0:00:45 > 0:00:48This week, the Antiques Roadshow makes a return visit
0:00:48 > 0:00:50to Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And although there's been an estate here for almost 1,000 years,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57it's the last century that's seen the most dramatic changes here.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04For hundreds of years, Trentham was a great estate.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08In the 18th century, its grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It was a show-piece for its owner,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14George Granville Leveson-Gower, the Duke of Sutherland.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The only people who were allowed to enjoy the grounds
0:01:17 > 0:01:20were those fortunate enough to be invited to stay.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25By 1905, though, all that had changed.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28The once immaculate estate had fallen into decline
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and the fourth Duke of Sutherland tried and failed to sell it.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Six years later, most of Trentham Hall was demolished,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39the contents of the house were sold off for a measly ?500,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and the family moved away.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44The gardens, though, were up for grabs.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Every possible use for the land was considered.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53A miniature railway transported visitors to an Art Deco
0:01:53 > 0:01:56open-air swimming pool, while boat rides gave families
0:01:56 > 0:02:00the chance to enjoy Capability Brown's lake in style.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Throughout the 1930s and '40s,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05it was known as Trentham Gardens Pleasure Park.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Trentham Gardens was no longer for the privileged few.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Local people from Stoke-on-Trent began to flock here.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It became known as the Playground of the Potteries.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Trentham Ballroom was built on the grounds in 1931.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23In its day, it saw performances by countless dance bands and gigs
0:02:23 > 0:02:26by acts including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and, in 1963, the Beatles.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Sadly, by the 1970s, Trentham Gardens was fading
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and faced an uncertain future.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Over the next few years, the pool was filled in,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44the estate and its former attractions were largely abandoned
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and its once-famous gardens overgrown.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51The fate of the 725-acre estate
0:02:51 > 0:02:55hung in the balance for 20 years until, in 1996, it was
0:02:55 > 0:02:59bought by owners with an ambition to restore it to its former glory.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05The task was enormous, but in 2004, the gardens were finally opened.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Much has been done,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09thousands of trees have been planted, to restore
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Capability Brown's former landscape.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14And as for the Italianate Garden,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16well, it's been uncovered, replanted
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and look at them, they're glorious.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Trentham Gardens is once again the Playground of the Potteries
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and attracting people in their droves
0:03:25 > 0:03:26for today's Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Let's see what they've brought along for our experts.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Well, I think this is a fascinating vase,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34but what is it you want to know about it?
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Well, I'd really like to know how old it is
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and what the characters mean.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Well, it's charming. You probably know it's Chinese.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Yes. I don't know if you've done any homework on it,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51but the type of decoration, where they've painted in under-glaze blue
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and then painted with over-glaze enamels, it's called Wucai.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57It dates from the middle of the 17th century.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Well, I wondered if it did and then somebody told us
0:04:00 > 0:04:03it was actually 19th century, but we weren't certain.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05No. This is definitely not a 19th-century vase.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08This is usually referred to as the transitional period, which is
0:04:08 > 0:04:12the transition between the Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17But it's the subject which I think is so fascinating.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22What's written down here is two phrases of a poem.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It's from a Chinese love story called the Yu Jiao Li,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31which translates in English to The Two Fair Maidens.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I'm not sure, I'll have to check.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34But so we've got these fair ladies
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and they're all involved in embroidery.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Yes. Now, have you had a look at what this one's doing?
0:04:40 > 0:04:41No, what?
0:04:41 > 0:04:45She's got, this robe here, it's got a dragon on it. Yes.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46It's a dragon robe.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49So you see the dragon head and it's got some scales there.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And she's mending it. Ah!
0:04:52 > 0:04:56And it's got another subtle meaning interwoven in.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00They're not just making, embroidering robes for their lovers,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05but her mending a dragon robe is supposed to represent
0:05:05 > 0:05:09correcting a mistake or an error of the emperor.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12So it's got actually a bit of a political meaning, woven
0:05:12 > 0:05:15into the whole fabric of the love story, which I think is fabulous.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20There is a problem with this vase. Yes. The cracks.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Well, it has got a crack on the back... Yes.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26..but it's worse than that.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Oh. What have you done with the top two inches?
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Well, they were never there, when I got it.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Well, they were there once.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39No, all that was in it was a teasel.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It had a teasel in it. Well, I mean, it's a shame.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45This vase used to be two or three inches taller than this.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48All right, OK. And if you look closely at the top of the rim,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49we've got glaze all over here.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52But if you look at the top, it's been ground off and polished.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Of course, it absolutely wrecks its value.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I suppose you want to know what it's worth or what it would have
0:05:57 > 0:06:00been worth if it hadn't been sawn off.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I guess so. Well...
0:06:03 > 0:06:08Rare transitional vases with stories illustrated on them,
0:06:08 > 0:06:14something like this could fetch 25 or ?30,000.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Right.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And now it's only worth ?3,000.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Right.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Well, that's good. Thank you.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28So if I had to match an object to an owner, you
0:06:28 > 0:06:33would be literally the last person I would put this to here today.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It is quite gruesome. What are you doing with it?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Well, I've just started out in the antiques trade
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and I picked it up at auction. OK.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43It's an odd one for someone starting out in the trade to buy.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45What was it that attracted you to it?
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I really like the carving, it's beautiful.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I didn't know, first of all, what the carving was.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And then with a bit of research, I found out it's the Last Judgment.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I found out it's a stiletto sword.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57They were usually used to, I can't pronounce it,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59the coup de grace on the battlefield,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01to give, like, the mercy kill.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Yes, exactly. The coup de grace, the final...
0:07:05 > 0:07:07I think it's more of a protection dagger
0:07:07 > 0:07:10rather than a battlefield piece or like you say,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14the piece which would finish someone off, as a mercy kill.
0:07:14 > 0:07:20But date-wise? I was guessing 1510, 1520. OK.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24I think it's more 17th century, so early 1600s,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27but, you know, more research is needed.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Country of origin, you say Italian? I would, yeah, Italian.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I would go more German. Yeah. But they did...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And the stiletto thing, obviously, well, that's basically where we get
0:07:37 > 0:07:40the stiletto heel from, in women's shoes, it comes from the dagger.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Oh, right, OK.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46But I still can't put the two together, it's kind of...
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I don't take it out every day. No, good.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53I think it's just stunning quality.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56This is a fruit-wood handle, all carved here.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And like you say, you've got God there judging.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02You've got the sort of final trumpeters going down,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05descending into hell with the skeletons at the bottom.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10And then, on the other side, you've got the devil there.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17And again, more people sort of in their... Not a good state. No.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20And really the message it's giving out is that
0:08:20 > 0:08:25if you meet the person that has this stiletto, he is pretty much God
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and he's sending you to where you don't want to be.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Did you pay much for it? ?120. OK.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Because obviously if you're starting out life as a dealer,
0:08:34 > 0:08:39you want to make a profit. So would you guess you've done well?
0:08:39 > 0:08:40I'd guess I've done well.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I think you've done very well
0:08:42 > 0:08:47because I would put that into an auction at 2,000 to ?3,000.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Oh, that's brilliant.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51SHE LAUGHS
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Thank you very much.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54SHE LAUGHS
0:08:54 > 0:08:57You've got the dealer's laugh. THEY BOTH LAUGH
0:08:57 > 0:08:59That's not a good thing.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01You've done incredibly well and I'm very jealous.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I just love it. Thank you.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Original paintings of prize fighters, boxers,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12are particularly rare.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14In terms of condition,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17your painting has certainly been through quite a few rounds.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Can you tell me what's happened to it?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Well, it hung in the tap room of my parents' pub for,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25well, about 80-odd years.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And it's probably covered in nicotine
0:09:27 > 0:09:30because you could never see for smoke in the tap room.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34And then, for the last 40 years, it's stood on the bedroom floor.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37First at my parents and then at my house.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38It's had a rough life, I think.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It has had a rough life, but it's a very, very interesting subject.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Do we know who he is?
0:09:43 > 0:09:44He's Bob Brettle.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Now, Bob Brettle's quite famous.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Can you tell me a bit more about him?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Well, he was the Welterweight Champion of England.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57He was born in Portobello in 1832, near Edinburgh.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And he only lived to about 40.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Not surprisingly, some of the fights he had.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The first fight he had was 80 rounds.
0:10:06 > 0:10:0980 rounds, that's extraordinary. 80 rounds.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13And we've got a framed newspaper, page out of a newspaper,
0:10:13 > 0:10:19with one of his fights on that actually goes 34 rounds on Tuesday
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and 100 rounds on Wednesday.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23My goodness!
0:10:23 > 0:10:26And he won it because he was the only one left standing.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's unbelievable, isn't it? No wonder he had a short life.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Yeah, yeah.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Now in terms of the painting, if we look at this,
0:10:32 > 0:10:37it is an original oil on canvas that's been laid down onto card.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41In the top right-hand corner, you can see the paint separation.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44That's probably from heat in the pub. It must have been near a fire.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48But further down, it's been creased, there's been repairs.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50So it has been through the wars.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Throughout my career, I've seen a handful of really good
0:10:53 > 0:10:56pugilist pictures, but they are very, very rare.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01Now often, the ones of him and other prize-fighters,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04they were done by amateurs from original lithographs.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08One of the reasons I think the painting is by an amateur,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12is you get this very one-dimensional feel in the figure.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And we look at the fists here too, they're very flat.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18But it's still going to date probably to the
0:11:18 > 0:11:20last half of the 19th century.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22So I hope when I give you the value
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I'm not going to get a knockout punch. No.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27But this picture is a very rare subject
0:11:27 > 0:11:30and certainly worth 1,000 to ?1,500.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Without the damage,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34then it would be worth at least three or four times that.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It's the condition that lets it down.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39But it's a real rarity and thank you for bringing it to us.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40My pleasure.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48How long have you had this lovely piece?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Well, it's come from my grandmother's
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and I played with it as a child.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56She used to keep it down the side of the couch in her front room,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58you know, the best room.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I was always allowed to just look at it, play with it a little.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Then she gave it to my mother.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09And now it's mine. So that's actually all I know about it.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Well, if I told you it was 1840. Right, OK.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And they're little papier mache dolls. Oh, right.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19It's known as an automaton, but it's not
0:12:19 > 0:12:23a musical automaton because it's really early for an automaton.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24Right. It winds.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29The winding mechanism was probably made near Neufchatel in Switzerland
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and sent over and put into the box,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37which was then decorated, probably in England.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42The little dolls are all probably French dresses.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Right. They are absolutely enchanting.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47They're one of my favourite automata.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49They're in marvellous condition. I thought they were.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I didn't realise they were papier mache.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54But they're absolutely enchanting, absolutely enchanting.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I think if I was born in 1840, I wouldn't be looking like that.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59THEY LAUGH
0:12:59 > 0:13:01I don't think any of us would.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03The only thing I'm really concerned about is,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05whether it's going to work.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09But before we start making it work, I'm going to just put a price on it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10And have you any idea?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12OK. I've no idea whatsoever.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15You haven't looked on anything? No, no.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Well, I'm going to put a price of 2,000 to ?3,000 on it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Really? Wow.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Gosh, that's fantastic.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27I've always liked it a lot, but I'm surprised at that, I really am.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Right. Let's try. Don't you dare disobey me.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36Ah.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39THEY LAUGH
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I love the little one on a swing. Yes, so do I. So do I.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Come on, give us a hand.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51One, two, three.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Blooming hellfire.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58I'm not sure it's big enough.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Is this is where you keep your marmalade? No.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03I keep it on my windowsill.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Did you buy it?
0:14:05 > 0:14:08No, I found it in an old bag in a garden of a very old
0:14:08 > 0:14:12gentleman that I'm friends with, along with a few other things.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Wow, that certainly gets your eyeballs burning, doesn't it?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I saw it in the presentation case in my grandma's house
0:14:18 > 0:14:21in Germany and fell in love with it ever since I was a child.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25OK. Well, this is Czech from the '70s.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30I went to the factory before it closed down. This was made at Exbor.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33I showed it to a guy who valets my car, who's
0:14:33 > 0:14:37got a bit of an interest and he said, "Oh, I think it's majolica."
0:14:37 > 0:14:39So I just like it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I can see why he thinks it's majolica, but it's not.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45This is cream-ware and it's about 1760.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The blokes made them and the girls decorated them.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53This is physically a very demanding piece of glass to make.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57I've seen them working on identical pieces, albeit much smaller
0:14:57 > 0:15:02than this and they would use palette knives, just like fine artists,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06to build up this coloured gold leaf to create the gilding.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09Despite its huge scale,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13I think it's only a couple of hundred quid, to be honest. OK.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18It's a really rare thing and even though it's broken,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21it's about ?1,500 worth.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22Thank you. Happy?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Oh, yes, really happy. Good. Thank you.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Here we are surrounded by all this equipment
0:15:33 > 0:15:37needed to make a modern film or television programme.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42And yet we have here its earliest forebear.
0:15:42 > 0:15:48This is a movie camera dating from around 1910, 1915.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Now I take it you must be a real enthusiast to own such a thing?
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I bought it because I liked it, rather than knowing
0:15:55 > 0:15:58anything about photography or movies or anything.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I just liked it as a piece of furniture.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02It is and do you know, the interesting thing is,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05you say it's like buying a piece of furniture.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Here we've got this fabulous mahogany body bound with brass.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13And down here beside me you've got the matching carrying case.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Similarly, really robustly and beautifully made.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23When you bought it, which was what, recently? No. 1980.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25What did you know about it at that point?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I didn't really know anything at all.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29It was supposed to have got some history with a guy called
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Cherry Kearton, but that didn't mean anything to me.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34You might as well have said the Man in the Moon.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Well, Cherry Kearton, of course, is a name
0:16:37 > 0:16:39to conjure with in early movie making.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I mean, one could possibly describe him as
0:16:41 > 0:16:44the David Attenborough of his day.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49He was very involved with creating wildlife and nature photography,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53right back, really from the 1890s, right the way through.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55So that's a bit about who might have owned the camera.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Now let's just look at the camera itself.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The viewfinder is straight through from the back to the front.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And if I open this up,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08we can actually see the shutter in operation.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Look at that.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's just a hole cut into the body of the camera
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and this swinging sector goes round and creates the moving image.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Wonderful. I mean, it's basic technology, but it works. Yeah.
0:17:23 > 0:17:29And then this side, we can actually look at the mechanism.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35And again, with the winding handle, we can see that it grabs the film,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39it pushes it through, it's guided on the sprockets on these wheels.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43And it's feeding through from one film canister
0:17:43 > 0:17:45into another film canister.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49And on this canister is something that makes my heart beat faster.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55This monogram says W in the centre and it says K Co Limited.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59It relates to a man called James Williamson. Right.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05James Williamson was one of the Victorian pioneers of movie making.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06Oh, right.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Based in Hove, he was a movie maker himself.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13He specialised in these sort of one-minute comedies.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17In 1910, he set up his own camera company -
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Williamson Kinematograph Co Limited.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Right.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25And his cameras are thought to be some of the very best
0:18:25 > 0:18:28because he was a movie maker himself,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30so he knew what he wanted in a camera. Knew what he was doing.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I'm going to ask you what you paid.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Well, it was a long time ago,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38but I think it was pretty close to ?400.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43I think that if that link to Kearton could be proved,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46we're talking about 3,000 to ?5,000.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Happy days.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51HE LAUGHS
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Fantastic.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Yeah, great that is, isn't it?
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Standing in front of Trentham Hall, this is just the sort
0:19:00 > 0:19:04of table I could imagine the Dukes of Sutherland having in their house.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06So how do you have it in your house?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Well, as far as I know, my best understanding is that this
0:19:10 > 0:19:14was produced by Thomas Forrester in the early 1880s
0:19:14 > 0:19:17as one of three for his three sons.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And it has remained in the family ever since.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21So you are a Mr Forrester?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22I am indeed, yes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And this was made by your grandfather, great grandfather?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Great grandfather. Thomas Forrester.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And I understand that they did make quite a number
0:19:30 > 0:19:32in order to get three good ones.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33They would have to
0:19:33 > 0:19:35because to make one is a challenge.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36But to make three,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and presumably three the same, so they didn't fight,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42that would be, I mean, they probably made 20 or 30 of them.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Because not only could they have bent in the kiln,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47they could have got burnt in the kiln as well.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Because this would have been made and fired once to biscuit stage.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53It would have been glazed and fired again.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Then it would have been painted and fired again.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57And then gilded and fired again.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So all those times in the kiln, it could have either bent,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02it could have cracked, it could have got burnt.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05And this is all completely freehand painted.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Even the background, everything completely hand-painted.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12So to have produced this - and we are talking the 1870s, 1880s -
0:20:12 > 0:20:16at that time, in coal-fired kilns,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20this really is the most amazing tribute to the skills of your family
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and the skill-set that was in Stoke-on-Trent at that time.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Oh, thank you. So is it on display,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28is it hidden under a cover or locked away in a room?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Usually, it's in secure storage.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34From time to time, we have it out at home.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Because I can see there's some little bits of wear here.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Obviously, it has been used in its time. Yep.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43You know, it's purely hypothetical because I don't think you'll
0:20:43 > 0:20:46ever sell it, but, you know, there is a market for this.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It is, you know, it is a showy piece of porcelain and some
0:20:50 > 0:20:53people like that. And let's be fair, where would you get another one?
0:20:53 > 0:20:58But if you were to sell this, it would easily make five, six, seven,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00even ?8,000.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Well, I'm not surprised, but I've no intention of selling it.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Let me shake your hand. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14It's an interesting group of objects you've got here.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Where did they come from? Thank you.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19They are all from China.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21My father was born in China.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27They were China inland missionaries to convert the...
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The Chinese, yes. Very non-PC now.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Absolutely, yes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And his mother brought him home when he was four,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41along with his brother, on the Trans-Siberian railway.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Oh, my goodness. And these followed him.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Really? Yes.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50So aged four, he didn't buy them, who did?
0:21:50 > 0:21:53No. Well, we think they are birth gifts.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Right, so we're talking about the beginning of the 20th century.
0:21:56 > 0:21:581907. 1907.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I have pictures of my father,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03which is this one.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Oh, yes, right.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10And my grandfather and his wife. Yes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11And these two are?
0:22:11 > 0:22:15This is my father, James.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And this would be their nurse, ayah, I don't know.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Yes, ayah, yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Fascinating. Thank you.
0:22:21 > 0:22:27Well, your birth suggestion is probably quite right
0:22:27 > 0:22:30because these are on necklaces
0:22:30 > 0:22:34to be worn as good luck and good health.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38We've got characters here which say fu gui shou chang,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41which is happiness, long life and all that sort of stuff.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And we've got a bat here.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Do you see the bat? Oh, yes.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Well, I'm Battie, am I not? Yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So I collect batty objects.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55So you won't be leaving with this.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57THEY LAUGH
0:22:57 > 0:23:01The bat is a symbol of happiness. Mm-hmm.
0:23:01 > 0:23:07Here we've got a boy riding a qilin.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11A qilin is a mythical beast which has the feet of a deer,
0:23:11 > 0:23:16the tail of a camel, the head of a dragon and various other bits.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21And he is the symbol of almost everything which is good.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Gracious. Nice things in here, comparable.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31They, I think, are hair pieces, worn by a woman like that,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34as a diadem, as we would today.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37So what are they worth?
0:23:39 > 0:23:40These two are silver.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46That one is worth around three to ?500.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48That one is spectacular.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53I think one would say probably two to 3,000 on that one.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And each one of those is going to be
0:23:59 > 0:24:03500 to ?1,000.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It's beginning to clock up. Good gracious!
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I think you've probably got three to 5,000 in there.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Bit of a shock?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Yes. Thank you very much.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Well, the word iconic,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24I think, is often overused,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26but I'm going to use it here.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27We're looking at four iconic
0:24:27 > 0:24:30images of Shackleton's
0:24:30 > 0:24:34ill-fated Antarctic expedition in the early 20th century.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38This is his ship, marooned on the ice, The Endurance. Yes.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41We have two sets of very cold-looking penguins,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42encased in ice.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And a very chilly dog here.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I recognise these as examples of photographs by the Australian
0:24:47 > 0:24:49photographer, Frank Hurley,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53who travelled with Shackleton down to the Antarctic.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And on one of them, yes, I can see a signature.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58This does say Frank Hurley.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01On another one, I can see just the tail of a signature.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04But if I'm honest, I worry a little bit.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09These photographs were reproduced in great quantities,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12quite soon after they were first printed.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I really want to know that I'm looking at
0:25:14 > 0:25:16original Frank Hurley prints.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Is there anything you can tell me about them,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and how you got them, where they came from, that would reassure me?
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Well, they came from my grandfather.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27I acquired them when he died.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32He was a cellist on the White Star Line.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36And he met Frank Hurley while he was on the White Star Line.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39When you're a musician, you have a lot of free time because you're
0:25:39 > 0:25:43not playing all the time. And they used to play cards a lot.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48The rumour in the family was that this was maybe payment of a debt.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50But he did know Frank Hurley.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52That's a pretty good provenance.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56I love the idea of your grandfather as cellist and part-time gambler.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Oh, yes. And I have this image...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00He liked his flutter. Did he? Oh, yes.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I like the idea of, you know, the possibility of Hurley
0:26:03 > 0:26:08and him sitting down and playing cards. And that really reassures me.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So when I see this signature, Frank Hurley,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I'm reassured that this is the real thing.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16We're looking at four very high-quality photographs
0:26:16 > 0:26:20of one of the great explorations of the 20th century.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24This in particular, The Endurance, jacked up on the ice there,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28marooned, you know, it's one of the great images of the 20th century.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I think I'm looking at a figure of about 1,500 to ?2,000.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Oh, as much as that? That's nice.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36SHE LAUGHS
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Yes. Yeah. Thank you very much.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Well, I'm 6'3" tall
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and I think that kind of calibrates the height of this
0:26:47 > 0:26:52absolutely massive Doulton stoneware jardiniere.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53It really is stunning.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57So stunning indeed that, with apologies to Gracie Fields,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01it really is the biggest aspidistra pot in the world, isn't it?
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Yes, certainly. And as I'm talking,
0:27:03 > 0:27:09I can hear my voice echoing inside this massive vessel here. Yes.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Can you tell me anything about it?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Yes, quite simply, we have a Victorian house
0:27:13 > 0:27:17and we'd been looking for a large jardiniere to fit in our hall
0:27:17 > 0:27:19for some time.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21We saw this in a local auction about five years ago
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and thought it was just the piece.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25It wasn't till we actually got to the sale room
0:27:25 > 0:27:27we realised just how big it was.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30But decided, no, it fitted and it is beautiful.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32It sits in a lovely position in the corner of our hall.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35And presumably in the kind of house for which it was made.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Yes, precisely.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39You know, this was probably made in about 1900, 1910,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42that kind of date. Yes. And our house was built around 1895.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45There we are. You know, it's found its natural habitat,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47which is really rather sweet, isn't it?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51What I love about it, apart from its size and grandeur, is the
0:27:51 > 0:27:53quality of the decoration.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56And these flowers here have been hand-worked.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59They've been carved in clay, not moulded,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02like most pots are moulded or mass-produced in some way.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03These are all hand done.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06But the effect is absolutely luscious,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and to my eyes, really beautiful.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12The colouring's subtle, it is a true work of art.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Is there a mark on the bottom here because I really can't lift it up?
0:28:16 > 0:28:18It is extraordinarily heavy, as you can imagine.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20It's got FCP written on the bottom.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Right. OK.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Well, that must stand for Frank or Francis C Pope. Oh, right.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31Who was an artist at Doulton's from the end of the 19th century,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I think about 1880, into the 1920s.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37And really one of the leading artists there.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Wonderful.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Now you say you bought it recently. Yes.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44You know I'm going to ask you this. HE LAUGHS
0:28:44 > 0:28:46How much was it?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48We paid 1,600 for it, which we have
0:28:48 > 0:28:50no idea whether that represents good value, it's just we loved it.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54It fits with the house. So you buy something you like, don't you?
0:28:54 > 0:28:57I think, of all things, that is all that matters.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01But, you know, you're not going to retire on any profit that
0:29:01 > 0:29:02you've made from this.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03I don't expect you mind.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05You know, it's worth...it's got...
0:29:05 > 0:29:06You can't stand back and look at that
0:29:06 > 0:29:08and say it's worth less than ?1,000.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Probably worth ?1,500. And, you know, there we are.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Fine. But that's not the point.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Thank you. Thank you very much indeed.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Well, the clouds have gathered in this afternoon,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23but I'm really pleased to see such a pretty pendant.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25It's really brightened up my afternoon.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28So how have you managed to come with it today?
0:29:28 > 0:29:30It belongs to my wife.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34It originally came into the family through her grandmother.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38We think that it was either a wedding present or
0:29:38 > 0:29:42an anniversary present from her grandfather to her grandmother.
0:29:42 > 0:29:43Oh, how lovely.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Well, the Edwardian era that this has been produced in would
0:29:47 > 0:29:50certainly fit in naturally with her grandmother, wouldn't it?
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Something like this would be worn to some really quite special
0:29:53 > 0:29:55occasions, I would have thought.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59But the versatility of this pendant is something that really
0:29:59 > 0:30:01strikes me and I absolutely love.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Because what we have here, of course, is a little screwdriver
0:30:04 > 0:30:07which is kept within this gorgeous box.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10And you can actually interchange each of these panels.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13So it's very multifunctional and a piece of jewellery for every
0:30:13 > 0:30:16colour of dress that you might have really, isn't it?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18It's just great. Exactly.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22We've got beautiful platinum metalwork, set with very small
0:30:22 > 0:30:25but perfect diamonds in there. Absolutely adorable.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Then the actual enamel discs that we see here,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32it's an enamel work called guilloche enamel.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36The pattern is engraved onto the platinum disc
0:30:36 > 0:30:38and then the enamel is poured over.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42And it makes it look as though the actual pattern is textured
0:30:42 > 0:30:43on the top of the enamel.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45I see. But it isn't, it's completely smooth.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49So it gives off this very sumptuous look that's really quite pretty.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53The pierced work, as well, adds to that delicacy.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57The fashion for the time was a lot of lace work and silks,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00so you can just imagine this lovely floating, elegant period.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02Yes. Yeah, really gorgeous.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05This period of jewellery is becoming really quite
0:31:05 > 0:31:08fashionable at the moment, which is great news for you.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09There is, of course,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12a little bit of wear around the edge of each of the pieces.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I like that, though,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17because it shows that the piece of jewellery was loved and worn.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Naturally, any collector would have to take that into consideration
0:31:20 > 0:31:23though and so, consequently, I think we'd be looking at between
0:31:23 > 0:31:252,500 and ?3,000.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28If they had the opportunity.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30THEY LAUGH Thank you.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35I see from the uniform that's beside you
0:31:35 > 0:31:37that you were a member of
0:31:37 > 0:31:41the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.
0:31:41 > 0:31:42That's correct, yes.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45And I see from the front cover of this newspaper,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48a Southampton newspaper, it says,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50"Angels sail on mercy mission."
0:31:50 > 0:31:51What does that refer to?
0:31:51 > 0:31:56The army nurses were deployed to the Falklands after the ceasefire.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And this was the day we boarded the troopship
0:31:59 > 0:32:03to sail to the South Atlantic, on the 19th of June, 1982.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08So that was really a very short time after hostilities finished.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Yes, it was. And the after-effects of war was very evident.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15What were some of the injuries that you had to treat?
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Well, there was general accidents, but there was also,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21with the mine clearance, the soldiers were
0:32:21 > 0:32:25suffering from injuries as a result of mine clearance.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30Well, these photographs tell a little bit of the story of
0:32:30 > 0:32:34your journey down to the Falklands and what happened down there.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35So if we look at this one here,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37this shows you, where is that?
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Well, we were just approaching Ascension. It was early morning.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Now that's beautiful weather, by the look of it.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45It was. It was warm, sunny and very, very comfortable.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48But then this picture shows you in the snow.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49What was the temperature there?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Well, at sea, it was minus-18 that day.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54But it was well below zero on land.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I can believe it.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57Is this the hospital?
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Yes, that's the small King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03And this large picture, here at the end. That's me.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05Nearest to me, this is you here.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Yeah, that's it, in the operating theatre.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Now, Margaret Thatcher visited you, didn't she?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12She did, yes, in January 1983.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13And here's a photograph of it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16She came to the hospital and visited and she thanked
0:33:16 > 0:33:19everybody, personally, for everything we'd done.
0:33:19 > 0:33:25Now, you were awarded the South Atlantic Medal.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Tell me about that.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Well, this has only come about recently.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32When David Cameron came into power,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35he ordered a review of all modern conflicts,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37post-Second World War.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42And as a result of this review, the nurses and nursing sisters
0:33:42 > 0:33:46of the QAs were allowed to apply for the medal.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47How many of them have been issued?
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Well, I haven't an accurate number,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52but I know two of us have already received them.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57Well, that makes that, I suppose, quite a rare medal awarded to you.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Yes. If there are only two at the moment issued.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04What does it mean to you, to have had that experience?
0:34:04 > 0:34:10I remember feeling really rather special to have been able
0:34:10 > 0:34:15and been allowed to go down and do this work for our soldiers.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18We have to look at the value of objects
0:34:18 > 0:34:20and I feel slightly awkward doing that.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Frankly, the photographs,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25well, they're personal to you, aren't they? They are, yes.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29But the medal, now that's something that's very different.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Because it was awarded to you,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34I think it has quite an interesting value.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41I think it could, possibly, if ever this came up for auction,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44make three, four,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47maybe even ?5,000.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51It's an incredibly scarce medal and I think it's wonderful.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55It's a testament to your bravery really because you didn't know,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58I suppose, what to expect when you went down there.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59We had no idea.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01We sailed into the unknown.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09A painted plaque that belonged to Tony's auntie.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13She used to work in service across the road from Trentham Park.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16I don't really know much about the age of it or who did it,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19but we're interested to find out.
0:35:19 > 0:35:25This is the auction details that went on over seven days in 1919,
0:35:25 > 0:35:31selling off cottages, land, farms. Farms.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Anyone would recognise the view, of course.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36That's here at Trentham, isn't it?
0:35:36 > 0:35:37Let's have a look.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39That's what I wanted to see.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42There's the signature of the artist, JE Dean.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44And that's Teddy Dean,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47who was a great painter at Minton's.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51"Cottage with a good garden. Yearly rental, ?4."
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It's not much, is it? Amazing.
0:35:53 > 0:35:59And behind that little advertisement lies the story of Trentham Gardens,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Trentham Hall in the 20th century.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04The house, of course, is as it was in its heyday.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06I think by that date,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09all this had been demolished or half of it, hadn't it?
0:36:09 > 0:36:12And you can imagine how splendid the gardens were then.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14As they look again now.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Then the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland decided to try something
0:36:16 > 0:36:19else with this property. They created the Art Deco swimming pool.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20And you went to that pool.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Yeah, we all went. Yes. You all swam in it? Yes.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24And what was it like?
0:36:24 > 0:36:26We did have photographs. Absolutely wonderful.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29I used to have lunch in the ballroom every day
0:36:29 > 0:36:31because I worked in the estate office.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Made in Stoke at Minton's.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37And here it is, a lovely plaque worth
0:36:37 > 0:36:39?1,000.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42That's lovely, that's really lovely.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Well, I talked about Trentham at the beginning
0:36:44 > 0:36:47of the programme and how it had changed.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I didn't think I'd get to meet a mum and her three daughters
0:36:50 > 0:36:53who could tell me so much about it. And bring me this as well.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Thank you so much. Oh, you're welcome. Thank you.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02When I first knew I was coming to Stoke with the Roadshow,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Trentham Park, I had an idea what I might see.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10What I didn't expect to see was a naked woman wrestling a goat.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13So tell me, what's the story? How did this come into your life?
0:37:13 > 0:37:18Well, I've been interested in ceramics for a long time.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23I saw this came up at auction and I'd never seen such a large piece.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Technically, it would be quite difficult to make something like
0:37:26 > 0:37:30this without, say, the arms drooping or the legs of the goat bending.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Yes. And nobody else seemed to be interested
0:37:34 > 0:37:36and I could afford it, so I bought it.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Right. Right. So, at home, where do you have it?
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Is it pride of place?
0:37:42 > 0:37:43Well, sort of, yeah.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48Cos she's got no clothes on, she's on the mantelpiece, above the fire.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Right, keeping warm.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Cos you can't, she's too long to turn round all the time,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56so we have a mirror at the back, so you can see all round.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Right, see her attributes to their full. Yes.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00And why not?
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Well, shall we take a closer look at her?
0:38:02 > 0:38:05I mean, she's here, so she's rather an athletic girl,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07it's got to be said.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09And locked in combat with this goat.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11I'm not sure if she's got it by the horns
0:38:11 > 0:38:14and is dragging it towards her or if it's about to give her a butt,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18so she's resisting it. Certainly, it's an action piece.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21And the first thing that strikes me when I saw it,
0:38:21 > 0:38:22is this wonderful face.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25This almost puckish, mischievous expression.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26It really, really is great.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30And this wonderful sort of 1920s bobbed hairstyle.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Look a bit closer. There is a mark on it.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36It says "A Gory, Paris." I'm sure you've seen that.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41Affortunato Gory was an Italian sculptor
0:38:41 > 0:38:43who studied in Florence
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and he was active from 1895 to about 1925.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50He was particularly known for his works in bronze.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54and had a thing for nudes, you might be surprised to learn.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58This is going to date to around about 1920 or thereabouts.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00And it's a fabulous thing.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03It shouts, in fact, it screams Art Deco.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04In the best way.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08It's fun, it's nice, it's decorative, it's very decorative.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11I can see this striking a chord in a sale room today.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16Now, you say you found it in an auction. How long ago was that?
0:39:16 > 0:39:192005.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23I think, if she were to come up at auction today,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25just on decorative appeal alone,
0:39:25 > 0:39:31I think she should easily make between 300 and ?500. Mm.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33I think it shows as well,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35that there are still bargains to be had.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36You've clearly got a good eye.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38You found this, you love her, you enjoy it.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40And thank you for bringing it in.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Well done, you. Thank you.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Well, we may well be in Trentham Gardens today,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51but you've brought a little bit of Hollywood to this
0:39:51 > 0:39:53part of Staffordshire. Mm-hmm.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56And if I can name drop,
0:39:56 > 0:39:57you have brought along a garment,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00which we're going to look at in a moment,
0:40:00 > 0:40:07which once belonged to Maria de los Dolores Asunsolo Lopez-Negrete.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Really? Now, I don't normally sort of read
0:40:10 > 0:40:11things from papers on this programme,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14but that's a name that doesn't quite roll off the tongue.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19But we know her better as... Dolores del Rio.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Dolores del Rio.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Way back in the '20s and the '30s, '40s,
0:40:24 > 0:40:30she was the female answer to Rudolph Valentino. True.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35She was said to have the most beautiful face in Christendom.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40You know all this because you are the owner of this amazing shawl.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I am. I have kept it for 30 years.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47It was given to my daughter when she was about 18.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50But as children these days leave all their belongings with you
0:40:50 > 0:40:53when they leave home, I've still got it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56I'm led to believe it belonged to a friend.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Marjorie Trueman.
0:40:58 > 0:40:59She'd been an art student
0:40:59 > 0:41:05and she often entered competitions in newspapers and this was a prize.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Well, let's have a look at the prize.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09It's being modelled here by Annie. Annie, could you...?
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I mean, always wanted to say this. Could you give us a twirl?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Could you give us...? Just give it... Just... There we go.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Thank you very much indeed.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19The weird thing about your shawl is that, you know,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23from the floral composition, which is all hand-stitched,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26it has got a sort of a Chinese look to it. Hasn't it?
0:41:26 > 0:41:30But, I mean, the long tassels and everything else, they are made
0:41:30 > 0:41:33for movement, rather like a shimmy dress of the same period.
0:41:33 > 0:41:39So when you wore that and walked from A to B, people would notice.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42They would. Now, what is interesting...
0:41:42 > 0:41:45With anything like this, you need provenance, don't you?
0:41:45 > 0:41:51And if we pay close attention, we can see the very same garment
0:41:51 > 0:41:54being worn by Dolores, probably sometime in the 1930s.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I would think so. I would've thought.
0:41:57 > 0:42:04So I would probably estimate your shawl at auction at somewhere
0:42:04 > 0:42:06between ?3,000 to ?5,000.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08CROWD GASPS CROWD MEMBER: Wow!
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Wow. SHE CHUCKLES
0:42:11 > 0:42:16I should warn you that what you said earlier about your daughter
0:42:16 > 0:42:17not coming back for things...
0:42:18 > 0:42:21That may well change once she finds out...
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Yes, I think it might suddenly disappear. OK. Thank you.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30One thing I love to do
0:42:30 > 0:42:34when I get a spare bit of time is to wander around country houses.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37And one place I always head for in country houses is
0:42:37 > 0:42:38the gentleman's desk,
0:42:38 > 0:42:39the aristocrat's desk -
0:42:39 > 0:42:41the powerhouse of the house, if you like.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43And the desk seal,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47the little tiny seal used to imprint an impression on a wax seal on
0:42:47 > 0:42:50a document or a letter is something that always catches my eye. Yes.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54And I have to say that if I could collect one thing, and I don't need
0:42:54 > 0:42:57to start collecting another thing, it would probably be desk seals.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I'm so delighted that someone has started to collect them.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04What kicked you off? Well, they were my father's.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06He was a postal historian,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10and in the early '70s, we used to go round to stamp and postcard fairs,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14and I'm afraid I got sent ahead of time to have a look and see if
0:43:14 > 0:43:19I could find a seal and, you know, sort of negotiate on his behalf.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22So you were young, nimble and athletic, and sort of sent off
0:43:22 > 0:43:25to flutter your eyelids to try and get a good deal on these things.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Sure. What were you paying?
0:43:27 > 0:43:29It could be...not very much.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33You know, we could get them for as little as perhaps ?5, ?15,
0:43:33 > 0:43:35?30, ?35.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38So how many did he collect? I think there's about 127.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Wow.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41Well, they've got a great history.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44They date right back to sort of ancient Roman and Egyptian times...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Right. ..and Mesopotamian times. Mm-hm.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Sealing official documents,
0:43:48 > 0:43:50wax began to be used in the 10th century.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52But they really peeked in sort of the Georgian period
0:43:52 > 0:43:53and the Victorian period.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56And most of these date from, I believe, the Victorian period.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Right. And many different types of materials, from gold to all
0:44:00 > 0:44:03these hard stones, from chalcedony all the way through to agate.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05So variety abounds,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07and I think it is that that really appeals to most collectors.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09They were often engraved on the base,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11so if we pick up this one here, which is my favourite...
0:44:11 > 0:44:12So just on the base here,
0:44:12 > 0:44:16they'd be engraved in intaglio, so they've been engraved inside... Yes.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18..with an armorial, or a coat of arms,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20or something that had a meaning to its owner. Yes.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23This one in particular I adore.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26So backwards, we have here - settled with thanks.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28And I love this one because just above it -
0:44:28 > 0:44:32it was obviously for invoices - there's a little sort of hanged man.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34The invoice is dead, I suppose. Yes, he's rather nice, isn't he?
0:44:34 > 0:44:37I mean, I should imagine something like that would probably
0:44:37 > 0:44:39fetch ?150, ?200. Really?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41That's jolly nice.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44They are quite sought-after things. Are they? Oh. Right.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48That's nice news. It's not just me that would like to collect them,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and your father, of course. Values do vary widely. Sure.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53And it comes down to materials
0:44:53 > 0:44:56and also the quality of manufacture and the detail.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59So a little piece like this with its mother-of-pearl handle, you're
0:44:59 > 0:45:02probably not looking at certainly under ?100, I would've thought.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04But some of these wonderful hard stone pieces -
0:45:04 > 0:45:06there's fantastic hard stone here -
0:45:06 > 0:45:09we're talking ?300, ?400, ?500 even. Really?
0:45:09 > 0:45:11It's not a bad return when you were spending sort of ?5,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13?10, ?30, is it? It was worth a look, wasn't it?
0:45:13 > 0:45:15So how many did you have again?
0:45:15 > 0:45:17127.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19So even if we said 127 at ?100,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22which would be a ridiculously low valuation for them,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25we're talking a considerable sum of money, aren't we?
0:45:25 > 0:45:27That's really nice to hear. Well done, Father.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Do you think it would meet with his seal of approval?
0:45:30 > 0:45:33I'm sure he'd be delighted. THEY LAUGH
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Earlier this year, I did a major tour of North America's greatest
0:45:40 > 0:45:45glass museums - Toledo, New York, Brooklyn and Corning.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49And in these museums, the work of one of the great heroes
0:45:49 > 0:45:53of American glass-making is prominently displayed.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55And they look just like that,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57and they are designed by Frederick Carder.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Now, I know that you know that he's not American at all.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05No, he was born in Brierley Hill in 1863
0:46:05 > 0:46:10and went over to Corning about 1903, I believe. OK.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13And how do you know all this? What's it to do with you?
0:46:13 > 0:46:17I'm his great-great-niece. Oooh!
0:46:18 > 0:46:21So, tell us about what you know about him.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24He started off at his parents' pottery,
0:46:24 > 0:46:28and then he went over to America, over to Corning
0:46:28 > 0:46:31and to Steuben Glass.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Yeah, but the story is slightly more complicated than that.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37The essence is absolutely true.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40What Frederick Carder was, was the technical artistic
0:46:40 > 0:46:43director of Stevens Williams.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47They were a major...the best glass makers in Stourbridge
0:46:47 > 0:46:51at the end of the 19th century - 1890, 1900.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54And Carder was dispatched on a fact-finding mission to the States.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58He was supposed to go and do industrial espionage, nick all their
0:46:58 > 0:47:02best ideas, bring them back and feed them into Stevens Williams.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06But what did he do? He took the money and stayed.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10They saw his talent, which was certainly undeniable,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14and they said, "Will you stay? And we'll play you a fortune."
0:47:14 > 0:47:18And he became pretty much the leading glass designer
0:47:18 > 0:47:20in America of his age, in the Art Nouveau period.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27And his stuff is distinguished by this iridescence.
0:47:27 > 0:47:28This is called Aurene.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32And it's not difficult to know that
0:47:32 > 0:47:37because it's exactly what it says on the bottom - Aurene.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41And then there's the 232, which is the shape.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45So Aurene is the range of this iridescence glass
0:47:45 > 0:47:48and 232 is the specific model.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50The market for this is in America,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52where he is lauded as a glass-making hero.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54And if you were to sell this,
0:47:54 > 0:47:59they would have to pay ?300 to ?400 for it, which is
0:47:59 > 0:48:02nothing compared to the family connection between you
0:48:02 > 0:48:06and a design by your great-great-uncle.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10And I think that's magical. And I'm so chuffed you came along.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18So you brought in a photograph album, which belonged to your uncle.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22He was one of the secretaries to Mrs Gandhi. Prime minister of India.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25First lady prime minister of India. Yes.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28I can see from the ciphers on this that it's a saddle cloth
0:48:28 > 0:48:31from the 17th Lancers, the Death or Glory Boys.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34It belonged to Colonel Samuel Boderson,
0:48:34 > 0:48:39who led the charge at the Battle of Ulundi in 1874.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Against the Zulus? Against the Zulus, yes.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44And he's obvious travelled widely
0:48:44 > 0:48:46because there's sort of Downing Street,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48there's one there of the Kremlin.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Mrs Gandhi with Fidel Castro.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Here she is, obviously, quite a lot later on with Ronald Reagan.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58It's fantastic, really. Yeah, he did travel everywhere with Mrs Gandhi.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03This incredibly embellished saddle cloth would have gone over
0:49:03 > 0:49:06the horse, and the saddle would have gone on top of it.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10And you've got an oil painting of his horse,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12presumably that is the saddle cloth.
0:49:12 > 0:49:17We... It must be. Yes, it was found in a loft, that picture.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Well, I think it's quite a significant document
0:49:20 > 0:49:22of Indian politics throughout
0:49:22 > 0:49:25the mid-to-latter part of the 20th century.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30You know, I would've thought it might be worth ?500 to ?1,000.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Well, it's not for sale. Yeah.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Well, obviously, it's part of your family history. It is.
0:49:34 > 0:49:35Thank you very much.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40It's quite a scarce object, you know. They don't turn up very often.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42What's it worth?
0:49:42 > 0:49:44I guess, the painting, the photograph,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48the saddle cloth, it's going to be worth at auction today
0:49:48 > 0:49:50somewhere in the region of ?2,000.
0:49:50 > 0:49:512,000?
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Well, that's nice.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03So you queued up to the Antiques Roadshow with a brick. Yes.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Tell me about the brick.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Well, it was found in our garden when we moved house.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13My husband looked at it and he said, "Wow, it's Longton Hall!"
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Now, he is a Longton Hall china fanatic.
0:50:17 > 0:50:22And he couldn't believe that the brick was made by Longton Hall.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24We've had it for 15 years and he's cherished it.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27THEY LAUGH
0:50:27 > 0:50:28It's fabulous. I mean, you...
0:50:28 > 0:50:30I mean, thankfully,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32you've also brought this wonderful
0:50:32 > 0:50:34coloured figure from the Longton Hall factory.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36And of course, Longton Hall was the first porcelain factory
0:50:36 > 0:50:38in Staffordshire.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41And it ran from 1750 to 1760.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45And she is a lovely example. She's really pretty. Yes.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47I suppose, at the time, she's competing with figures
0:50:47 > 0:50:49made at Chelsea and Bow and Derby.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53But she's a lovely theatrical figure.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55But in terms of compare and contrast...
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Yes, I think he's got every book on Longton Hall.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03And we lived... As children, we lived near to Longton Hall.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04Well, we are Longtonians.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Is it on display in the display cabinet?
0:51:06 > 0:51:08SHE LAUGHS
0:51:08 > 0:51:12It's hidden. It's hidden? It was on display for a while...
0:51:12 > 0:51:14It is a little secret of shame. ..in the kitchen.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17But the brick, of course, didn't come from the porcelain factory.
0:51:17 > 0:51:18It's not porcelain, it's brick.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22And it's a 19th-century thing, it's not an 18th...
0:51:22 > 0:51:24It's not 250 years old, it's sometime in the last century.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27So I assume it comes from what, the colliery? Longton Hall colliery?
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Yes. It must be. But what a wonderful thing to have. Yes.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32I can't say the brick's got much commercial value.
0:51:32 > 0:51:33I wouldn't expect it to.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36But the figure is charming. She has got a little bit of damage
0:51:36 > 0:51:38here and there. Yes, we did realise that.
0:51:38 > 0:51:39And she is broken in the waste.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42But she's a rare figure, she's a very colourful.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44She's... I suppose, in the market today,
0:51:44 > 0:51:45she's worth, what?
0:51:45 > 0:51:48?800, maybe ?1,000. Really?
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Is she? She's a great thing. She's a lovely thing. Wow.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Oh, good. SHE LAUGHS
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Thank you. Thanks for your interest.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02The subject of this gorgeous little oil painting is very
0:52:02 > 0:52:05different to the beautiful gardens of Trentham behind us.
0:52:05 > 0:52:10And of course, it's signed lower left - AT Hibbard,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13which I know as Aldro Thompson Hibbard,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15an American artist.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17So we're going all the way to America.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20And it's a gorgeous little oil painting.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Tell me how it's come so far.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Well, I inherited it many years ago.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28My father's sister lived in America,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31and she collected a lot of paintings.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36And when she died, my father was an executor with his brother.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38And they decided it would be nice
0:52:38 > 0:52:41if all the members of the family had one of her paintings.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44So I just picked out a snow scene,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46and that is what arrived from America.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51And it has lived with us ever since. He was born in Cape Cod, 1886.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55He comes to Europe just before the First World War.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58But he settles back in Rockport.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00He studies at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02It's believed he studied under the great
0:53:02 > 0:53:05American Impressionist artist Frank Benson.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08But later on, he got very much a name for himself
0:53:08 > 0:53:09and he became the sort of
0:53:09 > 0:53:12New England artist for winter scenes.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13And I think this little picture,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15although he painted much bigger canvases,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18really sums him up as a great kind of colourist,
0:53:18 > 0:53:23a great plein air painter, a man who would paint literally on the spot.
0:53:23 > 0:53:24There's not a great deal of white.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26No. I mean, that's the cleverness about it.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29You get that hue, that beautiful winter hue.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32And I love the little cottages in the front, too.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35The date of this picture is quite difficult
0:53:35 > 0:53:38because he painted the same sorts of subjects for quite some decades.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42But I would date it to about 1940 to 1950. Ah.
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Very collectible, actually.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45There are a lot of collectors that buy his pictures
0:53:45 > 0:53:48and compete at auction for them. Oh.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51And in terms of value, for this gorgeous, vibrant,
0:53:51 > 0:53:55lovely little picture, ?3,000 to ?5,000.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57GASPING: You're joking!
0:53:57 > 0:54:00I had no... 3,000 to 5,000? Good heavens.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Gosh. SHE LAUGHS
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Yes, I'm just sort of trying to work out who he's meant to be.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14That's not really a Staffordshire costume, is it?
0:54:14 > 0:54:16SHE LAUGHS Is that how people dress locally?
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Well, I don't know.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Well, just look. He's wearing robes there.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24And it looks like a little round bobble hat there.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28But I guess I think he's meant to be a Chinaman. I think so.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Do you think so? So, family history?
0:54:31 > 0:54:33It's been in the family a very, very long time.
0:54:33 > 0:54:34Grandpa would always speak of it,
0:54:34 > 0:54:36and his father would always speak fondly of it.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39So it has been in the family a long, long time.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42So this was your grandfather's. Did he tell you anything about it?
0:54:42 > 0:54:44I always remember as a child I'd sit on his knee
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and it'd sit on the mantelpiece. And he just...
0:54:47 > 0:54:49He'd always make the joke that it's a Chinaman,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52but he's from Staffordshire. THEY LAUGH
0:54:52 > 0:54:55So, is it your figure? Has it come down to you?
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Um, no, it's still a family figure. Yeah. Do you like it?
0:54:59 > 0:55:02I love it cos it's so unique-looking and it's such a character.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04Yes. I mean, there is so little to it.
0:55:04 > 0:55:09I mean, we've got here a very sort of simple, crude, clumsy figure.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10There's not really much to look at at all.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13SHE LAUGHS But I suppose we can forgive that
0:55:13 > 0:55:15because it does have quite a bit of age.
0:55:15 > 0:55:16It goes back...
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Well, I suppose we're looking at the middle of the 18th century.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21Wow. We're going back to
0:55:21 > 0:55:25around about, well, 1750s, '60s.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Something like that. Quite a long time ago.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31And it was made here in the potteries.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34It is an early piece of Staffordshire
0:55:34 > 0:55:37and actually quite a rare figure indeed. So...
0:55:38 > 0:55:43At that time, most china, most good ceramics came from the Orient, came
0:55:43 > 0:55:47from China, and I'd have guessed that must be the inspiration here.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51They're copying the idea of a little Chinese figurine that might
0:55:51 > 0:55:54have come from a Chinese temple and been imported.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57And they've made their own version in Staffordshire clay. Ah!
0:55:57 > 0:56:00This would have been made in a small family firm,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02just somewhere in the area
0:56:02 > 0:56:04all those years ago.
0:56:04 > 0:56:09The piece is made in a simple cream and then it is decorated,
0:56:09 > 0:56:10well, very big basic splashes.
0:56:10 > 0:56:15One can see... I guess here, that little mottling.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17I think that's what we would call sponging. Yeah.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20Could you imagine just getting a simple sponge and decorating
0:56:20 > 0:56:21it there? Patting it on.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23You can't get much more naive than that, can you?
0:56:23 > 0:56:25There's very little to him.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27And in the past, these have been referred
0:56:27 > 0:56:31to as Wedgwood Wheeldon figures or just as Wheeldon.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34And to find him surviving from 1750s
0:56:34 > 0:56:37and with... There's no damage!
0:56:37 > 0:56:40I mean, it's in incredible condition.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42No wonder it's treasured.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45It's quite expensive. How about...
0:56:46 > 0:56:49..?5,000, ?6,000? CROWD GASPS
0:56:52 > 0:56:53Wow.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Well, that is exactly what we hoped to see.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02We couldn't come to Staffordshire, to what was once
0:57:02 > 0:57:05the playground of the potteries, without seeing a nice bit of china.
0:57:05 > 0:57:06And here we have it.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Lovely piece of early Wedgewood Wheeldon.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Perfect.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12From Trentham Gardens and the Antiques Roadshow, bye-bye.
0:57:44 > 0:57:45They might tell me one of my twins has died.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47They are not going to say that baby.