0:00:04 > 0:00:05Today we're in Cumbria,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and Muncaster Castle is the magnificent setting
0:00:08 > 0:00:10for our valuation day.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13John Ruskin, the Victorian art critic and writer,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17once described this view as "the gateway to paradise."
0:00:17 > 0:00:20On a day like today, you know what? I totally agree with him.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23You can follow the Esk Valley all the way through to Scafell Pike -
0:00:23 > 0:00:26look - England's highest mountain.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Today we're hoping for one or two highs ourselves in the auction room.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Welcome to "Flog It!"
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The Lake District here in Cumbria is a national park
0:00:58 > 0:01:02of mountains, lakes and valleys covering around 900 square miles.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Over the centuries, this scenery has inspired writers, poets,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10artists, walkers and climbers alike.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16There are 16 lakes in the area, with Windermere being the largest
0:01:16 > 0:01:18and Wastwater the deepest.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Now, I didn't want to frighten anybody, but did you know that
0:01:23 > 0:01:24this castle is considered to be
0:01:24 > 0:01:27one of the most haunted buildings in the country? Did you know that?
0:01:27 > 0:01:29- ALL:- Yes! - Anyone frightened?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- ALL:- No! - That's what we like to hear.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And it didn't put them off from turning up laden with antiques and collectables.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36They're here to see our experts
0:01:36 > 0:01:39to ask that all-important question, which is...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41- ALL:- What's it worth?
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Stay tuned and you'll find out.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And talking of our experts, James Lewis is here,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and he's got castles on the brain.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It's a castle ice bucket at a castle.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- SHE LAUGHS - It's a...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I can't think of anything more appropriate to find here than that.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01And he's teamed up with Adam Partridge,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03who has a taste for the Orient.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Those are quite smart. They are Japanese.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07- They're Japanese?- Yeah.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And they're lacquered.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Lacquered, not knackered!
0:02:14 > 0:02:15While everyone gets seated,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19here's a quick look at what's coming up on today's show.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Some may find today's show a little spooky.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26ALL EXCLAIM
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And there's a few surprises at the auction.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Well, this is good.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34£80.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Oh, fresh bidder.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Are we all done?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Well done. There you go.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42What's the link between this portrait,
0:02:42 > 0:02:47this chestnut tree, and tomfoolery? Well, I'll tell you later.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52But first, let's get inside and get this party started.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57We have literally taken over every room in this castle.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Hundreds of people everywhere. There's such a wonderful atmosphere.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Right now, we've got to find some treasures worthy
0:03:03 > 0:03:06of such a magnificent surrounding. So let's make a start.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Let's catch up with one of our experts
0:03:07 > 0:03:09to find that first important item.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16James has brought the first item home to roost.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Josie, my daughter, is seven.- Yes.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22And we have pet hens at home.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24- That's right.- Pet chickens.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- And she has a pull-along toy almost identical.- She has?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- Yeah?- It was probably made two or three years ago.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Yeah.- And that was made in Germany
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- about 1910, 1920. - Yeah, that's right, yeah.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40But it wasn't that one
0:03:40 > 0:03:41that I thought was such fun.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- It was this one here.- That one?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And when I saw you outside in the lines with this,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I just could not resist.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Just look at that.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- Isn't he brilliant?- Oh, he's lovely.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Isn't he just great fun?
0:03:56 > 0:04:01- Look at him. I could just play with that...- All day.- ..all day. Yeah.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04He's kept his colours well as well, hasn't he?
0:04:04 > 0:04:08The great thing is, this one is a good little toy.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13And he is by Lehmann - good German maker. Early 20th century.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Probably around the same sort of period as the hen and chick.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- Tin plate, so made in sheets of tin...- Yeah, that's right.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22..and stamped out,
0:04:22 > 0:04:23and then just put together
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- very cheaply.- Oh, yeah? Oh.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Up until about the Second World War, Germany were leading the way,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- and then Japan took over. - That's right. Yeah.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34But he's great. Tell me, are these things you played with as a kid?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37No, we weren't allowed to.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- They were always in a display cabinet in them days.- Oh.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42You could look, but you did not touch.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- That's not much fun as a toy, is it? - I know. No good at all.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47So who did they belong to?
0:04:47 > 0:04:51- That one belonged my uncle. - How old would your uncle be today?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53111.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- And his birthday would be in May, so he'd be 112.- Aw.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59And I'm just a spring chicken. And I'm 82.
0:04:59 > 0:05:0182. Well done. Fantastic!
0:05:02 > 0:05:06What are they worth? The chicken and the cart,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- £25, £35.- Yeah. Uh-huh.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But the Lehmann monkey, he's got to be 50 to 80.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- Yeah, that's right.- 60 to 100.- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19So let's put £60 to £100 on them. Two together in one lot.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21- And reserve of 60.- Lovely.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- And if they don't make that, I will be stunned.- Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- They will.- They will? - They'll sell.- Yeah, yeah.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Leave him with me for the rest of the day.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Leave him for the rest of the day! Get up to mischief!
0:05:32 > 0:05:35He's not going to be packed up ready for the auction until later.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38James, you cheeky monkey!
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Time for a bit of fresh air, I think.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Well, it's a glorious day here, Alison, at Muncaster.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- Couldn't be nicer.- Couldn't be nicer. What a wonderful view here.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50But look at that behind us.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Yes, isn't it something, eh? Something special.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I can't see that it gets any better than that, does it?
0:05:55 > 0:05:56No, it doesn't at all.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59You've brought something of local significance, haven't you?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02John Peel, the famous huntsman. There he is there.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04What you've got, if I may,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07is the Royal Doulton commemorative for John Peel.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10They made a series of these sorts of commemoratives
0:06:10 > 0:06:11probably in the 1920s.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And you can see the handles
0:06:13 > 0:06:15fashioned as a fox's head above a whip
0:06:15 > 0:06:17to show it's hunting.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19And there's the famous man himself.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- He must have been a very popular character.- Apparently so, yeah.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Let's see. This is nice, because it's got loads on the bottom.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29And, of course, the famous song. D'ye Ken John Peel?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32But this is very good, because it tells us all about him.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34"The hardy huntsman of the Cumberland fells.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36"Beloved of his compatriots. Birds of a feather.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38"Born on November 13th...
0:06:38 > 0:06:42"and died on the same day, November 13th, 1854."
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Now, this one, as you can see again,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Royal Doulton, the famous factory. "This is number 37."
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- And 500 made.- Mm-hm.- Very nice.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- And have you had it on display?- I had it on display for quite a while.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- Yeah.- Then, like everything else, you think, "I'll have a change."
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It got put in the cupboard. It's just a bit chunky, really...
0:06:58 > 0:07:01That's it. And they're not as popular as they used to be.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- Maybe not.- So values have maybe dropped a bit
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- in the last 10, 20 years on these. - OK.- Any idea what it's worth?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- £200, £300?- Yeah... - Something like that?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Well, I think if it was perfect, it would be.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I think with the ear damage, you've got to be a bit more conservative.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I think it's going to be somewhere between £100 and £200.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- Mm-hm.- Hopefully more, of course. - Mm-hm.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- So, reserve-wise, I would probably suggest 100.- OK. Right.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And an estimate of maybe 120 to 180.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Yeah, OK.- That should hopefully pull them in to bid on it
0:07:33 > 0:07:35and we'll hopefully get the 200 or so.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Put a fixed reserve for 100 or something like that?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Yeah, I think that's a good idea. - That's a fair thing.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I'm pretty sure it will sell well. If it made a couple of hundred,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45would you put it towards anything specific?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- Well, yes, a little family holiday. - Have you got grandchildren?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Two grandsons.- Very good. - Four-year-old, seven-year-old.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- How nice to have a grandmother to take them on a holiday.- Yeah.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Yeah. Look and listen, other grandmothers!- Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03# D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay...? #
0:08:03 > 0:08:06John Peel was a Cumbrian huntsman who was immortalised
0:08:06 > 0:08:10in the 19th-century folk song D'ye Ken John Peel?,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12meaning, "Do you know John Peel?"
0:08:12 > 0:08:15# D'ye ken John Peel when he's far, far away
0:08:15 > 0:08:17# With his hounds and his horn in the morning...? #
0:08:17 > 0:08:19He was known to be a tough huntsman.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21He would set off at daybreak
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and cover more than 50 miles over some of the bleakest fells.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Years after Peel's death
0:08:27 > 0:08:30the song suddenly became a hit in London dancing rooms.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33# ..in the morning! #
0:08:37 > 0:08:39That thing, is it alive or dead?
0:08:39 > 0:08:40Well, we're not sure.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- It's pretty horrendous. - She's not very pretty, is she?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Just look at that. This is meant to be for a child.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- But look at that face as it raises...- No, don't.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- I mean... - HE LAUGHS
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- That is...- She's from a horror movie, isn't she, really?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56That... Have a look at what we're talking about here.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Close your eyes, and I want a genuine reaction.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02ALL EXCLAIM
0:09:03 > 0:09:04LAUGHTER
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Well, there we go.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Glad you agree!
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Poor thing.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18I'm sorry. I feel I've been really so rude about the doll.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19THEY LAUGH
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But, no, it's a great, fun talking point.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25One of the famous "Flog It!" questions is,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27why are you selling it?
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I don't have to ask, do I?
0:09:29 > 0:09:32None of the family will sleep in the house.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- They just don't like her in the room.- I'm not surprised.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36If we take the doll out,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and behind its head we've got a series of marks.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43There we are. Armand Marseille, German bisque-head doll.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45About 1910 in date.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50And the thing that I find amazing is that these were designed
0:09:50 > 0:09:53for children to sleep with and to be comforting.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54It's anything but.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But the bed itself is brilliant.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01It's a classic model, 1860, 1870,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- of a Victorian mahogany half-tester bed.- Yeah.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It could have been used as a salesman's prop,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to be taken from house to house, "This is what we make,"
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and obviously, deliver full-size versions.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17- But these are very popular for doll and teddy bear collectors.- Right.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Dolls like that are not as popular as they once were,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- but miniature furniture has a really good following.- Right.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28So I think we should probably sell the doll with the bed.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I think we should put £100 to £150,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34with the idea that we should probably get towards the 200 to 250.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- OK.- Would you like to put a reserve on it?- No.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I think the family would just like her to go to
0:10:41 > 0:10:43somebody that might enjoy her.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I don't think that's possible!
0:10:45 > 0:10:46THEY LAUGH
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I think, let's cover her up with a nice big sheet
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and pretend she's not in there.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58# Got myself a crying, talking sleeping, walking, living doll
0:11:00 > 0:11:06# Got the one and only walking, talking, living doll. #
0:11:06 > 0:11:10We've escaped from that noisy madding crowd to the
0:11:10 > 0:11:13serenity of this wonderful octagonal library.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It's hard to better the views out of the window.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20You've got expansive views across the Cumbrian landscape
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and one of the views straight out the window is this here in
0:11:23 > 0:11:24your postcard album,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26the River Esk.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- You must be a local lady, then.- Yes, my mother was born in Ravenglass.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- Really?- Yes. - And who collected these postcards?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- Most of them by my sisters.- Really?
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Yeah, I have three sisters, quite a lot older than me.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41So they'd collected these and I took them over.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44And were these things that were sent to them
0:11:44 > 0:11:47or were they things that they bought themselves and collected themselves?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Oh, no, reading on the back of the age ones,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52the birthday ones, they're all sent from sister to sister.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53- Are they?- Yes.- How nice.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- It's quite entertaining to read some of them.- I bet.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57This is the thing with postcards.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59They appeal on a number of different levels.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03You can learn a lot about people from the snapshots on postcards.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So they would often be the equivalent of what people
0:12:06 > 0:12:08would now do in a text message or something.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12"I'm leaving now, see you for tea-time." And that would be it.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15"Stayed here, it was very nice." And on that topic let's have a look.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19There's one of where we stayed last night which is the main street.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- That's right. My mother was born there.- Your mother was born there?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25- This place there.- That house there. - Yes.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Then you've got more ordinary ones like the Blackpool one,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32the holiday ones, the souvenir ones and greetings cards.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- And then there's the miniature railway.- That's right.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- Which is another big attraction round here, isn't it?- Oh, yes.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Underneath it is,
0:12:40 > 0:12:41"A wonderful view
0:12:41 > 0:12:43"from the backside of our digs!"
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- And you flick it up...- That's probably from my sister.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48..and out of her bottom comes a pull-out
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Isle of Wight series of cards.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53So there we are.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56That's a lovely selection of postcards in that album.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00We could go through them all day. I'm really enthusiastic about these.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- Then you've got another album here...- It's falling to pieces.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05..which is falling to pieces. But it's been well thumbed.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08You've got a similar selection of humorous and topographical.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12And then you've got a whole selection of smutty, saucy
0:13:12 > 0:13:16seaside cards here. Again they're great fun.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Why are you selling them?
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- Well, they're just in the cupboard under the stairs on a shelf.- Yeah.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And every time you do it out, you take them out, you look at them,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- you put them back again. - Yes. Well, why not?
0:13:28 > 0:13:29And whoever buys them
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- is going to have a lot of pleasure out of them.- They'll have some fun.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35They will, they will. The value is not huge.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- I would suggest £80-£120 on the collection.- Mm-hm.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And I think they might make a little bit more.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Well, thank you very much for bringing them in.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46It's always a pleasure to see postcards, especially local ones,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- and I'm looking forward to seeing at the auction.- Thank you.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Pleasure.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54We love our postcard albums on "Flog It!"
0:13:54 > 0:13:58While everyone's busy here I'm off to do something completely different.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Cumbria's lakes, mountains and fells have been a source of
0:14:11 > 0:14:16inspiration for many great artists like John Ruskin and JMW Turner.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's a privilege to be in such a beautiful part of England
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and just down the road from our valuation day
0:14:25 > 0:14:29venue in Muncaster Castle is the village of Ravenglass.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I've come to meet an artist whose work has led him
0:14:37 > 0:14:40back in time to the ancient art of relief printing.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Historically relief printing has been
0:14:46 > 0:14:49used by artists as an alternative to painting.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54One such artist is Mark Pearce and he lives right there.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Mark grew up here in Cumbria and after many years
0:14:59 > 0:15:04working as an award-winning graphic designer in London he decided
0:15:04 > 0:15:08to return and convert his property into a home and studio.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Here he can practice his passion for painting and printmaking.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- Great studio, Mark. Pleased to meet you.- Hello.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I was going to say, "What attracted you to relief printing?"
0:15:21 > 0:15:24But I can see what attracted you. Look at this.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25And what a view.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I've always enjoyed the colours, looking at things,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30it's simple really, but and relief printmaking was when
0:15:30 > 0:15:33I first went to college and I've loved it ever since.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35What was the attraction?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The attraction to me is literally looking at an image,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41seeing it in terms of layers of colour.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43You know, one layer on top of another colour,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and what two colours do when they overlap.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47And I suppose I spent the rest of my life designing for print
0:15:47 > 0:15:50as a graphic designer.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Or just I look at a landscape and I see it in layers.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Pure flat colour. I love it.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Most relief printing you normally see five or six colours.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- Oh, yes, lots of different colours. - But you're using 20-odd colours.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04What I was trying to do with my prints was to get a
0:16:04 > 0:16:05bit of atmosphere in,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07like the landscape painters would have done,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10rather than the very graphic poster-type images which
0:16:10 > 0:16:13don't really have the light effects and the reflections and the atmosphere.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15So where do you start?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It is a bit like making a watercolour
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- because I put down a layer of colour like this.- OK.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And then protect what I printed in that colour
0:16:22 > 0:16:24by cutting it off a block.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25And I've started with the lightest colours
0:16:25 > 0:16:27and work towards the darkest.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Because I can't print a pale yellow
0:16:29 > 0:16:32over the top of a dark maroon or something.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35And it's not till I get to put them down, the later colours,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39- that I start to get the effect, you see.- I love it.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42It is so detailed and so colourful. I want to have a go.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Obviously not something technical like that
0:16:44 > 0:16:46but just an outline image of something.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49We'll find some blocks and get you some tools and you can get started.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Brilliant.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Mark's printcraft has a long and illustrious history.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01The process of relief printing first appeared in Chinese
0:17:01 > 0:17:02textiles in the fifth century
0:17:02 > 0:17:07but it wasn't until the 1300s that the art form reached Europe.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10In the 16th century, artists like Durer
0:17:10 > 0:17:13took relief printmaking to another level.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Durer's ability to produce fine detail and elaborate imagery
0:17:21 > 0:17:23revolutionised the medium.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27More recently, the likes of Matisse and Picasso
0:17:27 > 0:17:30also used the process as a form of expression.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35So, I've got a piece of traditional lino.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38You have, and you could have had a piece of wood or anything else
0:17:38 > 0:17:42that is a flat surface you can cut into to make a relief block from,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44which you're going to do by using these tools.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Little V gouges? OK.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I'm inspired by that water out there cos I grew up in Cornwall,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and I've picked a shell, look - I've picked a shell up.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I'm going to try and copy that.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- So, basically keep it simple, yeah? - Yeah, absolutely.- All right.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02So something like that, yeah? It's loosely a shell, isn't it?
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It's good, yes, it's a very simple graphic shape -
0:18:04 > 0:18:06the best kind of thing, really.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Right, which one shall I start with?
0:18:08 > 0:18:12I like this one the best. It's just a versatile, expressive tool.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16And can you push at varying degrees of strength?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18That will make the line narrower or broader.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21So you've got to keep the same pressure on?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Yes, if you want a smooth line, yes.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Sometimes it's quite nice to jerk it around a bit
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- to get some feeling into it. - Oh, OK.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30I can see why you enjoy this.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Do you know, I am pushing incredibly hard, and it's...
0:18:34 > 0:18:39- It's quite tough, isn't?- It's tough. - Yes.- It is tough, yeah.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Right, there we go. HE CHUCKLES
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- How's that?- Well, that's a start.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47That's a start. At least you can see it's a shell, can't you?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- That's right.- Can I put a few lines running down?- All right.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Yes, I would, I'd do everything I could see.- Would you?- Yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Cos, as an artist, what you're doing, you look at something,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58you see something you want to share with someone else
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and express it, so, yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02The other thing you could think about doing as clearing
0:19:02 > 0:19:04the area around it so that it was a shape.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Does it matter if I go off the lino to get that line?
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- No, of course not. There are no rules, really.- OK.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Phew!
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Ready to print. - Yeah? Confident?- Yes.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34What I'm doing now is I'm just wiping off the black paint
0:19:34 > 0:19:36which made it easier for you to see where you were cutting before
0:19:36 > 0:19:38cos we're going to put some coloured ink on here now.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39There we are.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44If we make a pale version of ultramarine by mixing some white...
0:19:44 > 0:19:46So I only put a little bit of blue in there to...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48add it a little bit at a time.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52- And then the whole art of this thing is judging colour.- Yeah.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55And if you want that pale blue to be greener or pinker,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58we can make it warmer or colder by adding another colour.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Let's see how that's going to look on white.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02- See, it looks a lot darker.- It does.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03It looks a lot better when you
0:20:03 > 0:20:05actually put it onto the white surface.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I like that. That's the perfect hue.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- So do we now use the roller and over it a few times?- That's right.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13But you don't want to get too much on there.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16We a nice, even film on the roller. That's it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- That looks about right.- Happy?- Yeah.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And cos it's even on the roller, it should be even on the lino.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- Lovely.- Backwards as well? - Yes, backwards, forwards.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27That's right. That looks pretty good. Yeah.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- Right, move that on.- That protects the outside of the print.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33What happens next?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35We're going to roll this out with a piece of paper...?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- A piece of paper on it.- OK.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- Which we want to line up with the edge of that.- OK.- Right.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Now we just roll it through.- Really?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- This will be the moment of truth. - That's it. Then back.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57- I'm frightened to lift that off. - That's the exciting bit. I am, too!
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Here it goes. Fingers crossed.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- That's not bad, is it? - It's pretty good.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I was worried it wasn't going to come out at all.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07I had my fingers crossed there,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10because getting that ink right is quite a difficult thing to judge.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Yeah.- I would print two or three more quickly.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Well, I tell you what, I'm really pleased with that.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It's not bad for my first attempt. I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25I'm not going to do any more. I like it a lot.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But you can see the amount of work involved -
0:21:28 > 0:21:30not just with the initial idea, getting the inspiration,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32using the gouge,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35but getting the right amount of ink in that print run - it's crucial.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But I tell you what, long may this art form continue,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41because I think it is so invigorating.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Love it to bits.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52We've got our first four items. Now we're taking them off to the sale.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Let's put those values to the test.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Anything can happen in an auction room.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01This is where it gets exciting. So stay with us.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Here's a quick recap just to jog your memories of all the items
0:22:04 > 0:22:06that are going under the hammer.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12James has high hopes for the tin toys...
0:22:12 > 0:22:15if we can prise them out of his possession.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20The Royal Doulton John Peel jug could appeal to the collectors
0:22:20 > 0:22:21and locals alike.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27There are pages of postcard memories in these three albums.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32We can only hope that this porcelain doll
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and mahogany bed catch someone's eye.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37They had better,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40because Deborah definitely doesn't want to take them home.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51We are heading north to Carlisle for our auction today.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Dominating the city for the past 900 years has been Carlisle Castle,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58which apparently has a few ghosts of its own.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02They include a king, a caretaker and two medieval soldiers.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07We, however, are a few minutes down the road
0:23:07 > 0:23:10at Thomson, Roddick & Medcalf saleroom
0:23:10 > 0:23:14and are hoping for a different kind of phenomena.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17So all eyes are on our two auctioneers, John Thomson
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and Steven Parkinson.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20At 150 on the telephone.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23You can have a go on the internet if you want.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25At 150. That's yours.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Remember, if you are buying or selling something
0:23:27 > 0:23:28in an auction room,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31there is commission or a buyer's premium to pay.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Now, here it's 15% on the hammer, plus VAT,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38so do factor that in, because it does add up.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40You don't want to get caught out.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Make no mistake. At £150.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Going under the hammer right now, Josie's tin toys.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Lots of fun with these at the valuation day.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- And I have to say, you look so healthy.- Thank you very much.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You look really happy and healthy.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Is it the sea air up there or something?- Yes. Sea air.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- Lots of gardening? - Yes. I love my gardening.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- Get into trouble, but never mind. - You get yourself into trouble? Why?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05There's a lot I can't do now, since I had my accident,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- so I go to do it and somebody helps me.- Oh, bless you.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Look, these toys have been in the family for 80 years,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and we're going to sell them right now. Here we go.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Rather fun. It's a German Lehmann tin plate figure.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Tom, the climbing monkey, and another there.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24£20 I am bid. £20.
0:24:24 > 0:24:262, 5, 8, 30.
0:24:26 > 0:24:292, 32.
0:24:29 > 0:24:3235. 38. 40. 42.
0:24:32 > 0:24:3645. 48. 50. 55.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37- Come on.- 55.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40This will all help pay for a bit of gardening, won't it?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Anyone else? 65. 70. £70.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47All done. Nobody else? 75. £80.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48- 80 bid.- Fresh bidder.
0:24:48 > 0:24:5185. 90. £90.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53At 90. Last call.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55At 90. At 90. At 90.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57- Good result.- Very good.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- £90.- Thank you very much. - That's going to help out, isn't it?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- I'll be going buying something for the garden.- It will, won't it?
0:25:03 > 0:25:08Well, Josie, that's better than the toys gaining dust in a drawer.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10380...
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Going under the hammer right now are
0:25:14 > 0:25:16three postcard albums belonging to Anne.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Originally, at the valuation day, we had no reserve.- Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Anne's been on the phone to the auctioneers since that day.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26- What?- Yes!- Yes! My daughter requested it.- Yes.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- I don't blame you, actually. It's now fixed at £70.- That's all right.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- That's OK, isn't it? - Always very popular.- They are.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33We've got loads of them there.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Some humorous ones, some local ones, Muncaster in there, all sorts.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Going under the hammer now, Anne. Fingers crossed. This is it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Starting at 50. £50 I am bid.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47£50 bid. 55. 60.
0:25:47 > 0:25:495 with Alan. 70. 75.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52You didn't need a reserve, you see? They make their money.
0:25:52 > 0:25:5475. 75. Anyone else?
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- But only just.- Only just!- I know.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00All finished at 75. At 75.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Gosh, £75. Only just!- I know.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- And all those Bamford ones. - Yeah, all those saucy ones.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- We had a laugh, though, with them, Paul.- Yes, I saw them.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Hopefully the new owners will enjoy chuckling over those postcards.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Next up, the Royal Doulton commemorative jug.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Alison, your John Peel jug is just about to go under the hammer.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24It's time to say goodbye. This one will go. Local interest.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- It's got to go.- It should do. - It should do, shouldn't it?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The market for these things has gone down in recent times,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32but you'd still hope it'd make £100.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I'm not a big fan of these Doulton kind of things.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- No? They're all right.- Nor you.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38But this one is a little bit different. It's more colourful.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Slightly more interesting.- It is, really.- Isn't it? Ready for this?
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- I'm ready.- OK, let's enjoy the moment. Right, here we go. Tally ho!
0:26:47 > 0:26:51This is a nice one. John Peel one, just for this area. Perfect.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Quite a lot of interest in this.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I'm going to start straight in at the 100 bid.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- I thought he was going to say three. - Yeah.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00110. 120. 120. 130. You're in now.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04At 130 in the room. 130. 140. 150. 150 on the net.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07160. 160. They're going mad. 170.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10180 if you like. 180. 180 is in the room now.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14At 180. 190. 190. 200. At 200 in the room.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- 220, 240.- This is good.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- In the room now.- End up in a local house.- 260, in fact.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22260 on the net. You're out, are you? At 260. Are you sure?
0:27:22 > 0:27:26At 260 we're going to sell. At 260.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Bang on there. 260. That's not a bad price, is it?
0:27:28 > 0:27:30- That's not a bad price. - I'm well pleased.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Yeah. I think that one was a little bit...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34had a little bit more going for it than...
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- It had a bit of damage, too.- Yeah. - Just a smidgen.- Who did that? You?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- SHE COUGHS Yes.- I'm afraid so.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46You can't hide anything from me!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50At £380. Are we all done at 380? That's yours.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Right, our next lot. Well, it frightens the life out of me.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Thank goodness it's here to be sold.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's the doll in the tester bed. It's an Armand Marseille.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00It's a great make. A German bisque-headed doll.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03It belongs to Deborah, who sadly cannot be with us today,
0:28:03 > 0:28:04but her husband, Andrew, can,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08- who I'm sure will be glad to see the back of it.- Absolutely, yes.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11- Won't we?- Wonderful.- It's not a blokes' thing, is it, James? No.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15- James gravitated towards this. - This is horrible.- I don't like it.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17It's going under the hammer right now.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20There are a lot of doll collectors out there and you know who they are.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25What may I say for that? £80 or 50?
0:28:25 > 0:28:2950 bid. 55. 60. 5. 70.
0:28:29 > 0:28:3175. 80.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- £80. Anyone else? At 80.- £80. - At 80. At 80.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40I thought you'd get extra for the bed. But look...
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I think the bed's worth it! But...I don't know.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- Do you think that doll's put people off?- Yeah.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46I don't like the articulated eyes.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- No.- Blink, blink, blink, spooky, spooky, spooky.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Well, there you are. That was fun.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Our first lots done and dusted under the hammer.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05We are coming back here later on in the programme, so don't go away.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08We could have that big surprise I promised you.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Before we return to Muncaster Castle to find some more antiques
0:29:11 > 0:29:14to put under the hammer, I'm going to be doing a bit of sleuthing,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17finding out about Tom Fool,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19a jester who may have been up to no good.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Muncaster Castle has been home to the Pennington family
0:29:31 > 0:29:34for more than 800 years.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Today, they share it with visiting tourists
0:29:36 > 0:29:40and, some would have you believe, ghosts.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42DOOR CREAKS
0:29:42 > 0:29:45One of these unearthly residents could be Tom Skelton,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48also known as Tom the Fool.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52He was the jester here around the turn of the 17th century
0:29:52 > 0:29:56and his antics may well have given rise to the term "tomfoolery".
0:29:59 > 0:30:00Well, it's up to you to decide
0:30:00 > 0:30:03if there is any truth in this old chestnut.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07But legend has it that Tom Fool would regularly sit
0:30:07 > 0:30:10under this very tree here at Muncaster Castle,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12taking in the views.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14And weary travellers would come up to him
0:30:14 > 0:30:16and ask him for directions to London.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20But for some poor souls, instead of directing them across the river,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23he sent them straight down there into the quicksand.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Now, I don't imagine they found that very funny at all.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29But apparently that wasn't the worst of his misdeeds.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39This painting is a portrait of Tom Skelton, alias Tom Fool,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and it shows a man of position and authority -
0:30:42 > 0:30:47not normally a look associated with a jester in a cap and bells.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50To try to understand how Tom could have two very opposing roles
0:30:50 > 0:30:53in the castle, I'm meeting with owner Peter Frost-Pennington.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Peter, as jesters go, he doesn't look that funny, does he?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02He certainly looks a bit disreputable.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05I'm not sure I'd invite him along to any children's parties these days.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07But he was the fool here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09And he was meant to be in charge of the place for a while.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11And he certainly entertained the visitors.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13It must be quite a privilege.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Surely this is quite rare to have to have hired help
0:31:15 > 0:31:18having a full-length portrait here on the wall.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Well, it is an extraordinary portrait,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23because the experts... Servants never got painted.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26And he was a servant. But we think it's a parody portrait.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29This is the fool. He was the idiot. He was the one everyone laughed at,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and yet he's painted as if he's a great lord or master.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35- Is this his last will and testament?- Yes.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37This, they say, is his last will and testament.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40It is written in doggerel rhyme. And it's interesting,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43cos it says "all his living is in good strong beer".
0:31:43 > 0:31:46And he is painted warts and all with his big beer belly
0:31:46 > 0:31:47bursting out over his belt.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50And it also says, "When I am bury'd, then my friends may drink.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53"But each man pay for himself, that's best I think."
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- I saw that!- And that's because he's a servant.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- He can't afford the beer.- Sure. - Everyone had to pay for themselves.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01But he wants a big party when he goes and no-one is to forget him,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and we certainly don't forget Tom.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08During the 15th and 16th centuries,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11the court fool played an important role.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13They were the political satirists of their day,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16and the only ones in court who could tell the monarch
0:32:16 > 0:32:19what an idiot he was and still keep their heads.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Up here in Cumbria, Tom Skelton was far enough
0:32:23 > 0:32:24from the royal court in London
0:32:24 > 0:32:27not to worry about his own head.
0:32:27 > 0:32:33But legend has it he did have something to do with someone else's.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35The story goes there was a young lady of the house
0:32:35 > 0:32:36called Helwise Pennington,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39which I think suggests a little bit what her character was like.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42She was engaged to be married to the next posh guy down the road.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46And unfortunately, she fell in love with a young carpenter.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And this carpenter was a bit silly,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51cos he was boasting about his conquest,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53saying, "I am Helwise Pennington's boyfriend."
0:32:53 > 0:32:57But news of the affair got to his...her fiance
0:32:57 > 0:32:59and it all got a bit embarrassing.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And Tom was asked to sort the situation out, cos it was very wrong
0:33:02 > 0:33:04that this servant was having an affair
0:33:04 > 0:33:06with a young lady of the house.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So the story goes, he lured the carpenter to a bedroom near here
0:33:10 > 0:33:12on pretence of meeting Helwise, his girlfriend,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15kept him drinking - plied him with strong cider -
0:33:15 > 0:33:17at which point Tom picked up his hammer and chisel,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19chopped his head off with it
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and dragged the headless body downstairs.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Even today, we have visitors sometimes say,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25when they're standing looking at his portrait,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28they hear footsteps behind them
0:33:28 > 0:33:30and they expect someone to be standing behind them.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32They turn around to see, and there's nobody there.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35And some authorities think it's not footsteps,
0:33:35 > 0:33:36it's the thud, thud, thud, thud
0:33:36 > 0:33:40of Tom dragging the headless body downstairs.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41THUDDING
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Peter, I believe there's a chance that you and your family think
0:33:49 > 0:33:54- that Tom inspired the fool in Shakespeare's play King Lear?- Yes.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57We believe Shakespeare spent some time in the north west of England
0:33:57 > 0:33:59as a jobbing actor before he made the big time.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02And of course he picked up all the folk tales
0:34:02 > 0:34:03and met some of the personalities.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Whether he met Tom or knew the story of Tom...
0:34:05 > 0:34:09And that crucial scene in King Lear is of the stupid king
0:34:09 > 0:34:10who's lost his kingdom,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14wandering around on the blasted heath accompanied by the fool.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16And the fool isn't really a fool -
0:34:16 > 0:34:19the fool is the clever one and the king is the stupid one.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22So it's just exactly what Tom's saying in that portrait.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25"I'm meant to be the idiot, but you lot in Government,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27"you're the real idiots of the piece."
0:34:27 > 0:34:30And I think Shakespeare is really good at going, "I'll keep that."
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- Put quill to paper. - Put quill to paper.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35"And I'll ferret that away and I'll make a play out of that."
0:34:35 > 0:34:39I keep saying it and no-one's told me off for it, so maybe it is true.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49So powerful are the myths surrounding Tom Fool
0:34:49 > 0:34:51that his legend is still alive today.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59Each May, Muncaster Castle holds a competition where entertainers
0:34:59 > 0:35:04from around the world compete to be crowned the Fool of Muncaster.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07The title is currently held by Abigail Collins.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09LAUGHTER
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- PUTS ON ACCENT:- Look at you.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14You're a burning hunk of man love, darling. Hello!
0:35:14 > 0:35:16You have to love a man you can just wipe clean!
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- SHE SPITS - Yes, look, just a bit of Windolene.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22You want to try this? I think it's very good.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24'I've always been naughty,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26'playing tricks since I was a small child.'
0:35:26 > 0:35:27'And that's where I really feel'
0:35:27 > 0:35:29the spirit of Tom Fool.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33The whole idea of tomfoolery, buffoonery,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36is something that... I still play tricks now,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40and I don't think I'll ever stop playing tricks and doing gags.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43OK, so I make quick transformation for you.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Hold your horses, people. Here I go!
0:35:47 > 0:35:50When I go to come out, there'll be nobody here.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51LAUGHTER
0:35:51 > 0:35:54What makes a good fool?
0:35:54 > 0:35:58For me, what makes a good fool, it's important to distinguish
0:35:58 > 0:36:00the difference between fooling and clowning.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03You see it very clearly in Shakespeare
0:36:03 > 0:36:05between the idea of a natural fool, a clown.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08The clown doesn't know that the clown is stupid,
0:36:08 > 0:36:09and that's why the clown is funny,
0:36:09 > 0:36:14whereas the fool in Shakespeare is witty and cynical
0:36:14 > 0:36:17and they're there to pull...pull people down
0:36:17 > 0:36:19and to shine the mirror up to human nature.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21So that's the difference.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25I suppose the modern equivalent of fooling would be stand-up.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29We see it in sitcoms. The fool never really disappeared. Here I am!
0:36:29 > 0:36:31SHE LAUGHS
0:36:31 > 0:36:32- CROWD:- Three!
0:36:32 > 0:36:33Oh, my gosh!
0:36:33 > 0:36:35CHEERING
0:36:35 > 0:36:37SHE SHOUTS
0:36:37 > 0:36:39APPLAUSE
0:36:39 > 0:36:40It's good. Yes, you like it now?
0:36:40 > 0:36:42LAUGHTER
0:36:42 > 0:36:43Just a little kiss.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45LAUGHTER
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Are we having enough? Do we want to see more?
0:36:48 > 0:36:52'For me, being a female fool, it's a really important role,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56'because the fool is there to challenge social mores
0:36:56 > 0:36:59'and to push the envelope. And that is always what I do.'
0:36:59 > 0:37:02I hope that I never tip it too far over the edge.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04But for me, that's where...
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The fun is always where you get the tension in a performance
0:37:07 > 0:37:09and working out how far you can take it.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10LAUGHTER
0:37:10 > 0:37:12You know, it takes years of abuse to
0:37:12 > 0:37:14get a body like this, boys and girls. I know.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- HOOTER - I know.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24It seems the legacy of this fiendish fool will be kept alive
0:37:24 > 0:37:26in a way that many of us can enjoy.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30But with tales of chopped-off heads and creeping ghosts,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33you can rest assured I won't be sleeping in the castle tonight!
0:37:41 > 0:37:45# If you wanna come back it's all right, it's all right
0:37:45 > 0:37:48# It's all right if you wanna come back... #
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Back amidst the fun and commotion of our valuation area
0:37:51 > 0:37:54people are still flocking to the tables,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56keeping our experts very busy.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59The grand hall is now an off-screen valuation area.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01But through here in the library...
0:38:03 > 0:38:06..Adam Partridge is just about to start one of his valuations.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10So let's take a closer look at what he's talking about.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15How did these Japanese panels end up in deepest Cumbria?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- They belonged to my husband's grandfather...- Yeah.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19..who was in the Navy.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23And I know that he was out in Shanghai.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Whether he was in the Navy during the war
0:38:25 > 0:38:26or before the war, I don't know.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- You don't know what years he was in service?- No.- No.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Well, these were brought back by traders,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36merchant seamen, Navy people, as souvenirs of the time.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39This style of decoration with this relief applied work
0:38:39 > 0:38:41is the Shibayama style,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44which was actually derived in the 18th century.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49And you see really exotic Shibayama panels in ivory and mother-of-pearl
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and very, very fancy inlays.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56And these are basically later ones that were made for export.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59- So these would have been made around 1900 or thereabouts.- Right.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03So they're relatively cheaply made, even though they're very ornate.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Your ones are in bone rather than ivory,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09so any elephant lovers will be happy to own these, anyway.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13Typical scenes of daily life are depicted in them.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17And of course, the very famous Mount Fuji in the background,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21which is depicted in so many Japanese art and things like that.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- Do you like these? - Yes, yes. But they've been...
0:39:24 > 0:39:26wrapped up in a drawer.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29- I saw that ancient paper that you've got them wrapped in.- Yes.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- And so they're not on display? - No, no.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34There's nowhere to hang them, really.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36So why have you decided to sell?
0:39:36 > 0:39:37You like them but you don't display them?
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- Presumably they take up too much room?- I'm hoping to go to Australia.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- Are you? - My family is over in Australia.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So you're going to go and join them. It would be lovely to get out there.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Now it's down to the gritty bit of the value.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54I think they are going to be about £50 a pair.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55Right. OK.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58So maybe £100 to £150 for the lot.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00- Uh-huh.- I think that's about the money, really.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I don't think they're going to make much more.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And we should put a little reserve on them at 80 just to stop them.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Um... - You're looking uncomfortable.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10- A little bit higher?- Well...
0:40:10 > 0:40:15- I'm trying to get you...them sold for the best price.- Yeah, OK.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- We can't put it up to 90? - We could put it up to 90.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21OK, let's put 100 with discretion, so that means 90.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24- OK.- Estimate 100 to 150.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27And if they stop at 80, don't let me say "I told you so."
0:40:27 > 0:40:29No.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Let's hope we can help Jean with her trip to Australia.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40Back on the home front, James has uncovered a set of instruments
0:40:40 > 0:40:42that are not for the faint-hearted.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49It's about 100 years since the beginning of the First World War,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53and I have to say when I see things like this...
0:40:54 > 0:40:58..I'm just so glad I live today and not then.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03Because this is the most gruesome set of instruments
0:41:03 > 0:41:05you can possibly imagine.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08We see a lot of field surgeon's kits.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12But they didn't seem to have changed an awful lot
0:41:12 > 0:41:16from the Napoleonic Wars through to this stage here.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20All that we haven't got is a saw to chop someone's leg off.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24- Now, these belong to you, don't they?- That's right.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26How did you come to have these in your possession?
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Pretty much by chance, really.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31I bought a box of military books,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33and this just happened to be in amongst it.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37Dorothy, you know a little bit more about these things, don't you?
0:41:37 > 0:41:39Yes. I was a nurse from the '50s.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43And how did the equipment change from the First World War?
0:41:43 > 0:41:45- Scalpel?- The scalpel. Now they're disposable.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Before, we just put them on the end.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- But they... That's beautiful, I think.- Beautiful?- I do.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- I think that's probably saved lots of lives.- Gosh.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58That's Spencer Wells forceps for opening the wound
0:41:58 > 0:42:01or for tying off a vein or an artery.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04And that could be used for opening a wound.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08But I think the most beautiful thing was this small case
0:42:08 > 0:42:09with the needles in.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- The needles, gosh. - That's lovely, that.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16It will be interesting to know whether it was German or British.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18As far as I know, it's German,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22and it seems to be, you know, of its time the best kind of quality.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Wonderful quality. The one major difference to the tools
0:42:25 > 0:42:28that were being used 100 years earlier,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31they realised the importance of keeping them sterile.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- Yes, yes.- Because 100 years earlier they would have been
0:42:34 > 0:42:37in a brass-bound mahogany box.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- When you lift it open, it would be velvet lined.- Yeah.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45And these tools, I guess, when they were still fairly dirty
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- would have been slotted back in like this.- Yeah, yeah.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51That's not exactly the most ideal sterilised condition,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53whereas here, of course,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55they're wrapped up in something you can boil.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58- They can go in there. - And go in there.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01So, what's it worth? I think it has a limited market.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I don't think it is early enough to have a great following.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09But First World War stuff is now becoming more and more sought after.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11So...30 to 50?
0:43:11 > 0:43:14£40 to £60? Something like that.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Let's put £30 on it.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18- I think it's good value at £30. - I do as well.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20I think it's a good talking point.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- I still don't think it's beautiful. - Oh, I do. I think...
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Well, Dorothy and James will have to agree to disagree on that one.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32But while we're on the subject of saving lives,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35I found a box here in the house with a fabulous story to tell.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41Now, I've spotted something in the library, and I am fascinated by it.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Another great piece of family history.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47It's a medicine chest belong to the fifth Lord of Muncaster,
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Josslyn Pennington.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52He fought against the Russians in the Crimean War in the 1850s
0:43:52 > 0:43:55and he took this medicine chest with him.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57It's quite a comprehensive piece of kit
0:43:57 > 0:44:00that any field surgeon would be proud of.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03And it's full of glass bottles containing ointments and tinctures,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and it's got a pestle and mortar, it's got syringes.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08I'm absolutely fascinated by some of these glass bottles.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Look. Laudanum. Well, that's all gone.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16There's all sort of tinctures here, potions and cures.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18Look at this. Little, tiny iron.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22You could heat that up and seal some wounds on the skin.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24It sounds pretty gruesome, doesn't it?
0:44:26 > 0:44:30A staggering 250,000 British and French men
0:44:30 > 0:44:34lost their lives during the Crimean War due to disease.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38It was during the three years of the conflict that Florence Nightingale
0:44:38 > 0:44:41revolutionised the treatment of soldiers
0:44:41 > 0:44:43and paved the way for yet further advances
0:44:43 > 0:44:46in how we care for our sick and wounded.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50It was on this battlefield that the fifth Lord Muncaster
0:44:50 > 0:44:51had a narrow escape.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58I want to show you this. There's his cap that he wore.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01He was in the 90th Rifles.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05And he stuck his head up a parapet to look out at the Russians,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07and some Russian took a shot at him.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Look at that - there's a bullet hole.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Went right through his cap, right through his hairline.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13Thankfully, he survived that,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17and he went on to live right through to his mid-80s.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18There's a happy ending!
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Now, Adam's back out in the sunshine.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28It's a glorious day here at Muncaster, isn't it?
0:45:28 > 0:45:30It's perfect, perfect!
0:45:30 > 0:45:34And a very famous factory of porcelain you've brought along.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37What can you tell us about it? Where did you get it from?
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Well, it's probably been in the family,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41I don't know, 40 or 50 years.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44My father bought it, actually, in Switzerland.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46He had offices in Zurich.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49So he's bought it maybe from an antiques shop over there.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53- I think so.- Obviously by the very famous Meissen porcelain factory.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55One of the finest porcelains of the world,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57arguably THE finest porcelain,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59although perhaps the Crown Derbys and Worcesters and Mintons
0:45:59 > 0:46:02of this world might argue, as might Sevres and various others.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04- I'm sure they would. - But one of the top names.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07- It originated in about 1710.- Mm-hm.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10And they made lots of figures like this
0:46:10 > 0:46:13throughout the 18th and 19th and 20th centuries.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17And they are characteristic for their blue crossed swords mark.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21That famous blue crossed swords trademark underneath.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And we've got the shape number there as well.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27So why have you decided to bring it along to "Flog It!"?
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Oh, well, it's actually sat in the back of the cupboard
0:46:31 > 0:46:34- or a display cabinet, and it's been there for such a long time.- Yeah.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37My eldest daughter is hoping to go to Australia on a sports tour,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41so really it was to help fund - hopefully - her trip to Australia.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44So turn that dusty old ornament at the back of the cabinet
0:46:44 > 0:46:45into something that...
0:46:45 > 0:46:48- Not so nasty. - Dusty, not nasty!- Dusty, dusty!
0:46:48 > 0:46:52I said "dusty", not "nasty"! I wouldn't say that. I'm not that bad!
0:46:52 > 0:46:55I think it's quite pleasant. It's not my taste, really.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59But it's very nicely modelled. I can certainly appreciate them.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03The main famous modeller of these was Kandler in the 18th century.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08I think this is a 1900s or slightly later version
0:47:08 > 0:47:09of the very famous Meissen figures.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12If that was a period one from the 1770s,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14- it'd be worth thousands of pounds. - Oh!
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- But I'm afraid I don't think it is.- It's not.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19But look at the quality of the faces - are very nice.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21When you are looking at these things, the faces are beautiful.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23They're absolutely beautiful.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26And the colour. I love the colours of them - they're gorgeous.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Sadly, the more I look at it, I see quite a bit of damage.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Little bits... Lots of little bits on the end.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Crustations. You can see these white bits showing.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37- He's lost an arm here.- Hm. Maybe he was meant to be like that.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Yes, perhaps. Yes. Yes, of course.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42He was probably meant to be...
0:47:42 > 0:47:45- "This is what happens when you bite your nails."- Yes, severely!
0:47:45 > 0:47:48- In good order, I can imagine it making £500.- Mm-hm.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53- Because of the damage, I think we have to bring it right down.- Oh!
0:47:53 > 0:47:57- Perhaps as low as 150 to 250.- OK.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58I think it'll find its level
0:47:58 > 0:48:00and hopefully it'll be a bit more than that.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03But I think that should be enough to entice people to bid.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06- But there's a lot to put right. - It's still a beautiful thing.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09It is a beautiful thing. Shall we put a reserve on it - £150?
0:48:09 > 0:48:12- That's good, that's fine.- We don't want it really going for any less.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15- No less.- And hopefully it will go on and make a little bit more.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Let's hope we can make plenty of money
0:48:17 > 0:48:18for your daughter's sports tour.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20That would be nice.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25Now, James spotted a scene to rival the one here in Muncaster.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30Well, Deborah and Sonya, thank you very much for bringing
0:48:30 > 0:48:34a rare thing today - a watercolour.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37We've had hardly any pictures so far, so well done.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Where is it? What's the subject?
0:48:40 > 0:48:41It's the Isle of Man,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43and the mountain behind is Snaefell.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47And it must be reasonably old, I should think.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50It's an artist called Raymond Dearn,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53and he was prolific in the early part of the 20th century.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57He died in 1925, so this is one of his later pictures.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00This is dated 1921.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03So it's quite late for him, but very nicely done.
0:49:03 > 0:49:10Summer hay cart, a typical landscape of the early 1910, 1920s,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12and it's a jolly pretty picture.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14How did it come to be in your family?
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Well, I used to have a bric-a-brac shop,
0:49:16 > 0:49:20- and it just came with some stuff. - Yeah?
0:49:20 > 0:49:24- And I loved it, and I used to live in the Isle of Man.- Did you?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26And I couldn't let it go.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29It's still very natural, a lot of natural beauty -
0:49:29 > 0:49:32the cliffs and the woodland and the glens.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33And this was a nice memory,
0:49:33 > 0:49:36but I think it's time to downsize my mother.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40Well, it's a watercolour that will certainly find interest
0:49:40 > 0:49:41in the auctions.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44It's not something that is hugely valuable,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47but he does have a following.
0:49:47 > 0:49:52I would say an auction estimate - 80 to 120 would be about there.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54And if you're happy to let it go for that,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58I'd like to put a reserve of £80 on it as a safety net.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01But if you have different ideas...
0:50:01 > 0:50:05I mean, you were trading and buying and selling before I was born,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09so I'll take a step back and takes some advice from you.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13- I'm sad, but I've got to downsize. - OK.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18I've no longer got a spacious house to put anything like that in.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19Oh. Big picture, actually, isn't it?
0:50:19 > 0:50:21And we'd like it to go to a nice home
0:50:21 > 0:50:25with somebody who appreciates the view and the scene and the artist.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- I'm sure it'll do well.- Yes.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29I hope you're really happy where you moved to,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31and don't be too disheartened about having to downsize.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33- Thank you.- Thank you so much. - Thank you.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39Well, there's only so much wall space - even in a castle this big.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Well, there you are, that's it.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Our experts have now found their final items.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49So it's time for us to say farewell to Muncaster Castle,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51our magnificent host location today.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53It's really done us proud,
0:50:53 > 0:50:55and the hundreds of people who have turned up.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56But right now it's time for us
0:50:56 > 0:50:58to head off to auction for the last time.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01And here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02See you in Carlisle.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Bye-bye, everyone. Bye-bye!
0:51:14 > 0:51:17These early 20th-century Japanese panels
0:51:17 > 0:51:20show everyday life in Japan.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23But how will they translate back here?
0:51:23 > 0:51:28Will it be touch-and-go for this First World War field surgeon's kit?
0:51:28 > 0:51:29It's a top name,
0:51:29 > 0:51:34so hopefully we'll get a top price for this Meissen statue.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37And this pretty picture by Raymond Dearn should catch
0:51:37 > 0:51:38the eye of the collectors.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49We're back in Carlisle, and the auction room is in full swing.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53360. 380. 400. 420.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55All finished? Thank you, sir.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Going under the hammer now,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59four Japanese inlaid panels belonging to Jean.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03All the proceeds need to get you off to Australia.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05It's a lot of money, isn't it, getting there?
0:52:05 > 0:52:06It's a long way. It's a long flight.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Will we get top money for this? Is it too touristy?
0:52:09 > 0:52:12- I don't think they're going to be easy things.- No.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15I don't wish to be pessimistic, just realistic.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18- I think, if we sell them, we should be pleased.- Really happy.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Let's find out what the bidders think.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23They're going under the hammer right now.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27897 is these rather nice Shibayama panels.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28What may I say for these?
0:52:28 > 0:52:30150 or 100?
0:52:30 > 0:52:32£50?
0:52:32 > 0:52:3640. 40 I'm bid. At £40 bid.
0:52:36 > 0:52:402. 5. 8. 48.
0:52:40 > 0:52:4350 on the net. 55.
0:52:43 > 0:52:4555. 60. 65.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49- 65. £65, all finished. - I don't think they're going to go.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51- No.- They're struggling, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:52:51 > 0:52:5575. Last chance. 75. At 75.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57I'm sorry, they're just a little short of the reserve.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59- They're not sold. - We're sorry about that.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01They haven't gone, have they?
0:53:01 > 0:53:04Well, thanks for giving us the pleasure of looking at them.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08- I hate to say...- I brought my bag with me, anyway, to take...
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- Oh, did you?- Yes, I came prepared.
0:53:10 > 0:53:11What a shame.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15But souvenirs like this made for the export market
0:53:15 > 0:53:17don't tend to make the big money.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Now let's hope we don't have a horrid end
0:53:21 > 0:53:24to this field surgeon's kit, which is up next.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27- Dorothy and Stephen, good luck with this.- Thank you.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29I think it's quite gruesome, I really do.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31- It's lovely.- But it's a field surgeon's kit, possibly German,
0:53:31 > 0:53:34from the First World War. Going under the hammer right now.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- Good luck with this, James. - Thank you.- This is it.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39What may I say for this?
0:53:39 > 0:53:4230, 20? Never know when you'll need it. 20 bid.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46£20. 20 bid. 22. 25.
0:53:46 > 0:53:4828. 28. Anyone else?
0:53:48 > 0:53:5128. 30. 30. 30.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55- Yes, come on. You were right with 30. It's worth...- It is.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59At 30. At £30 only. All done.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01- Selling.- At 30. Sold.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04- It was a bargain.- It was a bargain, wasn't it?- It was, it was.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Dorothy is thinking, "I would have taken that home
0:54:07 > 0:54:10"and operated on a leg of lamb, on a Sunday roast!"
0:54:10 > 0:54:13Ha! Well, that's another item sewn up.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Are we all sure? At 380. Are we all done at 380?
0:54:19 > 0:54:23Now, how will this Raymond Dearn watercolour fare?
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Sonya and Deborah, I like this watercolour.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Raymond Dearn, the Isle of Man.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30You got this when you had an antiques shop in the Isle of Man.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33- Yes. I had an antiques yard.- A yard?
0:54:33 > 0:54:37- With little wooden buildings... - Those were the days!
0:54:37 > 0:54:40..and filled up with all sorts.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Did you make a good living doing that, or did you manage to...?
0:54:42 > 0:54:47Oh, I did, I did. And it was just the joy of doing it.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49Let's put this to the test. It's going under the hammer now.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52- Good luck, both of you. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55I'm going to start at 100 precisely.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58At £100 for Harvesting on the Isle of Man.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02100. £100. 100. 110. 120.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04130. 140. 150.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08160. 70. 180. £180.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11180. At £180. All done. Last call.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14- We're selling, aren't we? £180.- 180.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15That's good, isn't it?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18And we'll be using the money to take my mother on holiday
0:55:18 > 0:55:22to sort of go where she was born in Wales and Gloucestershire area.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- That's nice. - Trace the family ancestry.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29What a great idea, to downsize and go on holiday.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Going under the hammer we've got a great name in porcelain - Meissen.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37We've seen it on the show before. We've got a cracking piece.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Fingers crossed we get the top end of Adam's estimate.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42- It's a group of figures, isn't it? - Yes, yes. A beautiful thing.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45It's beautiful to look at with the young children.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49- Been in the family a long time? - 50-odd years, something like that.
0:55:49 > 0:55:54- Are you a Meissen fan? Not really, no.- No.- Nor am I, unfortunately.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56But there are a lot of collectors out there.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58I'm not sure you should call it a cracking figure.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00Is that the best choice of words for it?
0:56:00 > 0:56:01Look, there's a tiny bit of damage.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03But when you look at the detail and all the figures,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05there's a lot going on.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Hopefully, someone will like to own this piece.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09It's a very smart piece of porcelain.
0:56:09 > 0:56:14Yeah. I'd rather have that than a cup and saucer in Meissen.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Right. Here we go. Let's sell it.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Start here. The bid is with me at...
0:56:23 > 0:56:24at 320.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- What?- We're going to start at 320.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30- 340.- Here we go. THEY LAUGH
0:56:30 > 0:56:33400. 420. 420. 420.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35- It's like we've set you up, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37460 bid.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40At 460. 480, anybody? At £500?
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Would you believe that?
0:56:42 > 0:56:46520. It's still going. At 520. At 520 bid.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51At 520. At £520. Are we all done? All sure?
0:56:51 > 0:56:52£520.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56£520! Well done.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58Well, there you go. There's always a surprise.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01- I told you there'd be one. - Just getting my disclaimer in.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03"It may not sell."
0:57:03 > 0:57:04That's amazing. That is amazing.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06- Thank you.- Thank you for bringing it in.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09And what a way to end the show. We're totally baffled.
0:57:09 > 0:57:10So was our auctioneer, Steven.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13He said, "I can't believe it." But the hammer went down.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15- And you're going home with the money.- I'm very happy.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18It doesn't get any better than that. I hope you enjoyed watching.
0:57:18 > 0:57:19It's goodbye from Carlisle!