Derby 3 Flog It!

Welcome to one of my favourite places in the world.

This is one of our oldest and most romantic manor houses,

and one of the most perfect to survive from the Middle Ages.

It gives me great pleasure today

to say that this beautiful manor house is exclusively ours.

Haddon Hall is home to Flog It!

Haddon Hall in the heart of the Peak District National Park

is very special, and its Grade I listed status

reflects its historic importance.

Haddon Hall lives and breathes history.

It's a perfect example of why we should protect

our heritage buildings, and later on in the programme,

I'll be finding out why it is so well preserved.

But first, let's meet our "Flog It!" crowd,

who've arrived in their hundreds carrying bags and boxes

full of antiques and treasures from their past

and, of course, before we go inside this beautiful manor house,

there is one question on everybody's lips, which is...?

ALL: What's it worth?!

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

And responsible for uncovering today's treasures

is our lord of the manor, Michael Baggott.

You may pass.

And joining Michael as our lady of the house is none other than

Caroline Hawley.

-You've got a big pocket in there, sir.

-I have, yeah.

-What else is in there?

-It's not very deep! All the money's gone.

-She's spent it all.

-Aw!

And it's time to get everyone inside.

Follow me!

So, with our experts poised, our house guests filing in,

and the Flog It! team set up in every room

of this historic manor house, we're ready to unearth items

fit for today's surroundings,

and then, we'll take the best ones off to auction.

But which of these items will fetch

more than double our expert's valuation?

Will it be this Victorian perfume bottle?

This sextant, which has special historical significance?

Or this exquisite ruby and diamond bracelet?

Caroline's first find gives us more than a snapshot of history.

John, what a fabulous collection of stereoscope and slides,

-all of the First World War.

-Thank you, Caroline.

-They are fascinating.

Before we go into further detail, tell me how you came by them.

They belonged to my grandfather, who used to live in Sheffield

and when I was a young lad I used to visit him and they were all

on display in his display cabinet, and I said to him one day,

"Do you think I might be able to have those one day, Grandad?"

And he said, "I suppose so." So they were passed down

to my father and then to myself and I've had them about 40 years.

And do you look at them all?

I've looked at them a long time ago, but, regrettably,

I haven't looked at them recently.

Now, this set of cards was made by Underwood & Underwood,

a firm which set up in Kansas in 1881,

and it went right through to 1840,

and they were pioneers in early news photography.

-They really are a lovely collection...

-About 200 in total.

200 in total?

And all in good condition and, tell me, you know how they work?

Yes, I do. You literally put one of the slides in the viewer,

look through the twin aperture there and you put it to your face

and then move the viewer backwards or forwards

until it comes into focus and you see the 3-D image.

Thank you.

Yes, so it starts off with the two pictures

and as you put it to your eyes,

-get it into focus...

-It puts them together.

Wow. You could almost be there.

The two pictures merge into one and you have this 3-D effect.

It's incredible! And they're so widely varied.

There's Her Majesty Queen Mary here, visiting the hospital in Hull,

and then there's one, which is the super one here of the troops

enjoying a bath after a long day's march.

"Crocodiles made the river too dangerous."

And they are all in these boxes here which are made to look like books

and a lot of people would own these.

They wouldn't be terribly expensive to buy at the time.

Tell me, why have you decided now is the time to sell them, Tom?

Having had them for about 40 years, I feel that it's appropriate

-for someone else to have a look at them now...

-Yeah.

..and maybe generate interest in schools or colleges,

who may not have seen these before.

To put a value on this is a difficult thing to do.

It is difficult.

There's a lot of interest in World War I.

-I would put an estimate of between £100 and £150.

-Mm-hm. Mm-hm.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, I am, yes.

Right, and we'll see where they go.

That's just over a pound a photo. Surely they've got to be worth that?

And with finds like that, I'm taking the opportunity to see

what else people have in their bags and boxes.

It's all coming in today, isn't it?

Next, Michael with a bevy of beauties.

Charlotte, Vivienne, what can I say?

I've got a table full of semi-clad and naked young ladies.

Um, explain this immediately. Where did these come from?

-Well, I've collected them over a period of 30, 35 years.

-Right.

And so, from various places.

And what was the appeal in collecting them?

I just thought they were very attractive and elegant.

Yeah, it's quite extraordinary, cos you would expect these to be

the sort of remit of the sort of gentleman's library,

the sort of sniggering Edwardian having those probably on a desk

or tucked away somewhere, cos they are quite, um...

..quite risque. I mean, Charlotte, these have been in your house

for some time, what do you think of them?

I did find them attractive in the house. They were cute.

I mean, they are made by... Some of these are glazed,

some of them are bisque.

The bisque ones are probably by the same manufacturers

that would make the bisque heads for dolls.

Er, so someone like Heubach.

Er, the glazed ones would be from any number of

small Bohemian, Czechoslovakian potteries,

-and they would have been imported into this country and sold.

-Right.

Dating from around 1900 up through about 1920, 1925,

this, probably my favourite, this large figure of a girl

reading a book, with a bow in her hair,

and that's probably 1910 to 1915.

When were you collecting these...?

Years and years ago or recently?

About 30, 35 years ago, um, I haven't...I must have

stopped...probably, 15 to 20 years ago.

And were they still out in the house or where they...?

-Um, I had several out, the rest were just in a box.

-Packed away.

So, Flog It! is here today, you thought, "Get the box out!"

That's right.

I'm afraid the market for these sort of figures has sort of gone up

and then gone down again.

And some of these... The larger bisque ones are quite attractive.

Some of the smaller glazed ones, '20s, '30s, not quite so commercial.

Um, there's always going to be the naughty boy factor at auction,

and you've got a large number of them,

but I think, to be very cautious, one would say...

£150 maybe up to £300 as a broad estimate

-and fix a reserve at £150 for them.

-Thank you.

Um, so you're going to sell them.

What, if they make a good sum of money, are you going to spend it on?

-I've got eight grandchildren.

-Oh, so...?

-It wouldn't take long!

Well, we've got to at least get 160 for you to get £20 each.

I mean, Charlotte, would you prefer the money or the figurines?

-What's...?

-The money!

-The money! Well, there's your answer, isn't it?

Off to auction we go.

Well, Charlotte was clear about that.

It's a big event here at Haddon today.

Hundreds of people are waiting to get their antiques valued

and whilst the experts are working away,

I want to take a look at some of Haddon's most prized possessions,

and these ones are priceless.

There's a collection of five royal tapestries here in this house

called The Five Senses, and there's three of them in this

particular spot and, as you can see, they are incredibly detailed.

This particular one is hearing.

Now, the condition is exceptionally good, considering the age.

These were made in the reign of Charles I, 1630s.

The colour has somewhat faded.

The black that you can see was originally gold thread,

but it's tarnished over the years.

It's the only surviving full set of the five senses,

which makes them incredibly rare and incredibly valuable.

The fires are still roaring

and the valuations are in full swing in the Long Gallery.

And Caroline's eye has been caught by some gleaming jewels.

-Joy, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

And you've brought along this delightful bangle.

Would you like to tell me about it?

-Um, actually, I bought this one in Jaipur in India.

-Yeah.

In 2007. My husband proposed to me...he proposed to me in India.

-Oh, how romantic!

-At the Taj Mahal!

-Oh, how lovely.

And we found a nice engagement ring there and then I saw this bangle.

-As well as your engagement ring?

-Yeah!

-So, I thought, "OK, that's mine."

-Yeah, it's very nice.

-But it's a little bit too dainty for me.

-It's tiny, isn't it?

-It's tiny.

Well, I can get it on easily when I wash my hands with soap,

-so it slides on easily.

-It's 18-carat gold.

-18-carat gold.

-With rubies and diamond.

-55 diamonds in it.

-55 diamonds!

-I haven't counted.

-5 times 11.

-And it's a very Art Deco style.

-It is.

It's a modern style, and the lovely cut of the rubies.

Why have you decided now is the time to sell it, Joy?

Well, I don't wear it any more and I can't be bothered to...

every time with washing my hands,

and with swabs of soap, putting it on, taking it off again...

-Yes, yeah.

-Um, I've got other bangles and I live in them.

-Right.

So, this one can go and make place for the others.

-Right, now, value-wise...

-Yes.

This is a lovely bangle and, all things considered,

the 18-carat gold, the rubies, the diamond...

I think it should be worth

-between £350 and £550 at auction.

-That's OK, yeah.

But if we put a fixed reserve of £350, is that all right with you?

-Yes, that's OK.

-That's brilliant. We'll hope for the best

-and what we want is two ladies or three ladies or more...

-All bidding.

-..all mad for it, bidding for it and then it could really soar.

-OK.

-So, we'll hope for the best and we'll do our best.

-That's fine.

It's a delightful bracelet with all those rubies

and 55 brilliant-cut diamonds.

It should do well.

Now over to Michael, who's found something with real poignancy.

John, thank you for bringing this lovely group of medals.

-Are these family medals?

-No, they're not.

My daughter found them when she was moving into a new house,

and was clearing the attic out

and we came across those in a box.

-Good grief! Just left?

-Absolutely.

-Or maybe forgotten. Who knows?

-More likely to be forgotten, I think.

-What we've got is a standard group of First World War medals.

-Right.

We've got the Great War Medal, the Victory Medal.

-These are more standard. This one is normally the 1914-15 Star.

-Right.

This is the 1914 Star on its own.

And this is a little bit more uncommon,

-especially with the bar.

-Right.

And this basically means that the person

to whom this medal was awarded, and we've got here Private F Harrison,

the Notts & Derby Regiment,

he was probably one of the very first soldiers to go out

-and engage the Germans at the start of the war.

-OK.

It also probably referred to the fact that he was,

-before the war started, a serving British soldier.

-Right.

Or as they were known, an Old Contemptible.

That's where they get the name from? Right.

So what we've got is a more interesting than standard group

-of First World War medals.

-OK.

They're all named, which means that people who collect medals

can do a lot of research in them.

This is why First World War medals, and earlier,

-are much more popular than Second World War medals.

-I see.

-So, they were found in the loft.

-Yeah.

So they either cost the price of a house or they were free,

depending on how you look at it.

-They're not worth the price of a house so let's go with free.

-Right.

Any idea what they might be worth?

I've no idea at all.

Well, I can tell you that five or six years ago,

which isn't that long ago,

you'd have been struggling to get £25 or £35 for them.

-Right.

-Because you can research these officers online now,

-through the websites.

-OK.

-The whole system of research

has become much easier and much more accessible,

which has made these medals more desirable.

I think, conservatively,

-we'll put £100 to £150 on them.

-OK.

And on a good day, if you get two people

particularly interested in the Notts & Derby Regiment,

it might go on from that.

But they're a nice group of medals. If you're happy,

we'll put a reserve of £100 on them.

Yes, that's absolutely OK.

That's marvellous. You can go back home now without your medals

-and tell your daughter the good news.

-It's been very interesting.

Thank you. I didn't know anything about them until today.

It's fascinating for me, as well.

I'm not a medal expert, so whenever things like this get brought it,

-I learn as well, and it's marvellous to find out about these things.

-OK.

-Thank you so much indeed.

-Pleasure.

Before we head off to auction,

there is something I would like to show you.

Beer!

We drink around 22 million pints of it every day.

It's part of our national identity and heritage.

It remains the most popular alcoholic drink

among British men.

We drink it and we make it by the barrel load

in breweries, both large and small, all over the country.

But commercial brewing is a relatively recent part of the story.

Home brewing goes back centuries.

Monks had been brewing for generations,

although it wasn't until the Middle Ages

that ale became the most common drink of the day.

Water was impure, so drinking it carried a high risk,

whereas ale was boiled up as part of the brewing process,

so it was a much safer bet. It was the obvious choice.

And it was drunk with every meal.

But I don't think many of us today would recognise the ale

of the Middle Ages. It was often flavoured with herbs and spices,

making a unique brew, and some of it was very weak,

so everyone could drink it, even children.

Large estates like Haddon would have been self sufficient

and made their own in the brew house, sadly now destroyed.

There would have been three large containers -

one ready to drink, one half-ready

and one at the beginning of the new brew.

This was how they made sure there was always plenty of ale available.

Now, Haddon Hall would have brewed up

around 1,800 gallons of ale per month,

and it's quite easy to imagine the great feasts

that would have taken place here.

After all, it was a communal space, a place of entertainment,

but the booze wasn't always free flowing.

Over the ages, there would have been various ways devised

to control how much people drank. In the 10th century,

King Edgar ordered all wooden tankards to be fitted with pegs,

each peg marking one measure.

When you had drunk your peg, you passed it on

and if you drank more than your share,

you were "taking the next man down a peg or two" -

a phrase still used today.

Now, Haddon Hall had its own way of rationing by virtue of this iron manacle and lock,

which was all part of the punishment if you didn't play by the rules.

You see, if you drank too much, or didn't drink enough,

then your arm was locked here, behind that,

and the rest of your ale poured down your sleeve. Let me explain.

If you drank too much, that was looked upon as being greedy,

more than your quota, but if you didn't drink enough,

that looked suspicious.

Remaining sober meant you were probably plotting

evil acts of wrongdoings against your hosts.

Thank goodness times have moved on.

And so has ale, and that's largely thanks to the introduction

of hops from Holland in the 16th century.

We now have a more rounded flavour and the beer lasts longer.

Haddon Hall no longer makes beer, but the Thornbridge Brewery

a couple of miles down the road is the next best thing.

The machinery may have changed, but brewing beer remains an ancient art.

I caught up with brewer Keilan Vaughn

to find out how they achieve the flavours in their beers.

I can recognise the hops. What's that?

OK, what we have here is roasted wheat.

So that's used to impart big, rich, dark-malt, roasted flavours.

-If you want to have a little taste, please do.

-OK.

So it's just going to have a nice sort of roasted, chocolate, sort of burnt flavours.

Ooh, that's nice.

So you use that in, like, just small quantities to impart large amounts of flavour into the beer.

And here we have pale malt, so that's the main base malt.

That's the food source or the sugar source we actually get the alcohol from which comes from malt.

So you don't want anything to be too sickly sweet

so you want to have a little bit of balance between the alcohol,

the amount of residual malt sweetness and, of course,

the hops, which provide that nice aroma of bitterness and flavours.

Beer has never tasted as good as it does today.

By providing a range of beers,

this small, modern brewery is following in the same tradition

as the medieval brewers of Haddon Hall

by producing good, local ale, and now, time to try some.

You've selected two beers for me to have a sip of.

I can clearly see the difference. Which do you want me to start with?

I think we should taste Jaipur first.

So this beer, you can see it's a lot lighter,

it's going to have really nice sort of citrus aromas to it,

nice bitterness. At 5.9%, it's a nice beer. A beautiful beer.

It's refreshing

-and it tastes like a modern beer.

-Absolutely.

-It really does.

A modern interpretation of a style.

This is beer to be sipped and savoured.

Very intense sort of roast malts like we saw before.

-Clearly a lot different.

-Very different.

I do prefer this, I must admit.

It's got a wonderful lingering taste

of sort of chocolates and roasts and coffees.

But then when it does die down,

you can taste the sort of... the hop in it, can't you?

Yeah, absolutely, once that malt sweetness dies off,

you get that nice sort of bitter finish towards the end.

It's really nice, actually, I've got to say.

-I'm not a big beer drinker but that's gorgeous.

-Yeah?

-Cor!

-I'm glad you think so.

Everybody is thoroughly enjoying themselves

here in this magnificent room, the Long Gallery.

It is 110 feet in length and during the Elizabethan period,

whole families would promenade up and down here taking exercise.

The children would play ball games during the winter months.

Right now, though, it's time for us to play a game of our very own

as we put our first set of valuations to the test

in the auction room.

Will they come up to the mark? Let's find out.

As we make our way over to the saleroom,

here's a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us.

Will the buyers snap up the stereoscopic viewer and photos?

It is possible they might be attracted more to

Vivienne's collection of semi-nude figures.

Or will they both be outshone by the ruby and diamond bracelet?

Or will Michael be right about the internet fuelling interest

in the WWI medals?

Just one mile down the road is the village of Rowsley,

part of the Haddon Estate until the 20th century.

It was transformed in the 1860s by the train line,

which was built through the Peak District,

creating one of the most spectacular railways in the country.

Today's sale comes from Bamfords Auction House,

built on the original site of Rowsley Railway Station,

designed by the celebrated architect Sir Joseph Paxton.

Sadly, the railway station is long gone, but let's hope

our experts are on track to hit the top end of their estimates.

Sellers here pay 12.5% plus VAT, so it's always worth

doing your sums and checking for any hidden extra charges.

'Conducting our auction today is Flog It! regular James Lewis

and we're off to a romantic start.

Going under the hammer right now

we have Joy's diamond and ruby bracelet.

There's a lot of love attached to this little story,

-the Taj Mahal as well.

-Yeah, actually, it's too dainty for me.

OK, and it's something you don't really wear that much.

-No, not at all, not at all.

-You're hoping to sell this

-and buy something that you will wear.

-That I will wear.

-OK, OK.

-With ruby and diamonds again.

-Let's hope we get that top end, around a £500 mark.

-Yes.

We've got our work cut out,

but anything can happen in an auction room

-and we're going to put it to the test. Good luck.

-Thank you.

Lot number 268 is this very pretty ruby and diamond hoop bangle

with the panels of cushion-cut rubies divided by

the brilliant cut diamonds. There it is and I have interest in it.

I can start at £300, 300, 320 now.

320, 350, 380, for you.

380 in the room seated. At 380 and 4 now. 400, sir, 420.

420 for you, 410 if you like. 410 bid, 420, you sure?

At 410, here, to the left it's against you down the centre.

All the bidding's stopping in exactly the same spot.

-Oh, don't stop.

-At 410, 420 now.

It's going, Joy, it's going, isn't it?

At 410, are your sure? Internet's out.

-Yours.

-It's gone mid-estimate. Good valuation, Caroline. It's gone.

-It's gone!

-It's OK, isn't it?

-It's OK.

-It's OK.

-It's on the way to buying you the next one.

-Yes.

Why hang onto something you don't use? Joy has the right idea.

She can now spend that on something she will wear.

At £70 standing to the left.

Right, this one's going to raise some eyebrows.

Going under the hammer right now, 17 semi-clad, nude figures

belonging to Vivienne and Charlotte who are right next to me.

-This is your collection...

-That's right.

-..built up over, what, 35 years?

-30, 35 years.

-Gosh!

Why have you decided to stop collecting and started to sell?

Well, actually, I stopped collecting some time ago

and they were just packed away in a box, like so many people do.

-Yeah, and you don't really want to add to this collection?

-No, no.

-That doesn't really interest you?

-No!

-You'd rather collect something else.

-Yeah.

I think some of them are really nice.

There's a couple I'm not keen on,

but I can understand why you're selling them in a group.

There's a broad mix and the good ones will help the bad ones sell.

-The thing you don't want to do with a collection like this is...

-Split it up.

..break it up, have all the good ones that you really like, sell,

and be left with the ones you can't sell.

-There's some great figures and a lot of figures.

-Exactly.

Right, and they're going under the hammer right now.

Lot number 373 are these German bisque piano ladies. There we are.

Some naked, some clothed, a very pretty little lot. And I have...

-In good shape.

-I think James is blushing, isn't he?

..130 now, 130, 140, 150, 150, 160, 170...

-We're finding a buyer.

-190. 190, 200, 220.

220 has it on the aisle. At 220, gentleman's bid. At 220...

Gentleman's bid, of course.

At 220, any advance? At 220...

£220...

the hammer is going down.

It's gone, it's sold.

-There's a big smile, there's a big smile, Charlotte.

-Yes.

Are you getting the money?

-Well, it's being split between eight of us...

-Is it? Gosh!

There's a lot of you!

Eight grandchildren, so they're all getting a piece.

And going under the hammer right now, a group of World War I medals

belonging to John

and I know you've also brought in a small little Bible.

Yeah, that's right. We found this Bible and it's got his name in it

and the date that he was in Plymouth.

Well, isn't that touching?

That just rounds the story off of a soldier's life,

to have his little Bible there. That's what collectors want.

Absolutely. Yeah, I'm glad we've brought it in.

It's a wonderful piece of history

and hopefully its going to add to the value

because it certainly adds to the provenance and that's what it's all about.

We're going to put that to the test right now.

It's up for sale and here it is.

I can start the bidding at £100, straight in.

At £100, 110 do I see?

At 100, 110 now. 110. 110 online.

110, 120, 130. 130, 140, 150.

At £140. At £140.

Absentee bid at £140, 150, do I see?

Going to keep going online.

All the bids, incidentally, are online

they're going to collectors all over the country.

170 for you, 180. 190 for you.

We're slowly, slowly creeping up.

190.

At £180, two of you hovering online.

It's worth an extra £10.

At 180, all sure?

Gavel's ready, it's at £180. Are we all sure?

-Sold, £180. Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

And what's more important is that they've gone to a collector.

And now for an item I have great hopes for.

Going under the hammer right now,

George V's stereoscopic viewer with 200 images belonging to John.

-Pleased to meet you, John.

-Pleased to meet you, Paul.

-And this was grandmother's?

-It was grandfather's.

-Grandfather's,

so you had a lot of fun as a child looking at the images.

-That's correct.

-I bet that was great.

-From a very early age, yes, I was fascinated by it.

-Wow.

We had a great time with the valuation, David. Looking at them.

These find markets all over the world, as you know,

being an auctioneer, and we've sold them on the show before

and they exceeded the top estimate by hundreds, so, hopefully,

we can have a surprise today.

We're going to find out right now here in Derbyshire. Here we go.

Lot 749 is the George V stereoscopic viewer and I have one, two,

-three bids on it at 110 to start.

-Wow, straight in.

-Oh, brilliant, brilliant.

-120, 130, 140, do I see?

140, 150, 160, 170, 180.

-Good, brilliant.

-Fantastic.

At 170, 180 now.

At £170, at 170, 180, do I see?

170...

-170.

-Fantastic. Thank you so much, Caroline.

-It's a pleasure.

-Thank you so much, Paul.

-Well done.

-Really delighted with the result.

-Oh, good.

-Thank you so much.

-There's a lot of history there.

-Thank you so much.

At 450.

There you are, the end of our first visit to the auction room today.

Some great results and I rather enjoyed that.

Now, we all know how important it is to look after

your antiques and collectibles, but what if

your most important antique happens to be your family home?

Well, I'm going back to Haddon Hall right now to find out

how this 900-year-old house was restored and rescued

by one man who made it his life's work to preserve its heritage.

Beautiful Haddon Hall has the reputation of being

something of a medieval Sleeping Beauty.

It's been a place of romantic pilgrimage for generations

and stepping into this magnificent courtyard,

it really is like stepping back in time.

Just take the windows, for example.

These Gothic pointed ones are the oldest,

dating this part of the hall back to the 13th century.

But, if you look around the courtyard, the square windows,

well, they're more Tudor in style, so they tell us

that this section of the building is a couple of hundred years younger.

And the journey through time continues inside.

And this, the banqueting hall,

would have housed many a great feast during the medieval period.

Huge, great big chunks of pork

and extravagantly baked pies would have lined

this single-plank refectory table

with the lord and the lady of the house sitting here

with this tapestry behind them, facing out into the room

so they could see everything coming and going.

There would be another refectory table lined along here and one along

that side where all their guests and servants would sit and dine.

Remember, this was a time in our history

before there was such a thing as upstairs and downstairs.

The servants dined with their masters

and they were all entertained here from the minstrels' gallery.

MINSTREL MUSIC PLAYS

It's so very easy to imagine the hustle and the bustle

of medieval life here.

And there's a very good reason why this magnificent building

is in such good condition.

At the early part of the 18th century, the Manners family

moved out of Haddon Hall, leaving it empty for more than 200 years.

Bizarrely, this neglect was the very thing that preserved

the hall's medieval and Tudor character.

It was as if it slept through the Georgian and Victorian eras.

But although the hall lay dormant for most of that time,

it became very much alive with the imagination of Victorian England.

Popular fiction was full of the story of the 16th century elopement

of the young Dorothy Vernon,

daughter of Haddon Hall with John Manners.

It is thought that Dorothy's father, a Catholic,

disapproved of John Manners because he was a Protestant.

Theirs was an important union,

because it was their direct descendant,

the 9th Duke of Rutland, who, at the start of the 20th century,

turned the fortunes of the hall around.

But breathing new life back into the house was easier said than done.

Yew trees had rerooted themselves and taken over the gardens.

The roof in the main hall was falling in

and there was very little left in the way of furniture

that wasn't completely rotten.

It was a huge undertaking and the restoration was all-encompassing.

And it's here, in this ancient chapel, that the most difficult

and delicate piece of restoration work was carried out.

If you look closely, you can see images of frescos

that adorn these wonderful walls,

but, like many other frescos, during the time of the Reformation,

they were all plastered over and whitewashed.

The Duke employed the foremost expert of the day

to restore these beautiful frescos.

Now, this, the three skeletons, that's a very popular

and poignant 15th-century fresco image.

It's there to remind us all of our fate.

The fate of Haddon Hall nowadays rests on

the 9th Duke of Rutland's grandson, Lord Edward Manners,

a great admirer of his grandfather's work.

Tell me about your grandfather's dreams for Haddon Hall.

Well, his dream was really to restore Haddon.

It was just at that tipping point, I think, in the 1920s.

The family basically kept it watertight

and made some repairs on the roof and on the pointing,

but it was basically abandoned for 200 years,

so, it was his life's work

and he started restoring this house in 1913

and finally completed the project in 1934.

He was a man of many interests

and one of his great interests was also archaeology.

He helped Lord Carnarvon excavate Tutankhamun's tombs.

He also recorded each stage of the restoration

in volumes of notebooks which have fantastic photographs in them

and drawings, architect's drawings as well,

which we use to this day for continued restoration projects here.

This must have been an ambitious project at the time.

It was a very ambitious project

and he brought in all sorts of experts

to repair and restore, for instance, these Bombay glass windows.

Every single window was taken out and he devised a methodology

for actually making the undulation in the glass on a wooden frame.

-What was he like as a person?

-He was known as quite a serious person.

Reasonably bookish and quite academic,

but he was a fantastic enthusiast.

People loved working with him, so what you see here

is a very authentic view of sort of Tudor and Elizabethan life.

-Yeah, a very honest view as well.

-Yes, quite.

If he hadn't done it then,

then Haddon would definitely be a ruin now.

Time has literally stood still here

and that's thanks to the 9th Duke and his passion for history,

that this place remains a window into life in medieval England

and a modern-day marvel.

It's lunch time, and we're taking a break from our valuations

to go back in time with some musical entertainment, renaissance-style.

Inspired by the professional court music that would have entertained

the great and the good of the 16th and 17th century,

local group Piva are on the bagpipes, the violin,

and the hurdy-gurdy and they even came dressed for the occasion.

From historical wooden instruments to a historical wooden box.

Abigail, Rod, thank you for bringing in this very intriguing box.

Very good.

I love the reveal part of this job.

THEY LAUGH

Good grief!

There we go. Normally, in a box like this,

you'll get lovely scientific instruments

and, of course, here we have a lovely sextant, all blacked out.

Usually, blacked out for military purposes, so it can be used

and not reflected and this in itself is a very interesting instrument.

Is this a family thing? Has it come down through the...?

No, no, I bought it 20-odd years ago

-at an auction in Radford, Nottinghamshire.

-Good grief.

-Yes.

When you bought this,

was there a large catalogue description about its associations?

None whatsoever, no,

-I was after it because I was doing a navigation course at college.

-Oh!

I thought, you know, I should get a sextant just to try it out.

-Good Lord!

-So, I was...you know, I bought this one.

This is the first one I bought and I'm very lucky to...

No offence, but talk about dumb luck! That's absolutely brilliant!

-So, you bought this purely for practical use?

-Practical use, yes.

Well, what makes it special is this plaque here in the top.

That's right.

"Sextant used by Lieutenant-Commander John Bowman,

"navigator HMS Exeter." Well, there's a familiar name.

"Killed in action, River Plate, 13.12.1939."

River Plate, to anyone that's familiar with good cinema,

-they will have seen The Battle Of The River Plate.

-That's right.

-And the re-enactment of the pursuit of the Graf Spee...

-Yes.

..by the various cruisers at the time, one of which was the Exeter.

The marvellous thing is that this sextant saw that engagement.

And that's incredible.

I mean, this is a piece of World War II history that's so important

-it was brought to life in cinema.

-Yes, that's right.

-Now, I've got one question - does it work?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

-Yes, yes, it works.

It's a lovely instrument, It is actually, I mean,

-ironically, an instrument made in Hamburg.

-Correct.

So, there's a touch of bitter irony there,

but it was retailed in Portsmouth.

I mean, Abigail, what does this do to you as a youngster?

-It's a piece of history, isn't it? Yeah.

-It's enthralling, isn't it?

-And it's lovely to see that people appreciate it.

-Definitely.

And people do appreciate it, they appreciate it for what it is

and for its associations and, of course, that means a value.

Oh, right, yes.

-20 years ago, was it very expensive?

-Well, I paid about £200 for it.

Which, at the time, was a very reasonable price

-to pay for a sextant.

-That's right.

But not with these associations, not at all. Um, that was a snip.

Ooh...why have you decided to sell it now?

-Are you not in naval training, Abigail, or anything? No?

-No!

Her grandfather was, though, and he was very good.

He taught me how to use it and...

-Oh, so, your grandfather taught you...

-Yeah.

-..how to use it?

-Yeah.

-Oh, that's marvellous. So, no pangs to hold on to it or...?

No, I've got another one which was her grandfather's,

so, I'm quite prepared to let this one go.

Normally, this would be two to three,

but this makes all the difference, it really does.

It's a stab in the dark, because I can't, hand on heart, tell you

how much difference this will make, but let's say...

-£500 to £800.

-Right.

-And a fixed reserve of £500 on this.

-Yes, I'd go along with that.

You know, I mean, if it goes for very much more than that,

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised, because it's just

a wonderful piece of history, more than an instrument, in fact.

Thank you so much for bringing along something

from one of my favourite films!

-Yes.

-If nothing else, it relates to that.

Well, it's marvellous to see a piece of history like that.

Now, Caroline has found something far more domestic.

-So, welcome, Ron and Liz.

-Thank you.

And thank you very much for bringing this fabulous thing to show me.

-Can you tell me anything about it?

-It was part-payment of a job.

Part-payment of what sort of a job?

-To do with farming, ploughing or something of that region.

-Yeah?

So, you want to know how much this is worth

-to know if you've got your money's worth for your job.

-True.

Right, OK, well, let's see if I can help you.

First of all, I think it's wonderful.

It's pottery, Staffordshire pottery, and it's encased in silver,

which is made by a very famous London silversmith, William Cummins.

Very good make, so those are all the plus points that add to it

beautifully, but, as in life,

-as always, there are some minuses.

-Yeah.

There's damage. You probably know there's quite a bit of damage.

For instance, the cup here is damaged

and if we look at the teapot,

if we lift it up, we can see, at the bottom, it's been riveted

and I like to see rivets, it shows how much somebody's thought about

-the item to rivet it.

-Yeah, yeah.

You don't see it being repaired like that these days, do you?

No, no, absolutely not.

It's various dates... this lovely teapot

with the William Cummins, London, silver-maker's marks here, 1896.

The various cups and jugs are later

and it's been a very, very smart set.

Your average person wouldn't own a set like this and it's all complete.

-Yes.

-You've got four cups, four saucers, the four plates

-and the two serving plates.

-Yes. What would the handle be made of?

Now, this is a wooden handle because it's not heat conductive,

so you would be able to hold it and pour without getting hot.

-Yes.

-Do you like it?

-Tell me.

-I like it, it's pretty, but I would never use it for anything.

It's too fragile to use, really.

-We don't have it out on display or anything, do we?

-It lives in there.

-It lives in that box?

-In the box in the loft.

-Aw!

Why have you decided now is the time to sell it?

-Well, somebody else could maybe appreciate it more.

-Yeah.

Well, I think somebody would really appreciate this.

-And as for value, do you have any idea of value?

-No.

Well, I would think, if we put an estimate at auction of

-£150 to £250 with a fixed reserve of £150.

-Yeah.

-If the pottery was Royal Worcester...

-Yes.

-..that would make a big difference to the price.

-Yes.

-This is just a Staffordshire potter.

-Yeah.

If it was in perfect condition,

-it would make a huge difference to the price.

-Yes.

-Yes.

It could do quite a lot better than that,

-but if we put a fixed reserve of 150, are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Yes.

It's wonderful to have such a truly historic setting for our Flog It! valuation day

and I've found it impossible not to snoop around.

This house is just full of treasures.

And it's here in the old milk larder

that you'll find a collection of dole cupboards,

possibly the finest collection of its kind, dating back to the 1500s.

These cupboards you'll find in all the great houses throughout the country, houses like Haddon.

Particularly in the sort of jetted porches of the Elizabethan houses

and they were there to feed the estate workers and passing traders.

Loaves of bread were put in them and the bread was known as doles

and this is where we get the term from - "on the dole".

I must say, I am rather jealous of this collection.

There is so much history here in this room

and I'm in awe of it. I really am.

There are antiques and collectibles from all eras here, but no prizes

for guessing the age of the little scent bottle coming up next.

Oriana, thank you so much

for bringing this little gem along today.

-All right.

-Lovely little thing.

Before I even begin to tell you about it,

you tell me where it came from.

-My father's shed.

-Your father's shed?!

-Yes.

-He actually worked for the refuge...

-Yes.

..many, many years ago,

-and he would make private collections for the council.

-Right.

Um, and I think this is one of the items that he found in his job.

-What? Thrown out?

-Yeah.

-In the rubbish?

-Yeah.

Right, now, following it so far, someone has thrown this out.

-Whoever they may be, they're fools.

-Yeah.

-But your father found it.

Why did he then put it in his shed?

Overspill of things in the house, so they went in the shed.

-It's not very big, is it, Oriana?

-You didn't see the shed.

-There's not more of these in the shed, are there?

-No, no.

Aw! Is it something you've known then, or it is something that's...?

No, I found it three weeks ago.

-And, up until then, no idea...

-Didn't even know it existed.

Oh, that's fantastic.

So, when you discovered it three weeks ago, what did you think?

-Did you think...?

-I actually thought it was a bit of plastic.

Oh, be fair! It's got that plasticky look

because it's trying to imitate ivory.

-Right.

-It's an ivorine porcelain body.

-Well...

-Highlighted in gilt.

-Mm-hm.

And we've got... You know who she is, don't you? Cos it's written...

Queen Victoria, yep.

That's Queen Victoria's young head.

Right.

Um, and we've got the coronation date, 1837,

-and then we've got the Jubilee 1887.

-Right.

-Um, and she didn't look like that in 1887, I can promise you!

-No!

If we look at it, we've got the stopper.

-I mean, isn't that ingenious?

-It is, it's lovely.

Making a silver stopper look like a crown for the Jubilee,

and, if we turn it over...

..flowers, but not just flowers.

-The emblems of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

-Yep.

So, the Empire, basically, and if we look at the bottom here...

-that's what we want to see, Royal Worcester.

-Right, OK.

So, I mean, really, when you see this blush ivory with gilding,

you think it's going to be Worcester,

-but to have a mark as confirmation on the base is rather great.

-Right.

And, surprisingly, for all the places it's been, the bin, the shed,

only a little bit of the gilding has worn off the edges

of the top of the decoration.

-Any idea what it's worth?

-Haven't got a clue.

£20 to £40, would that seem a fair...?

I honestly don't know, haven't got a clue.

We can do a little bit better than that, because it's two things.

-It's a royal commemorative.

-Mm-hm.

-And it's Royal Worcester.

-OK.

So, you get royal commemorative collectors

-bidding against Royal Worcester collectors.

-Right.

And that's not even factoring the scent bottle collectors,

of which there are many.

-Yes.

-Let's put it in at...

£200 to £300 and let's put a fixed reserve of £200 on it.

-Yes, please.

-I mean, they might have made quite a few of them,

-but they haven't all survived.

-No, no.

-And not in lovely condition.

Um, it's an absolute find, but why, after discovering it,

are you selling it now?

Whatever it raises is going towards a headstone for my mum and dad.

Oh, well, that's a very worthy cause, isn't it?

They both recently passed away.

Oh, that's very sad, but, hopefully that will get you some way

to a beautiful headstone for them.

-Yeah.

-If not all the way. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

-You never know.

It is extraordinary what people throw away.

Looks like Caroline has found something very special.

Wow, Mike, I think it's over to you to tell me a bit about this history.

It came from the family in Ireland

and I know we've had it for about 100 years.

It was used for christenings in the family

and I think I was the last person to be christened in it.

-Oh, were you?

-In 1940.

-So you have an attachment to this.

I do have an attachment to it.

Well, I'm sure you looked handsome and charming in this.

-I had more hair then.

-Did you?

It's the finest silk you can imagine, it's absolutely beautiful.

It dates from around 1900. Does that tie in with your...?

-That ties in, yes.

-Around 1900. So it's well over 100 years old now.

It's in very, very good condition.

There's a few tiny rust marks and a few tiny staining areas inside.

This is beautiful, machine-made lace all the way around it

and the embroidery. Beautifully, beautifully made.

This is obviously the christening cape.

Do you have a christening gown that went with it?

There may have been one but I've no knowledge of it.

-But you've kept this.

-Yes.

And why do you now feel the time is right to sell, Mike?

I'd like to see it go to somebody else and be used, really,

because it won't be used in our family again

because the family has their own traditions

so it won't carry on to another generation.

I mean, it's a family heirloom of yours

and the value is beyond counting, sentimental value,

but what sort of value would you be happy to sell it for?

I've no idea, I'd really just be happy with the idea that it's used.

Well, I would put a valuation - to me it should be worth an awful lot more, we'll start by saying that -

but a realistic valuation for auction I think

would be £40-£60,

-with a fixed reserve of £40.

-Yes, that's fine.

-And I'm sure that will go to a home and be used.

-Absolutely.

It would be nice to see it used in the future.

Well, I'm sure it will be for at least another hundred years.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, Mike.

I started this show by saying,

"Haddon Hall is one of my favourite places in the world, I love it,"

and now I hope you and love it too.

We're off to the auction room now, to put these values to the test

and here's a quick recap of what's coming with us.

What price history? It's up to the bidders to value the sextant now.

Caroline loved the tea set, but will she be the only one?

And will the little perfume bottle do its bit to help Oriana

with the headstone for her parents?

And surely someone will fall in love

with the exquisite hand-stitched christening gown.

Welcome back to Bamfords Auction Rooms,

where James Lewis is on the rostrum right now.

Let's catch up with our next owners, Ron and Liz,

as we're about to put the Staffordshire tea service

under the hammer, and here's our expert Caroline.

-Good to see you both again.

-Yes.

Now, you got this tea set as part of a part-payment,

-in a way, for a farming job.

-Yes, yes.

-Well, we got a value of £150 to £250.

-There is some damage on it.

There is a bit of damage, but it looks like

-a lot of lot for the money, doesn't it?

-It does. Yeah.

And the silver's beautiful, isn't it?

William Cummins' silver. Fabulous.

I think it's about time we found out what it's worth, don't you? Here it is.

And I can start the bidding at £140, 150 now.

-150, sir...

-Straightaway we're straight in there.

170, 180, and 190 beats it. At 180, very close, 190, now, standing.

At 190 standing, 200, do I see? Coming back, 200, no?

At 190 standing to the right, at 190 you're out online as well. At 190...

All sure? Gavel's raised. 190...

-Yours, sir.

-That was short and sweet, wasn't it!

That chap was determined to have it. He came to buy that.

-Well, someone in the room did love it.

-180, 190...

Now, let's see what the provenance does for the sextant.

Showing us the right direction now is Rob and Abigail

with the sextant which has been blacked out for military purposes.

We've got a value of £500 to £800 on this,

-and I know Rob has had this for around 30 years.

-That's right.

Why have you decided to sell now?

I don't think I'll be using it again, Paul,

so I hope it goes to somebody that will be using it.

-I think it's got to go to a military historian.

-Sure.

It is a historical piece, Abigail, what do you think of it?

I think it's a great piece of history,

and it needs to go to somebody who's going to appreciate it and enjoy it.

-And hopefully a collector will.

-Yeah.

We're going to put it to the test right now. Here we go.

760, this is the sextant.

And I can start the bidding here at...

well, I've got three bids,

all of them below estimate at £420,

440. 440, 460 do I see?

At 440, 460 now.

At £440, I have...

460. Lots of interest,

but all around that area. At £440...

-We've got a fixed reserve of 500, haven't we?

-Mm-hm.

No, it's too much, I think. Sorry.

Lots of bids in the 400s, but it needs to make 500. Not sold.

Oh, well, I would suggest a specialist maritime sale.

It's disappointing. I think all those bids were for it as a sextant.

-Yes.

-But not its history.

-Yes.

And, you know, sometimes we say specialist sales are

the best place to go, and this is so niche,

there's probably only five or ten people in the country

that appreciate what it is.

Next, something we can be certain about.

A Victorian christening cape belonging to Mike

who actually wore it, didn't you?

I wore it when I was christened when I was two days old.

Aw! Fantastic. This is incredible really,

-I mean, this is your own social history.

-Yes.

We did consider having it conserved but it would cost a fortune.

-How do you feel...?

-And where would it go in the future?

-Is this going to be a sad moment?

-No, not really.

I'd like to think that it was going on to somebody else.

-To a collection.

-Yes.

OK, we're going to find out right now.

It's now down to the bidders.

Lot number 561, Victorian silk christening gown.

There we are, and I can start the bidding here at £30.

30 and 5 now, 35, 40, 45.

At 45, 50 now.

At 45 and 50 anywhere?

At £45, do I see 50? At 45.

It's away.

-45.

-And the hammer's gone down, £45.

It was short and sweet.

Blink and you'll miss that.

Well done, good valuation, that was right on.

Hopefully it will go to a collection.

-Yes, or to be worn again.

-Yes.

Earlier, I caught up with auctioneer James Lewis to get his opinion

on our final item, the commemorative Royal Worcester scent bottle.

Will this have the sweet smell of success?

Do you know, actually, James, I quite like that little scent bottle.

-Young Queen Victoria on it, and I know you've sold these before.

-Yeah.

-We've got £200 to £300 on this.

-I think that is almost spot on.

-Yeah.

-I hope to get top end estimate.

-OK.

-They come in various colours.

This is quite a common colour.

They come in slightly brighter ones as well

and they also occasionally have a fleur-de-lys

moulded into the back, and the countries of the commonwealth

-around the outside.

-Right.

So this is one of two or three different models,

but still, it's a good thing.

And it's lovely to see that crown that hasn't been compressed,

-cos the reppouse is quite thin.

-Yeah, that's a nice thing.

-Well, good luck with that.

-Thank you.

Well, the condition is good, so it's got everything going for it.

And at £200 to £300, it's here to go.

Oriana, why, why, why are you selling this?

This should be a keeper somewhere.

It should be, but, at the end of the day,

-it belonged to my father.

-Right.

He recently passed away and I am left with dealing with his estate.

-If it sells, the money is going towards the headstone.

-OK.

It ticks so many boxes.

It does and, right now, it's going under the hammer.

Let's find out what the bidders of the Peak District think. Here we go.

318 is this Royal Worcester commemorative scent bottle.

Let's find out how many phone lines are booked and what's the interest.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13 bids.

-I thought he wasn't going to stop for a minute!

-Two telephones...

This is going to be a fight. This is going to be enjoyable. Watch this.

This is going to be a classic auction.

-220? 220.

-And the phones are poised as well.

-240, 260.

300, 340, 400, 420. First phone at 420.

460. 500.

-540.

-Wow.

-580.

-Ha!

This is great.

-Hidden treasure.

-Yes.

-600. 650.

At £600, 620 do you want?

-620 second phone. 620.

-(620!)

-650.

680.

680, 700. 750.

750. 800.

850.

-£800.

-It's just one of those moments.

-It's fantastic.

-One more?

-It is amazing though.

-Yeah.

820. 820.

It worked at 820 on the phone, I'm out. 820, gavel's raised.

Are you sure?

At 820 on the telephone...

-820, well done.

-Yes! £820.

-Fantastic result. You're shaking, aren't you?

-Very good...

-for a bit of plastic!

-You're shaking, aren't you?

You thought it was plastic, but there you go. Porcelain at its best.

-Yeah.

-Well, look, I hope you have many more times like this.

It's really, really put a highlight

and a wonderful end spot to our show today from the Peak District.

I hope you've enjoyed the surprise we guaranteed.

You never know what's going to happen in an auction. Keep watching.

So, until next time, from all of us. It's goodbye.