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Salvage Hunters Season 20 Episode 10
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00:00On Salvage Hunters,
00:02Drew and Vicky visit a grand Scottish stable block
00:05that showcases antiques in a homely setting.
00:09You've got a little kitchen.
00:11You've got a little kitchen, yeah.
00:12It's brilliant.
00:13That is just wonderful.
00:16In Kent, a curious specimen case leads to a Drew dad joke.
00:21Once you've bought one, you'll get the bug for him.
00:23That's awful. Both of you are just as sad as each other.
00:26And in Lancaster,
00:28Drew's made an offer he can refuse.
00:31Right, I'll give you a one-off price on that.
00:33I'll say 180.
00:34Right.
00:35You can't say no at that, can you?
00:36I can.
00:40Drew Pritchard is one of Britain's leading
00:42antique and decorative salvage dealers.
00:44Oh, my word, I love this stuff.
00:46Joined on the road by queen of the haggle and quick flip,
00:49Vicky Knott.
00:50How much are they?
00:51100 per in the pit.
00:52I was going to bed you 70.
00:53Well, thanks for in your film, but you're not all right, man.
00:56And lover of all things weathered and wonderful,
00:58Alistair Dryborough.
00:59What about the Triumph?
01:00Have you seen that, Drew?
01:01Ooh.
01:02Ooh.
01:03Come on, let's go and have a fight over it.
01:05Drew is sharing the knowledge.
01:07That's got a fair bit of Asia.
01:08It's horsehair in there.
01:09And that's a nice bit of old timber.
01:11And expertise.
01:12What a thing.
01:13You know why they're so deep?
01:15Why they're so long?
01:16Top hats.
01:17He's gained over the past three decades.
01:20Would 400 quid buy both pairs?
01:22No.
01:23Ooh.
01:24I've got to try.
01:32So you've brought me down to Sonny Kent.
01:34Yes.
01:35We're going to go and see a friend of mine called Sophie,
01:37who runs Branching Out Antiques.
01:40Very experienced dealer and one of the loveliest people you'll ever meet.
01:47Over more than three decades in the trade,
01:49Drew has developed a vast network of contacts.
01:52But there are some that stand out from the rest.
01:55These are the dealers with a knack for uncovering the rare, unusual
01:58and high-quality items he's always on the hunt for.
02:01Today, he and Vicky are heading south to the Kent coast
02:05to visit an old contact with a very discerning eye.
02:10Not being funny, I feel like I'm sort of on holiday.
02:13Yeah, it looks like a holiday area, doesn't it?
02:16It does.
02:17It probably is, really.
02:18Anywhere down on the coast here, it's beautiful.
02:20I've been taking on my hollybobs.
02:25Whitstable, on the north coast of Kent,
02:27has been famed for its oysters since Roman times
02:30and during the Victorian era,
02:32the town supplied 80 million oysters a year
02:34to London's fish markets.
02:36The town is also the base for a dealer
02:38with over 40 years' experience,
02:40who Drew has long admired for her expertise.
02:43Sophie Norton.
02:48So, my business is Branching Out Antiques
02:51and I've been in the business forever.
02:54I've had lots of shops, mainly all in Kent.
02:58I'm now based here at home by appointment only,
03:01but it works really well.
03:03I sell from a cabin at the bottom of the garden.
03:06I've also got things in the garden for sale.
03:10I have a predilection for French antiques
03:13and anything that's a bit quirky, a bit different.
03:16I'm quite well known for that.
03:18I think it's better than a shop when you're at home
03:22because they can see the pieces in situ
03:26and they can visualise it better in their own place.
03:30Hey, Sophie.
03:31Hello, good morning, guys.
03:32Lovely to see you again.
03:33Is it Vicky?
03:34Nice to meet you.
03:35Lovely to see you again.
03:36Hi, Sophie.
03:37Hi, come in, come in.
03:38Come on then.
03:42Ooh, look at this.
03:43Wow.
03:44I was talking to Vicky and I was trying to explain what you do.
03:48Mm.
03:49It's just that there was a real artistic bent to everything
03:51that you were doing.
03:52Yeah.
03:53We're in that sort of job where you can be that way.
03:54Well, we are.
03:55Yeah.
03:56Yeah.
03:57I love it.
03:58A real sort of bohemian, relaxed, cool feel.
04:00I love it.
04:01Yeah, you're right.
04:02That's the right word for it.
04:03God, there's just so much everywhere I'm looking.
04:06Sophie's buying, I think, is quite similar to mine.
04:09Originality is definitely key.
04:12And then you want that little bit of something special,
04:15a little bit of magic.
04:16And Sophie does turn that up.
04:19Oh, they're nice.
04:20God, they're good.
04:21So that's for the weather.
04:23It's called a storm glass.
04:25But it does go up and down.
04:27Does it?
04:28Yeah.
04:29Yeah, it still does.
04:30God, it's wonderful.
04:31Oh, yes, they're marvellous.
04:32I was so pleased when I found those.
04:34They are a pair.
04:37So beautiful.
04:38I've heard of storm glasses, but I've never owned one.
04:41Have you not?
04:42Neither have I.
04:43Neither have I.
04:44I've kept them for a few years, but they are for sale if you're interested.
04:49Man alive.
04:50I've never seen a pair of these.
04:52Pine mounts, glass, plate, decoration with the barometer
04:57and also with the thermometer, but matching.
05:00It's a perfect matched pair with trade name, with lovely little wording all over them.
05:07Brilliant.
05:09A storm glass is a device for measuring the weather using a mixture of camphor, alcohol
05:15and water.
05:16Sealed in a glass tube, these elements react to changing weather, turning from liquid to
05:21solid flakes.
05:23Such devices were tested on HMS Beagle on the same journey that carried Charles Darwin around
05:28the world.
05:29Made by Thomas William Watson of London, a renowned maker of scientific instruments, this rare meteorological
05:36pair could be worth around £1,200.
05:39They're wonderful.
05:43Age-wise, what are we looking at?
05:451840, 50?
05:46I think more 1860s.
05:48OK.
05:49White spots in motion, particularly in the first part of change, indicates a storm.
05:55They were clever in those days.
05:58For rain, the substance will rise gradually in the shape of feathers.
06:02Yeah.
06:03Does it do that?
06:04Well, there's funny things that happen, yeah.
06:08For the first time, I quite fancy it raining just to see what it does.
06:15I've never bought any of those before.
06:17What are they worth?
06:19£7.50 the pair would be the best on them.
06:23They're just wonderful, aren't they?
06:24Yeah.
06:26Can I buy those?
06:27Yes, absolutely.
06:28Thank you very much.
06:29Never seen a pair?
06:30No, we won't find them again.
06:33Everything about these is special, everything.
06:35They have a white flashed glass, so it's a piece of clear glass,
06:38and at very high temperature they will pour white glass across the back of it,
06:41so then they can etch through that from either side to get the effect of the lettering.
06:47And the wording is just so lovely, so unusual, so odd.
06:51They are utterly charming, extremely rare, and I am over the moon.
06:57This is the wild garden.
06:59Like this.
07:00Are we going through?
07:01Is that the studio?
07:02Yes, yes.
07:03Come on, doggy.
07:04Come on, you.
07:06Ooh, look.
07:08Here we are.
07:09Wow.
07:10Oh, God, look at this.
07:12It's my studio.
07:14God, I wasn't expecting this.
07:16I told you how good she was.
07:18I love it all.
07:19Yeah.
07:20Do you love it all?
07:21It's because I love it.
07:22Yeah.
07:23So many things I like in here.
07:25Oh, my God.
07:26So many things.
07:27I...
07:28This...
07:29I'm feeling...
07:30Do you mind if I just get stuck in?
07:31Yeah.
07:32We're into Sophie's studio, and it's brilliant.
07:36It's, you know, better than expected.
07:39This is somebody who really knows the job, who's got a really intelligent and interesting
07:47view of the antiques world.
07:49It's the single most important thing that you learn in this job, which is to be discerning.
07:54Are you looking at these little bugs?
07:57Yeah.
07:58That's a belter.
07:59It's good, because you want them with no bugs falling off, only bits.
08:03That one's got good colour, all the rest of it.
08:06I like that.
08:07I love that.
08:08I like they're all going around in March.
08:09Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:10Isn't it?
08:11Right, come on.
08:12Off we go.
08:13Isn't that wonderful?
08:14Yeah, I'm just looking.
08:15I love all the different iridescence and the colours of all the little bugs.
08:21Imagine the patience.
08:22Oh, I know.
08:23120.
08:24120?
08:25That's really dead cheap.
08:26Dead cheap.
08:28Once you put one, you'll get the bug for them.
08:31Yeah.
08:32That's awful.
08:33Both of you are just as bad as each other.
08:36I really like that.
08:37Can I jump in on your toes?
08:39Yeah.
08:40Can I have that at 120?
08:41Brilliant.
08:43That's mine.
08:44There are some beautiful little creatures on this.
08:47I spotted one of those late 19th century teaching aids, which are just full of bugs.
08:54They're French.
08:55The colours, the iridescence, the change.
08:58You just tip it one way and all of a sudden you get a whole new view of these bugs.
09:03And do you know what?
09:04120 pounds.
09:05There's a turn in them, there's a bit of money in them and I'll just love having them about.
09:10There's this light here, which I like the look of.
09:13Really unusual to have that.
09:15Is that like a sort of metal covered?
09:17Yeah.
09:18Is it metal?
09:19Yeah.
09:20It's pretty fabulous, isn't it?
09:21They come in different sizes and…
09:23Different sizes, yeah.
09:25Yeah.
09:26The light that I'm very interested in is a small, and that's important, light by Peter Behrens,
09:32Germany.
09:33It's from the 20s, believe it or not that.
09:35Astonishingly modern form and it does have the most incredible cover to the wiring.
09:42So this is a flexible metal casing so that the lamp wire doesn't get broken or snapped.
09:49So it's come from possibly an industrial usage.
09:53Today these are highly prized.
09:56Born in Germany in 1868, Peter Behrens is considered the world's first industrial designer.
10:03His electric lights, made for railway stations and factories, epitomized his holistic approach,
10:09combining artistry, engineering and functionality.
10:12Once restored, this example of pioneering modern design could be worth around 750 pounds.
10:23It's going to need…
10:24It needs…
10:25…doing.
10:26Yeah.
10:27What are you asking for that?
10:28Because these are seized as well.
10:29I would take 350 for it.
10:31It's too risky, isn't it?
10:32Because I don't know if it's going to be broken inside there.
10:35I can't get it apart.
10:37I don't think I can get there for that.
10:39It's nice though.
10:40Yeah.
10:41Lovely.
10:42So I'd have to get this…
10:43I'd have to get it restored.
10:45That being an unrestored one, and being small and complete, really piques my interest.
10:50But it's 350 quid.
10:52The problem with it is I can't undo that gallery.
10:55On the top it's seized.
10:56And if it's chipped or cracked, it's useless.
11:00I can't sell it.
11:02Unfixable.
11:03So I'll have to come back to it.
11:05Different, isn't it?
11:07Height adjustable as well.
11:08It's made by the Army and Navy.
11:11It's a stamped Army and Navy, yeah?
11:13Yeah.
11:14And it's got the name of the Army guy who had it.
11:19Ah, Sir Guy Campbell.
11:22I don't want to force it.
11:24Yeah, no.
11:25It does work.
11:26Does it?
11:27I've put it up and down.
11:29Oh, there you go.
11:30Yeah.
11:33That's nice.
11:35So basically it's a height adjustable tray table with adjustable lifting reading slope.
11:42Got a great colour, isn't it?
11:43That purple it's got.
11:44The mechanism works.
11:46That's good.
11:47It's then stamped with the maker's mark and the guy who commissioned it or who bought it as his as well.
11:54What are you asking for that?
11:57As it is, I'll take 300.
12:00Okay.
12:03It's all pretty original, isn't it?
12:05Yeah.
12:11Sophie, could you do 550 for that and the Peter Barron's lamp?
12:24What are you asking for that?
12:25As it is, I'll take 300.
12:26Could you do 550 for that and the Peter Barron's lamp?
12:28Yeah.
12:29Yeah.
12:30Yeah.
12:31Yeah.
12:32Yeah.
12:33Yeah.
12:34Yeah.
12:35Yeah.
12:36Yeah.
12:37Yeah.
12:38Yeah.
12:39Yeah.
12:40Yeah.
12:41Yeah.
12:42Yeah.
12:43Yeah.
12:44Yeah.
12:45Yeah.
12:46Yeah.
12:47Yeah.
12:48Yeah.
12:49Yeah.
12:50Yeah.
12:51Yeah.
12:52It's so fancy for that and that Peter Barron's lamp.
12:54I think it's a hundred off that, I think.
12:57It's a hundred off, is it?
12:58I think so.
12:59It's 50 quid on each piece.
13:00Yeah.
13:01Yeah, just about, yeah.
13:02Sure.
13:03Yeah.
13:04Sure, sure.
13:05Yeah.
13:06I like to turn it over, so.
13:07Are you sure?
13:08I'm sure.
13:09Yeah.
13:10Thank you very much.
13:11Only for you though.
13:13I quite like campaign stuff.
13:15Love it.
13:16Yeah.
13:17One of my favourite things to buy.
13:18Yeah, I'm very drawn to it.
13:19That's great.
13:20That is so bad.
13:20Yes, that does help.
13:22Really helps.
13:24Good money left at that table, even after resto.
13:27Nice, desirable, interesting, blokey thing.
13:31The lamp will go to the restorer, and I hope it's OK.
13:35If it is, that lamp is worth, fully restored, 750 pounds.
13:40So if we go and sort out some money, get everything
13:44packed up carefully, and we'll be out of your way.
13:46All right.
13:47Yeah?
13:47OK.
13:48Come on, then.
13:50Really nice to see Sophie again.
13:52Just such a sort of the consummate antique dealer.
13:55I think the pieces I got today, all of them speak for themselves.
13:59The light, great history, very well-known maker,
14:02streets ahead of the others.
14:04That was like a spaceship landing when
14:06that thing came out in 1920.
14:08Good, straightforward design, purity of form,
14:12and then originality will always make for a great buy.
14:17We have had a fantastic day today with Sophie.
14:21Absolutely delighted.
14:23I come somewhere like this, I get to look and touch at amazing stock.
14:27This is exactly what I want to do every single day of my life.
14:31Thank you, Sophie.
14:32Amazing.
14:34We'll meet again, I'm sure.
14:35See you again.
14:36Take care.
14:37See you later.
14:38Bye-bye.
14:39Bye.
14:40It's been a delight having them round, the barometer and thermometer.
14:45We've had them a few years, and you know what dealers are like.
14:48They fall in love, you live with it for a few years, and then you move them on.
14:53So, I'm glad you bought them, actually.
14:56There you go.
14:58That was nice.
14:59Did you like Sophie?
15:00Oh, my God.
15:01It's a jewel.
15:02Yeah.
15:03Just a little unexpected gem.
15:06Yes.
15:07Whenever I've bought from her, I've always bought things that are going,
15:10oh, yeah, I'm really excited by that.
15:11I like that.
15:12It's very honest.
15:13It's very authentic.
15:14It's, you know, it's a good example.
15:17I was very pleased with what I bought, actually.
15:20With some standout items in the van, Drew and Vicky are making the long trip north to
15:26Scotland.
15:27Drew's keen to share another favourite contact with Vicky, a veteran of the trade who's teamed
15:33up with a promising young talent.
15:35Recently, I did a run up to Scotland, and I called in to see Tom Corrie.
15:42Oh, yeah.
15:43And he said, have you got half an hour?
15:45You need to meet this young lad.
15:47He's quite something.
15:48You should see the set up.
15:49He had this incredible stable block.
15:52And Daniel, 18 years old.
15:5418.
15:5518.
15:56Drew and Vicky are headed towards Lockerby, and a remarkable historic building that's been
16:02transformed into a unique antique destination.
16:05Wait till you see it.
16:08The setting is incredible.
16:12Just a few miles north of the town of Lockerby, Jardine Hall was an imposing Georgian mansion
16:17built in the early 19th century.
16:19Sadly, the hall fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1960s.
16:23Today, all that remains are the grand and grade one listed stable blocks.
16:28Now, this noble but neglected building has been turned into a stunning showcase for the
16:34antique stock of dealer Daniel Giles and his friend and mentor in the trade, Tom Corrie.
16:40I've had an interest in antiques since I was about 11.
16:45I met Tom about five years ago, and from then, yeah, we've had good fun, and when this place
16:53came of offer, I was excited to take the opportunity.
16:55I agreed to rent, and Daniel and I hired quite a lot of skips, and got down to doing some repairs
17:03and making the place secure.
17:06I've been a dealer for an excess of 35 years, and it may be important to clarify, I'm actually
17:12older than Daniel, for anyone who hadn't actually picked that up, and it's just been the most
17:16fun way to make a living.
17:18Daniel's a friend of mine, and if I can give him a bit of a leg up in the way to work,
17:23well, I have no doubt, it'll be a very successful career in antique trade, and I'm happy to
17:26do so.
17:27Pretty good, huh?
17:28I'm very excited to meet Vicky and Drew, I'm excited to show them around and see what
17:33they think of the place, and hopefully they can find something they can buy.
17:37Hello!
17:38Hiya, how's it going?
17:39How are you?
17:40Tom, good to see you again.
17:41Vicky, hiya.
17:42Hello, mate.
17:43Drew, good to see you.
17:44Vicky, how do you do?
17:45Good.
17:46I think this is quite something.
17:48Quite something, yeah.
17:49Have you got the whole building?
17:50All of it?
17:51Yes.
17:52This is the old stables for the house.
17:53Yes, I mean, Daniel's trading his own right to effort for me, and there's one side of the
17:57building his, and the other side of the building's mine, which will become apparent.
18:01That's yours, isn't it, over there?
18:02Yes.
18:03Can we do this bit first?
18:04Absolutely.
18:05Daniel, can you show us around, please?
18:06Yes, of course.
18:07Yeah, it's an amazing old stable block, but it's quite a stable block, isn't it?
18:11I mean, look at it.
18:12It's got its own clock tag.
18:13It's really quite something.
18:14And they've set up a new sort of antiques warehouse, shop, trade centre, storage facility.
18:22Call it what you will, but it is one of the most picturesque places I've ever, ever bought
18:28antiques from.
18:29Nothing's really organised, but, yeah.
18:31Oh, come on.
18:32This is great.
18:33This isn't warehouse.
18:35This is organised.
18:37What about this, Daniel?
18:38Bit unusual.
18:39Oh, this was the label on the back of it.
18:42I don't know what that's...
18:43What is it?
18:44Brussels.
18:45That's cost a few quid if it's come out of Brussels.
18:49It's a bit sharp, isn't it?
18:54So, do you think it would have originally been...
18:58It's just been a tapestry that's been framed, but it's nice because it's sort of quilted.
19:03I went into this open carriage block here, and there's this eastern tapestry, but it's
19:11got raised silk work on it.
19:13It's got little bits of Mother of Pearl all over it.
19:16That's a good thing.
19:17What are you asking for that?
19:19It can be £70.
19:22Excellent.
19:23Good run.
19:24Lovely.
19:25God, I was having that if you weren't having that.
19:29He said £70 and sold.
19:32Didn't even give it a second chance.
19:33I just thought, yeah, that's fine.
19:35I thought, this is great.
19:36That's what Tom's taught him.
19:38Get it in, small profit, turn it over.
19:40Their location dictates that.
19:42If they're in the centre of Edinburgh, they could charge a lot more.
19:45But he's pricing accordingly.
19:47This is the main room of the shop.
19:50Wow.
19:51I think originally it would have been the sort of kitchen area for the servants.
19:55You've got a little kitchen.
19:57You've got a little kitchen, yeah.
19:58Did you do all this yourself?
20:00Aye, most of it.
20:02Oh, God.
20:03It's brilliant.
20:05That is just wonderful.
20:07I loved it when I saw it was how he's laying things out.
20:11He's left the rooms pretty much as they are, and they look like set pieces.
20:15They look like sort of little miniature film sets.
20:18It helps things along and it shows clients that you care.
20:24What do you want for that, Dan?
20:2650 pounds would do it.
20:27What do you think?
20:28I think it's a good size.
20:30What about that one there?
20:31Do you like that one?
20:32Yeah, I really like that one as well.
20:34That's quite nice.
20:35Beautiful.
20:36I love how the wood's cut.
20:37Is it you wood, would you have said?
20:38Yeah, it's you.
20:39Yeah.
20:40You's really good because it doesn't bend and you can literally leave it outside and it weathers
20:44beautifully and will last a very, very long time.
20:46This tray caught my eye and it had sort of square segments of wood in it with some brass
20:52handles.
20:53And this way that this has been cut on the end grain, it just creates this sort of check
20:59pattern.
21:00It's like a piece of art in itself.
21:05Featuring contrasting bands of yew wood veneer and solid brass handles, this tray was made
21:10to serve drinks and signify status.
21:13Such high quality veneer is usually reserved for the finest furniture, making this parlour
21:18room showpiece rare and desirable.
21:20It could be worth around 125 pounds.
21:25Look at the handles.
21:26I mean, it's just beautiful.
21:27We'd have had some little tabs underneath it just to keep it off the table.
21:31So it'd be 20s, would it?
21:32I think it'd be earlier.
21:33Earlier, yeah.
21:34Yeah?
21:35Yeah.
21:36Turn of the century.
21:37What did you say this was?
21:38That can be 50 pounds.
21:39Yeah, I've got to have that.
21:40Oh, well, there you go.
21:41It's beautiful.
21:43Perfect.
21:45So this is upstairs where the servants would have originally stayed.
21:50Look at this.
21:52That's a quality piece of Irish furniture.
21:56Nice.
21:57Before I get to the top of the stairs, I can see this whatnot with this wonderful graduated
22:03barley twist uprights.
22:05And it's two draw and it's not ornate at all.
22:08And it's just the most beautiful one I've seen in an awful long time.
22:13Whereas the French named their display stands etager, the English term whatnot aptly describes
22:22the variety of things such freestanding shelves were used to show off, from souvenirs and silverware
22:27to fine porcelain.
22:30Dating from the early 1800s, this fine example boasts barley twist carvings and exotic hardwoods such as mahogany and ebony.
22:39After careful restoration, it could be worth around 1,500 pounds.
22:44The drawn lines are maple.
22:46It's a bit unusual, I thought.
22:49Where did you get this?
22:51Er, we'll trade secret that.
22:54Superb.
22:57Just really, really beautiful.
22:59And actually, it's this, which I would say is Irish, here.
23:03And it's just, the Irish just had a bit more fun with their furniture.
23:07It's not without its faults, but my word, remarkably original.
23:12An iffy repair to one top right corner, a few more cracks and splits, but as honest as the day is long.
23:18That's how you want to buy them.
23:20And what have I got on it?
23:22650.
23:24There's a little bit more there.
23:27A bit more there gone.
23:29So there's bits.
23:30Yeah.
23:31There's nibbles all over it.
23:32Aye, aye.
23:33I'm not going to knock you too much on it.
23:35I would like a little bit of a better price if you can.
23:37620.
23:3930...
23:41I'm saying nothing, I'm best to keep quiet.
23:45I'll do it for six if you want it.
23:47I was going to say 500.
23:49500?
23:50Yes.
23:54I paid more.
23:55Did you?
23:56Yeah.
23:58Drew and Ricky are in Scotland.
24:00How are you?
24:01Visiting a trusted contact who's teamed up with a promising young dealer.
24:05It can be £70.
24:08Excellent. Good lad.
24:10A desirable what-not display stand has Drew chomping at the bit,
24:13and he's haggling hard over the price.
24:16I'll do it for six if you want it.
24:18I was going to say £500.
24:19£500?
24:20Yes.
24:21I paid more.
24:22Did you?
24:23Yeah.
24:24Six?
24:25I would do six for it, aye.
24:27Excellent, lad.
24:28Thank you, Daniel.
24:29What a lovely thing.
24:31Good piece.
24:32Yeah.
24:33Price-wise, it was a good buy for me,
24:36but I have got way more than I paid for it to spend on it.
24:41Way more to get that right,
24:42because I have to spend proper money on that to get it done dead right.
24:45But once done, I've got something that will sell almost immediately.
24:50Well, folks, you've been around Daniel's side of things.
24:52How did that go?
24:53Yeah.
24:54Good.
24:55Where do you start?
24:56Right.
24:57Well, go in there, Drew.
24:58Have a hunt around.
24:59See what you see.
25:00OK.
25:01Oh, hello.
25:03That's nice.
25:04How was it about this, Tom?
25:06That's lined ash.
25:08Very unusual casters.
25:10I don't think I've seen casters quite like that before.
25:13The combination in the wheel of pottery and brass.
25:16Unusual.
25:17Unusual.
25:18Oh, yeah.
25:19So that's ceramic in that middle bit.
25:20Yeah.
25:21Yeah.
25:22Do you know, I've never had one of these with any maker's name on them ever,
25:25so I don't know who would use them.
25:26No.
25:27I didn't find the name either.
25:29But it wasn't made by a fool.
25:30That is great.
25:31Can I keep that?
25:32It wasn't made by a fool.
25:33I love that.
25:34Good looking thing.
25:35What do you want for it?
25:36It's £700.
25:37Now, I've had loads of those chairs, as Thomas, as most dealers have.
25:39But I've never had one in limed ash.
25:40Highly unusual.
25:41So it's an unusual colour.
25:42It's an unusual timber for that chair to be in, with unusual casters, with the remnants
25:45of the original fabric on it.
25:46Man, it is comfy.
25:47It is.
25:48Whoa.
25:49Have a sit in that.
25:50That is remarkable.
25:51It's remarkable.
25:52Yeah.
25:53Yeah.
25:54Yeah.
25:55Yeah.
25:56Yeah.
25:57Yeah.
25:58Yeah.
25:59Yeah.
26:00Yeah.
26:01Yeah.
26:02Yeah.
26:03Yeah.
26:04Yeah.
26:05That is remarkably comfortable.
26:07It is quite, actually.
26:08Isn't it?
26:09Yeah.
26:10It's not that big, is it?
26:13No.
26:14Yeah.
26:15Thank you very much.
26:16Good man.
26:18Cheers.
26:19Nice thing.
26:20Never seen one in that timber.
26:21I like it.
26:22It's good.
26:23That is, all in all, a cracking chair.
26:24It's just got enough going for it.
26:27Yeah.
26:28You know?
26:29Belter.
26:30Wonderful thing.
26:31£700.
26:32It needs £300 spending on it, in time and effort more than anything.
26:36So it will be £1,000 into it, and there's definitely a very, very good profit in it,
26:41because it's really attractive, very comfortable, beautifully made, highly original.
26:45Fab thing.
26:46Right.
26:47I'm done.
26:48You?
26:49I think I am too, yeah.
26:50We've got a fair bit to put on the van.
26:51Yes.
26:52Good.
26:53Thank you, folks.
26:54But I'll do it myself, if you want.
26:55Oh, oh.
26:56That's very good of you.
26:58Right, I'll get the kettle on.
26:59Yep.
27:00What they're doing here, I think, is absolutely fabulous.
27:04Just to look at it.
27:05Just at where it is, you know, everything about it is quite magical.
27:09Daniel, I wish I had his knowledge at 18.
27:13And he has got one of the very best teachers in Tom.
27:16We've got two dealers here, both selling quite kind of traditional British furniture,
27:23but selling it in a completely different way.
27:26Both have got fabulous merit in what they do individually,
27:31and to have them on the same premises working together, it's just genius.
27:37Cheers, Tom.
27:38Cheers, Drew.
27:39Good to see you again.
27:40Thank you for that.
27:41Daniel.
27:42Good to meet you, Meggie.
27:43Good luck to you.
27:44Cheers, thank you very much.
27:45Take care.
27:46Bye-bye.
27:47Bye, folks.
27:48Bye.
27:49I like the fact that they were impressed.
27:50I know it was good to show off the premises and show what I've been doing for the past
27:53year.
27:54It was excellent to meet them.
27:55Very pleased I had some stock for them to buy.
27:58And, yeah, I hope they're happy with what they've bought.
28:03So what do you think of young Daniel and his set-up?
28:05God.
28:06He's tremendous.
28:08Mm.
28:09Such a nice lad.
28:11Very nice, my young man, yes.
28:13He's got something there.
28:14And at 18, that just needs guiding.
28:17And his prices are dead fair.
28:20Very, very fair.
28:22After dropping Vicky back at a shop in Edinburgh, Drew is travelling south, where he's arranged
28:28to meet up with fellow Welsh dealer Alistair Drybra, for whom contacts is a crucial part
28:34of his business.
28:35In the antiques trade, it's very, very important to have contacts.
28:41Okay?
28:42Whether it's down to buying or selling.
28:45A lot of my business depends on nurturing clients, people in private houses.
28:50That's where I get my stock from.
28:52I go into homes.
28:53We call them house calls.
28:54I do complete house clearances, but I buy individual things, too.
28:58That's the buzz, waking up every day, not knowing what you're going to find.
29:03Every so often, a little gem will appear like this.
29:06This was a good call.
29:07It came in yesterday.
29:09I've not seen nothing like it before.
29:11It's a typical Welsh oak carver chair, but this intrigues me.
29:17This back panel here, that's unusual.
29:21To me, it's a collector's chair.
29:23That's my favourite item so far this week from a local house.
29:32Today, Alistair and Drew are heading towards Lancaster
29:35to meet one of Drew's valued contacts,
29:37a dealer who's opened up a new shop filled with jurios and collectibles.
29:43Lancaster.
29:44Lancaster.
29:45I have been here quite a lot.
29:47It's a very grand place.
29:49Fabulous array of old buildings.
29:51We're going to see a guy called Lee who I first met
29:54when he had a shop on Morecambe Seafront
29:56and just really liked him.
29:59He's just a really nice guy.
30:01Really chatty.
30:03Loves the job.
30:04Great fun.
30:05Buys different and interesting things.
30:07And he said, look, I've moved.
30:09And I'm now based here with just more of a retail shop.
30:14The history of Lancaster dates back to Roman times.
30:18With a hilltop fort later supplanted by an imposing medieval castle.
30:23Benefiting from a coastal location as a port town,
30:26wealth from the maritime and slave trades
30:28led to the building of the customs house.
30:30Designed by a member of the famed
30:32Gillows of Lancaster furniture making family.
30:35Today, the flotsam and jetsam of the seafaring industry can be found inside a new and suitably named antique shop.
30:45Run by Lee Clark.
30:47We decided to move to Lancaster earlier on this year and we've been trading here for seven months.
30:59One way or another, I've been buying and selling things ever since I was at school.
31:03I like to buy things that are old, unusual and well made.
31:06I like nautical stuff.
31:08I like all the regular big things that a lot of dealers buy, like circus things, fairground things.
31:13If it floats my boat, I'll pay too much money for it, basically.
31:19Hi, Al.
31:20How are you doing, Lee? You all right, mate?
31:21Nice to meet you.
31:22And you?
31:23Hi, Drew again.
31:24How are you, mate? How are you?
31:25Long time no see?
31:26You've moved.
31:27We have moved.
31:28We have moved.
31:29We just fancy this complete change and Lancaster just fits us perfectly.
31:33Yeah.
31:35With Lee, you don't know what to expect, to be perfectly honest, because he buys very unusual things.
31:40So you're going to get maritime, you're going to get fairgrounds, you're going to get enamel signs and everything in between.
31:47Something in the window I spotted as I was walking past.
31:50Can I walk into your window?
31:51Yeah, of course you can.
31:52That's got all the nautical stuff in there mostly.
31:54What I did like was that.
31:56That's very cool, isn't it?
31:57Newbury Races, 1935.
31:59It's an original.
32:00Shame about the nibble on your upright, isn't it, really?
32:03Oh, I think that enhances it.
32:05But then, you know, how many of these are survivors?
32:07There can't be many left, can there?
32:09No, no.
32:10I would imagine that's the only one.
32:12I even got into the shop and I clocked this GWR advertising card that would have hung in a train station advertising the Newbury Races in 1935.
32:24Paper signs, they're a bit rarer.
32:27They don't survive.
32:28And that's a good one.
32:30The colours are strong.
32:32The image is strong.
32:33It's got a railway connection to it and it's got horse racing.
32:37Two big things.
32:39Collectors in both those fields.
32:40What can you do on that?
32:41Well, go on, make me an offer.
32:43No, I'd rather you say, mate.
32:44You've got 70 quid on it.
32:45I'll do it for 50.
32:46In Lancaster, Drew and Alistair are visiting a new shop opened by a favourite old contact.
33:02Hi, Drew.
33:03Hello, mate.
33:04How are you?
33:05Looks great.
33:06Yeah.
33:07Alistair is haggling over a 1930s horse racing sign that he thinks is a solid bet.
33:13What can you do on that?
33:14Well, go on, make me an offer.
33:16No, I'd rather you say, mate.
33:17You've got 70 quid on it.
33:18I'll do it for 50.
33:19Yeah.
33:20You can't say no at 50, can you?
33:21No.
33:22Right, well, let's have a look in the rest of the shop, because we've only just come through
33:25the door, haven't we?
33:26Yeah, yeah.
33:27We're off the mark, which is nice.
33:28We're off the mark.
33:29I tell you what, I do like this.
33:35Chicken meal.
33:36I was wondering what that said.
33:38Chicken meal, yeah.
33:39Chicken meal.
33:40It's in that poor condition that it's fantastic.
33:42Yeah.
33:43It's great, isn't it?
33:44Chicken meal.
33:45You can hardly read it, but it says just chicken.
33:47In some ways, I think, I wish it just said chicken.
33:49That would be, you know what I mean?
33:51It's just odd.
33:52It's oddball.
33:53It's strange.
33:54It makes you look again.
33:55The condition is so bad, it's good.
33:58Why?
33:59Patina.
34:00It looks like it's had a hell of a life.
34:03What do you want for it, fella?
34:05Right, I'll give you a one-off price on that.
34:08I'll say 180.
34:09Right.
34:10You can't say no at that, can you?
34:11I can.
34:12It's just very, very rough, isn't it?
34:16It's really rough, mate.
34:18If you're an enamel sign collector, I don't think you'd be looking at that sign.
34:23But if you're a decorator, it's totally different.
34:26It's got a look to it.
34:27It wouldn't be a sign I'd buy, but he's got the market for that, OK?
34:33He's got customers and interior designers who would buy that for a job.
34:38And that's what it's going to be, you know?
34:40A piece of wall art rather than a collectible enamel sign.
34:45I just like things that just look cool.
34:48Just like them.
34:50Chicken meal.
34:51Yes, please, sir.
34:52I'm with him.
34:53Thank you very much.
34:54£180.
34:55That's close enough.
34:56There's not loads in it, but it's definitely worth, like, £220, £240.
35:00So it's worth buying.
35:01It's definitely worth buying.
35:02It's an interesting thing.
35:04It's got great colour.
35:06Oh, isn't it?
35:09No?
35:10Yeah, very much so.
35:11I'll tell you where that's come from.
35:13It's come from a local shoe shop that was there for 200 years
35:17that had a royal warrant called Banks Lions.
35:20That came from there and that's as is.
35:23It's not had anything done to it.
35:25It's lovely.
35:26It's great colour.
35:27It's heavy.
35:28It'll have been in that building since the building was built.
35:30It's nice.
35:31The wear on that.
35:32So that's elm, isn't it?
35:33Yeah, yeah.
35:34A lot of backside set on that.
35:35I like it.
35:36What can that be, Lee?
35:38Erm, I'll do your tenner off it.
35:40£80.
35:41It's a nice thing.
35:43That's Belter.
35:44Yeah.
35:45Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely.
35:47That is superb.
35:48There's painted furniture and there's painted furniture.
35:50If the item retains its original paint, that's good.
35:55But if it's been painted in the last 10 or 20 years,
35:58I tend not to look at it.
35:59It's got to be original and it shows its age.
36:02It tells a story.
36:04So, yeah, that stool had it all.
36:06It had that original elm that had worn through on the top,
36:09yet it still retained its original painted base, which was good.
36:13I like that.
36:14All matches and smoking materials to be left at the office.
36:19That is fab, isn't it?
36:20It's come from a local factory.
36:22The factory shut down about 20 odd years ago.
36:25I did buy it off the person that's husband used to work there.
36:28Did she say what type of factory it was?
36:30Lancaster is famous for linoleum and they had the biggest linoleum factory in the world.
36:37There's an enamel sign.
36:38I just see matches and red and white and I'm like, what's that?
36:42Because number one, the colour way of it is unusual for it to be on that red ground.
36:47You're not going to see that particularly often.
36:50And then with that quite stylised lettering on there as well.
36:53And it's a good subject, you know.
36:55It immediately puts you in a place and time.
36:58Linoleum floor covering, made from a mix of oxidised linseed oil and other natural materials,
37:04was produced on a vast scale at the Lancaster Linoleum Works.
37:08Spreading over 20 acres, it was once the largest factory of its kind in the world,
37:13accounting for a third of all global production and employing two and a half thousand people.
37:19This sign of lost industrial times has both historic and decorative appeal
37:24and could be worth around £320.
37:27You wouldn't clean that, you'd just leave that,
37:29because you'd never get that colour to come back anyway.
37:30No, no, no, no.
37:31Would you? So you just leave it?
37:32No.
37:33Not dated, unfortunately.
37:34No.
37:35The colour's grey, isn't it?
37:37It's a nice early one, actually.
37:39It's really interesting.
37:43I don't want to hold this for too long.
37:46It's nice and heavy.
37:47Yeah.
37:48Good.
37:49What would you take for it, sir?
37:50What's it got on it?
37:51£280.
37:52£280.
37:53Erm, £240.
37:54Thank you very much.
37:55£240.
37:56Much appreciated.
37:57No, thank you.
37:58Thanks, Al.
37:59I don't often buy enamel signs any more, but that's just...
38:01I like that.
38:02It's great.
38:03It's a great colour.
38:04It's a warning sign.
38:05It's interesting.
38:06It's in pretty good condition.
38:07And the price is right.
38:09You know, the best things transport you momentarily
38:12to somewhere different the moment you look at them.
38:15And that sign definitely does that.
38:18Have you spoken about that mirror I spotted?
38:20I know it's freaky.
38:22Did you?
38:23Yeah.
38:24Well, you tell me if you've ever seen another one of these.
38:26No, I haven't, but I like it.
38:27Because it's a Victorian mirror
38:29and there's Victorian people looking out at the end.
38:32Yeah, so...
38:33Well, somebody has, erm...
38:34Have they stuck them on the reverse?
38:35Have they?
38:36It's got faces inside...
38:38No, they're photographs.
38:39Yeah, so have they been stuck on the back of the mirror or something?
38:42I don't know.
38:43How's that...
38:44Honestly, I don't know without seeing the back of it.
38:45How's that happened?
38:46There's a bevelled oval wall mirror at the back there.
38:48You start looking at it, going, what's that?
38:49And it's got people on it.
38:51But it's such an unusual and scarce thing to see.
38:55What a thing.
38:56Great looking.
38:57It's a really, really interesting piece.
39:00It's very odd, isn't it?
39:03Maybe they were relatives.
39:05They did bizarre things, the Victorians.
39:07They did.
39:08They did.
39:09But I think a lot of these photographs, they're early 20s,
39:12so these are Edwardian and later.
39:14Yeah, yeah.
39:15So it's a strange one.
39:16What are you asking for it?
39:17I don't think it's dear.
39:18120 quid.
39:19No, it's not dear.
39:20Make me a sensible offer.
39:25Erm...
39:2680 quid.
39:29Sold.
39:30Great, great, great.
39:32You just didn't want to put it back on the wall, did you?
39:34No, thank you.
39:36You can carry it.
39:37Yeah, we'll have to shake on that.
39:38Cheers, mate.
39:39There you go.
39:40It's got a great look.
39:41It's very macabre.
39:42It's very dark.
39:43And things like that sell.
39:45There's more faces appearing as...
39:47I think what they've done is they've put...
39:49They're not photographs, I think they're negatives.
39:51And then when the mirror's worn through,
39:54I think they've just put the negatives in there,
39:56or they've printed the negatives onto the mirror
39:58and then put a backing on it, I think.
40:01I like that.
40:02That's my most favourite thing I bought today.
40:04Can I put it down now, please, Alistair?
40:06It is heavy.
40:07It is very heavy, yeah.
40:08Yeah, thanks, mate.
40:09You might.
40:10No, I put it down.
40:11Great.
40:12All right.
40:13I think we're done.
40:14Yeah?
40:15Yeah.
40:16Seen everything?
40:17Yep.
40:18I'm very happy with my chicken feed, Si.
40:19Are you?
40:20Yeah.
40:21I'm very happy with my mirror.
40:23It's a really good day seeing Lee.
40:25Well worth the drive.
40:27Good fun, you know?
40:28Good fun.
40:29It's part of the experience of buying from dealers.
40:33And I think that's what antique shops do.
40:36They give you a way of remembering.
40:38If you order something online, it's just a thing,
40:40and that's fine.
40:41That's okay.
40:42It has its place.
40:43But that jumping in the car, stopping for a coffee,
40:45chatting, coming and meeting the dealer,
40:47finding something, taking it home,
40:49it then becomes part of you.
40:51You start to enjoy it.
40:52It becomes part of your life, your home,
40:55your children's home.
40:56It becomes a family heirloom.
40:58And just a simple shop can do that.
41:01So, you know, just go to shops.
41:04Go to them.
41:05It's well worth the effort.
41:07Marvellous.
41:08Nice one.
41:09Thanks, Lee.
41:10All right, guys.
41:11Good to see you.
41:12Yeah, yeah, it's been fantastic.
41:13Thank you very much, mate.
41:14Thanks a lot.
41:15See you again, yeah?
41:16Keep in touch.
41:17Bye-bye.
41:22So, what do you think of Lee, then, our salty sea dog?
41:24Lee was great.
41:25Just as you described, really.
41:26Yeah.
41:27You know.
41:28Yeah, nice chat.
41:29Down to earth.
41:30Yeah, yeah.
41:31Just good fun.
41:32I like to talk.
41:33It's good to chat.
41:34Yeah.
41:35He likes to chat, does Lee.
41:36He does like a chat.
41:37He does like a chat.
41:40It's been another productive trip,
41:42and yet again,
41:43Lou's book of contacts and knowledge
41:45has proven invaluable to Alistair and Vicky.
41:48I've known Drew now for 20-odd years,
41:52and being on the road with him has been great.
41:55Wow.
41:56Beautiful.
41:57Been out meeting new people.
41:59Now then?
42:00You all right?
42:01Visiting loads and loads of dealers.
42:02Thank you very much.
42:03I'll take it.
42:04Thank you very much.
42:05I was ready to buy that if he wasn't.
42:06I'm learning a lot.
42:07This blue finish underneath here, right?
42:08Yeah.
42:09This is really important that you can see this.
42:11This is original.
42:12Being with Drew,
42:13you look at things in a different light, okay?
42:15You look at how things are constructed,
42:18how things are made.
42:19This joint across here pulls it together nice and tight.
42:23And it's little things like that you pick up,
42:25and they stick in your head.
42:27You should read constantly about the subject.
42:30Shouldn't you, Alistair?
42:31So you keep telling me.
42:32Yes, you should.
42:33So you keep telling me.
42:34Drew's been a huge support for me.
42:37I've opened this shop in Edinburgh,
42:40and he was there on the opening day,
42:44and he really gave me a bit of a boost to say,
42:47yeah, Vicky, you've got this.
42:49Looks the part.
42:50Right, what's next?
42:52He's so generous with his time,
42:54and he's so generous with his knowledge,
42:56but he's also so generous with his support.
42:59Would you like one?
43:00That it really made it a special day.
43:03That's a stunt.
43:04Brilliant.
43:05What I've had over the last couple of years
43:09is access through Drew's contacts
43:13to warehouses, factories, country houses.
43:17Oh, lovely.
43:18Oh, wow, look at this place.
43:19And that is quite a privilege as a dealer,
43:22and it's really made me look and think differently
43:25about my buy-in, which has revolutionised my business.
43:29Who's not going to want that in the middle of the coffee table
43:32or on the walk?
43:33Yeah.
43:34Being with him, it's been fun.
43:36It's been educational.
43:38You know, we've had a lot of laughs.
43:40It's been really good.
43:41He loves tractors.
43:43Mark Elliott.
43:44That's right.
43:45He loves tractors.
43:46Oh, fuck!
43:47I thought you wanted to do it.
43:48I thought you saidnatal Ù†
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