0:00:08 > 0:00:12I'm in the village of Selborne, in Hampshire, which was once home to
0:00:12 > 0:00:14one of Britain's most famous scientists
0:00:14 > 0:00:16that you've probably never heard of.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Now, that's got your attention, hasn't it?
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Later on in the programme,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I'll be finding out more about this 18th-century naturalist
0:00:22 > 0:00:25and why that became one of his most important tools.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Hampshire has been a hotbed for scientific
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and technological advancement since the Industrial Revolution.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's fitting that the county was the birth place of one
0:00:57 > 0:01:01of our greatest engineers - Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04It's also the site of the London and South Western Railway
0:01:04 > 0:01:07that took passengers, in the 19th century,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12from London to the important industrial port of Southampton.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15At our valuation day venue here at Basingstoke,
0:01:15 > 0:01:16they've brought the engineering
0:01:16 > 0:01:19achievements of the old Industrial Age alive again
0:01:19 > 0:01:22with a fascinating collection of old vehicles,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27goods and appliances once sold on the Victorian high street.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33We'll be finding out more about the county's scientific
0:01:33 > 0:01:36and engineering endeavours later on in the programme.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38But right now, our crowds - look at them all -
0:01:38 > 0:01:42are advancing towards our experts ready for their valuations -
0:01:42 > 0:01:44this is the scary bit here -
0:01:44 > 0:01:46at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49So, if you're happy with your valuation,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52what are you going to do? ALL: Flog it!
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Our experts are getting stuck in,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and there's already plenty to catch James Lewis' eye.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Oh, blimey.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02- Oh, blimey.- That's old, isn't it? It is old.- Yeah.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05While Elizabeth Talbot is taking a leisurely approach.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07But not for long.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Come on, you, don't sit around on the job, we've got work to do.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Excuse me.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16And I have too. Right, follow me, let's get this show on the road.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17It's through these doors!
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Come on, everyone.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22'As I take the crowds in, let's find out what's on the show today.'
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Elizabeth's got the moon and the stars in her eyes.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Well, Tim, you've made my eyes sparkle when I saw this.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But why has Angus got tears in his?
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Well done, well done.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41And which of these objects will get the cash register ringing?
0:02:41 > 0:02:42£1,000.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44£1,000.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Ching-ching!
0:02:50 > 0:02:52As the crowds pack this wonderful venue,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54time to go over to James for his first item.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56And what a start to the show.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00He's come across an object that has puzzled most of us,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but our off-screen expert, Sophie, has been doing some research...
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Sophie came up with, I think, a genius idea.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Tell me more!
0:03:10 > 0:03:13We want to drag it out a bit first.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17I want you to tell me where it came from.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19How did you come to find it?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21And what do you think it might be?
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- I found it at a car boot. - What?! No...
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- Oh, no!- Yes, a car boot.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30No!
0:03:30 > 0:03:33A dealer's stall in a box of rubbish.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It fascinated me when I saw it,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38the baked-on grime,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40and clearly, the age of the wood.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- What did you pay for it?- £3.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Oh...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47How long have you had it?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Within the last six months.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52People are speculative, they don't really know what it is.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Initially, you think it's a club.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Yup.- But the holes at the end are telling me it's not a club.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And if it were a club, why would you use that
0:03:59 > 0:04:01nice carving to...get damaged?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Let's start to work it through.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Without question, as you've said, hand carved.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12It has the most wonderful patination.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18Patination only comes through handling and feel and use.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- The hat is what period?- In my opinion, it's 17th century.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26But I'm no expert, that's just from me looking on the 'net at that style of hat.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29The hairstyle, again, that long hair is typical of that period.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32What sort of person would've have had that sort of hat?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- A sailor?- OK.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I think that is possibly
0:04:40 > 0:04:45a late 17th-early 18th century
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- false leg.- Wow!
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Did they carve them like...? - No idea.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54We've never seen one, any of us.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- It's Sophie that's come up with it. - Yeah.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58And I think she's a genius.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Sounds good to me.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Well, I think it's brilliant and I love it.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09What's it worth? I have absolutely no idea whatsoever.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- What would I sell it for? - More than £3, hopefully?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- I think 300. - That'd be lovely.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Reserve?
0:05:18 > 0:05:20300 quid?
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Bit lower.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- 200.- I'd be happy if it sold for 100.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25£100 then, I love it, well done you.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- Thank you.- £3!
0:05:28 > 0:05:31That's the kind of Flog It! first that makes our day.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35I can't wait to see what the bidders will make of it.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And Elizabeth Talbot is joined by Paul,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41who's brought in an amazing-looking contraption.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Please, tell me all about it.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Well, I...
0:05:47 > 0:05:51I bought it from a hospital that was closing down for about £25 or
0:05:51 > 0:05:55something. And that was in the early '90s.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I'm fairly confident it's a piece of anaesthetic equipment.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00But apart from that, I don't know.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I liked it because, you know, it's an attractive bit of kit, I think.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08I agree. It bears a name - I noticed a Dr Magill's name on the front.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Yes, right.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15Now, Sir Ivan Whiteside Magill was actually working at the very
0:06:15 > 0:06:18early part of the 20th century.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22He was Irish-born and he was originally a general practitioner.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- But he then began specialising in anaesthesia...- Oh.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- ..and anaesthetics.- Right.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29That was his special area of study.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And throughout the early part of the 20th century,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35he took the developments of his research quite extensive ways,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38which I think really set us to where we are in modern-day
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- understanding of that subject. - Oh, gosh. Yeah.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42In 1919, during the First World War,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47he was positioned in the Queens Hotel at Sidcup.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49And he there, at that point,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53met a surgeon, Harold Gillies,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56who was working very hard
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and doing some pioneering work
0:06:58 > 0:07:00on the reconstruction and plastic surgery
0:07:00 > 0:07:04of particularly faces of soldiers who served in the First World War.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Right.- And the two of them became quite a powerhouse together.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Doctors Magill and Gillies worked to improve the lives
0:07:14 > 0:07:17of soldiers returning from the battlefields of France.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Over seven years,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23the surgical team conducted an incredible 11,000 operations,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28repairing the horrendous facial injuries of 5,000 men.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31In a way, that would have seemed miraculous at the time.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And they did it all using instruments like this.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Interestingly enough,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Gillies then served in hospitals in Basingstoke.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So he has a connection locally, which is quite interesting.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52And the work that Magill did over the next few years took him
0:07:52 > 0:07:54to the point where he was eventually knighted.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00And even today, doctors who achieve outstanding work
0:08:00 > 0:08:05in their profession are...can be awarded the Magill Medal.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Yeah.- So you paid £25 for it, did you say?- About that, yeah.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11It really is going to be the eye of the beholder.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Anybody who collects medical implements or
0:08:14 > 0:08:17anything that is related to medical history may well
0:08:17 > 0:08:20place on it a value different to what I will estimate.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26- I would think it should sell for between sort of £50 and £80.- Right.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- OK.- Would you be happy with that? - I would.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And the money, is that going anywhere in particular?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Yes, it is. It's going to brain tumour, cancer...
0:08:37 > 0:08:39brain tumour research.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- I lost a daughter earlier this year from that.- Oh.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46And so we're finding all ways and means of, you know,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- putting some money to the charity. - For fundraising.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So this would be a very apt way of it going to a good cause.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53It is actually, yes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56£50 to £80. £50 reserve. Fingers crossed.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- Thank you so much for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00That's most interesting. Thank you.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03A remarkable story about an object
0:09:03 > 0:09:06that changed the fortunes of so many.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10And now James has found a pair of objects that some might think
0:09:10 > 0:09:11a bit staid
0:09:11 > 0:09:14but marked technical innovation in their day.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Val, I have to say,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Royal Worcester,
0:09:18 > 0:09:23one of the greatest names in English porcelain manufacturing.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25They are about 1890.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- Did you know the way of telling the date?- No, I don't.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31OK, so, grab one of those.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- You see the purple mark?- Yes.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- You see the dots above the R?- Yes.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I've got four on this one altogether.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41The first dot was put on in 1892.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45- Oh.- 1892, '93, '94, '95.- Oh, my God.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- These are 1895.- Oh, my God. - Lovely.- Yes.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- Family things? - Yes, they were my mother's. Yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55OK. And was she a collector or a dealer?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- No, my father just bought them for my mother.- Did he?- Yeah.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- So you remember them growing up as a child?- Yes.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04They are glazed Parian.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09- Parian ware was invented for the 1851 Exhibition.- Right.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14It was invented to copy marble busts.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19But by the 1870s, the marble busts were going out of fashion,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22so they needed a new use for their Parian ware.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And this sort of ware became the new fashion.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It is known as blush ivory
0:10:27 > 0:10:29because it is a yellowy colour
0:10:29 > 0:10:32with a bit of a pinky tinge to it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35And then it is hand-painted over the top.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And this was fashionable until about 1910.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43And here we've got a pair painted with thistles
0:10:43 > 0:10:48and meadow flowers. And with masks on the handles.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Lovely quality gilding, in good condition.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- If you wanted to sell them, which I presume you do...- I do.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57..they would certainly sell at auction. They won't make a lot.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02- Today, auction estimate of 80 to 120.- Right.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Might make a shade more. I would put a firm reserve of £80 on them.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10And at least that's a safety net so don't they don't go below that.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Yes.- Is that all right for you? - Yes, that's fine.- Super, all right.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17While an item might not always be en vogue,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20what I always say is one man's trash is another man's treasure.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I love looking in your bags and boxes to find things
0:11:23 > 0:11:27that are intriguing, even if they are not to everyone's taste.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Ever seen anything like it before?
0:11:29 > 0:11:30Do you know, I'm lost for words.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35- Are you?- I'm lost. I don't know what to say.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36I really don't know what to say.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41To me, it looks as if it is sort of 1950s.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42There's always a buyer for something,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44we've found that on this show.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46But I tell you what, though, I couldn't help but gravitate
0:11:46 > 0:11:49towards it to go, "Gosh, what is this?"
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Yes.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- And now I've seen it...- You're going away again.- I'm happy.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54THEY LAUGH
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Now Elizabeth has found something that is definitely to her taste.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Well, Tim, you've made my eyes sparkle when I saw this
0:12:03 > 0:12:05because it accessorises with my outfit today,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07so I'm very pleased to see this little jewel.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Is this something that you've inherited or what can you
0:12:10 > 0:12:11tell me about it?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- No, I found it at a car booty in East Anglia...- Oh, did you?
0:12:14 > 0:12:15..one weekend, yeah.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17My wife was looking for costume jewellery
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and they found this big box.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21And they were messing around in there looking for stuff
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and I see this little pouch right in the corner.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27As I pulled it, this popped out of the top.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29So I just said to the lady, I thought,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32"How much do you want for it?" And she said £5.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34And I went, "No, I'll give you £3 for it."
0:12:34 > 0:12:36And she said, "Yeah, OK, fine."
0:12:36 > 0:12:41- I took it home and put it under some spotlights and it sparkled.- Mm-hm.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And I put a magnifying glass on it and I thought,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- "No, this is...this is something." - The real thing.- Yeah.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Have you done research in terms of a value as well?- I ain't got a clue.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51- No?- I ain't got a clue.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Obviously, you have probably established from looking at it
0:12:54 > 0:12:58more closely that what we have here is a late Victorian brooch
0:12:58 > 0:13:01which is set with, principally, sapphires and diamonds,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and it is centred by a pearl.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- Right.- The pin at the back is gold.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- It IS gold?- The mount that the actual stones are set into,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I think, is probably silver. It's not marked.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14A lot of jewellery of this ilk, because it's so delicate
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and there's not much ground to sort of stamp anything on,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- often it isn't stamped, it isn't marked.- Right.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Now, the late Victorians loved the crescent moons
0:13:21 > 0:13:25as a motif for jewellery, principally for brooches.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27And they used different stones to reflect that,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31but I think obviously the blue and the silver of the stones
0:13:31 > 0:13:34they've chosen really sort of suit it perfectly.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36You know, I think they all look as though they're original,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39they've not been replaced, so it's all very positive.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42So have you got an expectation of the value then?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Is there something that you'd be...?
0:13:44 > 0:13:45As long as it is more than £3?
0:13:45 > 0:13:47If it's more than £3, I'm quite happy, yeah.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49You know, if it doubles its value...
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Yeah, I don't mind.- At the moment, the precious metal market
0:13:52 > 0:13:53is still strong, which gives it...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It doesn't mean that it is really relevant, but it gives a baseline
0:13:56 > 0:13:59of interest that that would hold just because of what it contains.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- Right.- I think a sensible estimate
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- would probably be £200 to £300.- Right.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08But I would suggest that probably a discretionary reserve
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- of a round about 180, if you're happy with that?- Oof!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Yeah, yeah. Ching-ching. - THEY LAUGH
0:14:13 > 0:14:15You'll be back to East Anglia for the next car booty.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- Yeah, definitely. - Let's watch with interest and see.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- Yeah. Yeah.- We'll reach the moon, eh? For that one.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- Yeah, thank you very much. - Thank you so much, Tim.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- I'll see you at the auction. - Thank you.- Take care. Thank you.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Before we head off to auction, there is something I'd like to show you.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The ancient art of woodcarving has strong traditions in Britain.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Not only were they created by the medieval craftsmen
0:14:43 > 0:14:45who decorated our churches,
0:14:45 > 0:14:46but by master sculptors,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50like the great 17th-century artist Grinling Gibbons.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53He brought an extraordinary realism to
0:14:53 > 0:14:56his interpretation of the natural world
0:14:56 > 0:14:59that had never been seen before.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I met Hampshire artist Alex Jones
0:15:02 > 0:15:03who has continued the tradition,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05with a contemporary flourish.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08He likes to bring his audience close to the kind of nature
0:15:08 > 0:15:13some of us are usually at pains to avoid.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15You know, I am a bit of an arachnophobe,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17especially big hairy ones!
0:15:17 > 0:15:20But I love the enormity of scale!
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Why so big?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Because basically I think we need beasts around us,
0:15:24 > 0:15:25and things like that,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and the way to change someone's perception of something is to
0:15:28 > 0:15:29make it big and exciting,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and yeah, it just changes the way you look at stuff.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And also we're used to seeing squirrels and rabbits
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and things like that, sort of easily palatable.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I want to make something that's a bit more edgy,
0:15:40 > 0:15:41and because wood's so beautiful,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I came up with the idea that what happens if you carve something
0:15:44 > 0:15:46that people thought of as really revolting and horrible
0:15:46 > 0:15:49but have the beauty of the traditional woods
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- and things like that?- So you starts to fall in love with it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Exactly. So you end up with a paradox,
0:15:53 > 0:15:54you end up with a push and a pull,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56you get pushed away by the subject matter
0:15:56 > 0:15:59and then you get pulled in by the material and things like that
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and that's...the energy that interests me.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Yes, and what woods have you used?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Basically, what we've got here is some good old English oak,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08all the lighter bits are made in oak,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- and then inlaid is black walnut. - Nice.- Or American walnut.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14It's one of the things that pulls people in.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18If you use natural woods and their colours then people come in closer.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- As soon as they hear it's paint or stain...- Or dye.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22..you're sort of distancing people, aren't you?
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- So I'll always try and use natural woods.- Yeah.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27And then for the final touch, the eyes are done in ebony.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30And they're from the keys I collect from pianos
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- and stuff like that, so...- Yeah. Very resourceful.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36You also have to show it as people see the real spider,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38which is when it's in your bath on the wall,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39you see it from above,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and that's the shot, the bit that really freaks people out,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44when they see it like that and it's sort of suddenly bigger.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45- Yes, a lot bigger, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- Wouldn't want to come across a blighter that big, would you?- No.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Definitely not.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53And it's not just creepy crawlies he carves,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55but plant life, like this dandelion.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- That's lime, isn't it, I recognise that's lime.- Yes, that's lime.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02The dandelion is all about weeds and things,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04because the client who commissioned it,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06he used to love his garden,
0:17:06 > 0:17:07and I love the idea of taking
0:17:07 > 0:17:10some of the weeds that he spent his whole time pulling up,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and making a seven foot one that he couldn't,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15so making into something exotic and exciting.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And with this guy here, I actually had a house spider,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I had him as a pet for a couple of months,
0:17:20 > 0:17:21and he was called Stanley,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and literally when I did the last bit of carving, died.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- One of these big harvest spiders? - Yes, Oh, yeah, absolutely,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32and so I almost feel part of him maybe still inhabits the sculpture.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Alex's method is to observe nature in the wild,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39but he has been known to wrangle the odd creature,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42which can lead to unsettling situations at home.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45And I have carved a scorpion,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I actually got hold of an imperial scorpion for a few years
0:17:49 > 0:17:52which was... actually one of the most boring pets.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54But the one thing it did do was frighten the baby-sitter
0:17:54 > 0:17:57by clanking around the cage every night, so that was worth it.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59CHUCKLING
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Alex's work is usually commissioned,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and can range in price from £1,000 upwards.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08But they do take months of effort to complete.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10His workshop is in his home,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15which is crawling with the creatures and plants he has recreated in wood.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16OWL HOOTS
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Along with a few real ones!
0:18:21 > 0:18:22But it's at the back of the house
0:18:22 > 0:18:24where they emerge from the raw materials,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27including his latest commission.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Butterfly wings!
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Yes, yes, this is one,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35one of the wings of a very, very large butterfly,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39that was commissioned by Lord's Hill Academy in Southampton
0:18:39 > 0:18:41to be made with the children,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and they wanted something that symbolised piece and regrowth and...
0:18:45 > 0:18:49also the whole symbolisation of butterflies as ideas growing.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- Sure.- The actual structure...
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- So the skeletal structure of the wing is oak...?- Yes.- Solid oak.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57It's like making a Spitfire, so these bend the wing,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- because obviously the last thing you want is just a flat wing.- Yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04And that's bending some very thin ply, and then on the ply,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06a little bit like making a roof,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08is different veneers, scales of veneers.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Oh, yes, yes.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13And of course the butterflies are based on real butterflies,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17and I've been looking very closely at dead and living ones
0:19:17 > 0:19:19because I want the details to really ring true.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And I've been told there is some finishing touches to do
0:19:22 > 0:19:26which hopefully you might only have a go?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- I need an expert carver, like yourself...- Oh, no, no!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30..to come and work on the antennae.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33We're curving the antennae, so shall we go through to the studio?
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Yes.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39This butterfly has been crystallising for two years,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41with incredible care and attention from Alex.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44So I can't afford to get this wrong.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Well, there's the body of the butterfly, it's growing,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53it's getting bigger. One last remaining wing, there.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54And one of the antennae.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Now, this is the bit I'm going to be working on.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- Absolutely, of course, of course. - OK, so, come on, talk me through it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01So, first of all you got the lines here,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03you've obviously got the segmented antenna.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07What we need to do is make a stopping point in to the wood,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- so whenever we carve into it... - It's going to stop on that point.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Exactly, and it's not going to run away, so basically,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- and then we take the next chisel... - Pare down with the grain.- Pare down.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- Do you want to have a go? - Do you trust me?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I do, implicitly. Shouldn't I?
0:20:21 > 0:20:24There's a lot of work that's gone into this so far, hasn't there?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26But maybe it'll just end up with very short antenna, don't know.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- We'll see what happens. - Are you ready for this?
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- Yes, go for it.- Here goes.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35That's good, that's really good.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- I don't hit as hard as you because I'm not so confident. - That's it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- And then... I should stop now, on that.- Clean up.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44And then go for the V, and take that round, and I think you've got,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47you're getting there with the depth, actually, there, on that one.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49That's perfect, that's really good.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Good sharp tools.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I'm glad you think so, yes, yes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I think without a sharp tool it makes it a lot harder.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- Shall I pare that? - Yes, go for it. Yes, yes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I'm enjoying this. ALEX CHUCKLES
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I could be out in the studio all night long doing this.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Well, I'll come back later, if that's all right?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Go and have my tea and come back.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07I think it might go horribly wrong.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10But I've thoroughly enjoyed being even a little part of this antenna.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Fantastic.- What an inspiring man,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15who's definitely passed on the bug!
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Just take a look at the finished version of this elegant butterfly!
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Assisted by yours truly.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31We've got our first four items, now we're taking them off to the sale.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36There's Paul's pioneering anaesthetic instrument,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38the proceeds of which will go to a good cause.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44There's Gary's extraordinary late 17th century carved peg leg,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46that stumped James.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Bought for only three pounds,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50will it go through the roof at auction?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55There is Valerie's duo of less-than-fashionable blush ivory
0:21:55 > 0:21:56Royal Worcester vases,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59in search of an avid collector.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03And finally, there is Tim's car boot bounty,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06this stylish Victorian brooch he bought for a song.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11For our auction, we're heading to Winchester,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15a town surrounded by reminders of the Industrial Age.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19The area is dotted with nearly 100 old mills,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21but the only one still working is in Whitchurch,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24a stone's throw from Winchester.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It produces high quality silks which clothe the actors
0:22:27 > 0:22:31in historic dramas like BBC's Cranford.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34For our sale today, we're here at Andrew Smith & Son,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36and hoping to create some drama of our very own
0:22:36 > 0:22:38as our lots go under the hammer.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41So don't go away, because I think there could be a big surprise.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Don't forget, if you are selling, there is a commission fee to pay.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49It varies from saleroom to saleroom.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Here, it is 18% including VAT.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55On the rostrum today is auctioneer Nick Jarrett.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56And our first lot
0:22:56 > 0:22:59is that early-20th-century anaesthetic instrument,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01brought in by Paul.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- When you see it...- I know.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05..it comes in this box and you see this wonderful
0:23:05 > 0:23:07chrome sort of construction.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Well, exactly right.- ..you go, "Gosh, that's good."- It foxed me.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I don't know what it's all for and how it's used,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15but we appreciated it on the day, didn't we, as exactly that,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- just a piece of aesthetic beauty. - Let's hope people pick up on it.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I think they will because it is a curio. And it's so hard to value.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Well, it is certainly hard to value.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- Ready for this?- Very ready. - Well, let's put it to the test.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Here we go.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29This is of medical interest. Good thing.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30I've got a few bids,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and I have to start you to clear bids here at £60.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Yes! There's a doctor in the house.
0:23:36 > 0:23:3965. Is that it? At £65.
0:23:39 > 0:23:4170. Five. 80.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- Come on. Fresh legs.- Come on.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Five. 90.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I've got to go 100. 110?
0:23:50 > 0:23:51130.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- I've got 130, then.- £130.- £130.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56140?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58At 130, then...
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Sold. Hammer's gone down. £130 for that wonderful piece of sculpture.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04PAUL LAUGHS
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Well, I'm so happy with that because it is all going to charity.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Fantastic.- To brain tumour research. - Brain tumour research. Well done.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- Thank you.- Thank you so much. - Thank you very much.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16How apt that the proceeds are being used to continue to
0:24:16 > 0:24:18change people's lives for the better.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Our next lot is those blush ivory Royal Worcester vases
0:24:22 > 0:24:24that aren't to Valerie's taste.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26But will there be a buyer out there who WILL want to
0:24:26 > 0:24:28get their hands on them?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- Mum and Dad had them.- Yes.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- Were you allowed to touch them?- No.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- No. Precious? - Yes. On the mantelpiece.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Well, we've got a classic 80 to 120.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39They should sell at that, James.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41That is a good estimate on those.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It is a conservative estimate, isn't it?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- Yeah.- Who knows? - Good for your money.- Yeah.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- There is a market for this.- OK. - So fingers crossed.- We'll see.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- You don't want to take them home, do you, really?- No.- No.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52- Here we go.- Thank you.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Handsome vases.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- I have to start you to clear bids at 120.- There you go.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- 130.- They've gone, top end of the estimate.- Great.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04We're selling at 120. 130?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06At £120 then, with me.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09130. 140. 150?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It's with me still at 140, and I am selling.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12150 did you mean, sir?
0:25:12 > 0:25:14No, at 140 then, still with me.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17150, yes? £150 on the net.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18At 150. 160.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20- Good, good.- 150 on the net.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I'm out. At £150. Any more?
0:25:23 > 0:25:24At £150.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25All done at 150...
0:25:27 > 0:25:28- Great result.- Thank you.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- For today's money, that's a great result.- Yes, I know that.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Luckily for Valerie, there was a fan out there.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Now, our third object should have admirers aplenty.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Well, just to jog your memories, this is Tim
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and coming up next we've got something bought at a car-boot sale
0:25:43 > 0:25:47for £3, and we're just about to sell it hopefully
0:25:47 > 0:25:48for £200 to £300.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- It is the sapphire brooch. - Yep.- What a find!- I know.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53It was a great find. But it's super quality.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I can imagine it mixed in with other things,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58it would have stood out as being slightly different.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00But, yeah, well done, you, cos it's a charming little thing.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Yeah, charming.- Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?- Yeah.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- It's going under the hammer.- Lovely.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07There it is, handsome brooch.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10And I've got several bids.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I have to start you at 400 to clear.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- GASPS - OK, then!
0:26:14 > 0:26:15- At £400.- Get in there.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18- 420. 440.- That is a shock.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19At 420 then.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21At 420. 440?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23At £420.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Are you in here? At 420.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28All done? At £420...
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Last chance.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- Yes!- Yes!- Ching-ching!
0:26:33 > 0:26:35- How about that?!- Get in there!
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Straight in on the big numbers, wasn't it?- Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- Brilliant.- That shocked me. Shocked you as well, didn't it?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- Yeah.- I thought, "Gosh, could this go any higher?"
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- Straight in, lots of bids all at once.- Very pleased with that.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Yeah, very pleased. Excellent. - Back to the car boot this weekend.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Yeah, I've got a few more pound, now, ain't I?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Well, Tim's obviously got the eye,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54so hopefully he'll find more car boot bargains.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And now, it's time for Gary's early prosthetic leg,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00possibly made for a pirate!
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Or a sailor. We can only speculate.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- Gary, good luck.- Thank you.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I've been waiting for this one because this is absolutely fabulous!
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Any pirates out there, you will want this, you will want to own it.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13You know what I mean? Long John Silver...
0:27:13 > 0:27:14LAUGHTER
0:27:14 > 0:27:18And we're going to turn three quid right now hopefully into £300.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- What an unusual thing! - It's brilliant.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22- Have you ever seen one?- I haven't, no, I haven't.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- I think this is a first.- Yeah, I think it's great.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It's a piece of folk art as well!
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Whittled away by someone on deck, you know, with a marlin knife.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- Amazing.- You know, with hours to spare at sea...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I mean, it's unique, it's a one-off,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36and hopefully we're going to get a one-off price for it!
0:27:36 > 0:27:38We're going to find out now.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39Ah! The peg leg.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41There it is with its...
0:27:41 > 0:27:42funny face.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I'm told I have to do a pirate voice but I'm not sure I can.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47Arrr.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49That's it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Start me, £50 for it, surely?
0:27:51 > 0:27:5450? 50. No?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Ought to be £50 for a peg leg.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00How often do you get these? At £50. 55.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- 60.- I've got 65.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Got 65. 70. Five?
0:28:04 > 0:28:08- Oh, it's going to be slow while we climb up to 300!- 80. Five.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09- Yeah.- 90. Five.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12110.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- 110 I have, on the net at 110.- 130.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Oh, it's going on, at 130 I have, now, 140.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21£130. If I've missed you in the room, shout.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23140 on the phone.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24150?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- 150.- 160?
0:28:28 > 0:28:29170?
0:28:29 > 0:28:30Yep.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31180.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34190.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36200.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37And 20.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41240. Yes?
0:28:41 > 0:28:42240. 260?
0:28:44 > 0:28:45- 280?- This is amazing.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49300.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52At £280, are we all done at 280?
0:28:52 > 0:28:53Finished? At 280, then, last chance.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57- That was great.- Oo-arr!
0:28:57 > 0:28:59- Awesome.- £280!
0:28:59 > 0:29:00Fantastic.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- Well done, Gary, thank you for bringing that in.- Thank you.
0:29:03 > 0:29:04That was a lovely find.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Just goes to show what's out there at the car boots.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Doesn't it just?! What a great object.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13It might be a Flog It first, but it might be a Flog It last as well!
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Never going to see another peg leg! No, never!
0:29:15 > 0:29:19What a great result for such a brilliant carved curio.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Now, sometimes scientific advancements can come
0:29:23 > 0:29:27in the most modest of forms, without publicity and fanfare.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Not far from this saleroom is the pretty, rural village of Selbourne.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Now, it's like most other villages around here.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37It has a village shop, a little cafe and a couple of pubs.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40But at the heart of it lived a man who revolutionised
0:29:40 > 0:29:44our understanding of nature and our environment.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I've come to this quiet little nook in Hampshire to find out more
0:29:59 > 0:30:02about the 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05whose worldwide reputation rests on this single book.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07And this is his house.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17But to find out what he achieved,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20and why his work became so important,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22I've come through the house for now
0:30:22 > 0:30:25and out into his workplace, his garden,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28set amidst the beautiful landscape of Hampshire.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Gilbert White was born here in Selbourne in 1720.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38As an avid gardener,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41he was compelled by the natural environment around him,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45something David Standing, the gardener here for 20 years,
0:30:45 > 0:30:46knows all about.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50What is special about this spot for a gardener,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52or for White, particularly?
0:30:52 > 0:30:54For White, yeah. A lot of things, really.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57There were so many different habitats and types of vegetation
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and geology was so varied
0:30:59 > 0:31:01there was an awful lot to study.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05- And it's here, all on his doorstep. - Indeed it is.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14The surrounding area inspired a fascination for nature
0:31:14 > 0:31:17and all its complexities throughout the seasons,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21and would become the inspiration for Gilbert White's life's work.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27In what way was his approach different to other naturalists
0:31:27 > 0:31:29at the time?
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Instead of taking nature into the laboratory and chopping it up,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37he went outside and looked very carefully at what was happening.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40He would look at one thing for a very long time,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42to examine all the details of it.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47How doves migrated, how they... the sort of nests they made.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50The swallows, for example, around the village.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53He wanted to know whether they hibernated or whether they migrated.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55He wanted to know all their habits.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58And nobody had really focused so closely before,
0:31:58 > 0:31:59on that kind of detail.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01So that was kind of new and fresh, wasn't it?
0:32:01 > 0:32:04I mean, he obviously looked at the weather,
0:32:04 > 0:32:05looked at the changing seasons,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08and saw how that affected plant life and animal life.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11- And I know he discovered new species.- He did indeed.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13There was a little mouse that people just assumed
0:32:13 > 0:32:17was a small house mouse, but turned out to be a new species,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20the smallest mammal, the little tiny harvest mouse.
0:32:20 > 0:32:21They are cute mice, aren't they?
0:32:21 > 0:32:25And nobody had identified that before as a separate species.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28And it was only through very careful observation
0:32:28 > 0:32:30that he was able to identify it.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32How charming. That's lovely, isn't it?
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Gilbert's scientific approach was to stake out a small place
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and watch the natural world around him undisturbed.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53He believed by focusing on a small sphere in meticulous detail,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55you could get the best results.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01And this is where he'd come and sit.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04It's been made from an old port barrel.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06He drunk the port with the villagers,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09before he converted it into some kind of hide.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11Now I'm going to get inside this.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15And he'd sit in here, patiently, for hours on end,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18just observing the weather and the changing seasons
0:33:18 > 0:33:21and how it affected plant life and animal life.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Nobody had done this before.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But it's what he did next with these observations
0:33:27 > 0:33:30that made White so remarkable.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33There are no confirmed images of Gilbert White,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37but the Gilbert White Trust has restored his study
0:33:37 > 0:33:39as it would have been in his day.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43And this is where he wrote up the results of all his fieldwork,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45in the Natural History Of Selborne.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Published in 1789,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50they still have the original document here,
0:33:50 > 0:33:56a remarkable record of what we would now call early scientific endeavour.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01And what I love to see is the creative mind at work here,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03with mistakes and crossings out
0:34:03 > 0:34:07together with great content and detail.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09I'd like to read you a little extract from the book
0:34:09 > 0:34:12here about the pettychaps bird. And here we go, look.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14"This bird much resembles the whitethroat,
0:34:14 > 0:34:18"has a more white or rather silvery breast and belly.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20"It's restless and active, like the willow wrens,
0:34:20 > 0:34:25"and hops from bough to bough, examining every part for food."
0:34:25 > 0:34:28So you can tell, look, he's really been out there quite patiently,
0:34:28 > 0:34:33observing and studying every single little move.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38White conveyed his scientific insights with a prose style
0:34:38 > 0:34:40that appealed to the reader.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43It's this X Factor that won him quite a fan club,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45from painters to poets,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46and even Darwin.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50One man who understands the allure of White's writing
0:34:50 > 0:34:53is former publisher Ronnie Davidson-Houston.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56He's amassed the largest collection of editions of the book
0:34:56 > 0:34:58and even published his own version,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00and they're all here in this library.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Well, I've never seen 1,000 editions of the same book before,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08so that's a first for me. Very impressive.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10It is a classic of English literature.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13And I was, you know, just one person among the whole nation
0:35:13 > 0:35:17who knew and loved this book and carried it with them to war.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19And when they went abroad,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23off to the colonies in the 19th century,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25there was always a copy of the Natural History Of Selborne
0:35:25 > 0:35:26in their baggage.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Why? Why was it, though?
0:35:28 > 0:35:33- It had a sense of home to people who travelled abroad.- Wholesome.- Yeah.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35There is so much that is quintessentially English
0:35:35 > 0:35:38about this book. It is not surprising it appeals to people
0:35:38 > 0:35:42all over the world, and has become a global phenomenon.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47You've got some that are bookmarked here, why is that?
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Well, those are the copies that I'm still looking for,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53- so it is a collection in progress. - So it is still not complete?
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- No, no, but it's still a magnificent obsession.- Wow.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01And the poetry of his writing style is still evident in his work
0:36:01 > 0:36:02for all to read.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08"On Friday, December the 10th,
0:36:08 > 0:36:12"being bright sunshine, the air was full of icy spiculae,
0:36:12 > 0:36:14"floating in all directions,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18"like atoms in a sunbeam let into a dark room.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22"Were they watery particles of the air, frozen as they floated,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24"or were they evaporations from the snow,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26"frozen as they mounted?"
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Gilbert White continued his quest to understand the natural world
0:36:32 > 0:36:36here in this garden right up until his death in 1793.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38He was aged 73.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41From such small seeds grew a worldwide phenomenon
0:36:41 > 0:36:47and a new science: the study of the environment and all living things.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Gilbert White had firmly set himself amongst
0:36:50 > 0:36:52the pioneers of early ecology.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04We're back at the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke,
0:37:04 > 0:37:09our valuation day venue, where the crowds are having a wonderful time.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11ALL CHEERING
0:37:11 > 0:37:12And James has found some objects
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Gilbert White surely would have appreciated.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16A compass,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19and a Victorian measuring instrument known as a theodolite.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22And, of course, James knows all about it.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Now, John and Jean, I have to tell you,
0:37:25 > 0:37:31you are taking me back years, to when I did surveying at uni.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34We all had to have a go with one of these.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38And do you know, I can't remember how on earth to use it!
0:37:38 > 0:37:40It looks so complicated.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42I think I had about two days of one of these,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45got completely baffled, and got somebody else to do it for me.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48- What's the history behind this? - Well, my father had it.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52It was wrapped in a box and it was put away for some reason,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54and I only found it after he had died.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56- So...- Was he a surveyor?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59No, he was a stonemason by trade.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02OK. So he would have worked in the building trade, then?
0:38:02 > 0:38:03That's right, yes.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06We've got an inscription on the dial.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08It says Abrahams,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12A Abrahams & Co, Liverpool.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15So it's not a London maker,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17but it's still good maker.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18And it's...
0:38:18 > 0:38:22The whole thing is constructed in lacquered brass.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26- Is this anything you guys know how to use?- Yes, I know how to use it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28- I'm a surveyor as well. - Are you? OK.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30So did you use something similar?
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Something similar, but a lot later design.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35This was quite a showy object.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39The dial itself is a silver dial,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42similar to something you would expect to see on
0:38:42 > 0:38:45an 18th-century or early 19th-century longcase clock.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49Or a barometer. Again, that scientific instrument.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50What's the story with this one?
0:38:50 > 0:38:54Well, this was one of my father's. He was a surveyor as well.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57And he was seconded to the Gold Coast Survey
0:38:57 > 0:39:00in West Africa in the 1930s.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03What a time to be in West Africa!
0:39:03 > 0:39:08And one of his jobs was to update the maps that they had at the time.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- Which is the relevance of this little chap.- Yes.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- OK.- It's actually huge, so to open it up would be a bit difficult.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18- Is it a really massive one? - It is.- It is a massive one.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I'll have a look at that later.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22The first thing to say is -
0:39:22 > 0:39:26- the compass and this piece should be sold separately.- Yes.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30I think the map, because of its history with the compass,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32- should stay together.- OK.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35So in terms of value, let's start with this one.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38That is a straightforward piece.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41It's a lovely, quality, scientific instrument.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45It is worth £250 to £350.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48And you should really put a reserve of 200 on it.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51If it doesn't make that, then try it in a specialist sale.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54- Fine.- That's fine. - So firm reserve of 200.- Yes.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57This one...
0:39:57 > 0:39:59As a compass, it's nothing exciting.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02It's just what it did is exciting.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03And therefore...
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- ..I have to use my head, not my heart. 60 to 100.- Yeah.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10I think that's what it is worth.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12And a firm reserve of £60.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16- That'd be fine.- Is that OK?- Yes. - Fine.- Really interesting.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- It has been an absolute pleasure. - Thank you very much.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23There is a very healthy market for scientific instruments,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27so let's see how these particular fascinating surveyor's tools do
0:40:27 > 0:40:28at auction.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33- David, good afternoon. - Good afternoon.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35You have brought this beautiful little sampler.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37- I think it's very nice. - Do you like it?- Yeah.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Are you a collector of samplers?
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- No, I'm not.- You're not? So how have you acquired this?
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Well, it was just a spur of the moment.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I walked into an antique centre and I saw it on display
0:40:47 > 0:40:51- and I thought, "That's nice." - Uh-huh.- Cos I do like pictures.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- Right.- I looked at it, it was the little label on the back
0:40:54 > 0:40:56that made me interested.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Do you know the significance of the references on the label?
0:40:59 > 0:41:01That's why you bought it?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04The only thing that sort of gave me inspiration was
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- the Earl of Coventry, so I thought, "Oh, that's history."- Yes.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12- So I bought it. - So, how long ago was that?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- That's back in about 1978, '79. - OK.- Yeah.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18So the name here, Mary Gunning,
0:41:18 > 0:41:22and the label on the back which refers to Maria Gunning,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26really it's exciting because it sounds as though it belongs
0:41:26 > 0:41:29or had association with a very famous Maria Gunning,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31who married the Earl of Coventry, as it says on the label.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33That isn't original to the frame.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35It is handwritten.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38But there's no proof that we can establish today...
0:41:38 > 0:41:42- No.- ..that would link it to the lady who was so famous in history.
0:41:42 > 0:41:43That's what I thought.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Maria Gunning, as you perhaps know,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48she died at the young age of 27,
0:41:48 > 0:41:49in 1760,
0:41:49 > 0:41:54from poisoning of all the items, all the ingredients in her face make-up.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- A bit like Queen Elizabeth I.- Right, yes, yes.- She died of poisoning.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59- I didn't know that.- Yeah.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02She was reputedly a lady of great beauty
0:42:02 > 0:42:06who made men swoon in front of her because she was so beautiful.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09But she was known to be the first person died of vanity,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11so, I mean, it's all kind of very much wrapped up in that.
0:42:11 > 0:42:12It is, isn't it?
0:42:12 > 0:42:14It's a sampler worked in coloured wools.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16They're not fine silks.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18They're sort of fairly robust threads
0:42:18 > 0:42:20on a very coarse canvas ground.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22From this shape of it,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25it's very much a sort of Georgian sampler,
0:42:25 > 0:42:27because it's long and thin,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29and it's very simple, it's got no border.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31As samplers move through into the Victorian period,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33they became squarer,
0:42:33 > 0:42:37and the border took up more of an attention to detail.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42So the fact that this has a date which doesn't tell us a year
0:42:42 > 0:42:46but implies it is '44, it might be 1744, it might be 1844.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- It doesn't feel like it's 18th century to me.- Mm.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53But I love the range of stitches which are shown at the top.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54That's quite an unusual feature,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56to have all these lovely stitches here.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It goes down to a fairly predictable alphabet,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02in the different upper and lower cases, numerals.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07Then we have French, which is quite unusual.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10I think, realistically, you'd be looking at open market value
0:43:10 > 0:43:12at the moment of round about £70 to £100,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16which is probably not dissimilar to what...where it was when you...
0:43:16 > 0:43:18But samplers in the last 20 years I have seen,
0:43:18 > 0:43:21they have risen quite steeply.
0:43:21 > 0:43:22Some of them still make a lot of money,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24but a lot of them are quite disappointing.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26To think of the age and the work that's gone into it.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29- Yes.- So on the basis of that, would you be happy to try it?
0:43:29 > 0:43:30Yes, by all means.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- And we'll put a reserve on it for you of £70.- Yes.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Let's follow on, and see the next stage of its progress.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37- Thank you very much.- No, thank you.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Even if the sampler isn't by Mary Gunning,
0:43:41 > 0:43:45will the buyers be tempted by the unconfirmed connection?
0:43:46 > 0:43:49James has been drawn to something very special on his table.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55Angus, what can I say?
0:43:55 > 0:44:00You have brought with you one fairly bashful Venus,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03and one rather confident Apollo.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05HE LAUGHS
0:44:05 > 0:44:06Typical fella.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08LAUGHTER
0:44:08 > 0:44:12They are two of the most famous classical sculptures
0:44:12 > 0:44:16that we see up and down the salerooms all over the country.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20These are brown patinated bronze.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23They are influenced by the originals,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27excavated in the Grand Tour excavations in the 18th century.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32And they are by the Barbedienne foundry,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34- Ferdinand Barbedienne. - Didn't know that.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38But, yeah, he was a Frenchman. He was born in 1810.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42But in 1838, he opened the Barbedienne foundry.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47So you see round the site here, F Barbedienne Fondeur.
0:44:47 > 0:44:48- Yep.- Foundry.
0:44:48 > 0:44:54And they cast some of the most important bronze sculptures,
0:44:54 > 0:44:59candlesticks, urns, interior design of the 19th century.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02- The other thing to say is that they're not a pair.- Aren't they?
0:45:02 > 0:45:06- No, cos look, the base, slightly different shaped bases.- Oh, yeah.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10But that doesn't matter because they sell individually equally well.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12What is your history with them?
0:45:12 > 0:45:15My wife bought them 50+ years ago.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Her boyfriend was an antique dealer, an Irish antique dealer.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22- He used to come over to England every year or so.- Yep.
0:45:22 > 0:45:23And she used to travel with him
0:45:23 > 0:45:26round to different places when she got a chance.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28And I think she bought them,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31but it could be that he bought them for her.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33And she's had them all this time.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35- EMOTIONAL:- Which I lost her about three months ago.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37And they've got to go down the family.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40I can't give them to one, so I want to sell them.
0:45:40 > 0:45:41- OK.- That's the plan.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44- Your wife had very good taste. - Yeah, oh, yes.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48- No answer to that. - HE LAUGHS
0:45:48 > 0:45:49And a very good eye.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Barbedienne foundry was one of the best.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58They are slightly suffering
0:45:58 > 0:46:03due to a little bit of surface patination wear.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07This one has been dropped at some stage, and has a bash on the base.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09So because of that,
0:46:09 > 0:46:13I'd like to put a somewhat conservative estimate on them.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16£600 to £1,000.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17Sheesh!
0:46:17 > 0:46:19- Is that all right?- Oh!
0:46:19 > 0:46:20Too right!
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Very much so.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24I would be very disappointed
0:46:24 > 0:46:28- if they didn't make upper end of the estimate.- Lovely.
0:46:31 > 0:46:32Now, Elizabeth's item is by
0:46:32 > 0:46:35a designer well-known to Flog It viewers,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37although the pattern is anything but familiar.
0:46:40 > 0:46:41- Hello, Ruth.- Hello.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44Well, as well as I like your wonderful pink jumper,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46I also like your wonderful jug.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49What do you know about your jug that we can't already guess
0:46:49 > 0:46:51by looking at it?
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Not a lot.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55It was not bought by family,
0:46:55 > 0:46:59my sister-in-law about 30 years ago moved into a flat
0:46:59 > 0:47:04and sitting on the draining board was this article,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- with some washing up mops and things in.- Oh, really?!- Yeah!
0:47:06 > 0:47:08SHE LAUGHS
0:47:08 > 0:47:11And when she died, we cleared her flat out,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13and believe it or not it's Clarice Cliff.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15- Nobody realised that until... - No, until...- ..afterwards?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- No, that's it. - You're looking to sell it?
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Do you not want to keep it in the family,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21to say I have a piece of Clarice Cliff?
0:47:21 > 0:47:23Do you not like it?
0:47:23 > 0:47:24No, I don't mind...
0:47:24 > 0:47:28- I've got two daughters... - None of them like it?
0:47:28 > 0:47:31One daughter has three German shepherds.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Well, that wouldn't last very long, would it?
0:47:33 > 0:47:36The reason why I stopped you to talk about this was because
0:47:36 > 0:47:40although I've seen a lot of Clarice Cliff in my time,
0:47:40 > 0:47:42this pattern is not a very common pattern,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45and therefore it's quite nice to see a slightly different version
0:47:45 > 0:47:47that we can talk about.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51And it's called the cabbage flower pattern, which was produced in 1934.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Oh, yes. A year after I was born, so I was a year old.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56- Oh, really?- Yes. - Oh, look at that!
0:47:56 > 0:47:58I think you're wearing better than the jug.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01LAUGHTER
0:48:01 > 0:48:03- There's a bit of damage to it here. - Well, my husband said,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06"You're not taking that thing?" He said, "it's got chips all over!"
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Well, you can tell him there's nothing wrong with your item here.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11The odd chip.
0:48:11 > 0:48:12Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting
0:48:12 > 0:48:15- because it got quite a Deco style and shape to it.- Yeah.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17The handle's quite conventional
0:48:17 > 0:48:21but this panelled baluster shape is very much of the 19 sort of...
0:48:21 > 0:48:22Late 1920s, early 1930s,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25and so in 1934 when this was being painted,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27it would have been height of fashion.
0:48:27 > 0:48:28And it's not the rarest, but it's unusual.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30It's a nice shape, good...
0:48:30 > 0:48:33The fact it's damaged, we'll just keep kind of restraints on its...
0:48:33 > 0:48:34That's right, yes.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36- I think that will probably fetch around about 80-£120.- Yeah.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39- I think that's a fair estimation. - Yeah, yeah.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41- Would you be happy to sell it at that?- Rather!- Rather!
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Oh, gosh, said with gusto. And shall we put a reserve on it for you?
0:48:45 > 0:48:47- Do you want it with a reserve? - No.- No? Just set it...
0:48:47 > 0:48:48No, no reserve, no.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50It should find its mark quite comfortably.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53- Well, listen, thank you very much for bringing this in.- Yeah.
0:48:53 > 0:48:54- It's had a very interesting life.- Yes!
0:48:54 > 0:48:57And let's give it a new chapter at the auction.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00I'm sure there must be someone there that collects Clarice Cliff.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01I'm sure they will.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04Of that we can be certain.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07What a great day it's been for interesting finds,
0:49:07 > 0:49:08here at the museum.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12So as we say goodbye from Milestones...
0:49:12 > 0:49:14it is over to the auction for the very last time,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17to put those valuations to the test.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19And here's a quick recap of everything that's going
0:49:19 > 0:49:20under the hammer.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Will Ruth's slightly damaged Clarice Cliff vase,
0:49:25 > 0:49:27with that unusual cabbage design,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29appeal to the bidders?
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Will the early-20th-century surveyor's instruments
0:49:33 > 0:49:37belonging to John and Jean's father chart a course to success
0:49:37 > 0:49:39when they go under the hammer?
0:49:39 > 0:49:41And there's David's sampler,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44referencing the 18th-century beauty Mary Gunning.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46But without proof of provenance,
0:49:46 > 0:49:47will it attract the bidders?
0:49:52 > 0:49:54And finally, will Angus's mismatched bronzes
0:49:54 > 0:49:58which belonged to his wife, live up to expectations?
0:50:06 > 0:50:08And first up is that Clarice Cliff vase
0:50:08 > 0:50:10with the cabbage flower pattern.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17- See, Ruth didn't let the show down, did she?- Bit of Clarice Cliff!
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Clarice Cliff, yes!
0:50:19 > 0:50:21It wouldn't be Flog It without Clarice Cliff.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24There will be people out there that will like this,
0:50:24 > 0:50:27- that's the main thing. - Well, this is it.- Yes, this is it.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31A few months ago on telly, I did see a plate...
0:50:31 > 0:50:32with the same pattern.
0:50:32 > 0:50:33- Really?- Yes.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34On one of our shows?
0:50:34 > 0:50:36It must have been, it must have been.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- She never watches anything else.- No. - Oh, bless you.
0:50:39 > 0:50:40LAUGHTER
0:50:40 > 0:50:43You can learn a lot, can't you? Do you know, I'm always learning?
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Yeah, well, that's part of the joy of it. Absolutely.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Anyway, look, your lot's coming up now. Ready for this?
0:50:48 > 0:50:50- Oh, good!- Here we go. Yes!
0:50:50 > 0:50:54Here's the Clarice Cliff bazaar jug. Cabbage flower pattern.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56Start me with £80, then?
0:50:56 > 0:50:57£80?
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Good Clarice Cliff jug for £80.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00£80?
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Try 60, then.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04£60, surely? £60.
0:51:04 > 0:51:0540, then, to get it going.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07£40, surely?
0:51:07 > 0:51:08Try 30, then.
0:51:08 > 0:51:09£30.
0:51:09 > 0:51:1120, then? £20, surely?
0:51:11 > 0:51:13A Clarice Cliff jug for £20!
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- Nobody wants it...- Yes!
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Yes! We have it!
0:51:17 > 0:51:19£20 on the net, and starting at £20.
0:51:19 > 0:51:20Is there two in the room?
0:51:20 > 0:51:22At £20. Any more? At £20.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25- Oh, no! - At £20.
0:51:26 > 0:51:2825, is there seven?
0:51:28 > 0:51:32At £25, and we will sell, make no mistake, at £25.
0:51:33 > 0:51:3527 we have, now. Make it 30.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37GROANING AND LAUGHING
0:51:37 > 0:51:38At £27.
0:51:38 > 0:51:4030 we have. £30.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42- Oh, it's gone to 30.- 32?
0:51:42 > 0:51:43At £30, then?
0:51:43 > 0:51:45For the last time at £30...
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Well, that was a journey, wasn't it?!
0:51:49 > 0:51:51LAUGHTER 30 quid!
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Fantastic!
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I tell you what, though.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56- Best rid of!- Yeah!
0:51:56 > 0:51:58LAUGHTER
0:51:58 > 0:52:00- Somebody will have that and enjoy it.- Of course they will.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03- And they won't stick a mop in it either.- No. Oh, no.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Well, they could put a mop in it! Half a dozen of 'em!
0:52:07 > 0:52:10Clarice Cliff is a path well trodden,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13and this one was damaged, which might explain that result.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17But Ruth seems happy to flog it on, and that's what counts.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21- Jean and John, good luck.- Thank you.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Two lots, one following the other one.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25- We have two compasses.- Yeah.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27One for...
0:52:27 > 0:52:29One is a little small hand-held compass,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32- which was used to plot roads in Africa.- OK, yeah.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35And the other one is the big surveyor's compass.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37- Good luck with those.- Thank you.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39We're going to put them to the test right now.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- We are starting off with the one... - The hand-held.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43The hand-held one. This is it.
0:52:43 > 0:52:48I'm going to start you here, to clear bids, at £42.
0:52:48 > 0:52:4945 can I say now?
0:52:49 > 0:52:51It is 42 with me. 45 anywhere?
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Anybody else in at 42? At £42.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Any more?
0:52:57 > 0:53:00At £42. No? At £42.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Well, I can't sell it at £42, so...
0:53:03 > 0:53:05James had his doubts about that one.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- Yeah.- Better luck with the next one.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- We've got high hopes for this one. The theodolite level.- Yeah.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12And that would've been on a tripod base, wouldn't it?
0:53:12 > 0:53:15- It would.- In its day. I mean, it is a wonderful-looking thing.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18- It is. I like it.- It is incredibly made.- Yes.- Well, good luck with it.
0:53:19 > 0:53:20I do have a few bids on this,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23and I have to start you to clear them at £400.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- There we go.- Good!
0:53:25 > 0:53:26At £400.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29To clear other bids, at £400. And 20 is it now?
0:53:29 > 0:53:30420 on the phone.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31450.
0:53:31 > 0:53:32470.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37£500. And 20?
0:53:37 > 0:53:39550. 570?
0:53:39 > 0:53:40600. And 20?
0:53:40 > 0:53:44At £600 with me, on commission. At £600.
0:53:44 > 0:53:4620 on the other phone.
0:53:46 > 0:53:47620, yes?
0:53:47 > 0:53:50At £620 on the other phone, and I'm out here.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Are you done? At £620...
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Gosh, £620!
0:53:56 > 0:53:59- That's very good.- A big smile! We like that.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02That made up for the lack of interest in the first one,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05- put it that way.- Yes, it did. Thank you very much.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Although the first one didn't sell,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10what a fantastic result for that surveyor's compass
0:54:10 > 0:54:12that so evoked the past.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15As does the next item, David's Georgian sampler.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17While Nick's taking a rest,
0:54:17 > 0:54:20we are now in the hands of his colleague, Andrew Smith.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22I like samplers. I like those early Georgian ones.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25This one is slightly different because it's telling us a story.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Well, it's a spurious connection to Mary Gunning,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29which would get everybody very excited.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31As it turns out, it is just a very nice sampler.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33And unusually, part of it is written in French.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Rather than being an English script, it is written in French.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39I think it was a very learned young lady who was doing her French
0:54:39 > 0:54:40and her needlework at the same time.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Yes. A well-educated young lady.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44- And disciplined.- Indeed.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46- Better than I can do. - Let's see what we can do for you.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Let's see if we can get your money back. Here we go.
0:54:48 > 0:54:49It's going under the hammer.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52£70.
0:54:52 > 0:54:5350 then.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56£50 I have, thank you. And five.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59£70. Even better. At £70. And five.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02£70 is on the net. And five anywhere?
0:55:02 > 0:55:03At £70, are you sure?
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Very last time then, at £70...
0:55:08 > 0:55:11- Yep, tres bien. - Tres bien, Elizabeth.- Tres bien.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Indeed, a delightful piece.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Now, our last lot of the day.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21Angus' bronze sculptures that belonged to his late wife, Jean.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Angus, your two bronzes, Venus and Apollo,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27are just about to go under the hammer.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30And if you look in front of the rostrum, look, you can see,
0:55:30 > 0:55:31pride of place. Look.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33They're great. Lovely quality casting.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Then you've got your top name.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39- Yeah.- And hopefully, top dollar. Right now, right here. Good luck.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40That's what we want. This is it.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46Two 19th-century bronze figures. We have two telephones.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Oh, great!
0:55:48 > 0:55:50- How much? - We've got a battle on our hands.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54I'll start then at 400, which is a commission bid. At £400.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57420. 450. 470.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01500. My commission bid's out.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04£500 on the net.
0:56:04 > 0:56:05550.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07600. 650.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09700. 750.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11800. 850.
0:56:13 > 0:56:14Angus...
0:56:14 > 0:56:17I think we could be looking at four figures, don't you?
0:56:17 > 0:56:21At £900, and we are selling. 920 to Gary's phone.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23950.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25- 970.- Oh, we might do. We're going to do it.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30It is £970.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31£1,000.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33- Ah!- Yeah!- £1,000 on the net.
0:56:33 > 0:56:351,050.
0:56:35 > 0:56:361,100.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40To the phone at £1,050,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42and we are selling.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45- We're selling, Angus. 1,050.- That's great.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49£1,050 then, for the very last time...
0:56:51 > 0:56:54- Thank you for bringing those in. - My Jean would've loved that.
0:56:54 > 0:56:55I bet she would've.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59Well done, well done. Great result, James.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01Great. Very, very pleased.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03They were my favourite thing on the day.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05And a great result. Well done.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07- Yeah. You take care of yourself. Well done. A pleasure.- Thank you.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09It's been a pleasure, Angus.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14What a great tribute to Angus' wife, who so appreciated those bronzes.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18We've had some highs, not too many lows and a few tears,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21but it is all in a day's work. Do join us again soon.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23But until then, from Hampshire,
0:57:23 > 0:57:24it's goodbye.