astonishing?- Yes.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48This man was a witness to that now very famous event.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50- Exactly.- It's down in history,
0:28:50 > 0:28:52that event, you know, and he witnessed it.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54And was disputed that it ever took place for a long time,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56by the powers that be.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58I find that astonishing, actually.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02It's an incredibly historically important letter, this, I think.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04And, actually, letters like this
0:29:04 > 0:29:07often have very little value outside the family.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10- Sure.- But in this instance, actually, I think it does have a value.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14I think a collector of First World War memorabilia
0:29:14 > 0:29:15- could easily pay £150 for it. - Really?
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Maybe even more because it mentions that event.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20- Yes, yes.- Very rare.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Yeah, yeah, well, it needs to be preserved for posterity.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Do you know, there's hardly a day in my life
0:29:28 > 0:29:30when I don't use my pocket knife.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33It's a fabulously useful object
0:29:33 > 0:29:35but it's by no means a new invention.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40And just in case we were thinking how old pocket knives are,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44what about this one? Because this is a Roman pocket knife.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47It's 2,000 years old.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51How do you happen to have a 2,000-year-old pocket knife?
0:29:51 > 0:29:53My father was a metal detectorist
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and he used to go out quite often
0:29:56 > 0:30:01and bring in coins and all sorts and he found that.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04It was given to me when he died
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and we went to the British Museum and found one in the British Museum,
0:30:07 > 0:30:11so that's how I know more or less what it is and brought it in today.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Well, it's a fabulous little item.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16For one thing it really takes you back to a point
0:30:16 > 0:30:19where some chap, maybe a legionnaire,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21was sitting there, unfolding this knife,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24even picking his finger nails with it.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29What it is, is a stylised dog chasing what appears to be a hare
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and this is a very common theme in Roman pocket knives,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36you'll often see these kind of chase scenes. It's made of bronze.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39The iron blade, which is now very badly corroded,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42is just nestling in the bottom there.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46Now, your father, obviously as a metal detectorist,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48probably was quite pleased to find this
0:30:48 > 0:30:50and I'm sure he reported it to his local finds officer,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52which is a very important thing you must do
0:30:52 > 0:30:55with objects you find with a metal detector.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57But, strangely enough,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00being old doesn't necessarily make you really valuable.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05For an object like this, what are we looking at? Probably £200-£300.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- Oh, right.- Maybe a little bit more than you anticipated.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11More than, yeah, definitely, definitely.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13In sentimental terms it's worth a great deal more to you.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Yes, definitely, it is.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21This extraordinary document is Florence Nightingale's passport
0:31:21 > 0:31:25but she's not mentioned on this document here. Why is that?
0:31:25 > 0:31:28No, she's not, because the passport is a collective passport
0:31:28 > 0:31:31for the first group of nurses,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33with Florence as the lady Superintendent,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36to take them out to the scene of the Crimean War.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39And she didn't have a passport, or they had a collective passport,
0:31:39 > 0:31:44- because they were women, so not thought worthy of a passport?- Yeah.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Now, it's fascinating to see this,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48because when she went out to the Crimean War in the 1850s,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52she was not - she and her nurses - were not particularly welcomed
0:31:52 > 0:31:55by the Army medical establishment, were they?
0:31:55 > 0:31:59No, they weren't, they were looked on as interfering busybodies, really,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and when they arrived on November 4th 1854,
0:32:01 > 0:32:06the Army really said, "Well, we haven't asked for you to come out."
0:32:06 > 0:32:08They'd been sent out from England
0:32:08 > 0:32:10and, as you say, they weren't welcomed at all.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13What Florence Nightingale proved was that so many men were dying,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15not from their injuries,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19but from infection and disease that followed the injuries
0:32:19 > 0:32:21that were incurred as a result of their stay in the hospital
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and that really put people's backs up, didn't it,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- amongst the medical establishment? - Yes. It did.
0:32:26 > 0:32:3020,000 dead of the British Army, only 1,600 to enemy action.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34All the rest were disease and infection, mainly bowel diseases.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- She made a remarkable difference, didn't she?- Yes, she did.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42It really...it took them away from the untrained medical orderly
0:32:42 > 0:32:47to the caring nurse, which of course still goes on today.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Now what about this sash?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52This is Scutari Hospital which is where she and her nurses worked.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Yes, Scutari Hospital, in Constantinople
0:32:54 > 0:32:57was where Lord Raglan said his hospital base was going to be.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And of course they needed to identify these nurses
0:33:00 > 0:33:04from all the other ladies that were there in this old, barren hospital.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Providing a different comfort?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Providing a different sort of comfort, yes.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11And of course there were widows there, some of the wives still there.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14So it identified them as the nurses
0:33:14 > 0:33:16for when they wanted to get access to the wards.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19And so when people talk about Florence Nightingale -
0:33:19 > 0:33:20The Lady With The Lamp -
0:33:20 > 0:33:23she would be, I mean, is this a truthful image?
0:33:23 > 0:33:25They wouldn't allow any nurses on the wards at night -
0:33:25 > 0:33:27they said it wasn't a fit place -
0:33:27 > 0:33:31except her, to look at her sick and her wounded soldiers.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Well, these are a testament to a remarkable woman,
0:33:34 > 0:33:36whose reforms we still feel the benefit of today.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Yes, absolutely.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45It's so lovely to see such a wonderful collection
0:33:45 > 0:33:48of China-trade silver.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Now, have you actually collected this yourself or...?
0:33:50 > 0:33:53No, it's all come to me through the family.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Right.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58My mother's family lived in China for three generations.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Wow!
0:33:59 > 0:34:03And it's silver that they collected while they lived there
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and this is what has come down to me.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10There were four sisters, my grandmother being one,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13so I've had the items that came from her.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16So this is a quarter of the collection?
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Presumably, yes.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19So whereabouts were they in China?
0:34:19 > 0:34:23- In Shanghai. - Ah, that's lovely to know
0:34:23 > 0:34:26because of course once the Chinese realised
0:34:26 > 0:34:28that Europeans loved silver,
0:34:28 > 0:34:33they started to make specifically for the European market
0:34:33 > 0:34:38and you can see this lovely sort of fusion of the two ideas.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40So, with this mug...
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I mean, nothing could be more English than a mug.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Christening mug.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47It's got my grandmother's initials and the date of her birth,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- the year of her birth. - Oh, that's super!
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Well, of course, entirely Chinese decoration on it,
0:34:54 > 0:34:59and they actually did develop a marking system
0:34:59 > 0:35:02which, of course, we can see just there.
0:35:02 > 0:35:08And, in this case, you've got both straightforward initials
0:35:08 > 0:35:13but you've also got the guy's name in Chinese characters.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18So I would tend to assume the pieces were from Shanghai.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21And you think of a tea service - tea being very Chinese -
0:35:21 > 0:35:26but the concept of a three-piece tea set isn't at all Chinese!
0:35:26 > 0:35:30The picture frame there. Those are very sought-after today.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- Are they? - Yes, people really like those.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35The trade itself, of course,
0:35:35 > 0:35:40started to develop because of the people arriving to do business -
0:35:40 > 0:35:42the shippers, the diplomats -
0:35:42 > 0:35:45and there were the great China-trade ports -
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Hong Kong, Shanghai and Canton.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53And, of course, as your family were from Shanghai,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57well, there's no prizes for guessing where these pieces should be from.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01And the vast majority of these, we are looking at
0:36:01 > 0:36:03the latter part of the 19th century.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06So, I mean, a mug like this...
0:36:06 > 0:36:11- that on its own would easily be £500.- Really?
0:36:11 > 0:36:15And, similarly, the picture frame,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- that's going to be £600-£700 quite easily.- Really?!
0:36:19 > 0:36:24And if you start totting this little lot up,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I think you wouldn't get much change out of 10,000
0:36:27 > 0:36:29for what is actually on the table.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Goodness! Wow, I'd better take care of it then!
0:36:33 > 0:36:36- Look after it. - Well, thank you very much.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41It's a great sign of the times
0:36:41 > 0:36:44when the BBC are creating memorabilia
0:36:44 > 0:36:46that appears on The Antiques Roadshow.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Here we have a letter from the chief BBC announcer,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51the famous John Snagge,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53who was on the radio on a daily basis,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55pre, during and after the war.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And it's written to a "Dear Frank".
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- Who's he? - Frank Phillips was my father.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03He was a BBC newsreader during the war
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and this letter is from John Snagge,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09enclosing quite an important script
0:37:09 > 0:37:13that he read on the morning of 6th June 1944.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- That being D Day.- D Day.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Well, that's an amazing archive find
0:37:18 > 0:37:22and so kind of him to give it back to your dad.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26So we've got four pages here, in script, not typed.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27That's quite strange, isn't it?
0:37:27 > 0:37:30I mean, I would have thought it would have been typed
0:37:30 > 0:37:32before being read out.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Well, my understanding, from reading John Snagge's letter to my father,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39is that it was regarded as too confidential,
0:37:39 > 0:37:44because it was essentially announcing D Day, to entrust to any typist.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47And real men didn't type in those days
0:37:47 > 0:37:51and so it's a hand-written script.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54And it was such a secret, wasn't it? I mean,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56had the enemy had any inkling
0:37:56 > 0:37:59that we were heading towards Normandy rather than somewhere else,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02it could have been a completely different outcome.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Absolutely, yes.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07So he must have been full of trepidation about the day,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10this important...
0:38:10 > 0:38:12And it says, "From the BBC in Great Britain,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14"we are sounding the alert
0:38:14 > 0:38:17"for the countries on the coastline
0:38:17 > 0:38:19"of Western Europe occupied by the enemy".
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Also, let alone the John Snagge,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26there's, I think, a copy of a really important document
0:38:26 > 0:38:30which is signed by Winston Churchill and Eisenhower.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33That's right. My understanding is that is the communique
0:38:33 > 0:38:36that my father was trailing, if you like,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and that John Snagge read the communique itself,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43and I think it says here that it was signed by those two
0:38:43 > 0:38:48and given to John Snagge because he read that particular communique.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50So I'm not sure that his generosity
0:38:50 > 0:38:54extended to passing on the original signed communique.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56And I think what's also very evocative is...
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Obviously, during the war,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01the radio was such an important part of society,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04both here in the UK and presumably across Europe.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08As an example here, we've a letter addressed to your dad from Holland,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11and it goes on about how important it is for him.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14"Here is one out of the multitude of listeners
0:39:14 > 0:39:15"to your famous transmissions
0:39:15 > 0:39:18"during the five long years of enemy occupation."
0:39:18 > 0:39:21And it goes on to say how important it was in his life.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22It was indeed, yes.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25And, in fact, that particular individual
0:39:25 > 0:39:27named his son after my father,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31his first two Christian names are Frank Phillip.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35- Well, you can't get a better accolade than that, can you?- No.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37My goodness, what's it worth?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40That day was the turning point of the war, wasn't it?
0:39:40 > 0:39:42And an amazingly important transmission.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46It's unique, one's never been sold before.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48I'm sort of thinking about a figure of maybe...
0:39:48 > 0:39:50certainly a couple of thousand pounds.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55- Fine, well, I'm not selling it any time soon.- I'm glad to hear it.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Thank you very much.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Well, my first question is, what nationality do you suppose he is?
0:40:02 > 0:40:04That's a question I've wondered.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07- He's got a turban.- Yeah. - So he looks, could be Indian,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09but he's got a feather in it,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11so he might be sort of Arabian Nights type of thing?
0:40:11 > 0:40:16OK, well, I'm going to suggest he might be Turkish.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Right.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20And do you know anything about him?
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Nothing apart from it used to belong to my grandmother
0:40:23 > 0:40:26and I don't know where and how and when she got it.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29I mean, he's got some age, and he's got some dents and scratches...
0:40:29 > 0:40:31- He has, yes.- ..and chips.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34And dents and scratches do rather affect this material.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37This material is known as Delftware,
0:40:37 > 0:40:42which is a earthenware covered in a skin of white glaze
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- which is then - in this case - decorated in blue.- Right.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48To the untrained eye, this looks like porcelain,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50because we associate blue and white with porcelain.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54And that's actually what these potters were trying to achieve,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57they were competing with China.
0:40:57 > 0:41:02But there's a reason for him being a Turk and the clue is here.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Have you worked out what these are for - these holes?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Well, they look as if they should have flowers in them
0:41:07 > 0:41:09but it's a rather peculiar flower vase
0:41:09 > 0:41:12that's got a head in the middle of it.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15OK, now, let's just put all of that together.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19So, he is a Turk, but he's made in Delftware
0:41:19 > 0:41:22and in fact Delftware is, of course, Dutch, generally speaking.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Right.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28What flowers would you associate with Delft or Holland?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Tulips.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Tulips, and we've got there, because tulips were developed by Turks.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- Oh!- So it's entirely appropriate that a vase intended for tulips
0:41:39 > 0:41:42should be modelled in the form of a Turk,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45and tulips were extremely popular in the 1620s-30s,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47there was a tulip mania.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52- Yeah, yeah.- But ever since then, vases like this have been made.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54You can go out and buy them in the shops in Holland today
0:41:54 > 0:41:58and you can buy them and they generally have a maker's mark -
0:41:58 > 0:42:01such as this one on the back -
0:42:01 > 0:42:05imitating the early Delftware pieces.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Now, the question is,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09is this an early Delftware piece
0:42:09 > 0:42:14or is it one of the many, many, many copies. We see lots and lots.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18It's quite difficult sometimes to make up one's mind.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20I'm sure you would like it to be an original
0:42:20 > 0:42:24and I would love to be able to tell you that it was an original.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- However...- 17th-century would be nice.- ..it looks too good to be true
0:42:27 > 0:42:30and looking in the bottom there, there's a sort of nice rough patch.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34There's not a great deal of wear. Is he a copy?
0:42:35 > 0:42:40As a copy, this is worth somewhere in the region of £500-£1,000.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Really?- Yeah.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Ah, fabulous, well.
0:42:45 > 0:42:46Perhaps I like him a bit more now.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49- You do?- Yes.- Um...
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Actually, I don't think it is a copy.
0:42:52 > 0:42:53So we'll bump it up a bit.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Shall we say somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000?
0:42:56 > 0:43:00No! I wasn't going to do the gasp, but I've gasped!
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Hmm.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Well, I think it's fair to say, another satisfied customer.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11From The Antiques Roadshow team, until next time, bye-bye.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Subtitles by Ericsson