0:00:43 > 0:00:46Today, the Antiques Roadshow makes a return visit to a location
0:00:46 > 0:00:49that's been witness to a battle on more than one occasion,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52a bloody conflict and a war of words.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Welcome to Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03On 4th May 1471, the Abbot was celebrating Mass here as usual.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Inside, all was calm, but outside,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09the Battle of Tewkesbury was raging -
0:01:09 > 0:01:12one of the most decisive of the Wars of the Roses.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And then suddenly, without warning, the doors of the abbey burst open
0:01:16 > 0:01:19and Lancastrian troops rushed in seeking sanctuary.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Hot on their heels, the Yorkist victors and Edward IV,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24baying for their blood.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28The Abbot was all that stood between them.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29With masterful diplomacy,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33he managed to restore calm and avoid bloodshed within the abbey.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37But it was only a temporary reprieve for the Lancastrian soldiers.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39They were executed a couple of days later.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Here in the sacristy, where the abbey would have stored
0:01:44 > 0:01:46its treasures, is a memento from the Battle of Tewkesbury
0:01:46 > 0:01:49that our military experts would love to get their hands on.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54And here it is.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58These strips here on the back of the door are strips of metal
0:01:58 > 0:02:02believed to be from the horses' armour during the battle.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04And it's all covered in little holes.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Look, there are a couple here, which are most likely arrow holes
0:02:08 > 0:02:11caused by the arrow piercing the horses' armour.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13It's a wonderful old door, isn't it?
0:02:13 > 0:02:17A case of medieval recycling, if you like.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And security was clearly a concern in those days.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22The monks even had a spy hole built,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25so they could look in on the room and make sure that no-one
0:02:25 > 0:02:27was coming in and stealing the church silver.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Not all the abbey's treasures were so easily protected, though.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Until the mid-19th century,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37the abbey still retained its precious medieval features.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41All it took was a Victorian architect to literally wipe away
0:02:41 > 0:02:43centuries of history.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48In 1874, Sir Gilbert Scott, the English Gothic revival architect,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52took charge of a plan to supposedly restore Tewkesbury Abbey
0:02:52 > 0:02:55to what he thought it ought to look like.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57There were some positive changes,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00but they were overshadowed by some real howlers.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03For instance, the Norman pillars were scrubbed clean
0:03:03 > 0:03:05to remove images from the Bible.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08It was thought that they were unsightly and a later addition.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13In fact, they were original artworks dating from the 13th century.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The restoration provoked a high-profile war of words.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20William Morris, the textile designer and social activist,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24was outraged and publicly rubbished the project.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28He went on to found the Society For The Protection Of Ancient Buildings
0:03:28 > 0:03:32as a result of what he saw as the desecration of historic sites.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Fortunately for us,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36the abbey is still a beautiful place to visit today.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Rather ironically there's a William Morris textile
0:03:42 > 0:03:43kept here at the abbey,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45though no-one knows where it came from.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Maybe our experts can shed some light on it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Let's join them and our visitors for today's Antiques Roadshow,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53outside in the abbey's Pageant Meadow.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59So, we're dealing here with an art mystery,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01a picture that is just referred to
0:04:01 > 0:04:03in your family as "The Impressionist".
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Yes.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07How did it come into your family?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Well, I don't know, maybe my father bought it.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12He collected paintings.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16I've had it hanging up in my bedroom and it doesn't look very interesting
0:04:16 > 0:04:18there at all. It's the first time I've ever seen it
0:04:18 > 0:04:21with the sun shining straight on it, and it looks so beautiful.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Isn't that astonishing?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24And it's the sunlight upon snow,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26because this is a snow scene, I think.
0:04:26 > 0:04:32So it seems to be a French village or the outskirts of the village.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Date-wise it seems to be early 20th century.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39OK, you're getting close, because you called it The Impressionist,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and Impressionism is what this is really all about.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And when it was introduced in 1870 as a style,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49as an approach to art,
0:04:49 > 0:04:50it was revolutionary.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53It was the artistic equivalent of splitting the atom.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Suddenly people looked at form, looked at shape, colour, nature,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01approached subject matter in a completely different way.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The thing that one can really enjoy are these conspicuous brushstrokes,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and as your eye burrows into the bottom right-hand corner,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10you can see these curly strokes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12The strokes themselves become an animated part
0:05:12 > 0:05:14of the overall composition.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16It's as if, it's as if they border on sculpture,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and this is something that Monet was so good at.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22He reinvented the brushstroke, and this artist, whoever he may be,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24has clearly looked at Monet.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Now, I know that it's signed bottom right
0:05:27 > 0:05:31and you've tried to work out what it says.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Artists don't often make it easy for you to read the signature,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but this one is a little bit more readable than one might imagine.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41The artist is Gustave Loiseau.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- Oh, right.- Now, who was he?
0:05:44 > 0:05:45- Yes.- Well, he was an Impressionist,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48but if you were to rank Impressionism
0:05:48 > 0:05:50you would put the top figures,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54people like Monet, people like Pissarro,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57all of whose influence can be seen beaming down on this,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59just as the sun is now.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02The artist is clearly aware, he's in thrall of it all,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07but he's not quite learnt to have the same vision and clarity
0:06:07 > 0:06:11as those artists. But nonetheless, he's learnt the language.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13This is what we're dealing with,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15an artist who is a second-rate Impressionist.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Oh!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19What a shame!
0:06:19 > 0:06:22But this is what we're dealing with,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24a second-rank Impressionist.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26LAUGHTER
0:06:26 > 0:06:29We know, for example, this artist was born in the late 19th century.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31We know that he got a legacy from his grandmother,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and as a result of that he was able to leave his job as a decorator
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and become an Impressionist.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- Oh, he was a decorator? - He was a decorator to start with.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- How fascinating.- And perhaps one can see a bit of that, do you think?
0:06:43 > 0:06:44A bit of dragging and rolling?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- Yes! - LAUGHTER
0:06:46 > 0:06:48And perhaps he thought that house there
0:06:48 > 0:06:50was in need of a lick of paint.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57Well, why not? Let's just say that if it were by Monet, Pissarro,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58you could add a few noughts here.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Yes.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03But even though it's not,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06it's still worth between about £10,000-£15,000.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Oh, goodness!
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Well, that's very good news, thank you.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20These mountains were used by the literati,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23the scholars in China...
0:07:23 > 0:07:24Right, OK.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28..as objects of contemplation.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Oh, OK.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32So they would have that on their table
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and they would get inspiration from it,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and they were often in the form of mountains like this,
0:07:37 > 0:07:38a mountain range.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44You would have pines, symbolic of long life, or resistance to winter.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Right, OK.- You'd normally have a couple of figures on a bridge,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49or scattered about in here.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Do you have any history with this?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54All I know, really,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58was that my parents bought it when they were out in Singapore,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01late '50s, early '60s.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- OK.- My mum, she came out of London,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06she was brought up by Sally's Army
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and effectively escaped after the war.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Gosh.- Met my dad out in Singapore,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and they were as poor as church mice.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I mean, they wouldn't have spent any money on this.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20This was the piece that she loved and...
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- More than any of the others? - More than any of the others, yeah,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24and they collected bits and bobs.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Do you know what she liked about it?
0:08:26 > 0:08:29She loved the detail. And, in fact, that's exactly what I love about it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I can look at this and look continuously
0:08:31 > 0:08:35and find another little scene and think, "It's so pretty."
0:08:35 > 0:08:39I can't get my head around how they can create a scene
0:08:39 > 0:08:41as detailed as this,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and so refined as this,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46where you're just using some little tools and eyesight.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- It is Chinese.- Right, OK.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52The date is actually fairly difficult.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It could have been as late as when your mother bought it,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- but I don't think it is. - Right, OK.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I think it's further back into the 20th century,
0:09:02 > 0:09:07or even the late 19th century, probably about 1880, 1910,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09somewhere round there,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and it would have come onto the secondary market when she bought it.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- Right.- Do you know what it's made of?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17No idea, and this is one of the reasons we came today.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20OK, what it looks like is jade.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Right, OK. Now, Mum used to call it The Jade...
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Right.- ..but I felt it was too soft for that.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30- And it is in fact soapstone, not jade.- Yeah.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33The colour of the stone can vary enormously,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- and this one is very jade-like.- Mm.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I've never seen a better soapstone mountain.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- Really?- No, no. - Oh, it's lovely to hear.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It's a fantastic object.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50It could do with a bit of cleaning.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- Fair enough. Yes, it does... - Who's in charge of that?
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Erm, me!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57DAVID LAUGHS
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- I think it's a lovely thing. - Thank you.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02The Chinese, at the moment, are buying...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I think one would probably put £1,500-£2,000.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Fantastic, yeah, lovely.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I mean, it's a treat to hear that.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12For me, it just gives me a massive amount of pleasure.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And it's quite nice to hear that it was designed for contemplation,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17because I look at it and I think it's just beautiful,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19as my mum did as well.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- Thank you very much for bringing it in.- No, thank you.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25On the back of this piece we've got a plaque that's inscribed
0:10:25 > 0:10:30that it was given to Princess Beatrice on her wedding day in 1885,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33given by the town of West Cowes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40When we look at the front, this is possibly the best, largest,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44loveliest silver mirror I've ever seen on the Roadshow.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Where on earth did you get it from?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47I actually purchased it from an auction
0:10:47 > 0:10:49between five and six years ago.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I went to buy an item of militaria
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and saw this mirror in there and it just caught my eye
0:10:54 > 0:10:55and I thought, "I've got to get it."
0:10:55 > 0:10:57And actually, in the auction sale,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59it never sold and I purchased it after the auction.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- It didn't sell?- It didn't sell, no.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- What did you pay for it? - I paid 3,000.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Right, OK. Well, let's look at the mirror in general.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12We've got the Royal Arms at the top.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16We've got the English Royal Crown here,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20we've got the Crown here for Henry Battenberg,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23who was her husband when they got married in 1885.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28She was 28 years old when she got married.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And for years she had a number of suitors,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35but Queen Victoria refused to let her get married.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Eventually she relented and allowed
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Battenberg to marry her daughter,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and Beatrice was her youngest daughter,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47on one condition -
0:11:47 > 0:11:50that they stayed with Queen Victoria
0:11:50 > 0:11:52for the rest of Victoria's life.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54So, if we look at the hallmarks at the bottom,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57it's got a date letter for 1885.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00That's the very unusual makers of
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Judah Rosenthal and Samuel Jacob.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09Now, I don't think I've had a piece by those makers ever before.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14So I'm sure this, well, it had to be a special commission.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18And going back to certainly the 17th century,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22it was tradition for the bride to be given a dressing table service
0:12:22 > 0:12:24on her wedding day.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28And part of that dressing table service would have been a mirror.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34- Right.- So this would have stood on Beatrice's dressing table,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37but the thing that I love about this is,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40can you imagine the faces that have looked into this?
0:12:40 > 0:12:45- Yes.- Queen Victoria herself probably looked in this very mirror.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50And can you imagine all the lovely silk and satin gowns
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- that faced this mirror?- Beautiful.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I mean, it conjures up wonderful imagery.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00But we need to now go back to what you paid for it.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I'm confident this now...
0:13:04 > 0:13:08..if it came up at auction, would make £8,000-£10,000.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Wow.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Crikey! I never expected that.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Should I call them boring or not?
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Really, they're just graduation photographs, aren't they?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- They are graduation photos. - And, you know...
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Actually, you've got an American twang,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28so did you bring these from the States with you?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31No, no. I bought them at a car-boot sale, of all places, in Cheltenham.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33And what drew you to them?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Well, I saw these two old photos just sitting there.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Yes.- I thought about it for a minute,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41so I took a closer look and they were signed by Dorothy Alexander.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44They are indeed signed by Dorothy Alexander,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and I suspect that obviously meant something to you, didn't it?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Absolutely, because I studied her in high school in my art class,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- as a matter of fact. - That is amazing,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57because she is in fact an incredibly famous photographer, isn't she?
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- Yes, she is.- And so what you have here, essentially,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03are two very early examples of her portraiture.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06And, I mean, to be honest with you, she's often referred to
0:14:06 > 0:14:09as the doyen of the British photography scene.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13I mean, she's quite old now, but she was a very, very interesting lady.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Her surname is Bohm, and I believe she was born in Prussia,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21and she was Jewish, basically, and she escaped from Prussia
0:14:21 > 0:14:26and came over to the UK and became a post-war photographer, didn't she?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- So, how much did you pay for them? - Honestly?- Yeah.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30£1 apiece.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- The frames are worth more than that, aren't they?!- Probably so.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Now, listen, I don't think they're worth absolute fortunes,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39but I think historically they're interesting,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42because they show kind of a very early evolution of a very,
0:14:42 > 0:14:43very good photographer.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I think they're probably worth maybe £100 for the pair of them,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48but I think there's a lot of history in these and I think you did
0:14:48 > 0:14:51extremely well to spot them, well done.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- All right, then, thank you. - No, my pleasure.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07I got it from a charity shop.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10There were four of them that the man was putting up.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- A charity shop?- Yeah.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And I was working out how much I could afford to pay,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17cos I thought they were going to be more than I could afford to pay.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- And?- And so I said, "How much are they?"
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and the woman said, "20 quid?"
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Now, when I see pictures by this artist, Henry Rushbury,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35they're usually signed etchings.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Oh.- And here we've got an original watercolour.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Well, I'm going to tell you that, because of the occasion,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and it's the Coronation, and these are the original drawings, well,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47the original watercolours, they're historical,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and I think they're worth £4,000-£6,000.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Each or together?
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- No, together.- Together. - Don't be greedy!
0:15:54 > 0:15:56SHE LAUGHS
0:16:00 > 0:16:04We're looking at a fabulous William Morris textile,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06a pair of textile hangings.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10And I think I'm right in saying, Philippa,
0:16:10 > 0:16:14that William Morris had a relationship with Tewkesbury Abbey.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Now, you are the Executive Officer of Tewkesbury Abbey,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22so if anybody knows you should know, so please tell me.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26William Morris didn't like the plans that were put forward
0:16:26 > 0:16:29by Gilbert Scott for the restoration of the abbey.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34We think it's therefore unlikely that he actually was commissioned
0:16:34 > 0:16:37to make these or gave these to the abbey,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39but they've been here for quite a long time.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44We have a photograph that shows them in situ
0:16:44 > 0:16:47some time between 1893 and 1899.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Now, saying that, this presumably is that image.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- Yes, that's it. - So it's behind the high altar.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53Behind the high altar.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57And these are the hangings either side of the crucifix, correct?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Yes, that's correct.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02So, let's talk a little bit about this design.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08I mean, the bird pattern started in 1877.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10He liked it so much, William Morris,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14that he actually used it to decorate his country house, Kelmscott Manor.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18One has to think that in that period in 1877,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23he was running Morris & Co, which was a commercial interior designers.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28So this was one of his popular designs.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32He took a lot of time perfecting indigo,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36and there are wonderful reports of him walking around the works
0:17:36 > 0:17:41with his arms died indigo from the top of his arm all the way down
0:17:41 > 0:17:47to the tips of his fingers, trying to get the exact, correct colour.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53Now, the passion for Morris designs goes on unabated.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57I mean, the company itself, Morris & Company, survived him -
0:17:57 > 0:18:00they went on until the 1940s.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02And I think you're absolutely right -
0:18:02 > 0:18:05bearing in mind there was no love lost between Tewkesbury Abbey
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and Morris, he would neither have donated these,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11nor would they have gone out of their way to buy them,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13so it must have been a benefactor...
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- I think so, yes, yes. - ..at some point.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21With this type of textile in this type of condition
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and this size,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I would have no hesitation in putting an auction value of between
0:18:26 > 0:18:29£10,000-£15,000 on the pair.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Wow.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Thank you! That's great.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Everybody will be very pleased to hear that.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39We've got a sketch here that looks really very interesting,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and I can see these two chaps
0:18:41 > 0:18:44listening very intensely to the wireless.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47They're from the RAF, because they've got little badges
0:18:47 > 0:18:49- on their shoulders.- Yeah. - More than that I can't say,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53other than the fact that there's some rather unpleasant blue pencil
0:18:53 > 0:18:54has been...
0:18:55 > 0:19:00And we've got written on there, "Not passed, adjutant general."
0:19:00 > 0:19:01- Yes.- Tell us about it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Well, I got this from my uncle who passed away a number of years ago.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09He was a radio operator in the war. Wanted to be a pilot,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13his eyesight wasn't good enough, so he became a radio operator.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14He never said a great deal about what he did,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17he said during the war he did an awful lot of listening
0:19:17 > 0:19:20all over Europe. When I was clearing out, I found this sketch.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23There's an inscription on the back - it was done by a guy called Grimes,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26who worked for the London Evening Star,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and he was sent over to France to document
0:19:29 > 0:19:32what the listeners were listening in at in the '40s,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35under the instruction that he shouldn't take any photographs
0:19:35 > 0:19:37or do any sketches.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Obviously he did a sketch, and as you can see by the front of it,
0:19:41 > 0:19:46there's a big blue cross on there, "Not passed", so it was confiscated.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Now, how my uncle got hold of it, I don't know.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55I'm somewhat puzzled as to why a sketch of two chaps sitting,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57listening carefully at their radios...
0:19:57 > 0:20:00There's a civvy one there as well, probably for a bit of light music.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- They properly had the Light Programme on.- Yes, probably.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07If a German intelligence officer saw that, you'd think,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10"Well, there are two RAF chaps listening to the radio,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14"more than that I can't say," so I wonder why they were so secretive.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17I don't know. I mean, back in...
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I think early... 1940 this was done,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22in Metz in France.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It says with the transcript I got they actually hid these guys
0:20:25 > 0:20:27in fake hay bunkers, lofts.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- Oh, yes.- All over the place, like.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- What do you think it's worth? - I really have no idea,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35because I've never seen anything like it.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38I think because it's so, so evocative,
0:20:38 > 0:20:43and obviously unique and has that sort of back story with it
0:20:43 > 0:20:45that builds up the human bits of it
0:20:45 > 0:20:49and shows the importance of counterintelligence
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and gathering information,
0:20:51 > 0:20:56I think if that was in an auction catalogue, you'd be paying...
0:20:58 > 0:21:00..at least £250 for it, and probably more,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03if you've got two or three people who wanted to fight you over it.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04- Yeah.- It's a good thing.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I think it's just great that you've saved it.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Very happy.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11Well, on a day like today,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15there's nothing better than an absolute injection of colour
0:21:15 > 0:21:18with one of my favourite factories, Poole Pottery.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21But also, not only do we have these fantastic pots,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25to my left we've got a wonderful painting featuring one of these
0:21:25 > 0:21:28very same pots. So, what's the connection here?
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- My mother worked for Poole Pottery as a paintress.- Oh!
0:21:33 > 0:21:38She painted from 1926 to 1936.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44She had been to art school and at the age of 14 she left art school
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and took her first job, which was at Poole Pottery.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50What we have here are three of her pots
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and one painted by a colleague of hers.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So, what was your mum's artist's name
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- when she was a painter at Poole? - Doris Marshall.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Doris Marshall, I know it, yes, of course!
0:22:01 > 0:22:04But here we've got a painting signed D Atkins,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- but this is your mum's work, then? - Yes, that is my mother's work,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11and Doris Atkins was her married name.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14My earliest days I can remember the picture,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and I can remember the pot here, and this one,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20which is probably the best of the very many pieces I have of hers.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Within the family we have a significant number of other pieces.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29My daughter and my son and my brother all have pieces.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Well, the nice thing about Poole is the fact that
0:22:31 > 0:22:34they are all very easily identifiable.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37If we look to the base of this, you've now answered for me
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and I know that that is your mum's paintress cipher, then.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43That's her little moniker on the bottom of every piece.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47And actually, this one has, of course, a different series of marks.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49You mentioned painted by a colleague,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52well, that mark is by a lady called Norah Preston...
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- OK.- ..who worked for the factory from 1934-1941,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57so there's a very brief overlap.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59- There was. - This piece will have been made,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and I can tell from the mark that's impressed here, this piece,
0:23:02 > 0:23:07because of the combination of marks, paintress pattern, is a 1934 piece.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It may have been something your mum loved, wanted to buy herself,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13was given as a gift, maybe a late leaving present.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- Could've been.- But she loved enough to feature it in a painting,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20and obviously a career in art and decorating and painting
0:23:20 > 0:23:22that ran on long after she laid down her painting brushes
0:23:22 > 0:23:23at the ceramics firm.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26So, we must look at values,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and can I really put a value on your mum's work?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Well, please, please try.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34These are very much sort of nice entry-level pieces,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38and today the market will pay you per piece
0:23:38 > 0:23:42between £80 and £120, £150 for these.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44This piece is a bit more of a show stopper.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's a bigger piece, it's a slightly more piece that
0:23:47 > 0:23:50a shop would have had as a centre display,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52to show off the work that the factory were producing.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56It's a great pattern, good artist, good date, good period.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's got all those nice box-tickers that you want.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03And as such, a vase at this size is going to be more in the region,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06for me, of £400, maybe £500.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11But the painting, I just love that.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14This, for me, steps away into a different market.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I think if you put that up for auction, a good,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20dedicated Poole collector will probably give you in the region of
0:24:20 > 0:24:23maybe £500, even £800 for that painting.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25But the exciting thing is, by meeting you,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30I am just one step away from a lady who painted the work I love.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31- Good.- Thank You. Thank you.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41This is a very distinctive image for me, and it can only be by one man,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Andy Warhol, and it's Chairman Mao.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Andy Warhol of course being the major pop artist in the '60s
0:24:49 > 0:24:54in New York, and, you know, he was the top of his tree.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55I see on it it's 1974,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57it's got Andy Warhol and Mao
0:24:57 > 0:24:59on the right-hand side.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03But at the bottom I see it's signed and inscribed
0:25:03 > 0:25:05by Andy Warhol to Caroline.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07- Who's Caroline?- That's me.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- That's you?- That's me.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12So tell me about it. How did you get this?
0:25:12 > 0:25:18My sister was au pairing in New York for a family from about '77-'79,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and the name of that woman was Amy Sullivan.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23She was the cousin to Stan Lee,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and I think her dad also was involved somewhere
0:25:26 > 0:25:28amongst the Marvel Comics empire.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32- OK.- And hence they all hung out, really, they were friends,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and Amy and her friends would go down to The Factory
0:25:34 > 0:25:35and hang out with Andy Warhol.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39When my sister was coming up to leaving and returning to England
0:25:39 > 0:25:41they said, "We're going to see Andy tonight,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43"shall we bring you something back?"
0:25:43 > 0:25:45And this was one that was signed to me.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47There was another one signed to my other sister, Annabel,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and my sister Sue has one, which is the blue and yellow cow.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54She did meet him once at one of his exhibitions in New York,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58which was an exhibition about fruit, and she had a signed apple from him,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01which has since obviously disappeared and gone its own way.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02What?!
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Well, I think this is all pretty cool.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I think it's fantastic.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09But it is in a bit of a state.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- Oh, yes.- I mean, we've got roll marks here.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Where has this been?
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It's been on a wall,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and then it spent about five or six years in a garage,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20where it was thrown amongst some other stuff
0:26:20 > 0:26:22that my sister didn't want.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Then when she realised it said "to Caroline"
0:26:24 > 0:26:26and she'd have to give it back to me, I got it back,
0:26:26 > 0:26:31and since then it's been knocking around on the top of a wardrobe,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34or down the side of a wardrobe and it's never really, as you can tell,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- been very loved. - I think it's fantastic.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I mean, when you think about The Factory, Nico,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Velvet Underground, that whole scene...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45And I think it's amazing to have got this back from that period.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And as a present for you, it's wonderful.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Taking a walk on the wild side, as Lou Reed sang,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55I can take a guess that it's worth £3,000 to £5,000.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56Blimey.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02# Said, hey, babe take a walk on the wild side
0:27:02 > 0:27:04# And the coloured girls go
0:27:04 > 0:27:06# Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Doo, doo-doo
0:27:06 > 0:27:08# Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Doo, doo-doo
0:27:08 > 0:27:11# Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Doo, doo-doo
0:27:11 > 0:27:13# Doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Doo, doo-doo
0:27:13 > 0:27:14# Doo... #
0:27:18 > 0:27:23You've brought along an absolutely cracking Arts and Crafts bowl.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Very good weight, lovely condition.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I suspect you might have an idea who made it.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32It was made by Omar Ramsden.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- Quite right.- And it was given to my grandfather,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38who was an accountant in the city and joined...
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and volunteered to join the Artists Rifles.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44So your grandfather was Captain RF Turnbull...
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- Yes.- ..that's inscribed in the centre here?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- Yes, yes.- OK, let's turn it over and we can have a look at the marks.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54We can see that it was made...
0:27:55 > 0:27:59..by Ramsden and his original partner, Alwyn Carr.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03They were at the Sheffield School Of Art together in the 1890s
0:28:03 > 0:28:07and then came to London and set up business.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10This is actually dated for 1916,
0:28:10 > 0:28:15and it says "Omar Ramsden et Alwyn Carr me fecerunt" -
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Omar Ramsden and Alwyn Carr made me.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Typically with Ramsden,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24instead of making it on four feet or even three feet,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27he's made it on seven feet.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Odd number - normally a bowl would be octagonal -
0:28:30 > 0:28:32but Ramsden liked to do things differently.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37The interesting thing about this bowl, however,
0:28:37 > 0:28:38is the badge in the middle.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41And you referred to the Artists Rifles.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The Artists Rifles were founded in 1859
0:28:45 > 0:28:49because of the threat of invasion by Napoleon III.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52A young chap called Edward Sterling, he was an art student,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54went round all his artist friends and said,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58"Come on, let's form a volunteer company,"
0:28:58 > 0:29:01and it took off and became really popular.
0:29:01 > 0:29:07And during the First World War they had a very distinguished record.
0:29:07 > 0:29:13Now, the most interesting thing about this is that Alwyn Carr,
0:29:13 > 0:29:18one of the makers with Ramsden, signed up for the Artists Rifles.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23So he would have been possibly in the same regimen as your great...
0:29:23 > 0:29:25- As my grandfather. - As your grandfather.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27So here we have a piece...
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Very rarely do you get a connection
0:29:30 > 0:29:33between the maker and the recipient like that.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36And especially, you know, they were both lucky enough
0:29:36 > 0:29:38to survive the First World War.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40So, lovely piece of silver.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Inscriptions generally don't do...
0:29:47 > 0:29:49..the commercial world of silver any favours.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51You're not going to sell this, I'm sure,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54because this is a priceless family piece,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57but if something like this came up on the market,
0:29:57 > 0:30:02I think it would make easily between £2,000 and £3,000.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Well, I mean, it's lovely.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08And the quality of the engraving, you know, it's so deep and...
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- It's wonderful.- It's lovely.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- Thank you. Thank you so much. - Thank you very much.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I saw the boys bringing this in, big, hefty lads.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21This is a piece of furniture which carries some weight.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23So, where do you keep this?
0:30:23 > 0:30:28So, this is kept in the entrance hall to a local hotel pub.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31It's been there forever and a day, we think.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35The building itself is an amalgamation of historic buildings,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37some dating back to 1380,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and we've got Tudor parts as well, Georgian parts.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43We don't really know what part it came with
0:30:43 > 0:30:45or if it actually is from there originally,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47or anything about it, really.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49So, how do you use it in the pub, then?
0:30:49 > 0:30:51So, this is in the main entrance.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55We've usually got menus, condiments stored on the bottom,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59table talkers in the drawers, so it's still very much used.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01It's just there for everyone to enjoy, really.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- And how do you clean it?- We don't really know how to look after it,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07and that's something we were hoping you could probably tell us.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Is that a very polite way of saying you've never cleaned it?
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Yeah. It gets dusted, but other than that,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15yeah, not much goes on with the table.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18What I suggest, if you look at your end there,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- you've got this wonderful what I call toffee colour.- Yeah.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25That can be enhanced by literally using some wool...
0:31:25 > 0:31:28- Yeah.- ..and just, you buff it up.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30And the lanolin in the wool
0:31:30 > 0:31:33will literally make this whole table sing.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36When you stand back and you look at it as a whole
0:31:36 > 0:31:40you see these baluster carved legs,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and we see those on what we call a court cupboard...
0:31:44 > 0:31:46..or a short cupboard.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50So we've got these wonderful Tudor legs.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55Then we look at these three long drawers, beautifully carved,
0:31:55 > 0:31:57all the original carving.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59And they say something to me as well,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02that, you know, this is a really good thing.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06The wood. Any idea, what do you think the wood may be?
0:32:06 > 0:32:07- I've no idea. - Cos it looks really heavy.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09It's very, very heavy.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11I've got no idea.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Is it oak? Is it, no?
0:32:13 > 0:32:15- It's actually better than oak. - Is it?- Yeah.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16It's walnut.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- Walnut, oh! There we go.- Walnut.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22I personally think this would have been adorned with silver
0:32:22 > 0:32:25and all your foodstuffs.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27And so this is like a very important, like,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29- serving table.- Right, yeah.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31When it comes to the date,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34this is a Tudor-period piece of furniture,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37- so it is very, very old.- Yeah.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41And being made of walnut, it makes it even more exciting.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45I may have had an e-mail from a general manager today saying
0:32:45 > 0:32:49under no circumstances am I to sell the table, so...
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Yes, yeah, we thought it may be quite valuable.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55- I can see this in a very modern environment.- Yes.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59And it could look so sharp, so sharp.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04Well, I think this is a great piece of English furniture.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07I love the condition. I would leave it alone.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10I'd quite happily, seeing this piece of furniture...
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Well, I'd put a value on it between £15,000 and £20,000.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16- Wow. There we go! - It is serious.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18- That's serious, isn't it? - It is so rare.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Going to lock it to the wall now so it doesn't go anywhere!
0:33:21 > 0:33:23It's brilliant, it's lovely.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29So, here we are in the back of your dad's milk van.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31- That's right.- Tell me about it.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Well, he started the dairy in 1938 with a little Morris Eight van
0:33:35 > 0:33:38delivering 30 gallons a day of milk round the Tewkesbury area,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and most of it was delivered with a ladle from a churn
0:33:42 > 0:33:43into the customer's jug.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45You'd see them twice a day, knock on the door...
0:33:45 > 0:33:48And they would come out with a jug to be filled by your dad.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49That's right, yes, yeah.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51And it's been put to more unusual use, this van,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53- hasn't it?- It has, yes.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57In late 1939 he was delivering milk to one of his customers,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00a Mrs Belcher, and there was great excitement -
0:34:00 > 0:34:03her daughter, Doreen, was getting married that day at the abbey.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05And it was pouring with rain.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09So he jokingly said, "Would you like me to take you to the abbey?"
0:34:09 > 0:34:10Was she going to walk, otherwise?
0:34:10 > 0:34:13She was going to walk, yes, of course, and get wet.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15And so he quickly finished the milk round,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17polished the van, went to pick her up,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20and she sat in the front of the van and he took her to the abbey.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24And because it was so wet he drove all the way down the abbey drive,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27straight into the abbey porch, which is quite large,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31and then he accompanied her to meet the bridegroom in the abbey.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- He took her down the aisle? - He took her down the aisle as well.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Whoa! Was he still in his milkman's uniform?
0:34:35 > 0:34:38No, I assume he dressed up!
0:34:39 > 0:34:43And then afterwards, of course, he put the bride on the front seat
0:34:43 > 0:34:46and the bridegroom sat in the back on a milk crate
0:34:46 > 0:34:47to go to the reception.
0:34:47 > 0:34:48Oh, brilliant!
0:34:48 > 0:34:50And then he got invited to the reception as well.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Well, he had a starring role! I should hope so, too.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55But he was a lovely man, my dad.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I've had a brilliant day here today, I've seen some lovely things,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and just when you think it can't get any better,
0:35:06 > 0:35:07you bring along this collection.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Now, tell me about it.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13When my husband retired he wanted an interest,
0:35:13 > 0:35:18and he brought a lot of Maundy money and then built up the set.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21OK, and Maundy money...
0:35:23 > 0:35:26..is one of the things I collect, along with other coins,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28and it's actually one of the things which I love.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Do you know much about the history of Maundy money?
0:35:31 > 0:35:35I do know that it was given by the monarch to poor people
0:35:35 > 0:35:37- on Maundy Thursday.- Exactly.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Not to waffle on too much about the history,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43but it basically started when Jesus was preaching to the disciples
0:35:43 > 0:35:46and he was washing their feet. It was all about giving,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and giving of oneself to another.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51And that's where the term Maundy comes from,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53it's basically showing love to someone else.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's derived from that.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I think, basically, in the Middle Ages it was
0:35:58 > 0:36:02still up to washing people's feet and at some point someone thought,
0:36:02 > 0:36:04"No, I've had enough of washing stinky people's feet.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06"I'm going to change it." And that was the monarch,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and it was around Charles II period
0:36:09 > 0:36:11when they changed that into giving of coins.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14The cases are in pretty good condition.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16This doesn't help - when you have a little bit of sticky tape
0:36:16 > 0:36:18put on there, it's really not good.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20There's a family story behind that.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25My daughter, who was five when he died and is now coming up to 17,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28she used to go into his office, rip bits of tape off
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and stick them all over his office so he would know where she'd been.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33And we found that and we thought,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35"Well, we can't really take that off
0:36:35 > 0:36:37"because she put it on there for him to find."
0:36:37 > 0:36:40So you've never tried to remove it?
0:36:40 > 0:36:41- Nope!- I was going to tell you off,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44because it looks like someone's tried to stick it down.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46But now, never move that.
0:36:46 > 0:36:47No, no, it's staying!
0:36:47 > 0:36:50That's all right. It's forgiven.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Now, what made him go for Maundy money?
0:36:54 > 0:36:55We're not really sure,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59but he developed it and it became a real passion of his.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01He started with the one set,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05and started collecting a second set and was...
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Over how many years?
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Over about seven or eight years.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13That's quite quick to build up a collection like this.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14Have you been through...?
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Because basically they start in, well, 1676.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21I mean, you've got a couple that are earlier,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24but they're in the 17th century and that's really at the height
0:37:24 > 0:37:25of when they sort of started.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27And you go through to the last date of...?
0:37:28 > 0:37:32We continued collect... He died in 2005
0:37:32 > 0:37:34and we continued collecting for a couple of years after that.
0:37:34 > 0:37:41OK, so we've got varying grades and we have got...
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I sort of counted out 63 odd coins in that tray.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Some had three or four coins, but there's a lot in there.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51And, well, it's really all I can say.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It's just, I've never seen a collection
0:37:54 > 0:37:55- of Maundy money like it.- Wow.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00These could be worth sort of £30 to £40 to £50 each.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Which isn't a lot,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05but when you think that you've got over 2,000 of them...
0:38:06 > 0:38:10..in these two cabinets, that comes out at between
0:38:10 > 0:38:12£60,000-£80,000.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15AUDIENCE EXCLAIM
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- Gosh!- Yes, thank you very much.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- That's really great, thank you. - That's really interesting.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Well, these are a really beautiful pair of English art pottery vases,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32their glaze just glinting in the sunlight here.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Do you know anything about them?
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Well, I know they're
0:38:36 > 0:38:40made by Doulton and that's about as much as I know,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43about the turn of the century, and they're as large as I've ever seen.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Yes, the size is certainly amazing, isn't it? They're incredibly big.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Yes, they're Doulton and we know that because on the bottom
0:38:50 > 0:38:52there's the impressed Doulton mark.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55And they were made in Lambeth and they were made about 1900.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56- I agree with all that.- Right.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58But what's really lovely is the decoration,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01- which is what we call impasto decoration.- Mm-hmm.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05And it's decoration using raised slips to build up
0:39:05 > 0:39:07a kind of leaf design which here
0:39:07 > 0:39:10is incredibly detailed and beautiful.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14I've got so much admiration for that work, I want to know who did it.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18And unusually, pointing at the bottom of the vase there,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20- is a monogram.- That's it, yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22I have looked it up in the book...
0:39:22 > 0:39:24You've looked it up? Oh, thank goodness!
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Yes, and it says that it's by an artist called Frances Linnell.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31- Frances Linnell.- I don't know anything about her, but...
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Well, she was very talented,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and the results of her work were absolutely stunning.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38So, can you tell me how you got them?
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Yes. About four or five years ago I spotted them
0:39:42 > 0:39:45in an online auction catalogue in the general antiques sale
0:39:45 > 0:39:50and I put in a bid, or left a bid with them,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53and I was very surprised when I got them.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I rang up, actually, to have them delivered and to pay for them,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00and I was shocked when the price to send them to me
0:40:00 > 0:40:03was more than I'd actually paid for them.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And I nearly put them back in the sale and said,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10"Well, it's too expensive to have them,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12"put them back through the next sale,"
0:40:12 > 0:40:15but luckily a work colleague happened to be in the area
0:40:15 > 0:40:17and she very kindly collected them for me,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and so I got them.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23But when they arrived they were a good deal more than twice the size
0:40:23 > 0:40:24that I had expected,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27because I'd actually not looked at the picture very closely
0:40:27 > 0:40:30and not read the description very well, either.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33And I'd read it as being 18cm and, as you can see,
0:40:33 > 0:40:38- they're more like 18 inches. - No! Extraordinary.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40So you haven't told me, I'm itching to know -
0:40:40 > 0:40:42how much did they cost?
0:40:42 > 0:40:46From memory, I think I paid about £100 or £110
0:40:46 > 0:40:49- plus the auction house's costs. - Right.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52And you were quibbling about the cost
0:40:52 > 0:40:54of having them shipped to you, as well.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Because that was going to be over another £100, yes.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Oh, so they were going to cost you 250 quid.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02That's it, yes, and I very nearly...
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Well, I think you're extremely mean, because you were quibbling 250 quid
0:41:06 > 0:41:08over a pair of vases worth £1,000.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12Heavens!
0:41:13 > 0:41:15That's amazing. Great!
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Diamonds and pearls, fabulous combination,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24beautifully-executed pendant.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26How have you come to get hold of it?
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I saw it in a jeweller's a few years ago
0:41:29 > 0:41:31and it had been in the jeweller's for a good couple of years
0:41:31 > 0:41:33and nobody bought it, and I'd fallen in love with it
0:41:33 > 0:41:35the first time I saw it.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38And eventually I plucked up the courage and went and bought it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Good for you. So it was obviously meant to be.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- Date-wise, it dates from the 1860s. - Right.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48And we've got natural pearl in the centre surrounded by
0:41:48 > 0:41:50diamonds in the mount, which, of course,
0:41:50 > 0:41:55has got this fabulously intricate star incorporated into the design,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58which is a very typical image of the Victorian period
0:41:58 > 0:42:00around the 1860s.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Because of the way that it's put together we can be sure that it was
0:42:03 > 0:42:06by a very good maker, although of course it isn't signed
0:42:06 > 0:42:10or hallmarked as Victorian jewellery didn't have to be during that time.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12What's also fascinating about it,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15it's not just a pendant with the hoop that we've got here,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17but if we turn it over,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21we have a brooch pin which probably would have been fitted later.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26And then this disguises two other fittings underneath,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29which would have been for a bracelet fitting.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Oh, I did wonder whether it was part of something else.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Yes. And the bracelet, believe it or not,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36would have been made of human hair,
0:42:36 > 0:42:37more than likely.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Right. I'm glad I didn't have the bracelet!
0:42:40 > 0:42:42THEY LAUGH
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Well, yes, I'd kind of agree. I think human hair is very personal.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51It's about the memory of somebody that you might have lost and loved.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54And the ability to be able to combine the two
0:42:54 > 0:42:57in the Victorian period was really important.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59So, having fallen in love with it, do you wear it?
0:42:59 > 0:43:01If I can, I do.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03But it's not something you can wear every day.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- Well, I don't know about that! - I wouldn't wear it to work.- No!
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Oh, but it is extraordinary,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11and I think it's absolutely adorable.
0:43:11 > 0:43:12Should you ever decide to part with it
0:43:12 > 0:43:14because something else comes along
0:43:14 > 0:43:17that you've fallen in love with equally, I think auction, obviously,
0:43:17 > 0:43:20is always a good way forward and an auction estimate on
0:43:20 > 0:43:24a brooch like this would be between £5,000 and £7,000.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26AUDIENCE GASPS
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Gosh!
0:43:28 > 0:43:29I didn't realise it was that...
0:43:31 > 0:43:32Right, thank you very much.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34Well, I'm happy that you're happy.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36- Thank you.- That's the main thing. - That's lovely.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39- Pleasure. Thank you for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45We have oil paintings on the Roadshow, we have watercolours,
0:43:45 > 0:43:49but it's lovely to have an in-between medium, pastel.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50Where does she come from?
0:43:52 > 0:43:58Well, I found her in an antique dealer's paint shop,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02basically, and I had just begun working with some pastels and I had
0:44:02 > 0:44:05a book on the French pastellers.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08In it, there was a picture of her...
0:44:09 > 0:44:12..almost identical and I thought, "Oh, a lady," but with a monkey,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15holding a monkey in her arms. It's in the Louvre.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19So, this sort of excited me, and I looked up Rosalba Carriera,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21who possibly was the artist,
0:44:21 > 0:44:25and realised that she was in Paris in 1721
0:44:25 > 0:44:28and that she had brought pastels, really,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31to introduce to the French artists of the time.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33And how much did you pay for her?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35About £1,000, I think.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37- Yes.- So, the question is...
0:44:38 > 0:44:40..is it by Rosalba Carriera,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43the famous pastellist and portrait painter,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46as you hope, but have yet to prove?
0:44:46 > 0:44:48- Indeed.- And wouldn't it be wonderful if we could?
0:44:48 > 0:44:52Because Rosalba is the most exciting of painters,
0:44:52 > 0:44:54or we should perhaps say pastellists,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58because she's in the vanguard of female art
0:44:58 > 0:45:00in the late 17th and early 18th century.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Born to a lowly family in Venice,
0:45:03 > 0:45:07she started with miniatures and then made her way upwards
0:45:07 > 0:45:10towards doing pastels, went to France.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12She was patronised by all the aristocracy -
0:45:12 > 0:45:14even Louis XV himself.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18I mean, she was a woman who turned heads, and so did her portraits.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22I have to say, I do love the way that her eyes,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24lips and nose are done. There's a real sensitivity to them.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Yes, yes.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28And it's also worth bearing in mind that
0:45:28 > 0:45:31if we're going to try and work out whether this is by Rosalba,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34we have to factor in the condition, and pastel is one of those things
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- that is enormously fragile. - Sure, sure.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40If you touch the surface, you end up with it on your finger.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44- I would say this was slightly faded and I would say that...- Oh, it is.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Look at the blue round the shoulders.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49I mean, that has undoubtedly faded.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Well, you've asked for an opinion
0:45:50 > 0:45:53and I'm going to give you an opinion.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55So I do think, on reflection,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59you DID buy a work by Rosalba Carriera.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01Thank you. That is good to know.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04And, as to value, well...
0:46:04 > 0:46:05You know, it's a...
0:46:05 > 0:46:08It's good-looking portrait,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10and pretty images, when you can
0:46:10 > 0:46:12combine them with a good name,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14are the sort of things that people want.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18And despite the slight misgivings I've got about certain aspects
0:46:18 > 0:46:22of its condition, I would say this is worth £10,000-£15,000.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Really?
0:46:25 > 0:46:29Well, that confirms, I think, my hope that it was by Rosalba.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33- Thank you.- For it is her.
0:46:34 > 0:46:35Indeed. Thank you very much.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41What I noticed, that whoever made this chair,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44you look at it and it's, to me, so Heath Robinson.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48It's just been kind of cobbled together, putting the sides on,
0:46:48 > 0:46:50we can see these lovely big clout nails,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53then putting the top on, what we call the hood.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55But I'm sure you must have noticed this...
0:46:57 > 0:46:58..the chair maker.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Well, we noticed it's inscribed on both sides.
0:47:03 > 0:47:04- WC!- WC, yeah.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06LAUGHTER
0:47:06 > 0:47:11Of all the initials in the world on a commode, we've got WC!
0:47:11 > 0:47:13But I think someone's put that there.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17No, the calligraphy on that is what you'd expect
0:47:17 > 0:47:21on late 18th century.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24It's the way it's been executed.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26So, tell me your story about it.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31Well, my story is that, when we bought my grandparents' house,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34the commode was in the house and it had to be part of the house,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36and my auntie said it had to stay within the house.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39And... So obviously we bought it.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43But I, as a young child, grew up seeing the commode in the corner
0:47:43 > 0:47:46in the sitting room and obviously appreciated it
0:47:46 > 0:47:47as a part of the house.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50It's made of oak and elm.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54I just love the colour that, as it's been near a fire,
0:47:54 > 0:47:56it's got all the soot and everything from the fire.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00So you've got this really, really dark dirt,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04for want of a better word, and where people have been touching it,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06it's what we call bleeding,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09so you can see the natural colour of the wood itself.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13And this, this is obviously to help get the little potty out.
0:48:13 > 0:48:14That's right.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16I would date this around...
0:48:17 > 0:48:20..1800s, 1790s, 1800.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24But it looks much, much older.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28I could quite easily see somebody getting very, very excited
0:48:28 > 0:48:30if this ever did come on the market.
0:48:30 > 0:48:35I could see a collector being happy to pay
0:48:35 > 0:48:39at least £1,500, possibly £2,000 for this.
0:48:39 > 0:48:40It's different.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Thank you for bringing it along. That is a pleasure to see.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47And, yeah, if you see another one, let us know.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Well, we've moved out of the sun,
0:48:53 > 0:48:54under the boughs of this magnificent tree
0:48:54 > 0:48:56into the grounds of the abbey.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58And you brought me along this...
0:48:58 > 0:49:02what I have to say is probably one of the dirtiest toys
0:49:02 > 0:49:05that has ever been brought into the Roadshow!
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Where has it been living for the last 150 years?
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Well, for the last 60 years, it's been living on top of
0:49:11 > 0:49:14a bookcase where it was placed by my father
0:49:14 > 0:49:15after he finished playing with it.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17So it's not been played with for 60 years?
0:49:17 > 0:49:20No, it's not been touched for 60 years until this morning,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23when I decided to take it down and bring it to this Roadshow because,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26when I was about 12, my best friend at the time said,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28"If ever the Antiques Roadshow comes to this area,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31"you should take it in and let them have a look at it."
0:49:31 > 0:49:33- So that was when you were 12. - Yes.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36And you're a bit more than 12 now, so that was some time ago.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37- It was, yes. - And you've kept it aside,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40- and still haven't brought it until today.- Correct.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42It was treated with reverence, so we weren't allowed near it.
0:49:42 > 0:49:47Neither were my nephews, nieces, or the grandchildren in the family,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49so it's sort of been up there.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Well, I'll let you off, because actually,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54had you kept pristine and got it down from the top of the cupboard,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- you would've played with it and you would have broken it!- Mm.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Agreed!
0:50:00 > 0:50:03That's what's nice about it. And in fact, the dirt has preserved it.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05It will clean up, and I think from a collector's point of view,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07that's really important.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11So, any other family history at all about it? Or, you know...
0:50:11 > 0:50:14Well, I believe it's German, but I'm not sure.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17I understand it was probably my great-grandfather's,
0:50:17 > 0:50:20or my great-great-grandfather's, but once again I can't be sure.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22- Yeah.- It was passed down from generation to generation
0:50:22 > 0:50:25and the last generation to play with it was my father who,
0:50:25 > 0:50:27obviously, then stored it.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29And the family have always lived in the same house?
0:50:29 > 0:50:32We have. We're farmers by trade
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and we've been in the same house since 1864.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Fantastic.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Well, great provenance, great history, great original condition.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43So, I can confirm it is German.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Well, the bisque head is certainly German,
0:50:45 > 0:50:47and I assume the costume is too.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50And you'd wind it up and it would go along,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52and the little legs would go up and down.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55He's got a little bit of lace coming down the front
0:50:55 > 0:50:57and he's got metal hands and wooden feet.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01The mechanism and the tricycle part of it I think is made in France.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04So it's a combination between France and Germany
0:51:04 > 0:51:08to produce what is, I think, a wonderful toy.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10And the date is sort of 1890,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13so I think it's probably your great-grandfather
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- rather than your great-great grandfather...- Yeah.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17..if we just go back down the generations.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Well, I think it is nice.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21It's eminently restorable and I think it's in the condition
0:51:21 > 0:51:23that every collector wants to find.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26So if you decide to sell it and to put it into auction,
0:51:26 > 0:51:30I think it could easily fetch between, well, £2,000 and £3,000.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32- Oh, wow, that's amazing.- Very nice.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35So congratulations for not looking after your toys!
0:51:35 > 0:51:36Thank you!
0:51:39 > 0:51:40Looking at this dress,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44I can sort of picture the scene one misty morning -
0:51:44 > 0:51:48a woman walking through the abbey meadows.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51It's wonderful. Is it a family heirloom?
0:51:51 > 0:51:52- No, no.- Oh.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54LAUGHTER
0:51:54 > 0:51:56So, what is it?
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Well, it was given to me by a friend in the 1960s,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03and she just gave it to me because I'd just had a daughter
0:52:03 > 0:52:05and I think she thought she might be interested
0:52:05 > 0:52:07later on to dress up in it.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09And did your daughter dress up in it?
0:52:09 > 0:52:10No, no, it's never been touched.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13- I've never seen it out. - You've never seen it out?
0:52:13 > 0:52:15- No.- This is the first time you've actually seen it?
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Yes, seen it on show, yeah.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- How do you think it looks? - Very nice. Beautiful.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21How have you kept it? In a box, or...?
0:52:21 > 0:52:22Just in a box, or in a drawer, yeah.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Well, let's talk about what it is.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29It is what's known as a robe a la francaise,
0:52:29 > 0:52:31or a sack-back robe.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33People might say,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36"Oh, obviously it's incomplete. It's got an open front."
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Well, it was an open robe, and you would wear a very beautiful...
0:52:40 > 0:52:44We call them a petticoat, but it was an underskirt, really, under it.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48And of course you would have had wide hoops under all that...
0:52:48 > 0:52:50That's what I thought, yeah.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53..to give you that wonderful silhouette.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55Yeah.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58And if you can imagine wearing this,
0:52:58 > 0:53:02and in the candlelight of the 1760s or the 1770s,
0:53:02 > 0:53:04which is when it dates from,
0:53:04 > 0:53:06how that would have glistened and sparkled,
0:53:06 > 0:53:10and you would have seen shadows down the side of the dress.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12It would have been quite extraordinary.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Yes, it would have been wonderful, I should think.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20The material that it's made from is really quite exquisite.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Because it's painted silk.
0:53:24 > 0:53:25Oh.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28It's not embroidered. There is embroidery on it,
0:53:28 > 0:53:29- but it's painted silk.- Oh!
0:53:31 > 0:53:36And so, this fabulous painted silk would have been imported to Europe
0:53:36 > 0:53:40to be made up into this dress here in England.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44The decorations on it are also rather wonderful.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47You've got at the front here these little...
0:53:47 > 0:53:52They're little sort of dangling tassels of chenille work.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55- Yes.- And then down each side
0:53:55 > 0:53:59you've got raised pockets, almost,
0:53:59 > 0:54:04which have got a little piece of wool inside.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07- It looks almost like a piece of cotton wool.- It does, yeah.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11But it's real wool inside this panel here,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15to give it a three-dimensional view.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17- Extraordinary, isn't it? - It is, very.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21What I'd like to do, if the breeze will allow us,
0:54:21 > 0:54:23I'm just going to turn it round, if I may.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24Can you give me a hand?
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Gently, because it is...
0:54:28 > 0:54:29And we can see...
0:54:32 > 0:54:35..the back here, which gives it its other name,
0:54:35 > 0:54:36which is a sack-back robe.
0:54:36 > 0:54:41And you've got pleats running from the shoulder blades,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44box pleats running all the way down to the bottom,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46which gives it a sort of train effect.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49- That's right, yes. - So, when you wore this,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52you were making really quite a statement, as you can imagine.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54I think so, yeah. It's beautiful.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56I'm going to turn it back now, if I may,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58and we can enjoy the front.
0:54:58 > 0:55:04What I also like very much are these scalloped edges.
0:55:04 > 0:55:09We've got scalloped edges, particularly on the sleeves here.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11When one looks at a dress like this,
0:55:11 > 0:55:16one has to appreciate that this is an extraordinary survivor.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21Painted fabrics are notoriously difficult to keep,
0:55:21 > 0:55:26and the fact that it's been kept in a box for so long would perhaps
0:55:26 > 0:55:28explain why it hasn't just fallen to pieces,
0:55:28 > 0:55:31which is what so often is the fate.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35It is an incredibly rare survivor.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37It's beautiful.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40It's a lovely design.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42And, perhaps more importantly,
0:55:42 > 0:55:47a dress like this is of huge demand internationally by collectors
0:55:47 > 0:55:51and museums. This has a future way outside
0:55:51 > 0:55:53here at Tewkesbury,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55and who knows where it will ultimately end up?
0:55:55 > 0:55:59But this is for a major museum somewhere in the world.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02And what was just a present from a friend...
0:56:02 > 0:56:05- Yes!- ..is now going to be worth something around...
0:56:07 > 0:56:08..£40,000.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10Oh! Oh...
0:56:10 > 0:56:12Don't tell my granddaughter that!
0:56:16 > 0:56:17Oh, dear, I can't believe that.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21What an amazing find.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25And to think the dress has just been sitting in a drawer for decades!
0:56:26 > 0:56:28We've come to the end of our day here at Tewkesbury Abbey,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31but before we go, a visitor has brought along something
0:56:31 > 0:56:34that's reminded us of Antiques Roadshows past.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Do you remember in a previous series we featured a musical penknife
0:56:37 > 0:56:41worth a staggering £60,000-£80,000?
0:56:41 > 0:56:45Well, what about this?
0:56:45 > 0:56:46Whopper!
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Have you ever seen a penknife quite this large?
0:56:51 > 0:56:54It's a piece of memorabilia to advertise penknives,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56made of staghorn. Look at this.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01And Bill Harriman, our military expert,
0:57:01 > 0:57:02absolutely fell in love with it.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06He said, just for the sheer size alone, to a collector,
0:57:06 > 0:57:09that could be worth £1,500.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13From the Antiques Roadshow, and this massive penknife,
0:57:13 > 0:57:15until next time, bye-bye.