Broughton Castle 2

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0:00:39 > 0:00:41Today, the Antiques Roadshow makes a return visit

0:00:41 > 0:00:45to Broughton Castle, tucked away in the Oxfordshire countryside,

0:00:45 > 0:00:46near Banbury, home to the same family

0:00:46 > 0:00:48for 600 years.

0:00:48 > 0:00:5120 generations of the Fiennes have lived in

0:00:51 > 0:00:55and looked after this little-known jewel of a medieval mansion.

0:00:56 > 0:00:59And in case you're thinking, "That name sounds familiar,"

0:00:59 > 0:01:02that's because famous relatives include Sir Ranulph Fiennes,

0:01:02 > 0:01:05the explorer, and Hollywood stars Ralph and Joseph Fiennes.

0:01:07 > 0:01:11In the gallery, portraits mark out the centuries of the family

0:01:11 > 0:01:16at Broughton, from the 1500s, right up to the current Lord Saye and Sele.

0:01:18 > 0:01:21But Broughton Castle was nearly lost to the Fiennes

0:01:21 > 0:01:23because, like many wealthy families,

0:01:23 > 0:01:26they had one black sheep, who had a good go at squandering

0:01:26 > 0:01:27the family fortune.

0:01:27 > 0:01:30In the late 1700s, William Thomas wanted to be part

0:01:30 > 0:01:34of the in-crowd, hanging out with Prince Regent George IV -

0:01:34 > 0:01:39surely the most flamboyant and spendthrift man of his time.

0:01:39 > 0:01:42So, William Thomas embarked on a similarly gilded lifestyle

0:01:42 > 0:01:46in fashionable London. He'd have pheasant eggs for breakfast,

0:01:46 > 0:01:50threw lavish parties, would have two bottles of sherry at bedtime.

0:01:50 > 0:01:52That must have helped him drop off!

0:01:52 > 0:01:55The quiet country life here? That just wasn't for him.

0:01:58 > 0:02:01Broughton Castle was left closed and neglected until, finally,

0:02:01 > 0:02:05William was forced to sell off the contents, to pay off his debts.

0:02:05 > 0:02:08Everything went into this catalogue and, over eight days,

0:02:08 > 0:02:11went under the hammer. There was a Titian, a Veronese

0:02:11 > 0:02:15and even - the last entry here, from the moat -

0:02:15 > 0:02:17the swan, with her cygnets.

0:02:17 > 0:02:22The house was rented out in 1885 and it wasn't until 1912,

0:02:22 > 0:02:26when the Fiennes managed to move back in and gradually brought the house

0:02:26 > 0:02:29back to its pristine condition and opened it up to visitors,

0:02:29 > 0:02:31like those who have come for our Roadshow today.

0:02:33 > 0:02:36These are so sumptuous, so colourful.

0:02:36 > 0:02:39Something that you wear on those long, dark winter evenings?

0:02:39 > 0:02:42No, hardly! I found them in my dressing-up box, as a child.

0:02:42 > 0:02:46- Oh, really?- Yeah.- The things we find in dressing-up boxes.

0:02:46 > 0:02:47I think they're fantastic.

0:02:47 > 0:02:51They really are. So, you've had them in your family

0:02:51 > 0:02:53- since you were a child?- Yes.

0:02:53 > 0:02:56And did you wear them or were they too big for you, then?

0:02:56 > 0:02:58No, I couldn't get my feet into them, at the time.

0:02:58 > 0:03:02- My younger brother could.- Oh. How did they come into your family?

0:03:02 > 0:03:07Well, my grandfather was an MP and he went out on trade missions.

0:03:07 > 0:03:11And I think that, probably, he was given them on one

0:03:11 > 0:03:14of these trade visits to Asian countries.

0:03:14 > 0:03:17And where do you think they are from in Asia?

0:03:17 > 0:03:20- Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan. - Which is part of the Ottoman Empire.

0:03:20 > 0:03:23- Yes. - And they are beautifully lined here.

0:03:23 > 0:03:27Really nice-quality silk ikat weave material.

0:03:27 > 0:03:28You know about ikat?

0:03:28 > 0:03:32- No.- It's made with... It's a resist dye.

0:03:32 > 0:03:35They'd tie bundles of threads together and dye them.

0:03:35 > 0:03:40Then, they take the bundles apart and weave these amazing materials.

0:03:40 > 0:03:44I love the main body of the boot, in this sumptuous green velvet,

0:03:44 > 0:03:49with a complementary red embroidery, there, and the metal thread.

0:03:49 > 0:03:54These are Ottoman. And you've got the typical tulips.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58But these are made for somebody of nobility,

0:03:58 > 0:03:59either for ceremonial purposes,

0:03:59 > 0:04:03for a wedding, for a procession, and they're in fantastic condition.

0:04:03 > 0:04:05I would say these are about 1890 to 1910.

0:04:07 > 0:04:10Yeah, well, that figures. He would have gone there in the 1920s.

0:04:10 > 0:04:14They're really nice. They would appeal to people

0:04:14 > 0:04:16that are interested in Ottoman textiles,

0:04:16 > 0:04:20and textiles in general, but they would also appeal to fashion people.

0:04:20 > 0:04:26I mean, they are fabulous. I would think a value of these

0:04:26 > 0:04:29- would be something like £800 to £1,000.- No!

0:04:31 > 0:04:33That's amazing!

0:04:34 > 0:04:37Designs for silver spoons don't really get much more simple

0:04:37 > 0:04:39- than that, do they?- No. - I mean, that could be Art Deco.

0:04:39 > 0:04:41Yes, it could.

0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Do you know that it's not? - I knew it was older than that.

0:04:44 > 0:04:48I know very little about its history or its age.

0:04:48 > 0:04:51But the only thing that slightly concerned me,

0:04:51 > 0:04:56it looks as though this is not quite the same as the bowl of the spoon.

0:04:56 > 0:04:59But whether I'm right or wrong I don't know.

0:04:59 > 0:05:02- I'm glad to say, you're wrong! - Oh, good! Good, I'm so glad.

0:05:02 > 0:05:04- It's absolutely right. - It is right?- Absolutely.

0:05:04 > 0:05:07- It's like the day it was made. - Goodness.- It's a very simple spoon,

0:05:07 > 0:05:12because it was made for people that had very simple tastes.

0:05:12 > 0:05:17During the Civil War, the Puritans decided that putting apostles

0:05:17 > 0:05:21and other decoration on the top of their spoons was rather irreverent.

0:05:21 > 0:05:26So, they went for a more plain design, a very simple, plain design,

0:05:26 > 0:05:28which is what this is. It's a Puritan's spoon.

0:05:28 > 0:05:33- It was made in about 1660, 1670. - Really?- Yeah.- Gosh.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36Made for somebody who would not have been a Cavalier,

0:05:36 > 0:05:38would have been a Roundhead, would have been a member

0:05:38 > 0:05:40of Cromwell's band, rather than a royalist.

0:05:40 > 0:05:42This one was made in the provinces.

0:05:42 > 0:05:46It's, in fact, made by a fellow called Richard Kirby, in York.

0:05:47 > 0:05:49So, it was made for a Yorkshireman.

0:05:49 > 0:05:54That does make sense, because a lot of my family were from Yorkshire.

0:05:54 > 0:05:57So, one of them, you can rely on,

0:05:57 > 0:05:59was a Puritan, or had Puritan sympathies,

0:05:59 > 0:06:00and would have owned this spoon.

0:06:00 > 0:06:04Was his name...? Did his name, or their name, begin with T?

0:06:04 > 0:06:08I've got quite a long family tree of the Yorkshire side,

0:06:08 > 0:06:10so it would be worth my researching that.

0:06:10 > 0:06:12- That's the family initial. - So, that's the family initial.

0:06:12 > 0:06:15The fact that it's made in York is a very good thing.

0:06:15 > 0:06:18If it were made in London, it would be worth maybe £1,000, maybe £1,200.

0:06:18 > 0:06:22The fact that it's made in York means it's worth about £3,000.

0:06:22 > 0:06:26You're joking! Really?!

0:06:26 > 0:06:30Well, goodness me. I'm absolutely amazed.

0:06:30 > 0:06:34Are you really...? It's just been lying out, you know.

0:06:34 > 0:06:35I'm speechless.

0:06:39 > 0:06:43Well, here we are, before a classic English country house,

0:06:43 > 0:06:45with the most beautiful piece of French Art Nouveau.

0:06:45 > 0:06:47At the end of the 19th century,

0:06:47 > 0:06:52Art Nouveau was a movement that was really taking Europe by storm.

0:06:52 > 0:06:53So, I've got to ask,

0:06:53 > 0:06:56what's your connection, how do you own such a beautiful piece?

0:06:56 > 0:06:57It has travelled

0:06:57 > 0:07:00a very, very long way. It comes from Kiev in Ukraine.

0:07:00 > 0:07:04And my grandmother bought it, I think, 75, maybe 80 years ago,

0:07:04 > 0:07:07before the Second World War.

0:07:07 > 0:07:11My mother and my grandmother went to the market, to the food market,

0:07:11 > 0:07:14just for a weekly shop.

0:07:14 > 0:07:15And when they were leaving the market,

0:07:15 > 0:07:18all of a sudden, they spotted this vase and they bought it.

0:07:18 > 0:07:20I don't know how much they paid.

0:07:20 > 0:07:23It's stayed in the family all this time.

0:07:23 > 0:07:25It survived the Second World War.

0:07:25 > 0:07:28My grandfather was fighting at the front, he survived.

0:07:28 > 0:07:31My mother was stranded with her relatives and she spent years

0:07:31 > 0:07:36under Nazi occupation. And then, when they came back to Kiev in 1945

0:07:36 > 0:07:39and they saw this big bundle and, inside the bundle,

0:07:39 > 0:07:42was all their crockery, and, on top of it, was this vase.

0:07:42 > 0:07:46So, it survived all those trials and tribulations.

0:07:46 > 0:07:50We actually discovered what it might be completely by accident,

0:07:50 > 0:07:53because I went to Berlin, for my friend's wedding,

0:07:53 > 0:07:56and I popped into a lovely little Art Nouveau

0:07:56 > 0:07:58and Art Deco museum there.

0:07:58 > 0:08:02Suddenly, I saw a vase that looked strikingly similar to this one,

0:08:02 > 0:08:06especially this amber colour and also the patterns.

0:08:06 > 0:08:08I thought, "What's going on there?"

0:08:08 > 0:08:13I looked at the artist and it was Emile Galle.

0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, I came back home to London

0:08:16 > 0:08:19and we did a little bit of internet research

0:08:19 > 0:08:23and we looked at the sign at the bottom

0:08:23 > 0:08:29and, apparently, one of Emile Galle's signatures looked like that.

0:08:29 > 0:08:31So your question, really, today is, are you right?

0:08:31 > 0:08:35- Yeah, basically. - You're not sure, are you?- No.

0:08:35 > 0:08:36You're right.

0:08:37 > 0:08:41When we look underneath... You mentioned this glorious mark,

0:08:41 > 0:08:46which you couldn't quite read. But actually, it's all there.

0:08:46 > 0:08:49And inside, we've got this wonderful, fancy signature

0:08:49 > 0:08:52which, the minute I saw it, I knew said "Galle".

0:08:54 > 0:08:57Emile Galle, at the end of the 19th century,

0:08:57 > 0:09:02was one of those artists who really took the movement of Art Nouveau

0:09:02 > 0:09:04in France to a whole new level.

0:09:04 > 0:09:08It is what we would term a "cabochon cameo".

0:09:08 > 0:09:11And by "cabochon", it has everything.

0:09:11 > 0:09:14I mean, this vase really isn't short of anything for you.

0:09:14 > 0:09:18You've got these applied pads of colour onto the centres

0:09:18 > 0:09:22of the sunflowers. Internally, they've included foil with each

0:09:22 > 0:09:26pick-up and colour of glass. And then, the whole thing has been

0:09:26 > 0:09:31carved and acid cut and worked and treated, to produce this beautiful

0:09:31 > 0:09:35piece that has influences of the Far East, influences of Japan.

0:09:35 > 0:09:39It's such a piece of aesthetic art, it's breathtaking.

0:09:39 > 0:09:42This piece is around 1890.

0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Well, it's good, but how good? - Tell us, please.- Tell us.

0:09:47 > 0:09:50Well, if you had to go out and replace this vase,

0:09:50 > 0:09:54you are looking at something in the region of £8,000 to £12,000.

0:09:54 > 0:09:56- CROWD:- Oh!

0:09:56 > 0:10:00- Thank you.- Thank you. - Thank you.- Very nice.

0:10:00 > 0:10:04"This doll belonged to your great-great-grandmother,

0:10:04 > 0:10:10"Viscountess Harberton". Just explain your link, then.

0:10:10 > 0:10:12Well, my great-aunt,

0:10:12 > 0:10:15she was one of the first missionaries, actually.

0:10:15 > 0:10:20And she gave this doll to my aunt, my mother's sister.

0:10:20 > 0:10:25- Having inherited, then... - It would have been her doll, yes.

0:10:25 > 0:10:29- 1800s or something? - It certainly goes back to the 1800s.

0:10:29 > 0:10:32She's in her original costume, which is lovely,

0:10:32 > 0:10:34to start with. She's made of papier mache.

0:10:34 > 0:10:37Her head is a papier mache head.

0:10:37 > 0:10:41And her little arms and legs are carved wood.

0:10:41 > 0:10:44So, she's a mixture of two different materials.

0:10:44 > 0:10:47And papier mache was a material that was used

0:10:47 > 0:10:49in the German doll-making companies -

0:10:49 > 0:10:55or cottage industries, as we can call them -

0:10:55 > 0:10:57in the early part of the 19th century.

0:10:57 > 0:11:00When we get to the precise date,

0:11:00 > 0:11:05I'm going to link it in, in fact, with what's in this tiny little box.

0:11:05 > 0:11:07- Yes.- This is the most delicious, delicious box, isn't it?

0:11:07 > 0:11:09It came from the same aunt.

0:11:09 > 0:11:12- Did it, did it? - Yes, it was one of her treasures.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15Let's open it up. And here, it says,

0:11:15 > 0:11:18"The English Bijou."

0:11:18 > 0:11:20- So here, in a little slipcase... - That's right.

0:11:20 > 0:11:27..is...an absolutely wonderful miniature book.

0:11:27 > 0:11:32We can see that it is... Gosh, it's a proper, proper book.

0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Yes, yes.- Printed, with images.- Yes.

0:11:35 > 0:11:39And what's interesting to me, it might have a date in it.

0:11:39 > 0:11:44And it does. Right at the bottom there, says "Bijou for 1840."

0:11:44 > 0:11:45Oh, yes.

0:11:45 > 0:11:52- It's so often the case that little books like this...- Yes.

0:11:52 > 0:11:56..were bought almost as an accessory for a little doll.

0:11:56 > 0:11:57Oh, I see, yes.

0:11:57 > 0:12:03So, here we have the doll and her reading material for 1840!

0:12:03 > 0:12:10- Yes!- So, an early 19th-century doll, in such good condition,

0:12:10 > 0:12:16I think would probably fetch between £400, perhaps £450, £500 at auction.

0:12:16 > 0:12:21- Yes.- The little book. Her reading matter, if you like,

0:12:21 > 0:12:25complete in its original slipcase and in its original box,

0:12:25 > 0:12:31hugely interesting to collectors. And I would put even more on that.

0:12:31 > 0:12:34- Really?- I would put between £600 and £800 on it.

0:12:34 > 0:12:36Really?! I wasn't expecting that!

0:12:43 > 0:12:47We love a mystery on the Roadshow and this is our mystery object.

0:12:47 > 0:12:49Now, this belongs to you, sir.

0:12:49 > 0:12:53Yes. Well, that's been in our family for about 150, 200 years,

0:12:53 > 0:12:56I'm not quite sure. It says on it "Waterloo."

0:12:56 > 0:12:58I've always wanted to know what was in it.

0:12:58 > 0:13:00And no-one has ever opened it, have they?

0:13:00 > 0:13:02No, not since it was put in that box, as far as I know.

0:13:02 > 0:13:05- So you brought it here today, to find out what's inside?- Yep.

0:13:05 > 0:13:08I was having a cup of milk and I had a friend round to tea

0:13:08 > 0:13:14from school. And her father came to collect her.

0:13:14 > 0:13:15He was looking at me most strangely

0:13:15 > 0:13:17and he got a bit more and more agitated. Finally, he said,

0:13:17 > 0:13:19"That's very precious!"

0:13:19 > 0:13:24And my mother told me to finish my milk and she took the mug away

0:13:24 > 0:13:26and she washed it up and she put it to the back of the sideboard.

0:13:26 > 0:13:29As they say, this is a military object, as they say in the Army,

0:13:29 > 0:13:32"Righty tighty, lefty loosey." So, let's turn it to the left...

0:13:34 > 0:13:39Made at Worcester, it's...1770.

0:13:40 > 0:13:43- So, goes back a long way.- Wow!

0:13:43 > 0:13:46Right, now do you want to hold this? And I'll lift the back off.

0:13:46 > 0:13:49This is exciting!

0:13:50 > 0:13:51- There.- It's out.

0:13:51 > 0:13:53Worcester, in the Chinese manner,

0:13:53 > 0:13:57made as a simple drinking mug for strong liquor, or for milk -

0:13:57 > 0:13:58whatever you wanted to use it for.

0:14:00 > 0:14:01Here we go...

0:14:02 > 0:14:03That bit's empty.

0:14:05 > 0:14:07It's empty, but there's no name. No name, either!

0:14:07 > 0:14:10It's empty!

0:14:10 > 0:14:15Your little milk mug, when you were ten years old, is worth £400.

0:14:15 > 0:14:16No!

0:14:16 > 0:14:19LAUGHTER

0:14:19 > 0:14:22I might put something stronger in it!

0:14:22 > 0:14:24Do you know, I've done a few things like this on the Roadshow

0:14:24 > 0:14:27and each time, either it's been empty

0:14:27 > 0:14:30- or there's been something like...- A Biro.- ..a Biro lid in or something!

0:14:30 > 0:14:32Oh!

0:14:35 > 0:14:38Martin, behind you is your family home, the castle.

0:14:38 > 0:14:41And, dare I say it, in the 18th century,

0:14:41 > 0:14:43you may have employed these two people either side of me?

0:14:43 > 0:14:45Absolutely. Indeed, yes.

0:14:45 > 0:14:49- So, these are servant portraits? - These are domestic workers,

0:14:49 > 0:14:53so here we've got a hedge cutter and, I think, this one, this side,

0:14:53 > 0:14:56might be what they call a still man.

0:14:56 > 0:14:58The still man, the guy who deals with the booze?

0:14:58 > 0:15:02Exactly. And that's me being imaginative(!)

0:15:03 > 0:15:05Let's look at the man on our right

0:15:05 > 0:15:08because, am I right in thinking there's a fresh varnish on this?

0:15:08 > 0:15:11Has this recently emerged?

0:15:11 > 0:15:13They've both recently been restored, this winter,

0:15:13 > 0:15:17but that one we took out of the attic completely black.

0:15:17 > 0:15:22You could just see the shiny bit on the edge of his blade.

0:15:22 > 0:15:26But otherwise, completely black, with a large hole through his head

0:15:26 > 0:15:30and down through his chest. And so, that's been completely restored

0:15:30 > 0:15:32and now we have this wonderful chap,

0:15:32 > 0:15:33with this little tear on his right eye.

0:15:33 > 0:15:36I noticed the tear. It's rather astonishing.

0:15:36 > 0:15:39I imagine, from a hedge cutter, you'd have thorns constantly

0:15:39 > 0:15:41going in your eyes and it's probably from a thorn

0:15:41 > 0:15:44that left him with a runny eye.

0:15:44 > 0:15:46You've raised such an interesting point,

0:15:46 > 0:15:49because the 17th and 18th century - and I think these date from

0:15:49 > 0:15:53the 18th century - are awash with portraits of aristocrats,

0:15:53 > 0:15:56portraits of monarchy, portraits of clergy,

0:15:56 > 0:15:58given this full-length treatment.

0:15:58 > 0:16:00But you've got here two people,

0:16:00 > 0:16:04two domestic staff, who have been given the grand makeover

0:16:04 > 0:16:07and they've been given full-length portraits.

0:16:07 > 0:16:09And this one that's just emerged I find absolutely compelling,

0:16:09 > 0:16:15- because his declaration of office is a patchwork leather suit.- Mm-hm.

0:16:16 > 0:16:18- Presumably to keep the thorns away?- Absolutely.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21He's a hedge cutter, he needs protection.

0:16:21 > 0:16:25Portraits were commissioned by, particularly, humane employers

0:16:25 > 0:16:28of their staff and it goes back to the 17th century.

0:16:28 > 0:16:31Most unusual, on this scale.

0:16:31 > 0:16:33Now, starting with the man on the left,

0:16:33 > 0:16:36I would put him safely into the 1730s.

0:16:38 > 0:16:42The man from the attic, with his billhook and his leather jerkin

0:16:42 > 0:16:44and his leather suit, I would say was slightly later.

0:16:44 > 0:16:49I would say it was probably 1770s, 1780s.

0:16:49 > 0:16:52I think there's a very high chance that it's by one

0:16:52 > 0:16:54of the Barker of Bath family,

0:16:54 > 0:16:56who have a highly distinctive way of painting,

0:16:56 > 0:17:00who loved doing rustics, who are particularly good at it

0:17:00 > 0:17:03and setting the rustics in their natural setting.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06Who do we think, specifically, might have commissioned these

0:17:06 > 0:17:09- in the 18th century? - It could have been John.

0:17:09 > 0:17:16So, John, the 12th Lord Saye and Sele, lived here 1730, 1765,

0:17:16 > 0:17:20something like that. So, that might tie in with the dates.

0:17:20 > 0:17:23What do you think this says about your family?

0:17:23 > 0:17:27Was it, particularly, a kind and generous one to the staff?

0:17:28 > 0:17:29Eh...some of the time!

0:17:29 > 0:17:32The first Lord Saye had his head chopped off,

0:17:32 > 0:17:35I think, for not being very nice to his tenants.

0:17:35 > 0:17:41And since then, there's been a great tradition of liberals in the family.

0:17:41 > 0:17:43Just the sort of people who might have commissioned

0:17:43 > 0:17:47giant-size portraits of the people who made their life work.

0:17:47 > 0:17:50- So, Martin, the subject of value comes up.- OK.

0:17:50 > 0:17:56Well, these are very important sociological documents,

0:17:56 > 0:17:57particularly on this scale.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'd probably put a valuation of 60,000 to 80,000

0:18:01 > 0:18:03on the man with the wine.

0:18:03 > 0:18:06And...I don't know, I can see this over £100,000

0:18:06 > 0:18:11perhaps £120,000, for what I think is Barker of Bath.

0:18:11 > 0:18:15This is really important sociological painting.

0:18:15 > 0:18:18This is portraiture like we normally don't encounter it.

0:18:18 > 0:18:23Wow! My jaw has just... rested on the floor.

0:18:24 > 0:18:25Thank you.

0:18:28 > 0:18:30You know what they're for.

0:18:30 > 0:18:34They're pocket globes, and this would be for use in the local tavern

0:18:34 > 0:18:37or pub, effectively, and you'd impress your friends

0:18:37 > 0:18:40by saying - it's the internet of its day -

0:18:40 > 0:18:41where you would hold that up and say,

0:18:41 > 0:18:44"This is where I've been or want to go.

0:18:44 > 0:18:46"And this is where I've travelled to and from."

0:18:46 > 0:18:48You've got the trade routes on there.

0:18:48 > 0:18:51You've got New Holland, which is now Australia,

0:18:51 > 0:18:55and then it gets better when you see inside the case.

0:18:55 > 0:18:59You've got the celestial globe, showing the positions of the stars.

0:18:59 > 0:19:01You know, what more could you ask for?

0:19:01 > 0:19:03You've got the maker there.

0:19:03 > 0:19:08Nathaniel Hill. "New Terrestrial Globe," 1754,

0:19:08 > 0:19:10in the period of George II.

0:19:12 > 0:19:14When I saw this a little while ago,

0:19:14 > 0:19:17immediately, my suspicions are raised.

0:19:17 > 0:19:19These are one of THE most faked antiques.

0:19:19 > 0:19:23Please tell me you didn't pay a lot for it.

0:19:23 > 0:19:25No, we didn't pay a lot, actually.

0:19:25 > 0:19:29We've recently become custodians of it for a very dear family friend,

0:19:29 > 0:19:31who we've known for over 30 years,

0:19:31 > 0:19:35who's moved into a care home, and we've been securing his house

0:19:35 > 0:19:38and he always told me about a globe.

0:19:38 > 0:19:40Didn't really talk about it, but just said,

0:19:40 > 0:19:44make sure we look after it. And we found it in a drawer upstairs.

0:19:44 > 0:19:47- So, no, we haven't paid a lot of money for it.- OK.

0:19:47 > 0:19:52When I say "faked", for a long, long time, they have been faking these.

0:19:52 > 0:19:56Look at it, it's, literally, like new.

0:19:57 > 0:19:59Suspicions are raised.

0:19:59 > 0:20:02You open it and...like new.

0:20:03 > 0:20:05Again, suspicions raised. You have got

0:20:05 > 0:20:10arguably the best maker there - Nathaniel Hill.

0:20:12 > 0:20:13Worrying.

0:20:13 > 0:20:18- Dated 1754. All these things are just too good to be true.- Right.

0:20:18 > 0:20:20- OK.- What do you think?

0:20:20 > 0:20:23I know it's been treasured and looked after

0:20:23 > 0:20:26for the last 91 years.

0:20:26 > 0:20:29- OK.- How would it have been made?

0:20:29 > 0:20:33This is a travelling case, so that in a fish skin.

0:20:33 > 0:20:36These are made out of paper. They were made out of various skins.

0:20:36 > 0:20:40I think even chicken skins were used, because they are so fine,

0:20:40 > 0:20:42you could get that decoration on there.

0:20:42 > 0:20:44All this is hand-coloured.

0:20:44 > 0:20:47It's just... I think it's lovely.

0:20:47 > 0:20:49What do you still think - right or wrong?

0:20:49 > 0:20:52- Who knows? - You are tempting us with...

0:20:52 > 0:20:55- Teasing!- I'm going to put you out of your misery,

0:20:55 > 0:20:59it's absolutely right. It's just lovely and you see these,

0:20:59 > 0:21:04- all day long, at £2,000 to £3,000 at auction.- Right. OK.

0:21:06 > 0:21:10- But this is WAY better than any I've ever seen at auction.- Oh, OK.

0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Wow.- £8,000 to £12,000.

0:21:13 > 0:21:15Oh, my goodness!

0:21:15 > 0:21:18- How fantastic! - It's just the best.

0:21:18 > 0:21:22If you want one, this is the best you'll ever get, without doubt.

0:21:22 > 0:21:26- The best I've ever seen.- Thank you very much.- Great, thank you.

0:21:29 > 0:21:32What we have here looks like a pretty ordinary book, doesn't it?

0:21:32 > 0:21:34Its title in French,

0:21:34 > 0:21:37roughly translated, is The Grand Practical Encyclopaedia

0:21:37 > 0:21:39Of Mechanics And Electricity.

0:21:39 > 0:21:41But there's more to it than meets the eye.

0:21:41 > 0:21:44- There certainly is, yes. - Tell me how you came to have it.

0:21:44 > 0:21:47I've known the book since I was quite young, actually.

0:21:47 > 0:21:50My dad bought it at a second-hand bookshop in London,

0:21:50 > 0:21:53probably 45 years ago. He died about 20 years ago

0:21:53 > 0:21:58and left it to me, because I liked it so much as a child.

0:21:58 > 0:22:04Let's look at what it does. So, it's a wonderful, wonderful book

0:22:04 > 0:22:07from 1930, with these incredible parts, which fold out.

0:22:07 > 0:22:11You can look right inside the workings of a train

0:22:11 > 0:22:15and steam engines. Endless detail there, isn't there?

0:22:17 > 0:22:20- Yes.- Did he let you play with it?

0:22:20 > 0:22:23He did, although I suspect he must have been over my shoulder,

0:22:23 > 0:22:25because it's fairly fragile, as you can see.

0:22:26 > 0:22:31It's all survived perfectly well, so obviously, I was careful enough.

0:22:31 > 0:22:35- Why do you think he bought it? - Well, he was an engineer,

0:22:35 > 0:22:39ran an engineering firm, so he had a deep interest in engineering,

0:22:39 > 0:22:43but also, he was an artist. I think the combination really appealed

0:22:43 > 0:22:45to him and that's what attracted him to it.

0:22:45 > 0:22:50This one's my favourite, the automobile. It's really fantastic.

0:22:50 > 0:22:55- Yes!- Incredible. You can go right inside the carriage of the car,

0:22:55 > 0:22:59right inside to the plush interior, the engine,

0:22:59 > 0:23:01and, I guess, in a way...

0:23:01 > 0:23:05it was designed for engineers and engineering students

0:23:05 > 0:23:08to have a look at what was inside.

0:23:08 > 0:23:11In a way, one could say it is seriously collectable.

0:23:11 > 0:23:15It's a movable book. This is the category that we call it.

0:23:15 > 0:23:18And I would estimate the value at auction to be something

0:23:18 > 0:23:22- like £200 or £300.- Oh, really? - Yeah.- Well, that's nice to know.

0:23:23 > 0:23:25More than your father paid?

0:23:25 > 0:23:29Yes, I think there's a pencil mark somewhere in the front saying £25.

0:23:29 > 0:23:33- Pretty good return. - So, not a bad return, yes!

0:23:33 > 0:23:37- Absolutely. Thank you for bringing it to the Roadshow.- Thank YOU.

0:23:41 > 0:23:46In the early '50s, my nan sent my grandad out to buy a blue vase.

0:23:46 > 0:23:50- And he came back with this?- He did. - OK. Did it fit the description?

0:23:50 > 0:23:52I think so. Probably a little bit bigger than she expected.

0:23:52 > 0:23:55So, she was expecting that sort of size and it came back...

0:23:55 > 0:23:58- That's it. Certainly, a surprise. - So, whereabouts does it sit?

0:23:58 > 0:24:01It's not going to fit on a shelf, is it?!

0:24:01 > 0:24:04No, no! Unfortunately, tucked away behind the sofa.

0:24:04 > 0:24:07Where did he go to find this blue vase this big?

0:24:07 > 0:24:10It was Coundon Court, which is in Coventry.

0:24:10 > 0:24:12The owner of Coundon Court was Henry Singer,

0:24:12 > 0:24:17who was the Henry Singer of the motor vehicles and pushbikes.

0:24:17 > 0:24:21We believe he bought this to furnish Coundon Court

0:24:21 > 0:24:24when it was first built in the early 1900s.

0:24:24 > 0:24:28My grandad's brother and sister,

0:24:28 > 0:24:30one was a gardener and one was a chef at Coundon Court,

0:24:30 > 0:24:32and I think they tipped him off there was a blue vase there.

0:24:32 > 0:24:35- There was a blue vase going? - A blue vase going.

0:24:35 > 0:24:37We should look at it. It is the most magnificent thing.

0:24:37 > 0:24:41This is Sevres, this is the royal French factory, or at this time,

0:24:41 > 0:24:44during the Third Republic, the official state French factory.

0:24:44 > 0:24:49We have these beautiful, almost Egyptian, duck heads here,

0:24:49 > 0:24:52with this gilding. This vase is all about the porcelain.

0:24:52 > 0:24:56Sevres are saying, "We can make a vase this big,"

0:24:56 > 0:24:59and they want to show off the beautiful blue ground.

0:24:59 > 0:25:01These vases, they were made, mainly,

0:25:01 > 0:25:04as exhibition vases or for presentation.

0:25:04 > 0:25:08We have got the inscribed date, when the actual porcelain was made

0:25:08 > 0:25:11in 1870, and we have the printed mark, as well, for 1886,

0:25:11 > 0:25:13when they decided to decorate it.

0:25:13 > 0:25:16Have you ever thought of investigating this

0:25:16 > 0:25:18and writing to the people who made it? Because the factory

0:25:18 > 0:25:20is still going today and they have amazing archives.

0:25:20 > 0:25:23Some time ago, my mum did write to Sevres,

0:25:23 > 0:25:29and the information we got back, that it was made in 1886

0:25:29 > 0:25:35and gilded for an exhibition in 1889, I think, in Paris.

0:25:37 > 0:25:41And we think the person who laid the paint on was a lady

0:25:41 > 0:25:43called Godding, an artist called Godding.

0:25:43 > 0:25:46So, we think it was made for an exhibition.

0:25:46 > 0:25:50So, as an exhibition vase, a one-off made for display,

0:25:50 > 0:25:53you are going to be finding £5,000 behind your sofa.

0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Lovely. Thank you very much. - It's a pleasure.

0:26:00 > 0:26:02We'd like your help for a special edition

0:26:02 > 0:26:05of the Antiques Roadshow we're making with the assistance

0:26:05 > 0:26:08of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

0:26:08 > 0:26:11We've occasionally featured stories and objects owned by Jewish families

0:26:11 > 0:26:15during World War II in previous editions of the Antiques Roadshow.

0:26:17 > 0:26:19The father dug a hole in the yard and just put all

0:26:19 > 0:26:26the family jewellery inside it and, hopefully, to return one day.

0:26:26 > 0:26:30Jewels buried by families fleeing the Nazis.

0:26:30 > 0:26:32That's my very precious remnant of this story.

0:26:32 > 0:26:36'A precious watch that's a permanent reminder of a relative

0:26:36 > 0:26:38'who lost her life in Auschwitz.'

0:26:38 > 0:26:42This ring, for me, was a symbol of love...

0:26:42 > 0:26:44and hope.

0:26:44 > 0:26:49A ring, a survivor kept hidden through several concentration camps.

0:26:50 > 0:26:52We are interested to hear more accounts that tell of

0:26:52 > 0:26:57this dark period in history. As well as stories of loss and tragedy,

0:26:57 > 0:27:01we know there are stories of hope and love to be discovered, too.

0:27:01 > 0:27:03If you or your family would like to share your story,

0:27:03 > 0:27:04please contact us via...

0:27:13 > 0:27:18Broughton Castle is surrounded by the most beautiful countryside.

0:27:18 > 0:27:20Of course, lambs are in the field

0:27:20 > 0:27:24and if it wasn't for the telephone mast behind me and the odd car

0:27:24 > 0:27:25going past, we could be

0:27:25 > 0:27:29in the 19th century, it's that beautiful.

0:27:29 > 0:27:31Of course, you've brought in a stunning watercolour

0:27:31 > 0:27:34from the 19th century, by John Faulkner.

0:27:34 > 0:27:37Of course, it was the British landscape,

0:27:37 > 0:27:41the glorious British landscape, that inspired many thousands of artists.

0:27:41 > 0:27:43Your watercolour is signed by John Faulkner.

0:27:43 > 0:27:47And it's inscribed, "A Farm Near Pinner."

0:27:47 > 0:27:50Now, I associate John Faulkner's work with Ireland,

0:27:50 > 0:27:52particularly in the early part of his life.

0:27:52 > 0:27:55- Yes.- What's your connection to this watercolour?

0:27:55 > 0:27:58Well, I'm originally from Northern Ireland.

0:27:58 > 0:28:03My family had this in the hallway of our home and I grew up

0:28:03 > 0:28:06with it, as a child. I always liked it, because it is

0:28:06 > 0:28:10- a natural country scene. - Absolutely. It's so beautiful.

0:28:10 > 0:28:13As I say, nowadays, you visit the countryside in Britain,

0:28:13 > 0:28:16it's inspiring. It's still very beautiful,

0:28:16 > 0:28:18especially away from the urban cities.

0:28:18 > 0:28:22Faulkner, right in the early part of his life - he was born in Dublin,

0:28:22 > 0:28:24he was a precocious talent, actually -

0:28:24 > 0:28:28he became an associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy at the age of 17.

0:28:28 > 0:28:31Now, the RHA, the Royal Hibernian Academy,

0:28:31 > 0:28:34is really the Irish equivalent of the Royal Academy.

0:28:34 > 0:28:37It was a very serious academy in Dublin,

0:28:37 > 0:28:41where all the main artists would aspire to exhibit.

0:28:41 > 0:28:43But later on in his life, he painted pictures in Scotland and England.

0:28:46 > 0:28:47I just really love the sort of narrative.

0:28:47 > 0:28:51It takes you away from what was happening in Victorian England,

0:28:51 > 0:28:54everyone moving to the cities to get jobs, and, of course,

0:28:54 > 0:28:57this brings you back to the glorious countryside of England,

0:28:57 > 0:29:01this lovely meandering road, and the artist Faulkner

0:29:01 > 0:29:05tips in a little bit here with rooftops, suggesting a village.

0:29:05 > 0:29:09So, their journey is going to take them all the way along this road,

0:29:09 > 0:29:11off to the village. They might be selling these pots.

0:29:11 > 0:29:14Lovely little church on the right-hand side.

0:29:14 > 0:29:18And it's oversentimentalised, isn't it, with the lovely ducks

0:29:18 > 0:29:20on the pond? It's a very pleasing picture.

0:29:20 > 0:29:23He was very prolific. He painted a lot of pictures,

0:29:23 > 0:29:26exhibited regularly at the Royal Hibernian Academy.

0:29:26 > 0:29:28Your watercolour is in lovely condition.

0:29:28 > 0:29:32Now, it probably dates to about 1870.

0:29:32 > 0:29:37- Wow.- He was born in 1835, died in 1894. It's later on in his life.

0:29:37 > 0:29:41It's really in the 1870s, 1880s, he is painting more in England,

0:29:41 > 0:29:43- rather than in Ireland.- Yes. - I noticed the frame.

0:29:43 > 0:29:45What's happened to that?

0:29:45 > 0:29:47Well, when I was a child, we had a fire in our home

0:29:47 > 0:29:53and, fortunately, this was downstairs in the hallway,

0:29:53 > 0:29:55- because everything upstairs got burnt.- Yes.

0:29:55 > 0:29:59There was a different frame on it, it was gilded,

0:29:59 > 0:30:03but it was completely different to this one.

0:30:03 > 0:30:06I think my parents got it replaced after the fire.

0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Right.- So...

0:30:08 > 0:30:11- Well, the good news is the watercolour survived.- Yes.

0:30:11 > 0:30:14And, actually, this inset is also the original.

0:30:14 > 0:30:17But a beautiful country landscape.

0:30:17 > 0:30:21Its value - certainly £1,500 to £2,500.

0:30:21 > 0:30:23- Mm-hm, yeah. - Really beautiful landscape,

0:30:23 > 0:30:27- thank you so much for bringing it in.- Thank you very much. Thank you.

0:30:28 > 0:30:31So we have a really wonderful selection

0:30:31 > 0:30:35of French clocks, English clocks, we've got another French clock,

0:30:35 > 0:30:39a little Swiss clock and you've got a selection of watches.

0:30:39 > 0:30:41So how many do you have in total?

0:30:41 > 0:30:45There's about 31 watches, 25 or so clocks,

0:30:45 > 0:30:46so quite a lot more than this.

0:30:46 > 0:30:48Do you wind them up, do you have them all running?

0:30:48 > 0:30:51The clocks are usually running, but not the watches.

0:30:51 > 0:30:53The watches get wound every now and again.

0:30:53 > 0:30:56You must have quite a noisy household.

0:30:56 > 0:30:59Well, I try to turn the chimes off on the clocks that I can,

0:30:59 > 0:31:02but, yeah, it's quite...

0:31:02 > 0:31:04Keep everyone awake at night?

0:31:04 > 0:31:05I just shove tissue in the back.

0:31:05 > 0:31:07ALASTAIR LAUGHS

0:31:07 > 0:31:09But what got you hooked into collecting clocks?

0:31:09 > 0:31:12Well, I used to have an interest in old cars,

0:31:12 > 0:31:17but somehow it moved onto clocks, I'm not sure how or why.

0:31:17 > 0:31:20Well, clocks are certainly easier to store than cars,

0:31:20 > 0:31:23so I think your parents could probably thank that,

0:31:23 > 0:31:26that actually you moved on to watches and clocks

0:31:26 > 0:31:29because they're far more portable, far easier to maintain.

0:31:29 > 0:31:31Tell me a little bit

0:31:31 > 0:31:33about one of the clocks that you've brought along here.

0:31:33 > 0:31:37So, this is a French carriage clock,

0:31:37 > 0:31:41and below the platform there's an interesting escapement.

0:31:41 > 0:31:44It's not a normal escapement wheel.

0:31:44 > 0:31:46I bought it and I was very puzzled by it.

0:31:46 > 0:31:49So, I was trying to read loads of books and find out loads about it.

0:31:49 > 0:31:51You're right, this is French,

0:31:51 > 0:31:55it's probably late 19th to early 20th century.

0:31:55 > 0:31:57What did you pay for it? Do you remember?

0:31:57 > 0:32:00- 25.- 25, so that's a good price, I think.- Yeah.

0:32:00 > 0:32:02French carriage clocks

0:32:02 > 0:32:06you generally sell at auction between £100 to £120.

0:32:06 > 0:32:07What's the future for you?

0:32:07 > 0:32:12I'd like to be a horologist, make and design watches.

0:32:12 > 0:32:14So I'm going to have to be very careful about my position, am I?

0:32:14 > 0:32:16LAUGHTER

0:32:16 > 0:32:20Are you going to be standing here and doing what I do?

0:32:20 > 0:32:22- Probably. - LAUGHTER

0:32:22 > 0:32:24I think definitely, absolutely.

0:32:24 > 0:32:26I'll be very disappointed if you don't.

0:32:26 > 0:32:27Well, it's a wonderful collection,

0:32:27 > 0:32:30and long may you continue and learn more.

0:32:30 > 0:32:32- Thank you.- Thank you.

0:32:34 > 0:32:36- It's a French turkey, it's a dinde. - Oh, OK.

0:32:38 > 0:32:40Well, it's iconic.

0:32:40 > 0:32:43You know, it's Christian Dior, it's absolutely right.

0:32:43 > 0:32:47It's just got everything going for it from the 1950s.

0:32:47 > 0:32:51But this was just the French being funny, it's a French joke.

0:32:52 > 0:32:57And you know, if I had a small waist, I'd love to wear it now.

0:32:58 > 0:33:01You can imagine, he's got his hat begging, almost,

0:33:01 > 0:33:04but he's very big and prosperous, but actually he's a turkey cock,

0:33:04 > 0:33:07so he's like a French mayor or a functionary.

0:33:09 > 0:33:14I'd say it would easily make anywhere between £800 and £1,200.

0:33:14 > 0:33:15Wow.

0:33:15 > 0:33:17And he's probably actually a tobacco jar.

0:33:17 > 0:33:19- Make £200 or £300.- Thank you.

0:33:22 > 0:33:25So this wonderful collection that we have here on the table -

0:33:25 > 0:33:28photographs, medals, paperwork.

0:33:29 > 0:33:32You introduce me to this rather splendid and dashing young man

0:33:32 > 0:33:35sitting in the back of this aircraft over here -

0:33:35 > 0:33:36who is this gentleman to you?

0:33:36 > 0:33:37Er, this gentleman here,

0:33:37 > 0:33:40this is Harold Blackburn, who was my grandfather.

0:33:40 > 0:33:42He was a bicycle maker from Doncaster

0:33:42 > 0:33:44and, in 1909, he got the aviation bug

0:33:44 > 0:33:47and he designed and built his own aircraft.

0:33:47 > 0:33:49- He built his own aircraft?- Yes.

0:33:49 > 0:33:51Along the veins of the Wright brothers?

0:33:51 > 0:33:54- Very much along those lines, yes. - OK.

0:33:54 > 0:33:59And he was a very active flyer in the prewar years,

0:33:59 > 0:34:04and he flew the first scheduled air services in Britain in 1914.

0:34:04 > 0:34:07A real pioneer of the flying era?

0:34:07 > 0:34:09Yes. Absolutely, yes.

0:34:09 > 0:34:11And, when war broke out,

0:34:11 > 0:34:14he immediately joined up with the Royal Flying Corps

0:34:14 > 0:34:16and his aircraft was requisitioned.

0:34:16 > 0:34:19And we can see from this piece of paper here that not only did he

0:34:19 > 0:34:21join very quickly into the Royal Flying Corps as an officer,

0:34:21 > 0:34:25but the war starting on the 4th of August 1914,

0:34:25 > 0:34:27there is your grandfather, already joined as a pilot,

0:34:27 > 0:34:29on the 19th of August 1914.

0:34:29 > 0:34:33Yes, so on the 19th of August, he's fully certified as a combat pilot

0:34:33 > 0:34:36in the Royal Flying Corps, and he was 35 years old.

0:34:36 > 0:34:39- And he went off and flew in France? - He flew in France in 1914

0:34:39 > 0:34:42and then everybody thought the war would be over by Christmas.

0:34:42 > 0:34:46Obviously, it wasn't. So at the beginning of 1915,

0:34:46 > 0:34:48there was a very big expansion of the Royal Flying Corps

0:34:48 > 0:34:51and he was made a flight commander in one of the new squadrons,

0:34:51 > 0:34:53Number 14 Squadron,

0:34:53 > 0:34:55and they were sent out to the Sinai Desert,

0:34:55 > 0:34:58and it was the only squadron that was sent there

0:34:58 > 0:35:01and that was to defend the Suez Canal from the Turkish army.

0:35:02 > 0:35:07And we have this photograph taken from his aircraft of a Turkish camp?

0:35:07 > 0:35:09Yes, this is a Turkish camp at Bi'r Hasanah,

0:35:09 > 0:35:11which is in the middle of the Sinai Desert.

0:35:11 > 0:35:13There were 3,000 Turkish infantry stationed here,

0:35:13 > 0:35:15and this is the water tank.

0:35:15 > 0:35:18And it was deliberately built as a very, very long rectangle

0:35:18 > 0:35:20because it's very difficult to bomb.

0:35:20 > 0:35:22My grandfather designed a bombsight,

0:35:22 > 0:35:25and an Australian pilot successfully dropped a bomb

0:35:25 > 0:35:27right in the middle of the water tank.

0:35:27 > 0:35:30And you can even see the marks in the sand where all the water...

0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Where the water came out around here.- ..came out,

0:35:32 > 0:35:34leaving these 3,000 soldiers in the middle of the desert

0:35:34 > 0:35:36without a water tank.

0:35:36 > 0:35:39And for these efforts he was awarded some quite special medals?

0:35:39 > 0:35:42Yes, he was awarded the Military Cross

0:35:42 > 0:35:45for his efforts in the Sinai Desert.

0:35:45 > 0:35:47Then we have a newish medal,

0:35:47 > 0:35:51because as the Royal Air Force was formed in April 1918,

0:35:51 > 0:35:54they got their own medals, and he has the Air Force Cross here.

0:35:54 > 0:35:58Yes, that's right. He remained in Egypt throughout 1917.

0:35:58 > 0:36:00In 1918, he was brought back to France,

0:36:00 > 0:36:03and he received that decoration.

0:36:03 > 0:36:06Then he has a 1914 star,

0:36:06 > 0:36:08just showing how early he went out to France.

0:36:08 > 0:36:10- Yes, that's right.- The British War Medal and the Victory Medal,

0:36:10 > 0:36:12and I know that we've also got a mention

0:36:12 > 0:36:15in dispatches for him, as well...

0:36:15 > 0:36:18Yes, we have several mentions in dispatches certificates, yes,

0:36:18 > 0:36:22and he stayed in the Royal Air Force after World War I,

0:36:22 > 0:36:27and he retired in 1929, and he moved to Jersey,

0:36:27 > 0:36:29because he was a keen sailor.

0:36:29 > 0:36:33And, of course, when the war came along, they were forced to evacuate,

0:36:33 > 0:36:35and all of these medals and all of this memorabilia

0:36:35 > 0:36:38- went into a potato pot, which was buried...- A potato pot?

0:36:38 > 0:36:40That's a potato jar, yes, with a big lid on it,

0:36:40 > 0:36:44and that was buried in the back garden of their house in Jersey,

0:36:44 > 0:36:46and that stayed there, buried, for six years,

0:36:46 > 0:36:48throughout the entire German occupation.

0:36:48 > 0:36:51And when the Germans left, the medals were dug back up again?

0:36:51 > 0:36:52They were.

0:36:52 > 0:36:55You have a wonderful set of photographs

0:36:55 > 0:36:58from the very earliest days of flying.

0:36:58 > 0:37:01You have photographs of aerial combat,

0:37:01 > 0:37:03aerial bombing missions, from the First World War.

0:37:03 > 0:37:07Again, almost unheard-of from that time.

0:37:07 > 0:37:13They are a superb set of medals, and we would have to say that,

0:37:13 > 0:37:17to any collector, they would be very happy

0:37:17 > 0:37:20to pay £6,000 for your medals.

0:37:20 > 0:37:25They are...just stunning, from the very early days of the Flying Corps.

0:37:25 > 0:37:29And what a collection. Thank you so much for bringing them along

0:37:29 > 0:37:32- and telling us that wonderful story. - Thank you.- Thank you.

0:37:34 > 0:37:36Well, this is a seriously spectacular lump.

0:37:36 > 0:37:38How does it fit into your life?

0:37:38 > 0:37:40Well, I use it as a paperweight at the moment.

0:37:40 > 0:37:41- Oh! - THEY LAUGH

0:37:41 > 0:37:43- How much paper do you have?! - Oh, I'm on my GCSEs,

0:37:43 > 0:37:46so I have an awful lot of coursework to keep on my desk,

0:37:46 > 0:37:47and it keeps it all down, so, yeah.

0:37:47 > 0:37:51- So tell me about it.- Well, my dad and I went to an auction.

0:37:51 > 0:37:54He is an art dealer, so he usually takes me along with him.

0:37:54 > 0:37:56And I saw it and I just fell in love with it,

0:37:56 > 0:37:59and I managed to convince him to buy it for me,

0:37:59 > 0:38:02and he managed to get it for £70, which is...

0:38:02 > 0:38:03- Good old Dad!- Yeah, I know!

0:38:03 > 0:38:05So what was it that grabs you?

0:38:05 > 0:38:06I mean, you know, it's very subjective,

0:38:06 > 0:38:08it's obviously a sculpture, a glass sculpture.

0:38:08 > 0:38:11- At the time, it was very dirty.- OK.

0:38:11 > 0:38:13However, I just liked the look of it and shape of it,

0:38:13 > 0:38:15and, even though it was kind of dirty,

0:38:15 > 0:38:20- the light just shined through it and it just caught my attention.- Yeah.

0:38:20 > 0:38:22- Well, good old Dad for buying it for you.- Yeah.

0:38:22 > 0:38:24It's Italian.

0:38:24 > 0:38:28There is a signature on the bottom, do you know who made it?

0:38:28 > 0:38:30Lucio Zanetti, I think - that's what we read the signature to be.

0:38:30 > 0:38:32Yeah, pretty good, pretty good.

0:38:32 > 0:38:36So it dates from about the '70s, and it's a free-made piece of glass.

0:38:36 > 0:38:39Most of the glass in people's homes is mould-blown,

0:38:39 > 0:38:42but this is made by stretching a piece of glass,

0:38:42 > 0:38:44and then immersed in acid,

0:38:44 > 0:38:50in probably a tank, with something like sawdust,

0:38:50 > 0:38:53that allowed some areas to remain blank,

0:38:53 > 0:38:58and others to be attacked by this vicious acid,

0:38:58 > 0:39:02- which gives you this kind of stubbly-chin feel.- Yeah.

0:39:02 > 0:39:03And it echoes a general movement

0:39:03 > 0:39:05that started coming through in the '70s

0:39:05 > 0:39:08of using glass as an artistic substance.

0:39:08 > 0:39:11I mean, this is... It's pretty rubbish as a drinking glass, this.

0:39:11 > 0:39:15- Yeah. - It is an out-and-out art piece.

0:39:15 > 0:39:17- So Dad paid 70 quid for it?- Yes.

0:39:17 > 0:39:20That's got to be a 300- or 400-quid piece, I reckon.

0:39:22 > 0:39:24- Wow!- I think you chose jolly well.

0:39:24 > 0:39:26GENTLE LAUGHTER

0:39:26 > 0:39:28- Good on you.- Thanks. - You're welcome.

0:39:31 > 0:39:33So, in this beautiful garden,

0:39:33 > 0:39:38it's a perfect place to find a fabulous garden seat.

0:39:38 > 0:39:39Where did you get this?

0:39:39 > 0:39:41It was my grandma's.

0:39:41 > 0:39:44And after she died, it passed to my mum.

0:39:44 > 0:39:47She's since died, and it's mine now.

0:39:47 > 0:39:49It's yours.

0:39:49 > 0:39:51So this is majolica, it became very, very fashionable,

0:39:51 > 0:39:54and everyone was impressed with it, including Queen Victoria,

0:39:54 > 0:39:58and a lot of factories produced it - Minton, Wedgwood.

0:39:58 > 0:40:02To me, these tortoiseshell glazes look very, very like George Jones,

0:40:02 > 0:40:04but I can't find the mark on it.

0:40:04 > 0:40:08So I can only say it's an English pottery manufacturer,

0:40:08 > 0:40:11who's, you know, in the late 19th century.

0:40:11 > 0:40:13Unfortunately, a bit of damage here,

0:40:13 > 0:40:17which often happens with a big piece of majolica like this.

0:40:17 > 0:40:18And I've got...

0:40:18 > 0:40:23- Really, I've got for you the bad news and the good news.- Mm.

0:40:23 > 0:40:25So I'll start with the bad news,

0:40:25 > 0:40:29is that if I'd been talking about this ten years ago...

0:40:30 > 0:40:34..I'd have said it was worth £2,000, £3,000.

0:40:35 > 0:40:38But that's when the Americans were buying it.

0:40:38 > 0:40:40So, unfortunately...

0:40:40 > 0:40:42Not in fashion any more.

0:40:42 > 0:40:44- LAUGHING:- No!

0:40:44 > 0:40:47- Typical! - So, going from the 2,000 to 3,000,

0:40:47 > 0:40:50I'm now saying sort of 800, 1,000, which is not...

0:40:50 > 0:40:52It's decent. Yes.

0:40:52 > 0:40:54- It's decent.- Thank you.

0:41:01 > 0:41:05Well, I love the spirit of this bronze horse study,

0:41:05 > 0:41:07and what's its background?

0:41:07 > 0:41:13Well, it was a wedding present to my late wife's grandparents.

0:41:13 > 0:41:15And the photographs you're clutching?

0:41:15 > 0:41:19- That's the bridegroom, Horace Dare Smith.- Right.

0:41:19 > 0:41:24And that's the bride, Jeanne-Marie Hubert,

0:41:24 > 0:41:29and they both came from horsey families, and horsey businesses.

0:41:29 > 0:41:31I think it's absolutely fantastic,

0:41:31 > 0:41:37- and to think that they knew and loved this bronze.- Yes, yeah.

0:41:37 > 0:41:41But I understand you're not totally clear who it's actually by?

0:41:41 > 0:41:43No, no, I've looked at the signature,

0:41:43 > 0:41:45and it looks Italian,

0:41:45 > 0:41:47but that's all I can say, yes.

0:41:47 > 0:41:49Well, you're on the right track -

0:41:49 > 0:41:53it is by an Italian sculptor who has an almost unpronounceable name,

0:41:53 > 0:41:57it's Count Agostino Marazzani-Visconti.

0:41:57 > 0:41:59Which does sound a bit like

0:41:59 > 0:42:01a biscuit you would dip in your coffee.

0:42:01 > 0:42:06But a very well-respected artist, working from the mid-19th century

0:42:06 > 0:42:10through to the sort of beginning, really, of the First World War.

0:42:10 > 0:42:12I think he died in 1914.

0:42:12 > 0:42:17- And your bronze is dated - it's dated 1892.- Yeah.

0:42:17 > 0:42:19And this has a fabulous colour,

0:42:19 > 0:42:22and you've looked after it in the right way.

0:42:22 > 0:42:25You've not sort of polished it up.

0:42:25 > 0:42:27Well, I listen to the Antiques Roadshow,

0:42:27 > 0:42:31and I take note of all the comments about polishing them, so...

0:42:31 > 0:42:32Good man, good man.

0:42:32 > 0:42:36- ..it hasn't been overcleaned, by any means.- No, exactly.

0:42:36 > 0:42:39But, looking at the detail, what I love is obviously

0:42:39 > 0:42:41the detail of the groom - his clothing,

0:42:41 > 0:42:44his hairstyle, even his boots -

0:42:44 > 0:42:47- they're brilliantly observed.- Yeah.

0:42:47 > 0:42:51- But what I love most of all is this muddy base...- Really?

0:42:51 > 0:42:55..the way the artist has imitated liquid mud,

0:42:55 > 0:42:59with all the hoof marks, and, to me, that just lifts the thing

0:42:59 > 0:43:02into a liveliness that many bronzes of horses,

0:43:02 > 0:43:04I'll be honest, lack.

0:43:04 > 0:43:09- Bronzes are not selling especially well in the current market.- Mm-hm.

0:43:10 > 0:43:12So I'm going to be a little bit conservative.

0:43:12 > 0:43:15I think, if this went into auction,

0:43:15 > 0:43:20I'd be putting an estimate of between £2,500 and £3,500.

0:43:20 > 0:43:22Mm-hm. It was worth coming!

0:43:22 > 0:43:24LAUGHTER

0:43:24 > 0:43:28My great-great-great-grandfather...

0:43:29 > 0:43:34..came to this country from Germany in the 1750s,

0:43:34 > 0:43:38and he was a court tailor to the Hanoverian royal household.

0:43:38 > 0:43:40How interesting.

0:43:40 > 0:43:45And this is a waistcoat of George III's that he made.

0:43:45 > 0:43:48So he arrived in the reign of George II,

0:43:48 > 0:43:53cos George III came to the throne in 1762, didn't he?

0:43:53 > 0:43:56And he went right the way through till 1814.

0:43:56 > 0:43:59Well, now, let's just think if that would stack up.

0:44:00 > 0:44:05When we think about dress, men's dress,

0:44:05 > 0:44:11in the late 18th and early 19th century,

0:44:11 > 0:44:13this is so typical. It was...

0:44:13 > 0:44:19Your dress would be breeches, shirt, waistcoat, overcoat.

0:44:19 > 0:44:25And the waistcoat itself was an intrinsic part of that,

0:44:25 > 0:44:30and it was also...could be quite a flamboyant part of your dress.

0:44:30 > 0:44:35- The ancestor that you mentioned, do you know the name?- Yes.

0:44:35 > 0:44:41- Which is?- Johann Francklau, F-R-A-N-C-K-L-A-U.- Yeah.

0:44:41 > 0:44:45Later Anglicised to Francklow - L-O-W.

0:44:45 > 0:44:50And when he died, in the church registers of that time,

0:44:50 > 0:44:53he was registered as a clerk of the King's German chapel.

0:44:53 > 0:44:57Excellent, so that's great, so you've done the research.

0:44:57 > 0:45:02Let me just talk about the waistcoat that we're looking at here,

0:45:02 > 0:45:05because it's made of this fabulous - what do I call it? -

0:45:05 > 0:45:10sea green, aquamarine satin, and embroidered with silks,

0:45:10 > 0:45:14and it's got this fabulous shine to it, hasn't it?

0:45:14 > 0:45:15It's been worn.

0:45:15 > 0:45:19We can see it's been worn because we have here...

0:45:20 > 0:45:21..perspiration marks.

0:45:23 > 0:45:26What I find is slightly more tricky for me

0:45:26 > 0:45:31is to link it absolutely 100% to George III.

0:45:31 > 0:45:34So, value. There are two distinct values, aren't there?

0:45:34 > 0:45:38There's one as it is, which is, what, £500 to £600?

0:45:38 > 0:45:44And there's that fantasy "could it be, may it one day be proved" value.

0:45:44 > 0:45:47What's that? Probably not as much as you think.

0:45:47 > 0:45:51I would imagine about £1,200 to £1,500,

0:45:51 > 0:45:53- if we could link it in to George III.- Yeah.

0:45:53 > 0:45:56George III had a LOT of clothes.

0:45:56 > 0:45:58- I'm sure he did.- This isn't unique!

0:45:58 > 0:45:59LAUGHTER

0:46:00 > 0:46:03Well, two partridge and a grouse.

0:46:03 > 0:46:07Not quite the Christmas carol, and we don't really have the pear tree,

0:46:07 > 0:46:09but what can you tell me about them?

0:46:09 > 0:46:13Basically, they've been in the family for as long as I know.

0:46:13 > 0:46:17They came to me from my grandmother, up in Scotland.

0:46:17 > 0:46:22- I was told they might be French, but I'm not totally sure.- OK.

0:46:22 > 0:46:23What they are is, in fact, Austrian.

0:46:23 > 0:46:28- It's a group of animalia bronzes called cold-painted bronze.- Right.

0:46:28 > 0:46:30But, at the turn of the 19th century,

0:46:30 > 0:46:32there were almost 50 foundries

0:46:32 > 0:46:35producing this type of cold-painted bronze.

0:46:35 > 0:46:39Well, they're painted with this dust paint, layers of dust paint,

0:46:39 > 0:46:41and, in fact, they've lost the technique

0:46:41 > 0:46:44of making this particular dust paint.

0:46:44 > 0:46:49Most of them were painted by women, at home, so a real cottage industry.

0:46:49 > 0:46:54You can just see how realistically done that they actually are.

0:46:54 > 0:46:55An incredible weight for this one.

0:46:55 > 0:46:59I mean, they were very, very skilled at doing this wonderful plumage,

0:46:59 > 0:47:03and the scale of those, in particular, is very good.

0:47:03 > 0:47:09- They are remarkably accurate in the way they've been painted.- Yes.

0:47:09 > 0:47:12- Do you like them, do you enjoy them?- Absolutely, yes.

0:47:12 > 0:47:16I mean, I've had them, luckily, for a very long time.

0:47:16 > 0:47:18They're very special to me,

0:47:18 > 0:47:21because they've come down through the family,

0:47:21 > 0:47:24and they will continue to go through the family.

0:47:24 > 0:47:27Date-wise, I would suspect they're probably, you know,

0:47:27 > 0:47:29just late, probably early part of the 20th century,

0:47:29 > 0:47:31so just maybe just turn of the century.

0:47:31 > 0:47:33That said, if they came up for auction,

0:47:33 > 0:47:36I think those two you would sell as a pair,

0:47:36 > 0:47:40- and would carry an auction estimate of between £1,500 and £2,500.- Right.

0:47:40 > 0:47:42Your little one in front, your little grouse,

0:47:42 > 0:47:45possibly around £500 to £700, something like that.

0:47:45 > 0:47:46Brilliant. Thank you.

0:47:49 > 0:47:52If I was a small child, to be given a toy of this size,

0:47:52 > 0:47:54I would have been delighted.

0:47:54 > 0:47:55It's got lots of action.

0:47:55 > 0:48:00It's American, and had you been living in New York,

0:48:00 > 0:48:02you would have seen these horse-drawn carriages,

0:48:02 > 0:48:04fire engines, dashing through the streets

0:48:04 > 0:48:07in order to get to the fire as quickly as possible. And, er...

0:48:08 > 0:48:11..here at the back, you can see one of the firefighters

0:48:11 > 0:48:12hanging on for dear life,

0:48:12 > 0:48:14cos you can imagine going down those square streets,

0:48:14 > 0:48:18going round the corner, and he's nearly falling off.

0:48:18 > 0:48:21And the horses, as you pushed it along, or pulled it along,

0:48:21 > 0:48:24they were linked to this front wheel,

0:48:24 > 0:48:27so they would have gone up, up and down, like that.

0:48:28 > 0:48:32So how does an American toy come to be here in rural England?

0:48:32 > 0:48:36- It belonged to my great-grandfather...- Mm-hm.

0:48:36 > 0:48:40- ..who lived outside of the town of Llanelli.- Right.

0:48:40 > 0:48:45And, apparently, at some time or other, maybe 1890, 1900,

0:48:45 > 0:48:48I'm not sure when, he went to America.

0:48:49 > 0:48:52And this is one of the items he brought back.

0:48:52 > 0:48:54It must have been quite a journey, actually, by boat at that time.

0:48:54 > 0:48:56- Absolutely, a long journey.- Yes.

0:48:56 > 0:48:58And this is not the lightest thing to bring back, is it?

0:48:58 > 0:48:59I know, it's extraordinary.

0:48:59 > 0:49:00I played with it as a child.

0:49:00 > 0:49:03- Oh, really? - I was told to be careful!

0:49:04 > 0:49:07I think this is probably made by a company called Hubley,

0:49:07 > 0:49:09who were a Pennsylvanian company

0:49:09 > 0:49:13who were making cast-iron toys from the 1890s.

0:49:13 > 0:49:17And as this is horse-drawn, I would think it probably dates

0:49:17 > 0:49:21from the first decade of the 20th century, so 1900, 1910.

0:49:21 > 0:49:23Here in Europe, the major toy manufacturers

0:49:23 > 0:49:26made everything in tin, in Germany, mostly,

0:49:26 > 0:49:31so it's very rare to find a cast-iron toy here in the UK.

0:49:31 > 0:49:34- So that's another thing that excites me as well.- Oh, right.

0:49:34 > 0:49:38So it is a rare piece and also it's in great original condition,

0:49:38 > 0:49:40nobody's tried to restore it.

0:49:40 > 0:49:43Needs a bit of linkage there, but apart from that...

0:49:43 > 0:49:46- it's a good piece.- Oh, right, right.

0:49:46 > 0:49:48If you ever did decide to sell it,

0:49:48 > 0:49:51I think it really should go back to the USA,

0:49:51 > 0:49:54cos that's where the market is, that's where the collectors are.

0:49:54 > 0:49:56If you sold it here in the UK,

0:49:56 > 0:50:01- we're probably talking about a figure of up to £3,000.- Gosh.

0:50:01 > 0:50:02Wow.

0:50:02 > 0:50:06But could be substantially more in America.

0:50:06 > 0:50:07Well, thank you.

0:50:09 > 0:50:13Well, it's the evening and we're going into darkness.

0:50:13 > 0:50:16This piece of jewellery is about somebody that went into darkness

0:50:16 > 0:50:17and it's a piece of mourning jewellery

0:50:17 > 0:50:20and the most particularly beautiful piece of mourning jewellery.

0:50:20 > 0:50:21Tell me about it, with you.

0:50:21 > 0:50:23Well, I don't know much about it.

0:50:23 > 0:50:28The only thing I do know is it came from some cousins of my grandfather.

0:50:28 > 0:50:31But, other than that, I know nothing at all about it.

0:50:31 > 0:50:34It's obviously a piece of mourning jewellery,

0:50:34 > 0:50:36and we know that for a number of reasons.

0:50:36 > 0:50:40The first is, it's laid onto a background of human hair.

0:50:40 > 0:50:42The background?

0:50:42 > 0:50:44The background is literally human hair,

0:50:44 > 0:50:47beautifully arranged and glued to the background.

0:50:47 > 0:50:50And then it's overlain with lilies.

0:50:50 > 0:50:54But the lilies are made of the tiniest seed pearls imaginable.

0:50:54 > 0:50:56It's breathtaking craftsmanship.

0:50:56 > 0:50:59And they're significant because they're emblems of purity.

0:50:59 > 0:51:01But not only that, they are full-blown lilies,

0:51:01 > 0:51:03which are another emblem of death -

0:51:03 > 0:51:07all plants full-blown are suggestions of mortality.

0:51:07 > 0:51:11And here we have a jewel reminding us of our own mortality.

0:51:11 > 0:51:16So this is an emblem of love gone beyond the grave.

0:51:16 > 0:51:19- It's very romantic stuff, isn't it? - It is.- It's heartbreaking.- It is.

0:51:19 > 0:51:22And the strange thing is that, more often than not,

0:51:22 > 0:51:24the background of these jewels, which is pure gold,

0:51:24 > 0:51:30is engraved with the name of the person that's being commemorated.

0:51:30 > 0:51:32In this instance, it's completely blank.

0:51:32 > 0:51:35I have to say it's a very high-status object indeed, because

0:51:35 > 0:51:38it would have cost an enormous amount of money to have it made.

0:51:38 > 0:51:39It was made for a specific purpose,

0:51:39 > 0:51:42for a specific family and there was no question

0:51:42 > 0:51:43of it leaving the family.

0:51:43 > 0:51:45- Probably hasn't left the family.- No.

0:51:45 > 0:51:48This is probably one of your ancestors.

0:51:48 > 0:51:50But we're looking at craftsmanship,

0:51:50 > 0:51:53almost certainly London craftsmanship,

0:51:53 > 0:51:55of the highest possible calibre.

0:51:55 > 0:51:59And everything about it suggests to me - the craftsmanship

0:51:59 > 0:52:03and the meticulous craftsmanship - that it dates from about 1760.

0:52:03 > 0:52:04Oh, goodness.

0:52:04 > 0:52:08We know people were making these jewels in Central London,

0:52:08 > 0:52:12up and down Regent Street, and they boasted of what they could do.

0:52:12 > 0:52:17They made trade cards, saying how the hair of the beloved

0:52:17 > 0:52:21could be arranged in the form of flowers, in the form of feathers.

0:52:21 > 0:52:23And you'd take the hair of the deceased

0:52:23 > 0:52:27to those people to work them up. And why did you do it?

0:52:27 > 0:52:29The reason to do it is because death

0:52:29 > 0:52:32was ever-present in the 18th century.

0:52:32 > 0:52:34And commemoration was everything,

0:52:34 > 0:52:36because it was an age without photography,

0:52:36 > 0:52:40certainly without the moving image, and there was a terror

0:52:40 > 0:52:43that people who had died, you wouldn't remember their face.

0:52:43 > 0:52:47So you would take what is incorruptible from them -

0:52:47 > 0:52:49their hair - and wear it.

0:52:49 > 0:52:53So it's very macabre in its own way today, but not so,

0:52:53 > 0:52:55it's social history at the highest possible level

0:52:55 > 0:52:59and here we have an anonymous voice, a voice beyond the grave,

0:52:59 > 0:53:01telling us all of this. Couldn't ask for more, could you?

0:53:01 > 0:53:03- No.- No.

0:53:03 > 0:53:05And how to value it?

0:53:05 > 0:53:09It's a very hard one to do because it's a family jewel.

0:53:09 > 0:53:12It's part of your DNA, probably IS the same DNA,

0:53:12 > 0:53:14and how are we going to put a price on that?

0:53:14 > 0:53:18£800 for this, maybe £1,200.

0:53:18 > 0:53:20- But you're not going to do it, are you?- No.

0:53:20 > 0:53:22I'm speechless, really.

0:53:22 > 0:53:25I thought it would be worth, um...

0:53:25 > 0:53:27I don't know, maybe £200, £300.

0:53:27 > 0:53:30I can't believe it's worth that much.

0:53:30 > 0:53:31Wow!

0:53:31 > 0:53:33- What a tankard!- Yes.

0:53:34 > 0:53:38I am so jealous of you owning this.

0:53:38 > 0:53:41I would love to have this in my collection.

0:53:41 > 0:53:46How long have you actually had the good fortune of owning it?

0:53:46 > 0:53:48Owning it, only since it was passed to me,

0:53:48 > 0:53:51- but I've known it all my life. - Right.

0:53:51 > 0:53:53But I know little about it.

0:53:53 > 0:53:55What we've got here...

0:53:55 > 0:53:59The form is entirely European - very English, actually.

0:53:59 > 0:54:03It's the form of a 17th-century tankard.

0:54:03 > 0:54:05Right.

0:54:05 > 0:54:07- But it's not English.- Oh.

0:54:07 > 0:54:10And, of course, when we look at the decoration,

0:54:10 > 0:54:14we've got all this absolutely fabulous work,

0:54:14 > 0:54:17where these have actually been made separately in pieces

0:54:17 > 0:54:20and applied to the surface.

0:54:20 > 0:54:23It's interesting how the animals and the various flower heads

0:54:23 > 0:54:25have been picked out with gold,

0:54:25 > 0:54:28which is actually known as parcel gilding,

0:54:28 > 0:54:32which is a corruption of being partially gilt.

0:54:32 > 0:54:34- Look at that dragon's head!- Yeah. - Ah!

0:54:34 > 0:54:38You know, that is so wonderful.

0:54:38 > 0:54:44- Of its type of work, it's the finest I have ever seen.- Right.

0:54:44 > 0:54:46- And it's not often you can say that. - Oh, right.

0:54:46 > 0:54:48So where does it come from?

0:54:49 > 0:54:51- China?- Well, yes.

0:54:52 > 0:54:58Most likely over towards Batavia, because there's only one mark on it,

0:54:58 > 0:55:01which is stamped on the base and just there.

0:55:01 > 0:55:04- Do you see that little V?- Yes, yeah.

0:55:04 > 0:55:07- That's a Dutch verification mark... - Oh, right.

0:55:07 > 0:55:10- ..that was put on in the 19th century.- Right.

0:55:10 > 0:55:14So, that would link up nicely with Batavia.

0:55:15 > 0:55:21The market today for Chinese work, Chinese-related pieces,

0:55:21 > 0:55:26- is very, very hot.- Oh, right.

0:55:26 > 0:55:30- It's an extraordinarily difficult piece to put a value on.- Right.

0:55:30 > 0:55:33There's been nothing as good as this on the market,

0:55:33 > 0:55:36as far as I'm aware.

0:55:36 > 0:55:40So when you've got something that's probably the best that there is,

0:55:40 > 0:55:41how much do you put on it?

0:55:41 > 0:55:45It's a guesstimate. I would think we're looking at

0:55:45 > 0:55:50- between £20,000 and £25,000. - CROWD GASPS AND MUTTERS

0:55:50 > 0:55:53My word. That's fantastic.

0:55:54 > 0:55:56And it could go more.

0:55:56 > 0:55:58Really?

0:55:58 > 0:56:00Right.

0:56:00 > 0:56:01- LAUGHING:- So...

0:56:01 > 0:56:03Do you want to sit down?

0:56:03 > 0:56:05He wasn't going to come in.

0:56:05 > 0:56:06THEY LAUGH

0:56:06 > 0:56:10- So you're pleased you came? - Oh, I am. Certainly am.

0:56:10 > 0:56:11Wonderful.

0:56:11 > 0:56:12It's wonderful.

0:56:14 > 0:56:16It's still busy here at Broughton Castle

0:56:16 > 0:56:19as our day at the Antiques Roadshow draws to a close.

0:56:19 > 0:56:23I wanted to show you one little item that had a lot of people puzzled.

0:56:23 > 0:56:25What do you think this is?

0:56:25 > 0:56:26Coat hook?

0:56:27 > 0:56:29Weapon?

0:56:29 > 0:56:30Any ideas?

0:56:30 > 0:56:33Well, you put your fingers in these holes here...

0:56:36 > 0:56:38..and, as you are reaping your corn or your crop -

0:56:38 > 0:56:41and they'd have done a lot of that around here in Oxfordshire -

0:56:41 > 0:56:45you pull it towards yourself and cut with your reaping hook.

0:56:45 > 0:56:46And this protects your hands.

0:56:46 > 0:56:51That is our best guess, and it's 19th century,

0:56:51 > 0:56:52with the woodworm to prove it.

0:56:52 > 0:56:55From Broughton Castle and the Antiques Roadshow team,

0:56:55 > 0:56:56until next time, bye-bye.