0:00:43 > 0:00:46Imagine if you could live in one of the finest country houses in the land.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Wouldn't it be great?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Imagine if you had TWO to choose from.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Well, that was the dilemma facing William Cavendish in 1858,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59when he inherited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and this glorious place.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow
0:01:02 > 0:01:04from Holker Hall and Gardens in Cumbria.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'Unlike many grand houses,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10'Holker Hall has never been bought or sold.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'For the past 400 years,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15'it's changed hands through marriage or inheritance.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'Every generation seems to have fallen in love with it.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19'And who can blame them?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24That was certainly the case for William Cavendish,
0:01:24 > 0:01:25the seventh Duke of Devonshire.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Holker Hall, set between the tidal estuary of Morecambe Bay
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and the Lake District which so inspired William Wordsworth,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34also appealed to the Duke.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And he decided THIS was the place he wanted to raise his family.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43There's some touching mementos of family life, like this screen,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45for example, which was made by the children.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50And it features scenes from Russia, like the Kremlin, here, for example.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51The children had never been,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55but it was around the time of the Crimean War, the 1850s.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56And then look at this.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59It's called a nursery yacht. It's a very rare survivor.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00There are very few left in the country.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Can you imagine? What fun for the children,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05rocking backwards and forwards on this.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07I'm sure our experts would love to see it.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14This idyllic family life was nearly brought to an abrupt end
0:02:14 > 0:02:16in the early hours of March the 9th, 1871,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19when a fire started here in one of the children's bedrooms.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Fortunately, everybody got out safely.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23But it wrought terrible destruction.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Valuable books, furniture and paintings were lost for ever,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33as the west wing of the house was completely gutted by the flames.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Almost as soon as the embers stopped burning,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38the Duke decided to rebuild this part of the house,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and it was going to be more spectacular than ever.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44His daughter Louisa took charge, and oversaw much of the grand design.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46And work began within weeks.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The reconstruction of this entire wing took three years.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55The final touch was this inscription on the fireplace to mark the
0:02:55 > 0:02:58completion of the rebuild in 1874.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02And the wooden panelling holds a message as well.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The Duke wanted to thank his daughter Louisa
0:03:05 > 0:03:07for her efforts and unswerving loyalty,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11so each letter of her name is inscribed in the paneling.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Today, Holker is still lived in by members of the Cavendish family,
0:03:16 > 0:03:17who are our hosts
0:03:17 > 0:03:20as we welcome visitors to today's Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Let's join them in the Deer Park and in the formal gardens.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Here at Holker Hall, I understand there's an annual flower festival.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Now, I think this could be the prize exhibit.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36- Where did you get it?- I inherited it. It belonged to my grandfather.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39I remember it hanging on the wall of their house
0:03:39 > 0:03:40when I was a small child.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45And my grandfather had a sister who lived in Singapore in the 1920s,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and almost certainly bought it in the Far East.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51The type of decoration, I don't know if you know,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55it's known as mille-fleurs, or a "thousand flower" decoration,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57which was developed in China...
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Well, this is a Chinese dish.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Developed in China at the beginning of the 18th century
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and carried on for some time. But it really is quite rare on this scale.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07If we turn it over...
0:04:07 > 0:04:09How are we going to do this?
0:04:09 > 0:04:10HE GRUNTS
0:04:12 > 0:04:14That way up, there we are.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18There is a four-character imperial reign mark.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22It reads Qianlong, Nanjing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28The Qianlong Emperor reigned from 1736 to 1795.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30But the question with this dish is,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32is it an 18th century dish from the Qianlong reign
0:04:32 > 0:04:35or is it a copy from a later date?
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Um... And it makes a huge difference to its value.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45It's a question of judging it on the quality of decoration.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Is it of imperial quality?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Is it from an imperial workshop?
0:04:49 > 0:04:50The shape of the dish comes into it.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Is this an 18th century shape?
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Is this a 19th century shape?
0:04:53 > 0:04:56And also, how the mark is painted, the quality of the mark,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and the style of the mark.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Um, I've got absolutely no doubt that this is a 19th century dish,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04rather than a Qianlong one.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06But what you want to know is the value, don't you?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11It has a small chip on the rim, just down here.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12And that does make a difference.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I think at auction, even with this little chip here,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20we're looking at £2,500 - £3,500.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Oh! Gosh.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Gosh.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Had it been a Qianlong piece from the 18th century,
0:05:28 > 0:05:29it would have been...
0:05:31 > 0:05:33..maybe 200,000.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Whoa, God!
0:05:34 > 0:05:35CROWD LAUGH
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- Oh, dear.- Even chipped.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39Yes. Yes.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46To me at first glance, and I'm sure anyone else looking at this now,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50it looks like a typical French 19th century, mid-19th century table.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52But we know it's different, don't we?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54We do. It's actually Russian.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- Russian.- Yes.- It's amazing.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02- Where did you get it from, Russia?- A shop in Stockport.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03But it never got into the shop.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You bought it off the back of a van, or something?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- We bought it off the back of a van. - It's lovely.- Well, a friend did.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- Yes. OK.- Yes.- Of course, it's a small lady's writing desk.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Um... We know there's a label under here.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- Yeah.- The label reads in Russian,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19this table was from the red room in the Winter Palace,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23which is the official residence of the royal family, the czars.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28- What do you know about it?- They were sold off, in the 1920s.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31After the revolution, they sold a lot of furniture off.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33They had... Yes, I think some big auctions
0:06:33 > 0:06:35in I think 1929, revolutionary sales.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- Yes.- Yes.- And that's how it came to, presumably, England.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Presumably, yes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41- What happened...- If only it could talk to us and tell us more.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43What's it seen? Who's written at it?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Yeah.- In Russia in the 1850s.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- I mean, it's fascinating. - Yes.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I mean, it looks exactly like a French-made 19th century,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54what's known as Napoleon III, Napoleon Trois.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56It's known as Boulle as well. This is a generic name.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Boulle was a 17th-century cabinet maker, marqueter, inlaid marquetry,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and he specialised in wood marquetry,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05also this type of brass and turtle shell.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- Yes.- Commonly thought to be tortoiseshell.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09It's not. It's sea turtle.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10- Right.- Turtle shell.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12The red, and the brass.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15This is known as contra partie, so the main body is brass,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and there would be a counterpart to this somewhere in the world,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23possibly in Russia, where the main part is the red turtle shell,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and the smaller parts are brass.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I think that these panels are possibly made in Paris
0:07:28 > 0:07:29and sent to Russia.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Why? Because you see the joints here? All four centres,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34there's no real join. It's sort of...
0:07:34 > 0:07:36They hadn't quite finished it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38No Frenchman would do that.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39They'll have a little mask in there, a face,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41or something just to join it together.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I think somebody's sold the marquetry to the Russian maker.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47The other main giveaway,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49when we open the drawer here,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51we can see it's got this nice, thick lining here...
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- Yeah.- ..which is very unusual, and certainly not a French style.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59But more importantly, the thin lock here with the telltale here,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01this single throw lock and a very narrow tongue
0:08:01 > 0:08:04that is absolutely typical of... Well, it's...
0:08:04 > 0:08:06It's not French. They just never did it like that.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09And this shape is Germanic, possibly Russian.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10And that just confirms
0:08:10 > 0:08:12this extraordinary rare label on the back.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15So what... So when did you get it? A long time ago?
0:08:15 > 0:08:18It was... I think the late '70s.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19- Right. Right.- Yeah.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I mean, as a French desk of the mid-19th century,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25it's worth £2,000-£3,000.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29We all know that Russians are potentially big buyers,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and the market is up and down, of course, all the time,
0:08:32 > 0:08:33so it's very unpredictable.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37But I think, instead of two or £3,000, I'm going to say...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40..£12,000 to £18,000.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41Oh, gosh.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- That's good.- And, keep going, because it's from the Winter Palace.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- Thank you.- Thank you very much. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Keep your back straight. That's it.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Head up.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Oh, my goodness me!
0:09:00 > 0:09:03What a... A fabulous bit of weightlifting equipment.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And, yeah, thanks on that bone-crushing handshake!
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Oh, sorry.- Look, you look fit as a fiddle.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12How long have you been acquainted with this weightlifting...?
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Almost 60 years I've had this bar, yes.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16And still going today?
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Well...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- Yes, I've got a pulse! - LAUGHTER
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Do you mind if I ask how old you are?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- 76.- Wow.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Well, you're a great inspiration.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I understand this dates really from the early 20th century?
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- I'd say 1907, 1908.- 1907.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36- Yeah.- And of course this was a time, late Victorian, Edwardian period,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39when people were getting more interested in their health,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42what their bodies looked like, there was new,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45patent fitness machines coming on.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- Yeah. Oh, yeah.- And by the 1920s,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51when body beautiful was what everybody wanted,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53it was high-fashion across many nations.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- Yeah.- The bar itself is made of brass.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59And... The bar itself is steel, actually.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Right, so a steel core.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- Steel core, yeah.- Sort of a shell or a tube of brass over that.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- Yeah. Yeah.- And of course it has on this end a magnificently thick gauge
0:10:09 > 0:10:14collar, with this equally thick gauge hand tightening wheel.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I mean, that's like something...
0:10:16 > 0:10:17I know of no other variant
0:10:17 > 0:10:21of this Bull and Paton bar that has got these.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22- Yeah.- So I think it's unique.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I think it was either a prototype or...
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- Yeah.- ..built for an exhibition.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- Wow.- Because it must have been 40 years old when I got it.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Yes. Is this all the weights you've got?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- I mean...- Oh, no, I've got quite a few at home.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38All right. With the Camberwell stamp on them.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I've got... Well, I've got two 50 pounders in the car.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42But...
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Oh, yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47For practical purposes, yeah.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Cos, you know, this is such a rare piece.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And, I mean, there is a market for these.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58And I think that you could sell this at auction for around £2,500.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Oh, really?
0:11:00 > 0:11:02But you've got two more weights in the car.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06So why don't we add another 500 and make it 3,000?
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Oh! Very nice.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Well, looking at these 19th century dresses,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I can't help but notice the size of this waistline.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I don't think I know anyone who could fit into a dress like this.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Why do you have them?
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Oh, I just love them.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I think they're so beautiful,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and they portray an era that we've lost completely.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And they're just ever so nice to have.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- They're just beautiful.- And how did they all find their way to you?
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Well, it's a long story.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38But basically, people learned that I was very interested in this type of
0:11:38 > 0:11:39thing, and they gave me them.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- Which is incredible.- So, of the...
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Of the ones that you have in the collection, are there more than this?
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I have got quite a few more.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Perhaps not as flamboyant and beautiful as these,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54but nevertheless, they still portray that era of long-gone elegance.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Don't they just? And I think I am instantly drawn to these two in
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- particular.- Yes.- Where did these come from?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Well, these are Ulverston dresses.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06These were two Ulverston ladies.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10That one was Mary Petty, and she lived in Bardsley and Ulverston,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but unfortunately, as it was in those days,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15she died when she was 16.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- Oh, gosh!- This is her sister, Hannah Petty.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22And obviously she lived for quite some time afterwards.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25She's... She's slightly larger than Mary, but nevertheless,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I know the pedigree, as it were.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31It sounds as though you know these dresses sort of through and through.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33And the way you refer to these...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Do the other dresses have names, too?
0:12:35 > 0:12:36They do, yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39That one there is Minnie Briggs.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Now, she was married in Ulverston parish church,
0:12:42 > 0:12:43and I'm a bell-ringer,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and when I come down from the bell tower,
0:12:46 > 0:12:47I often think about Minnie
0:12:47 > 0:12:50walking up the aisle of the church in the 1870s.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Possibly in this... In this dress.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54In that dress, yes, in that very dress.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58You really have got the history that goes with them.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59This is so often what's lost.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01What about the others?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, here we have Sarah Huddleston.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Now, she was a farmer's wife, and she lived at Baycliff just outside Ulverston.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And although you can't tell sitting on the chair,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14she is an unusually tall lady for Victorian days.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16She must be about five foot ten.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21And this is a very sort of humble, 1830s dress.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They're all day dresses, aren't they?
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Yes. Yes.- And all of these materials have been printed.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32This is really a stunning little dress, isn't it?
0:13:32 > 0:13:36So it dates from the 1830s, I would say.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37And actually, I can't help but think
0:13:37 > 0:13:40of the young Queen Victoria when I look at something like this.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46- Yes.- The low neckline, the very tight bodice
0:13:46 > 0:13:48with a corseted waist,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52and then the skirt, pleated and just beginning to be full.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54But I love the trimmings.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Oh, yes. Beautiful, yeah!
0:13:57 > 0:13:58What do you like about them?
0:13:58 > 0:14:03Oh, it's the green fringing and how it tones in with the rest of the colours.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08The dressmaker must have taken great pains in finding exactly the right colour.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Dresses through the 19th century would have been made...
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Normally, the silk dresses would be made sort of at
0:14:14 > 0:14:16the top end of the range.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18And then there were dresses made for the middle classes
0:14:18 > 0:14:23that were more likely to be printed cottons.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And I think that these two dresses
0:14:25 > 0:14:28fit into that sort of middle-class bracket.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30You're so enthusiastic about these.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32You don't really want to know the value, do you?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Not at all.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37None the less, I'm going to tell you, um,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41that I think each of these dresses is worth
0:14:41 > 0:14:42around £400.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46And, um, the others, around £100 or so,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and then maybe £50 to £100 for the other two.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51But these really stand out.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I could never, ever part with them. They're wonderful.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne, illustrated by EH Shepard.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08A first edition, and it is signed.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20It's got a dust wrapper on it, which is almost unheard of.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22So you paid top price for it?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24About £250 for it.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30Well, now it's probably worth £2,000-£2,500.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Well, that is surprising, that really was a good buy, then.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36I think it was an incredible buy!
0:15:41 > 0:15:43You take it to our jewellery experts.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I think they will find that very interesting.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52One of the risks of country houses such as Holker, in the old days of course,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57was fire. So many houses were destroyed by fire.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59And they had their own firemen, if you like,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02because there was no organised fire brigade.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- Exactly.- And what these helmets tell us, which is an amazing collection,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09is of course we are dealing with the development of the Fire Service.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- That's right.- Why did you come to this subject?
0:16:12 > 0:16:17I used to be a fireman, and at one stage I was on long-term sick
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and I needed something to do
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and somebody sent me a helmet, and that was it.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I got the bug. And it's just escalated ever since.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- How many helmets now?- About 100.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So you have become addicted to the history of the Fire Service?
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- It's your thing?- It is. - Where does it start?
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Does it start with military style..?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Basically, yeah, military style.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Which, that's an 1880s French one.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Right. In France wasn't the Fire Service part of the Army, initially?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It was, it was, that's exactly what that one is.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49So when you were working as a fireman,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52were you interested in the history?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Yeah. I've always had a passion towards the history of it, yeah.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57- What's that?- That...
0:16:58 > 0:17:02..that's as Chicago Fire helmet from basically the 1900s.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05It's called a high eagle pattern,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07hence the high eagle and the big badge.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It's basically made out of buffalo hide and very strong.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Why did they move away from the metal?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18A lot of them were being made of brass and copper,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20and when electricity came into being
0:17:20 > 0:17:23firemen were starting to get electrocuted.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25So you had to have a material that was not...
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Nonconductive.- Nonconductive.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29OK. So we get leather, we get...
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Cork, papier mache.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Papier mache. And various sort of moulded materials.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38- That's right.- So, when you were in service, what were you wearing?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41One similar to that one down there with the two red stripes,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44what they call a Middlesex pattern, which was made out of cork.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Nowadays everything is much more standardised.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- That's right, yeah.- We're looking at a period,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51late Victorian, early 20th century,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54when little local brigades were established, is that right?
0:17:54 > 0:17:55That's right, that's right.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57And they all had their own badges.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- Exactly.- They had their own helmet style.- They did.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00And, of course, that's what,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- I suppose, appeals to collectors? - Exactly, yeah.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05You got very, very small packets of history.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06That's right, yes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09When did it all become standardised?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Erm, basically, after the war.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14There were five or six specific patterns.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- So it becomes the national Fire Service?- It did, yeah. Yeah.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19There are collectors worldwide.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Oh, yes, yes. I talk to one or two from various countries.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I have a friend in Slovakia
0:18:24 > 0:18:29who, I send him police helmets and he sends me fire helmets.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- We exchange.- So the world is your oyster?- Oh, yeah, absolutely.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- You can go on forever, can't you? - You're right. Yeah.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37What are you going to do when you've got 1,000, or 2,000?
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Oh, don't go there, don't go there!
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Get into trouble, I would think!
0:18:41 > 0:18:42LAUGHTER
0:18:42 > 0:18:47Now, standard helmets fetch £100, up to £250.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49That's right.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Some are much more.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Yeah.- Which ones here are much more?
0:18:53 > 0:18:57This particular pattern, they can go up to over £1,000.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Yeah, so the average price, as I say, is £200, is that fair?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- Yeah, yeah.- You've got 100.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- Yeah.- Well, that takes us to £20,000.- Yeah.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I think we should stop there.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Well, ears!
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- And then there are the exceptional ones, on top of that. - Yeah, that's right.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So that's creeping up to £25,000, isn't it?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- Right, yeah.- You can tell the story of the Fire Service
0:19:19 > 0:19:20better than anybody else.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23You're a great collector and it's wonderful to see them, thank you.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Rather smart red leather box,
0:19:32 > 0:19:38tooling of gold round the edge and within is an enamelled pendant.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42So, tell me why you brought it along today to show it to me.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46I know it's a reliquary. It's got a relic in the back.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48My mother who - it belongs to her -
0:19:48 > 0:19:52has always said that she thought it was a Victorian copy.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And I've always thought it was a lot older than that.
0:19:54 > 0:20:01You would like me to tell you that this was 16th century Elizabethan.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Because it looks it, doesn't it?
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- That's what my husband thinks, actually.- It's got the colour.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It's got that renaissancey feel about it, hasn't it?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- Doesn't it, doesn't it? - And look at the colours.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I mean it's very bold,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15polychrome colours, greens, whites, blues, reds.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Line of rubies at the bottom here.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- They are rubies?- Yes.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Is that giving you more cause for hope?
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Well, yes. I mean, a copy would be paste wouldn't it?
0:20:27 > 0:20:29It would be glass. I just think it's...
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And the fact that the enamel is slightly worn on the face...
0:20:32 > 0:20:35The enamel is worn on the front, turn it over,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38if it is a 16th century piece,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42it's got some very visible repairs that have been undertaken.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46You see that backplate, did you notice that backplate?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I knew the backplate and I didn't know if it was a repair or what.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Yes. It is a repair, unfortunately.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53All right, shall I tell you what it is?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56It's a late 19th-century Austro-Hungarian
0:20:56 > 0:20:59neo renaissance copy.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- There you go.- I know. - My mum was right.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I fear so. It's worth saying, they were very common,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08at the end of the 19th century,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Middle European jewellery
0:21:10 > 0:21:14had this obsession with anything to do with the renaissance period
0:21:14 > 0:21:17so they made these sort of things.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22Why? Because apart from the fact everyone loved Tudor period,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25they also wanted to deceive people,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29so they've carried out their task with great aplomb, haven't they?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- Totally, yeah. - Let's put it like this,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34if it had been a genuine 16th century pendant, I would be standing
0:21:34 > 0:21:40here valuing it at at least, what? £10,000, probably £15,000.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44But, I'm afraid to tell you, it's only worth about £150.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- Great. Because now I can wear it. - You can wear it.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- I adore it.- Good.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57I bought this piece recently from my sister.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59These pieces actually belong to
0:21:59 > 0:22:01my brother at the moment but I'm custodian of them.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03So it's a family connection?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06They were collected by my grandfather who collected all sorts of things.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10I think your grandfather had great taste because these are both great
0:22:10 > 0:22:12examples of their sort.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16This is a classic piece of Pilkington's Lancastrian lustre
0:22:16 > 0:22:18with two of the best names.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23WS Mycock who decorated, Walter Crane who was the designer.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The back is almost as beautiful as the front.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's a local piece made just down the road.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And then these, these are Doulton Titanian Ware,
0:22:33 > 0:22:40which is Doulton from the 1920s but still at the top of their game.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I think what I love about these,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44the owls and this quite formalised border,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48but this owl has caught three mice and this one has only caught one.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50There's a little bit of humour in them.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53So you bought this from your sister?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I paid her £500 for that.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58OK. What would you do if I told you it was worth more?
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I intend to pay her more.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Well, you owe your sister £300,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- it's worth £800. - Is it really? Right.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- Yeah, I'll make sure she gets it then.- But she...
0:23:09 > 0:23:11That was witnessed everybody, wasn't it?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14And these aren't yours?
0:23:14 > 0:23:16They are not, they're my brother's.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- They're worth £600, the pair. - Are they? Very nice too.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- OK?- Thank you very much. - It's a pleasure, thank you.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29I'm looking at a collection relating to the Glam Rock era in the UK,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32things relating to Marc Bolan, to Carmen,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34to all kinds of other Glam Rock bands.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36And I have the real thing,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40in you, Paul Fenton, a drummer of wide experience.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Tell me who you were working with at that time?
0:23:43 > 0:23:50Yes, I met Jeff Christie back in the '60s and he was very lucky to have
0:23:50 > 0:23:53written Yellow River, which went to number one around the world,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56in every record buying country in the world, so I got to travel with him.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Living in London of course, in Kensington,
0:23:59 > 0:24:00we used to meet some amazing people.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Went down to the Kensington market to a guy, Ivanovic,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07who made all these amazing clothes,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and met Carmen, they'd come over from America,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16wanted to find a drummer who wore snakeskin and they went to the right place.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19We got involved with Tony Visconti who was a famous producer who
0:24:19 > 0:24:22was working with McCartney and Bowie and all the rest of it.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I met all those incredible people.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I went to meet Marc and we toured for a while.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32I mean, I think, let's try and remember back to 1970,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36it's when Marc Bolan, T. Rex, released Ride A White Swan.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40When that got to number two in January 1971, bang,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43something called T. Rex-stacy was born,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46which was a kind of Beatlemania for T. Rex.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Every gig that I went to with Marc,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54there were 13 people on stage, session musicians, big band,
0:24:54 > 0:24:59and you couldn't hear a thing for, it was mayhem.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01They'd be screaming after Marc had left the theatre,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04they would still be screaming half an hour after he had left.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06That will always stay in my mind.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And there was glitter on the cheekbones, there was,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12you were wearing glitter, you were completely outrageous,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14it was almost like a pantomime.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I mean, this, you told me, Paul,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19that you used to be able to fit that?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I did, yeah. I managed to get into it OK and drum with it and it was amazing.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I'd just never seen anything like it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28There was no-one else had jackets like this.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Everything was so individual.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Exactly. There is a photo here of Paul Alan from Carmen wearing it,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38alongside Bowie, actually, and presumably, you all swapped clothes?
0:25:38 > 0:25:40We did actually.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42So, Helen, you're Paul's partner,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45what makes you interested in this particular period?
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Well, ever since leaving school when I studied fashion at college,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I have been so interested in this period.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I can see why you're interested from a fashion point of view,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57fashion historian.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00It just sums the whole period up.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06Now the suit furthest from me, there is a letter with that down here,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10from a guy called Alfie who was Marc's bodyguard....
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- Bodyguard.- Minder, whatever.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Minder, chauffeur, everything.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17And the letter gives provenance that this was made for,
0:26:17 > 0:26:23or certainly worn by Marc, it comes from a shop in Rodeo Drive.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- That's right.- And it's certainly the right style,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29you could imagine Marc wearing that, couldn't you?
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- Of course, yeah.- And there is a wonderful memento from that time too,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37which is this book that Marc wrote, it's called The Warlock Of Love,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and there is a fabulous dedication to Paul,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44a beautiful friend, love Marc, kissy kissy.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- It's just great.- Absolutely.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51It was just, that was a show business thing with Marc, he was
0:26:51 > 0:26:56very loving, very caring and then he would have that, personally,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58he would take us out and be very generous.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03And I have to say that T. Rex has gone in and out of value,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06their fortunes since Marc died in 1977,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09their fortunes have gone up and down.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Now, I think things are slightly settled, let's put it that way.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And I think that what we are looking at here is going to be, you know,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19the jacket, perhaps we are talking about £300.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- Right.- The suit,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23it would be fantastic to have a
0:27:23 > 0:27:27picture of Marc actually wearing that suit.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- Yeah, yeah.- That would boost it into maybe the low four figures.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34But at the moment I'd have to put it at perhaps £400.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37This I think is the real treasure.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42It may not be visually so exciting but this, to me, is wonderful,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- to have that.- That was his own copy he gave me.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- That dedication.- It was, yeah.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49It's terrific. I would put this at around £500.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Right, OK.- Auction value.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I have really enjoyed sharing your memories.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56We've enjoyed it immensely also.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Great, thanks.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03MUSIC: Ride a White Swan by T. Rex
0:28:19 > 0:28:22We've had a lot of toys on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25but very seldom have we had such really tiny,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29intricate lovely little ones like these.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Tell me the history of them?
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Well, my grandfather was a handyman
0:28:34 > 0:28:37for a lady in Dalton and as a present,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39the lady gave these toys to my grandfather.
0:28:39 > 0:28:44Now, the toys originally belonged to this lady's children and when they
0:28:44 > 0:28:47grew up, they enlisted in the British Army,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51went off to fight in the First World War and unfortunately they were both
0:28:51 > 0:28:55killed on the same morning in a First World War battle.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Oh, my goodness. How old were they?
0:28:58 > 0:29:02I couldn't tell you, obviously 18 at that time.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Yes, yes. But what a terrible story.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08They must have enjoyed them when they were young,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and in those days children played very gently with their toys.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Yes.- Because they needed to be very gentle, didn't they?- Yes.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16They are, were known as penny toys
0:29:16 > 0:29:20because they really didn't cost very much in the late 19th century.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23They are by JP Meier from
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Nuremberg, so you're right, they are German.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28And they're made of tin.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Known as tin plate toys.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Just to give you an idea of how I know they are by Meier,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37first of all I found this, which is
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Ges Gesch, the registered trademark.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Just to show that they were registered in Germany.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47And then, the only one that's got anything on it to show me that
0:29:47 > 0:29:52it is Meier is that little mark there,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54which is an M.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58They were started in 1894, Meier,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and then they went on right through to 1920.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06So these could be somewhere around 1900.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09They are quite flimsy, really, very light.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11A lot of work in them.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14But they are still in such good condition,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17considering they are so terribly fragile.
0:30:17 > 0:30:24I would put an estimate, at auction, of £500-£800.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Yes. Very good. Excellent. Yes. Yes.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29- Pleased?- Yes, it's a bit more than I thought they would be.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- Yes.- Bit more?- Yes, yes. Very good, excellent.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37So, you've brought us in a wonderful piece of local history,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39the Ulverston Fire Brigade.
0:30:39 > 0:30:45You've got the fire attendance book and the fire report made up by the
0:30:45 > 0:30:47fire captain here.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Now, what is the significance?
0:30:49 > 0:30:52We've opened this a particular date. October 28 1904.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56This is the date that our local theatre burnt down.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Opposite the theatre is where Stan Laurel was born and this is where he
0:30:59 > 0:31:01did his first acting at.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Laurel and Hardy, the comedians?
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Yes, he was born in Ulverston, in Argyle Street.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- Yeah.- And the theatre that we're looking at now burnt down.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10So, look, here we are,
0:31:10 > 0:31:15the total cost of having all the fireman there was two pounds seven shillings.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18And this is the report from the fire chief.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23It was started by a gas burner dropping out on light being applied
0:31:23 > 0:31:26which caught, lovely spelling here,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29which caught the scenery
0:31:29 > 0:31:33and there was no insurance and the damage was not
0:31:33 > 0:31:35so large as first thought.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36I mean, it's all here, isn't it?
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Lovely local history. 50 years of fire.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41How can we value that?
0:31:41 > 0:31:45And who would ever know that Stan Laurel was behind these pages?
0:31:45 > 0:31:48- That's right. - We have to put a price on it.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I'm going to say £1,000.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Wonderful. Right.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I'm just amazed by that.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Well, be careful as you go home.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Yes, yes. Right.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05She was a vision of delight when first she gleaned upon my sight,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09a lovely apparition sent, to be a moment's ornament.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14And I can't help getting so poetic about a beautiful sculpture
0:32:14 > 0:32:18made by Lutiger. But tell me, what do you know about it?
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It was left to me through my great-grandfather.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24His sister was married to the artist.
0:32:24 > 0:32:30He was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1871.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35And he moved to London and was naturalised in 1912.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Became a British subject.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And married the same year to my great-grandfather's sister.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Well, he popped off to Paris in between
0:32:42 > 0:32:46because he studied at the Academie de Marne in Paris.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51And though this is a sculpture of a beautiful lady,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53he was also an animalier,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55a sculptor trained in the tradition of sculpting animals.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Lions, tigers.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Most of his work was with animals.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- Yeah.- This is the only non-animal one that I know about.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05He exhibited at many different places.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09He was a Royal Academician up until 1931.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12And that was quite late because he died, was it 19...
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- 33 he died.- 33, yes.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18You can't see from the front but round the back,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21she has an apple in her hand.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Symbolic of being Eve.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28There is no doubt in my mind he's a skilled, skilled sculptor.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Because he knows how to follow the lines,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34even down to the detail of the little lock of hair.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38That is beautiful, that is just that little extra touch.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41So it's signed,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Lutiger, and it's dated 1923-24 on the base.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Clearly inscribed in the bronze.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49It may have been a single piece,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52there wouldn't be another one, I don't think.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57If you put this into auction, it must carry a valuation
0:33:57 > 0:33:59of probably...
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- £1,200-£1,500.- So much?
0:34:02 > 0:34:05And I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't make a little bit more.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08I love her, it's even got me reciting poetry.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Thank you, thank you very much.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25For this week's enigma, we have Mark Hill to thank.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Mark, you have been touring around museums of the Lake District and you
0:34:29 > 0:34:32have come up with this extraordinary, rather baffling object,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35for which you will give us three definitions, if you like,
0:34:35 > 0:34:39and only one of them fits the object, our enigma.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Well, it's fit for purpose, but what purpose?
0:34:42 > 0:34:45And the Victorians had a sort of machine, or an item,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49or an object or a utensil like this for every single purpose.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52So the first option is a sugar cane slicer.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56So you would put in your sugar cane and slice it, because sweet drinks -
0:34:56 > 0:34:59anything sweet - was incredibly popular with Victorians,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03so this would have given them that sort of early morning lift at
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- breakfast, a sugar rush.- I'm not allowed to pick it up, am I?
0:35:06 > 0:35:11- Best not to.- So it would be placed up, like this, clamped onto the table,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14and then sliced. You wouldn't want to put your finger in there, would you?
0:35:14 > 0:35:18- Definitely not, definitely not.- So, sugar cane. I'm not sure about that.
0:35:18 > 0:35:19- No?- Not convinced?
0:35:19 > 0:35:21- No.- OK, we're not liking that one, come on.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24The second option is a marmalade maker.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Effectively, you would put oranges inside it, and then operate it,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30just like the sugar cane slicing.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- And creating marmalade.- OK, who here has made marmalade?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36- Yes.- Yes?
0:35:36 > 0:35:38No. I mean, I've made jam.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40With something like this?
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Funnily enough, no!
0:35:42 > 0:35:44OK, so stick a bit of orange in there.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- Absolutely, yes.- Which you would have had to have quartered,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- in order to get it in there. - Or crushed, of course,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51and then you can just put it inside and squeeze it through,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54very much like the cane, you could just feed it through, as well.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57It would be quite something to squash an orange like that and push it through.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- It could be a cucumber cutter? - A cucumber cutter?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02You've got your own definition, have you? OK.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05A fourth option opens up, my goodness!
0:36:05 > 0:36:07WOMAN: Vasectomies?
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Vasectomies?! Oh!
0:36:09 > 0:36:10LAUGHTER
0:36:10 > 0:36:13My goodness, I think I'm just going to cross my legs at that!
0:36:14 > 0:36:16I like your style!
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Whatever you say now is not going to be as interesting as that.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24No way! The alternative is a rope cutter.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- A rope cutter?- So you feed the rope through,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30we're doing a lot of feeding through this tube here, but is it rope,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32oranges or sugar cane?
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Right, come on, ladies and gentlemen, because you're definitely going to
0:36:35 > 0:36:38have to help me. If we're rejecting the cucumber and vasectomy options...
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Yes, please, definitely the latter...
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Sugar cane? We didn't like that. You're all changing your minds now.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47- No, rope.- Oh, sugar cane's having it.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Let's have a show of hands for sugar cane.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53And for rope?
0:36:53 > 0:36:55OK, so sugar cane was in...
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And is anyone buying the marmalade?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- Oh, yes, you are. - The nozzle's oblong.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- And where are you from, sir? - Down Under.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08I was going to say, so an Aussie's now telling us it was used for making marmalade!
0:37:08 > 0:37:09- Popular down under!- Um...
0:37:10 > 0:37:12And your final answer?
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Is going to be sugar cane, because that's what most people are saying.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20It is on display in the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and Paddington Bear would be delighted,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25because it is a marmalade maker.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26AUDIENCE COO
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Well done! Congratulations, they were right.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Come forward.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34So you're from Australia?
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- Yeah.- And how did you know this was going to be a marmalade cutter, then?
0:37:37 > 0:37:38Common sense!
0:37:38 > 0:37:40LAUGHTER
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Right, get back.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46You can't cut rope, which is round,
0:37:46 > 0:37:47- with an oblong hole.- Oh, very good.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Sugar cane's the same. Oblong hole.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53So what would you cut with an oblong hole that's something that started
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- off round?- There speaks an engineer, I feel?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- Australian, mate.- Australia! LAUGHTER
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Well done, you!
0:38:09 > 0:38:11It's such a lovely change for me to be looking
0:38:11 > 0:38:13at a piece of contemporary jewellery,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16- rather than the normal antique jewellery that I look at.- Yes.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And this is obviously a ring that's very special to you.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21How did it come into your collection?
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Well, it belonged to my mother, and it was bought for her by my father,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28I think. She liked this a lot, and she wore it a lot.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30It is by a designer called Gerda Flockinger,
0:38:30 > 0:38:35and she was an extremely important contemporary jewellery designer
0:38:35 > 0:38:36in the '60s and onwards,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40but you've actually had correspondence with Gerda,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42- haven't you?- Yes.- And how did that come about?
0:38:42 > 0:38:46Well, the ring was involved in a car accident,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48and it ended up on the road.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- Right.- Not on my mum's finger, I'm happy to say.
0:38:50 > 0:38:51Yes!
0:38:51 > 0:38:53But it did get squashed by a car,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56so my dad sent it back to Gerda
0:38:56 > 0:38:58to get it remade,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and she somehow or other managed to restore it to its shape.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04I'm not quite sure how she did that - it seems a magical thing to do,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08- because it's so knobbly.- It is, isn't it?
0:39:08 > 0:39:10It's just lovely and textured,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and this was very typical of her style.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15But, then, the correspondence that we have
0:39:15 > 0:39:17- is quite funny, really, isn't it... - Yes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19..about her attitude towards hallmarking?
0:39:19 > 0:39:20And, of course, at this time,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24before 1973, they didn't have to hallmark jewellery.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- And perhaps you could just read what it was that she said about it?- Yes.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29She seems to be slightly disrespectful
0:39:29 > 0:39:31of the hallmarking process, actually.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34She says, "As to the matter of a hallmark, I detest the idea.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38"One never knows what condition the object will be left in."
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Well, this is it, isn't it?
0:39:40 > 0:39:42Because, of course, it wasn't the maker that hallmarked it,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46it went away to be assayed, and I think many of these jewellers,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49who were so passionate about their objects, these were,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51we have to remember, one-off pieces,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53- they didn't do repeat designs.- Yes.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- Not that they would have ruined it in any way...- No.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58..but that was the big thing, wasn't it? It really was.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Well, it is a beautiful piece,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and we have to remember that Gerda was quite ground-breaking in her
0:40:03 > 0:40:05jewellery. She's had stand-alone exhibitions
0:40:05 > 0:40:06at the Victoria and Albert Museum,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10one of the first females - living female artists - to do that.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14So in that respect, she is highly collectable.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Now, this is, in some ways, quite a relaxed design of hers,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21because her jewellery has got bigger and better
0:40:21 > 0:40:24and much more exuberant in design over the time.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27So, in an auction environment today,
0:40:27 > 0:40:31we'd be looking at it probably reaching in excess of maybe
0:40:31 > 0:40:33£4,000 or £5,000, that sort of level.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36But there's a market out there, and on the day,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38something like this could do exceptionally well.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41I just have to remember to wear it more often, don't I?
0:40:41 > 0:40:42- I think so.- Yes.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48What room do you have this in?
0:40:49 > 0:40:51- It's in the lounge.- OK.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54I would have been rather worried if you'd had it in the dining room.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Do you remember that movie, when they're all sitting round the table,
0:40:57 > 0:41:00and they take the top off a monkey's head and start eating its brains?
0:41:00 > 0:41:01LAUGHTER
0:41:01 > 0:41:05- Yes. I do, yes.- Do you remember that?- I went to the cinema to see that.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Anyway, this is really... I'm not sure I'd call it sweet,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09but do you find it fun?
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Um...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13I don't know if I find it fun, but I live with it.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15LAUGHTER
0:41:15 > 0:41:17- That is about as good as it's going to get.- All right.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20It is a little novelty clock.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Most of these were made in the Black Forest area,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25although some of them come out of the United States,
0:41:25 > 0:41:27but I think this is a sort of German...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32..realistically, about 1920s, 1925.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35And, of course, the time is read with the eyes.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37Do you have it running at home?
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- No.- So you've never actually tried to tell the time with it?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42No. I don't know how to.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45You don't know how to? OK, well, like all these things,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49that knob there is what I would like to call the handset, but,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51- in this instance, the eyeset. - LAUGHTER
0:41:51 > 0:41:54OK, so here we go - I'm just going to move him round.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57So that's the minute hand equivalent, or the minute eye,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59and that's the hours.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02So I'll move the minutes around. Can you see them going round there?
0:42:02 > 0:42:03There it is, on the clock.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I mean, it's really weird, isn't it?
0:42:07 > 0:42:09- Let's be honest. - LAUGHTER
0:42:09 > 0:42:10It's creepy.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13But there are all sorts of novelty clocks like this - dogs,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17all sorts of little animals - and the monkey is really quite scarce.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19- You live with him...- Yeah.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22..so it's worth knowing what he's worth, isn't it?
0:42:22 > 0:42:25It'd be nice to know, definitely.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28See if I want to continue living with him!
0:42:28 > 0:42:29LAUGHTER
0:42:29 > 0:42:34Well, if I tell you that he is actually worth about £600...
0:42:34 > 0:42:36- ALL:- Ooh!- Ooh!
0:42:37 > 0:42:39So, decision time?
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Live with him, or do something fun?
0:42:41 > 0:42:43LAUGHTER
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Oh, I'm happy to live with him now.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Fair enough, fair enough.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50So this chap looks as though he's stepped straight off the
0:42:50 > 0:42:52croquet lawn of this house, doesn't he?
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Yes. This is my great uncle, Bert Wilson,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58and he died in '97,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- and he was 99.- Oh, right. He looks about 18, doesn't he?
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- He does.- It's signed Adolf Valette,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06a French Impressionist painter
0:43:06 > 0:43:08who became a teacher at Manchester.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Correct, yes.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12And he painted the most wonderful sort of...
0:43:12 > 0:43:14This was an exhibition catalogue.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18- Impressionist views of Manchester... - Yes.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20..romanticising it in a very French way.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Yes. My Great Uncle Bert was an artist...
0:43:23 > 0:43:25- Was he taught by Valette? - He was taught by Valette.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27- Ah, that's the connection. I see. - Yes.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29He was taught by Valette,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31in the same class as Lowry...
0:43:32 > 0:43:35..and another family friend, Harry Rutherford,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39who painted very similarly, sort of French Impressionist paintings.
0:43:39 > 0:43:40- Yes, I've seen his stuff.- Yes.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43So the picture looks to me like it's painted probably just at the end of
0:43:43 > 0:43:48the First World War, maybe as late as 1920, and it's oil on canvas.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- Yep.- But it's never been varnished, and that's why it's got glass on it.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54- Yeah.- But it gives this wonderfully sort of matte feeling to it,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56that it almost could be very thick body colour, couldn't it,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58- rather than an oil?- Yeah.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01But he's prepared the canvas this colour,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04just before painting anything on it, and then left it
0:44:04 > 0:44:05to suggest the work coat that he's wearing.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- Right.- And just a few strokes, he's got it, hasn't he?
0:44:08 > 0:44:13- Yep.- It's so confident, it's so...so strong, and so brief.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15He's not quite so good at the hands, I think.
0:44:15 > 0:44:16- They don't quite make sense, do they?- No.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19- I can't read them very well.- Yeah.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22But the face - I mean, it's so alive and intelligent.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26Valette, the painter, has painted his pupil
0:44:26 > 0:44:29as this fresh-faced, enquiring,
0:44:29 > 0:44:33energetic young man, wide awake to the world.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34Yeah.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- You must have known him in later life.- Yes.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40- What was he like?- Yeah, I mean, he was a real character.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42He was obviously an illustrator,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44as you can see by some of the stuff that he's got here
0:44:44 > 0:44:47in this scrapbook. You can see Manchester Evening News,
0:44:47 > 0:44:48there's a lot of stuff in here.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Here's actually an article actually about himself.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53- That's him? That's him?- That's him, yes.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56And this was actually shown in Manchester City Art Gallery
0:44:56 > 0:44:58- as part of the Valette...- In this exhibition?- ..exhibition. Yeah.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- Yeah.- Well, I think it's the most wonderful thing, I really do.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04It's so alive. I've not seen many portraits by Valette.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06As I say, I'm more familiar with his impressionist work...
0:45:06 > 0:45:08- Yes, yeah.- ..which, by the way, is very interesting.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10Everybody knows Lowry for his matchstick men...
0:45:10 > 0:45:12- Yes.- ..and matchstick cats and dogs...
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- Yeah.- ..but not so much for his impressionist work,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17which comes directly from Valette, the way he does it.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18- You're right, yes.- Yeah.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Here he is, such an influential teacher, obviously on your uncle as well.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24- Yeah.- Erm...what do we think it's worth?
0:45:24 > 0:45:27I have no idea. I mean, I inherited it from him -
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- it's the one thing that he had that I...I always... - That you really wanted?
0:45:30 > 0:45:32..saw in his house, and I just thought,
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- "That's the thing that I'd love to have."- "That's the one?"
0:45:35 > 0:45:37That makes it extremely valuable to you...
0:45:37 > 0:45:39- Yes, it does.- ..less so, perhaps, to the general market.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Nonetheless, I think it's such a fresh-faced and exciting portrait -
0:45:43 > 0:45:45so full of verve, and so lifelike -
0:45:45 > 0:45:48that I think it's worth about £6,000.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49- Wow.- £6-8,000.- Yeah.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51- Pretty good.- Yeah.
0:45:51 > 0:45:52- It's never going to be sold.- Good!
0:45:55 > 0:45:56HE TOOTS WHISTLE
0:45:58 > 0:46:01- That's got all of your attention! - LAUGHTER
0:46:01 > 0:46:02It's been well-used.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05I used it, I'd say, nearly every day.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08We're looking at about £50-60.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12Right, right. But the sentimental value of that...
0:46:12 > 0:46:13Priceless.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16A pair of those, that sort of size...
0:46:16 > 0:46:18around £100, probably. Something like that.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24If Pablo Picasso were to create a pig,
0:46:24 > 0:46:27I can only imagine he would look like this.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29However, this colourful Cubist creation
0:46:29 > 0:46:31is by an altogether different name.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36And just round the corner, we've got it there - Louis Wain.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Tell me, how did you come to own him?
0:46:39 > 0:46:43Well, erm, my father died at the beginning of this year, aged 102,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45and I've been clearing the family home,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48which has been in the family for 90 years.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Up in the attic, most of it was absolute junk,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54but there was one big cupboard with loads of bedding in which we were
0:46:54 > 0:46:57clearing out - right at the bottom was this.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02And I must admit, I looked at it and thought, "Mm, not very nice."
0:47:02 > 0:47:03Then, a few weeks later,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06somebody came around from an auction house to look through other stuff in
0:47:06 > 0:47:09the house, so I said, "If you see anything else on the way
0:47:09 > 0:47:12"that you think might be of value or interest, please let me know."
0:47:12 > 0:47:15And we got up to the attic and she picked this up and said,
0:47:15 > 0:47:17"Ooh, Louis Wain - nice!"
0:47:17 > 0:47:19So, I said, "Oh, OK."
0:47:19 > 0:47:21I said, "Sorry, I don't know who Louis Wain is."
0:47:21 > 0:47:25And she said, "Well, you know the man who did the cat pictures?"
0:47:25 > 0:47:27And I then remembered having seen some.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30He's that creator of those weird and wonderful cats,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34and he himself was the most amazing chap. The most bizarre mind,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36creating all these fantastic objects.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41And he did come up with a collection of over 20 pottery figures and
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- vases...- Oh.- ..of which this is one.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48They were created around 1914 for the first batch,
0:47:48 > 0:47:53and then they came back into production in around 1919-1922.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Made over three countries, so there were lots of
0:47:56 > 0:48:00different manufacturers, but the one you've got is an early one,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04and he's one of the ones that is clearly stamped "Made in England".
0:48:04 > 0:48:07- Mm!- So his name is The Lucky Pig.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11- Is he lucky for you?- I hope so!
0:48:11 > 0:48:12LAUGHTER
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Well, in this condition, he's a little bit tired,
0:48:16 > 0:48:17a little bit scruffy,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20but our colourful cubist pig is worth...
0:48:20 > 0:48:21- £600.- Woo!- AUDIENCE:- Ooh.
0:48:24 > 0:48:25Very lucky!
0:48:25 > 0:48:27- Lovely!- Very lucky indeed.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Well, not lovely, but, yes, nice result!
0:48:29 > 0:48:30LAUGHTER
0:48:32 > 0:48:36We do see a lot of these type of albums on the Roadshow.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38But what particularly caught my eye
0:48:38 > 0:48:40was just how well it was put together.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43What we have here is a First World War album,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47compiled with watercolours and poems, etc.
0:48:47 > 0:48:48Can you tell me anything about it?
0:48:48 > 0:48:50- Er, it was my great uncle's...- OK.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52..and he, erm, he...
0:48:52 > 0:48:54It was passed down the family.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56And when my aunt died, it passed on to me.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58So there was a lot of memorabilia.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00- Well, there we are.- And this was one that just popped out,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02and I thought, "Oh, this is interesting."
0:49:02 > 0:49:04OK. And so you brought it along today for us to have a look at?
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Yes. The paintings, I find fascinating.
0:49:06 > 0:49:07Let's have a look at it, then.
0:49:07 > 0:49:12Erm, what we have here is a watercolour dated 1918.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16And obviously, we have a wounded soldier, a nurse and a child.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19It's very sort of symbolic of, you know, a very difficult time...
0:49:19 > 0:49:22- Yes.- ..during the war. Very well executed.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26And this album seems to have been compiled by friends and family here,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30and it's just a wonderful record of a very difficult period.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33I suppose it helped them get through things as well.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Yeah, absolutely. So if we go to this second bookmarked page,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38we've got a cartoon here.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Obviously, we don't know the artist because of the initials,
0:49:41 > 0:49:46but it's a copy of the famous Bruce Bairnsfather's Old Bill,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49the humorous cartoons of trench life.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53And the title of it is, "There goes our blinkin' parapet again."
0:49:53 > 0:49:55And there we can see the troops hiding here,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58with the shell going over, exploding,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00and shrapnel going everywhere.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Quite...poignant, really, isn't it?
0:50:02 > 0:50:07Yes. And I think it's particularly linked to the reference on here -
0:50:07 > 0:50:09White Lund, Morecambe.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13And NFF, which was the National Filling Factory...
0:50:13 > 0:50:15- Right.- ..where they filled shells.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17And there was one across the bay at Morecambe.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20So, obviously, this sort of ties in nicely.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22The artist has made a little reference there,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24and it's dated September 1917.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26- Correct, yes.- So...
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Well, it's an absolutely fascinating album.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33What I liked at the end of the album
0:50:33 > 0:50:36is, somebody has sketched in,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39"By hook or by crook, I'll be the last in this book."
0:50:39 > 0:50:42- And there he is on the gallows.- Yes. - LAUGHTER
0:50:42 > 0:50:43- "The end."- Yeah!
0:50:44 > 0:50:47- It's not quite the end, is it? - No.- Because I haven't valued it.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49LAUGHTER
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Erm, obviously, it's a difficult one to value - it's a unique record -
0:50:52 > 0:50:55but, erm, I would have thought we're likely to get somewhere
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- at auction in the region of £150-£200 for it.- Oh, right.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- That's interesting. It's irrelevant...- Exactly.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05..because it's family history, and I wouldn't part with it, so...
0:51:05 > 0:51:06- Quite right.- Thanks very much for that.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08- That's a pleasure.- Interesting.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Helen's mother's family comes from Skye,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15and Helen's always wanted a Jacobite glass since pretty well as long as
0:51:15 > 0:51:17I've known her. And...
0:51:17 > 0:51:19last birthday...?
0:51:19 > 0:51:23I did a bit of internet research, and I bought her that.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Question is - is it in fact a Jacobite glass?
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Well, tell me what a Jacobite glass is.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Well, so far as I know, it's...
0:51:31 > 0:51:34after the Jacobite rebellions,
0:51:34 > 0:51:36tends to be carved with flowers,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39and are, basically, Georgian glass.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Next question - was it carved when it was made, or was it done...
0:51:43 > 0:51:45- five years ago?- OK.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47So the Jacobite cause was Bonnie Prince Charlie,
0:51:47 > 0:51:48Charles Edward Stuart...
0:51:48 > 0:51:51- HELEN:- Yeah.- ..who got as far south as Derby in 1745
0:51:51 > 0:51:53in an invasion of England
0:51:53 > 0:51:57until he was beaten back up to Culloden,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00where his revolt was completely wiped out.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01And Bonnie Price Charlie then...
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- ..flees.- Escapes, helped by Flora MacDonald.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Never to be seen again in the British Isles.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10- Yeah, absolutely.- So his goose was well and truly cooked.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12So, here we go.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13So this glass...
0:52:16 > 0:52:17..is totally right.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- AUDIENCE COOS - Really?- Oh!
0:52:21 > 0:52:25It IS right. I mean, there is a question mark. Now, the glass,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27it does date from that period.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It's got nice contaminants in it,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32it's sufficiently badly made to be period.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36However, your point is very cogent here about whether this was applied
0:52:36 > 0:52:40last week. And there is a school of opinion
0:52:40 > 0:52:42that old glasses are being embellished.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44It has certainly happened in the past,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47and it is extremely difficult to determine one from the other,
0:52:47 > 0:52:53because the means of wheel-engraving them, which is what this is,
0:52:53 > 0:52:57exists today in very much the form that they were 250 years ago.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Nonetheless, this is a right 'un,
0:52:59 > 0:53:01as far as I know.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04Question is - what did you pay for it?
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Well...I paid £800 for it,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12but if it's worth half that, it doesn't matter.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14Well, it isn't worth half that.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16It's worth £1,100.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20- And isn't that nice?- Isn't it very nice indeed?!
0:53:20 > 0:53:21- Now, do you use it?- BOTH:- No.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25Oh, you're kidding - you're not going to drink a wee dram
0:53:25 > 0:53:26- out of this tonight? - Tonight.- Tonight?
0:53:26 > 0:53:29- Tonight, we will.- That would be fab - take a picture and send it to me.
0:53:29 > 0:53:30I'd love to see it.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Well, we could not come to the Lake District without Beatrix Potter.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40It's 150 years since she was born,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43and you've brought in a whole pile of Beatrix Potter,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and I have selected just these three.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48So how did these come down to you?
0:53:48 > 0:53:51They were given by Beatrix to my great-grandfather,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54who was a solicitor in Lincoln's Inn in London.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58- Right.- And my grandfather also worked there as a solicitor.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02And the books were given to him, who in turn gave them to his daughter,
0:54:02 > 0:54:06my mother, and then they were read to me as a child, and we, in turn,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08have read them to our children.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12Now, all these three here - it's quite extraordinary -
0:54:12 > 0:54:15are all signed presentation copies.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18And we start off with Mr Tod, first edition.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21But unfortunately, it lacks the spine.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Yes. And my favourite, and the one that was read to me continually,
0:54:25 > 0:54:27that I... Cos I requested it.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29So that's why it's so thumbed.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32It does have the lovely inscription -
0:54:32 > 0:54:36"For Mr Edwards, with kind regards, October 24th, 1912,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38"from Beatrix Potter."
0:54:38 > 0:54:42She doesn't sign Beatrix Heelis, because she's not married at that stage.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45And here is the title page and the frontispiece.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46But lacking the spine.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48- Mm-hmm.- But fabulous, nevertheless.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52My favourite, the one I used to read to my children,
0:54:52 > 0:54:55which in many ways I can say in my sleep -
0:54:55 > 0:54:58"In somebody's cupboard, there's everything nice - cake, cheese, jam,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01"biscuits, all charming for mice.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03"Appley Dapply has little sharp eyes,
0:55:03 > 0:55:05"and Appley Dapply is so fond of pies."
0:55:05 > 0:55:07I'm sure you've heard it all before.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11Anyway, the lovely thing about this Appley Dapply is,
0:55:11 > 0:55:13you DIDN'T like it!
0:55:13 > 0:55:15And the spine is on!
0:55:15 > 0:55:17- Yes, yes.- Which is tremendous, I love that.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21And that is a beautiful copy of the first edition.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24And again, as we turn it over, here we are - "Mr Edwards,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28with kind regards..." - and she puts her name in inverted commas -
0:55:28 > 0:55:32"..Beatrix Potter". November 24th, 1917.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Well, she had married by then.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35But, er, that was quite late.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38Now, the final one, The Pie And The Patty-Pan,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41is a wonderful little story about a generous cat
0:55:41 > 0:55:43that goes around cooking
0:55:43 > 0:55:46and doing all sorts of good deeds for people,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48which is not in good condition.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50The spine, again, is rather tatty.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54First edition. I think it's probably the most important,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56because I think of the inscription here.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Here we are - "To Mr Edwards, with kind regards from Beatrix Potter.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04"November 16th 1905."
0:56:04 > 0:56:08Now, this is right at the beginning of Beatrix Potter's career
0:56:08 > 0:56:13in the Lake District. The frontispiece is Hill Top Farm.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17Now, Hill Top Farm was the first place that she bought when she was
0:56:17 > 0:56:21up here. And Mr Edwards presumably did all the conveyancing
0:56:21 > 0:56:23- and all the rest of it.- I would assume so, yes.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25"The frontispiece is Hill Top Farm,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28"and the pictures are all in Sawrey and Hawkshead."
0:56:28 > 0:56:32And here is the frontispiece - Hill Top Farm here.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35That, as far as a Beatrix Potter collector is concerned,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37has to be the cream of the crop.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40It is absolutely superb.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44I'm going to put these back on their stands and ask you about value,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46because we have to come to value.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48I haven't the foggiest idea.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- Your favourite...- Mm-hmm.- ..Mr Tod.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Erm, without the spine, but with the inscription...
0:56:55 > 0:56:56..£5,000.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58AUDIENCE GASP AND WHISTLE
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Right.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03My favourite, Appley Dapply...
0:57:03 > 0:57:04I'm going to put...
0:57:04 > 0:57:06- £8,000 on that one.- Right.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12This one, which I think has to be the best,
0:57:12 > 0:57:13I'm going to put £12,000 on that.
0:57:13 > 0:57:14AUDIENCE GASPS
0:57:15 > 0:57:17Right, OK. Mm-hmm.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21A collective value of £25,000.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23- Thank you.- Thank you. - You've made my day.- Thank you.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29What a lovely way to end our visit to the Lake District -
0:57:29 > 0:57:32to see the work of one of its most famous residents.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38From all of us here at Holker Hall in Cumbria, bye-bye.