0:00:41 > 0:00:44Today's location for the Antiques Roadshow has a history that wouldn't
0:00:44 > 0:00:46feel out of place in a soap opera.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Fabulous wealth, crippling debts,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51romance, illicit affairs,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54a love-struck curate, even a ghost.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Welcome to Hanbury Hall near Droitwich in Worcestershire.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59THE ARCHERS THEME PLAYS And talking soaps,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01it's thought the creator of The Archers may have based
0:01:01 > 0:01:04his fictional village of Ambridge on Hanbury.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07And it's believed that Hanbury Hall
0:01:07 > 0:01:10could be the inspiration for Ambridge's Lower Loxsley.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Before being taken over by The National Trust in 1953,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Hanbury Hall had been owned by
0:01:17 > 0:01:20the Vernon family for more than 300 years.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24It was built for Thomas Vernon, a fabulously wealthy lawyer.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26He employed some of the best designers
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and artisans of the day to construct
0:01:28 > 0:01:32this elegant mansion in the style of William and Mary.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34So what about the romance,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36the curate and the ghost?
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Well, that came courtesy of Emma Vernon, who was born in 1755,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42and she spent much of her childhood here at Hanbury Hall.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46As heiress to the impressive Hanbury Hall estate,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Emma was a fine catch for Henry Cecil,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the Earl of Exeter in waiting.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54But the path of true love did not run smoothly.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58The pair fell heavily into debt, their only son and heir died -
0:01:58 > 0:01:59aged just six months -
0:01:59 > 0:02:01they grew apart and, eventually,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Emma ran off to Portugal with the local curate.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08But there are a few more twists and turns in the plot yet.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Henry fell in love with a local farmer's daughter - a teenager,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13she was just 18 - and he married her.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18But, because he hadn't divorced Emma, the marriage was illegal,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22so then he had to divorce Emma and marry his teenager a second time,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and that left Emma free to marry her curate.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Wouldn't happen in Ambridge.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Maybe it would.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The emotional impact of events long ago at Hanbury Hall is said to
0:02:35 > 0:02:39linger on with the ghost of Emma, dressed in black,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42wandering along this route from the house to the church,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44where she enjoyed secret trysts with her lover.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Who knows? She may be looking on as our experts get the day underway.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56On a chilly, misty Worcestershire morning,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58I like nothing better than to get my
0:02:58 > 0:03:00teeth into something really wonderful like this.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02It's such a beautiful picture.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06The artist - William Strang. The date - about 1910,
0:03:06 > 0:03:07I think.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09And the subject -
0:03:09 > 0:03:12one of the most extraordinarily beautiful nudes I've ever seen.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13HE LAUGHS
0:03:13 > 0:03:14It's lovely, isn't it?
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Well, I'm very fond of her, I must say.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19We've had it in the family for a long, long time.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20Have you? How many generations?
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Well, I think it was bought by my great-grandfather,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26who was a fellow called Lawrence Hodson,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and it's passed down to my grandmother, then my mother.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33And, when my mother passed away, I think my sisters and I
0:03:33 > 0:03:37not quite tossed up for it, but I got the first choice.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41She sits in our drawing room on the wall.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44It's... Everybody says, "Ooh, look at that painting."
0:03:44 > 0:03:45Men and women, I'm sure.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Yes, they rather think she's a bit large in the rear.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- No, but magnificent.- It is still a beautiful painting, yes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54It really is. Why is it so beautiful?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57It's almost because of its simplicity, really, isn't it?
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The light and shadow are treated very, very well - delicately.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It seems to me that it's an incredibly complicated picture,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06but simply done.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08So this background, first of all, is just a yumptious colour,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and that colour here as well is brilliantly done.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15And then this colour... It's just bands of colour going along,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18and the shade around here is beautifully modulated.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You can read her body perfectly.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25William Strang was one of the very early peoples
0:04:25 > 0:04:27of the Slade art school,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30which was incredibly influential, and he was a great draughtsman.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33He was very open to influence.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35He was a very curious man. He was an intellectual, really.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38And he loved to look at the work of other artists.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40And, with William Strang, it's always worth looking to see
0:04:40 > 0:04:42what his influence is in any particular picture.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I think in this one, perhaps, Degas.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47You see this black, the way that it's just very briefly done -
0:04:47 > 0:04:49that's exactly what Degas would have done.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Also she's very tight in the picture plane, isn't she?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Very pushed in, which kind of dramatically emphasises her shape.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Now, it's actually an oil painting but it's never been varnished,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I don't think. And what that means is
0:05:04 > 0:05:07it's got this lovely matte finish, no gloss on it at all.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It's got a real studio feel about it as a result.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13It looks as though he's just left his brush off
0:05:13 > 0:05:15after three generations.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So the value won't really bother you one way or another.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I've no idea what the value is, really.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Well, I'm going to put £10,000 to £15,000 on it.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Really?- I've pushed the boat out a little bit for a picture this size
0:05:26 > 0:05:28because it is just so incredibly beautiful.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30It's also that perfect sort of cabinet size
0:05:30 > 0:05:32that would go anywhere -
0:05:32 > 0:05:34in any house, any collection, anywhere.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36It's absolutely lovely.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41This is such a lovely colour, the top.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43What have you been using it for?
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Well, originally I can remember it was near an open fire
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and we stored logs in it. That's my first recollection of it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52And I've always wondered what it is.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Then when we moved, it was used for storing papers into it,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57but now my husband uses it for
0:05:57 > 0:06:00something else more modern, don't you?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02We now use it as an entertainment unit.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I put a stereo on the top of it
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and the inside is used to store CDs and videos.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11But haven't things moved on a bit since videos and CDs now?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Well, it has an MP3 player now on top instead.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20What I love about this, and attracts me to it immediately,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22is the simplicity of it.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24It's made by a carpenter.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Not a cabinet-maker, because this was before the era
0:06:26 > 0:06:27of cabinet-makers.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Not a joiner, because there are no joints.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31It's nailed together.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34So it's a really early piece of furniture.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- It's a 17th-century one.- Oh!
0:06:36 > 0:06:38But it's just so simple.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41There are six planks - one, two, three, four, five,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and then six underneath. Absolutely glorious.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So just open it up.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It's just so lovely inside.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Dry as a bone, untouched.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55The grain on this is relatively even.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Now, I'm going to stick my neck out here.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I think that that means that it's probably
0:06:59 > 0:07:02imported oak from the Baltic area.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- Gosh.- And, of course, it would have been used for linen.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But it's just so beautiful.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It's quiet, understated but not underused,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14that's what I love about it. It's just great.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16£1,000.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- Gosh.- That's better than we thought.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Much more than I thought it was going to be.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22That's amazing.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- £1,000?- Yeah.- Really?- Absolutely.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30A much-needed burst of bright colour on this sort of
0:07:30 > 0:07:32rather misty and grey day.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And I'd like to think that, perhaps in the mists of time
0:07:34 > 0:07:37in the 1970s, you wore this, bright and colourful, too.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yes, I did. In those days,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42if you liked someone's clothes and somebody's said they liked it,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44you gave it to the person. That's how I got it.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46So this is sort of free and easy hippy living?
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I had just gone down to London to visit the galleries.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I was at college, up in Stourbridge, fine-art student.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Used to go down to town. And we just wore this sort of thing then.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59It was designed by Peter Blake,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02who's probably Britain's most famous and most influential pop artist.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06He's very well known for designing the cover of a Beatles album which
0:08:06 > 0:08:09you might have heard of. And it was produced for the ICA,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11so the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And it was produced in a relatively small edition size.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19We don't know quite how many were produced but it is a scarce thing,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21it's not at all easy to find.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25And I suppose it sort of maps in with pop art in the way it was
0:08:25 > 0:08:27the whole idea of commercialism and disposability.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It looks like it's made of paper
0:08:30 > 0:08:32but it's actually made of polyethylene.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36And it comes sort of ten years after that whole sort of paper clothing
0:08:36 > 0:08:38thing. All of those things like paper dresses.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- The pants?- Pants, yes.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I think paper pants. I've never quite understood the logic behind
0:08:43 > 0:08:45that, and we should leave that one there!
0:08:45 > 0:08:47But you would buy for 5p or something, wear once,
0:08:47 > 0:08:48maybe twice if it survived.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52So it is, it's all connected to the sort of themes behind pop art.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56And on the side here you've got names of the artists,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58from Stanley Spencer to Brancusi,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00all the way down to The Beatles and Balthus
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and the Pre-Raphaelites.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04But I notice there are little bits of wear as well around here.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07What happened here? Was this over-vigorous wearing?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09It's relatively recent. I rescue ferrets
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and, unfortunately, they got inside the bag and damaged it.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- So this is a ferret nibble? - I'm afraid so.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Well, you do need to keep this away from the ferrets in the future,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I'm afraid. They're sought-after pieces.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24In perfect condition,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28on a retail basis, I've seen them offered for around £2,000.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I think, with the wear and the damage here,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33it's not going to really fetch that.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35I have a feeling that, even still, in this condition,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38you're looking at around £400 to £600.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40That's good to know. That's lovely.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Now, typical Victorian box with little bits of gold around the edge
0:09:47 > 0:09:51and within it is something that, for me,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53gets to the very core of my being
0:09:53 > 0:09:56because this is one of the best examples
0:09:56 > 0:10:00of a cameo brooch that I've seen on the Roadshow for years.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Now, first question, where did it come from?
0:10:02 > 0:10:08It was given to my Great-great-aunt Zilla, when she got married.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It was given to her by John Corbett,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14who was locally known as the salt king.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18He made his fortune from salt in Droitwich.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23And he was an admirer and gave it to her as a wedding present,
0:10:23 > 0:10:24but that's really all I know.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28So the name Corbett is very significant round Droitwich?
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- It is, yes.- Round here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Most of the cameos that we see on the Antiques Roadshow
0:10:34 > 0:10:38are really rather modest and they are not very valuable.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40This is a very different thing.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Why it is so exciting is because of
0:10:43 > 0:10:47the sheer detail that appears in this carving.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Do you know what it's carved out of?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I don't, to be honest, no.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Well, it's carved out of volcanic lava.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- Oh, really?- And what happened was,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00particularly in the mid-Victorian period,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04a lot of people went across to places like Mount Vesuvius.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09And you'd have the volcanic lava, and it's quite a tough material,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and it was found in lots of different colours.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Caramel brown - like this one - black, white and grey.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21And the Italians were very, very good at carving profiles.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24So why is this so good?
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Well, it's worth marvelling at the sheer intricacy of the carving.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32This is a Classical head in profile.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36First of all, you have a winged horse, which I'm assuming
0:11:36 > 0:11:37is probably Pegasus.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40The symbol of the winged horse is often, if you like,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42associated with Minerva.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Now, I would have to confirm it, I'd have to do a bit of checking,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48but I think this is supposed to represent Minerva.
0:11:48 > 0:11:55Even behind Pegasus you've got another female form there.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00- So the definition just goes on and on.- Yes.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03It's in a very high-quality gold frame.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08You can even hinge the pendant loop, so you can fold it down
0:12:08 > 0:12:10under the frame.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- So that's hinged.- Oh, right. Gosh, I didn't know that.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Did you not see that?- No.- Look at that. That's a nice touch.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19All right, so there it is, fitting snugly in its box. So next question,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23what's it worth? What do you pay for a cameo like this?
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I have never seen a volcanic-lava cameo of this quality before.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29£1,500 to £2,000.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Never. Oh, gosh.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34That's just amazing, isn't it?
0:12:34 > 0:12:36It was worth the queue in the fog.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38I like to think so. Thank you.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Well, my aunt gave them to me.
0:12:45 > 0:12:52Her husband, Guy Granet, shot in the Olympics in London 1948.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53And there's lots of memorabilia.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58The most attractive, I think, is this lovely poster,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02which I'm gently opening, for the Olympic Games.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06In 29th of July to 14th of August in London.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10You've really got a very charming oil painting here
0:13:10 > 0:13:12that is presented as a tray.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13- It's oil.- I didn't realise that.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Basically, what we've got is a papier-mache tray
0:13:16 > 0:13:19produced by a firm called Jennens And Bettridge,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21who were working in Birmingham.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And here we are, full gallop, just entering the woodland there.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29But I love this stencilled surround as well, with the vine leaves here.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31It's pristine, isn't it?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- It is pristine.- It's mint. Where has it been all these years?
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's been in a box in the cupboard.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I'm so grateful for your cupboard.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Yes, it's a lovely poster, isn't it?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Indicative of the time.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47So, do we value it as a tray or as an oil painting or both?
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I think it is a great thing.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53What would it make if it came up for auction?
0:13:53 > 0:13:54400, 500.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- That bracket. Mid-hundreds. - Fantastic. That is unbelievable.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59That's wonderful.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Bright, bold and beautiful...
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and worth £600 to £800.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Never!
0:14:11 > 0:14:14You've brought me a piece from the other side of the world,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18something from a pre-Christian society.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Where did you get it?
0:14:19 > 0:14:25I was passing a gentleman's house with two friends
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and he was clearing his garage out.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31And he said, "Do you boys want anything out of this pile of rubbish?"
0:14:31 > 0:14:35And on top of this pile of rubbish there was two fencing foils
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and one facemask.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39And suddenly there was a great rush.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42The one lad had got the facemask on and the foil,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45the other lad picked the foil up
0:14:45 > 0:14:47and they were bashing seven bells
0:14:47 > 0:14:49out of each other across this chap's garden,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52leaving me with a pile of rubbish.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And I noticed this sticking out.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- The end was...- It was there
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and I pulled it out and it was absolutely filthy and black.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I said to the gentleman, "Can I have this?"
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And he said, "If you don't have it, it is going to be burnt."
0:15:07 > 0:15:09And I've had it now for about 57 years.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Fantastic. Well, you lucky thing.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16We are looking at a piece from Polynesia, from French Polynesia,
0:15:16 > 0:15:22and specifically the islands of the Austral Archipelago,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24the Austral Islands.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25And these pieces,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29they come mysteriously and quietly down the ages.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Yet we don't fully understand them,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36and that's something exciting because it is lovely to look at,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38it's lovely to hold, isn't it?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Yes. Surprisingly light.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It is fabulous. And as you say, the carving,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45this chip carving is absolutely crisp.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50And have you noticed, the shaft is oval section, not just circular?
0:15:50 > 0:15:52It tapers from the top.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57The top of the paddle has a number.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59These little facemasks...
0:16:00 > 0:16:04The lips, the eyes, yet they've got what look like sunglasses on,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06with, like, a sunburst effect.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Now, these must be little spirits, little deity faces,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13that must have meant something to the Austral Islanders.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Even the rosette from the top, full-on,
0:16:16 > 0:16:21- is just a little work of art, isn't it?- It is, it's amazing.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Now, I've said it's a paddle, but, you know,
0:16:23 > 0:16:24it would be useless as a paddle.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27It would never have seen watercraft.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- No, it would break.- It is too weak.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32So, we are looking at a ceremonial piece.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It is hard to date, because we don't know who brought it back.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40It is a pity the gentleman who gave it to you didn't have a story.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42It might have come from a missionary.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44We think of the early explorers, Captain Cook,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47but there's no evidence.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52I would predict this to be the first half of the 19th century,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56so we're looking at a piece of certainly 150, 180 years old.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58They are not especially rare,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02but they are especially appreciated on the market.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06And I think, with the colour and the condition of this,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09you would be looking at realising a price at auction
0:17:09 > 0:17:11of around £10,000.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Wow! That was...
0:17:16 > 0:17:19That surprises me.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27So, tell me, how does an Indian temple come to Hanbury Hall?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29We had an elderly friend of the family
0:17:29 > 0:17:32that sadly passed away in June,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37and when we were clearing the house, this was buried in one of the rooms.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39We genuinely don't know any of the history,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41it wasn't something he mentioned whilst alive,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45so all we know is what is signed at the bottom of it,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47but we genuinely don't know the history.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Well, yes, very conveniently, obviously,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51it's got a little label here,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53which says, "Indian Temple - W Parker."
0:17:53 > 0:17:55And it is dated 1881.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Obviously, we don't know who W Parker is.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Did he ever go to India?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Or was this something that he perhaps copied
0:18:03 > 0:18:07from a lithographic print of the time, maybe in a magazine?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Or maybe it is a complete fantasy.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I suspect that it probably is a fantasy,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I think had it been an actual replica of a temple,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17he probably would have taken the trouble
0:18:17 > 0:18:19to have written on the front of it where it was.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22What do you think of it, do you like it?
0:18:22 > 0:18:23I think it is absolutely stunning.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I've never seen anything like it, it is just beautiful.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27Are you both of that opinion?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Yes, especially the attention to detail. It is unbelievable.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Well, I actually really like dioramas
0:18:33 > 0:18:35and I've actually got a number of them at home.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38They are often made out of all sorts of different things.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42It is a three-dimensional picture that's made in this box frame.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44He's actually made it out of...
0:18:44 > 0:18:47A lot of these things would have been commercially available.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Like the buildings are actually...
0:18:50 > 0:18:53appear to be made of an artist's card,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and then these little lithographic scraps, again,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58probably made in Germany.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00And you cannot imagine the amount of work
0:19:00 > 0:19:02that has obviously gone into making this.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04He obviously spent several nights at it.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06He's got all these little palm trees here,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09made from little natural plants and moss.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It has got a little bit of damage, you can see over here, for instance,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16some of the pillars have fallen down.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19So I think it perhaps needs somebody with a little bit of patience,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21perhaps to just try and put that back together.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23But it is a lovely thing.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Very desirable.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26If it were to come up for auction,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I think you would be looking at a figure,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30somewhere in the region of £400-£600.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- Wow!- Gosh!
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Hanbury Hall, where we are today,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40was built, or completed, in 1708,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43which is a reasonable time ago now.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47You have brought me in a book that was published in 1546,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49so it is quite an antique piece.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Well, it belonged to my grandfather, who was a doctor.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53My father was a doctor, I'm a doctor,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and now my daughter is just in the early part of her training,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58so we are all doctors in the family,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01so this feels like a special thing for us.
0:20:01 > 0:20:08It's a general book on anatomy, from 1546,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11written by a chap called Charles Estienne.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14He came from a family of French printers,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17publishers and authors as well.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22He was around in about 1504 to 1560-odd, something like that.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24He became the royal printer
0:20:24 > 0:20:29and this is his work on "La dissection des parties du corps",
0:20:29 > 0:20:32so "on dissection of the parts of the body".
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Are you a surgeon, or what are you?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- I'm a GP.- OK.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37I don't do much dissection these days.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41You don't, OK. The key part about this book is that it is illustrated
0:20:41 > 0:20:43with wonderful woodcut illustrations.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47And if we just turn to one here, for example.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52So this is a beautiful skeleton of, you know,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54showing the body with a lovely background,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56with all the different key points to it.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00You know them all, I wouldn't know one end of a body from another,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03frankly. So that's the skeletal side of things.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05And then here we have the body, again,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08with a sort of rather flamboyant background.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13And then opening it up again to another example
0:21:13 > 0:21:16of where we've got the skeleton counterposed
0:21:16 > 0:21:19with the sort of, what's this, the musculature.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Yes, all the muscles, isn't it?
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It almost looks like a Michelangelo, doesn't it?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25All the muscles delineated.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26I think they are mostly accurate.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Again, you can tell me whether they are accurate enough.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- It is pretty good. - It's in lovely condition
0:21:33 > 0:21:37and it's got some value to collectors,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40probably most of whom would be medical people, but not necessarily.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44If it came up for auction,
0:21:44 > 0:21:49I think you'd be looking at certainly £8,000-£12,000.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Oh, my gosh.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Really? I had no idea.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- Oh, right. - Really nice, thank you so much.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Thank you very much, it is really interesting, thank you.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03First and most important, I see from the badge there,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I've got to wish you a happy birthday.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- Yes, you have.- Very happy birthday.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08- Thank you very much.- So,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12what induced you to bring this tankard along on your birthday?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14We've had this in the family for ten years.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16My mum bought it at auction
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and she was bidding against the dealer,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23and she bidded up to £8,000 for it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25And then afterwards, a dealer came up to her and said,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27"You know you have just bought a fake?"
0:22:27 > 0:22:29She thinks it is Charles II.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31She's got a lot of silver
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and she thought she recognised the hallmarks on it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37But she's done some research since and she's found that, actually,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39I think in the late Victorians,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41they actually copied the Charles II stamp
0:22:41 > 0:22:44to make the silverware look like it was from Charles II's era.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- Right.- So, now there's this mystery over the tankard.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Is it Charles II or is it a fake?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53OK. Well, it's actually quite an intriguing one,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and it has taken me a little while thinking about it
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- to work out just what has happened here.- OK.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05It started off, in my opinion, as a Charles II tankard.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Then, in the Victorian period,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14the owner at that stage decided that they didn't want a tankard,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- they wanted a jug.- OK.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19So, what they would have done
0:23:19 > 0:23:24would have been to slice a V shape out of there
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and literally solder on a spout.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30More recently, somebody must have acquired it,
0:23:30 > 0:23:36decided that it wasn't much good being a jug, it wasn't right.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41What they did at that stage was to remove the spout
0:23:41 > 0:23:46and put in a plate of silver to cover where that had been.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So what they would have done would have been
0:23:48 > 0:23:52to actually remove the handle and move it around.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54To cover up the mark.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58To cover up. And we've got the evidence for that in here.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02If you look there, you can see this V-shape section.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- Oh, yes.- So...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07your mother paid?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10£8,000 for it.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Right. I mean, it is probably outside the law.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17What do you mean, it's outside the law?
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Because it has been...
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Because so much has been done to it.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- Oh, OK.- There are certain provisions for repair,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28- but this actually does go beyond ordinary repair.- Oh.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Because you have new silver over there, new silver there,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35new silver there, where that sort of V section was added.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39And these sections are all new, and so on.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44So, today, assuming it could be sold,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47with everything that has gone on there,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I think we would be hard pushed to reach £1,000.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53So we were right, then.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55It was a fake.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It is a heavily altered piece.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Right, OK.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02So, it is not that somebody
0:25:02 > 0:25:06- has started from scratch to make one today.- Right, OK.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08They've started with a Charles II tankard
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- and you can pick out the remains of it.- OK.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14And then they've got a bit carried away.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16We think it's lovely and we love it.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17We think it is very beautiful.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- That's great. - At least we now know the story,
0:25:20 > 0:25:21and I've got to try and remember
0:25:21 > 0:25:24everything you've just said about what's wrong with it.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Well, an autograph album.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Is it... Oh, Hilda Everett.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Now, Hilda Everett was a painter at the Worcester factory,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40so this must be an autograph album for all the painters who were there
0:25:40 > 0:25:44when she retired or some special occasion.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And how did you come by it?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I just found it when my grandad passed away.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51I just thought it was very nice.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53And your grandfather was...?
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Brian Clark, which was Hilda's son.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Hilda's son. So, you are her great-grandson.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01So I'm her great-grandson.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Great.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07She was a wonderful painter and this is her album.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09When painters left the factory,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12the painters used to gather together and do an autograph book.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15I've got my own. It is not as fine as this one.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19This is beautiful. And there are autographs in here, too.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23This is the Australian cricket team in 1934
0:26:23 > 0:26:25with Don Bradman.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30The Australian cricket team used to tour the factory.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32I took them round one year.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36They used to sign their names for everybody in the factory.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Here they are. That's a rather valuable little signature.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41But it is these paintings.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44This is by Ted Townsend
0:26:44 > 0:26:48with a gorgeous little dog carrying a duck.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50They are all there, good Lord.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And that's Kitty Blake.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54And they are wonderful.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Aren't they gorgeous things?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Is it going to go through the family?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Yes, I think so. It will go to my daughter.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Oh, yes. This is yours.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09How lovely! So, she is going to be the prize inheritor of this?
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Yes.- I think it is absolutely wonderful.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Some of these autograph books have fetched a lot of money.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17One went, a couple years ago,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21to £10,000 with very fine paintings in them.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23In value, I suppose you've got to think in terms
0:27:23 > 0:27:26of two or three or more thousand pounds.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I think it is absolutely beautiful. Look after it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Our impostor this week is not some modern piece of repro, oh, no.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Take a look at these four Greek vessels,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54which conjure up Greek antiquity.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59In actual fact, our impostor is the only one that is 2,000 years old.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Three of them are much more recent.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03All of these belong to
0:28:03 > 0:28:05our miscellaneous specialist, Mark Allum.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Mark, this is just a small part of your collection.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- How many have you got? - I have probably got about 30,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11but I haven't counted them recently, Fiona.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Right. Must be quite crowded in your house.
0:28:13 > 0:28:20- Yes, it is.- So, one is the genuine article, about 2,000 years old.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Over 2,000 years old, in fact.
0:28:22 > 0:28:242,500 years old almost, perhaps.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26And then the other three?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29The other three range from the late 18th-century
0:28:29 > 0:28:30through to the 19th-century.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32So you've got a bit of a spread there.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Here are some clues to help you decide.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39This encaustic-painted black basalt vase
0:28:39 > 0:28:43bears a striking resemblance to Wedgwood's famous First Day vases.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45So, is it a Georgian piece
0:28:45 > 0:28:47or is it the kind of truly ancient object
0:28:47 > 0:28:49that would have inspired such a copy?
0:28:50 > 0:28:54This black and red figure wine jug show signs of age,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56but is this the result of thousands of years of handling?
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Or has a Staffordshire potter just added some clever touches
0:28:59 > 0:29:01to make it appear old?
0:29:01 > 0:29:03This vase looks to be a great age,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06but perhaps it's just trying too hard.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Is it is a work of fantasy, made to fool a Grand Tour tourist?
0:29:10 > 0:29:14This elegant vase, depicting the classical myth of Leda and the Swan,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16looks as though it came from ancient Greece.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18But could it have been designed to capture the imagination
0:29:18 > 0:29:20of the 19th-century British market?
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Now, I had a chat to our visitors here beforehand.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Got differing views. But you are my partner in crime, I've decided.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- And you think this one?- Yeah.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34This one. And so do I.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36So we are going to go with this.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37I'll tell you why.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Also, I've picked your brains ruthlessly.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41This surely is far too pristine.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45This - ditto.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49This has clearly had quite a lot of damage,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52because it looks like it's all been put back together again.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55All I was thinking was, the faces on this and this are so similar.
0:29:59 > 0:30:00This could be a double bluff,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02because this obviously looks the most distressed.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Yes?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- We are going for this one. - You're going for the double bluff.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10So?
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- You are wrong.- Oh, no! LAUGHTER
0:30:12 > 0:30:14We thought it was, didn't we?
0:30:14 > 0:30:17This is the one that is 2,500 years old.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19This has got so much damage, hasn't it?
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- Yes.- It's got all sorts of cracks,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23where it has been put back together again.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Whereas with this one, they've just gone to far too much trouble.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29There is actually no damage to this at all,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32but there's so much patination and ageing
0:30:32 > 0:30:34and kind of overpainting.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38and bits and bobs that actually to get an ancient vase in this state,
0:30:38 > 0:30:39it's really had to go through the mill.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42This, obviously, is the most valuable.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44So, what makes you think it's the most valuable?
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Oh, crikey. Well, it has got to be, hasn't it?
0:30:48 > 0:30:50- Because it's the oldest?- Yes.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52And the rarest.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54That's where you're totally wrong.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57On this table is one vase that is worth so much more
0:30:57 > 0:31:00than all of the others, and it is that one.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02It is beautifully made, isn't it?
0:31:02 > 0:31:04And the reason it's worth so much more
0:31:04 > 0:31:08is because, despite this being 2,500 years old,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10this one is made by Wedgwood
0:31:10 > 0:31:14and this one was made in about 1780.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16That's one of my most treasured possessions, that vase.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18The one that I'd just dissed!
0:31:18 > 0:31:20So, what value does this have?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23It's got some damage, the top is all nibbled around,
0:31:23 > 0:31:24and the lid has actually been broken.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26I've never worried about having it restored,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28it doesn't worry me, it is as it is.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32But that's probably worth about £3,000-£5,000.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35Whereas this, 2,500 years old?
0:31:35 > 0:31:37£1,200-£1,800.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Really? I find that astonishing.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41But that's so much rarer than this.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45So, even though this is the piece from ancient Greece,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48- this is the star of the collection. - Absolutely.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53So we've got this amazing house behind us
0:31:53 > 0:31:56and what you've brought... We expect to see lovely things
0:31:56 > 0:31:58and you've brought something
0:31:58 > 0:32:00which looks like it's come out of the garden shed.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02- That's cos it has, pretty much. - Has it?- Yes, yes.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07It belonged to my grandparents and they had a farm out towards Malvern
0:32:07 > 0:32:11and they had to downsize for a number of reasons,
0:32:11 > 0:32:16and it basically got put in storage in a lean-to next to the house.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Basically, left to rot for a significant amount of time,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22- and my dad took a shine to it.- Do you know where they got it from?
0:32:22 > 0:32:25I've no idea. No, I have no idea where it came from.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27I think it's been in the family for a long time,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30but, as to where it came from, I really don't know.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32And so why did you bring it here today?
0:32:32 > 0:32:35People comment on it when they come into the house
0:32:35 > 0:32:36and we just wanted to know more about it
0:32:36 > 0:32:39so we've got more of a story to explain about it
0:32:39 > 0:32:42because we enjoy looking at it, but we don't know much about it, really.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44Have you done research on what it is, what you think it is?
0:32:44 > 0:32:47On the internet, yes. We think it is from Dutch East India.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I think it is late 17th century, maybe early 18th century.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53But it could, at the same time, be Victorian as well,
0:32:53 > 0:32:54because I think the style
0:32:54 > 0:32:56sort of came back into fashion at that point.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58It is one of those weird things,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01you know, when you get close, but you can't quite work it out.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06And I was looking at this earlier and it is a tricky one to work out.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11This style was originally thought to be an Elizabethan chair.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16Horace Walpole, the son of Robert Walpole, lived at Strawberry Hill
0:33:16 > 0:33:18and loved this sort of furniture.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22And they all thought, because basically he collected it,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25that it was what we call the Elizabethan chair.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Not correct. That pretty much lasted up until the mid-19th-century.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31So, then it became hugely fashionable.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Then what happens when something becomes hugely fashionable?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- People make copies.- Exactly.- Yeah.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43This style of chair is from Ceylon or sort of Batavia/Coromandel Coast.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48And on here, you can see imagery of sort of bursting pomegranates
0:33:48 > 0:33:52and then stylised tulips, so I think your Dutch connection
0:33:52 > 0:33:54is actually brilliant
0:33:54 > 0:33:58- because I think this was potentially made for the Dutch market.- Sure.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03The downside is I think it is a 19th-century copy.
0:34:03 > 0:34:10- OK.- Which does make a big difference in what people collect.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15So, your piece of furniture, which you dragged out of the shed,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18which obviously has the cat sleeping on it,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22I think is worth £2,000-£3000.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26- Wow!- That's still significant for a copy, isn't it?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29It's so collectable, this furniture,
0:34:29 > 0:34:31and I think this market is only going one way.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Have you ever been to the railway station at Braintree in Essex?
0:34:37 > 0:34:39No, I haven't. Never.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Never. And did you know that this was Braintree?
0:34:42 > 0:34:44- I didn't actually, no.- This is just
0:34:44 > 0:34:48the most extraordinary, brilliant design.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51You really feel the railway station has just been placed
0:34:51 > 0:34:53in this very simple green landscape.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56And of course, it's by a real sort of powerhouse, an amazing artist,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Edward Bawden, who was one of the great designers,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02illustrators and artists from the 20th century.
0:35:02 > 0:35:03Tell me, where did it come from?
0:35:03 > 0:35:08It was actually given to my parents as a wedding present in 1961,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12which is the same date on the actual label
0:35:12 > 0:35:14on the reverse of the painting.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16There is a Zwemmer Galleries label on the back,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18and what's interesting about that
0:35:18 > 0:35:22is that the Zwemmer Galleries had a great relationship with Bawden
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and gave him his first major show in 1934.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30So, here we have what seems to be a very simple design,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33but, of course, it is very, very sophisticated
0:35:33 > 0:35:37and he's really focused on the architecture of the railway station.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40This is a very modern image from 1961
0:35:40 > 0:35:43and, of course, you are looking at a diesel train.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Hardly any human element to this print at all,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50apart from the rather humorous driver in the front.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52And the diesel train would be replacing steam, of course,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55so it would be very much a modern statement from Bawden.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59He would have known this railway station,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01because when he was a student
0:36:01 > 0:36:03going down to Liverpool Street train station
0:36:03 > 0:36:05from Braintree as a student,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08he would use the station a great deal.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09So, have you done your own research?
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Do you know anything about Edward Bawden?
0:36:12 > 0:36:14I did actually look it up on the internet,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18where I actually found a picture exactly like this.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I took the picture down and had a look on the back
0:36:21 > 0:36:26and it actually said number one, as the first purchaser,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29and that is when I found out it was by Edward Bawden.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33So, apart from being a great designer, watercolourist, painter,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35he was also a great printer,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37and this is a linocut print
0:36:37 > 0:36:41and these sort of prints have become very, very popular.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45And the artist would carve out the design with a sharp implement
0:36:45 > 0:36:47and, on the surfaces that haven't been carved out,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49ink would be applied
0:36:49 > 0:36:51and then the paper would be pressed against that.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53And, in some instances,
0:36:53 > 0:36:57artists would use several pieces of linoleum to make this design.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01Of course, you are only really looking at three or four colours.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02We come to value.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Now, value is quite complicated with this print
0:37:04 > 0:37:08because a print like this should be signed.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Now, we're not going to take this print out of its frame,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13purely cos the paper is touching the glass.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- So, there's a further journey with this picture.- Yes.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Without a signature, it is certainly worth £2,000-£3,000.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- Nice.- Now,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23if a conservator can put that right
0:37:23 > 0:37:28and not damage the surface of the print and take it out easily,
0:37:28 > 0:37:30and on the lower right hand corner,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33or lower left, there is a signature by Bawden,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35then it's worth three or four times that.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40It is worth 6,000-8,000, possibly even £7,000-£10,000.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43You know, you've got the Zwemmer Gallery's provenance,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45you've got a fantastic image
0:37:45 > 0:37:48by a great British designer from the 20th century.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I hope that we can prove that there is a signature under there,
0:37:51 > 0:37:53there should be, and that it's not trimmed,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56and that it can be conserved and then it will be a perfect story.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58It's nice to know, thank you very much.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03So, we have two sets of medals here
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and two portrait photographs.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Who do these medals belong to?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Well, the medals at the top belong to my father.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14The medals underneath belong to my mother.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16And my father was a submarine captain,
0:38:16 > 0:38:23HMS Tribune, and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, DSC,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26for skill and bravery in the Mediterranean
0:38:26 > 0:38:28which included sinking ships
0:38:28 > 0:38:31designed to supply Rommel in North Africa
0:38:31 > 0:38:33during the North African campaign.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36He told me that it was extremely dangerous.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Only one in five of his friends and colleagues
0:38:39 > 0:38:43who started the war survived. And he had his fortune told twice,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46once in Egypt and once in Singapore,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and they both told him the same thing.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51They told him that he would survive the war and live to a ripe old age,
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and he did.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57He had a particularly interesting career, as it were,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00because he wasn't just in a submarine in the Mediterranean,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02he had another job with his submarine.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04What did he do with his submarine?
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Well, in early, very early 1943,
0:39:07 > 0:39:13he transported from SOE - the Special Operations Executive -
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Algiers' French section, three agents,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21and he dropped them off on the beach of occupied Corsica at night
0:39:21 > 0:39:25and these three agents were designated
0:39:25 > 0:39:31to co-ordinate all the French Resistance efforts in Corsica.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36Sadly, though, a double agent in SOE HQ had betrayed them
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and two out of three of them never came back.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42So, we are really in that clandestine world
0:39:42 > 0:39:44of the dark side of World War II,
0:39:44 > 0:39:46where we are landing people on beaches from rubber dinghies
0:39:46 > 0:39:51and going off, sabotage and infiltrating the German area
0:39:51 > 0:39:56behind the lines, as it were, so an incredibly dangerous job.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Well, my mother was...
0:39:58 > 0:39:59At the beginning of the war,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02she was actually commissioned into the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05the FANYs - F-A-N-Y.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07And somebody in military intelligence
0:40:07 > 0:40:10discovered that she spoke fluent French.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15So she was then transferred to the Special Operations Executive,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18the SOE, where she spent most of the war
0:40:18 > 0:40:23commissioning, despatching and operating agents,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26SOE agents and French Resistance fighters, in occupied Corsica.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27That was her station.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30A couple of months later, they met in Algiers
0:40:30 > 0:40:34when Dad's submarine, HMS Tribune, was restocking and refuelling
0:40:34 > 0:40:36and fell for each other,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and, within five days, they were engaged to be married.
0:40:39 > 0:40:40And it's incredible to think
0:40:40 > 0:40:44that they celebrated their engagement by having a picnic
0:40:44 > 0:40:46on a beach just outside Algiers,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49watching SOE agents training to blow up railway lines.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Your father, he has a beautiful set of campaign medals,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56the 39-45 Star,
0:40:56 > 0:40:57Atlantic Star,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Africa, with North Africa bar.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01And then Burma, as well,
0:41:01 > 0:41:05and with a Pacific bar, showing that he moved on to the Far East as well.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07And a mention in dispatches
0:41:07 > 0:41:11and then Her Majesty's Coronation Medal from 1953.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14But Mum has a superb set of medals as well, doesn't she?
0:41:14 > 0:41:15The one on the right here
0:41:15 > 0:41:18is the French La Medaille De La Reconnaissance,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20the medal of recognition,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22also known as the medal of gratitude,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25and this was awarded by the provisional French government
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and presented to her by General Charles de Gaulle himself,
0:41:28 > 0:41:31and that's actually on the citation.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34We have two sets of medals, therefore,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38which are very interesting from a World War II perspective,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41because they take us to that dark side of World War II,
0:41:41 > 0:41:46to that shadow world of secret agents.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51And, because of that, they have an amount of value.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56I could certainly see these making somewhere between £4,000-£6,000.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- Oh, goodness.- So, they are quite a good set of medals.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Well, the most important point is that we in the family
0:42:02 > 0:42:04are extremely proud of what they did for us
0:42:04 > 0:42:06and for the country during the war.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Well, this is a proper box of joy.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14There are so many little interesting things in here.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17I don't know where to start. How did you come by all this lot?
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Well, most of them I bought in the 1970s,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23and I always sort of try to buy unusual things,
0:42:23 > 0:42:25like these two here.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Things I've never seen before and things I like, basically.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Well, I think you've done a great job.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32I wish I had opened a box like that
0:42:32 > 0:42:34when I was mooching around looking for antiques.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36I won't go through every single item,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38but there's a few great favourites here.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41That's gorgeous, there's a little mid-18th-century needle case,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44or bodkin case, which is agate and gold.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47That's worth about £400-£500.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Little Russian box - again, in perfect condition.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52That's gone up and up and up since the 1970s.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54£400-£500 comfortably.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Do you know what these are?
0:42:56 > 0:42:59I presume they are commemorative medallions.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Yes, you're right. That's quite a scarce one, that's Charles II,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04showing your royalist sympathy.
0:43:04 > 0:43:05That's Charles I.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07That one is worth about 200-300.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10- That one is worth about 700-800. - Gosh!
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Yeah. And then you've got a group of gold seals.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16My favourite, by a country mile, is that one.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18- Why is that?- That's 17th century.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20- About 1670, 1680.- Wow!
0:43:20 > 0:43:22These are worth sort of £300-£400 each.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26That's worth all of that. If it belongs to somebody interesting,
0:43:26 > 0:43:27comfortably £1,000.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30- That's amazing.- It's better than the gold ones, isn't it?
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Yes, the gold ones can go.
0:43:32 > 0:43:33THEY LAUGH
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And then you've got a Marius Hammer Norwegian enamelled salt cellar,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38which is glorious.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Beautiful little treasure of a thing.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42That's £200-£300 again.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44I congratulate you on your hunting skills, sir,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I wish I had found all this lot mooching around antique fairs.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49I would be very pleased with myself.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52I've enjoyed owning them. I really have.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56You know, I seem to both live and work in a very small world,
0:43:56 > 0:44:01because we have one person
0:44:01 > 0:44:04who is very much a person we have in common, is that right?
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Yes, we do indeed.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08And would you like to name that man?
0:44:08 > 0:44:11- It's Henry Sandon.- Henry Sandon.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13When you think of Worcester porcelain,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15- you think of Henry Sandon.- Yes.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20But you also have a very strong affinity
0:44:20 > 0:44:22with the Worcester porcelain works because you were...
0:44:22 > 0:44:24I was a paintress for 30 years.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Now, you said "paintress".
0:44:25 > 0:44:27So, you're happy to be called a paintress?
0:44:27 > 0:44:29That's what they used to call us in the old days.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32Right. Here you are, decorating.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34You are hand-painting.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37Yes, everything was hand-painted.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38I mean, this is your album,
0:44:38 > 0:44:44and this is all hand-decorated, and then it is fired on porcelain.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49And if we look inside, I think, if I can do this,
0:44:49 > 0:44:50there's the man himself.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53He hasn't changed a bit, has he?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55He was born looking 90.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57- Aww!- That's why. - LAUGHTER
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Bless him. So, you've brought along another example of your work
0:45:03 > 0:45:04and I love your dish.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07How long would it take you to paint something like that?
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Oh, quite a few hours.
0:45:09 > 0:45:10It is three fires.
0:45:10 > 0:45:15You do a first fire and then you do your second and your third,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17so you don't just put it all on in one go.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21I mean, you also were painting birds as well, I can see.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25That's what you started off on, you know, when you were an apprentice.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28You did the Dorothy Doughty birds and the days of the week
0:45:28 > 0:45:30and things like that, you see,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32and then you gradually worked your way up
0:45:32 > 0:45:36and then I started on the Victorian figurines there.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39And the book, dare I say, by the man himself.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41And has he signed that for you?
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- Yes.- I'm not surprised. - He signed it a long time ago.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46Yes, I've yet to find a copy he hasn't signed.
0:45:46 > 0:45:47That's why I say that.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51I notice also you've got this big white figure here.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Bless me, I mean, she's been through the wars.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57I've noticed actually that your birds have been a bit bashed.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Do you live with a cat or something?
0:45:59 > 0:46:01They are rejects, they were rejects when I had them.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04- Oh, they were rejects.- So they're not exactly stable to begin with.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06You know, things can drop off them.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08I don't necessarily break them myself.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Oh, you don't. It's not really for me to say
0:46:11 > 0:46:15what these things are worth because this is your lifetime's archive.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18It's testament to the skill
0:46:18 > 0:46:23and the pride that was taken in Worcester porcelain.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Just one more question - are you a Taurus?
0:46:27 > 0:46:28I'm Sagittarius.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31It would have suited me for you to be a bull in a china shop.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34LAUGHTER
0:46:56 > 0:46:59When you came to my table with this box
0:46:59 > 0:47:01and when I opened it to reveal
0:47:01 > 0:47:05this elegant jewel, it was a real, real pleasure.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07How did you first come to have this?
0:47:07 > 0:47:11Well, let's think. Many, many years, 40-odd years plus...
0:47:11 > 0:47:13We had a very bad car accident
0:47:13 > 0:47:17and Anita looked after the property we were in wonderfully
0:47:17 > 0:47:19and I just bought it for her
0:47:19 > 0:47:22as a thank-you for looking after everything.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26The first thing you thought was a jewel because you love jewellery?
0:47:26 > 0:47:30- Yes.- Yes, a lovely lady deserves lovely jewellery.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Quite right. So, then you bought it.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37You took it home and you thought, "How am I going to give this or...?"
0:47:37 > 0:47:39It was coming up to Easter
0:47:39 > 0:47:43so I put it in a chocolate Easter egg, wrapped it all back up again...
0:47:43 > 0:47:45You put this in a chocolate Easter egg?
0:47:45 > 0:47:46Yes. Re-wrapped it.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48With the foil over the top as well?
0:47:48 > 0:47:50- Yes, gold foil.- And back in the box?
0:47:50 > 0:47:54And back in the box. I gave it to my wife, and what did you say?
0:47:54 > 0:47:58Well, I had decided to go on a diet, yet another diet.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00We always go on diets at Easter time.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03So I said, "Oh, it's lovely of you,"
0:48:03 > 0:48:08but really I didn't want to have any more Easter eggs
0:48:08 > 0:48:09or chocolate because of the diet.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11He said, "Well, just try one."
0:48:11 > 0:48:13So I did try one.
0:48:13 > 0:48:18And then out tumbled this and it was...
0:48:18 > 0:48:21It really just took me back for a while.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24I couldn't quite believe it. I thought, "Gosh,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26"what giveaways they give with Easter eggs nowadays!"
0:48:26 > 0:48:29You probably thought it wasn't real,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- to start with. - I was very lucky indeed.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35I just think that is such a splendid, splendid story.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39And, not only that, it is a splendid jewel and an elegant jewel.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41It's quintessentially English.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45It's round about 1895-1900.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48It's 15 carat gold.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51What you're looking for in an opal is a lovely splash of colour.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54It's like an artist with a palette
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and brush strokes of different colours
0:48:57 > 0:49:01and the reds and the oranges and the blues and the greens.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06These really do have that magical look to them.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10- They're delicate.- Yes. It is, that's why it's so elegant.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14- Isn't it?- You've got here the cushion-shaped diamonds.
0:49:14 > 0:49:20- Right.- They are on these very fine wire little links there.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25It really is making the stone stand out and not the gold.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28The gold is there to facilitate the stones.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31I mean, the value...
0:49:31 > 0:49:34In an auction, you're probably going to be looking
0:49:34 > 0:49:36in the region of £3,000-£5,000.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37Lovely.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39I don't think I'll be parting with it, though.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43I should hope not! I should hope not and I hope you're going to wear it
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- and enjoy it.- Yes, indeed.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48- And well done, sir.- Thank you.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of Napoleon.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54I'll put my cards on the table.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56I'm more of a Wellington man, I'm afraid.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58He abandoned armies across the world.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00The flower of French youth -
0:50:00 > 0:50:02not a fan, despite what modern historians say,
0:50:02 > 0:50:03and they're saying it a lot.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06This sketch purports to have been done
0:50:06 > 0:50:13- of Napoleon on his deathbed on 6th May 18...- 21.- 21.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Thank you very much. This was done on the island of St Helena.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17- It was.- By whom?
0:50:17 > 0:50:21It was done by Ensign Ward of the 66th Regiment.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25He was out there guarding the Emperor and guarding St Helena.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- Or guarding the Emperor from going back to France.- Yes, indeed.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32That was the thing the English were absolutely terrified of,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35- wasn't it?- They were. - How did you get it?
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Are you related to Ensign Ward?
0:50:37 > 0:50:40No, I'm not. I got it from my grandfather,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42who was a doctor of divinity at Oxford.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46My guess is that he acquired it in the 19th century,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51not terribly long, maybe 40 or 50 years after the letter was written.
0:50:51 > 0:50:56As with many things, it's a bit like relics of saints.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57There are several St Peter's fingers
0:50:57 > 0:51:01and however many other body parts there are of various saints.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04There is so much to do with Napoleon that is apocryphal
0:51:04 > 0:51:06and we're not absolutely sure if it is right.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09So everything depends on the provenance of this.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Now, I rather like this letter that's with it.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14We'll just read a little bit out.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17"The face had a remarkably placid expression
0:51:17 > 0:51:21"and indicated mildness and sweetness of disposition."
0:51:21 > 0:51:22He got that wrong, didn't he?
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Absolutely! He was a villain.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26I think so, too. I'm so glad you agree.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28"Those who gazed upon the features
0:51:28 > 0:51:31"as they lay in the still repose of death
0:51:31 > 0:51:33"could not help exclaiming, 'How beautiful!' "
0:51:36 > 0:51:39- I don't think so.- I think it might have been written by a Frenchman.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Well, I think when he died, there was this sense
0:51:42 > 0:51:44that Napoleon had been a great man
0:51:44 > 0:51:47and people forgave him his sins in death.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Do you think that he actually sat down
0:51:49 > 0:51:53and did exactly that drawing in front of Napoleon?
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I'm pretty hopeful that he did.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59I'm confident in the paper because the paper has little blotches on it
0:51:59 > 0:52:02that you get from paper at that time.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05I have some other drawings in my family of that period
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and I know that's what happens to the paper.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11The letter itself would seem to be genuine.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14He had this very interesting little perspective
0:52:14 > 0:52:18that he made a drawing of Napoleon within 24 hours of Napoleon dying.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Well, I quite like your case, actually.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22I don't see any reason to doubt it.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24- Good, thank you. - Of course, these things
0:52:24 > 0:52:27are usually guilty until proven innocent.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- Yes.- That's the only thing we've got to remember.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32That is about as good a case as I've ever heard
0:52:32 > 0:52:35for anything to do with Napoleon. So, what is this worth?
0:52:35 > 0:52:39I'm going to put a tentative £2,000-£3,000 on it.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41That's very generous of you.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43I'll sell it to you for that!
0:52:43 > 0:52:44LAUGHTER
0:52:44 > 0:52:46I don't want it!
0:52:46 > 0:52:48There are lots of people out there who do, though.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51If people agree with you that it is actually real
0:52:51 > 0:52:55and that Ensign Ward sat down and did that from his corpse,
0:52:55 > 0:52:57then that picture is the sort of thing
0:52:57 > 0:53:01that has the cache to make a really big sum.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Right, ladies and gentlemen, before I get going,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05I want to ask you a question.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09What happened at the British Museum in 1972?
0:53:10 > 0:53:13What was at the British Museum in 1972?
0:53:13 > 0:53:15- Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen. - Tutankhamen!
0:53:15 > 0:53:17This is almost as old.
0:53:17 > 0:53:24It is 2,500 years old and by miles the earliest piece of glass
0:53:24 > 0:53:28I have ever handled in my life.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Well, tell us about it in your life.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Well, I was at this auction and I saw the item.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36It took my interest.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I was very interested in the patterns.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41It was described as possibly being Roman
0:53:41 > 0:53:44so I ventured to buy it.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46Subsequently, here it is!
0:53:46 > 0:53:51OK, so this is Greek, so it's pre-Roman.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53It's Hellenistic.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55The most remarkable thing about this
0:53:55 > 0:53:58is that every piece of glass in everybody's home is blown.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00This is pre-blowing.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Glass-blowing was created, was invented
0:54:03 > 0:54:06about 50 years before the birth of Christ.
0:54:06 > 0:54:0850 BC is glass-blowing.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12This is 1,000 years earlier than the first blown glass.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17- Wow!- The way they made these is they core-formed them.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21What you did - and you won't believe this, but it's completely true -
0:54:21 > 0:54:24what they did was they went out and collected donkey poo...
0:54:26 > 0:54:29They did! They collected donkey and camel poo
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and they formed it into a core.
0:54:32 > 0:54:37The core would be exactly the shape of the inside of this.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Then they put the core on a stick
0:54:40 > 0:54:44and wrapped the glass around the core.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46And when it was fully formed,
0:54:46 > 0:54:50they allowed it to cool and then you put this in water
0:54:50 > 0:54:56and the water was taken in by this friable material,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59which then you could pick out the poo with...
0:54:59 > 0:55:01It was one of the big jobs of the time!
0:55:01 > 0:55:03LAUGHTER
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Then you would get a stylus.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10The glass was still malleable and you drag it down here
0:55:10 > 0:55:14to create this herringbone. This is a very beautiful, pretty example.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17It has, actually, at one time in its life,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20been hit by a missile and somebody has very carefully restored it.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24There must be ten pieces of this, but it has been expertly restored.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28You need to find out where it has been.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Do you not know the previous owner?
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Have you not done any research on this?
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Yes, I had the auctioneer send the owner a letter.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40She got in touch with me and said it belonged in her collection
0:55:40 > 0:55:44with her husband in the 1960s, early '60s.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46That's very, very good news for you.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Do you know why?
0:55:48 > 0:55:51There are incredibly strict criminal laws
0:55:51 > 0:55:56that apply to objects that could have been nicked out of tombs.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58These were burial objects.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02This is an amphora that would have been placed
0:56:02 > 0:56:05in order to accompany the deceased into the next life.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10If you can't prove that it has a certified provenance,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12you know what?
0:56:12 > 0:56:14It's a criminal offence to sell it.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16It's totally an illegal object,
0:56:16 > 0:56:20but the fact that you wrote to that owner
0:56:20 > 0:56:23meant that your 150 quid purchase...
0:56:26 > 0:56:28- 2,000 quid.- No!
0:56:30 > 0:56:32That's... That's a bit of money in the bank, isn't it?
0:56:32 > 0:56:35I tell you what, people say at the end of recordings,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37"Thanks for bringing it in." But, boy, do I mean it!
0:56:37 > 0:56:41This is just so brilliant of you to bring it in!
0:56:41 > 0:56:43This is... What a gem!
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- A total gem.- Lovely.
0:56:47 > 0:56:48Well, how about that?
0:56:48 > 0:56:53The oldest glass that Andy McConnell has ever seen.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Do you remember how, at the beginning of the programme,
0:56:55 > 0:56:56we were talking about the link
0:56:56 > 0:56:58between Hanbury Hall and The Archers -
0:56:58 > 0:57:02how Hanbury Hall might have been the basis for Lower Loxley?
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Well, we thought some Archers memorabilia might come along
0:57:04 > 0:57:06and, sure enough, it has. Have a look at this.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Meet The Archers -
0:57:08 > 0:57:12the original cast, lots of photographs and all signed.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15As we go along, Doris Archer
0:57:15 > 0:57:19and, look, Grace Fairbrother, who was, of course, Ysanne Churchman.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22It caused a right old hoo-ha when she died.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27It lists here, "Likes - sea and bathing, sun, sand,
0:57:27 > 0:57:30"cats and iced coffee."
0:57:30 > 0:57:31Fantastic!
0:57:31 > 0:57:34From Hanbury Hall - or Lower Loxley -
0:57:34 > 0:57:36and all the Antiques Roadshow team, bye-bye.