Bowood House 1

Download Subtitles

Transcript

0:00:47 > 0:00:49Bowood House, near Chippenham in Wiltshire,

0:00:49 > 0:00:52is just bursting with treasures.

0:00:52 > 0:00:56Enough to thrill every single one of our Antiques Roadshow experts.

0:01:02 > 0:01:05This pretty Robert Adam building has been home

0:01:05 > 0:01:08to the Marquises of Lansdowne for almost 300 years.

0:01:08 > 0:01:12In the 18th century, the first Marquis set up a laboratory here

0:01:12 > 0:01:16and supported two of the most groundbreaking scientists of the age.

0:01:16 > 0:01:20One went on to discover oxygen gas here in 1774.

0:01:22 > 0:01:25While the first Marquis was keen to encourage the sciences,

0:01:25 > 0:01:28the second Marquis was rather more adventurous.

0:01:28 > 0:01:29In a scene that could have come

0:01:29 > 0:01:32straight out of The Scarlet Pimpernel,

0:01:32 > 0:01:34he rescued a young boy and his mother

0:01:34 > 0:01:36from the clutches of the French Revolution.

0:01:36 > 0:01:39They were aristocrats and in real danger of being executed.

0:01:39 > 0:01:41And he secretly whisked them off to England.

0:01:41 > 0:01:43The boy's stepfather wasn't so lucky.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46He lost his head to Madame la Guillotine.

0:01:49 > 0:01:51The boy was Charles, the Comte de Flahaut.

0:01:51 > 0:01:53In a romantic turn of events,

0:01:53 > 0:01:56his daughter went on to marry the fourth Marquis of Lansdowne.

0:01:56 > 0:01:59Quite a surprise, considering Charles fought on the wrong side

0:01:59 > 0:02:01in the Napoleonic wars.

0:02:01 > 0:02:03He was Napoleon's aide-de-camp and served alongside him

0:02:03 > 0:02:05until the defeat at Waterloo.

0:02:07 > 0:02:10Years later, the Comte left the family some remarkable heirlooms.

0:02:10 > 0:02:12Rare Sevres porcelain

0:02:12 > 0:02:16and a portrait of Napoleon, given to the Comte by the man himself.

0:02:17 > 0:02:21One of the most unusual items surely has to be this -

0:02:21 > 0:02:23the bronze death mask of Napoleon.

0:02:23 > 0:02:27And it was taken from the original plaster of Paris cast

0:02:27 > 0:02:30made by Napoleon's doctor in 1821,

0:02:30 > 0:02:33just after his death on St Helena.

0:02:33 > 0:02:35They're very rare, these,

0:02:35 > 0:02:36and very valuable.

0:02:36 > 0:02:41I have to say, it's a very strange thing to be holding in one's hands.

0:02:42 > 0:02:45So, before our experts invade the house to look at all these treasures,

0:02:45 > 0:02:47let's catch up with them outside,

0:02:47 > 0:02:51as they meet our visitors at today's Antiques Roadshow.

0:02:51 > 0:02:54Well, there's a certain theme around here, which is car mascots.

0:02:54 > 0:02:57And somehow, you don't really look much like a car mascot yourself.

0:02:57 > 0:03:00Although, you'd obviously look gorgeous on the front of my car.

0:03:00 > 0:03:02Thank you very much.

0:03:02 > 0:03:03So what's the connection to you with these?

0:03:03 > 0:03:05Well, what it was, bit of a funny story.

0:03:05 > 0:03:10I was northbound on the A1, going up to Alnwick, Northumberland,

0:03:10 > 0:03:14queueing to pay for a pasty, got talking to a fellow traveller

0:03:14 > 0:03:18and he started mentioning that he had a small shop

0:03:18 > 0:03:21fairly local to here, where he was dealing with Lalique.

0:03:21 > 0:03:25We went along, had a look and the rest is history, really.

0:03:25 > 0:03:27Started buying one or two pieces and, like everything else,

0:03:27 > 0:03:30you think, "Well, we'll just have the one."

0:03:30 > 0:03:32And that becomes two and that becomes three...

0:03:32 > 0:03:35- What's it become now?- I have eight pieces now altogether.

0:03:35 > 0:03:37- Eight pieces?- Yeah.

0:03:37 > 0:03:40And what is it that you find compelling about them

0:03:40 > 0:03:43that's leading you to splash some serious cash here, I presume?

0:03:43 > 0:03:46I just liked the way they look. It's the car mascot,

0:03:46 > 0:03:49being a bit of a car buff myself in the past, as well.

0:03:49 > 0:03:53And it's just the way they're constructed.

0:03:53 > 0:03:54They're just amazing.

0:03:54 > 0:03:57I mean, what it would take to make something like that,

0:03:57 > 0:04:00I can only begin to imagine.

0:04:00 > 0:04:03Well, that is what you're talking about.

0:04:03 > 0:04:07And I think it's pretty clear to see, from everybody's viewpoint,

0:04:07 > 0:04:09that's a pretty stunning piece of glass.

0:04:09 > 0:04:12And the idea that this is a car mascot,

0:04:12 > 0:04:14you say, "Well, what the hell are you on about?"

0:04:14 > 0:04:17Well, what you did is that these were let

0:04:17 > 0:04:21into the brass radiator cap of your car.

0:04:21 > 0:04:24So, instead of the Spirit of Ecstasy on a Rolls-Royce, for instance,

0:04:24 > 0:04:26then you have that.

0:04:26 > 0:04:29And some of these had lights underneath them.

0:04:30 > 0:04:35- So if we look at yours, one of these is not a car mascot.- No.

0:04:35 > 0:04:41This one here, with the square base, that's a figurine.

0:04:41 > 0:04:45But the others here are all car mascots.

0:04:45 > 0:04:46This is Le Coq Nain.

0:04:46 > 0:04:48This is the Perche.

0:04:48 > 0:04:52And that, believe it or not, is called "un elephant".

0:04:52 > 0:04:55Incredible. I'll translate that, because you're obviously struggling.

0:04:55 > 0:04:57We call it an elephant.

0:04:58 > 0:05:01So, look, you know, these are, what, late '20s,

0:05:01 > 0:05:03- I suppose is their approximate date.- Yes, I think so.

0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Late '20s, early '30s.- And they're kind of sought after. They are.

0:05:06 > 0:05:09But the value depends on a letter.

0:05:09 > 0:05:13And the letter we're talking about is the letter "R".

0:05:13 > 0:05:15And what's in a letter? Well, an awful lot.

0:05:15 > 0:05:18Because the "R" means they were made during Lalique's lifetime.

0:05:18 > 0:05:22And if the "R" is absent, they were made posthumously.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25And that's a huge impact on value.

0:05:25 > 0:05:28Like...ten times.

0:05:28 > 0:05:30So what have you got here? Let's have a look.

0:05:30 > 0:05:32They're all "R".

0:05:32 > 0:05:34They're all made during Rene's lifetime.

0:05:34 > 0:05:37So we can go on your purchases...

0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Well, you'd better tell us how much you paid for them, actually.- I...

0:05:40 > 0:05:43- HE CLEARS HIS THROAT - Throat's gone really dry now. Sorry about that!

0:05:43 > 0:05:49I think, in total, I suppose that would be 2,800-ish,

0:05:49 > 0:05:52- give or take, um...- OK, well, we'll just do a gallop, won't we?

0:05:52 > 0:05:55We'll just go...800,

0:05:55 > 0:05:571,000...

0:05:58 > 0:06:00..1,600 to 2,000.

0:06:00 > 0:06:02That's rare. Elephant's rare.

0:06:02 > 0:06:05That's 1,500.

0:06:05 > 0:06:06- Really?- 1,500.

0:06:06 > 0:06:09Basically, your 1,800 quid...

0:06:10 > 0:06:13..is magic, magic, magic...

0:06:13 > 0:06:14..4,000 to 6,000 quid.

0:06:16 > 0:06:18That'll do for me, sir.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20Start the car!

0:06:23 > 0:06:26- It's a silver honeypot.- Yes.

0:06:26 > 0:06:30- We think it's by Philip Storr. - Right.

0:06:30 > 0:06:33And we think it's about 1800.

0:06:33 > 0:06:35- Or something like that.- Very good.

0:06:35 > 0:06:38And how did it come into your possession?

0:06:38 > 0:06:41It came to me about 30 years ago

0:06:41 > 0:06:42- from an aunt.- Uh-huh.

0:06:42 > 0:06:46But it had been in the family for a long time.

0:06:46 > 0:06:48In fact, I think all its life.

0:06:48 > 0:06:51Well, I think the aunt must've liked you rather a lot.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54Because this is a pretty good thing.

0:06:54 > 0:06:56Well, I was quite polite to her.

0:06:57 > 0:06:59Well, let's have a look at the marks.

0:06:59 > 0:07:01What you say is pretty close.

0:07:02 > 0:07:05It's got a nice set of marks on the bottom.

0:07:05 > 0:07:08It's got the maker's mark "PS" for Paul Storr.

0:07:08 > 0:07:11And a date letter "D" for 1799.

0:07:11 > 0:07:15And it's what they call a honey skep or a honeypot.

0:07:15 > 0:07:21Paul Storr not only was the greatest maker of the 19th century,

0:07:21 > 0:07:24he ran the workshops for the greatest firm of retailers

0:07:24 > 0:07:27called Rundell, Bridge & Rundell before going off on his own.

0:07:27 > 0:07:32And they were the biggest firm at their time in the whole country

0:07:32 > 0:07:36- for retailing fabulous silver. - Oh, really?

0:07:36 > 0:07:38So he's a top man. He's hugely collected,

0:07:38 > 0:07:41especially in America. They love Paul Storr.

0:07:41 > 0:07:45It's got a crest at the top. Is that a family crest?

0:07:45 > 0:07:47Yes. It is. It's on my mother's side of the family.

0:07:47 > 0:07:49Fantastic.

0:07:49 > 0:07:51Well, by an extraordinary stroke of luck,

0:07:51 > 0:07:57I bought the almost identical piece at an auction very recently.

0:07:57 > 0:07:59- Oh?- I bought it for a client.

0:07:59 > 0:08:01Do you know what I paid for it?

0:08:01 > 0:08:04I'm hoping you're going to tell me.

0:08:04 > 0:08:06A little over £20,000.

0:08:07 > 0:08:08Wow.

0:08:08 > 0:08:12- I had no idea.- So your insurance figure...- I had no idea.

0:08:12 > 0:08:14..should be quite a lot more than that.

0:08:14 > 0:08:17Well, that's very, very interesting.

0:08:17 > 0:08:20Thank you very much indeed. I'm quite chuffed by that.

0:08:20 > 0:08:21Yeah.

0:08:21 > 0:08:24This is a very grand portrait.

0:08:24 > 0:08:27I'm guessing it comes from a very large house

0:08:27 > 0:08:29and looking at the boys here, with Devizes School on,

0:08:29 > 0:08:32- I presume it's a school. - It is a school. Yes.

0:08:32 > 0:08:35- What do you do at the school? - I'm headteacher at the school.

0:08:35 > 0:08:39Now, I notice on this picture, first of all, it's in very good

0:08:39 > 0:08:42original condition. Because it's never been cleaned.

0:08:42 > 0:08:46But being in original condition, I see there's some marks here.

0:08:46 > 0:08:49And there's a mark here. Do you know what this is?

0:08:49 > 0:08:55Oh, well, a student, he put a bit of wet paper on the painting.

0:08:55 > 0:08:58- And how did he put it on? - Um, I think he must have shot it...

0:08:58 > 0:09:00Shot it? How did he shoot it?

0:09:00 > 0:09:02Er, through a pipe thing.

0:09:02 > 0:09:04Well, it's a pretty good shot, actually.

0:09:04 > 0:09:06He's got her right here.

0:09:06 > 0:09:09Now, what do you boys think of the picture?

0:09:09 > 0:09:12Well, she represents the Grey Lady

0:09:12 > 0:09:14and she haunts the school.

0:09:14 > 0:09:16Can I stop you there? Who's the Grey Lady?

0:09:17 > 0:09:20Her. She's the person in the painting.

0:09:20 > 0:09:22- And have you ever seen her?- No.

0:09:22 > 0:09:24Not me. But loads of people have.

0:09:24 > 0:09:30- So it's a bit of a rumour that she comes around occasionally?- Yeah.

0:09:30 > 0:09:32And do you know who this person is?

0:09:32 > 0:09:34Yeah, this is Maria Heathcote,

0:09:34 > 0:09:39who used to be the owner of the house that is now the school.

0:09:39 > 0:09:41And do you know who it's by?

0:09:41 > 0:09:42Vanderback?

0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's by John Vanderbank.

0:09:44 > 0:09:49And it is signed J Vanderbank, fecit 1725.

0:09:49 > 0:09:50Right.

0:09:50 > 0:09:54Now, John Vanderbank was a pupil of Sir Godfrey Kneller.

0:09:54 > 0:09:59Kneller was a very famous artist in the late 1600s, early 1700s.

0:09:59 > 0:10:02And he had a lot of pupil students working under him,

0:10:02 > 0:10:05so that's how he would have learnt his ability to paint.

0:10:05 > 0:10:08Also, with a name like Vanderbank, it's not English.

0:10:08 > 0:10:12And it would've come from Dutch descent over here.

0:10:12 > 0:10:15But he was recorded as working in London.

0:10:15 > 0:10:19When we look at this, we see that she's holding here a shell.

0:10:20 > 0:10:23Almost like an oyster shell. And do you know what that represents?

0:10:23 > 0:10:25No.

0:10:25 > 0:10:27Fertility. That's what it is.

0:10:27 > 0:10:31But it's very typical of the period, the early 1700s.

0:10:31 > 0:10:33It's classical,

0:10:33 > 0:10:36you've got the wonderful cherub here with the fountain.

0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's a very, very smart picture.

0:10:39 > 0:10:41When you're at school, do you see it as well as this

0:10:41 > 0:10:43or is it in a dark corner?

0:10:43 > 0:10:46- No, it's in reception.- It is?

0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Yeah, and everyone can see it. - And do you all respect her?

0:10:49 > 0:10:51Er, yeah.

0:10:51 > 0:10:53- Apart from this one! - I want to know his name.

0:10:53 > 0:10:57But now, we have to put a value on this.

0:10:57 > 0:10:59I think it's fantastic.

0:10:59 > 0:11:02And I've seen quite a lot of John Vanderbank's work.

0:11:03 > 0:11:05And this is amongst the best I've seen.

0:11:05 > 0:11:08And I think that, if this came up at auction,

0:11:08 > 0:11:13it would make the minimum of £8,000-£12,000.

0:11:13 > 0:11:14Wow.

0:11:14 > 0:11:16Gosh.

0:11:16 > 0:11:20So I hope you will show it more respect as you walk past.

0:11:20 > 0:11:22We probably will!

0:11:25 > 0:11:29I'm looking at a rather interesting archive.

0:11:29 > 0:11:34It seems to relate to the Beatles in Melbourne in 1964.

0:11:34 > 0:11:36Now, what's your involvement with this collection?

0:11:36 > 0:11:39Well, I am Australian

0:11:39 > 0:11:44and my father was Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 1964,

0:11:44 > 0:11:47at a time when the town hall was a very sober place,

0:11:47 > 0:11:49normally for dignitaries from overseas.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53But my father was very taken with this young group of musicians,

0:11:53 > 0:11:55the Beatles, and decided he'd give them a reception.

0:11:55 > 0:11:58And as you can see from this invitation that he issued,

0:11:58 > 0:12:02it was to meet Mr John Lennon, Mr Paul McCartney,

0:12:02 > 0:12:05Mr George Harrison and Mr Ringo Starr.

0:12:05 > 0:12:09Well, everybody was full of enthusiasm.

0:12:09 > 0:12:13For the morning, I was given John Lennon to look after.

0:12:13 > 0:12:16And he was wearing a leather jacket.

0:12:16 > 0:12:18And I had never touched a man in a leather jacket before.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21So I had my arm through his for the morning,

0:12:21 > 0:12:23walking around, introducing him to everybody.

0:12:23 > 0:12:26My sister had Paul McCartney,

0:12:26 > 0:12:29because she'd been out with him the night before for a cup of coffee

0:12:29 > 0:12:31and he'd held her hand.

0:12:31 > 0:12:33And Paul said to her, "Tomorrow morning,

0:12:33 > 0:12:37"we've got to go and meet some old codger at the town hall."

0:12:37 > 0:12:41And my sister said, "Well, I'd like you to know that's my father."

0:12:41 > 0:12:43So it was a really extraordinary experience.

0:12:43 > 0:12:48And after it was over, we walked outside and saw the crowds.

0:12:48 > 0:12:51We were on the balcony - like the Queen is!

0:12:51 > 0:12:55And we saw hundreds of thousands of people lined up outside.

0:12:55 > 0:12:57So that's how it came about.

0:12:57 > 0:13:00That is the most remarkable story.

0:13:00 > 0:13:03Well, look, the first thing I have to say is,

0:13:03 > 0:13:06look, we've got all these photographs here. Which one is you?

0:13:06 > 0:13:08Oh...

0:13:08 > 0:13:12I have to say, there were hairpieces around in those days

0:13:12 > 0:13:16- and that's what that is.- That is such a smart up-put, isn't it?

0:13:16 > 0:13:18So how old were you then? May I ask?

0:13:18 > 0:13:20I was 23 and I was given John

0:13:20 > 0:13:22because he was married and I was married.

0:13:22 > 0:13:24And the rest of my family weren't

0:13:24 > 0:13:26and neither were the rest of the Beatles.

0:13:26 > 0:13:29OK, so it was felt that the two marrieds could look after each other

0:13:29 > 0:13:32- and Paul was fair game for all the other sisters.- Exactly!

0:13:32 > 0:13:34So this is what you said.

0:13:34 > 0:13:38- You all went out onto the town hall balcony. Oh, is that you there?- Yes.

0:13:38 > 0:13:39That looks like you, yes.

0:13:39 > 0:13:42And I forgot to say, my father gave the Beatles...

0:13:42 > 0:13:45had for them upstairs, where we were playing the music,

0:13:45 > 0:13:47boomerangs and a didgeridoo to give them.

0:13:47 > 0:13:50And so, that's what that's all about.

0:13:50 > 0:13:52Well, now, this is the main event, of course.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55The signed invitation.

0:13:55 > 0:14:00Signed beautifully by all four Beatles very clearly.

0:14:00 > 0:14:03These are good things. They are good things here.

0:14:03 > 0:14:06They're even better, perhaps, in Australia.

0:14:06 > 0:14:08But there is certainly a worldwide interest in them.

0:14:08 > 0:14:09When we comes to value,

0:14:09 > 0:14:13we're certainly talking between £5,000 and £8,000.

0:14:13 > 0:14:14What's that in dollars?

0:14:14 > 0:14:20Dollars about two to the pound now, so that's about AU10,000-AU15,000.

0:14:20 > 0:14:22- Brilliant object. - Well, thank you very much indeed.

0:14:22 > 0:14:25And thank you for having me on this show, all the way from Australia.

0:14:25 > 0:14:28It's great. It's been lovely to hear your experiences. Thanks so much.

0:14:28 > 0:14:31Thank you very much. Thank you.

0:14:46 > 0:14:50Lord and Lady Lansdowne, it's an absolute pleasure to be here today

0:14:50 > 0:14:52at your wonderful home. Thank you for having us.

0:14:52 > 0:14:55But it's even more of a pleasure to have an item out of your collection.

0:14:55 > 0:14:58And we have Napoleon's death mask.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02I actually have a version of this hanging on my own wall at home.

0:15:02 > 0:15:05And I suppose that's really why I'm going to be talking to you about it.

0:15:05 > 0:15:08But I know that a lot of family history is imbued in this item,

0:15:08 > 0:15:11so perhaps you can explain some of that to me.

0:15:11 > 0:15:17Well, as you know, Napoleon died in May 1821

0:15:17 > 0:15:22and my great-great-great-grandmother

0:15:22 > 0:15:25married Napoleon's ADC.

0:15:25 > 0:15:27Charles de Flahaut.

0:15:27 > 0:15:30Sorry, that's the aide-de-camp?

0:15:30 > 0:15:32- IN FRENCH ACCENTS:- Aide-de-camp. - Aide-de-camp!

0:15:32 > 0:15:34Thank you!

0:15:34 > 0:15:35ADC, aide-de-camp.

0:15:35 > 0:15:38And went on that dreadful campaign to Russia,

0:15:38 > 0:15:40- which was Napoleon's downfall.- Yeah.

0:15:40 > 0:15:43So when Napoleon died... Actually, imagine the scene.

0:15:43 > 0:15:44He was surrounded by a lot of people

0:15:44 > 0:15:46and one thing that was traditionally done

0:15:46 > 0:15:50is that facial casts were taken - death masks.

0:15:50 > 0:15:54And all of that surrounding Napoleon at the time is very complicated,

0:15:54 > 0:15:56when it comes to us talking about

0:15:56 > 0:15:59the amount of death masks that were actually cast.

0:15:59 > 0:16:01Some people say that three originals were done

0:16:01 > 0:16:04and these were wax casts or plaster casts.

0:16:04 > 0:16:06Some people say four were done.

0:16:06 > 0:16:07But it's contentious.

0:16:07 > 0:16:10What we have here is a cast in bronze

0:16:10 > 0:16:12from one of those original casts.

0:16:12 > 0:16:15And in 1821, when he died in May, basically,

0:16:15 > 0:16:18one of those people was his doctor - Antommarchi.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21Or one of several physicians that apparently attended.

0:16:21 > 0:16:23And that's one of the signatures that we can see

0:16:23 > 0:16:27on the side of this bronze death mask here.

0:16:27 > 0:16:29We've also got foundry marks.

0:16:29 > 0:16:33It says "Fondu par L Richard et Quesnel a Paris."

0:16:33 > 0:16:36So we know who the founders are and everything. It's all documented.

0:16:36 > 0:16:39And also, we have this little cartouche,

0:16:39 > 0:16:42signifying that it is actually Napoleon.

0:16:42 > 0:16:46Now, my version at home on the wall is a plaster version.

0:16:46 > 0:16:49And in fact, actually, it looks slightly different to this.

0:16:49 > 0:16:52And that proves the point that the various versions

0:16:52 > 0:16:54that there are around do differ facially.

0:16:54 > 0:16:56I think the profile...

0:16:56 > 0:17:01And you look at, actually, some of the oil paintings of Napoleon,

0:17:01 > 0:17:03it's remarkably good.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06That nose... He's got a beaky nose, Napoleon.

0:17:06 > 0:17:09That is a Napoleonic nose.

0:17:09 > 0:17:12Let's talk about some value on it.

0:17:12 > 0:17:14They are very, very sought after.

0:17:14 > 0:17:16We can talk about one plaster cast,

0:17:16 > 0:17:21that sold the year before last, which is called the Boys cast.

0:17:21 > 0:17:24And Pastor Boys was also one of the people

0:17:24 > 0:17:26that was next to Napoleon's deathbed.

0:17:26 > 0:17:29And apparently, a cast was taken from the original

0:17:29 > 0:17:31soon after by Boys.

0:17:31 > 0:17:34So we know that it's very close to that original cast.

0:17:34 > 0:17:39Now, that cast sold the year before last for 170,000.

0:17:41 > 0:17:44What does that mean this one's worth? Well, of course...

0:17:44 > 0:17:45- Well, we don't know.- Absolutely.

0:17:45 > 0:17:48It's not quite that close to one of the original casts.

0:17:48 > 0:17:52What I do know is that, when these do come up for sale,

0:17:52 > 0:17:53which is very infrequently,

0:17:53 > 0:17:58they usually make around about £15,000 or £20,000 at auction.

0:17:58 > 0:18:03But we have all that extra added heritage

0:18:03 > 0:18:05and provenance that goes with this one.

0:18:05 > 0:18:08How do you put a price on that? Very, very difficult.

0:18:08 > 0:18:12One thing I do know is that it's going to be snugly secreted

0:18:12 > 0:18:14back in its beautiful cabinet in your museum.

0:18:14 > 0:18:16It's an amazing story.

0:18:16 > 0:18:19And I have to say, it's made even more emotive

0:18:19 > 0:18:21by the fact that we're in the bi-centenary year

0:18:21 > 0:18:23of the Battle of Waterloo.

0:18:23 > 0:18:24Thank you very much.

0:18:24 > 0:18:26What a beautiful day.

0:18:26 > 0:18:29And the sun is shining on the righteous.

0:18:29 > 0:18:31Because this is all about John Wesley,

0:18:31 > 0:18:32the great Methodist preacher.

0:18:32 > 0:18:34- It is indeed. - Is there a connection with you?

0:18:34 > 0:18:36There is a connection with me.

0:18:36 > 0:18:40The gentleman in the photograph was my father.

0:18:40 > 0:18:45And he was a Methodist minister, but he collected this pottery,

0:18:45 > 0:18:47- some pictures, as well.- Yes.

0:18:47 > 0:18:50So who was John Wesley?

0:18:50 > 0:18:53John Wesley was the son of an Anglican vicar.

0:18:53 > 0:18:56Born and brought up in Lincolnshire, in Epworth,

0:18:56 > 0:19:00went to Oxford University and became a preacher.

0:19:00 > 0:19:06And in 1739, he had what he called his "heart-warming experience",

0:19:06 > 0:19:10when he really trusted in God.

0:19:10 > 0:19:14And from then on, he began preaching all over the country.

0:19:14 > 0:19:19And Methodist Societies sprang up all around the countryside.

0:19:19 > 0:19:24He lived to a ripe old age - he lived to be 88 -

0:19:24 > 0:19:27and was still preaching a week before he died.

0:19:27 > 0:19:30Wesley had a great connection with Stoke-on-Trent,

0:19:30 > 0:19:34so many of the works are done at Stoke-on-Trent,

0:19:34 > 0:19:36- including these two busts.- Yes.

0:19:36 > 0:19:40This one is a beautiful bust, isn't it?

0:19:40 > 0:19:43- It is. Obadiah. Yes. - Obadiah Sherratt.

0:19:43 > 0:19:46He was a great Staffordshire potter.

0:19:46 > 0:19:51And the Wesley bust over there is one of the Wood family potters.

0:19:51 > 0:19:54- It is, it's an Enoch Wood... - Enoch Wood, yes.

0:19:54 > 0:20:00- ..who had John Wesley sit for him in about 1780-81.- Yes.

0:20:00 > 0:20:05- And these busts were produced in John Wesley's lifetime.- Yes.

0:20:05 > 0:20:09- And they are just so beautiful. - They're beautifully made.

0:20:09 > 0:20:11And the colours on the face. You know, the painting.

0:20:11 > 0:20:12Absolutely wonderful, yes.

0:20:12 > 0:20:15- He must've been a famous person in his time.- Yes, I think he was.

0:20:15 > 0:20:17He'd travelled the country.

0:20:17 > 0:20:21- Travelled thousands of miles each year.- Yes. By horseback.

0:20:21 > 0:20:24- On horseback.- Because, in those days, no cars or bikes.

0:20:24 > 0:20:26And usually sitting reading as he rode, you know?

0:20:26 > 0:20:31- Or even writing sermons, I think.- I know people to go on bikes reading.

0:20:31 > 0:20:33- It's very dangerous.- On horseback.

0:20:33 > 0:20:35- But to do it on a horse, it's not so bad.- No.

0:20:35 > 0:20:39- And this strange model here...- Yes.

0:20:39 > 0:20:42That is actually a caricature of John Wesley.

0:20:42 > 0:20:45I've no idea how many were produced,

0:20:45 > 0:20:49- but it was made out of the vertebrae of a horse.- Vertebrae of a horse?

0:20:49 > 0:20:51Good Lord. I've never seen one before.

0:20:51 > 0:20:54He was a great, great, great man.

0:20:54 > 0:20:55So, values...

0:20:55 > 0:21:00Well, the Wood bust, it's probably going to be £1,000.

0:21:00 > 0:21:04And the Obadiah Sherratt bust, several times that.

0:21:04 > 0:21:06- Really?- Yes.

0:21:06 > 0:21:09The other pieces, not so greatly valuable, but all very personal.

0:21:09 > 0:21:12Together, the whole collection is going to be valued

0:21:12 > 0:21:14at thousands of pounds.

0:21:14 > 0:21:16Look after it. Guard it.

0:21:16 > 0:21:18And pass it on to the next generation.

0:21:18 > 0:21:21I hope I shall be able to, yes. Yes.

0:21:21 > 0:21:23- Well, it's a great treasure in our house.- Yes.

0:21:23 > 0:21:24Thank you.

0:21:24 > 0:21:28Well, I recognise this immediately, because it's my local church

0:21:28 > 0:21:31and this is the original design

0:21:31 > 0:21:36by CR Ashbee, one of the most important leaders

0:21:36 > 0:21:40of the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the 20th century.

0:21:40 > 0:21:44- And it's a design for an organ case. - That's right. Yes.

0:21:44 > 0:21:47The organ case was commissioned by the Harris family.

0:21:47 > 0:21:53Of course, of the Harris meat products of this area.

0:21:53 > 0:21:56But Ashbee, he went on in the 20th century

0:21:56 > 0:22:00to develop this school of Arts and Crafts,

0:22:00 > 0:22:02designing jewellery,

0:22:02 > 0:22:05he had a printing press - the Essex House Press -

0:22:05 > 0:22:09and, obviously, in the Cotswolds, where they produced

0:22:09 > 0:22:13all sorts of lovely pieces of furniture and things like that.

0:22:13 > 0:22:14Where did you find this?

0:22:14 > 0:22:17- It obviously looks as though it's been in the wars.- It has.

0:22:17 > 0:22:19Well, it was bought...

0:22:19 > 0:22:22I'm the parish administrator for the parish of Calne and Blackland.

0:22:22 > 0:22:24This is St Mary's church, actually.

0:22:24 > 0:22:27And because the humidity levels in the church

0:22:27 > 0:22:30were not doing the picture any good, it was brought over there.

0:22:30 > 0:22:34So here is the early-20th-century design of the organ case

0:22:34 > 0:22:38and this is what it's like in all its glory today -

0:22:38 > 0:22:42beautifully restored, in absolutely immaculate condition.

0:22:42 > 0:22:43It's an important piece.

0:22:43 > 0:22:48I don't know of any other organ case or piece of art

0:22:48 > 0:22:51that Ashbee did that is quite like this.

0:22:51 > 0:22:55I can see a piece like that, it's £20,000-£25,000.

0:22:55 > 0:22:56My word!

0:22:56 > 0:22:59- Goodness me!- It's a wonderful piece.

0:22:59 > 0:23:01- Thank you so much for bringing it in.- Gosh.

0:23:01 > 0:23:03Oh...!

0:23:03 > 0:23:04Speechless. That's rare for me!

0:23:04 > 0:23:07- THEY LAUGH - Thank you.

0:23:10 > 0:23:13These Chinese jade carvings, I like them,

0:23:13 > 0:23:16because they all have a very specific meaning.

0:23:17 > 0:23:19This one here,

0:23:19 > 0:23:23which is a small boy on the back of a large bottle gourd

0:23:23 > 0:23:25represents having many sons.

0:23:25 > 0:23:28But I particular like this one here, which is a monkey and a peach.

0:23:28 > 0:23:31- Do you know much about this one? - No. I don't.

0:23:31 > 0:23:35Except, I believe it's a token for longevity.

0:23:35 > 0:23:37You're absolutely right. And it's...

0:23:37 > 0:23:40Actually, it goes back to a sort of 16th-century

0:23:40 > 0:23:45Chinese mythological story about the Monkey King.

0:23:45 > 0:23:47It was in The Journey To The West.

0:23:47 > 0:23:50The Monkey King, who was called Sun Wukong,

0:23:50 > 0:23:55he gatecrashed a party and he ate all the peaches of longevity

0:23:55 > 0:23:58and ever since then, the monkey, together with the peach,

0:23:58 > 0:24:01- in Chinese mythology, has been used to represent longevity.- Lovely.

0:24:01 > 0:24:04I think they're great things. They are made to be handled.

0:24:04 > 0:24:08They are made by scholars. Where did you get these from?

0:24:08 > 0:24:11We bought them in Singapore, when we were there in the 1970s.

0:24:11 > 0:24:15We were always told they were sleeve pieces. What did that mean?

0:24:15 > 0:24:18Well, that's one way of calling them, sleeve pieces.

0:24:18 > 0:24:20They could also be called handling pieces,

0:24:20 > 0:24:23because they were designed specifically to be picked up,

0:24:23 > 0:24:24handled and turned over.

0:24:24 > 0:24:26The idea of them being a sleeve piece,

0:24:26 > 0:24:28if you are wearing a long Chinese robe,

0:24:28 > 0:24:31you'd be able to store them turned up in your sleeve.

0:24:31 > 0:24:34So they become a handling piece or a sleeve piece

0:24:34 > 0:24:36and they are to be picked up, touched.

0:24:36 > 0:24:39And so, how tactile they are is very important to them.

0:24:39 > 0:24:42- How glorious.- It is. It's a lovely idea.

0:24:42 > 0:24:46These all date from the reign of the Emperor Chien Lung.

0:24:46 > 0:24:47That's what we were told.

0:24:47 > 0:24:51Do you remember how much you paid for them in Singapore?

0:24:51 > 0:24:54These were all under 100 Singapore.

0:24:54 > 0:24:56- Under 100 Singapore dollars? - Yeah.

0:24:56 > 0:24:57I don't know the exchange rate.

0:24:57 > 0:24:59At that time, it was eight to the pound.

0:24:59 > 0:25:03Nowadays, I don't know if you follow the market in Chinese jades,

0:25:03 > 0:25:06but they really are quite sought after.

0:25:06 > 0:25:12In auction today, you are probably looking at £5,000 here.

0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Goodness. - Maybe a little bit more here.

0:25:14 > 0:25:16Maybe 5,000 to 8,000 here.

0:25:17 > 0:25:20This one here...I don't actually know the iconography.

0:25:20 > 0:25:23This is a mythical beast. It's a very curious animal.

0:25:23 > 0:25:25But the Chinese particularly like this stone,

0:25:25 > 0:25:27which has these brownish inclusions in it

0:25:27 > 0:25:30and I think this one could easily top £10,000 at auction.

0:25:30 > 0:25:33So I think you've got more than £20,000 here.

0:25:33 > 0:25:35I think I'd better up the insurance.

0:25:36 > 0:25:38Lovely to see them. But thank you for coming.

0:25:38 > 0:25:41Thank you, sir. Gosh, that's a shock.

0:25:55 > 0:25:58This week, our regular challenge to Spot The Impostor

0:25:58 > 0:26:00has been set by Will Farmer.

0:26:00 > 0:26:03Now, normally, of course, you'll find Will talking about ceramics.

0:26:03 > 0:26:07But this time, he's brought along four vintage film posters.

0:26:07 > 0:26:10Except one is a more modern reproduction.

0:26:10 > 0:26:12The question is...

0:26:12 > 0:26:14which is it?

0:26:14 > 0:26:17If you're sitting at home wondering what you should be looking for,

0:26:17 > 0:26:18Will has some clues for you.

0:26:20 > 0:26:23This Lawrence Of Arabia poster has barely a crease,

0:26:23 > 0:26:26so has it come straight off the presses in the 1960s

0:26:26 > 0:26:29and been preserved in what we now call "rolled condition"?

0:26:29 > 0:26:32Or has it come straight off a modern laser printer?

0:26:36 > 0:26:39This classic Carry On poster has signs of wear and tear.

0:26:39 > 0:26:43So is it an original that was folded up to post to the cinema

0:26:43 > 0:26:46or a novelty reproduction that's been made to look old?

0:26:48 > 0:26:52Is this gorgeous image by British illustrator Tom Chantrell

0:26:52 > 0:26:53an original movie poster

0:26:53 > 0:26:57or a much later copy made for the Marilyn Monroe market?

0:27:01 > 0:27:05Was this iconic sci-fi poster pinned up in a cinema foyer in the 1950s

0:27:05 > 0:27:07or is it just a copy

0:27:07 > 0:27:09that's been stuck to the wall of a student house?

0:27:12 > 0:27:15So, Will, are you a fan of these vintage posters, then?

0:27:15 > 0:27:17Oh, I absolutely love them.

0:27:17 > 0:27:20I mean, what we're looking at here are just four examples of,

0:27:20 > 0:27:22really, the golden age of Hollywood.

0:27:22 > 0:27:25You know, it's that cinematography, that films all over the world.

0:27:25 > 0:27:30And these would have once sat in the foyers of the great movie houses

0:27:30 > 0:27:32to promote the films that were coming up.

0:27:32 > 0:27:35- The question for you is... one of them's not right.- I know!

0:27:35 > 0:27:36I mean, just looking at them...

0:27:36 > 0:27:39I mean, Carry On Cleo is famous for,

0:27:39 > 0:27:42- "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" Isn't it?- Absolutely.

0:27:42 > 0:27:43Lawrence Of Arabia I've seen.

0:27:43 > 0:27:47And of course, what you see there is the lashings of eyeliner

0:27:47 > 0:27:49that Peter O'Toole had on. Do you remember that?

0:27:49 > 0:27:52And these two... I know War Of The Worlds.

0:27:52 > 0:27:54I don't know that Marilyn Monroe movie Let's Make Love.

0:27:54 > 0:27:59What we're looking at here, to start with, are all classed as UK quads.

0:27:59 > 0:28:01But when you're looking at movie posters,

0:28:01 > 0:28:02there are a couple of things

0:28:02 > 0:28:05that really stand out for anybody entering into it.

0:28:05 > 0:28:07Number one is the printing technique.

0:28:07 > 0:28:11Original, genuine posters of this age should be done

0:28:11 > 0:28:14through either a stone or offset lithographic process.

0:28:14 > 0:28:17And when you look at the way it sits on the paper,

0:28:17 > 0:28:20- it's very different to a modern digital image.- OK.

0:28:20 > 0:28:24On top of that, you're looking at the size of the poster.

0:28:24 > 0:28:27Now, there are lots of websites out there

0:28:27 > 0:28:31that will help you check that your size for each poster is right.

0:28:31 > 0:28:33The paper they're printed on.

0:28:33 > 0:28:36Now, the modern reproductions are painted on

0:28:36 > 0:28:39this sort of slick, glossy paper that you can't fold,

0:28:39 > 0:28:42you can't do anything with it.

0:28:42 > 0:28:44Whereas the original posters, when they were issued,

0:28:44 > 0:28:48were sent folded in envelopes to the theatres.

0:28:48 > 0:28:51And on top of that, I think the big thing is, look at the poster.

0:28:51 > 0:28:53Is it too good to be true?

0:28:53 > 0:28:56And spot for things like Academy Award nominations,

0:28:56 > 0:28:58which are what we call re-issues.

0:28:58 > 0:29:01Because, of course, when a film came out, it was before the awards.

0:29:01 > 0:29:04And then, often, a poster will then be reissued

0:29:04 > 0:29:06saying how many awards it achieved.

0:29:06 > 0:29:09OK, but, Will, everything you've said there therefore points to that.

0:29:09 > 0:29:12Clearly, because it's not been folded,

0:29:12 > 0:29:15it's got winner of Academy Awards.

0:29:15 > 0:29:18But knowing you as I do, I'm just wondering,

0:29:18 > 0:29:22because I know you very well, Will, if you're bowling me a googly.

0:29:22 > 0:29:25I mean, this has got a massive fold through it.

0:29:25 > 0:29:28This...has not, actually.

0:29:30 > 0:29:31And that has.

0:29:33 > 0:29:36Yeah, I can't tell the difference between the techniques.

0:29:36 > 0:29:38I mean, they've all got this border on, except that one.

0:29:40 > 0:29:43- Decision time.- OK. I think you're trying to put me off the trail

0:29:43 > 0:29:45by making that too obvious.

0:29:45 > 0:29:47I'm going to feel a complete idiot if it is indeed that one.

0:29:47 > 0:29:48So I'm going to say...

0:29:50 > 0:29:52Except, that does look more recent.

0:29:52 > 0:29:54OK, I'm going to go...

0:29:54 > 0:29:55Otherwise, it's this one.

0:29:55 > 0:29:58- I'm going to say that is the impostor.- Final answer?

0:29:58 > 0:30:01CROWD ALL MAKE SUGGESTIONS

0:30:01 > 0:30:04Go with it. OK. It's not my decision, it's theirs.

0:30:04 > 0:30:05We're going for that one.

0:30:05 > 0:30:08So we're saying Lawrence Of Arabia, in rolled condition, no creases

0:30:08 > 0:30:10is the impostor.

0:30:10 > 0:30:12Yes, we are.

0:30:12 > 0:30:14Oh, hang on...

0:30:14 > 0:30:16As a consensus, we are.

0:30:16 > 0:30:18Fakes and forgeries should be destroyed.

0:30:18 > 0:30:21You would be destroying a poster worth £5,000.

0:30:21 > 0:30:23EVERYONE GASPS

0:30:23 > 0:30:25Why do I listen to you?!

0:30:25 > 0:30:27I'm blaming them.

0:30:28 > 0:30:29I knew, I knew...

0:30:29 > 0:30:33Oh, I don't know why I believe a word you say. OK...

0:30:33 > 0:30:37You were right on your second choice. It's War Of The Worlds.

0:30:37 > 0:30:39Right. Don't give me that now!

0:30:39 > 0:30:41This falls into the prime category...

0:30:41 > 0:30:43if it's too good to be true.

0:30:43 > 0:30:47Nobody has ever found a UK quad

0:30:47 > 0:30:50for War Of The Worlds up for sale ever.

0:30:50 > 0:30:52One has never been found.

0:30:52 > 0:30:56I mean, the key thing is I wish the poster was real.

0:30:56 > 0:30:58Because this poster, if it was real,

0:30:58 > 0:31:01would be worth in excess of £100,000.

0:31:03 > 0:31:06Well, if you have any vintage movie posters,

0:31:06 > 0:31:08I hope you have better luck with them than I just have.

0:31:08 > 0:31:10We'd love to see them at the Roadshow.

0:31:10 > 0:31:13Will would love to see them. So do bring them along.

0:31:15 > 0:31:18I'm going to call this a tale of two dishes.

0:31:18 > 0:31:21Because, two dishes, they look

0:31:21 > 0:31:24as if they're from different planets, don't they?

0:31:24 > 0:31:26They are totally different.

0:31:26 > 0:31:29- Can you tell me anything about them? - Not a lot.

0:31:29 > 0:31:32They've been in the family for a couple of generations, I suppose.

0:31:32 > 0:31:35I remember them in my grandmother's house.

0:31:35 > 0:31:38But I think they probably came from a great-uncle,

0:31:38 > 0:31:41Great-Uncle Douglas, who travelled a lot.

0:31:41 > 0:31:43This green thing here...

0:31:43 > 0:31:46- By the way, I must admit first, I like this one.- Yes.

0:31:46 > 0:31:49That's why it's nearest to me.

0:31:49 > 0:31:51But this green one is Chinese.

0:31:52 > 0:31:55And it's really quite old.

0:31:55 > 0:31:58- It's late-Yuan, early-Ming Dynasty. - Wow.

0:32:00 > 0:32:05And that will date it from about 1300 to 1400...

0:32:05 > 0:32:06Good gracious!

0:32:06 > 0:32:10..and make it 600 years old.

0:32:10 > 0:32:12700 years old.

0:32:12 > 0:32:15- Isn't that incredible?- It is. And it survived.- It survived.

0:32:15 > 0:32:18But it's a real piece of Ming.

0:32:18 > 0:32:22You know, the old joke about the Ming vase. You've got real Ming!

0:32:24 > 0:32:27- But this is the one I like.- Yes.

0:32:27 > 0:32:29Have you noticed how it was made,

0:32:29 > 0:32:31the technique that was used to decorate it?

0:32:31 > 0:32:34Well, I see that it's raised and it slightly worries me

0:32:34 > 0:32:38- that the little cherubs are caught in the web.- Yes.

0:32:38 > 0:32:42Well, it's raised because it's raised white clay

0:32:42 > 0:32:45on the surface of the plate.

0:32:45 > 0:32:49And because it's porcelain, and porcelain is translucent,

0:32:49 > 0:32:53the thickness of the clay varies across the figures,

0:32:53 > 0:32:55giving a different amount of shading.

0:32:55 > 0:32:59And that technique, a technique of building up liquid slip,

0:32:59 > 0:33:02- is called pate-sur-pate. - Oh, yes.

0:33:02 > 0:33:03- You've heard of that?- I have.

0:33:03 > 0:33:07And that was developed in France, at the Sevres factory

0:33:07 > 0:33:12and brought to England by a man called Marc-Louis Solon,

0:33:12 > 0:33:14who worked for Minton.

0:33:14 > 0:33:16This plate isn't Minton.

0:33:16 > 0:33:19It has a very indistinct mark on the back.

0:33:19 > 0:33:22It took me some while to see what it was.

0:33:22 > 0:33:25- But it's the mark of a factory called George Jones.- Oh, yes?

0:33:25 > 0:33:29George Jones were a great factory in Staffordshire

0:33:29 > 0:33:32and the only artist at George Jones who could've created this

0:33:32 > 0:33:35wonderful, humorous, silly scene

0:33:35 > 0:33:38is a man called Frederick Schenck.

0:33:38 > 0:33:41And Frederick Schenck was influenced by Solon,

0:33:41 > 0:33:44influenced by the humour of this kind of decoration.

0:33:44 > 0:33:47It dates from about 1880, 1885.

0:33:47 > 0:33:51So here we have a dish from 1300, 1400.

0:33:53 > 0:33:58And here we have a dish from 1880 to 1885.

0:34:00 > 0:34:03And I suppose we need to talk about the value.

0:34:03 > 0:34:05I suppose we must.

0:34:06 > 0:34:09This is worth £1,500-£2,000.

0:34:11 > 0:34:14This is worth £1,500 to £2,000.

0:34:14 > 0:34:16Well, fancy that!

0:34:18 > 0:34:21That's excellent. Thank you very much.

0:34:23 > 0:34:27Right, here's an intriguing pair of pistols in a French fitted case.

0:34:28 > 0:34:30- But they're not French.- They're not?

0:34:30 > 0:34:32No. They're Belgian.

0:34:32 > 0:34:34Oh, gosh. I had no idea.

0:34:34 > 0:34:36And family pistols?

0:34:36 > 0:34:39Yes. Although, I'm not too sure,

0:34:39 > 0:34:42because my father didn't tell me exactly where he got them from.

0:34:42 > 0:34:45- Probably his father's.- Right.

0:34:45 > 0:34:47- So, mystery.- Yes.

0:34:47 > 0:34:51They are very interesting because they're dual-purpose.

0:34:51 > 0:34:54You have the long barrel,

0:34:54 > 0:34:56which you screw on,

0:34:56 > 0:34:58with a hidden trigger. Watch...

0:34:58 > 0:34:59Oh, right. Oh...

0:34:59 > 0:35:01Percussion cap.

0:35:01 > 0:35:03And we're good to go.

0:35:03 > 0:35:07Now, that's quite a long barrel and you can target shoot with them.

0:35:07 > 0:35:12However, they also, if we take this barrel off...

0:35:15 > 0:35:17..and put this barrel on...

0:35:21 > 0:35:22Exactly the same.

0:35:22 > 0:35:27But now, it's short, handy and can fit into a pocket

0:35:27 > 0:35:31to stop ne'er-do-wells, in case they're after your loose change.

0:35:33 > 0:35:36They are very, very pretty.

0:35:36 > 0:35:38Nicely engraved.

0:35:38 > 0:35:41Brass and silver inlay. We say they're Belgian.

0:35:41 > 0:35:44- We know that because... - Yes, that tiny... That intrigued me.

0:35:44 > 0:35:47That is "ELG".

0:35:47 > 0:35:49That is the mark of the Liege Belgian Proof House.

0:35:49 > 0:35:51About 1850.

0:35:51 > 0:35:55- Right.- Very interesting with the two sets of barrels.

0:35:55 > 0:35:57It really is quite unusual.

0:35:57 > 0:36:00I would think that's about £800 worth of pistols.

0:36:02 > 0:36:04- Very nice they are, too.- Very nice.

0:36:06 > 0:36:09When I first saw this, I got very excited,

0:36:09 > 0:36:12because I and my husband keep bees.

0:36:12 > 0:36:15And it actually is a French skep,

0:36:15 > 0:36:18which is used in France

0:36:18 > 0:36:19to collect bee swarms.

0:36:19 > 0:36:23It's also got another name and I think you probably know it.

0:36:23 > 0:36:25- Etui.- Etui, yes.

0:36:25 > 0:36:30Which is French for keeper, or keeping sewing items.

0:36:30 > 0:36:32So it is the most enchanting thing.

0:36:32 > 0:36:37And here we have a complete set for sewing.

0:36:37 > 0:36:39They're gilt metal.

0:36:39 > 0:36:41A thimble.

0:36:41 > 0:36:44This is very, very, very sharp.

0:36:45 > 0:36:48And a wonderful little pair of scissors.

0:36:48 > 0:36:52Again, incredibly beautifully done, possibly in Paris.

0:36:52 > 0:36:55And you've had it for how long?

0:36:55 > 0:36:56It belonged to my aunt

0:36:56 > 0:36:59and I remember it as a child in a cupboard,

0:36:59 > 0:37:00but never really asked her enough about it.

0:37:00 > 0:37:03Or anything about it, which is rather a shame.

0:37:03 > 0:37:05- Did you ever open it? - No. Never opened it.

0:37:05 > 0:37:06Oh, what a lovely surprise.

0:37:06 > 0:37:10After she died and we were clearing out the house, we found this.

0:37:10 > 0:37:13And so I was able to have it and opened it up

0:37:13 > 0:37:15and found all that inside.

0:37:15 > 0:37:19I can understand how exciting that was, because it was for me.

0:37:19 > 0:37:21You know, you brought it to me and I thought,

0:37:21 > 0:37:24"That is enchanting on its own."

0:37:24 > 0:37:29And then, to open it up and find this is so unusual.

0:37:29 > 0:37:32- How clever of the French to think of something like that.- Yes.

0:37:32 > 0:37:35And it's circa 1825.

0:37:35 > 0:37:39- So, a lot older than your aunt. - Yes, yes.

0:37:39 > 0:37:45And I would put a value on it of £800-£1,200.

0:37:45 > 0:37:47Right, right. Gosh, that's amazing.

0:37:47 > 0:37:49Yes. Yeah, lovely.

0:37:50 > 0:37:55Well, here we have The Exploration Of Kina Balu, North Borneo,

0:37:55 > 0:37:56by John Whitehead.

0:37:56 > 0:38:00This wonderful late-Victorian, lovely, decorated cover.

0:38:00 > 0:38:04I'm just absolutely blown away by this particular item.

0:38:04 > 0:38:08It's something that on a Roadshow anybody would want to do.

0:38:08 > 0:38:11This is just the most fantastic thing.

0:38:11 > 0:38:14John Whitehead, a very important plant hunter,

0:38:14 > 0:38:17a bird hunter of the late-19th century.

0:38:17 > 0:38:23- Indeed.- And you have brought in his book, given to his sister,

0:38:23 > 0:38:28- and all the original illustrations to this book.- Right.

0:38:28 > 0:38:32- Who is John Whitehead in relation to you?- He was my great-uncle.

0:38:32 > 0:38:36- And his sister was my grandmother. - His sister was your grandmother?

0:38:36 > 0:38:39And here is the presentation copy.

0:38:39 > 0:38:40Here is the inscription...

0:38:41 > 0:38:47"Lucy Boosey from John Whitehead, July, 1893."

0:38:47 > 0:38:50Now, he was a great fan of Darwin, wasn't it?

0:38:50 > 0:38:52And Alfred Wallace, of course.

0:38:53 > 0:38:56Must've been people he had looked up to all his life.

0:38:56 > 0:38:58Oh, indeed, yes.

0:38:58 > 0:39:02The Origin Of Species came out in, what, 1859.

0:39:02 > 0:39:05And he was born in, what, 1860?

0:39:05 > 0:39:10And so he went out to Borneo and Southeast Asia

0:39:10 > 0:39:13and he looked for animals and plants

0:39:13 > 0:39:17and preserved them and brought them all back to England.

0:39:17 > 0:39:20At the request of the Zoological Society.

0:39:20 > 0:39:22At the request of the Zoological Society.

0:39:22 > 0:39:25And here is a wonderful, wonderful view here

0:39:25 > 0:39:28of Kinabalu from Gaia Island,

0:39:28 > 0:39:30- one of his illustrations. - Yes, indeed.

0:39:30 > 0:39:32And you have got the original illustrations here.

0:39:32 > 0:39:36In fact, I can hardly believe it, because you've got more than one.

0:39:36 > 0:39:38These all appear in the book,

0:39:38 > 0:39:42- but some of them have not been published at all.- No, that's true.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45I mean, there are just wonderful, wonderful pictures here.

0:39:45 > 0:39:48Scenes of people and all this sort of thing.

0:39:48 > 0:39:50I'll just turn this around.

0:39:50 > 0:39:54I can hardly bear to show just a bare few items here.

0:39:54 > 0:39:58There are just so many of them that are just absolutely so good.

0:39:58 > 0:40:01- So, you've got everything here from this expedition?- Yes.

0:40:01 > 0:40:03There are some very humorous ones coming.

0:40:03 > 0:40:05Yes.

0:40:05 > 0:40:09- Well, I think that one is quite humorous there.- Yes, it is.

0:40:09 > 0:40:11But, you know, all these lovely birds...

0:40:11 > 0:40:13Presumably, he collected them all.

0:40:13 > 0:40:17- Well, they were all because they were suitable specimens.- Yes.

0:40:17 > 0:40:20I've turned over here, because we've got this wonderful picture.

0:40:20 > 0:40:23Look at that. Now, if that isn't humorous, I don't know what isn't.

0:40:23 > 0:40:26"A black hornbill, young," it says.

0:40:26 > 0:40:28"Young."

0:40:28 > 0:40:30From North Borneo. I think that's absolutely tremendous.

0:40:30 > 0:40:33And this lovely, lovely picture here.

0:40:33 > 0:40:35This is of Kinabalu, isn't it?

0:40:35 > 0:40:37Yes, it is. Yes.

0:40:37 > 0:40:41The famous peak of Mount Kinabalu.

0:40:41 > 0:40:43And he was, of course, a naturalist.

0:40:43 > 0:40:46And so he would have seen this wonderful sacred mountain

0:40:46 > 0:40:48- for what it was.- Indeed, yeah.

0:40:48 > 0:40:50But the colouring is so beautiful.

0:40:50 > 0:40:52And the colouring is so good

0:40:52 > 0:40:54because it's been kept in this album, of course.

0:40:54 > 0:40:57It hasn't been out in the bright sunlight.

0:40:57 > 0:41:01One thing is you can see why the place is sacred

0:41:01 > 0:41:03- to the people who live there. - Absolutely.

0:41:03 > 0:41:06It's a wonderful-looking mountain, isn't it?

0:41:06 > 0:41:07So, this album...

0:41:07 > 0:41:11- You've got another two or three albums. I've got to value them.- Yes.

0:41:11 > 0:41:14I find it incredibly difficult, actually.

0:41:14 > 0:41:17But there are pages and pages and pages of watercolours.

0:41:17 > 0:41:19You must stop when you feel right.

0:41:19 > 0:41:22I mean, when I get up to a reasonable height, yes.

0:41:22 > 0:41:24Well, I'm going to value this collection at...

0:41:26 > 0:41:27..£35,000.

0:41:27 > 0:41:29Gosh!

0:41:30 > 0:41:32Is that enough?

0:41:32 > 0:41:33I'm...

0:41:33 > 0:41:36No! Nothing's enough!

0:41:36 > 0:41:38It's lovely to share them.

0:41:38 > 0:41:41Well, you've shared them with me and I'm too excited.

0:41:41 > 0:41:45I've got too many pages that I want to show and not enough time.

0:41:45 > 0:41:47But thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure for me.

0:41:54 > 0:41:57I found this at Roundway Hill, summer last year.

0:41:57 > 0:41:59It's a Civil War site.

0:41:59 > 0:42:02We were just having a look around with the children.

0:42:02 > 0:42:04And this was just sticking out of the earth.

0:42:04 > 0:42:07So this watercolour is signed JMW Turner.

0:42:07 > 0:42:12And on the back of this we've got "assumed to be Constable".

0:42:12 > 0:42:13Where did they come from?

0:42:13 > 0:42:16Well, some years ago I was at an auction

0:42:16 > 0:42:22and there was a large box of about a dozen old pictures.

0:42:22 > 0:42:24It's not Civil War, actually.

0:42:24 > 0:42:28- And I'm pleased to say that I think it's Viking.- Lovely.

0:42:28 > 0:42:32So I think this thing goes back well over 1,000 years, potentially.

0:42:32 > 0:42:33Fantastic.

0:42:33 > 0:42:35Did you pay much for them?

0:42:35 > 0:42:40- The whole thing was about £40, I think.- Oh, well, nothing, really.

0:42:40 > 0:42:41So the sad news is,

0:42:41 > 0:42:44we do see lots of pictures with Turner and Constable on.

0:42:44 > 0:42:46This one, this lovely atmospheric watercolour,

0:42:46 > 0:42:49it's not by Turner, unfortunately.

0:42:49 > 0:42:52And he's not by Constable, either.

0:42:52 > 0:42:55Now, it's silver or base metal.

0:42:55 > 0:42:59Such things, you really have to declare them, of course,

0:42:59 > 0:43:00because of their age.

0:43:00 > 0:43:04- And you have to go through that process.- I did tell my wife.

0:43:04 > 0:43:05Right.

0:43:05 > 0:43:08- She's not the coroner, though.- No.

0:43:08 > 0:43:11But certainly this watercolour, it's in the style of another artist

0:43:11 > 0:43:13called Edmund Morison Wimperis.

0:43:13 > 0:43:17It's probably worth £150-£200.

0:43:17 > 0:43:19And the picture not by Constable,

0:43:19 > 0:43:22perhaps in the style of Reynolds, is worth about £50-£100.

0:43:22 > 0:43:24You've done pretty well, anyway.

0:43:24 > 0:43:26But they're not the two great artists.

0:43:26 > 0:43:29Being silver or pewter, we would need to test it.

0:43:29 > 0:43:31Still looking at probably

0:43:31 > 0:43:33something in the region of £400 or £500 for it.

0:43:33 > 0:43:35- Fantastic. - So that is a really special find.

0:43:35 > 0:43:38- Sticking out of the ground?- Yes.

0:43:38 > 0:43:39It was meant to be, wasn't it?

0:43:39 > 0:43:42- It was, yeah. - There it is. Thank you.

0:43:46 > 0:43:50Wow, this one really is all singing and all dancing.

0:43:50 > 0:43:53It's the craziest stick I've ever seen.

0:43:53 > 0:43:56Yes, it is a bit unusual. That's why I brought it up.

0:43:56 > 0:43:59I've been trying to find out, you know, where it's from.

0:43:59 > 0:44:01- It belonged to my mother. - It belonged your mother?

0:44:01 > 0:44:05She bought it in an auction in the 1950s

0:44:05 > 0:44:07for a couple of pounds, I think.

0:44:07 > 0:44:11- And it was in her wardrobe for many years.- Really?

0:44:11 > 0:44:12Languishing there.

0:44:12 > 0:44:15Yes. At the auction, somebody came up towards the end,

0:44:15 > 0:44:19a notable person, and said, "If I'd come to the auction a bit earlier,

0:44:19 > 0:44:21"you wouldn't have had that, my girl."

0:44:21 > 0:44:24If I'd have been at the auction, nobody would have had it!

0:44:24 > 0:44:26Because I just love it.

0:44:26 > 0:44:29Well, it's got everything going on all at once.

0:44:29 > 0:44:35And, obviously, he's used the shape of the branch to depict this...

0:44:35 > 0:44:38- At first, I thought it was a swan. But I think it's a goose.- Right.

0:44:38 > 0:44:40With diminutive little, tiny webbed feet

0:44:40 > 0:44:43that could never carry it through the water.

0:44:43 > 0:44:47It's got a stag's head here, eating some foliage.

0:44:47 > 0:44:52It's got two snakes, winding down it. Both with glass eyes.

0:44:52 > 0:44:56These little red beads, by the way, are called white hearts.

0:44:56 > 0:44:59- These beads are from Italy.- Right.

0:44:59 > 0:45:01They're Venetian.

0:45:01 > 0:45:05Then down here, you've got someone on horseback...

0:45:06 > 0:45:09..which tells me where it's from.

0:45:09 > 0:45:12You've got pugilists down here.

0:45:12 > 0:45:15Two sparring and two waiting at the back.

0:45:16 > 0:45:19You've got birds in flight being frightened by a dog.

0:45:19 > 0:45:21It's just all going on.

0:45:21 > 0:45:24You've got a cockerel. Now, where do you think it's from?

0:45:24 > 0:45:26My mother seemed to think it was from India.

0:45:26 > 0:45:29She thought, you know, it was from the British Raj in India.

0:45:29 > 0:45:32and she thought it was perhaps a sergeant major's stick.

0:45:32 > 0:45:34- No, nothing like that.- No?

0:45:34 > 0:45:37- Not from that part. It's not that far east.- Right.

0:45:37 > 0:45:40This is St George and the dragon. He's saint of where?

0:45:40 > 0:45:42- England.- And Greece.

0:45:42 > 0:45:45And you've got here, as well,

0:45:45 > 0:45:48to back up my point about it being Greek,

0:45:48 > 0:45:51a Greek soldier. You know, the little pleated skirts?

0:45:51 > 0:45:55I've seen them parading around the palaces and so on there.

0:45:55 > 0:45:57So it's definitely Greek.

0:45:57 > 0:45:59And it's 19th century. And it's fantastic.

0:45:59 > 0:46:01The depth of carving is unbelievable.

0:46:01 > 0:46:04And things like this have a value, certainly to me,

0:46:04 > 0:46:05and collectors like me.

0:46:05 > 0:46:12And I think one as good as this would make £1,500-£2,000.

0:46:12 > 0:46:13Oh, gosh.

0:46:13 > 0:46:15Right, OK.

0:46:15 > 0:46:18I thought it might be a couple of hundred, but nothing like that, no.

0:46:18 > 0:46:22The market for this has really risen in the last few years

0:46:22 > 0:46:25and people really love folk art walking sticks.

0:46:25 > 0:46:28- And this is really as good as it gets.- Right.

0:46:28 > 0:46:31Well, thank you very much. I brought it all the way from Wales

0:46:31 > 0:46:35- to try and find out what it was. - Well, there's your answer.

0:46:35 > 0:46:38- I've worked it out. - I'm very impressed.

0:46:38 > 0:46:40Thank you very much.

0:46:40 > 0:46:44Thank you. Thank you very much. I really want you to give this to me.

0:46:44 > 0:46:46LAUGHTER

0:46:48 > 0:46:51This little box is just so intriguing.

0:46:51 > 0:46:53It's gem-like, jewel-like,

0:46:53 > 0:46:55the way it just sits here on the table.

0:46:55 > 0:46:58- How did it come into your life? - It's my grandmother's.

0:46:58 > 0:47:02She was Russian. She was Baroness Kozlovska.

0:47:02 > 0:47:04And she went through two Russian revolutions

0:47:04 > 0:47:06and lost everything twice.

0:47:06 > 0:47:10And then fled to Vienna, which is where my grandfather had parents.

0:47:10 > 0:47:13And he bought that for her, I think,

0:47:13 > 0:47:16partly as recompense for having lost everything in Russia.

0:47:16 > 0:47:18And so they bought that in Vienna.

0:47:18 > 0:47:21And it's been in the family since then.

0:47:21 > 0:47:23So, with such, you know, upheaval in their lives,

0:47:23 > 0:47:27it makes you wonder how on earth did they manage to hold on to objects?

0:47:27 > 0:47:29- Anything, even like this? - Horse and cart.

0:47:29 > 0:47:32It was literally sort of coming out from,

0:47:32 > 0:47:34whether it's from Russia to Vienna or from Vienna to Danzig

0:47:34 > 0:47:37or Danzig to Rome, essentially what came in a suitcase

0:47:37 > 0:47:39and what you could fit on a cart and that was it.

0:47:39 > 0:47:41And it was basically small things.

0:47:41 > 0:47:43So we've got some clocks, small pictures, everything like that.

0:47:43 > 0:47:47The only big thing we have left is a desk. But that's it.

0:47:47 > 0:47:50The rest of it is just little trinkets like this, you know?

0:47:50 > 0:47:53Well, you have an incredible background with your family.

0:47:53 > 0:47:56Incredible travels. Incredible stories.

0:47:56 > 0:47:59And also that sense of money and wealth.

0:47:59 > 0:48:01And that would fit in,

0:48:01 > 0:48:05because this little box is as well travelled as your grandparents were.

0:48:05 > 0:48:09This little box will have actually travelled all the way from New York.

0:48:09 > 0:48:12- Right. - And there's a little clue for that.

0:48:12 > 0:48:15Because, as exquisite as it is on the top,

0:48:15 > 0:48:19it actually belies what's underneath,

0:48:19 > 0:48:21which is just a very simple

0:48:21 > 0:48:25little three-letter monogram - "LCT".

0:48:25 > 0:48:29Which, of course, is Louis Comfort Tiffany.

0:48:29 > 0:48:31And when we say that name,

0:48:31 > 0:48:35it just conjures up the most wonderful creator.

0:48:35 > 0:48:39I mean, one of America's greatest leading lights

0:48:39 > 0:48:41in the field of applied arts.

0:48:41 > 0:48:44Of course, he's known predominantly for his glasswork.

0:48:44 > 0:48:48Everyone knows the stunning stained-glass windows.

0:48:48 > 0:48:52And his key years, really, are from the 1870s to the 1920s,

0:48:52 > 0:48:57when he was regarded so highly by everybody in America.

0:48:57 > 0:49:00They knew he was one of their gems.

0:49:00 > 0:49:04In around 1899, he actually moved away from the glass

0:49:04 > 0:49:08and started to develop a passion for working in enamel.

0:49:08 > 0:49:09And that's what this is.

0:49:09 > 0:49:12This is enamelwork onto a metal ground.

0:49:13 > 0:49:15But you know what? This man was a genius.

0:49:15 > 0:49:17He understood applied art.

0:49:17 > 0:49:19He understood the beauty of an object.

0:49:19 > 0:49:21And no matter whether it was a lamp

0:49:21 > 0:49:23that would stand this high on the table

0:49:23 > 0:49:26or this exquisite little pillbox,

0:49:26 > 0:49:28it was done with the most refined finesse

0:49:28 > 0:49:30that designer could come up with.

0:49:30 > 0:49:33And, of course, it made its way, where else,

0:49:33 > 0:49:36- into the hands of a Russian baroness.- Yes, it did.

0:49:36 > 0:49:37It seems appropriate, really.

0:49:37 > 0:49:43Well, stylish and elegant is as stylish and elegant does.

0:49:43 > 0:49:48And when we look at this, we have to think about the money side of it.

0:49:48 > 0:49:50Well, today, if you had to go out and replace it...

0:49:52 > 0:49:53- ..you'd need £3,000.- Wow!

0:49:55 > 0:49:56That's brilliant.

0:49:56 > 0:49:59- Well, I hope that your grandmother is looking down...- I'm sure she is.

0:49:59 > 0:50:01..ever stylish and now knows...

0:50:01 > 0:50:03I should have brought a photograph, shouldn't I?

0:50:03 > 0:50:06- Thank you very much. - Thank you very much.

0:50:06 > 0:50:07Beautiful surprise.

0:50:07 > 0:50:10This is a great tin-plate car

0:50:10 > 0:50:14and on the front of the box here we see Captain Malcolm Campbell.

0:50:14 > 0:50:17Now, what do you know about Malcolm Campbell?

0:50:17 > 0:50:20Well, not that much, really.

0:50:20 > 0:50:24I know he did the land speed record, but that's about all, really.

0:50:24 > 0:50:27Well, I think, you know, most people think about Bluebird

0:50:27 > 0:50:29and they think about the land speed record

0:50:29 > 0:50:31and they think about his son Donald and his water speed record.

0:50:31 > 0:50:35But it was this extraordinary family of sort of speed merchants.

0:50:35 > 0:50:39And Malcolm Campbell, he had this extraordinary car, Bluebird,

0:50:39 > 0:50:43which he christened Bluebird, after he saw a play in the West End

0:50:43 > 0:50:46and he thought, "Oh, that's a good name for a car." So, there it was.

0:50:46 > 0:50:51And he went through all kinds of records,

0:50:51 > 0:50:54a lot of them in the UK, in Wales.

0:50:54 > 0:51:00And then, to really hit the high point, he went over to America.

0:51:00 > 0:51:07And that's where this extraordinary record was made of the 245mph.

0:51:08 > 0:51:10And we know the date of that.

0:51:10 > 0:51:14It was in Daytona and it was in 1931.

0:51:14 > 0:51:16Another interesting thing happened in that time,

0:51:16 > 0:51:20is that when he came back from Daytona, he was knighted.

0:51:20 > 0:51:23But he's called Captain here.

0:51:23 > 0:51:26So it's in that tiny window, I think.

0:51:26 > 0:51:29I think this dates really precisely to 1931,

0:51:29 > 0:51:31between the time that he got the record

0:51:31 > 0:51:34and the time that he was knighted. A great thing.

0:51:34 > 0:51:36It's made by a company called Guntermann of Nuremberg.

0:51:36 > 0:51:38So, why did you buy it?

0:51:38 > 0:51:40I didn't.

0:51:40 > 0:51:41Oh!

0:51:41 > 0:51:43I didn't buy it.

0:51:43 > 0:51:46It actually belongs to my partner and it was his father's

0:51:46 > 0:51:49and his father was given it as a birthday present

0:51:49 > 0:51:50when he was about 10 or 11.

0:51:50 > 0:51:52- When was he born? - He was born in 1920.

0:51:52 > 0:51:54Yes!

0:51:54 > 0:51:55It works! It works!

0:51:55 > 0:51:58And it's been a treasured item in the family all that time.

0:51:58 > 0:52:00Great.

0:52:00 > 0:52:03In my mind, when I look at an object on the Roadshow,

0:52:03 > 0:52:05I have a series of boxes that I like to tick.

0:52:05 > 0:52:08And do you know what? This ticks all those boxes.

0:52:08 > 0:52:11- That's fabulous. - And it also ticks the value box,

0:52:11 > 0:52:15because it would fetch at auction between £1,000 and £1,500.

0:52:15 > 0:52:17Oh, wow...!

0:52:17 > 0:52:18Crikey!

0:52:18 > 0:52:20That's amazing.

0:52:20 > 0:52:23You do surprise me.

0:52:23 > 0:52:25Yeah, that's wonderful.

0:52:25 > 0:52:26Say it again!

0:52:30 > 0:52:32Well, what a fantastic crowd we've got here today.

0:52:32 > 0:52:35And they're expecting to see something truly exciting.

0:52:35 > 0:52:38And, wow, you have brought something truly exciting.

0:52:38 > 0:52:42This all relates to the most famous ocean liner in the world -

0:52:42 > 0:52:44the Titanic -

0:52:44 > 0:52:47and its sad demise in 1912, just over 100 years ago.

0:52:47 > 0:52:51It all relates to, I believe, a relation of yours. Who was he?

0:52:51 > 0:52:55- Yes, he was my great-uncle. - Your great-uncle?- Yes. Yes.

0:52:55 > 0:52:58- And his name was? - Herbert John Pitman.

0:52:58 > 0:53:00He was an officer or...?

0:53:00 > 0:53:02Yes, he was the Third Officer on the Titanic.

0:53:02 > 0:53:06And when he died in 1961, it was left to my father.

0:53:06 > 0:53:12And when he died in 1997, it was passed on to my brother and myself.

0:53:12 > 0:53:14Now, obviously, he was one of the survivors.

0:53:14 > 0:53:17But how did that come about?

0:53:17 > 0:53:20He was put in charge of one of the lifeboats

0:53:20 > 0:53:24and they lowered it and that's all I know about it.

0:53:24 > 0:53:27Fantastic. Well, a photograph.

0:53:27 > 0:53:30And these are the surviving officers from the Titanic.

0:53:30 > 0:53:34And going from left to right, it's, I think,

0:53:34 > 0:53:37Harold Lowe, Charles Lightoller

0:53:37 > 0:53:38Joseph Boxhall

0:53:38 > 0:53:42and then there's Herbert Pitman just seated in the centre there.

0:53:42 > 0:53:46One of the more important things is his certificate of discharge.

0:53:46 > 0:53:48There's his name.

0:53:48 > 0:53:50Now, this was hugely important

0:53:50 > 0:53:52to anybody who had a career on ocean liners,

0:53:52 > 0:53:55because it listed every single vessel you ever served on

0:53:55 > 0:53:58and if you had good conduct or bad.

0:53:58 > 0:54:00So it's basically like a school report.

0:54:00 > 0:54:03And if we just open it to the relevant date...

0:54:03 > 0:54:08You can see that he was on the Oceanic

0:54:08 > 0:54:12and then, in April 1912, he joined the Titanic.

0:54:12 > 0:54:15Now, this was all in manuscript.

0:54:15 > 0:54:19- Presumably, the original went down with the ship?- It did. It did. Yes.

0:54:19 > 0:54:21So when he then rejoined the Oceanic,

0:54:21 > 0:54:23it then gets stamped

0:54:23 > 0:54:26- and he gets the various comments against it.- That's right.

0:54:26 > 0:54:31- And he had a long career? - Yes. He retired in 1947.

0:54:31 > 0:54:34He sailed straight through all that time.

0:54:34 > 0:54:36- How amazing.- It is. It is.

0:54:36 > 0:54:39- And did you ever meet him? - I did. Yes.

0:54:39 > 0:54:43He used to come and stay and have a holiday with us.

0:54:43 > 0:54:45My father used to take him out.

0:54:45 > 0:54:48He enjoyed cricket and they used to go and watch cricket.

0:54:48 > 0:54:51- And did he ever talk about his experiences?- No, he didn't.

0:54:51 > 0:54:55He didn't talk to me or my father. He didn't like to talk about it.

0:54:55 > 0:54:59- Understandably. It must have been quite traumatic.- I would say.

0:55:00 > 0:55:02Although he didn't talk to you about it,

0:55:02 > 0:55:04- he actually wrote it in here. - He did.

0:55:04 > 0:55:06I'm just going to read an extract,

0:55:06 > 0:55:09which I think is particularly poignant.

0:55:10 > 0:55:13At this stage, it's 2.20am in the morning.

0:55:13 > 0:55:18He's been lowered from davits in the lifeboat, a full lifeboat,

0:55:18 > 0:55:20and this is his comment...

0:55:20 > 0:55:25"At 2.20am, 15th of April 1912, (by my watch),

0:55:25 > 0:55:27"all lights on board disappeared

0:55:27 > 0:55:30"and in a few moments, the vessel's stern was in the air.

0:55:30 > 0:55:33"The next moment, she was gone.

0:55:33 > 0:55:35"Within the next ten minutes or so,

0:55:35 > 0:55:38"it was truly heartbreaking to hear the cries

0:55:38 > 0:55:40"coming from the hundreds of drowning people

0:55:40 > 0:55:44"and we could do nothing about it as my boat was full."

0:55:45 > 0:55:47I mean, how awful.

0:55:47 > 0:55:49And he couldn't do anything,

0:55:49 > 0:55:52- because it would have endangered the people on board.- Yes.

0:55:53 > 0:55:54Very poignant.

0:55:56 > 0:55:58So, we have to think about values.

0:56:00 > 0:56:02The photograph has been published before.

0:56:02 > 0:56:05- You'll find it in several books on Titanic.- Oh, OK.

0:56:05 > 0:56:06I have seen it before.

0:56:06 > 0:56:10- And that's only because I could then identify who they were.- Right. OK.

0:56:10 > 0:56:12But even so, it's contemporary. Presumably done...

0:56:12 > 0:56:15Obviously, they're not in their uniforms,

0:56:15 > 0:56:17but probably not long after the event. Maybe in the 1920s.

0:56:17 > 0:56:19Right. OK.

0:56:19 > 0:56:23So that's going to be worth maybe sort of £1,000-£1,500.

0:56:23 > 0:56:25Wow! Really?

0:56:26 > 0:56:28The manuscript...£2,000-£3,000.

0:56:28 > 0:56:30Wow.

0:56:30 > 0:56:33However, the discharge papers...

0:56:35 > 0:56:39They weren't on board, but it's the whole of his life and his career.

0:56:39 > 0:56:42And I would think, certainly at auction,

0:56:42 > 0:56:44you'd be talking between £6,000 and £10,000.

0:56:44 > 0:56:46Wow!

0:56:49 > 0:56:51Amazing.

0:56:51 > 0:56:52Wow!

0:56:54 > 0:56:57But, I mean, it's family.

0:56:57 > 0:56:59It is, yes. Yes.

0:56:59 > 0:57:00We shall be keeping it for a while.

0:57:00 > 0:57:04And how proud to have that man as part of your history.

0:57:04 > 0:57:07And I'm sure it'll remain in your family for a long time to come.

0:57:07 > 0:57:09- I think so.- But thank you so much.

0:57:09 > 0:57:11- Were you excited by that? - ALL: Yes!

0:57:11 > 0:57:15- I was. Thank you so much.- OK.

0:57:16 > 0:57:17Well, how fascinating.

0:57:17 > 0:57:20And how moving to hear that account from the Titanic.

0:57:20 > 0:57:22It's so rare to hear from someone

0:57:22 > 0:57:24who was there to witness it first-hand.

0:57:24 > 0:57:26And other than the family,

0:57:26 > 0:57:29you know, you, we are the only people to have heard it.

0:57:29 > 0:57:31And the family have no intention of publishing it,

0:57:31 > 0:57:34so we may be the last to hear it, as well.

0:57:34 > 0:57:36Just remarkable.

0:57:36 > 0:57:39From Bowood House and the Antiques Roadshow team, bye-bye.