Bowood House 2 Antiques Roadshow


Bowood House 2

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This week the Antiques Roadshow returns to Wiltshire,

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but there's something big missing.

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Any ideas?

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It's the house itself.

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The original Bowood House near Chippenham was razed to the ground

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in the 1950s, and what you see now,

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gorgeous though it is, is simply a type of conservatory, an orangery.

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In its heyday, this Wiltshire estate,

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home to the Marquises of Lansdowne,

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would have employed dozens of servants.

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With 90 rooms, Bowood House was large enough to rival any in the country.

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The upstairs-downstairs lifestyle of much of the aristocracy

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became unsustainable during the early part of the 20th century.

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Death duties and the loss of many heirs

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and the men who worked on the estates during the two World Wars,

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meant that life had changed.

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The great houses became white elephants in danger of extinction.

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When the bulldozers pulled up at Bowood in 1955

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to demolish the main house, it was the end of an era.

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The family had already been living in

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what was known as the "little house" for many years,

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as the main house became dilapidated,

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and, wisely, they saved as many treasures as possible.

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These days, while the Marquis of Lansdowne still lives at Bowood,

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the majority of the house is dedicated to a museum and gallery.

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And the family's precious art collection has been shared with visitors

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since the house opened its doors to the public in the mid 1970s.

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For a small house, Bowood has a big reputation.

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In fact when our experts heard we were coming here,

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there was a real buzz of excitement.

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There's something to please everyone in the collection.

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Fine diamond jewellery, Indian antiques,

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museum-quality porcelain, even Queen Victoria's wedding chair.

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It sounds like the perfect fantasy Roadshow.

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With finds like those vying for our expert attention, let's hope

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today's visitors to the Antiques Roadshow come up with the goods.

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You brought in this tiny little box and...are many, many questions.

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Now, hopefully on the Antiques Roadshow

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we can answer most questions, but I think with this one,

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I'm going to be at a bit of a loss.

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But tell me its history to begin with.

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OK. Well, I brought this in on behalf of my father.

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He bought it with my late mother,

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it was one of the first things they bought when they were married

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and he bought it from Petticoat Lane in London for about £20 or £30,

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which was quite a lot of money for him then.

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And they just found it really enchanting

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because there's a code on one of the sides,

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a sort of numerical code that he's never been able to crack.

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And we just wondered really what the story was about it.

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Good. OK, well, let's get some clues.

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It's got a name on the top, which I read as J Jones.

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Now, that was the person who probably gave it.

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Because every time you took it out and used it

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you would remember that particular person.

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If you open the lid, and there's a little compartment in there.

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Could be for snuff it's quite airtight,

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could be for something else.

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But there's another clue if you open up the back,

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there's another similar compartment

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with a glass panel on it and just a trace of silvering.

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So I think that's a mirror.

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So what would you need a mirror for?

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Something cosmetic?

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Spot on!

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So it could be for rouge, or for patches.

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OK. In the 18th century, patches were used to cover up pock marks,

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if you had a blemish on your face,

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or they were used in order to signify if you were married or not.

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So if you had a patch on the left cheek or the right cheek

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meant you were either engaged or married.

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If it was beside your eye it's meant you were passionate.

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And if it was in your forehead, it means you were quite serious.

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So it was a code, you talk about codes,

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it was a code to actually signify socially where you stood

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without actually having to ask somebody or chat them up,

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you immediately knew if they were married or not.

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So, fascinating thing. What I really like, though,

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is the motto that goes round the outside.

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Yes, it says, something like, "The ring is round and hath no end,

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"so unto my love, now my friend,"

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or the other way round, but something along those lines.

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So I think that answers many of the questions.

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We also know the date, because it's here on the top - 1785.

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And then it's got a chain of numbers.

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Now that's the enigma. What is that?

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Maybe it's his mobile phone number.

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CHUCKLES

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So that's a question I cannot answer.

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What is it? A patch box, but also a love token.

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So how apt that it was a present

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-from your father to your late mother.

-Yes.

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How enchanting. Lots of sentimental value.

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Commercially, probably £800 to £1,200 today.

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Gosh, that's a shock.

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I'm sure my dad will be pleased, but it really is

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the sort of, I think the sentimental value more than anything.

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Brilliant.

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We have the archetypal piece of local interest here.

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Devizes Comprehensive, Wiltshire.

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And this caption to this cartoon reads,

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"Miss Hoskins, you know we're not allowed

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"to use the cane in the school!"

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And here is Miss Hoskins, nearly naked with a cane

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and there's a poor... What is it, a lion?

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Yes. In 1980, April 1980, when I was a student at Devizes School,

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I am a current member of staff at Devizes School also...

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Right.

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..two lions escaped from the circus.

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From the circus, of course, in Devizes, there's that big green.

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-The green, next door to school.

-Yes.

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And the obvious place for lions to wander

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when they've escaped is a school, and they came into school

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during a lunch break and obviously caused havoc.

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-To say the least!

-Yes, and managed to find their way into two classrooms

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where students were eating their lunch

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and eventually were rounded up by members of staff,

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shut into classrooms, the circus staff came and rescued them.

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And who owned the circus?

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It was Sally Chipperfield's circus.

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I think there's a little piece on there, there's a little poster.

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Oh Sally Chipperfield's Circus, school visit.

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Yeah. And in those days... Yeah, school visit, yeah!

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-I love it, I love it.

-It was, yeah!

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In those days they still had wild animals in the circus.

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-Well, it's by JAK, of course, the great cartoonist...

-Yes.

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-..of the Evening Standard.

-Right.

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Raymond Jackson was his name and he... Oh, he was,

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he was doing these for about 30-odd years.

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And it's almost, it's rather like,

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-Giles-like, do you remember Giles...

-Yes.

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-..who did all those wonderful cartoons of schools?

-Yep.

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-Are the teachers something like this today, do you think?

-Well...

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-The sort of...

-Similar!

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Terribly inelegant, isn't it? I think it's absolutely wonderful.

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And so, the lions, they didn't eat any of the children?

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No, the only casualty, apparently, was a cheese and pickle sandwich.

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-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, I think it's a wonderful story

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and this sits in pride of place in the school.

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Yes, in the school reception area.

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-And you're going to ask me to value it, aren't you?

-Yes.

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Well, JAK cartoons, he's one of the greats in the 20th century.

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He was an emotional man.

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One of his signatures, actually, is three fingers.

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-Right.

-Known as three-fingered JAK.

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-If you notice, everybody's got three fingers.

-Oh, yes, yes.

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They've only got three fingers.

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-Anyway, all his cartoons, three fingers.

-Yeah.

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So, I'm going to value this somewhere between £300 and £500.

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-Wow.

-Lock it up.

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Yes. We'll nail it to the wall.

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-It's a great piece.

-It's lovely, yeah.

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-Thank you.

-Thank you ever so much. Thank you.

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Well, it's the original box of a Christmas present to my grandmother

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from her prospective husband, containing a Royal Worcester basket.

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Oh, how fantastic.

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For Christmas 1914.

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And look at this, "Porcelain, with great care,

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"from the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company Ltd, Worcester. Fragile."

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Obviously the address there. This is so lovely.

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December the 21st.

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-Oh, I love this. I mean...

-'14.

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..don't get me wrong, I would love to know the contents of this box,

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but I would be depriving the Sandons of that moment.

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Well, I think that they are going to be very excited to see this later.

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-Oh, good.

-A really nice thing and a really lovely survivor,

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-and later, we'll see what's in there as well.

-Good.

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-Thank you ever so much.

-Thank you.

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A pair of goats pulling a chariot. How long have you known them?

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I've known them most of my life.

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They were in my grandmother's house when I first went there

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when I was about aged ten.

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And they were on top of a desk in the drawing room.

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And my grandmother died and my mother put them

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on the top of the desk in her drawing room.

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And my mother died

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and I've got them on the top of a desk in my drawing room.

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So it's... But I know very little about them,

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apart from fact that they belonged to my grandmother.

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What kind of woman was your grandmother?

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She was very Victorian, very austere, very straight

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and, sadly, I never knew my grandfather,

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but she was not the person to be argued with.

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OK. And so do you feel these reflect her as a person?

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LAUGHTER

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Not really, because they're known in the family

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as the loony goats, and my grandmother wasn't a loony goat,

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I'm afraid, no way.

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Have you ever looked at how they're made?

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Well, they seem a bit, sort of, cheap to me,

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-they're sort of pressed, there's no...

-That's right.

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..there's no substance to them, they're not solid.

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They're very, as you say, they're quite insubstantially made,

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-they're just stamped out of sheet metal.

-Yep.

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And then part of it, the chariot, has been gilded

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and the goats themselves plated,

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which is why they've tarnished,

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but the good thing is, nobody's ever really tried to clean it.

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But, yes, it's very insubstantial

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and I'm sort of amazed that they've managed to, sort of,

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stay intact with all the little bits of wire around them.

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-There is a glass dome that goes over the top of it.

-Yes.

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And somebody suggested the glass dome might be worth more than they are. I don't know.

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-And do you know what this is?

-Well, it's a scent bottle.

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It's a scent bottle, yes.

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It's just a very decorative way of making a holder for a scent bottle.

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The bottle itself is green glass, with gilt paint

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and, really, it doesn't look as though it's ever been used, does it?

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-No.

-And so they were made in France around 1890,

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a real little French frivolity.

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Either someone in your family might have gone out there

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and bought them or they might have been exported to England

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-and sold as a rather exotic sort of decorative little item.

-Yes.

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-As a novelty they're worth about £300.

-Oh, never, surely.

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I mean, to me they're just sort of two loony goats, they're...

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£300! Right.

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Thank you very much.

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I really love objects

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that encapsulate the time and place they were intended for

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and looking at this collection here,

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that could only really be America in the 1950s.

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I've always been a collector and I like...

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Particularly I'm interested in design history

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and I love the style of them,

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and also the fact that they're functional, they work, so...

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-So you actually listen to them, too?

-I listen to nearly all of them,

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I have them in all different rooms of the house.

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Much to my wife's irritation, because although I have about 100,

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she can't listen to The Archers on any of them

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because that's broadcast on long wave and these are all medium wave.

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Of course, of course.

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It's a... From a design perspective, as you were saying,

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it's a very interesting collection

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because these are more than just objects of technology.

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They're also objects of fashion.

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The pocket transistor radio is completely contemporary with

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the arrival of the teenager in American society.

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The first transistor radios

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were manufactured in the States from 1954.

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1956, the Japanese get in on the act and they really make it their own.

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I think I'm correct in saying that the majority that we have here

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are actually Japanese models.

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They are indeed, yes.

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And I think the Japanese, really, why they become so successful

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is because they've got this mastery of producing decorative things.

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And we've got this lovely example here,

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Bulova, with atomic age styling on the dial, lovely cream body

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and this chrome highlight there,

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which really recalls 1950s automobile design.

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They're also quite telling of the period

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in which they were made politically.

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Now, I gather some of these markings, these arrows on the dial

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of the Bulova have a particular meaning.

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Can you tell me more about those?

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Yes, it was the Cold War period in America

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and it was deemed by the government that these arrows indicated

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the frequency you had to tune into

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-for important announcements in the event of a nuclear war.

-Wow.

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In case the Russians shut down all the other stations,

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that you would get your announcements

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on those points on the wavelength.

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They are really lovely things,

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and of course we move from these objects of real finesse, actually -

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the Bulova especially is really quite a stylish piece -

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to the more novelty.

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I mean, this is pure kitsch of 1950s America, it really is, the owl.

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-Wonderful piece, with these eyes that light up...

-They do light up

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-when you're tuning it.

-..when it's used.

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It's not going to show up in the sunlight.

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But a really lovely fun thing. Moving on to value.

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I mean, these vary quite dramatically,

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probably the Bulova is the most valuable, about £200 to £300.

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The other examples, roughly £100 each.

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I think just the novelty value of this alone

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gives it that kind of value.

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But it is a lovely, lovely collection.

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In fact, this is quite a nice one here. How do you switch this on?

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RADIO CRACKLES

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Very seldom do I see something on the Roadshow that I actually own myself,

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but I've got one of these at home

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and it's a great piece of amusement, isn't it? Still.

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The grandchildren love it.

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What's this circuit board?

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OK, this is part of the RCA 110, this was the launch computer

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-that launched the Saturn Vs that went to the moon.

-Oh, my God.

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It says in here, "Wheel of Life,"

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we probably know it better as a zoetrope.

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But what it is, actually, is an optical toy

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through which you get this magic of movement.

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So what about these, these parts here?

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-So these are parts of the Saturn V itself.

-Right.

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The Saturn V was split into multiple stages

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and one of the stages had a computer circuit ring in it

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and these are parts of the computer that was on that.

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-So these are proper space-flown pieces.

-Absolutely.

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William Horner, and he was the guy responsible...

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-Yeah.

-..in the 1830s. Local lad, wasn't he, Horner?

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He was born in Bath and he died in Bristol.

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I'm an astronomer and I used to work for the European Space Agency

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-and I've also done some writing work for NASA.

-Right.

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And I've met a lot of the Apollo moon walkers.

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And value, with all these strips here,

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I put it at around £500 to £700.

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Nice, yeah, yeah, but it's not for sale.

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Well, fortunately I've got one, so I don't need another!

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Space memorabilia is just going up and up and up.

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And I reckon there's probably £2,000 or £3,000 worth of material here.

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-Oh, wow.

-Without too much trouble.

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-Wow.

-It's just brilliant.

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What have we got here? Oh, we've got

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the man who takes his head off and passes it along.

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This is a most extraordinary box,

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I haven't seen one of these for a long time.

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Made by the porcelain works at Worcester for sending things in.

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How did you come by it?

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Well, it's the box of a Christmas present

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to my grandmother for Christmas 1914.

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A Miss A Venton was your...

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-My grandmother.

-Your grandmother.

-Yes.

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I say. It's come all the way from Worcester, and what does it contain?

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It's a Royal Worcester porcelain basket.

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That's the box and here is the basket.

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That's the basket.

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My word, there we are, and with a flower basket

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for putting flowers in, you put roses or daffs or whatever you want

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into the basket and it's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

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They made a number of these, these are quite a common shape,

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I see these quite often, but it's very nice.

0:17:030:17:07

Do you think the present of this led to the wedding?

0:17:070:17:11

I'm sure it helped, yes.

0:17:110:17:13

Well, God bless the basket and, value, of course it's in...

0:17:130:17:18

inestimable in the family, isn't it, because this led to you eventually.

0:17:180:17:22

Eventually, yes.

0:17:220:17:23

But in value, ah, about £300, £400.

0:17:230:17:27

-Oh, right, yeah.

-The box is probably more valuable than the pot.

0:17:270:17:32

But it's wonderful, thank you so very much for bringing it in.

0:17:320:17:36

Oh, good. I'm glad you're interested in it. Thank you.

0:17:360:17:39

What's the significance of bees, Lady Lansdowne?

0:17:390:17:42

Well, the bees I collect

0:17:420:17:44

because Sir William Petty, his crest was a bee hive.

0:17:440:17:48

So, the Petty Bees have always been part of our family crest.

0:17:480:17:51

And Sir William Petty?

0:17:510:17:53

Sir William Petty was Cromwell's Chancellor.

0:17:530:17:55

So bees have always been a very potent symbol.

0:17:570:17:59

A busy bee is a potent symbol.

0:17:590:18:01

Busy bees, indeed. And you like wearing them?

0:18:010:18:03

I love wearing them. I have lots of them and I scatter them

0:18:030:18:06

all round sort of randomly in a rather bizarre way.

0:18:060:18:09

Interesting word, scatter.

0:18:090:18:11

Because these things were made at the end of the Victorian period,

0:18:110:18:14

in fact, your two bees that you have here are late Victorian.

0:18:140:18:17

Classic late Victorian designs. Gold and silver,

0:18:170:18:20

studded with diamonds in the wings and in the body,

0:18:200:18:24

except that what's interesting is that one of the bees is set

0:18:240:18:27

with rubies and one of the bees is set with sapphires.

0:18:270:18:31

They're nearly identical, but not quite.

0:18:310:18:34

As far as the question of scatter,

0:18:350:18:37

it's an interesting thing also to note that they're always going to

0:18:370:18:40

be worn on your dress, but also they were worn on things like parasols.

0:18:400:18:45

Oh, interesting.

0:18:450:18:46

So, they were called scatterbugs and you would scatter them

0:18:460:18:50

all over your clothes and on your accessories.

0:18:500:18:52

So, if, can you imagine if you're walking down the road

0:18:520:18:55

and you've got this bug on your parasol,

0:18:550:18:57

"Oh, my goodness me, look at that."

0:18:570:18:58

-and it becomes a little conversation piece.

-A-ha.

0:18:580:19:01

You get the idea. The other way these are worn

0:19:010:19:04

is worth pointing out, this ruby and diamond one

0:19:040:19:06

in its original fitted box, if we lift up the block,

0:19:060:19:09

we notice it's got the original... Did you know that?

0:19:090:19:11

No, I didn't know that was in there.

0:19:110:19:13

-Well, that is a hair comb fitting.

-Oh, really?

0:19:130:19:16

In other words, you would screw the hair comb fitting to the back

0:19:160:19:20

of the bee, and you would put it at the back of your bun.

0:19:200:19:24

And you'd look fabulous.

0:19:240:19:25

And there it would tremble, naturalistically.

0:19:250:19:28

The Victorians were very practical people.

0:19:280:19:31

Right, if they were being sold together, as two bees,

0:19:310:19:36

you would be looking at £12,000 to £15,000 today.

0:19:360:19:39

Well, they're not going anywhere...

0:19:390:19:41

-I doubted that they would.

-..because I love them.

0:19:410:19:43

I doubt that they would.

0:19:430:19:45

-But I can tell you they're very nice bees.

-Thank you.

0:19:450:19:48

My grandparents travelled extensively, pre-war,

0:19:480:19:52

and obviously ended up in Cairo at one point, and my grandfather,

0:19:520:19:56

who loved to collect beautiful things, bought this canopic jar.

0:19:560:19:59

Yeah, well, I collect scarabs

0:19:590:20:01

but I never had the luck to find one of these.

0:20:010:20:03

But as you know, as you've just said, it's a canopic jar

0:20:030:20:06

and you probably know these jars were put in the tombs

0:20:060:20:10

of embalmed bodies with the embalmed vital organs

0:20:100:20:15

inside each one of them,

0:20:150:20:16

-because there were four, this is one of four.

-Oh.

0:20:160:20:19

And each one of the four jars would have had a different head

0:20:190:20:23

representing one of the four sons of Horus,

0:20:230:20:26

and Horus was one of the most important gods in the Egyptian pantheon of deities.

0:20:260:20:32

And he was like a sky god,

0:20:320:20:34

and as you've probably heard of the eye of Horus, the Wedjat eye,

0:20:340:20:38

well, this is one of his sons.

0:20:380:20:41

And this son is called Imsety.

0:20:410:20:43

-And this one would have contained the liver.

-Oh.

0:20:430:20:46

And they left the heart actually in the mummified body

0:20:460:20:52

because they believed that the heart could be tested

0:20:520:20:55

to see if the person had had a good life

0:20:550:20:57

and they tested it by weighing it with a feather,

0:20:570:21:00

and if the heart was lighter than the feather,

0:21:000:21:03

then they'd had a good life

0:21:030:21:05

and they could pass through into the next world.

0:21:050:21:08

And they're usually either made of alabaster,

0:21:080:21:11

calcite or limestone and this one's alabaster as...

0:21:110:21:15

This is the receipt, isn't it, for it?

0:21:150:21:17

-Yes, yes.

-From what date was this?

0:21:170:21:19

-1935.

-1935, this is really good provenance.

0:21:190:21:23

And it's from an antiquities merchant called

0:21:230:21:26

Abd El-baki Aly El Gabry, excuse my pronunciation.

0:21:260:21:31

Better than mine.

0:21:310:21:32

It says here, "The undersigned Abd Baki Aly El Gabry hereby

0:21:320:21:37

"declares solemnly that the under-mentioned antiquities

0:21:370:21:42

"have been sold to EJ Saville of Cairo."

0:21:420:21:46

-My grandfather.

-That's your grandfather.

0:21:460:21:48

And the top piece here is the alabaster canopic jar,

0:21:480:21:52

sold for £5 sterling in 1935.

0:21:520:21:56

That's remarkable, to have that.

0:21:560:21:58

Um, this type is usually from the 19th dynasty,

0:21:580:22:03

that's about 1290 BC to 1180 BC.

0:22:030:22:07

-That's the time of Ramses and Set.

-OK.

0:22:070:22:10

So, if it's confirmed, and I'm sure it is,

0:22:100:22:12

that it's from that date, it could make £4,500

0:22:120:22:16

and it could possibly make more.

0:22:160:22:20

Gosh, that's amazing. I hadn't expected that.

0:22:200:22:23

This is a kind of a magic moment, really

0:22:260:22:28

because I know the story here,

0:22:280:22:30

and you've got all this sea of faces

0:22:300:22:32

and we're about to start talking about your dad.

0:22:320:22:35

-That's right, Andy, yes.

-And it's magic.

0:22:350:22:37

Come on, off you go, tell us about your dad.

0:22:370:22:40

Well, this is my dad, Samuel Bachelor.

0:22:400:22:42

He was born in 1898, and at age 15 he was apprenticed to

0:22:420:22:49

Royal Brierley Crystal in Brierley Hill where I was also born.

0:22:490:22:53

-Stourbridge.

-Part of Stourbridge Glass, that's right.

0:22:530:22:56

Unfortunately he was called up for World War I service,

0:22:560:23:01

where he was unfortunately gassed and a POW.

0:23:010:23:05

So when he came back to work, he was always short of breath.

0:23:050:23:08

But he continued work, and in 1939, Steven and Williams

0:23:080:23:13

or Royal Brierley Crystal, brought out a prototype,

0:23:130:23:18

and there were only three made.

0:23:180:23:21

One went to King George VI, the other went to Saudi Arabia

0:23:210:23:27

and this one was on my father's bench when World War II broke out.

0:23:270:23:32

The factory closed, it didn't reopen until 1947.

0:23:320:23:38

And when he got back to his bench, there was this.

0:23:380:23:42

So he took it home with him.

0:23:420:23:44

And I have it.

0:23:440:23:45

Isn't it magic?

0:23:470:23:48

This is part of his work, it's called intaglio,

0:23:480:23:52

which is not quite the same as a deep cut.

0:23:520:23:55

He was presented, after 40 years' service,

0:23:570:24:00

with this wonderful vase.

0:24:000:24:02

VASE CHIMES

0:24:020:24:04

And with a fat pension, of course.

0:24:040:24:06

No pension at all, he retired, sadly he only lived four years

0:24:060:24:12

after his retirement because his breath wasn't very good.

0:24:120:24:16

Well, bearing in mind, I mean, many of those who were

0:24:160:24:19

gassed in the First World War never made it back to anywhere.

0:24:190:24:22

Fortunately he made it home, otherwise I wouldn't be here.

0:24:220:24:25

Yeah. So you're telling the story about this.

0:24:250:24:28

I'm telling the story about my dad, Samuel Bachelor,

0:24:280:24:32

and I'm Brian Bachelor.

0:24:320:24:34

Well, it's very nice to have you here, Brian, sweet.

0:24:340:24:37

Well, look, what we're talking about is really this enormous...

0:24:370:24:40

Your dad is a representative of this enormous number

0:24:400:24:44

of highly skilled craftsmen...

0:24:440:24:46

That's right.

0:24:460:24:47

..who were employed in 100,000 industries across this country

0:24:470:24:52

as engineers or body shop painters...

0:24:520:24:55

-Correct.

-..or gilders or...

-That's right.

0:24:550:24:58

..intaglio glass engravers.

0:24:580:25:00

And the method for intaglio is different, as you say, to cutting.

0:25:000:25:04

-This is cut crystal.

-Yes, yes, he had...

0:25:040:25:06

-But this is intaglio cut crystal.

-Intaglio crystal.

0:25:060:25:10

And what you did is, on these they used rotating wheels.

0:25:100:25:14

That's right, he sat at his workbench like that.

0:25:140:25:18

And he could print your name on a vase or on a piece of...

0:25:180:25:22

a water tumbler, just like that.

0:25:220:25:24

And he had to do it in reverse,

0:25:240:25:26

because the way that he worked is that the wheel,

0:25:260:25:29

-the turning wheel...

-Wheel.

-..was here.

-That's right.

0:25:290:25:32

-And he had to cut that mirror.

-That is correct.

0:25:320:25:36

So he had to learn the entire alphabet, plus dates,

0:25:360:25:40

-and all the rest of it, in reverse.

-That's right.

0:25:400:25:42

And if that isn't a skill, I don't know what you think is,

0:25:420:25:46

-you lot!

-That's right.

0:25:460:25:47

And so what you do, he would have padded doughnuts.

0:25:470:25:50

He had... His elbows had to rest on two patches.

0:25:500:25:53

I'm telling you, guys, if you put your elbows on the table...

0:25:530:25:55

-He's like that all day.

-..all day...

0:25:550:25:57

-From half past...

-..for his entire career.

0:25:570:25:59

From half past seven until half past five every day, doing this.

0:25:590:26:02

Breathing in lead crystal dust up his hooter.

0:26:020:26:06

-Yes, that's right.

-On top of the mustard gas

0:26:060:26:08

that the Germans had stuck up his hooter.

0:26:080:26:10

Given him, yeah, that's right, that's right. Yes.

0:26:100:26:13

And the skills is fabulous.

0:26:130:26:15

I mean, it doesn't take much to work out that

0:26:150:26:18

-that is a beautiful thing, isn't it? I mean it really is.

-Definitely.

0:26:180:26:22

-The fact it's for putting fags in...

-That's right.

0:26:220:26:24

-..you know there would be ten soldiers of...

-Ten cigarettes!

0:26:240:26:27

..fags, pointing out of this...

0:26:270:26:29

-That's right, yes.

-..is what it is.

-Yes.

0:26:290:26:31

So, I tell you, the value of this stuff is...

0:26:310:26:33

Oh, it's pitiful, I mean, it's just... I barely can bring myself

0:26:330:26:38

to say that it's there, it's not worth 100 quid, it's not.

0:26:380:26:42

-But...

-But the fact is that you represent

0:26:420:26:45

-tens of thousands of...

-That's right.

0:26:450:26:48

..people who've come down the generations from a job

0:26:480:26:51

-to a job from Grandpa to a job to Pa, a job to myself.

-That's right.

0:26:510:26:55

And it's all gone, 5,000 in Stourbridge, to five today.

0:26:550:26:59

Thomas Webb and Corbett has gone, so has Stuart Crystal,

0:26:590:27:03

and they were all there, working away in the '20s, '30s.

0:27:030:27:08

And what a pleasure it is to be here on the Antiques Roadshow,

0:27:080:27:11

just to catch that snapshot of you and your dad.

0:27:110:27:14

-That's right.

-It's bloomin' great. Cheers, guv.

0:27:140:27:16

Cheers. Thank you very much.

0:27:160:27:19

APPLAUSE

0:27:190:27:21

You brought in this beautiful Japanese album.

0:27:240:27:27

But, actually, it relates to a different country rather than Japan.

0:27:270:27:31

Yes, it was related to China.

0:27:310:27:33

My great uncle went over there in 1897

0:27:330:27:37

and he was over in China as a missionary,

0:27:370:27:40

but he was in there during the time of the Boxer Uprising.

0:27:400:27:44

-Fantastic, well, is he portrayed here?

-Yes, this is him.

0:27:440:27:48

-This gentleman at the back, pointing.

-This gentleman.

0:27:480:27:50

Yeah, pointing in the camera. And this is dated May 5th 1905.

0:27:500:27:55

-Yes.

-Was it given as a gift?

-It was sent as a birthday present, yes.

0:27:550:27:59

Now, it's absolutely full of images

0:27:590:28:00

-that he actually took while out there.

-He took them. Yes.

0:28:000:28:03

And what's interesting about that is it was

0:28:030:28:06

a very important part of history.

0:28:060:28:09

-Oh, yes.

-The Boxer Revolution.

-Yes, yes.

0:28:090:28:11

It was a time when the Chinese wanted

0:28:110:28:13

to get out of all Western influence.

0:28:130:28:15

That's right, they were against all the foreign nationals,

0:28:150:28:18

especially trade and the missionaries as well.

0:28:180:28:21

So they decided to kill them.

0:28:210:28:24

So an international force was put together.

0:28:240:28:27

I think it was the Americans and the British and...

0:28:270:28:30

-There were quite a few, yes.

-Quite a few.

0:28:300:28:32

I think I saw something about German forces as well.

0:28:320:28:35

-Yep.

-Yes.

-Because they all had interests in China,

0:28:350:28:37

-so it was important that they...

-Yes.

0:28:370:28:39

..they supported their interests.

0:28:390:28:41

So, we'll just open up another few images.

0:28:410:28:44

Here is this distinguished looking gentleman here.

0:28:440:28:47

-Yes.

-Who's he?

0:28:470:28:49

One of the Generals who negotiated the escape of my uncle

0:28:490:28:53

and his family from the mission

0:28:530:28:56

where he was serving during the Boxer Rebellion.

0:28:560:28:59

They had to flee where they were

0:28:590:29:02

and these people are the bodyguard before they left.

0:29:020:29:05

So he was very lucky to escape with his life.

0:29:050:29:08

He was very lucky to escape with his life.

0:29:080:29:09

There were 100 and odd missionaries and families killed

0:29:090:29:12

-as well as those.

-And here's an image of the...

0:29:120:29:15

Of the house that he went back to, a complete ruin.

0:29:150:29:18

Was he a man of derring-do? I mean...

0:29:180:29:21

Well, I don't know,

0:29:210:29:22

he spent a couple of years later in outer Mongolia

0:29:220:29:25

as a missionary, you know, seeing what it was like out there.

0:29:250:29:28

And sort of arrived in Hawaii, America,

0:29:280:29:32

but, yes, he was a very capable person.

0:29:320:29:35

Well, I think this is a very important document.

0:29:350:29:37

None of these photographs have ever been published before.

0:29:370:29:40

-No.

-They're all done by him.

-Yes.

0:29:400:29:41

It's a, you know,

0:29:410:29:43

this went on to create the beginning of the Chinese Republic.

0:29:430:29:46

Oh, yes, he saw the birth of the Chinese Republic

0:29:460:29:48

when he was over there, yes.

0:29:480:29:50

-So, the people who are interested today...

-Yes.

0:29:500:29:52

..are modern-day Chinese.

0:29:520:29:54

-That's right, yes.

-So an important document.

-Hm.

0:29:540:29:57

It's potentially worth, at auction, between...

0:29:570:29:59

certainly £1,000 and £1,500.

0:29:590:30:01

Oh, right. Didn't even think it would be worth that, but, as I said,

0:30:010:30:04

it's the family value that...

0:30:040:30:06

Of the person that he became, yes.

0:30:060:30:08

I know, but lovely to see it

0:30:080:30:10

and thank you so much for bringing it in.

0:30:100:30:12

Thank you very much, then.

0:30:120:30:13

You've got some medals here from a Private Emmett Carson,

0:30:160:30:19

from the 101st Airborne.

0:30:190:30:21

Who is he?

0:30:210:30:23

This man is my biological father...

0:30:230:30:26

..who I found

0:30:270:30:29

after ten years of searching.

0:30:290:30:30

How did you find out about him?

0:30:310:30:33

I was clearing out my mother and father's loft.

0:30:330:30:38

They'd passed away within six months of each other

0:30:380:30:42

and I happened to be up there

0:30:420:30:44

clearing out the loft and I found these airmail letters,

0:30:440:30:47

letters from Emmett to my mother.

0:30:470:30:49

When you read these letters,

0:30:490:30:52

what did you find out?

0:30:520:30:53

Well, I found out that the father I thought was my father wasn't,

0:30:530:30:58

but he was a wonderful man that brought me up.

0:30:580:31:00

-And no-one had ever told you this?

-No, no.

0:31:000:31:03

Gosh, that must have been a shock.

0:31:030:31:05

I'm afraid that everybody in the family was told to secrecy.

0:31:050:31:08

I wasn't to find out.

0:31:080:31:10

-So...

-So, you found out in your...

0:31:100:31:12

I'm 50 years old and I find out that poor old Dad is not my dad...

0:31:120:31:17

..but this GI, who lives in North Carolina,

0:31:180:31:22

is my biological father.

0:31:220:31:24

Gosh, that's like an earthquake...

0:31:240:31:27

-Well...

-..in your life.

0:31:270:31:29

..I was very distraught for a couple of years

0:31:290:31:32

and I had to find him.

0:31:320:31:33

There's something inside that said to me, "I've got to find him."

0:31:330:31:36

And so did you find your biological father?

0:31:360:31:39

I found the family.

0:31:390:31:41

Sadly, he had died, in-between times.

0:31:410:31:43

-And that's how you got these medals, is it?

-Yeah.

0:31:430:31:46

When I was there, my cousin said to me,

0:31:460:31:49

"Look, when he died,

0:31:490:31:50

"the military flag was put on his coffin

0:31:500:31:53

"and there were coffin bearers and

0:31:530:31:56

"it was given to him because he was military."

0:31:560:31:59

And he said to me, "Look, you are his son, you should have them."

0:31:590:32:03

Tell me about the photograph album that you found.

0:32:030:32:05

The first time we went there,

0:32:050:32:07

my lady cousin said to me

0:32:070:32:10

"Do you want to look at the family Bible?"

0:32:100:32:13

Happened to be the photograph album

0:32:130:32:16

of the whole family from about 1870

0:32:160:32:18

up to the modern day.

0:32:180:32:20

And I'm looking through it and we're going through,

0:32:200:32:23

"That's your great-grandpa, that's your grandma," and all this

0:32:230:32:26

and then she said... We came to this photograph of this lady,

0:32:260:32:29

and she said, "We don't know who this is," she said,

0:32:290:32:32

"but it's in the album," and I said, "Well, I know, it's my mother."

0:32:320:32:35

-Goodness.

-So, obviously Emmett had put it in the album.

0:32:350:32:40

So what does it mean to you to have these

0:32:400:32:42

and to have the flag that was on his casket?

0:32:420:32:45

Well...

0:32:450:32:47

It's... I can't explain it really.

0:32:470:32:49

It's unexplainable because it's all down here, you know.

0:32:490:32:53

I get emotional about it still, now, as you can see.

0:32:530:32:57

It just means I've had...

0:32:590:33:00

I was lucky, I had two fathers.

0:33:000:33:02

I had one that gave me life and one that brought me up,

0:33:020:33:06

so I was very fortunate.

0:33:060:33:07

During my 30 years of the Roadshow

0:33:090:33:11

and I don't remember seeing early playing cards like these

0:33:110:33:15

and you have collected them.

0:33:150:33:17

I have indeed, yeah.

0:33:170:33:18

Tell me what started it.

0:33:180:33:20

Well, initially, it was an interest in history

0:33:200:33:22

and a passing interest in playing cards.

0:33:220:33:24

And about 20 years ago,

0:33:240:33:26

I bought a replica pack,

0:33:260:33:28

which you can buy for about £5... Actually, this one.

0:33:280:33:31

Subsequently, I managed to go online

0:33:310:33:34

and go to an auction

0:33:340:33:36

and I picked up these first -

0:33:360:33:38

which is just 20, obviously, of a set of 52.

0:33:380:33:40

So, going to auctions,

0:33:400:33:42

seeing what the dealer has to offer, I've managed to collect them.

0:33:420:33:45

And did you collect the rest of the set?

0:33:450:33:47

I haven't been able to find the rest of the set yet,

0:33:470:33:50

so there's 32 I've still got to find.

0:33:500:33:52

Gosh, so you've got a target?

0:33:520:33:53

I have got a target.

0:33:530:33:55

These ones, I think, are earlier, aren't they?

0:33:550:33:58

They are.

0:33:580:33:59

They're from an earlier period

0:33:590:34:01

and it's called the Knavery of the Rump.

0:34:010:34:03

So this, as you know, is the front of the pack

0:34:030:34:06

-but it's a facsimile, it's not the real one...

-Yes.

0:34:060:34:09

..and it's showing the title of the pack,

0:34:090:34:11

which is the Knavery of the Rump,

0:34:110:34:13

which is basically cocking a snook at Cromwell and his parliament.

0:34:130:34:16

That's right.

0:34:160:34:17

There are a lot of vignettes here, which are showing...

0:34:170:34:20

-Satirical.

-..things that happened.

0:34:200:34:22

Exactly, satirical things that happened at the time and...

0:34:220:34:25

-Very entertaining.

-It is entertaining.

0:34:250:34:27

You go back down the history and find out more about

0:34:270:34:29

-just that three lines...

-Yes.

-..and it can tell you

0:34:290:34:32

-so much more about what was really happening at the time.

-Absolutely.

0:34:320:34:35

And, actually, I'm a bit ignorant,

0:34:350:34:37

who was Lady Lambert...

0:34:370:34:39

who was being very strong with Oliver?

0:34:390:34:41

-I've absolutely no idea.

-THEY LAUGH

0:34:410:34:45

Oh, fantastic, and all these

0:34:450:34:48

are part of this 50 pack

0:34:480:34:50

and you've just got two to get.

0:34:500:34:52

I have got two to find somewhere.

0:34:520:34:54

Well, now, I recognise these wonderful illustrations -

0:34:540:34:58

probably from etchings by Francis Barlow...

0:34:580:35:00

-Right.

-..who was known as the first English illustrator of books...

0:35:000:35:05

-Uh-huh.

-..but he was a painter,

0:35:050:35:07

etcher and illustrator,

0:35:070:35:10

and he was so brilliant

0:35:100:35:12

with his political sketches -

0:35:120:35:14

and you've got these wonderful ones.

0:35:140:35:16

You don't really need to play a game,

0:35:160:35:19

you can just pass them round in a gentleman's club,

0:35:190:35:21

although I think they probably played rummy and whist.

0:35:210:35:24

Yes.

0:35:240:35:25

But they are so amusing you want to look at them and not pass them on.

0:35:250:35:29

They can take up a bit of time looking at them...

0:35:290:35:31

-Absolutely.

-..as it were.

0:35:310:35:33

I do happen to know that a set of these,

0:35:330:35:36

you say you've only got 50 out of the 52.

0:35:360:35:38

I've got 50 out of 52 of those, yeah.

0:35:380:35:40

-And these are 1685.

-About that.

0:35:400:35:42

-Well, I'm just going to stick my neck out on these...

-Uh-huh.

0:35:420:35:46

..because, let's assume you're going to get the last two,

0:35:460:35:50

-these are going to be worth £12,000.

-Wow!

0:35:500:35:53

Right. OK.

0:35:530:35:54

OK.

0:35:570:35:58

The interesting part for me

0:35:580:36:01

is that the later ones,

0:36:010:36:03

which were the Marlborough ones -

0:36:030:36:06

-these ones.

-Yeah.

0:36:060:36:08

I think those were also by Francis Barlow.

0:36:080:36:11

They're much more intricate, but I think he got better and better...

0:36:110:36:14

-Yeah.

-..as he got on in his life.

0:36:140:36:15

In the same way, you have got...how many of these?

0:36:150:36:18

I've got a full set of those.

0:36:180:36:20

Again, maybe £6,000 to £8,000.

0:36:220:36:25

-Right.

-So you've got, say, £12,000 here.

-Yep.

0:36:250:36:28

Say £7,000 there,

0:36:280:36:30

-so that's £19,000.

-Right.

0:36:300:36:32

What did you pay for these?

0:36:330:36:35

About £1,200.

0:36:350:36:36

-£1,200? Well they've gone up since you bought them.

-Right.

0:36:360:36:39

When did you buy them?

0:36:390:36:41

They've... Oh, about five, six years ago.

0:36:410:36:42

Yeah, I think we're going to go to £3,000 for these...

0:36:420:36:45

-Right.

-..and counting.

-Right.

0:36:450:36:48

It's so exciting and wonderful for the Roadshow

0:36:480:36:51

because we haven't had anything like this before.

0:36:510:36:54

Yeah. I thought it was interesting to show people.

0:36:540:36:56

-And wonderful for me, I never stop learning.

-No, OK.

0:36:560:36:58

-Thank you very much for bringing them.

-Thank you, Bunny.

0:36:580:37:01

Well, it feels like all the fun of the fair today, doesn't it,

0:37:030:37:06

with the tents and the excitement building, and the sunshine?

0:37:060:37:10

And there's nothing more linked to a fairground, I guess,

0:37:100:37:14

than one of these - a fairground horse.

0:37:140:37:16

What's the story for you?

0:37:160:37:17

Well, I bought it at auction about eight years ago,

0:37:170:37:20

and I go to auctions fairly regular.

0:37:200:37:23

I've never seen one before and I just fell in love with it

0:37:230:37:25

and I thought, "If I don't buy it, I'm never going to see another one."

0:37:250:37:28

So, it was catalogued as a 19th-century carousel horse

0:37:280:37:33

and I don't really know much more about it than that.

0:37:330:37:36

Somebody did tell me that it...

0:37:360:37:38

Because it faces to the right, it's American

0:37:380:37:40

but that's all I know about it really,

0:37:400:37:42

-so I was hoping you could tell me a bit more about it.

-Sure.

0:37:420:37:44

Well, that's an interesting point that you've made

0:37:440:37:47

because it is facing this way -

0:37:470:37:49

which is basically anticlockwise, round a carousel.

0:37:490:37:53

Now, most horses that you see

0:37:530:37:55

are designed to go the other way,

0:37:550:37:57

clockwise, and that's a little indication

0:37:570:38:00

that it could be American.

0:38:000:38:03

The American horses had the romance side,

0:38:030:38:07

that's the highly decorated side, on the outside -

0:38:070:38:10

and also, being so highly decorated,

0:38:100:38:13

I think this is probably from the outer layer.

0:38:130:38:15

-You know, there were probably three layers...

-Right.

0:38:150:38:18

..of horses, certainly two -

0:38:180:38:19

and he would have been on the outer layer.

0:38:190:38:22

The carousel comes from a Middle Age system of training knights,

0:38:220:38:28

where knights would gallop on horses and try and hit things

0:38:280:38:32

-that were put in a circle around them...

-Oh, I see.

0:38:320:38:36

..and that was called a "carousela", a "little battle",

0:38:360:38:39

and, from that, came this, really -

0:38:390:38:42

a derivation of that particular word.

0:38:420:38:45

Now, you bought it, what, as a piece of sculpture, almost?

0:38:450:38:49

I just bought it because I love it, really,

0:38:490:38:51

and I suppose it is a piece of sculpture and it was...

0:38:510:38:54

I bought it at a time when I had

0:38:540:38:56

more disposable income than I have now

0:38:560:38:58

and I just fell in love with it and thought I wouldn't see another one,

0:38:580:39:01

and I justified it by the fact

0:39:010:39:03

that it's cheaper to keep than a real horse

0:39:030:39:05

and it doesn't need mucking out.

0:39:050:39:06

So, yeah, I went for it and it...

0:39:060:39:10

I always hesitate to tell people how much I paid for it

0:39:100:39:12

because it was a lot of money, but I love it.

0:39:120:39:14

So, let's think about it.

0:39:140:39:17

It's a late-19th century American carousel horse,

0:39:170:39:21

from, I think, one of the collectable makers,

0:39:210:39:25

Dentzel.

0:39:250:39:27

So, I think that I'd put a figure of £3,000 to £5,000 on it

0:39:270:39:31

as a sort of middling estimate -

0:39:310:39:34

but knowing that the market is in the States for these

0:39:340:39:37

and it may be that if the right person out there sees it...

0:39:370:39:42

it could take off, but it's not something I can see

0:39:420:39:45

is going to cross the Atlantic any time soon.

0:39:450:39:48

No, I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of it,

0:39:480:39:50

but that's good to hear

0:39:500:39:51

because I paid less than that, so that's a relief.

0:39:510:39:54

Oh, very good. Well, we like a happy, smiling face

0:39:540:39:57

when we give a valuation. Excellent.

0:39:570:39:59

Well, thanks very much for bringing it in and...

0:39:590:40:02

-I hope it continues to give you lots of pleasure...

-Yes.

0:40:020:40:04

..and for this one, too, as she grows into it.

0:40:040:40:06

I think she'll probably claim it, at some stage, as her own.

0:40:060:40:10

-So, obviously I can see you've got some programmes.

-Yes.

0:40:120:40:15

-They're in Italian.

-They are. They're...

0:40:150:40:18

At the end of the War,

0:40:180:40:20

my grandfather was in Rome

0:40:200:40:22

and they were all given three days off at the end of the war...

0:40:220:40:25

-Oh, right.

-..and all his friends

0:40:250:40:27

-decided to go and enjoy the company of the local ladies...

-And...

0:40:270:40:31

..but my grandfather decided -

0:40:310:40:32

because he'd never been - he would go to the opera.

0:40:320:40:35

So he went three nights running and these are the programmes.

0:40:350:40:38

And he went three nights running.

0:40:380:40:39

Oh, my God. He was obviously a very cultured gentleman.

0:40:390:40:42

He was wonderful, he was absolutely wonderful.

0:40:420:40:44

Oh, what a fantastic story.

0:40:440:40:46

So, I'm sure they're probably not worth anything

0:40:460:40:48

-but I just think it's... I love the story...

-That's great, yeah.

0:40:480:40:51

..and the fact that he kept them and brought them back.

0:40:510:40:53

-It obviously had a very strong impact on him.

-Yes, absolutely.

0:40:530:40:56

Oh, brilliant. Oh, well, I hope you have a great day today...

0:40:560:40:58

-Thank you very much.

-..and one of our experts

0:40:580:41:00

-would be very happy to look at them for you, I'm sure.

-Thank you.

0:41:000:41:04

This huge leatherbound volume looks like a monster book, doesn't it?

0:41:220:41:26

And, in fact, it says, "Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll."

0:41:260:41:29

But further down it says, "A Motion Picture",

0:41:290:41:31

which, of course, is quite strange.

0:41:310:41:33

-So, let's open it up and have a look.

-Mm-hmm.

0:41:330:41:35

-If you don't mind supporting that.

-Yeah, of course.

0:41:350:41:38

This is signed, "To Anne Waddington from Alice in Wonderland" and...

0:41:380:41:42

what this is, in fact, is an amazing presentation script

0:41:420:41:46

for the 1933 Paramount film Alice In Wonderland.

0:41:460:41:50

The title page, there, is amazing

0:41:500:41:51

but before we talk about that,

0:41:510:41:53

tell me a little bit about how you came to have this.

0:41:530:41:56

This used to be my great-grandmother's,

0:41:560:41:58

-who passed it on to my mother.

-Right.

0:41:580:42:00

The book is signed, "From Alice in Wonderland,"

0:42:000:42:03

the actual actress herself.

0:42:030:42:04

So we believe it was given to a friend of my great-grandmother

0:42:040:42:08

and, when my mum saw it,

0:42:080:42:10

-I think she said she was 17 years old and said...

-Right.

0:42:100:42:13

"..Oh, my gosh, this is absolutely amazing."

0:42:130:42:15

And so my great-grandmother said, "Well, you can have it."

0:42:150:42:18

So, gave it to her and she's just had it in the house all these years

0:42:180:42:22

and never really knew what to do with it.

0:42:220:42:24

So my husband and I thought we'd take it down

0:42:240:42:26

and find out a bit more, if we can, about it.

0:42:260:42:29

Well, I don't think I've ever seen a script quite like this -

0:42:290:42:32

-a presentation script.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

0:42:320:42:34

Yeah, if we look at this frontispiece,

0:42:340:42:36

we can see that we've got very early Cary Grant here,

0:42:360:42:39

we've got WC Fields

0:42:390:42:42

and, actually, let's turn a little bit further

0:42:420:42:44

because I think this was probably made, perhaps,

0:42:440:42:47

to present to some sponsors or something like that...

0:42:470:42:50

Oh, right.

0:42:500:42:51

..because what it is, it's a complete storyboard as well

0:42:510:42:53

with characters, costumes,

0:42:530:42:55

storyboarded out with all of the script.

0:42:550:42:58

It really is a magnificent thing.

0:42:580:43:01

Now, to be frank with you,

0:43:010:43:03

having seen nothing like this before -

0:43:030:43:06

and I've seen quite a few movie scripts -

0:43:060:43:08

it's quite difficult to try and, kind of,

0:43:080:43:11

think about what something like this is worth.

0:43:110:43:13

But do you know? I'm going to put

0:43:130:43:15

£5,000 to £8,000 on this.

0:43:150:43:17

Oh, my!

0:43:170:43:19

I won't give it back to my mum.

0:43:210:43:23

I'm off.

0:43:230:43:25

It really, really is a staggeringly good piece of movie history...

0:43:280:43:31

-Yeah, my gosh.

-..I think.

0:43:310:43:33

And actually, an absolute delight to see it.

0:43:330:43:36

-So, thanks ever so much.

-Oh, thank you very much.

0:43:360:43:38

I'm off, I'm running.

0:43:380:43:40

It's too heavy to run with.

0:43:400:43:42

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

0:43:440:43:46

Sorry, may I interrupt a second?

0:43:490:43:51

A matching pair.

0:43:510:43:52

I like this. I think it's quite sweet,

0:43:550:43:57

what made you bring it here today?

0:43:570:43:59

Well, I collect pigs and I also collect Vestas

0:43:590:44:01

and I just wondered if it was worth anything.

0:44:010:44:03

-126.

-Yes.

0:44:030:44:05

-Simon and Halbig.

-Yep.

0:44:050:44:06

Circa 1930, the flirty eye

0:44:060:44:08

is going to be worth £400 to £600,

0:44:080:44:11

and the one without the flirty eyes, even though they're twins...

0:44:110:44:14

-Three to five?

-Three to five.

0:44:140:44:17

Fantastic, that's great.

0:44:170:44:18

Wonderful. Sorry to interrupt.

0:44:180:44:20

It was plated all over. It's cast brass, but heavy casting.

0:44:200:44:24

-Normally these are sheet metal.

-Right.

-This is really nice.

0:44:240:44:27

They come from my grandfather.

0:44:270:44:30

He used them to go and find,

0:44:300:44:32

obviously, the girlfriend at the time.

0:44:320:44:34

Did the girlfriend at the time become your grandmother?

0:44:340:44:37

-She did.

-Ah, that's lovely.

0:44:370:44:38

And it's got a nice curly tail

0:44:380:44:41

back there and little hooves.

0:44:410:44:42

I... It's just nice.

0:44:420:44:44

I'm always known for lifting up dolls' dresses,

0:44:440:44:47

I get teased like mad.

0:44:470:44:48

And what I like about it is,

0:44:480:44:51

the striker is inside the head.

0:44:510:44:52

Normally the striker's on the side or on the belly

0:44:520:44:55

but it's inside there and this is solid cast, this bit...

0:44:550:44:57

She's very grand, isn't she?

0:44:570:44:59

Got wonderful hair.

0:45:000:45:02

..and it's just really nice.

0:45:020:45:04

I suppose it's Edwardian,

0:45:040:45:06

1920s maybe.

0:45:060:45:08

Have you ever had her valued?

0:45:080:45:10

Half-heartedly.

0:45:100:45:11

Right, and...?

0:45:110:45:13

They said £1,000.

0:45:130:45:14

Well, I'm going to say £2,000 to £3,000.

0:45:140:45:17

Worth about...

0:45:170:45:19

£200 to £250 to a collector.

0:45:190:45:22

That's good.

0:45:220:45:23

He's called Harry. So, I've had him since I was eight

0:45:230:45:26

and he's a member of our family.

0:45:260:45:29

Ah, I'm not surprised.

0:45:290:45:30

How do you do, Harry?

0:45:300:45:32

You are very lucky.

0:45:320:45:34

You are very lucky and so are you.

0:45:340:45:36

Well, not only am I fascinated by jewellery

0:45:420:45:44

but I love architecture as well

0:45:440:45:46

and there's something about this necklace

0:45:460:45:48

that really has an architectural feel,

0:45:480:45:50

and almost a religious feel.

0:45:500:45:52

So how did you come to have it?

0:45:520:45:54

It's a family piece that my grandmother inherited

0:45:540:45:57

from an aunt of hers

0:45:570:45:58

and has come down, through my grandmother and my mother.

0:45:580:46:01

to my sister and I.

0:46:010:46:02

Part of this family was quite religious.

0:46:020:46:05

Auntie Claire, whose necklace it was, was quite religious.

0:46:050:46:09

Now, whether she actually had this piece made personally for her

0:46:090:46:12

or she inherited it from her mother,

0:46:120:46:15

we don't know that -

0:46:150:46:16

but all the stones actually do represent different saints.

0:46:160:46:20

That's right, because we've actually got a...

0:46:200:46:22

Well, a description here from the jewellers, Lewis Abbot,

0:46:220:46:26

which relates to also the box -

0:46:260:46:28

so we know that the two are combined

0:46:280:46:30

and it's not something that

0:46:300:46:31

they've written after the purchase, which is great...

0:46:310:46:33

-No, that's right.

-..isn't it?

0:46:330:46:35

-And it does say how important those saints were and...

-Yes.

0:46:350:46:38

..with relation to how they should have gems associated to them

0:46:380:46:41

-as well...

-Yes.

-..and for many centuries,

0:46:410:46:43

we've known that gems are associated with months for birthdays

0:46:430:46:47

and various love symbols

0:46:470:46:49

through the Victorian period they were picked up on -

0:46:490:46:52

and to see them associated with saints is really lovely.

0:46:520:46:55

I mean, we can pick out, also, from this list, here,

0:46:550:46:58

which is in a different hand from the from the letter...

0:46:580:47:01

-Yes.

-..or description up here.

0:47:010:47:02

So, this must, maybe, have been done by her?

0:47:020:47:05

It may be done by her

0:47:050:47:07

-or even my great grandfather.

-Yes.

0:47:070:47:10

Well, he studied it very carefully and

0:47:100:47:12

has listed all the saints

0:47:120:47:14

and also then related them to the stone

0:47:140:47:16

that they're associated with

0:47:160:47:18

and also the month that the stones related to.

0:47:180:47:21

So let's have a look here,

0:47:210:47:22

we've got St Andrew associated with the sapphire -

0:47:220:47:25

which, of course, is the stone associated with April,

0:47:250:47:28

the month of April.

0:47:280:47:29

And there's the gorgeous sapphire just sparkling there.

0:47:290:47:33

And then further down... If we just go down to St John,

0:47:330:47:36

we've got emerald associated, of course, with the month of June -

0:47:360:47:40

which is just there. The lovely little stone there.

0:47:400:47:43

And on it goes, with all the different stones that we've got.

0:47:430:47:46

So, it's set in probably nine carat gold

0:47:460:47:48

because it's quite a nice pale gold

0:47:480:47:50

and all the detailing is very delicately done

0:47:500:47:53

with the trefoil motifs that we see here.

0:47:530:47:55

So, a fun piece of jewellery and, date-wise,

0:47:550:47:58

it fits in around about the 1860s, 1870s.

0:47:580:48:01

So, does it ever come out?

0:48:010:48:04

I wore it at my wedding.

0:48:040:48:05

-Did you?

-And I also wore it at Christmas to a Christmas do.

0:48:050:48:08

-Uh-huh.

-Because, yeah...

0:48:080:48:10

I haven't told my sister that...

0:48:100:48:12

Oh, no.

0:48:120:48:13

..but it was a high-end Christmas do.

0:48:130:48:16

But, yes. I have worn it occasionally

0:48:160:48:19

and I would wear it again

0:48:190:48:20

because it's such a nice piece of jewellery to wear as well.

0:48:200:48:23

It is, isn't it? It's absolutely wonderful and go with any outfit

0:48:230:48:26

-because of all the colours...

-Yeah.

-..in there as well so it's great.

0:48:260:48:29

Now obviously it's a family piece.

0:48:290:48:30

-You're not going to sell it, are you?

-No.

0:48:300:48:32

It's going to stay within the family but I think

0:48:320:48:34

in an auction environment, should it go in for sale,

0:48:340:48:36

because of all the stones and the story

0:48:360:48:39

and the fun side to it as well, we'd be looking at an estimate

0:48:390:48:42

of round about £1,500 to £2,000.

0:48:420:48:44

Blimey.

0:48:440:48:45

We didn't think it was going to be as much as that.

0:48:450:48:48

It's not often on the Antiques Roadshow that we get to use,

0:48:520:48:55

let alone wear the items that we see,

0:48:550:48:59

and you two, me and this mannequin

0:48:590:49:02

are wearing some fantastic 1930s and 1940s suits

0:49:020:49:05

-by Montague Burton.

-Indeed.

-Yeah.

0:49:050:49:08

But you look the whole part.

0:49:080:49:09

-I mean...

-Thank you.

-..tell me the whole story.

0:49:090:49:11

How did you get into this?

0:49:110:49:13

Well, we're both interested in the tailoring industry

0:49:130:49:16

and we're both '30s and '40s re-enactors.

0:49:160:49:19

We go all over the country doing re-enacting and World War II events.

0:49:190:49:23

Yeah, and we just love the era.

0:49:230:49:24

Yeah. We love the clothes and it's...

0:49:240:49:27

-As you can see, we wear it most weekends.

-Yeah.

0:49:270:49:29

But it's not just the clothing. I mean, literally, from top to toe -

0:49:290:49:33

the shoes, the trousers, the suit, the hair.

0:49:330:49:36

I mean, it's magnificent.

0:49:360:49:38

What do your friends think. I mean, how old are you?

0:49:380:49:40

-28.

-Yeah, both of us are 28.

0:49:400:49:42

-OK, what do they think of all of this?

-Slightly odd.

0:49:420:49:45

No, no, we've got a lot of friends who re-enact with us,

0:49:450:49:48

who are used to it, and then our

0:49:480:49:49

work colleagues and other friends just sort of go, "Fair enough."

0:49:490:49:52

-Accept it, yeah.

-Well, it was very much sort of a moment in history,

0:49:520:49:55

-a moment in fashion history, really.

-Definitely.

0:49:550:49:57

Montague Burton came over...

0:49:570:49:59

I think he came in 1900 and, shortly afterwards,

0:49:590:50:02

founded his company selling clothes in 1903

0:50:020:50:05

-and was enormously successful.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:50:050:50:07

By 1929, hundreds of shops, mills, factories.

0:50:070:50:11

I mean, he really captured that moment of, sort of...

0:50:110:50:14

In a way, would you say tailoring for the masses?

0:50:140:50:16

Yeah, tailoring for...

0:50:160:50:17

Yeah, definitely tailoring for the masses and sort of

0:50:170:50:20

allowing the everyday man to buy a tailor-made suit,

0:50:200:50:25

which a lot of people couldn't afford back then.

0:50:250:50:28

I think his big thing was, most of his shops, if not all of them,

0:50:280:50:31

had the billiards hall above the shop,

0:50:310:50:34

so it drew the customers in.

0:50:340:50:36

He was a sharp guy, this Lithuanian Jew who came over in 1900,

0:50:360:50:40

but it wasn't just that,

0:50:400:50:42

-it was also these seductive catalogues.

-Yes.

0:50:420:50:44

Look at how smart you can be, look how marvellous you can look.

0:50:440:50:47

And certainly wearing this suit, I'm sure you're the same,

0:50:470:50:50

-you do feel sort of proper, I think.

-Yeah, you do. Yep, definitely.

0:50:500:50:53

So how much of your life has it taken over?

0:50:530:50:55

I mean, you do re-enactments, you say,

0:50:550:50:57

but you seem to have so much more than just the suits.

0:50:570:51:00

Yeah, I've sort of collected all the...

0:51:000:51:03

collectibles that go with it, really,

0:51:030:51:05

and anything that sort of interests me and it's got...

0:51:050:51:08

Displays the suits and...

0:51:080:51:10

It's just... Love it, fantastic.

0:51:100:51:11

-You've got to have it?

-Yeah, I have really.

0:51:110:51:14

-Do we think we're perhaps a little obsessed?

-Yeah, a little bit, maybe.

0:51:140:51:17

-Yeah, definitely.

-But there's a lot to get obsessed about.

0:51:170:51:20

I mean, not only do you look, sort of, the sharpest cats in town,

0:51:200:51:23

but just looking at the tailoring of these pieces...

0:51:230:51:25

-I mean, I can't help noticing the back on this suit.

-Yes, that's...

0:51:250:51:28

-He really captured the style of the day.

-Definitely.

0:51:280:51:31

I mean, this suit here's a particularly rare suit,

0:51:310:51:33

British tailored by Burton.

0:51:330:51:35

It's more... The back belt and the knife pleats

0:51:350:51:38

are more common in American tailoring.

0:51:380:51:40

This one's extremely rare - maybe...

0:51:400:51:42

Probably about £500, £600 - maybe more on a...

0:51:420:51:44

If someone really wanted it, they would pay...

0:51:440:51:47

maybe £1,000 plus.

0:51:470:51:48

Maybe someone like you might pay £1,000 plus.

0:51:480:51:51

There's a big difference. I mean, you really are dedicated collectors

0:51:510:51:54

and I suppose for these pieces here,

0:51:540:51:56

-these mean more to you as a collector...

-Yeah, definitely.

0:51:560:51:59

..than perhaps they might fetch on the market.

0:51:590:52:01

I mean, anything, I suppose, from £5 to sort of £10,

0:52:010:52:03

-maybe even up to £50 for a piece.

-Yeah.

0:52:030:52:05

So you've got a fantastic collection here

0:52:050:52:07

that really is going to be, what? £1,200 to £1,800 worth, I suppose.

0:52:070:52:10

-Yeah, yeah.

-Plus the cup, maybe up to £2,000.

0:52:100:52:12

Yeah, definitely, yeah.

0:52:120:52:14

Hot property now, hot property of the future,

0:52:140:52:16

but I can tell you one thing, I am boiling hot and you must be too,

0:52:160:52:20

so I think I'm going to go and change back out of this

0:52:200:52:22

-and hand it back. Thank you very, very much.

-Thank you very much.

0:52:220:52:25

-Fantastic collection.

-Cheers, thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

0:52:250:52:28

Now, for those of us who think, "What sort of thing is this?"

0:52:280:52:31

-It's a cigarette box.

-That's right.

0:52:310:52:34

Made at a time when people still smoked...

0:52:340:52:37

-Yeah, I know.

-..but this is made in around about 1900.

0:52:370:52:40

Now, I know a little bit about it, but I'd like you to tell me

0:52:400:52:43

a little more that I can add to.

0:52:430:52:45

So, first of all, where's it come from?

0:52:450:52:49

Comes through my family,

0:52:490:52:51

my grandfather received it.

0:52:510:52:53

We were told, in the family, from the Tsar -

0:52:530:52:55

but, of course, not directly, I'm sure.

0:52:550:52:57

My grandfather was a metallurgist

0:52:570:52:59

and he was asked,

0:52:590:53:01

by the White Russians, to go over

0:53:010:53:03

and help sort out the guns

0:53:030:53:05

that weren't firing...straight or I don't know quite what

0:53:050:53:09

but they weren't behaving themselves very well.

0:53:090:53:11

So when would that have been?

0:53:110:53:12

About the time of Tsar Nicholas II, do you think?

0:53:120:53:14

Yes, it must have been. The Revolution.

0:53:140:53:17

-Well, the White Russians, of course, they were loyal to the Tsar.

-Yes.

0:53:170:53:20

They are fighting against the Bolsheviks, the Reds.

0:53:200:53:22

That's right.

0:53:220:53:24

And we all know what happened to the Tsar in 1917

0:53:240:53:26

when the Revolution came.

0:53:260:53:28

Well, let's have a look.

0:53:280:53:29

It's made of silver,

0:53:290:53:30

there's a little circular disc in the middle

0:53:300:53:32

and it is blue enamelled decoration

0:53:320:53:35

and what enamel that is!

0:53:350:53:38

Because it's covered in this very smooth,

0:53:380:53:42

almost wet,

0:53:420:53:43

polished covering of Royal Blue.

0:53:430:53:46

Yeah.

0:53:460:53:48

And, of course, when you look carefully,

0:53:480:53:50

you see that the background to the blue

0:53:500:53:52

are all these little individual wavy lines.

0:53:520:53:55

It's quite a simple piece, really,

0:53:550:53:57

-as far as the construction's concerned.

-Yes, it is.

0:53:570:53:59

The middle - and you mentioned Russia -

0:53:590:54:01

well, that's quite right, it's a Catherine the Great rouble.

0:54:010:54:03

-That's right.

-Gold rouble.

-I was always told it was a rouble.

0:54:030:54:06

-You were told that?

-Yeah.

-Let's look inside it, shall we?

0:54:060:54:09

First of all, diamonds...

0:54:090:54:12

-Yes.

-..in this little lip.

0:54:120:54:13

-That's right.

-When I lift up the little lip...

0:54:130:54:16

..inside, we have,

0:54:170:54:19

which I'm really delighted to see more than anything else,

0:54:190:54:21

-is the original cigarette...

-Yes.

-..that's been left there.

0:54:210:54:24

-Yes. Might need it one day.

-Right.

0:54:240:54:28

Now, looking at the marks inside the box...

0:54:280:54:31

just down here,

0:54:310:54:33

we see that there is a little stamp of a woman's head in profile,

0:54:330:54:37

-called a Kokoshnik - the Russian mark.

-Oh, right.

0:54:370:54:40

The mark on the right of that has got a little tiny monogram,

0:54:400:54:44

which is the work of a man called Hollming...

0:54:440:54:47

Right.

0:54:470:54:48

-..who was a craftsman working for Faberge.

-Faberge, yes.

0:54:480:54:52

And sure enough, on the right-hand side of that,

0:54:520:54:55

the Faberge stamp there.

0:54:550:54:57

-Very nice indeed.

-Oh.

0:54:570:54:59

What do we like to see on the Antiques Roadshow?

0:54:590:55:01

-Nice things.

-And we like to see Faberge.

-Oh, do you?

0:55:010:55:04

Well, of course, we love Faberge, of course we do.

0:55:040:55:08

With one little teeny caveat.

0:55:090:55:11

Yes, I know.

0:55:110:55:12

What exactly happened there?

0:55:120:55:15

Well...

0:55:160:55:18

my family didn't keep boxes,

0:55:180:55:20

so it was only wrapped in a, sort of,

0:55:200:55:23

soft cloth covering

0:55:230:55:25

and I shoved it into my little safe -

0:55:250:55:28

which was rather small,

0:55:280:55:30

bit hard - and it, sort of, got knocked.

0:55:300:55:33

So, in other words, an absolutely pristine, perfect Faberge box...

0:55:330:55:37

I know.

0:55:370:55:38

..you SHOVE IN to your safe.

0:55:380:55:40

So, there is a little bit of a defect in one corner...

0:55:400:55:43

-Yes.

-..but not absolutely terrifying

0:55:430:55:45

because I think, these days,

0:55:450:55:46

with the sophistication of craftsmen and workshops,

0:55:460:55:49

you could get that repaired...

0:55:490:55:51

-Oh, great.

-..and it should be repaired as well.

-Oh, right.

0:55:510:55:55

Has it been valued?

0:55:550:55:56

Years ago, when my father first gave it to me, 35 years ago,

0:55:560:56:01

I took it to London and had it valued

0:56:010:56:04

and I was told it was worth £900 -

0:56:040:56:06

that was before its damage.

0:56:060:56:08

So, in perfect condition, it was valued...

0:56:080:56:10

-Absolutely perfect condition...

-..at £900.

0:56:100:56:12

..with more cigarettes in it, I may say.

0:56:120:56:14

With more cigarettes. So, what's it worth today?

0:56:140:56:16

No idea.

0:56:160:56:17

-£6,000 to £8,000.

-AUDIENCE GASPS

0:56:190:56:21

No?!

0:56:210:56:22

I'm amazed.

0:56:220:56:24

Lovely.

0:56:250:56:27

Amazing.

0:56:270:56:29

Do you remember the chap who told us

0:56:310:56:32

earlier in the programme, so movingly,

0:56:320:56:34

about his father who he discovered

0:56:340:56:37

was actually an American GI

0:56:370:56:38

and he only found out when he was in his 50s?

0:56:380:56:41

Well, the other thing he showed me was this marvellous document.

0:56:410:56:44

I want to show it to you.

0:56:440:56:45

"Over there: Instructions for American servicemen in Britain 1942."

0:56:450:56:50

Presumably something his father read.

0:56:500:56:52

There's two marvellous bits in it.

0:56:520:56:53

First of all,

0:56:530:56:54

"The British are tough."

0:56:540:56:56

"The English language didn't spread across the oceans

0:56:560:56:59

"and over the mountains and jungles, and swamps of the world

0:56:590:57:02

"because these people were panty-waists."

0:57:020:57:04

And then, one other golden nugget of advice.

0:57:040:57:07

"When you see a girl in khaki or air force blue

0:57:070:57:09

"with a bit of ribbon on her tunic, remember,

0:57:090:57:11

"she didn't get it for knitting more socks than anyone else in Ipswich."

0:57:110:57:15

How brilliant. These are rules you could live by.

0:57:150:57:18

From Bowood House, and the whole Antiques Roadshow team,

0:57:180:57:21

till next time, bye-bye.

0:57:210:57:23

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