0:00:04 > 0:00:05# Gloria... #
0:00:07 > 0:00:09It's fair to say we like to hold our Roadshow days
0:00:09 > 0:00:11at grand stately homes,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and today's venue near Rotherham is no exception.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Look at it. Gorgeous.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18But this is nothing - wait till you see the other side.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24This is Wentworth Woodhouse
0:00:24 > 0:00:27with the longest facade of any grand house
0:00:27 > 0:00:29between here and Istanbul.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It's twice as long as Buckingham Palace
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and we're here for a return visit.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from South Yorkshire.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Completed in 1760,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Wentworth Woodhouse has long been
0:01:31 > 0:01:34one of the great country houses of Europe.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It was once home to the Fitzwilliams,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40a powerful aristocratic family that included a Prime Minister.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42But since the end of the Second World War,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Wentworth has been in decline.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Worst of all, parts of the house have started sinking.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Take a look at these doors here,
0:01:51 > 0:01:52particularly the door handles.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54See how this one is lower than this one?
0:01:54 > 0:01:56The cause is said to be
0:01:56 > 0:01:59the very substance that made the Fitzwilliam family
0:01:59 > 0:02:01one of the richest in Victorian England -
0:02:01 > 0:02:02coal.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09It drove the steam engines of the Industrial Revolution
0:02:09 > 0:02:14and Wentworth sat on the richest coal seam in Yorkshire.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Thousands of miners worked deep underground
0:02:16 > 0:02:17for the Fitzwilliams.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22But after the Second World War, Britain needed rebuilding
0:02:22 > 0:02:24and there was a shortage of coal.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So the Minister for Fuel and Power, Manny Shinwell,
0:02:27 > 0:02:32ordered the Wentworth grounds to be dug up for open-cast mining,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34a move seen by many as class warfare.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43The land was ripped up all the way to the edge of the drive here,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48leaving the house effectively marooned in a coal field.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52The house survived the digging and blasting,
0:02:52 > 0:02:57but a year later, in 1947, the coal industry was nationalised.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Overnight, the Fitzwilliam family was stripped
0:03:00 > 0:03:02of all its income from mining.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07This was the beginning of the end for Wentworth Woodhouse.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11In 1948, unable to afford the upkeep of this palatial home
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and crippled by death duties,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16the family sold off the contents.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The building was then leased to the council as a PE college.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23The Fitzwilliams finally sold Wentworth Woodhouse in 1989.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27The current owners have done
0:03:27 > 0:03:28a lot of restoration on the house,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30but there's still an awful lot to go
0:03:30 > 0:03:33and they're just beginning to welcome people here on tours,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36so we're delighted today to invite the people of South Yorkshire here
0:03:36 > 0:03:37for the Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43And remember, you can try your hand at being an expert
0:03:43 > 0:03:45by playing along with our valuation game.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Press the red button on your remote control
0:03:47 > 0:03:48or use our app
0:03:48 > 0:03:51to see if you've got an eye for antiques.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Well, from a crowded Roadshow queue into a crowd of Samurai.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Yes.- Bringing us from dark Yorkshire
0:04:01 > 0:04:03to the brilliance of a bygone Japan.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Tell me, what is the story of these two pieces?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Well, from being a little girl,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11they were in my cousin's house - first cousin -
0:04:11 > 0:04:14and I always loved them, and she knew I loved them
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and she gave them to me before she passed away...
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- Uh-huh. - ..and asked me to safeguard them.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Well, we see a great deal of Japanese ceramics.- Yes.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25And the irony of Satsuma ware -
0:04:25 > 0:04:27which is what both of these pieces belong to -
0:04:27 > 0:04:31is that on these pieces, we see ancient Japan,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33the traditional Japan of the Samurai,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36being depicted at a time when, in fact, Japan was going through
0:04:36 > 0:04:38a massive modernisation and transformation.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41So all of these fabulous gatherings of Samurai -
0:04:41 > 0:04:43my goodness, look at the...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Well, look at the hairdos on some of them.- Yeah.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- They've really stepped out into the Yorkshire Moors, haven't they, here?- Yeah.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And the painting is fantastic.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The ability to get all of these figures into a great crowd,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57overlapping and still having a sense of space
0:04:57 > 0:05:00is legendary for the Japanese artists.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05If we turn it upside down, we see a lovely Satsuma mark.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The Satsuma mon, this circular mon,
0:05:07 > 0:05:12incorporates the cross of the Satsuma family.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14The Satsuma families were actually Christian,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17which is why you get this circle with a cross in it.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Now, I'm going to have a closer look at this figure.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Um...do you have a favourite out of these two?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I love this, because every time you look at it,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- you see something different.- Yes.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32But I love the serenity of that, I think...I think she's beautiful.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Well, Japanese figures from this period
0:05:34 > 0:05:36are generally made of ivory.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And Satsuma ware figures are much, much rarer.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44So vases we see a-plenty, but figures are much, much fewer.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49- Right.- Again, she comes from a bygone era in Japan.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52These were both made right at the end of the 19th century.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56When looking at this, I immediately think of Madame Butterfly, you know?
0:05:56 > 0:06:01That was the sort of huge appeal, this sense of another period,
0:06:01 > 0:06:02which flooded into Europe.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I think she is exquisite.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Her dress is covered
0:06:06 > 0:06:09with these beautiful scattered autumnal leaves
0:06:09 > 0:06:10and fragments of brocade,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14and then she's wearing that beautiful bustle - or obi -
0:06:14 > 0:06:15at the back.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And as you feel on both of these vases,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21the gold that they use in decorating this
0:06:21 > 0:06:23actually sits proud on the surface.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25So these are good things.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Two pieces of Satsuma, late 19th century,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32a vase and a figure, both at the upper end of quality.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33Right.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35In terms of value, have you any idea?
0:06:35 > 0:06:39When I first inherited them, we had someone look at them,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43and he said somewhere about 400 for this one
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and probably about 250 for the lady.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- That was how long ago? - Three years?- OK.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I think the vase is extremely detailed,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54it's very high quality and I think, even today,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- in today's market, which is middling...- Right.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00..I would say that that's probably still capable of making
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- well over £1,000.- Really?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- Better than the figure you were given.- That surprises me.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- The figure...she is rather badly rubbed, you know.- Yes.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The gilding on the base has basically perished, more or less.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- And I have to take that into account on valuation.- Yes, of course.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15So I'm going to put a mere
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- £1,500 to £2,000.- Really?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- Yeah.- Gosh, that's a surprise!
0:07:20 > 0:07:21So, together,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25it's going to be somewhere between £2,500 and £3,000.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27That's a real surprise!
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Now, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36but here you've got a pretty table
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- and a man of the cloth, shall I say? - Indeed.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42What brings you two together?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I just love oak furniture, that is my passion.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I like formal dining and it fits in with that
0:07:48 > 0:07:50because of the surprise element to it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51As if by magic...
0:07:53 > 0:07:54- That is... - CROWD: Ooh!
0:07:54 > 0:07:56SHE LAUGHS
0:07:56 > 0:07:57That is wonderful.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59It's to put the church collection plates on.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00LAUGHTER
0:08:00 > 0:08:03But it works like magic - suddenly, it's transformed
0:08:03 > 0:08:05into a completely different piece of furniture.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08These are familiar in the 18th century,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11made in mahogany and called dumb waiters.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13You're a bit of a man out of your time, though,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15because dining furniture is not exactly
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- the thing of the time, is it? - That's right.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19Much to my family's chagrin,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I trawl internet websites and auction sites,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26oak antique shop websites
0:08:26 > 0:08:27and I saw this some months ago.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I managed to buy it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I snuck it into the house and I said to my wife,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34"Oh, that old thing? I've had it for years, dear."
0:08:34 > 0:08:36So, yes, I love the pollard oak.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Because people think it's walnut - the grain is beautiful.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- And it's beautiful and it's useful. - Absolutely right.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43And do you use it as a dumb waiter?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Yes, I love formal dining,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48so I've got oak furniture, oak dining furniture
0:08:48 > 0:08:49and I collect Victorian -
0:08:49 > 0:08:51anything to do with Victorian dining, I collect.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56And of course, all the three bits turn.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01- How magnificent.- So you can just turn round to whatever you want.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05- And then at the end of the meal, you can just...- You just...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Just close it up for me.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- That is magical, isn't it?- Yeah. - It's very interesting.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15I think that period in the early part of the 19th century,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- they were passionate about metamorphic furniture.- Yes.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- So anything that could be changed into something else.- Yes.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And of course, also, gradually,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27that would help cope without servants
0:09:27 > 0:09:30or for a less wealthy class of people who didn't -
0:09:30 > 0:09:33or had perhaps one servant, and could lay this up.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35I think it's a lovely little thing
0:09:35 > 0:09:38and you could play with it for hours, really, couldn't you?
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Um...valuation.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44As I say, the brown furniture is not doing so well at the moment
0:09:44 > 0:09:48but I think something like this, because of all that it's got going -
0:09:48 > 0:09:52this lovely decorative top, the interest,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55the difference encapsulated in it...
0:09:55 > 0:09:571,000 to 1,500?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Well, that's very pleasing. I paid 700 for it.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- Ah! Well. - I thought I got a good bargain.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04The family, though, curse my brown furniture.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I've a beautiful pollard oak sideboard,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08For years, I told the children, "Don't scratch it!"
0:10:08 > 0:10:11They said to me, "When you die, we'll bury you in that."
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I said, "That's fine, but when you lower me down,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15"don't scratch the sideboard".
0:10:15 > 0:10:16- LAUGHING:- Wonderful! - Thank you.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24"The Fitzwilliam Medal for Kindness."
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Now, what's that got to do with this chap?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Well, this gentleman's my grandfather.- Right.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34He was born in 1886.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36And he went to work in the mines in Elsecar,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38although he lived in Wentworth,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41he went down and he was in charge of the pit ponies,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43helped care for the pit ponies.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45So how far away is that from where we are?
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- About a mile.- Right, lovely. - A mile, mile and a half. - So it's very local.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Did you actually meet him?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Yes - my grandfather died when I was the age of seven,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55so I had seven happy years, you know -
0:10:55 > 0:10:56helping him in the allotment...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I just remember this really kind gentleman.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00So wonderful that here,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02for kindness to pit ponies,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05he's receiving this medal from the Fitzwilliams
0:11:05 > 0:11:07in this amazing house that we've got here.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- Very proud.- I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16And of course, here, what we've got is a tiny coal cart for the mines.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17You know, pit ponies...
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I mean, it's a thing we tend to think must be Victorian,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22but I can remember them when I was a child.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26- Right.- They were still down the mines, particularly in Wales.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Yes.- And there were societies to look after them.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33I've never seen one before. There can't be many of them around.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I don't know of any more and my family don't know of any more.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37If we just flip him over,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40we've got the hallmarks there for 1904.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- Oh, right.- So does that tie in with when he...?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- He would have been 18, wouldn't he? - Yeah.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Putting a value on, very difficult -
0:11:49 > 0:11:51there's no precedent for it that I can think of.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54But anybody interested in mining history,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I mean, this has got to be one of the most extraordinary objects,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- an extraordinarily rare object. - Yes.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Whether it's worth £100, £500,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I have actually no idea.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06If I was going to have a stab at it,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08say 200, 250?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10It will never be for sale, never.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It's my grandpa's medal and we're just so proud of it.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Of course. That's exactly how it should be.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21These are lovely letters and notes, all the rest of it,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23written from Enid Blyton.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Of course, this is her typical red-headed notepaper
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and it starts off, "Dear Girls,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30"thank you so much for your lovely letter."
0:12:30 > 0:12:32She then goes on and on and she says,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- "Please thank Miss Hughes."- Yes. - So who was Miss Hughes?
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- Miss Hughes was a great aunt of ours. - Yes.- And she was a teacher.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- At this school? - At the Open Air School in Barnsley
0:12:42 > 0:12:44which was for children who had TB.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48So how did Enid Blyton get on to Miss Hughes?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Or how did Miss Hughes get on to Enid Blyton?
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Miss Hughes must have written -
0:12:51 > 0:12:53we don't know if it was an exercise for the children
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- to write to Enid Blyton.- Yes.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57And she replied to them.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Well, you know, the funny thing about these
0:12:59 > 0:13:03is that they're all George VI postage stamps on them,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- so they're all before Enid Blyton really became terribly famous.- Oh.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- This is pre-Noddy. - Really? Oh!
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- So she wasn't terribly famous then. - No.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Do you know, this is very typical Enid Blyton.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- She is so meticulous with her fans. - Right.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- She was good enough to write back to the children.- Yes.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25She starts off, "My dear girls", as though she was writing generally.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- In this one, "Dear Children".- Yes.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But I notice in this postcard here, she writes to "Dear John",
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and she's also sent here - which is, I think, incredibly good,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37because I've never seen these before -
0:13:37 > 0:13:39these two photographs here.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42One of herself, this is Enid Blyton
0:13:42 > 0:13:45sitting on her wishing well in her garden,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and this is the house here - what is this house?
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- It's called The Old Thatch. - The Old Thatch.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51We've got from the letter head there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53"The Old Thatch, Bourne End, Bucks."
0:13:53 > 0:13:54And so these are of her
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and she's annotated those on the back...
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Yes, she has. - ..which is absolutely lovely.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00And of course, she became so famous afterwards,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- writing all those Noddy books.- Yes.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- And she's very collectable. - Is she?- Yes.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- So, how much do you think that is? - No...
0:14:07 > 0:14:09I reckon about £1,500.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Oh, really?! Gosh!
0:14:12 > 0:14:14It's a lovely collection and it just shows you
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- what a lovely person she was. - Yes.- Yes.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Fiona's mentioned that your organisation
0:14:21 > 0:14:23helped save this building -
0:14:23 > 0:14:24tell me about it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Um, in 1947, the Earl that was in residence died,
0:14:29 > 0:14:34and it was the third successive death that occurred in the family,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37which meant death duties were very heavy,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42and the sister of the 6th Earl, Lady Mabel Smith,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44came up with the idea
0:14:44 > 0:14:47that maybe a physical education college could be set up here.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48And the college was called?
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Lady Mabel College of Physical Education.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Having been round the house and seen all the rooms,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56it's quite an amazing thing to think about,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58it being used for physical education.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59What was it like?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Absolutely inspirational, wasn't it?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Yeah, lovely. - Absolutely inspirational.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08You go in a room and you know that Pavlova danced for King George V,
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Yehudi Menuhin played, visitors to the house, kings, queens.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- And you were a tutor here. - I was a tutor, yes.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- For how long? - Almost 23 years.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21How many students did you have at any one time?
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It rose to 550. This was...
0:15:25 > 0:15:30We were constantly being urged to train more teachers
0:15:30 > 0:15:31because they were needed,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35but eventually of course, because of the lease,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37we couldn't expand, we couldn't build
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and so this is why we eventually had to amalgamate
0:15:41 > 0:15:42with Sheffield City Polytechnic
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and the building closed.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47So what was your feelings when it closed?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Sadness, great sadness. It was such a great pity.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56To think of all these taking place in this magnificent building.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Absolutely. We had assemblies in this room.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02This was the main dance area.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05And this was your memories of what you were wearing in those days.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- Yes, indeed. - All your equipment here.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11So you obviously do have very, very strong feelings for this.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Absolutely. We meet once a year in the village
0:16:13 > 0:16:15with 100 plus students
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and we reminisce till the cows come home, literally.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Well, it's wonderful to think that all this happened in this building.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25And as you say, a fantastic place to have a school.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28In terms of the valuation for something like this,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30it obviously means a tremendous amount to all of you
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and it's wonderful that it's being kept as an archive.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34For other people,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36it's not going to be worth a tremendous amount of money.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38It's...you know, obviously,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- there's some sports memorabilia. - Yeah.- Yes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It's going to be £100, something like that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45But I mean, for you...
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Yes, it's priceless. It's priceless.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56When I see a tray like this, I immediately look to the back.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I'm a bit disappointed
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- because someone has put this hessian on there.- Yes.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05But it should have the name of one of the great tray makers -
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Jennens and Bettridge or Henry Clay.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09But when you turn it round...
0:17:10 > 0:17:12..you know it's one of the greats.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16The quality is just unbelievable. Tell me about it.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I came by it about ten years ago.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I bought a house.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24The people who lived in the house were downsizing, they were retiring,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and they left quite a few bits of furniture
0:17:27 > 0:17:29and odd paintings and things,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- and this was hung above the fireplace in the sitting room.- Right.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34And we just loved it.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37It's a picture of Newton Chambers, Thorncliffe Works,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40their old original iron works, when the company was founded,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45which I think was in the late 1700s or early 1800s.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47The house actually belonged to Newton Chambers,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49it was one of their houses by the works,
0:17:49 > 0:17:50- where the works is now.- Oh, OK.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55- It was owned by, I presume, someone from the company.- Right.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57I think it's oil, but I'm not sure
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and really, that's as much as I know, other than that we love it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It's the most beautiful thing, we think.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Oh, just stunning, and I can see why you love it,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07and what you've found out is all bang-on -
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I would date this to about 1815-1820,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- first quarter of the 19th century. - Right.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15And what's so great about it
0:18:15 > 0:18:19is it just portrays a little snapshot of life at an iron works
0:18:19 > 0:18:20in the early 19th century,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- which you just don't see on objects like this.- Right.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Whoever had this tray made would have had this painting commissioned.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Right.- You'd have been pretty wealthy to afford it.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- It's in papier mache.- Yes.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33All hand painted, like you say, in oils.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- Its charm really is about how naive the painting is.- I see.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- And that, to me, is... - It's everyday working life.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Just...it's so lovely, it's so lovely.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44And trays like this were made in centres
0:18:44 > 0:18:46such as Birmingham and Wolverhampton,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49that's where the majority of this type of tray was made.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53- But I think this could have been painted locally.- Right, right.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- Is it dirty? Does it need cleaning? - It's...
0:18:56 > 0:18:59To me, this is exactly how it should be.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01It's got a little layer of dirt on it,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- probably where it's been hung over the fireplace.- Yes.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05I wouldn't touch it. As soon as you touch it,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09they become too bright and they look over the top,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10so I would leave it exactly as it is.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12There's no signature on it just to know who...?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14- You won't find a signature.- No.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I think, at auction...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18£3,000 to £5,000?
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Thousand?
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Thousand?!
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Gosh! Well, I knew it was nice,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28but I never thought of it being worth that sort of value.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Now, my gran had a mahogany sideboard just like this
0:19:34 > 0:19:38and I'm sure viewers at home will just say, "Oh, I remember that",
0:19:38 > 0:19:40because these were made, if not in thousands,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42in tens of thousands.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- So as a piece of furniture, you know...they're not rare.- No.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47And who did it belong to?
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Well, it belonged to my mother and father-in-law,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51who were married in 1928
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and they bought it in the first year of their marriage
0:19:54 > 0:19:55to furnish the house.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- So we know exactly when it was made. - Exactly so.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00So a very standard piece of furniture,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01but this is something different -
0:20:01 > 0:20:04it metamorphises into something that's not just a sideboard.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- Exactly.- And I think it all happens at your end.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- So it's a music centre. - It is indeed - Lo-Fi!
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Of course, my wife's known it all her life,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17I've known it for over 50 years.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Our children love to hear it being played,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22our grandchildren love to hear it being played
0:20:22 > 0:20:26and we inherited it about 20-odd years ago and we love it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29What I also like about it is that it's in working condition.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31But there's no volume control, is there?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35No, there's no knob, but that's the volume control.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So that's loud, then you close it, and that's soft.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- Exactly, exactly. - I love it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42And this is the hiss suppression system,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44the Dolby - you close the lid!
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Well, we know who made it,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48there's the trade label on the front.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Did the records come with the gramophone?
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Yes, the records are nearly all belonging
0:20:52 > 0:20:54to my mother and father-in-law.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57He was a Labour Party activist
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and so some of the records we found are -
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I didn't even know they existed - official Labour Party records,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and they're all very politically correct if you read the labels.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09But we have one here, The Red Flag.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12We'll certainly listen to that, but first of all...
0:21:12 > 0:21:13It's not of any great value.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- No.- But two reasons to actually retain things is sentimental -
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and obviously, this belonged to your family - and fun.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22You've got both - you've got something that's sentimental to you and your family
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and it's certainly a fun object.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26In value terms, we're talking maybe...
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I don't know - £150, £200, maybe a bit more?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- But who cares?- No. - It works, it's fun.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- Let's listen to the music. - Right, off with the brakes.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39# The people's flag is deepest red
0:21:39 > 0:21:43# It shrouded oft our martyr'd dead
0:21:43 > 0:21:47# And 'ere their limbs grow stiff and cold
0:21:47 > 0:21:50# Their hearts' blood dyed its ev'ry fold... #
0:21:51 > 0:21:53So tell me,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57what does the wheel,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00the Archimedes screw,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02and this bottle have in common?
0:22:02 > 0:22:03I don't know.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08They are perfect designs - they have never been bettered.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Nobody has come up - yet - with a better wheel.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17- The round disc of a wheel works, it's unlikely to be threatened.- Yes.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I live on the Romney Marsh in Kent
0:22:19 > 0:22:23and Archimedes screws pull water uphill.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Archimedes, 4,000 years ago, never been beaten.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33The cylindrical bottle, 1760 - it's never been bettered.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37The glass making has improved, it's now a more refined object,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41it's not so bumpy-wumpy as this one.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43This is where it started.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45This is one of the earliest bottles
0:22:45 > 0:22:48that leads today to the standard wine bottle.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51The first English bottle, a century earlier than this,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55was almost round, a globe with a little spout on it,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- the English bottle. - Yes.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01But the round bottle had problems - how did you store your wine in it?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04You had to keep a round bottle vertical,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06because otherwise it would roll over.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11You can stack 10,000 of these on top of one another
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and they keep the cork wet.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17If you get a dry cork, air gets in the wine,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- you have vinegar.- Yes.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23So what you have, really, is the birth of the future.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27A major landmark in packaging history.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30So, I've finished burbling, where does this one...
0:23:30 > 0:23:31How do you know this one?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Actually, it came from Captain Vernon-Wentworth
0:23:34 > 0:23:36at Stainborough Castle,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40and Vernon-Wentworth was actually the cousin of the Earl Fitzwilliam
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- who owned this property.- OK.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43And they were cousins.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48- And a lady gave it to me who was in service to Captain Wentworth.- Yes.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Well, we have his initial sealed onto the bottle
0:23:51 > 0:23:55and it's as wild a kind of creation...
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Look at the marks in it and all over the place!
0:23:57 > 0:24:00But what we have is an important thing socially.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- Value, £200 to £300.- Right.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07No fortune, but boy, have I loved telling that story!
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Yes, that's fabulous. Thank you very much.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Well, bearing in mind we're in the Marble Saloon,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I think it's rather appropriate
0:24:18 > 0:24:20that you've brought along a white marble bust.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22But not just any old bust -
0:24:22 > 0:24:24first glances tell me this is not a Yorkshire lass.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26How did this woman arrive in your life?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29She arrived in my life, the late '70s,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31maybe 35 years ago.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Going past a junk shop every morning
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and I saw this one morning in the junk shop,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40went in, offered £100
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and I took it straightaway, took it out with me
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and I've had it ever since.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46I think she's absolutely lovely.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- I'm getting a love at first sight scenario.- I think it was.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51As soon as I saw it in the window.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53It's the last thing I see at night
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and the first thing I see in the morning.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Let's have a look at the girl herself.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01She is a Baccante, she is a follower of Dionysus -
0:25:01 > 0:25:04a religion that, you know, that actually endorsed
0:25:04 > 0:25:08and encouraged revelry on a grand scale
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and drinking to Olympic standards.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14But the way it's been carved, it's a tour de force,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17because you've only got to look at the complex carving
0:25:17 > 0:25:18that's gone on here.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I mean, look - each one of those grapes, individually carved.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25And this over her shoulder is like a lion's skin.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It's all in a name with sculpture
0:25:27 > 0:25:31and the name's on the back and it says -
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and I've got me specs on now because I've arrived at that age -
0:25:34 > 0:25:36if I can turn it round,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39it says here "A Carrier."
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Have you done your homework?
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- I've done a little bit, I've done a little bit of homework.- Go on.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- French.- Yeah. - Mid 1800s.- Yeah.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54- Erm...came over here in 1850 to work for Minton.- Correct.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00And later changed his name after about 1867,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02changed his name to Carrier-Belleuse.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- That's the man. - So I think this is an earlier work.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09He did come over to Minton, he was encouraged to come over
0:26:09 > 0:26:12by a man called Leon Arnoux,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and Arnoux had been at Sevres.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16And Minton's were very clever - they got Arnoux on board
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and, you know, basically, he brought some great sculptors on board
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and they made all that wonderful, you know, majolica.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And Belleuse - you know, Carrier-Belleuse -
0:26:26 > 0:26:27did make for Minton.
0:26:27 > 0:26:33And I know that he did a sculpture called Baccante in 1863.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37There are a couple of things that are on the minus scale, OK?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40One is, of course, you haven't got the original base.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- It was never there. - It was never there.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46You've been very clever insofar as you've had a piece turned,
0:26:46 > 0:26:47it looks like burr wood
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and it gives...it almost gives a marble effect.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52The other thing is, unfortunately, over the years,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I think she's been kept outside and she's weathered.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58From a collecting point of view, that's an important issue.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02So she's quite matt - she almost looks like icing sugar
0:27:02 > 0:27:05when she should have a nice, sort of, bloom to her.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08But, having said all that, £100?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- £100, I paid.- £100.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Bearing in mind the condition, I don't think you could buy this
0:27:13 > 0:27:16for less than £2,500, maybe £3,000,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18depending whether you're buying in Sheffield
0:27:18 > 0:27:20or whether you're buying in Harrogate.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22LAUGHING: I see! Yes, yes.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Well, that's fine - as I say, I wouldn't part with it,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26no matter what it was worth.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28If you said it was £100 or £100,000,
0:27:28 > 0:27:29I still wouldn't part with it.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32So I'm afraid it's going to stop with me.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35I always think of these clocks
0:27:35 > 0:27:37as being rather unusual,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and I tend to think of them as lighthouse clocks,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42but actually, this is more of the town centre clock, isn't it?
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- Yes, clock tower.- And we have four dials, which is rather fun.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47Is it something you bought?
0:27:47 > 0:27:50No - it's been passed down to me from my grandfather,
0:27:50 > 0:27:51through my mother.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55He won it, he was a cross-country runner and he won the race
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and so he was presented with a clock.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- That's a fairly generous present, actually.- I think so, too!
0:28:00 > 0:28:02When do you reckon he won the race?
0:28:02 > 0:28:04We think it's about 1900.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07That would pretty much fit in with the clock.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I think it's great -
0:28:09 > 0:28:11you've got the typical, sort of, architectural brickwork,
0:28:11 > 0:28:12we've got balustrading
0:28:12 > 0:28:14and we have the four dials,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18so it could be seen from all angles within a room.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- Where do you have it at home? - In our downstairs bedroom.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- So people can't actually see each dial.- No.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26What it needs to be is on a centre table
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- or a pedestal rather like this. - Yes, that's right, yes.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30You obviously have it running at home
0:28:30 > 0:28:32- because it's in lovely condition. - Yes.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36And underneath, you've got a brass cover...
0:28:37 > 0:28:39..to a lovely platform
0:28:39 > 0:28:41and then the whole thing, the hands set here,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45which turns - as you probably know - all the hands
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and each dial turns as one
0:28:48 > 0:28:50which is a good bit of gearing if nothing else.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- It's signed by Henry Marc... - Right.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55..who was a pretty prominent Frenchman
0:28:55 > 0:28:57who made all sorts of good clocks,
0:28:57 > 0:28:58carriage clocks and all sorts of things,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00particularly at that time.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02It's quite commercial these days
0:29:02 > 0:29:06and I would have no hesitation in telling you that, at an auction,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09it would fetch...ooh...
0:29:11 > 0:29:13..£900 to £1,200.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18- Oh, gosh! Thank you.- Is that a lot more than you thought?
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Absolutely, yes, yes.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22It's the multi-dial that does it.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25If it was single dial, it would be 250,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27but it just makes it so much more interesting.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29A very generous present.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31- Thank you.- Thanks.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36The scale and elegance of Wentworth Woodhouse
0:29:36 > 0:29:39makes it easy to admire,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42but living in and looking after a vast house like this
0:29:42 > 0:29:45is a mammoth undertaking.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49It's a job that doesn't seem to faze current owner Clifford Newbold.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53What possessed you, 13 years ago, to buy Wentworth Woodhouse?
0:29:53 > 0:29:56The house with the longest facade in Europe.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Were you looking for a little country pile?
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Well, I was looking for a small country house,
0:30:02 > 0:30:09an historic house which did require a certain amount of restoration work
0:30:09 > 0:30:12to be done on it, and quite small.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13So what happened?
0:30:13 > 0:30:18We were reading a Sunday newspaper and it was talking about this house
0:30:18 > 0:30:22which was on the market, for sale,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24and jokingly, the family said to me,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26"Well, let's go and have a look at it".
0:30:26 > 0:30:30We went over and the whole family fell in love with it.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32The caretaker gave me a key
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and I looked at it, and what was the key?
0:30:35 > 0:30:40A little Yale key for a great big house like this.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43And I thought that something was wrong.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47Now how many of you, as a family, are living here in the house now?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50It's my wife and two sons.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54We've got the house split up into different sections,
0:30:54 > 0:30:55and we've all got our own section.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Some of the rooms are in a state of considerable disrepair, aren't they?
0:30:58 > 0:30:59- Yes, yes. - So...
0:30:59 > 0:31:03But we've concentrated on the principal rooms
0:31:03 > 0:31:05to get them more into working order.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07I hope you won't mind me saying -
0:31:07 > 0:31:11you're 87 and you've taken on a pretty daunting task
0:31:11 > 0:31:15at a time when many people might think about taking it a little bit easy.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Do you never wake up and think, "What have I done?"
0:31:18 > 0:31:20No, no, no.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25I'm perfectly happy, the family were behind me, I was behind it,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32But as a little end to the story I was telling
0:31:32 > 0:31:35about receiving the key for the house -
0:31:35 > 0:31:39I was searching round some rooms and found a box of keys
0:31:39 > 0:31:42and I found this key.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47And it's the key of the front door
0:31:47 > 0:31:52and that key is basically 300 years old.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56So now I've finally got the proper key of the front door.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01- Thank you very much, and good luck. - Thank you.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05# Time on my hands
0:32:05 > 0:32:09# You in my arms
0:32:09 > 0:32:16# Nothing but love in view... #
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Well, it's like being on board ship, here -
0:32:19 > 0:32:21we're under a creaky tent in terrible conditions.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23But you've brought me a family archive.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Tell me about it. Is it your family?
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Yes, my grandmother's cousin was Alfred Lyndhurst Pocock.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32He was a young artist with the Royal Academy
0:32:32 > 0:32:35and he was working on the Victoria Memorial
0:32:35 > 0:32:37outside Buckingham Palace
0:32:37 > 0:32:41when the Queen wanted somebody to make some wax models
0:32:41 > 0:32:44of some of the Sandringham animals that she wanted to have carved.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And he was recommended from the Royal Academy,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49so he made the wax models for her.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Then he turned up the next day
0:32:52 > 0:32:54with a couple of the pebbles he'd carved into animals
0:32:54 > 0:32:55and she was so impressed
0:32:55 > 0:32:59that she persuaded Faberge to take him on as a carver.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Well, this is one of the most spectacular commissions
0:33:01 > 0:33:03the British royal family gave to Faberge
0:33:03 > 0:33:07in the very early 20th century - 1905, 1906, 1907.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11It was actually at the suggestion of Mrs Keppel, the King's friend,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13and she suggested to the King
0:33:13 > 0:33:15that he should have the farmyard animals
0:33:15 > 0:33:18in the menagerie at Sandringham
0:33:18 > 0:33:20sculpted by Faberge.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22And this is very, very exciting stuff indeed.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Faberge came to Sandringham with his wax modellers
0:33:25 > 0:33:30and they sculpted Queen Alexandra's pets and farmyard animals
0:33:30 > 0:33:33and they were modelled in wax first, to make the composition free,
0:33:33 > 0:33:34to make it real sculpture
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and then given to the lapidary
0:33:36 > 0:33:39for him to translate the wax model into stone
0:33:39 > 0:33:41and that was the work of your predecessor.
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Very exciting stuff.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47And here we see Carl Faberge himself and this is a well-known portrait,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50one of the very, very few that we have of him
0:33:50 > 0:33:51and it derives from a famous photograph
0:33:51 > 0:33:54where he's sorting precious stones with tweezers.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56We can see it's captioned here, "Faberge",
0:33:56 > 0:33:58which is the work of Pocock
0:33:58 > 0:34:00because this is a plaster of Paris cast
0:34:00 > 0:34:03that he's worked up from the famous photograph of Faberge,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05but it's an endorsement of the fact
0:34:05 > 0:34:07that Pocock was very excited by this commission,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09because it was a Royal commission.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11But I think probably the nub of it
0:34:11 > 0:34:14was that Faberge was in a bit of a panic every now and again
0:34:14 > 0:34:16to meet these commissions
0:34:16 > 0:34:20and to find a lapidary in London was a hard thing to do,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23that would meet the specifications of what he had grown used to.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27And so there aren't many things that we can attribute
0:34:27 > 0:34:29both to Faberge and Pocock
0:34:29 > 0:34:33but one of them, possibly more, remain in the Royal collection.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35I like to attribute this one to Pocock
0:34:35 > 0:34:37and it's a fluorite Pekingese.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41And it's a freer technique than we associate with Faberge,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43it's altogether...
0:34:43 > 0:34:45I wouldn't say it's cruder in any way,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46but it's a more free hand
0:34:46 > 0:34:50and it's not quite as meticulous as the St Petersburg lapidaries.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52The word "lapidary" is very important in this regard
0:34:52 > 0:34:54because it means stone-cutters.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56What does your family feel about it?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Well, we're very proud of him
0:34:58 > 0:35:02and we're proud to have things, like this, that he's produced.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06We've got quite a number of things - none of his animal carvings,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08but we've got a number of plaques.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- There's one of my grandmother. - Yes, marvellous.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12And it's very rare to see an image of him at all
0:35:12 > 0:35:15- and I think you've got one here, isn't it?- Yes.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18He's standing next to my grandmother, there, at a family wedding.
0:35:18 > 0:35:19Oh, I see -
0:35:19 > 0:35:22that's the very first time I've ever seen an image of him myself
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and I've been living this subject for ages
0:35:24 > 0:35:26and it's a thrilling, thrilling thing to see
0:35:26 > 0:35:28and it's full of context.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31I don't know how to value it. It's priceless with you, isn't it?
0:35:31 > 0:35:32- It is.- Absolutely priceless.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35There's a tiny precedent for these, because they're not unique.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37There are casts and they do turn up from time to time
0:35:37 > 0:35:40and surprisingly, they're not terribly valuable.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42They're £200 to £300
0:35:42 > 0:35:45and beyond that, there's nothing more I can say
0:35:45 > 0:35:47except that you've made a very specific link
0:35:47 > 0:35:50with one of the most famous goldsmiths that ever lived
0:35:50 > 0:35:54with an English craftsman who deserved this great accolade
0:35:54 > 0:35:56and it's a thrilling discovery for me.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Well, it will come as no surprise to those viewers out there
0:36:03 > 0:36:07that we're looking at Miss Clarice Cliff once more.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10But they do say the best things come in small packages,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and, quite frankly, these are perfection.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14Tell me, where did they come from?
0:36:14 > 0:36:17They belonged to my grandmother.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I got them from my mother and she got them from her mother.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22So they've always been around, you've always known them.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Yes, they've always been in the family,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26they're just family things, yes.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Well, it's really interesting, because these little vases
0:36:29 > 0:36:33form part of a range of vases called the 177 Series.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37And it was a collection of miniature little vases
0:36:37 > 0:36:40painted in some of her most famous designs,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and there's a lot of debate and conjecture about why they were made.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Some believe that they were tradesmen's samples
0:36:46 > 0:36:49to show how an artist would decorate a vase.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Other people think that they were enticers,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55given to companies who ran china shops
0:36:55 > 0:36:57as a little thank-you.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Other people think that they were just made
0:36:59 > 0:37:02as little, beautiful, miniature pieces of Clarice's work.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Whatever they are, these are really nice.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09- Do you like them?- Yeah, yeah - I think they're really pretty,
0:37:09 > 0:37:10I like the colours.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Well, to look at them just a little closely,
0:37:12 > 0:37:17they are actually in a pattern called Inspiration Caprice.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19- Oh, right.- And Inspiration Caprice
0:37:19 > 0:37:22was Clarice's first-ever landscape design
0:37:22 > 0:37:25and it's combined in this wonderful turquoise glaze,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29and underneath, it has got the most fantastic back stamp,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31all hand painted.
0:37:31 > 0:37:37And these two vases will date from around 1929 to 1930.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40- So they're rare little survivors. - Right.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43So considering that they are small,
0:37:43 > 0:37:44they're beautifully formed,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46they're wonderfully painted,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48they're going to appeal to the collectors.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- Yeah.- So we've got to think about price.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54A tiny little Clarice Cliff vase, a pair of them, what are they worth?
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Well, if I tell you they're worth
0:37:58 > 0:38:01in the region of £800...
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- Really?- Yeah.- Wow!
0:38:03 > 0:38:05But I'm being slightly mean,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07cos they're worth £800 each.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09GASPING: Oh!
0:38:09 > 0:38:10Wow!
0:38:10 > 0:38:12I didn't expect that.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- They're a great example of her miniature work.- OK.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18And you're looking well in excess of £1,500 for those.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21That's a surprise.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24- Well, I'm very pleased to see them, thank you.- Thank you.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Arthur Wharton - a great Victorian sporting hero.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35But now faded into total obscurity.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39What can you tell me about him and his association with the local area?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Well, Arthur was the first black professional footballer,
0:38:42 > 0:38:46he was also the first man to run 100 yards in even time,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47ten seconds dead.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50He held the world record for over three years.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54He was a Victorian sporting hero who actually lived in this area,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57played cricket for Greasbrough, just down the road from here.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Gosh - you know, you've told us so much
0:39:01 > 0:39:03in just, literally, two or three sentences.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Well, there he is - I mean, where was he originally from?
0:39:06 > 0:39:09He was from Accra which is now in Ghana -
0:39:09 > 0:39:11then, it was the Gold Coast.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14He was sent to England by his uncle for an education,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16a public school education,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and then he went on to a Methodist College,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Shoal Hill College at Cannock in the West Midlands,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24to study to be, probably, a Methodist preacher
0:39:24 > 0:39:27or to go back to his own country as a missionary.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Did he become a preacher? Did he follow that path?
0:39:30 > 0:39:32No, when he was at Shoal Hill,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34that's when he discovered his sporting prowess,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and soon after Shoal Hill closed,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39he went to Darlington, to Cleveland College
0:39:39 > 0:39:44where, in 1885, he ran in a race at the cricket club there,
0:39:44 > 0:39:45some sort of sports day.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47He won it, although he ducked under the tape.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- Oh, no! - HE LAUGHS
0:39:49 > 0:39:51The officials wanted to disqualify him,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54but the man in second place went, "No, he obviously was the best man."
0:39:54 > 0:39:56And within a year, he was breaking the world record.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- So what a fantastic athlete he was. - Yeah, yeah.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04- Now, how would a black man cope with such success...- Yeah.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07..in a country that was very prejudiced?
0:40:07 > 0:40:11And of course, this was the great time of expansion into Africa,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14the European powers were grabbing land
0:40:14 > 0:40:16and, of course, suppressing the people
0:40:16 > 0:40:18that they came across.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23But here's a man who completely reversed the attitude -
0:40:23 > 0:40:25he was successful, highly educated
0:40:25 > 0:40:27and, of course, he was winning races.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30I mean, that must have caused a bit of resentment, to say the least.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32It did, and he did have a few altercations
0:40:32 > 0:40:34with opponents and so on.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37However, the research that we've done
0:40:37 > 0:40:40has shown that in the communities that he lived,
0:40:40 > 0:40:41he was actually very well liked -
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- a big crowd turned out for his funeral, for instance.- Yes.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48The other thing was he was the first black professional footballer
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and when he played for Sheffield United at Sunderland
0:40:51 > 0:40:53in February 1894,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56he became the first black player in the Football League ever.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59So what a tough man, in the face of all this prejudice.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00He married a local lass,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04so, yeah, he melted in to the local working class culture.
0:41:04 > 0:41:05Where do you fit in to all this?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Well, I'm actually Arthur's great-granddaughter.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- Wow!- Well, you must be immensely proud.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15I am, I'm exceedingly proud.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16When did you find out?
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Just through my mum - we found some old photos
0:41:20 > 0:41:23and had to trace him back, looking...
0:41:23 > 0:41:26We have actually been to Ghana and met family members.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31- They didn't know, in Ghana, of Arthur.- Wow.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33And of course - you know - what a sad end to his story.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35He became a coal miner, I understand,
0:41:35 > 0:41:37and probably earning very little.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Yeah - and died a pauper
0:41:40 > 0:41:44and was buried in an unmarked grave in Edlington near Doncaster in 1930.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46But now he's got a proper headstone,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49he's starting to be obviously much more fully understood,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51and this is his Bible, I understand.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55Yeah, it's got "Shoal Hill College, Cannock, 1882" inside
0:41:55 > 0:41:57and his name and...
0:41:57 > 0:42:01- Yeah, had a quick look earlier, the Bible was published in 1882.- OK.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05- So he was handed this, presumably, brand-new.- Yes.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Well, the Bible is an extremely difficult item to value -
0:42:08 > 0:42:11I mean, it's of inestimable value, really.
0:42:11 > 0:42:12But what I will say
0:42:12 > 0:42:15is that the value I give will probably grow,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18as the recognition of the man's achievements
0:42:18 > 0:42:22and the knowledge of his life goes out to the world.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24I would say, at the moment,
0:42:24 > 0:42:29it's worth a trivial 300, maybe £500 at auction.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32But you can't put a price on a Bible, or photographs,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34these reproductions -
0:42:34 > 0:42:36it's such a rich history, its value is immense
0:42:36 > 0:42:40and, of course, today, with so many football teams
0:42:40 > 0:42:44being rich with fabulous African players,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46you know, it's just a sheer delight
0:42:46 > 0:42:50to see this tradition of great football being carried on,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and Arthur was the first in there.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55- Thank you.- Thank you. - Cheers.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59# 'S wonderful
0:42:59 > 0:43:01# 'S marvellous... #
0:43:01 > 0:43:03What's the interest they have for you?
0:43:03 > 0:43:04Just the history behind them,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06what they're made of and where they're from.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09You are tomorrow's historian. That's fantastic.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13It's not for the nursery. It's for the bathroom.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Some people did say, at the time, it was a bidet...
0:43:16 > 0:43:18It's for washing your bottom, not your baby.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20LAUGHTER
0:43:20 > 0:43:21Part of my mum's collection,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24but she's actually given me these three.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26We're talking between 5,000 and 7,000.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27SHE EXHALES
0:43:27 > 0:43:31# 'S marvellous
0:43:31 > 0:43:38# That you should care for me
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Do you mind me asking what you had for breakfast this morning?
0:43:43 > 0:43:44Er, toast and marmalade.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Not bad, but what this should be laid out with
0:43:47 > 0:43:50is devilled kidneys, kippers, scrambled eggs, bacon,
0:43:50 > 0:43:52all of the things that you'd expect,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55because this would have come from quite a house.
0:43:55 > 0:43:56Where did it come from?
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Well, it comes from Stainborough Castle originally,
0:43:59 > 0:44:00the story says,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03and me dad bought it at auction in the 1950s.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07- They had a house sale there. - Yeah, and that's when he bought it.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10And did he buy it because he fell in love with it, or he wanted it...?
0:44:10 > 0:44:11No, he bought the contents of the room.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16Which they would do, they would sell literally one room at a time
0:44:16 > 0:44:17of this type of quality.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20- And me dad bought it for ten and sixpence.- Wow.
0:44:20 > 0:44:25This is as near the top of quality furniture that you get.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29I mean, it would date from the 1880s and it has a very Italianate form
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and when you look at this front here with the inlay,
0:44:32 > 0:44:36you would think Italy and tours and all of the things
0:44:36 > 0:44:39of that, sort of, high period decoration
0:44:39 > 0:44:40you'd expect of that age.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42But it's actually English.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47Simple ways of telling is if you open the drawer, inside...
0:44:47 > 0:44:51This quarter beading here inside the drawer is very English -
0:44:51 > 0:44:54I think it's only in England that this was produced.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56And it's such nice quality -
0:44:56 > 0:44:59I mean, walnut, you've got all the satin wood inlays here,
0:44:59 > 0:45:00and ebony inlays
0:45:00 > 0:45:02and when this was new...
0:45:02 > 0:45:05We're so used to seeing furniture in this muted form,
0:45:05 > 0:45:06but this would have been much redder,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09you'd have had bright yellows and golds
0:45:09 > 0:45:11and this metal work here is so lovely,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13- it would have shone.- Right.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16We don't understand now - if we'd seen this when it was new,
0:45:16 > 0:45:19it would have been so bling, it would have been like, "Whoa!"
0:45:19 > 0:45:23But we're just used to it in this, sort of, lovely, muted-down form.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27- What actually is it?- A buffet. Yes, a serving buffet.- I see.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28It's part of a large suite -
0:45:28 > 0:45:30you'd have had a dining table, chairs...
0:45:30 > 0:45:33You'd have had someone come from Manchester
0:45:33 > 0:45:35or one of those big centres and they would say,
0:45:35 > 0:45:37"Right, you've got an Italianate room,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40"we'll design you a buffet, a sideboard,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42"large dining table, a set of chairs".
0:45:42 > 0:45:45You'd have had the whole suite and that's what it would've been from.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47- You haven't got the rest? - No, we haven't, no.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49What's such a shame is - I've had a good look over it,
0:45:49 > 0:45:50can't see any maker's mark.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53And it was considered, if your furniture...
0:45:53 > 0:45:57If you were making furniture for a house like this or for a castle,
0:45:57 > 0:45:58you should be able to go in
0:45:58 > 0:46:01and say, "Yes, that's from Lamb of Manchester", or Holland,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04or one of those great makers, or Gillows.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07But, unfortunately, it isn't and I think it's a real shame.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10If it were marked, that would be great.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12I still think it's a lovely piece of furniture, and in the '50s,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14these were just...not two a penny,
0:46:14 > 0:46:17but no-one really took them for the quality that they were,
0:46:17 > 0:46:21and everyone wanted to go more into the new styles and more modern.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24It's coming back, it's still struggling a bit.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26A single buffet on its own
0:46:26 > 0:46:28is not the most desirable piece of furniture,
0:46:28 > 0:46:30but I think, at auction...
0:46:30 > 0:46:31£1,000?
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Ah, right! Oh...
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I always think, for the quality of these, the price is still down,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38but your mission now is to obviously find the rest of the suite,
0:46:38 > 0:46:42because if it was a suite, it would make a huge difference to its value.
0:46:42 > 0:46:43- Good luck hunting.- Yes.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45THEY LAUGH
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Well, we see collections of a lot of things
0:46:51 > 0:46:52on the Antiques Roadshow
0:46:52 > 0:46:54but I'm not sure I've ever seen
0:46:54 > 0:46:56a collection of legs or boots before.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Are you a leg man, shall we say?
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Well I have to admit, yes, I must be,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02by what you see in front of you.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05It really started from the very first one,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08which was the nail file, which I gave my wife
0:47:08 > 0:47:11too many years ago to remember, but more than 50 years ago.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14And the number of times when she'd take it out of her handbag,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17people would say, "That's unusual."
0:47:17 > 0:47:19I sold a collection I had of silver sugar tongs
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and with the money I got, I bought two more
0:47:22 > 0:47:25and that really started my appetite in them.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27And now when I walk round an antique fair,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30it's a nice vehicle to take me round as to what I look at.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33She looks at jewellery. I look at legs.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36And you look at legs, right. You've got, obviously...
0:47:36 > 0:47:39I know this is only part of the collection you have.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41It's a fairly varied collection.
0:47:41 > 0:47:42You've got some here -
0:47:42 > 0:47:45this is a little boxwood one
0:47:45 > 0:47:47dating from the early 19th century
0:47:47 > 0:47:49and then you've got right through
0:47:49 > 0:47:51to a promotional item
0:47:51 > 0:47:52for Glamour Girl stockings
0:47:52 > 0:47:55which would date from the 1950s, 1960s.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57You've got some which are bone,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59then we have some...
0:47:59 > 0:48:01This is a little polished oak one,
0:48:01 > 0:48:03then we have ivory,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06and, you know, it's a really good cross-section of examples here.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Do you have a particular favourite at all?
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Well, I suppose one of the favourite ones is this one,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16- which I bought being told that it, in fact, was a stirrup cup.- Right.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19OK, well, we'll dispel that myth -
0:48:19 > 0:48:22it's actually a vesta, a little match striker.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24So you would put your matches in there,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26then you'd be able to strike them from the underneath.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31It is silver and it has import marks on the side of it there for 1903
0:48:31 > 0:48:34so we know it was imported into Britain in 1903
0:48:34 > 0:48:37so it was made probably just marginally before that,
0:48:37 > 0:48:39somewhere on the Continent.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Actually, that's a very nice piece.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45- It's quite heavy as well.- It is, quite a weighty piece of silver.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48You have quite a lot of pipe tampers here.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50You would have your pipe tampers
0:48:50 > 0:48:53to tamp the tobacco down in the pipe.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57You have the pipe there, which dates probably from the 1950s
0:48:57 > 0:49:01with the Bakelite leg and the bowl, actually, is wooden on it.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03This is one I think that is most unusual
0:49:03 > 0:49:05and many people don't know what it's for.
0:49:05 > 0:49:11No, and I must admit, I've only ever seen three or four pairs of those.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13They're a pair of ends for knitting needles
0:49:13 > 0:49:15and there they go.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18- A knitting needle in between the two. - Absolutely, joined by the chain.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22But, yeah, that's quite an interesting item, very unusual.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Most of these date from the 19th century,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28some are slightly earlier, some are into the 20th century.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32But, you know, it's a fantastic collection.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34With regards to prices on them,
0:49:34 > 0:49:36obviously the prices vary a lot.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39For the little Glamour Girl promotional item,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41perhaps £15 to £20,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44the little bone tampers, £40 and £50 apiece.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46The little boot actually, that's nice,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49- that would be probably around £100 on that.- Oh, right.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- How many do you have? - Just over 50.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Obviously, some are worth more than others,
0:49:55 > 0:49:57but I think just what we have on the table, you've probably got
0:49:57 > 0:50:00about £1,000 or £1,500 worth.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03Excellent, excellent.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- I'll keep looking at legs. - Do!
0:50:05 > 0:50:06HE CHUCKLES
0:50:09 > 0:50:13So here we are, in one of the supposed 365 rooms
0:50:13 > 0:50:17in this fantastic house, Wentworth Woodhouse,
0:50:17 > 0:50:21with three pieces of that rare beast, Yorkshire porcelain.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23It was made at the Rockingham factory
0:50:23 > 0:50:26which is only four miles from where we're standing,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30at Swinton, around about 1830-1835.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32What's your connection with these pieces?
0:50:32 > 0:50:33Well, the story goes
0:50:33 > 0:50:38that my four-times great grandfather worked at the factory,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42- he was the manager at the factory in about 1822.- Right.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45And then his sons followed as students
0:50:45 > 0:50:49and then, eventually, they started their own factory.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51They didn't make anything so fine as this.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- Well, this is incredibly fine, isn't it?- Yes.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55And you look at these three objects
0:50:55 > 0:50:58and, personally, I find them quite mind-blowing.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01- Enchanting objects, yes, yes. - Enchanting objects, enchanting.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03This little piece here - to modern eyes,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05it looks rather like a little ashtray,
0:51:05 > 0:51:07but I think at the time,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10- they would have used it as a pin tray.- Yes, yes.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12And it is hand painted, which is quite incredible,
0:51:12 > 0:51:14with these wonderful flowers.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16I think the painting may have actually been done
0:51:16 > 0:51:18by John Cresswell,
0:51:18 > 0:51:20- who was one of the floral painters at the factory.- Yes.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Very much in his style.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24And this exhibits a really interesting thing -
0:51:24 > 0:51:26- the Rockingham mark.- Yes.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Which is based on the crest of the Fitzwilliam family,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31- patron of the factory.- Yes.
0:51:31 > 0:51:36And the strange thing is behind us is that fabulous marble fireplace.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38- With the same... - With the same griffins.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41A wonderful connection.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44- This is an extraordinary thing, isn't it?- Yes, yes.
0:51:44 > 0:51:45That's really attractive.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Again, a bit of a Meissen connection here -
0:51:47 > 0:51:50I think this was inspired by a Meissen rose box
0:51:50 > 0:51:53made in the 18th century, but when we look at it carefully,
0:51:53 > 0:51:55we realise it's made in two parts.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57And the top of the rose, she comes out
0:51:57 > 0:52:01so I guess you'd have put a little piece of pastille in there and burned it
0:52:01 > 0:52:03and a wonderful odour would have come out
0:52:03 > 0:52:08and obscured all the grimy smells of early Victorian life,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12and again, that has the Rockingham mark.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13Slightly larger in scale,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15I guess this must be a perfume bottle.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18- Yes, yes. - It's got a detachable stopper
0:52:18 > 0:52:20and it's covered with finely modelled -
0:52:20 > 0:52:22modelled by hand, and painted by hand -
0:52:22 > 0:52:23these encrusted flowers.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25Again, a reference to Meissen.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27I think it's absolutely beautiful.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It is, it's incredible ware
0:52:29 > 0:52:31and the great thing about Rockingham,
0:52:31 > 0:52:32above all other factories,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35it has its own distinctive look, it has its...
0:52:35 > 0:52:37It sort of speaks with its own Yorkshire accent,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41it's different from all that stuff made farther south in Staffordshire,
0:52:41 > 0:52:42it's got its own style.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44- Yes. - It really has.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Are these things that came down through the family
0:52:48 > 0:52:50from your connection with the factory?
0:52:50 > 0:52:53No, no, they've not - they're things that we bought
0:52:53 > 0:52:55because we've got an interest in it
0:52:55 > 0:53:01after finding out that the family had done lots of work there.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Well, I suppose we'd better look at some values.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And the little pin tray there by John Cresswell
0:53:07 > 0:53:09is worth around about £1,000 -
0:53:09 > 0:53:13- maybe £800 to £1,200. - Gosh! Surprising.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Despite its larger size, this scent bottle -
0:53:16 > 0:53:18it's sometimes the smaller things
0:53:18 > 0:53:19that make more money,
0:53:19 > 0:53:20but that's going to be...
0:53:20 > 0:53:23- £600 or £700, something like that? - Very nice too.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27But the bric-a-brac intrigues me.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30- Presumably, it was cheap. - About £28, I think.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32£28 for that rose box.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36Well, I've only ever seen examples in books and museums,
0:53:36 > 0:53:38I've never actually handled one before.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40- Oh, good. - That's how rare it is.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45And your £28 is now certainly
0:53:45 > 0:53:50- £1,500 or maybe £2,000, possibly more.- Gosh!
0:53:52 > 0:53:54THEY LAUGH
0:53:54 > 0:53:58- It was worth coming. - Good, good, good - so actually,
0:53:58 > 0:53:59you've got about £3,000 here.
0:53:59 > 0:54:00Yes! Gosh.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Now, the last time I saw you with this tiny, tiny thing,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09you just hurled it into the bottom of your handbag,
0:54:09 > 0:54:10- just like that, didn't you?- Yes.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Now, who asked you to bring it, and why?
0:54:13 > 0:54:15My mother-in-law - she was given
0:54:15 > 0:54:18a big bag of paste jewellery and what-have-you
0:54:18 > 0:54:20by an old lady that she used to do gardening work for,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22they didn't think it was anything.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25- And so you raked it out of the bottom of your bag.- Yes.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27And you showed it to me and it was rather startling, I must say,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30because the thing about it, and it probably alerted her,
0:54:30 > 0:54:32is that it absolutely shrieks of quality, doesn't it?
0:54:32 > 0:54:35- Yes.- It's got a little voice, a very powerful little voice,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37tiny, tiny object.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40It's a core of gold and perhaps silver underneath here, too,
0:54:40 > 0:54:43hand engraved with a sort of sunburst,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46so every time you move it, it moves like silk.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48And then the artist has sat
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and painted the first layer of enamel with these dendrites,
0:54:51 > 0:54:55these funny, tree-like ornaments which are hand painted,
0:54:55 > 0:54:58and then fired again,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02and then covered with a flux of pure white enamel
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- which protects the surface of the paint.- Oh, I see.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10And then a little division, if you like, of gold laurels.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And this is all fine and dandy and it's tiny.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16But the one signal to what it might be,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- is that it's actually Easter egg-shaped.- Yes.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22And makes one give it a second look
0:55:22 > 0:55:25and I'm very pleased to tell you that it's made by - without doubt -
0:55:25 > 0:55:28the most famous goldsmith that ever lived.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- It's made by Peter Carl Faberge in Russia in 1900.- Wow.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- And the momentum gathers enormously. - Yeah!
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Because with Faberge, Easter is the key word
0:55:39 > 0:55:43and it was a celebration of the most important festival in Russia
0:55:43 > 0:55:45which took precedence over Christmas.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48It was Easter. On Easter morning, if you lived in the country,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51you would give your mother or your sister
0:55:51 > 0:55:53a painted chicken's egg,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55and if you lived in the city, in Moscow, in St Petersburg,
0:55:55 > 0:55:59you might give a porcelain egg or a painted wooden egg.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02But if you lived in the strange, claustrophic world of the Romanovs,
0:56:02 > 0:56:06then nothing less than an Imperial Easter egg from Carl Faberge
0:56:06 > 0:56:07would do for the Tsarina.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09And you'd go to Faberge
0:56:09 > 0:56:11if you were anything less than the Tsar or Tsarina
0:56:11 > 0:56:14and buy a little egg to give to your goddaughter
0:56:14 > 0:56:15and then she would add it to a chain,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18and there may be 100 of them, if she was really lucky -
0:56:18 > 0:56:20not all from Faberge, some stone, some silver.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23This comes from the factory of Henrik Wigstrom,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26one of the chief workmasters of Faberge,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28creator of the Coronation Coach egg,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31- possibly the most famous of the Imperial Easter eggs.- Hm.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34We know that because this tiny object is signed,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38an almost undetectable "HW" there.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Right - we couldn't...we couldn't see it.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43We could see markings, but we couldn't see what they were.
0:56:43 > 0:56:44Faberge was very interesting
0:56:44 > 0:56:48in that he had these substrata of suppliers,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51but they belonged to Faberge, it was made by the Faberge firm.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53But he allowed them, in St Petersburg,
0:56:53 > 0:56:54to sign their own work -
0:56:54 > 0:56:56rather an unusual gesture at the time
0:56:56 > 0:56:58and happily, it's still there.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01More often than not, when these little Easter eggs come to us,
0:57:01 > 0:57:05this loop here where they're signed has been clipped away
0:57:05 > 0:57:07and so clipped away goes the signature.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09But you have not only a pristine Easter egg,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13but a signed Easter egg by the chief workmaster to Faberge.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17- This is in mint condition and you can't ask for more.- Right.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19With everything that I've told you,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21and all of this charm, comes value.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24People collect them very avidly, they want them desperately,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28it's a crystallisation of everything that Faberge means,
0:57:28 > 0:57:30and so a tiny, tiny thing like that...
0:57:30 > 0:57:32£10,000.
0:57:33 > 0:57:34Right. OK.
0:57:34 > 0:57:35And they fetch more.
0:57:37 > 0:57:38Good God!
0:57:38 > 0:57:42- This is a very, very rare object. - Yes.- Very, very exciting.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45- Thank you so much - wonderful, thank you.- Thank you.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47Who could have predicted such a tiny object
0:57:47 > 0:57:50would carry such a high value?
0:57:50 > 0:57:53A classic ending from Faberge aficionado Geoffrey Munn.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58From Wentworth Woodhouse and all the Antiques Roadshow team,
0:57:58 > 0:57:59bye-bye.