0:00:02 > 0:00:04Antiques.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06What do we really know about them?
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Apart from being beautiful to look at, exquisitely made
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and often hugely valuable.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Fabulous!
0:00:14 > 0:00:18It was the equivalent of the Rolex watch of its day, let's say.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20'But why were they made in the first place?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23'And who were they made for?'
0:00:23 > 0:00:27This is totally brilliant. It's a folding bed in a suitcase.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Whether from a country house or a market stall,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34they unlock a fascinating history of the way we lived then and now.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39This is like taking your satnav on a journey today.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'I'm historian Doctor Lucy Worsley.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43'And I'm going to uncover
0:00:43 > 0:00:47'the stories behind some of these remarkable objects.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'I'm antiques expert Mark Hill.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'And I'll be looking at why some items have become priceless,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'whilst others are the collectables of tomorrow.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:01"Can I be a butler when I grow up, Mum?" We know exactly what he's seen.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We'll meet the people who preserve them.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Those who still make them.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Oh, my goodness!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And the passionate enthusiasts who collect them.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16When's it going to end - when East Anglia is covered with your railway?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18HE LAUGHS
0:01:18 > 0:01:24'We're going to put antiques in their historical and social context.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28'In this programme, we're examining antiques from the world of travel.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'We'll discover who made them,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34what they cost, how they changed our behaviour,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36'and follow their journey through history into our homes.'
0:01:49 > 0:01:55Quex House in Kent is a monument to travel.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It was home to a wealthy Victorian landowner
0:02:00 > 0:02:02who explored Asia and Africa.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07So it seems like the ideal place to start.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11This house was owned by Major Powell-Cotton,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14who was the most terrific Victorian explorer.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I've heard that it's stuffed with treasures from his travels.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25Many former travel essentials are now just glorious relics of the past.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And nothing sums this up more than a globe.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Globes have been in existence since the ancient Greeks.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Here at Quex's house, we're looking at some mid-Victorian globes.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Why are you so obsessed with globes?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47For me, they're a snapshot of history.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51A snapshot of our social history and our exploration of the world.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56So, at this particular point, Australia has been discovered.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58There it is.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00And we can tell that Captain Cook has done his stuff
0:03:00 > 0:03:02because his route is marked.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Absolutely. There are two routes. Cook's voyages from 1768 to 1774
0:03:06 > 0:03:09help us to date a globe.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I like to imagine your Victorian or your Georgian gentleman,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16or particularly a merchant, sitting at home in his study,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21caressing his globe and thinking, "My ships are over here
0:03:21 > 0:03:23"and I've got good links with China."
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It must've felt like being a master of the universe, to twizzle your own globe.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Absolutely. These were the playthings of very wealthy people.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Certainly during the Georgian period,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35when globes really rose in popularity.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37They're still the playthings of the wealthy.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Indeed, people still commission globes to be made.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44If you wanted to buy antique globes, a set like this, quite a small size,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47would probably set you back around £2,000-£3,000.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48And they wouldn't be very useful
0:03:48 > 0:03:51if you wanted to visit the South Pole because it's not marked.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53We hadn't got there yet.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58I'm heading over to the Isle of Wight
0:03:58 > 0:04:00to meet a globe maker and collector.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Greaves & Thomas is one of only two places in the UK
0:04:04 > 0:04:08that still handcrafts globes the traditional way.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Mark, do come in. Welcome to the Globe Works.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15My goodness! Looking at all these globes hanging here,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I can almost imagine being in an 18th-century shop
0:04:18 > 0:04:22selling scientific or navigational instruments. It's fantastic!
0:04:22 > 0:04:26- Why globes? What kicked you off? - I have a passion for globes.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And it's because it is man's image of the world he's on.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And because of that, there are such diverse, different
0:04:33 > 0:04:35possibilities of what to make the globe of,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39what the subject matter is and what the globe actually does.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43These traditionally-made globes
0:04:43 > 0:04:46take more than three weeks to produce.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50The process starts with master globemaker David Gower
0:04:50 > 0:04:52pouring plaster into a mould.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59Once it has dried, David reinforces it with hessian sack
0:04:59 > 0:05:01and then adds more plaster.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08The globe is blown out using pressurised air
0:05:08 > 0:05:12and then left to dry for two weeks.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The two semicircles are joined together.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24The globe will then be hand-papered with segments of map, known as gores.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29There's a special technique to pasting a gore onto the plaster ball,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31which makes it appear three-dimensional.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36But this process is a trade secret dating back over 500 years.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41And here it is, the finished globe.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45It's a reproduction of the earliest surviving known terrestrial globe,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and it was designed by Martin Behaim, a German,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51around 1491 or 1492.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55But what's really significant about it is the fact that
0:05:55 > 0:05:58if you spin it around,...there's no America.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02That was because it was produced before Columbus returned with his discovery.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Across the surface, you'll find all manner of inscriptions,
0:06:06 > 0:06:07including ports and major cities.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11But I think my favourite inscription is somewhere in Mongolia,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13where it very clearly states,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16"Here grows much rhubarb."
0:06:16 > 0:06:20James specialises in making historical reproductions,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24but he also has a collection of slightly more unusual globes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27So, what's the craziest version you've come across?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31I think the most unusual globe I have is that cow,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33which depicts a world map on it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36So you could call it a globe.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39The landmasses are in black and the ocean is in white. You don't see it.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43You think, "Why is this person showing me a cow?"
0:06:43 > 0:06:46But it's actually a globe and it was made about 1921.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Now, this to me looks like a Phillips globe.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- They were a very prolific maker, weren't they?- Yes, they were.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58They were making globes from late Victorian times up until 1988.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01The most wonderful thing for me about these Phillips globes
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- is that they're much more affordable. - That's right.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08You can buy a Phillips globe on an Internet auction site
0:07:08 > 0:07:10for as little as £50.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12A good one will sell for a lot, lot more.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15What's the oldest globe you have in your collection?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I've got here a pocket globe,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21which was made about 1810, 1820.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Thank you very much.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24What a gorgeous thing!
0:07:24 > 0:07:27This is in a fish-skin covered case
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and it has the map of the heavens, the celestial map, on the inside.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35That's right. And hand coloured. Both aspects hand coloured here.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37And then you have the globe here.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- These were popular items to have if you could afford it.- Yes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44I think it was the equivalent of the Rolex watch of its day, let's say.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48So something like this, very small, what would this be worth?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51I would have said in auction, this would be worth £2000-£3000.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55But you could pay a bit more if it was in fantastic condition.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- I notice that's a little bit damaged. - A little bit scuffed.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02To me, that is not detrimental to its appeal for me.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04If you were to buy this from a good dealer in the West End,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08it would probably be about £5,000 in very good condition.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11That's incredible. And a beautiful, beautiful thing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Until the middle of the 19th century,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18travellers would have relied on a public stagecoach
0:08:18 > 0:08:21or a private carriage for transport.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23But private carriages were expensive.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Employing a coachman with a couple of horses
0:08:27 > 0:08:29cost an annual £20,000 in today's money.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34The coachman's uniform alone cost more than he earned in a year.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38For the wealthy, there was an essential travel accessory,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41a specially-made clock that could withstand bumpy carriage journeys
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and still give accurate time.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52This is called a carriage clock.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55You often see these on people's mantelpieces.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Perhaps your dad got one as his retirement present.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01But here, it's not in its natural environment.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05You're supposed to take it with you on a journey.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07It has its own little travelling case.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10As the name suggests, you take it in your carriage.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Rich Georgian travellers depended on their carriage clocks
0:09:20 > 0:09:22to be strong enough to survive the shock
0:09:22 > 0:09:26of the 18th century's rugged roads.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The first carriage clocks were made in Paris in the 1790s.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Originally, they were status symbols.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38A sure sign that their owner had the time and money to travel.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I'm going to test-drive the carriage clock
0:09:40 > 0:09:43with the collector, Robert Wren.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It's like a big, enormous, expensive, fancy watch.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- Absolutely. Yes. - That's its purpose.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51If you've got a proper carriage clock,
0:09:51 > 0:09:52it will have a handle on the top
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- so you can lift it up and carry it around.- Yes.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- And it will have a little travelling case.- Yes.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And the key thing is that we can hold it like that,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- and like that, and it keeps going, right?- Absolutely.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The advantage of the carriage clock for travelling
0:10:07 > 0:10:12was they're reasonably small, they were portable,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15but they were able to keep time on the move,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17they didn't have to be stationary and very steady.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23This clock was made in 1835 and it was made
0:10:23 > 0:10:27by Howell & James of Regent Street, London.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And inside is going to have a mechanism.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- A balance. - A balance with escapement,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37which you can see running there.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41That's enabling it to work while it's being bounced along and tilted.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42That's your time keeper.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Before that, clocks had a pendulum in them
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and obviously, if you juggle that about it gets...
0:10:47 > 0:10:49It would stop and not keep time.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52So, before the carriage clock, there wasn't such a thing
0:10:52 > 0:10:55as Standard Time, was there?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59No, you had local time, your sundial time.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and you would have had non-portable clocks at home.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05It's really the Napoleonic wars, isn't it,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07when people start needing
0:11:07 > 0:11:12to know what the time is, because they've got to get to the battlefield on time.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Napoleon says all of his officers must have one of these.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- This is a super-luxury item, isn't it?- Yes, yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22This is a very rare example and today,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27the value of such a fine piece would be about £16,000.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Hold on tight! Hold on tight!
0:11:34 > 0:11:35In the 18th century,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38young aristocrats would travel across Europe
0:11:38 > 0:11:43in carriages on journeys that would take up to two years at a time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46They were making what became known as the grand tour.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50This is where the word tourist originates from.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52The most popular destinations
0:11:52 > 0:11:55were to the ancient ruins of Greece and Rome,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58regarded then as the centres of civilisation.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The British in particular were fascinated by these ancient worlds.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09A potter, Josiah Wedgwood, saw the opportunity and started to design
0:12:09 > 0:12:13new products that looked like classical antiques.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Wedgwood studied illustrations and drawings
0:12:16 > 0:12:18of objects which were being found in excavations at Pompeii
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and Herculaneum.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24In 1769, he created four vases,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28which were exact replicas of some of these finds.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Wedgwood called them First Day's Vases.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Today, they are priceless
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and two of them sit in the Wedgwood Museum near Stoke-on-Trent.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46So how much would that have cost in the 18th century?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50That vase would have cost four guineas - four pounds and four shillings.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It doesn't sound very much in today's term,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56but, in fact, that would be half the price
0:12:56 > 0:12:59of an annual artisan's wage.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01So, it was actually a huge amount of money.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04You'd spend six months working just to own that vase,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06should you want to?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Which is why it's remained very much the aristocracy
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and that burgeoning class of industrialists,
0:13:12 > 0:13:13who were the new money,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16who were commissioning the great new houses.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20And of course all this is driven by an absolute desire
0:13:20 > 0:13:23to have the classical again? Things seen on the grand tour?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's driven by what the public demanded,
0:13:26 > 0:13:27what they wanted,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30the most up-to-date fashion taste as you said.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33But for Wedgwood to become the success he did,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36he had to have more than just the aristocracy buying his work?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Absolutely. He made a wide range of tea bowls, teacups,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43teawares... Even down to salt cellars for the tables.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Everybody could have something that was fashionable and up-to-date?
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Yes. Everybody could aspire to acquiring a piece of blue-and-white Jasper.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Wedgwood's showrooms must have been fantastic.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54I would have loved to have seen one.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56He even had a bargain basement
0:13:56 > 0:13:58where people could go
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and rummage for that slightly damaged or slightly crooked vase,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04so that they could actually have something
0:14:04 > 0:14:08like their more aristocratic friends,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10that probably was just slightly off!
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The style that Wedgwood used is known as neo-classical,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18which flourished in eighteenth-century Britain.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22The word neo-classical is often used to describe
0:14:22 > 0:14:24architecture, but neo-classicism
0:14:24 > 0:14:29can also be applied to furniture, metalwork and ceramics.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Its approach to design drew its inspiration
0:14:32 > 0:14:35from the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41There are several ways to spot neo-classicism.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44The design will refer back to the ancient world,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49architectural details will include pillars or columns,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52the decoration will be simple and symmetrical.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57And any figures on it will be idealised.
0:15:02 > 0:15:09Over 200 years later, the factory still handcrafts its pottery
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and I'm going to discover how a classic piece is made.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24This lump of clay will eventually become the Portland Vase.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30It is made today in exactly the same way it was under Josiah.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The first step is what's called throwing the body.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40The Portland Vase is a copy of a blue and white Roman glass vase,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43made around the first century.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49Josiah Wedgwood was obsessed with trying to recreate it, not in glass but in pottery.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52It took him nearly four years to perfect
0:15:52 > 0:15:56and was the crowning technical achievement of his life.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04- The process now is... I'm going to start bringing the neck in.- OK.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's probably the most complicated part of the vase.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11'Chris trained for two years to master this technique.'
0:16:15 > 0:16:21- Quite proud of that one! - Absolutely. That's a good one. - That's a good one.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24'The pot is now the correct shape and size,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'but it needs to be smoothed down with a lathe.'
0:16:40 > 0:16:45- So, Sue, your job is to create the decoration that's applied to the body.- That's right, yes.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51- I have to press the clay in... - Aha.- Make sure all the air's out.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53And all the details put in.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- Because the moulds themselves are incredibly fine.- Yes.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Considering what you produce with this bashing is so delicate,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06I'm sort of surprised!
0:17:06 > 0:17:11- So now you're removing the excess clay from the top.- That's it.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14When the clay's put through the mould, presumably,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16it loses this buff pinky colour.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Yes. It will turn out white. It's only a vegetable dye.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25It's just colouring in it so we can see the figures better.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Ah, and that burns off in the kiln? - Yeah.- I see.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33It's amazing to think you're using the same process that was used over two centuries ago.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- Yes. Exactly the same.- Pioneered.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42Now this is the bit I've always wondered. How do you get them out?
0:17:42 > 0:17:46OK, here we go. Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- So... - That's damp. It's just damp.- I see.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57It's the suction between the tool and the water that fetches it out.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And because it's such a thin membrane of clay, it's very light
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and it just starts to move.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06That's incredible.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Look at that! And it just lifts clean out.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20The final stage is when decoration, known as sprigging, is attached.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26Although everybody's role is equally important in the production process,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31it strikes me that the pressure's on you.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35You get this bit wrong... What happens if you do make a mistake?
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I have about 15 minutes to take it off.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- And that's before it gets too dry. - Before it starts to dry.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43After that, it's not worth it.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- So what happens to the vase if it has a fault?- It's no good. It's a reject.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- It would be smashed.- Destroyed? - Yeah.- After all that work?- Yeah.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I'd better keep quiet then and let you get on with the job.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02'This vase is so exclusive that only perfect reproductions pass.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05'There are no seconds sold of these.'
0:19:08 > 0:19:10'Finally, the vase is fired in the kiln,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14'one that was designed by Josiah himself.'
0:19:16 > 0:19:19And here it is, the finished Portland Vase.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's exactly the same as the first copies
0:19:22 > 0:19:25that rolled off the production line in 1789.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I've come to London's Portobello Market
0:19:36 > 0:19:39in search of some more modern pieces.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45It's incredible to think that Wedgwood Jasperware
0:19:45 > 0:19:48has somehow fallen out of fashion in Britain right now.
0:19:48 > 0:19:55But that's brilliant because it means if you like the look, there's never been a better time to buy.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Look for the 20th century. This vase made during the 1950s,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02so it's a 20th century piece, which is much more affordable.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05You can get the look for a very low price.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Visiting the classical worlds of Greece and Rome
0:20:10 > 0:20:15remained the privilege of the super rich until the early 1800s.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Then a revolutionary invention came along, the train.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Railways cut travel time by up to 90%.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Instead of crawling along in a carriage at 5mph,
0:20:26 > 0:20:31people could now travel ten times as fast and it was much cheaper too.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39I'm quite intrigued to learn more about how the grand tour turns into
0:20:39 > 0:20:45mass tourism and 1825's a key year, the railway gets invented.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48That's right. But this railway isn't all it seems.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It's one collector's dream -
0:20:50 > 0:20:53a little railway, many carriages and a lot of memorabilia.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05Extraordinary as it may seem, this isn't a real railway station.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08It's more of a giant train set.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Every single object here, from the waiting room
0:21:10 > 0:21:16to the locomotives to the coal, has been lovingly collected by one man.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21Train enthusiast John Jolly has been building up his railwayana
0:21:21 > 0:21:26collection over many years into his own private museum.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30But it all started off as an empty field and a twinkle in his eye.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34So when you bought your very first item,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37did you have any idea where you were going to go with this?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40None at all. I was only 16 at the time.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45I had no imagination that it would develop into anything even approaching this.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48When did you get your first proper big engine?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50The first locomotive,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54the first piece of rolling stock, came here in early 1987.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Is that when you built these tracks? - After that.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01We started to build seriously in the middle of 1987.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- We started to lay track.- Wow!
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And then, having got a locomotive and a bit of track,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10we thought we'd need a wagon or two, as rolling stock.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And it's grown to something like 80-odd wagons
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and various carriages and about 20 assorted locomotives.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21I've got this vision of you personally putting down all the sleepers.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- Quite an estate!- Yes, indeed.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25It's a bit crazy, isn't it?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27It's totally mad!
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Well, it is.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35But a lot of people do mad things, especially in the collecting world.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36What's the joy of it for you?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42That's a difficult question. There is a tremendous amount of joy.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46It's a joy finding something that you probably never even knew
0:22:46 > 0:22:48was going to be available.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Something that had a historic background
0:22:51 > 0:22:55that you thought would never come your way.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Is it the thrill of the chase then?
0:22:57 > 0:22:59- Is it the thrill of the hunt? - Very largely.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- When's it all going to stop then?- It's not.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06- You're going to grow and grow and grow?- Not until I'm 6ft under.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08It may carry on because I've got a son
0:23:08 > 0:23:13and possibly a grandson who will be interested. So who knows!
0:23:13 > 0:23:15I gather your wife was quite pleased
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- when you got the collection out of the house.- Indeed, she was.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22She started it all off because when we had the opportunity
0:23:22 > 0:23:26of buying the station building from the next village,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28she suggested that.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31The idea being was that we could have the station,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36make it into a summer house and you can get your railway stuff out of the house.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I asked her if she was interested in trains
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and she kind of went like this.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Well, I can't pretend that she's as interested in trains as I am.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47But one of the reasons that she accepts it is it gives her
0:23:47 > 0:23:49a chance to do things she enjoys,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53meeting people and travelling. We've done a lot of that.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06'Railwayana collecting doesn't have to be about greasy engines and miles of track.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10'It is possible to collect on a much more accessible scale.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12This is all very Brief Encounter.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17It is! None of these would have a brief encounter with collectors.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19These are the things that form a backbone
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and core of many railwayana collectors' collections.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26People will think, railways, anoraks, nutters!
0:24:26 > 0:24:30I'm not thinking that. You might be thinking that. I like them all!
0:24:30 > 0:24:35They sum up the romance of the railways during the 1920s
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and '30s and there's an immense amount of nostalgia
0:24:37 > 0:24:39for anything that reflects that
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and anything that might have been used during this period.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44All of these things on the table
0:24:44 > 0:24:48have been made for different railway companies,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51like this very bossy cup here.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It says "Property of GWR, return to Paddington Station".
0:24:54 > 0:24:55It doesn't even say please.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57There were loads of these companies.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01In 1846, there were 272 different railway companies started up.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Obviously, they didn't all survive. They got amalgamated or closed down.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08That was the high point of railway mania.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12A lot of this was actually stolen.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Little pieces could easily be slipped into a pocket,
0:25:15 > 0:25:16as could a teaspoon or an eggcup.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19More difficult to put that in.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21But we're grateful that happened.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Otherwise, it wouldn't survive in such quantity.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26- It's all stolen goods.- Pretty much.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31I prefer the word "Liberated" or "saved from destruction".
0:25:31 > 0:25:36This silver teapot is from the Great Eastern Railway. That's marvellous!
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Not just for first class either.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Standard-class passengers got to sip from silver.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44And a fan, should the lady get hot.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47The London and North Eastern Railway fan.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49These are affordable things.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53You don't need to spend tens of thousands on a locomotive plate.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56You can start with around £20 or £30
0:25:56 > 0:25:58to buy a rather nice little matchbox.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Or perhaps a plate. What railway enthusiast
0:26:01 > 0:26:04wouldn't like to eat his dinner off a plate
0:26:04 > 0:26:07that was on a railway in the 1920s or '30s?
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Look out for rare items too.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14This little eggcup, quite a scarce thing, for some reason.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17That could fetch over £100.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21What's nice about them is the idea people used to do things in style.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26All of these things are quite luxurious, aren't they?
0:26:28 > 0:26:33By 1900, railroads had revolutionised transportation and travel,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36pulling whole continents together
0:26:36 > 0:26:40and expanding the British Empire to every corner of the globe.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44But it wasn't the only way Victorians travelled.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48By 1833, the Atlantic could be crossed
0:26:48 > 0:26:51in just over three weeks by steamship.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And travelling by steamer from England to New York
0:26:54 > 0:26:57was regarded as the ultimate in luxury.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Nothing epitomised this more than the RMS Titanic, at the time,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07the largest steamer in the world and believed to be invincible.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14That is, until the fatal night of April 14th 1912,
0:27:14 > 0:27:20when it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage, killing 1,517 people.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I've come to Wiltshire
0:27:29 > 0:27:33to an auctioneers who specialise in Titanic memorabilia.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37The market we see now started in 1998 with James Cameron's movie.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41There was a groundswell of interest after this film.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43We see ourselves with the market we have today.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46What's the world record price someone's paid
0:27:46 > 0:27:48for something related to it?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51For a single item, just over £220,000.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And what did their £220,000 buy?
0:27:54 > 0:28:00A quite unique piece, a 32ft plan from the British Titanic Inquiry.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Good Lord! That I can kind of understand.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06It's a staggering price, but that's a great visual object.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Something that could easily be displayed,
0:28:10 > 0:28:11but on the other hand,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16something like this bunch of keys is more difficult to understand.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20- How much do you expect these to fetch?- Between £50,000 and £60,000.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25- Do you feel confident they'll fetch that sum?- They're from the Titanic.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29That brings them into that select category.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Most importantly,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35we look at the little brass tag, they were owned by Samuel Hemming.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37He was Titanic's lamptrimmer.
0:28:37 > 0:28:43This was a man who lit the lamps on Titanic, but most importantly was given a direct order
0:28:43 > 0:28:45from the captain as the Titanic was sinking
0:28:45 > 0:28:49to make sure the lamps were ready on the lifeboats.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52These are an integral part of the story.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56As a consequence, they are very, very rare.
0:28:59 > 0:29:05I find this rather fascinating. We have a first-class luncheon menu.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06I'm presuming it's first class
0:29:06 > 0:29:09because of the grandiosity of the food here.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Fillets of brill, chicken a la Maryland,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14appealing to the American audience,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18corned beef vegetables, dumplings, grilled mutton chops.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- It goes on. Opulence. - Opulence in the extreme.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24For lunch, you had over 40 different options.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27It's nice to have the White Star flag.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32Underlined, we have RMS Titanic, which really places it.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36But what's significant for me is the date, April 14th 1912.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41That's why this menu is so collectible, so valuable.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44April 14th was when Titanic hit the iceberg.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47You'd have had luncheon at 12 o'clock, midday,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49and a little over 11 hours later, she hit an iceberg.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54- This is, effectively, the last meal. - That's correct.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57In the auction, what do you expect this to fetch?
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Between £60,000 and £100,000.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02My goodness gracious! My goodness gracious!
0:30:02 > 0:30:08How did it survive? Water and paper don't normally go together.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09They're not happy bedfellows.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13This particular menu was owned by Washington Dodge.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17He was a banker from America and it came off the Titanic,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20came from the disaster, in his wife's handbag.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22She presumably had a delicious lunch
0:30:22 > 0:30:26- and decided to remember it by stealing the menu!- Indeed!
0:30:26 > 0:30:29He was travelling with his young son as well, Washington Jr,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31and 12 hours later, they were saved.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35- So all three survived?- That's correct.- That's quite unusual.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Not so much in first class.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40The survival rate in first class was considerably higher
0:30:40 > 0:30:43than those in second and third class.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50As travel developed,
0:30:50 > 0:30:54so did the types of luggage travellers took with them.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58A need for more personal and lightweight baggage developed
0:30:58 > 0:31:02with the increasing numbers travelling to far-flung lands.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Luggage became something of an art form.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15- Look what I've brought you. - What is this mystery box?
0:31:15 > 0:31:17REW. It belongs to Mr REW.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I would never go on a journey without my wash bag
0:31:20 > 0:31:24and if I were a well-to-do Victorian gentleman about town,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26this would be my wash bag.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Oh! Look at the way the mirror works! Fancy and clever!
0:31:29 > 0:31:34- Isn't that impressive?- You could stand it in different positions
0:31:34 > 0:31:37- or you could have it on the top like that.- Exactly.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40When I was standing at my wash stand,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43I can tweak my moustache, shave perhaps. It's fantastic.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Let's have a look at what's inside then.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51We've got a little case full of tools.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Tools for shaving. Razor blades.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Each with nice bone handles. That's ivory.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58That's a little button hook for doing up buttons.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01A pair of scissors for trimming you whiskers.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05- Look how everything fits in together. - It's so dinky.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Here's his toothbrush. Look at that.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Now this is an age in which
0:32:11 > 0:32:14the proper Victorian gentleman is very clean.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Unlike the Georgian gentleman who would be wearing, perhaps,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21make-up, scented with perfume, a powdery old wig on his head.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25The Victorian gentleman is supposed to have a daily bath
0:32:25 > 0:32:29and not smell of anything apart from general cleanliness.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34That takes a lot of time. This is all of his kit.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38I really like it. How much would it cost me to get one?
0:32:38 > 0:32:41A couple of hundred pounds. They can be very hard to sell.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Do you know what the least desirable part is?
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- I'm guessing it's the brush. - You're spot on.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Who wants to use somebody's old hairbrush?
0:32:50 > 0:32:54- That contains the grease of dead people's hair.- You put it so well!
0:32:54 > 0:32:56And that is the reason why.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Even with beautiful handles, it can be difficult to sell such pieces,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04which is why we often see them in car boot sales and jumble sales,
0:33:04 > 0:33:05sat there as the sun goes down.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Do you think that Mr REW would have taken other matching items with him?
0:33:09 > 0:33:13But of course! This would have been the smallest part of his luggage,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15which would have consisted of trunks,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19all manner of different items. Some of them can get incredibly complex.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22You'd be surprised about what a lot of them contained.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30On a quest to find out more about travelling in style,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35I've left Quex House to visit an antique luggage shop in London.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40One of the best known Victorian luggage brands was Louis Vuitton.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45He stamped all of his trunks with the iconic LV monogram
0:33:45 > 0:33:48to stop his competitors copying them.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Now this is very recognisable.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55This pattern here, this says to me footballers' wives and handbags.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57I think it does today, perhaps.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01I think it is a classic piece of its time.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05When does this company date from? People won't believe how old it is.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and without going out of production,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14they've been producing items for that long.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18The big innovation of this maker is he stops the old curved lids,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21which were fine cos the water could trickle off,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24but you couldn't stack them in railway carriages.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26That is correct.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30One of his key innovations was making the flat-top trunk.
0:34:30 > 0:34:36Louis Vuitton became synonymous with making that style.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40What's the date of this trunk? And what's inside it?
0:34:40 > 0:34:44This dates from around 1935 and is, in fact,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47if we open it up, you will see...
0:34:50 > 0:34:56- ..a wardrobe trunk. - Do you know, I need one of these!
0:34:56 > 0:35:01- Isn't it fabulous?- It is wonderful. - How does it work?
0:35:01 > 0:35:06You could hang all you required along the rails here.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11And then these straps would keep the clothes from flapping around
0:35:11 > 0:35:13and getting creased.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17And then, in the bottom, you could keep a few pairs of shoes.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Why was he so successful as a luggage designer?
0:35:21 > 0:35:24He came from fairly humble beginnings.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- He started off as a packer. - A trunk packer?- He was.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31That's an actual profession? You can be employed as a trunk packer.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Yes, he actually packed other people's clothes to go travelling.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39There was quite an art to fitting a whole wardrobe into a small space.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43There was because you wanted the clothes to arrive
0:35:43 > 0:35:46in pristine condition, not creased and not damaged.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48He had a real insight into how to get everything in
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and this helped him design state-of-the-art trunks.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54That's exactly the way it worked.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59- This is a big surprise. What's in here?- Well, let's open it up...
0:35:59 > 0:36:01..and have a look.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06OK, it's not a croquet set.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08It's a puzzle, is what it is.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10It is, in fact, a bed trunk.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Vuitton also created this fold-out bed.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Intended for use in a tropical jungle,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26it's lined with zinc to protect it from being eaten by insects.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Originally it was sold complete with a mosquito net
0:36:30 > 0:36:32and its own mattress.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Perfect.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Look! He's branded it again.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Any opportunity to put an "LV" and he does!
0:36:47 > 0:36:51- Look, the person lying in bed can read that! - THEY LAUGH
0:36:51 > 0:36:53He's very proud.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56I think, understandably so. This is a very ingenious device.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58The well-prepared, wealthy traveller
0:36:58 > 0:37:01also required the Victorian equivalent of a laptop.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Well, this doesn't look very light or portable
0:37:04 > 0:37:06but it's a travelling writing desk.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08It all opens up and look what's inside.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12There's places for the pens and the envelopes
0:37:12 > 0:37:15and there's a little clock in here and there's a calendar
0:37:15 > 0:37:18and goodness knows how many little filing cabinets.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21And look at these - for pens and rubber bands.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24What period is this from, is this from the early 20th century?
0:37:24 > 0:37:28It is, it's about 1905. It's a fantastic piece.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32- It even has beautiful little candlesticks...- Oh!
0:37:32 > 0:37:36..which clip up, very stylish.
0:37:36 > 0:37:37There's something sort of Whitehall-y
0:37:37 > 0:37:40and civil service-y about the thing -
0:37:40 > 0:37:42a very particular way of doing things.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Letters in, letters out.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Here are receipts. Here are accounts.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50But actually this one belonged to a lady who travelled to Ceylon
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and wanted a piece of furniture to go with her.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56She was part of the British Empire, wasn't she?
0:37:56 > 0:37:57As it was then, yes, indeed.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00I see this desk as a form of soft power, if you like.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04This is the British saying, "This is the way we do things and we're
0:38:04 > 0:38:07"not going to make any concession to the local climate or culture
0:38:07 > 0:38:10"and we're going to go on pretending we're in Tunbridge Wells."
0:38:10 > 0:38:12I think to some extent that was true.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16We were very good at taking our home comforts with us when we travelled.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18It's not travelling light, is it?
0:38:18 > 0:38:20You'd need thousands to lug this along.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23You did, you had either your own staff or perhaps porters,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25but generally if you bought furniture like this,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27you had people to carry it for you.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29And is there a secret drawer?
0:38:29 > 0:38:32There are secret drawers but in the base section.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35- Let's have a look!- Yeah!- Everyone wants to see secret drawers.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38- So inside here...- Oh! Look at that!
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Several secret drawers.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44This is what we like...this is the real McCoy.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Do you think that the lady has left her pearls behind in here?
0:38:48 > 0:38:49Sadly not, not EVEN a sovereign.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56This writing desk was bound for the subcontinent of India,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00the most economically important part of the British Empire.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04By the 19th century, India had also become
0:39:04 > 0:39:06a popular British tourist destination,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10with the grounds around the Taj Mahal
0:39:10 > 0:39:13turning into a type of colonial pleasure resort.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Some tourists even chopped off chunks of the marble
0:39:17 > 0:39:18to bring home as souvenirs.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Our Major Powell-Cotton of Quex,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28he went off to India on a trip in 1890
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and this is his souvenir from Agra.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33It's a little stone model of the Taj Mahal.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38It was a 17th century monument to a dead princess,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41but by the 19th century it became a tourist attraction
0:39:41 > 0:39:44where the traditional activity was to carve your name into it
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- as nasty tourists used to. - But this is carved from soap stone,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49it's not carved from a piece of the Taj Mahal.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53I've heard tourists often took home a souvenir by chipping a bit off.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Like people did with the Berlin Wall, I suppose.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58It is quite nice the way it's translucent.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01If you put a little light inside it'd probably glow like a lantern.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03A little tea light, perhaps.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08It's hard to imagine now,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12but for 200 years Japan was closed to the outside world.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15It was only towards the end of the 19th century
0:40:15 > 0:40:18that the doors were opened to Western tourists,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22unleashing an intense fascination with all things Japanese.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28So what's the attraction of these little knick-knacks?
0:40:28 > 0:40:29Well, just take a look at them,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33they're INCREDIBLY intricately carved.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35FULL of detail and there's a bit of humour in these.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38They've lost the original purpose these funny little carvings.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Originally they were used to do up kimonos.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Absolutely. They're known as "Netske",
0:40:43 > 0:40:46or NETSUKE when you write it out, and they were little toggles
0:40:46 > 0:40:47that hung on a cord.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Can you these two holes here? That's where the cord would go through
0:40:51 > 0:40:53because, of course, kimono have no pockets.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56So if you wanted to carry around money or some herbs or medicines,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58you had to carry them in pouches or boxes on a string
0:40:58 > 0:41:00and this would stop them falling off.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03But after people stopped wearing kimonos quite so much
0:41:03 > 0:41:06they just became in their own right little souvenirs,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08little portable artworks
0:41:08 > 0:41:10that you could bring home as a memory of Japan.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14You can see why Victorian travellers got excited about these
0:41:14 > 0:41:18cos until the 1860s Japan had been this secret, closed country
0:41:18 > 0:41:19for two centuries.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22It had had military rulers that wouldn't let anyone in.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26Then, in the 1860s, things begin to change.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29There's an exhibition of Japanese stuff in London
0:41:29 > 0:41:32and this gives Londoners, the British,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35a chance to see this strange new world.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39And you can see that these do look like the sort of figures that
0:41:39 > 0:41:43you get in war games or Dungeons And Dragons or something like that,
0:41:43 > 0:41:44or Lord Of The Rings.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- They're totally alien, aren't they? - They are alien to OUR eyes
0:41:47 > 0:41:50but a lot of them are connected to Japanese mythology
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and in fact the one you're holding is a rat catcher and he's a demon.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56You can see this rather fearsome look with his horns there
0:41:56 > 0:41:58and his rather sharp, jagged teeth.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01He's SO very well carved - look at the hairs on his legs.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03That's just crazy.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07And this little rat running over the top of him, clearly escaping.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10This has to perhaps be my favourite.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14This is Shoki who was a very well-known demon catcher.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15And if you turn him around,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18you can see this rather charming green face peeping out
0:42:18 > 0:42:20from what looks like a sack
0:42:20 > 0:42:22and that sack contains a demon.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24But if you look a little closer,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27look at the way the hair falls over his straps here.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30It's just fantastic and this is carved out of a very hard
0:42:30 > 0:42:32and tightly grained piece of fruit wood.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Where would you get one if you wanted to take one home?
0:42:35 > 0:42:37They're not too difficult to find.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41You can find them at antiques shops, fairs and auction across the country.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43You don't have to spend a fortune to buy one.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48You could buy an early 20th century piece for perhaps under £100.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51But you could spend tens and tens of thousands of pounds.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Not only that, the Japanese market has not been
0:42:54 > 0:42:56doing as well as it traditionally has been.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59As a result, prices have fallen.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02So keep your eyes out and buy the best you can afford.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09The introduction of the railways had revolutionised travel.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12It had also created a new breed of tourist -
0:43:12 > 0:43:15the working-class pleasure-seeker.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19But it all started out with very sober intentions indeed.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23In 1841, 500 people got on a train to leave Leicester.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27They were on Thomas Cook's first-ever package trip,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29but it wasn't all that glamorous.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32They were only travelling 11 miles to Loughborough
0:43:32 > 0:43:34and their destination was a temperance meeting.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Thomas Cook charged each passenger five pence for the day's food,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44ticket and trip.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45He didn't realise it at the time
0:43:45 > 0:43:49but he'd just founded the world's first package holiday company.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54All that the teetotaller Thomas had really wanted to do
0:43:54 > 0:43:56was keep his passengers out of the pub.
0:43:56 > 0:44:01He had an idea to basically enable the masses to travel,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04so how can we use these newfangled trains, essentially,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07to promote temperance which to him
0:44:07 > 0:44:10was encouraging people to get out of their normal routine,
0:44:10 > 0:44:15to go and do things more exciting, something different with their life.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17So spreading the word about the dangers of drink,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19this is part of his motivation?
0:44:19 > 0:44:23He's saying, "You should travel instead of sitting in the pub."
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Absolutely. That was what drove him, really.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28And what's the significance of this little book here?
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Well, it's a handbook.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Essentially that is, 1845, his very first publication.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37He devised a trip from Leicester to Liverpool which involved
0:44:37 > 0:44:40three different railway companies - so very complicated.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42It says, "The train will leave Leicester at five
0:44:42 > 0:44:45- "in the morning of Monday August 4th." - SHE LAUGHS
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Yes, lots of early starts.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Early starts. "Parties will have to be wide awake
0:44:49 > 0:44:52"at an early hour or they will be disappointed."
0:44:52 > 0:44:53You've to be there on time.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57I suppose people going on the trips wouldn't necessarily know this.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01- They weren't travelling by train, were they?- No. It was to appeal
0:45:01 > 0:45:04to a working-class population who never travelled.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06And how any of these are floating around?
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Well, as far as we know, this is the only surviving copy.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12So if you find one of these at home, don't throw it away!
0:45:12 > 0:45:15So this one's really important cos it's his first guidebook
0:45:15 > 0:45:20that he publishes to Switzerland, his very first country,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23and this is quite rare now.
0:45:23 > 0:45:28It is. That's 1874, Thomas Cook's first guidebook.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31The sort of people who were going with Thomas Cook at this point
0:45:31 > 0:45:35tended to be what we would call the middle classes - school teachers,
0:45:35 > 0:45:40clergyman, doctors, lawyers, lots of those as part of these groups.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44This is really his manifesto. He says in the introduction here,
0:45:44 > 0:45:46"Nowadays everybody may travel, everybody ought to travel -
0:45:46 > 0:45:50"in fact everybody does travel."
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Well, those sentiments really just echo what he's been saying
0:45:53 > 0:45:55pretty much since 1841.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57And he tells you exactly how to do it.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01What to take, how to get through customs, passports...
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Yep, there's details about customs, passports, money...
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Postage of letters.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Here we've got - "How to prevent seasickness."
0:46:09 > 0:46:13He says, "Don't be taking champagne or brandy, that will make you ill."
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Yes, I think he would say that!
0:46:15 > 0:46:18It's quite ironic, really, that his whole motivation is temperance
0:46:18 > 0:46:22but today package holidays are synonymous with drinking too much!
0:46:22 > 0:46:26No, I don't think you get many temperance supporters on holidays today.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34Only 30 year after Thomas' trip from Leicester to Loughborough
0:46:34 > 0:46:37holidays were beginning to be seen as a worker's right.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41In 1871 the Bank Holidays Act made it the law
0:46:41 > 0:46:44for all employees to have time off.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48This developed into paid holidays by the 20th century
0:46:48 > 0:46:51and where did everyone want to go?
0:46:51 > 0:46:52The seaside, of course.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Seaside resorts were a British invention.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58They started in the middle of the 18th century
0:46:58 > 0:47:02and originated with the Georgian upper-class craze for sea bathing.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Blackpool was the biggest and brashest.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10In a few years it developed from an empty beach
0:47:10 > 0:47:13to the world's first working-class resort.
0:47:13 > 0:47:18By the 1860s Blackpool was catering for up to 25,000 visitors,
0:47:18 > 0:47:24all there to enjoy the town's unique offering of sensation,
0:47:24 > 0:47:25variety and fun.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32We're taking the opportunity to let our hair down in Blackpool,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35but first a stop-off on the way in nearby Southport
0:47:35 > 0:47:39and the Museum Of The Penny Slot Machine.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53- Go, go, go, go!- Oh.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57This is a 1920s, 1930s machine called the Hand Grabber
0:47:57 > 0:47:59and it was made by a man called Hawkins.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Mr Hawkins of Blackpool.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04It's actually quite a scarce thing which makes it valuable.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07These can fetch up to £8,000.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10Now, I gather the USP is that he employed a surgeon
0:48:10 > 0:48:14to help him get the hands very accurate with the tendons and all
0:48:14 > 0:48:16and a surgeon's come in to fix that one!
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Yes, absolutely, in need of a little repair there, I think.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22It's a fantastic thing and also brings back that whole
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Victorian idea of something being quite ghoulish, BUT it brings
0:48:25 > 0:48:30it bang up-to-date with the 1920s and '30s with this robotic chromed effect.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33- Yes, it looks very futuristic and fascist almost.- It does.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37- Go on, grab the diamond watch then. - Do you think it's real?- Yeah, I do!
0:48:37 > 0:48:39- Oh...- You've got to time this.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Where's the watch? There it is.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45- We're going for it.- You touched it, you let it go! You let it go!
0:48:45 > 0:48:50- Oh, no!- You let it go at the last minute, you fool!
0:48:50 > 0:48:55Penny slot machines were popular in every seaside resort.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58They were cheap all-weather fun
0:48:58 > 0:49:02and provided entertainment for the masses from the 1890s onwards.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- Now, this looks like fun. - It's the Jolly Fireman Racer!
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Who can get to the top of the burning building first?
0:49:12 > 0:49:14I guess this is what people did
0:49:14 > 0:49:17before they could race cars against each other.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19It would have been terribly popular.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21So you have to race these firemen up the ladder.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23It's a seaside classic, isn't it?
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Well, it is and it's that which makes it very popular with collectors
0:49:26 > 0:49:28who'd pay up to £4,000 for the beast.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31- SHE LAUGHS - Go on then, race you.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35My fireman is clearly bigger and stronger than yours, up he goes!
0:49:35 > 0:49:37No, no, no, you're cheating somehow.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Go, go, go, Freddy, go, go!
0:49:40 > 0:49:43- Oh!- I'm winning! I've won! - Somehow you cheated.
0:49:55 > 0:50:00One of the most popular machines of its day and still highly collectable
0:50:00 > 0:50:06is an early motion picture device, now worth around £1,500.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11Now, this brilliant machine is called a Mutoscope.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15It's an American invention of the 1890s and the idea is that you see
0:50:15 > 0:50:19a moving image as all these cards flick forward but most importantly
0:50:19 > 0:50:22you get to see adult material - that's part of the attraction.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24As it is the attraction of the whole seaside.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28You take off your clothes, you lose your inhibitions, you have a good time.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Sometimes the machines were a disappointment
0:50:31 > 0:50:33because the final card would be missing.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37You'd never actually see the bathing beauty naked and that's because
0:50:37 > 0:50:41it would've been stolen by the men who came and mended the machines.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51# Every year when summer comes round
0:50:51 > 0:50:54# Off to the sea I go... #
0:50:54 > 0:50:58The seaside was all about doing things you wouldn't dare do at home.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02And this is perfectly captured in the work of artist Donald McGill.
0:51:02 > 0:51:07In 60 years McGill created a staggering 12,000 different
0:51:07 > 0:51:12postcard designs and 350 million were sold.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15But by the 1950s his work had fallen out of favour
0:51:15 > 0:51:19and some of his postcards were banned for obscenity.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22I'm going to meet one of the country's biggest collectors
0:51:22 > 0:51:23of Donald McGill's work.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33No trip to the seaside would be complete
0:51:33 > 0:51:37without sending back a saucy seaside postcard to the relatives
0:51:37 > 0:51:41and there's no name that sums those up better than Donald McGill.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44- So what would a card like this cost?- Virtually nothing.
0:51:44 > 0:51:49A typical 1940s,'50s McGill card like these
0:51:49 > 0:51:54you could pick up for anywhere between 50p and £2.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57So these are really good items to collect?
0:51:57 > 0:52:01They are and they're easy to store and they're very enjoyable.
0:52:01 > 0:52:02And there are a lot of them.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Well, yes, I suppose once you start you can't stop,
0:52:05 > 0:52:07I mean you should know about that!
0:52:07 > 0:52:08Sadly.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11If you look at this you've got a little scene of a lady and her son
0:52:11 > 0:52:14peering into "What The Butler Saw" and they're both grinning away there.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16"Can I be butler when I grow up, Mum?"
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- You know exactly what he's seen. - Yes.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22A lot of these are slightly more risque...
0:52:22 > 0:52:25"I should like a swim but I don't want to get my truncheon wet."
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Obviously a policeman strolling along here,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30but the innuendo is clear.
0:52:30 > 0:52:35But on the back the Blackpool Post Card Censorship Board have stamped it, "Disapproved."
0:52:35 > 0:52:38- By Mr Allen the chairman. - Absolutely.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41What's the most valuable card here?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Undoubtedly this one.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46"Please, Lord, excuse me a minute while I kick Fido."
0:52:46 > 0:52:51It is worth a huge amount more than those other cards
0:52:51 > 0:52:53for a number of reasons.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56The main reason being McGill himself has signed this card.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59So that's what makes this worth...?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01- Well, I got it for £50. - Good heavens!
0:53:01 > 0:53:03So compared to those it's a lot more.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07- So without the signature this would be worth what? 10 or 20p?- Yes.
0:53:07 > 0:53:12What's interesting also about this card is that it was McGill's biggest seller.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13- Really?- Surprisingly.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17It doesn't have any of that sort of McGill magic, that smutty humour.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19No, you'd expect his biggest sellers
0:53:19 > 0:53:23- to be the fat-ladies-on-the-beach genre.- Absolutely.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25But this sentimental card was the biggest seller.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29He sold over three million copies of that card.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32So what about the values for his earlier work,
0:53:32 > 0:53:35for example this one which looks very, very early indeed.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38It is, it comes from right in the beginning of his career,
0:53:38 > 0:53:391907 that was painted.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42When he was still working part-time.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Working as an engineering draftsman.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45Is that why it says Admiralty?
0:53:45 > 0:53:49Yes, he's done it on the back of the office stationery.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51A bit naughty of him, really, I suppose.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52How much would that be worth?
0:53:52 > 0:53:55McGill's artwork from that period comes up so rarely,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58so I was very pleased to obtain that.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01So as a scarce survivor what did you pay for this?
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Yes, well, you'd expect a lot of money.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06I expected to have to pay a lot.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10I suppose I paid something like £150.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14I have to ask you, what would you have gone to secure it?
0:54:14 > 0:54:15Well, being a stupid collector,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19I suppose I'd have gone towards £1,000.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22Just goes to show how crazy collectors are.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26Most impressed! You really are quite a keen collector.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Along with the growth in seaside holidays
0:54:31 > 0:54:33came a boom in souvenir trade,
0:54:33 > 0:54:38particularly for mementos bearing the name of the place visited.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42The most popular was Goss china, known as the poor man's porcelain.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Until the 1920s, Goss produced souvenirs
0:54:45 > 0:54:48for every town in Britain with a coat of arms.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58So, a Victorian worker off on the razzle-dazzle in Blackpool
0:54:58 > 0:55:00could spend fourpence and get one of these.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02That was quite within their reach.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06And there is a statistic that, at one time, over 90%
0:55:06 > 0:55:10of British households had a bit of souvenir Goss china in them.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Now, here we've got the town crest of Blackpool,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17and it says on it "Progress", which is their very forward-thinking
0:55:17 > 0:55:18slogan that they have.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20And if you were going on holiday,
0:55:20 > 0:55:22you could visit various different towns
0:55:22 > 0:55:23and you could show you'd been there.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25That was a little bit of adventure.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28We're not quite talking about the 18th-century aristocrat
0:55:28 > 0:55:31on their grand tour, but it was a grand tour of your own.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33This was the British equivalent.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Today, people might think, "That's a piece of junk, I'll chuck that out."
0:55:36 > 0:55:39But actually, there's something quite nice about it.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42This is the souvenir of somebody's happy holidays.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47- If you turn them over you should find a mark on the bottom, of this bird with WH Goss.- Goss.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Goss were one of the first and the best, perhaps.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52They were certainly the biggest company producing crestedware
0:55:52 > 0:55:54in the late 19th century.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Today they have fallen generally out of fashion,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59but in their day they would have been incredibly affordable.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01And they're affordable today as well.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Although there are rare shapes that cost hundreds,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06you can pick a good piece up for a couple of pounds.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10- And it won't rot your teeth like a stick of rock, either. - Absolutely not.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19'Our time in Blackpool is soon coming to an end,
0:56:19 > 0:56:23'but there's just one more thing to do before we go.'
0:56:32 > 0:56:34- Time for holiday snaps.- Absolutely.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37What else would we bore the relatives with, I wonder?
0:56:37 > 0:56:38And look what I've got here.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41So, this is a replacement for a whole carriageload of equipment.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45- This is what photographers had to take with them.- Exactly.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48I mean, you would have had the tripod, the camera, all the equipment.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- All the chemicals. - All the lenses, the chemicals, and something to cover yourself up
0:56:52 > 0:56:56- while you were taking it. - Then, in 1888 - is that right? - along comes the box camera.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58That's right - the Kodak No.1
0:56:58 > 0:57:02- And this is the Kodak Brownie, which superseded it and was even cheaper. - It's beautiful.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06- It is beautiful. - Look at the way it matches my coat, look at the colours of this.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10I chose it just because of you, of course, thinking of exactly that!
0:57:10 > 0:57:11But this is the very posh one.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14The Box Brownie itself was incredibly inexpensive
0:57:14 > 0:57:18and cost as little as 25p. But this would have cost an awful lot more.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22So the slogan was "a holiday without a Kodak is a holiday wasted".
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Absolutely. "You press the button we'll do the rest."
0:57:25 > 0:57:28- 0K, ready for a pose?- Here we go. Strike your best...- Monkey.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30HE LAUGHS
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Fantastic. Three, two, one, say "cheese".
0:57:33 > 0:57:36HE LAUGHS
0:57:40 > 0:57:43We've come a long way on our journey.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45From classical pottery...
0:57:45 > 0:57:47to travelling trunks...
0:57:47 > 0:57:49to an early box camera,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53the history of travel reveals what we humans value most
0:57:53 > 0:57:56when we venture outside our everyday lives.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00This may be a priceless relic,
0:58:00 > 0:58:02a mass-produced souvenir,
0:58:02 > 0:58:06or even just a photo, but one thing will remain the same -
0:58:06 > 0:58:11the need to mark our experiences with a memento of the trip.
0:58:14 > 0:58:15Next time on Antiques Uncovered,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18I'll be seeing how you make a diamond sparkle.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20That's absolutely huge.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22While I trace the history of royal memorabilia.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26This will mean a lot to people who were alive in 1936.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29And reveal the pinnacle of Victorian achievement...
0:58:29 > 0:58:32It must have been the greatest show on Earth, really.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35..as we look at ceremonial objects.
0:58:41 > 0:58:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd