0:00:02 > 0:00:06Antiques. What do we really know about them?
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Apart from being beautiful, exquisitely made
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and often hugely valuable.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Look at the workmanship on this. This is really Georgian bling.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'But why were they made in the first place?
0:00:19 > 0:00:23'And who were they made for?'
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Candles were so expensive, it would have felt like
0:00:26 > 0:00:28actually burning money to light them.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'Whether from a stately home or a two-up two-down,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'antiques unlock a fascinating history
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'of the way we lived then and now.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:42They're very amusing slides, but would have been terrifying if you'd never seen a moving picture.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45'I'm historian Doctor Lucy Worsley.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'I'll uncover the stories behind some of these remarkable objects.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:51'I'm antiques expert Mark Hill.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'I'll be looking at why some items have become priceless,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'while others are the collectables of tomorrow.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:01You don't need to be an aristocrat to own this.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05People may pay sort of £30-£40 for a teacup and saucer.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09'We'll meet the historians and curators who preserve them.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'The highly-skilled craftspeople who still make them.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:16The Chinese and the Japanese would sour their clay
0:01:16 > 0:01:18for up to 200 years.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'And the passionate people who collect them.'
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Oh, my goodness gracious me!
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The earliest one is 113 years old and it's still working.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We're going to put antiques in their historical and social context.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Today, we'll examine antiques from the world of entertaining.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37We discover who made them, what they cost, how they changed our behaviour
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and follow their journey
0:01:39 > 0:01:42through history into our homes.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'We've come to Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'the ancestral home of the Duke of Bedford.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56'Over the centuries, it's been at the forefront of entertaining,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'so it's a really good place to start.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:04This grand house is typical of the country houses
0:02:04 > 0:02:07built during the golden age of the 18th century.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09You're right. This is a real whopper.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13But it's not just for one old duke sitting in there all by himself,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16it's also for his family and his servants and his friends.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18It's really built for entertaining.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Right at the heart of this, you'd have found the rooms used for entertainment
0:02:21 > 0:02:26and the dining room, where he'd have been able to display his wealth and social status.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Now, what we're interested in is his kit, his paraphernalia.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33He's got top-of-the-range, lavish stuff in there.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Over the next couple of centuries,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39we're going to see that trickling down into everybody's houses.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44'Our day starts with something very British indeed, a cup of tea.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'In the 17th century, green tea started being shipped from China to Europe,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50'along with porcelain teacups.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53'Exotic and delicate, this porcelain was so desirable
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'that it became known as white gold.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- You requested tea, my dear. - Thanks, Carson.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I've been called many things, but not that.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12What have we got here, then?
0:03:12 > 0:03:14We have porcelain tea bowls.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18We're going to have a drink they've been having since the late 17th century.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Absolutely.- 1660s, this caught on.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24What actually came over with the tea from the East was porcelain.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27This was originally not the key part of the whole transaction,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30this was just the ballast for the ship.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32In many instances, absolutely.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34The Chinese developed porcelain in the 10th century.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40And, of course, exported it. China-mania gripped Britain by the 18th century.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43And there was a race on, effectively, who could produce this white gold.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47This very valuable, very sought-after material.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It was translucent, but it held hot water.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54People beforehand used pottery and stoneware that was opaque, you couldn't see through it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55It was heavy, it was brown.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00And it was also the fact that it was complicated paraphernalia. I think we all rather like gadgets.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04So as this new drink becomes introduced,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07people tend to go for the accoutrements that go with it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12This has got a really wonderful, timeless, Oriental quality to it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14This particular design shows koi carp
0:04:14 > 0:04:17swimming around forever in a blue and white world.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21- But what you've got there isn't Chinese at all.- No, it's not.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24This is a tea bowl and saucer produced by the Worcester factory.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And this is about 1770, 1780.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And it's the mother and child pattern.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32The big difference is many motifs in Chinese porcelain
0:04:32 > 0:04:34are sort of iconographic. They have a meaning.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And this was sort of our Western view
0:04:36 > 0:04:39of what we might think a Chinese scene might be.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And you can go out and buy one of these?
0:04:41 > 0:04:46You can. I think you'd probably get change out of around £60 or £70.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48But this one, you'd probably get change,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50if you had to go to a dealers, out of £200.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It's a scarcer piece than that.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That's very much a mass-produced piece of export ware.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57You can see the sort of democratisation of production.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00You can also see the democratisation of tea.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03If you're the mistress of the house, you keep your tea locked up in a caddy.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08You don't let anyone else touch it, let alone your servants.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10But as we go through the 18th century,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12servants expect a tea allowance as part of their wages.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Everybody has become addicted to tea.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's described as a fatal liquor that'll bring you to death's door.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- Good lord!- And I suppose it's fear of its addictive properties.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27Because we do know that once you've had tea, you can't get enough of it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33'This cup was the culmination of decades of endeavour.'
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Ever since Chinese porcelain arrived on these shores,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42British potters had been trying to crack its secret formula.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47In 1752, Benjamin Lund finally discovered the magic ingredient,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Cornish soapstone, otherwise known as talcum powder.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Worcester bought his formula,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and by 1755, was making the best
0:05:55 > 0:05:58blue and white English porcelain money could buy.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02So obsessed was the country with all things Chinese,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05that even our porcelain was named after it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06China.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I'm at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent
0:06:14 > 0:06:16to meet master potter and historian Kevin Millward.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23So, this was the secret ingredient that lead to Worcester's success.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And there was a great reason for that, wasn't there?
0:06:25 > 0:06:29This gave them a quality that was desirable.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And that's thermal shock resistance.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35And by thermal shock, you mean having the teacup there, on a table,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38nice tea party, ladies come around to have a nice chat,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41somebody picks up the hot teapot,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- pours boiling water in... - And it would shatter. Yeah.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47And obviously, that's supposedly the origin
0:06:47 > 0:06:52of the two types of tea-drinking styles.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The poor people have to put the milk in first
0:06:55 > 0:06:57so that the cup doesn't shatter,
0:06:57 > 0:07:02and the aristocracy, who can afford the best-quality china,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07they can pour their boiling tea straight into the cup.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11- This was presumably quite secret. - Oh! Um...incredibly so.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Because you are talking about pieces
0:07:14 > 0:07:19that were selling for astronomical amounts of money.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Only the very wealthy could afford this.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22I think a simple teacup or tea dish
0:07:22 > 0:07:26would have cost somewhere in the region of £450 in today's money.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29In 1794, that was about eight pounds.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- Yep.- So, can you show us exactly how much of each would be included?- Yep.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35'To make the porcelain clay,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38'Kevin mixes together china clay, silica,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40'which is basically sand,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'glass cullet or frit and only 1% of soapstone.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'Surprisingly little, given it was the key ingredient.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:51We need the water at this stage to get the materials
0:07:51 > 0:07:53to mix together evenly.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57And mix together as evenly as I can, is what I will now do.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59My goodness! Making porcelain.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03- The clay that we are mixing together is called the body.- Yep.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07But as you can see, we've gone from this sort of dry powder
0:08:07 > 0:08:11into what looks a little bit like custard at this stage.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It's got to be dried out and the water taken out of it. What happens next?
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Well, what we're going to do here is a very simple way
0:08:18 > 0:08:21of reducing the water content,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and that is, we'll take some of this, and put it on a plaster bat.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Mm-hm.- And the plaster is porous.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Ah! So that absorbs the water.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It takes a few seconds.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- But you can see the consistency changing now.- Oh, lord! Yes.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- It's like thickening up gravy or something.- Yep. Yep.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44You can virtually scrape it off now. That's much more like clay.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48You can see now we have a little nugget of plastic clay.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Now, to a potter, this is dead.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Dead? How do you mean?
0:08:54 > 0:08:58It's raw materials brought together,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00but it has no body to it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04So what we need to do to this now
0:09:04 > 0:09:06is put it away for as long as possible,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09which we call souring,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and that will induce bacterial growth.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17And if you've ever found a sort of dish rag
0:09:17 > 0:09:20that's been in water too long and it's going a little bit black,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23when you touch it, it's slimy.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- Oh!- Yeah? And that's exactly what we want in this.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30And, in fact, one of my students quite a few years ago
0:09:30 > 0:09:34was complaining about the lack of plasticity in the porcelain body,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and I said, "Why don't you do what the old makers would do?"
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And he said, "What was that?" I said, "Pee on the clay."
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- Oh, goodness gracious! - So that's what he did.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Now, it's said that the Chinese and the Japanese
0:09:46 > 0:09:50would sour their clay for up to 200 years.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53So, clay that was prepared
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- would only be used by great-great grandchildren.- Good lord!
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Right. We've got the clay matured, soured, prepared.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- Ready to go. - Ready to go on the wheel.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I think my job here is clear.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- I'm going to provide the power. - You're going to provide the power.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15- Which way do I turn?- That's right, towards me. Towards me. OK.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Right. Just slow down a touch.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20OK.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Who would have done this? I'm quite tall, but it's quite,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- I should imagine, backbreaking, after a day.- Women and children.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Women and children?- Yeah.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Presumably not very well paid.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Not very well paid at all.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36So, were you under pressure, the potter?
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Yes. You'd be working piecework,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43so you were paid by the quantity that you produced.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46So, how many would you have to produce in a day?
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I would say somebody throwing a cup similar to this
0:10:51 > 0:10:53could be expected to throw
0:10:53 > 0:10:56anywhere between 750 and 1,000 of these a day.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- A day?- Yeah.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'Creating decorative chinaware
0:11:04 > 0:11:06'had always been a painstaking process done by hand.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10'But the invention of transfer printing in the 1750s
0:11:10 > 0:11:12'revolutionised the process,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16'enabling mass production of images on ceramics.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'An engraved image on a copper plate is filled with ink,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24'which is transferred onto tissue paper by passing it through rollers.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29'The design is then placed onto the ceramic.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'Sometimes, as a final embellishment,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38'hand-enamelling over the design would add colour and detail.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'This, coupled with Josiah Spode's creation
0:11:41 > 0:11:43'of fine bone china in about 1800,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47'took tea sets out of the realm of the few
0:11:47 > 0:11:49'and brought them to the many.'
0:11:49 > 0:11:52And these are very pretty little cups, aren't they?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54They are. They date from around 1900.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57They're by a well-known manufacturer called Spode.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And Spode, of course, developed bone china.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Bone china was to prove quite revolutionary
0:12:03 > 0:12:06because it allowed all sorts of different social classes
0:12:06 > 0:12:08to own a fine china or a porcelain tea set.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- So this is porcelain-for-the-people bone china.- It's exactly that.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Now, tea, the meal, was invented by a duchess.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18And I guess afternoon tea
0:12:18 > 0:12:21still has quite classy, aristocratic connections, doesn't it?
0:12:21 > 0:12:25If you're going out to tea, you'll have something quite fancy and will eat again later.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27But, if you're a working-class person
0:12:27 > 0:12:31and you say, "I'm going home for my tea," you don't mean that, do you?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- You mean your main evening meal. - Absolutely.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- It's around 4 o'clock.- The sun is going down.- Let's get on with it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Tea wasn't the only exotic import from foreign parts
0:12:43 > 0:12:45that firmly established itself in our culture.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49The sofa gets its name from suffah,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52an Arabic word that means long, stuffed seat for reclining.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54And it became popular, too.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Today, we usually find it in the living room,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05but it started life as a piece of furniture in the bedroom.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13This is a very lovely bedroom. Come and look at this.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Fit for a queen, I'd say.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18But what we've really come to see is this piece of furniture,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21which is...well, it's kind of flexible, isn't it?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- I would call this a chaise longue. - Me, too.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26But it's related to the couch.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29From coucher, the French word to recline or lie down.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Some people call them fainting sofas, and you can see why.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34It's just made for the job.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Exactly. Tightly laced into your girdle,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38you might need a moment to recline and relax.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40It's very nice down here, actually.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Tudors had something like this, but they called it a daybed.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46That's the term that Shakespeare uses.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48The implication is that it's in the bedroom.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- But they move out into the living room.- Absolutely.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55And become known under a different term, sofa. From a Middle Eastern word, suffah.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57But the key thing, sofa, couch, whatever,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00is that these are sociable pieces of furniture.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- They're for you and a guest. - Thank you very much.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11This particular daybed is in the rococo style,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16which flourished in western Europe from around 1700 to 1780.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Rococo wasn't a hard and fast style, but rather a mood.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26There are several ways to spot a rococo piece when you see one.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Seashells and back-to-back C-shaped scrolls are always a big clue.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39As are carved cabriole legs and light, flourishing, feminine lines.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Thomas Chippendale was a craftsman
0:14:45 > 0:14:48whose name was not only universally associated
0:14:48 > 0:14:50with English rococo furniture,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52he was also the first designer
0:14:52 > 0:14:55to have a furniture style named after him.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Thomas Chippendale must be the world's most famous furniture-maker.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05But was this down to his craftsmanship, or was it
0:15:05 > 0:15:08the promotion of his business in the form of this enormous book?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I've come to Dumfries House in Scotland,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15home to one of the finest collections
0:15:15 > 0:15:18of Chippendale furniture in the country.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Some of its pieces are worth a fortune.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24The Chippendale historian David Jones
0:15:24 > 0:15:27is going to show me what makes them so special.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32So, here we've got about 10 pieces of proper Chippendale furniture,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and there's only 700 of them in the whole world!
0:15:35 > 0:15:37That's right, yes.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- And 50 of them in this house. - That's amazing, isn't it?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Why is he so influential, then?
0:15:42 > 0:15:45He gives his name to a whole sort of - it's shorthand
0:15:45 > 0:15:48for a particular type of Georgian furniture, isn't it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Yes, and it's a brand name that people use from Mexico City to China,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56really, and it's in everybody's consciousness.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I think that was largely because he was such a brilliant marketer -
0:15:59 > 0:16:04he produced what was the first catalogue of furniture in 1754.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- It's called Chippendale's Director. - That's right.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11"A collection of elegant and useful designs of household furniture."
0:16:11 > 0:16:15We take the phrase "household furniture" for granted,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17but it was coined by Chippendale.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18- Oh!- "Household furniture."
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- That's the first use of the phrase. - Yes.- That's interesting.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25And you can get bookcases, writing tables, breakfast tables, etc, etc,
0:16:25 > 0:16:31but you can also get them in the Gothic, Chinese or the modern taste.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Yes.- It's like the IKEA catalogue, really.- Well, yes,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36that's the old joke, everybody says, yes.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39So, it's wrong to think of Chippendale being this lonely,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42tortured, creative genius sitting in his studio,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44making everything himself by hand.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Really, he was picking up other people's ideas and amalgamating them
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- and popularising them. - That's right, yes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- To have some in the 1750s was to be thoroughly modern.- Aw!
0:16:53 > 0:16:56But the Earl of Bute, who bought these for this house,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58he thought they were a bit TOO modern...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00We're used to this kind of thing,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05but to the Earl of Dumfries, it was...so, er, rather strange
0:17:05 > 0:17:09that he said to his lawyer, "Andrew, the furniture is monstrous."
0:17:09 > 0:17:11THEY LAUGH
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- But he obviously stuck with it, because it's still here today.- Yes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17So, how can you tell if your Chippendale is one of the 700?
0:17:17 > 0:17:22You need the original documents - the bills, at least correspondence -
0:17:22 > 0:17:26to verify that the furniture was supplied by Thomas Chippendale.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- And if you've got one of the 700, you're quids in, aren't you?- Yes.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32How much was this when it was for sale five years ago?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Similar chairs have gone for a million, er...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36We're touching a £1 million chair!
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Chippendale created a brand by publishing The Director,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49a pattern book.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55It won him many commissions, and meant that
0:17:55 > 0:17:58people across the country could get their local carpenter
0:17:58 > 0:18:02to make them a piece of furniture in the Chippendale style.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It was this that sealed his popularity.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14The students here at the Chippendale School, just outside Edinburgh,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18are learning to make furniture using traditional methods.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Anselm Fraser, who wears some really crazy braces, is going to show me
0:18:23 > 0:18:27how to make a chair leg using Chippendale's original techniques.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We've got the original leg here, and my target
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- is to show you how to make a leg like this.- OK.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40'I'm using a tool called a scratch stock.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'It's got a curved metal blade inside it,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45'and it will carve a straight line down the wooden leg.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Oh, I've made a groove already!
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- And that's what I'm aiming for... - That's right.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- So, it's quite simple... - Quite hard...
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- There's a dignity in labour, isn't there?- There is.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00TOOL SCRAPES ON WOOD
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Now, you're going to get fired, Lucy...- Am I doing it wrong?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06No, you're slipping all over the place.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09But we can... If you hold it in here...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- What kind of wood are we using? - We're using mahogany.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19In Georgian times, it came in as ballast in the ships,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22so you had the manufactured goods...
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- And guns.- ..from Britain to the rest of Europe,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29and then you trooped off down to the West Coast of Africa,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32picked up your slaves, took them to the Caribbean,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34offloaded them to the sugar plantations,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and then the ships would fall over, you see?
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Because in those days, you had a lot of masts and ropes on the ships.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45And unless you had a lot of weight in the bottom,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47erm, it would capsize.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50So, they put this mahogany in the bottom,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and the mahogany arrived in the Port of London,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and Chippendale would walk down there and see all this mahogany.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59So, Georgian furniture is actually quite tied up with the slave trade.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01That's right, you see?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'Chippendale's workshop in Saint Martin's Lane
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'became one of the largest furniture manufacturers in London.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09'It employed 50 staff
0:20:09 > 0:20:13'including craftsmen, cabinet-makers and designers.'
0:20:13 > 0:20:17How many years would it take an apprentice joiner to get good?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Well, you would only do one little bit all day, every day.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- Until they got good at it? - Yeah, and you can see we aren't doing that well.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But it doesn't really matter - it gives you the kind of idea.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31We'd cut the moulding on this side and on this side
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and then we would use an old-fashioned thing
0:20:34 > 0:20:38called a moulding plane to work it in the middle.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43- This is not a science - it's an art. - It's a total art, a total skill.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I'm just nibbling away at the wood very sensitively and gently...
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- ..and creating a lovely, round profile.- Well done.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It just might take me 25 years.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57'Thomas Chippendale was a Yorkshireman
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'from quite humble origins and even with his success,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02'he died a man of modest means
0:21:02 > 0:21:06'because his aristocratic clients didn't always pay their bills.'
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Now go clockwise.- Go clockwise. - OK. Now press hard.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15I'm determined for you to get to the bottom there.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18I'm going to get to the bottom of this.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Now, the next thing we would do is we'd find a mortise chisel.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24This is brilliant. You can see how they actually did things.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Yeah, but to be honest, I wouldn't be employing you.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I mean, you'd have to have this finished by now.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And so we've got our 18th-century glue pot here
0:21:36 > 0:21:38of just one candlepower.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Now, this would make a terrible smell, wouldn't it?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Terrible, terrible smell.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It was just animal bones and the legend was
0:21:45 > 0:21:48that the apprentice would be made to pee in the glue pot.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50What, to make it extra sticky?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Yes, the ammonia in the pee made it extra sticky.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Brush, brush, brush-brush-brush.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- And a little bit in there.- Squadge it in there.- Squidge it in there.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Fantastic. Put that back in the pot.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Isn't that good? Have I put it in the right way round?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Yeah, you've done everything perfectly. Of course you have.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- How long will that take to dry? - You don't have to use clamps.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- This glue sets in about 30 seconds. - It's stuck already.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Of course, you made a good joint to begin with.- Ah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20So, you know, you've done seven years of apprenticeship -
0:22:20 > 0:22:22it's nice and snug inside.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Now you can see how it's going to look.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28There - look at that!
0:22:28 > 0:22:32And mortise-and-tenon construction is the way that old furniture works?
0:22:32 > 0:22:37That's the way ALL of the old furniture of that time was made.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46And so it became fashionable to own a household furniture
0:22:46 > 0:22:49that wasn't just practical, but beautiful.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51To find out about the evolution of the sofa -
0:22:51 > 0:22:53once the status symbol for the middle-classes,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55now an essential in every home -
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I've come to the Geffrye Museum in London.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02This museum has furniture ranging from the 17th
0:23:02 > 0:23:04through to the 20th centuries.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06The social historian, Eleanor John,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09is going to guide me through the sofa's development.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11We're starting in the Regency drawing room,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13where people would entertain guests.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17So, is this a middle-class person's sofa?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It is indeed, somebody who's reasonably well-off,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21but not aristocratic.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23They're probably earning their living, they are working.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Although it looks like you're supposed to sit upright and very properly on this,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30sofas get a bit of a racy reputation, don't they?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33They do, they do, and the evidence for this being that we can see them,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37for example, in print culture that show... And this one is captioned,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40"Captain Jessamy learning the proper discipline of the couch."
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Look at her looking at him!
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- She's going to show him a thing or two.- Yeah, he is quite exposed.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48He's lolling. It's not proper to loll, really, is it?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50No, it's a familiar type of behaviour
0:23:50 > 0:23:52that you can loll in your own home,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55but you perhaps shouldn't loll if you've got guests.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- But this courtship is going rather badly, isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00This is brilliant - she's saying,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02"Come and sit down, my dear little dandy,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05"and I'll give you a bit of white sugar candy."
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Indeed.- She's essentially saying that she's feeling randy.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Yep, you know, offering a nibble of something to him.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15So here we've got quite a formal, elegant piece of furniture,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18but, actually, I love the fact that it's leading to new forms
0:24:18 > 0:24:20of permissive behaviour, as Regency people see it.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23We've got scenes of seduction, of domination,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27of flirtation taking place on sofas - men and women sitting together.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The sofa was responsible for a whole new form of behaviour.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35For the first time, men and women could sit
0:24:35 > 0:24:40in close proximity to one another rather than on individual chairs.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44In addition to that, the luxurious fabrics and upholstery
0:24:44 > 0:24:48could be seen as titillating - even encouraging of adultery.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54But despite its racy reputation,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58the sofa had firmly established itself in the living room
0:24:58 > 0:25:00by the early 20th century.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Right, now, we jumped forwards nearly 100 years.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- This is 1915, and this is very different, isn't it?- It is, it is.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The sofa's much more comfortable, it's now got springs in it,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17which is something that is developed, I think, in the 1840s.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Can I boing it?- Yes, do.- Here we go.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22We can't sit on this, we can't walk on the carpet,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24it's all far too fragile - but I am going to feel
0:25:24 > 0:25:26the fruits of mass production.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28I'm going to boing the springs.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Ooh, that's comfortable.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33THEY LAUGH
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's like a huge leap forwards, isn't it,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38from that uptight, stiff-looking regency thing?
0:25:38 > 0:25:40And now we've got a modern piece of furniture.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- This is the 20th century, very clearly.- Yup.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Informality and cosiness and comfort.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51By the swinging '60s, though,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55modern furniture from Scandinavia was all the rage.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Its focus was more on style than comfort.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04And while the trend towards simple, clean, modern shapes continued,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08there was something of a return to comfort in the 1990s.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12So, to sum up four centuries of sofa history in a hand gesture,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15it goes from like this, to like this.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19There's a great, sort of, loosening of the moral fibres as time goes on.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The history of the sofa also encapsulates the history of design,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26mass production - we see all these different styles coming and going -
0:26:26 > 0:26:30but essentially it's from formality to relaxation,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and that's what everyone now has at home - a great, big, squashy thing.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39But it's not just the sofa that has travelled through the centuries
0:26:39 > 0:26:41into everyone's home.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45An object that was once cutting-edge technology
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and an essential when entertaining
0:26:47 > 0:26:50is now in every kitchen drawer in the country.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I'm meeting Peter Borrett, who has an amazing collection of corkscrews.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Hello, Mark, good to see you. Are you all right?
0:26:58 > 0:27:03One of which is the first patented corkscrew in the world,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and a British invention.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Why corkscrews?
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Well, I think when you start looking at all the diversity of design,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14it becomes enchanting, in some respects.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17So, 300? 400? How many are here?
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Approximately 300 in the cabinets and then I've probably got another 300 as well,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23so I have around about a collection of 600 pieces,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26which is quite a lot in ten years of collecting.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I can immediately spot a fantastic collection of what was,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I believe, the first patent for the corkscrew?
0:27:31 > 0:27:34That's right. From the Rev Samuel Henshall from Oxfordshire.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36A man of the cloth - I always find that rather curious.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- Let me pull one out for you. - Thank you.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39That looks like a special one.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Yes, it's the very first British patent for a corkscrew -
0:27:42 > 0:27:45in fact, the first patent for a corkscrew in the world.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- And this was 1795, wasn't it? - Correct.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50And it's got a nicely turned handle and the brush is not replaced.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53No, it looks like the original brush. Often you'll find
0:27:53 > 0:27:55a corkscrew with a hole where the brush would have been,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59but the brush was used to dust off the debris from the bottleneck,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02clean off the labels to see what you're drinking...
0:28:02 > 0:28:03So, what's a piece like this worth?
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Between £1,200 and £1,500, so it's a desirable piece.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10But, of course, you can get this type of corkscrew for a lot less.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Oh, yes, you can. You can get a simple Henshall type
0:28:13 > 0:28:15for upwards of £25, £30.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Absolutely. It's the sort of thing you see
0:28:17 > 0:28:19in lots of flea markets and antiques fairs.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22So if this is the earliest, I'm going to choose my favourite
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and I'm afraid it has to be these rather marvellous German,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27what are they, later 19th-century,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29early 20th-century corkscrews with the legs?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- I think they're sensational. - Let me pull out a couple for you.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Now, what are these fetching? A couple of hundred quid?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Yeah. The more flesh, the more desirable. - MARK LAUGHS
0:28:37 > 0:28:39So the stripey ones you've got in your right hand
0:28:39 > 0:28:43in good condition are fetching around about £200 currently. Right.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45The half-flesh would be around about 250
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and there's collectors out there that just look for ladies' legs.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52So to speak. But I think something that's more familiar to us is this.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55This is the sort of thing you would buy in a supermarket, isn't it?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57I'd think a lot of people would recognise it.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00But this one certainly didn't come from a supermarket.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03No, this is, I believe, a very successful British patent
0:29:03 > 0:29:06which dates to 1888 by a prolific manufacturer,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09of course, called James Heeley and Sons,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11and this is actually an improvement to an earlier patent.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- So that's this one.- That's right, that's the Baker patent from 1880.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18It looks very similar, but it seems the arms are not joined - they're separate.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23That's right, and Neville Heeley just joined the two arms together with a fulcrum arm.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Developing a classic that's still with us today.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27- Yes, indeed.- Well, I've never seen one of these.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I've seen these a lot, and I suppose they're worth £30, £40.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Probably 40 to 60 is a fair reflection.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36So if that's worth £40-£60 in nice condition, what's that worth?
0:29:36 > 0:29:38Approximately £500.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42£500, effectively, for a corkscrew that doesn't really work very well?
0:29:42 > 0:29:43Well, it doesn't work very well.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45But that's often the case in this market, isn't it?
0:29:45 > 0:29:49It's the things that didn't necessarily work, that weren't commercially successful
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and were withdrawn that have become scarce
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and thus, in many instances, sought-after.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59So, once you've uncorked your tipple of choice,
0:29:59 > 0:30:00you need something to pour it into,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04and the Georgians had a glass for every beverage.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Ale or claret for breakfast,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15maybe a nip of brandy to get you going.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19For the men, hock and soda to clear the mid-morning hang-over.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21For the ladies, Madeira and biscuits.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24A flask of brandy to survive a day's hunting,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28then champagne, wine, port and brandy throughout dinner -
0:30:28 > 0:30:31the pattern was repeated until gout, alcoholic poisoning
0:30:31 > 0:30:33or death called a halt.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36This is a lovely lot of glasses.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38It is, and it would have been enjoyed by the Georgians,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42- who did enjoy a drink, didn't they? - Absolutely, yes. This one,
0:30:42 > 0:30:43this lovely wine glass here,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47- cos of the grapes, we can tell it was used for wine.- Absolutely right.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50It looks quite small, doesn't it? You think, "Mm, not much in there,"
0:30:50 > 0:30:53but the idea was that you had to drink that in one go
0:30:53 > 0:30:56because perhaps there weren't enough glasses for all the guests,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58so if there aren't enough glasses, no problem,
0:30:58 > 0:31:00cos you say, "I'll have wine, please,"
0:31:00 > 0:31:03you're brought your glass, you go... And then off it goes to be washed
0:31:03 > 0:31:05and somebody else can use it immediately after you.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09And it's quite interesting to see politics coming through
0:31:09 > 0:31:11in wine consumption, because, for example,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13when we were at war with France,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15there's less Bordeaux being imported,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19so they go for the sweet Spanish wines coming up through Bristol.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21So if you guessed this one because of the engraving...?
0:31:21 > 0:31:23What's that one got on it?
0:31:23 > 0:31:26It's got pictures of... Are those hops?
0:31:26 > 0:31:30- Yeah, I guess those could be hops. - It's an ale glass.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34- Any ideas about that one? Rather curious shape.- No.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Does it have a particular function?
0:31:35 > 0:31:38It does indeed. This is a toastmaster's glass,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40and what's very interesting is this bowl here,
0:31:40 > 0:31:41which is actually quite solid.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44It gave the impression of being filled up so the toastmaster
0:31:44 > 0:31:47could have toast after toast after toast after toast -
0:31:47 > 0:31:49these things were repetitive - and after each one
0:31:49 > 0:31:51he would bang it down on the table
0:31:51 > 0:31:53and it gave its name - the Firing Glass.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57- Is that cos it sounds like the shot of a gun?- Exactly.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00So, this one's a lovely champagne glass, isn't it?
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Much more familiar to our eyes, and, of course,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05champagne can be drunk out of a coupe - which is a bowl shape - or a flute,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08and the coupe, of course, reputedly and incorrectly
0:32:08 > 0:32:11was apparently based on Marie Antoinette's breasts.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14She must have been quite flat-chested if that's true.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16I suppose she had, I'd never thought of that.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- Perhaps that might have been a more suitable glass.- Oh, dear.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21SHE LAUGHS
0:32:24 > 0:32:28These beautiful, intricate glasses are all made of lead crystal,
0:32:28 > 0:32:30a substance that was accidentally discovered
0:32:30 > 0:32:35by English glass-maker George Ravenscroft in 1674.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Wanting to extend the working time of molten glass,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46he found that by adding lead oxide it became softer,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49easier to cut, and also highly refractive and transparent.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56This revolutionary discovery made Britain the world leaders
0:32:56 > 0:32:59in glass production in the 18th and 19th centuries.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04There were once 300 to 400 workshops
0:33:04 > 0:33:08producing hand-blown glasses like these.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Now, there are less than 20.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Stephen Pollock-Hill, owner of one of the few remaining glasshouses,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18is going to take me through the processes.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Presumably, here, now, they're blowing this bowl.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26Yes, this is a Georgian glass made in lead crystal.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28GLASS CHIMES
0:33:28 > 0:33:32The English invented this - George Ravenscroft in 1674 -
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and had a monopoly for over 100 years.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39'Having gathered a mass of molten glass called "The Gob",
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'the bit-gatherer places it in a mould and blows to create a bubble
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'which will form the bowl of the glass.'
0:33:45 > 0:33:48He's not blowing very much - I think that's one thing that surprises me.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- There is only a very gentle blow. - It is, yes.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54The glass, at this stage, it is still at about 800 degrees,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57it's very malleable, so you only need a very slight bit of blowing.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Many people think it's like blowing a rubber balloon.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03- But the pressure, just to expand it?- Exactly.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06'Once the ball has been formed, the bit-gatherer
0:34:06 > 0:34:09'passes it to the gaffer who will create the final piece.'
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Watching them make this glass,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13it's almost like an advanced form of choreography
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- in a strange way, isn't it? - It is, it is.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- Everybody knows their part.- It's like a ballet, everybody has their role
0:34:19 > 0:34:21and their particular skills, too.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24I mean, how many of these would be made an hour?
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- I would think you'd probably make about 15, 20 an hour. - Good heavens above!
0:34:28 > 0:34:32'This class is called a "cast-on" glass
0:34:32 > 0:34:34'because the stem is added - or "cast on" -
0:34:34 > 0:34:37'rather than being drawn out of the glass.'
0:34:37 > 0:34:39And this is, of course, how it would have been made
0:34:39 > 0:34:42- in the 18th and 19th centuries? - Exactly, yes.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Incredible - I mean, we're in a great big warehouse here,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46but with four or five of these furnaces on the go,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- it must have been like a vision from hell.- Indeed.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52'Seeing the amount of work that went into producing Georgian glasses
0:34:52 > 0:34:56'makes it easy to understand why they were so expensive to buy.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59'But what's interesting now is that for many,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03'their antique value is surprisingly low.'
0:35:03 > 0:35:05If you'd like to spruce up your dining table
0:35:05 > 0:35:08with some new wine glasses, don't head towards the High Street,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10head towards an antique centre instead,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13because you'll find you can add some unique charm to your dining table.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Made in the 1820s, this is hand-blown, hand-assembled
0:35:16 > 0:35:20and hand-cut with this incredibly intricate pattern around the bowl.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22You have the slice cut at the base,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24these wonderful crosshatch diamonds in the middle -
0:35:24 > 0:35:29you could have this handmade antique for less than £20.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34There are hundreds of antique markets and fairs
0:35:34 > 0:35:38where you can pick up antiques and collectables just like these.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44Following on from the glass-making innovations of the 17th century,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46spectacular new light fittings emerged.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49They included the most luxurious of all -
0:35:49 > 0:35:52the cut-glass, lead-crystal chandelier.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04The light-scattering properties of its highly refractive glass
0:36:04 > 0:36:08quickly became popular amongst the wealthy as a status symbol
0:36:08 > 0:36:11to impress their guests whilst entertaining.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Now, people say that the hall of mirrors at Versailles
0:36:14 > 0:36:17in the late 17th century is the first room in history
0:36:17 > 0:36:20that would have had anything approaching reasonable light levels
0:36:20 > 0:36:23after dark, and that was because it had a mirrors on the walls
0:36:23 > 0:36:26and chandeliers all down the middle,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30and all the glass is said to reflect the light of candles ten times more.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Absolutely, and a lot of that - in fact, all of that -
0:36:33 > 0:36:34is owed to the development of lead crystal
0:36:34 > 0:36:37by George Ravenscroft in the 1670s.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40This allowed you to create these fantastically elaborate chandeliers,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43each with drops which were cut with further facets
0:36:43 > 0:36:46which reflected and refracted the light.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49The first time we hear the word "chandelier"
0:36:49 > 0:36:51being used in England is in 1714,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54and I think the 18th century is the age of the chandelier?
0:36:54 > 0:36:55It is, and chandelier, the term,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58is derived from the French term "chandelle", which is tallow candle.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Makes sense. Often because the candles were so expensive
0:37:02 > 0:37:05it would have felt like actually burning money to light them,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07so you wanted them as low as possible
0:37:07 > 0:37:09to provide as much light as possible,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11and there are stories from the French court
0:37:11 > 0:37:14of people walking around in big wigs and setting fire to them
0:37:14 > 0:37:16on the low-hanging chandeliers.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18But, yes, that's exactly it, it was a way of burning money,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21but it was a way of showing your wealth and status.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Hanging one of these in the centre of a room
0:37:23 > 0:37:25wasn't really all about enabling you to see what was going on,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27it was also a display of your wealth and your status.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30"Look at me, look at my wonderful chandeliers,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32"aren't they brilliant?" Quite literally.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41This handcrafted chandelier in Woburn has 102 glass drops,
0:37:41 > 0:37:46102 glass stars and 24 candles.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49To light it for just one evening
0:37:49 > 0:37:53would have cost three quarters of a ploughboy's yearly wage.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59And a workshop in Kent is one of the few places left in the country
0:37:59 > 0:38:03where chandeliers like this are still made.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07- What a treasure trove. - So we've got all sorts here.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10You know, a couple of hundred years' worth
0:38:10 > 0:38:12of chandeliers, lanterns, all types.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Company owner David Wilkinson is showing me around.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18Here they restore priceless antique chandeliers
0:38:18 > 0:38:20and also make bespoke pieces.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24A customer came to me and they'd seen a picture in my old brochure -
0:38:24 > 0:38:28this is one we did back in the '80s - and it was this one.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33It's a late Victorian, early 1900s chandelier by F&C Osler.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Well, we restored this chandelier 20 years ago
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- and I don't know where it is now. - So you know it intimately, in a way.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43I remember it well, but we've got nothing to work to
0:38:43 > 0:38:45so we've had to make everything from scratch.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Just this photograph...- Just this. - ..has led to this design?- It has.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52So, really, you're continuing this fantastic tradition, this heritage,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54that Britain and many other countries in the world have lost,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57but had during 18th and 19th centuries.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- That's right.- Fantastic. This is something I'd love to see.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05A hand-blown lead-crystal bowl is sliced in two
0:39:05 > 0:39:10with a precision-tipped diamond-bladed saw.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13The desired pattern is then marked up by hand on to the bowl,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15ready to begin cutting.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21So this must be a pretty scary moment, then, that first cut?
0:39:21 > 0:39:23Yes, the first cut is always the most difficult to do.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28It's remarkably quick. It really eats into the glass, doesn't it?
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Yes. We call it roughing, but it's full of chips and scratches,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35but it does carve the glass away quickly.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40In each chandelier, there are 50 hand-cut crystal pieces
0:39:40 > 0:39:44and about 100 drops and buttons.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- So tell me what's going on here. - This is the smoothing stage.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Tony is just going over the cuts now that he's roughed in
0:39:50 > 0:39:52and it's putting that sharp definition in
0:39:52 > 0:39:54and it's taking all that roughness out.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Well, I admire him - I can't even draw a straight line,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00so the fact of holding this bowl there
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and following that on a wheel spinning like that is incredible.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05How long does it take to learn something like this?
0:40:05 > 0:40:07I say that once my cutters have learnt...
0:40:07 > 0:40:09They've been cutting for seven years,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12they are really good cutters.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17This pair of chandeliers will take ten craftsmen
0:40:17 > 0:40:21well over a year to make and will cost over £100,000.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27- So this is the final stage, then? - Yes, this is the polishing.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30This is caulking, and we use a mixture,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33which is like a pumice powder and water.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37That abrasion effectively creates the sparkle and brilliance
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- that you would expect from a chandelier of this quality. - That's it.- Fantastic.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43'Each chandelier has more than 200
0:40:43 > 0:40:46'individual brass castings and turnings,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50'many of which are handmade using this antique lathe.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:53So, Ian is now...
0:40:53 > 0:40:58There's a bare casting and he's hand-tracing it in this lathe,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00which means he's using a chisel
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and he's taking this roughness off the edge and it will all be smooth.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06This piece, I'm sure, is very integral to the chandelier,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10but what intrigues me at the moment is the lathe he's using. This is an antique machine.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14It is, yeah. It's a lovely old Triumph lathe from about 1908.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16My father bought it.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18So if this was bought by your father,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21how many generations of your family have been involved in this business?
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Well, I'm the third generation.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25And what about your children?
0:41:25 > 0:41:27- Are they interested? - Yes, I have three daughters,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30they're all working in the business at the moment.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33- My oldest daughter will take over the business from me.- Fantastic.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Chandeliers were not the only objects
0:41:38 > 0:41:43that demonstrated your status and position in society.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44The well-off Georgian's dinner table
0:41:44 > 0:41:49positively groaned under the weight of a new obsession - silverware.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56This is all very sparkly and marvellous, isn't it?
0:41:56 > 0:42:01You couldn't fail to be impressed when you came to dinner and saw this.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05You've got to imagine seeing this by candlelight.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- All of this stuff is intended to sparkle and magnify what's available.- Quite magnificent.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12These are amazing, these early Georgian fruit containers.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16They are indeed, and made by Paul de Lamerie, an incredibly...
0:42:16 > 0:42:19In fact, perhaps one of Britain's best-ever silversmiths.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Just look at the workmanship - the chasing, the embossing -
0:42:22 > 0:42:26everything about it is meant to show wealth and status.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28- This is really Georgian bling. - I agree.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Now, this table has been set out for a Georgian dinner,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35which means that half of the food, essentially,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38would all be on the table at the same time,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42so it was like a buffet - you would take what you wanted from the different dishes.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46What happens in the 19th century is that the new way of dining comes in,
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and that's our modern idea of courses.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And as you get numerous courses,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53you need more and more cutlery to eat them with,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- and cutlery-makers are delighted about this.- Of course.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59and they promote the idea that you need a set of butter knives
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and fruit knives and dessert forks and fish knives,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05but there is also something a bit nouveau riche about this
0:43:05 > 0:43:08and the old aristocracy stick to their good Georgian silver
0:43:08 > 0:43:12and so they are not so keen on this idea of the utensils,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15and that's why there's something inherently middle-class about the fish knife.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18But they didn't just stop there, did they?
0:43:18 > 0:43:22There were plenty of other tools for every single task.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28Oh, here we got an array of different utensils.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Asparagus tongs.
0:43:31 > 0:43:32Ah, I guess the idea is
0:43:32 > 0:43:36you put the individual bits of asparagus in there.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Absolutely. Pick it up and pull it along.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42- Pick up a whole lot of them at once. - Firmly gripped in the jaws.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- How about this? That's got to stump you.- This is brilliant.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49This is a cheese shovel. You shove it into the cheese
0:43:49 > 0:43:51and then you press this little lever to push it off.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55Absolutely. And what's remarkable, I think, about all this
0:43:55 > 0:43:59is not only are the display pieces - the table centrepieces - made out of silver,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02but each and every single one of these is made out of silver.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04That really is quite a lavish event.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07But, of course, another thing they would have done is mark
0:44:07 > 0:44:10each and every piece of their cutlery with a family crest.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Like this one, which has a B on it for Duke Of Bedford.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15There's his coronet.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20And sometimes you can date spoons because all that family business
0:44:20 > 0:44:22has been put on either the front or the back,
0:44:22 > 0:44:23depending on the period,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26because earlier spoons were placed that way up on the table.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28And it was something to do with cuffs, wasn't it?
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Yes, it's so you couldn't catch it and knock it over with your silly frilly cuff.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35But later, they are placed that way up
0:44:35 > 0:44:37so the family information migrates
0:44:37 > 0:44:40and it appears on the top where we'd expect to see it today.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45Not all silver will have a crest or a coat of arms,
0:44:45 > 0:44:50but nearly every piece of British silver will carry a hallmark.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51The term "hallmark" originates here
0:44:51 > 0:44:55at the Goldsmith's Assay Office in London.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59Since 1300, people have brought their gold and silver to this hall
0:44:59 > 0:45:03to be assayed - which means tested - and marked.
0:45:05 > 0:45:0810,000 objects pass through here every day,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11to be verified using both the latest technology
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and ancient methods dating back centuries.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17I'm a meeting David Merry,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19who has been an assayer here for over 40 years.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21- Good morning, David. - Nice to see you again.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25Thank you for letting me interrupt your day. Tell me what you're doing.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28This is actually known universally as The Touchstone.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Everybody knows the word, Touchstone pictures, for example.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33This is exactly where it comes from, yeah.
0:45:33 > 0:45:38And English phrases like "the acid test", "coming up to scratch",
0:45:38 > 0:45:40all come from this process, believe it or not,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42and they were injected into the English language,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45as the word "hallmarking" is - coming into the hall to have your work hallmarked.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Good heavens above. So how does it work?
0:45:47 > 0:45:49I notice little scratch marks on here,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51presumably you scratch the item...?
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Alongside the touchstone tests,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56we have what we call touch needles or touch keys.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58So these are known standards of different silvers.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00We use these as a reference point
0:46:00 > 0:46:02to know exactly what we're rubbing against it.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04So if the reaction's exactly the same,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06we can calculate that it's likely to be the same thing.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08We're going to take this silver candlestick.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11This is purported to be a higher standard -
0:46:11 > 0:46:13this is actually not sterling,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15this is the old British standard, Britannia silver.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19That's 958 parts of silver within the alloy mix
0:46:19 > 0:46:22as opposed to sterling which is an 925.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Yeah, well done, yeah. You've been doing your homework!
0:46:25 > 0:46:27I'm just going to apply a silver sulphate
0:46:27 > 0:46:30and that's probably the one that's best to judge.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33If it's low standard, we very much get a grey stain,
0:46:33 > 0:46:38but if it's OK - up to standard - we wouldn't get any stain at all.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40And straightaway you probably can see
0:46:40 > 0:46:43there's just a slight resemblance to the one on the right,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47which shows me that it's at least below 925 standard.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52'It's only after exacting scientific standards have been met
0:46:52 > 0:46:54'that an object can be given its final stamp of approval -
0:46:54 > 0:46:56'the hallmark.'
0:46:57 > 0:46:59And there it is. Can you tell us what they all mean?
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Because each individual mark that makes up a hallmark
0:47:02 > 0:47:04actually has its own meaning.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Exactly, yes. There are four parts to the English hallmark,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10which is what we call a full hallmark.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13We have the lion passant for sterling silver,
0:47:13 > 0:47:19it was introduced in 1540, by a couple of workers that worked here from Henry VIII's reign,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22because they didn't quite trust the assay master at the time,
0:47:22 > 0:47:23so were sent to spy on him.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27The second mark is actually the millesimal fineness.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30This actually tells the consumer exactly the percentage of silver
0:47:30 > 0:47:32they're getting in the article.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Then the original leopard's head, which was the old king's mark
0:47:35 > 0:47:39from Edward I's reign and also has become the town mark for London,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42and then the date letter for this year, which is an N this year,
0:47:42 > 0:47:46which enables you guys to date silver to a specific date.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51But Goldsmiths don't just assess new metal -
0:47:51 > 0:47:55they also help the police track down illegal items.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58This is the things that you'll be more interested in, I suppose.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Absolutely, this looks like a box of delights.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03One of the oldest pieces in our collection,
0:48:03 > 0:48:05this is dated from 1580, Elizabeth I's time.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09Unfortunately, in 1580, coffee didn't exist in the UK,
0:48:09 > 0:48:11so there's one problem for you.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Although adulterated, that's still scarce thing, isn't it? The body?
0:48:14 > 0:48:15- Oh, definitely, yeah.- Very rare.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Well, this is what it would have looked like
0:48:18 > 0:48:20before somebody decided to turn it into a coffee pot.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Which must have been related to fashion, I suppose.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Yeah, it was quite a normal process to do, and rather innocently.
0:48:27 > 0:48:33Very few are actually what we call real, pure fakes
0:48:33 > 0:48:35and this is a good example of that.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37George II fruit basket,
0:48:37 > 0:48:40but, unfortunately the only piece of the Georgian silver on here
0:48:40 > 0:48:44- is actually that circle there with the hallmark on it.- Good Lord.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48Now, they used to do this and it was called duty dodging,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51cos throughout the Georgian period and the Victorian period,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55you used to have to pay a tax on the amount of silver weight.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57So what they used to do is send small items in,
0:48:57 > 0:49:02get them hallmarked, send them back. They'd pierce that hallmark out, inlet it into something much bigger.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04So this part is Georgian silver and the rest of it is...?
0:49:04 > 0:49:08Probably Victorian, I should imagine. And that is quite common.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13The antique silver market is booming right now
0:49:13 > 0:49:15because the price of silver is incredibly high,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18but if you like the look but can't afford the price tag,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20consider silver plate.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23These two pieces are excellent examples.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26This is a Walker & Hall entree dish
0:49:26 > 0:49:29and at £29, it's remarkably good value
0:49:29 > 0:49:35for a piece that revives the Georgian period during the early 20th century.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37And if a modern look is more your thing,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40this piece, made by Mappin & Webb, again silver-plated,
0:49:40 > 0:49:42and for a price tag of £60,
0:49:42 > 0:49:46it's a period piece that won't set you back a fortune.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48For me, these both represent excellent value
0:49:48 > 0:49:52and will just add that individual hallmark of quality.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00As the evening draws to a close,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03it's time for some after-dinner entertainment.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06To succeed as a true Victorian lady,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09I would have needed to be an accomplished pianist.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12However, help in the form of new technology was on its way.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26No piano tonight, then?
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- No.- Because, of course, before, you would have been singing.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32I would have, yes. As a well-educated young lady,
0:50:32 > 0:50:34that was one of my important skills,
0:50:34 > 0:50:37entertaining the family after dinner on the pianoforte.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40- But I guess I've been mechanised. - I'm afraid you have.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42The 19th-century saw the mechanisation of music.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45This is known as the graphophone, which was developed
0:50:45 > 0:50:50from Thomas Edison's phonograph, which was developed in 1877.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53- What songs have you got then? How does it work?- Let's have a look.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55What have we got? You have a choice.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58We have The Rainbow Song or we have Can't See You, by Albert Gumble.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Well, I'm going to reject Albert Gumble
0:51:00 > 0:51:02and choose The Rainbow Song.
0:51:02 > 0:51:03Well, he's not up there with the greats
0:51:03 > 0:51:06like Mozart, Beethoven and the rest, so here we go.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08On goes the wax cylinder.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11We have to wind it up first, which I'm going to do very gently.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14There we go.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20TINNY MUSIC PLAYS
0:51:23 > 0:51:25LAUGHING: Do you like it? Clearly.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Well, it's just sensational, isn't it? We have a whole band here in the room.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Well, that's it, that was the great innovation, of course.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36You could mass-produce these things,
0:51:36 > 0:51:37we could all enjoy music in our homes.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42A piece like this would have cost about £2 in 1905.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44In today's money, it's about £115,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47so I suppose in many ways you could think of it as
0:51:47 > 0:51:48a digital music player today
0:51:48 > 0:51:51that we might go out and buy from the high Street.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53- Let's make the most of it. - SHE SINGS ALONG
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I have two left feet, I think I might leave you to that.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00I think you're 30 years too late,
0:52:00 > 0:52:02you're getting a little bit art deco here.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04SHE SINGS ALONG
0:52:06 > 0:52:09After-dinner entertainment changed immeasurably
0:52:09 > 0:52:11with the invention of the phonograph,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13which went on to become the more familiar gramophone.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17And a unique collection of these ground-breaking machines
0:52:17 > 0:52:19are crammed into a semi in the Northeast.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I'm meeting Ken Priestley, the proud owner.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26- Ken, hello.- Hello, Mark. Pleased to meet you.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28- Thank you very much, thank you. - Come in, young man.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Oh, my goodness, gracious me.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33Oh, I don't believe it!
0:52:33 > 0:52:37This forest of horns here - it's absolutely incredible.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39What on earth started this fascination?
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Oh, it's... Oh, nearly 40 years ago
0:52:42 > 0:52:44I had an aunt who was living in a flat
0:52:44 > 0:52:46and she asked if I could hire a van for her and move her.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48And when we loaded the van up,
0:52:48 > 0:52:50she brought out what I thought was a small sewing machine
0:52:50 > 0:52:52which turned out to be an Edison Gem phonograph.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Oh, of course, because they had the little domed cases.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Absolutely, spot-on. In fact, that's the one over there.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00- Oh, yes?- As I say, that I thought was a sewing machine.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03And the Gem, of course, was one of the more popular models.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06It was one of the less expensive models, something that was affordable
0:53:06 > 0:53:08and one of the ones you find most commonly today.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12And the value for this I'm thinking around £300, £400?
0:53:12 > 0:53:15For a Black Gem, yeah, but if you go on to something like the Red Gem
0:53:15 > 0:53:17then you're talking two or three times the price.
0:53:17 > 0:53:22OK, so if that was your first one, what's the earliest one you've got?
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Well, the earliest one is the Edison standard, there,
0:53:24 > 0:53:30which is 1899, so it's 113 years old and it's still working.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33But Edison's phonograph wasn't the format that actually perpetuated -
0:53:33 > 0:53:35- it didn't last very long, did it?- No.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- Because his major competitor had arisen...- Which was the gramophone.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42- Can you please show me one of those? - Yeah, certainly, come on over here. - Thank you very much.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45We've got one that's typical of the period - the HMV horn machine.
0:53:45 > 0:53:46This is what people recognise,
0:53:46 > 0:53:48even if they don't know anything about gramophones
0:53:48 > 0:53:49they'll recognise it.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53You couldn't mistake it for anything else. What's the value for something like this?
0:53:53 > 0:53:56It's a very nice oak case with some nice carving down here
0:53:56 > 0:53:58and an original period brass horn.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02- That one would probably be about £700, £800 worth.- OK.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04If you look at the HMV sign, you'll see Nipper the dog
0:54:04 > 0:54:07sat in front of a gramophone, which we call the dog model,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09which was very, very early.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Now, on that one, you can pay probably £4,000 or £5,000 for.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14You mentioned Nipper the dog...
0:54:14 > 0:54:16- Come over here, I'll show you. - Excellent.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17There's father and son here.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Yes, father and son, but very, very different dates,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22- because I think he's quite new. - Absolutely spot-on.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25- I'm hoping you're going to tell me he's original.- He's original.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28- Absolutely spot-on, Mark. - Not a common thing.- Oh, no, no.
0:54:28 > 0:54:29Very rare, actually,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32cos these were only really made for shop display.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35- So what's he worth? - Probably about 400.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Of course, it's called His Master's Voice because the entire idea was...
0:54:38 > 0:54:40He was listening to his master's voice.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43But I see, like most collectors,
0:54:43 > 0:54:45it's not just the objects themselves that interest you,
0:54:45 > 0:54:46it's the whole paraphernalia.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Whatever is connected or associated with them.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52Including the tins that you would buy to keep needles in.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54They come in all shapes and sizes
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and it's usually the shaped ones that are more collectable.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Edison Bell one. A lot more valuable.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03Yeah, the average, run-of-the-mill price is probably £5-£10
0:55:03 > 0:55:06for an HMV tin in good condition, but the Bell one today...
0:55:06 > 0:55:09- 100, 150.- Good Lord.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- In 30-some years, it's the only one I've got.- Really?- Yeah.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15From the Victorian equivalent of the iPod
0:55:15 > 0:55:19to a device as revolutionary as the television -
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Magic lanterns were many people's
0:55:21 > 0:55:23first experience of a moving image,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26something that could be quite terrifying.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30The collector Mervyn Heard is putting on a show for us.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34- What is it?- I don't know.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37- MERVYN MOANS SPOOKILY - Oh!
0:55:37 > 0:55:38O-o-oh!
0:55:38 > 0:55:41Look. Look who's there.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43It's the dance of the skeletons.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47Although the Magic Lantern was very popular during the Victorian era,
0:55:47 > 0:55:51its origins go back to the middle of the 17th century
0:55:51 > 0:55:53when it was used by conjuring priests
0:55:53 > 0:55:55to literally put the fear of God into people
0:55:55 > 0:55:58and during the 18th-century, there were a lot of people
0:55:58 > 0:56:00travelling around doing shows at fairs, public hangings
0:56:00 > 0:56:02and other places of festive merrymaking,
0:56:02 > 0:56:07presenting horrific images like this, for example.
0:56:07 > 0:56:08Ah!
0:56:10 > 0:56:12This is the oldest slide in my collection.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14It dates from about 1790.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16It's a French slide called The Dentist,
0:56:16 > 0:56:18so I'll do this in French for you.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21MERVYN MIMICS PAINED GROANING
0:56:23 > 0:56:26Actually, it was during the French Revolution
0:56:26 > 0:56:28that the magic lantern took off in a big way
0:56:28 > 0:56:30with something called the Phantasmagoria.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Phantasmagors, as they were known, used not just one lantern,
0:56:34 > 0:56:37but several lanterns so people didn't actually know
0:56:37 > 0:56:40where the images were really coming from.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43They also used electric shocks which they sent through the soles
0:56:43 > 0:56:45of their audience's feet.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49Here they come. A whole host of ghosts and goblins
0:56:49 > 0:56:52rising up out of the smoke.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55They're very amusing, these slides, but I guess they would have been
0:56:55 > 0:56:58quite terrifying if you'd never seen a moving picture before.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Well, I think these are, yes, amusing to us,
0:57:00 > 0:57:01but quite terrifying at the time.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04It must've been fun to get a machine at home.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07Yes, of course, because by the 19th century, you were able to buy these,
0:57:07 > 0:57:11so perhaps the father would stand and operate the lantern itself -
0:57:11 > 0:57:13oh, my goodness, that's a grin -
0:57:13 > 0:57:16while the children would make sounds
0:57:16 > 0:57:18and illustrate it and bring it to life.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21- Fantastic show, Mervyn. - Thank you very much.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25That was super spooky! Tell us all about your machine.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28OK, Well, this is a machine from around about the 1890s.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31It's a typical Victorian Biunnial -
0:57:31 > 0:57:34that is to say it's really two lanterns in one.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36But with a machine like this you could do
0:57:36 > 0:57:39all kinds of spectacular special effects
0:57:39 > 0:57:42by cross fading and superimposing images and doing all those things
0:57:42 > 0:57:45which we thought we'd invented in the 1960s and '70s.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48In its own way, this is a precision instrument
0:57:48 > 0:57:51and I'm presuming because it's such a fabulous quality,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54it's going to be worth... I'm going to say around £3,000.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57More or less, yes, three and a half, I would say.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00But a small child's one can be picked up for under £100
0:58:00 > 0:58:02with some nice printed slides in a box. They're not so expensive.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Oh, yes. Probably about £80, something like that.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12From the first moving images to relaxing on a sofa.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16From owning a set of cutlery to using the humble corkscrew -
0:58:16 > 0:58:18all things we do today without a second thought.
0:58:19 > 0:58:24And together, these objects tell a potent tale of our past.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27They've informed the way we live and entertain today,
0:58:27 > 0:58:32shaping not only how we behave, but who we aspire to be.
0:58:32 > 0:58:33Next time on Antiques Uncovered,
0:58:33 > 0:58:36I'll be ordering from a menu with a tragic past...
0:58:36 > 0:58:39April 14 was when Titanic hit the iceberg.
0:58:39 > 0:58:43..and discovering the lost art of globe-making.
0:58:43 > 0:58:46'While I visit a train set with a difference...'
0:58:46 > 0:58:49- It's a bit crazy, isn't it? - It's totally mad.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52'..as we look around the world of travel antiques.'
0:59:13 > 0:59:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd