Muncaster Castle 29 Flog It!

Today we're in Cumbria,

and Muncaster Castle is the magnificent setting

for our valuation day.

John Ruskin, the Victorian art critic and writer,

once described this view as "the gateway to paradise."

On a day like today, you know what? I totally agree with him.

You can follow the Esk Valley all the way through to Scafell Pike -

look - England's highest mountain.

Today we're hoping for one or two highs ourselves in the auction room.

Welcome to "Flog It!"

The Lake District here in Cumbria is a national park

of mountains, lakes and valleys covering around 900 square miles.

Over the centuries, this scenery has inspired writers, poets,

artists, walkers and climbers alike.

There are 16 lakes in the area, with Windermere being the largest

and Wastwater the deepest.

Now, I didn't want to frighten anybody, but did you know that

this castle is considered to be

one of the most haunted buildings in the country? Did you know that?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-Anyone frightened?

-ALL:

-No!

-That's what we like to hear.

And it didn't put them off from turning up laden with antiques and collectables.

They're here to see our experts

to ask that all-important question, which is...

-ALL:

-What's it worth?

Stay tuned and you'll find out.

And talking of our experts, James Lewis is here,

and he's got castles on the brain.

It's a castle ice bucket at a castle.

-SHE LAUGHS

-It's a...

I can't think of anything more appropriate to find here than that.

And he's teamed up with Adam Partridge,

who has a taste for the Orient.

Those are quite smart. They are Japanese.

-They're Japanese?

-Yeah.

And they're lacquered.

Lacquered, not knackered!

While everyone gets seated,

here's a quick look at what's coming up on today's show.

Some may find today's show a little spooky.

ALL EXCLAIM

And there's a few surprises at the auction.

Well, this is good.

£80.

Oh, fresh bidder.

Are we all done?

Well done. There you go.

What's the link between this portrait,

this chestnut tree, and tomfoolery? Well, I'll tell you later.

But first, let's get inside and get this party started.

We have literally taken over every room in this castle.

Hundreds of people everywhere. There's such a wonderful atmosphere.

Right now, we've got to find some treasures worthy

of such a magnificent surrounding. So let's make a start.

Let's catch up with one of our experts

to find that first important item.

James has brought the first item home to roost.

-Josie, my daughter, is seven.

-Yes.

And we have pet hens at home.

-That's right.

-Pet chickens.

-And she has a pull-along toy almost identical.

-She has?

-Yeah?

-It was probably made two or three years ago.

-Yeah.

-And that was made in Germany

-about 1910, 1920.

-Yeah, that's right, yeah.

But it wasn't that one

that I thought was such fun.

-It was this one here.

-That one?

And when I saw you outside in the lines with this,

I just could not resist.

Just look at that.

-Isn't he brilliant?

-Oh, he's lovely.

Isn't he just great fun?

-Look at him. I could just play with that...

-All day.

-..all day. Yeah.

He's kept his colours well as well, hasn't he?

The great thing is, this one is a good little toy.

And he is by Lehmann - good German maker. Early 20th century.

Probably around the same sort of period as the hen and chick.

-Tin plate, so made in sheets of tin...

-Yeah, that's right.

..and stamped out,

and then just put together

-very cheaply.

-Oh, yeah? Oh.

Up until about the Second World War, Germany were leading the way,

-and then Japan took over.

-That's right. Yeah.

But he's great. Tell me, are these things you played with as a kid?

No, we weren't allowed to.

-They were always in a display cabinet in them days.

-Oh.

You could look, but you did not touch.

-That's not much fun as a toy, is it?

-I know. No good at all.

So who did they belong to?

-That one belonged my uncle.

-How old would your uncle be today?

111.

-And his birthday would be in May, so he'd be 112.

-Aw.

And I'm just a spring chicken. And I'm 82.

82. Well done. Fantastic!

What are they worth? The chicken and the cart,

-£25, £35.

-Yeah. Uh-huh.

But the Lehmann monkey, he's got to be 50 to 80.

-Yeah, that's right.

-60 to 100.

-Yeah.

So let's put £60 to £100 on them. Two together in one lot.

-And reserve of 60.

-Lovely.

-And if they don't make that, I will be stunned.

-Yeah.

-They will.

-They will?

-They'll sell.

-Yeah, yeah.

Leave him with me for the rest of the day.

Leave him for the rest of the day! Get up to mischief!

He's not going to be packed up ready for the auction until later.

James, you cheeky monkey!

Time for a bit of fresh air, I think.

Well, it's a glorious day here, Alison, at Muncaster.

-Couldn't be nicer.

-Couldn't be nicer. What a wonderful view here.

But look at that behind us.

Yes, isn't it something, eh? Something special.

I can't see that it gets any better than that, does it?

No, it doesn't at all.

You've brought something of local significance, haven't you?

John Peel, the famous huntsman. There he is there.

What you've got, if I may,

is the Royal Doulton commemorative for John Peel.

They made a series of these sorts of commemoratives

probably in the 1920s.

And you can see the handles

fashioned as a fox's head above a whip

to show it's hunting.

And there's the famous man himself.

-He must have been a very popular character.

-Apparently so, yeah.

Let's see. This is nice, because it's got loads on the bottom.

And, of course, the famous song. D'ye Ken John Peel?

But this is very good, because it tells us all about him.

"The hardy huntsman of the Cumberland fells.

"Beloved of his compatriots. Birds of a feather.

"Born on November 13th...

"and died on the same day, November 13th, 1854."

Now, this one, as you can see again,

Royal Doulton, the famous factory. "This is number 37."

-And 500 made.

-Mm-hm.

-Very nice.

-And have you had it on display?

-I had it on display for quite a while.

-Yeah.

-Then, like everything else, you think, "I'll have a change."

It got put in the cupboard. It's just a bit chunky, really...

That's it. And they're not as popular as they used to be.

-Maybe not.

-So values have maybe dropped a bit

-in the last 10, 20 years on these.

-OK.

-Any idea what it's worth?

-£200, £300?

-Yeah...

-Something like that?

Well, I think if it was perfect, it would be.

I think with the ear damage, you've got to be a bit more conservative.

I think it's going to be somewhere between £100 and £200.

-Mm-hm.

-Hopefully more, of course.

-Mm-hm.

-So, reserve-wise, I would probably suggest 100.

-OK. Right.

And an estimate of maybe 120 to 180.

-Yeah, OK.

-That should hopefully pull them in to bid on it

and we'll hopefully get the 200 or so.

Put a fixed reserve for 100 or something like that?

-Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

-That's a fair thing.

I'm pretty sure it will sell well. If it made a couple of hundred,

would you put it towards anything specific?

-Well, yes, a little family holiday.

-Have you got grandchildren?

-Two grandsons.

-Very good.

-Four-year-old, seven-year-old.

-How nice to have a grandmother to take them on a holiday.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Look and listen, other grandmothers!

-Yes.

# D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay...? #

John Peel was a Cumbrian huntsman who was immortalised

in the 19th-century folk song D'ye Ken John Peel?,

meaning, "Do you know John Peel?"

# D'ye ken John Peel when he's far, far away

# With his hounds and his horn in the morning...? #

He was known to be a tough huntsman.

He would set off at daybreak

and cover more than 50 miles over some of the bleakest fells.

Years after Peel's death

the song suddenly became a hit in London dancing rooms.

# ..in the morning! #

That thing, is it alive or dead?

Well, we're not sure.

-It's pretty horrendous.

-She's not very pretty, is she?

Just look at that. This is meant to be for a child.

-But look at that face as it raises...

-No, don't.

-I mean...

-HE LAUGHS

-That is...

-She's from a horror movie, isn't she, really?

That... Have a look at what we're talking about here.

Close your eyes, and I want a genuine reaction.

ALL EXCLAIM

LAUGHTER

Well, there we go.

Glad you agree!

Poor thing.

I'm sorry. I feel I've been really so rude about the doll.

THEY LAUGH

But, no, it's a great, fun talking point.

One of the famous "Flog It!" questions is,

why are you selling it?

I don't have to ask, do I?

None of the family will sleep in the house.

-They just don't like her in the room.

-I'm not surprised.

If we take the doll out,

and behind its head we've got a series of marks.

There we are. Armand Marseille, German bisque-head doll.

About 1910 in date.

And the thing that I find amazing is that these were designed

for children to sleep with and to be comforting.

It's anything but.

But the bed itself is brilliant.

It's a classic model, 1860, 1870,

-of a Victorian mahogany half-tester bed.

-Yeah.

It could have been used as a salesman's prop,

to be taken from house to house, "This is what we make,"

and obviously, deliver full-size versions.

-But these are very popular for doll and teddy bear collectors.

-Right.

Dolls like that are not as popular as they once were,

-but miniature furniture has a really good following.

-Right.

So I think we should probably sell the doll with the bed.

I think we should put £100 to £150,

with the idea that we should probably get towards the 200 to 250.

-OK.

-Would you like to put a reserve on it?

-No.

I think the family would just like her to go to

somebody that might enjoy her.

I don't think that's possible!

THEY LAUGH

I think, let's cover her up with a nice big sheet

and pretend she's not in there.

# Got myself a crying, talking sleeping, walking, living doll

# Got the one and only walking, talking, living doll. #

We've escaped from that noisy madding crowd to the

serenity of this wonderful octagonal library.

It's hard to better the views out of the window.

You've got expansive views across the Cumbrian landscape

and one of the views straight out the window is this here in

your postcard album,

the River Esk.

-You must be a local lady, then.

-Yes, my mother was born in Ravenglass.

-Really?

-Yes.

-And who collected these postcards?

-Most of them by my sisters.

-Really?

Yeah, I have three sisters, quite a lot older than me.

So they'd collected these and I took them over.

And were these things that were sent to them

or were they things that they bought themselves and collected themselves?

Oh, no, reading on the back of the age ones,

the birthday ones, they're all sent from sister to sister.

-Are they?

-Yes.

-How nice.

-It's quite entertaining to read some of them.

-I bet.

This is the thing with postcards.

They appeal on a number of different levels.

You can learn a lot about people from the snapshots on postcards.

So they would often be the equivalent of what people

would now do in a text message or something.

"I'm leaving now, see you for tea-time." And that would be it.

"Stayed here, it was very nice." And on that topic let's have a look.

There's one of where we stayed last night which is the main street.

-That's right. My mother was born there.

-Your mother was born there?

-This place there.

-That house there.

-Yes.

Then you've got more ordinary ones like the Blackpool one,

the holiday ones, the souvenir ones and greetings cards.

-And then there's the miniature railway.

-That's right.

-Which is another big attraction round here, isn't it?

-Oh, yes.

Underneath it is,

"A wonderful view

"from the backside of our digs!"

-And you flick it up...

-That's probably from my sister.

..and out of her bottom comes a pull-out

Isle of Wight series of cards.

So there we are.

That's a lovely selection of postcards in that album.

We could go through them all day. I'm really enthusiastic about these.

-Then you've got another album here...

-It's falling to pieces.

..which is falling to pieces. But it's been well thumbed.

You've got a similar selection of humorous and topographical.

And then you've got a whole selection of smutty, saucy

seaside cards here. Again they're great fun.

Why are you selling them?

-Well, they're just in the cupboard under the stairs on a shelf.

-Yeah.

And every time you do it out, you take them out, you look at them,

-you put them back again.

-Yes. Well, why not?

And whoever buys them

-is going to have a lot of pleasure out of them.

-They'll have some fun.

They will, they will. The value is not huge.

-I would suggest £80-£120 on the collection.

-Mm-hm.

And I think they might make a little bit more.

Well, thank you very much for bringing them in.

It's always a pleasure to see postcards, especially local ones,

-and I'm looking forward to seeing at the auction.

-Thank you.

Pleasure.

We love our postcard albums on "Flog It!"

While everyone's busy here I'm off to do something completely different.

Cumbria's lakes, mountains and fells have been a source of

inspiration for many great artists like John Ruskin and JMW Turner.

It's a privilege to be in such a beautiful part of England

and just down the road from our valuation day

venue in Muncaster Castle is the village of Ravenglass.

I've come to meet an artist whose work has led him

back in time to the ancient art of relief printing.

Historically relief printing has been

used by artists as an alternative to painting.

One such artist is Mark Pearce and he lives right there.

Mark grew up here in Cumbria and after many years

working as an award-winning graphic designer in London he decided

to return and convert his property into a home and studio.

Here he can practice his passion for painting and printmaking.

-Great studio, Mark. Pleased to meet you.

-Hello.

I was going to say, "What attracted you to relief printing?"

But I can see what attracted you. Look at this.

And what a view.

I've always enjoyed the colours, looking at things,

it's simple really, but and relief printmaking was when

I first went to college and I've loved it ever since.

What was the attraction?

The attraction to me is literally looking at an image,

seeing it in terms of layers of colour.

You know, one layer on top of another colour,

and what two colours do when they overlap.

And I suppose I spent the rest of my life designing for print

as a graphic designer.

Or just I look at a landscape and I see it in layers.

Pure flat colour. I love it.

Most relief printing you normally see five or six colours.

-Oh, yes, lots of different colours.

-But you're using 20-odd colours.

What I was trying to do with my prints was to get a

bit of atmosphere in,

like the landscape painters would have done,

rather than the very graphic poster-type images which

don't really have the light effects and the reflections and the atmosphere.

So where do you start?

It is a bit like making a watercolour

-because I put down a layer of colour like this.

-OK.

And then protect what I printed in that colour

by cutting it off a block.

And I've started with the lightest colours

and work towards the darkest.

Because I can't print a pale yellow

over the top of a dark maroon or something.

And it's not till I get to put them down, the later colours,

-that I start to get the effect, you see.

-I love it.

It is so detailed and so colourful. I want to have a go.

Obviously not something technical like that

but just an outline image of something.

We'll find some blocks and get you some tools and you can get started.

Brilliant.

Mark's printcraft has a long and illustrious history.

The process of relief printing first appeared in Chinese

textiles in the fifth century

but it wasn't until the 1300s that the art form reached Europe.

In the 16th century, artists like Durer

took relief printmaking to another level.

Durer's ability to produce fine detail and elaborate imagery

revolutionised the medium.

More recently, the likes of Matisse and Picasso

also used the process as a form of expression.

So, I've got a piece of traditional lino.

You have, and you could have had a piece of wood or anything else

that is a flat surface you can cut into to make a relief block from,

which you're going to do by using these tools.

Little V gouges? OK.

I'm inspired by that water out there cos I grew up in Cornwall,

and I've picked a shell, look - I've picked a shell up.

I'm going to try and copy that.

-So, basically keep it simple, yeah?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-All right.

So something like that, yeah? It's loosely a shell, isn't it?

It's good, yes, it's a very simple graphic shape -

the best kind of thing, really.

Right, which one shall I start with?

I like this one the best. It's just a versatile, expressive tool.

And can you push at varying degrees of strength?

That will make the line narrower or broader.

So you've got to keep the same pressure on?

Yes, if you want a smooth line, yes.

Sometimes it's quite nice to jerk it around a bit

-to get some feeling into it.

-Oh, OK.

I can see why you enjoy this.

Do you know, I am pushing incredibly hard, and it's...

-It's quite tough, isn't?

-It's tough.

-Yes.

-It is tough, yeah.

Right, there we go. HE CHUCKLES

-How's that?

-Well, that's a start.

That's a start. At least you can see it's a shell, can't you?

-That's right.

-Can I put a few lines running down?

-All right.

-Yes, I would, I'd do everything I could see.

-Would you?

-Yes.

Cos, as an artist, what you're doing, you look at something,

you see something you want to share with someone else

and express it, so, yeah.

The other thing you could think about doing as clearing

the area around it so that it was a shape.

Does it matter if I go off the lino to get that line?

-No, of course not. There are no rules, really.

-OK.

Phew!

-Ready to print.

-Yeah? Confident?

-Yes.

What I'm doing now is I'm just wiping off the black paint

which made it easier for you to see where you were cutting before

cos we're going to put some coloured ink on here now.

There we are.

If we make a pale version of ultramarine by mixing some white...

So I only put a little bit of blue in there to...

add it a little bit at a time.

-And then the whole art of this thing is judging colour.

-Yeah.

And if you want that pale blue to be greener or pinker,

we can make it warmer or colder by adding another colour.

Let's see how that's going to look on white.

-See, it looks a lot darker.

-It does.

It looks a lot better when you

actually put it onto the white surface.

I like that. That's the perfect hue.

-So do we now use the roller and over it a few times?

-That's right.

But you don't want to get too much on there.

We a nice, even film on the roller. That's it.

-That looks about right.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

And cos it's even on the roller, it should be even on the lino.

-Lovely.

-Backwards as well?

-Yes, backwards, forwards.

That's right. That looks pretty good. Yeah.

-Right, move that on.

-That protects the outside of the print.

What happens next?

We're going to roll this out with a piece of paper...?

-A piece of paper on it.

-OK.

-Which we want to line up with the edge of that.

-OK.

-Right.

-Now we just roll it through.

-Really?

-This will be the moment of truth.

-That's it. Then back.

-I'm frightened to lift that off.

-That's the exciting bit. I am, too!

Here it goes. Fingers crossed.

-That's not bad, is it?

-It's pretty good.

I was worried it wasn't going to come out at all.

I had my fingers crossed there,

because getting that ink right is quite a difficult thing to judge.

-Yeah.

-I would print two or three more quickly.

Well, I tell you what, I'm really pleased with that.

It's not bad for my first attempt. I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

I'm not going to do any more. I like it a lot.

But you can see the amount of work involved -

not just with the initial idea, getting the inspiration,

using the gouge,

but getting the right amount of ink in that print run - it's crucial.

But I tell you what, long may this art form continue,

because I think it is so invigorating.

Love it to bits.

We've got our first four items. Now we're taking them off to the sale.

Let's put those values to the test.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

Anything can happen in an auction room.

This is where it gets exciting. So stay with us.

Here's a quick recap just to jog your memories of all the items

that are going under the hammer.

James has high hopes for the tin toys...

if we can prise them out of his possession.

The Royal Doulton John Peel jug could appeal to the collectors

and locals alike.

There are pages of postcard memories in these three albums.

We can only hope that this porcelain doll

and mahogany bed catch someone's eye.

They had better,

because Deborah definitely doesn't want to take them home.

We are heading north to Carlisle for our auction today.

Dominating the city for the past 900 years has been Carlisle Castle,

which apparently has a few ghosts of its own.

They include a king, a caretaker and two medieval soldiers.

We, however, are a few minutes down the road

at Thomson, Roddick & Medcalf saleroom

and are hoping for a different kind of phenomena.

So all eyes are on our two auctioneers, John Thomson

and Steven Parkinson.

At 150 on the telephone.

You can have a go on the internet if you want.

At 150. That's yours.

Remember, if you are buying or selling something

in an auction room,

there is commission or a buyer's premium to pay.

Now, here it's 15% on the hammer, plus VAT,

so do factor that in, because it does add up.

You don't want to get caught out.

Make no mistake. At £150.

Going under the hammer right now, Josie's tin toys.

Lots of fun with these at the valuation day.

-And I have to say, you look so healthy.

-Thank you very much.

You look really happy and healthy.

-Is it the sea air up there or something?

-Yes. Sea air.

-Lots of gardening?

-Yes. I love my gardening.

-Get into trouble, but never mind.

-You get yourself into trouble? Why?

There's a lot I can't do now, since I had my accident,

-so I go to do it and somebody helps me.

-Oh, bless you.

Look, these toys have been in the family for 80 years,

and we're going to sell them right now. Here we go.

Rather fun. It's a German Lehmann tin plate figure.

Tom, the climbing monkey, and another there.

£20 I am bid. £20.

2, 5, 8, 30.

2, 32.

35. 38. 40. 42.

45. 48. 50. 55.

-Come on.

-55.

This will all help pay for a bit of gardening, won't it?

Anyone else? 65. 70. £70.

All done. Nobody else? 75. £80.

-80 bid.

-Fresh bidder.

85. 90. £90.

At 90. Last call.

At 90. At 90. At 90.

-Good result.

-Very good.

-£90.

-Thank you very much.

-That's going to help out, isn't it?

-I'll be going buying something for the garden.

-It will, won't it?

Well, Josie, that's better than the toys gaining dust in a drawer.

380...

Going under the hammer right now are

three postcard albums belonging to Anne.

-Originally, at the valuation day, we had no reserve.

-Yeah.

Anne's been on the phone to the auctioneers since that day.

-What?

-Yes!

-Yes! My daughter requested it.

-Yes.

-I don't blame you, actually. It's now fixed at £70.

-That's all right.

-That's OK, isn't it?

-Always very popular.

-They are.

We've got loads of them there.

Some humorous ones, some local ones, Muncaster in there, all sorts.

Going under the hammer now, Anne. Fingers crossed. This is it.

Starting at 50. £50 I am bid.

£50 bid. 55. 60.

5 with Alan. 70. 75.

You didn't need a reserve, you see? They make their money.

75. 75. Anyone else?

-But only just.

-Only just!

-I know.

All finished at 75. At 75.

-Gosh, £75. Only just!

-I know.

-And all those Bamford ones.

-Yeah, all those saucy ones.

-We had a laugh, though, with them, Paul.

-Yes, I saw them.

Hopefully the new owners will enjoy chuckling over those postcards.

Next up, the Royal Doulton commemorative jug.

Alison, your John Peel jug is just about to go under the hammer.

It's time to say goodbye. This one will go. Local interest.

-It's got to go.

-It should do.

-It should do, shouldn't it?

The market for these things has gone down in recent times,

but you'd still hope it'd make £100.

I'm not a big fan of these Doulton kind of things.

-No? They're all right.

-Nor you.

But this one is a little bit different. It's more colourful.

-Slightly more interesting.

-It is, really.

-Isn't it? Ready for this?

-I'm ready.

-OK, let's enjoy the moment. Right, here we go. Tally ho!

This is a nice one. John Peel one, just for this area. Perfect.

Quite a lot of interest in this.

I'm going to start straight in at the 100 bid.

-I thought he was going to say three.

-Yeah.

110. 120. 120. 130. You're in now.

At 130 in the room. 130. 140. 150. 150 on the net.

160. 160. They're going mad. 170.

180 if you like. 180. 180 is in the room now.

At 180. 190. 190. 200. At 200 in the room.

-220, 240.

-This is good.

-In the room now.

-End up in a local house.

-260, in fact.

260 on the net. You're out, are you? At 260. Are you sure?

At 260 we're going to sell. At 260.

Bang on there. 260. That's not a bad price, is it?

-That's not a bad price.

-I'm well pleased.

Yeah. I think that one was a little bit...

had a little bit more going for it than...

-It had a bit of damage, too.

-Yeah.

-Just a smidgen.

-Who did that? You?

-SHE COUGHS Yes.

-I'm afraid so.

You can't hide anything from me!

At £380. Are we all done at 380? That's yours.

Right, our next lot. Well, it frightens the life out of me.

Thank goodness it's here to be sold.

It's the doll in the tester bed. It's an Armand Marseille.

It's a great make. A German bisque-headed doll.

It belongs to Deborah, who sadly cannot be with us today,

but her husband, Andrew, can,

-who I'm sure will be glad to see the back of it.

-Absolutely, yes.

-Won't we?

-Wonderful.

-It's not a blokes' thing, is it, James? No.

-James gravitated towards this.

-This is horrible.

-I don't like it.

It's going under the hammer right now.

There are a lot of doll collectors out there and you know who they are.

What may I say for that? £80 or 50?

50 bid. 55. 60. 5. 70.

75. 80.

-£80. Anyone else? At 80.

-£80.

-At 80. At 80.

I thought you'd get extra for the bed. But look...

I think the bed's worth it! But...I don't know.

-Do you think that doll's put people off?

-Yeah.

I don't like the articulated eyes.

-No.

-Blink, blink, blink, spooky, spooky, spooky.

Well, there you are. That was fun.

Our first lots done and dusted under the hammer.

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

We could have that big surprise I promised you.

Before we return to Muncaster Castle to find some more antiques

to put under the hammer, I'm going to be doing a bit of sleuthing,

finding out about Tom Fool,

a jester who may have been up to no good.

Muncaster Castle has been home to the Pennington family

for more than 800 years.

Today, they share it with visiting tourists

and, some would have you believe, ghosts.

DOOR CREAKS

One of these unearthly residents could be Tom Skelton,

also known as Tom the Fool.

He was the jester here around the turn of the 17th century

and his antics may well have given rise to the term "tomfoolery".

Well, it's up to you to decide

if there is any truth in this old chestnut.

But legend has it that Tom Fool would regularly sit

under this very tree here at Muncaster Castle,

taking in the views.

And weary travellers would come up to him

and ask him for directions to London.

But for some poor souls, instead of directing them across the river,

he sent them straight down there into the quicksand.

Now, I don't imagine they found that very funny at all.

But apparently that wasn't the worst of his misdeeds.

This painting is a portrait of Tom Skelton, alias Tom Fool,

and it shows a man of position and authority -

not normally a look associated with a jester in a cap and bells.

To try to understand how Tom could have two very opposing roles

in the castle, I'm meeting with owner Peter Frost-Pennington.

Peter, as jesters go, he doesn't look that funny, does he?

He certainly looks a bit disreputable.

I'm not sure I'd invite him along to any children's parties these days.

But he was the fool here.

And he was meant to be in charge of the place for a while.

And he certainly entertained the visitors.

It must be quite a privilege.

Surely this is quite rare to have to have hired help

having a full-length portrait here on the wall.

Well, it is an extraordinary portrait,

because the experts... Servants never got painted.

And he was a servant. But we think it's a parody portrait.

This is the fool. He was the idiot. He was the one everyone laughed at,

and yet he's painted as if he's a great lord or master.

-Is this his last will and testament?

-Yes.

This, they say, is his last will and testament.

It is written in doggerel rhyme. And it's interesting,

cos it says "all his living is in good strong beer".

And he is painted warts and all with his big beer belly

bursting out over his belt.

And it also says, "When I am bury'd, then my friends may drink.

"But each man pay for himself, that's best I think."

-I saw that!

-And that's because he's a servant.

-He can't afford the beer.

-Sure.

-Everyone had to pay for themselves.

But he wants a big party when he goes and no-one is to forget him,

and we certainly don't forget Tom.

During the 15th and 16th centuries,

the court fool played an important role.

They were the political satirists of their day,

and the only ones in court who could tell the monarch

what an idiot he was and still keep their heads.

Up here in Cumbria, Tom Skelton was far enough

from the royal court in London

not to worry about his own head.

But legend has it he did have something to do with someone else's.

The story goes there was a young lady of the house

called Helwise Pennington,

which I think suggests a little bit what her character was like.

She was engaged to be married to the next posh guy down the road.

And unfortunately, she fell in love with a young carpenter.

And this carpenter was a bit silly,

cos he was boasting about his conquest,

saying, "I am Helwise Pennington's boyfriend."

But news of the affair got to his...her fiance

and it all got a bit embarrassing.

And Tom was asked to sort the situation out, cos it was very wrong

that this servant was having an affair

with a young lady of the house.

So the story goes, he lured the carpenter to a bedroom near here

on pretence of meeting Helwise, his girlfriend,

kept him drinking - plied him with strong cider -

at which point Tom picked up his hammer and chisel,

chopped his head off with it

and dragged the headless body downstairs.

Even today, we have visitors sometimes say,

when they're standing looking at his portrait,

they hear footsteps behind them

and they expect someone to be standing behind them.

They turn around to see, and there's nobody there.

And some authorities think it's not footsteps,

it's the thud, thud, thud, thud

of Tom dragging the headless body downstairs.

THUDDING

Peter, I believe there's a chance that you and your family think

-that Tom inspired the fool in Shakespeare's play King Lear?

-Yes.

We believe Shakespeare spent some time in the north west of England

as a jobbing actor before he made the big time.

And of course he picked up all the folk tales

and met some of the personalities.

Whether he met Tom or knew the story of Tom...

And that crucial scene in King Lear is of the stupid king

who's lost his kingdom,

wandering around on the blasted heath accompanied by the fool.

And the fool isn't really a fool -

the fool is the clever one and the king is the stupid one.

So it's just exactly what Tom's saying in that portrait.

"I'm meant to be the idiot, but you lot in Government,

"you're the real idiots of the piece."

And I think Shakespeare is really good at going, "I'll keep that."

-Put quill to paper.

-Put quill to paper.

"And I'll ferret that away and I'll make a play out of that."

I keep saying it and no-one's told me off for it, so maybe it is true.

So powerful are the myths surrounding Tom Fool

that his legend is still alive today.

Each May, Muncaster Castle holds a competition where entertainers

from around the world compete to be crowned the Fool of Muncaster.

The title is currently held by Abigail Collins.

LAUGHTER

-PUTS ON ACCENT:

-Look at you.

You're a burning hunk of man love, darling. Hello!

You have to love a man you can just wipe clean!

-SHE SPITS

-Yes, look, just a bit of Windolene.

You want to try this? I think it's very good.

'I've always been naughty,

'playing tricks since I was a small child.'

'And that's where I really feel'

the spirit of Tom Fool.

The whole idea of tomfoolery, buffoonery,

is something that... I still play tricks now,

and I don't think I'll ever stop playing tricks and doing gags.

OK, so I make quick transformation for you.

Hold your horses, people. Here I go!

When I go to come out, there'll be nobody here.

LAUGHTER

What makes a good fool?

For me, what makes a good fool, it's important to distinguish

the difference between fooling and clowning.

You see it very clearly in Shakespeare

between the idea of a natural fool, a clown.

The clown doesn't know that the clown is stupid,

and that's why the clown is funny,

whereas the fool in Shakespeare is witty and cynical

and they're there to pull...pull people down

and to shine the mirror up to human nature.

So that's the difference.

I suppose the modern equivalent of fooling would be stand-up.

We see it in sitcoms. The fool never really disappeared. Here I am!

SHE LAUGHS

-CROWD:

-Three!

Oh, my gosh!

CHEERING

SHE SHOUTS

APPLAUSE

It's good. Yes, you like it now?

LAUGHTER

Just a little kiss.

LAUGHTER

Are we having enough? Do we want to see more?

'For me, being a female fool, it's a really important role,

'because the fool is there to challenge social mores

'and to push the envelope. And that is always what I do.'

I hope that I never tip it too far over the edge.

But for me, that's where...

The fun is always where you get the tension in a performance

and working out how far you can take it.

LAUGHTER

You know, it takes years of abuse to

get a body like this, boys and girls. I know.

-HOOTER

-I know.

It seems the legacy of this fiendish fool will be kept alive

in a way that many of us can enjoy.

But with tales of chopped-off heads and creeping ghosts,

you can rest assured I won't be sleeping in the castle tonight!

# If you wanna come back it's all right, it's all right

# It's all right if you wanna come back... #

Back amidst the fun and commotion of our valuation area

people are still flocking to the tables,

keeping our experts very busy.

The grand hall is now an off-screen valuation area.

But through here in the library...

..Adam Partridge is just about to start one of his valuations.

So let's take a closer look at what he's talking about.

How did these Japanese panels end up in deepest Cumbria?

-They belonged to my husband's grandfather...

-Yeah.

..who was in the Navy.

And I know that he was out in Shanghai.

Whether he was in the Navy during the war

or before the war, I don't know.

-You don't know what years he was in service?

-No.

-No.

Well, these were brought back by traders,

merchant seamen, Navy people, as souvenirs of the time.

This style of decoration with this relief applied work

is the Shibayama style,

which was actually derived in the 18th century.

And you see really exotic Shibayama panels in ivory and mother-of-pearl

and very, very fancy inlays.

And these are basically later ones that were made for export.

-So these would have been made around 1900 or thereabouts.

-Right.

So they're relatively cheaply made, even though they're very ornate.

Your ones are in bone rather than ivory,

so any elephant lovers will be happy to own these, anyway.

Typical scenes of daily life are depicted in them.

And of course, the very famous Mount Fuji in the background,

which is depicted in so many Japanese art and things like that.

-Do you like these?

-Yes, yes. But they've been...

wrapped up in a drawer.

-I saw that ancient paper that you've got them wrapped in.

-Yes.

-And so they're not on display?

-No, no.

There's nowhere to hang them, really.

So why have you decided to sell?

You like them but you don't display them?

-Presumably they take up too much room?

-I'm hoping to go to Australia.

-Are you?

-My family is over in Australia.

So you're going to go and join them. It would be lovely to get out there.

Now it's down to the gritty bit of the value.

I think they are going to be about £50 a pair.

Right. OK.

So maybe £100 to £150 for the lot.

-Uh-huh.

-I think that's about the money, really.

I don't think they're going to make much more.

And we should put a little reserve on them at 80 just to stop them.

-Um...

-You're looking uncomfortable.

-A little bit higher?

-Well...

-I'm trying to get you...them sold for the best price.

-Yeah, OK.

-We can't put it up to 90?

-We could put it up to 90.

OK, let's put 100 with discretion, so that means 90.

-OK.

-Estimate 100 to 150.

And if they stop at 80, don't let me say "I told you so."

No.

Let's hope we can help Jean with her trip to Australia.

Back on the home front, James has uncovered a set of instruments

that are not for the faint-hearted.

It's about 100 years since the beginning of the First World War,

and I have to say when I see things like this...

..I'm just so glad I live today and not then.

Because this is the most gruesome set of instruments

you can possibly imagine.

We see a lot of field surgeon's kits.

But they didn't seem to have changed an awful lot

from the Napoleonic Wars through to this stage here.

All that we haven't got is a saw to chop someone's leg off.

-Now, these belong to you, don't they?

-That's right.

How did you come to have these in your possession?

Pretty much by chance, really.

I bought a box of military books,

and this just happened to be in amongst it.

Dorothy, you know a little bit more about these things, don't you?

Yes. I was a nurse from the '50s.

And how did the equipment change from the First World War?

-Scalpel?

-The scalpel. Now they're disposable.

Before, we just put them on the end.

-But they... That's beautiful, I think.

-Beautiful?

-I do.

-I think that's probably saved lots of lives.

-Gosh.

That's Spencer Wells forceps for opening the wound

or for tying off a vein or an artery.

And that could be used for opening a wound.

But I think the most beautiful thing was this small case

with the needles in.

-The needles, gosh.

-That's lovely, that.

It will be interesting to know whether it was German or British.

As far as I know, it's German,

and it seems to be, you know, of its time the best kind of quality.

Wonderful quality. The one major difference to the tools

that were being used 100 years earlier,

they realised the importance of keeping them sterile.

-Yes, yes.

-Because 100 years earlier they would have been

in a brass-bound mahogany box.

-When you lift it open, it would be velvet lined.

-Yeah.

And these tools, I guess, when they were still fairly dirty

-would have been slotted back in like this.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's not exactly the most ideal sterilised condition,

whereas here, of course,

they're wrapped up in something you can boil.

-They can go in there.

-And go in there.

So, what's it worth? I think it has a limited market.

I don't think it is early enough to have a great following.

But First World War stuff is now becoming more and more sought after.

So...30 to 50?

£40 to £60? Something like that.

Let's put £30 on it.

-I think it's good value at £30.

-I do as well.

I think it's a good talking point.

-I still don't think it's beautiful.

-Oh, I do. I think...

Well, Dorothy and James will have to agree to disagree on that one.

But while we're on the subject of saving lives,

I found a box here in the house with a fabulous story to tell.

Now, I've spotted something in the library, and I am fascinated by it.

Another great piece of family history.

It's a medicine chest belong to the fifth Lord of Muncaster,

Josslyn Pennington.

He fought against the Russians in the Crimean War in the 1850s

and he took this medicine chest with him.

It's quite a comprehensive piece of kit

that any field surgeon would be proud of.

And it's full of glass bottles containing ointments and tinctures,

and it's got a pestle and mortar, it's got syringes.

I'm absolutely fascinated by some of these glass bottles.

Look. Laudanum. Well, that's all gone.

There's all sort of tinctures here, potions and cures.

Look at this. Little, tiny iron.

You could heat that up and seal some wounds on the skin.

It sounds pretty gruesome, doesn't it?

A staggering 250,000 British and French men

lost their lives during the Crimean War due to disease.

It was during the three years of the conflict that Florence Nightingale

revolutionised the treatment of soldiers

and paved the way for yet further advances

in how we care for our sick and wounded.

It was on this battlefield that the fifth Lord Muncaster

had a narrow escape.

I want to show you this. There's his cap that he wore.

He was in the 90th Rifles.

And he stuck his head up a parapet to look out at the Russians,

and some Russian took a shot at him.

Look at that - there's a bullet hole.

Went right through his cap, right through his hairline.

Thankfully, he survived that,

and he went on to live right through to his mid-80s.

There's a happy ending!

Now, Adam's back out in the sunshine.

It's a glorious day here at Muncaster, isn't it?

It's perfect, perfect!

And a very famous factory of porcelain you've brought along.

What can you tell us about it? Where did you get it from?

Well, it's probably been in the family,

I don't know, 40 or 50 years.

My father bought it, actually, in Switzerland.

He had offices in Zurich.

So he's bought it maybe from an antiques shop over there.

-I think so.

-Obviously by the very famous Meissen porcelain factory.

One of the finest porcelains of the world,

arguably THE finest porcelain,

although perhaps the Crown Derbys and Worcesters and Mintons

of this world might argue, as might Sevres and various others.

-I'm sure they would.

-But one of the top names.

-It originated in about 1710.

-Mm-hm.

And they made lots of figures like this

throughout the 18th and 19th and 20th centuries.

And they are characteristic for their blue crossed swords mark.

That famous blue crossed swords trademark underneath.

And we've got the shape number there as well.

So why have you decided to bring it along to "Flog It!"?

Oh, well, it's actually sat in the back of the cupboard

-or a display cabinet, and it's been there for such a long time.

-Yeah.

My eldest daughter is hoping to go to Australia on a sports tour,

so really it was to help fund - hopefully - her trip to Australia.

So turn that dusty old ornament at the back of the cabinet

into something that...

-Not so nasty.

-Dusty, not nasty!

-Dusty, dusty!

I said "dusty", not "nasty"! I wouldn't say that. I'm not that bad!

I think it's quite pleasant. It's not my taste, really.

But it's very nicely modelled. I can certainly appreciate them.

The main famous modeller of these was Kandler in the 18th century.

I think this is a 1900s or slightly later version

of the very famous Meissen figures.

If that was a period one from the 1770s,

-it'd be worth thousands of pounds.

-Oh!

-But I'm afraid I don't think it is.

-It's not.

But look at the quality of the faces - are very nice.

When you are looking at these things, the faces are beautiful.

They're absolutely beautiful.

And the colour. I love the colours of them - they're gorgeous.

Sadly, the more I look at it, I see quite a bit of damage.

Little bits... Lots of little bits on the end.

Crustations. You can see these white bits showing.

-He's lost an arm here.

-Hm. Maybe he was meant to be like that.

Yes, perhaps. Yes. Yes, of course.

He was probably meant to be...

-"This is what happens when you bite your nails."

-Yes, severely!

-In good order, I can imagine it making £500.

-Mm-hm.

-Because of the damage, I think we have to bring it right down.

-Oh!

-Perhaps as low as 150 to 250.

-OK.

I think it'll find its level

and hopefully it'll be a bit more than that.

But I think that should be enough to entice people to bid.

-But there's a lot to put right.

-It's still a beautiful thing.

It is a beautiful thing. Shall we put a reserve on it - £150?

-That's good, that's fine.

-We don't want it really going for any less.

-No less.

-And hopefully it will go on and make a little bit more.

Let's hope we can make plenty of money

for your daughter's sports tour.

That would be nice.

Now, James spotted a scene to rival the one here in Muncaster.

Well, Deborah and Sonya, thank you very much for bringing

a rare thing today - a watercolour.

We've had hardly any pictures so far, so well done.

Where is it? What's the subject?

It's the Isle of Man,

and the mountain behind is Snaefell.

And it must be reasonably old, I should think.

It's an artist called Raymond Dearn,

and he was prolific in the early part of the 20th century.

He died in 1925, so this is one of his later pictures.

This is dated 1921.

So it's quite late for him, but very nicely done.

Summer hay cart, a typical landscape of the early 1910, 1920s,

and it's a jolly pretty picture.

How did it come to be in your family?

Well, I used to have a bric-a-brac shop,

-and it just came with some stuff.

-Yeah?

-And I loved it, and I used to live in the Isle of Man.

-Did you?

And I couldn't let it go.

It's still very natural, a lot of natural beauty -

the cliffs and the woodland and the glens.

And this was a nice memory,

but I think it's time to downsize my mother.

Well, it's a watercolour that will certainly find interest

in the auctions.

It's not something that is hugely valuable,

but he does have a following.

I would say an auction estimate - 80 to 120 would be about there.

And if you're happy to let it go for that,

I'd like to put a reserve of £80 on it as a safety net.

But if you have different ideas...

I mean, you were trading and buying and selling before I was born,

so I'll take a step back and takes some advice from you.

-I'm sad, but I've got to downsize.

-OK.

I've no longer got a spacious house to put anything like that in.

Oh. Big picture, actually, isn't it?

And we'd like it to go to a nice home

with somebody who appreciates the view and the scene and the artist.

-I'm sure it'll do well.

-Yes.

I hope you're really happy where you moved to,

and don't be too disheartened about having to downsize.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

Well, there's only so much wall space - even in a castle this big.

Well, there you are, that's it.

Our experts have now found their final items.

So it's time for us to say farewell to Muncaster Castle,

our magnificent host location today.

It's really done us proud,

and the hundreds of people who have turned up.

But right now it's time for us

to head off to auction for the last time.

And here's a quick recap of what's going under the hammer.

See you in Carlisle.

Bye-bye, everyone. Bye-bye!

These early 20th-century Japanese panels

show everyday life in Japan.

But how will they translate back here?

Will it be touch-and-go for this First World War field surgeon's kit?

It's a top name,

so hopefully we'll get a top price for this Meissen statue.

And this pretty picture by Raymond Dearn should catch

the eye of the collectors.

We're back in Carlisle, and the auction room is in full swing.

360. 380. 400. 420.

All finished? Thank you, sir.

Going under the hammer now,

four Japanese inlaid panels belonging to Jean.

All the proceeds need to get you off to Australia.

It's a lot of money, isn't it, getting there?

It's a long way. It's a long flight.

Will we get top money for this? Is it too touristy?

-I don't think they're going to be easy things.

-No.

I don't wish to be pessimistic, just realistic.

-I think, if we sell them, we should be pleased.

-Really happy.

Let's find out what the bidders think.

They're going under the hammer right now.

897 is these rather nice Shibayama panels.

What may I say for these?

150 or 100?

£50?

40. 40 I'm bid. At £40 bid.

2. 5. 8. 48.

50 on the net. 55.

55. 60. 65.

-65. £65, all finished.

-I don't think they're going to go.

-No.

-They're struggling, aren't they?

-Yeah.

75. Last chance. 75. At 75.

I'm sorry, they're just a little short of the reserve.

-They're not sold.

-We're sorry about that.

They haven't gone, have they?

Well, thanks for giving us the pleasure of looking at them.

-I hate to say...

-I brought my bag with me, anyway, to take...

-Oh, did you?

-Yes, I came prepared.

What a shame.

But souvenirs like this made for the export market

don't tend to make the big money.

Now let's hope we don't have a horrid end

to this field surgeon's kit, which is up next.

-Dorothy and Stephen, good luck with this.

-Thank you.

I think it's quite gruesome, I really do.

-It's lovely.

-But it's a field surgeon's kit, possibly German,

from the First World War. Going under the hammer right now.

-Good luck with this, James.

-Thank you.

-This is it.

What may I say for this?

30, 20? Never know when you'll need it. 20 bid.

£20. 20 bid. 22. 25.

28. 28. Anyone else?

28. 30. 30. 30.

-Yes, come on. You were right with 30. It's worth...

-It is.

At 30. At £30 only. All done.

-Selling.

-At 30. Sold.

-It was a bargain.

-It was a bargain, wasn't it?

-It was, it was.

Dorothy is thinking, "I would have taken that home

"and operated on a leg of lamb, on a Sunday roast!"

Ha! Well, that's another item sewn up.

Are we all sure? At 380. Are we all done at 380?

Now, how will this Raymond Dearn watercolour fare?

Sonya and Deborah, I like this watercolour.

Raymond Dearn, the Isle of Man.

You got this when you had an antiques shop in the Isle of Man.

-Yes. I had an antiques yard.

-A yard?

-With little wooden buildings...

-Those were the days!

..and filled up with all sorts.

Did you make a good living doing that, or did you manage to...?

Oh, I did, I did. And it was just the joy of doing it.

Let's put this to the test. It's going under the hammer now.

-Good luck, both of you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I'm going to start at 100 precisely.

At £100 for Harvesting on the Isle of Man.

100. £100. 100. 110. 120.

130. 140. 150.

160. 70. 180. £180.

180. At £180. All done. Last call.

-We're selling, aren't we? £180.

-180.

That's good, isn't it?

And we'll be using the money to take my mother on holiday

to sort of go where she was born in Wales and Gloucestershire area.

-That's nice.

-Trace the family ancestry.

What a great idea, to downsize and go on holiday.

Going under the hammer we've got a great name in porcelain - Meissen.

We've seen it on the show before. We've got a cracking piece.

Fingers crossed we get the top end of Adam's estimate.

-It's a group of figures, isn't it?

-Yes, yes. A beautiful thing.

It's beautiful to look at with the young children.

-Been in the family a long time?

-50-odd years, something like that.

-Are you a Meissen fan? Not really, no.

-No.

-Nor am I, unfortunately.

But there are a lot of collectors out there.

I'm not sure you should call it a cracking figure.

Is that the best choice of words for it?

Look, there's a tiny bit of damage.

But when you look at the detail and all the figures,

there's a lot going on.

Hopefully, someone will like to own this piece.

It's a very smart piece of porcelain.

Yeah. I'd rather have that than a cup and saucer in Meissen.

Right. Here we go. Let's sell it.

Start here. The bid is with me at...

at 320.

-What?

-We're going to start at 320.

-340.

-Here we go. THEY LAUGH

400. 420. 420. 420.

-It's like we've set you up, isn't it?

-Yeah.

460 bid.

At 460. 480, anybody? At £500?

Would you believe that?

520. It's still going. At 520. At 520 bid.

At 520. At £520. Are we all done? All sure?

£520.

£520! Well done.

Well, there you go. There's always a surprise.

-I told you there'd be one.

-Just getting my disclaimer in.

"It may not sell."

That's amazing. That is amazing.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for bringing it in.

And what a way to end the show. We're totally baffled.

So was our auctioneer, Steven.

He said, "I can't believe it." But the hammer went down.

-And you're going home with the money.

-I'm very happy.

It doesn't get any better than that. I hope you enjoyed watching.

It's goodbye from Carlisle!