Althorp 27 Flog It!


Althorp 27

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Today we're in Northamptonshire, where tradition runs deep.

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The Spencer family have been part of this community for five centuries,

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running the vast estate and the house,

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and employing local people to work here.

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And today we get a chance to see how it all works

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as we make Althorp our home.

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Welcome to "Flog It!".

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CHEERING

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The Spencers have an unbroken link with Althorp

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and the family includes Diana, Princess of Wales,

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who was laid to rest here after her death in 1997.

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Covering 13,000 acres, the estate is largely unchanged

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and we're looking forward to exploring this and the house,

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and our crowd is just starting to arrive.

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Gosh, look at this, what a fantastic queue. Morning, everyone!

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-ALL:

-Morning!

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Hundreds of people have turned up, laden with bags and boxes full of

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antiques and treasures, and hopefully one or two of you are going to go home very rich!

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They're here to see our experts and our experts will give every single item a valuation.

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

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-ALL:

-Flog It!

-Let's do it.

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And we've brought in the best experts to help us.

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Ever the fashion icon, we have Christina Trevanion.

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I love that, where's that come from?

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-GASPING:

-It matches my coat!

-It does, yeah.

-Oh!

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And hot on her tail is Will Axon.

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-It's still wet.

-Yeah.

-LAUGHTER

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And they're getting ideas above their station.

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-Sandringham.

-Sandringham or Althorp, which would you prefer?

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Well, they're both a bit pokey, aren't they?

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Well, it's time to open the doors and get on with the valuations

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and get the crowd inside. Come on in.

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So while they're settling down and unpacking all their antiques

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

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Christina makes a new friend...

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Well, that's a nice spa day for me, then.

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Oh, that's a great idea. Can I come too?

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Will faces temptation...

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-I live on a narrow boat.

-You live on a narrow boat?

-Yeah.

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-What fun!

-It is.

-I've always been tempted, you know.

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'There are lessons to be learned at auction...'

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That's better than being in the skip, isn't it?

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'And I navigate one of the longest canal tunnels in the UK

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'and find out what it was like to be one of the boat people

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'who kept Britain in business.'

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Now we can't get too cosy because our experts have got to work flat out today.

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Let's join up with them at the valuation tables

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and take a closer look at what THEY'VE spotted.

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Christina's found a snug place at the top of the stairs.

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Marion, it really is a very estately home, isn't it?

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-It is, beautiful.

-Beautiful.

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It really is.

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And exactly this sort of home would have accommodated a box like this.

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-Really?

-Yeah, it's a really lovely thing.

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Now, tell me where you got it from.

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It was given to my husband over 50 years ago by a neighbour.

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It's been in one loft to another after moving house...

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-Right.

-..and I decided to bring it today...

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-Mm.

-..because my husband was going to put it on the skip.

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-On the skip?!

-On the skip.

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-Why was he going to put it on the skip?

-Cos he said it's a load of rubbish.

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-A load of rubbish?

-Exactly.

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And I said, "Well, we need to know what it is..."

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OK. How interesting.

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This is what we call Visakhapatnam.

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-Right.

-OK. Now this was made a very, very long way away from here.

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This was made on the Coromandel coast of India.

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-OK.

-OK? From a little town called Visakhapatnam,

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where they made these type of wares.

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Now, if we open it up,

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inside we can see that this originally

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-was once a writing slope...

-Mm-hm.

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-..or a writing desk, if you like.

-Right.

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Now, these sorts of wares were made between the sort of

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mid-17th century and the mid-19th century.

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But this particular example was made in about...

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I think probably about 1830, 1835.

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So this is antler.

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-Antler?

-Antler.

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So all this knobbly bit on the top here is antler.

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This is probably ivory, but because this is an antique piece,

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-ivory is OK to offer.

-Right, OK.

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Right. So, it would have had a covering here, which, sadly, has now gone.

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There is also a bit of a condition issue.

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I think I saw a little bit of missing stringing just here.

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-Yeah.

-Just there, sadly.

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But you've got all the components to it.

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You got your wonderful little pen well here.

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I'm so glad you salvaged it for us, Marion, I really, really am.

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-Good, good.

-It's such a beautiful thing.

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I mean, they were made for a Western audience,

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-they were shipped back home from India.

-Right. Yeah.

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-So they are in very much sort of Anglo-Indian style.

-Mm-hm.

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Value-wise, at auction they are very popular.

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Well, I would happily put an estimate of £200-£300 on this,

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with a reserve at 150.

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-Are you all right?

-I'm shocked.

-Are you all right?

-I'm shocked.

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£200 worth of box in the skip!

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Well, that's a nice spa day for me, then.

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-Oh, that's a great idea. Can I come too?

-You can.

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Ooh, fantastic.

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Well, that's a date, then!

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And it looks like Will's uncovered some real craftsmanship

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from the historic workshop of Robert Thompson.

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Hi, Anne, nice of you to come along

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and thank you for bringing this rather wonderful,

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of course, Mouseman tray.

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-No problem.

-Not only have we the one mouse -

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I've got a rather nice plump long-tailed mouse my end -

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but your end another one,

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because it is, obviously, a two-handled tray,

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so the mice themselves actually become part of the tray

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and make it easier to carry.

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Tell me, are you a Mouseman fan?

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I am, we've got a lot of Mouseman furniture in the house

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and in the family, and...

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-Have you?

-..parents and grandparents...

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-Really?

-..on my husband's side have got a lot of Mouseman furniture, so...

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-Wow.

-..we've got a few mice running around our house.

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Yeah, well, I'm very envious because I love Mouseman,

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I think it's relevant in the modern decoration, with its simple lines

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and its back to sort of basics manufacture.

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I don't need to tell you the story of the mouse, do I? You know that?

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"Poor as a church mouse."

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Exactly. Who knows if that's true or not, but it's a beautiful...

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-A lovely myth, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-A lovely sort of idea to think that.

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It's not cheap to buy from the workshop itself up in Kilburn.

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It is expensive and they themselves

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still sell some of the antique pieces.

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Where has this come...?

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Tell me it's out and used. Have you had a few TV dinners on it?

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Unfortunately, it's not.

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We've got other Mouseman furniture that we use every day - day in, day out -

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but this was given to my husband by his great-aunt...

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-Right.

-..and unfortunately, it's not used.

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-Mm...

-And it seems a shame for it not to be in use and admired, so...

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It does seem a shame because it's got everything going for it.

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It's got the nicely carved mice with the long tails...

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It's got this lovely adzed surface and importantly, the colour -

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that's what's very important

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because I don't know if you've been up to the workshops recently...

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-Yeah.

-..you know, now the oak is quite pale,

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that sort of pale yellow oak,

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whereas this colour oak, where it's just natural patternation

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building over the years and it's this rich, deep,

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almost a sort of... Well, I suppose it's almost like a mahogany.

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We've never really known the date of it,

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except it looks quite early to other furniture that we've got.

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I know people in the business who are specialists in Mouseman

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and they just have to have one look at a mouse

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and they know exactly when it was carved and who carved it,

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because each carver had their own little quirks.

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You know, one made the ears perhaps a bit longer,

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-the tail longer, the tail thinner, fatter.

-Right.

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Well, I'm going to say it's probably 1950s, that sort of period,

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-possibly '60s, but I don't think it's any later than that.

-Right.

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-Yeah, no.

-Well, listen, I think we've got to price it sensibly.

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You know the name of the game.

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What you don't want to do is scare buyers off

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by overcooking something's estimate,

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so I would suggest a sensible auction estimate

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has got to be £200-£300...

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I mean, are you happy at that sort of money?

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Yeah. That's lovely, thank you.

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Well, Will's not the only one who loves oak.

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I'm a real fan and at Althorp there are some amazing specimens.

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There used to be formal plants and flowerbeds surrounding the house,

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but the park and the magnificent oaks are very much part

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of Althorp's historic landscape

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and the current Earl is keen to see that the eye is drawn

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to these wonderful trees in the typical traditional English scene.

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And this one is known to be the oldest oak on the estate,

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it's called the Crimea Oak and it dates back to 1589,

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and just look at the girth on that!

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Memorial planting has continued here on the estate.

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When Diana, the Princess of Wales, died,

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36 oak trees were sown to commemorate her life -

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one for each year she lived.

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We're back at the house and Christina's spotted a real gem.

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Now, Anthony, this is just beautiful, isn't it?

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-Thank you, yes.

-My goodness, how did you come by this?

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I came by it because it belonged to my late mother,

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-who never actually wore it and it was...

-Oh, really?

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No, it has always been in a cupboard or a drawer somewhere

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and it was left to her by her godmother.

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It just seems criminal to me

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that this hasn't seen the light of day for how long?

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30 years at least.

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-30 years at least.

-30 years.

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I mean, it is just a little treasure, innit?

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Look at that, it's beautiful.

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So, date-wise, I would put this at sort of maybe late 1930s,

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the end of the Art Deco period.

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Would that tally with the dates?

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Possibly. I mean, obviously, her godmother would have been born

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about the turn of the century,

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so I don't know whether it would have been a 21st present for her,

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or whether she bought it for herself.

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The reason I'm saying that maybe it's slightly later than that, or it certainly might be of that period...

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-But if we look at the hoop of the ring here...

-Right.

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..it's actually stamped platinum.

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Platinum wasn't used in this country until the 1920s and I think it's

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quite a sophisticated setting,

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-so I'm thinking it might be slightly later.

-Right.

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Nonetheless, it is the most stunning ring.

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It's beautiful. We've got this fabulous, rich,

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velvet blue sapphire in the middle here,

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which is sort of an oval mixed cut, really beautiful.

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-I would suggest it might be a Ceylon sapphire...

-Right.

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..which is the best of the best of the best you can get,

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it's just gorgeous.

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And then surrounded by this wonderful row of diamonds...

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We've got baguette-cut diamonds on the shoulders here

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and old-cut diamonds around the outsides there.

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And then obviously centred by this approximately

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six-carat beautiful sapphire.

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Now, when I started out in this business,

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coloured stones were not particularly fashionable.

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They weren't what people wanted and they weren't particularly sought after.

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Therefore, they were relatively cheap.

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Ever since the Duchess of Cambridge and her very beautiful sapphire

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-and diamond ring arrived in our lives...

-Right.

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..coloured stones have been incredibly sought after

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and they've become fashionable again and they've become very sought after.

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This is absolutely the right time to be selling it.

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-Good, good!

-Ten years ago I would have said, "Mmm..."

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-But, no...

-Excellent.

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..I think it's gorgeous and the fact that it's set in platinum,

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it's a nice early piece, the sapphire is incredibly beautiful,

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-it really is a lovely piece.

-Thank you.

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I would suggest that an appropriate auction estimate for this piece

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would be somewhere in the region of, I would say,

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probably £1,000-£2,000.

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-Right.

-How would you feel about that?

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Um, yes, yeah, I'd like to see it get £1,000, I think.

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OK, so you'd want to have a firm reserve at 1,000?

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-Yes, yes.

-You sure I can't push you down to 900?

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-Just in case we should need it...

-Well, yes, OK, discretion of the auctioneer, shall we say?

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Discretion of the auctioneer, I like that.

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Now, tell me, Anthony, without probing too much,

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do you have a special lady in your life?

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-Yes, but if I gave...

-So why isn't she wearing it?

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If I gave it to her, she would be feeding the horses or mucking them out

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and it would disappear, I guarantee.

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-Really?

-Yes, definitely.

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-It would end up at the bottom of a manure heap somewhere.

-Yes, yeah.

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-Never to be seen again.

-Really?

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-Definitely.

-Oh, my goodness, OK.

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-Well, in which case, we should definitely sell it.

-Yes. Yes. Yes.

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-Yes.

-And you never know, it might be heading off to be someone's

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engagement ring, mightn't it?

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-Good. Thank you.

-You never know.

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No, thank you very much.

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Well, thank you for bringing it in, it's been an absolute pleasure to see it.

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Anything can happen in an auction, so do not go away.

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But before that, let's take a closer look at our sumptuous surroundings,

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the state dining room!

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This was added in 1877 to be closer to the kitchens.

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Prior to that, the kitchens were in one wing and the family ate in the other,

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so you could imagine the servants having to get there in such a rush

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before the food got cold, and we don't like cold food, do we?

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Well, let's hope our items are red hot in the saleroom.

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They're going under the hammer right now

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and here's a quick recap of what we're taking.

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Bound for the skip but luckily re-routed,

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a writing desk all the way from India.

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And the handcrafted oak tray with the telltale Mouseman emblem.

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And the beautiful diamond and sapphire ring.

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We've left Northamptonshire behind and travelled half an hour north to

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Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

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The town had its own canal branch line

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and the wharf was busy in the 19th century,

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when it was a distribution centre for coal and corn.

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For us, though, it's time to see

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how the riches we found at Althorp

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were going to fare

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as they go under the hammer.

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And it looks promising.

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We have two auctioneers on the rostrum for us today -

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Mark and Will Gilding.

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We're hoping we'll find a new home for the antler writing desk.

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Going under the hammer right now, something from India from the Coromandel coast.

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-That's on the east, isn't it?

-Certainly is.

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Yes, it's that lovely little writing desk belonging to Marion.

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This is a bang-on trend, current interior design piece, isn't it?

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I mean, it is, let's face it.

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-Yeah.

-You see it in the magazines, everyone wants something like this, so...

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-Yeah. Exactly.

-..this is it, good luck.

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This Anglo-Indian antler bone and ivory writing box...

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Bidding opens here with me on my book at 110.

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120. 130. 140...

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-Oh, bidding in the room, fantastic. Look at those hands.

-Yeah.

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170. 180, 190. 200.

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210. 220, I'm bid in the room, now, at 220.

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230 online now.

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-Come on.

-Rightly so.

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-Chap's in the room, 240.

-(Come on!)

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-240.

-Back online, come on...

-240.

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At 250 now with the internet.

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260 in the room.

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260. Come on, come on, let's do 300.

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Selling away at £260...

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-It's gone anyway, £260.

-Wow!

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Now that's better than being in the skip, isn't it?

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My husband's shocked!

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-He will be.

-Fantastic, brilliant.

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-Fantastic. Thank you very much.

-Oh, that's all right.

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-Thank you.

-I hope you've enjoyed the day as well.

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-Thank you. Oh, I have.

-It's been wonderful.

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-It's been brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

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-Well done you for making him bring it.

-Thank you.

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Thank you very much. I'm so excited.

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A happy customer and a great start.

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Let's hope the luck continues.

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Well, we are literally serving up on "Flog It!" today a tray.

0:14:490:14:52

Yes, it's a Robert "Mouseman" Thompson one -

0:14:520:14:54

there's two chunky mice as handles!

0:14:540:14:56

I love it, Anne, I think it's absolutely brilliant.

0:14:560:14:59

I've not come across the tray before, so that's quite nice.

0:14:590:15:01

Yeah, it's nice. Good size.

0:15:010:15:03

-Yeah.

-You know, very usable.

0:15:030:15:04

-We're used to seeing the cheeseboards, aren't we?

-Bookends, that sort of thing.

0:15:040:15:07

Exactly, but I love the tray.

0:15:070:15:09

-Yeah, so do I.

-It can be a little bit tricky because of the adzed top...

0:15:090:15:12

Little bit of a wobble, but, you know,

0:15:120:15:14

you put up with that to hold a bit of Mouseman, don't you?

0:15:140:15:17

-Course you do. Anyway, good luck, Anne.

-Thank you.

-It's going under the hammer now.

0:15:170:15:20

The Mouseman tea tray, starting at £140.

0:15:200:15:24

140, 150 here.

0:15:240:15:25

At £150. 160, 170.

0:15:250:15:28

180, 190. 200 bid.

0:15:280:15:31

In the room at £200.

0:15:310:15:33

At £200... At 200, 210 online.

0:15:330:15:35

210, the online bidder, thank you.

0:15:350:15:38

210. The internet has the bid at £210.

0:15:380:15:41

-210, yes!

-That's good.

0:15:430:15:44

That's good, isn't it?

0:15:440:15:45

-Well done. Thank you for bringing that in.

-Thank you.

0:15:450:15:47

It's always nice to talk about great British craftsmanship.

0:15:470:15:50

That's what it's all about.

0:15:500:15:52

Now for one of Christina's favourite lots.

0:15:520:15:55

Good luck, Anthony. Hopefully we can find a loving home for your late mother's diamond and sapphire ring.

0:15:550:16:00

-Thank you.

-It's going under the hammer right now, £1,000-£2,000.

0:16:000:16:04

-Do we have to sell it?

-That's a lot of carats, isn't it?

0:16:040:16:06

That's a lot of carat, that's a lot of ring.

0:16:060:16:08

Anthony, don't you want somebody to give it to?

0:16:080:16:10

-£1,000-£2,000.

-No, no. No.

0:16:100:16:12

I can understand why your wife doesn't want to wear it

0:16:120:16:15

cos she'd be so frightened of losing it...

0:16:150:16:17

Mucking out the horses or just riding and, you know, on a gallop one day, and...

0:16:170:16:20

-Yeah, but really...? Really?

-Oh...

0:16:200:16:22

-I'd wear it all the time!

-You would. You'd have to wear gloves over the top to protect it.

0:16:220:16:26

Yes, that's an idea. Don't suggest the gloves.

0:16:260:16:28

Let's sell it.

0:16:280:16:29

-Don't suggest gloves...

-Let's get the money.

0:16:290:16:31

Horses cost a lot of money, don't they?

0:16:310:16:33

-You need the money.

-Yes.

0:16:330:16:35

Right, let's find out what the bidders think, shall we?

0:16:350:16:37

Sapphire and diamond cluster ring...

0:16:370:16:40

At £850, at 850, I bid.

0:16:400:16:42

850. 900, and 50.

0:16:420:16:45

1,000. 1,100. 12.

0:16:450:16:47

1,300. 14. 1,500.

0:16:470:16:49

My bid at £1,500...

0:16:490:16:51

-No, he's out, he's out, he's out.

-£1,500, come on, telephone bidders.

0:16:510:16:55

Surely a telephone bid on this...

0:16:550:16:57

Now is your chance. At 1,500. 1,600.

0:16:570:16:59

(Come on!)

0:16:590:17:00

-1,700.

-1,700.

-Ooh!

0:17:000:17:02

1,700. 1,800.

0:17:020:17:04

-That's why you need two people.

-Exactly.

-Yeah.

0:17:040:17:06

Thank you. £1,800. John's telephone...

0:17:060:17:09

£1,800, are we all done?

0:17:090:17:11

-It's exciting, isn't it?

-It's good.

0:17:110:17:13

-Although I'm very sad to see this go.

-Good result.

0:17:130:17:15

1,900, right in the corner at 1,900.

0:17:150:17:17

2,000 bid.

0:17:170:17:18

£2,000, telephone bid.

0:17:180:17:20

-Oh, fantastic.

-2,000...

-Anthony, that's brilliant.

0:17:200:17:22

-£2,000, we got that top end.

-Yay! Fantastic.

0:17:220:17:25

-Thank you.

-We got that top end.

0:17:250:17:26

-Well done, you. And well done, you.

-Will it pay for the horse?

0:17:260:17:29

Just about, just about.

0:17:290:17:31

They are expensive, you know, I know what that's all about.

0:17:310:17:34

We're off to the Channel Islands, to Herm in a few weeks,

0:17:340:17:38

-so that'll be nice.

-Right, OK.

-Lovely.

0:17:380:17:39

-It'll pay something towards that.

-Aw!

-Fantastic.

0:17:390:17:42

Well, there you go, our first three lots under the hammer done and dusted.

0:17:450:17:48

Some good results, but more importantly some very happy owners

0:17:480:17:51

and that's what it's all about.

0:17:510:17:53

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

0:17:530:17:55

We could have that big surprise.

0:17:550:17:57

But before that, I had the opportunity of finding out what life was like

0:17:570:18:01

for thousands of workers around here

0:18:010:18:03

who navigated the waterways in narrow boats full of cargo.

0:18:030:18:08

This is a tranquil setting now -

0:18:120:18:14

the perfect place for a peaceful stroll.

0:18:140:18:17

But back in the 19th century,

0:18:170:18:19

the Grand Union was the canal equivalent to the M1 -

0:18:190:18:22

linking London to Birmingham, bustling with narrow boats,

0:18:220:18:26

their crew with horses pulling them along.

0:18:260:18:29

It was a trunk route for getting cargo from A to B.

0:18:290:18:33

Sculptor was a working boat

0:18:330:18:35

owned by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company.

0:18:350:18:38

She's now in the hands of the Canal and River Trust,

0:18:380:18:41

who make sure she is shipshape.

0:18:410:18:44

I'm taking to the water with Lorna York,

0:18:440:18:46

whose family have been boat people since canals were first built.

0:18:460:18:51

She's been researching her family's heritage.

0:18:510:18:54

-Hi, Lorna.

-Hello.

0:18:540:18:55

So, what did boat people do?

0:18:570:18:59

They were the lorry drivers of their day.

0:18:590:19:01

-Yeah.

-They carried cargo to wherever it was wanted,

0:19:010:19:05

and they were continually moving up and down.

0:19:050:19:07

And how far do your family go back in the trade?

0:19:070:19:09

Well, the earliest mention I've got is the marriage of Timothy Bailey

0:19:090:19:15

to Mary Pemberton, 1796.

0:19:150:19:18

-Gosh!

-Yes, it says, "boatman".

0:19:180:19:20

Are you an official boatman?

0:19:200:19:22

-Or boatwoman?

-Boatwoman, yeah.

-Boatwoman...

0:19:220:19:25

-This is your patch, isn't it?

-Yeah. Oh, yeah.

0:19:250:19:28

-Definitely.

-SHE CHUCKLES

0:19:280:19:30

This is a photograph

0:19:300:19:31

of my great-great-grandmother, Caroline Yarnell,

0:19:310:19:35

and her daughter, Julia.

0:19:350:19:38

It's not a pretty picture.

0:19:380:19:39

It's not. She looks tough.

0:19:390:19:40

Yes. She was 81 when she died, on a boat, and she was still captain.

0:19:400:19:46

Wow. Formidable.

0:19:460:19:48

-Like me.

-PAUL LAUGHS

0:19:480:19:49

Yes!

0:19:490:19:50

-Wow.

-As you can see, there's lots of boats cos there's a stoppage.

0:19:520:19:55

-Yeah.

-So they all had to stop.

0:19:550:19:57

-I think what...

-And what would they have been carrying?

0:19:570:19:59

-Grain.

-Yeah.

-Metal.

0:19:590:20:01

Wood. Coal, of course.

0:20:010:20:03

Anything you can think of.

0:20:030:20:05

As I said, they were lorry drivers.

0:20:050:20:07

-Yeah, yeah.

-But they travelled on water.

0:20:070:20:08

-Any load, it doesn't matter.

-Yeah.

0:20:080:20:10

It doesn't matter, brings in the money.

0:20:100:20:12

And what about your parents? Obviously they were boat people.

0:20:120:20:15

-My father was the last one born on a boat.

-Yeah.

0:20:150:20:17

And I'm the first generation of what they call "on the bank".

0:20:170:20:20

-On the bank, OK.

-Yeah.

-Is there another generation?

0:20:200:20:22

-Have you got kids that are going to...?

-Yes, I have three children.

0:20:220:20:25

And are they going to be boat people?

0:20:250:20:26

They've done their university education, they've got good jobs,

0:20:260:20:31

so maybe later, in another ten years,

0:20:310:20:34

they may decide that they want to be on a boat.

0:20:340:20:36

But it wouldn't be one of these.

0:20:360:20:37

-No.

-They'd like a bit of comfort.

0:20:370:20:40

-It'd have a roof on it.

-Oh, yeah.

0:20:400:20:42

-Yeah.

-And a proper toilet!

0:20:420:20:44

And a bathroom. And a television.

0:20:440:20:48

Now, THIS is Blisworth Tunnel.

0:20:520:20:54

It was built 200 years ago to carry the canal under Blisworth Hill

0:20:540:21:00

south of Northampton.

0:21:000:21:02

Now, nowadays these narrow boats have an engine.

0:21:020:21:06

You can hear it, listen to that - boom, boom, boom, boom...

0:21:060:21:09

Chugging along nicely.

0:21:090:21:10

But back in the day,

0:21:100:21:11

they were pulled along by a heavy horse, harnessed up

0:21:110:21:14

on the towpath, pulled by rope.

0:21:140:21:17

Now, bear in mind, this tunnel is one and three quarter miles long,

0:21:170:21:22

and there are NO towpaths.

0:21:220:21:24

So how did they do it?

0:21:240:21:26

The canal company would employ men called "leggers",

0:21:280:21:30

who would literally be laying on boards off the side of the narrow boat,

0:21:300:21:33

legging their way through - one this side and one the other.

0:21:330:21:37

Now, can you imagine...? That is hard work

0:21:370:21:39

because when these boats are full with cargo, that's a heavy payload.

0:21:390:21:43

It's damp, it's cold.

0:21:430:21:44

Sometimes they'd have been soaking wet as well.

0:21:440:21:47

And once they'd finished this way,

0:21:470:21:48

there'd be another team ready to go back that way,

0:21:480:21:50

and then backwards and forwards,

0:21:500:21:52

so you'd work in tandem all day long.

0:21:520:21:54

And these boards were known as "wings",

0:21:540:21:55

so they were literally winging it as well!

0:21:550:21:58

We'll be finding out more about the life of the people who worked

0:22:010:22:03

on the boats a little later, but first,

0:22:030:22:05

I've spotted something that would have been vital

0:22:050:22:08

to the labourers and the vessels they operated...

0:22:080:22:11

A blacksmith's, right here on the towpath.

0:22:110:22:14

Bob Nightingale is a modern-day blacksmith

0:22:140:22:18

who's been perfecting his craft for 40 years.

0:22:180:22:21

What a great spot you've got here, right on the towpath as well.

0:22:220:22:25

So, how old is this blacksmith's?

0:22:250:22:27

Well, the blacksmith's shop was built in 1902

0:22:270:22:30

and it repaired the boats.

0:22:300:22:31

It repaired the metalwork on the boats

0:22:310:22:34

cos most of the boats were wood,

0:22:340:22:35

so there's always been a blacksmith's here...

0:22:350:22:37

And the blacksmith made all the tools for the bankmen,

0:22:370:22:40

cos all the banks would have been stripped bare...

0:22:400:22:43

and all the towpaths had to be maintained.

0:22:430:22:46

So you were really vital to the life of these people

0:22:460:22:49

that worked on these boats.

0:22:490:22:50

All of those people would have used me at some stage.

0:22:500:22:55

Yeah. Would there have been quite a few blacksmiths?

0:22:550:22:58

-As the canal cut was dug...

-Yeah.

0:22:580:23:00

..there'd have been blacksmiths travelling along the canal.

0:23:000:23:04

They would have worn-out tools.

0:23:040:23:05

The tools weren't bought from central supply -

0:23:050:23:08

they were made on the spot.

0:23:080:23:10

Yeah. I guess having a location like this, right on the canal towpath,

0:23:100:23:13

a blacksmith would never be out of work, with all of this traffic

0:23:130:23:16

going backwards and forwards.

0:23:160:23:17

This was the major thoroughfare.

0:23:170:23:19

The tonnage that was carried in those days would have been vast.

0:23:190:23:24

-Yeah. Well, look, it's good to bump into you.

-My pleasure.

0:23:240:23:26

And you know what? Life has stood still for me here.

0:23:260:23:28

I've gone back 100 or 200 years.

0:23:280:23:30

You know, I've had a beautiful trip so far.

0:23:300:23:32

I'm jumping aboard now and we're carrying on our journey.

0:23:320:23:35

-My pleasure. Enjoy your day.

-Thanks.

0:23:350:23:36

OK, Bob!

0:23:360:23:38

So, what would life have been like on the boat here?

0:23:400:23:43

If you were the woman, you would be steering.

0:23:430:23:47

You'd be preparing the meals, you'd be looking after the children.

0:23:470:23:51

If you were the man, you'd also be looking after the horse on the bank.

0:23:510:23:55

It was different when the motorboats arrived

0:23:550:23:58

because the man would be steering the motorboat,

0:23:580:24:00

the woman would be steering the butty,

0:24:000:24:02

so you've got two boats then.

0:24:020:24:04

In this particular boat, you were allowed two adults and two children.

0:24:040:24:07

-Mm.

-But if you had a butty boat, you could have another...

0:24:070:24:10

-Which is one that follows, that you tow with cargo in...

-Yeah.

0:24:100:24:13

You could have another six children cos two children equals one adult,

0:24:130:24:17

so you've got eight children on-board already.

0:24:170:24:20

-That's a big family!

-No, no, that's quite small.

0:24:200:24:23

PAUL LAUGHS

0:24:230:24:25

I wouldn't want to be with eight children on a narrow boat,

0:24:250:24:27

-that's for sure.

-And, of course, if they had more children than that,

0:24:270:24:31

they sort of had to disappear when the boat inspectors came round.

0:24:310:24:35

Right, so they'd hide somewhere?

0:24:350:24:37

They would hide or they'd be on another boat

0:24:370:24:39

and so on and so forth.

0:24:390:24:41

The children were always with their parents

0:24:410:24:43

because the boats were their home.

0:24:430:24:46

-Yeah, exactly.

-They ate fairly well.

0:24:460:24:48

Anything that moved on the towpath was theirs...

0:24:480:24:51

-if it was edible.

-PAUL LAUGHS

0:24:510:24:53

-Really?

-Whether it's pheasants, rabbits, or whatever.

-Yeah.

0:24:530:24:55

So, all the kids were well looked after?

0:24:550:24:57

Oh, they were well looked after.

0:24:570:24:59

They might not have been clean, but then if you're in a boat

0:24:590:25:01

-with 60 tonne of coal on board, you're not going to be clean!

-No...

0:25:010:25:05

What about the education of the kids?

0:25:050:25:08

They didn't have any education.

0:25:080:25:10

Occasionally, when they were at a place where they were off-loading

0:25:100:25:14

or loading, they would go to the local school,

0:25:140:25:16

but it may be for half a morning, a morning, or a day.

0:25:160:25:20

-But that was it.

-Yeah.

0:25:200:25:21

And they might not go to another school for maybe another month.

0:25:210:25:24

There was no actual medical care available to them as such

0:25:250:25:29

because they were on the move.

0:25:290:25:31

-Yeah.

-But saying that,

0:25:310:25:33

there were places like Stoke Bruerne where they could get medical care.

0:25:330:25:37

The lady that lived in Lock Cottage, Sister Mary Ward,

0:25:370:25:42

looked after the boat families for 30 years and they trusted her.

0:25:420:25:46

They were looked down on and there was always a stigma.

0:25:460:25:49

They were called gypsies, dirty bargees, and so on and so forth,

0:25:490:25:53

so they were very mistrustful of the general population.

0:25:530:25:57

What brought on the end of the boat people?

0:25:570:25:59

What was it, the railways, really?

0:25:590:26:01

It was in stages.

0:26:010:26:03

After the First World War, you had all the men coming back

0:26:030:26:07

and all the lorries came back, and the road systems improved.

0:26:070:26:12

-Ah... Yeah.

-And they could transport goods and stuff much quicker by roads.

0:26:120:26:17

-Mm...

-And then the last real bit was the big freeze of '62/'63.

0:26:170:26:25

That really put the nail in the coffin.

0:26:250:26:28

-And after that...

-Nothing could move.

0:26:280:26:31

Nothing could move for months on end and, after that,

0:26:310:26:34

they'd lost all the contracts to the road.

0:26:340:26:36

-It just disappeared. It just...

-It couldn't come back.

0:26:360:26:39

-It couldn't come back.

-No. Which brings us nicely...

0:26:390:26:42

to a pub.

0:26:420:26:44

BOTH LAUGH

0:26:440:26:46

You know, I know life has moved on,

0:26:520:26:54

but my little trip today has given me time to reflect.

0:26:540:26:58

It's actually slowed right down.

0:26:580:27:00

I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

0:27:000:27:02

It's given me time to appreciate what life WAS like for those boat people,

0:27:020:27:06

people that Lorna is so proud of.

0:27:060:27:10

Back at Althorp, our experts are working their way through the queue

0:27:140:27:18

and Will has unearthed something belonging to a man who lives on a narrow boat.

0:27:180:27:22

As I've just discovered,

0:27:220:27:24

there's not much space on-board for treasures.

0:27:240:27:26

-Well, Harvey, we met briefly in the queue over a couple of cardboard boxes...

-We did.

0:27:280:27:32

..as is often the case,

0:27:320:27:33

and you showed me a photograph of what was inside,

0:27:330:27:37

and here we have it.

0:27:370:27:38

Unwrapped in all its glory.

0:27:380:27:40

A gilt metal mantel clock under a glass dome.

0:27:400:27:44

Tell me, it had a life before it came to you.

0:27:440:27:47

Yes, it goes right back to my grandmother.

0:27:470:27:50

I know she had it prior to the Second World War.

0:27:500:27:52

-So it survived the Blitz?

-It survived the Blitz in London.

0:27:520:27:55

-Yes.

-So I remember it as a child, standing there looking up at it...

0:27:550:28:00

and-and loved it...

0:28:000:28:01

-Yes.

-And, out of the blue, I found it had been left to me.

0:28:010:28:04

-Oh, wonderful.

-So, I got it, I got it working...

0:28:040:28:07

-Yes.

-..but had nowhere to display it,

0:28:070:28:10

-so it lived in its box...

-Oh!

-..and there it's lived ever since.

0:28:100:28:13

So why don't you have it on display?

0:28:130:28:15

Um... I live on a narrow boat and there's no space.

0:28:150:28:19

-You live on a narrow boat?

-Yeah.

0:28:190:28:20

-What fun. I've always been tempted, you know.

-It is.

0:28:200:28:23

-Well, you should.

-And do you stay in one place,

0:28:230:28:25

or do you travel the country in your narrow boat?

0:28:250:28:27

We travel around.

0:28:270:28:28

We usually have a marina for the winter time.

0:28:280:28:31

-We get distracted.

-We do.

0:28:310:28:32

-We've got to talk about the clock, haven't we?

-Yeah.

0:28:320:28:34

Because I remember, in the queue, I asked you, we saw the photograph,

0:28:340:28:37

I said, "Is it spelter?"

0:28:370:28:39

And you said, "No, I think it's ormolu,"

0:28:390:28:41

which would be gilded bronze.

0:28:410:28:44

-It's spelter.

-It's spelter, yes.

-It is spelter, I'm afraid.

0:28:440:28:46

-Cheaper alternative to bronze, cheaper to manufacture.

-Yes.

0:28:460:28:50

By this stage, you're talking probably here late 19th century.

0:28:500:28:53

There was a great sort of explosion

0:28:530:28:55

in the size of the sort of middle classes.

0:28:550:28:57

Everyone wanted to sort of keep up with the Joneses.

0:28:570:28:59

You know, everyone had seen the big house on the hill, you know,

0:28:590:29:02

had the fancy clock on the mantelpiece and so on, so...

0:29:020:29:04

just to emulate that, really, and sort of your place socially.

0:29:040:29:09

Let me take this dome off.

0:29:090:29:11

You've done very well to keep that in one piece.

0:29:110:29:14

The dome itself has a value

0:29:140:29:16

cos someone might have a clock with no dome.

0:29:160:29:18

But let's have a look at the clock itself.

0:29:180:29:20

As I say, it's in spelter,

0:29:200:29:21

what we would call a sort of figural mantel clock.

0:29:210:29:23

We've got a lady here.

0:29:230:29:25

Is she emblematic of the seasons, perhaps?

0:29:250:29:27

They've used a harvest girl.

0:29:270:29:28

Here she is, look,

0:29:280:29:29

she's got her wheat sheaf here that she's harvested.

0:29:290:29:31

So, emblematic of the seasons.

0:29:310:29:34

You've got this white enamel dial, which, again, is in good condition.

0:29:340:29:37

You've got the Roman numerals nicely painted on there.

0:29:370:29:40

You've got a barrel movement - fairly mass produced, to be honest -

0:29:400:29:44

shipped all over the world

0:29:440:29:45

and placed into cases which were then retailed in those countries.

0:29:450:29:49

There's no bell on the movement, so it is a pure timepiece,

0:29:490:29:54

it's not a striking clock.

0:29:540:29:56

In theory, to be called a clock, it needs to strike -

0:29:560:29:59

either on the hour, quarters, that sort of thing.

0:29:590:30:01

So, it's a timepiece...

0:30:010:30:03

It may be a bit mean,

0:30:030:30:05

but I think it's got the look and the dome in good order...

0:30:050:30:08

I'm going to say £200-£300, how does that sound?

0:30:080:30:10

-Fine.

-Yeah? Is that all right?

0:30:100:30:12

-Yes... Yes.

-And what about a reserve?

0:30:120:30:14

I mean, how desperate are you to have it back if it doesn't sell?

0:30:140:30:17

Well, I've got nowhere to put it.

0:30:170:30:18

What's the least you would take for it,

0:30:180:30:20

and we'll stick that on as a reserve?

0:30:200:30:22

-Yeah, go 150.

-Shall we go 150?

0:30:220:30:23

-150.

-Tell you what, it's a deal.

0:30:230:30:25

-Right.

-200-300, 150 reserve...

0:30:250:30:27

-Thank you. Lovely.

-..and, uh, bye-bye clock.

0:30:270:30:29

Hope so.

0:30:290:30:30

After exploring the house,

0:30:300:30:31

Christina's taken her find to the driveway.

0:30:310:30:34

Dean, Janet, THIS is arriving in style, is it not?

0:30:360:30:40

-It is.

-There's no messing around here, is there?

0:30:400:30:42

-It's fabulous!

-It's amazing.

0:30:420:30:44

Where on earth did you get it from? Dean, is it yours?

0:30:440:30:47

-It is mine.

-Mm-hm.

0:30:470:30:48

I was given it from my nan as a Christmas present

0:30:480:30:50

when I was four years old.

0:30:500:30:51

-God bless Granny.

-God bless Granny.

0:30:510:30:53

-Yeah.

-And...

-Four years old.

0:30:530:30:55

Four years old, so we're talking 26 years ago now.

0:30:550:30:57

And did you have it when you were a child, Mum?

0:30:570:30:59

I was with her when she bought it.

0:30:590:31:00

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

0:31:000:31:02

-Oh, wow.

-In 1957.

0:31:020:31:04

-And she bought this...

-She did.

-And was it as a present for you?

0:31:040:31:07

For the family, brothers and sisters.

0:31:070:31:10

On Christmas Day we all had a go and then it was locked away.

0:31:100:31:15

-It was locked away?

-Boxing Day, locked away.

0:31:150:31:17

-Oh, my goodness.

-I know.

0:31:170:31:19

And then it came to Dean here?

0:31:190:31:20

-It did.

-And there is literally not a mark on it.

0:31:200:31:24

-No.

-It's been well looked after.

-It's been really well looked after.

0:31:240:31:27

Granny really cherished it, didn't she?

0:31:270:31:29

-She did.

-Mm!

-All the Christmas presents, she did.

-Wow.

0:31:290:31:32

-Locked 'em all away.

-Oh, did she?

0:31:320:31:35

-Yeah, she was a rotter.

-At the time...

0:31:350:31:36

-I was going to say!

-She was a rotter.

0:31:360:31:38

At the time, that must have been incredibly frustrating, wasn't it?

0:31:380:31:41

It was. Dolls, everything got locked away.

0:31:410:31:43

-Really?!

-Yeah, everything.

-Oh, no!

0:31:430:31:46

So, Dean, as a four-year-old, were you allowed to play in this?

0:31:460:31:49

I was allowed to play in it a couple of times,

0:31:490:31:51

but it was never allowed outside the house.

0:31:510:31:54

I only pedalled around the living room in it.

0:31:540:31:56

-Oh! On the carpet.

-On the carpet, yeah.

0:31:560:31:58

So was that Granny telling you that, or was that Mum?

0:31:580:32:00

-I think that was Mum.

-So you inherited it from your mother!

0:32:000:32:02

-I did.

-ALL LAUGH

0:32:020:32:04

-I mean, how does it drive?

-It just pedals along.

0:32:040:32:07

But there are no chips or anything on here,

0:32:070:32:09

so well done you guys for keeping it in such good condition,

0:32:090:32:12

because that is where your value is now.

0:32:120:32:14

We do see these a lot,

0:32:140:32:15

you know, they're not particularly rare.

0:32:150:32:18

-Mm-hm.

-It's made by a company called Tri-ang, who, in the 1940s,

0:32:180:32:22

laid claim to being the largest toy manufacturer in the UK.

0:32:220:32:24

-So it's not a particularly rare, rare model.

-Mm-hm.

0:32:240:32:28

But nonetheless, the fact that it's in such good condition

0:32:280:32:30

is really quite exceptional.

0:32:300:32:32

You've done incredibly well.

0:32:320:32:33

And the piece de resistance for me...

0:32:330:32:35

is you've got the box!

0:32:350:32:37

The box!

0:32:370:32:38

I mean, how did you think about keeping the box?

0:32:380:32:41

So many people just fling 'em away, burn them.

0:32:410:32:43

-That's Mum again.

-Mum always says, "You keep it in the box!"

0:32:430:32:46

-So, tell me, Dean, when you were pedalling this round...

-Yes.

0:32:460:32:49

-..four-year-old Dean...

-Mm.

-..what does this do?

0:32:490:32:51

Well, this button here,

0:32:510:32:53

this is for the horn...

0:32:530:32:54

-Yeah.

-And this little button here is for the lights.

0:32:540:32:56

Oh, it's got lights!

0:32:560:32:57

-You have lights at the front and lights at the back.

-Oh!

0:32:570:33:00

Oh, the horn doesn't work!

0:33:000:33:01

No, the battery got left in there

0:33:010:33:03

-and it got a bit eroded...

-Oh, shengles...

-..but apart from that...

0:33:030:33:06

-Yeah, she forgot to take that out.

-..it's OK.

0:33:060:33:08

-CHRISTINA SIGHS

-It's not a biggie.

0:33:080:33:09

It's great, though, isn't it?

0:33:090:33:10

-You've got your adjustable seat here.

-Yeah.

0:33:100:33:12

-Does the boot open?

-The boot does open, yeah.

0:33:120:33:14

I bet you put your packed lunches in there, did you?

0:33:140:33:16

-I put a radio in there.

-Oh, did you?

0:33:160:33:18

-Yeah.

-Oh, I like it!

0:33:180:33:19

-Radio in there...

-And does the front open?

0:33:190:33:21

Yeah, the front opens as well.

0:33:210:33:22

Oh, I see, so there's your batteries and things in there.

0:33:220:33:25

-Brilliant.

-Your batteries and whatnot...

0:33:250:33:26

Exactly. Love it.

0:33:260:33:28

I really, really think that this will do well at auction.

0:33:280:33:32

I don't think... I mean, I've seen them sold before.

0:33:320:33:34

They tend to make maybe £100-£150, but for ME,

0:33:340:33:38

the fact that you've got this in such good condition

0:33:380:33:40

and the fact that YOU have kept it in such good condition,

0:33:400:33:43

-and YOU...

-Thank you.

-..all through the generations...

0:33:430:33:45

The fact that you've got the original box - which, I mean,

0:33:450:33:47

-I've never seen an original box - will really help the value.

-OK.

0:33:470:33:52

Now, I would like to put an auction estimate of maybe £200-£300 on it.

0:33:520:33:57

-OK.

-What do you think about that, guys?

0:33:570:33:59

-That's not too bad.

-Not too bad?

0:33:590:34:00

As long as it goes to the right person.

0:34:000:34:02

It will go to somebody who absolutely cherishes it because...

0:34:020:34:06

-Exactly.

-I mean, where do you get another one in such good condition?

0:34:060:34:09

-That is where its value lies now.

-Exactly that.

0:34:090:34:11

So, well done, you.

0:34:110:34:12

I really, really love it, and I hope it goes va-va-voom...

0:34:120:34:15

-Hopefully.

-Be good.

-..over £300 for you.

0:34:150:34:18

-LAUGHTER

-That'd be nice!

0:34:180:34:20

We're staying outside for the time being.

0:34:200:34:23

I'm meeting up with the gamekeeper at Althorp, Adey Greeno,

0:34:230:34:27

who's been here for 26 years.

0:34:270:34:29

Tell me about the deer.

0:34:300:34:31

Well, these are red deer

0:34:310:34:33

and they're a relatively new herd for us...

0:34:330:34:36

well, for Lord Spencer,

0:34:360:34:38

and we picked our blood stag up from Norfolk.

0:34:380:34:41

He's a big boy. You've also got, what, 400 other...?

0:34:410:34:44

-Yeah, we've got some fallow deer...

-Fallow, yeah.

0:34:440:34:46

..which have been here since 1508.

0:34:460:34:48

And they're all named after cheese, aren't they?

0:34:480:34:50

Well, we bought the blood stag from Lord Leicester in Holkham Hall

0:34:500:34:56

and because he's a red deer and he was from the Earl of Leicester,

0:34:560:34:59

we called him Red Leicester, and then we've got Edam.

0:34:590:35:01

They're all named after cheeses and the little tiny one is Babybel.

0:35:010:35:05

-Yeah.

-So it's just easier to keep them...

0:35:050:35:07

But as they... They'll be doubling up this June

0:35:070:35:09

and I think we're going to run out of cheeses quite soon.

0:35:090:35:12

PAUL LAUGHS

0:35:120:35:14

It's a marvellous sight to see here on a late afternoon,

0:35:140:35:17

with this sun coming down,

0:35:170:35:18

and you expect to see them here in this parkland, don't you?

0:35:180:35:21

Yes, you do, and they do go hand in glove

0:35:210:35:25

with stately homes in this country,

0:35:250:35:28

and, as I say, the fallow deer have been here as long as the Spencers,

0:35:280:35:31

and Lord Spencer is always telling me

0:35:310:35:33

-that they have as much right to be here...

-As the family.

0:35:330:35:36

..as he and his family, yes.

0:35:360:35:38

Lovely. Absolutely beautiful.

0:35:390:35:41

Time to get back inside and Will's been busy.

0:35:460:35:50

Marion, tell me, are you local to Althorp?

0:35:500:35:53

Um, I am, about eight miles away in Overstone.

0:35:530:35:56

OK, so, tell me, how does someone eight miles from here

0:35:560:35:59

end up with something from halfway around the world?

0:35:590:36:01

It was my Uncle Bill's, who lived in London,

0:36:010:36:04

and who was a curator at the British Museum.

0:36:040:36:07

-Was he really?

-The Roman section,

0:36:070:36:09

and he loved actually anything that was Chinese or Japanese.

0:36:090:36:13

So he loved the Oriental...?

0:36:130:36:15

-Yeah.

-It's the skill involved in creating these pieces, you know...

0:36:150:36:18

-Mm.

-If you have a look at this... what is an ivory cardcase,

0:36:180:36:22

-the intricacy of the work there is amazing, isn't it?

-It's amazing.

0:36:220:36:25

It makes you wonder how they...

0:36:250:36:27

How on earth they did it, how...

0:36:270:36:28

-They must have been super skilled...

-Yes.

-..or had a lot of patience,

0:36:280:36:32

-because I'm not sure I would have the patience.

-Both, I suppose.

0:36:320:36:35

Exactly right.

0:36:350:36:36

And first of all, it is ivory and I'm just going to...

0:36:360:36:39

-I wasn't sure.

-Really?

0:36:390:36:40

-You thought it might have been...?

-Bone, or...

-OK.

-Bone.

0:36:400:36:43

Well, a good way of telling the difference between ivory and bone

0:36:430:36:46

is if you look at bone, generally it will have little flecks in it,

0:36:460:36:49

little black flecks.

0:36:490:36:51

-No dark flecks, it's going to be ivory.

-Right.

0:36:510:36:53

And I've got to stress here that this certainly dates before 1947

0:36:530:36:57

because with the Cites licence

0:36:570:37:00

needed to sell pieces after that date,

0:37:000:37:03

pieces before that date are exempt from the legislation,

0:37:030:37:06

-so it's perfectly legal for us to sell this.

-Yes.

0:37:060:37:09

Well, it's come from China, you know that, but where in China?

0:37:090:37:13

There were two major sort of centres of ivory production in China.

0:37:130:37:17

-Right.

-One was Beijing and one was Canton.

0:37:170:37:20

Beijing tended to concentrate on more natural carvings of ivory,

0:37:200:37:27

-intended for the domestic consumption...

-Right.

0:37:270:37:29

..whereas Canton really was a centre of export,

0:37:290:37:33

sort of more bleached white ivory pieces that were intricately carved.

0:37:330:37:38

-Yeah.

-They would turn it into bowls, cardcases, boxes,

0:37:380:37:41

all sorts - you name it, you could get it -

0:37:410:37:43

whereas in Beijing, I think they concentrated on more

0:37:430:37:47

the sort of natural organic shape of the ivory and worked around that,

0:37:470:37:52

-if you see what I mean.

-Yes.

0:37:520:37:53

Date-wise, again, turn of the century, 1900.

0:37:530:37:56

Canton, Chinese, little ivory cardcase,

0:37:560:38:00

but I think we're going to have to be sensible with our estimate...

0:38:000:38:03

-Mm-hm.

-..and I would like to straddle that £100 mark.

0:38:030:38:06

-Mm-hm.

-It's an old "Flog It!" favourite, I know...

-Go on.

0:38:060:38:09

..but if I said to you 80 to 120...

0:38:090:38:11

-Right.

-..and we'd fix the reserve at 80, is that acceptable to you?

0:38:110:38:15

-Um...

-Tell me if it isn't.

-I think I would like to try it at 100...

0:38:150:38:17

-That's fair enough.

-..if you don't mind.

0:38:170:38:19

-Listen, it's bang in the middle of my estimate...

-Yeah.

-..so it stands a chance, doesn't it?

0:38:190:38:23

-Yeah.

-And the estimate in that case will be published at 100 to 150.

0:38:230:38:27

OK, lovely.

0:38:270:38:28

I don't appreciate it as much as somebody else would.

0:38:280:38:32

-Well, that's the joy of auction - whoever buys it, wants it.

-Yes, that's it. Yeah, exactly.

0:38:320:38:36

-Have you enjoyed yourselves today? ALL:

-Yes!

0:38:380:38:40

Ye-e-es! They've done us proud.

0:38:400:38:42

We've found some real treasures

0:38:420:38:44

and right now we're going straight over to the auction room for the very last time.

0:38:440:38:47

I've got my favourites, you've got yours,

0:38:470:38:49

let's find out what the bidders think.

0:38:490:38:51

They're going under the hammer right now,

0:38:510:38:53

and here's a quick recap of the items we're taking with us.

0:38:530:38:55

There's no room for it on Harvey's narrow boat,

0:38:550:38:58

but the mantel clock will make a real statement in the right place.

0:38:580:39:02

It's absolutely pristine and should attract the bidders...

0:39:020:39:05

The smart Tri-ang pedal car.

0:39:050:39:07

And the intricate ivory cardcase from China.

0:39:090:39:12

We're back in the auction room,

0:39:120:39:14

with both Will and Mark Gilding on the rostrum,

0:39:140:39:16

and it's time to see if any bidders are keen

0:39:160:39:19

to fill their mantelpieces.

0:39:190:39:21

Good luck with this clock, Harvey.

0:39:210:39:22

-Thank you.

-Certainly not the thing you want to keep on a narrow boat.

0:39:220:39:25

Yes, Harvey's sold his house, he's now living on a narrow boat.

0:39:250:39:28

I'm jealous. I'd love to live on a narrow boat, wouldn't you?

0:39:280:39:31

-Um...

-Well, when you retire...?

0:39:310:39:33

Well... I wouldn't mind spending a night or two on a narrow boat...

0:39:330:39:36

-Aw!

-..and experiencing the whole thing, but not living on one.

0:39:360:39:39

Oh, you old lightweight!

0:39:390:39:41

PAUL LAUGHS

0:39:410:39:43

He's only saying that cos you know he wouldn't really!

0:39:430:39:45

ALL LAUGH

0:39:450:39:47

I'm going to go on the Blue Angel. We're going...

0:39:470:39:49

Hopefully, if we get a good result, you two can buddy up.

0:39:490:39:52

Right, let's find out what this is worth.

0:39:520:39:55

It's the French gilt metal and alabaster mantel clock...

0:39:550:39:59

With me at £120, I bid.

0:39:590:40:01

At 120. 120, I have, and 30. 140, I have bid.

0:40:010:40:04

150 and, 60, I have.

0:40:040:40:06

-It's going there.

-At £160, it's here with me at 160.

0:40:060:40:09

170, 180 bid.

0:40:090:40:11

At £180, I have, the absentee bidder at 180.

0:40:110:40:14

-I think he's going to sell at 180.

-He's got to sell it.

0:40:140:40:17

Yeah, using discretion. Yes!

0:40:170:40:19

180, just got away with it.

0:40:190:40:21

-Oh, well.

-Well, listen, at least it solves a problem for you.

0:40:210:40:24

-Yes, it does.

-It doesn't need to go on-board and that money can be spent

0:40:240:40:27

on antifouling paint or anything like that...

0:40:270:40:30

-Some new fenders.

-Yes, that's it.

0:40:300:40:32

Yes. No, that's great.

0:40:320:40:33

Lucky Harvey!

0:40:330:40:35

We are on a roll!

0:40:350:40:36

-Marion, it's great to see you again.

-Thank you.

0:40:380:40:40

Going under the hammer right now we've got that ivory Chinese

0:40:400:40:43

cardcase and I think this is a good time to sell.

0:40:430:40:45

We're looking at around £100, £150?

0:40:450:40:47

-Yep.

-I think, in three or four years' time, there'll be a total ban

0:40:470:40:50

on ivory, irrespective of works of art or age, don't you?

0:40:500:40:54

-And rightly so.

-I think you might be right.

-I think everything's moving in that direction now,

0:40:540:40:58

-so a good time to sell.

-Yeah.

0:40:580:40:59

Some Cantonese carved ivory, a visiting cardcase,

0:40:590:41:02

and bidding opens with me at £90.

0:41:020:41:05

-90, I'm bid.

-Close.

-Yeah.

0:41:050:41:06

100 in the room.

0:41:060:41:08

110, 120, 130.

0:41:080:41:10

140. 150 online.

0:41:100:41:13

At 150.

0:41:130:41:14

Bidders all out down here then.

0:41:140:41:15

In fact, you're out this side as well.

0:41:150:41:17

It's 150 with the internet.

0:41:170:41:18

I will sell away then, fair warning at 150...

0:41:180:41:23

-£150. Well done, Will, top end.

-Great.

0:41:230:41:24

-Well done you for looking after that...

-Thanks.

0:41:240:41:26

..and hanging onto it, and bless you for coming in.

0:41:260:41:29

-I know you were really nervous, weren't you?

-Thank you very much.

0:41:290:41:31

Time now to press down hard on the accelerator.

0:41:310:41:35

I absolutely love this.

0:41:350:41:37

It is a classic and I've just found out today it's still boxed, isn't it?

0:41:370:41:41

You've got the original box.

0:41:410:41:42

-£200-£300 we said at the valuation day.

-We did.

0:41:420:41:45

Now I know you've had a chat to the auctioneer.

0:41:450:41:47

-You've upped that valuation, 300-400, fixed reserve at 300.

-Yep.

0:41:470:41:51

So it can't sell for any less than 300.

0:41:510:41:53

No, and I sincerely hope it does...

0:41:530:41:54

I really hope that because it's in such good condition and it's got

0:41:540:41:58

its box, that it just nudges up there for you,

0:41:580:42:00

I really hope it does.

0:42:000:42:01

-Yep, great.

-Fingers crossed, eh?

-OK.

0:42:010:42:03

-Fingers crossed.

-Gear change.

0:42:030:42:05

Pedal to the metal, let's go! Here we go.

0:42:050:42:08

The Tri-ang Farina pedal car, with original packaging...

0:42:080:42:11

They start the bidding here with me at 260, 270, £280, I'm bid, at 280,

0:42:110:42:16

290, 300.

0:42:160:42:18

300... 20, 40, 60, 80.

0:42:180:42:20

400. 20, 40, 60, 80, 500.

0:42:200:42:23

My bid. £500, at 500.

0:42:230:42:26

50. 600. 50, 700. 50, 800.

0:42:260:42:31

And 50. I'm out.

0:42:310:42:32

At £850, watching you all carefully in the room at 850...

0:42:320:42:34

-Fantastic.

-That box...

0:42:340:42:36

900, telephone.

0:42:360:42:37

And 50. 1,000. 1,100.

0:42:370:42:41

-£1,100 here, standing at £1,100.

-Fantastic!

0:42:410:42:44

-(£1,100!)

-That's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

0:42:440:42:46

1,100.

0:42:460:42:48

-Yes!

-1,200. And 50.

0:42:480:42:51

1,250. Last chance...

0:42:510:42:53

1,250...

0:42:530:42:55

-Yes, 1,250, how about that?

-Wow!

0:42:550:42:57

The classic Top Gear! How about that?

0:42:570:43:00

Yeah, well done you for putting the reserve up.

0:43:000:43:02

-That was just fantastic.

-I'm glad I kept it on the wardrobe!

0:43:020:43:05

D'you know what...? Yeah, cos you must have looked after it for a little while.

0:43:050:43:08

-26 years.

-26 years. And it's so big, what do you do?

0:43:080:43:11

-On top of the wardrobe.

-And if you put it in a shed or the garage, it just gets rusty,

0:43:110:43:14

the box gets damp, you chuck the box...

0:43:140:43:16

Always keep it boxed.

0:43:160:43:17

Join us again for many more surprises, but until then,

0:43:170:43:20

from Market Harborough, from all of us here, it's goodbye.

0:43:200:43:23

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