0:00:02 > 0:00:05'Britain is stuffed with places famous for their antiques,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'and each object has a story to tell.'
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello!
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'I'm Tim Wonnacott,
0:00:12 > 0:00:13'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
0:00:19 > 0:00:23'to meet the locals with their precious antiques and collectables.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:26I'm feeling inspired myself. Thank you very much.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30'Their stories will reveal why the places we visit
0:00:30 > 0:00:33'deserve to be on the Great Antiques Map of Britain.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38'Today we're in regal company at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'in the heart of Berkshire.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- HE LAUGHS - 'Lots of eager owners
0:00:48 > 0:00:51'have come along to show us their intriguing items...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:52It is a splendid piece of silver.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56- Isn't it?- It's beautiful, yes.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58We're very proud of it.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'..which represent this area's unique antiques heritage.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Here we are, standing in Windsor,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08around about there, aren't we?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I'd say more just there.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13'Also, of course, they want to find out
0:01:13 > 0:01:15'what their precious objects are worth.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Between £400 and £600.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19£50 to £100.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Let's say £1,500 to £2,000.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25'And can you imagine how much this old oar might fetch at auction?'
0:01:25 > 0:01:27- It's a fantastic story, isn't it? - Wow.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41No, I'm not visiting the Queen today,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45but I am visiting the grounds of Windsor Castle
0:01:45 > 0:01:48to go to the Royal Windsor Horse Show...
0:01:48 > 0:01:49don't you know.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53Hi!
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest
0:01:55 > 0:01:57'occupied castle in the world,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01'looming high above the Thames since Norman times.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03'Royal life dominates Windsor,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05'and the family's love of all things equestrian
0:02:05 > 0:02:10'means horses are a huge part of the town's character.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12'Princes William and Harry went to school locally
0:02:12 > 0:02:14'at world-famous Eton College,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'in the footsteps of the great and the good,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19'including 20 of our Prime Ministers.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23'So, Windsor's history and pedigree are certainly not in question.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28'The Royal Windsor Horse Show has been a big deal
0:02:28 > 0:02:31'since it began in 1943.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34'At this year's event, 4,000 horses are taking part,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38'watched by 54,000 visitors over five days.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41'And among those visitors are some plucky locals,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44'who've brought along their favourite treasures for valuation.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49'First up is Tom, with a gigantic plan of where we are.'
0:02:49 > 0:02:53What I've got is an Ordnance Survey map of Windsor
0:02:53 > 0:02:55from about the 1890s.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59But the most interesting thing about it is it's 25 inches to the mile,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01so it's absolutely enormous of scale,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03which is relatively unusual.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Here we are, standing in Windsor,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10around about there, aren't we?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I'd say more just there.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Oh, I can tell a man who got a first in Geography.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- THEY LAUGH - Anyway,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20we have got Windsor Castle ramparts up there
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and there are Windsor Castle ramparts, the North Terrace,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26on this marvellous Ordnance Survey map.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Half of the charm of the maps is the way they look so lovely
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and there's real craftsmanship gone into them.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The interesting thing is, and certainly in this central section,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37is how little has changed.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Normally, if one looked at a map from the 1890s,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41it would be incredibly different from today.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45But here, because of Windsor Castle and the Home Park and the park
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and because of Eton and the college, a lot is the same as it was.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50But what I think about this edition,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55which is the 1893 edition of the 25 inch,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59they're still colouring every element on this by hand.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- These are all watercolour paints. - Yes.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04So, the Thames, where it's coloured in,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07isn't printed on, it's painted on,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- which is marvellous, isn't it? - It's astonishing.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10- So, a labour of love.- Yes.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Every dwelling house coloured pink,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15every carriageway coloured yellow,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and the river itself blue and all the other watercourses.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's a work of art, really, isn't it?
0:04:22 > 0:04:23I think so.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25They are so beautiful.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28'But what's the value of this beautiful map?
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'Go on, have a guess,
0:04:30 > 0:04:31'and I'll tell you later.'
0:04:35 > 0:04:40'In this horsey town, the Guards Polo Club was founded in 1955
0:04:40 > 0:04:44'and games are played on the Crown Estate's Windsor Great Park.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47'From one of the horsiest local families
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'is professional polo player Sebastian,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'who's brought along a couple of equine heirlooms.'
0:04:53 > 0:04:54Horses have been in my family,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57race horses and polo horses have been in my family...
0:04:59 > 0:05:01..back several generations.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I, myself, am a third-generation polo player,
0:05:05 > 0:05:10but my family, before that, were heavily involved with racehorses,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13including Marcus Beresford,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15who was the manager of the King's stables here,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17King Edward VII, and King George V.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Tell me about the timepiece?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24In 1908, Minoru was purchased,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28it was an Irish stallion thoroughbred.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33The stallion actually won the 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37The shoe that was on the horse for the Derby was taken off
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and then mounted in a special way for presentation purposes,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42which is exactly what's happened here.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45They've attached an oddball flag to the top,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47which says Derby 1909.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Not just engraved it, but done it in enamels,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and the colours that you see on that inscription
0:05:54 > 0:05:58are mirrored in the colours that are underneath.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59So, they wouldn't be random colours,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02they will be associated with the Royal Household...
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Wow, I didn't know that. - ..or his stable.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I wouldn't be surprised, if you were to sell it,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10if it didn't make in the order of, say, £1,500-£2,000.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Wow.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Tell me about this rather exotic-looking red leather case
0:06:15 > 0:06:18with George V's cipher on it.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20What's the connection with your family?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23My grandfather, David Dornay,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27who belonged to the 10th Royal Hussars...
0:06:28 > 0:06:33The whole regiment were going to be shipped from Southampton to Egypt.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37My grandfather looked after a horse on that passage
0:06:37 > 0:06:39called Gay Corinthian.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44And it was obviously a very special horse to King George V at the time.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48And, as a thank you, he was presented with these cuff links.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- Well how extraordinary is that? - Incredible.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53These are made of 18 carat gold
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and they were made by Carrington and Co,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and Carrington's had the Royal Warrant for Victoria and Albert
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and for Edward and for George V,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03so they were the jewellers in London
0:07:03 > 0:07:08who made the special pieces of jewellery for the royal family.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14And these presentation cuff links, with George V's seal on.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19I like to think of that young officer in Egypt
0:07:19 > 0:07:23being especially taken to one side by his commanding officer
0:07:23 > 0:07:27and being presented with the King and Emperor's pair of cuff links.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Incredible.- I mean that is special, isn't it?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'And the value of the cuff links?
0:07:32 > 0:07:33'Find out later.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'Windsor sits firmly on the Great Antiques Map
0:07:49 > 0:07:51'for the eponymous chairs.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55'Legend has it that when King George III sat on one of these chairs
0:07:55 > 0:07:57'for the first time,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00'he declared it the most comfortable chair he'd ever sat on.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03'Well, the more likely reason for the name
0:08:03 > 0:08:06'is that Windsor was a centre for distribution.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'The chairs were made 20 miles up the road in High Wycombe,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13'once the chair-making capital of the world.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16'These days, the delightful Wycombe Museum
0:08:16 > 0:08:19'is the perfect place to see some examples,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'and what a peach this place is.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'Oh, look at this, it's Windsor chair heaven.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30'What a treat to see so many versions in one place,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'each with the characteristic saddleback-shaped elm seat,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37'which makes them, oh, so comfy,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'but with variations to their backs, arms and legs.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45'The collections and interpretation officer is Dr Catherine Grigg.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Now, are you going to be able to help me interpret
0:08:48 > 0:08:50this particular Windsor chair?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Cos this is quite unusual, isn't it? - It is, it's a rare one.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58So, just the early date, for a start, makes it unusual.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So, it dates to about 1740.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02They were not made in very large numbers back then,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05so it makes a rarity that it survives.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09And, very unusually, we think we know
0:09:09 > 0:09:11the name of the man that made it.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12So, he was called John Pitt.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15There's are about five that survive that we know were made by him.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- Gosh.- And the way he kind of gives himself away
0:09:18 > 0:09:20as the maker, as it were,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23is particularly in the chair legs.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- He does these cabriole legs.- Yes.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Quite a shallow cabriole.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Very unusually, as well, cabriole legs at the back,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35but one of the very specific things about the way he makes a cabriole leg
0:09:35 > 0:09:37is this little notch here,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and that says John Pitt to us quite loudly.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44This Windsor chair on top of the plinth is pretty special, isn't it?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Yeah, it's one of the nicest examples
0:09:46 > 0:09:48of an early-19th-century Windsor chair.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54Like all locally-made chairs, it has an elm seat,
0:09:54 > 0:09:59but yew wood was an expensive and a very attractive wood,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03so they were used for the nicest examples, like this one.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Most Windsor chairs have one splat,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08so splat is that middle bit.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11This is so unusual. It's got three splats in the back
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and then it's got an additional two splats in the side,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16which is just so unusual
0:10:16 > 0:10:20and that you know, obviously, extra time went into making it,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22as well as using the best wood.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27Why was it such a fertile place, the Thames Valley,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29for these things to be made in this area?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31There's so many beech woods
0:10:31 > 0:10:33that it was actually known as the Buckinghamshire weed,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35it just grew so prolifically.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37And it happens that each wood is very good
0:10:37 > 0:10:39for the turned parts on a Windsor chair,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42which is so characteristic of the Windsor chair.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47So, what developed was that turners worked out in the woods
0:10:47 > 0:10:49so they set up their workshops
0:10:49 > 0:10:52as sort of, you know, little temporary huts
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and they became known, not as turners, but bodgers.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And when Victoria visited High Wycombe,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00isn't there a famous archive photograph?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03The town put up this huge arch of chairs to welcome her,
0:11:03 > 0:11:09because, by 1877, the town was so much associated with chair making.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'Could be a modern sculpture, couldn't it?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'Now, we have a rather battered example of the species,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'with an original top and reproduction legs,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19'rescued by Valerie.'
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's lovely. I love it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22I think this is old.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I had the sense that it was probably early 19th century
0:11:26 > 0:11:28or maybe 18th century, I don't know.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31That's one thing I'm hoping Tim will tell me.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36My family's been here since 1881.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And my father, actually,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- was a founder member of the Windsor Horse Show.- Really?- Yes.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44So, it's appropriate that here we are at Windsor Horse Show...
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Definitely.- ..and you've come with your treasured Windsor chair.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Absolutely.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Looking at this chair is a bit like a detective story really,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56because you have to pick over the various parts
0:11:56 > 0:12:00to understand quite what was made when and where.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We know that the colour scheme, the bits of it that you can see,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07areas of brown look and areas of green
0:12:07 > 0:12:10with another pale colour underneath
0:12:10 > 0:12:13would indicate that this has been re-painted.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Then it's got bust, then it's gone into a loft
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and it's probably stayed there for 150 years
0:12:18 > 0:12:22until you came along and thought, "There's a chair that I can do up."
0:12:22 > 0:12:24But actually, thank goodness, you didn't do it up,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28cos it's better in this unpainted, original state.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33What gives you the idea as to the age that it actually has
0:12:33 > 0:12:35is these turned front supports.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40They are turnings which probably date the chair to about 1820.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41If I was saying to you,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44"Should you or should you not have the legs replaced
0:12:44 > 0:12:47"with a style of leg that would be more appropriate
0:12:47 > 0:12:50"to a forest chair of this type," the jury's out really.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55But what I would do is to have the four later legs painted.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00I'd re-paint and rub down the replaced legs two or three times
0:13:00 > 0:13:04to get them into a rubbed-down, worn state
0:13:04 > 0:13:07that looks like the old and original paint that's on the chair.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12If it had the original legs with the original paintwork on it,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16this chair would be worth, I guess, about £600-£900.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But with its replaced legs and all that paintjob to do,
0:13:19 > 0:13:20I think somebody might pay you,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22perhaps, £100-£200, something like that.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- Well, it's not being sold anyway. - Exactly!- I sit on it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- Thank you very much. - Thank you very much for coming.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29That's a treat.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48'Windsor loves a pageant and a bit of pomp and ceremony.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53'In Queen Victoria's time,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'when there was a really major celebration,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00'elaborate temporary structures were erected like this canopy
0:14:00 > 0:14:04'to enhance the statue of the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09'A small part of that canopy now belongs to Elias.'
0:14:10 > 0:14:13What was interesting about it is
0:14:13 > 0:14:15it looks like it's made of stone.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Was actually made of wood and canvas.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22The person who actually made it was a chap called Mr Nut.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24So, tell us about the plaque then.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29I'm not sure what it's made of, but it was actually, it's inscribed
0:14:29 > 0:14:33that it was actually from a structure on Castle Hill in Windsor.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36If we look at the plaque, you can see it's made of oak,
0:14:36 > 0:14:42a thin panel of oak, that actually says, crudely, 1897 on the back.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46but, to my mind, crucially, in gold paint.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Because if you look at the moulded lion
0:14:50 > 0:14:53that's been applied to the oak plaque,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55and what's happened is it's discoloured, it's got dirty
0:14:55 > 0:14:57and that's why the colour's come down.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00But once upon a time, it was as bright a gold as that.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03And the thing is made out of plaster.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It's a type of dental composition.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11They also made picture surrounds on all sorts of devices
0:15:11 > 0:15:14out of this dental composition.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17It's easy to work, it's easy to mould,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19it dries quite quickly.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23And when it is dry, if you cover it in a thin layer of plaster,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25which is what's happened here, called gesso,
0:15:25 > 0:15:26then you can put gilding on the top
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and the gilding doesn't get absorbed by the compositions.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And I just wonder whether our architect, Mr Nut,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38in terms of the temporary nature of the things that he made,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42simply commissioned picture-frame-type makers
0:15:42 > 0:15:44to make the decorations that he would have applied
0:15:44 > 0:15:46to the temporary structures.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It certainly was part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51which is really lovely.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52If you were to sell it,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55the best place to sell it is somewhere in Windsor.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00I mean, this is the primary place of interest related to this object.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01And I suppose in Windsor,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05it might make as much as £50 to £100, something like that.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06Very nice too.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'It's a magical day.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18'Riders, visitors, and splendid horses are all having a great time.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19'And so too are our owners,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'who are flocking to us with their fascinating objects.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26'Next up, from the Berkshire Federation of Women's Institutes,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28'is Sue.'
0:16:28 > 0:16:29I've brought along a couple of items
0:16:29 > 0:16:32that I thought might be of interest to you.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36There's a tea urn and a silver presentation cup.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41It's called the Disraeli Silver Presentation Cup.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44As far as these objects are concerned, I think they're riveting.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- This copper job is a samovar or tea urn.- Oh, right.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Some of these have a spirit burner underneath to warm it up.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Some of them, you take the top off
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and you shove in a red hot pig of iron
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and that keeps the tea nice and warm inside,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01then you draw it off through the tap.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03But what's great about this one is,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06you got the Buckinghamshire presentation
0:17:06 > 0:17:09to one of the WIs in 1925,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14because the publishers of this magazine, the WI magazine,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18if every member of a WI
0:17:18 > 0:17:20signed up and subscribed to this magazine for a year...
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- Three shillings. - ..At three shillings,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26then they gave you the tea urn at the end of the year.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28We're not sure, perhaps you can tell us
0:17:28 > 0:17:31how many of these were actually produced?
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- I would think thousands and thousands.- Oh, would you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35- Yes, I would.- Right.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- And Fattorini and Co, who made it... - Yes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41..were a mass production firm of metalworks of this type.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Oh, that's very interesting.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45But by far the grandest piece on the table
0:17:45 > 0:17:47is this silver cup and cover,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51which is in the 17th-century style.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56It's got what's called lappets, which are these cut bands of silver
0:17:56 > 0:17:59that look like stylised leaves running around the bottom,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and the most gorgeous finial,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06which is about to burst forth and reveal a delicious fruit, one feels.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Anyway, it's inscribed -
0:18:08 > 0:18:14"Presented to the Buckinghamshire Federation of Women' Institutes
0:18:14 > 0:18:19"in 1929" by no lesser person than Mrs Disraeli,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24who would have been the niece-in-law of Benjamin Disraeli,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27the celebrated British Prime Minister,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31who, of course, lived at Hughenden, just outside Windsor.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And it is a splendid piece of silver.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- Isn't it?- It's beautiful, yes.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39We're very proud of it.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42So, as far as the Buckinghamshire Women's Institute's concerned,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44who gets this prize?
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Previously, it was given out for outstanding craftwork.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53- OK, so it's a craft award, essentially.- It was a... Yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Yes, exactly. Well it is a beautifully crafted piece of silver.
0:18:56 > 0:19:03It actually dates from 1927, so I bet Mrs Disraeli, at the time,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08went to a silversmiths and she bought this as a presentation piece
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- and then presented it the WI. - Very kind of her.- Exactly.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- So, it's, in silver terms, a modern piece...- Right.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16..but beautifully crafted, it's a good weight.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I am going to give you a value on it.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22'But I'm going to keep Sue and the rest of you in suspense until later.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30'World War I incurred immense loss of life on all sides.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33'Almost a million British soldiers were killed.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37'Thousands had bravely charged over the tops of trenches,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40'knowing they faced certain death.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'Among those fighting were five and a half thousand former pupils
0:19:45 > 0:19:46'of Eton College.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48'1,500 of them did not return.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'They're all recorded in a book brought along by Mike.'
0:19:54 > 0:19:57I've always had an interest in the First World War,
0:19:57 > 0:19:58and I saw this book for sale.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's a list of all the old Etonians
0:20:00 > 0:20:03who fought and died in the First World War.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05As we flip through,
0:20:05 > 0:20:11there are a tragically large number of entries in red,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- which represent the fallen.- They do.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17And this is privately printed as a memorial
0:20:17 > 0:20:20to the people who fought and died in that conflict.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Yes, yes.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24The pages are all irregular,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27because, once upon a time, they would have been hand cut.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29So, when it was printed,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32the pagination would have kept continuous sheets
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and then somebody went around with a rough blade
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and actually cut each page to separate it
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- and make it in this form. - I didn't know that.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42Here it says, look,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46"Printed privately for Eton College in the Riccardi Press font
0:20:46 > 0:20:48"by Philip Lee Warner," etc., etc.,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and then dated 1921.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It's a moving volume, I have to say.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54Yes, yes, it is.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59And, as Eton is an adjunct to Windsor,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01very appropriate that here, today, in Windsor,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05we should have this thing as a reminder of the sacrifice.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Indeed, indeed.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09And the author of this book, interestingly,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- was a former house master at Eton. - Oh, right, I didn't know that.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And, for him, when compiling the list,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19must have been a terrible process because half the people that
0:21:19 > 0:21:21he would have recognised would have been in his house.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Yes, he would have known many of them.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27What do you particularly like about collecting things
0:21:27 > 0:21:29associated with the First World War?
0:21:29 > 0:21:32My grandfather fought on the Somme
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and was wounded but survived,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and I think it's the personal stories.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41It's not so much the military or the great strategic overview,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44it's the personal stories of either
0:21:44 > 0:21:46the sons of aristocrats or the ordinary people
0:21:46 > 0:21:49who were sons of miners or factory workers.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51They all went through this and they all had a story to tell.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53They did, yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Anyway, thank you very much for bringing your volume to show me.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Commercially, I think this book is worth, in fact,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- a small amount of money on the market.- Yes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03- I mean, a few pounds.- Yes.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05But as a part of a collection,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and particularly in relation to its association to this place,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Windsor and Eton, it's most appropriate.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- And, anyway, thank you for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'Ah, isn't that a classic picture?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24BOAT HORN SOUNDS
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'The locals are splashing about on the River Thames
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'in whatever way they choose.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34'These canoes are the latest in a long line of racing
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'and working craft to have operated around here.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'I'm off to the River and Rowing Museum
0:22:40 > 0:22:42'up the road in Henley to find out more
0:22:42 > 0:22:46'with Head of Collections and Exhibitions Eloise Chapman.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Just tell me about this extraordinary dugout.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50What's so special about this?
0:22:50 > 0:22:56This is an Anglo-Saxon boat dug out form one single trunk of a tree,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and it was found in the bottom of the river.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And the little joker above it?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Yes, this is a Medieval log boat, so about 500 years later.
0:23:03 > 0:23:061030 AD this one.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And this has also been largely dug out from one tree, an oak tree,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12but a slight change in sort of design.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14You've got some more technology in this one,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16so it's got a couple of struts across it
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and then a couple running along the length of it to strengthen it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- So, there's 500 years in between these two...- Yeah...
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and a little technological change. THEY LAUGH
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Technology has moved on from one hollowed out one
0:23:27 > 0:23:29to a vaguely flat-bottomed one.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30But, of course, this has a resonance
0:23:30 > 0:23:33for this particular bit of the Thames, doesn't it, around Henley?
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Yes, that was found at Shottesbrooke,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37which is just down the road from here.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And it was probably used on the Thames,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41probably as a trading boat, we think,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43because it's quite flat-bottomed,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47perfect for poling up the river, carrying bulky goods.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50What sort of goods would have been traded up and down the river?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52So, from around here, there's a lot of brewing,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55so you've got the malt and the grains going down the river.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You've also got timber from the surrounding woodlands and wool.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04'Alongside the fascinating relics of old working boats,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07'there are shiny examples of pleasure and racing craft
0:24:07 > 0:24:08'from the past.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12'And Henley has a fair bit of heritage in this department.'
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The regatta in Henley started in the 1830s, didn't it?
0:24:17 > 0:24:201839, yeah, the regatta in Henley. And it was set up...
0:24:20 > 0:24:23There were only two races on the first one.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And it was due to the popularity of the Oxford Cambridge boat race,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28which had been held in Henley ten years earlier,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30they thought they could cash-in, basically,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32on this new popularity for regattas
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and so they held one here.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37- And, obviously, it grew in popularity pretty quickly.- Yes.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38And today, it's a massive
0:24:38 > 0:24:42international, social and competitive event.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'A somewhat exotic craft that's still raced on the Thames
0:24:45 > 0:24:48'is a flat-bottomed dongola.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50'It was all the rage at the turn of the 20th century,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'with mixed teams taking part.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55'And a dongola oar has been brought along
0:24:55 > 0:24:59'by the Chairman of the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club, Peter.'
0:25:00 > 0:25:01It belongs to the rowing club.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04We won it in 1892, I believe
0:25:04 > 0:25:08We've got a photograph that matches the dongola, so we can tie it up.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13So, we actually see some characters who done this racing?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Indeed, yes. I think the man in the front there
0:25:16 > 0:25:19is holding that dongola, or certainly one very similar.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24Well, we've got inscribed into it, look, in a pokerwork,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27so they do this with red hot pokers,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and you drag the red hot poker over the surface
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and it engraves by burning, effectively,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35the outline of this beast.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- We've got a dragon, haven't we, really?- Yes.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41And it says Dongola Championship of the Upper Thames
0:25:41 > 0:25:43with the date 1892.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Your photograph's dated 1892.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48they're all hanging onto these paddles,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- so it could well be...- Must be. - ..the same paddle.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52But what strikes me about this thing is
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- its incredibly light, isn't it? - It is, yes.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Dongola racing started in Maidenhead in 1886,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03which is the year after the relief of Khartoum,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06where the British tried to rescue General Gordon,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08but they failed by a couple of days,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10cos they were a bit late in getting there.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15But their general, General Wolseley, offered a prize to the battalion
0:26:15 > 0:26:19that could paddle up the Nile quickest.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23This frantic paddling that happened with little paddles like this
0:26:23 > 0:26:25became known as the dongola race,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27the race to get to Khartoum.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28And when they came back,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31they started dongola racing on the Thames,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- so it's a fantastic story, isn't it? - Wow.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35And I think, as a result of the history,
0:26:35 > 0:26:40it would actually do quite well as a marine artefact.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41And I reckon, in a sale,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45you could get, probably, the top end of £400-£600 for it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- But you're not going to sell it, are you?- Certainly not.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49You're going to keep paddling the canoe?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Indeed we are. THEY LAUGH
0:26:51 > 0:26:55'What about that massive scale map that Tom brought along?
0:26:55 > 0:27:00'We got hold of specialist Philip Curtis for some expert advice.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:04We would put £500 to £700 on it.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05Of course, to the right buyer,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09with somebody with a house or estate covered by the map,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11it could be worth considerably more.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14'Those George V cuff links in Sebastian's family
0:27:14 > 0:27:15'could fly at auction.'
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I can see, with the story about your grandfather,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- those cuff links making £4,000, £6,000.- Wow.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25And that's as an auction estimate.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Put it in the auction and anything might happen.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Fantastic.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32'And as for Sue's treasures from the WI?
0:27:32 > 0:27:38'Well, locally, the copper tea urn might fetch as much as £150 to £200.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40'And the Disraeli silver trophy?'
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Between £400 and £600.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48So, if you have to insure it before you give it out as a prize,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51you should be insuring it for £1,200.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52Right, thank you very much.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55OK, which may or may not encourage you to give it out
0:27:55 > 0:27:59- to one of your crafty members.- Yes!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Now, the WI was always thought to be jam and Jerusalem,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04but that's not the case any more, is it?
0:28:04 > 0:28:05No, we're inspiring women now.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08We've gone forwards and we're more wine and cheese
0:28:08 > 0:28:10than we are jam and Jerusalem.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I love it, I'm feeling inspired myself.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Well, what a wonderful time we've had in Windsor,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and such quirky objects.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27In fact, you could say we've had a right royal time.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28Cheerio!