Norfolk 21 Flog It!

Today, we're at Norwich Cathedral, in Norfolk, where our crowds

have gathered in one of the largest monastic cloisters in Britain.

We'll be finding out about the many ingenious ways that medieval

monks used this incredible space to demonstrate their power

to the people of Norfolk.

Welcome to "Flog It!".

Today, we are holding our valuations at Norwich Cathedral,

one of the most intact Norman buildings in Europe.

Completed in the 12th century,

this soaring edifice stood as a reminder to everyone that the

Benedictine monks who lived here for 500 years held sway over

the churches and the agricultural lands for miles around.

Even these cloisters, where they quietly worked,

were designed to send out a strong message - do not disturb.

Well, thankfully,

we are not so harsh here on "Flog It!".

And today, all are welcome at the cathedral.

So as this great crowd of people

laden with antiques and collectibles

follow in the footsteps of the monks,

they are here to see our experts.

And there is only one question on their minds, which is...

-ALL:

-What is it worth?

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

It looks like our experts are praying for perfection today.

Ever elegantly attired, Thomas Plant is interested in the dress code.

Look. Breeches, knickers, leggings.

Look at that. Look at her there.

And David Fletcher has found just the thing.

Let's put a sticker on you. There you go.

And you wear it not like that.

I love a good fez.

And not like that, either.

But just like that.

And as everyone heads inside, here is what is on the show today.

David has got a bird in the hand.

It is beautiful quality.

And has his hands full.

It sits there, slightly cheeky little look on its face,

a bit like you if I might say so.

There are sketches that get everyone's heart fluttering.

And I visit a stately home that has remained untouched

for over 250 years.

The owner here portrayed himself as a Roman emperor but, in fact,

he was Britain's first Prime Minister.

And I will be finding out all about this great man later on in the show.

Well, the crowds are now safely seated inside the cathedral.

And I must say, look at this for a magnificent turnout.

But there is something I want to point out,

and it is a modern piece of sculpture.

And it is right above the crowd, suspended there.

It is a sculpture in willow

by two artists and some local students.

It is their interpretation of what would have been

suspended in this position during medieval times.

On High Holy Days,

the monks wanted to make a big impact on the congregation,

so they swung a massive angel in this spot, gilded in silver

and trailing incense to imbue worshipers with God's spirit,

which is why it was called a censing angel.

Its other purpose was to stifle the odours of the congregation

because, let's face it, back then,

most people only had a wash once a week, if they were lucky.

Anyway, thank goodness times have changed, haven't they?

We are all wonderfully perfumed today.

Let's now catch up with our experts and see who's first at the tables.

And it looks like Thomas is in fine fettle today

with a couple of ink drawings brought in by Ian

and Jackie from the hand of wildlife artist Arthur Wardle.

So, Ian and Jackie, how have you come by them?

I like pen-and-ink drawings and I've been collecting them.

At the time I bought these, which was about four years ago...

A couple of years ago, I suffered a bit of damage to my lounge/diner,

which meant I had to remodel.

And my lifestyle grew.

-I thought it was a good time to brighten the place up.

-Oh, right.

-So Jackie is a recent addition to your life?

-Last two...

-Two years we have been together.

-Two years.

And you don't like black and white?

-I just think they look a bit dull, actually.

-Oh, really?

His place just looks so cluttered with all this old stuff.

I did have in my hall and landing as well, between the two areas, 55.

-Oh, really?

-I am now down to nine, so...

OK, well, that is quite good of you. Well done, you.

-Well, sacrifice, you know. One has to.

-Sacrifice, yeah. Absolutely.

You said you bought them four or five years ago.

And do you think they are OK?

I do. I think they are excellent.

I mean, he was known for doing his exotic birds,

and here we have an exotic bird in pen and ink.

And the pelicans as well, which are sort of pseudo-exotic.

-We are looking at an early 20th-century artist.

-Yes.

And these would have been drawn in the 1930s, I would have thought.

-Yes.

-At the height of his sort of career.

But he did exhibit at the Royal Academy very young.

-He exhibited at the age of 16.

-Yeah.

Which is an extraordinary talent.

So there is definitely a decent hand here to be seen.

I mean, what did you initially like about them?

I like the simplicity of etchings, the black-and-ink sketches.

-I can understand the line and form.

-Yes.

It gives it a simplicity, a cleanliness.

It is quite masculine to like that.

-Hence when you met Jackie...

-THEY LAUGH

-And what have you put in place?

-Different coloured decor.

I love colour. That is why I don't like this stuff.

I love colour.

There's a lot of grey.

-Yes. Not 50 shades of...

-That is enough of that.

That is enough of that. We don't want any more of that!

Do you mind me asking how much you paid for them?

I think it was about £100 for the pair.

-£100 for the pair.

-I think around about that.

Well, I think you've done jolly well.

I believe that if you estimate them at £150, £200 for the pair,

hopefully, you're going to get your money back.

-Well, that would be good.

-It has been a pleasure to meet you two.

A pleasure meeting you.

And we look forward to seeing you at the auction.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

Jackie might call them dull,

but I think someone will appreciate these lovely sketches.

Now, David has found a bird of a very different feather.

-Hello, Vicky.

-Hello.

Now, you are wearing an owl brooch.

How long have you owned this brooch?

Well, my cousin gave it to me about seven, eight years ago.

What happened, when her mum died, my aunt, she gave me this tin.

So I took the tin home, put it on the shelf

-and left it for about just over a month or more.

-Right.

Opened the tin, turned the jewellery out, and that man had been there.

-Out popped this owl, yeah.

-She didn't even know that was in there.

-No. So it was a bit of a windfall, really.

-That was, yes. Yeah.

Let's have a close look at this.

Now, what we have is a 14-carat gold Continental brooch.

It would be better if it were English,

in which case it would be 18-carat or probably 22.

But it is very nice anyway. It has tiger's-eye eyes.

Now, the tiger's eye is a semiprecious stone, which has

a sort of three-dimensional quality.

If you were to shine a light into it and just move around the gemstone,

it has the effect almost of following you around.

-If we were to melt this, it would melt at about £200.

-Right.

But it is worth a bit more than its melt value,

mainly because people collect anything to do with owls.

People collect owls because owls signify wisdom.

Apart from that, they have a sort of stateliness, don't they?

-Have you ever seen a barn owl in flight?

-Yeah.

-They're wonderful...

-They're lovely.

-..wonderful birds, really.

So people get quite sentimental about them as creatures.

I think it is lovely. It is beautiful quality.

It sits there, slightly cheeky little look on its face,

-a bit like you, if I may say so.

-Like me!

And, you know, people are going to like that.

People are going to fall in love with it, I think.

So if we were to estimate it at £200 to £300,

put a reserve of £200 on it.

-Right.

-Would that be all right by you?

-Certainly.

-Good.

And what can I say, really,

except that it has been a pleasure meeting you.

And a pleasure meeting you.

-You've made us all laugh.

-As usual.

-As usual.

So it has been good fun

and let's hope we have even more fun at the sale.

-Yes, lovely, thank you very much.

-I'll see you there, Vicky.

Yeah, thank you.

Let's see if wise old David is right about the owl valuation

when it goes under the hammer.

As our experts keep busy, time to find out about another

extraordinary feature of the cathedral.

Covering the ceiling here are 1,000 wooden carvings, known as bosses.

Often found in churches,

they were used to decorate the intersections of the vaulted roof.

But these medieval ones are particularly special,

as the Vice-Dean of Norwich, Jeremy Haselock, can tell us.

They are a long way up and I know we can't see them

clearly from down here, but I know they depict Biblical scenes.

Can you tell me more about them?

Yeah, well, you start at one end with the act of Creation,

God creating Heaven and Earth.

Then they work through the creation of the animals, Adam and Eve,

the story of Adam and Eve.

We get Noah and the flood. We get Moses and the Pharaoh.

And then it goes right the way through to the Last Judgment.

So, in other words, it is the beginning and the end.

-It's the story.

-The whole story.

-It is the complete story.

I know they are incredibly decorative,

-but they do have a function and a purpose, don't they?

-Yeah.

Well, a lot of people would like you to

believe that they are there as a poor man's Bible.

In other words, nobody could read, so they could see these images.

But they'd have to have pretty good eyesight to really pick out

the details there.

I know, let's see,

the people that carved these would have had a bit of artistic licence.

Would it reflect anything to do with Norwich itself?

Well, if you look at the one of Pharaoh

and his chariots being overturned in the Red Sea...

It is very graphic. The sea is red, literally.

But what you see for Pharaoh's chariot is not what we see

in Ben Hur or anything like that.

What you have actually got is a Norfolk farm cart.

-Really?

-So it is what they knew.

The Last Supper, you know, the bread there that is on the table is

a sort of loaf that you'd find in a 15th-century Norwich home.

-So it's...

-That's lovely.

-It is full of homely touches like that.

-Very nice, though. Very nice. Thank you for talking to me.

-Not at all.

Thank you.

From the celestial heavens of the Benedictine monks to something

that reflects the power and the influence of a very different order.

-Well, Rob and Sal, thank you for coming.

-Hello.

-Thank you.

You have brought along a Masonic watch in the form of a triangle.

Tell me, who owns it?

It was my grandfather's. He used to spend a lot of time in the Masons.

He died when I was six,

so I didn't really know him that well. My father didn't

carry on being in the Masons, so we have kept it in the family.

But it always seemed quite an interesting watch.

They are fascinating. Have you worn it?

Have you worn it as a piece of jewellery?

No. And it is so beautiful.

-It is quite heavy as well, it's quite big.

-Yeah.

And this watch comes from the early 20th century.

It is in nine-carat gold.

And it has got what I think is one of my favourite materials.

It is mother of pearl.

And on the dial, you have the symbols of the Masonic world -

the Masonic gavel,

the compass and square,

the skull and crossbones,

the all-seeing eye,

and it has this wonderful quote on the base here.

"Love your fellow man, lend him a helping hand."

-Have you ever read that on there?

-Yeah.

-Wouldn't that be nice if everybody did that?

-It would be.

It would be really good, wouldn't it?

And was it given as an award or was it just a bit of jewellery?

It's not... No, it is not given as a medallion.

So it is not a medallion.

-You're not a medallion man.

-It is not a jewel. It is not a jewel, no.

It would be a working watch. It is a status symbol.

Why are you selling it?

I haven't been a Mason.

My father is not a Mason. We haven't got a Mason in our...

In your blood, so to speak.

In our blood, so to speak, so it is just a piece that we have had.

And just wanted to use the money for something that we can enjoy.

-Absolutely.

-Or me.

-Or you.

-Yes!

So, the valuation, what's it worth?

I'm going to be quite bullish and say £1,000.

-I think you estimate it at 1,000 to 1,500.

-Uh-huh.

-Uh-huh.

Where do you place the reserve?

I think you place the reserve round about the £900 mark.

-If you're happy with that, we will go for it.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK, great. Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing it along.

-Thank you.

But don't go spending all the money.

I'm not sure, Thomas, it sounds as if Sal has her own plans.

Beyond the main nave are the largest monastic cloisters in England.

It's here that for 500 years the community of Benedictine monks

spent their time studying.

David Fletcher is doing the same with an object given to Jill.

-Hello, Jill.

-Hello.

And thank you for coming out into these very picturesque

but rather cold surroundings.

They were hardy people, these monks, weren't they?

Anyway, what you have brought in with you has really warmed me up.

Good.

Now, I love this necklace.

Graduated pearls, fastened by this sapphire link,

with a diamond surround.

The sapphire is pointy.

In other words, it's a cabochon sapphire.

But the crucial thing that we really need to think about

is whether or not these are natural or cultured pearls.

Do you have a view on that?

-No, only that I'd like them to be the most valuable.

-OK.

I'm not surprised.

It would be nice if they were natural, but they're not.

They are cultured.

Which does fairly dramatically affect their value.

-Now, are you ready for a little jewellery lesson?

-Yes.

What we do if we want to create a cultured pearl

is just put any sort of foreign body, really, into a mollusc

and allow the pearl to build up round it.

In nature, that happens naturally.

Hence, natural pearls.

If we're talking about cultured pearls,

it's something which is achieved

with a little bit of help from mankind.

I always think the great thing about pearls

is you can dress them up or dress them down.

You could wear it with a pullover.

On the other hand, it looks stunning with a nice black cocktail dress.

So they are adaptable but, at the moment,

not as fashionable as they were.

So I've sounded all the alarm bells, really,

and I'm now going to give you a valuation.

And I hope that you don't walk out on us here and now.

A natural pearl necklace like this might be worth £2,000 to £3,000.

A cultured pearl necklace like this is worth nearer £200 to £300.

-That's fine.

-OK, you're very philosophical. Thank you.

OK, let's turn to the second item, which I think the auctioneers

will probably want to sell as a separate lot.

I would have thought probably, yes.

And these are seed pearls in a 22-carat gold setting.

And I think, from the commercial point of view,

the problem with jewellery of this nature

is it's a little bit too fussy.

It speaks a bit of that high Victorian style,

-which is not terribly commercial today.

-No.

There is another aspect of the brooch, which we should mention,

and that is the fact that it can be worn as a pendant.

There is a suspension loop.

I rather like this sort of thing.

But there is some market resistance to it, really.

-I would expect this will make between £50 and £80.

-Right.

-If we estimate it at that sort of money, we'll do well with it.

-Fine.

But I would urge people

looking to get into buying and collecting jewellery

to be mindful of the fact that these things

can be picked up really quite cheaply.

I mean, so often people say something's affordable

and they're talking about lots of money.

But I think an object like that really is affordable.

So if you're happy with that and we'll go ahead at that estimate.

-And I'll see you at the sale.

-Thank you.

Before we head off to auction,

it's time for me to take the opportunity to look around the area.

Take a look at the Norfolk Broads and you'll be forgiven for thinking

these surroundings haven't changed in thousands of years.

But you'd be wrong.

This has been a dramatically shifting landscape for at least 3,000 years

and it has owed much of its change to two things,

water and this stuff - peat.

I'm off to find out how this boggy substance

has not only changed the landscape

but the fortunes of the Broads.

The Norfolk Broads are an incredible phenomenon.

Six rivers and dykes wend their way for 125 miles through the county.

The area making up just over 300 square kilometres of Britain's

largest protected wetland.

I've come to meet education officer Nick Sanderson,

from the Broads Authority,

who can explain how this dramatic terrain was formed.

All is not what it seems.

-No, this is really a man-made landscape.

-Yeah.

So if we go back 4,000 years, it was an area of swampy woodland

with reeds and sage and things like that.

And that laid down massive deep peat deposits.

But if you came forward 2,000 years from then to the Roman times,

about 2,000 years ago, the place was a great big estuary.

It was underneath the sea.

And the sea was laying down layers of clay on top of that.

How deep do you have to dig down in this area to find peat?

Here, probably one-and-a-half metres.

Now, you've got an auger,

it's a rod that goes right down.

-Now, that is about eight feet under the ground now.

-Yeah, it is.

And that's filling up with clay and peat.

So hopefully it's going to show us the change of level.

Give it a few more twists, then.

A few more twists and see what we've got. There we go.

Here we go.

There we go.

Because cutting through clay, if that clay is quite solid,

-that's hard work, isn't it?

-That's right.

The clay layer is really difficult to cut through.

But beneath the clay, if I scrape it, hopefully...

Oh, that's peat, isn't it?

That's right. We're into peat.

And these bits of trees that we can see here,

these were probably buried, I don't know,

1,000, 1,500 years ago.

And peat has an incredible property,

that it doesn't really allow decomposition.

So when you dig it out of the ground...

-It's as it was.

-Pretty much, yeah.

It's like compressed wood and plant matter,

-which is why it burns so well.

-Gosh.

And fire was exactly what people needed.

By the 10th century firewood had become scarce.

Peat was a great new fuel,

which burned hotter and longer than ordinary wood

and would have been vital to cook and heat their homes with.

So what time in history did people realise, underneath that clay,

that peat was a valuable product?

By sort of the 10th century we do know that peat was being extracted.

And by medieval times, vast quantities were being extracted

because people had realised that it could be sold and traded and so on.

So in medieval times, it was being excavated on an industrial scale.

But rich landowners and the church controlled the area

and local tenant farmers had to get permission first to dig for peat.

They would have had a right of turbary,

which is the right to cut turfs.

And this is a turf.

And that's dried out.

Yeah, it's been dried out for a couple of years, really.

But 400,000 turfs like this a year

were burnt in the cathedral refectory in Norwich.

400,000?!

400,000 blocks like that would have been burnt.

I'm just thinking of the sort of intensity of people digging away.

But also horse and cart taking it to and fro

the cathedral and other great buildings.

A hive of activity in this area because of peat.

East Anglia, Norfolk in particular,

supported a really high population

for a rural area during medieval times,

largely because of the peat.

Well, look, I know it sounds like hard work getting through the clay,

and I'm sure it is, can I have a go?

Certainly, yeah.

-And you've got the right tools here?

-Well, there's a peat cutter.

Which is what they would have used.

It's called a becket.

And it would have been used to actually cut the turfs out.

But this is a bit of an antique, so I think we'll use...

a conventional spade.

And if you'd like to just have a go at digging...

I mean, there's going to be a lot of tree roots here naturally.

Absolutely.

Gosh, that's softer than I thought.

-That's what I thought it'd be like on the first one.

-Yeah.

I broke it.

Well, clearly, with one spadeful,

just that depth, I'm not going to find peat.

But it gives me an idea of what you've got to do.

And it is hard work, isn't it?

-That's a big block.

-Cor...!

Yeah, I wouldn't like to stand there and do that all day long.

Mind you, you'd have great stomach muscles, wouldn't you?

That's hard work.

Hard grind and excavation went on for 200 years,

by which time it is estimated locals had dug up

250,000 cubic metres of peat.

Which is equivalent to 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools today.

The result was vast shallow quarries cut into the land,

on occasion, stretching for miles.

By the 14th century, the landscape was transformed again.

Once more, water levels rose.

This time pouring in, flooding into the quarries, creating great lakes,

what we now call the Norfolk Broads.

Next to the new man-made lakes were marshy pastures,

perfect for raising sheep.

And by the Middle Ages, the wool trade in Norfolk was booming.

But there was something else besides the nutrient-rich fields

that helped transform the area from a backwater to a major player.

Landowners and wool traders realised that, with access to the Continent,

they could be sitting on a gold mine.

But how could they get their product to sea?

Well, the answer was to hire Dutch engineers

with skills in building dykes.

Problem solved.

They created a network of channels linking the rivers to the Broads

with access to ports like Norwich.

Now the wool could reach ships

and now the ships could find fresh markets overseas.

Norwich became the second wealthiest city to London.

Wool and farming products were carried up and down the waterways.

And by the 17th century, all manner of goods were transported

on distinctive flat-bottomed boats called werries.

But there was one more change for the Broads.

By the turn of the 20th century, industry was replaced with tourism,

as holiday-makers flocked to the area.

The Norfolk Boards is the largest area in Britain

for those seeking a holiday afloat.

You can hire a boat here any time between Easter and October.

The old werries had almost gone.

And in their place, pleasure boats were specially designed

for these shallow waterways.

Hunters Yard, which built some of the first yachts,

is still going strong today,

hiring them out to amateur sailors, like Ian Cartwright.

I love these old classic sail boats.

I mean, they are right up my street.

-They are a delight to sail.

-Are they?

-Yes, they really are.

They do exactly what you want them to do

and you get an awful lot of feedback from them.

They're not hard work, like so many of the other hire boats were.

Do you get a chance to take these boats out much?

Not as much as I'd like.

I have a whole month all to myself every year

and what I like about them is it's you against the wind and the tide.

And by the time you come to the end of the day you think,

"That was a very good day.

"I have got here without starting a diesel engine,

"just under my own fair wit."

Strange to think that Norfolk's unique landscape was built

on the blood, sweat and industry

of those early peat diggers.

And that, in turn, their quarrying came about as a result

of the thousands of years of the natural ebb and flow

of one of the most valuable resources -

water.

Back at the valuation day, let's remind ourselves

what we're taking off to auction.

There are Ian and Jackie's

black-and-white sketches of

exotic birds by Arthur Wardle

that Jackie hopes to replace with

something more colourful.

The collectors should be delighted to

get their claws into Vicky's gold owl brooch.

Jill's separate cultured pearl jewellery pieces,

which should make a good buy for someone.

And Sal and Rob have high hopes for the Masonic watch

belonging to his grandfather

when it goes under the hammer.

The power of the monks at Norwich Cathedral

extended to churches right across Norfolk, including those in Diss,

where our sale is today.

Of the 1,000 churches built in the county,

an amazing 659 have survived,

giving Norfolk the greatest concentration of medieval

places of worship in the world.

So we have come to TW Gaze in Diss to see

if our experts' valuations

will wield some influence in the saleroom.

On the rostrum today are two auctioneers - Ed Smith

and Robert Kinsella.

And here, they have set the commission at 15% including VAT.

The first lot to go under the hammer is Ian's pair of simple ink

bird sketches by highly respected wildlife artist Arthur Wardle.

I have a feeling, Ian, that with the restyling that is going on

-in your house, this wasn't to Jackie's taste.

-Not entirely, no.

-Too dull.

-Too dull. Arthur Wardle, too dull?!

-I know!

Well... OK, they are ink studies. OK? Pelicans and exotic birds.

But he specialised in animals, that was his genre.

-And I think he is a cracking artist.

-Yeah.

-I really do.

Let's just hope there's bird-lovers here.

I think there should be a few twitchers.

We are going to find out right now.

-Good luck, everyone.

-Thank you.

-It is going under the hammer.

And on these, I start in here with bids.

And I start straight in at 120. 120 I have. Is there 30?

Them two pictures here for 120 now.

130. 140. 150. 160.

170. 180.

180 still with me. If you want to be, 90. It is 180 still with me.

Where is the 90? We will be selling away at £180. Are we all done?

-Hammer is going down.

-Yep.

-That is a sold sound.

-£180.

-That's good!

-Well done, Thomas.

Well, that is brilliant, isn't it?

Done!

Yeah. So what are you going to put that towards? A meal out, I guess.

I don't really know yet cos Jackie hasn't told me.

THEY LAUGH

Well, I am sure Jackie has some good ideas.

Next, the early-20th-century Masonic watch,

the sort collectors clamour for. Sadly, we haven't got Rob.

-He's at work.

-No, he's a captain of industry today.

-Oh!

-Yes.

-He didn't want to take the day off, did he?

-Absolutely not.

Well, look, you are here. That is all that matters.

And your watch is here, that is the most important thing.

Now, since the valuation day, Thomas,

you put in a valuation of 1,000 to 1,500.

-Yes.

-With a reserve at 900.

-Yes.

You have had a chat to the auctioneer in the last few weeks

-and you have upped that reserve.

-Yes.

-Which means the valuation now starts at the reserve of 1,500.

-OK.

-But it has got to reach 1,500 for it to sell.

-Yes.

-Otherwise it goes home with you.

-Yep, back under the bed.

-You don't mind that.

-No, that's fine.

-Do you know... Back under the bed?

-Yeah.

-Has it been under the bed?

-What is it doing under there?

-Well, it's just kind of...

-In a box under the bed?

-Yeah. As good a place as any.

I suppose it is, in a way. Yeah.

Right, Thomas, will it still sell or will it struggle?

Cos that's now at your top end of the estimate.

Well, I think they are quite desirable.

Even the silver ones sell for 800, 900. This is nine-carat gold.

-So you were being cautious?

-I was being cautious.

-It was definitely a seller at 900.

-Yes.

-Definitely. Here we are.

-OK.

We're going to start at £800. I'll take 50. It's £800 bid.

Is there 50 now?

850. 900. 50. 1,000.

1,100. 1,200.

1,300 bid. 1,300 bid now. Is there any advance?

At £1,300 bid. £1,300 bid.

Is there 1,400 anywhere?

-Come on. Just two, isn't there?

-1,300 now. Any advance anywhere?

-1,300, any advance?

-Not selling.

-He didn't sell it. It didn't reach the reserve.

-That's fine.

You are happy with that. You wanted 1,500.

It was meant to be.

-OK. We give it a try, didn't way?

-We did.

Sal is taking that home,

but she seems happy to put it back under the bed for now.

Our third lot is Jill's charming pearl necklace and brooch

made from cultured pearls.

And Jill has big plans for the proceeds of the sale.

I'm going out to Australia in the autumn to see my son.

I've never been before.

Oh, fingers crossed you're going to love that. I've been twice.

-It's really nice.

-To Perth.

-Good luck.

Right, we need money to get Jill out to Australia.

Pearls come in and out of fashion, don't they?

But I think this particular necklace will sell OK.

We're selling in two lots.

The necklace first and then we've got the brooch.

-Necklace first and then the brooch. Ready for this?

-Fine.

Here we go. This is it.

And on this one, bids are in here at 160.

Taking 170. At 160 as you see it.

Come on...

160 the bid now. I'll take 170.

At 170. 180.

180. 190.

He's got a bid on the book. He keeps looking down.

260. 280.

280 the bid.

It's on commission at 280.

Is there 300 anywhere? £280 on commission.

Any advance? We sell at 280.

He's selling at 280. That's OK.

That's good news.

We can get in the swing of things now and say, "Beauty, mate!"

And here's the next lot.

And I'm going to have to start in at £80.

I'll take 5.

£80 the bid. Is there 5 now?

80 I'm bid. Is there 5 now?

-85.

-Yes!

90.

When the first bid comes in, that starts the rest of it.

We're £100 the bid. Is there 10 anywhere else?

At 110. 120.

120, then.

Still with me on commission at £120.

Are you all done at the back with 120?

-£120 sold.

-That's lovely.

-That's good, isn't it?

-That's excellent, yes.

That rounds it up to £400.

Oh, your maths is better than mine.

I think the trade is perhaps stronger for pearls than I feared.

So I'm delighted.

Well, Jill seems pleased with the nice little nest egg

for her big trip down under.

Well, our next lot is a bit of a hoot.

Yes, it is that owl brooch belonging to Vicky,

who is right next to me.

-I like this.

-Good fun, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Like you, it's good fun.

-I know. I always am.

-Well, we are looking for £200 to £300, aren't we?

-Right.

Owls, pigs, kangaroos and camels.

They are the four that do it for the collectors,

for some unknown reason.

But owls are top of the list. Here we go, let's find out.

Run of bids here put me in at 150. I'll take 160 on the owl.

150 to bid.

160. 170. 180. 190.

190 bid. Is there 200 now?

Yeah, we'll get a lot, look.

220. 230. 240.

Carry on.

-Carry on.

-250. 260.

270. 280.

280 at the back. At 280 the bid now.

290. 300.

Top end of the estimate.

At the back with you, sir, then at 300. And selling...

300.

-Well done, David.

-Lovely.

-Well done, Vicky. Top end.

-Yeah!

Top end - owls are in!

That is a great result for something Vicky had no idea

lay nestled in a box of trinkets.

Well, that concludes our first visit to the saleroom today.

We are coming back here later in the show, so don't go away.

Now, while we were here in area filming,

I had the opportunity to visit a house in the north of the county.

And I saw what could be achieved

when somebody was determined to leave their mark on history.

In the heart of this 1,000-acre estate in North Norfolk,

is one of the most remarkable

country houses in Britain, Houghton Hall.

As magnificent as any royal palace, it was built in the 1720s

and remains relatively untouched by time.

Looking at it,

you'd think it belonged to a member of the aristocracy.

But no, it was a politician -

our first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

Walpole was born in 1676 into a family of Norfolk gentry that

had owned the estate for generations.

And at the age of 25, the young Robert followed in his father's

footsteps into a career in politics.

The political scene at the time was undergoing a prolonged

and major upheaval.

The balance of power was shifting from the monarch to Parliament

and politicians had divided into rival factions,

making the House of Commons a tempestuous place to be.

Robert Walpole was adept at navigating these turbulent

political waters, but it wasn't easy.

At one time, he was locked up in the Tower of London

for six months on trumped-up charges of corruption.

Nevertheless, with a nose for finance,

he quickly rose through the ranks.

In 1721, he took the position of the First Lord of the Treasury,

or as it is known for the first time, the office of Prime Minister.

Robert Walpole had arrived.

To reflect his new power,

Walpole set about building a magnificent country house,

not only to echo his political status

but also his notoriously extravagant lifestyle. And this was the result.

Houghton Hall.

It is a classic example of English Palladian architecture

inspired by the ancient temples of Rome and Greece.

But it is when you go inside that you really see the extent

of Walpole's vision.

Like all the interiors here at Houghton,

this grand staircase with its hand-painted wall panellings

is the work of the up-and-coming architect

and interior designer William Kent, who was the fashion of the day.

He was commissioned by Walpole to fit the house out

at no expense spared,

and that man really did have talent.

I can't wait to look around.

But before I do, I'm going to meet John Marchant,

the head guide here at Houghton,

to uncover Walpole's vision of a grand country seat.

What was Robert Walpole trying to show with the design of this house?

Well, he was a Norfolk man through and through. This was his home.

It reflected his rise to power in politics,

his love of the arts.

And so he incorporated fine furniture design,

picture design, fabric design.

In every one of the state rooms,

there's a visual reminder of whose house you are in.

Because up on the ceiling or on the mantelpiece or somewhere,

there will be a motif that represents Sir Robert Walpole.

"This is my house."

Usually, it is a garter star.

Sometimes it is an elaborate monogram of his initials.

And so as you go through from room to room, you get these three aspects

of his idea behind the construction of the house all welding together.

We know he was a successful politician

and a lover of the arts, but what sort of man was he?

It depends to whom you speak, I should think.

There are those who believe he was a rogue.

And others who believe he was a statesman. It puts it in a nutshell.

And I think if you reflect on the fact that he ran

the country for 21 years,

21 years of pretty well unrivalled peace and prosperity,

that says a lot for the man as a statesman.

And maybe he cut some corners, maybe he did worse,

but the record at the end of his life really speaks for itself.

Time to have a look at some of those features.

This gladiator strategically framed by the doorway

led the gaze of his visitors into the stone hall.

And this spectacular room was the first they would have seen.

You can just imagine the impact this hallway would've had on the guests

when they first set eyes on it. It is spectacular.

It is jaw-droppingly brilliant.

This is William Kent at his very best -

striking architectural detail.

And up there, you can see the family coat of arms.

There, look, in the ceiling.

And I think here has to be the centrepiece -

a marble bust of the man himself, Robert Walpole.

There, look, in a frieze of Roman emperors.

So he surrounded himself with the great.

And here is a nice touch of vanity, look,

you see the Order of the Garter here,

look, neatly showing in one of the folds of the toga.

I like that.

Every room reflects his political manoeuvrings.

To see how shrewd an operator he was when it came to the economy,

you must step into the saloon.

Up until the 18th century,

walnut had been the wood of choice for cabinet-makers.

But the European supplies were dwindling

and it was far too costly to import it from further afield.

So to bolster up these supplies,

Walpole dropped all the import duties, the taxes on wood imported

from the colonies such as the West Indies, which introduced mahogany.

As you can see, look, this is a lovely example of Cuban mahogany.

Wonderful tight grain. And it lends itself beautifully to being carved.

And it's exciting to look at.

So not only did Walpole fit his house out with it, but he also

introduced that golden age period

of mahogany for cabinet makers such as Thomas Chippendale.

The whole house was designed with one thought in mind -

to impress upon anyone who entered that this was a true seat of power.

But by the time he died in 1745, at the age of 68,

his fortunes had changed.

His extravagant lifestyle

and spending on this house left him mired in debt,

forcing his heirs to even sell off the contents of the house.

It was a sorry end to an incredible life.

Walpole helped sow the seeds of our modern political system.

After all, he was our first Prime Minister.

He established Number 10 Downing Street

as the official residency for the Prime Minister elect.

But I think his personal legacy definitely has to be

this magnificent house, Houghton Hall,

which projects Robert Walpole's image

of how he wanted to be seen and remembered - a powerful,

influential man with a taste for the finer things in life.

Back at our valuation day venue, Norwich Cathedral,

David has come across a fascinating book of local interest.

-Hello, Jeff.

-Hello.

-Thank you for coming to "Flog It!" today.

-And you have two books with you.

-Yes.

And I am itching to have a look at what they are all about.

-Shall we start with this one?

-Yes. That is the Royal Calendar for 1767.

1767.

I am going to thumb through it in a moment, but it strikes me

as if it is a sort of mid 18th-century Wikipedia, really.

-Almost, yes. Yes.

-It is a book of facts, isn't it?

-Yes, it is. Yes.

Well, let's have a little look.

We start with a calendar

giving us key events for each month,

saints days and that sort of thing.

And then we move on and we find...

And I think this is amazing.

The anatomy of a man's body.

But it is slightly more than that because it relates

-the anatomy of a man's body to the signs of the zodiac.

-Yes.

So we start at the top with Gemini, that is the left shoulder.

We go around via Leo, Libra, Sagittarius.

And we end up with the private bits.

And I'm not going to actually say which sign of the zodiac

they represent.

I'll leave that to the man or woman who actually buys this book.

Then they'll find out exactly what I am talking about.

Anyway, that is that.

We then move on a bit.

And by complete contrast,

-we have the coats of arms of the dukes of England.

-Yes.

And then we have

officers of the Navy,

not only a description of their roles,

a description of their ranks, but also what they were paid.

-Yes. Fascinating.

-How extraordinary.

And it is interesting, isn't it, that these

were sort of considered to be key facts?

-Yes.

-These were the things you needed to know.

-Amazing.

Anyway, that's finished with that.

And the second book you have brought in is what?

White's Directory And Gazetteer for Norfolk.

-OK.

-From 1845.

Again, it is a sort of history

-and a list of every single parish in the county...

-OK.

..with details of the people and everything.

And it goes into some detail. Parish churches.

About the diocese itself.

-Yes.

-Monastic institutions.

And so on.

Condition, not great, I'm afraid.

-I appreciate that.

-Um...

Now, clearly, you want to sell these.

Yes, I'd like... Yes.

But my view is that you take a philosophical stance, really.

-OK.

-Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

-All right.

-And I would like to estimate them at £40 to £60,

if that is not too disappointing to you.

A little disappointing, but fair enough.

-I'll just keep my fingers crossed that somebody really wants them.

-OK.

-We'll hope for the best.

-Fine. Thank you very much.

We are in the right part of the world to sell them

and let's hope we have a good day.

While condition is important in books,

these little gems might find a history buff who's willing

to overlook the damage.

Over to Thomas now.

And he has found someone with strong links to the cathedral.

-Hello, Jennifer.

-Hello.

What are you wearing?

Is this a cross of St John or something?

-Yes, it is the cathedral badge.

-The cathedral...

-And does that mean you're...?

-I am a volunteer.

And what does a volunteer do?

A volunteer, in my case, greets visitors.

It is a really important job.

Well, it's enjoyable.

Yeah. Now we have asked what your badge is,

now we are going to ask you about this lovely, lovely belt.

Tell me about it.

-I got it by inheriting it.

-Yeah.

-Now, do you have any inclination to where it is from?

-No.

-I would love to know.

-OK.

-Well, it's Japanese.

-Japanese?!

-Yeah, it's Japanese.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

And this is enamel work.

And it is on a base metal.

So, base metal meaning brass, copper... Not a precious metal.

And we are looking at Japan in the late Meiji period,

which is the early 20th century,

when Japan really opened up

to the West and goods came out of Tokyo.

And what you have... Each of these has got a flower and a bird.

And in Japan, every single one of these flowers has a meaning.

Most of these meanings are to do with love, fertility, children, etc.

That is what all these are all about.

Against the enamel work is a texture.

You can see the texture on the metal to make it

look like there is a ground to it. Can you see that?

-Yes.

-And then the enamel work is applied on. It is almost like...

We call it champleve.

So it is a flat enamel.

Unfortunately, this enamel does crack,

as you can see.

So why have you brought it along?

I can't wear it any more, really, it is too small.

I mean, I am even surprised you got into it. I mean, it is...

I think maybe my five-year-old would probably wear it now.

It would probably go around my thigh!

Well, yes. And I keep damaging it.

But I revere it because I have inherited it.

But I have no use for it any more.

And I wish somebody else would be able to use it beautifully

-and gain from it.

-I think they will do.

Now, I think, out of all of these things, with the damage,

-one has to cut back.

-Yes.

-If it was perfect, it would be worth hundreds and hundreds.

-Really?

Yes, it would.

But I have to go with our typical auctioneer's estimate

of £80 to £100.

-Really?

-On this one.

Regarding reserve, I think we have a reserve with discretion.

So we are not going to give it away. It is a lovely thing.

-Will you come to the auction?

-Yes, please.

-Look forward to seeing you there.

-Thank you.

What an unusual piece.

And that could well pique someone's interest in the Orient.

We have one more item to find before we go off to auction.

I wonder who that is going to be. But I tell you what...

Feeling peckish anyone?

DOG BARKS

David has also found something we don't see every day on the show.

I can't think of anything that contrasts more strongly with

this magnificent vaulting in this medieval cathedral

than the simplicity of this amazing mug by Eric Ravilious.

-And this belongs to you, Terry.

-Well, it belongs to the wife, yeah.

The wife, OK.

-Well...

-It's not mine.

We have seen in our job hundreds

if not thousands of commemorative cups, saucers, mugs and so on.

Each one of which relates to a particular coronation.

-But very few of those are by Eric Ravilious...

-Right.

..as this one is.

And very few relate to the coronation

in 1937 of Edward VIII,

-which, of course, never took place.

-Sure, right, yeah.

I love the work of Eric Ravilious,

who I think is one of the 20th century's greatest designers.

He went to the Royal College of Art,

where he met a chap called Edward Bawden.

And the two of them forsook art and studied design.

And it shows, if you look at this particular object, I think.

The simplicity of line, the spareness of the decoration

and so on are all absolutely characteristic of Ravilious,

who was working, really, I suppose, in a sort of post-Art Deco period.

And you can see,

he was influenced by the Art Deco style in its very simplicity,

in the simple nature of the lines.

He has taken us one step beyond the Art Deco, I think.

So I love this very much.

To tell you the truth, I've always wanted to own one of these,

but I couldn't afford to buy one.

I am now going to tell you what I think it is worth.

But before I do that,

I'm going to say, will you and your wife miss it?

-Not really, no. That's the thing, we never really loved it, so...

-OK.

-It is just in the cabinet, and that is where it stays.

-OK.

One thing of course I should have said is that Eric Ravilious

-designed this for the Wedgwood factory.

-Yeah.

And the Wedgwood factory is a division-one factory.

By any standards.

-So that just adds to its appeal.

-Yeah.

Now, I think this will generate interest

throughout the world, really.

-And I am optimistic this will make £500.

-Oh, really? Wow.

What I'd like to do, if I may,

is suggest an estimate of 300 to 500,

place a reserve of £300 on it.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-And I think we can watch it fly away.

-Good.

I agree with David.

The magic combination of the Ravilious name

with the Wedgwood factory should ensure this beautiful piece flies

when it goes to auction.

Thomas has something in front of him

that beautifully reflects the boating traditions of the area.

Colin, tell me about this delightful watercolour you've brought along.

I actually found it when my father passed away

in a cupboard in his house.

I didn't even know it existed.

-You sound quite Norfolkie.

-I am.

-Born and bred.

-Indeed.

So do you the actual place?

-This is the Broads.

-Yes, the Broads.

I know the pub, I know the village.

-This is the pub here?

-Yes.

-What's the pub called.

-The Horning Ferry.

Horning Ferry.

-And the village is?

-Horning.

-In Horning? Still a pub today?

-Yes.

Without the thatched roof.

I can see it's got a thatched roof.

-I wonder if they serve good beer in that pub?

-They do.

We've done a little bit of research with this artist,

W Leslie Rackham.

And this dates from the early part of the 20th century.

-He had a yacht called Old Gonester.

-Really?

-Yeah. And this could be his yacht.

-Could be.

He did lots of watercolours of his yacht

within the Broads,

So to speak.

I'm just picturing a good beer, a scotch egg,

-maybe...

-Yes, yes.

..on your boat, nipping in and out of the pub for more beer,

with the sun on your back.

-It sounds a good day.

-It does, doesn't it? A very god day.

The thing about watercolours is they do lose a bit of colour

if they've been in the sun.

Your father, by keeping it in the cupboard,

has saved a lot of the colour.

You can still see the blue quite well here.

And I love the way he's done the reflection of the pub, real skill,

on the water with the ripple and the light.

I think this is going to be worth £100 to £150.

-Would you be happy to sell it at that?

-Mm-hm.

-Yes?

-Mm-hm.

Shall we fix a reserve

or have a reserve with a bit of discretion at £100?

I think the reserve at £100.

You will reserve at £100.

-No, I think it's worth doing, really.

-Good.

If I was staying longer, I'd go for a pint.

-But I'm not.

-No.

And now for my favourite part of the show.

Let's head straight to the auction and see what the bidders think.

There are Jeff's old history books.

But will their condition affect the price?

There is Jennifer's enamelled Japanese belt that conjures up

the mystery of the Orient at the turn of the 20th century.

There's the watercolour by W Leslie Rackham of a yacht

outside the local pub at Horning in good condition.

And a Wedgwood Ravilious mug designed to commemorate

Edward VIII's coronation but withdrawn from sale

when the big day was cancelled.

So it is back to the saleroom, where auctioneer

Ed has taken to the rostrum.

First, it is the two old reference books dating to the 18th

and 19th centuries that list miscellaneous and fascinating facts.

-Jeff, fingers crossed, good luck.

-Right, hopefully.

Our only books in the sale today. This is quite an odd one.

We've got two leather-bound books.

One is the Royal Calendar and one, the history of Norfolk.

And it is not a lot of money, what, £40 to £60? It's nothing.

Condition lets it down, but look beyond that

and I think you've got a good investment here.

Let's put it to the test. Here we go.

I do have conflicting bids, so I have to start in at £38.

-38 I have. 40.

-Yes, someone in the room, look. And that lady is keen.

-42. 45.

-How can you tell?

-Look, she is not putting her hand down.

-OK.

-50 with the lady. Is there a five? Is £50 now.

-Determination.

Is there five? We will be selling at £50.

-Are we all done?

-Check the back, late legs.

-New bidder.

Are you 60? One more, 60.

-60.

-He's out, she's in.

60 back with the lady. 60 it is. Is there five?

We will sell it away at £60.

-£60. Sold.

-Right.

-Well done. Great man.

-Paul, after all these years,

-you are still bullish, aren't you?

-Oh, yeah.

I am.

And I am also feeling bullish about Jennifer's Japanese enamelled belt.

Too tiny for most people to wear today, it is

a beautiful interpretation of exotic blooms.

Now, that was great-grandparent's.

-Yes, it was.

-So it is a proper family heirloom.

-It is.

Right now, we need a buyer of quality. A discerning person.

-That hopefully doesn't want to wear it but is going to cherish it.

-Yes.

Here we go. It is going under the hammer right now.

Start me in on this. Start me at £100. 80 to go then.

£80, someone to start me surely on this. Or 50 then. 50 bid.

50 bid. Is there five? Five I've got. 55 the bid. Is there 60?

It's £55 bid.

Any more anywhere? The belt you see.

55. 60.

Five. 70.

-Five. 80 bid.

-How about that!?

80 is the bid in front now and I am all out. £80 and commission is out.

80 in front. Any advance anywhere? It will sell. It is at £80...

Do you know what, I was just sinking down there.

I was thinking, "It is not going to sell."

Then all of a sudden, late legs, late bid came in,

-then a counter bid, then... Wow, £80.

-Lovely.

It would have been surprising if something so beautiful hadn't sold.

Next up, an early 20th century painting

by local artist W Leslie Rackham,

brought to us by Colin.

We're virtually on the Broads.

You've got this wonderful watercolour by Rackham, a boating scene.

He loved boats. It would suit somebody who's got a boat.

Everyone's got a boat around here, surely. It's full of water.

Let's find out how this does. It's going under the hammer right now.

I'm starting in here at £75.

75 I have. Is there 80?

It's a Rackham for £75 now.

Where's 80. 85. 90.

95. 100. 100.

Oh, there we are. Sold, easily.

110 I have. Is there 20?

It's with commission now at 110 now. Is there 20?

We're selling at £110.

Sold. Yes!

Well done. Well done.

And I hope that's gone to a good home, as well.

Do you know, that's great value for money, when you think about it.

I mean, it's a one-off piece of fine art.

People pay that for a print or a poster.

I mean, you've got a piece of fine art by a great artist on the wall

that no-one else has, because it is fine art, it's one-off.

-It's probably gone to the pub.

-I hope so.

Wouldn't that be nice?

And now time for our final lot today,

that rare Wedgwood Ravilious mug

designed for Edward VIII's coronation that never was.

And I tell you what, everybody is after it right now.

-And there is not a lot on the market, is there?

-No.

Well, I think I said this at Norwich,

but I love Ravilious and there are some nice, interesting,

all sorts of varied things in this sale today,

but of all the things in the sale, this is what I like best.

-Really?

-And me. It's great.

Well, we're going to find out what it is worth. Three to five,

that is about right on this, isn't it?

Let's hope it gets the top end plus, because he is so sought-after.

This is the name everybody wants.

It is going under the hammer now.

The Eric Ravilious Wedgwood firework display.

Commemorative coronation mug.

Good interest here.

We're going to start in at £240. I'll take 260.

£240 is bid. 260.

-280. 300.

-There is a phone line.

-320. 340. 360.

-380. 400.

-It hasn't come in yet.

-440.

460, and I am gone. At 460 the bid.

-460 the bid. It is there 80 anywhere?

-Yes, now he is in.

-480.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-500.

520.

520 the bid. 520 the bid. Now, is there any advance anywhere?

I'll take... 550.

Phone is out.

Come on, phone. Come on, phone.

550 is online. 600 is bid.

600 on the telephone. I need 650 online now. £600 bid.

Is there 650 anywhere?

Internet has gone quiet. We're at £600 then.

It is on the phone. Any advance? Fair warning at £600.

-Right on, David.

-Wow!

-£600. Cracking result!

-Isn't it just?

Yes, did you expect something like that?

Not really.

-No, 300 or 400. But 600 is marvellous.

-Amazing.

Enjoy it, won't you? Enjoy it.

And thank you for giving us such enjoyment with Eric Ravilious

because he is one of the greatest names.

-One day, Paul, I want to own one of those.

-Do you?

I am going to start saving now.

I am, too. And what a great end to the show.

Well, that's it, it's all over for our owners.

Another day in another saleroom here in Diss.

I hope you've enjoyed the show.

But please do join us again for many more.

And if you have got anything you want to sell, we want to flog it

for you. See you next time.