0:00:06 > 0:00:11What connects the esteemed authors Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie?
0:00:11 > 0:00:17It's less a case of whodunnit and more a case of wheredunnit. Take a look at this.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21They've both drawn inspiration from the magnificent Devon countryside
0:00:21 > 0:00:25and today we're hoping to be equally inspired. Welcome to Flog It!
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Devon's dramatic scenery has inspired writers and artists for centuries.
0:00:52 > 0:00:59Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Hound of the Baskervilles after spending a scary night on Dartmoor.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And War Horse was penned by Devonian Michael Morpurgo,
0:01:03 > 0:01:09who set the story in the county after meeting WWI veterans in the village where he lived.
0:01:09 > 0:01:16Later in the show, I'll be visiting the Devon home of Agatha Christie and finding out more about her.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21But first we're being inspired by this - Exeter Cathedral.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And the bells are already ringing to welcome the people of Devon.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Just look how many people have turned up here today in the sunshine. Happy faces.
0:01:36 > 0:01:43Somewhere in all these bags and boxes there's a real treasure. It's our experts' job to find it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48And here is one of our experts, Caroline Hawley, looking fabulous. Good luck, Caroline.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53And here's an old Flog It favourite, Mr Mark Stacey!
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- Paul, how are you? - What have you found so far?
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Oh, a good little find. I think that's going under the hammer!
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- Are you all ready to go inside?- Yes! - Come on, then. Let's get them in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14The tables are set, the lights are on and the Flog It team are smiling.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20Hundreds of people are queuing for a valuation day and they're impressed by their surroundings.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24There's always something interesting here.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26It's been a beautiful day so far.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29It's a wonderful setting for this.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I'm hoping to have some good news.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Absolutely perfect.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40On today's edition of Flog It: an exquisite and unique item of virtue.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Do you know what this is?
0:02:43 > 0:02:48And can you guess what it sells for? All will be revealed.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54But first here's Mark with some subtle ceramics.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58What a lovely pair! And the vases, of course!
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Debbie, I've got to ask.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05- Yes?- Do you need medical assistance? What on earth did you see in them?
0:03:05 > 0:03:12- What did you see in them? - I thought they were beautiful! - Really?- And decorative.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- Really?- Yeah.- Beautiful?
0:03:14 > 0:03:21When you see a lovely pair of early Worcester vases, all hand-painted and delicate,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25you can say beautiful, but these? They're early 'orrific!
0:03:25 > 0:03:30- Oh, 'orrific! - Having said that, I adore them.
0:03:30 > 0:03:37- And I would love to take them home. I think they're so over the top. - They are a bit OTT.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42- Where did you get them from? - I got them from an antiques fair.
0:03:42 > 0:03:49- Yes.- At Westpoint, just outside of Exeter.- Quite recently or...? - At the beginning of the year.
0:03:49 > 0:03:56- So you haven't had them long.- No. - What attracted you to them? - I liked the detail on them.
0:03:56 > 0:04:03- I thought the cream would go with my kitchen.- I've never, ever seen anything like them before.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- They're Victorian.- Right. - So they've got a bit of age.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Underneath, I've had a sneaky look and it's marked Brownfield.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16And it's got a registration lozenge on it,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- which you can date to the day and the month of the design.- Oh, right.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25It's also got some figures which says five over 81,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28which means May, 1881.
0:04:28 > 0:04:36- Wow!- That's when the pottery vases were actually made. Not necessarily when they were decorated, but fired.
0:04:36 > 0:04:43- To have all these split beans and peas on it, they are just delightfully wacky.- They are.
0:04:43 > 0:04:49- But you only bought them this year. - Yes.- And I have a hideous feeling you paid quite a lot.- I did.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- What did you pay? - 240...for the pair.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56For the pair?
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- £240. That's quite a lot, isn't it? - It was, yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04My gut feeling, really, if you put them into auction, is
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- you'd want to put the estimate really at £200-£300.- Right.
0:05:08 > 0:05:14- They're an interior decorator's dream.- Yeah.- If you've got a client who wants something really wacky
0:05:14 > 0:05:21- in a kitchen or conservatory, these are fabulous.- Yeah. - They're really value for money.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- There's a lot of pot there. - A lot for a couple of hundred quid.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Would you be happy to do that? Put a 200 reserve on?
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- That would be lovely. - OK? You never know.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- Somebody else might have bad taste, too.- Yes!
0:05:38 > 0:05:43They say art is subjective and auctions are unpredictable,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46so who knows what will happen?
0:05:46 > 0:05:52It's such a beautiful day, we're using the cathedral close and grounds
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and Caroline has found herself some classic collectables.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03So, Janus, thank you for bringing along this fabulous collection. How did you come by them?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Well, these are my toys.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09My father bought them for me in the early to mid-'50s.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11And I did play with them.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Of course, as I got a bit older, I stopped.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21- Ever since then, they've been up in the loft in boxes.- You don't play with them?- Not any more.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25They're in remarkably good condition and it's incredible -
0:06:25 > 0:06:30- they were all in their boxes. You say you played with them?- I did.
0:06:30 > 0:06:37My father always taught me after I'd finished playing to put them back in their boxes.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- Are you still a tidy gentleman? - My wife would say no!- Right.
0:06:41 > 0:06:48Your father taught you well because to have the boxes with these things is very important.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51There's a few tiny chips of paint off here and there,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55but really very little at all to worry about.
0:06:55 > 0:07:01They're nearly all a military nature, apart from this single RollsRoyce.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07- I think it was my dad's dream to own a car like that!- And everybody's! Why the military connection?
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Is it something you were particularly interested in?
0:07:11 > 0:07:17Well, my dad was in the army and the early '50s was just after the war.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23- My dad had an interest and knew all about these.- So why not buy what he was interested in?
0:07:23 > 0:07:30- Now these are Dinky Toys. - They are.- The company came into being in 1933.
0:07:30 > 0:07:37Originally they were called Modelled Miniatures. The name Dinky Toys came in in 1934.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39They're made by the Meccano Company.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44As a collection, and the best way of selling them is as a collection,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49I think we would put an estimate of £150-£250
0:07:49 > 0:07:51on the collection.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56There will be a lot of interest in them, so they will get away,
0:07:56 > 0:08:02- but if we put a fixed reserve of £150, are you happy with that? - Sounds very good to me.- Brilliant.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Hopefully, you'll be driving off with a decent amount at the sale.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- I shall look forward to that!- Thanks for bringing them.- Not at all.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15Now it's not just Caroline and Mark doing the valuing.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21We also have six off-screen experts who make sure that everyone who comes to Flog It
0:08:21 > 0:08:24gets a professional valuation. While they're hard at work,
0:08:24 > 0:08:31I've been looking around the cathedral and I've found something incredibly special.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36I'm in the choir stall and there's something I want to show you.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41There's a whole series of misericords. Let me explain.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46These are seats for the choristers, but during long periods of time you had to stand up.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51So to ease the discomfort, look - this is very, very clever.
0:08:52 > 0:08:58There is a little misericord, also known as a mercy seat.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02A little perch that you could just put your bum on
0:09:02 > 0:09:08to ease the discomfort over long periods of time when you're in prayer or have your arms folded.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14You will normally find these hidden underneath things because it's a form of subversive art.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Beautiful figures, carved by wood carvers who were taught initially by the monks.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23They don't really represent their Christian surroundings.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27They normally depict pagan scenes or scenes of animals,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31in a way as a bit of tongue-in-cheek art.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Once you've finished perching on it, you just hide it back away.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I think that's quite cheeky for something from the 13th century.
0:09:40 > 0:09:48Well, something's put a smile on Mark's face. Is it Veronica or her late-19th century scent bottle?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- Veronica, nice to meet you. - And you, too.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56- You're Mark Stacey. I'm Veronica Stacey.- Oh, are you?
0:09:56 > 0:10:03- We might be related.- It's possible. I'd like to be related to you. - And I'd like to be related to you.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- How long have you had this piece? - For donkey's years!
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- Donkey's years?- Yes.- And it's been stuck in a box somewhere.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- Yeah, packed away.- You haven't looked at it and loved it?- Not for ages.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- It's a charming little scent bottle. - Right.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Where did you get it from?
0:10:21 > 0:10:27Well, I would have bought it at auction, but I go to a lot of auctions.
0:10:27 > 0:10:34- I haven't a clue which one. It was in a box of oddments. - So you just bought a box?- Oh, yeah.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39- And this happened to be in them.- I go for fun, but end up buying things!
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- It's always good to go to an auction to buy something.- That's right.
0:10:44 > 0:10:51I've had a little look at it. It's confusing me a bit. It's some sort of gentleman's atomiser,
0:10:51 > 0:10:57- maybe as part of a travelling set. - Yes.- Part of a boxed set of silver toiletwares,
0:10:57 > 0:11:03- little pots and powder dishes.- Yes. - But I think over the years it's had a few problems.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09It seems to have got gunged up. I'm not sure that little bit there is original.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I would have thought there should have been a hole of a spray there.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19Maybe, it looks to me, as if originally you could press that down gently.
0:11:19 > 0:11:26As you pressed, it would maybe suck up the eau de toilette and give you a little spray before dinner.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31- Oh, lovely.- To make sure you smelt lovely for your...paramour.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Right.
0:11:33 > 0:11:40What's interesting about it is it's got little initials with a coronet on the top.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44So that means it's come from an aristocratic background.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49- I'm surprised it belonged to a baron. I never...- Well, it might have done.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55- There's certainly a coronet of some description. It has no hallmarks. - Yes.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00But it is, I think, English. It does have a pair of initials stamped in.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06I think for George Brace, GB. He specialised in small scent bottles,
0:12:06 > 0:12:12little boxes, that sort of thing. And it's quite a charming little object, really.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16I think, as a collectable, we ought to put £60-£80 on it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- I see.- With a reserve, of course. - A reserve of...?
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- What do you think it should be? - Well...
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Between 50 and 80. Shall we settle on a figure between?
0:12:27 > 0:12:32I think we should put a reserve of £50 on it, fixed.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37- I thought more along the lines of 60, to be honest.- You're a hard woman. - Oh, well...
0:12:37 > 0:12:44- I thought you were going to be such a gentle little soul.- If it was less, I'd rather hold on to it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48But it would end up in the box again, hidden away.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Say 60 and I'll settle for that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- You do drive a hard bargain, you. - Oh, no!
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- £60.- That'll be a good bargain for whoever buys it.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02£60. We'll put it in and see what happens.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I think they might well be related, don't you?
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Our experts have found their first three items to take off to auction.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Here's a quick recap of all the items going under the hammer.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20Janus remembers playing with these as a child, but he's not letting sentimentality get in the way
0:13:20 > 0:13:26- of a good sale. - You don't feel the need to play with them?- Not any more!
0:13:26 > 0:13:30The scent bottle with an aristocratic past.
0:13:30 > 0:13:37And will the bulbous vases be snapped up by a designer or will Debbie and Lisa take them home?
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Down on the Devon coastline, our auction comes from the vibrant city of Plymouth.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50But let's head straight to our auction house where it's all hustle and bustle and flexing of muscle.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Anthony Eldred is the auctioneer today with all the local knowledge.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58And the commission here is 15% plus VAT.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04Boys and their toys. We're going to put some to the test. Dinky Toys belonging to Jan.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10- These were yours.- They certainly were.- But you were taught to play with them carefully.- Definitely.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- 30% of the value is in that box! - Unreal, isn't it?- Unreal.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19There's people that collect all sorts of things out there.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Let's put this to the test.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30Next is lot 299. This is a quantity this time of military vehicles.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Dinkys. And I'm bid £90. At 90.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37At £90. 100. And 10. 120.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41130. 140. 150. 160. At 160 at the back.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45At 160 at the very back.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48170. 180. Take five if you like.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51At 180. 185. 190.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And five. 200. And 10.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57220. At 220 in the very back.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01They're fighting this one out. This is a little battle going on.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Finished at £220?
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Bang! That hammer's gone down.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13- They're great. Do you regret this now? - No, no. They just take up room.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19For many collectables, it's all about good condition, so treat old toys with kid gloves.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22And next it's the scent bottle.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28Well, so far, so good. And our next item should have the sweet smell of success.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33It's that lovely scent bottle belonging to Veronica.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- How are you today?- Very well. - Nervous?- No.- No, you're not.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39You're confident. This is gorgeous.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45- And you've had it for 20 or 30 years.- Approximately.- Did he talk you into selling it?
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Not really. I wanted to say goodbye to it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53It's going under the hammer right now.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Lot 128. It's a small glass atomiser. At £60.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00At 62.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03At £62. Five if you want it.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06At £62, then.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11- Are you all done at 62?- Oh... - Quite sure at 62?
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- Oh, well. Short and sweet. - He sold it. £62.- That's all right.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22- £2 over the low end. - Just £2 over the bottom end.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Even £2 over the estimate and it's a sale!
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Now for those vases.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33Now something hideously fabulous. Can you guess what I'm talking about?
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Yes, the comments from Mark Stacey. Debbie and Lisa, good to see you.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43We've got those pea pod pots. Did you think that was a good description from our expert?
0:16:43 > 0:16:48- Yes, eventually.- Eventually! - I absolutely loved them.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- They're large, aren't they? - Very. You get a lot for your money.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00You do. Mind you, having said that, we're not giving these away. It's a fixed estimate. Not below £200.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05- Absolutely. That's quite wise. - Or they're going home with you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Ah.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Ah!
0:17:08 > 0:17:13- You didn't think of that, did you? - No, especially on the train.- Yeah!
0:17:13 > 0:17:19- You're best friends. What do you think of these? Is it something you could live with?- No. Horrible.
0:17:19 > 0:17:25- You're not going to buy them? - Oh, no!- Let's put them under the hammer and see what they do.
0:17:25 > 0:17:31- I think they're fabulous.- Two similar Brownfield pea pod vases.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36£130 bid for them. At 130. Not enough. At 130.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39At £130. 40 if you want them.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- At £130. - I don't think they're going to sell.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45At 130. Nobody in the room?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- At £130.- Oh, dear.- I can't sell.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- How are we going to get them home?! - I don't know.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56At £130. Quite sure? All finished at 130?
0:17:56 > 0:18:02- They can't quite be sold. - Oh, I can't believe it. - They're going back on the train.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06It's a good job you came along. You can carry one each.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- We've had a fabulous time. - Have you? It's been good.- Yeah.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Taxi for Debbie and Lisa.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25That's it for our first half of the auction. And now I'm off to Agatha Christie's summer house
0:18:25 > 0:18:28to uncover the mysteries within.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36South Devon.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Beaches, rivers and rolling hills.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43An inspirational landscape for any author,
0:18:43 > 0:18:49but for Torquay-born Agatha Christie real places became fictional settings
0:18:49 > 0:18:51of parties,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53intrigue,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55mystery
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and, of course, murder!
0:19:01 > 0:19:06The facts about Agatha Christie are quite extraordinary.
0:19:06 > 0:19:12At one time, she was so popular her books were only outsold by the Bible or William Shakespeare.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Her play, Mousetrap, is the world's longest-running theatre production
0:19:16 > 0:19:19and her novels top the best-seller charts.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25Yet despite all this success, she was a private person, cloaking herself in the kind of intrigue
0:19:25 > 0:19:30you associate with the characters in her novels. One thing we do know
0:19:30 > 0:19:36is her love for this county, Devon, and in particular her summer cottage here on the River Dart.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41The River Dart starts life amongst the tors of Dartmoor
0:19:41 > 0:19:46and descends through the crags towards the English Channel.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51The River Dart is surrounded by beauty and tranquillity
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and that captured Christie's heart from a young age.
0:19:55 > 0:20:02To get to know the Dart's peaceful flow, I'm taking a novel approach to her special summer residence.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13This really is the perfect way to travel down a river.
0:20:13 > 0:20:20It's peaceful and it's tranquil. There are no motors or engines to disturb the wildlife or pollute it
0:20:20 > 0:20:24and that's something Agatha Christie loved. It was quiet and peaceful.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27This was her sanctuary.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31'A place she would soon call home.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:37One day we saw that the house was up for sale. Greenway House on the Dart.
0:20:37 > 0:20:44The house which my mother had always said was the most beautiful property on the Dart.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47A white Georgian house, about 1780.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Gosh, just look at that! They say location is everything and that is stunning.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00No wonder Agatha Christie and her husband snapped this place up in 1938.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06Today, thanks to her descendants and the National Trust, it's now open to the general public,
0:21:06 > 0:21:12so we can get a glimpse into the private world of the best-selling authoress of all time.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18'Greenway House became Agatha Christie's summer residence for over 50 years.'
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Thoroughly enjoyed the kayaking,
0:21:21 > 0:21:26but if you do try it, bring waterproof trousers. Look.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I'm going to have to change.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34'Entering the house, you're greeted with fine art and antiques
0:21:34 > 0:21:39'collected by five generations with an incredible eye.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43'One member of the family remembers Agatha Christie like no other -
0:21:43 > 0:21:48'Matthew Pritchard, Agatha's grandson.'
0:21:48 > 0:21:51You spent a lot of time with her. What was she like as a person?
0:21:51 > 0:21:57The thing I remember best was that hardly ever did I think of her as an authoress or famous person.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03To me she was just a kind and affectionate and intelligent grandmother who was, incidentally,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08one of the best listeners I ever met. She didn't talk very much.
0:22:08 > 0:22:15- She was much more interested in finding out what...- Made you tick. - And what made my friends tick.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21She was a very generous and kind person and we just led a perfectly ordinary life as grandson
0:22:21 > 0:22:27- and grandmother.- What got her interested in crime writing? Why did she focus on that?
0:22:27 > 0:22:32She was always very interested in people. She saw this busload of Belgian refugees.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37One had a strange-shaped head. There was born Hercule Poirot.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42She went away to Dartmoor and wrote The Mysterious Affair At Styles.
0:22:42 > 0:22:48And after five tries with five different publishers who all, to their shame, turned it down,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- the sixth one accepted it.- How dare they!- And so a legend was born.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58Your grandmother was educated at home. Do you think that made it easier for her to write books?
0:22:58 > 0:23:04I think if you are educated at home, you are magnificently free of other people's influence,
0:23:04 > 0:23:11so eventually you turn to doing it all yourself. Her books are marvellous examples of somebody
0:23:11 > 0:23:17who learnt to do it her own way. Some might describe it as obstinate, but she did do it her own way
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and, my goodness, it was successful.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24'But where did Agatha draw her inspiration from?
0:23:24 > 0:23:29'And how does this house, Greenway, reflect the scenes she created in her novels?
0:23:29 > 0:23:34'I feel it's down to me to become the detective.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:39I want to play Poirot or Miss Marple and find out who Agatha Christie really was.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45With my pen and notebook, I'm hot on the trail.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58Clues are not always hidden away in dusty nooks and crannies.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03In this splendid Georgian house, the secrets and tell-tale signs are for all to see.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Look at this wonderful serpent doorstop.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Agatha kept catching her stockings on this as she walked past it,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14so she put this cork on the serpent's tongue.
0:24:20 > 0:24:27'Throughout the house, there are echoes of Agatha. The Steinway piano where she would sit and play,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29'an accomplished, but shy pianist.
0:24:29 > 0:24:36'And behind, the window through which Poirot escaped in the book Dead Man's Folly.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41'The dining room, where the whole family celebrated her birthdays.
0:24:41 > 0:24:47'It's not hard to imagine that the gatherings were the inspiration for the group dinners
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'so familiar in her novels.'
0:24:49 > 0:24:56Aha! The drawing room. And, most poignantly, this is where Agatha would gather all the family
0:24:56 > 0:24:59and read her latest Christie at Christmas novel.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05The story goes that her husband, Max, who would be dozing off in that chair over there,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10would wake up and guess whodunnit before the story was finished.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14I like that. Everyone loves a clever clogs.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Something definitely went on down there. Hmm, mon Dieu!
0:25:19 > 0:25:25Agatha's husband, Max, was an archaeologist, travelling the world, digging up the past.
0:25:25 > 0:25:31Agatha would join him on these trips and write, inspired as ever by her surroundings.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37So we've established why so many of her novels were set abroad.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40The plot thickens.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45'Agatha's early life also left an impression on her work.'
0:25:45 > 0:25:51During World War One and Two, she worked in a pharmacy and had an understanding of medicines,
0:25:51 > 0:25:57chemicals and poison, the latter featuring in many of her murder mysteries.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04'Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective novels, 15 short story collections
0:26:04 > 0:26:11'and more than a dozen plays, but in some ways this house says more about her than any of them.'
0:26:14 > 0:26:17So what have we learned?
0:26:17 > 0:26:23Well, I can conclude the people and the natural surroundings are all key to Agatha
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and the world that she recreated.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30A chance meeting on a foreign trip, an object from the past or a dinner party,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34all reimagined in a world of intrigue and murder...most foul.
0:26:34 > 0:26:41And as for the woman herself, I think I've got that solved as well. Have you?
0:26:46 > 0:26:53Returning to our valuation day at Exeter Cathedral, the good folk of Flog It are being entertained
0:26:53 > 0:26:56by some great folk music.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01LIVELY FOLK TUNE
0:27:02 > 0:27:07'This traditional Devon tune was penned many years ago,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11'but as is often the case in folk history, nobody quite knows by who.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35'Now for more folk history.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40'The poetic verse of a very famous Scotsman, Robert Burns.'
0:27:40 > 0:27:46- It's quite daunting being under that tower, isn't it?- Rather high! - It is rather intimidating.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51- We're in Exeter and you've got something terribly Scottish.- I know. - Haven't you?
0:27:51 > 0:27:58- Where did you get this lovely book? - We lived in London until five years ago with elderly Scottish neighbours
0:27:58 > 0:28:02who we sort of looked after when they needed it, as you do.
0:28:02 > 0:28:09- And our son went to a Scout troop that was a Scottish Scout troop. - Oh, yes?- Kilted, the lot.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- And he learnt to play the pipes and the drums.- Wow.
0:28:13 > 0:28:19And we used to go to Burns Night suppers and we got fascinated with the address to the haggis,
0:28:19 > 0:28:24which is in there. I never read the rest of the poems.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30- I've never seen a Mauchline Ware book cover.- I didn't know that was what it was.- Yes, it is.
0:28:30 > 0:28:37The book is not in the best of conditions. There's a break there, but I'm sure that can be restored.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Even the binding is rather nice in that tooled leather.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- And it's Burns' Poems And Songs. - Yes.
0:28:44 > 0:28:50You've got a nice portrait of Robert Burns there, framed by Scottish thistles.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53And then when we turn it over,
0:28:53 > 0:28:59- we have again a nice, little printed Burns Monument in Edinburgh.- Yes.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Then it's "made of wood", it says there.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Mauchline Ware is wood which has been transfer-printed.
0:29:06 > 0:29:12What I quite like about it as well is if you do live in quite a grand Victorian or earlier house
0:29:12 > 0:29:15and you have such a thing as a library,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17wouldn't that just be lovely on a side table?
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Rather than put up on the shelves, just have it...
0:29:20 > 0:29:23- A showpiece.- ..like that on a side table for show.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28- It's a lovely-looking thing. Have you ever thought about the value?- Not at all.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33I think we've got to take into account the slight bit of wear on the spine,
0:29:33 > 0:29:38but I would probably suggest something like £100 to £150 as an estimate
0:29:38 > 0:29:43and we'll put a reserve of £90 on it, fixed, so we won't sell it below that.
0:29:43 > 0:29:50- It might end up going back up north to bonnie Scotland where it probably belongs.- Hopefully.- Yes.
0:29:50 > 0:29:56The Cathedral Close is still buzzing with people and Caroline has found some Victorian chic.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Gretchen, tell me about this lovely cape.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05I have had it since 1970 as part of a big collection of such things.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08And I wear them to my concerts
0:30:08 > 0:30:13as I play in the orchestras in the cathedral many, many times.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16You've played here in Exeter Cathedral?
0:30:16 > 0:30:21Yes, I started playing here in 1956 and I still play occasionally.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- How lovely!- Yes, but this was just a bit over the top.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Well, it's something that I very much appreciate.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31It's a Victorian mourning cape.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36After Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert died in 1861,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40the Queen went into mourning for the rest of her life
0:30:40 > 0:30:43and fashionable Victorians followed her.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47The widows went into a period of two and a half years' mourning
0:30:47 > 0:30:49and then in the last six months,
0:30:49 > 0:30:55they gradually introduced grey, lilac and other colours into the black mourning wear,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59so this would have been modelled from something the Queen would wear.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04- Is it something you've worn?- No, unfortunately, it doesn't fit me.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08It's on this wonderful, black, grosgrain background.
0:31:08 > 0:31:14It's embellished with this French jet or bugle beads, as they're called, these long, thin beads.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20They would all have been stitched on by hand. A very fine needle would have gone through to thread these.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23All this is hand-stitched. The lace is machine-made lace.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27This wouldn't be the average lady that would have worn this.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31This was a fairly expensive piece at the time
0:31:31 > 0:31:36and it's something I think is still wearable today. What do you think?
0:31:36 > 0:31:41Oh, yes, if I were younger and thinner, I would wear this to grand parties.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- Yes, yes. - With not very much underneath.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47- LAUGHTER - Would you?
0:31:49 > 0:31:51And stunning you'd look, I'm sure!
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Now, why are you wanting to sell it now?
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Because I have a Georgian house of eight rooms
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and it's full of Georgian furniture
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and china and my clothes as well.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Oh, how nice! I'm coming round.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08I do have to sell it before I die.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Well, hopefully, that'll be quite a long time.
0:32:11 > 0:32:17As to value, I absolutely adore it, but we have to put an auction value on it.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23- As with most things, condition is very, very important.- Yes.
0:32:23 > 0:32:29This is, for the most part, in very good condition, but I'm sure you have seen there is some damage to it
0:32:29 > 0:32:35and it needs a good needlewoman or needleman to repair it,
0:32:35 > 0:32:40so I would say, with the damage, an auction estimate of £30 to £50
0:32:40 > 0:32:44and I'm sure it would achieve that.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46I would put a fixed reserve of £30.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- Yes.- I'm sure we would sell at that.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54It's not to stop it getting a lot more, but I think it would certainly get between £30 to £50.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59- Are you happy with that?- Very happy. - There will be a lot of interest in this.
0:32:59 > 0:33:05- Somebody would be very happy to wear this with or without a lot underneath.- Right. I'm very happy.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- Thank you very much. - That's a pleasure.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Saucy ladies!
0:33:16 > 0:33:21'The finale on today's show comes in a small, but perfectly formed package
0:33:21 > 0:33:23'that we've seen before on Flog It -
0:33:23 > 0:33:26'the vinaigrette, not for oil or vinegar,
0:33:26 > 0:33:31'but for smelling salts that could be sniffed to disguise the pong of Victorian England.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34'We've seen them go for big bucks on the show.'
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- £290!- Very nice.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42'But will Jean's beautiful gemstone piece beat them all?'
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Now, tell me the history of it. Where did you get it from?
0:33:46 > 0:33:50It belonged to an elderly lady that I used to help
0:33:50 > 0:33:54and one day, she asked me if I would like it.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59- And it's so long ago now, perhaps 30, 40 years...- Wow!
0:33:59 > 0:34:03It's been in my china cabinet ever since until this morning.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06We've heard the word "vinaigrette" quite a lot on Flog It
0:34:06 > 0:34:11and I'm sure if you've watched it, they can range in value immensely.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15- If they're silver, they can be 100, 150, sometimes 200 or more.- Yes.
0:34:15 > 0:34:22- This is a very, very unusual example. I've never seen one like it.- It's extraordinary.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27I think it's charming because without even touching it, just looking at it,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- you know this is a quality little object.- Right.
0:34:31 > 0:34:38The use of the agates that they've cut and polished and shaped into this sort of geometric form
0:34:38 > 0:34:40and when we open it up,
0:34:40 > 0:34:45we see that we've got a pierced grille, obviously, which has been chased as well
0:34:45 > 0:34:52and you see a void inside for putting your little sponge with your favourite scent.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58- I was sorry there was no sponge. Nearly always there's a sponge. - Yes, but they do perish.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02- We thought it was enamelled.- I did. - You would, wouldn't you?
0:35:02 > 0:35:06- I did think it was enamelled.- No, I think these are Scottish agates.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09You often see them in brooches and jewellery,
0:35:09 > 0:35:13little slithers of them that have been polished and set into silver.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17- This is not marked, but I'm almost sure it's silver.- What age is it?
0:35:17 > 0:35:23I would have thought that's going to be late Victorian, so 1890, 1900, that sort of date.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28- Yes.- And very, very collectable. - Incredible, isn't it? - Very collectable.
0:35:28 > 0:35:35I just picked it up. Juliette, my niece, said, would I like to come and I said, "Yes, rather!"
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I thought, "What shall I bring?"
0:35:37 > 0:35:40She thought it was a Flog It regular.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- You've never seen one like this on Flog It.- Probably not.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Anyone who collects an object of virtue,
0:35:46 > 0:35:52- anybody who collects that type of thing would love to add this to their collection.- Yes.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57I think certainly I would put £600 to £800 on it.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03- What?- And put the reserve at a fixed reserve of 500.
0:36:03 > 0:36:09It wouldn't surprise me if, on the day, two or three people really want it and it went for a bit more.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11It's such a charming object.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17I'm absolutely amazed. I never dreamt it was anything like that.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I thought it might have been about 100.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24- You do surprise me.- You don't need some smelling salts, do you?- No.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29- You're OK?- There's nothing in there to smell, is there?
0:36:29 > 0:36:30Unfortunately.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to Exeter Cathedral and the city of Exeter,
0:36:41 > 0:36:47but I had to come to the top of the cathedral to show you what a stunning view it is from up here.
0:36:47 > 0:36:53But we have to make our way over to Plymouth. Our experts have made their final choice of items.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56This is where we put those valuations to the test.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Here's a recap of what we're taking with us.
0:36:59 > 0:37:05Will a book of poems by Robert Burns be the great chieftain of the auction race?
0:37:07 > 0:37:12A true piece of vintage fashion inspired by Queen Victoria herself.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17And they say good things come in small packages.
0:37:17 > 0:37:23Do you think this exquisite item of virtue could make four figures in the saleroom?
0:37:23 > 0:37:26All will be revealed in a moment.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33The phones are ringing, the people are bidding
0:37:33 > 0:37:38and the gavel's going down at a ferocious pace. It's auction time.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41First up, the bonnie Scot.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45- It's Margaret and Ken?- Yeah.- Yes. - Great to see you again.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48This is fabulous. Good condition, good quality.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52A lot of collectors want this kind of thing, especially Mauchline Ware.
0:37:52 > 0:37:58- It would do better in Scotland. - Yes, but thanks to the internet, people up in Scotland can find this.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02- £200?- It's a lovely object. I'd like to see it make 200. It's worth it.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Let's put it to the test. It's going under the hammer now.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Next is Lot 413.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15It's a Mauchline Ware-covered copy of Robert Burns' Poems And Songs.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19There they are. And £70 for that? At 70. At £70.
0:38:19 > 0:38:225 if you want it? At £70 then.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- Come on.- Against you all in the room at £70. No bidding, at 70.
0:38:25 > 0:38:2880. 5.
0:38:28 > 0:38:3190 now. At £90 in front here.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36- At £90, second row.- This is a surprise.- At 90 then. 5 anywhere?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Are you quite sure? At £90. Last chance in the room, at 90...
0:38:39 > 0:38:42All done then?
0:38:42 > 0:38:45- Sold.- Just on the reserve. - He's sold it at £90.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49- That was the reserve price. I'm so surprised by that.- That was close.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53- You can't win them all, can you? - We don't want to take it home.- No.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58- That's good.- Hopefully, that will find its way back to Scotland.- Yes.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02'We caught up with the buyer to find out what enticed him to it.'
0:39:02 > 0:39:06I just thought it was beaming with quality and the rarity of the thing,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09plus the fact it came out very reasonable.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12I'm well pleased with my purchase.
0:39:13 > 0:39:19Going under the hammer right now, we have a Victorian cape and it's in good company.
0:39:19 > 0:39:25There's a lot of other costume here and textiles, so hopefully, we'll get the top end of the estimate.
0:39:25 > 0:39:31- Gretchen, it's great to see you again.- Yes.- You've played violin plenty of times in Exeter Cathedral.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36- Oh, yes.- The venue of our valuation day.- I started in 1955.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42- You must be very good.- That was the first concert. I wasn't a soloist. I was in the orchestra.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44- But I gradually became a leader.- Wow!
0:39:44 > 0:39:48I'll come and watch you play violin in Exeter Cathedral.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52You get in touch with the Flog It office and I'll come and watch you.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57Let's put this cape to the test. I know you like your clothes. Let's see what this lot think.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01There it is. £30 bid for it. 2. 5.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04At £35 then. 8 if you want?
0:40:04 > 0:40:0838. 40. 2. At £42. I'll take 5 now?
0:40:08 > 0:40:11At £42 there. Are you all done then at £42?
0:40:11 > 0:40:16- Can't follow the bidding, but we're on £42.- Yes.- The hammer's gone down.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- £42.- Good.- Thank you so much. - That's great.
0:40:20 > 0:40:26'£42 doesn't seem much for something so beautifully made.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29'Now, finally, how about that vinaigrette?'
0:40:29 > 0:40:35Going under the hammer now, we're selling that gorgeous, Victorian, hardstone vinaigrette.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40This is real quality. Juliette and Joan are here with your daughters. We have the whole generation.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44They're over there somewhere if we can give them a wave.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Hello.
0:40:46 > 0:40:52We just said earlier what a stunning family you all make! Good genes in your family. This is lovely.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Why are you selling it?
0:40:54 > 0:41:00I didn't think it was worth very much. I've seen them on the programme and I thought perhaps £70, £100.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04- There are so many different collectors for these.- Yes.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Small objects of virtue always have a wide appeal.
0:41:07 > 0:41:12An item of virtue and we're going to put it under the hammer and see what happens.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16This is where it gets exciting. Stay tuned. It could just fly.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Next is Lot 112.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23It's a silver-mounted, hardstone vinaigrette. Scottish one.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26And I'm bid £500 for it. At 500. 10 if you want it?
0:41:26 > 0:41:30- At 500. And 10.- We're in. Somebody's on the phone.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- Can you see those two phone lines? - Yes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36550. 560. 570. At 570 now.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Any more in the room at 570?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Finished in the room at 570. 580.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42590.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47600. And 20.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- 640...- Someone's very, very keen on it on the gentleman's phone.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54680. 700.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56At £700.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00And 20. At 720.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- 740.- Oh!- At £740.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06760. 780.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08At 780.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12- 800.- Oh, wonderful.- Brilliant.- 820.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14- Brilliant.- At 820.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16- 840. 860.- Wow!
0:42:16 > 0:42:19At 860. 880.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20900.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24At 900. And 50.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- 1,000.- Yes! We've got it.- £1,000.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29- And 50.- It's going up.- 1,100.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33At 1,100.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35At £1,100.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38The bidding's in the corner at £1,100.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- Quite sure then?- £1,100!
0:42:41 > 0:42:45That is what it's all about and the hammer's just gone down.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Well done, you two. Wow, what a surprise!
0:42:48 > 0:42:52- That's amazing.- Happy with that? You must be, mustn't you?
0:42:52 > 0:42:57- I'm very happy because it's going to the Children's Hospice South West. - Brilliant.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Thank you for bringing that in. You put a smile on all our faces.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06I hope you've enjoyed today's show. Sadly, we've run out of time in Plymouth.
0:43:06 > 0:43:12Do come along and join us at one of our valuation days, but from Devon, it's goodbye from all of us.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd