0:00:02 > 0:00:06'Britain is stuffed with places famous for their antiques
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'and each object has a story to tell.'
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Hello!
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'I'm Tim Wonnacott, and as the crowds gather
0:00:13 > 0:00:16'for their favourite outdoor events around the country,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'I'll be pitching up with my silver trailer...' How do you do?
0:00:19 > 0:00:23'..to meet the locals with their precious antiques and collectables.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I'm feeling inspired myself, thank you very much.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26LAUGHTER
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'Their stories will reveal
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'why the places we visit deserve to be on
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'the Great Antiques Map of Britain.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'Today, we're in Wales, at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'Lots of eager owners have come along
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'to show us their intriguing items...'
0:00:50 > 0:00:52The biggest thrill of all for me
0:00:52 > 0:00:56is this very rare object.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'..which represent this area's unique antiques heritage.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Of course, it's very nice,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04but Huntington is a very close neighbour to Hay-on-Wye.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06- It is indeed.- Which is where we are today.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'Also, of course, they want to find out
0:01:09 > 0:01:11'what their precious objects are worth...'
0:01:11 > 0:01:12£250.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Under £100.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15The top end of £5,000.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'..and here's today's mystery object.'
0:01:18 > 0:01:22That's a big hint as to what this thing was used for.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'Hay-on-Wye's a tricky old place to identify.'
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Hello!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32'Officially, it's in the Welsh county of Powys,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34'but as far as the Royal Mail is concerned,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36'it's in the English county of Herefordshire.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Now, you've probably heard of Hay-on-Wye because of the books,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43but I can tell you
0:01:43 > 0:01:45there's more than meets the eye,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47here in Hay-on-Wye.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'For ten days a year, it's positively rammed,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56'with 85,000 visitors flocking to the festival
0:01:56 > 0:01:58'whatever the weather.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03'But in times gone by,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06'it was the river which kept this place alive,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10'providing a vital trading link between Wales and England.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'I've brought the old rig to Hay Castle,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'which was originally built in the 12th century.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'I don't suppose we'll find any objects as old as that today,
0:02:19 > 0:02:20'but you never know!
0:02:24 > 0:02:26'We're bright in spirit -
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'even if the weather is dull as ditch water.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'Cheery Diana has come to see us
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'wearing her grandmother's traditional Welsh costume.'
0:02:35 > 0:02:37It's all over 100 years old.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42I try to wear it on St David's Day if I can, in Hay.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44If it's a fine day, I'm quite happy to wear it
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and walk around town and cause a few people to glance at me.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Well, I must say, it looks very fetching,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- if you don't mind me saying so... - Oh, thank you. No, I don't mind at all.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- Now, this apron is quite coarse. - It is.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00What's the material?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- Flannel.- Flannel, Welsh flannel. - Welsh flannel.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04But in a rather fetching pinstripe.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08The strips always went down,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10because it's flattering.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- There's a fashion tip for us all. - Now there you are.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15And the shawl?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18This is the everyday shawl,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I mean, the houses were very cold -
0:03:20 > 0:03:23they only had the one fire in the range,
0:03:23 > 0:03:24so they needed warmth,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and these are all flannel, made from sheep's wool.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- And that's Welsh again, is it? - So they're all amazingly warm.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34And your arms are covered in these cotton or linen...
0:03:34 > 0:03:36- Sleeves.- ..sleeves.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39The work that ladies had to do was very hard -
0:03:39 > 0:03:41they had to black lead grates,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43scrub stone floors
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and they had, usually,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48a blouse with a three-quarter sleeve,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50so that when they were washing...
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- You know, the sleeves wouldn't get wet.- Yeah.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54They would put these sleeves on to look smart.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Now, the number one Welsh feature, though,
0:03:57 > 0:03:58has to be the stovepipe hat.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Can I have a look at it?- You may.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Thank you very much.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Now, I've never handled one of these -
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and it is magnificent, isn't it?
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It's light,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10the thing is covered in this silk plush...
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Oh, yes - silk plush on buckram.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16..and if I turn it upside down...
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Oh, look - we've got the maker's name in it -
0:04:18 > 0:04:22"Carver and Co, King Street, Carmarthen".
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- Now, you can't get much more Welsh than that, can you?- No, you can't.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29So your family can date this hat back to the 1870s, then?
0:04:29 > 0:04:321870-1890, yes.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Brilliant.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- And underneath it, you wear this cap...- a bonnet.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38..and it's trimmed with lace, is that Welsh lace?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Oh, I don't know. I hope so.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41LAUGHTER
0:04:41 > 0:04:44So do I. Anyway, we must replace it immediately.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45You'd like me to put it on?
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Please, if you wouldn't mind, cos it just completes the ensemble.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51'But how much would you have to part with
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'for an original costume like this?
0:04:54 > 0:04:55'Find out later!
0:04:59 > 0:05:03'Coal mining was once the biggest single employer in Wales.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07'Among the workforce was a sure-footed fleet of ponies,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09'to undertake much of the drudgery.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14'Next, we have a curious object relating to those pit ponies,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'which has been brought along for valuation by Sandra.'
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I don't know what it... Quite what it is.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I had it given me for a pit pony,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25from a gentlemen that worked in the pits, looking after ponies -
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and he said it was a pit pony tool,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29so I don't know any more than that.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31What do you like about it, do you like the timber?
0:05:31 > 0:05:32It's the timber.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Yeah, it's quite a weighty thing when you're actually holding it -
0:05:36 > 0:05:38and if you look carefully,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41this has got quite a close grain, this timber.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It's not mahogany, it's not oak.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44I think it's a fruit wood.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I think it could be apple or pear
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and that apple or pear bow has then gone onto a lathe.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55It's been turned - it's been turned and tapered.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58And then we get down to this globular bit at the bottom
0:05:58 > 0:06:03and it's been reinforced with some sections of iron here
0:06:03 > 0:06:05that have gone all rusty.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08But the intriguing thing for me is the stamp here,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12because if you look, it says "Arnold and Sons"
0:06:12 > 0:06:13and that's a big hint
0:06:13 > 0:06:16as to what this thing was used for.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21If we pull the handle, it reveals a length of steel there,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25and it...withdraws into the tube...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28the flat plate on the bottom.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I date this thing to about 1860
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and it's called a balling gun,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37or dosing tube.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40So the vet would put his medicine in there,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44it could be a fluid medicine, or something more sinister.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46He'd load it up like that
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and the poor old pit pony
0:06:49 > 0:06:51would then be required to open its mouth
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and you'd jam that thing down the pit pony's throat
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and then when it's well and truly down, you go...
0:06:57 > 0:07:01like that and fire a great dose of medicine
0:07:01 > 0:07:03down the back of its throat.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07And that is all in the name of getting the pony better.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09LAUGHTER
0:07:09 > 0:07:10What's it worth?
0:07:10 > 0:07:12'Have a guess and soon, all will be revealed!
0:07:17 > 0:07:22'Now, what's the best thing you can buy around here for under a pound?'
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- Hello there, how are you? - Very well, thank you.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Jolly good, nice to see you.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'It's as many crossings as you want in a day,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'over this delightful old toll bridge,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'which is owned by Maggie.'
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Now, this bridge has been here for how long?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Oh, 240 years.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37And how did it come about?
0:07:37 > 0:07:42There were two main houses, where they had farms both sides
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and actually needed to take their animals across to
0:07:44 > 0:07:46the common land, which is over there.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49And to get to build the toll bridge, what would they have to do?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Go to parliament, ask a question in parliament
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and have it ratified and agreed.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister at the time.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00He ratified thousands of these with Acts of Parliament.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02All had different little nuances in them.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- Take so many cows...- Yes.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Take so many pigs... - Absolutely, yes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Yeah, no, brilliant, brilliant.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12And that statute is what gives you the legal right
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- to continue with the toll today. - Absolutely, yeah.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16When was that ratified then, roughly?
0:08:16 > 0:08:19The final one was 1797.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- Right.- So some of the bits of the bridge you're standing on now
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- are 200 years old. - Are they really?- Yeah.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- Now you tell me, now that I'm standing on it. - MAGGIE LAUGHS
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- Yes, some people do say, "Is it safe?"- Just tell me,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32why didn't they just have a stone bridge all the way, then?
0:08:32 > 0:08:33Oh, really interesting.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They did originally build it all in stone, so the two stone arches
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- you see were all continued to stone in the middle...- Yes.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41..but, as today, look at the speed of that water -
0:08:41 > 0:08:43it's really in spey at the moment.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- It's vicious, isn't it?- It is, it's really high at the moment.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And what happened was, when it was so high, the stone just...
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- The mortar just washed away. - Oh, did it?
0:08:51 > 0:08:55So they then went back to Parliament and had it re-ratified,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58to say that they could build it in greenheart oak.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- When it comes to the big old replacement cost...- Oh, yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04..which is going to be the major stanchion somewhat,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- it's going to be a number, isn't it? - 1993, it was £300,000.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- Was it really?- Yeah.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10And how much is your toll?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- 80 pence, per day.- 80p a day?- Yeah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16So I can go back and forth as many times as I like?
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Any number of times.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20The Hay Festival must have made quite a difference to your business.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21Oh, it's huge for us.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The first week, we take 10% of our income on these 10 days.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Do you?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28'So the festival effect is felt here too
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'and the town of Hay-on-Wye would not be as well connected
0:09:32 > 0:09:34'without this little toll bridge.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42'That little bridge was built
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'well over 100 years after this map was produced
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and it belongs to Ant.'
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Map is of Herefordshire County
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and it's got all the castles in Herefordshire on it,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56as far as we can make out.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58It's got lots of other information on it
0:09:58 > 0:09:59which we're not quite sure about,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03which hopefully Tim will be able to help us sort out
0:10:03 > 0:10:05and work out a bit more about it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Now, is Herefordshire your home county?
0:10:09 > 0:10:10- Um, it is now.- It is now?
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Definitely yes, yes -
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and I have... My grandfather, who bought the map originally,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- is born in Herefordshire. - And where was he born?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21He was born in a little village called Huntington, which is up here.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Oh, right.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26So he was attracted to the map because it related to his county.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- Yes.- And that's why he had it framed up and hung it at home.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Absolutely.- And of course, it's very nice that Huntington
0:10:32 > 0:10:34is a very close neighbour to Hay-on-Wye.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- It is, indeed.- Which is where we are today.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40The map-maker was a man called John Speed -
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and the way that Speed went about producing these maps
0:10:43 > 0:10:45was completely novel.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47First of all, he came up with
0:10:47 > 0:10:50the idea of producing a map county by county -
0:10:50 > 0:10:54that had not happened before 1612.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And then he introduced these little vignettes.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00So on this side of the Herefordshire map,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03we've got the City of Hereford as a kind of road map,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07which hadn't happened before Speed came up with this arrangement.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Right.- And then he included local aristocratic families,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13with their coats of arms.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15And then, of course, they're coloured -
0:11:15 > 0:11:17and they're not coloured by a printing process -
0:11:17 > 0:11:20all these colours are put on by hand,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22with a person with a watercolour pot,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24so it's a heck of a lot of work.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Yes. Crumbs, didn't appreciate that, yes.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And strangely enough, the value varies, county by county,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31depending on how prosperous the inhabitants are.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- Oh, right.- Yes.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The valuation of these maps is a complete nightmare,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38because Speed, having come up with
0:11:38 > 0:11:44the original printed edition in 1612...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46The plates were then used
0:11:46 > 0:11:50for at least 50 further years -
0:11:50 > 0:11:52into the 1660s -
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and it's very difficult to identify
0:11:54 > 0:11:59the precise printing date in that long period.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01What is pretty well certain is
0:12:01 > 0:12:05that this one would have been produced before 1646.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Oh, gosh, didn't realise it was that old, gosh.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09And I guess if you wanted to sell it,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13you'd probably get at auction maybe sort of £250-£350,
0:12:13 > 0:12:14something like that.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18It's a genuine old map. Very, very nice.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Oh, thank you.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29'In the literary festival's tented village,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31'visitors are immersing themselves in books
0:12:31 > 0:12:35'and merrily mingling with authors and celebrities.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39'Meanwhile, at the castle, another local has rolled up
0:12:39 > 0:12:42'with a couple of family heirlooms he'd like to know more about.'
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Now, Aubrey, this table's had a bit of a hard life,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47so let's pick it up, OK,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49and have a quick bird's eye
0:12:49 > 0:12:51at the underside...
0:12:52 > 0:12:57..and this displays characteristics of an 18th century table.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01But once upon a time, somebody's broken that leg off
0:13:01 > 0:13:02and they've taken a tin of baked beans
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and they've flattened the tin
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and then they've screwed the baked bean tin inside that leg,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09to make it nice and firm, all right?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Then another raucous party,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13somebody knocked that leg off
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and what they decided to do was to put five big screws in that -
0:13:15 > 0:13:17and that's what keeps that leg on.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Now, these two back legs were once on these rails,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25which were period rails, but you can see the timber there's new,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28that's because that back leg once upon a time broke off
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and they replaced it with a new piece of timber.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33But basically,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36this is an old table,
0:13:36 > 0:13:37OK?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39And it dates - I guess -
0:13:39 > 0:13:42from about 1770-1780...
0:13:42 > 0:13:47and once upon a time, it was an immensely grand thing,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51because the timber that they veneered on top of all that pine
0:13:51 > 0:13:53is mahogany and satinwood.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Particularly lovely is this
0:13:56 > 0:14:00satinwood central demi-loom,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02then they've inlayed that with something called garrier,
0:14:02 > 0:14:07which is the shape of a classical husked leaf,
0:14:07 > 0:14:08which is what these things are -
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and they've done that in swags.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15But, at some point, somebody decided to have their supper off this...
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- Yeah.- ..and unfortunately...
0:14:17 > 0:14:19it resulted in a bit of a spillage,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- but it's perfectly easy to get restored.- Yes.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24OK?
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Is it a games table or a tea table?
0:14:26 > 0:14:30We open it up like that and it's got baize inside, so it's a games table.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34All in all, this is what they call a "restoration job" in the trade.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37This table, in brilliant condition,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39is worth about £15,000
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and I think it would probably cost you
0:14:42 > 0:14:45at least £500-£700
0:14:45 > 0:14:48to get it decently restored and looking top hole,
0:14:48 > 0:14:53which I guess, gives it a residual value now of about £500.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55So, next...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57a rather fine lithograph.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02James Watt, Britain's premier engineer
0:15:02 > 0:15:04and inventor of the 18th century.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I'm descended by five...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10generations to James Watt.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11- Are you really?- Yeah.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- Great-great-great-great-great... - Five.- ..great, that's five.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- That's great, isn't it?- Watt?
0:15:18 > 0:15:19LAUGHTER
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Yes, I mean this is the man who sorted out the steam engine
0:15:22 > 0:15:25by shoving a condenser on it,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28that effectively led to...
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- BOTH:- The Industrial Revolution.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I mean, none of this would have happened without your
0:15:32 > 0:15:35great-great-great-great-great- grandfather,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37which is quite something.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40And this image is a famous image.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44A man called Francis Chantrey was a sculptor
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and he famously sculpted James Watt
0:15:47 > 0:15:53in a bust, dating from 1814...
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and he sketched James Watt before he carved the marble
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and this is a print of the sketch.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02It's a very illustrious family -
0:16:02 > 0:16:04it must make your bosom swell with pride.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06AUBREY LAUGHS
0:16:06 > 0:16:10I feel proud for you, so let's not be modest here -
0:16:10 > 0:16:11he was a great man
0:16:11 > 0:16:15and we owe a tremendous amount to his inventiveness, actually.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It's a print, it's not the three grand original,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23but I guess with the connection to your family, nevertheless,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- it's got to make the thing worth... I don't know, £100-£200.- Yes.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36'So how did Hay become a Mecca for bibliophiles?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'Well, largely thanks to this man -
0:16:38 > 0:16:39'Richard Booth.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40FANFARE
0:16:42 > 0:16:46'In the 1960s, he recognised the potential of second-hand books
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'to rescue his town of Hay-on-Wye
0:16:49 > 0:16:51'from its failing rural economy.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I don't think any book really is junk,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56this is kind of a religion with me.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I think I'm just beginning -
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I think I've got about a million books now.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I think it's possible to get 5-10 times larger
0:17:03 > 0:17:05and then I'd hope to, er...
0:17:05 > 0:17:08bring people in on buses and planes
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and make it a kind of centre for the second-hand book trade.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16'Initially dealing books from his rather roomy car,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18'he established a second-hand book shop
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'to attract people from far and wide.'
0:17:20 > 0:17:26I think I was geographically in a perfect location.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29You see, you're a nice hour or two's run from
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Swansea...
0:17:33 > 0:17:36So we had customers who'd come...
0:17:38 > 0:17:40..for a day's outing to Hay.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45The book is the perfect symbol of a nation's culture -
0:17:45 > 0:17:49therefore, it is the perfect partner of the tourist industry.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54'He bought the local cinema, fire-station and even the castle,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56'filling them all with books.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57'He was an inspiration
0:17:57 > 0:18:00'and soon, book shops opened all over the town.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02'Then, in 1977,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04'came an ingenious PR stunt.'
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Tomorrow, Hay-on-Wye announces its intention
0:18:08 > 0:18:10to become an independent state,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13free from the bureaucracies of central government
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and able to concentrate on its own products,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18like Hay sausages and Hay bread.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19People of Hay!
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'Declaring himself King of the Independent Nation of Hay
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'brought lots of media attention.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:29It was a joke and it slowly grew into more than a joke.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Can I see your passport, please?
0:18:31 > 0:18:35We ultimately decided it should be on April Fool's Day.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39'And the world's first book town was born.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45'One of the giants of Welsh literature
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'is of course, Dylan Thomas
0:18:47 > 0:18:52'and collector Geoff has brought along some of his works to show me.'
0:18:52 > 0:18:56I was in school in Swansea Grammar School, which is where Dylan went
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and I'd heard the name when I was a schoolboy
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and then I went on to read other stories.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I've got much more interest in his short stories, I think,
0:19:05 > 0:19:06than in his poetry,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09but I'm growing into his poetry.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Now, Geoff, I quite like this book,
0:19:13 > 0:19:18because it's got this cracking image of Dylan Thomas on the cover.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23And this is a first edition, dating from 1954.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Dylan, of course, had died in 1953
0:19:26 > 0:19:30and this probably is one of the first
0:19:30 > 0:19:34collective volumes of a mass of his material
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- produced after his death, which is interesting.- Yes, yes.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42And I suppose this is likely to be worth...
0:19:42 > 0:19:46I don't know, perhaps £150, something like that.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50This one is very important to find in its dust cover,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53cos there are lots of these that aren't with dust covers.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The Map Of Love, which I think
0:19:56 > 0:19:58was produced as a first edition in 1939...
0:19:58 > 0:20:02So this is a first edition, I suppose that book today is worth
0:20:02 > 0:20:06the top end of £600, £500-£600, that sort of amount.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09But the biggest thrill of all for me
0:20:09 > 0:20:13is this very rare object.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- Yeah.- Cos if I'm right and if this thing is genuine,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20what we have is Under Milk Wood
0:20:20 > 0:20:25in the broadcast version, if you like -
0:20:25 > 0:20:26and on the outside,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30it even records the date of the first broadcast,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33in January 1954.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And that is a thrill to be able to handle, actually.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39And the value of such a rare item?
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Well, you'll have to wait and see.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50'The origins of the Salvation Army date back to 1865.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'William Booth founded the organisation in London's East End
0:20:54 > 0:20:55'to help the poor and needy,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59'always galvanised and cheered by music.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03'The Hay branch opened in 1886 with its own band
0:21:03 > 0:21:06'and an early member and tambourine player
0:21:06 > 0:21:08'was Anne's great grandmother.'
0:21:08 > 0:21:11She was in the Salvation Army from about the age of 20.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13She lived in Pontypridd
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and eventually, she came up here -
0:21:15 > 0:21:16she was here by 1890.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- In Hay-on-Wye?- Yeah.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20This was her instrument, was it?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- That was hers, yes.- OK.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Salvationists didn't call them "tambourines",
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- they were called "timbrels"... - Right.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29..and it was not thought proper,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32if you were a female in the Salvation Army,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to perform as part of the band.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The only instrument that a female Salvationist
0:21:38 > 0:21:41was allowed to perform with was a timbrel,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43one of these tambourines.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47And so philanthropic was the Salvation Army,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49that they had a works in London
0:21:49 > 0:21:51that made these timbrels -
0:21:51 > 0:21:52- that made the tambourines.- Really?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And if you were unemployed and a male in London
0:21:55 > 0:21:57and you needed a bed for the night,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59the Salvation Army would take you in,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01but your penance the next day
0:22:01 > 0:22:04was to help in the manufacture of instruments like this.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09And what I think is brilliant is that here we are in Hay-on-Wye,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12your great-grandmother in the Salvation Army
0:22:12 > 0:22:13would have used this...
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Oh, yes, she did...- ..on the streets, just down the road.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20If I had to bring a number on it, I suppose it might bring, locally,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22perhaps £50, something like that.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Yeah, but I mean, that's not the value, is it?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Not at all, but it sure does strike the right note for me.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Oh, thank you very much. Thank you, thank you.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40'The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012
0:22:40 > 0:22:41'was a spectacular event,
0:22:41 > 0:22:46'breaking the world record for the largest ever parade of boats.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48'Herefordshire was represented by
0:22:48 > 0:22:53'a specially built replica of a traditional Wye river trow,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55'named the "Hereford Bull".
0:22:55 > 0:22:57'Before 1800,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'Hay-on-Wye relied more or less entirely on the river
0:23:00 > 0:23:02'for transport of coal, stone, wool -
0:23:02 > 0:23:04'well, you name it.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07'Locally built trows were a very particular design,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11'to cope with the river's fluctuating water levels,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13'narrow gorges and low bridges.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'I went to see the Hereford Bull
0:23:15 > 0:23:19'with the president of the committee that built her - Bob Tabor.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21She's a very sturdy vessel
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and she's a replica of a vessel
0:23:25 > 0:23:30which we believe would have traded about 1800,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33used on the Wye to transport cargo
0:23:33 > 0:23:35from the very early days.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- And this is it? - And this...this is it.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41And another exciting part, of course, was the fact that
0:23:41 > 0:23:44local people gave us the timber.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- Did they?- So we...
0:23:46 > 0:23:48The trees were chopped down,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50they were made into planks in position
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and they were transported to Gloucester, where she was made.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Well, she is a very sturdy-looking craft, I have to say.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59You've got a very big tiller on the stern, haven't you?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- Yes, you have.- So, a lot of leverage with that.- Yep.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07And I see the rudder goes out a fair old stride at the stern -
0:24:07 > 0:24:10that's cos you can't have it terribly deep in the water,
0:24:10 > 0:24:11is that right?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Tim, you're absolutely right, she has a very shallow draft
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and would have to have, obviously, to come up the river
0:24:17 > 0:24:19when the river was low.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22But of course, the point about these vessels -
0:24:22 > 0:24:26although she has this wonderful mast and we have a square sail -
0:24:26 > 0:24:29that sail would probably only have been used when the boat
0:24:29 > 0:24:33- was sailing through gorges, like Symonds Yat gorge...- Right.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35..where the wind would blow either one way or the other.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Yeah, you'd be very jammy
0:24:37 > 0:24:39to get a good wind going up and down reliably.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Now, tell me, when it comes to bringing her up the river,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45what's the motive power?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47In the earlier periods -
0:24:47 > 0:24:4914th, 15th, 16th centuries -
0:24:49 > 0:24:50- it was men.- Was it?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52They were called "bow hauliers"
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and there were gangs of men and boys
0:24:55 > 0:24:59who would be waiting up the Wye
0:24:59 > 0:25:03to be hired to haul these vessels up.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- It would have been a long haul. - It would have been a long haul.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And latterly, of course, they were helped by horses
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and the towpath became men.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15They would have been shifting all sorts of stone, iron ore,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19coal would have been coming down, agricultural produce...
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Hay was particularly important
0:25:21 > 0:25:24when it came to trading on the Wye, wasn't it?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It would have been vitally important to them.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29You go back to 1850 and the Severn Estuary is probably
0:25:29 > 0:25:33the busiest waterway in Europe at that time.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35'Lush forests around Hay
0:25:35 > 0:25:38'meant that not only trows were built here,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41'but there's a history of all sorts of other woodcraft.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44'Jill's grandfather used local wood to make his furniture -
0:25:44 > 0:25:48'these pieces are now antiques, made in Hay.'
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I brought a hall table and a frame -
0:25:51 > 0:25:53both made by my grandfather -
0:25:53 > 0:25:56and the frame contains his wedding photograph.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- He is the hero of our piece, your grandfather, isn't he?- He is.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04- Do you know the date of this photograph?- 1914, January.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09And your grandfather and grandmother on this happy occasion lived where?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Well, my grandfather lived where I live now
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and that's where he took his bride.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15How lovely. So you're in the old family home?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18I was born in the old family home, yes - and I still live there.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Would you describe most of your grandfather's furniture
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- as being chunky?- They're very solid.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- Yeah, there you go. - And he only worked in oak.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28He only worked in oak and he only worked in solid planks of oak,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30which he then carved up.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32We've got two simple planks
0:26:32 > 0:26:34which are jointed by a platform in the middle
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and then we've got this substantial top on it.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38The frame is interesting, too -
0:26:38 > 0:26:42we've got a long continuous trail of ivy
0:26:42 > 0:26:46that's in between some bands of what's called "chip carving" -
0:26:46 > 0:26:48so you take your chisel and you just
0:26:48 > 0:26:51meter out a little nick like that
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and oppose those nicks
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and that's what he's done to create that decorative effect.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59- He was clearly a very talented man. - Oh, yes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01So how many pieces of your grandfather's furniture
0:27:01 > 0:27:03have you still got in the house?
0:27:03 > 0:27:04About half a dozen, I suppose.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05- Have you?- Mm.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- That's quite a survival, isn't it?- Yes.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09And would you ever sell any of it?
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Oh, no - definitely not.- Oh, no... - LAUGHTER
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Well, if I had to put a value on these pieces,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I have to tell you the value's not going to be tremendously high.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20For this hall table, you would get, at auction,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23probably under £100
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and I would guess, maybe £60-£80.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28The photo-frame, strangely enough,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31is not worth a lot less.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I think you'd get probably £30-£40 for the frame.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Is that right?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Anyway, do you want a hand home with it?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42'What about Sandra's pit pony medicine dispenser?'
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And I think, in the right sort of sale,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48you could get the top end of £250
0:27:48 > 0:27:51for this balling gun.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53'To value Diana's traditional costume,
0:27:53 > 0:27:58'we hooked up with Welsh textiles expert Jane Beck for her opinion.'
0:27:58 > 0:28:00'So I think we're probably looking
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'around £450-£500.'
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'And finally, the Dylan Thomas Under Milk Wood script.'
0:28:07 > 0:28:09And if I'm right and if it is genuine,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12this thing is probably worth the top end of £5,000.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19What a great day we've had
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and what an eclectic mix of objects
0:28:23 > 0:28:25here in Hay.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28It certainly puts this place on our antiques map.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33You could say it's a bit of a hurray-day for Hay!
0:28:33 > 0:28:34Cheerio.