Coughton Court 19 Flog It!

We're off on our travels again,

crisscrossing Britain as we help you to discover the history and value of

your unwanted antiques.

And that's not all.

Today, I'm at Coughton Court in Warwickshire.

This house played a key role in the notorious Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Today, there's going to be fireworks.

Welcome to "Flog It!"

Coughton Court was implicated

in an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament

and, with it, the King.

It was from within these walls of the gatehouse tower that a group of

radical Catholics watched and waited

for news that could change the course of British history forever

or seal their death warrants.

We'll be finding out more about that and the house

later on in the programme.

But before that, we have some travelling to do.

We're off on a trip around Britain to revisit some of our stunning

locations from this series.

It's another chance to see those great venues

and discover some of your treasures, brought in for our experts to value.

Come on, everyone.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery proved a wonderful backdrop

for our valuation day.

But David Harper discovered some people

have strong feelings about colour.

I don't like blush.

I like the other Worcester.

In Morecambe, Lancashire, we spent the day at The Platform building,

once part of the town's old promenade station.

And Charles Hanson was in the mood for waxing lyrical.

They really capture an age of sophistication,

when eloquence in dress was at the height under Victorian England.

And we were thrilled by the response we got in Grimsby,

our valuation day in the Minster.

Christina Trevanion discovered what gave a diamond ring its sparkle.

Did you leave that in a washing-up bowl overnight?

Yes, yes! Yes!

And in the magnificent cathedral in St Albans,

Jonathan Pratt discovered a unique item.

I'm not even sure what it is. I thought it was very unusual.

-I'm not wrong there, am I?

-You're not wrong about that, no.

And that's where we're heading first.

But for now, James Lewis is chatting to Pam

and it looks like he's in need of refreshment already.

Well, Pam, it's time for tea.

I wish it was, you know!

I think it's time for my Pinot Grigio.

I would just like a few scones...

I don't need scones. That's the last thing I need.

Oh, no, no. Actually I can make scones, I could make you some.

I should have brought some today.

Oh, dear, but they say, you know, that tea drinking is coming back.

Ten years ago, you would never have believed it.

No, no, no. It's Downton Abbey, you realise.

It's got to be something to do with it.

-Definitely Downton Abbey, yes.

-But this is a lovely teapot, isn't it?

-Is it a family thing?

-Oh, very much so.

It's been passed down from my mother to me and I'm lucky enough to have

another silver teapot, and one is enough for me.

Exactly, you only need one, don't you?

-Only need one, yes.

-Blimey, OK, well, let's have a look.

So, what we've got here is a Chinese figure on the top.

There were various times in which Chinese figures were popular.

18th century and the Chinese Chippendale period,

then again in the 1840s with the Chinese Chippendale

or Rococo revival, and you look at its shape,

you look at the fact that it's embossed with flowers,

which can sometimes be done later.

-Yes.

-So we should be looking somewhere between 1830 and 1850.

-Right.

-OK, so, let's turn it over.

We've got a lion, lion passant,

everybody knows that means it's silver.

The leopard's head is the mark for London.

-Right.

-He hasn't got a crown.

-Oh.

The leopard lost his crown in 1821, so we know it's after then.

-Then at the bottom here we've got the head of Queen Victoria.

-Right.

So we now know it's after 1837.

And we've got the mark for Joseph and Albert Savory.

They started making around 1835, but we've got a date letter,

gothic E there, upper case, and that's for 1840.

So, it's London, 1840.

So, there we go, so it's a good thing.

What's it worth?

Silver prices have plummeted,

but tea drinking has become more fashionable

and I'm hoping that this will survive the melting pot...

But if you'd sold it five years ago, it would have been melted,

because it would have been worth more as a lump of silver

-than as a teapot.

-Oh, yes.

I think now it's worth £100 to £200.

-Right.

-And I think it'll end up making around 160.

Right, so that's that reserve you want me to have?

What would you like as a reserve? Your teapot, I want you to be happy.

-I know, but I need to be guided by somebody like you.

-OK.

If we put 150 on it.

-Yes.

-We could put 150 to 200, it's more of a natural estimate.

-Right.

-Would you be happy with 150?

Well, I would be, yes. I mean, I'd like more, obviously.

Of course, yes, so would I, I hope it will make more.

Yes. Well, somebody will have pleasure

pouring afternoon tea in that.

They will.

If it doesn't make that then take it home and make a pot of tea.

Drown your sorrows with some Earl Grey.

I love that teapot. Hopefully, it will sell well.

Now we're travelling to Wolverhampton Art Gallery,

where David Harper is excited about a pot.

Well, I tell you what, Brian and Pauline,

-this museum is a place of contrast, isn't it?

-Yeah.

We've got this massive, modern structure behind us

and then your wonderful piece of Worcester right in front of us,

which I think, Pauline, feels quite at home

here in Wolverhampton Museum, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Tell us about it.

I don't know where I got it from. I've had it many years.

I don't like blush.

I like the other Worcester, Stinton and all those, really.

Right, so you're a bit of a Worcester man, then, are you, Brian?

-40 years.

-40 years?

40 years picking up bits and pieces

-all over the Midlands.

-Wow.

Off people when they used to give it away.

-How many pieces does he have at home?

-Oh, crates full.

We cover Worcester on these programmes vary often.

-Of course you do.

-I mean, it's such a big brand in this business.

-Yes.

-Founded in, as you know, 1751.

Ancient company, and if we look at this piece, this is the blush ivory.

Let's see if there's any damage and see how it rings, Pauline.

-Rings well.

-I'm sure it will.

-Does it?

-You're looking worried.

-I'm sure it will. Yes.

-OK, here we go. Ready?

-Yes.

POT RINGS CLEARLY

-Perfect.

-Nothing wrong in that.

-No, nothing at all.

A good ring, that is very good, no big cracks or damage.

We spin this over and we can see it's marked Worcester, England.

So we know that England

was introduced to pottery and porcelain in 1891,

so it doesn't predate that.

-We've got ten dots underneath the England.

-That's right.

Add that on to 1891, this was made in 1901.

-The end of the Victorian reign.

-Mm-hm.

But the height of the British Empire.

You'll find these in Australia, in Africa, in India,

all over the place,

because Worcester was a big moneymaking machine.

But I bet you this hasn't moved very far away.

It's probably remained in the Midlands, I guess.

I should think so, yes. I should think so.

Well, listen, you're the expert here.

You've been doing it for 40 years.

What's it worth in today's market?

I should think three, but I've been told less than that.

-Ooh, I think less.

-Yeah.

-What do you think, Pauline?

I'm not really sure, not really sure at all.

OK, well, I reckon if we're going to be sensible, we'd go 200 to 250.

-OK.

-And I'd like to really give it a bit of discretion as well,

so maybe reserve it at 180.

-Yeah.

-OK, we'll go there.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

No!

Hey, listen, you never know, the way the market is,

get yourself 180 for this

and buy something in the auction that is going UP in value.

Yes, of course. Yeah, yeah.

And if you know what that is, you will let me know, won't you?

Yes, I will, yes!

Let's hope the jardiniere

does really well when it comes up for auction.

Now, time to take a quick break from our valuation days,

as I want to show you something special I found on my trip

to Coughton Court in Warwickshire.

Religion is very much at the heart of the Throckmortons

and it always has been.

A number of the women in the family took holy orders,

including Elizabeth Throckmorton,

who lived here in the early part of the 16th century.

She became the last Abbess of Denny in Cambridgeshire

and she held position until the convent closed

during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

This little oak panel is from the door of the abbey itself.

It's what's known as a dole gate.

The word dole is still used today and I'll explain what it is.

You see this panel here, it's hinged, it would open up.

Loaves of bread and other food would be passed out to the needy

and this is where we get the expression on the dole,

people who have fallen on hard times and need a charitable hand-out.

I think this is a priceless piece of our social history

and indeed the family's history.

The outer panels here are beautiful and are carved with the Tudor rose,

the Sacred Heart and the Beaufort portcullis,

representing Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.

The Latin panel on the hinged central doors can be translated as,

"May God preserve Dame Elizabeth Throckmorton, Abbess of Denny."

Elizabeth and two other nuns moved back to Coughton

to live with her nephew.

It's not really known for sure

what she brought back from the convent.

This dole-gate panel was found in a cottage nearby and brought

back to the court.

Well, from something so simple and humble to something very grand now.

We're going straight over to Grimsby to catch up with Christina,

who's talking to a lady called Linda.

Now, Linda, that looks very promising.

Look at that! Wow!

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Oh, it's just a stunner.

Look at that!

Beautiful sapphire and diamond ring.

-Yes.

-Now, tell me, where has this come from, Linda?

Well, about 30 years ago on my birthday,

I had a card from my great-aunt

and in the card was this wrapped up in a little piece of tissue paper,

inside the card through a normal post.

-No?!

-Yes, about 30 years ago.

So, when you opened the card and you saw that, what did you think?

Well, it didn't look like that, it was very dirty,

obviously very well-worn, and she'd put in the card that

it no longer fitted her finger, would I like her sparkle?

And something about it...

I just dropped it into a cup of washing-up water

and the next morning it came out and I thought, "Oh, that is pretty."

-You left it in a washing-up bowl overnight?!

-Yes, yes!

-But something...

-Linda, that's fantastic.

Yes, and so I took it to the jeweller's to have it made bigger,

because it was so pretty, and the jeweller just said to me,

"You do realise it's real?" And I'd got no idea at all that it was real.

It is an absolute stunner, I mean, look at it sparkling in this light,

it's got these wonderful three graduated diamonds

and then it's got this wonderful surround

of individually cut sapphires,

which are all calibre-cut, or square-cut sapphires,

which have all been cut to go in that surround there, and then,

even better, we've got another surround going round the outside.

I would say it might be French.

-Right.

-There are no marks on the back, sadly, so we can't tell,

-because I think the marks have been worn away.

-Worn off, yes.

I mean, to me, it just screams

Art Deco.

It's 1920s, 1930s, incredibly stylish.

-Right.

-And very in vogue right now,

and what's absolutely magic for me is that if we turn it over,

this carved gallery on the back here,

and you just don't get that on modern workmanship.

This has all been hand-carved, it is just stunning.

And honestly, I want to melt, I really, really do.

It's beautiful.

And I think at auction it would be very, very popular.

Very popular. There are two things that we need to consider.

We've got a little sapphire missing here.

-Yes.

-And the second thing is the hoop at the back, as you can see,

is very thin.

Whoever buys it will have some maintenance work to do on it.

-Yes.

-But I think if you were to sell it,

I would expect an auction estimate of £1,000 to £2,000.

-Right you are.

-Now, we want to protect it with a reserve.

-Yes.

-And I would suggest a reserve of £1,000.

-Is that all right?

-Yes, that's fine.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-It's a pleasure, thank you.

That little gem of a ring is the last of our first batch of items

and now it's time to find out if they make our owners any money

when they go under the hammer.

At St Albans, Pam brought in a stylish silver teapot.

Pauline and Brian have fallen out of love

with their Royal Worcester jardiniere,

which they brought to the valuation day at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

And finally, at our valuation day in Grimsby Minster,

Christina loved Linda's sparkling diamond ring.

We've travelled to Tring Market Auctions in Hertfordshire,

where Pam's teapot is up for sale, and Stephen Hearn's our auctioneer.

150, 60, 70...

Remember, whether you're buying or selling,

at every auction there is always commission and VAT to pay.

Right, it's time for tea.

No, don't disappear to the kitchen,

we're selling Pam's silver teapot, and what a beauty it is, isn't it?

-Oh, it's beautiful.

-Why are you flogging it, then?

Because my daughter...

My lovely daughter's getting married next year

and she wants me to have a hat and an outfit.

Right, so it's going towards the wedding fund.

-I think so.

-And it haemorrhages money for mums, doesn't it?

-You're going to be paying for everything, darling.

-It does!

Yes, I know, look, good luck, though. It's going to be a great day.

Let's find out what it's worth, shall we?

It's going under the hammer now.

There we are, nice one, ought to be 180, you know.

150 for it?

120 I've got.

130 I've got.

140. 150, is it?

Yes, 150.

160.

You're out, then.

At £150.

It's gone. And I've got to say how wonderful you look.

And I'm sure you'll look very glamorous on the wedding day.

-I will.

-With your new hat on and shoes!

-Thank you very much.

-Hats and heels.

It's been a lovely experience, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

90 I have now. £200. And ten.

From Tring, we're heading 140 miles north-west

to a former clock factory,

now Trevanion and Dean Saleroom in Whitchurch, Shropshire,

where Aaron Dean's holding the gavel.

And selling at 150, there's no advancement at 150.

Pauline and Brian, you are big Worcester collectors, aren't you?

You know your stuff, 40 years, yeah. How many pieces have you got?

-Too many.

-Too many.

-OK, we're selling your lovely big jardiniere here today.

-Yes.

Right now. Why are you selling this?

Why do you want to get rid of this if you're still collecting?

-Because we've downsized in property.

-OK.

-So the big stuff's got to go.

But we're fortunate because there's two small pieces here by Stinton,

so that one may pay for the other, you see.

Ah, reinvesting, always trading upwards.

So, we need £200 right now.

Here we go, let's do it.

Very good example here.

160 to start there, please. At 160, please, at 160.

160 we have. 170.

-Come on.

-180.

At 180, on the telephone, it is at 180.

At 180, thought it might have made more.

Against you all in the room, it is at £180, 180.

Sold at 180, then.

180, little less than what we thought.

Disappointed, but never mind.

-Is that enough?

-Yes.

-You can make the difference up.

-It has to be.

Finally, we're travelling east to Golding, Young and Mawers

in Lincoln, where auctioneer Colin Young's in charge

of selling Linda's ring.

Right now we're going to make the saleroom sparkle with an Art Deco ring.

It's diamond and sapphire, belonging to Linda.

I love this. It's a lot of money and I love the story,

it arrived in the post, didn't it?

-Yes, yes.

-Wrapped up.

-Yes, in my birthday card.

And no-one knew how much it was worth!

-Great birthday present, though.

-Well, I know!

Well, good luck with it.

-Hopefully you're going home with over £1,000.

-Best of luck.

Let's hand the proceedings over to Colin Young on the rostrum.

You just need to look at the image

-and see what a fabulous ring we're selling here.

-Oh!

Who's going to start me at £1,000?

Good build-up.

800 to go then, 800. Five if we must, then, five's over there.

Right, we're in.

£500 bid. At 500. At 550 now?

At £500 bid. On the right at 500.

550. 550, 600.

600. 650. 700.

650 bid.

700. 700. 750 now.

750. 800.

850. 900.

950. 1000.

-We've sold it.

-At 1,100 bid.

1,200 anywhere else now?

At 1,100, are we all done?

Selling in the room at £1,100.

Yes, £1,100.

How do you feel, darling?

-Is that all right?

-Oh, a bit upset.

-I know!

-Bless you!

It's gone, it's gone.

-You didn't wear it, did you?

-No, no, I didn't.

It was too precious, it was in the safe at home all that time.

It was, it was.

But I loved owning it, I really did.

And thank you, Auntie Kay.

Ahhh!

We'll have more auctions later, but before that,

I want to take you back to Warwickshire

to look at how one family's faith

shaped their fate and fortune for generations.

Coughton Court has been home to the Throckmorton family

for over 600 years and their Catholic religion

has always been very important to them,

so much so that there's not one but two churches here on the estate.

And these two churches tell a remarkable story

of the family's struggle to maintain and be true

to their religious beliefs throughout the darkest of times.

This is the Anglican church of St Peter's.

The church used to be Catholic, as did the country, but in 1534,

King Henry VIII became head of his own Church and everything changed.

St Peter's became part of this new Church of England

and was confiscated from the family.

Things got even worse when Henry's daughter was crowned Elizabeth I.

She reigned with a firmly Protestant fist and it was on her watch that

being a Catholic became a dangerous game indeed.

Under Queen Elizabeth, Protestant worship was law.

Disobeying this law was punishable by hefty fines, or even prison.

Catholicism had been the religion of the people,

but now it could only be practised in private.

Families like the Throckmortons became enemies of the state.

And it was here in the tower of Coughton Court

that the Throckmortons would hold their Mass in secret,

keeping a watchful eye over the countryside beyond,

looking out for anybody trying to catch them out,

practising the forbidden faith.

And here in the tower is this huge painted canvas,

the Tabula Eliensis.

This was a protest document which displayed the shields of Catholic

families imprisoned by the Government

when religious persecution was at its height.

It would have been dangerous to have owned something like this,

let alone have it on display.

It's a bit faded now.

You can just make out some of the armorials and coat of arms

and faces and if you look closely along here

you can see the coat of arms of Thomas Throckmorton,

who spent long periods of time in and out of prison.

But the risks of actually preaching Catholicism were far greater.

Any priest caught saying Mass was almost guaranteed a grisly end.

So Catholic families like the Throckmortons

would have to make sure they were hidden

when the Queen's men came knocking.

And here's how they did it.

Here's Coughton Court's priest-hole.

Follow me and I'll show you down here. This is rather clever.

When the alarm was raised, evidence was hidden

and the priest led here and lowered into the priest-hole.

This is clever because it's a double-height priest-hole,

so if the Queen's men were searching around and they saw this,

they lifted the hatch up and the chamber was empty,

hopefully they wouldn't search any further.

Because there's another trap door underneath this one,

and that's where the priest would be hiding.

Now, the punishment for sheltering a priest could be death.

Now, luckily enough, Coughton's was rather expertly done.

That wasn't rediscovered for another 200 years.

They found not only bedding down there, but a folding leather altar.

Thankfully, no skeletons.

The Throckmortons went further than just refusing to be Protestants.

They actively plotted to replace Queen Elizabeth

with her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.

For which Francis Throckmorton was put to death.

But it was another more explosive plot

that really put Coughton Court on the map.

On the morning of the 6th of November 1605,

a messenger on horseback came thundering towards Coughton Court

from London to deliver the news that a plan

to blow up the Houses of Parliament had failed.

The message was from Robert Catesby,

the ringleader of the Gunpowder Plot,

who was now fleeing for his life.

So what role did Coughton play in this catastrophic conspiracy?

After the death of Elizabeth,

the new King James III had promised

to be more tolerant towards the Catholics.

However, when he actually took the throne he was anything but.

Feeling betrayed, the Catholics decided

the time had come to take action,

and so the potting began.

Coughton Court was to play a big part in the plan.

Robert Catesby was born into the Throckmorton family,

and with the help of his friends, plus a few Throckmorton cousins,

they planned to spark an uprising.

The idea was to blow up the Houses of Parliament

on the day of its opening in 1605,

killing King James and the ruling classes,

and then kidnap the King's daughter,

bring her back here to Warwickshire,

where she would be proclaimed Queen of England,

and the Catholics would seize control.

Coughton Court was rented by one of Catesby's men,

under the pretence of holding a hunting party.

But his actual purpose was to oversee the royal kidnap.

Coughton would then be an important Catholic stronghold

in the rebellion to come.

The cellar under the House of Commons was packed with explosives,

in preparation for the 5th of November.

But the fuse was never lit, because a certain Guy Fawkes,

who was guarding the gunpowder, was discovered.

Here in the drawing room, an anxious group were waiting.

Some of the most prominent Catholics in the country,

all hoping the King would fall,

so they could restore a Catholic monarch to the throne.

But these dreams were soon dashed.

When the news reached Coughton,

a priest in the group exclaimed, "We are all utterly undone!"

The plotters were eventually rounded up and either killed on the spot

or captured to be executed later.

New laws were passed. Catholics no longer had the right to vote.

They weren't allowed to become Members of Parliament.

These laws would remain in place for over 200 years.

As a result of the Gunpowder Plot,

public opinion turned against the Catholics more so than ever.

They were traitors to King and country.

And things got worse for the Throckmortons in the years to come.

In 1688, King James II was overthrown

by the Protestant William of Orange from Holland,

and anti-Catholic riots swept the country.

Coughton was caught up in the violence,

being targeted by a local mob.

The entire east wing was set on fire,

and the family chapel was burned to the ground.

But the Throckmortons were undeterred

and they continued worshipping,

creating a chapel here in the saloon.

The family would participate in the service from up here in the gallery,

while the rest of the household were below.

Slowly but surely, things changed for the better.

By 1829, Catholics could worship freely once again.

Sir Robert Throckmorton took his seat in the House of Commons,

as the first English Catholic MP for 200 years.

The ban was lifted at last.

Now, the family could finally display the relics of their faith

that they'd been forced to keep locked away for so long.

But it's here we see just how far

the Throckmortons' religious journey has come.

In 1855, Sir Robert Throckmorton built this church,

the Catholic Church of St Peter, Paul and Elizabeth.

So, 300 years after being kicked out of St Peter's by Henry VIII

and having to pray in private to keep their religious beliefs alive,

the family could once again pray in a church.

And they still do to this very day.

So, we're back where we started

and we can see how the Catholic fortunes of the family

have come full circle.

We'll be popping back to Coughton later on,

but for now we're returning to St Albans Cathedral,

where the crowds are still packed in

and Jonathan Pratt's found a first for "Flog It!"

Well, this is a bit of an oddity, John, isn't it?

It is, yes. I'm not even sure what it is myself.

Where's this come from?

Well, I went to an auction about 30 years ago

and I wanted to buy one thing, but that went over my price limit

and I came away with that instead,

because I thought it was very unusual.

-I'm not wrong there, am I?

-You're not wrong about that, no.

Just out of chance, do you remember what they catalogued it as?

Yes, it said a coronation plinth, possibly for the coronation in 1837,

but there's no proof of that.

No. As an auctioneer, as a valuer,

you have to look at these things and try and look at what the evidence is

and then work out what the materials are and put them together.

-Yes.

-You've got the crown and the sceptre, Holy Bible there,

sitting on a little cushion.

Need to try and understand what this material is that it's made of.

-I thought it was wood, but...

-Well, I don't think it's wood.

We've got a chip on here,

which suggests this is like a plaster or something.

You know, under here, you see, where all this paper is,

this looks right for sort of late 19th century or so...

It's very dry, sort of like a gouache-type paint,

and it's been sort of veneered to decorate that.

And then the other thing would be to look underneath at the bottom.

This looks like a fairly seasoned piece of wood,

which might be 19th-century.

The gilding on the foot... This looks...

This is what gilding should look like and that looks all right.

This painting here on the crown, starting at the top,

it's very much like gold paint, so it's, you know...

-Right.

-It's not gilding.

I'd say it's been restored at some point.

It has, I think, its origins in the 19th century,

not at the early part of Victoria's reign, but middle to late.

-OK.

-I think once upon a time

it was all gilt like this and it had a glass dome

-and was all very special, and for what purpose I don't know.

-OK.

But then I think that's really what my job's all about.

Half the time, there are things that you find that,

without a crystal ball, you're never going to know.

Today, the market is led by curiosities

and it's led by decorative objects.

-Right.

-If I were to say to you... I think the value, go this way...

I think the value of it now is probably,

looking at the condition and things I'm uncertain about...

-Yes.

-..I think probably it's worth between £80-£120 at auction.

-OK.

Well, that's double what I paid for it, so that's fine.

Right. Well, that's not a bad return.

-That's good.

-I think 80-120.

Which is what we call auctioneer's favourite, but I think £80 to £120,

maybe a £70 reserve, and...

-Someone will love it.

-Someone will love it.

-Did you love it?

-Yes, I had a copy made of it,

so even when it's gone, I've got a copy. So...

And who made the copy?

My father made it, he used to work in a film studio, so...

-OK.

-..he got the property department to make me a copy, a bit bigger.

But it hasn't got a crown and sceptre.

So probably with the money...

I'll sell it, I'll buy a crown and sceptre.

-What more could you want?

-What more could you want?

What an unusual item.

Let's hope it gets the bidders intrigued at auction.

But before that, we're heading to Morecambe,

where Charles Hanson is being his usual charming self.

Isabel, you look a lady who likes to dress well.

-Am I correct?

-Well, yes, but I've never worn those.

-Why?

-Because I didn't know they existed until about ten months ago.

-You just found them?

-I found them under my mum's bed.

You didn't!

-What do you think of them?

-I like them, I think they're very pretty.

-What are they?

-Buttons?

Yes, they are, and they really capture

an age of sophistication.

When eloquence in dress and etiquette was at the height

under Victorian England.

If you look closely, they are pressed silver.

We know they were made in Birmingham in 1900 because

they are so well defined in the metal,

I need not put my eyeglass to them.

There's an anchor. And this carries date letter A.

-Right.

-And A defines the year 1900.

You've also got the mark here R&W, for Reynolds & Westwood,

and the all-important lion passant, which means the alloy of silver

is 92.5% within copper.

-So it's a very high purity of silver.

-Good.

And when it comes to silver generally across the world

English silver is the most pure.

And what I like about them is the fact that they are in

what we call the Neo-Rococo style.

-Right.

-The Victorians revived styles,

and if you look closely you'll see all these C scrolls.

They're pierced as well.

If I hold it like that, you'll see the rays of light going through.

They're frivolous.

They're fanciful.

They were almost black when I found them.

-They weren't!

-They were.

I polished them, but only the once.

Yeah, and that's why they've kept such clarity and detail.

Yes, probably. Yes.

Because the more you rub silver, the more you rub hallmarks away.

And of course the weight and the detail, which collectors look for.

I'd like to place a guide price on them, with your blessing,

of between £60 and £90.

-OK, yeah.

-And I'm fairly fixed in my opinion,

but we can place a reserve on at £60.

-Good.

-So, with your blessing...

-Yeah, that'll be fine.

-They're not sewn on there, are they?

-No!

-They can go to auction.

I'm sure somebody might have the perfect outfit.

-Mm.

-Thank you very much for coming in today.

-Thank you.

Those buttons were quality items.

Hopefully, they'll do well.

Finally, we're off to Grimsby Minster,

where Michael Baggott has spotted a rodent in the building.

Doreen. You've brought me a rat on a hat.

-I certainly have.

-Where did you get your rat on a hat?

Well, my dad brought it home after the war.

And he brought it home

because it reminded him of me because I was a little girl,

he used to call me Mouse.

Oh, right, right, I see.

What we've got is a little bamboo hat,

or a little rush hat tied up.

Mr Rat's got to it and he's been gnawing through the top of it.

Now, we don't particularly like rats in this country,

but in Japan, if you've got rats, you've got rats because you're

abundant with crops, so actually they're a sign of good luck.

-OK.

-Now, if we turn it over, it's beautifully carved out of ivory,

and we've got this beautiful cord,

and a little retaining ring for the hat,

and what's clever there is we've got that ring

and then we've got a space where it lifts there,

which is effectively giving us two holes,

and that's a clue as to what this is for.

And it's what we call a netsuke.

Now, if you were in Japan prior to 1874,

when they banned feudal dress, you would be wearing your costume.

-Yes.

-Pocket-less.

Tied together with a big sash.

So where did you put everything?

You had little... And they're called sagemono, or hanging things,

that you would tuck under your belt.

-Yes.

-On a cord.

And they're all secured when they come through with a toggle.

And the cord has to pass through that toggle through two holes,

and that's what this netsuke does.

-Oh.

-It's carved anywhere between about 1820 and about 1860.

-Really?

-So, as a piece of ivory,

we know there are legislations with ivory.

This is 100 years within those legislations.

-Yeah.

-And also it's a beautiful work of art.

There is one downside, though.

Had you noticed before today?

-No.

-At some time, Ratty's had a blow.

Cracked along there and he's been glued back on.

Now, for most pure collectors of Japanese works of art

that's a complete no-no.

That spoils it.

But he's absolutely charming.

Have you any idea what it might be worth?

-Not really.

-At auction, if we were to put £100-£150 on it...

-Oh, really?

-And a fixed reserve of £100.

Because he's super quality.

-Yes.

-I mean, the sad thing is, I think he's so charming

that in perfect condition everybody would have wanted him,

and he might have been...

£500, £600, £700.

But condition with Japanese works of art is everything.

-I see.

-But it's still a beautiful thing, and I hope the little...

the little rat which was a mouse to you and your father,

-we'll find him a good home. Promise.

-Thank you.

Well, that's it for our last lot of items

and we'll see how they fare in auction shortly.

But before that, I wanted to show you

this rather stunning Kingwood Cabinet.

It's known to the family as a Mass cabinet.

We already heard that the family were unable

to celebrate Catholicism publicly,

they had to do so in secret for some 200 years.

Now, if I open up this cabinet

and look deeper, there's more to it.

You can see the beautiful book-match Kingwood veneers.

And look at this, a wonderful fitted interior.

There's another door to open.

And this takes you virtually into another world.

Look at this. This mirrored interior here,

which looks a lot deeper than it actually is.

There's an illusion in there, which is wonderful,

it makes you actually travel deep into this cabinet.

Now, this could be used as an altar.

And let me show you something in the fitted interior.

If I just take a couple of these little tiny drawers out.

Now, that one is that deep.

If I pull this one out...

Look at the depth of that one.

That tells me something.

That tells me that if I pull something in here...

Look at that, there's a little tiny box on a slide.

That went behind that draw.

There you could hide away religious artefacts and reliquaries

to use for Holy Communion.

I think that is rather stunning.

The condition is superb

and these wonderful book-match veneers, as you can see,

all of these are just cross sections of small branches, all hand-cut.

Planed down by hand to a thickness of around about 1.5 millimetres,

and then glued precisely to mirror and echo each other.

And it speaks volumes of the craftsmanship.

Back in the day, that would have cost a great deal of money.

Today, it's probably worth a small fortune.

And right now we're going to find out

exactly what our pieces are worth over in the auction rooms.

And here's a quick recap, just to jog your memory,

of all the items going under the hammer.

At our valuation day in St Albans Cathedral,

John's regal plinth baffled everyone.

Charles loved Isabel's silver buttons

when he spotted them in Morecambe.

And finally, Doreen has big hopes for a little Japanese netsuke,

valued in Grimsby Minster.

Remember, it's old ivory, so perfectly legal to sell.

So, it's time to sell.

And first we're returning to Tring Market Auctions

for John's unusual plinth.

Two of you want it. 50...

Auctioneer Stephen Hearn's still on the rostrum.

Going under the hammer now, one of my favourite lots of the day.

I fell in love with this coronation plinth.

It's a proper decorator's lot.

-And I know you won't miss it.

-No.

Because you've had a copy made of it.

Well, I loved it so much I had a copy made, yes.

Dad's done that, look. Oh, it's gone.

-It's over there.

-It's over there.

-Oh, there it is. It was behind me.

Yeah, my father worked in a film studio,

he got the property men to make it out of spare bits of wood.

-Yeah.

-So now I've got that forever for me.

Good, good luck. It's going under the hammer right now.

Here we go.

How about 100 for it?

50 for it? 40?

Five. 50. Five.

60. Five, sir?

At £60, then, going...

Surely one more? No.

-Are you sure?

-It's amazing.

Down, then, for £60.

Leave that one, thank you very much.

No, he's not going to sell it.

He was asking for 60, he said we'll leave that one.

OK. That's fine.

I can love it for a bit longer.

Do you know what? I'm shocked. Absolutely shocked.

Well, look, now you've got two.

I've got two now, yeah. I was thinking of making that one into a coffee table.

That's a good idea. That's big enough.

-And then you can put the other one on top, you see.

-That's it! Yes.

Next we're travelling to Silverwoods in Clitheroe,

where auctioneer Wilf Mould's the man of the moment.

90 is on the books. 95 in the room.

He is about to sell Isabel's buttons.

I never thought I'd say this, but the next lot I absolutely adore.

I really do, believe me, and I'm not a button person.

-Would you wear them, Paul?

-No, they're not for a guy, are they?

Unless you went back in time to sort of, you know, the late 1600s.

They've got that Rococo style to them, nice and fussy,

but I think they're brilliant. Absolutely... Yeah.

And I tell you what, if I was a girl I'd buy these.

-Good.

-And I'd sew them onto a jacket or blazer or something.

Because I think they're fun. So who's going to buy these buttons?

Let's find out. There's not many women in the room, is there?

-No.

-Hopefully they'll go online to a collector.

We're going to find out right now. This is it.

Right, this set of six silver buttons.

Who'll start me at, what, £70 for these?

£70? Or 60, then?

-Come on.

-60, and be quick.

35. 35, 38, 40, £40.

£40. 42. 45.

45. 48 and 50.

£50. 55. 60 this time.

£60 is in the room.

-Good.

-£60 from the lady.

65 from anybody else.

Who wants these? I'm selling away at £60.

That's a good round figure, isn't it?

£10 a button, everyone's thought.

-We're pleased, aren't we?

-That's fine. Yes.

-They've gone.

-Yes.

-And it was a pleasant find, wasn't it?

-It was.

I think Isabel was happy with that.

Now, for our final item, we're returning to Lincoln,

but this time John Leat is wielding the gavel,

and hoping to make a good price for Doreen's little netsuke.

It may be small, but it's extremely beautiful.

I'm talking about Doreen's netsuke.

It's going under the hammer right now.

Not a lot of money, around £100-£200,

but did you hear what Michael said?

In good condition maybe 600.

-Yeah.

-That was cruel, wasn't it?

-That's a tease.

-Twisting the knife.

That is a tease, but do you know what?

The carving, the rope work is superb.

So, fingers crossed. Ready for this?

-Yes.

-I'm going to enjoy this.

Let's hope for top money on this, because it's exquisite.

It's going under the hammer now.

Nice little quality carving, this one, and I'll start it at £80.

At £80 here with me. £80, on the commission with 80.

90. 95. 100.

And ten. 120.

130.

140.

150.

160 on the internet, 160. Anybody else that wants it?

150 on the internet.

180 now. 180 on the net. Anyone else...?

180, yes, come on.

On the internet, 190.

At £200 on the internet.

Anyone else at two? At 220 now. At 220 on the internet.

Anybody else at 220? At 220?

Are you all done? I'm going to sell it.

£220, all done, then?

-Yes, £220.

-Fabulous.

-And that was a real work of art.

It's a brilliant price, but I still think that was a bargain.

But that's just the market, the way it is.

I'm thrilled with that.

Brilliant. Brilliant.

Oh, good, and thank you for bringing it in, as well.

Thank you.

Well, that's it for today's show.

I've had a marvellous time here at Coughton Court,

learning all about the house and the family's ups and downs.

And we've also had our downs and ups

in auction rooms across the country.

I was particularly pleased with Doreen's Japanese netsuke.

That was a little gem that did particularly well.

If you've got something like that,

bring it along to one of our valuation days.

So, until the next time, it's goodbye.