0:00:48 > 0:00:52If you want history and beauty together in one knockout package,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54you've come to the right place.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56We've returned to Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and dating from 1460, it's thought to be
0:00:59 > 0:01:03the oldest brick-built domestic dwelling in the country.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07And some of the original paintwork still remains.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11400 years ago, the Earl of Bedford,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14who owned this lovely home, was worried that the plague
0:01:14 > 0:01:17would be carried on prevailing winds from nearby London,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21so when a new extension was added, they came up with a solution.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And this is it. This wall, which faced the capital,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28had no windows and no doors,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31so not even the slightest breeze could pass through.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Any that you can see are much more recent additions,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38and this design is just as radical on the inside,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40where its architecture influenced domestic dwellings
0:01:40 > 0:01:42for centuries to come.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Bedrooms for a start.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47It's the norm nowadays, but for 16th-century England,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49this is probably a first -
0:01:49 > 0:01:52for members of the household to have their own private space,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55their own individual sleeping quarters.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Each bed chamber had a fireplace, another domestic first,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and that wouldn't have been possible without the prominent buttresses
0:02:03 > 0:02:06on the exterior wall which incorporated chimney stacks.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15But most surprising of all is this - an en suite privy.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Now it might look pretty basic, but in the 16th century,
0:02:18 > 0:02:19this was the ultimate luxury.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I imagine the wind must have whistled up there!
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It was known as "the divine drop".
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Who'd have thought such a barrier to prevent the plague
0:02:30 > 0:02:32would lead to such mod cons
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and the kind of domestic design we live with today?
0:02:35 > 0:02:37There are no barriers to today's visitors,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39who are arriving in force, I'm glad to say.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Let's go to our specialists, already hard at work in the garden.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45And if you'd like more information about the programme,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47please log on to our website at...
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Well, how appropriate!
0:02:53 > 0:02:58We just happen to be in one of the most beautiful gardens in England
0:02:58 > 0:03:01on a stunningly beautiful day,
0:03:01 > 0:03:07and you bring along a very lean, dare I say, flower seller.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I need to know how long this flower seller
0:03:10 > 0:03:13has been sharing a life with your good self.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Well, she shared a life with my mother first of all,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and we had a flower shop in Hereford,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22so she's always been much appreciated.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And do you know where your parents purchased her,
0:03:26 > 0:03:27or were they given it?
0:03:27 > 0:03:32They got married in 1931 and bought several ornaments after that,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35so probably about 1932, but I don't know exactly what date it is.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40OK, and if she was to speak to me, she would speak to me in Italiano.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- Yes.- Because you and I know that there's a mark on the base
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- telling us that this lady hails from Turin.- Yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- And she was made by the famous Lenci factory.- Yes.
0:03:51 > 0:03:58And the lady responsible for this very stylish lady is Konig Scavini.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Oh, right.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01And let's just have a look at the gown,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04let's give her a quick twirl...
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- because that is one very chic flower seller.- Yes.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- So look at the way the hair's been bobbed as well.- Yeah.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Because that is a period dress.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18You can see where the actual skirt itself there is just mid-calf,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22and so from a fashion point of view, they're very exciting.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- And we'll just have a quick look at the mark, shall we?- Yes.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It just says, "Lenci, made in Italy, Torino"
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and that's the original sort of paper label.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33It's always a bonus from a collector's point of view.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39So when it comes to value, I am pretty certain that
0:04:39 > 0:04:43if I wanted to take this girl home, I would go into a gallery
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and have to write a cheque for about
0:04:46 > 0:04:48£5,000.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Wow. Wow!
0:04:50 > 0:04:52LAUGHTER
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Our daughter, Michelle, is going to be a happy bunny.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- Can I give you some advice?- Yes.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Keep her waiting as long as you can.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02OK, yes.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- Well, it's really important to look at pictures...- Yes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09..and so many people don't.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And at first glance, you may think this was a Scandinavian picture.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- I did.- Oh, you did, did you?
0:05:15 > 0:05:16I did.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Well, if you look very closely,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22you'll see the signature here says "IF Choultse"
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and that is Ivan Fedorovich Choultse
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- and he was a Russian painter.- Oh.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- And he was a Russian painter who was born in 1874.- Yeah.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34And he died in 1939.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39- So he lived through this amazing period of Russian history.- Yes.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41He studied in St Petersburg
0:05:41 > 0:05:43where all good Russian artists studied,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and he became well-known for painting very gentle,
0:05:47 > 0:05:53charming landscapes with great attention to the sort of colouring.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- Yes.- So they're usually very bright,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and he was particularly good at doing sunsets and sunrises,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and I think we have a lovely example here,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04because what we have is a beautiful landscape
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- with the sun on this mountain top.- Yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11And I think what is so interesting now about Russian art
0:06:11 > 0:06:15is that for the first time - I would say in the last ten years,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18in fact - Russian art has gone from strength to strength.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23The oligarchs and the Russian people are making so much money
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- and they are beginning to buy back their own art.- Ah.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- And that's what's so exciting about it.- Yes, absolutely.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34So it's interesting because Choultse fled the revolution,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39we assume in 1917/18, and came to live in France,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43because he exhibited quite a lot in France in 1920
0:06:43 > 0:06:49and then we know he went to Norway and we know he went to Finland
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and he had various one-man shows around Europe.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- OK.- So this could be a Scandinavian view.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Did you inherit this, or...?
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Yes, it was... My father used to buy,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and there were things that were just in the house.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You didn't really take much notice that they were there.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Mm. Your father bought it because he liked the subject
0:07:07 > 0:07:09rather than the fact he thought,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11"Ooh I'm interested in Russian art," I guess.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Oh, no, he bought things because he liked the subject.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Best reason. Because it's by this great Russian artist Choultse,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I would say it's worth between
0:07:19 > 0:07:21£20,000 and £30,000.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Does that give you a surprise? - OK. Yes, it does.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30But it just illustrates how passionate the Russians are
0:07:30 > 0:07:32about buying art and also, you know,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35how strong this market is at the moment.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I'm not often lost for words but I am now.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Thank you very much. I had no idea.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49So what you've brought in is probably the most famous
0:07:49 > 0:07:53piece of British glass that I know about, it really is.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56This is all-singing, all-dancing Whitefriars.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58So what's the link to you?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Well, we came here today
0:08:00 > 0:08:04because it would have been my mum's birthday. She recently passed away.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06She's had this vase wrapped up
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and she's always, always wanted to come to somewhere
0:08:09 > 0:08:11like the Antiques Roadshow and get it valued,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13and because it was her birthday today,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15my family and I decided we're going to bring it along here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- Sweet!- And do what she would have, would have liked us to do,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and what she would have liked to have done.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23God, I've got goose bumps. Look, I'm breaking out in 'em.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24- So have I, so have I. - Yes, wonderful.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26So she's looking down and smiling, I hope.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31But the real connection is my dad was a Whitefriars glass blower.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35- Yes!- And he worked at Whitefriars from the day he left school,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40which was around about 14, to the day the factory closed in 1980
0:08:40 > 0:08:44in Wealdstone and so that's roughly 30-odd years he worked there.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48He went from being a lowly glass helper, or whatever,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52- up to being a glass blower.- Master blower.- A master blower, he was.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And he was very proud of that, and we were very proud of him.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Yeah, well, he's not around any more, but this is.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00No, so, it's been wrapped up really for a long time
0:09:00 > 0:09:03and we thought, "Let's get it out." Show it the daylight, so to speak.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- Well, give that daylight and what does it do?- It shines.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I mean, I think that's visible from outer space, isn't it?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I mean, that is the most... What's interesting about these is,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16is that they were almost universally bought by women.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17These were not blokey pieces,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21they were bought by women in the late '60s - the date of this
0:09:21 > 0:09:26is what, '66, '67 - and they were bought by women who were liberated
0:09:26 > 0:09:30and saying, "I'm going to put my pin money into buying something for me."
0:09:30 > 0:09:33You can see sort of why it's called "the banjo"
0:09:33 > 0:09:35but it's not very banjo-esque.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37So how are you going to sort this?
0:09:37 > 0:09:39- You say you've got this entire tribe.- Oh, I don't know.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Who's going to get it? It's the best bit.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Well, that's always what my mum said.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45You know, "You can't divide it into three pieces."
0:09:45 > 0:09:48So that was why she always wanted to get it valued.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50But I don't know, we're kind of quite attached to Whitefriars.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53We've got a lot of Whitefriars bits and bobs at home as well.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58But I think these are just pulsating pieces that just work,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01all designed by Geoffrey Baxter, and they still work,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and not a lot of stuff does, from that kind of date.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08So look, the current market price of these is
0:10:08 > 0:10:11700-800 quid, that's what it would cost.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13And it's sentimental to us.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Mum and Dad, isn't it?
0:10:15 > 0:10:16It's my mum and dad, yeah. Means a lot.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Yeah.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24This is a magnificent clock.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26It's all brass-mounted.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29You've got these fabulous brass caryatids down the side.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31You've got this wonderful
0:10:31 > 0:10:33brass dial, fully engraved,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37and then you've got these spectacular large enamel dials
0:10:37 > 0:10:40with the subsidiaries at the top.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42The subsidiaries are the extra dials,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46so you have your music selection, your strike/silent
0:10:46 > 0:10:47and this signature at the top.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So where does it come into your life?
0:10:50 > 0:10:54I bought this clock in 1993
0:10:54 > 0:10:59when I was working for the British Council in Beijing.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And one of the girls I worked with happened to mention one day
0:11:03 > 0:11:08that her grandmother had a musical box and was quite keen to sell it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I eventually went out to the west of Beijing
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and, if you can imagine, a very simple dwelling.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20All she had in this single dwelling house was a little coke stove
0:11:20 > 0:11:24in the corner, and a piece of furniture which looked as if
0:11:24 > 0:11:27it had been made out of orange boxes or something.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And sitting on top of this piece of furniture was this clock
0:11:30 > 0:11:33with a cloth over the top.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34And I took the cloth off,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and I just couldn't believe what I was looking at,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40bearing in mind the environment it was in.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45And I thought, well, it's not a musical box.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The old lady had only ever pulled the strings to play the music.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50She'd never used it as a clock.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57And after a bit of negotiation, we eventually managed to buy it.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Well, I think that's a fantastic story
0:11:59 > 0:12:01and the tune is very, very pretty.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06CLOCK CHIMING
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Can I ask you, what did you pay for it?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I think it was probably around about £1,000.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24You might think actually finding a clock
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- like this in China is quite unusual. - Yeah.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30You know, considering it's from 1760.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34The maker, Thomas Best of London, is recorded working
0:12:34 > 0:12:37around the sort of the mid to the late 18th century,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40so that's during the reign of George III.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46Also at that period, the Emperor was actually a huge collector of clocks.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48You can go to the palace - the Forbidden City -
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and you can see an outstanding collection of clocks,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54- one of the best in the world.- Right.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Traders at that time were desperate to trade with China,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03so they would actually give clocks as gifts to the Emperor
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- and to dignitaries to buy favours. - Right.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11And so the Chinese really loved the English clocks.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15They had their own clockmakers copy similar English style,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19but what they particularly liked were musical clocks
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and big, grand, ornate clocks, and this would have been
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- magnificent and the Chinese now are still buying them.- Really?
0:13:26 > 0:13:31They are very interested in English clocks, particularly musical clocks,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and you paid the equivalent of £1,000 for it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39If it was in an auction, I think a sensible estimate
0:13:39 > 0:13:41would be in the order of
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- £15,000 to £20,000.- Really?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45My...
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Well. That was a good buy, then.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08When the Antiques Roadshow visited Cleethorpes back in 1991,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12our ceramics expert, Eric Knowles, spotted a jardiniere -
0:14:12 > 0:14:14essentially a posh flowerpot -
0:14:14 > 0:14:19that belonged to Terry Norrish, and had been in his family since 1946.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Well, it was bought in a job lot by my father
0:14:22 > 0:14:26straight after the war with two vases
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and a couple of pieces of furniture.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And that's all I can tell you, it just came into the family from that.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38It's by the firm of Christofle, a top French metalworkers
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and of course they were a top maker of silverware,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44right through into this century.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Date-wise, here is the date - 1874.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54And by the 1860s-'70s, the influence of Japanese art
0:14:54 > 0:14:55was creeping into Western art,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and the French were one of the first to pick up on it,
0:14:58 > 0:15:04and so this type of object is regarded as being Japonaise.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05It's a magnificent object,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09it's the best I've ever seen on the Antiques Roadshow.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Welcome back to Terry Norrish and Eric Knowles.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Now the reason your jardiniere's not here is because you've sold it.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18But before we get to that, tell me what happened after Cleethorpes,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21all the... What? 20-odd years ago now.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Well, we were a lot more careful when we took it home,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28because we brought it in the back of a pick-up, and so taking it home,
0:15:28 > 0:15:34we did bring some bags to sort of make sure it didn't roll about.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And it didn't always get treated with the respect it deserved,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- did it, Terry?- Erm, no.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I didn't know until we put it up for sale,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43that the kids had used it as a goalpost an odd time or two.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- No!- They played pool around it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Now why did you think it was so special? Tell us a bit about it.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Well, this is the actual auction catalogue, prior to being sold.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55First of all, you've got this decoration
0:15:55 > 0:15:56on the actual jardiniere itself,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59which is a sort of champleve technique.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04That's where the actual metal is cut away and the enamels are laid in.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06On top of that, you've got these wonderful Manchurian cranes,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08so you've got a sense of movement,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12and then you get these magnificent handles which, you know,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15look as though they've almost got a Samurai connection.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Plus, it had a label on it saying it had been shown by Christofle
0:16:20 > 0:16:25at the 1874 exhibition, gave it such a remarkable pedigree.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And there's even a photograph of it in situ,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33at the actual exhibition, so it just brings it alive.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Well, let's have a look at what you valued it at.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I mean, have you given thought to the value yourself? Have you got it insured?
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Um... Well, various friends have looked at it
0:16:43 > 0:16:47and they've all sort of said Oriental and hazard guesses from about £2,000.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48Right.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Well, if... At auction, I would probably see the bidding going -
0:16:54 > 0:16:57starting at 2,000, going to 3,000
0:16:57 > 0:17:004,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 -
0:17:00 > 0:17:03at £7,000 - 8,000, 9,000.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08£10,000, at £10,000, at £10,000, I think,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11it's fair to say, you just might see it go.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I don't know if I'm more astonished by the valuation
0:17:14 > 0:17:16or how much you've both changed.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- What about that moustache?- Yeah. - My goodness me!
0:17:19 > 0:17:21So you held on to it then for 20 years.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- You decided to sell it.- Yeah. - What? A couple of years ago now?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Yeah, yes.- What did it sell for?
0:17:28 > 0:17:29£560,000.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- ALL GASP - 5...! 560,000?!
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- Yeah.- Crikey!- Yeah.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37So what happened in the interim?
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Well, you valued it... I mean, did you spectacularly under-value it?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Or has the market completely changed?- Well, it is so different,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46but it's a very good question to ask, that, isn't it?
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Er... But the truth of the matter is, way back then,
0:17:50 > 0:17:55there was not the same demand for Japonaise examples.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59So it's a market that has literally sort of sprung out of nowhere.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01It's fair to say that my estimate -
0:18:01 > 0:18:04it may seem a little bit on the low side -
0:18:04 > 0:18:06however, the auction estimate
0:18:06 > 0:18:10- was something like £60,000 to £80,000 a couple of years ago.- Yeah.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13So if you think that it made half a million pounds
0:18:13 > 0:18:15more than the auction estimate...
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Because the right buyer just happened to turn up.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- The right under-bidder was there with the right buyer.- Right.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24So, um, nobody could possibly offer that today
0:18:24 > 0:18:26and give you a cast-iron guarantee
0:18:26 > 0:18:28- that you would get the same sort of money now.- No.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Wow, well, just as well you held on to it for 20-odd years.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- Well, absolutely.- I'd say that was incredibly prescient of you.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36You obviously had the crystal ball,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40and that's a life-changing sum of money. What have you done with it?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Um, give a lot of it away actually.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- Did you?- Yeah, to family.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49We've had some very good holidays, hence the sun tan.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54A nice car... There's a little bit left. We're enjoying it very much.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Well, I'm sure you're glad you came along to that Roadshow
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- all those years back... - I certainly am.- ..in 1991.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03It made Eric's day, he's been talking about it ever since,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and how lovely to see you again.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Well, thank you very much for asking. It's lovely.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Normally, when you see a cheeseboard,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14it's some lovely, bucolic landscape, Constable-esque
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- or beautiful flora and fauna.- Yeah.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21You've got a cheeseboard of the building of the M1.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I have used it several times at parties,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27which makes quite a good conversational piece and, um...
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Gosh, they must be riveting, those dinner parties(!)
0:19:30 > 0:19:31Chatting about the M1.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- You never see it that empty these days, do you?- No.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39Here's a pair of two-handled vases that I'm sure get noticed
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- when people come into your home. - Absolutely.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44You've got a hint of psychedelia, almost.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It's the sort of perfect present - had he been alive -
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- for Jimi Hendrix.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56I was excited, but it's not my thing and I didn't want to unpack it
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and potentially damage its value, so...
0:19:58 > 0:20:01OK, well, let's have a look, what is it?
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Trains.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I mean, it's never... Are you telling me it's never been undone?
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Er, as far as they know, it's never been unpacked.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I had a quick look in the engine one because that's been opened.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- OK, let's have a look.- But I just didn't want to disturb it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- I mean, it's like Christmas, isn't it?- It's unbelievable.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Ah, it's got all the original packing too. Wow, fantastic.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- So is the owner here?- Owner's here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And, I mean, we've just got to look at it in closer detail.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I mean, I don't want to do it here but we can get a table
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- and put some things out.- Exactly.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36But, you know, to have them untouched.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Brilliant, I'm so excited. - So exciting. Brilliant.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Well, I think this is the prettiest little girl
0:20:44 > 0:20:46that I've seen for a long time.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47What do you think?
0:20:48 > 0:20:50- She is pretty, isn't she?- Yeah.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Did you go out and buy this?
0:20:53 > 0:20:55No, my grandma gave it to me.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Oh, right, yeah.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Why did she choose you to have this pretty picture?
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Um, because it looks quite like me.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02I think it looks almost exactly like you,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- except the hair's a bit different. - Yeah.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Yeah. I like the way her dress matches her eyes as well.- Yeah.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- Did you notice that?- Yeah. - And then in the background,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- the leaves are sort of greeny-blue, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14They go with it too.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Really nice. How old do you think she is?
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Um, nine or ten.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Nine or ten, younger than you. You're 11, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Yeah. Was it Grandpa's picture?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Yeah, it was my grandad's, yeah.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26Was it one of his favourites?
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Yeah, it was... Yeah, it was his favourite.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- Yeah, and I think also that she's quite a poor girl, isn't she?- Yeah.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Don't you think?- Yeah.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Because she's not wearing a very expensive dress, by the looks of it.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Do you think she might have been the sort of gardener's daughter or something?- Yeah.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Yeah, anyway it's by a woman artist called Helen Allingham
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and she apparently, by all accounts, was an extremely nice woman.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Her husband was called William Allingham and he was a poet,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and this is about 150 years ago,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and they lived together in Chelsea,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00where they knew lots of other artists,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and they were a very fashionable set.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Usually, she painted pictures that were much bigger
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and they had cottages with pretty, little roses going up them,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13a few children, some ducks and very nice roofs.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15She always painted really nice roofs.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17But her little portraits of children
0:22:17 > 0:22:18are the nicest things you'll ever see.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20They're so sympathetic.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I've got to talk about money.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24RUPERT LAUGHS
0:22:24 > 0:22:27That's my job, you know, I've got to tell you how much it's worth.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Have a few guesses, come on. What do you think?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Um, 100?
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- 100, as much as that?- Yeah.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36RUPERT INHALES DEEPLY
0:22:36 > 0:22:39No, I think we'll... I think we'll go with 2,000.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40WOMAN GASPS
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- £2,000.- What? SHE CHUCKLES
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- That's a lot, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50And, in fact, I might say that it's worth £2,000 to £3,000.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Whoa!- Yeah, it could be because everyone's going to love that.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Everyone does love that.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Such a pretty thing.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- You're going to treasure it for ever though, aren't you?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04This is the most extraordinary collection,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07in the most extraordinary condition.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Now, I would say that you are much too young to have had this yourself.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Ah, yes. - So where, where did it come from?
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Well, it belonged to the husband of my godmother.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24- OK.- And it was put together...ooh, between the two world wars.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27It was packed away when they got married, and, in fact,
0:23:27 > 0:23:34that was in 1928 and there it stayed, so it was in a box for 70 years.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- It's a bit like Sleeping Beauty.- Mm!
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Did you awake it with a kiss when you opened the box?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Er, with some surprise,
0:23:40 > 0:23:41but I didn't kiss it.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43LAUGHTER
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Well, opening this box
0:23:46 > 0:23:49was a bit like getting into Sleeping Beauty's castle
0:23:49 > 0:23:52because you felt that nothing had been touched.
0:23:52 > 0:23:59I mean, I felt slightly in awe of even undoing the packaging
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- because the tissue paper has never been unwrapped.- No.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04But what this box tells us
0:24:04 > 0:24:08- is really a history of the British toy train industry.- Yeah.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Because you've got great names, you've got Hornby,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15you've got Bassett-Lowke, you've got Leeds - the top three,
0:24:15 > 0:24:21really, of the locomotive and rolling stock makers.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Before Hornby, there was a company called Bassett-Lowke,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30and Bassett-Lowke set up his toy train company,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34really looking at the success of the big German companies,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37particularly Marklin and Carrette and Bing,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41that were so successfully exporting into the UK.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43But he looked at that and he said,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45"Hmm, perhaps I can do a bit of that."
0:24:45 > 0:24:51So, cleverly, he got those three big makers to start making things for...
0:24:51 > 0:24:54particularly for Bassett-Lowke, which he then retailed.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And we've got one of those locomotives here which, um,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I don't even... Well, I am going to take it out,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but I do feel that I'm the first person to have handled this train
0:25:05 > 0:25:08for... Well, decades and decades and decades.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- Well, yes. - I feel incredibly privileged,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14so here we have a precursor locomotive,
0:25:14 > 0:25:20a 4-4-0, with its...tender here,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24and when I say it is new, mint condition,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29you know, that's often used by auctioneers to describe something
0:25:29 > 0:25:30- that's pretty good.- Mm.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- But actually this is completely mint condition.- It is, isn't it?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I've never seen anything like...
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It's as if it's come straight off Gamages' toy shelf.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Quite extraordinary.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44You can imagine, after the First World War,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- there was a certain anti-German feeling...- Mm.
0:25:47 > 0:25:54..and that really was the open door for Hornby - for Frank Hornby -
0:25:54 > 0:26:01to push against, to create his own range of British-made locomotives.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Mm-hm.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Frank Hornby, everybody knows, he started Meccano,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10that was his start in the toy business
0:26:10 > 0:26:14and in 1920, he began to make toy trains, and again,
0:26:14 > 0:26:20we've got a very early Hornby train here. Lovely box - look at this.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Mm, that's right.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23I mean, sort of fake leather box
0:26:23 > 0:26:26with this lovely embossed writing on it.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I mean, as a kid, can you imagine getting that and then the excitement
0:26:29 > 0:26:36of lifting the lid and seeing that? I mean, it's just fabulous.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38It's a clockwork loco, obviously,
0:26:38 > 0:26:44and it's got the ML Ltd, Meccano Limited,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46on the front there.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51It has to be from those first years in the 1920s - 1921, 1922 perhaps,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55so right at the start of Frank Hornby's reign
0:26:55 > 0:27:00as the king of British toy trains.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03When it comes to value, obviously, I can see these,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and I'm calculating what these might be.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I have glimpsed, without unpacking, I've glimpsed
0:27:08 > 0:27:10what the other boxes contain.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16And I wouldn't hesitate to say that it would fetch, as a collection...
0:27:17 > 0:27:21- ..£10,000.- Would it? Mm!
0:27:21 > 0:27:25And, I mean, I may be a tad conservative on that.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Mm!
0:27:27 > 0:27:28That's a lot of money.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39You know, the Chinese call jade the stone of heaven.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41How have you come by these things?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Well, I was in Hong Kong in the RAF in the '50s
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and as we came to leave, after two and half years there,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49we had some spare cash
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and so we decided to invest them in some Chinese jade
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and so we bought these three pieces
0:27:56 > 0:28:01- just before we left Hong Kong in 1958.- So 1958. Wow, what's that?
0:28:01 > 0:28:05- 56 years ago?- I guess. Yes.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08The monkey together with the peach
0:28:08 > 0:28:13- is a symbol in Chinese for longevity.- Right.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- Oh, well... - You've had them 56 years.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18That's right, yes. I'm no spring chicken now!
0:28:18 > 0:28:22This one is a wonderful combination of wrapped lotus leaves
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and there's a little flower, lotus flower on the side,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28and, of course, lotuses grow up through thick, oozy, black mud
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- and out comes a perfect white and pink flower.- Ah.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34So they represent purity, and so you see
0:28:34 > 0:28:38the goddess Guanyin sitting on a lotus throne,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42you see carvings of Buddha on a lotus throne.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46This third one here, the shape is taken actually from the Tang dynasty,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49which was 618 to 907 AD,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53so back in the classical period of Chinese history,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57and the shape is supposed to represent a mallow flower.
0:28:57 > 0:29:03Right. This one, we're told, probably would be used
0:29:03 > 0:29:07to go to the temple and make a libation to the gods.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09I think you're quite right with this one.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11- It should be... It's a libation cup.- Mm.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15These two, actually, I think, are objects off a scholar's table.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18They're water pots for washing brushes.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Right, right. Not to hold the ink?
0:29:21 > 0:29:24- Not to hold the ink. The ink is a solid block.- Of course.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And you grind it up but you need to add water in order to make the ink,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30in order to practise your calligraphy,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32so they're wonderful scholar's objects.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36I think it's a very nice choice of things to bring back from Hong Kong.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38Yes, well, we like them very much and my daughter says,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42"If you leave me anything, Dad, leave me these three pieces."
0:29:42 > 0:29:43Oh, fantastic.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47- One thing we didn't talk about is the date of them.- Yes.
0:29:47 > 0:29:52Um... Dating jade is never an easy thing to do, but it's based on
0:29:52 > 0:29:57the type of stone that's used and also on the style of the carving.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01The quality of the carving of all of these is good.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05The type of stone used suggests that these date from
0:30:05 > 0:30:08some time at the end of the 18th century or just...
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Or into the middle of the 19th century,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13so they're late Qianlong period or early Jiaqing.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Did they cost much then?
0:30:15 > 0:30:19- Um, I think it was £20.- £20?- Mm.
0:30:19 > 0:30:20Well, when it comes to the value,
0:30:20 > 0:30:24I think this one here - the libation cup -
0:30:24 > 0:30:26would be 2,000.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27The peach and the monkey,
0:30:27 > 0:30:284,000.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32This one - because of the colour of the stone - I think probably
0:30:32 > 0:30:34£8,000.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Good heavens!
0:30:36 > 0:30:38HE LAUGHS
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Well, that's a lot more than I was expecting, I must say.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Collectively, round about £14,000.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46My word!
0:30:49 > 0:30:53So here we have an album of costume sketches,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58and the album is for a very well-known designer,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01- William Ivor Beddoes.- Yes.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03I see they're inscribed here, to, "Dear Gwen."
0:31:03 > 0:31:08That was his mother, who, um, was really interested in Red Shoes
0:31:08 > 0:31:11because she used to be a ballet dancer, so he put all these together
0:31:11 > 0:31:15in a book and gave it to her for her birthday in 1952.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17And what, what's Gwen's relation to yourself?
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- My mother-in-law. - She was your mother-in-law.- Mm.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23OK, well, let's say a little bit about the artist.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25He's a very interesting character.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28- He was what you might call a Renaissance man.- Yes.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33He was completely self-taught. He was a poet, a designer, an artist.
0:31:33 > 0:31:34Yes, yes.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- A self-taught musician.- Yes.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40I believe he was a drummer in a lot of the silent films.
0:31:40 > 0:31:46Yes. And then my father-in-law, who was a sound man at Shepperton,
0:31:46 > 0:31:51got him a job at Shepperton and this is how he ended up doing all this.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55The Red Shoes, that iconic film of 1948 with Moira Shearer,
0:31:55 > 0:32:00- where... This is his most famous film, I understand?- Yes.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03And these are his original sketches.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07- Yes.- For the film. Do you have a favourite?
0:32:07 > 0:32:08I think he's my favourite.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11That's... Obviously, The Red Shoes
0:32:11 > 0:32:15was loosely based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale about the...
0:32:15 > 0:32:19- That's right.- ..ballet dancer who saw the red shoes in a shop window,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- tried them on.- Yeah.- And then basically she couldn't stop dancing,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24she danced herself to death.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- He went on to make other films, obviously.- Yes.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Another major one was Tales Of Hoffman in the early 1950s.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Yes, and then he did the Space Odyssey and...
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Exactly, you know, his career spanned decades.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38I think he worked right up until the 1970s on films like Star Wars.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Yes, he did Star Wars, yes.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45So would you be surprised to know that one watercolour design
0:32:45 > 0:32:49from the Red Shoes sold at auction just a few years ago?
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Oh, did it?
0:32:50 > 0:32:54It did. They rarely... There's only two that have ever come up for sale.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- And it was far more detailed than this.- Yes.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01However, it sold for £1,800.
0:33:01 > 0:33:02My goodness, yes.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06I think, given that these are not quite as detailed as that,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09but there are so many of them, you know, they've got to be worth
0:33:09 > 0:33:11£200 to £400 each.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14You know, we're probably looking at a collective value of
0:33:14 > 0:33:16£4,000 to £5,000 on the album.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Well, we're never going to get rid of it, so...
0:33:19 > 0:33:21We'll keep it in the family, definitely.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42We see quite a few letters written during the First World War
0:33:42 > 0:33:46to be opened in the event of the writer's death,
0:33:46 > 0:33:47but when I saw this,
0:33:47 > 0:33:52I thought it was the most moving letter I had ever seen.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54- This was written to your grandmother.- Yes.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57I can't actually get through it, so I'm going to ask you to read it out.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59I don't know if I can.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02OK. Well, it was sent from the First Hampshire Regiment
0:34:02 > 0:34:04on October the 4th, 1916.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07And he says, "My darling Vera,
0:34:07 > 0:34:11"by this you will know that I have been killed.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13"I meant to ask you to be engaged to me,
0:34:13 > 0:34:17"but when I was on leave, I was too frightened to say anything.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21"I loved you very, very much and would have done anything for you.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24"However, we may meet in another life.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28"With best love, ever your own loving boy, Harry."
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- I know.- I've read it so many times.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Oh, my goodness, it's just...
0:34:36 > 0:34:38And also it just talks of...
0:34:39 > 0:34:42..a love lost, hopes dashed,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45a life that could have been lived and never was.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Yes, and, of course, if he had lived, I wouldn't be here,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50because she wouldn't have married someone else afterwards.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52How did you know about this letter?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Did your grandmother talk to you about it?
0:34:54 > 0:34:57I had a suitcase of old memorabilia from my grandmother's after she died,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and when I went through it, with all the other rather mundane things,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03there was this letter.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I remembered seeing a photograph and I was sure it said "Harry"
0:35:06 > 0:35:09but the album, I have no longer got it, it's with another relative,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11and so I e-mailed them and said,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14"I'm sure there's a picture, 1916, of someone called Harry."
0:35:14 > 0:35:18And there was, and she e-mailed that and then she e-mailed someone,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20another cousin in Australia,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22who said, "I don't believe it.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24"On Gran's deathbed, she gave me this locket
0:35:24 > 0:35:28"and she said it was of someone who she was engaged to."
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- Well, she wasn't quite engaged... - He was too frightened to ask.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34But he wanted to be, and she got a picture of that locket,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37which she sent to me, and this was him, and this was her.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40And how old was he when he died? Did you manage to work that out?
0:35:40 > 0:35:42- 20.- 20.- Yes.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45And what might have been and the fact that she had this locket
0:35:45 > 0:35:48on her death bed with his photograph in.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- Yes, because she'd harboured that desire for ever.- All her life.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54All her life, yes, and she was 91 or 92 when she died.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Well, she obviously loved him just as much
0:35:56 > 0:36:00- if she kept this locket all her life.- Yes.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06This is one of my great aunts, Elizabeth Leather,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09who, when she separated from her husband,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12had to find a means of existence
0:36:12 > 0:36:15and she joined the American White Star Line
0:36:15 > 0:36:18and served on many of their ships,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21the Olympic, the Britannic and so on and so forth, but more interestingly,
0:36:21 > 0:36:26she was on the Titanic on its maiden voyage.
0:36:26 > 0:36:27She survived.
0:36:27 > 0:36:33She escaped in Boat 16, was picked up by the Carpathia
0:36:33 > 0:36:41and returned with 21 of the 23 female crew, two of whom were lost.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45I suppose the female crew were all first-class stewardesses.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Yes, they were first-class stewardesses.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- So that made it easier for them to escape.- Yes.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52And I gather she rowed for hours.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53She rowed for two hours...
0:36:53 > 0:36:57She insisted on rowing in the boat for two hours.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59- And she was in her 50s by this point.- She was 51.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02And they were not short oars. It's not like a skiff on the Thames.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06No. Well, she said that she wanted to do her bit,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08and also to try and keep warm.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Well, I think that's very sensible, yes, yes.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15She wouldn't have been particularly well-to-do, I mean, she wouldn't...
0:37:15 > 0:37:17- No.- She had to go out and work.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18Particularly after the Titanic,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21because the White Star Line cancelled everybody's employment...
0:37:21 > 0:37:23- Yes.- ..the following day.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25She didn't have a family.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27When she died in 1937,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30she bequeathed the two items to my mother.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35I've been struggling for about ten years now to find out a bit more
0:37:35 > 0:37:40about the medal, which is in memory of Titanic.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44And we've got a little locket here which has got her initials, EML.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47That's right, she was wearing that on the night of the disaster.
0:37:47 > 0:37:53The interesting thing is that this memorial medal is nine-carat gold.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55It is indeed, with a pearl in the middle.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57And if I just turn it round,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01- we can see there that it's made by Vaughtons of Birmingham.- Yes.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And it's inscribed, "April 15th, 1912",
0:38:04 > 0:38:09so it's been produced by somebody
0:38:09 > 0:38:12to give to these people.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15I can't help thinking that she would never have commissioned it.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18She wouldn't have been able to commission it, or purchase it.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Obviously, the first thing I did was to go back to Vaughtons,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25who produced it, and find out, if I could, how many they made
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and who it was made for, and by, and so on.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And tragically, they informed me that just before the Second World War,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35they'd run out of storage space for their office material
0:38:35 > 0:38:36and they'd destroyed everything.
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Gosh.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42One hopes that perhaps it was made by a grateful passenger
0:38:42 > 0:38:48who gave them to the staff who were survivors as a memento,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- and as a thank you. - It's a possibility.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Well, it would be nice to think that.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58Titanic is the most extraordinary sort of maritime story, really.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02The locket, with the evidence that it was on board the Titanic
0:39:02 > 0:39:05on that night, it's going to be worth several thousand pounds.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11- Oh!- The memorial pendant... They have turned up,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15- but we know whose this one was and that always makes a difference.- Yes.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18It's worth about 2,000, £2,500.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22So, in all, there's about
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- £4,000 or £5,000 worth.- Mm.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26Amazing.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34This is the finest small English mantle clock that I've ever seen
0:39:34 > 0:39:35on the Roadshow.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Good Lord.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39It's an exceptional thing
0:39:39 > 0:39:43and it must have fairly exceptional provenance, so how did you get it?
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Well, it was evidently given by Queen Victoria
0:39:47 > 0:39:50to a lady-in-waiting, and when she was a very old lady,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53she gave it to my next-door neighbour,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56who happened to be a deputy director of the Bank of Scotland,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and it came down, through his family, to me.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Right, well, it makes absolute sense.
0:40:01 > 0:40:07This is just the sort of thing that the Queen would have ordered
0:40:07 > 0:40:12- and given as presents to those very close to her.- Good Lord.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15The thing is signed by Charles Frodsham
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- with their Strand address...- Mm-hm.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20..and I'm very much hoping
0:40:20 > 0:40:22that it will be fully signed on the back plate.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- Do you ever open this?- No.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26So you don't really look at it too frequently?
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Er, no. SHE LAUGHS
0:40:27 > 0:40:32OK. Well, there it is, the full signature,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Arnold... Charles Frodsham, 84 Strand
0:40:36 > 0:40:37and then the number down there.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Right. Well, it's always been referred to as "the Frodsham clock".
0:40:41 > 0:40:48Right, well, Frodsham in 1843 took over the business premises
0:40:48 > 0:40:52and the good name of John Roger Arnold, and for 15 years,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54the company was referred to as Arnold and Frodsham.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58And then Charles Frodsham started really on his own,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00but only made the finest things.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05And this is so exceptional because of the size,
0:41:05 > 0:41:09and just look at the quality of it.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11It's sensational.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16The dial is as perfect as you'd get.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21- Gosh.- Beautifully engraved, signed on that lovely annular chapter ring,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and the hands are cut-out spade hands.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27The finest English clock work.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Now, I'm here to tell you the price.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33You must have a thing like this insured.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Roughly what's it insured for?
0:41:34 > 0:41:36I don't think it is.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- Seriously? - No, it lives in a cupboard.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40RICHARD LAUGHS
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I honestly don't know what to say.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Um... All I can tell you is that the last one of these...
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Yes.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53..which had a number just two removed in sequence from yours -
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- and we're talking round about 1845 here...- Right.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59..not a lot either side of that -
0:41:59 > 0:42:01was sold at auction
0:42:01 > 0:42:03for £42,000.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05You are joking?!
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Now I'm not saying that yours is going to do quite that,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09but it's going to do
0:42:09 > 0:42:10at least 30,000 to 35,000.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Good grief!
0:42:12 > 0:42:15With that Royal provenance, the finest,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18by one of the finest makers of the early Victorian era.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Good Lord!
0:42:20 > 0:42:22So, please, get it insured.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24LAUGHTER
0:42:24 > 0:42:26But much more important than getting insured,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29get it out of that cupboard and let it be seen!
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Thank you very much. I'm totally astounded.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Oh, I think I need a gin.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37LAUGHTER
0:42:40 > 0:42:43We're just coming to the end of our day here at Chenies Manor
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and I thought I'd slip into something comfortable.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Japanese silk wedding kimono, circa 1980s,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50brought along by one of our visitors.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Look at this. Look at the sleeves.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54The front...
0:42:57 > 0:42:58The back...
0:43:01 > 0:43:03And look at the gold interior...
0:43:05 > 0:43:06Fabulous.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08From Antiques Roadshow, until next time,
0:43:08 > 0:43:10sayonara!