Althorp 25 Flog It!

Today, we're in Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands,

and we're in for a real treat.

This impressive house is Althorp.

It was built five centuries ago and it's been home to 19 generations

of the Spencer family.

It's much more than just a historic house.

It is a home and, luckily enough for us,

its doors are open for our valuation day.

Welcome to Flog It!

THEY CHEER

The life of the Spencer family has been played out here at Althorp.

Each generation has left its mark on the fabric of the house,

and the collections within its rooms.

Now it's in the hands of the ninth Earl Spencer,

who grew up visiting the ancestral home with his sisters, Lady Jane,

Lady Sarah and Diana, who went on to become Princess of Wales.

They moved here in 1975 and later on,

we'll be looking at what life is like at Althorp.

But for now, it's time to check our queue,

and it looks like we're in for a busy day.

Our enthusiastic crowd have travelled from all corners of

Northamptonshire today to this fabulous historic setting,

and they're all laden with bags and boxes full of treasures,

all eager to see our experts, to ask that all-important question -

-which is...? ALL:

-What's it worth?

Competing for the best treasures today is our top rummager

-Christina Trevanion.

-It's like the Holy Grail, isn't it?

And hot on her heels - in fact, he's down on his knees -

is Charles Hanson.

Oh, I've done it. I've done it. Oh, there we are.

-There's romance in the air...

-Oh, Christina, isn't that wonderful!

-It's for you!

-I almost want it to say, "Be my Valentine."

Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that lovely?

Christina's having none of it!

With such a huge crowd, we're filling the passages,

the saloon and anywhere with a seat,

so people can settle down and unpack.

And while they get comfortable,

let's take a look at what's coming up later on in the show.

Charles gets a lesson in how to wear jewellery.

It's the earrings I wouldn't wear.

-Are you more of a stud sort of lady?

-Yeah, I think so, yeah.

-Not the dangly sort.

-Not the dangly sort, no.

And Christina meets a kindred spirit.

I was either in an antiques centre or the library.

There we are. We would have been geeks together.

-Yes, absolutely.

-Yeah.

And we cause a stir at the auction.

Gosh. Have you got any more?

And I'll be finding out how times have changed for the people who keep

an estate like Althorp running.

She used to wave, you know, like that.

My mum used to say, "Who does she think she is, the Queen?"

All that's coming up.

We've set up some valuation tables in the state dining room,

which has been modelled on the ballroom at Buckingham Palace,

and hopefully, later on, our experts will get their dancing shoes on,

but right now, they have some serious work to do.

So it's over to Charles Hanson's table

to take a closer look at what he's spotted.

Rosemary, I just love this bracelet and earring suite.

-Yeah.

-Tell me, it's yours?

-It's my mother's.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-And Mum still wears it?

-She used to wear it a lot.

It's the same colour as her eyes.

-It's electric blue.

-That's right. Yes.

-It's so alive.

Yeah, it is alive.

And your mum, she inherited the suite or she bought...?

No, no. She's Norwegian, my mother.

-OK.

-And my father gave it to her when he met her.

At the end of the war, he went to Norway in the Territorial Army,

-and he met her there.

-Yeah.

-And he bought it for her.

It's a wonderful keepsake. A wonderful romance there.

-Romantic, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Very romantic.

The market for this, interest in Norwegian silver,

particularly jewellery and this emphasis of enamel

set within the silver jewel itself, and if we turn it upside down,

we will see this lovely hint of gilding on the reverse,

and there we've got Stirling Norway,

which typically came in after World War II.

So it would date, I would have thought, to maybe the late 1940s.

-But these little pearls...

-Yeah.

-..aren't pearls.

-No.

-They're enamel droplets.

Almost a white enamel droplet, again set in.

This type of enamel is called guiloche enamel,

-where you've got this design...

-It's like a shell, isn't it?

-It is like a shell.

-Yeah.

-But Mum feels it's time to sell it?

-Yes.

-Why?

-Because she's got other things as well and I think she...

It can go to somebody who is going to wear it more than she would.

Yes. It's amazing because, I mean,

we see some of the great names in Norwegian silver,

like Georg Jensen, very much in the frame now when it comes to

-Scandinavian silver and design.

-Mmm.

-We see David Andersen.

This one is marked... On the back of the bracelet, it's marked "AW."

-We can't find out who that designer is.

-No.

-And we've had a good look.

-Mmm.

-But it's very much in that

David Andersen tradition. What's really nice is the condition.

You've got no chip to the enamel. It's clean.

There's no losses.

Often if it's dropped like glass, the enamel can fracture,

-and fall out.

-Mmm.

-But you don't feel you'd wear it?

Well, it's the earrings I wouldn't wear.

-No. Are you more of a stud sort of lady?

-Yeah, I think so, yeah.

-Not the dangly sort.

-Not the dangly sort, no.

I don't blame you. Well,

I know there'll be some dangly ladies out there...

-There will, yeah.

-..who will happily acquire this.

-Yes.

-And I would like to put it into a sale.

-Yeah.

-With a guide price of between 40 and £60.

-OK.

-To be secure, we will put a reserve on at 40 with 10% discretion.

-OK. Yeah.

-So if we get bid £36 or above,

we have your blessing to sell it.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-We'll give it lots of Norwegian love.

Yeah. Oh, thank you.

-Yeah.

-Pleasure.

Hopefully the romance captured by Rosemary's mother and father will be

passed on in the jewellery.

Now, time to find out what Christina's up to.

She's made herself at home in the grand saloon.

-Tony, what have you got there?

-A couple of Omega Gold watches.

-Omega Gold watches?

-Yes.

-Have you had them on the inside of your coat?

-Are you selling them?

-Erm...

No, no. Not "looky, looky" men.

Tell me, where did they come from?

My uncle... One of them was handed down to me probably about 40 years ago.

-Right.

-The other one my sister had when my other uncle died,

and she gave the other one to me about ten years ago.

-OK.

-I look after them, basically.

-Yeah, yeah.

-This is the one that is of interest to me,

-because you've got two different stages in Omega here.

-Mmm.

Now, this one here is a normal Omega, a manual wind,

so you would have to wind it up, and this one here is what we call an

-Omega Seamaster.

-Right.

And if we look at the back here, we've got this wonderful logo.

-Can you see that sea horse on the back there?

-Yeah.

So, obviously, it says on the dial,

and we've got that mark on the back to indicate that it's an Omega Seamaster.

-Right.

-Now, Omega as a brand, as a name, as a watch manufacturer,

-is really up there with the best of the best.

-Yeah.

So much so that in World War II, fighter pilots were issued with

Omegas, because they were known to be so reliable,

and also so able to withstand

atmospheric and temperature pressures.

-Now the Seamaster brand was introduced in 1946.

-Right.

OK? Now, the Seamaster was known as the Seamaster, because it was a

favourite... Apparently, it was a favourite with sailors.

-Right.

-And also it had very good ability to withstand water.

Also a favourite not only with sailors, but secret agents.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Have you heard of a man called James Bond?

JAMES BOND THEME PLAYS

-Ever heard of a man called James Bond?

-Yes, yes.

I think in one of his very first films, he had an Omega.

-Oh. Perhaps my uncle was a secret agent.

-Hey, you never know.

But they are always popular. Very, very popular.

And especially the Seamaster, very good quality make.

And in this one, particularly, this is a nine carat gold example.

You've got this one, which has got a silver dial, with batons there,

-and you've obviously got a calendar aperture there.

-Mmm.

I think it's had a replaced strap on it.

-Yes, yes.

-Because it's obviously an expanding strap on it.

-At some time, yes.

-It may have had a leather strap or a gold strap.

-Possibly, yeah.

-And I think that one at auction, it's a nice example,

they regularly fetch in the region of maybe £150-250.

Something like that. OK?

-Right.

-This one, now, we're going up a level here.

This is an automatic rather than being a manual wind. And, again,

I think we've got a replaced strap on here, but nonetheless,

whoever buys it... And they are very,

very popular at auction, at the moment,

watches, they are being seen as a very good investment.

-Right.

-Because they are little works of art in their own right, really,

-aren't they?

-Yeah.

-I would say, at auction,

we are going to be looking at £300-500.

-Right. Sounds good.

-I think it's a lovely watch.

-What's your thoughts?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Shall we go for it?

-Go for it.

-And then, hopefully, we'll be on time for the auction.

Lovely.

Yes, no excuses, Christina.

As the experts get on with their hunt,

I'm discovering more about the family that own Althorp.

Now, this is the Spencer Gallery and the portraits here sum up the most

recent family history.

There's the current earl, Charles Spencer, who inherited the estate,

and the house from his father when he died in 1992.

And to the right, that's Diana, the Princess of Wales.

After her tragic death in 1997, her body was returned to the estate

where she now rests in a peaceful and beautiful spot.

So there you have it - the recent Spencer family history.

And Charles has found a man who knows all about the Spencers,

and our glorious setting. He was once a guide here.

-David, good to see you.

-Hello, sir.

It's a really interesting image.

I'm intrigued.

-Who is it?

-The image is of John Charles Spencer,

who became the third Earl Spencer.

John Charles would have grown up here and in the London home.

He was Leader of the Commons, as well as Chancellor of the Exchequer,

in the early 1830s.

And with his colleagues, saw through the great reform act of 1832,

where more of the adult male population had the vote.

I studied that in my GCSE history, all about the 1820s, 1830s,

and of course 1832 was pivotal towards more of society having the

vote and becoming obviously more democratic.

-Indeed.

-Do you know what its technical make-up is called?

What the medium is to create this?

I believe it's called an anaglyptograph.

Yes. I was hoping you would say that.

-Well done.

-Which is suggesting it looks like an embossed image.

-Yes.

-It's a three-dimensional image,

-but, in fact, it isn't. It's a flat print.

-Correct.

But, again, that brings us back to the designer of this image,

-who was designing for the back of coins.

-Correct. Who was...?

-William Wyon, I believe.

-Correct.

And, of course, the man who created this image

was Alfred Robert Fairbrother.

He was the one who then turned the original by Wyon

-into the engraving...

-Correct.

-..that we now see.

-Correct. You can obviously note on the margin,

"William Wyon, chief engraver..." of course of the Royal Mint.

-The Royal Mint. Yes, yes.

-I like it a lot.

It's very original.

The frame is in period and is contemporary.

I've got one concern, have you?

One or two slight pinpricks or foxing.

Foxing, exactly. You can just see maybe a bit of humidity,

-more denser spots there...

-Yes.

-And also on his forehead there.

-What's his history?

-You obviously got very enthralled in Althorp on

-retirement when you worked here.

-You bought it recently?

-About six years ago.

-Really?

-On online auction.

I've got nowhere to hang it.

No. What's it worth? You can whisper if you want to.

I've no idea.

Other than I paid about £120 for it about six years ago.

Well, I would like to, David, with your blessing,

put it into the sale with a guide price of between 60 and £80.

-OK?

-Yeah.

Now, you might say to me, "Charles,

"I'd like more than that, because I paid more for it."

I don't really mind. I would hate to give it away.

-Yes.

-But, having said that,

I'm not desperate necessarily to get my £120 back.

If you are happy to put it into the sale between 60 and 80...

-I'm quite happy with that.

-You're a good man.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, sir.

We'll have a go and hopefully we'll sell it.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

-Thank you.

During the Elizabethan times, this whole area would have been a

courtyard and where the carpets are now,

that would once be cobbled stones.

Visitors would arrive at the house here,

and get off their horses or if they are

from the upper echelons, get out of their carriages.

John Spencer, who was the founder of Althorp,

insisted this whole area had to be for entertaining.

So he had it roofed over,

and later on he also had this rather imposing,

and very impressive staircase put in.

We'll be making more of this later on in the show, but right now,

our experts have been working flat out.

They've found their first three items to take off to auction.

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

A stunning jewellery set from Scandinavia.

Two watches, one more prestigious than the other.

And the engraving with links to Althorp.

We're heading half an hour north to Leicestershire and Market Harborough,

which was famous in the Victorian era for its corset making.

Foundation garments made here were sent all over the world.

There are no restraints on us, though,

as we head inside the auction house.

On the rostrum for us today, we have Will Gilding.

It's busy, so fingers crossed for our first lot.

Going under the hammer right now we have an analyptograph

of John Charles Spencer.

It's a lovely connection to Althorp House,

and another great connection is David, who's right next to me.

Because you were a guide there, weren't you?

-Indeed, yes.

-You probably know more about the house than most people.

-Than many, yes.

-Yeah.

Right, let's put it to the test and find out what it's worth right now.

It's going under the hammer.

Profile bust portrait of the third Earl Spencer.

And starting here at £40 now.

40. 40, I have a bid.

-42.

-Great connection to the house.

At £42, 45.

-Yes! In the room.

-At 45.

At 48?

£48 online.

48. 50. Five.

Back with the online bidder and you're out for the room.

-£60, it's the internet. £60.

-Sold it.

You're all out, seated. Selling online at 60...

-Yes! It's gone.

-Great. Nice thing to have.

-£60. Thank you for being a part of our day as well.

-That's wonderful.

-Introducing us to Althorp.

-Yeah.

-It was just brilliant.

Now, let's see if we can pick up the pace with the next item.

Going under the hammer right now,

a enamel bracelet and earring set belonging to Rosemary.

And not much longer, I doubt.

-No, no.

-This is so blue, it's so vivid.

-A beautiful colour, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's so alive.

-That's right.

-Mid-20th century. It's gorgeous.

-It's got everything going for it,

-hasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-And the condition's very good.

-The enamel's not scratched or damaged, so that's good.

-It is.

-No, no.

-Let's put it to the test. Here we go.

A striking piece of Norwegian design here.

Start the bidding at £35.

A modest start, I think.

-Look.

-Three or four hands.

-It's like a Mexican wave going up.

50. Five, 60.

Five, 70.

-Five, 80.

-Oh, good. This is £100, surely.

80, five.

90, five.

100. 100.

-Always good to be cautious.

-110.

-Seated here at 100.

-Hold tight.

-At £100...

-All done?

-That's the threshold, isn't it?

-We've got the tonne.

-That's good.

-110, just in time online at 110.

120. £120.

-Come on.

-Room bid.

-Brilliant.

-£120.

-Excellent!

-Good.

-That's more like it.

-You just don't know, do you?

-No.

-Really good.

-And I'm sure that's gone to a good home.

-Yeah, I'm sure.

-Thank you so much for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

We're on a roll, but will it last?

Tony's had a bit of a change of heart.

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

-Nice to be here.

I was just about to say, "two watches about to go under the hammer,"

but it's one because at the valuation day,

-we did two valuations.

-We did.

-Two separate watches.

-You've decided to withdraw one of the watches.

-Yeah.

-Tell us why.

I just felt a bit sentimental at the end of the day,

and I did actually promise my eldest son the older watch.

-Yeah, that's...

-And he's got a son,

-so keep it in the family, basically.

-Do you know what?

That's a good thing. That's a good thing, cos once it's gone,

-you can't buy it back and you don't know who bought this.

-No, no.

Exactly. And I always say to my customers and my clients,

-I always say, "If in doubt, don't."

-No.

-Because you can only sell these

-things once and they're gone forever.

-Oh, yeah.

-However,

we do have the nine carat gold Omega watch that is about to go under the

hammer. We're looking for around £300, £400, 500.

-Well, I sincerely hope so. It's a beautiful thing.

-Fingers crossed.

-Indeed.

-Let's put it to the test, shall we? Let's find out exactly

what the bidders think as we hand the proceedings over

to Will on the rostrum.

And it's the gents' Omega Seamaster at £220.

At 220. 230. 240. 250.

-Bidding in the room.

-260. 270.

-Yeah.

280. 280 here, at 280.

-290.

-Yes.

-Come on.

300. 320. 340.

360. 380. 400.

420. 440. 460 now.

-Let's get the top end.

-Yeah.

-That would be good, wouldn't it?

Are you all right, darling?

500, standing here. Dead centre of the room at £500.

You're saying goodbye, aren't you, really?

-You can see it disappearing.

-At £500. Online. 500.

-Top end. £500.

-Splendid.

-Wonderful. Wonderful.

-Fantastic. Well done.

-That's good, isn't it?

-Brilliant.

That's a great day out in the auction room.

-Well, thank you very much.

-Thank you very much. And well done, Christina.

-Well spotted.

-Can I get a kiss?

-Yeah! Certainly can.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done. Thanks for that.

Well, that's it. That includes our first visit to the auction room today.

We are coming back here later on in the programme. Do not go away.

There could be that big surprise we keep wishing for.

We are now going back to our valuation day venue, Althorp House,

to join up with our experts to find some more treasures,

but before that, I want to find out how life has changed for those

working in the house.

Northamptonshire styled itself as the county of spires and squires.

In the past, its rural landscape and abundance of country estates were

key sources of work for local people.

They offered accommodation and the chance for a son or daughter

to follow their father or mother into service.

And Althorp was no exception.

This has been home to the Spencer family for more than five centuries.

And looking after them,

the house and the vast estate during that period was no mean feat.

It required quite an army of staff.

A century ago, there were 65 domestic staff,

45 gardeners, and 40 grooms,

looking after 100 horses and carriages.

Inside, there are 90 rooms and 31 open fireplaces.

Back in the day, they would have all been working.

It's a lot of hard work to keep those going,

and a lot of house to clean.

Today there are just 20 people working full-time,

and some have followed in their ancestors' footsteps,

but the jobs they do these days are very different.

Bridget Barford is the fifth generation of the family to work

at Althorp. She has juggled other jobs at the same time,

but Althorp has been her second home for 50 years.

Well, I started off in the tearooms, as they were then, you know.

And I think I've done a bit of everything over the years.

From washing up, toilets, ironing, turning the beds down, you name it -

I think I've done it. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't

have Althorp to come to, you know.

And I always used to think when I came down here,

cos I first came down on my cycle, cos I hadn't got a car then,

I used to think it was like coming into another world.

It was so peaceful and I really have enjoyed it.

We need to wind back to the 19th century to find out what life was

like for the first member of Bridget's family to work here.

Well, it was my great grandma, Elizabeth Gould.

She was a cook. Everybody from the older generation didn't talk about

her, cos she was a bit of a naughty girl.

She had a son before she married,

but, luckily, Lady Spencer kept her on.

She did live in for a time,

and I think a lot of the maids and laundry maids did,

and I often think when I've been doing the turn down,

when we climb the top stairs to the attics, about ten o'clock at night,

and those poor little girls going up there,

and they'd be up again the next

morning at six o'clock to do all the fires.

So I think they had a very hard life, you know.

And just the odd day off a month.

Dearie me.

Bridget's great-grandmother worked for this chap, the fifth Earl,

also known as the Red Earl because of his dramatic auburn beard.

And, look at this, isn't that a wonderful painting?

Now, he's a great example of a typical Spencer,

because he loved field activities and sport and also politics.

Now, back in his day, if you can imagine it, Victorian England,

there would have been an army of staff at his beck and call.

It would have been a hive of activity,

and the nature of his business - politics - he was widely travelled.

Lavish dinner parties would have been held here

with important guests and dignitaries staying over.

And no doubt after supper the gentlemen would have retired to this

room for a game of billiards or snooker,

where politics and business would have been hotly debated.

Bridget's family link continued with her mum,

who was a house maid, and her aunt Phyllis, who was a cook.

Not surprisingly, Bridget followed suit,

helping cover Auntie's duties, working for the seventh Earl.

One night, I had to cook a sole for him.

Auntie Phyllis said, "If you don't get it out whole," she said,

"he won't eat it." So I can tell you,

my nerves were in a bit of a state, but I did manage it.

My auntie Phyllis, she was a spinster, so she was quite strict.

And her and Lord Spencer always used to have a row on Christmas morning,

and she was always going to walk out, but she never did.

She always came back again.

And, of course, when they had a dinner party,

Mr Farns, the chauffeur, used to come and fetch her.

And of course she used to pass Mrs Clark and Mrs Savage and my mum on

their bikes and wave.

You know, like that. Mum used to say, who does she think she is?

The Queen?

Auntie Phyllis sounds quite a character.

And despite their ups and downs,

she had a good working relationship with the seventh Earl for 20 years.

He was known for his passion to preserve Althorp and someone who has

learnt a lot about him is Diane Springett,

who has been a tour guide here for 27 years.

So, what was his role here, Diane?

Well, he was named the curator Earl because in fact,

he sort of loved sort of everything about the house.

He knew every stick of furniture, every piece of porcelain.

Really? He was a proper academic.

-Oh, very much so, yes.

-Did he give tours then?

He did indeed, yes.

He started roughly in the 1950s, and he used to take academics around,

and students, and he also got very cross if at the end of the day,

he would throw questions at them and they didn't get it right.

-Really?

-Yes, he did.

He wanted it to stay like this, I guess?

Oh, he did, very much so.

And of course at one time they were worried whether they would be able

to carry on because the house was falling into disrepair,

so they got a heritage body to come and take a look at it with the concept

of them maybe taking it over.

However they said it was in too much of a bad state, that they didn't

want to take it on, so then in actual fact the seventh Earl went to

the government to see if he could get a grant to help them do the repair,

which he did. And that was one of the reasons why he had to open in

-the '50s.

-Right.

Because of that condition.

What about the current Earl?

Has he got a big interest?

Very much so. Oh, yes.

That tradition is there of carrying on looking after the house for the

next generation, basically.

Did he ever do tours?

-Oh, he did, yes.

-Did he?

-Yes.

Apparently he started when he was about 12 years old for some pocket money.

HE LAUGHS

That's a good way of earning pocket money, isn't it?

Very much so, yeah. And he's very, very well informed.

I love it when people come with their children, you know?

And the children are enthusiastic because you feel, here we are,

another generation are going to carry on wanting to see places like this.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-I love going around with him,

listening to what he has to say.

The staff like Diane and Bridget are part of Althorp's history.

Bridget's family go back to a time when there were lots more servants.

None of them were serving the public, the priority was the family.

She has some fond memories.

I knew Lord Spencer's sisters, Lady Jane, Lady Sarah and Lady Diana.

They were sort of teenagers when I first knew them over the years and I

have watched them all have their families.

The christening parties and that.

And watched them all grow up from toddlers to grown-ups.

You walk in and you know it's a family home.

Well, the times have certainly changed but you can't argue with sentiments

like that. For two months of the year, Althorp opens its gates to the public.

There are also special events like a literary and food festival.

And with people like Bridget and Diane and the rest of the Althorp staff,

I think it's fair to say, when the crowds arrive, they're in safe hands.

Back to the valuations,

and Christina has found a man she's got lots in common with.

Tony, tell me about this incredibly magnificent, beautiful piece

-in front of us?

-In my youth I used to go round to antique shops and have a look

around and look for quality and I found this.

I think I was about 18 years old in Finedon Antiques Centre.

And I decided to purchase it along with other things I used to purchase.

It would have perhaps been a couple pounds or something like that.

But a pound then, I don't know what it is worth today but a lot more money,

-isn't it?

-So you are 18 years old.

-Yeah.

-And most 18-year-old teenagers are hanging around in pubs and

nightclubs and you are in an antiques centre?

-Yeah.

-You would have been the perfect man for me.

That's exactly what I was doing at the age of 18.

Really?

-What a pity.

-Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

I was either in an antiques centre or in the library.

Oh, well. There we are. I was never in the library.

-We would have been geeks together.

-Yes, absolutely.

Maybe this is a silly question but what was it as an 18-year-old boy

that attracted you to it?

Just the whole picture...

The naked ladies?

I mean, it is beautiful.

-It is. Isn't it?

-It's stunning.

It's titled A Pompeian Lady In Her Toilet.

Oh, right, didn't know that.

As in her toilet, as in her preparatory area,

her dressing room if you like.

But for me it feels like we are at Althorp in here, doesn't it?

These wonderful pillars here.

The detail as well inside it, of all the scrolls down the bottom,

it's quite incredible actually.

And that is the thing that is incredibly important about this

because if we look down here,

there's a little signature here which says,

Morel Ladeuil, 1876.

He was a sculptor, OK?

-Oh, right.

-He wasn't just a silversmith,

he was a sculptor and I think that is really evident in this piece

because it's almost three-dimensional, isn't it?

-Yes.

-It really, really stands proud.

You can see the detail in all these figures

and it's almost jumping out of the plate at you, isn't it?

It's fabulous. We've got a signature down here which is Elkington.

So Elkington & Co were a company who specialised in silver

and silversmithing and silver plating.

They were established by a pair of brothers in about 1830.

Now, in the Paris exhibition they exhibited at,

they noted this sculptor, Morel Ladeuil here,

and he was given a contract for three years by Elkington to design

pieces for them. He produced some incredibly beautiful pieces.

Some vases and platters like this.

The original one in silver has the most beautiful wide rim on it, OK?

So this is a silver-plated example.

-Right.

-This isn't a silver example.

-So was he French, then, or...?

-He was.

-He was French, all right.

Yes, he was a Parisian sculptor.

-Oh, OK. Yeah.

-Exactly.

So let's have a little look at the back.

Now, what's really interesting,

obviously Elkington were a British firm,

but we've got on here in German,

which was when it was registered in Germany,

we've got French and then we've got, designed, copyrighted

in the United States, November 1876.

So it's been all over the world.

I mean, it's an incredibly well travelled piece.

-Oh, is it?

-And I think this is a copy of a piece

that was exhibited in the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876.

OK? Now, you have to imagine, in the 19th century,

obviously the Industrial Revolution was happening.

All these artisans and craftsmen were desperate

to exhibit their wares.

So they would have world exhibitions.

They had them in Paris, they had them in London.

And it was an opportunity for craftsmen to really get together

and show off their wares, their craftsmanship.

Let's turn it back round to the front.

Because I think that probably is visually the more impressive side,

isn't it? Now, silver plate isn't possibly the best of sellers

and you can see that it is a silver plate example

rather than a silver example.

You can see that obviously the plate is wearing off

and you've got the base metal showing through.

It's a great visually looking piece.

-But a tricky seller.

-Right.

A tricky seller.

I mean, I personally at auction I would be conservative.

Maybe a slightly modest estimate of £200-300.

-Right.

-I would hope that it would go for more than that,

but like I say, it's a difficult market to sell to.

How do you feel about that, Tony?

Little bit lower than what I thought

but that's why I've come to Flog It!

Because you're the experts and if you don't know, well, who does?

Oh, lordy!

I think it's a beautiful thing and a real joy to see,

so thank you for bringing it in.

No naked ladies for Charles.

He spotted Marian's naval prints.

Marian, it's great to meet you.

-And you.

-And it's not quite life on the ocean waves here is it?

In Althorp, it's landlocked territory.

But I love these pictures.

-Yes.

-Tell me how you acquired them.

They were my father's and I believe they might have been given to him

by his father, who was a seafaring man.

-Was he?

-Yes, he was in the Merchant Navy.

And this was your father's father?

-Yeah, my grandfather.

-So he was in the Merchant Navy,

so we're going back to the Great War?

-Yes.

-Wow.

-Yes.

I suppose very much of what we don't know about the Great War

was very much caught up in the poems we can see before us.

-Yes.

-On these two wonderful plates.

And there should be four, in fact, this is only half a set.

-Yes, I did realise that.

-This is plate one and plate two,

and what's lovely is it's a real marriage of two great individuals.

First of all, to the memory of the nameless killed and wounded

by Captain Ronald Hopwood.

He was a British naval officer born 1868.

He died in around 1949

and he clearly had a great skill for poetry.

-Yes.

-And I love these scenes.

These vignettes.

Which, of course, represent going back to the mid-16th century,

here's the Armada, and then we've got scenes from World War I,

Napoleon, battles on this side,

and it really captures the memories of those killed and wounded.

-Yeah.

-It's been put together as a pair of etchings

we see now by a great London artist.

Do you know who it is?

-William Lionel Wyllie.

-Yeah. William Lionel Wyllie, you're quite right,

renowned for his maritime works.

These vignettes of how he's brought the images

to Captain Hopwood's script, don't they blend well together?

-Yes.

-And when you read the verses,

you really feel the mood of the scenes

and the words of the poetry as well. Don't you think so?

They're not my taste.

Not to your taste? Why not?

I think they're a bit sad.

They are sad. I suppose we never forget,

we always remember, and I think these reflect that.

They would date to around 1910.

That was his height.

He was just a wonderful marine artist and that, of course,

the great man William Lionel Wyllie.

But of course, these are etchings,

the detail in that inked plate is so good, the details so fine.

-Do you now like them?

-No.

No? I haven't been able to sort of give you a charm?

No.

They've been in my loft.

What a shame.

Where are the other two?

-We don't know.

-They're in good condition.

I'd have thought these ebonised frames are original as well.

And they are unusual.

I haven't seen this set before.

-Right.

-But of course they are incomplete.

-Yes.

-But even so, they've got that militaria interest.

Marian, I'd probably like to go in with a guide price

-of between 50 and £70.

-Right.

-With your blessing.

-Yes.

And I would propose we on the day put a reserve fixed at 40

and, although we're going to landlocked Leicestershire,

the market I feel is more for the militaria

and the fact they are by a great artist in Wyllie.

-Right.

-So, with your blessing, we shall set sail.

-OK.

-To auction. Thanks, Marian.

-Thank you.

-Thanks for coming in today.

Hopefully the prints will be snapped up by someone with a real interest.

In the saloon, Christina's uncovered a spectacular vase.

Liz, you're looking a bit nervous.

Sorry!

Why are you nervous about holding this?

I just don't want to drop it.

Is it something that you've had in the family for a while?

As long as I can remember.

All my childhood.

-All your childhood?

-Yeah.

And who did it belong to before you had it?

My dad. Well, my parents.

And do you know why? Did he buy it himself?

I think he was given it by an aunt.

OK. And do you like it?

I do like it, I like the colours of it.

I can't say I particularly like the vase or would want it,

-but I like the colours of it.

-Do you mind if I have a quick look?

-No.

-Because I saw this in the queue and it just shone to me.

I just think it's absolutely stunning.

-Do you know who it's made by?

-I know it's a Moorcroft.

-Exactly.

-Yes, so if we look at its bottom...

This is terrible, my mum always tells me off,

because as soon as I walk into somebody's house,

I don't look at something, I just look at its bottom.

-Yeah!

-It's very naughty, isn't it?

But if we look at its bottom here, it has got this wonderful signature,

it's W Moorcroft, for William Moorcroft,

and also we've got this wonderful stamped mark here, W Moorcroft,

Potter to the Queen, made in England.

Absolutely stunning.

And if I were to own a piece of Moorcroft, it would be this pattern.

Which is what we call the moonlit blue pattern.

Absolutely stunning. From about 1925,

so really quite an early Moorcroft peace.

And I think specifically on this shape it works incredibly well,

it really, really does. And for any Moorcroft collector this would be

a bit of a dream. It really would.

Nice, early piece, great marks and just fabulous colours.

With Moorcroft, you think of this typical tube lined design.

It really has those sort of echoes of the early 1920s

when Moorcroft was supported, if you like,

by his friend George Lasenby Liberty,

-have you heard of him?

-No.

You know the shop Liberty's in London?

-Oh, yes. Yes.

-So George Lasenby Liberty set up Liberty's

and he was a great sponsor of artisans and craftsmen at the time,

so when Moorcroft left MacIntyre in about 1914, I think,

to set up his own factory, Liberty supported him financially,

to enable him to start production.

So it has echoes of that Liberty feel about it.

It really is a stunning...

That glaze there is just beautiful.

I mean, early Moorcroft, it did create what we call craze,

which is very, very, very fine cracks in the glaze,

and that's what you always have to look out for.

Can you see that sort of very fine spider's web effect

-that we've got going on here?

-Yeah.

-That's what we call crazing.

-Yeah.

-And sometimes, which I think has happened in this case,

sometimes the body of the pottery comes through that crazing,

so it creates this... Can you see this bubbling effect down here?

-Yeah.

-Which can also indicate

that there might have been some restoration.

So I love the pattern, it's got everything going for it,

I love the pattern, I love that it's early,

I love that it's such great colours,

this colour is particularly beautiful,

but I do have some concerns about the condition.

-Oh, OK.

-And that will knock the value slightly.

-OK?

-It's a shame.

-It is a shame but that's not anything

-that you could have helped at all.

-OK.

-It just happens.

So I would say maybe £3-500 at auction.

-Oh, right.

-What do you think about that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, that's...

-Would that be all right?

-Yeah.

-So shall we put it forward to the auction?

-Yes.

-Oh, it's so nerve-racking!

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

to take off at auction, which means sadly it's time to say goodbye

to Althorp House. Had a good time, everyone?

-ALL:

-Yeah.

-Yes, we certainly have.

It's been fascinating finding out about the house

and how the roles of the people working here

over the centuries have changed.

But right now, we need to make some history for ourselves

as we're going over to the auction room for the last time

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

The silver plated plaque with impeccable provenance.

One of my favourites, the naval prints by William Wyllie.

And a glorious moonlit patterned Moorcroft vase.

Back at the auction room,

we have Mark and Will Gilding sharing the rostrum duty.

Time for the silver plaque to test the market.

Fingers crossed, Tony, and good luck.

Hopefully we can turn that £1 or £2 find

from the antiques shop a long, long time ago into £2-300,

we're talking about that lovely Elkington plaque.

Where has it been - on the wall, in a cupboard, in a drawer?

Various places around the house until a point you get fed up

of, like, trying to keep it clean.

And I thought, right, I'll bring it to Flog It!

Because I'm getting so old-fashioned now, I don't want to clean it.

Hey, look, this is your lot. Good luck.

Elkington & Co silver-plated electro type plaquette

and bidding opens here at £110.

Oh, 110, so we've got a £200 reserve on it, haven't we?

120, 130.

At 130.

Well below estimate here, ladies and gentlemen, it's £130.

He's going to pass on that.

-Yeah. Yes.

-There we go, at 130...

-What a shame.

-130.

-It's such a beautiful thing.

-Sorry about that.

-I know.

-Sorry about that.

With all that provenance as well.

Exactly. With all the provenance on the back, it's such a shame,

but it's a very difficult, as I explained to you on the valuation,

it's a very difficult market to sell at the moment,

so maybe you want to keep cleaning, but not too much...

-No, put it back the cupboard.

-For the next couple of years.

See you in a couple of years' time.

-Yeah.

-Bring it back to us when the market for electro plate

is going through the roof.

What a shame the market wasn't there for Tony's plaque.

But we had fun.

Fingers crossed for our next lot.

Right now going under the hammer,

we've got two signed William Wyllie prints belonging to Marian,

and it's good to see you again.

Now, right, not a lot of money, but I tell you what,

as an entry point for William Wyllie this is very, very good,

because they're only prints but they are signed by the man himself.

What's nice, Paul, about these is they've got a sentimental

-military link as well...

-Yes. They have a good back story.

Yeah. Absolutely right. Here we go.

Ready? We're going under the hammer now.

-These are good, Paul.

-This is it.

Wyllie's Our Fathers to the memory of the nameless killed and wounded.

A modest start here, surely, at £30.

At 30? At £30, bid.

Thank you, £30 I have.

At 32? At 32.

35. 38. 40. 40 bid.

At £40 in the room...

-And over there.

-£40.

Here at 40. At 42.

Give me five. 48.

-50.

-That's mid estimate. We're moving.

Five. Lady's bid, then, at £55.

At £55.

Are we all gone? Selling at 55.

£55, they've gone.

Just above...mid estimate.

-That's OK.

-That's OK, isn't it?

That's OK. They've gone. Happy with that?

Yes. You feel a bit sad, I can see, there's a tear in your eye.

No, no. They were only in the loft.

My father loved them but they didn't appeal to me.

Luckily, the prints did attract interest

and now for a big name in the pottery world.

It's Liz's Moorcroft.

And she's excited.

Let's find out what the bidders think, shall we, Liz,

I think they're going to love this.

This wonderful William Moorcroft moonlit blue vase

and telephone bids we'll come to.

-Oh, brilliant, so that means they've got telephone bids.

-Yeah.

£400 my opening bid.

Oh, we're straight in, OK, straight in.

50, 600.

And 50. 700. And 50, 800.

-Liz!

-And 50, 900...

950. 1000.

1,100. 1,200, 1,300.

-What were you worried about?

-£1,300.

-At 1,300.

-I'm just a little bit anxious.

1,300 with me. Telephones, how about you?

1,400 with Will, 1,500 with me.

1,600 with Will.

We could do two grand.

-We could do two grand.

-£1,600.

1,700 with Denise.

-1,700.

-Come on, let's do 2,000.

1,800 with Will.

£1,800 I'm bid...

Well, obviously a typing error in the catalogue.

I may have missed the one or two!

2,100.

-2,1.

-Thank you, Denise. At 2,100.

2,200, thank you.

Brilliant. That's brilliant.

2,300, Denise.

Thank you, at 2,400 I'm bid now.

2,500.

2,500, Liz, count the money!

-Count that money!

-2,600 with Will.

-2,600.

-2,6.

Look at it. It was just packed away.

2,800.

Still on the phones, all these. And at 2,800.

2,900 with Denise.

And even I've undervalued it now, I was hoping for two.

Are you sure? You've come a long way.

Oh, come on! 2,900 with Denise.

We're with Denise then. The telephone...

-That's it.

-£3,000, new bidder.

-Yes!

-Oh!

New bidder at £3,000 in the room.

Oh, you've got to be feeling on top of the world right now.

At £3,000.

Yes! That's a sold sum.

£3,000, Liz.

-Fantastic.

-It flew, didn't it? Well done. Well done.

Well done!

Gosh. Gosh.

-Have you got any more?

-No, I wish.

Your mum and dad had great taste.

-Yeah.

-Look, enjoy the money, won't you?

-Yeah.

-And what a fabulous way to end today's show,

on such a big surprise.

I knew there would be one and quality always sells,

-that's what we say, don't we?

-Absolutely.

Join us again for many more surprises in salerooms

in the future, but until then, it's goodbye from all of us

here in Market Harborough.