0:00:02 > 0:00:04Our venue today was inspired by fine art, Italy
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and entertaining.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Set in the idyllic Suffolk countryside,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11it's been described as a stunning architectural oddity
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and it's certainly one of England's finest mansion houses.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But why don't you be the judge of that?
0:00:16 > 0:00:19This is Ickworth House. Welcome to Flog It!
0:00:41 > 0:00:44So how did Ickworth, an Italianate palace,
0:00:44 > 0:00:45end up in Suffolk?
0:00:47 > 0:00:50This remarkable Georgian house was built
0:00:50 > 0:00:52for the eccentric Hervey family
0:00:52 > 0:00:55to reflect a passion for Italian architecture
0:00:55 > 0:00:59and to showcase an extensive art collection.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Completed and enhanced by a succession of Hervey men,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07they were supported by strong, intelligent and often wealthy women.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10But more about them later on in the show.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Most of the original artwork that Ickworth was built to house
0:01:17 > 0:01:19was collected over the years on the Grand Tour of Europe.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22But it never actually made it here.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It was confiscated in Rome by Napoleon's troops,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28but we do have a wonderful Flog It! crowd here today,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30armed with their own treasures and fine art.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33All keen to fill Ickworth House and, of course,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36they want that all-important valuation from our experts,
0:01:36 > 0:01:37and I know, before we go inside,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40there is one question on everybody's lips, which is...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42ALL: What's it worth?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Stay tuned and you'll find out.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Now owned by the National Trust,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54today's throng don't have to worry about Napoleon's troops.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57But two leaders in the field of antiques,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59ready to go to war to seize any advantage
0:01:59 > 0:02:01are Philip Serrell...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Just stand back.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..and Adam Partridge.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07I'll have a look at this box.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I think you'll find it has a green sticker on it.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11THEY LAUGH
0:02:11 > 0:02:13You're late again!
0:02:13 > 0:02:16So, without further ado, let battle commence.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23On today's show, there are some tricky valuations.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- Have you seen me guess before? - Oh, yes.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I've seen the hit and misses.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It's not going well now, is it?
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But whose guesses are widely short of the mark at the auction?
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Absolutely stunned.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39130, 140, 150, 160...
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Hammer's gone down, job done!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47This is the West Wing, at one stage originally used by the
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Hervey family for grain storage,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and today it is filling up fast with the good folk of Suffolk,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56laden with antiques and collectables.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It's time to start the valuing, so let's catch up with Adam Partridge
0:02:59 > 0:03:00and see what he has spotted.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And like a magpie, our expert happened to see
0:03:06 > 0:03:10his first item twinkling in the queue.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12This is a wonderful dish.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Thank you so much for bringing it in to Flog It!
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It's just my sort of thing.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I was glad you liked it as you walked past, actually.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22You saw me stop and seize on it, I do that.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24You have an instinct in your stomach sometimes
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and you think, "Oh, gosh, I must see that."
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Can you tell me what you know about it?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31We've owned it about 30 years, I suppose.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34We used to use it as a muffin dish occasionally.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- You can get the hot water in. - That's right.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40There's a little screw there, isn't there?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- It's round here.- There we go.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46So you unscrew that and put your hot water in there
0:03:46 > 0:03:48to keep your muffins warm.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Muffins or drop scones or whatever you have.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I don't know a lot about it. I think
0:03:53 > 0:03:56it might have come down from Sir William Preece,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58who helped Marconi
0:03:58 > 0:04:00do his first transatlantic cable.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- Oh!- They were a much more elegant family, a rich family.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Well, it is a very grand muffin dish, isn't it?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09It is, it's lovely to use but it is grand.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13It's not the sort of thing one rolls out and uses on a regular basis, is it?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- How often do we have muffins these days?- Exactly.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17There's no marks on it at all
0:04:17 > 0:04:20but those of us who know about these things,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22it's written all over it, it doesn't need a mark.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It's an Arts and Crafts piece from around about 1905 or so,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30it was designed and made at the Guild of Handicrafts
0:04:30 > 0:04:33by Charles Robert Ashby,
0:04:33 > 0:04:34so it has a really good pedigree.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37The Guild of Handicrafts moved to Chipping Campden
0:04:37 > 0:04:39in about 1902,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41so it would have been made in the real height of
0:04:41 > 0:04:43the Arts and Crafts movement.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45It's handmade, hand-beaten,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48which is quite important because it is only silver-plated,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and silver plate these days, generally speaking,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54is a dreadfully depressed market.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But this is all in the style and the design
0:04:57 > 0:04:59that makes this a valuable piece
0:04:59 > 0:05:02and this little hard-stone finial inset
0:05:02 > 0:05:04into the lid is just a lovely touch.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It's such a smooth, elegant shape, isn't it?
0:05:06 > 0:05:08It's just very, very pleasing, isn't it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Down to value.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11My estimate would be £400-£600.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- We'll put a reserve of 400 if that suits you.- Yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18And there is a massive appeal for works of this period.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Good.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21The other satisfying thing is that
0:05:21 > 0:05:24there is no value to the metal so it will not ever be melted,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- it will always be preserved as an object.- Lovely.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Thank you so much for bringing it in, it's the nicest thing I've seen for a while.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- That's grand, thank you. - Thank you so much.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Adam's not the only one discovering gems amongst the crowd.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44There's a wealth of unusual treasures walking through the doors today.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Giles, these belong to you.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48That's right,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I got them from my godmother when she died
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and she had had them for quite a long time.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I don't know how she came by them, but she always thought they were quite special,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00so I have brought them along today just to give you
0:06:00 > 0:06:01a chance to see them.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Looking at a couple of them, they are dated, so what you have got here
0:06:04 > 0:06:08is three late 18th-century Scandinavian washboards
0:06:08 > 0:06:10and the detail is absolutely exquisite.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12They would be used for dividing the linen up.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15When it comes out on rolls and it wants to dry,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18you pick up one of these to separate the sheets
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and fold them, literally to lift up and let the air get through.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I particularly like this one with the handle.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Most people tend to put them on the wall and I guess that's where you've had them.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Yes, they hang on the wall as a memento of my godmother.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32This one is dated 1769,
0:06:32 > 0:06:33this one is dated 1762.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35So you're looking at works of art here.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Beautiful, beautiful examples
0:06:37 > 0:06:39of master craftsmen at the top of the genre.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Individually, if you put these on the market,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46- they'd fetch around about £800-£1,200 each.- Right.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49So I've got three grand sitting on my lap of Scandinavian folk art.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51They're not for sale.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I wish they were. I was just about to twist your arm.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Please put them on the wall and enjoy them, won't you?- Yes, I will.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00What a treat. You never know what you're going to find.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And these possessions have often gone on an interesting journey
0:07:03 > 0:07:06before they make it to the Flog It! valuation tables.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So just tell me, why have you, a lady,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12got a gentleman's pocket watch?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15It's my father's watch, he owns it at the moment.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20It used to belong to my mother's stepfather, so my step-grandfather.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24My grandmother remarried again when she was in her late 70s, 80s.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- So she got married at 80, bless her!- Yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28And she married William, whose watch it was.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Me and my sister were bridesmaids at their wedding.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- So you went to your gran's wedding as a bridesmaid?- Yeah.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- That's pretty cool, isn't it? - It was, yeah, very good.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38And then, when he died, my grandmother inherited it
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and when she died, my mother inherited it
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and then my mum died 20 years ago, so my dad's had it ever since.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45So you tell me what it is and what it's worth.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47I haven't a clue what it's worth.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50It's a pocket watch with a gold-coloured chain. Is it gold?
0:07:50 > 0:07:52- I don't know.- Right, we'll have a look at it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55If we pick this up and have a look at the back,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57that isn't a good start.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- It's not a good start? - Not a good start, this.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Rolled gold. Now, that basically means gold-plated.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08So that's actually not a good starting point, is it?
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- What about this? Where's he got that from?- I haven't a clue.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It looks like it's got Arabic writing on it.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18One of our researchers looked earlier
0:08:18 > 0:08:23and we think this is a Turkish 100 Kurush coin. And it's gold.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- And so today, this is worth its weight in gold.- Mm.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31In pure financial terms, if you offered me that or that, I think
0:08:31 > 0:08:35that's worth £10 or £20 and I think that's worth between,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- I don't know, £100 and £200, perhaps £250.- Blimey.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41But we've got this in the middle, haven't we?
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Do you know what this chain's called?- Albert chain.- All right.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Have a look through there. Can you see that?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- I can't see what it says. - Can't you see it?- No.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- No, I can't, no. - Do you want these, as well?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- Yeah, I might need them! - Shall we get Jodrell Bank in?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Hey, come on, concentrate. You're not that old, look.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Help us! Right, so what we've got there, look, we've got a chain.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03And I mean, it's hard to see.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06That says nine carat, which is, in a way, the lowest grade,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08but nonetheless, this has still got a value.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Now, the sad thing is
0:09:09 > 0:09:12that this is probably going to end up in the melting pot,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14but from your point of view,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- the price of precious metals have gone through the roof.- Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So I think if we estimate it at £250-£350
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and we put a £200 reserve on that,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- I think you should make between £300-£400.- Yeah, it'd be lovely.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29What I would really like you to do with the proceeds
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- is go and buy some glasses. - Some new glasses!
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- Yeah, maybe I need to, yeah. - All right.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36LAUGHTER
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Well, you don't need glasses to see how busy it is today.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43And while the valuations are going on, I thought I'd slip away
0:09:43 > 0:09:46from the West Wing to have a quick look inside the Rotunda.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Here you can find a renowned collection of paintings
0:09:52 > 0:09:56such as this one of the fourth Earl, known as the Earl-Bishop.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03It was painted in 1790 by French artist Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07who was a court painter to Queen Marie Antoinette.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Her portraits often idealised the model.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14In other words, they weren't always as attractive in the flesh
0:10:14 > 0:10:15as they appeared on canvas.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19And this made her very popular with her sitters.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Well, the Earl-Bishop must have appreciated her talent,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25because a year after she painted his portrait,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28he commissioned a self-portrait of the artist herself.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31And here it is hanging in the smoking room on the wall.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And I have to say, in my opinion,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35this is the best painting in the house.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39It's absolutely exquisite. Beautifully executed.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Vigee Le Brun was interested in fashion
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and she painted clothing in great detail.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Just take the ruff around her neck with all the lacework,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52the light and the shade, being able to look through this fine weave.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54And again, the folds in the fabric,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58this wonderful, rich, red velvet texture.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01That's just fabulous.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Another professional with an eye for fine detail
0:11:07 > 0:11:10is Adam Partridge, who knows quality when he spots it.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- Susan, welcome to Flog It! - Thank you.- Lovely to see you.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- Nice to see you again.- Now, can you tell me where you got it from?
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- My husband's nan and grandad.- OK.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- So it's passed down through your family in-laws.- That's right.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- And do you use it?- No.- Really?- It was in the garage until last weekend.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- What?- I don't know.- What is it doing in a garage? It's very nice.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Do you know the wood? - Is it rosewood?- Very good.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- You don't need me, do you? - I do. How old do you think it is?
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- I think it's early 19th century. 1830s?- Oh, really?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- Looks like it might be a tea caddy, but it's not, is it?- No.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Shall we have a look?- Yes, look inside.- Da-da-da! There we go.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52My favourite bit, I think, is behind here.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Because that's where you've got the maker's mark. Bailey & Blue.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58- Never heard of them. - Never heard of them?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Well, they're not very commonly seen,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02but they're good manufacturers.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04London manufacturers of Cockspur Street.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- And I believe they were perfumers to the Queen.- Oh, were they?
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Or to the royal family.- That's nice. - So it's a quality thing.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16So this is a box that covers every use that you need, really.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- For travelling.- Travelling. Exactly.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23This bit is for your writing and your stationary and then we fold up
0:12:23 > 0:12:25and you've got your toiletry section
0:12:25 > 0:12:27with a selection of little glass bottles.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- Unfortunately, the condition's not great.- Yes, I know.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- Did you do that? - No. That's how I inherited it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36- And then you've got these little pots here made from ivory.- Yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And lots of little lidded compartments there
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and you've got a drawer at the bottom,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- which would've been where you keep your jewellery.- I think so.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- You don't have a key either, do you? - No.- Poor box.- Yeah, poor box.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- We need to get it to a loving home, don't we?- Very true, very true.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52So, Susan, obviously, it's called Flog It!,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54it's all about selling it,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58we've got to talk the vulgar stuff now, about the money side of things.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- What do you reckon? Value it for me. - About £100.- Very good.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I was going to put our old favourite estimate on it of £80-£120.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Because it actually is the right estimate for this,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12factoring in the condition isn't great.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16If this was absolutely perfect, it would be worth £300-£500.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Really?- Yeah, I think so.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21But as it is, I think £100 is a fair indication.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- Is that all right with you? - Yeah, that's fine.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24I think a £50 reserve would be sensible.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- And if it makes £100-£150, which we hope it'll make...- Bonus.- Bonus!
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Absolutely! Do you have any plans on the proceeds if it sells?
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- To go to Parkinson's UK.- Excellent.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41And back in the West Wing, beautiful as well as practical
0:13:41 > 0:13:45might be an apt description of Shirley's profession.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Shirley, how are you?- Fine, thank you.- Now, are you a Suffolk lass?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Cambridgeshire. By one mile! - By one mile?- Yeah.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Are you involved with the agricultural fraternity?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I used to be. I am a carriage driving teacher, really, now.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- Carriage driving, like the Duke of Edinburgh does?- Yes.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- That's cool, isn't it? - It's great fun.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- How long did it take you to learn that?- I started when I was six.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- With a Shetland pony.- Are you from a farming family?- Oh, yes.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Because this painting you've brought along,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- it's a painting that I could see hanging in a farmhouse.- Yes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- Do you know who the artist is?- No.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Well, there's good news and there's bad news.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- The artist is Michelangelo.- Oh, yes?
0:14:21 > 0:14:25But not that one! That's the bad news. I can't pronounce it,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27it's Meucci, which is M-E-U-C-C-I.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31And this chap was prolific in the 19th century.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36He did live birds, which made £1,000 plus, and he did dead birds,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38which made, like, £150.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43So, by and large, people don't want dead birds hanging on the walls,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and so, a painting like this is...
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Its sort of value falls a little bit,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51simply because of the subject matter.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Having said that,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56you've got a really lovely Black Forest carved
0:14:56 > 0:14:57vine leaf frame around it.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- I think that's going to help it along.- Is that contemporary with the picture?
0:15:01 > 0:15:05I would have said it probably was, yeah. What do you know about it?
0:15:05 > 0:15:06How long have you owned it?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I have owned it since 1996 when my mother died.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13She had bought it before then. It's been in the family over 50 years.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- Did she buy it at auction, or...? - She did.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18But she didn't do auctions, so we don't know why she went to this auction and bought this
0:15:18 > 0:15:22picture, because she hid it away to start with. She didn't want anybody to know about it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Was it a mistake, do you think?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I think it must have been.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28You know, this is almost the ideal subject of what's not in
0:15:28 > 0:15:32fashion any more, cos you've got a Black Forest frame that isn't
0:15:32 > 0:15:36quite as collectable as it was 10 or 15 years ago, you've got this
0:15:36 > 0:15:40subject, and I think all of that affects how you pitch your estimate.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43I think you need to put your estimate at £150-250, reserve it at 150.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Now, wouldn't be surprised if somebody bought it and took
0:15:50 > 0:15:54the frame one way and perhaps put a mirror in it and made that...
0:15:54 > 0:15:58- Yeah, mm-hmm. - ..and the painting went another way and got perhaps framed in a more
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- traditional image, but I think that's just where you need to pitch it.- Right.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04If you have a result, it might do a lot better,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07but I think we've really got to be cautious with it.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It would suit a sort of National Trust game larder or
0:16:10 > 0:16:14- something like that, wouldn't it? - Yeah. I mean, this is a typical larder, this marble slab here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Perhaps we should tell them about it. - I shall leave that to you.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that the birds fly.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23They don't look as if they're going far, do they?
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Well, I'm sure there's life in the old birds yet, Shirley,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28especially where we're going.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Before we head off to auction, I'm going to explore a local landmark.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Sitting on the Suffolk coast,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Southwold is a quintessentially English resort.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51But it also has something you wouldn't expect to find
0:16:51 > 0:16:53amongst a row of terraced houses -
0:16:55 > 0:16:57a town centre lighthouse.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59So you can't really miss it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It's 31 metres in height and it really does stand out.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Built to replace three local lighthouses threatened by
0:17:07 > 0:17:11coastal erosion, Southwold's lighthouse was built inland
0:17:11 > 0:17:16on higher ground on what was the edge of the town back in 1890.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Gosh, look at that!
0:17:21 > 0:17:26A cantilevered spiral staircase which takes you right to the top.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Well, this could take some time.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38Now another very important landmark in this area is over in that
0:17:38 > 0:17:41direction. That's where I'm off to right now.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44It doesn't stand out on a skyline like this one does, but,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47nevertheless, it's still a very important landmark, and it's
0:17:47 > 0:17:50got a lot of history attached to it, so let's go and find it.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The town of Southwold sits at the mouth of the River Blyth and
0:17:57 > 0:18:00the neighbouring village of Walberswick is separated from
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Southwold by this narrow stretch of water.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Landmarks can tell you so much about local history.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10As a ferrywoman,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Dani Church shows they can also come in all shapes and sizes.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19A familiar sight locally, Dani rows residents and tourists across
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the river, keeping communities connected.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- Dani.- Good morning.- Hello.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28'I've come to find out about the fascinating history behind
0:18:28 > 0:18:31this service, which Dani's own family
0:18:31 > 0:18:35has been associated with for five generations.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- What's your dog called? - Nelly.- She's beautiful.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Has she always been onboard?- Pretty much. Yeah, she comes to work.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43The customers love her, especially the children.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Dani, how long have you and your family been involved in the ferry crossing?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Well, the first member of my family was involved in the late-1800s.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54He was my great-great-uncle, Benjamin.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Basically, a member of our family have been doing it ever since then.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00But I gather the ferry has been running a lot longer than that.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Yes, the first recorded crossing was 1236,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05so that's nearly 800 years ago.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07That goes back centuries.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10At that time, it was a rowing boat and they used to charge
0:19:10 > 0:19:12a ha'penny per person and per horse,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15but goodness knows how they rowed a horse across. I don't know.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The pontoon ferry from the 1880s was, in turn,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26replaced by a new and improved steam ferry in the 1920s called the Blyth.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30How long did the chain ferry last?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32What happened in the Second World War,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34the army used to cross but they didn't pay.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38So the service sort of went into disrepair cos there was no money.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40So they moored it up.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Eventually, the pontoon just ended up sort of sitting on the mud,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45and that was the end of that.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50After hundreds of years of crossings, both communities
0:19:50 > 0:19:53were cut off from each other, but Dani's family came to the rescue.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00In 1940, her great-great-uncle Old Bob Cross enlisted his
0:20:00 > 0:20:03brother Ernie, and together, using a fishing boat,
0:20:03 > 0:20:08they resurrected the old rowing boat service, which still operates today.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18So who took over from Bob and Ernie?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Well, that was Young Bob, Old Bob's son.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23He did the ferry in the 1970s and 1980s.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26He became a bit of a celebrity, because at that time,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28the ferry turned from a necessity to a novelty.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30He even made the front page of the New York Times at one point.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- Did he really?- I know. He became quite a celebrity.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- Local hero. - Something like that, yeah. - When did your father get involved?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40From about the age of 12, he started helping his great-grandad,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44who was Old Bob, on the ferry. He taught him the tricks of the trade.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Bob and Dad, quite famous for their smoked fish,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50kippers and herrings, cos they had a smokehouse down on the harbour.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52- As things do around here.- Yeah.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55When did your father start to teach you to row?
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I can't really remember. It must have been from the age of six or seven.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I used to sit on the boat with him,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04sit on the rings and watch him talk to the customers, stroke the dogs. Gradually, he'd let me take one oar.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Then I'd sit on his lap and do them together. He'd teach me the tides.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12So I've basically grown up knowing all about the ferry and how
0:21:12 > 0:21:13it works.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- So it literally is handed down from father to daughter.- Yeah.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18You obviously clearly get job satisfaction.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I can see you're really passionate about it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25I think it's working outdoors, for me, it's wonderful, and the exercise. Also meeting the people.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27There's so many people who come over.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29From year to year, you gain new friends.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33The customers, you see them every year and you get to know what's going on in their life.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35It's the continuity as well that I really enjoy.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Dani's keen to keep the tradition alive,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and not one to keep her passengers waiting.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43- Come on, jump on. - Morning, everyone.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Some regulars have turned up to get across,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48including Rita and her grandson.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51So, Rita, how long have you been using the ferry?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I've been using the ferry for 61 years now.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Gosh, you don't look old enough. You must have been born in the boat!
0:21:56 > 0:21:58I was born... No, I was born in Walberswick.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02No, I was born in the village, and my mother still lives here.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04What about you?
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- Well, I built the ferry. - You built this ferry?
0:22:06 > 0:22:07You're a shipwright, are you?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- That's correct. - What a lovely trade. Gosh!
0:22:10 > 0:22:13What do you think of Dani continuing the family tradition?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Well, Southwold without the ferry wouldn't be Southwold, would it?
0:22:16 > 0:22:20It just wouldn't. No, it's got to have a ferry.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22The first one I built was 61 years ago.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24But I've never rowed the boat.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28You know, it's never too late, is it?
0:22:30 > 0:22:34It's certainly not too late for Dani's son Charlie or nephew Oscar.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Are you going to take over the business one day?- No, Oscar is.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Is he?
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- Yeah.- I want to work in something different.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43You want to do something different.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45THEY LAUGH
0:22:50 > 0:22:53well, I can't think of a better way to travel and make friends at
0:22:53 > 0:22:55the same time.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Nelly, are you going to jump over?
0:22:57 > 0:22:59- NELLY BARKS - There we go.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Long may the tradition of Southwold to Walberswick ferry continue.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Well, we've certainly got some desirable items
0:23:12 > 0:23:13to put before the bidders.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Now, before we head off to auction for the very first time,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I just wanted to show you the library,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21because it is a magnificent room.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23It's the largest of the state rooms here,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26but there's something very unusual about it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28And I wonder if you can guess what it is?
0:23:28 > 0:23:30It's quite obvious, really.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33There are only two walls in this room.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36One wall is the outer circular wall of the Rotunda,
0:23:36 > 0:23:37which you can see here,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and it's almost dissected in half with this straight wall.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Can you see that? Making a semicircle.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Used more for entertaining rather than a study,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51this doubled up as a ballroom more notably,
0:23:51 > 0:23:52for the annual servants' ball.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57I wonder if we're going to have a ball now as we go off to auction.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And here is a quick recap of all the items we're taking with us
0:24:00 > 0:24:02that are going under the hammer.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06The Arts and Crafts collectors should warm
0:24:06 > 0:24:08to this silver-plated muffin dish.
0:24:10 > 0:24:16We have Julie's gold watch and chain with the unusual Turkish medallion.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Will it be the Black Forest frame or the subject matter
0:24:19 > 0:24:21that determines its sale price?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And will Susan's neglected travelling box find a loving home
0:24:29 > 0:24:31amongst the bidders?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37We've popped just over the border into Norfolk for today's auction
0:24:37 > 0:24:41to the historic market town of Diss, famous for its mere, or lake,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44which is at the heart of the town.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Just around the corner are the auction rooms.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52And the sale room is absolutely rammed.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Do remember, there is commission to pay,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02whether you're buying or selling in an auction room.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Here, at TW Gaze, it's 12.5% plus VAT.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08But it does vary from saleroom to saleroom,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11so check the details in the catalogue. It's printed there.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Or, otherwise, ask a member of staff.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Elizabeth Talbot's just about to get on the rostrum,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17let's get on with the sale.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19270, 280. 290 in the room?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22And I'm sure our viewers will recognise our regular
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Flog It! expert Elizabeth there on auctioneering duty today.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And first up is Susan's rosewood box.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I really do like this.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And I don't think there's a lot of money on this, but it's something
0:25:34 > 0:25:36that, you know, it's kind of hard to sell
0:25:36 > 0:25:39unless you're in the trade and you do them up and move them on.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Lots of people like treen, don't they, Paula?
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Yeah, I like treen, I do like treen, but it's the contents
0:25:44 > 0:25:46which is kind of like, you know, what do you do with it?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- So we're going to find out what it's worth. Ready?- OK.- Here we go.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- This is what we've been waiting for.- OK.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55- It's a lovely lot, this one. - Start me at 100.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- £100 on the box. - Coming in at mid estimate there. No.
0:26:01 > 0:26:0450, I'll take.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Yes, 50 bid. 50, I have. 55 is gallery.
0:26:07 > 0:26:1160, 65, 70, 75.
0:26:13 > 0:26:1480, 85.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Where's 90? Surely worth more.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- She's trying hard with this one. - 90, 95.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25- Come on.- Still good value, I think, at 95. Any advance?
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- 95. The hammer's gone down. - Oh, well done. Thank you.- Job done.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Now, earlier, before the auction got underway,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41I caught up with our auctioneer Elizabeth,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44casting an appreciative eye over our next lot.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Do you like that? - I do like that very much.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49It sits very well on the wall there.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I was just admiring it, cos it's actually in its original frame,
0:26:52 > 0:26:53- by the looks of it, too.- Yes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55It looks like it's been cleaned recently, though.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It has been cleaned in its history. That means you can reveal
0:26:58 > 0:27:00the lovely signature and the date on the bottom,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- which is nice to see. - This belongs to Shirley.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- You know we had a valuation of £150 on this.- Yes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Yes, yes. Something's happened since then.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- What's happened?- Well, she's actually contacted us
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and raised it with a reserve to £300.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Right, OK. Actually, looking at that,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18you would still pay £300 for it, wouldn't you?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Well, I would. I have just been musing whether that seems fair.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I think it does seem fair. But, more to the point,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27this artist, who was very prolific and well-known for such...
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- Michelangelo.- Yes. With a name like that, you have to paint a painting.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32But for that sort of money, he's not unknown.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34£300-£400 is the new revised estimate.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It's not out of the way.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I'm not sweating at this point.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42No, I bet you're not. You're quietly confident, aren't you?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45So, without further ado, let's see if Elizabeth's right.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Any advance?
0:27:48 > 0:27:49On the day, I looked his prices up.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54He... I put in his rock-bottom figures, around 150, 250.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I think if you promote it properly,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59you have online bidding, it will make what it's worth.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Anyway, it's going under the hammer right now.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03I'm pretty sure it's going to find a new home.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Let's find out what this lot think.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Michelangelo Meucci there, the 1877 painting of dead game.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Interest is shown. I start at just £200.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15£200, I have.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17210. 220.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18230. 240. 250.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20260. 270. 280.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21290.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23- Someone...- I think so.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26At 290, now, the room bid at 290. 300, I'll take.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27300 is bid.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Someone's in the room now. That chap there.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31- 340. 360.- Well, it's gone.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Yeah.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35I'm looking for 80.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36380 is the telephone. 400.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40400. I've lost the telephone. £400 now.
0:28:40 > 0:28:41Any advance?
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Well, £400, it's gone. What we keep saying is quality always sells.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49- That's a good result. - Yep, very good.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Thank you very much.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Will the collectors spot this rather special handmade muffin dish?
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- Wonderful bit of silver, Anthea. - It is lovely, isn't it?
0:29:01 > 0:29:03If I owned this, I wouldn't be selling it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06And I bet our expert, Adam, who valued this, wouldn't be selling it.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08It was a real delight to find it.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10I think it's one of the nicest things in the whole sale.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12I'd love to own this.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15And of course, this is an important piece of 20th-century design.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19- It is beautiful. It's so smooth. - Why's it going?
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Well, we haven't got that elegant lifestyle.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- You couldn't put it out because you'd have to polish it. - I'm shivering.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27I'm tingling. This could be brilliant!
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- We're putting it under the hammer right now.- Fingers crossed.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Start me at 500. Classic design.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37£300 to start.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Come on, £300. A good piece here at 300. Where are you?
0:29:45 > 0:29:49No bidding. Anybody in at 300? No?
0:29:50 > 0:29:52No? We'll pass on that one, then.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55- Unbelievable!- I'm pleased it didn't reach the reserve.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58If it was going to sell on the reserve, it would be cheap.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59I didn't want it to sell on the reserve.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- You didn't?- Not really.- Good.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Two were sold a couple of months ago for £600 a piece.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07There you go, that's its value. £600.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09There's another day in another auction room.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- I wish it had made £600.- So do I. - So do I.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Thank you so much for bringing in real quality.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18- Yes, it was lovely just to see it. - Thank you.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Well, the Arts and Crafts collectors were just not out in force today.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23It's such a shame.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Let's see if our next lot fares any better.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29If you'd have sold this five years ago,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32I think you'd have got between a third and a half
0:30:32 > 0:30:33of what you're going to get today.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35And I think it'll make jolly good money
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- and it'll make a full price and hopefully, you'll be pleased.- Good.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- Let's hope so.- I think we all will be.- My dad will be.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Let's put it to the test. Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51It's a lovely lot. I start at £150. 150 bid.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56At 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, I'm out.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57It's gone on the reserve. Here we go.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01220, 230, 240, 250,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03260, 270, 280, 290,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06300, 320, 340, 360.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- More, more.- 380. 380.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11The back wall at 380 now. Looking for 400.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15The back wall at £380 now.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Any advance?
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Spot on, Philip. Does that money go to Dad? It's Dad's watch.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Yep. Dad's having it all. Yeah.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27So it'll go towards whatever he wants to put it towards.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Well, I'm sure he's going to treat you.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31No, no. He doesn't need to treat us.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36- 130, 140...- Well, I hope Julie's dad enjoys spending all that money!
0:31:36 > 0:31:40- A great result.- It's £200 on commission, I'm looking for ten.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Well, that concludes our first visit to the auction room today.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47We are coming back later on in the programme.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Now, they say history is written by the victors.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Well, it's also mostly written by men about other men
0:31:54 > 0:31:57and the lives and contributions of their wives
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and daughters have sometimes - more often than not - been overlooked.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04But as with a lot of families, Ickworth's history is shaped
0:32:04 > 0:32:07on its women, as I found out. Take a look at this.
0:32:07 > 0:32:14MUSIC: Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.6, No.8 by Corelli
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Earls, Lords and Sirs.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27Walking around a stately home, we are often greeted by nobility.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30And because hereditary status usually descends through
0:32:30 > 0:32:35the male line, that's the history we are presented with.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39However, Ickworth House wouldn't be the place it is today or have such
0:32:39 > 0:32:44an interesting story to tell but for the women who married Ickworth men.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47They brought money, they brought notoriety, but ultimately,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50they saved Ickworth House so we could all enjoy it.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56The Ickworth Estate first passed into the hands of the Hervey family
0:32:56 > 0:32:59in the 15th century - through marriage.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05But it was this chap, John Hervey, who - on paper at least - was considered to be
0:33:05 > 0:33:08the founder of the family fortunes, back in the 18th century.
0:33:08 > 0:33:09And how did he do it?
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Well, he married two extremely wealthy heiresses.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17After his first wife died during childbirth, he married this lady,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Elizabeth Felton,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22who, incredibly, bore him 17 children.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25And it's through her family connections that secured
0:33:25 > 0:33:26a peerage for John.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Baron Hervey of Ickworth
0:33:28 > 0:33:31was duly promoted to the Earldom of Bristol.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38And how did the first Earl of Bristol spend his wife's fortune?
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Well, he drew up grandiose plans for a new house which eventually
0:33:43 > 0:33:46became the Ickworth we see today.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49And purchased some beautiful objects to fill it.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53Thanks to the wealth of his wives,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55the first Earl was able to commission a considerable
0:33:55 > 0:33:59amount of silver from some of the leading silversmiths of the day.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Things like these three silver sugar casters,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05dating back to 1723.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Look at this wonderful pierced filigree work,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12I mean, the attention to detail is absolutely superb.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15It's a lasting legacy for us all to enjoy.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19But it wasn't just the money the Hervey women brought to the
0:34:19 > 0:34:23table - the first Earl's son, John Lord Hervey was soon to
0:34:23 > 0:34:27contract a love match with the beautiful and witty Molly Lepel.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31One of the house managers at Ickworth,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Sue Ellis, has studied her intriguing life in the 18th century.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Molly was one of Queen Caroline's maids of honour.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44She was a great wit and beauty at the court of George II.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47She married Lord John Hervey in secret and at the time,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Lord Chesterfield said that they were a perfect beau and belle.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Unfortunately, Lord Hervey was famously unfaithful.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59He was much talked of for his notorious philandering
0:34:59 > 0:35:00and flirting at court
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and was the cause of the famous remark that there
0:35:03 > 0:35:05were three human species -
0:35:05 > 0:35:08men, women and the Herveys.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Despite her husband's errant ways,
0:35:13 > 0:35:18Molly was universally admired by both men and women for both her wit
0:35:18 > 0:35:22and good sense and she was friends with Pope and Voltaire
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and also with Horace Walpole.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Later in life, Walpole corresponded with her
0:35:27 > 0:35:31and he always spoke about her with great respect and admiration
0:35:31 > 0:35:35and many of her letters were published after her death.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38And here are some of Molly's personal possessions,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42along with the silver kettle stand, there is a small enamel pillbox,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46but I love the little miniature portrait of her.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Now, she died in 1768 and I'd imagine
0:35:50 > 0:35:53she was around about 35 years old there.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55This is from the court of George II and it was
0:35:55 > 0:35:59the flavour of the month, really, to have a miniature done of you
0:35:59 > 0:36:03so you could give it to your loved one so he could carry it everywhere.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07I particularly love this enamel pillbox, I really do.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09There's a cameo portrait of John,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11her husband looking to the right,
0:36:11 > 0:36:12incredible detail.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Bordered by the most beautiful
0:36:14 > 0:36:16blue and green enamel work
0:36:16 > 0:36:17you'll ever see,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21inset with little green emeralds.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Stunning! Absolutely stunning.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Fortunately for the house and estate,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Molly's spirited legacy lived on in later generations of Ickworth women.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37When, in 1907, Frederick the fourth Marquess of Bristol
0:36:37 > 0:36:40inherited Ickworth, the estate was nearly insolvent.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Luckily for him, his wife, Theodora Wythes, had the money
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and the determination to do something about it.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Theodora was the granddaughter of a Victorian railway contractor
0:36:53 > 0:36:56from whom she inherited an immense fortune
0:36:56 > 0:36:59and she devoted a large part of it to the restoration of Ickworth.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02It's probable that without Lady Bristol, the house that we
0:37:02 > 0:37:07see today wouldn't have survived in such a reasonable state of repair.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11When Theodora came to Ickworth,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15she was appalled by the lack of modern conveniences.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18She was a middle-class girl and she was used to hot water
0:37:18 > 0:37:22and electricity, so she put her money to good use at Ickworth
0:37:22 > 0:37:26and she installed a massive Cornish Trentham boiler to provide hot
0:37:26 > 0:37:30water to the Rotunda and instead of an old man having to pump
0:37:30 > 0:37:34the water by hand, the pump was electrified and in fact
0:37:34 > 0:37:37electricity was installed so there was electricity in all the rooms.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40MUSIC: Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller
0:37:42 > 0:37:45One person who remembers Lady Bristol is Lily Thrower.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Now in her 90s, Lily worked as
0:37:47 > 0:37:51one of the housemaids at Ickworth in 1937.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Lily, you were 17 years old when you came to work here
0:37:57 > 0:38:00and you were the sixth housemaid. Was there a hierarchy in maids,
0:38:00 > 0:38:02and you work your way up to the first one?
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Well, if you stayed there long enough,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06you might get a little bit higher.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09What did the job involve?
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Well, first thing I had to get up six o'clock in the morning...
0:38:12 > 0:38:14- Early starts.- Yes.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Get the head housemaid a cup of tea, go down, light the fire
0:38:17 > 0:38:20in the servants' room before we had our breakfast.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25And other jobs came along during the day.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- Where you able to finish at five o'clock or six o'clock?- Oh, no,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32not five o'clock. More like nine o'clock, yes.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33Right, OK.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36We had jobs to do in the evening, you see.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38They got a lot of work out of us!
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Was that six days a week, did you get one day a week off?
0:38:42 > 0:38:45We had one afternoon a week and one Sunday a fortnight.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47That's almost like the hours you'd expect to
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- work in the Victorian period. - Yes, yes. Very hard.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Very hard.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58- So what did you make of Lady Bristol?- She was a very nice lady.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01She used to come down to our housemaids' sitting room every
0:39:01 > 0:39:04morning with the Bible and read out the Bible, you know.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07We weren't allowed to speak to her
0:39:07 > 0:39:09and she didn't speak to us, either.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Oh, I was hoping you were going to say she would look out for you
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- and look after you a bit.- No, no. She was a marchioness, you see.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19There was definitely a hierarchy above stairs AND below.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23If she did speak, we could answer, but...
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- Otherwise, don't speak unless you're spoken to.- No, no.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32The formidable marchioness clearly ran her house according to the
0:39:32 > 0:39:34strict conventions of the day.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40And from one careful custodian to the next,
0:39:40 > 0:39:44it was Theodora, Lady Bristol, who was able to hand over Ickworth House
0:39:44 > 0:39:48to the National Trust so future generations can enjoy it.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51And that's thanks in large part to the women of Ickworth.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04Back in the West Wing, it's the fine people of Suffolk and the Flog It!
0:40:04 > 0:40:07team that are enjoying Ickworth's hospitality today.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Over with Phil, there's a table full of happy memories.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- So, this has been in the roof. - It's been in the loft, yes. 45 years.
0:40:16 > 0:40:2045 years? Looking at it, you've got a better loft than I have!
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- And this was yours? - Mine and my older brother's.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Dad knew someone who was selling this big train set
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- and he just came home with it one day.- He was a great dad, then!
0:40:30 > 0:40:35If you think of boys' train sets, you think of Hornby and Tri-ang.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37They are the two major makers.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41It's very much a 20th-century Tri-ang collection - 00 gauge,
0:40:41 > 0:40:45- but this isn't just it, is it? - No, there's other items as well.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47There's quite a lot of other items.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50- Have you got a list of what there is?- Yeah.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Can I just have a quick flick through?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55So here we've got a list of everything you've got
0:40:55 > 0:40:58and it tells us all whether it's boxed or not.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00That's just what you need.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03You've got so much of this, did you ever have a favourite?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Funnily enough, it's actually the motorcoach.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08The V on the front lights up in the dark,
0:41:08 > 0:41:12so my clearest memory is switching all the lights off in the front room
0:41:12 > 0:41:16- to watch it go round with the V lit up.- That's a lovely story.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18So what's it worth now?
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I would be inclined to put it as one lot, I think
0:41:20 > 0:41:23it'll do very well in the auction room and you should put a cautious
0:41:23 > 0:41:29estimate of 150 to 250 and perhaps a fixed reserve at about £120.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34- Can we squeeze the reserve up to maybe 140?- Yes, I'm happy with that.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36So fixed reserve 140,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38estimate 150 to 250.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43And fingers crossed that there is a train waiting to take us away.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47MUSIC: Chattanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller
0:41:51 > 0:41:54And come to rest at Adam's station is some first-class silverware.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59- What a beautiful tea service. - Isn't it pretty?- Yes.
0:41:59 > 0:42:05- It's really very nice indeed. Do you use it?- No, I don't do it justice.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- I used to use this.- Nice little milk or cream jug, isn't it?- Exactly.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- It's the most usable thing, really.- And this.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14I was just about to say,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18it's very unusual these days to find the stand still with the teapot.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19It's got a bit of a wobble to it.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23But it's 1803, so if I was 210 years old, I think
0:42:23 > 0:42:26I'd have a bit of a wobble, as well.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28How did you come to own it in the first place?
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Well, I think it's a wedding present to my grandfather.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36- When do you think he got married? - Well, I'm 91...- Are you?
0:42:37 > 0:42:42- And he's been dead a long time. - You don't know specifically?- No.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46- It would have been a very nice present to have got.- Yes.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- It's a great shape.- Isn't it? - Early 19th century.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53The acorn finial is a lovely little touch,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56all intact and in pretty good order.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00It's by one of the most famous families of silversmiths,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02the Bateman family.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Yes, that's what I said to my daughter, I thought it was Bateman.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09This one is marked for Peter, Ann and William Bateman,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11hallmarked for London 1803.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13In terms of value, it's a rather valuable set,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16it's a very collectable manufacturer.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18It's got a lot of commercial attributes,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21it's in good condition, has original decoration,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24the original gilt interiors and the presence of the stand make it
0:43:24 > 0:43:27really rather attractive to the collector.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31- I would suggest an estimate of £600-£800.- How lovely.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Does that sound acceptable to you?
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Yes, as long as there's a nice reserve on it.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39- I was going to suggest a reserve of £600.- Oh, yes.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41I will put 600 to 800...
0:43:41 > 0:43:43We'll be back at the auction
0:43:43 > 0:43:47and we'll watch it find a new home where I'm sure it will be cherished.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- Lovely, thank you very much indeed. - Pleasure.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53And Betty's silverware wouldn't look
0:43:53 > 0:43:57out of place inside the elegant surroundings of the Rotunda.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Now, earlier on in the show, we found out about the notable
0:44:05 > 0:44:07women of Ickworth, so we couldn't leave here today without
0:44:07 > 0:44:11showing you this particular portrait of a member of the Hervey family.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14This is Lady Elizabeth, a favourite daughter of the fourth Earl.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16After an unhappy marriage,
0:44:16 > 0:44:18she was befriended by the Duchess of Devonshire
0:44:18 > 0:44:23and later became involved in a famous love triangle with the Duke.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25It's painted by Angelica Kauffman,
0:44:25 > 0:44:27one of the leading artists in the Victorian day,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31in fact one of the most famous female artists in our history.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34She became a founding member of the Royal Academy.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36A real star in her own right, and as you can see,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39it's beautifully executed.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41So, what became of Elizabeth?
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Well, after Georgiana, the Duchess, died,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47she married the Duke in 1809.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49It's believed that the miniature portrait she is
0:44:49 > 0:44:55wearing in the locket around her neck there is that of Georgiana.
0:44:55 > 0:44:56Isn't that interesting?
0:44:56 > 0:45:00I wonder if our experts have found anything as intriguing as that
0:45:00 > 0:45:02back at the valuation tables?
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Well, actually, our final item is a fascinating piece of social history.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11It's been brought in by a lady I'll let Phil introduce.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Judy, Judy, Judy. That's a great line - who said that, then?
0:45:17 > 0:45:21- Cary Grant.- Blimey! So you've brought along...
0:45:22 > 0:45:28- ..this album by Margaret Ives - who is she, then?- She was my friend.
0:45:28 > 0:45:33She was an actress, costume designer, stage designer, singer...
0:45:33 > 0:45:37- All-round character. - She just did it all.- She did, yes.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41- And this is dated from March 1946 to June 1947.- Yes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45It's designs created for stage, radio artists...
0:45:45 > 0:45:49I can't quite see why radio artists would want a costume, but still!
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Stage productions and television.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54This would have been designs for clothes that were
0:45:54 > 0:45:57- worn in various programmes.- Yes.
0:45:57 > 0:46:02- I tell you what, though - looking at that, I wish I'd got a waist like that!- Don't we all, I'd love it!
0:46:02 > 0:46:05Keep the cameras up, guys! No panning down!
0:46:05 > 0:46:07That is just beautiful, isn't it?
0:46:07 > 0:46:09It's gorgeous.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Ivy Benson, now, I've heard of her. She was a singer, wasn't she?
0:46:12 > 0:46:13No, she was a band leader.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15All-women's band leader. Very famous.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20Toured all over the world during the war, entertaining the troops.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23That's why they wore glamorous dresses, to entertain the troops.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Look at this, I don't quite understand this one.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29Jack Hylton - was this something for the weekend, was it?
0:46:29 > 0:46:30SHE LAUGHS
0:46:30 > 0:46:32No! That was one of his singers.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36- Was it?- It's Ivy Benson and Jack Hylton.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Oh, right. So there's a whole load.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42So these would all have been in Jack Hylton's band, wouldn't they?
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Probably, if it says so on there. That's for individual...
0:46:45 > 0:46:47That's a dancer, that's a vocalist...
0:46:47 > 0:46:51- Yes.- That's a vocalist and that's Ivy Benson on the end.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54Yes. But there's some lovely ones of Ivy Benson's further back.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58I think they're lovely, I really do. Now, Carol Carr - who was she?
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- She was a singer, a lovely singer. - Television?
0:47:01 > 0:47:05She would have been on television, yes. Probably as old as me
0:47:05 > 0:47:06or older than me.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10- Get out of here, you're a baby! - Oh, I am!
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- What are they worth?- I have no idea.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Not a lot, I shouldn't imagine.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17- Do you know how we arrive at a value of something?- No.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19It's comparison.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22Now, for me to arrive at a figure for these,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26I've got to look at dress designs by Margaret Ives.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28- That's never going to happen, is it? - No, that won't.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33- So I've got to guess. - Yes.- Do you watch this programme?
0:47:33 > 0:47:35- Oh, I do. - You've seen me guess before?
0:47:35 > 0:47:36Oh, yes. I have.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39I've seen the hit and misses!
0:47:39 > 0:47:41It's not going well now, is it? Um...
0:47:42 > 0:47:44I think that if you want to sell this,
0:47:44 > 0:47:49- you should sort of put £50-£80 on it.- Oh!
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Does that surprise you good or surprise you bad?
0:47:51 > 0:47:54I thought it would be more like 20, 25 or something like that.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57No. I tell you what, Judy, you're a good sport, I like you.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Shall we put this in with an estimate of £50-£80 and
0:48:00 > 0:48:02do you want to put a reserve of 40 on it?
0:48:02 > 0:48:04- Are you happy with that?- Yes. - Good show.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08Now, I'm just going to go back and work on me waist! Lord above!
0:48:09 > 0:48:13# I'm as restless as a willow
0:48:13 > 0:48:14# In a wind storm... #
0:48:14 > 0:48:18And for the youngsters out there who don't remember Carol Carr, Carol
0:48:18 > 0:48:22was a former Forces sweetheart who sang with popular dance bands
0:48:22 > 0:48:25and became the first singer to appear on British television
0:48:25 > 0:48:29when it resumed after the Second World War.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33# It might as
0:48:33 > 0:48:37# Well be
0:48:37 > 0:48:41# Spring. #
0:48:41 > 0:48:42Isn't that fabulous?
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Now, Adam can play the violin and the piano,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56but can he tease out a tune on Helen's musical instrument?
0:48:56 > 0:48:59- Good morning, Helen, welcome to Flog It!.- Morning.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01This is called a concertina, as you know,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05but a lot of people will call them squeezeboxes, accordions.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09- The correct term is a concertina. Do you play it?- No.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10How had you come to own it?
0:49:10 > 0:49:14It came down from my late father, who died 30 years ago,
0:49:14 > 0:49:18- and it's been on a shelf in the wardrobe ever since.- Oh, dear.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20- But he played it, did he? - Yes, he did.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25As a child... I can remember him playing it when I was a small child.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Oh, yes. What, sort of folk music and things like that?
0:49:28 > 0:49:30- Mainly hymns, I think.- Mainly hymns.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Oh, they are used as well in a religious context.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37We've already said it's a concertina, it's a 48-key
0:49:37 > 0:49:41concertina, there's different keys, different models of these out there.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45It's got its original rosewood box as well, and remarkably...
0:49:45 > 0:49:47- Got the key!- Still got the key.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51And this oval plaque here, there would have been
0:49:51 > 0:49:53a paper label behind there.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56- And that's where the maker's label would have been.- Yes.
0:49:56 > 0:49:57And a serial number.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01And from that I can tell it was made by Louis Lachenal, who was
0:50:01 > 0:50:05a prolific maker of concertinas at the end of the 19th century.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09- So this dates about 1880. - Does it really?- Yes.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14It's got this pierced rosewood ends and the leather bellows are
0:50:14 > 0:50:15in quite good order.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18I'm just being careful to open it up there,
0:50:18 > 0:50:22there doesn't seem to be any holes or anything like that. And does...
0:50:22 > 0:50:26- Can you get a note out of it? - Not really, it's just been...
0:50:26 > 0:50:28- You don't know how to play it? - No.- I don't, either.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32HE PLAYS DISCORDANT NOTES
0:50:32 > 0:50:34- Sounds like a scary movie, doesn't it, that?- Yes!
0:50:34 > 0:50:38But it does show that it's working, it's making a good noise,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42and a Lachenal concertina of this kind is still quite collected,
0:50:42 > 0:50:44- because people still play them. - Do they?
0:50:44 > 0:50:47So this should meet with lots of interest at auction.
0:50:47 > 0:50:52The basic model is kind of £50-£80 and the very best concertinas
0:50:52 > 0:50:56go up to £5,000, so they really vary quite a lot,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58but this one here, it's not a bad example,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01and I would suggest it should make £200-£300 at auction.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04- Is that all right with you? - Yes, that's fine, yes.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Erm, I'd put a reserve just slightly below, 180 reserve,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10and I hope the auctioneer can squeeze a few bids out of it!
0:51:15 > 0:51:19What a wonderful, jam-packed day we've had here at Ickworth House.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21- Have you all enjoyed yourselves? - Yes!
0:51:21 > 0:51:23That's what it's all about, job done.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Right now, we've got some unfinished business in the auction room,
0:51:26 > 0:51:28so while we make our way over to Diss,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31here's a recap of all the things we're taking with us.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38There's Betty's beautiful but unused tea set -
0:51:38 > 0:51:40with Bateman's as the silversmith,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42I'm sure it'll stir up some interest.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46And who knows what the album of dress designs
0:51:46 > 0:51:49from the 1940s will make at auction?
0:51:49 > 0:51:52A unique lot and possibly the one to watch.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Is Adam's estimate on this concertina
0:51:58 > 0:52:01at the right pitch for today's bidders?
0:52:01 > 0:52:04But first up, it's full steam ahead for the Tri-ang train-set
0:52:04 > 0:52:09collection as the huff and puff of the auction gets under way.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12£1,700, all done?
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Boys and their toys, eh?
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Look, all three of us with big grins on our faces.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21We've all got our train sets!
0:52:21 > 0:52:25But this one has been in the loft for 45 years.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- Did you enjoy using it and playing with it?- Oh, yes.- Good for you.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Let's find out what they're worth, shall we?
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Let's hope they go to a good collector at their new home.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37A good comprehensive lot
0:52:37 > 0:52:38and I start at £100.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41£100, at £100 I have.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45110, 120. 130, 140, 50...
0:52:45 > 0:52:47- This is good.- Yeah.
0:52:47 > 0:52:48170, gentleman at the front,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51at 170 now, looking for 80.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53At 170 in the room, now.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56At 170, any advance on £170?
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Yes, hammer's gone down. That was short and sweet, wasn't it, really?
0:53:02 > 0:53:03- Yes.- We are on the right track,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05so to speak.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10- He's chuffed with that(!) And you must be, as well?- Yes, that's good.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14I need to split it with my older brother because it was both of ours.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17- But nice memories. - Thanks for bringing it along.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Right, now hopefully we're going to hit the high notes with
0:53:23 > 0:53:26- Helen's concertina. We're looking at £200-£300, Adam?- Certainly.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28You brought it to the right expert.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30Adam's a little bit of a musician on the quiet.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32Plays the violin and the piano.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35I think people would wish it would be on the quiet.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- Hey, at least it's not the bagpipes and the trumpet.- Yeah, well...
0:53:38 > 0:53:41- Hey, this was your dad's, wasn't it? - Yes, and my late father's, yes.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43OK, so it's been in the loft?
0:53:43 > 0:53:46- In the wardrobe.- Where else do you keep a concertina? Come on!
0:53:46 > 0:53:50Do you know, the amount of them I've found in wardrobes is unbelievable.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Check your wardrobes.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Fingers crossed, let's hope for the top end and a bit more, then.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Let's hand things over to Elizabeth on the rostrum.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03Lot 400 is a 19th-century rosewood encased concertina, or squeeze-box.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Good collector's item here, start me at 200.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09£200, surely.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12150 I'll take.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17150 bid, on commission at 150. Now where's 60?
0:54:17 > 0:54:20At 150 now, it's a beautiful piece. 160.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23170. 180.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25190.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27- 190 here, round it up, someone. - Oh, come on.
0:54:27 > 0:54:32It's on commission at 190, looking for 200. At £190, at 190.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34It will sell at 190.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- Not the high note we were expecting. The low note.- But it sold.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41It's gone. And you don't mind, do you?
0:54:41 > 0:54:45- No, no, because I didn't play it, so...- Good. Well, that's good.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50Well, let's hope its new owner can squeeze out a tune or two.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54Well, right now it's time for tea.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56No, don't rush to the kitchen and put the kettle on, because we're
0:54:56 > 0:55:00selling our very own silver tea set that's here, belonging to Betty.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04Bateman service, we're looking at £600-800, this is quality.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- Why are you selling this? - Because it's in the safe.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11It's been safely kept away in that safe, you haven't over-polished it.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14It's quite unusual to see a whole Bateman set like that,
0:55:14 > 0:55:16with the teapot stand. That's crucial.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18- The teapot stand is worth 500 quid alone.- Really?
0:55:18 > 0:55:22- This is a lovely set.- I use the stand more than...- Do you, really?
0:55:22 > 0:55:25As a little bonbon dish or something?
0:55:25 > 0:55:27They often become separated, as you know.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31That's the important thing, and of course the magic name of Bateman.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33All the collectors want Bateman.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Thank you for bringing a bit of quality in, let's find out
0:55:35 > 0:55:39if we get a quality price from this packed saleroom.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40Let's hand things over to Elizabeth.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Into the cabinet lot,
0:55:43 > 0:55:44a Georgian four-piece
0:55:44 > 0:55:46silver tea set.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48I start at £420.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51At 450, 480, 550, 600 bid.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Oh, good, it's getting its value straightaway.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58700. 50. 800.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01This is silver that definitely will not go for melt.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04I'll take 50 elsewhere. It's a lovely set.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06At £800 only, am I missing anybody?
0:56:06 > 0:56:08£800, it will sell.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12£800, top end of the estimate,
0:56:12 > 0:56:14- well done.- 800?- £800.
0:56:14 > 0:56:15That's not bad, is it?
0:56:15 > 0:56:18That's not bad at all!
0:56:18 > 0:56:19Well done, Betty.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Now it's time for a bit of old-school glamour with our last
0:56:22 > 0:56:27lot of the day. One which Judy thought was only worth about £20!
0:56:28 > 0:56:31Going under the hammer right now, a classic item.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34An album full of stage dress design belonging to Judy,
0:56:34 > 0:56:35who is with me right now.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39I've just learnt that Judy did a parachute jump when you were 75?
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- Yes.- To raise money for your local Methodist church.- Yes.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45And I believe the proceeds of this sale today are all going
0:56:45 > 0:56:49towards the church to help raise money for a new kitchen.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- How about that, Phil? - She's absolutely bonkers!
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Did you try and change your mind at the last minute?
0:56:55 > 0:56:57- I tried, but...! - They shoved you out?- Yes!
0:56:57 > 0:57:00You're sitting on this handsome chap's lap and you went forwards
0:57:00 > 0:57:02and you couldn't go back!
0:57:02 > 0:57:05I know you've got a new stunt you want to do soon, haven't you?
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Listen to this!
0:57:07 > 0:57:10They've got a nice new zip wire opening up in Wales
0:57:10 > 0:57:13- and it's over a mile long... - It's the biggest in the country...
0:57:13 > 0:57:17..it's the biggest in the country, so I aim to have a go at that.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21- You'll be bungee-jumping next, I bet!- No! I draw the line at that!
0:57:21 > 0:57:23My eyes might fall out!
0:57:23 > 0:57:24THEY LAUGH
0:57:27 > 0:57:32If we get £1,000 now, I think Phil's eyes would go doi-i-ing!
0:57:34 > 0:57:37Lot 70, the album of stage dress designs
0:57:37 > 0:57:38by Margaret Ives.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41I have interest on this little album here.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44I start at £40. £40 I have.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48At 42, 45, 48 and 50. Five and 60.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51Five and 70. Five and 80.
0:57:52 > 0:57:5680 with me, at £80 now. Five, new bidder, 90. Five, 100.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58- That's good, isn't it?- Yes!
0:57:58 > 0:57:59110, 120, 130, 140,
0:57:59 > 0:58:01150, 160, 170...
0:58:01 > 0:58:04This is great. This is what an auction is all about.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06The middle gentleman at 170 - where's 80?
0:58:06 > 0:58:09Any advance on £170?
0:58:09 > 0:58:12At 170 on the album and selling...?
0:58:13 > 0:58:15Yes, hammer's gone down, job done!
0:58:15 > 0:58:18£170! That's great!
0:58:18 > 0:58:20Wonderful! That's marvellous!
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Absolutely marvellous, more than I expected!
0:58:23 > 0:58:26We might have saved you from the zip wire, mightn't we!
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Didn't I say that was the one to watch?
0:58:30 > 0:58:32People love to own a unique item.
0:58:35 > 0:58:37Well, that's it. It's all over for our owners.
0:58:37 > 0:58:39Another day and another saleroom,
0:58:39 > 0:58:41and I think our experts have done really well.
0:58:41 > 0:58:45It's not easy putting a value on an antique, as you've just found out,
0:58:45 > 0:58:47but everyone's gone home happy and that's what it's all about.
0:58:47 > 0:58:49I hope you've enjoyed the show.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52See you next time for many more surprises.