The Royal Ballet School, Richmond 2

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0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today we're making a return visit to White Lodge,

0:00:04 > 0:00:05a former royal residence.

0:00:05 > 0:00:07Amongst those who've lived here, our current Queen.

0:00:07 > 0:00:10It's listed on her birth certificate as her home address

0:00:10 > 0:00:12as her parents were living here when she was born.

0:00:12 > 0:00:15So it's a royal welcome to the Antiques Roadshow

0:00:15 > 0:00:16from Richmond in Surrey.

0:01:00 > 0:01:02White Lodge in Richmond Park

0:01:02 > 0:01:07was commissioned as a hunting lodge for George I in 1727,

0:01:07 > 0:01:11and became a firm favourite with the royals for generations after.

0:01:11 > 0:01:14It's only 12 miles from the centre of London,

0:01:14 > 0:01:17but it's tucked away discreetly, with some stories to tell.

0:01:21 > 0:01:25Queen Victoria despatched the party-loving Prince of Wales here

0:01:25 > 0:01:28to study, away from the distractions of the capital,

0:01:28 > 0:01:31and then years later he realised that its low profile was just what

0:01:31 > 0:01:35he needed when he was looking for somewhere to install his mistress,

0:01:35 > 0:01:36Emma Harper.

0:01:38 > 0:01:42And during the Second World War, an American widow leased the lodge

0:01:42 > 0:01:45and it was used by her son and other US military officers.

0:01:45 > 0:01:49In fact, there's still a room here called Billiards from that time.

0:01:49 > 0:01:51But it's believed that all that was actually a front

0:01:51 > 0:01:54for undercover American Intelligence Operations.

0:01:56 > 0:02:00For the last 60 years, White Lodge has been filled with the sound

0:02:00 > 0:02:04of children and music as it's home to the Royal Ballet Lower School.

0:02:05 > 0:02:08The ballet school, originally founded in the 1920s,

0:02:08 > 0:02:11was the inspiration of Dame Ninette de Valois,

0:02:11 > 0:02:14an Irish-born ballerina who danced with the Ballet Russe.

0:02:14 > 0:02:16She also created The Royal Ballet

0:02:16 > 0:02:19and Birmingham Royal Ballet Companies.

0:02:20 > 0:02:23When she was young, there was no real British ballet tradition,

0:02:23 > 0:02:28and the only performing ballet was by French or Russian troupes.

0:02:28 > 0:02:32Establishing British ballet became her life's work and legacy.

0:02:38 > 0:02:41The Royal Ballet went on to forge its national

0:02:41 > 0:02:45and international reputation thanks to one of its pupils.

0:02:45 > 0:02:48Peggy Hookham joined the Ballet School seven years after it opened.

0:02:48 > 0:02:52It was immediately apparent there was something special about her.

0:02:52 > 0:02:56She changed her name to Margot Fonteyn, and the rest is history.

0:02:56 > 0:03:00She became the most famous British ballerina of all time.

0:03:00 > 0:03:04And these are her tiny ballet shoes.

0:03:04 > 0:03:08You can see where she's rubbed away the end from dancing on pointes.

0:03:08 > 0:03:11And this is her costume from Swan Lake.

0:03:14 > 0:03:17Today it's our Roadshow experts who will be kept on their toes,

0:03:17 > 0:03:19as our visitors arrive.

0:03:19 > 0:03:21Don't forget, to play along with our valuation game,

0:03:21 > 0:03:24just press red on your remote control,

0:03:24 > 0:03:27or go to the Roadshow app on your computer or on your smartphone.

0:03:27 > 0:03:28Good luck.

0:03:30 > 0:03:32Ooh now, what have we got here?

0:03:34 > 0:03:39- Oh, how pretty. A lovely pair of cuff links.- Mm-hm.

0:03:39 > 0:03:41How did you get hold of these?

0:03:41 > 0:03:44- These actually belonged to my husband.- Mm-hm.

0:03:44 > 0:03:48He was given them by his American godmother when he was a little boy.

0:03:48 > 0:03:52- Ah.- And he thought, "Ugh, I'm not going to wear those",

0:03:52 > 0:03:56so his mother wore it for many, many years and then his mum passed away,

0:03:56 > 0:04:00came back to him and he said, again, "I'm not going to wear those",

0:04:00 > 0:04:05but from my mother-in-law's notes we knew that they were Tiffany,

0:04:05 > 0:04:07so she said.

0:04:07 > 0:04:10And also they were supposed to be sapphires of four different colours,

0:04:10 > 0:04:13which is intriguing to us, so we thought we might see what they are.

0:04:13 > 0:04:17- They have got the signature of Tiffany & Co on them.- OK.

0:04:17 > 0:04:19So they are by Tiffany,

0:04:19 > 0:04:20and yes, you're absolutely right,

0:04:20 > 0:04:23they are four different colours of sapphire.

0:04:23 > 0:04:24- Oh, are they? Oh good, yes. - Yes, they are.

0:04:24 > 0:04:28Of course, the most times we think of sapphire, it's blue.

0:04:28 > 0:04:32- One colour, yes. - One colour blue, there it is.

0:04:32 > 0:04:34They are also the same family, of course, as rubies,

0:04:34 > 0:04:36- so you end up getting pink sapphires as well.- Ah, OK.

0:04:36 > 0:04:39- And we've got a little pink sapphire in there too.- Yes, yes.

0:04:39 > 0:04:42- We've also got a white sapphire. - That's right, yes.

0:04:42 > 0:04:44Which I have to say is sometimes used in jewellery to try

0:04:44 > 0:04:47- and imitate diamond.- Ah, OK, right.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50- And then we've got a green sapphire, all the way over there.- Yes, yes.

0:04:50 > 0:04:53Now they're all chemical compositions of aluminium oxide,

0:04:53 > 0:04:56but it's all down to trace elements that help to colour the sapphire

0:04:56 > 0:04:58in different ways.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02So that's basically how you end up with the different colours.

0:05:02 > 0:05:05They date from the late 19th century under the Art Nouveau

0:05:05 > 0:05:09style of jewellery, which started around 1890

0:05:09 > 0:05:12- and lasted into the early part of the 20th century.- Yes.

0:05:12 > 0:05:16Tiffany & Co were really important at the end of the 19th century

0:05:16 > 0:05:18- because, of course, they are American.- That's right.

0:05:18 > 0:05:22American jewellers, and we were getting so used to

0:05:22 > 0:05:24- in England and obviously on the Continent - of the French

0:05:24 > 0:05:28leading the way, and suddenly there was a bit of competition going on.

0:05:28 > 0:05:30And there were a number of exhibitions at the end

0:05:30 > 0:05:33of the 19th century where Tiffany got involved,

0:05:33 > 0:05:36and Louis Comfort Tiffany started to show jewellery,

0:05:36 > 0:05:40and that's how we end up with the Tiffany we know today.

0:05:40 > 0:05:43They show all the signs of typical Art Nouveau style

0:05:43 > 0:05:46with the chasing of the decoration. They're very delicate,

0:05:46 > 0:05:48and I can understand why your mother-in-law

0:05:48 > 0:05:52- wanted to wear them, they're really fantastic in many ways.- Yes.

0:05:52 > 0:05:54Of course, with them being Tiffany & Co,

0:05:54 > 0:05:57it's a name that, as I mentioned earlier,

0:05:57 > 0:06:00is very important in the development of the history of jewellery,

0:06:00 > 0:06:04and these at auction would be worth between £2,000 and £3,000.

0:06:04 > 0:06:08Right. Thank you. That's nice!

0:06:08 > 0:06:10I think I'll wear them from now on.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17These are East India Company paintings.

0:06:17 > 0:06:19Do you know where they represent?

0:06:19 > 0:06:22Yes, I believe this one is Canton,

0:06:22 > 0:06:25- and this one is Macau.- Yep.

0:06:25 > 0:06:28They could have been ordered by any of the East India Companies,

0:06:28 > 0:06:30of which there were a lot.

0:06:30 > 0:06:34You can see the number of different flags there were, here in Canton.

0:06:37 > 0:06:43And each country had its own...what they called factory, or building.

0:06:43 > 0:06:47That view is very well known.

0:06:47 > 0:06:50You get it on fans, you get it on porcelain.

0:06:50 > 0:06:54You don't often see it painted on copper, as we have here.

0:06:56 > 0:07:01The oil on copper technique is purely European,

0:07:01 > 0:07:04it didn't exist before the Europeans got into China.

0:07:04 > 0:07:07And, in fact, it was probably introduced by the Jesuits,

0:07:07 > 0:07:12who were a great influence in the 18th century, and they introduced

0:07:12 > 0:07:16a lot of things, like the rose pink for example, famille rose.

0:07:16 > 0:07:20But these are fantastically well painted.

0:07:20 > 0:07:26Painted by a Chinese who's been taught to paint by a European.

0:07:26 > 0:07:33Macau is much rarer. You don't see that many views of Macau

0:07:33 > 0:07:37because the traders had much less reason to go there.

0:07:37 > 0:07:41This strip of land was only 100 yards wide

0:07:41 > 0:07:45- and beyond that, the Europeans were not allowed to penetrate.- Yes.

0:07:45 > 0:07:49There was a fire, and most of the factories were burned down,

0:07:49 > 0:07:51which I think happened about 1840,

0:07:51 > 0:07:55but I think these are pre-that. Just from the style of the painting,

0:07:55 > 0:07:59they look to me probably 1810-1820, somewhere around there.

0:07:59 > 0:08:02Presumably you didn't buy them out there at the time.

0:08:02 > 0:08:05- No, no. - So where did they come from?

0:08:05 > 0:08:07We lived in Hong Kong, but they were actually given to me

0:08:07 > 0:08:11by an elderly friend of my mother's.

0:08:11 > 0:08:14She died about 30 years ago and she'd had them

0:08:14 > 0:08:18from her father and her grandfather,

0:08:18 > 0:08:21who were in the Navy.

0:08:21 > 0:08:24Well, they're the sort of thing

0:08:24 > 0:08:27which has enormously risen in value recently

0:08:27 > 0:08:30because of the interest from the Chinese themselves.

0:08:30 > 0:08:35It wouldn't be difficult to see those making...

0:08:35 > 0:08:38- £5,000 - £8,000 for the pair.- Good lord!

0:08:39 > 0:08:41Maybe even a bit more.

0:08:42 > 0:08:45It seems crazy for a couple of postcards.

0:08:45 > 0:08:47It must be a world record.

0:08:50 > 0:08:54- Well, The Kiss of a Cossack, a wonderful Russian subject.- Indeed.

0:08:54 > 0:08:57What's your connection with Russia?

0:08:57 > 0:08:59Well, it's actually not my connection.

0:08:59 > 0:09:03The bronze came into my possession as a gift

0:09:03 > 0:09:09from my father, who was a doctor, and he had some patients which I believe

0:09:09 > 0:09:16were from Russian descent, and my father looked after the husband

0:09:16 > 0:09:19for quite some time, and then unfortunately when he died,

0:09:19 > 0:09:23the wife said to my father, "Would you please let us give you this bronze?"

0:09:23 > 0:09:26Because every time he used to go and visit them in their house,

0:09:26 > 0:09:28- and so on, he always used to admire the bronze.- Yes.

0:09:28 > 0:09:31So that's how basically it came into our family.

0:09:31 > 0:09:34- Yes, as a token of gratitude. - Yeah, yeah, indeed so.

0:09:34 > 0:09:37- It dates from the sort of late 1870s.- OK.

0:09:37 > 0:09:44When the art market was really looking back several centuries

0:09:44 > 0:09:48to these iconic images of Russia, the troikas,

0:09:48 > 0:09:52the saints, the Tsars, the hunting, the shooting.

0:09:52 > 0:09:56And this is a wonderful depiction of a Cossack,

0:09:56 > 0:09:58he's obviously in... I think a farewell embrace.

0:09:58 > 0:10:00Yes, you could say that.

0:10:00 > 0:10:03It's funny, a lot of men say farewell to their loved ones,

0:10:03 > 0:10:05- never to be seen again. - In those times,

0:10:05 > 0:10:08I should imagine that was probably more prevalent than anything else.

0:10:08 > 0:10:11Absolutely. Traditionally, of course, the Cossacks were

0:10:11 > 0:10:13the bodyguards of the Tsar.

0:10:13 > 0:10:17- This was actually made under the Tsar Alexander II.- Right.

0:10:17 > 0:10:20And, of course, it's signed by a very well-known

0:10:20 > 0:10:23Russian bronze sculptor.

0:10:23 > 0:10:25I mean, I did try and look it up on the internet,

0:10:25 > 0:10:28- but I'm afraid my Russian wasn't very good!- Well, don't worry.

0:10:28 > 0:10:30Trying to put in the characters was even harder.

0:10:30 > 0:10:36- Well, it's in Cyrillic, and it's Vassili Grachev.- Right.

0:10:36 > 0:10:38- And he was St Petersburg-based.- OK.

0:10:38 > 0:10:43- And produced a huge range of very exquisite cast bronzes.- Right.

0:10:43 > 0:10:46We also have the name of the foundry.

0:10:46 > 0:10:47Oh, yeah, I did wonder what that was.

0:10:47 > 0:10:50Well, that actually says "fab", F-A-B for fabrique.

0:10:50 > 0:10:53- So, that would be fabrique, yeah. - So "made",

0:10:53 > 0:10:56and the foundry is Woerffel, a very well-respected foundry,

0:10:56 > 0:10:59and you can see how crisply it's been done. You know,

0:10:59 > 0:11:01I just love all the detail, the traditional fur hat.

0:11:01 > 0:11:03Yeah, I mean what tickles me

0:11:03 > 0:11:05is that the girl's feet are off the ground in the embrace.

0:11:05 > 0:11:07It's absolutely lovely.

0:11:07 > 0:11:11As he's about to gallop away into the snowy regions.

0:11:11 > 0:11:16There is a big demand now from wealthy Russians to repatriate

0:11:16 > 0:11:19- some of their great...- The oligarchs.- That's right.- Oh, right.

0:11:19 > 0:11:22So, you know, it has a value that's much higher

0:11:22 > 0:11:25than it would have been this time ten years ago.

0:11:25 > 0:11:31Today at auction you'd be looking at about £3,500 at auction.

0:11:31 > 0:11:32Really?

0:11:32 > 0:11:35That's quite nice, considering it didn't cost me anything at all.

0:11:35 > 0:11:38Well, exactly. It was a gift of gratitude.

0:11:38 > 0:11:40Yes, absolutely, yeah. And it's something that I think

0:11:40 > 0:11:43we will probably try and keep in the family.

0:11:45 > 0:11:46What at first looks like

0:11:46 > 0:11:49a really rather charming little Regency table,

0:11:49 > 0:11:53a little drum table, it's got an inset top

0:11:53 > 0:11:56and it's obviously got an interesting story to go with it,

0:11:56 > 0:11:58so tell me about it.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00Who is this chap in the middle, and why is he there?

0:12:00 > 0:12:04He is Sir Edward Banks, and he and Mr Joliffe

0:12:04 > 0:12:09were the constructors and surveyors who built Old London Bridge.

0:12:09 > 0:12:13This purports to be timber from underneath Old London Bridge.

0:12:13 > 0:12:16In fact, that is what the plaque on the side says.

0:12:16 > 0:12:19So this timber could be a thousand years old?

0:12:19 > 0:12:24Yes, yes. In as much that London Bridge, Old London Bridge,

0:12:24 > 0:12:27- was started off with the Romans, and then of course it...- Yeah.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30And William the Conqueror actually rebuilt it, and it may well be

0:12:30 > 0:12:32the timbers that were underneath when he rebuilt it.

0:12:32 > 0:12:34- Could be, could be.- Well, well.

0:12:34 > 0:12:37A couple of things from my point of view. I love this period

0:12:37 > 0:12:42because you can date with reasonable accuracy things made after about

0:12:42 > 0:12:461810, because they were publishing books of fashion and design.

0:12:46 > 0:12:49And in 1827, a chap called George Smith, a very well-known

0:12:49 > 0:12:55cabinet maker and funeral arranger, he drew the designs that were most

0:12:55 > 0:12:59popular, which became the standard practice for about 15 years,

0:12:59 > 0:13:03and if we start at the bottom, you see this marvellous sort of petal.

0:13:03 > 0:13:06- Yes.- And then this leaf here, formalised leaf,

0:13:06 > 0:13:08he drew that in 1827,

0:13:08 > 0:13:12so we know within ten years of that, that this would have been made,

0:13:12 > 0:13:14just from that alone.

0:13:14 > 0:13:17Because after that, it went out of fashion,

0:13:17 > 0:13:21and the Victorians added their own sort of idea and interpretation.

0:13:21 > 0:13:24The other interesting thing about it is that, first of all,

0:13:24 > 0:13:28it's a little drum table, but here, see that little knob thing there?

0:13:28 > 0:13:34- Yes.- That is the hinge of a ring which sat inside there,

0:13:34 > 0:13:38off a chest of drawers or off of a piece of furniture,

0:13:38 > 0:13:41- which indicates immediately that you pulled it and lifted it.- Really?

0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Do you see what I mean? - Yes, yes, I do, yes, yes.

0:13:44 > 0:13:46So that tells me that the top is either hinged,

0:13:46 > 0:13:50or it lifts up from the middle, and in fact it lifts up from the middle.

0:13:50 > 0:13:52I'm going to take it right out, OK.

0:13:52 > 0:13:57- Now, you see these dents here?- Yes. - Right?

0:13:57 > 0:14:00Those are caused by... There's a screw under here, isn't there?

0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Yes, there is, I've often wondered what it was for.- OK.

0:14:02 > 0:14:04You can tighten that screw

0:14:04 > 0:14:07and you can lift the top and use it. This has been cut off at some time.

0:14:07 > 0:14:09You could raise it to there and then you could get to

0:14:09 > 0:14:12all your little bits and pieces in this work table, and it was

0:14:12 > 0:14:16full of silks and needlework and satins, wonderful.

0:14:16 > 0:14:19So it looked like a little treasure box when you opened it.

0:14:19 > 0:14:21But it is fantastic.

0:14:21 > 0:14:24Now, the interesting thing is, that this isn't oak, this is rosewood.

0:14:24 > 0:14:27- Really?- So it's veneered.

0:14:27 > 0:14:31That's a bit of very early oak veneer, which they've put

0:14:31 > 0:14:34onto a solid rosewood base. There.

0:14:34 > 0:14:40I mean, apart from the history, which is without doubt correct,

0:14:40 > 0:14:43because there were a lot of the early timbers, and there are lots

0:14:43 > 0:14:45of pieces of furniture made from this oak

0:14:45 > 0:14:48under the Old London Bridge. How is it yours?

0:14:48 > 0:14:53- Well, my grandmother had it and she was very keen on auctions.- Oh, I see!

0:14:53 > 0:14:56She doubtless picked it up somewhere.

0:14:56 > 0:14:58Oh, good for her. Well, as an attractive

0:14:58 > 0:15:02and really pretty little piece of furniture, with that added history,

0:15:02 > 0:15:10I have no question about putting £2,500 on it, as a valuation for it.

0:15:11 > 0:15:13I think it's just charming.

0:15:15 > 0:15:20This is an undeniably good-looking casket. Where did it come from?

0:15:20 > 0:15:23I was in the Merchant Navy

0:15:23 > 0:15:25and I went down to Australia in the early '60s

0:15:25 > 0:15:29and I saw it in a junk shop there and I thought, "Oh, this is lovely".

0:15:29 > 0:15:31- Junk shop?- Yes, yes.

0:15:31 > 0:15:35But it was hidden away, and at that time

0:15:35 > 0:15:39I earned about 14 pounds, 16 and eight pence a month

0:15:39 > 0:15:43and it cost me a fiver, so it was quite a large outlay at that time.

0:15:43 > 0:15:45Had you any thoughts

0:15:45 > 0:15:48when you first spied it in Australia as to where it might have come from?

0:15:48 > 0:15:52- No, no idea.- It doesn't look particularly Australian, does it?

0:15:52 > 0:15:56- IN AUSTRALIAN ACCENT: Nah, mate! - And it's certainly European.- Mmm.

0:15:56 > 0:15:59- But actually it's from, it's from two countries.- Yes?

0:15:59 > 0:16:03The panels themselves are pietra dura panels,

0:16:03 > 0:16:07- almost like semi-precious stone marquetry.- Yes.

0:16:07 > 0:16:12- There were workshops in Italy, in Rome and Florence.- Mmm.

0:16:12 > 0:16:16And these five panels, because there's even a panel to the back,

0:16:16 > 0:16:22- were made in the mid-19th century in Italy.- Mm-hm.

0:16:22 > 0:16:26And they then would have been exported from Italy to be laid

0:16:26 > 0:16:27on a casket like this.

0:16:27 > 0:16:32But the actual gilt metal, the ormolu, was not made in Italy.

0:16:32 > 0:16:38- Uh-huh.- The quality of the gilt metal, the ormolu, is so good.

0:16:38 > 0:16:43Now, when I first looked at it, I sort of had this thing -

0:16:43 > 0:16:46- is it France, or is it England?- Yes.

0:16:46 > 0:16:50- Because the French are so well-known for producing ormolu.- Yes.

0:16:50 > 0:16:53But looking at some of these features,

0:16:53 > 0:16:57and I think almost the most revealing feature

0:16:57 > 0:17:02is this beautifully plain, high-quality, chamfered border

0:17:02 > 0:17:03- to the inside.- Yes.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06- I think it's English.- Oh!

0:17:06 > 0:17:13And what it reminds me of is the cases for carriage clocks

0:17:13 > 0:17:16- that were made in England in the mid 19th century.- Yes.

0:17:16 > 0:17:22I think this was made around 1860, and the carriage clocks

0:17:22 > 0:17:26that were made in cases that had these features, were the top ones

0:17:26 > 0:17:31- made by Dent, McCabe, Cole, and we don't know who made this.- No.

0:17:31 > 0:17:35- But that is why I think it's an English case.- Yes.

0:17:35 > 0:17:36I think you chose well.

0:17:36 > 0:17:38I think it's a very good choice

0:17:38 > 0:17:41because your five pounds is now £3,000.

0:17:41 > 0:17:42Great Scott!

0:17:42 > 0:17:45Maybe £3,500.

0:17:45 > 0:17:49Good lord, I think I'll faint.

0:17:49 > 0:17:51Well, thank you.

0:17:51 > 0:17:54This is a really lovely thing you've brought in here.

0:17:54 > 0:17:57I'm kind of almost surprised to see it here,

0:17:57 > 0:18:00although some lovely things have been brought to the show today.

0:18:00 > 0:18:03I never thought I'd ever see one of these.

0:18:03 > 0:18:05- You know what it is, don't you? - I do indeed.

0:18:05 > 0:18:09- I've been told it's a Maori feather box.- Yeah, it is.

0:18:09 > 0:18:10Called a waka huia

0:18:10 > 0:18:14because it contained the black and white feathers of a huia bird,

0:18:14 > 0:18:17which they used to put in their hair.

0:18:17 > 0:18:24They were considered as treasure. Have you had this a long time?

0:18:24 > 0:18:27It's been in the family a long time.

0:18:27 > 0:18:30It was originally owned by Thomas Armstrong,

0:18:30 > 0:18:35who was the art director of what was then the South Kensington Museum.

0:18:35 > 0:18:38- The V&A?- The V&A as it is today. - Wow.

0:18:38 > 0:18:42And it gradually it descended then through our family

0:18:42 > 0:18:47and it's ended up with me, so I've known it for quite a few years.

0:18:47 > 0:18:49I wonder how it got into his hands.

0:18:49 > 0:18:50I suppose you don't know that, do you?

0:18:50 > 0:18:54- Well, I think he was a great networker.- I see.

0:18:54 > 0:18:58And he had a lot of connections in the art world,

0:18:58 > 0:19:01and a lot of things came his way, shall we say.

0:19:01 > 0:19:03When did he work there as the art director?

0:19:05 > 0:19:09In the sort of last half of the 19th century.

0:19:09 > 0:19:12That's extraordinary, because this comes a long, long way, you know,

0:19:12 > 0:19:15from the Southern Hemisphere, in the Pacific, you know,

0:19:15 > 0:19:18the Maori were Polynesian people.

0:19:18 > 0:19:22He had a large personal collection of ark work which...

0:19:22 > 0:19:24How he got it, we don't really know.

0:19:24 > 0:19:26That's extraordinary. It's a beautiful colour.

0:19:26 > 0:19:28They didn't just keep feathers in them,

0:19:28 > 0:19:33they kept jewels or things that they wore, anything precious.

0:19:33 > 0:19:35I mean, the carving is curvilinear

0:19:35 > 0:19:39and it's very beautiful with these teaky-like heads at the end.

0:19:39 > 0:19:42I would put it into about 1810-1820.

0:19:44 > 0:19:48I think it's got a reasonable value.

0:19:48 > 0:19:51With good provenance, these can make £15,000 - £20,000.

0:19:51 > 0:19:53That's fantastic.

0:19:53 > 0:19:56But I think this one, without provenance,

0:19:56 > 0:20:00I would value at something like £7,000 - £9,000.

0:20:00 > 0:20:03Even so, that's fantastic.

0:20:03 > 0:20:07I really think it is quite stunning.

0:20:10 > 0:20:13Hitler's face at the bottom of a patriotic potty.

0:20:14 > 0:20:18How did you come by this fine, fine piece of china?

0:20:18 > 0:20:22It belonged to a very old friend of mine who died a couple of years ago

0:20:22 > 0:20:25and I had to clear out his house, and I was given the pot

0:20:25 > 0:20:28by the executors, because I requested it,

0:20:28 > 0:20:31and it sits in our bathroom at home.

0:20:31 > 0:20:34- And you requested it, you particularly liked it?- Yes.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Let's have a look. It's a marvellous thing, isn't it?

0:20:37 > 0:20:41So you've got the swastika here, "Have this on old nasty..."

0:20:41 > 0:20:44Clearly depositing on Hitler's face here,

0:20:44 > 0:20:46"...yet another violation of Poland"

0:20:46 > 0:20:49so obviously his annexation of Poland, or his moving into Poland.

0:20:49 > 0:20:52- And it plays a tune as well, doesn't it?- It plays a tune.

0:20:52 > 0:20:54I thought it played two tunes,

0:20:54 > 0:20:57but I think it just plays Rule Britannia.

0:20:57 > 0:20:59So when you lift it up and you've had a tinkle,

0:20:59 > 0:21:02followed by another tinkle, you go...

0:21:02 > 0:21:04POTTY PLAYS RULE BRITANNIA LIKE A MUSIC BOX

0:21:04 > 0:21:10Recognise that? Very patriotic, how brilliant.

0:21:11 > 0:21:13Do you know anything about it, and its value at all?

0:21:13 > 0:21:15No, nothing at all.

0:21:15 > 0:21:18I do know that the gentleman who it belonged to,

0:21:18 > 0:21:22his father was a music hall entertainer in the 1930s.

0:21:22 > 0:21:23But other than that...

0:21:23 > 0:21:26Other than that, it was just in the house and I loved it.

0:21:26 > 0:21:30Now the thing about this is, clearly it's a kind of,

0:21:30 > 0:21:32a bit of a comedy item,

0:21:32 > 0:21:35and you could think it's just another "fancy that",

0:21:35 > 0:21:38but actually I've spoken to our experts about it and it's very rare.

0:21:38 > 0:21:41- Really?- It's very rare.

0:21:41 > 0:21:44Because of its date, the Second World War,

0:21:44 > 0:21:49this particular period when Hitler... Hitler's storm-troops

0:21:49 > 0:21:53rode into Poland, and it has quite a significant value.

0:21:56 > 0:22:02- £300.- It'll still sit in our bathroom.

0:22:02 > 0:22:07- It's actually £3,000. - Oh, it's not? No, it isn't, is it?

0:22:07 > 0:22:11Wow. It'll still sit in our bathroom!

0:22:11 > 0:22:14But I will tell my daughter, who will inherit everything,

0:22:14 > 0:22:16she's got to keep it rather than throw it in the tip.

0:22:16 > 0:22:18And not to use it.

0:22:18 > 0:22:21No, no, my husband doesn't use it, I promise you he doesn't.

0:22:28 > 0:22:32Microscopes and wedding cakes,

0:22:32 > 0:22:36they seem slightly at odds with each other. What on Earth is the link?

0:22:36 > 0:22:41Well, they were both made by my grandfather, David Martin,

0:22:41 > 0:22:43but he was a very meticulous man,

0:22:43 > 0:22:47and you can see from the marvellous decoration on the cakes

0:22:47 > 0:22:52and all the lovely twiddly bits here, that he loved ornamental things.

0:22:52 > 0:22:55I can see. So his profession was as a what?

0:22:55 > 0:22:58What would we call it? A confectioner, or a pat...

0:22:58 > 0:23:02Yes, the family ran a bakery in Kerrymuir.

0:23:02 > 0:23:05His brother Ratray was the bread baker

0:23:05 > 0:23:08and my grandfather was the confectioner.

0:23:08 > 0:23:10Fantastic, and you're telling me that he actually

0:23:10 > 0:23:12made these microscopes?

0:23:12 > 0:23:16Yes, he did, yes, but I think he must have bought the lenses

0:23:16 > 0:23:19and the objectives, but he made everything else

0:23:19 > 0:23:21and carved everything else, yes.

0:23:21 > 0:23:23At first glance,

0:23:23 > 0:23:28these look like early microscopes

0:23:28 > 0:23:31from the 17th century.

0:23:31 > 0:23:36The great names in microscopes, and the invention

0:23:36 > 0:23:39and perfection of microscopy

0:23:39 > 0:23:41are Robert Hook and John Marshall.

0:23:41 > 0:23:45Both of them used this system, which is basically

0:23:45 > 0:23:49- a system of cardboard tubes. - Yes.

0:23:49 > 0:23:55Which go in and out on the barrel to cause the coarse focusing.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58Here you've got the reflecting mirror,

0:23:58 > 0:24:02and that you could tilt then, to line it up with the sun

0:24:02 > 0:24:06- to focus the beam directly onto the slide.- Yes.

0:24:06 > 0:24:10And they used this method to create those early microscopes

0:24:10 > 0:24:12in the 17th century,

0:24:12 > 0:24:16so your grandfather was following on from a very good tradition.

0:24:16 > 0:24:19Now, when do you think your grandfather made these?

0:24:19 > 0:24:22Did he, did he give a date?

0:24:22 > 0:24:27Well, on the sides it says 1887, so I think that would have been about...

0:24:27 > 0:24:32- He would have been a young man, in his 20s.- Yes.

0:24:32 > 0:24:36And I suppose what I like particularly is the fact that,

0:24:36 > 0:24:39being a Scottish microscope maker,

0:24:39 > 0:24:42he covered this particular barrel in tartan!

0:24:42 > 0:24:43THEY LAUGH It's sweet, isn't it? Yes.

0:24:43 > 0:24:46It's absolutely fantastic.

0:24:46 > 0:24:50And I like these scrolling supports here.

0:24:50 > 0:24:52They're wonderful.

0:24:52 > 0:24:53Yes, he was a very good wood carver.

0:24:53 > 0:24:59In here there's a commercial thing, the Lord's Prayer on the head

0:24:59 > 0:25:04of a pin, and you can actually read it with this microscope.

0:25:04 > 0:25:08- It has got damaged.- There we go. - But that's the head of a pin.

0:25:08 > 0:25:11And it is absolutely...tiny.

0:25:11 > 0:25:14- It takes a bit of fiddling. - I'm sure.

0:25:14 > 0:25:16But I've certainly read it myself.

0:25:16 > 0:25:19What a wonderful party piece that would have been,

0:25:19 > 0:25:20to have looked at that.

0:25:20 > 0:25:24The very touching thing was that I became a bacteriologist

0:25:24 > 0:25:28and my granny sent these down in a big box on the train,

0:25:28 > 0:25:31saying that she thought it would be useful.

0:25:31 > 0:25:37- So do you think the time that you spent with your grandfather...- Yes.

0:25:37 > 0:25:40- ..looking at these...- Well, maybe!

0:25:40 > 0:25:43- ..propelled you on to your future career?- I wonder, yes!

0:25:43 > 0:25:45Well, thank you, grandfather.

0:25:45 > 0:25:47To me, they're absolutely charming.

0:25:47 > 0:25:50I don't care if they're not optically the most sophisticated.

0:25:50 > 0:25:55Because to me there's been so much enthusiasm and love put into it.

0:25:55 > 0:25:58I would have said that the collection that we have here

0:25:58 > 0:26:03would probably fetch something around £1,000 to perhaps £1,200.

0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Goodness! Yes, well, that's... - They're lovely.

0:26:06 > 0:26:08Well, thank you very much indeed, thank you.

0:26:10 > 0:26:12Does she have a name?

0:26:12 > 0:26:15The Green Lady or The Little Dutch Girl. I think The Little Dutch Girl

0:26:15 > 0:26:19is probably what she's been known as for longer than I can remember.

0:26:19 > 0:26:21And where does she come from?

0:26:21 > 0:26:26I believe she came from my great grandfather, who acquired her,

0:26:26 > 0:26:29I think, from new, though I'm not sure. Family history

0:26:29 > 0:26:33says 1851, the Great Exhibition, though I suspect she might be

0:26:33 > 0:26:38a bit later than that, and she's been in the family ever since.

0:26:38 > 0:26:41Yeah. One of the ways in which you can date a pottery figure

0:26:41 > 0:26:42is through the face.

0:26:42 > 0:26:48Our interest in human faces changes from decade to decade.

0:26:48 > 0:26:52You can almost date her to the decade just by looking at her face.

0:26:52 > 0:26:56This face is a face, not of 1851, The Great Exhibition,

0:26:56 > 0:26:58but of some time around the year 1900.

0:26:59 > 0:27:01Does that still square?

0:27:01 > 0:27:05No, that absolutely squares, yes, that would make perfect sense.

0:27:05 > 0:27:09My great grandfather was about 1890, 1900,

0:27:09 > 0:27:12acquiring a number of pretty objects.

0:27:12 > 0:27:14- So the story about - The- Great Exhibition

0:27:14 > 0:27:16- could be a story about - a- great exhibition.

0:27:16 > 0:27:19Far more likely, which is what I've suspected for some time,

0:27:19 > 0:27:21because the date didn't quite tie in

0:27:21 > 0:27:23with what the family history had said.

0:27:23 > 0:27:26- Because exhibitions carried on from 1851.- Exactly.

0:27:26 > 0:27:27There was the first Great Exhibition

0:27:27 > 0:27:30and then they carried on well into the early 20th century.

0:27:30 > 0:27:33I'm not too good on national costumes,

0:27:33 > 0:27:36so I don't know whether she's Dutch or whether she could be Breton.

0:27:36 > 0:27:40But what I do know is it is an exceptional piece of modelling.

0:27:40 > 0:27:44She's carrying panniers, and I wonder whether that's a clue to how

0:27:44 > 0:27:46she was originally intended.

0:27:46 > 0:27:49If she had been bought at an exhibition,

0:27:49 > 0:27:52it's quite possible that these panniers contained, what,

0:27:52 > 0:27:55flowers or cards or something.

0:27:55 > 0:27:59But these go beyond a mere decorative function.

0:27:59 > 0:28:02I think she was intended to carry something.

0:28:02 > 0:28:04Very often when you see figures like this,

0:28:04 > 0:28:07they were even intended in shop windows, which is, after all,

0:28:07 > 0:28:12what an exhibition is, it's the shop window for the various potteries.

0:28:12 > 0:28:15Let's just turn her around a little bit and look at the back,

0:28:15 > 0:28:19and the sculptor has really understood human anatomy

0:28:19 > 0:28:23beautifully, and...I think she's lovely, and down here...

0:28:23 > 0:28:25She has the most beautiful ankle.

0:28:25 > 0:28:27Yes, and there's this lovely contrast between the glaze,

0:28:27 > 0:28:29the glazed part of her clothes

0:28:29 > 0:28:35and then the matt enamel of her arms and her legs and her torso.

0:28:35 > 0:28:38Depose, that means copyright,

0:28:38 > 0:28:41and then down here we have a very Germanic-looking signature.

0:28:41 > 0:28:45It says Borsdorf. I've looked him up in the book

0:28:45 > 0:28:48and I just cannot find that name

0:28:48 > 0:28:51and I'm really, really surprised, because a sculptor of this calibre

0:28:51 > 0:28:54really you would expect to be recorded.

0:28:54 > 0:28:58So Continental, early 20th century.

0:28:58 > 0:29:00This to me is a show-off piece.

0:29:00 > 0:29:02Oh, I love her, I must say. I absolutely adore her.

0:29:02 > 0:29:04- You're not going to sell her.- No.

0:29:04 > 0:29:09But if I were to see something like this is an auction of late 19th,

0:29:09 > 0:29:13early 20th century objects, I would be very surprised

0:29:13 > 0:29:18- if you could buy her for much less than £2,000.- Gosh, yes.

0:29:18 > 0:29:21She is absolutely...

0:29:21 > 0:29:22No, she is absolutely lovely,

0:29:22 > 0:29:25and thank you very much, that's most interesting.

0:29:26 > 0:29:31The word salver is derived from the Latin salvo, to serve, and in

0:29:31 > 0:29:35the 18th century salvers like this were carried by a footman,

0:29:35 > 0:29:37usually carrying glasses or a decanter,

0:29:37 > 0:29:40and served to the assembled company.

0:29:40 > 0:29:44But this isn't just an ordinary salver, there's something

0:29:44 > 0:29:47special about it. So how did it first come into your possession?

0:29:47 > 0:29:50Well, it comes from my great-great grandmother's family,

0:29:50 > 0:29:53and it was probably in her family for quite a bit of time

0:29:53 > 0:29:57before that, and she would have been born in the early 1830s.

0:29:57 > 0:30:01And in the family it was known as the Princess Augusta plate,

0:30:01 > 0:30:03and that's all I know about it really.

0:30:03 > 0:30:09- Right, so the A here is not for Alastair, it's for Princess Augusta. - THEY LAUGH

0:30:09 > 0:30:12OK, well, historically

0:30:12 > 0:30:17and from students of silvers' point of view, this is really interesting

0:30:17 > 0:30:21because it's like the crossover from Baroque decoration

0:30:21 > 0:30:25of the early 18th century, into the Rococo decoration,

0:30:25 > 0:30:27which really came in in about 1730.

0:30:27 > 0:30:31We've got these wonderful lions confronting serpents

0:30:31 > 0:30:35on either side, but see how this bit is generally,

0:30:35 > 0:30:37the engraving is symmetrical,

0:30:37 > 0:30:40you've got these equal scrolls coming up here.

0:30:40 > 0:30:43But if we look round the edge, we've got these asymmetrical scrolls

0:30:43 > 0:30:46all round here, which are much more a feature

0:30:46 > 0:30:51of the Rococo period, which lasted from about 1730 to 1760.

0:30:51 > 0:30:57- Now, you think this initial is for Princess Augusta.- Yes.

0:30:58 > 0:31:01The problem lies in that

0:31:01 > 0:31:05she was born in 1768,

0:31:05 > 0:31:12and if we turn it over and look at the marks at the bottom here,

0:31:12 > 0:31:14we've got a date letter for 1736.

0:31:16 > 0:31:19The maker's mark is RA for Robert Abercrombie,

0:31:19 > 0:31:22and he was a specialist salver maker.

0:31:22 > 0:31:29So it would appear that this initial here was put on at a later date.

0:31:29 > 0:31:33Normally, that would be a bit of a down point,

0:31:33 > 0:31:35but the fact that she was the second daughter

0:31:35 > 0:31:41of George III makes it a little bit more special.

0:31:41 > 0:31:44The fact that it is made in silver gilt, which is silver covered

0:31:44 > 0:31:49in a thin coating of gold, also makes it a little bit special.

0:31:49 > 0:31:54So it's a lot better than just the average salver,

0:31:54 > 0:31:58and trying to put a price on fabulous things is never easy,

0:31:58 > 0:32:04but I think that we're probably getting somewhere close

0:32:04 > 0:32:08- to £15,000.- Gosh. Interesting.

0:32:11 > 0:32:16I'm particularly drawn to your 1960s oil painting by Barbara Tate.

0:32:16 > 0:32:19There's a really uncanny resemblance

0:32:19 > 0:32:22between the little girl in your oil painting

0:32:22 > 0:32:25and my daughter, who is blonde, seven years old,

0:32:25 > 0:32:28has just got freckles from a summer holiday and has wonderful

0:32:28 > 0:32:32blue eyes. And this painting is just exquisitely painted.

0:32:32 > 0:32:36The face in particular is like a photo-realist painting.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39I'd love to know a little bit more about how you've come across it.

0:32:39 > 0:32:43Basically, my aunt left it to me about 15 years ago

0:32:43 > 0:32:48and I was seven when it was... When I was dressing up, it was a hamper,

0:32:48 > 0:32:51I had to put on a dress. I don't really remember too much about it.

0:32:51 > 0:32:54But I think it was called The Hamper.

0:32:54 > 0:32:58I was living at my grandmother's at the time, and she always said that

0:32:58 > 0:33:02my face had got good bone structure and various different features,

0:33:02 > 0:33:06and that she always wanted to capture that on canvas. And here it is.

0:33:06 > 0:33:09- So hang on a second. This portrait is of you?- Yes.

0:33:09 > 0:33:12And it's painted by your aunt, who was Barbara Tate.

0:33:12 > 0:33:14- That's right, yes. - Oh, this is very fascinating.

0:33:14 > 0:33:17Of course, there isn't a great deal known about Barbara Tate.

0:33:17 > 0:33:21She wrote that rather wonderful book about the 1950s, didn't she?

0:33:21 > 0:33:23Yes, yes. She wrote a book called The West End Girls

0:33:23 > 0:33:25and it was published just before she died,

0:33:25 > 0:33:29and it was a bit of an eye opener, I must say.

0:33:29 > 0:33:33The book was very interesting, she lived a very interesting life

0:33:33 > 0:33:36and the book was about various different characters in there,

0:33:36 > 0:33:43with regards judges and lawyers, and rather seedy times

0:33:43 > 0:33:47in the 1950s, which was when she...

0:33:47 > 0:33:50The book related to the 1950s.

0:33:50 > 0:33:55- So this was when she was a maid in the 1950s.- Yes.

0:33:55 > 0:33:58Living in Soho, obviously lots of prostitutes.

0:33:58 > 0:34:00- She was a maid for a prostitute, wasn't she?- Yes, she was, yes.

0:34:00 > 0:34:02So she had the most extraordinary life.

0:34:02 > 0:34:07She did. And she was a very eccentric lady, had lots of cats

0:34:07 > 0:34:10- and very interesting, but a very good painter.- Absolutely.

0:34:10 > 0:34:14Now what I know about her, apart from she was a member

0:34:14 > 0:34:19- of the Society of Women Artists and a president for 15 years...- Yeah.

0:34:19 > 0:34:22..is that during my 27 years in the art world,

0:34:22 > 0:34:24I don't think I've come across many of her pictures.

0:34:24 > 0:34:26No, she didn't really sell many paintings.

0:34:26 > 0:34:28I think she had a few commissions

0:34:28 > 0:34:31but she didn't actually sell them, she tended to keep them.

0:34:31 > 0:34:34I think I saw about 100 in her house at any one time.

0:34:34 > 0:34:37- I think this is a truly gorgeous portrait.- Thank you.

0:34:37 > 0:34:39Really, really beautiful, and that face,

0:34:39 > 0:34:41it really pulls you into the painting.

0:34:41 > 0:34:44If this picture came up at auction, I think lots of people

0:34:44 > 0:34:46would fall in love with it,

0:34:46 > 0:34:49- so in terms of value, £1,000 - £1,500.- OK, yeah.

0:34:49 > 0:34:52But I absolutely love it, I think it's a great 1960s portrait.

0:34:52 > 0:34:53Thank you.

0:35:05 > 0:35:10Diamonds and pearls have been associated with love for centuries

0:35:10 > 0:35:12and it's beautiful to see so many items here today.

0:35:12 > 0:35:16I understand that each of these pieces has a personal connection

0:35:16 > 0:35:19regarding your children. How has that come about?

0:35:19 > 0:35:21It certainly does.

0:35:21 > 0:35:24When I had my son, my darling husband said,

0:35:24 > 0:35:28"I will find you something you absolutely adore,"

0:35:28 > 0:35:32- and with all his love he gave me this one.- Lovely.

0:35:32 > 0:35:38Which was absolutely beyond my imagination. And then,

0:35:38 > 0:35:42when Hayley came along, another darling brooch arrived.

0:35:42 > 0:35:44Super.

0:35:44 > 0:35:49And then ten years after my first baby, Tiffany came along,

0:35:49 > 0:35:53- and that's what he gave me for having her.- The pearls.

0:35:53 > 0:35:56- And the diamonds.- And the diamonds. - Fantastic.

0:35:56 > 0:35:58So I've been thoroughly, thoroughly spoilt.

0:35:58 > 0:36:00What about these two, the earrings and the ring?

0:36:00 > 0:36:02How did you acquire those?

0:36:02 > 0:36:08When my grandfather died, about, gosh, 46 years ago,

0:36:08 > 0:36:12he left me £1,250,

0:36:12 > 0:36:16which in those days was quite a lot of money for a newly wed,

0:36:16 > 0:36:21and so a relative said, "Put the money into a diamond ring".

0:36:21 > 0:36:22What a brilliant idea.

0:36:22 > 0:36:27We were able to acquire a pair of diamond earrings as well.

0:36:27 > 0:36:29Well, just a little bit of history about the pieces,

0:36:29 > 0:36:32because although we know your personal history regarding them,

0:36:32 > 0:36:36they are all antique pieces of jewellery, effectively,

0:36:36 > 0:36:40and we've got this beautiful clasp on the pearls,

0:36:40 > 0:36:43which dates from the late 19th century, which is set with old

0:36:43 > 0:36:48- brilliant cut diamonds and also oval old cut diamonds as well.- Really?

0:36:48 > 0:36:50Which have got a lovely softness to them

0:36:50 > 0:36:55- and they create that very delicate, almost star cluster, effect.- Yes.

0:36:55 > 0:36:59Which was popular in the Victorian period, but all the way through

0:36:59 > 0:37:02into the '30s and '40s, and then the two brooches,

0:37:02 > 0:37:04the one that you got for your son Ashley,

0:37:04 > 0:37:10which is superb, this one is again from the late 1940s,

0:37:10 > 0:37:12early 1950s period, when spray brooches

0:37:12 > 0:37:15were at the height of fashion

0:37:15 > 0:37:18and the larger the better, as we see here.

0:37:18 > 0:37:21- Then of course your other daughter, and her name was...- Hayley.

0:37:21 > 0:37:25Hayley, with her beautiful spray brooch as well,

0:37:25 > 0:37:28- slightly later in date, well into the '50s for this one.- Right.

0:37:28 > 0:37:31But the elegance is again being reflected in how fashion

0:37:31 > 0:37:33was changing during that time too.

0:37:33 > 0:37:38The single stone ring weighs approximately 2.8 carats

0:37:38 > 0:37:42so we've got a lovely - again - old brilliant cut diamond,

0:37:42 > 0:37:45slightly cushion shaped, but very well cut.

0:37:45 > 0:37:48It's not got much colour to it, which is good when you're

0:37:48 > 0:37:51- looking at diamonds. You want them to be as white as possible.- Right.

0:37:51 > 0:37:53Having looked at it with a jeweller's loupe,

0:37:53 > 0:37:55- there are some flaws in there.- Yes.

0:37:55 > 0:37:57But it doesn't matter really, does it?

0:37:57 > 0:37:59- Because you enjoy wearing it anyway. - Oh, yes.

0:37:59 > 0:38:04And it's a beautiful mount that it's set in as well, dating from the late

0:38:04 > 0:38:0819th, early 20th century as well, so nice and delicate, set in platinum.

0:38:08 > 0:38:12- Yes.- Ticks all the right boxes for many ladies out there.

0:38:12 > 0:38:14And then the earrings,

0:38:14 > 0:38:17- slightly later in date, probably into the 1930s.- Right.

0:38:17 > 0:38:21Total weight of diamonds on each earring is about a carat,

0:38:21 > 0:38:24so again good quality of stones in there too,

0:38:24 > 0:38:29so overall a fantastic collection of jewellery. And I'm sure that

0:38:29 > 0:38:32values are important, but it's the sentimental side, really, isn't it,

0:38:32 > 0:38:37- that really does do it for you, definitely.- Oh, absolutely.

0:38:37 > 0:38:39But going through,

0:38:39 > 0:38:42the antique Victorian clasp on the pearls,

0:38:42 > 0:38:44which of course are later cultured pearls,

0:38:44 > 0:38:50- you're looking at a total of about £3,000 at auction for those.- OK.

0:38:50 > 0:38:56And then Ashley's brooch here, again, round about £4,500, £5,000

0:38:56 > 0:38:59for that at auction. And the smaller brooch here,

0:38:59 > 0:39:03we're looking at about £1,500 at auction for that.

0:39:03 > 0:39:07For the initial £1,250 that you spent,

0:39:07 > 0:39:12the ring will now be worth around about £6,000 at auction,

0:39:12 > 0:39:15and the earrings about £3,000.

0:39:15 > 0:39:18Goodness, that's amazing.

0:39:18 > 0:39:22My dear grandfather, bless his soul.

0:39:22 > 0:39:25So a superb collection of jewellery

0:39:25 > 0:39:29which I know you love wearing, with a total value of £18,500.

0:39:29 > 0:39:32Oh, quickly into the bank, Frank, I think.

0:39:34 > 0:39:37Oh, bless you, but it's not the value,

0:39:37 > 0:39:40it's just the beauty that I love.

0:39:40 > 0:39:44- Tell me, do you live in a Gothic mansion?- No, sadly.

0:39:44 > 0:39:47So how come you have these most magnificent

0:39:47 > 0:39:49Gothic bat wall sconces?

0:39:49 > 0:39:52Well, I found them at a local car boot sale,

0:39:52 > 0:39:57and I collect animal sculptures, so I wanted to get them straightaway.

0:39:57 > 0:40:00What did you actually pay for these at a car boot sale?

0:40:00 > 0:40:02I paid £42.

0:40:02 > 0:40:06You're joking! As you've probably spotted, they are stamped Liberty.

0:40:06 > 0:40:07Yes, I saw that.

0:40:07 > 0:40:10They weren't actually manufactured by Liberty.

0:40:10 > 0:40:14Liberty, of course, have a very long history of retailing very small

0:40:14 > 0:40:16sort of artisan-produced goods.

0:40:16 > 0:40:19My feeling is they were probably manufactured by a company

0:40:19 > 0:40:21called William Tonks in Birmingham,

0:40:21 > 0:40:26who were metal workers in the latter part of the 19th century.

0:40:26 > 0:40:30There's not an awful lot known about them, but I do know their work was

0:40:30 > 0:40:32retailed at Liberty, and this is very typical

0:40:32 > 0:40:34of the sort of work they did.

0:40:34 > 0:40:36They do actually have a number stamped on the back of them,

0:40:36 > 0:40:40which I'm not sure if you would have ever noticed, it's quite difficult

0:40:40 > 0:40:45to discern, but that actually gives us a date for between 1890 and 1891.

0:40:45 > 0:40:48The department store on Regent Street opened in 1875

0:40:48 > 0:40:53and he was a great purveyor of selling small artisan works,

0:40:53 > 0:40:57and we commonly more know him for the Art and Crafts Movement,

0:40:57 > 0:41:02after about 1900-1910, but of course he was actually in operation

0:41:02 > 0:41:03from the 1870s.

0:41:03 > 0:41:09These, I think, are absolutely magnificent. They're fabulous.

0:41:09 > 0:41:13They're actually... They're cast brass, and this sort of gold

0:41:13 > 0:41:16highlighting on them, that's just a patination that's done on them,

0:41:16 > 0:41:20- it's not that they've particularly dulled down to that.- Ah.

0:41:20 > 0:41:24It is actually a patination that they're meant to have.

0:41:24 > 0:41:27I supposed it's to make them look rather kind of Gothic.

0:41:27 > 0:41:29So you obviously love them.

0:41:29 > 0:41:31Do you have them on display in your house?

0:41:31 > 0:41:33No, they've been in the attic, actually.

0:41:33 > 0:41:37You're joking? The bats are actually literally living in the attic?!

0:41:37 > 0:41:41Because I didn't know how to organise the lighting for them,

0:41:41 > 0:41:45whether to get candles or something else.

0:41:45 > 0:41:48Well, obviously when they were manufactured they would have been

0:41:48 > 0:41:52for candle light, and obviously people do electrify these,

0:41:52 > 0:41:55but my feeling is that they probably should be

0:41:55 > 0:41:57left as they are.

0:41:57 > 0:42:00With regards to value, I think they're fantastic.

0:42:00 > 0:42:04I have seen them come up for sale before,

0:42:04 > 0:42:06but they are relatively rare,

0:42:06 > 0:42:10and an auction estimate would be sort of £800 to £1,200 on them.

0:42:10 > 0:42:11Pardon?

0:42:11 > 0:42:13£800 to £1,200.

0:42:13 > 0:42:15Excellent.

0:42:15 > 0:42:17I wasn't expecting that.

0:42:17 > 0:42:21I'll have to get a different house to put them in.

0:42:32 > 0:42:35I'm passionate about Victorian architecture

0:42:35 > 0:42:39and Victorian design, but also, what really excites me is,

0:42:39 > 0:42:43in a sense, what the Victorians did for us.

0:42:43 > 0:42:46You know, we turn on the tap, and water comes out, which we can drink.

0:42:46 > 0:42:50We flush the loo and it all goes somewhere and gets dealt with.

0:42:50 > 0:42:51That's right.

0:42:51 > 0:42:54And that's one of the great legacies of the Victorian period.

0:42:54 > 0:42:56So when I saw these drawings, I thought,

0:42:56 > 0:42:59"This is exactly what I'm really excited about."

0:42:59 > 0:43:02Because this is that whole process in operation, you know,

0:43:02 > 0:43:05these are the great waterworks, the great pumping houses,

0:43:05 > 0:43:09that made Victorian Britain a safer place.

0:43:09 > 0:43:13Now, you've got lots of these, of which I'm very envious.

0:43:13 > 0:43:16Where did they come from? What's the story?

0:43:16 > 0:43:19I picked them up near some dustbins.

0:43:19 > 0:43:23They belonged to the firm that I worked for,

0:43:23 > 0:43:25I'm a chartered civil engineer.

0:43:25 > 0:43:28- The firm I worked for was called Hawksley's.- Yes.

0:43:28 > 0:43:30- And...- They were in this business.

0:43:30 > 0:43:33And they were in this business. And these drawings were made

0:43:33 > 0:43:37actually by the firm of Hawksley, and apparently what happened

0:43:37 > 0:43:40was that they microfilmed them, and then, because they were short

0:43:40 > 0:43:43of storage space, they decided to get rid of them.

0:43:43 > 0:43:46And I spotted them before the dustbin men took them away.

0:43:46 > 0:43:48How many did you get?

0:43:48 > 0:43:51Oh, I don't know, maybe twice as much as I've got here,

0:43:51 > 0:43:54but half were sold at an auction some time ago

0:43:54 > 0:43:58and I kept the rest, and the rest are here today.

0:43:58 > 0:44:01When you look at this, these are all watercolours. They're all drawings.

0:44:01 > 0:44:04Every detail, somebody has worked out. And look

0:44:04 > 0:44:09at the way the windows are painted, look at the way the land is painted.

0:44:09 > 0:44:12Architectural drawings of the 19th century are just fantastic art work.

0:44:12 > 0:44:15They are, I don't think they could be done nowadays that well.

0:44:15 > 0:44:17Let's just lift this up and look at it.

0:44:17 > 0:44:19It's just... Look, you've got the pumping engine,

0:44:19 > 0:44:22all the boilers, you've got the whole detail.

0:44:22 > 0:44:25This tells you how to build it. Let's move on.

0:44:25 > 0:44:27This one is nice and simple,

0:44:27 > 0:44:29but this is all about architecture. You know,

0:44:29 > 0:44:34what excited the Victorians, it was architecture that drew from history.

0:44:34 > 0:44:36This is the chimney for the steam engine.

0:44:36 > 0:44:38It's actually straight into Venice.

0:44:38 > 0:44:42- Yeah.- This is a Venetian campanile or something out of Italy,

0:44:42 > 0:44:44inspired by Ruskin.

0:44:44 > 0:44:47These are functional buildings. But look how exciting they are,

0:44:47 > 0:44:49look at all the iron trim.

0:44:49 > 0:44:52These are a wonderful vision of a lost world to us.

0:44:52 > 0:44:57And here are details for the same pumping house.

0:44:57 > 0:44:59Look at the details of the architecture,

0:44:59 > 0:45:02the wonderful way the doors have been configured.

0:45:02 > 0:45:05Everything is just meticulous in the way it's drawn,

0:45:05 > 0:45:07and with great imagination.

0:45:07 > 0:45:10They're lovely to look at, and of course the other thing

0:45:10 > 0:45:14that starts in the 19th century is long-distance water supply.

0:45:14 > 0:45:16This is Liverpool Corporation Waterworks, but this is

0:45:16 > 0:45:20- actually part of the supply chain from the centre of Wales.- Yeah.

0:45:20 > 0:45:24And that vast reservoir built with freshwater which can constantly

0:45:24 > 0:45:28be drifting down to Liverpool, and Liverpool can grow

0:45:28 > 0:45:31as a modern city, because it's got a water supply.

0:45:31 > 0:45:33The only thing I can add to that perhaps it there used to be,

0:45:33 > 0:45:37and I think it still is today, a ton of water delivered to

0:45:37 > 0:45:40your door from the middle of Wales is the price of one pint of milk.

0:45:40 > 0:45:43Yeah. One pint of milk and you get a ton.

0:45:43 > 0:45:45A ton of water for it, yes.

0:45:45 > 0:45:47And that's because we have this enormous network

0:45:47 > 0:45:50- set up in the 19th century.- Yeah.

0:45:50 > 0:45:51So you rescued them.

0:45:51 > 0:45:54I think, just going through the piles,

0:45:54 > 0:45:57I mean, obviously this is a very small selection of what you've got.

0:45:57 > 0:46:01Going through them, it was almost impossible to choose what to show

0:46:01 > 0:46:03because every drawing is wonderful.

0:46:03 > 0:46:06You've rescued something that takes us deep into

0:46:06 > 0:46:08the great achievements of the 19th century,

0:46:08 > 0:46:11but actually you've rescued something quite valuable.

0:46:11 > 0:46:14The great drawings are going to be... That I've seen,

0:46:14 > 0:46:16are going to be £500 each.

0:46:16 > 0:46:20- Let us say I've seen 30 great drawings, which I have.- Yeah.

0:46:20 > 0:46:23So it's £15,000 for the best ones,

0:46:23 > 0:46:26£20,000 for the lot. And you may have more, I don't know.

0:46:26 > 0:46:28No, that's it, yes.

0:46:28 > 0:46:32So you rescued something that is very valuable in every sense.

0:46:32 > 0:46:36Valuable as history, and as it turns out now, many years on,

0:46:36 > 0:46:39- valuable in money. - Yes, thank you.- Thank you.

0:46:41 > 0:46:43I've seen some wedding cake decorations in my time,

0:46:43 > 0:46:46never one like this. What is it?

0:46:46 > 0:46:49Well, it's actually an icing sugar replica

0:46:49 > 0:46:51- of a model of a gully emptier.- A gully emptier?

0:46:51 > 0:46:54A gully emptier, which is a tanker vehicle

0:46:54 > 0:46:57- used for liquid waste removal. - So removing stuff from drains?

0:46:57 > 0:47:00Yeah, that type of thing, that's exactly it, yeah.

0:47:00 > 0:47:02So this was on whose wedding cake?

0:47:02 > 0:47:07It was on my parents' wedding cake, and they got married in July 1937.

0:47:07 > 0:47:08- So this is...- 75 years old now.

0:47:08 > 0:47:10Why did they choose to have one of those?

0:47:10 > 0:47:13Because generally, you just have the man and wife on top.

0:47:13 > 0:47:16- So why did they go for a vehicle... - They wanted something different.

0:47:16 > 0:47:19It's not exactly romantic, a vehicle used to empty drains.

0:47:19 > 0:47:22I would have thought drainage clearance is romantic, isn't it?!

0:47:22 > 0:47:24You're unusual.

0:47:24 > 0:47:27But actually, no, the family business was running a fleet of vehicles

0:47:27 > 0:47:31for this purpose, and my mum and dad actually met at the company.

0:47:31 > 0:47:33My father was the accountant there,

0:47:33 > 0:47:36my grandfather owned the company, my mother worked there as a

0:47:36 > 0:47:39secretary. So when they got married in '37, that was it.

0:47:39 > 0:47:42They owed their romance, and your existence, of course,

0:47:42 > 0:47:45- to the gully emptier. - In one way or another, yes.

0:47:45 > 0:47:48You're never tempted to try a bit of it and see what it tastes like?

0:47:48 > 0:47:52No, I'm not sure whether 75-year-old icing sugar would be that tasty.

0:47:52 > 0:47:55It's a family heirloom, really.

0:47:55 > 0:47:58And an icon of romance for your family.

0:47:58 > 0:48:00In one way or another, yes.

0:48:02 > 0:48:05We've got two French carriage clocks here.

0:48:05 > 0:48:10This one was made around 1860-1870, this one a bit later, 1870-1880.

0:48:12 > 0:48:14And they're both slightly unusual in their way.

0:48:14 > 0:48:16Why did you buy them?

0:48:16 > 0:48:20I liked the front of it. It reminded me of Breguet,

0:48:20 > 0:48:22and the hands looked Breguet-like,

0:48:22 > 0:48:25and this was the closest I'm ever going to get

0:48:25 > 0:48:28to owning a Breguet. I just thought it looked quite pretty.

0:48:28 > 0:48:34- I remember an old expert called Arthur Negus who said...- Of course!

0:48:34 > 0:48:36He said, "Always try and buy the best antiques you can".

0:48:36 > 0:48:39And when I was a young man, I'd just started work,

0:48:39 > 0:48:43I liked clocks, and I bought these clocks, and I spent

0:48:43 > 0:48:46all my money on these. It wasn't much, but what I had, I spent.

0:48:46 > 0:48:48Can we just briefly take through what they are?

0:48:48 > 0:48:50Let's go for the smaller one first.

0:48:50 > 0:48:53Here is a carriage clock by Drocourt,

0:48:53 > 0:48:55famous carriage clock makers,

0:48:55 > 0:48:58in a lovely gorge case. And we know it's called a gorge case

0:48:58 > 0:49:01because the mouldings start at the top

0:49:01 > 0:49:04and run all the way through to the bottom, and it's first quality.

0:49:04 > 0:49:08Enamel dial with an alarm, day of the week and the date,

0:49:08 > 0:49:11and on top of that, as you I'm sure know,

0:49:11 > 0:49:13is that it's a grande sonnerie carriage clock,

0:49:13 > 0:49:15so on the bottom here we have a lever

0:49:15 > 0:49:18that allows us to have it on silent, to have it striking the quarters,

0:49:18 > 0:49:21- or the hours- and- the quarters. And this we call grande sonnerie.

0:49:21 > 0:49:24- Yep.- And that is a great rarity.

0:49:24 > 0:49:27But when you combine it with a beautiful case,

0:49:27 > 0:49:32a lovely dial with calendar, grande sonnerie and Drocourt the maker,

0:49:32 > 0:49:36it's just a bit special. And carriage clock collectors love them.

0:49:36 > 0:49:40- Normally, small is beautiful. - Right.

0:49:40 > 0:49:43Large, in this case, is better.

0:49:43 > 0:49:47What this has, as you rightly say, it has slight overtone qualities

0:49:47 > 0:49:51to Abraham Louis Breguet's work, but Breguet died in 1823.

0:49:51 > 0:49:54This carriage clock was made in 1880 or so

0:49:54 > 0:49:58and it isn't in any way a direct copy of Breguet's work.

0:49:58 > 0:50:01It is quite complicated and it is highly desirable,

0:50:01 > 0:50:04just like the little one.

0:50:04 > 0:50:07Like this one, it has grande sonnerie,

0:50:07 > 0:50:11so it has the three position selection lever, which we know.

0:50:11 > 0:50:15Like this one, it has the day of the week and it has the calendar,

0:50:15 > 0:50:19but most of all, which is just what everybody adores,

0:50:19 > 0:50:23at least I do, is we've got the moon face. And when the moon face sits

0:50:23 > 0:50:28with this rather beautiful blue against this silvered engine-turned

0:50:28 > 0:50:32dial, it stands out. And that's what gives this carriage clock

0:50:32 > 0:50:39character, and that doesn't have any, in the same way that this has.

0:50:39 > 0:50:43French carriage clock, 1850-1870, grande sonnerie with calendar,

0:50:43 > 0:50:47- it has to be worth between £4,000 and £6,000.- Wow.

0:50:49 > 0:50:54Giant carriage clock, enamel moon face, grand sonnerie,

0:50:54 > 0:50:59oversized platform, and it has to be worth between £10,000 and £15,000.

0:50:59 > 0:51:03Wow! That's amazing.

0:51:03 > 0:51:06So it looks like Arthur Negus did you a favour, then.

0:51:06 > 0:51:09- He certainly did.- Good old Arthur. - Thank you very much.

0:51:10 > 0:51:13- Nicky Henson, it's a pleasure to meet you.- Thank you very much.

0:51:13 > 0:51:17Well-known actor from an acting family.

0:51:17 > 0:51:21Well, yes. My father was a very famous actor-manager

0:51:21 > 0:51:23in musical comedy between the wars,

0:51:23 > 0:51:26between the World Wars, and his name was Leslie Henson.

0:51:26 > 0:51:27Not many people remember him now,

0:51:27 > 0:51:30but he was a huge star between the wars.

0:51:30 > 0:51:32If you went to Kent, London, for ten days,

0:51:32 > 0:51:34you'd see the Noel Coward show,

0:51:34 > 0:51:36the Jack Buchanan show and the Leslie Henson show.

0:51:36 > 0:51:39But he actually started in the family business, a butcher.

0:51:39 > 0:51:42He was a butcher in Charterhouse Street in Smithfield,

0:51:42 > 0:51:45JL Henson & Son, which still exists, apparently.

0:51:45 > 0:51:50And he wanted to be an actor, but he was fascinated by actors

0:51:50 > 0:51:53and he used to go to the stage door, particularly places

0:51:53 > 0:51:57like Sadler's Wells, and buy those postcards that you used to buy.

0:51:57 > 0:52:03- We're talking about late Victorian, early Edwardian period.- Right.

0:52:03 > 0:52:05Buy the postcards, sit outside

0:52:05 > 0:52:10and ask the actors to autograph them, which they did. And he kept

0:52:10 > 0:52:13them in a book, the book starts with Henry Irving and goes on from there.

0:52:13 > 0:52:18- Right.- But then, when he becomes an actor, a lot of the people

0:52:18 > 0:52:22- he's asked for autographs, he starts to work with.- Yes.

0:52:22 > 0:52:23- And become friends.- Right.

0:52:24 > 0:52:30And this went on from the late 1900s up to his death in 1957.

0:52:30 > 0:52:33So we've got his friends and his colleagues working,

0:52:33 > 0:52:34and he put them all in this book.

0:52:34 > 0:52:38- So we start off, as you say, with Henry Irving.- In the 1880s, 1890s.

0:52:38 > 0:52:40Right, all of them...

0:52:40 > 0:52:43- All of these ones are signed by the various actors and actresses.- Yes.

0:52:43 > 0:52:45Here's Ellen Terry.

0:52:45 > 0:52:50The first of the Terrys, and Gielgud was a relation to the Terrys,

0:52:50 > 0:52:53the great Terry dynasty that went through theatrical history.

0:52:53 > 0:52:55We've got a nice shot of Noel Coward.

0:52:55 > 0:52:59Who, again, was a friend of Dad's, so "Dear Leslie".

0:52:59 > 0:53:04And here's a typical one, this is nice, we've got the two photographs.

0:53:04 > 0:53:06- Yes. This is Gladys Cooper.- Yeah.

0:53:06 > 0:53:09When Dad met her and worked with her and knew her.

0:53:09 > 0:53:12And he says actually, "When I was younger, I got your autograph,"

0:53:12 > 0:53:16and she finds the younger photograph and writes in a different pen

0:53:16 > 0:53:20"years ago" underneath Gladys, underneath her signature,

0:53:20 > 0:53:22- Gladys Cooper. - Yes, exclamation marks.- Yeah.

0:53:22 > 0:53:27And then it ends with two nice shots of your dad here.

0:53:27 > 0:53:31Yes, that's Dad in 1917. I don't know what the play is,

0:53:31 > 0:53:34that he's in.

0:53:34 > 0:53:37He only keeps two pictures and they both make him look

0:53:37 > 0:53:40very, very good looking. It's just a lovely thing that

0:53:40 > 0:53:42I love to share with people, and when guests come and stay

0:53:42 > 0:53:45- I'll get it out at dinner parties and stuff like that.- Yes.

0:53:45 > 0:53:48And a lot of old actors, because we're all dying off now,

0:53:48 > 0:53:50will remember all of those people from when they were young.

0:53:50 > 0:53:54Well, if something like this comes up at auction, and it's obviously

0:53:54 > 0:53:57personal to you and their inscriptions,

0:53:57 > 0:53:59some of which are personal to your father as well,

0:53:59 > 0:54:03and I would say certainly £1,000 to £1,500.

0:54:03 > 0:54:08- Golly. Thank you very much. - Pleasure.- Terrific.

0:54:09 > 0:54:10This is really nice.

0:54:11 > 0:54:15Daoist scholars in a mountainous landscape.

0:54:15 > 0:54:19Sages, all of them.

0:54:19 > 0:54:25One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

0:54:25 > 0:54:30It's my brush pot. It's been with me for over 50 years.

0:54:30 > 0:54:34- You're a painter?- I am, yes.- And what sort of things do you paint?

0:54:34 > 0:54:39Watercolours, oils, bathroom ceilings, anything.

0:54:39 > 0:54:42Well, the person that used this as a brush pot,

0:54:42 > 0:54:44probably painted Chinese scrolls and things.

0:54:44 > 0:54:47- I suppose you know that, don't you? - Yes, he did. I do, yes.

0:54:47 > 0:54:50I was told when I bought it that it was Chinese.

0:54:50 > 0:54:54- In England?- Oh, yes. In Lewes in Sussex.- Lewes in Sussex, I know, yes.

0:54:54 > 0:54:58I was there with my wife Neta on holiday, and it had lots

0:54:58 > 0:55:01of brushes in it at the time. It was the brushes that attracted me.

0:55:01 > 0:55:04- Oh, it had brushes in it? - It had brushes.- Amazing.

0:55:04 > 0:55:09Well, it was outside a junk shop, on a table outside a junk shop.

0:55:09 > 0:55:11So can I venture to ask how much it was?

0:55:11 > 0:55:14- Ten shillings. - Ten shillings in old money.

0:55:14 > 0:55:18- Including the brushes.- 50p. I'm so glad you're still using it...

0:55:18 > 0:55:21- I am.- ..for the function, the purpose it was made for.

0:55:21 > 0:55:24- It's very beautifully carved. - It is.

0:55:24 > 0:55:28Very deep carving. The figures in 3D.

0:55:28 > 0:55:29I mean, it's extraordinary.

0:55:29 > 0:55:36You've got pine, you've got creepers actually wrapped round the pine

0:55:36 > 0:55:38just here.

0:55:38 > 0:55:41It's cut out of a huge block of a Chinese wood

0:55:41 > 0:55:44called a Huanghuali wood,

0:55:44 > 0:55:47- which is a wood that they make their best objects from.- Yes.

0:55:47 > 0:55:50I mean, you've got a stream running through here,

0:55:50 > 0:55:53going under a bridge and going in and out of the landscape,

0:55:53 > 0:55:56disappearing and reappearing again.

0:55:56 > 0:55:58The scholars would have gone up the mountain to meet and drink

0:55:58 > 0:56:03and write poetry. I mean, it really is a joy.

0:56:03 > 0:56:08It's about from the mid 1800s, 1860. I mean, you know,

0:56:08 > 0:56:11generally known as Qing, the Qing Dynasty,

0:56:11 > 0:56:14And have you never had anybody look at it, or tell you what it is?

0:56:14 > 0:56:17Well, my wife has looked at it from time to time

0:56:17 > 0:56:19and said it needs dusting.

0:56:19 > 0:56:21Well, I can see that, there's dust all settling in the ivory.

0:56:21 > 0:56:24It's never been dusted.

0:56:24 > 0:56:27Ten shillings you say it cost you? 50 pence?

0:56:27 > 0:56:2850 pence.

0:56:28 > 0:56:31Well, your 50 pence today,

0:56:31 > 0:56:37in a sale, in the right place, would be £5,000.

0:56:37 > 0:56:41- Really?- Really.- Gosh.

0:56:41 > 0:56:44I could buy a lot of sable brushes for £5,000.

0:56:44 > 0:56:47You certainly could. Thanks for bringing it.

0:56:47 > 0:56:49You're most welcome.

0:56:52 > 0:56:56This is Margot Fonteyn, the most famous British ballerina ever.

0:56:56 > 0:57:02This is you, and this is the tiara that Margot Fonteyn was wearing.

0:57:02 > 0:57:05- Yes.- And this is a production of The Nutcracker, isn't it?

0:57:05 > 0:57:10It was, yes, on television, I think it was in 1957-58.

0:57:10 > 0:57:13- And you bought this at a sale at an auction room.- Yes.

0:57:13 > 0:57:15So you were at The Royal Ballet School

0:57:15 > 0:57:18- and then progressed to become a fully-fledged ballet dancer.- Yes.

0:57:18 > 0:57:20And you danced with Fonteyn. What was that like?

0:57:20 > 0:57:25Wonderful. She was the most charming person, she used to chat

0:57:25 > 0:57:28to the cameramen, she'd chat to everybody,

0:57:28 > 0:57:31whether you were the back row of the corps de ballet or whatever.

0:57:31 > 0:57:35- She was just... Everybody adored her. - What made her so special?

0:57:35 > 0:57:37You know, she'd just come on the stage,

0:57:37 > 0:57:41rather, I suppose, like Rudolf Nureyev, and you would go,

0:57:41 > 0:57:44"Oh, my goodness" and when she first came on all our knees

0:57:44 > 0:57:47were shaking, and she just looked so calm.

0:57:47 > 0:57:52She did a lot for us, because we all felt so calm, because she was calm.

0:57:52 > 0:57:54It's been remarkable to hear those memories,

0:57:54 > 0:57:57and hear about your experience with Margot Fonteyn.

0:57:57 > 0:58:00From White Lodge, the Ballet School, and all the Antiques Roadshow team,

0:58:00 > 0:58:01bye-bye.