0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to The Repair Shop,
0:00:03 > 0:00:06where cherished family heirlooms are brought back to life.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Anything can happen. This is the workshop of dreams.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Home to furniture restorer Jay Blades.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Nowadays things are not built to last.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16So we've become part of this throwaway culture.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20It's all about preserving and restoring.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We bring the old back to new.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Working alongside Jay, will be some of the country's leading craftspeople.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I like making things with my hands.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I love to see how things work and I want to know how things work.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Whether it's a Rembrandt or somebody's family piece,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37every painting deserves the same.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Each bringing their own unique set of skills.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43You're about to witness some magic.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44They will resurrect...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..revive...
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Oh, yes.
0:00:48 > 0:00:55..and rejuvenate treasured possessions and irreplaceable pieces of family history...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Oh, my goodness me. It looks like it's new.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00..bringing both the objects...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02- Oh!- Oh, wow!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06..and the memories that they hold back to life.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Thank you.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Today at The Repair Shop,
0:01:18 > 0:01:23a 19th-century test for Jay's soft- and hard-furnishing skills.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Most of the time, people wouldn't make a big deal about the frame,
0:01:28 > 0:01:29they would just make a new one.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33But because this has family history to it it's a big deal.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38And furniture restorer Will Kirk has a trio of birds to bring back from
0:01:38 > 0:01:40the brink of extinction.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42The three swallows have been hand-painted.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45So it's a fine balance of cleaning it, and over-cleaning it and losing all
0:01:45 > 0:01:47of that detail, which is what I don't want to do.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50- Hello.- How are you doing?
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Hi, very well.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54But first through the doors today,
0:01:54 > 0:02:01needlework designer Emily Peacock has a puzzle for ceramicist Kirsten Ramsay to piece together.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04So what have we got here, then?
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Right, I have a jug by a French artist called Jean Lurcat.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11- Oh, wow.- Do you want me to take that out?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13- Yeah, I might break it some more. - All right.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16So how did it break?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It was sitting on a windowsill and there was some drilling going on
0:02:19 > 0:02:22outside and it just slowly danced to the edge of the windowsill and threw
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- itself off.- Gosh, there's quite a few pieces in here.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I've kept all the small little pieces.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Well done.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32You've done absolutely the right thing.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It's always best to keep as many pieces that you can find
0:02:36 > 0:02:38because they are all helpful.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- What's this?- That's the sort of dust.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43THEY LAUGH
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- OK.- A thousand-piece jigsaw.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I know I was saying keep the pieces, but, OK.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Yeah, no, that's actually great.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So can you tell us anything about the artist who made this, then?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Yes, he was a man called Jean Lurcat and he lived in the south-west of France.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03He is primarily known for his tapestries, which is where my interest came in.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07So this piece, it really sort of holds a lot of importance.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Yeah, the value is here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14- Oh. It's not there?- No.- Absolutely.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17It's beautiful. It's got the most lovely glaze on it.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22It's sort of reminiscent of Picasso's ceramics, as well, would you say?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Yes, well, he was a contemporary and they did spend time together in France.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Oh, did they? Right.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Well, leave it with us.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34- Thank you.- And we'll get back to you as soon as you've worked your magic on it.- Speak tomorrow, then?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- Bye.- Bye-bye. Right, that's a lot of pieces.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43You know, it'll be interesting to see if everything is here.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46I think I'd probably need to do it actually at my workbench.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Don't forget the envelope with all the dust.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I am worried because it's terracotta,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I don't know if that's easy to repair or not.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57But also the glaze has got a great handmade quality to it.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01It doesn't obviously look like a mass-produced piece, so you can see some
0:04:01 > 0:04:04of the terracotta colour coming through the glaze.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06And I just think, wow, that's quite a job.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08And having taken on that job,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13it's now down to Kirsten to see if she can solve this terracotta jigsaw.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18I'm just sort of doing a dry run, really, before I actually put the adhesive on it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I do this to make sure I've got all the pieces.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- Yeah.- And just kind of check how they go together.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- Are you missing something?- Well, there's a few sort of little chipped areas,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32kind of like out of, say, somewhere like there.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- Oh, right.- Actually, I think I've got that one there.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- You've got that little bit there? - Actually, I'm not sure I've got that one,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42but I've got some of them, so I've kind of being checking in this little box
0:04:42 > 0:04:43of broken bits, really.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45You've been checking those against that?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50Yeah. Because I know it seems slightly fiddly but, actually, if you can find
0:04:50 > 0:04:54one of those bits that goes in there, that's going to save you the time that
0:04:54 > 0:04:58you spend kind of filling it and sanding it and then painting it, so it is
0:04:58 > 0:04:59actually worth doing.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Well, I've got a bit of a sneeze here, so I won't stand there.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- I'll move away.- All right, thanks, Jay.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13For family heirlooms too precious to throw away,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15but too damaged to go on display,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20The Repair Shop team is ready, willing and able to restore them back to
0:05:20 > 0:05:21pride of place.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23What have you got there? That looks nice.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Will is the man you need to see.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Karen has a very special jewellery box that needs Will's skills to
0:05:29 > 0:05:30give it a new lease of life.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It belonged to my grandmother.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- OK.- OK. She passed away in 1964.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- Right.- It was passed on to my father.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42He passed away in 1999 and I've had it ever since.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- Do you currently use it for your...? - I don't use it.- No?- Because it's damaged.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Oh.- As you can see.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48THEY LAUGH
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Yeah, it's a bit on the broken side.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56The keyhole is exposed there, but normally there is a little piece that
0:05:56 > 0:06:02fixes in there which covers up the lock, so you wouldn't normally see that.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03And then that is exposed,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06if you slide the base and then that drops down
0:06:06 > 0:06:08exposing the keyhole.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10But that has actually become detached.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Such a clever box.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Such a clever little box.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15So, of course, the whole thing looks like a book.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Like very small books within two bigger books.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Yeah. It's even got the original key, which I've got there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Wow. When I was younger, I loved fiddly boxes and it's really clever.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Especially with the secret key and the secret panel.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31What else can you tell me about the box?
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Do you know where it was originally from?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35No, I've no idea where it came from originally.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I don't even know what wood it's made from.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I'm just looking at the swallows here,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41they look like they've been painted on.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I mean, you can see on the top here
0:06:43 > 0:06:46it's pretty...pretty scratched.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48It's had a few years of use.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- Yeah.- Because she used to use it constantly as a jewellery box.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I will get to work and see what I can do.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Lovely, thank you.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00It would mean a lot to me to see it restored to its original beauty.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It was a treasured possession of my grandmother's,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and I'd like to be able to keep it in the family,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- so I'd like to see it restored so that- I- can use it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12I have a feeling that it would have originally been a darker colour.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Which reminds me,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I've seen a lot of these similar sort of boxes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I think this is Italian origin olive wood.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Wherever it comes from, this small box has big problems.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26A broken lock, cover and hinge,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29plus a very tired interior.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Will is going to need some reinforcements, in the shape of clockmaker Steve.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36If you can solder something onto that head,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38the other side of there...
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Hey - see what date that newspaper is.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44As Will digs deeper into the box,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48a fragment of old newspaper reveals itself.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Well, we thought that it was Italian,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53and that is "Roma".
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Oh, right.- Italian.- Yeah.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Bit of Poirot work there... - Or were you told that(?)
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Yeah, I got that in my earpiece(!)
0:08:01 > 0:08:04No, I knew that this was Italian.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05Reel 'em in, Steve. Reel 'em in.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Who told you, then?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09I...I just know how old it is, 1920s...
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- How old are you?!- It's made out of olive wood.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16- Oh, is it?- Anyway, Steve, if you can get on with that job, I'm going to...
0:08:16 > 0:08:17He's had enough, Steve!
0:08:22 > 0:08:24While Steve and Will are busy on the box,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29Kirsten's terracotta jigsaw puzzle is proving tricky to piece together.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32It's not going quite according to plan at the moment.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35The sticks aren't going together terribly well.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40If you just get, like, a little grain of sand that's on the break edge,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44it just puts the whole joint out.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46The jug's creator, artist Jean Lurcat,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51is better known for his tapestries than his pottery.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53He was born in France in 1892,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55studied alongside Matisse, Cezanne and Renoir,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and was a contemporary of Pablo Picasso.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- I can breathe now, yeah? - No, not yet!
0:09:01 > 0:09:05I'm still sort of moving it around while it's still...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- Playable?- Yeah, exactly.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Because the adhesive hasn't actually gone off yet,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12and it's sort of moving slightly.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17- There's some joins that I'm not entirely happy with.- Right...
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It's just given, that it's so erm...
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Broken(?)- So broken, yeah!
0:09:25 > 0:09:28I've got my hands in my pockets, I'm standing well away.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- I'm not going to sneeze... - You're learning, Jay.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31So these little bits,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33obviously, you're going to touch all of this up,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- where there's cracks and what have you?- Yeah, I'm going to fill it.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- Fill it?- Fill it, and then paint it, hand-paint it.- Yeah.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42So does it feel cool to be working on
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- a piece of work by a mate of Picasso?- Yeah, absolutely.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46It's quite cool, isn't it?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Yeah, it's, erm...it's quite an honour actually, I think.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Here I've got two different grades of sandpaper -
0:10:02 > 0:10:05it looks like a big jumble, but I kind of know what I've got in there.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I kind of cut them up small like this, and rolled up,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12so that they're kind of handy to get into nooks and crannies.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15As sad as it might sound, I kind of
0:10:15 > 0:10:17get my favourite bits of sandpaper in here, as well,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19that I keep going back to.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24So how are we doing, me old china plate?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I'm just starting the painting process, so it's...
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- So the final furlong is there? - Yeah, it is, actually.- OK. Cool.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32All of these cracks
0:10:32 > 0:10:34that you've mended and got the jug back together,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38in the end of it, will Emily be able to SEE those cracks?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- That's a good question, actually... - You're supposed to say no!
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- Well...- Come on, help me out. - Do you know, the thing is,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49it depends really, actually, the pieces that you're working on.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53You know, some pieces you would just get your airbrush out,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and you could make it completely invisible.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57But I think
0:10:57 > 0:11:00it's about not smothering this piece in paint
0:11:00 > 0:11:05and, actually, I want to keep the restoration to a minimum, really.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07In a way, it's sort of more of a conservation job.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Just because it's such a lovely piece.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12So she MIGHT see some of the cracks?
0:11:12 > 0:11:16I think so, but she seems to me like someone that would kind of
0:11:16 > 0:11:19rather have an honest restoration
0:11:19 > 0:11:22than a piece that's completely smothered in spray.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It probably looks absolutely awful to you...
0:11:25 > 0:11:28No, it looks good. Compared to the way it came in... I remember it,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30it was all in bits, you've put it together...
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Yes, you've got this kind of cracks...
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Don't touch!- I'm not touching, I'm getting close, though!
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I can never touch anything on this. It's not good.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Right, how are you doing? The main man to see is Steve.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48The Repair Shop team answer all manner of SOS calls
0:11:48 > 0:11:52for broken family pieces left on the shelf.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54And it's not long before Neville Reid arrives,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57with something that Jay CAN get his hands on.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58Hello. How are we doing?
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Hello.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- So what have we got here, then? - The lion chair.- Lion chair.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Oh, wow.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- Is that the face of the lion? - Yes, when I was little... Right.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09..I used to think that these were lions.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12My family had a house up in the north of Scotland,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- and this sat outside the bedroom door.- Right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17And as a small boy,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20in a house where I wasn't allowed to touch anything at all...
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Right.- ..when nobody was looking, I used to sit in it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25And many years later I inherited this.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28And I daren't sit on it, cos it's a little bit rickety.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29It is a bit, yeah. You've got no seat...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32It was not in good condition when I was little.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Yeah, I don't think this is the original -
0:12:34 > 0:12:36well, this top layer that you've got here...
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Right.- ..isn't the original.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- This looks more to be the original. - Ah... OK.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I've never noticed that.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44And then, underneath you've got...
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Oh, there we go.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48We've got a signature underneath, does that make any sense to you?
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Reid. Well, Reid's my surname...
0:12:51 > 0:12:54OK. Any idea of where this has come from,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- or the age of it?- No, I've no idea
0:12:57 > 0:12:59of the age, or where it came from.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01The only thing, I've always believed
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- that it's been in the family from new.- From new, you say?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I've always BELIEVED it was.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07The reason why I'm asking you that
0:13:07 > 0:13:11is because I think this is a 19th-century Italian chair.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- Do you have any connection to an Italian family...?- Yes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- Do you?- Yes.- How far back is that?
0:13:16 > 0:13:1818th, 19th century.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I'm just getting fur coming up on the back of my neck, super-excited
0:13:21 > 0:13:25to find out if this really is connected to your family from birth.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Cos that's part of history -
0:13:27 > 0:13:28I shouldn't even be leaning on this, actually,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30this is quite an important chair.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Thank you, Jay.- No problem, you're more than welcome.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34All right? Thank you.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Jay thinks that there may be an Italian connection,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40which is very exciting
0:13:40 > 0:13:43because we have an Italian connection in the family.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I'll need to go and do my homework to find out
0:13:45 > 0:13:48whether that matches time-wise...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I think this one's going to be a real joy to work on.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Cos it's got a lot of family history added to it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55So once I've got all of the fabric off,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59then I'll be able to identify where I can open up, and then re-glue.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Before he can reupholster,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- Jay has to DE-upholster.- Here we go.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11And under the old fabric,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14he finds some 19th-century inspiration.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Wow. You've got the leaf, the vine...
0:14:18 > 0:14:19..all of that detail.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22As you can see, just there is the original colour.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25So it would have been a very vibrant red.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27A lot of people think, in the 19th century,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31people were fearful of colour - we're more fearful of colour NOW.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Whereas these guys were very brave. And that can just show you there -
0:14:33 > 0:14:36look how bright that is.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37That is beautiful.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Definitely going to inspire me,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41with regards to the fabric I'm going to choose.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42That allows me to
0:14:42 > 0:14:45go ahead and be bright and be bold.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47With Jay kept busy with the chair,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Kirsten can crack on undisturbed
0:14:49 > 0:14:53applying finishing touches to the artist's jug.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I've put the last coat of gloss,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58painted glaze over the restorations.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I'm now just sort of doing a little bit of polishing up
0:15:00 > 0:15:02where the joins are.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Well, that looks nice!
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- It looks better than it did. - Can I touch it?- Yeah, yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07- Am I allowed?- Yeah, you're allowed to now.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- Thank you.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Cos, actually, one of the lovely things about that piece
0:15:12 > 0:15:14is actually the way it feels, so...
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Does feel nice. So can she hold it by the handle, then?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Yeah.- She can? - Yeah.- Can- I- hold it by the handle?
0:15:20 > 0:15:21No.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I thought you was going to say that!
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Now NEARLY safe enough even for Jay to handle,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30the finished jug is ready to be reunited with its owner Emily.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34I'm feeling a little bit nervous about collecting the jug today, because...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- SHE SIGHS - ..will the cracks show,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38will it be the same jug?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- Hiya.- Look at that. Hello.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44You caught us.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45Busy, yeah.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Busy at beating Jay.- How are you doing?- Yeah, fine.- Come with me.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- We've got a visitor... - Ah! Hi, Emily.- All right?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- So do you remember what it looked like when you brought it?- Yes.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58- It was in an envelope, as well. - Yeah, it was in lots of different containers, yeah, it was in pieces.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01But you worked your magic on it...
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Oh...- ..I believe.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- Well... Come, let's show her! ..we'll find out. - We've got to show her.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Jay, it's actually over there. - I'm allowed to grab it?- Well...
0:16:09 > 0:16:10Shall we pop it on there?
0:16:10 > 0:16:11Right there.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13OK...?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Oh, my God.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21That's incredible!
0:16:21 > 0:16:23- Can I touch it?- Of course you can, it's your jug!
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Wow!
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I had anxiety dreams about...
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Oh!- Do you know what...?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34That's unbelievable!
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- It's emotional.- I'm glad you like it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39You should be emotional. Well, it's going to be very,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43very happy in its safe new place now on my mantelpiece.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- So it's got a new place? - Yeah, away from the window, away from drilling.- OK.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49And, yeah, out of leaping distance of the cat, as well.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51So I've thought of all eventualities!
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I actually like... I mean, it's not invisible, but I like that.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01It's history and it adds to the handmade feel of it all, you know?
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Yeah, I mean, I think it would have been very easy to kind of just end up
0:17:05 > 0:17:07over-painting it, really.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- And it just didn't feel right having met you.- No.- And the history,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15it just kind of felt right to sort of do what we call a sympathetic
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- restoration, really.- Yeah. It's had a few knocks, like all of us.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19- Yeah, just a few.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I'm absolutely delighted.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23It's not taken anything away at all.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- It's brilliant.- Fantastic.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Well done, you.- One happy customer. - Thank you.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It's been such a lovely object to work on.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31- She says!- Thank you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39I said beforehand that I was worried about the cracks showing.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41And, actually, I've changed my mind about that,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44because it's got a lovely texture to it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It's kind of sharing its little knock, and I like that.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I like that it's not perfect.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50It was a handmade item,
0:17:50 > 0:17:55and you can see another set of hands that's lovingly cared for it
0:17:55 > 0:17:56and put it back together again.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08As one treasured possession leaves the workshop safely back in one piece,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Jay is in the process of pulling apart the 19th-century lion chair.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15There you go. Most of the time,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17people wouldn't make a big deal about the frame,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19they would just make a new one.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23But because this has family history to it, it's a big deal.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26To help preserve that history, Jay's got a plan.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- Bit of woodwork?- Yeah, bit of woodwork!
0:18:29 > 0:18:31And he's calling in a favour from Steve.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34See that name now, that signature just there?
0:18:34 > 0:18:39What I want to do is have a frame round there.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42How about a bit of brass?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45And then, if I were to cut out the inside...
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- Like a plate.- Yeah, well, I've probably got some brass I can use.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51See, now that's why I came to you.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Yeah. That will polish up nicely.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Like, shiny. Like something you put in your clocks.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56- Yeah, exactly.- Thank you.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Jay can now turn his attention to reupholstering the seat.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And inspired by the original 19th-century fabric,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11true to his word, he's gone bold.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Wow.- What do you think?
0:19:13 > 0:19:14I was going to make a suit out of it.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Do you know what, you would make a suit!
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I would, actually. I love bumblebees.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26So with this frame, what I want to have is the bumblebee dead centre.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Has that material got moths?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Yeah, they look like moths, but they're bumblebees.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32I'm telling you, they're bumblebees.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Don't laugh.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Oh, look at that! Come on.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41That is special.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Do you reckon we ought to lacquer that?- No. Leave it like that.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Let it age with the piece.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- That'll look quite nice.- Looks proper, though, doesn't it?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- More than proper!- Yeah. - The Queen will be proud of that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Now the new seat is almost finished,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58the final stage is to rebuild the frame.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04And Will's been roped in to make sure it will be strong enough for
0:20:04 > 0:20:08owner Neville to sit on for the first time in 50 years.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10We'll put the top in first.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Seat in second, and then we'll...
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Fit these in.- Fit these in last, yeah.- OK, cool.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20I'm in.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25- Cool.- Lovely.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30How do you think Neville is going to feel when he gets this back?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Cor, blimey. I think he's going to feel like a king.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39- He is going to feel like a king. - It is a throne and, erm...
0:20:39 > 0:20:41..to me it just looks quite regal now.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45- Yeah.- We've kept a lot of the link towards his old family history.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- So... Yeah.- This chair looks really good!
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- I think it looks nice. - It looks really good.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Returning to the newly-repaired jewellery box,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Will's final job is to clean and polish the outside before Karen returns to pick it up.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07But Will's noticed a potential pitfall in his plan.
0:21:07 > 0:21:13My main concern with the top is the three swallows have been hand-painted.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16So it's a fine balance of cleaning it and over-cleaning it and losing
0:21:16 > 0:21:18all of that detail, which is what I don't want to do.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24At the moment, I'm just cleaning around the birds for now.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Start working my way into the middle.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28And then just sort of
0:21:28 > 0:21:30lightly brushing over the birds.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35And then, if I feel that any of the paint is beginning to come off,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39then I'll stop and find another way of cleaning it.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Hey.- Hi, there.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Hello.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49So, before you have a look, I just wanted to say,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51I started cleaning the box.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56- Yeah.- And I cleaned the border around the top.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00I wasn't too sure or not to clean the centre,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05where the birds were, because I was worried about removing the birds and everything else.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07But I gave it a go.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Oh, wow.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13I'm flabbergasted.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Yeah?- Yeah, it's absolutely lovely, yeah, it's fantastic.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I'm really pleased with that, yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- You can actually see them now.- You can see them.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I did wonder whether they might just disappear if you tried polishing it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25It's beautiful.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27But it gets better, it gets better.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31That goes down, I'll let you unlock.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32And it doesn't fall off.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36And it doesn't fall off. Well, the top's secure, so that's good.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39- Oh, wow.- There we are.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Oh, that's brilliant.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Interestingly enough,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46on the inside there's some old newspaper and I was trying to work
0:22:46 > 0:22:49out how old this was, where it came from.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- Yeah.- I thought it was Italian... - Right.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55..olive wood, 1920s.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I actually found a little piece of paper and I was thinking,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02"Is this Italian?" Right in the middle it says "Roma". So, obviously...
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- So it is Italian.- Yeah.- OK.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I thought I'd keep that there, just for a keepsake.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10That is gorgeous, it's beautiful.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I'm really pleased. Thank you so much.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14I can see a lot of work's got into that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Thank you, that is lovely.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19It's far exceeded anything I could imagine.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I'm going to put it on my dressing table, put jewellery in it
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and hopefully I'm going to be able to give it to one of my children.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31Back in the workshop,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36Jay is giving another Repair Shop team effort its final polish.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- That looks absolutely amazing. - It does look nice, doesn't it?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Steve, do you want to have a look at your handiwork, mate?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- Yeah, is it all finished?- I've just got to tidy it up, dust it off a bit.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So there's your moth.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- The moth chair.- The moth chair!
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Fantastic.- We've got another moth.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Wow.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- Underneath there. - That's really good.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Well done, Steve.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04That works in really well, doesn't it?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- Yeah.- That's a transformation.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07That is a real transformation, yeah.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- Definitely.- He can sit on it now, anyway,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- that's the main thing, isn't it? - He'll be really pleased with that.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Am I allowed to sit on the chair?
0:24:14 > 0:24:15No, no, no, not on this one.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Why?- He's got to be the first one to sit on it.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- What?- Yeah.- Yeah, it's a nice touch.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22That's the way it goes, it's his chair, isn't it?
0:24:22 > 0:24:23You're such a liar!
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Don't say that you haven't done this work and you haven't made sure
0:24:27 > 0:24:29that it's not going to fall to pieces?
0:24:29 > 0:24:34- That would be funny!- It would not be funny, Steve, it wouldn't be funny.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38What you've got to remember is me and you stuck this together, so it's going to be strong, yeah?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- That's right.- So I have every faith...- It was a trick question.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44I have every faith in the glue, the craftsmanship,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47so when he sits on there, he's going to feel really cool.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Well done.- Yeah?- You've done a great job.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52- All three of us done a good job. - All three of us.- Mine was very small.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Shall we have a joint pat on the back? I'll pat you and you pat me.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Who's patting me?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01- You joker!- Well done, Jay.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Cheers, lads.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07The lion chair is ready to be restored to pride of place
0:25:07 > 0:25:10in the home of its owner Neville.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12How are we doing, Neville?
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- Very well, thank you.- You all right?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16- Good morning, Jay.- Good morning.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Well, I won't keep you in suspense any more.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20So, here we go.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Oh, my goodness, wow!
0:25:24 > 0:25:25It's amazing.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28What gave you the idea of the moth?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- The moth... Steve, Steve... - It was very moth-eaten,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32before it was very moth-eaten.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Steve... Steve must have had a word with you because Steve thinks it's a moth
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- but it's a bumblebee, actually.- OK.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41The reason why I used the bumblebee is cos the two fabrics that
0:25:41 > 0:25:43came off had a heavy reference to flowers.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Right.- It was a case of using something that pollinates both flowers.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48And it's still red.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50And it's still red. It has to be red.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- It has to be red.- And if you remember rightly, we had underneath
0:25:53 > 0:25:55it, your...
0:25:56 > 0:25:58..family name.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- Oh, yes.- So made a bit of a feature of it.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Steve's made us a lovely frame, just to show it off.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- Wonderful.- Because you didn't know it was there originally, did you?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- I didn't know it was there.- So now you can't miss it, really, right?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- There you are, sir. - Can I sit on it?- Yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19My goodness, that brings back memories.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The last time I sat on this, I was breaking the rules of the house.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- Breaking the rules?- As a small boy, I wasn't supposed to touch anything,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28so, fantastic. Very happy.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I'm happy that you're happy now.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Let's stick it back up there, then,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34so we can have a little bit of a chinwag.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Have you found anything out?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39My great-great-great uncle, Francis Reid...
0:26:39 > 0:26:44- Right.- ..went to Italy as a young man and spent the rest of his life there.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48When he died, his wife came home, brought, presumably,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50everything that they owned with her,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and we can assume, perhaps, we can't prove it,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57that this came home with him from Italy.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- Wow.- And that would have been late-19th century.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02And his surname was Reid?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Reid, yes. And his middle name was Neville,
0:27:05 > 0:27:06so he was Francis Neville Reid.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08No! That's amazing.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Absolutely priceless.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I will hand it on to my children,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and I hope it will go on to their children.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It's a beautiful chair, and the history behind it is amazing,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20it's been a pleasure to work on it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Thank you for bringing it to The Repair Shop.- Thank you. - Thank you, sir.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I'm absolutely delighted with the chair.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31It's been part of my life...
0:27:31 > 0:27:34all my life and it looks fantastic,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38it feels fantastic and I think they've done a fantastic job.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40I couldn't stop laughing.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41- Why?- Because of...
0:27:43 > 0:27:47- Come on.- Neville, when he came
0:27:47 > 0:27:50in and he said, "It's a moth."
0:27:50 > 0:27:53You planted the seed, I bet you, I bet you did!
0:27:55 > 0:27:56That made your day, I know it did.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58But he loved it, didn't he?
0:27:58 > 0:27:59He did love it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01It's a bumblebee, I can see that now.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04It's a bit quirky. But, actually, I like it.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It suits the chair. It'll make it a real conversation piece.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Join us next time,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19as more family treasures are rescued and their cherished memories restored
0:28:19 > 0:28:21in The Repair Shop.