Highcliffe Castle 7 Flog It!

The window behind me dates back to 1547

and it's part of a collection of rare, medieval French stained glass

that's being conserved here at our valuation day venue,

Highcliffe Castle.

Later on in the programme we'll be taking a closer look

at that collection, plus looking at a unique collector connoisseur.

Welcome to Flog It!

Our valuation day today is at the 19th-century architectural splendour

that is Highcliffe Castle in Dorset.

But head inside and it's a different story.

The contents were sold off in the 1950s

and the interiors destroyed in devastating fires a decade later.

Luckily, funding helped restore the building to its Gothic glory.

We'll be taking a closer look at some of those precious items

that did survive the fire later on in the programme, but right now,

let's meet hundreds of people who've turned up for our valuation day,

laden with antiques and collectables to show our experts

that they've collected over the years.

Now, not only are they going to ask what's it worth?

But if you're happy with the valuation, what are you going to do?

-ALL:

-Flog It!

-Yes!

Our experts, Christina Trevanion and Adam Partridge are wasting no time

in hunting through the bags and boxes and hoping for that big find.

My goodness. I'm sure someone would snap that up.

-Would you sell it?

-Yes, definitely.

Yeah!

-Oh, how old is he?

-He's four months.

-Oh, not even vintage.

But there's no doubt, this is an antique.

Oh, this is Christina Trevanion for the BBC,

asking for the company of Adam Partridge.

Good day to you.

So, with Paul Martin speaking to you from the BBC,

let's find out what's coming up later.

Nestled in a costumed jewellery box, Christina has found a broach,

with a price tag...

It was in my family home and I used to play with it as a child.

What?! Really?

..and Adam has a room full of horror film posters.

Do you not even have this one up?

No. I don't think my wife would like it.

And there are some real surprises at auction.

Start me at £1,000.

So, as the crowd settled in on this warm day,

there's a quick chance to look around.

We know a huge amount about the interiors of Highcliffe Castle

from a collection of 20th-century postcards

which show lavish interiors and antiques

that would seem quite at home

in the hands of our Flog It! crowds.

But as you can see, the exterior of the castle

has been restored lovingly back to its former glory

and it makes the most magnificent backdrop for our valuation day.

Everybody is now safely seated on the lawn.

It's time to get on with our first valuation

and who is that lucky person going off to auction? Let's find out.

And Adam's found the first collection of the day.

Hi, Pam. Now, you were the very first person here this morning,

-weren't you?

-I was, yes.

-And what time did you get here?

-6.45.

That is a dedicated Flog It! follower.

Well, after watching the programme for many years,

and I see all the crowds, I thought I'd better get here early.

Well, you did very well. And you've brought a few things

and I'm always interested in postcards.

I think there's a growing interest in postcards. Lots more collectors.

So you've brought in about 300, haven't you?

-Yes.

-And we've chosen a representative selection here

to illustrate your collection. Now, where did you get yours from?

I first started many years ago, but this collection

-I got from my brother, Jimmy.

-Right.

-He was in the RAF.

-Christmas Island.

-Oh, really?

-And Tangmere, yes.

And a friend in the RAF gave him the collection of postcards.

They belonged to his great-grandfather.

-Right, and you're a collector as well?

-Yes, I am.

And is there a name for a postcard collector?

-I'm not sure.

-I think it's a deltiologist.

-Is it?

So, you've got a lovely selection here.

First, you've got these humorous ones, with the jolly priest.

-The jolly priest.

-The jolly priest.

-Yes.

By Raphael Tuck, a famous maker.

These are called Oilettes, which are reproductions of oil paintings.

-They're beautiful postcards.

-I like the gold edge around the edges.

-That's right.

-I love the portraits.

-Well pointed.

The connoisseur series was the top of the range

and you're quite right, there's a gold edge, and fancy that, really,

on such a cursory note.

So other postcards that you see, these are quite interesting.

We've got sea pictures, and the Japanese Navy in a worldwide series.

And over here, we've got some relatively local ones here,

-the New Forest.

-The New Forest, yes.

-Not so far away.

I think it's a fantastic collection.

-So you've decided to thin these down.

-Yes.

We'll find a good home for these, I'm sure.

There's a lot of interest in postcards and people will look

-through them and work out what they want to pay for them.

-Yes.

-The value is not huge...

-No.

-..as you probably realise.

-No, I know.

-What I would suggest is a nice wide estimate of 50 to 100,

-to tempt people to bid on them.

-Yes.

-And I think they'll make a little bit more than that, hopefully.

-Yes.

-Would that be all right with you?

-That will be fine.

-Great.

Well, Pam, thank you very much for coming

and for being our very first visitor today.

And to protect the collection, Adam's put a reserve on of £50,

so let's hope Pamela is the early bird who gets the worm.

Over to Christina now, who's having a good old root about

in a treasure trove owned by Marion.

People bring jewellery boxes like this all the time

to my auction house, and I love it.

It feels like Christmas, because from the outside,

you sort of think, "Oh, it doesn't look very much,"

and then you open it up and look at that!

I mean, what a jewellery box. That is fabulous.

Tell me, where has this all come from,

this little collection we've got here?

Well, it was in my family home and I used to play with it as a child.

What?! I bet that kept you quiet.

That would've kept me quiet for hours.

It's the most wonderful box of bits, but to be perfectly honest,

when I looked at it, I thought, "Oh, spares and repairs, that one."

Bits are here and there and a lovely sort of necklace here.

-It's a snake's head on it.

-Yeah, just fabulous, isn't it?

I mean, that's a Victorian paste necklace, so imitation of diamonds.

And snakes, in those days, were a symbol of everlasting life.

So it would have been given as a present to somebody, probably,

and very, very sweet. So, going into the lid,

we've got this little brooch here, which is indeed scarab beetles.

Now, again, they were supposed to be eternal.

Scarab beetles were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen in the 1920s.

There was a huge resurgence of interest,

when they found and opened the tomb,

so you see a lot of scarab set jewellery about that sort of time.

Although the box is lovely, and to be perfectly honest,

90% of it is fairly broken and a bit bashed.

-That's right.

-This little brooch here...

A chick? Is it a chick?

..is absolutely exquisite.

We've got here, a little diamond and ruby set chick brooch.

-Where's the... Oh, his eyes are the ruby.

-Yes.

So although these look like paste,

they look like sparkly little paste bits we've got there,

this is actually set throughout with what we call rose-cut diamonds.

And he is very collectable.

Indeed, he is my favourite piece out of this box, and frankly,

I can't believe you were given it to play with as a child,

but I can quite see why. I mean, his appeal is just endless.

What sort of date is that?

Well, I would say the chick dates to about 1880, 1890.

The bar, probably slightly later.

He's set in silver, and he's got this wonderful little gold foot

on here which one of them has actually been slightly bent,

-so I don't know...

-Must be me.

Guilty as charged!

But, I mean, he is your main value in this little group here.

You've got a lot going on and I would suggest that your main value

obviously is in him and the scarab brooch.

You've got a lovely little enamelled butterfly brooch here

and the rest is nice costume jewellery.

But I would suggest that we sell it as a lot at the auction in its box,

because I think it's got wonderful market appeal as a little collection

and I think at auction, happily,

I would put £100-£200 on it.

-Are your days of playing with it over?

-Yes.

-Yes?

-So shall we send it to the auction?

-Yes, I think we should.

-Yeah?

What do you think, crowd? Shall we send it at auction?

-ALL:

-Yes.

-Yeah. There we go. Brilliant.

We've given this a reserve of £100, so let's hope the chick,

even with his broken foot, will fly away at auction!

Next up, Adam has found an interesting object

brought in by Barry.

Do you take a lot of snuff, Barry?

No, not every day.

You know, most people don't know what it is any more

-of a certain age.

-No.

-It's an unusual little item you've brought.

I do like these small pieces of silver.

Can you tell me where you got this from?

It was bought in Krakow, in Poland, around about 1972, I think.

Right, so were you visiting Krakow then?

Yes. It was a rather an ambitious visit behind the Iron Curtain.

It was, I bet it was, yeah.

My mother's Polish. I've never actually visited yet,

but I remember as a child my mother not being able to visit

for the reasons that you've mentioned.

-It was quite an adventure back then, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-You must have been a very young man.

-Yes.

-So you were visiting Poland

and you picked this up on your travels while you were out there?

Yes. And it was suggested that these things

were a particularly good buy there.

-Right.

-And I liked that particular one.

I like the design on it.

-It's a pleasing object, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I can see why you bought it.

And of course, back in 1972,

I would've thought the English pound went quite a long way...

-A very long way.

-..in Krakow.

So it probably cost just a few pounds, I would have thought.

Probably. About £10, I think I spent on it.

Well, it's an interesting piece of silver.

I don't think it's actually Polish silver -

I just had a little look at the mark inside,

and what you've got is this lady, there,

in a sort of house arrangement,

and I think that's an Austro-Hungarian mark.

Right. I rather thought it might be.

Yes. Which is to be expected.

-Yep.

-You've got a silver gilt interior, maker's mark there,

and very decent quality of engraving and turning on the decoration.

So, these days,

I would say, in a silver section of the sale that we're going to,

you'd put an estimate of £70-£100 on it.

I think that's probably quite realistic,

and hopefully it might make a little bit more, a hundred and something.

-Mm-hm.

-I think that's pretty realistic.

-Does that sound acceptable?

-That sounds fine to me, yes.

-I think we'll put a reserve on it. 70 quid.

-Yeah.

Do you want to give it 10% leeway?

-Yeah, might as well.

-Hopefully other people will like it as much as me.

So, thanks for coming, Barry, and we'll see you at auction.

-Thank you very much.

-All right.

With such a lovely collectable,

I'm sure that buyers will know their snuff.

-So, Margaret and Ken, this is interesting, isn't it?

-Certainly is.

Where has this come from?

It was my mother's brother, who was working at Wembley Stadium,

building it.

-So your uncle...

-Yes.

-..was building the Wembley Stadium.

My goodness. So, how did he get this?

Well, each of the workers were given the souvenir.

I would say this is a little twin-handled sugar bowl,

and it probably would have come as a set,

with a teapot and possibly a cream jug or milk jug originally.

-Goodness.

-And if we have a good look at it, we've got this wonderful

"Souvenir from Wembley, 1924."

And the British Empire Exhibition was on at Wembley,

and Wembley was the showcase of the British Empire Exhibition.

And I love this symbol, this wonderful lion.

I mean, he was really symbolic of the power

and the pride that we had in our nation at that time.

-Yes.

-And it's littered with these wonderful Union Jacks

and Union Flags. So, we've got Paragon China, England,

made expressly for Bradbury Pratt.

Now, I can only assume that Bradbury Pratt was a retailer,

and often when we see Paragon China, it's typical 1920s, 1930s,

very Art Deco, florally decorated.

We see a lot of tea services made by Paragon.

-But there are collectors for this commemorative ware.

-Yes.

And commemorative ware really has been popular

since the mid-19th century,

when people started going on the package holiday, if you like,

and they would come home with a souvenir.

I would imagine this would have been made for somebody

who'd gone to the stadium, gone to the exhibition, potentially,

and taken it away with them as a memento of a lovely day

that they've had. This is a really difficult one for me,

because it hasn't got a huge amount of value.

No, we appreciate that.

I love the fact that your uncle was building this amazing building

that was just such a showcase for our country, really, and still is.

But I think the key to this piece is cataloguing it with that provenance.

I'm going to say, at auction, we're going to be looking at £20-£30.

I personally would like to see it go without reserve.

-What's your feelings about that?

-Yeah, that's fine.

It's an unusual shape, so I'm hoping that it will fetch more for you,

but I think we need to be conservative.

-Yes, of course.

-All right.

And it's been an absolute honour to meet you two,

-so thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you for looking at it.

While most of us associate Wembley with football,

the original buildings had nothing to do with "the beautiful game".

The complex was purpose built for the British Empire Exhibition.

The pavilions, including the iconic towers of Wembley, reflected

the 58 British colonies, and housed the best of British industry.

To be sure no-one had any doubt about the might of the empire,

the British lion was emblazoned on statues and memorabilia,

just like Ken and Margaret's sugar bowl.

While everyone's busy here, there's something I'd like to show you.

Highcliffe Castle might look as solid today as the stones

it's made from, but over 240 years, it's had several incarnations,

and has been partly reduced to rubble on more than one occasion.

I'm going to find out how the stone and the bricks have been reused

and, to do that, I need to climb this temporary staircase

made out of scaffolding, which is high above the ground floor.

And just look at this!

Pile upon pile of doorframes, window shutters, dado rail, architrave.

You name it, it is all here.

This is an architectural salvage hunters' dream.

When the castle burnt in the 1960s, all of this was saved,

catalogued, and put up here, high up in the store room.

But it's where all of this originally came from

that makes Highcliffe Castle so interesting.

The story goes back to 1775, when a grand house was built here,

perched above the cliffs.

The trouble was, it was poorly constructed and, add to that,

it was a little too close to the cliff face, which was ever eroding.

The house was sold off, abandoned, and eventually demolished,

but that wasn't the end for Highcliffe.

In 1808, Charles, Lord Stuart de Rothesay,

bought the land back, determined to build a new house

for his family, near the site of the original house.

Charles, an ambassador to France,

took the opportunity to do two things.

He stockpiled local bricks, but more importantly,

he gathered vast quantities of stone and medieval stained glass from

buildings that had been destroyed during the French Revolution.

This print from 1824 shows the great French house,

La Grand Maison a les Andelys, as it was being demolished.

And here, you can see exactly that oriel window,

now in pride of place, and I must say, standing from here,

it just looks superb.

But you can imagine all this stonework being shipped across

from France and then strewn across the cliff top,

as work began on the castle.

We can take a peek into the past at Lord Stuart's grand-scale scheme

with these 20th-century postcards and photos.

They reveal a Gothic English castle, with medieval windows,

a baronial staircase, gilt embellishments and Gothic turrets.

There was one person, however,

who was less impressed with his efforts - Lord Stuart's wife.

She was the one with the money behind her.

During the building work, she left for two years,

to nurse her sick father and, upon her return, she discovered

how much of her money he'd lavished on this building -

and she was furious. She wrote in a letter,

"I wish the whole thing would just fall off the cliff."

Despite Lady Stuart's hope this castle would crumble into the sea,

it was as robust as the heavy stone it was made from,

standing secure as a home over several generations.

But the building that had emerged from the rubble returned to rubble.

It suffered two devastating fires, in 1967 and 1968.

The fire completely destroyed this roof,

rendering it uninhabitable again.

For almost 20 years, the castle languished,

its stonework deteriorating and suffering vandalism.

But from the early 1990s,

it received funding to install structural support,

recreate the crumbling masonry and rebuild the roof.

But this was just the start.

Today, the store room, full of medieval wooden ornamentation,

is being sifted and examined by volunteers, like Maurice Ballard,

who devote their time to bring the place back to life.

What did you have to do, Maurice, when you first saw

all of these architectural elements in a great big pile?

Obviously, sort them out, but how?

Well, we tried to put matching items together, so that we could

-then start trying to define which rooms they came from.

-Yeah.

So we've tried to put things together for the octagon

and the great hall and the drawing room.

And how do you know what goes where?

Are you looking at archive photographs?

That's what we're having to do now.

I love these. Where has this come from?

Now, that, we definitely know.

This was the original drawing room,

-and you can see the detailing of the boards.

-Oh, yes.

-It went round the picture.

-OK, that's the picture frames.

And all of these, of course, were gilded, but in the heat

of the two fires we had here, it stripped all the paint off of them.

-This is oak as well, isn't it?

-It's all oak. It was all oak panelling.

Wow.

-That's why it survived.

-Yeah.

-Oak is such a solid hardwood, isn't it?

It's got a very tight grain structure.

You're not going to put it all back together

and make sort of a pastiche?

-No.

-You're just going to use certain elements,

stand it against the wall in the right place, fix it there,

so it gives you an idea of what it would be like.

That's what we would hope to do, to put it back

-in the rooms they came from.

-There's some lovely bits of detail,

isn't there? I love the carved pieces.

That is part of a mirror frame, I'm almost certain.

That's nice, isn't it?

-It's fantastic.

-Yeah, look at that.

It really gives you a clue, doesn't it?

To the sort of ornamentation, the detail, the frilliness,

it's so typically French.

When you look at these pictures and think how he built it in 1836,

the main thing that we can see here is the fact that,

because of the two fires,

we've gone back to all the brickwork in most places,

and I'm almost certain that the building itself

was built as a brick structure,

and then they hung the stonework on the outside,

-and put all the panelling on the inside afterwards.

-Yeah.

Because we're back to the brick structure,

-you can also see how areas were built.

-Sure.

Which if you go to a house that's still got all its original

-panelling and other things...

-You can't see it.

-You can't see it.

I mean, we can even see some of the original panelling

that's still on the wall there. And this was a bedroom.

That's actually survived,

-it's still hanging there.

-That survived in that position, yes.

Wow. And you would know all about this.

You're a building surveyor and you do this as a volunteer.

-That's right.

-This must be like a busman's holiday for you.

-Oh, it is, yeah.

-Must be the biggest project of your life.

Well, when I retired, I wanted a building or somewhere to come

-and build up my...

-To play with.

-To play with!

I've picked rather a large one, though!

But there's one more part

of the story of the building's reincarnation.

Over the years, people have returned architectural embellishments

back to the castle that they had kept for safekeeping.

These tiles, a lady had these. The clean ones that you can see.

She sent them back to the castle by post,

and they are an identical match to these tiles here,

which have been salvaged, later to be cleaned up.

The paint will be removed.

This is the last piece of the jigsaw.

That goes there, like that.

Hopefully, one day, this will be reinstated on the castle walls,

on the inside, as a panel, for people to appreciate.

Now, that's a good ending.

Here's a quick recap of the four items we're taking to auction.

There's the best of the best postcard collection

by producer, Raphael Tuck.

A box of trinkets that includes a diamond in the rough.

A chick brooch.

Ken and Margaret's collectable sugar bowl, which could be

a wonderful reminder for someone of the original Wembley Stadium.

And a quality silver snuff box, but will it appeal to the bidders?

We're heading to Wareham for our auction today,

where, almost 200 years before Highcliffe's disastrous fire,

one-third of the town also went up in flames

as a result of burning ash on thatch.

The whole town was rebuilt using tiles,

happily for the townsfolk.

This is where we're putting our valuations to the test,

Cottees auction rooms.

It's a jam-packed saleroom.

The atmosphere is electric.

It's got all the ingredients of a great sale, so stay tuned.

Don't go away. There could be one or two surprises.

Let's get on with the sale.

Don't forget, you'll pay sellers' commission,

which can vary from saleroom to saleroom,

and here it's set at 20% plus VAT.

And on the rostrum today is auctioneer John Condie.

The first lot is the collection of postcards brought in by Pamela,

who was keen to be at the head of the queue on the valuation day.

Now, the postcards.

Not a lot of money, Adam. £50 to £100.

There's 300 of them. Surely we can get the top end of your estimate.

Well, we think they might make a bit more, hopefully.

We generally have a few surprises with postcard collections, don't we?

Purely because of the volume. So let's see how yours do, Pamela.

-Good luck. This is it.

-Thank you.

They're going under the hammer right now.

Now we come on to a little set of postcards sets,

the Tucks collection there, and I'll start that one at £30.

£30 bid, at 30.

£30. 35, 40.

45, 50. 55.

Someone bidding over there, look.

65. 70.

£70, gentleman over there.

£70.

£70, I've got.

And selling... 5 on the net.

-Good.

-75. 80.

-Back in the room.

-£80, I'm bid.

5, anyone else?

And you're out on the internet.

Closing it down at £80 in the room.

£80. That's a good result.

Yeah. That's definitely a fair market value, so well done.

-Thanks for bringing them.

-Thanks very much for having me.

It's good to see you again as well. First in the queue.

-Thank you so much.

-Reward for being first.

-Yes!

What a good result!

Next up, the commemorative bowl,

created for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

For me, it looks like a sugar bowl with cover, it's the right size,

-rather than a tureen.

-And the story that went with it.

-Yeah.

So, Jack was a builder, and all the builders got one of these.

-Real piece of history.

-Well, we're bigging this up

-and there's no reserve on it.

-I know!

Hopefully it won't be an own goal. This is going to sell.

Question is - how much?

Right, we're going to find out right now.

Paragon China Wembley souvenir, from 1924.

Who can give me £20 for it?

-Ooh, straight away, bidder in the room.

-Yeah, that's good.

-£35. £40.

-Ooh!

£45... £50, I've got.

-£55, sir? £55 now, in the room.

-That's fantastic, guys.

£60, anybody else?

At £55, then, I'm selling it.

-£55.

-Well done, that's fantastic.

That's good. That's a very good result.

-I'm delighted.

-Yes, so am I!

I don't like no reserves, I get really worried.

-And that was your first auction?

-It certainly was, yes.

Well, what an experience.

At least we're sending you home happy,

-and that's what it's all about.

-Thank you very much, indeed.

And may there be many more for Margaret and Ken.

£440.

And now on to our next lot -

a diamond chick brooch and costume jewellery,

brought in by Marion and daughter Claire.

Not a lot of money for the collection. We've got £100-£200.

But you think it's the little chick.

Well, I think there's a lot of damage in there,

but nonetheless, some really, really nice things as well,

-so best of luck.

-OK, well, let's find out what the bidders think.

It's going under the hammer now. This is it.

I'll start you off at - what shall we say?

£60 for it.

Bid, thank you. 60.

65. 70.

5. 80. 5.

90. 5. 100.

£100 on the little selection of jewellery.

Come on, let's have a bit more.

£100, I've got,

at 100, on my right, selling.

Crack, that's it. The hammer's gone down.

£100. Look, it's gone. I think you're right.

-They went for the little Easter chick, didn't they?

-Yeah.

-Well done, ladies.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank you for bringing them.

Our third slot is Barry's Austro-Hungarian snuffbox,

picked up in Europe.

Are you still travelling?

-Are you still exploring countries?

-Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.

We have a home in Argentina.

-Do you really?

-So, we live part of the time in Argentina.

Oh, wow. How nice is that?

Now you've got me going. I'm really jealous!

Right, OK. It's going under the hammer right now.

Good luck, both of you. This is it.

Nice little silver snuffbox.

Continental vacant cartouche,

shall we say, start me, £50 for it?

50 bid. 55. 60.

65. 70. £70.

On my right, 75, a couple of you,

80.

85. 90. 95.

100. 110.

120. 130.

130 in the middle. 130.

140 now. 150.

150, bid. At 150.

Anybody else? I'm going to sell at 150, then.

Last chance.

Selling...

150.

I think that's a strong result. 150. What did you pay for it?

-Oh, about £10, I think.

-That's not bad, is it?

-In the days when the zloty wasn't worth that much at all.

-Yeah.

Continental European silver,

all coming into its own much more than it used to.

Excellent.

-Thank you.

-Thank you!

A good result - and that should contribute nicely

to Barry's trips to Argentina.

Well, there you are,

that concludes our first visit to the auction room today.

Three lots down, three more to go later in the programme,

so don't go away.

Now, many of Britain's great stately homes are brimming with collections

of the grand tour, picked up by the aristocracy on their travels,

but not far from our valuation day venue, Highcliffe Castle,

in Bournemouth, there's a unique collection that was put together

by a Victorian businessman

with his very own modern method of collecting.

In 1876, the Royal Bath Hotel in Bournemouth

was an old-fashioned affair.

It was bought and given an extensive overhaul

by a one-time insurance salesman

who had an idea that would put this place on the map.

He was Merton Russell-Cotes.

Merton realised that, if his hotel was to succeed,

he would need to get the rich and the famous through the doors,

so he and his wife Annie set about filling it

with carefully chosen artworks and furniture

and marketing it to customers as the ultimate in luxury.

Oscar Wilde came to stay, and he wrote down,

"You have built and fitted out with the greatest of elegance and taste,

"a palace full of gems of art

"for the use and benefit of the public at hotel prices" -

and he was right.

Problem was, Russell-Cotes wanted a home of his own.

The solution was to build one right next door to his hotel -

and this is it.

No-one knows exactly how Merton had made his money,

but the dramatic gesture in which he gave East Cliff Hall in 1901

to his wife Annie on her birthday is undeniable.

Duncan Walker, the curator here,

knows all about what made this self-made man tick.

So, how important was Russell-Cotes

to the community around here in Bournemouth?

Oh, he was one of the leading members of the community

and became mayor - but also, I think, he was quite controversial.

One of his planning activities was to stop development

between the two piers - between Bournemouth Pier and Boscombe Pier.

The reason being, he wanted to keep the focus of the town

where the Royal Bath Hotel is,

and where obviously all of his customers and clientele.

-Which would help him!

-Which would help him, yes.

Another one being the Undercliff Drive,

which obviously provides Bournemouth with a wonderful esplanade

for you to explore the seven miles of sandy beach and all that,

but just so happens to prop up

the cliff where his hotel and house was, as well.

Good timing, as well, because Bournemouth was expanding.

Yes. Expanding exponentially. His collection was growing, too.

Annie and Merton had taken several trips around the world

and they'd come back with more and more stuff.

They decided they needed a space of their own - or Merton did.

So they built this place.

-Yes.

-So how important was Annie to this house?

Very important. We think

she knocked off Merton's rough edges, shall we say!

We know she was a very intelligent woman

and you do get the impression of a warm, loving person,

and Merton being a bit more neurotic and go-get.

All of his art collection is about supporting the hotel,

so you'd stay in the hotel, fine wine, fine food, all the rest of it,

and then art on the walls.

All of his status in society comes from that business.

-Yes.

-That business must function. If it fails, he fails.

-Yeah.

-So these trips around the world,

they're bringing the ideas and the culture,

mashed together in an expression of, "This is who I am.

"I am Merton Russell-Cotes, and I am full of good taste,"

but Annie was a key part of that.

The design of the house had to be as aspirational

as the collection it contained.

What I love is, you see this wonderful glass fanlight,

the ceiling above, signs of the Zodiac,

really deep cornices enriched with gilt stars...

and below, a Moorish-inspired fountain

made up of tiny little mosaics put together piece by piece.

And just in here, there's another tiny little room

which transports you to Spain, to Alhambra

with the Moorish-inspired cupola in the ceiling.

Isn't that just spectacular?

All of this shows that Merton was definitely a nouveau riche

social climber of the day.

He built this house in an ostentatious fashion

simply because he could afford to - and he wanted to.

He had great joy in doing it,

and it also reflected well with his social standing within the town.

He was the new aristocracy,

and to demonstrate it, he created his own coat of arms -

but the real centrepiece was precious art collection.

Gosh, look at this.

It is like an overview of Victorian art.

-Is it all Victorian?

-Yeah, mainly Victorian, some Edwardian,

and this room really does kind of sum up Merton's art taste.

It's got that sort of

-historical classical look to it, hasn't it?

-Mm.

Harking back to the greats.

He taught himself art by reading the right books.

So, he read Ruskin, he read the Art Journal,

and he's getting the received wisdom on art of his day.

He also liked a bargain,

and a good example is here with the works of Edwin Longsden Long.

When he was alive,

Long commanded the highest price of anybody at the Royal Academy,

but when he died, you know, his price took a dive

and Merton swooped in and bought these works -

I think on the basis that they might have gone up again,

so then he could cash in - but they never did,

so we have the largest collection of Edwin Longsden Longs in the UK.

-That's a big picture.

-Some of them are quite literally very long!

Merton considered himself a connoisseur.

This famous painting by Byam Shaw called Jezebel

was originally a nude

until Merton asked the artist to clothe her, to improve the work.

He plastered his own quotations in his art gallery on the walls.

Now, some might think that arrogant -

but in other ways, he was quite a forward thinker.

And it's represented by paintings like this by Lucy Kemp-Welch,

a prominent equestrian artist of the day, that he sponsored.

Now one theory suggests that he was attracted to investing

in female artists because he could pick their work up for a song.

Another theory suggests that he liked to invest in these artists

because he wanted to promote the career of women,

and I like to think it was the latter.

The business nous Merton used in running his hotel

was used to just as good effect in his choice of art,

dealing in it like stocks and shares.

These sales show us, in this little book,

that he didn't hang on to all of his art like the aristocracy did.

He was a businessman through and through,

and he was always thinking of a way of making a fast buck.

He had these images licensed

so they could be printed into children's books,

and he also sold postcards of the interior of this house

as a souvenir to the guests who stayed in the hotel.

He was definitely a wheeler-dealer.

But it wasn't always about the money.

In 1908, during Merton and Annie's lifetime,

they did something remarkable.

They gave the house and the collection

to the people of Bournemouth

for their benefit in perpetuity, for everyone to enjoy.

Welcome back to our magnificent valuation day venue,

Highcliffe Castle.

As you can see, it's still in full swing.

It's now time to join up with our experts

to see what else we can find to take off to auction.

Christina is taking the opportunity to explore the castle grounds

which stretch down to the glorious Dorset coast

and she's joined there by Norman and April.

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun, hey?

Tell me about this watch. Where does it come from?

My late wife's watch.

-Right.

-It was long service.

-She was teaching until she was about, um, 50...54.

-Mm-hm.

Oh, wonderful. So, a nice present for her...

-Yes.

-..on being such a successful teacher.

-That's right.

-OK.

So what we've got is a little ladies' Tissot wristwatch,

which - taking it out of the box,

great that you've got the original box with it, as well.

-It is original.

-Did she ever wear it?

She did, yes, that's right.

-She did.

-Wore it and loved it.

That's the main thing. Immediately, I can tell that it's 1970s.

Cos this little wristwatch or this little strap,

here, which is integral to the watch, is very 1970s.

That sort of finish there.

It's almost like a sort of snakeskin-type-effect finish.

-Yeah.

-We've got this lovely oval face

with what we call obviously a white enamelled dial

and these batons, as well, so very typical of its time.

So, would the 1970s sort of tie into when your late wife was given this?

-Well, let's see, now...

-It would be about right.

-Yeah.

It probably would be about right.

Yeah. We've got a nice little hallmark on here,

which is telling us that it's 9-carat yellow gold,

so it's 375 parts per thousand of gold, rather than 18-carat,

-which is 750 parts per thousand of gold.

-Yeah, mm-hm.

So the lower grade gold, if you like,

but probably a bit more durable.

So, lovely thing.

Tissot, they're not quite up there with the Rolexes and the Omegas,

but still very good, very reliable,

great name, and they do still sell at auction, which is the main thing,

especially in gold, which this is.

So I like it. I think it's a nice thing

and I think there will be somebody

that buys it and wears it and loves it.

I think at auction, we're probably looking

somewhere in the region of maybe £60-£100.

We do see them quite regularly

and it will be mainly based on the weight of the gold within the watch.

-Yes, fair enough.

-Perhaps with a reserve at £60.

-Mm.

-How do you feel about that?

-Fine. That's fine.

-Fine.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, quite all right.

-So, thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Most people associate this area with Poole Pottery,

but how many of you have heard of Verwood pottery?

As I found out 12 years ago,

when I visited the area in an earlier programme

and met up with aficionado Penny Copland-Griffiths.

Verwood is the name for a collection of local potteries

that date back 1,000 years.

They produced pots for local working people.

Penny has joined me at the valuation day

to update me on her own collection.

-Since the show...

-Yes.

-..this one's appeared.

-It is.

-How'd you come by that?

That was really exciting.

I received an e-mail from a couple in Essex,

saying that they'd been watching Flog It!

and they saw this pot on Flog It! and they'd got one just like it.

Cos this one, so the couple told me, had they not seen me on Flog It!,

-they were going to make it into a table lamp.

-Yeah.

-So...

And something like this, now,

you'd have to pay around £1,400 for, in auction, of that particular size.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Because this was from a kiln site which was 1640,

and this pot had survived all those years.

There you go, we're working our magic.

Maybe we'll get together in another 14 years

-and this programme will have brought me something else!

-Yes.

You know, another new pot.

What a nice story - and it's worth looking out for Verwood pottery,

because it's very collectable.

The crowds are still flocking to this glorious Gothic-style castle,

and we're going over to Adam Partridge,

whose next items have a distinctly Gothic air, too.

Peter, what a wonderful collection

of film posters you've brought along.

-I think they're special.

-What, about 100 of them, or something?

-Yes, that's right.

-It's unbelievable!

So tell me, how have you accumulated these?

Has it taken a long time to get them?

-What's the story?

-Well, when I was in my early 20s,

I found a dealer who dealt mail order on these sort of things,

so I just bought loads of them over the next two or three years.

May I ask how long ago was it?

-In the '80s, '90s?

-Early '80s I bought them, yes.

-Early '80s.

Obviously we're in an internet age,

-it's a different world now, isn't it?

-It certainly is.

How do you find a mail order dealer?

Do you remember how you came across it?

It was in a Hammer International Fan Club magazine.

Ah, OK. So you were a member of the Hammer fan club.

-Yes. I was.

-You were.

-I don't think it exists any more!

No, I'm not sure it does!

So you were clearly a fan of Peter Cushing.

-Certainly, yes.

-And Christopher Lee.

And all the movies they were in. So, some investment, there -

and what were you shelling out for these posters?

Well, the Dracula one was £250.

That's far and away the most expensive -

everybody thought I was mad when I bought it.

-Wow, that was a lot of money in the 1980s.

-That one was £17.50.

And have you had them on display at your house?

No, they've just been in a box.

-Yeah.

-In a box.

-Where does the box live?

-It has lived in the loft,

-but at the moment, it's in the garage.

-OK.

Right, and do you not even have this one up?

-No.

-Why is that, Peter?

I don't think my wife would like it.

Well, it's not for everyone, is it?

"The terrifying lover who died - yet lived!"

-It's an iconic poster, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

So, are you sad to be seeing them go?

In a way, but... I'm perfectly happy to do it.

Good, well, film posters are becoming quite a collectable area,

quite a rarity, you know. You don't see many of these around.

Of course, they were only really available

to those who had an intimate connection with the film industry.

They weren't that easy to get hold of, as you know,

probably more than us, there were different rules and exceptions,

some posters worth more than others,

and this is clearly the star of the show.

Potentially, this one could be worth a few thousand.

-Really?

-Then the Wicker Man, I think,

for me, it's a bit bland, that, isn't it?

-I suppose the picture is.

-Which is why this one,

I think, anywhere from £50-£200 range.

This one, I really like this one.

-What do you think?

-It's beautiful.

-Is it your favourite?

-It is, yeah.

-This one's going to be worth a few hundred pounds,

maybe £300-£500, Because it's a really iconic one,

and, of course, Star Wars is a very current one,

-and I'm sure that one's worth a few hundred pounds as well.

-Really?

So potentially, you could be looking at many thousands of pounds,

-Peter, but...

-I hope so.

-Well, yeah, it would be nice, wouldn't it?

Well, I'm really looking forward

to seeing how the auction house splits those,

and what kind of value to put on them,

it could be one of the most exciting sales we've been to for years.

Oh, good.

You're right, Adam.

When these Hammer Horror posters go under the hammer,

they could make movie magic.

Christina has left the crowds behind

to find a perfect backdrop for her final objects.

Tell me where it's come from.

It's from Isle of Wight Glass,

and they used to have an outlet shop at Alum Bay,

and my wife and I, my late wife Lorraine,

used to visit my brother on the Isle of Wight,

he lives at Shanklin.

When we were over there on those occasions,

we looked in the shop and anything that took our fancy,

then my wife was the artistic one -

she was probably the one who chose it.

Oh, bless her - so, her eye was caught by beautiful artistic pieces

-that she saw.

-Yes.

Oh, fantastic. Well, she obviously had a very good eye.

-Yes.

-Very good eye. And it's very appropriate that we're here,

cos obviously, just through the trees,

we can see the Isle of Wight,

so it feels very appropriate that we brought them here.

-That's right.

-And what we've got on the table here

is a bit of a timeline of this specific glassware

that we're talking about,

but we've got this rather lovely mottled pink glass,

what we call blue-trailed glass decanter

and the original stopper, as well.

If we put the stopper down and look at the bottom,

-and can you see what that says?

-Mdina.

Mdina. Now, do you know where Mdina originated from?

-From Malta.

-From Malta,

exactly, so nowhere near the Isle of Wight, really.

But it's a beautiful piece

and it starts us off on this wonderful journey

that is illustrated here,

starting with this rather inventive chap called Michael Harris.

Now he started at the Mdina glass factory in the 1960s,

and this is a very, very 1960s piece -

you look at the colourway, you look at the shape of it,

it's quite free-form, isn't it?

-It's quite fluid, especially with this trail glass decoration.

-Yes.

So he started at Mdina and he has signed pieces -

we have seen signed pieces of his, where he was at Mdina.

He then left Malta in the late 1960s and he moved to the Isle of Wight,

in, I think, 1972, and set up his own factory on the Isle of Wight,

which is the Isle of Wight Glass.

Now, this piece is very much a Harris piece.

This is very much in his iconic fish-shaped vase.

-Right.

-The ones that we have seen have been encased

and usually signed, but, to be perfectly honest,

that rather makes sense to me,

that if you bought this at the outlet factory,

that might be why it's not signed.

-I see, yes.

-But without a shadow of a doubt,

we can attribute this to Harris.

We really can. It's a beautiful thing.

He really was such an innovator in 1970s glassware,

and this is really quite an iconic piece for him.

So really, this is the piece that I am most interested in today.

We then go slightly later in the timeline

and we've got this little piece here

which has got a little sticker on the bottom

which says, "Isle of Wight Glass handmade in England",

very, very sweet, very pretty,

-but not nearly as exciting as this piece here.

-Mm.

So, having not had a signature on the base,

that is going to affect the value slightly,

so I'm not going to go wild on the estimate,

so don't get too excited,

but I think what I would do is put them as a group

and I'd put an estimate of maybe £100-£200.

Right, yes.

And I think with a reserve of £80, and an estimate of £100-£200,

you should hopefully have a glass collector

who would be very interested.

Next up, Adam's found something I always love to see on the show.

Christine, thank you for coming along.

You've brought an item that I really like,

and something that appeals to my own personal collecting taste.

As soon as I saw this come down on the table,

I knew instantly it was a piece of Newlyn Copper ware.

Very distinctive, arts and crafts, so it's handmade,

hand-beaten, rivets, hand-decorated with these birds,

and of course, the fish is a tell-tale sign, isn't it,

of the fact it was made in Newlyn in Cornwall, early 20th century.

Of course, the most famous name there is John Pearson,

of the metalworkers, but there were a number of metalworkers,

and I think that's a lovely example of a piece of Newlyn Copper.

How did you come to own this?

Well, we used to live in Penzance

and we bought it while we were there.

We've had it about 20 years now and we're quite fond of it,

but I don't really want to polish it any more.

Oh, is that the reason for selling it?

Well, it doesn't need that much polishing, does it?

No. We are supposed to be downsizing, as well.

-Oh, are you moving, are you?

-Yes.

-It's a pleasing shape, isn't it?

Angular, geometric, with a decoration,

and the Newlyn mark there on the front, clearly stamped.

-Yes.

-And these sorts of things are very popular these days,

in the market, so you've chosen a great time to sell, really.

Do you remember what you paid for it, all those years ago in Newlyn?

-No, I don't.

-No. What about an idea of its current value?

-Er...

-£100? £150?

-Very good, you don't need me, do you?

No, that's absolutely right. I think £100 to £150 is its value,

really, and I think it'll make a little bit more towards £200 or so.

Well, that's good. It would be nice to be £200.

-Shall we do £120 reserve?

-That would be fine.

I think it'll make more anyway,

-you have to trust in the system a little bit.

-Yes.

-And we can put the estimate £120 to £180?

-Yes.

-Nice big range.

-OK.

-And hopefully, I still think it'll make the best part of £200.

-Good.

Who knows, on the day?

Two people competing, it might make a little bit more.

-Oh, well, that would be nice.

-It would be lovely, wouldn't it?

It certainly would. I have high hopes for that Newlyn Copper.

Well, there you are. Our experts have now found their final items

to take off to auction, and I think one or two of those could fly.

But sadly, it's time to say goodbye

to our magnificent host location today, Highcliffe Castle.

What a backdrop, that really is something to remember -

and in the true spirit of the Bournemouth collector

Merton Russell-Cotes, it's time to see if our items make a bob or two

as we put them under the hammer.

And here's a quick recap of what we're taking with us.

The 9-carat Tissot watch from the 1970s

with still plenty of time left in it.

The Newlyn Copper teapot -

it might be cluttering up Christine's house,

but there are plenty of arts and crafts collectors

who'd love to take it off her hands.

Of Peter's 113 film posters,

we'll be taking ten posters to auction

in what could be a very exciting sale.

And the local Isle of Wight glass inspired by the colours of the sun

and the sea around us today.

We're back in the saleroom, and our first lot

is April and Norman's 1970s Tissot lady's watch.

We are looking at £60-£100.

Yes. So, £60-£100 and we've got a £60 firm reserve.

-You didn't want to let it go for any less than £60.

-No.

-So, yeah, you take it home if it didn't sell for that.

-Yeah.

Condition is with it, everything's with it.

It's good, it's working. It's ready to go, as they say,

and right now it's ready to go under the hammer.

This is it. Good luck, everyone.

The lady's 9-carat gold wristwatch and strap.

Nice wearable watch there.

I can start at £60.

70. 80.

90. 100. 110.

120. 130. 140.

150. 160. 170.

170, now.

180. 180 bid, fresh bidder.

180. 190, make it?

-It's 180. Gentleman in the middle.

-Oh, my goodness.

Come on, round it up, round it up!

I'm going to sell it..

at...

-180.

-Yes, 180.

-Well done.

-It always helps to sell a watch with the original box,

-doesn't it?

-Absolutely.

-It means it's been looked after.

-It's right.

-That was lovely!

Yes!

I thought we'd be taking it home.

Oh! Fantastic. That was a great result.

Yeah, and thank you for bringing that in.

-It's quite all right.

-I know it means a lot to you, so thank you.

That's going home with someone who I'm sure will be wearing it!

Next up, the Newlyn Copper teapot,

brought along by Christine and husband David.

-I'm a big fan of Newlyn Copper.

-Yes?

-I really am.

-You lived in Cornwall for a little while, I gather?

-Yes, in St Just.

-St Just - very nice.

-Just outside.

-Just outside.

-It's a special place.

Did you start to collect more or just this one piece?

-No, it was just something from the area we thought we'd like.

-OK.

£120 to £180 - I think that's sensible,

-I'd like to see the top end.

-It's really pleasing, isn't it?

Yeah, it's well made, it's tactile. That's the key to it.

Those edges are folded and rolled, and hand beaten and hammered,

and all that repousse work is beautiful.

And it's got the fish motifs, as well, which you expect.

Anyway, this is the fun part of it,

it's going under the hammer right now.

This is impressed Newlyn, rather nice example.

Start me at £100 for it.

£100 bid, £100. £110. £120. £130.

£140, £150, £160.

£160, £170, £180.

£180 bid. £190, £200.

At £220 now, on the internet. £220.

£230. £230 I've got, £240.

£240 here. £240, £260 now. £280, anyone in the room?

At £260.

I'm going to sell it then, your last chance. It's on the internet.

£260.

-Yes! Proper job...

-I was just going to say, proper job.

Adam and I knew we were onto a winner with that lovely piece.

So, what about our next lot - the three beautiful pieces of glassware?

So, this is going back to the '60s.

Yes, '60s, '70s, round about them.

And first piece, obviously is a Mdina piece.

The second two are Isle of Wight pieces, which is quite nice.

Fingers crossed, we can send you away with a bit of money, OK?

-OK, yes.

-Quality always sells, we keep saying it.

-Absolutely.

-Let's find out. Here we go.

Some nice art glass for you.

I've got interest,

and can start at...£55.

55. 60.

65.

70. 75.

80.

85. 90, here.

-Brilliant.

-95, 100.

Fantastic. Bottom estimate achieved. That's great.

110 is on the internet.

-Internet and commission bids as well.

-Yeah.

At £110.

-20, anybody else?

-Come on, come on!

I'm going to sell, then. Three pieces.

Hammer's gone down. 110.

-That's really good.

-That's not bad, is it?

-It got over the reserve.

-Exactly. Exactly.

Our reserve was 80, wasn't it? So, well over the reserve.

-Brilliant.

-Happy with that?

-Oh, yes, yes.

-Good.

-Congratulations.

-It's worthwhile.

-Yeah!

Finally, it's been worth the wait

for the stupendous collection of horror posters -

and as Peter is on holiday, his sister Jane is standing in

on what could be a very big sale.

Thank you very much, Jane, for coming in.

Now, I know you've seen a lot of these posters...

-Yes.

-..as a young girl, when Peter was collecting these,

he had them on his bedroom wall.

-There was 113 in total.

-Yes.

A crate full of them. We've singled out a few, mainly the Dracula one,

which is an iconic one and also, I think, Peter's favourite.

-Yes.

-What do you think we'll get for that today?

Well, since then, I believe we've found out the condition isn't great.

-It's been behind glass, so it has been trimmed and it has been...

-OK.

So it's got a few... I mean, if it was a really good example,

-it would be a few thousand pounds.

-Wow.

And the others, I believe, Peter is in discussion

-with the auction house to put them into a specialist sale.

-I think so.

I mean, they'd need an awful lot of attention to go through 100 posters.

You've got to be very systematic, methodical,

and hopefully they'll do some deal

-and put them in a specialist auction for him.

-Yeah.

But today, the auction house will be selling ten posters of the 113,

starting with Dr Terror's House Of Horrors.

I can start you with my commission bids at 200.

220. 240. 260.

This is a great sign!

£300 I'm bid for the first one.

-Yeah.

-320 on the phone, here.

340. 360 on the internet already.

380 on the telephone.

400 on the net first.

400. 420.

440 on that phone.

460, no?

460. 480. 500, now.

520.

This is a good omen for the rest of the collection.

600. 620.

640, now.

660 bid.

680, now.

680!

It's £680 on the first lot.

Out in the room, on this phone here,

last chance, we're selling.

£680.

That just shows how much cachet these iconic films have.

Now for the Dracula poster, starring the late Christopher Lee,

this could reach thousands in pristine condition -

but will the damage put the bidders off?

Is in poor condition,

but it is exceptionally rare.

Start me at £1,000.

-Yes.

-Yes, 1,000 bid.

1,600. 1,900.

2,200, now.

-2,200.

-Someone's very keen.

2,400. 2,600.

2,800. 3,000.

The appetite for the Dracula poster

seems to have surpassed any worries about damage.

..on the net already.

4,000, I've got.

4,200. 4,400.

4,600 on the internet.

4,600.

4,700, she goes.

4,700, 4,800, I've got.

4,800. 4,900, I've got.

5,000 bid.

-Wow!

-5,000, I've got here.

5,100, here.

5,200, now.

5,300.

At 5,300.

It's on this telephone.

-Yes.

-5,400. It's come back in.

5,400.

I've got to go 5,500, if you want it.

-That's incredible.

-5,500 now.

At 5,500.

Your last chance.

It's going, going...

Gone.

I wish he was here!

-Yes.

-Oh, I really wish he was here.

Looks like the film buffs definitely got their teeth into that...

..and the remaining eight posters sold for £2,280.

Well, that's a grand total of £8,860.

Wow! That's one happy boy.

-Yes.

-You've got to get on the phone.

It's going to have turned maybe £1,000

into many, many, many thousands.

That's antiques for you, and that's modern collecting.

Join us again soon for many more surprises in the auction room -

but until then, it's goodbye.