0:00:05 > 0:00:10Today Flog It has come north to Lancashire to a boom town of the Industrial Revolution,
0:00:10 > 0:00:15where cotton became king. Welcome to Blackburn.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Textiles have been manufactured in Blackburn since the 13th century.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43First it was woollen linen, but by the 1700s it was cotton.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49And with it Blackburn grew from a small market town to become a cotton-weaving world capital.
0:00:49 > 0:00:55Later in the programme I'll discover how an inspired group of working-class poets and songwriters
0:00:55 > 0:00:59saw both the good and the bad sides of this heritage.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03The pipes of an organ all vary in tone.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07The sound must be several, but the music is one.
0:01:07 > 0:01:14In the good times, Blackburn's cotton industry also led to a building boom in the town,
0:01:14 > 0:01:20including in 1905, King George's Hall, our location for today's valuations.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28And hoping to weave their magic today are Michael Baggott and Adam Partridge.
0:01:28 > 0:01:34I think it's time to get the doors open, get this massive crowd inside and see what these two have spotted.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45And once inside, Adam has spotted a man who is a good spotter himself.
0:01:45 > 0:01:53- Morning, Steve.- Morning. - How are you?- Fine, thank you.- You're a bargain hunter.- I try to be.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57- You have a companion who goes with you.- My 7-year-old granddaughter.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02- Did she spot this one?- No, but she's spotted others in the past.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- This is a car boot find.- It is, yes.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09I find that amazing because anybody knows about Clarice Cliff.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Everybody knows about it.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18Even if you don't know anything about antiques, if you say, "Tell me about antiques,"
0:02:18 > 0:02:21they say, "Clarice Cliff!"
0:02:21 > 0:02:27- Yet you still found that. Tell me where you got it.- Local car boot sale. Sunday morning, 10.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32- So that's been out for three hours, probably.- Correct, yes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- How much was it?- It was £1 cash.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37No!
0:02:37 > 0:02:42And we've been banging on about Clarice Cliff for 10 years or more.
0:02:42 > 0:02:49Well, that's amazing. It's not your most valuable piece, but is clearly worth more than £1.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55This is a piece of 1930s Clarice Cliff pottery. It's that painted geometric design
0:02:55 > 0:02:58from the Bizarre range.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Don't really have to tell the viewer too much about Clarice Cliff.
0:03:02 > 0:03:09The whole world knows about it, apart from that person at the car boot and the hundreds who walked by.
0:03:09 > 0:03:16That must have been waiting for you. Had your name written all over it. What do you think it will make?
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- £50? £100?- Right. I think you're right. I was thinking £50-£80.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Put it in at a realistic level and let them fight over it.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30- £50 is 50 times your money. - That's right.- Less commission.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36Steve, thanks very much for coming. I look forward to the auction. Over 100 quid'll be a great result.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Thanks.
0:03:42 > 0:03:49Ann, Alison, thank you for bringing in this wonderful mirror. Who does it belong to?
0:03:49 > 0:03:55It belonged to my mother, who died a few months ago. It's part of the estate that we're selling off.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Then we can share it out.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02You either love it or hate it. Do you know what style it is?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Is it Art Nouveau or Art Deco?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08You're very close. You were just one away.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14It's Arts and Crafts. That movement comes in about 1870
0:04:14 > 0:04:19and goes through to about 1900, 1910, when this mirror dates from.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's typified by this beaten finish.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28Now this looks as if it was all wrought delicately by hand and hammer.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Actually, they had machines to do it!
0:04:33 > 0:04:37They made the shape and put it under the hammering machine.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43That's basically told by the fact that it isn't uneven.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47It's a very even planishing. What would have been hand-made
0:04:47 > 0:04:53are these little panels. You see these on absolutely loads of Arts and Crafts mirrors.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56They're called Ruskin pottery.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00It was really a cheap alternative to using semi-precious stones.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06And you could get different colours, glazes and sizes. Whatever you required for your mirror.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11And it's really untouched. So it was your mother's.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17- Did she particularly go for this sort of thing?- No, they had all sorts of antiques.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21- Loved antiques. Always at auctions. - A vast amount of things.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- Always out buying whatever took their fancy.- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30- It's the best way to do it. - They didn't specialise. Whatever they thought was beautiful.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35So one day they thought, "We'll have that."
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Any idea of the value of it?
0:05:38 > 0:05:42No, some years ago a lady did offer my mother £400,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- but I don't know...- Crikey. - That was what my mum said to me.
0:05:46 > 0:05:53- That must have been a very committed collector.- Right. - She probably has been.
0:05:53 > 0:06:00I think what we really need to do is pitch this, let's say, £120-£200.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- Let's put a fixed reserve of £120 on it.- Yes, I want a reserve on it.
0:06:04 > 0:06:12And let's hope... Let's hope that lady isn't committed and she'll be at the auction!
0:06:16 > 0:06:22Renee and Harry, thank you for coming in and bringing in a piece of regional furniture.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27This is a lovely Macclesfield chair, dating from the late 18th century.
0:06:27 > 0:06:34- I expect you've sat on it for quite a long time.- Yes. A few people have sat on it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:40- It's a good bit of kit, isn't it, Harry?- Yeah.- This will last another couple of hundred years.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I'm nearly as old as that chair!
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- How old are you, Harry?- Guess.
0:06:47 > 0:06:4872.
0:06:48 > 0:06:5172?! I wish I was.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- How old are you? - I wish I was.- 82?- 93.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00- 93?!- Yeah.- Are you really 93? What did you used to do for a living?
0:07:00 > 0:07:06- Antiques.- Did you?- Antique furniture.- You were in the trade. You know what I'm talking about.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I dealt a lot in Portobello.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- He has the gift of the gab! - He has, too!
0:07:14 > 0:07:20- So why do you want to sell this? - To be quite honest, I'm so afraid of it getting damaged.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26- Where I had it before, people used to sit on it.- Yeah. - And I'd go, "Oh, that chair..."
0:07:26 > 0:07:33- If you lean back a little bit... - I don't want it to get damaged. So I took it upstairs.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39- There is a little bit of damage. - I know that. - I'll just point out a couple.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I'll start with the fact that it has been what we call re-toed.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48- That would have come right down to there.- Yes.- In the 18th century.
0:07:48 > 0:07:54But over the next 100 years, it's worn so much that somebody has glued a block on here.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59- The Victorians have done that. It wasn't done recently.- No.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04- But it has taken a lot of wear and tear.- Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Also, looking at the top rail,
0:08:07 > 0:08:14- can you see?- A little crack. - It's got a nasty split in it which has been screwed.- Together.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- I see that.- It's screwed twice.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21- Yeah, yeah.- So, unfortunately, it has devalued it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26- I noticed. It's obvious. - What I love about this
0:08:26 > 0:08:30is this one rail has had so many people's feet on it
0:08:30 > 0:08:34it's completely worn flat in sections.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39This is a flattened bobbin turning, like a bobbin in a loom.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- Yes, yes.- In the mills.- I see.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48I think if we get this into auction, we should put £100-£200 on it with a reserve at £100.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- OK.- If you say so, yes.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57- Can I expect to see you at the auction?- We can try. - If I'm still alive by then!
0:08:57 > 0:09:02- Don't forget.- It's only a month. - We're only a few weeks away.
0:09:11 > 0:09:18Marie, thank you for bringing this wonderful silver box in. Silver's always my favourite thing.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23- What can you tell me about it? - Em, it was my dad's.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28And he got it from his cousin who came from Shipley in Yorkshire.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30It was left to him, to me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34The cigarettes era... out of fashion.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39- Aren't they just?- I have three grandchildren. I can't give it to one
0:09:39 > 0:09:43so they'd be quite happy for the money.
0:09:43 > 0:09:50- Was your father's cousin a well-travelled man? Did he go around?- I really don't know.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56If this was his, at one time there's a possibility he crossed the Channel, went into Europe
0:09:56 > 0:10:00and went north. If we have a look at the marks on this,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05often if these are Russian cases, which it looks like,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- they're marked inside here.- Right.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13And if we have a look there, we've got a little crown. 813 standard mark.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And a little date mark.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21- Off the top of my head, that I think is going to be Finnish.- Right.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26So it's a Finnish or Norwegian box and it's going to date to 1905.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- Right.- Which is a good early date for a box like that.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35The good news and the bad news. The good news is it looks like Faberge.
0:10:35 > 0:10:42It's very much this style that was employed and a couple of Faberge's work masters came from Finland.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48So there is a connection there. We have this wonderful rayed surface,
0:10:48 > 0:10:53which goes all round the box to the back and even encompasses the sides.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58It's all set off by this low-carat gold thumbpiece.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And it's inset with a little sapphire. So it's all there.
0:11:01 > 0:11:08As you say, though, smoking is completely out. Even if you did smoke, cigarettes won't fit that!
0:11:08 > 0:11:14- It is small, isn't it? They were made for cigarettes before the filter.- That's right, yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Still, it's a box collector's delight so I'm sure anyone
0:11:19 > 0:11:25- with an interest in continental silver, continental boxes, would want to own that.- Right.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31- Any idea of the value?- Not really. It's just been in the safe with other things...
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- Other bits and pieces. Not a fortune.- Right.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Not the £8,000-£12,000 it would be if it was a Faberge one,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44- but £150...- That's fine. - ..£250.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49A fixed reserve of £150. That's £50 per grandchild!
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- It's got to split three ways! - More than I thought.
0:11:53 > 0:11:59Well, we've now found our first batch of items to put under the hammer.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05You could say we're now up and running. While we make our way to the auction room,
0:12:05 > 0:12:12here's a quick reminder of all the items going under the hammer. Or the "bear" essentials.
0:12:12 > 0:12:20It wasn't so much a growl as a gasp of disbelief for Adam as he hears what Steve paid for this.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25- Tell me, how much was it? - £1 cash.- No!
0:12:25 > 0:12:29And Michael was also shocked when he heard what was offered
0:12:29 > 0:12:33for Ann and Alison's Arts and Crafts mirror.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Some years ago a lady did offer my mother £400, but I don't know...
0:12:38 > 0:12:40That's a very committed collector.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43£120-£200 is Michael's estimate.
0:12:44 > 0:12:51I'm hoping Renee and Harry's Macclesfield ladder-back chair will climb up to £100-£200.
0:12:51 > 0:12:58Any money Marie makes for her unusual cigarette box will be split between her three grandchildren.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04We'll soon find out what the bidders make of all our owners' items
0:13:04 > 0:13:07as I cross into Yorkshire.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12Our auction is housed in a former mill for spinning cotton waste
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and it's now recycling antiques.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21Auctioneer Ian Peace is today's Master of Ceremonies. First up is the copper mirror.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27I've been joined by Ann and Alison. We're just about to put that mirror under the hammer.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30We've got Michael Baggott here.
0:13:30 > 0:13:37- Is this a true reflection on the value - £120-£200?- It's beautiful and in the perfect place.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- It's got the look. - It might fly away.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Fingers crossed for the top end.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48The next lot, 323, is the Arts and Crafts period
0:13:48 > 0:13:50oval copper bevelled mirror.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Turquoise stones. What am I bid?
0:13:54 > 0:13:5680? 60, thank you. £60.
0:13:56 > 0:13:5870. At 80. £80.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00At 80. And 90.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- £90.- Come on, we're nearly there.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05At £90. 95 there.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08100. And 5.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- At 105. Are we all done?- No!- 110.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17- In the fifth row at 110. All done?- Ohhh...- And 15 here. 120.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Anybody else now? 120.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24At £120. Are we all done at 120, then?
0:14:24 > 0:14:28All credit to that man on the rostrum.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32He worked some magic. That really was struggling.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- I nearly bid myself! - I was like that!
0:14:41 > 0:14:47My turn to be the expert now. Some wonderful regional furniture. It dates back to the 18th century.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53It's that gorgeous chair. And it belongs to this lovely couple, Renee and Harry.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- You all right?- Thank you. - It's great to see you.
0:14:57 > 0:15:04- You really put a smile on my face on the valuation day. - I'm always looking at your photo!
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- What's he been up to? Getting up to mischief?- Always!
0:15:08 > 0:15:14- Always up to mischief. - We keep a strict eye on him. - ..Making love, he said!
0:15:18 > 0:15:23- Right! Enough of that now.- Oh... - We'll talk about that later.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Here we go. We're looking for £100-£200.
0:15:27 > 0:15:33The antique Macclesfield ladder-backchair with rush seat. There we are.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37100, may I say? 80? 60, thank you.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41£60. 70. 80. Are we all done at £80?
0:15:41 > 0:15:46At £80, then. We're not quite there at £80.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50It's so useful and nobody's appreciating it today.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Everyone was sitting on their hands. And that's a nice example.
0:15:55 > 0:16:02- Can I take that back today?- Yes. - Do I have to wait to the end? - We'll get it in the car for you.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08Whilst we help Renee and Harry, let's hope the bidders' hands go up for Marie's Faberge lookalike.
0:16:08 > 0:16:15Coming up now is a Finnish cigarette case. It's valued at £150-£250 and it belongs to Marie.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21- How did you come by this?- I got it from my dad. I don't know where he got it from.- Was he a smoker?- No.
0:16:21 > 0:16:28- Never used it at all?- No. - It's in perfect condition.- Pristine. And it's copying a Russian case.
0:16:28 > 0:16:34- Maybe some Russian buyers will get excited.- They've got the big money! - Absolutely.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Let's hope we get the top end, £250.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Art Deco silver oblong box.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Right. Who will open me with £100 for this? 100?
0:16:44 > 0:16:4680? 70? Thanks. 80.
0:16:46 > 0:16:4990. 100. And 10.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52110. 120. 130.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54140. 145.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57The lady in the red coat is keen.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00155. Thank you. At 160. And 5.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03170. And 5.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05180. And 5.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10£185 bid. At £185, all settled?
0:17:10 > 0:17:12185.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- Brilliant.- Brilliant. - Well done, Michael.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Happy with that, aren't we?
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- HEAVY ACCENT: - I know my Finnish silver, Paul!
0:17:23 > 0:17:29Michael certainly does know his Finnish silver! Next is the extraordinary car boot bargain,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33the £1 Clarice Cliff vase.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Steve, it's great to see you again. You've brought your wife, Carol.
0:17:38 > 0:17:45He's got great eyes, hasn't he? My word! This is about to make a lot of money, I think.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50It was bought for £1. Can we get £50-£80? Fingers crossed.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56It's on the internet. All the Clarice Cliff hunters out there. Going under the hammer now.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00The small Clarice Cliff Bizarre bud vase. 362.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Being shown.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Open this at £50? £50?
0:18:05 > 0:18:08£50. 60, do I see? 60 over there.
0:18:08 > 0:18:1170 on commission. 80. 90.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14100. And 10. 120.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18130 on the phone. Anybody else now...? 140.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20150. 160.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23170. 180.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28£180 in the room. At £180...
0:18:28 > 0:18:34Yes! £180! And that was bought for £1. Good on you.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- Coming up later is a bronze nude that catches Adam's eye.- Yeah!
0:18:41 > 0:18:48- She's very striking.- Very tactile. - I do notice some areas have been rubbed more than others!
0:18:59 > 0:19:05The early part of the 19th century was a period of enormous industrial development in Britain.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11It was the age of the factory, the era of the machine, child labour, strikes and factory reform.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17The workers here in Lancashire felt the full force of these changes because cotton was king.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Due to the damp conditions here, it really took off. So mills like this
0:19:21 > 0:19:27at Helmshaw quickly became the main source of employment.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33The rise of the cotton industry brought prosperity. However, when the raw material dried up,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37along came suffering, hardship and starvation.
0:19:42 > 0:19:48Imagine living through this period of intense change. One group of men did and they documented
0:19:48 > 0:19:52all aspects of life through poetry. They were the Blackburn Poets.
0:19:52 > 0:19:59They were led by a chap called William Billington. Most of their work was written in local dialect.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05Billington was the elder statesman of the Blackburn Poets and also a working-class hero,
0:20:05 > 0:20:11advising trade unions and writing poetry. Many of the Blackburn Poets chose to write in dialect
0:20:11 > 0:20:14because it was their natural voice.
0:20:14 > 0:20:20The Lancashire dialect is derived from the Celtic language and is very similar to Welsh.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33To hear more about the Blackburn Poets, I've come to talk to local dialect historian Sid Calderbank.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Thank you for meeting me today.
0:20:36 > 0:20:43- I guess coming from a poor background, Billington was illiterate?- Well, as you know, Paul,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47most children in Victorian Lancashire had a very scant formal education.
0:20:47 > 0:20:54It lasted no further than nine years of age and then they got a job in a factory for their 10th birthday.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59But he was a regular at the local Catholic Sunday school
0:20:59 > 0:21:05and it was there he was taught to read and write. Later on, as a teenager living in Blackburn,
0:21:05 > 0:21:11after a long day in t'mill, he would find his way to the Blackburn Mechanics Institute.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14There he met other literary men.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- And he became the leader of the Blackburn Poets.- Yes, he did.
0:21:18 > 0:21:24Once he'd saved up enough money, he left the cotton and took over a beer house
0:21:24 > 0:21:27on the corner of Nabb Lane.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32And there he nurtured this large group of local poets and authors
0:21:32 > 0:21:36who'd gather of an evening to swap rhymes over a jug of ale.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41And in Billington's poem Where Have All The Blackburn Poets Gone?
0:21:41 > 0:21:46he lists 24 of his friends and, whilst celebrating their works,
0:21:46 > 0:21:53he tries to inspire the younger ones to get up and sing, to continue the art,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57even though they may feel that they're not quite good enough.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Some are dead, some have fled
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Some have ceased to sing on
0:22:06 > 0:22:11But the most of the poets of Blackburn are gone
0:22:11 > 0:22:17Don't hide in a napkin your talent, like West, Nor scruple to sing, lest you should not sing best
0:22:17 > 0:22:22The steps to the heavens that glitter up yon Each rests on one lower
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And all upon one
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Go and lay out your money in trade or in trust
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Machines when left idle will ruin and rust
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Reckon all reasons, the pro and the con
0:22:36 > 0:22:41For singing we've many For silence we've none.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45In fine, may the bards of this smoky old town
0:22:45 > 0:22:49By their confluent gleams add a glow to its crown
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Like stars in one sky let them mingle their blaze of light
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Not envy each other its tints or perfumes
0:22:57 > 0:23:01The pipes of an organ all vary in tone
0:23:01 > 0:23:06The sound must be several But the music is one.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Tell me a little bit more about the others.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Let's talk about John Thomas Baron.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Born in 1856, here in Blackburn.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33And apprenticed as a fitter and turner in Dickinson's Bank Tap Foundry.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38It was there that he began to write. Poetry.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42In 1876, age 20, he submitted his first poem to the Blackburn Times.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46A Comfortable Smoke it were called.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51The editor liked it, printed it, and asked him for more.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57And thus began an association that would eventually result
0:23:57 > 0:24:00in one poem a week, every week,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02for 35 years.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06That's prolific! That's very prolific!
0:24:10 > 0:24:16Now you're a man of many talents and you're going to sing for us the Shurat Weaver's Song,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20but before you start, can you explain what it's about?
0:24:20 > 0:24:25Well, this is particularly appropriate to where we are today
0:24:25 > 0:24:28in a 19th-century cotton mill.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32In 1860 in Lancashire, there were 2,000 cotton mills.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36In them, they had 21.5 million spinning spindles,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40300,000 looms,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43500,000 workers.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48The great port of Liverpool took in 3.5 million bales of American cotton.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51The problem was
0:24:51 > 0:24:58in 1861 when the American Civil War broke out, Lincoln ordered a blockade of the southern ports
0:24:58 > 0:25:04to starve the Confederates of imports of arms and exports of cotton.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08And Lancashire's cotton supply stopped.
0:25:08 > 0:25:15And all these hundreds of thousands of workers were thrown out onto the streets
0:25:15 > 0:25:20with no social safety net to catch them. And they starved.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25And so the frustration of the weavers turned to anger.
0:25:25 > 0:25:32This song contains some references to that anger and frustration and also some odd dialect words
0:25:32 > 0:25:38which you might not have come across. Like popped, which is the early version of pawned.
0:25:38 > 0:25:45And Owd Scrat, which is one of many Victorian euphemisms for the Devil.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52# We're warkin lads frae Lankysheer An' gradely daycent fooak
0:25:52 > 0:25:57# We'n hunted weyvin far an' near An' couldn't ged a strook
0:25:57 > 0:26:01# We'n sowd booath table, clock an' cheer, an' popt booath shoon an' hat
0:26:01 > 0:26:07# An' borne wod mortal men can bear Affoor we'd weyve Surat!
0:26:07 > 0:26:11# It's just like rowlin' stooans up t'broo or twisting rooaps o' sand
0:26:11 > 0:26:15# Yo piece y'or twist id comes i' two Like cobwebs in your hand
0:26:15 > 0:26:20# Aw've wark'd an' woven all my days Now I'm as wayk as a cat
0:26:20 > 0:26:25# Cos after o as aw can do Aw'm konkurd bi t'Surat! #
0:26:27 > 0:26:32That was fantastic. Very poignant and from a time of great hardship.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Yes, it was sold all over Blackburn.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41And it was picked up by the out of work weavers
0:26:41 > 0:26:43and sung on the streets,
0:26:44 > 0:26:49there being more perceived dignity in busking
0:26:49 > 0:26:51rather than begging.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56- 14,000 copies of that song...- Wow. - ..were sold.
0:26:56 > 0:27:02This is when people had hardly any money to spend anywhere. It was that popular.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- So Billington was a hero to all these people.- A local hero.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Don't forget that he was a weaver. He was one of them.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14And he wrote their own story in their own language.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20# I used to think as Deeoth had such a dark and dismal face
0:27:20 > 0:27:25# Now I fancy t'cemetery as quite a pleasant place
0:27:25 > 0:27:29# Cos sin' we took our Bill to bury I've often wish'd Owd Scrat
0:27:29 > 0:27:34# Ud get a bag-o'-tricks an' lorry To hell wi' o t'Surat! #
0:27:40 > 0:27:48Back at St George's Hall in Blackburn, Adam's found a piece of work by another Lancashire artist.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Rodney and Joan, I'm really pleased to see this today that you've brought along
0:27:53 > 0:27:58because before I came up here I wanted to see some northern art.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02And here we've got it. A piece by James Lawrence Isherwood of Wigan.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07- James, yes.- Everyone called him Lawrence.- Yeah, they did.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12- How did you come to own the Isherwood?- We bought it in the '70s.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- OK.- We went to Southport one day and he had an exhibition on there.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21- And we picked this one because we're interested in sailing.- OK.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26- It's the boating lake at Southport. - Did you get to meet the artist?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- Oh, yes. We bought it from him. - Directly from him? What was he like?
0:28:30 > 0:28:38- Bit of an eccentric.- Very. - I believe so. I've sold over 100 of these over the years,
0:28:38 > 0:28:40not only in the north-west.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46- You just realise how prolific he was.- Yes.- He'd paint until he had a vanload.- That's right.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50- Then he'd sell them.- On the East Lancs, in lay-bys.- Really?- Yes.
0:28:50 > 0:28:57- And when he was short of money. - I think there was one incident where he was in court for speeding
0:28:57 > 0:29:05- and he offered to pay the fine with a painting. The judge wouldn't barter.- He might wish he had now!
0:29:06 > 0:29:10A lot of interesting stories about Isherwood.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13And I've seen many of them.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18So can I ask you, first of all, why have you decided to sell it?
0:29:18 > 0:29:24I don't think we appreciate it any more. Somebody, a collector, might appreciate it more.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29- It's lost its magic for you?- Yes. - Right. Like I say, there do seem to be a lot of them out there,
0:29:29 > 0:29:35but they are very popular. Isherwood's topical. There's a book about him.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39- Now you bought it in the 1970s. - '75.- '75.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44- Do you remember what it cost? - Yes, because he asked £40 for it.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I offered him 30 and he accepted.
0:29:47 > 0:29:53He took what he could get. Nowadays, have you got any idea what it's worth?
0:29:53 > 0:29:57- Well, we had it roughly valued about six years ago.- Right.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01On an antiques programme, the Antiques Roadshow.
0:30:01 > 0:30:08- Right.- It came to Wigan.- OK. - And the chap there said he thought £400 or £500.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11I think £400-£600 is right.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15- Yeah.- And it may do a bit more because it's a lovely example.
0:30:15 > 0:30:23- The reserve should probably be £400. - Right.- If it doesn't make £400, you can try some other day
0:30:23 > 0:30:28- or hang on to it. Does that sound all right?- Very reasonable, yeah.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33I could talk about this for ages. Lovely to see it.
0:30:36 > 0:30:42- Louise!- Hello!- Thank you for bringing this panel in. Where's the rest of it?!
0:30:42 > 0:30:45- If only I knew!- Where is it from?
0:30:45 > 0:30:50- About a month ago, my oldest brother died.- Right.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52And, um...
0:30:52 > 0:30:58He had a number of things which he'd been given from somebody he knew, a very old man,
0:30:58 > 0:31:02who collected all kinds of things, beautiful things.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05I presume that this came from there.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10- It was in a cupboard and I'd never seen it before.- Oh, wow.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12- So it was quite a surprise.- Yes.
0:31:12 > 0:31:18Sadly, if we turn it over first of all, we'll get the bad points out of the way first.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23- A modern bit of ply.- Yeah. - Which has been laid onto
0:31:23 > 0:31:27because at some stage that's cracked clear in half.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32Probably this is a panel either from a table cabinet
0:31:32 > 0:31:37- or, more likely, a panel from a chest.- Yes.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42- Any idea of how old it is? - I would say it's quite old.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47- I would say perhaps 100, 200 years, but I don't really know. - That's fair enough.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52All of this decoration, all this fabulous quality inlay,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56we've got very delicate, light scrolls.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02And decoration like this first appears in about 1550
0:32:02 > 0:32:06when they're excavating in Rome Nero's palace.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12As they're digging down and uncovering the rooms, they see this fine classical ornament,
0:32:12 > 0:32:18with all these grotesques and figures. And then it comes into European art and disseminates
0:32:18 > 0:32:21on porcelain, furniture, silver.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25And it continues for about 50, 60 years.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31I think this panel is as early as 1580, 1600.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33It's a late Elizabethan panel.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38If it were English! This leads us on to the next thing.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40There's a lot of woodworm holes.
0:32:40 > 0:32:47And there's probably a lot of woodworm holes because it comes from a German,
0:32:47 > 0:32:53possibly a South German piece of furniture which would have been laid, all the wonderful veneers,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55onto a pine base.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59And pine is particularly susceptible to woodworm.
0:32:59 > 0:33:05But even when it happened, someone thought this panel was of sufficient quality to keep.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10It's a very difficult thing to value because they're fragments.
0:33:10 > 0:33:16- Yes.- Certainly if you had a 1580s marquetry chest like this,
0:33:16 > 0:33:22you'd be talking £7,000, £8,000, £10,000. Maybe a little bit more than that.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26What you get for one panel out of it is the question.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30I think we should put it in to auction and put a broad estimate
0:33:30 > 0:33:32of £200-£400 on it.
0:33:32 > 0:33:39Fix the reserve at £200 because I think, really, at that, for something so old...
0:33:39 > 0:33:46- And so beautiful.- So beautiful. The quality of this. Each little segment of this is hand-sawn.
0:33:46 > 0:33:53- Thank you so much for bringing along probably the oldest thing I'll see today.- That's nice.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06- So you're Dorothy.- I'm Dorothy. - Who's this fella?
0:34:06 > 0:34:13- This is Derek, my husband. - Hello, Derek.- Hi.- How long have you been married?- 45 years.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Have you got nicknames?- No!
0:34:16 > 0:34:21- He sometimes calls me Dolly! - Dolly?- He sometimes calls me Dolly.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26- And have you got a name for her? - No, I just think she's lovely.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Well, I do, I do.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33- Yeah. She's very striking. - Very tactile, isn't she?
0:34:33 > 0:34:38- Some areas have been rubbed more than others!- My son!
0:34:38 > 0:34:44- Is it your son's piece?- Yes, it is. - Where did he get it from? - A car boot.- Did he really?
0:34:44 > 0:34:49- How long ago?- A couple of years. - And how much for?
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- £25.- £25.- Yeah.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58- Goodness me. It's probably worth that in weight alone.- It is! I've carried it!
0:34:58 > 0:35:02It's a big bronze figure of this reclining maiden.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- She's rather nice, isn't she?- Yes.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09- She's not signed anywhere, is she? - Not that we know of.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14- I don't know if she's a great age. - Does age make all that difference?
0:35:14 > 0:35:20A name makes a difference and age will. I haven't seen reproductions of this figure, though, so...
0:35:20 > 0:35:26She's certainly 20th century, but to be more specific than that is going to be quite tricky.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32- Why has he decided to sell it now? - I think he might have gone off females!
0:35:32 > 0:35:37He's out fishing now. That's why he's not here.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Right, he's out fishing. So he's gone from females to fish.
0:35:41 > 0:35:47Does he have a high expectation? Does he think it's worth an awful lot?
0:35:47 > 0:35:54He did think it was worth... that it was worth in the region of £500 or something like that.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00Well, it's certainly worth more than he paid for it, but £500 would be really going some.
0:36:00 > 0:36:06- You never know with an auction. All it takes is two people to fall in love with it.- Yeah.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11You never know. But I'd be more conservative and suggest £100-£200.
0:36:11 > 0:36:17We'll put a reserve of £100. It must be... SHE must be worth £100.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22- Mm, lovely. Thank you very much.- It's a pleasure. See you at the auction.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25You will, yes.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30We're now heading back for a return visit to the Calder Valley Auctioneers.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35It's time for our remaining arty lots to go under the hammer.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Rodney and Joan have enjoyed, but are now tired of their Isherwood,
0:36:41 > 0:36:46so it's time for it to sail into the sunset.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52Louise's panel also paints a pretty picture and Michael confirms that it's very old.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58I think this panel is as early as 1580, 1600.
0:36:58 > 0:37:05And, finally, Dorothy and Derek have struggled in with their son's statue, our second car boot find.
0:37:05 > 0:37:11And maybe Dorothy will be carrying off some loot in exchange after the auction.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13We'll have to wait and see.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Talking of carrying things...
0:37:15 > 0:37:20I've spotted something. It's this 19th-century tin oval tray.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24It's beautiful. If I pick this up I can show you this. Look at that.
0:37:24 > 0:37:30You're not just buying a tray. You're buying an oil painting. That's beautifully painted by hand.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34This is circa 1820, 1830. It's a hunting scene.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39It's not that PC. I don't particularly like it, but it's beautifully executed
0:37:39 > 0:37:42and price guided at £40-£60.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48If this was in the Home Counties, in the Shires, hunting territory,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52I think this would be catalogued at £200-£300,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56even in its present condition, which is pretty good for its age.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00There's a bit of wear here and the gilding's lost its colour.
0:38:00 > 0:38:06In perfect condition, it's £500-£700. I want to follow this through later in the sale.
0:38:06 > 0:38:12I've a feeling this could do a couple of hundred pounds easily.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15It may even go to £300.
0:38:15 > 0:38:22Value is what we're here to determine and it's the Isherwood that's up first.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28I think this is a real stunner. Adam valued this at £400-£600.
0:38:28 > 0:38:34We've got everything except for Rodney, who should be right here. He can't be with us today.
0:38:34 > 0:38:40- He couldn't make it, so let's do our best for him. - He did tell me he couldn't come,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43but I said it doesn't matter!
0:38:43 > 0:38:50Lot 595. The Lawrence James Isherwood, 1917-1988.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53I'd like to open this at £200. 220.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55240 in the room. 240. 260?
0:38:55 > 0:38:59260. 280. 300.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01And 20. 340. 360.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04380. 400, the lady in the room.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07£400. 420. 440 in the room.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10At 460. 480 in the room.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16£500. At £500, a shake of the head. £500 then on the phone.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Top bid at £500.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Well done, Adam. Mid-estimate.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- £500. Rodney will be pleased. - I hope so.
0:39:30 > 0:39:36Louise is off to Cyprus in a couple of weeks so we need top money for this lovely wooden panel.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Michael's put £200-£400 on it. We had a chat with the auctioneer.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46We both liked it, but I think it's rather folksy and naive and done by an apprentice or an amateur.
0:39:46 > 0:39:51- But put it in a triple ebony-moulded frame...- Then you've got the look.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55- A thousand dollars. - And Louise looks a thousand dollars.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59- You do. I love what you're wearing. - Thank you.- Fingers crossed.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01This is it. Good luck.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06337 is the marquetry panel. 80 I have here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09£80. 90. £100.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Any advance on £100? Are we all done?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Not on the market at £100.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Aww, it didn't sell. - It's slightly too specialised.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24- Yes.- For here today. I do think it's that early.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28If it went into a specialist furniture sale,
0:40:28 > 0:40:34- with works of art...- Period furniture.- ..people will see that with a different eye...
0:40:34 > 0:40:38- Yeah.- ..than they have here today. - I might just keep it.- Frame it!
0:40:38 > 0:40:44- Why not? I think that's a good idea. Frame it. Frame it. - I'll just keep it.
0:40:44 > 0:40:51So as Louise now happily carries her plaque home, it's my turn to hunt down some bidders.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56Remember that tray we looked at? The oval 19th-century one?
0:40:56 > 0:41:01- Let's watch this.- The hunting scene. That's an interesting piece.
0:41:01 > 0:41:0450 in the doorway. £50. 60. 70.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09- It's worth an awful lot more. - 100. 110. 120.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- 130.- More like it now.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15150. 60. 170.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- Catalogued at £40-£60.- 190. 200.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20210. 220. 230.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24240. 250. 260.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27270. 280. 290.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- That's better, isn't it? - And 10. 320.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33330. 340.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35- Great.- 350. 360.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38370. £370.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42£370 in the room. Going for 370.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Fantastic. That takes it to about £420 with commission.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51That's a good price. No one got that cheap.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59But our next item was definitely bought on the cheap!
0:41:59 > 0:42:05Hopefully, you'll be on the phone to your son later on saying that £25 has been turned into
0:42:05 > 0:42:11- the top end of Adam's estimate, £200. Fingers crossed. Do you like it?- Love it.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16It's well modelled, looks great. Good luck. Here we go, this is it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20The bronze model of a nude girl with sabre.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25I'm opening this at £100 on a commission bid. 110. 120.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29- 130. 140.- Brilliant. - 150. 160. 170.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32170. 180. 190. 200.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And 10. 220.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37230. 240, sir. 240.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40250. 260. 270.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42280. 290. 300.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45And 10. 320. 330.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48340. 350.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52- 360.- This is great.- 370. 380. 390.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55400. And 10. 420. 430.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57440. 450. 460. 470.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I can't believe that.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05At £480. Have you all done? At 480, then.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Brilliant. Absolutely fantastic.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11£25 purchase at a car boot.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- You've got to get on the phone! - I will!
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Sadly, we're coming to the end of another show.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25It's all over for our owners. We've had a bit of a mixed day,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29but that's auctions for you. You win some, you lose some.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33If you've got anything you want to sell, we would love to see you.
0:43:33 > 0:43:39Come to one of our valuation days and you could be on the show. Until the next time, cheerio.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2010
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk