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Salvage Hunters Season 20 Episode 11
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00:00On all new salvage hunters, with almost 60 years combined experience, three leading antique and salvage dealers are joining forces.
00:10From West Wales, country house connoisseur Alistair Driverer loves the traditional.
00:16Sorry about that, isn't it? It's nice. Welsh. It's handsome. Pine. Taverns Vettel. Don't try to sell it to me.
00:21No, I'm not trying to sell it to you.
00:23Edinburgh-based dealer Vicky Knott has an incredible eye for interiors.
00:27I just think it's ever easy.
00:30I just think that's brilliant.
00:31In London, Shere Khan Yamakja is a devotee of retro design and industrial salvage sourced from all over Europe.
00:39These were made by gents of Leicester, and it's a general post office one.
00:43While his brother Jay restores items back to life.
00:47There's nothing to rust, nothing to go wrong, and that's why these last forever.
00:52Together, they're travelling the country, on the hunt for the very best antiques and decorative salvage.
01:00This time...
01:05So what have we got here in the sea?
01:08Alistair and Shere Khan uncover a legendary vessel from World War II.
01:12These went over to Dunkirk.
01:14In the war, in the war, to save soldiers.
01:16And you're preserving all that history, mate, aren't you?
01:18An antique sign offers a golden opportunity.
01:21Don't rub the gold gold off me.
01:23I'm putting it in my pocket.
01:26And a handmade crow carved from ancient wood has brothers Shere Khan and Jay flapping with excitement.
01:32It's a piece of bog oak, and it could be like 5,000 years old.
01:37Wow.
01:43Based in West Wales, Alistair Drybrough has a decade of experience dealing in weathered and worn antiques.
01:49From traditional handmade furniture to characterful old signs and models.
01:55The things I love to buy and sell are items that are full of character, okay?
02:01Things that have been used, things that have been made by a skilled hand.
02:07Stick chairs, dresses, things I grew up with, you know, living in rural Wales.
02:13The things my customers appreciate, and they expect to see lovely Welsh country furniture.
02:19It's what I'm about.
02:21One thing that Alistair is often drawn to is work by master artisans.
02:25Craftsmen and women who have spent years honing their skills to create beautifully made handcrafted pieces.
02:32There's something very special about an object or a piece of furniture that's been made by a skilled hand.
02:37It gives it that individuality, that quality that cannot be replicated.
02:43These artisans have spent years and years developing this skill.
02:48It's not something that can be done overnight.
02:51And that adds to it, doesn't it?
02:53That gives it the quality that outshines everything else.
02:58I want to buy quality, and quality sells.
03:00Alistair is heading south, to Surrey, to visit a family-run business filled with handcrafted and historic items.
03:14Today, he's joined by fellow dealer and friend, Shere Khan Umadja, a North London-based buyer of industrial salvage,
03:21who also shares Alistair's appreciation for skillfully made objects by master artisans.
03:27Today, we're off to Michael Dennett's boatbuilders.
03:30So, it's a boatyard, yeah?
03:31It's a boatyard, so he restores boats, and he's right on the River Thames.
03:37He's got a few boats there with a lot of history.
03:41Are you a boating man, Alistair?
03:42I live by the sea, right?
03:44I've been on a couple of rubber dinghies.
03:49Rubber dinghies.
03:49And I've been on a cruise.
03:50I've been on a fair few ferries in my life.
03:52Have you?
03:53Crossing the Channel.
03:54Oh, yes.
03:54When I'm going to Europe.
03:55Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:57And I've also rode boats in Alexandria Palace or Finsbury Park.
04:00Really?
04:00As a kid.
04:01God.
04:02Rowing boat.
04:03Yeah, so, yeah.
04:04You probably went on one of those big swan things with the pedals, didn't you?
04:07That's what you went on.
04:08That's not me.
04:09That's not me.
04:11One of England's oldest market towns, Chertsey flourished thanks to its position on a wide
04:16bend on the River Thames, which created a natural harbour where boats could supply goods such
04:22as grain, coal and timber.
04:24That legacy lives on today through Michael Dennett's Boatyard, a family-run business now in the
04:30skilled hands of second-generation boatbuilder Stephen Dennett.
04:34My father was a boatbuilder from the age of 15, and he's 82, and I employ him now.
04:42And we're building and restored traditional wooden boats.
04:46People bring their boats to us because we've got all the skills to do anything, really, on
04:51a traditional boat.
04:54Well, I was born a boatbuilder, and I should die a boatbuilder.
04:57There's no exit plan apart from a coffin.
05:00I love it because it's a family business.
05:03It's what I've always done, and that's what I've always wanted to do.
05:06It's just, it's in my heart, and it's just pleasure.
05:11The yard's full of bits and pieces that we've taken off boats, and sometimes you take something
05:16off a historic vessel, and you sort of can't really throw it away.
05:20You don't really know what to do with it, so it just sort of accumulates.
05:23Morning.
05:24Hi there.
05:25How are you doing, Steve?
05:26Very good, thank you.
05:27I'm Alistair.
05:27Steve, Shia Khan.
05:28Hi, Shia Khan.
05:29How are you doing?
05:29Thanks for having us.
05:30You're very welcome.
05:31Let's show you around.
05:32These kind of places where it's kind of like father to son, there's always like secret
05:39stashes, and I could just imagine Steve's dad has just put everything aside because he
05:44reckons a customer will come for it one day, and there's always a bit of treasure in the
05:47stuff that they save.
05:49Right, so what have we got here then, Steve?
05:51Well, we restored Dunkirk little ships.
05:53You know when you say like Dunkirk ships, what do you mean?
05:56These went over to Dunkirk?
05:57Dunkirk in the war to save soldiers.
06:00Really?
06:01So this boat would have been on the River Thames.
06:03Okay, yeah.
06:04And a boatyard owner collected all the boats from the River Thames and went across to Dunkirk.
06:08And the Navy had great big boats that couldn't get to the beach.
06:11Couldn't get, yeah.
06:12Because they were too big, so they needed little boats to work sort of as ferries between the
06:15two, so that was what all these boats did.
06:18And you're preserving all that history, mate, aren't you?
06:20Look at that one.
06:20Can I have a quick, a closer look at this one?
06:23So Sundown is a particularly famous Dunkirk little ship.
06:26It was owned by Captain Lightoller, and he was the highest ranking surviving officer
06:30from the Titanic.
06:31Wow.
06:32And then he went on after surviving that and had this boat converted to a boat for his
06:37own use.
06:38Then the war broke out, so he went on the Dunkirk mission with his son, and the latest Dunkirk
06:43film is based on this boat.
06:45That man is a survivor, isn't he?
06:47Oh, yes.
06:47I mean, he was involved in probably the biggest sea disaster ever.
06:52Yeah.
06:52And then he wanted more.
06:53And then he wanted more.
06:55That's a hero.
06:56Born in 1874, and having already survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, commander
07:02Charles Lightoller undertook one of the most daring seafaring missions of the Second World
07:07War.
07:08In May 1940, at the age of 66, he sailed his boat Sundowner across the English Channel during
07:14Operation Dynamo to rescue soldiers stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk.
07:18Though the vessel was licensed to carry just 21 passengers, Lightoller and his crew heroically
07:25saved 127 servicemen.
07:26So if we look over here, I've got some parts of Sundowner that we cut off.
07:31OK.
07:32But this is the seating.
07:35That is original to that boat.
07:37And that would have gone to Dunkirk and soldiers would have sat on it.
07:40I've got to replace it all because it's all gone rotten underneath, as you can see.
07:43Would we be able to take that plank or do you need it?
07:46That corner post.
07:47You can definitely have the corner post.
07:48OK.
07:49And with the handle?
07:50So what would you ask for that from me?
07:52A whole 20 quid.
07:54So I'm not going to sell it.
07:56I'm just going to get my brother to do a plinth on it and then when people come in, I'm just
08:00going to tell them the story because it's just the story about it's a man more than anything.
08:04Brilliant, huh?
08:05What a piece of history.
08:06Lovely.
08:07It's just a piece of wood with a brass handle.
08:10That's all it is.
08:11I mean, just imagine one of the boys from the beaches of Dunkirk got onto that boat, very
08:16lightly held onto that.
08:17That's a museum quality piece, that is.
08:20Kevin Seidman.
08:21Thank you very much.
08:22Wow.
08:23Wow.
08:24Oh, my God.
08:25Look at that.
08:26This is good, isn't it?
08:27Just look at that.
08:28It's just the atmosphere in there, you know.
08:29The workmanship.
08:30There's parts of boats in there that have been restored and the quality, the craftsmanship
08:38is on another level.
08:40That's the cabin off Light Holler's boat.
08:42So that would have gone to Dunkirk and would have been shot out.
08:45Wow.
08:46Look how beautiful that is.
08:47We've restored it.
08:48So it's all the original teak.
08:50It's like glass, isn't it?
08:51Yeah, man.
08:52The whole boat will be restored to that standard, all over.
08:56These types of places are the places we love to get into, you know, because you don't
09:00know what you're going to find.
09:01What's that in the frame over there, Shikha?
09:07Oh, it's a half model.
09:09Forgot about that.
09:12Did you make that?
09:13Yeah, we made that 45 years ago.
09:15You make the half model to show the client and then they sort of approve the shape.
09:19Ah, right.
09:20We made that boat.
09:21That's a lovely looking thing.
09:22What kind of money can that be?
09:24100 quid.
09:25I'm going to knock you a bit for it, Steve.
09:27No.
09:28Good man.
09:29It's a lovely thing, honestly.
09:30It's just simple, isn't it?
09:31Nice.
09:32It is simple.
09:33Yeah.
09:34There's something very mid-century about it as well.
09:35Yes.
09:36Yeah.
09:37Yeah, right up your street.
09:38It's perfect.
09:39It's all the history of this yard.
09:40It's Steve's history, his father's history, all in that one frame.
09:44Over there, on the wall.
09:46Oh, yes.
09:47Yeah, what's that?
09:48That looks interesting.
09:49It's a grating out of a rowing skiff.
09:51So they're probably a hundred years old.
09:53Are they for sale?
09:54They are.
09:55Can we have a look at them?
09:56You can.
09:57Yeah.
09:58I love that surface on them.
09:59That crusty sort of...
10:00It's the patina.
10:01It's just simple, isn't it?
10:02It's just simple, isn't it?
10:03It's the patina.
10:04That's the original varnish.
10:06It never really dries and it keeps moving and shrinking,
10:08so you get that really weird effect.
10:11I just see them as great pieces of wall art.
10:13They are.
10:14Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:15They're stunning.
10:16Something catches my eye, high up on the wall.
10:18I'm not sure, firstly, what they're made of, you know.
10:21I thought they were metallic in presence.
10:24They had a sort of a rusty look to them.
10:29So, do you want me to pass the rest of them down?
10:31Yeah, please.
10:32I think they're really cool.
10:33Has that got the crusty...
10:34Oh.
10:35Yes, it has.
10:44Whoa.
10:45Whoa.
10:46Great timing.
10:47Typical.
10:48Isn't it?
10:49Look at that.
10:50It's a lovely colour underneath that as well.
10:53I really, really like them.
10:54They're gorgeous things, yeah.
10:56The surface on it, it's like volcanic, as if something has erupted and lava has poured
11:03over the surface.
11:05And that's what makes it, you know.
11:07Where are you going to find any more?
11:09They're 100 years old.
11:10They're something else.
11:12Hand-built from wood, these greats would have originally sat in the bottom of a small sail
11:17or rowing boat called a skiff.
11:19Now weathered with age, these wooden boards have a unique decorative appeal.
11:24And once cleaned and displayed in our shop, the collection could be worth around £700.
11:31What do you want for the four then, Stu?
11:34£600.
11:35Ooh.
11:37What's somebody willing to pay, isn't it?
11:42£450.
11:52Alistair and Shere Khan are on the banks of the River Thames, exploring the dusty workshops
11:57of a seasoned bulk restorer.
11:58So that would have gone to Dunkirk and would have been shot at.
12:01Wow, look how beautiful that is.
12:03And Alistair has spotted some characterfully aged wooden boat greats that he thinks have
12:08strong decorative potential.
12:11What do you want for the four then, Stu?
12:13£600.
12:14Ooh.
12:17£450.
12:21Go on then.
12:22Yeah?
12:23They're a talking point, aren't they?
12:24Yeah.
12:25£450?
12:26Good man.
12:29Oh.
12:30I just saw those.
12:31Wow.
12:32That's quite a collection you've got there.
12:33It is.
12:34Some of those came with us from our last yard.
12:37And they're all the different boats that have been through.
12:39Are some of these for sale?
12:40Yeah.
12:41Yeah?
12:42You can have a couple of them.
12:43That Dorothea one's pretty nice.
12:45Yeah, that's quite nice.
12:46Another one, that.
12:47Le Petit Sauris.
12:48Can you see how it's pointed?
12:50I mean, if you want Le Petit Sauris, you could have that one.
12:52Yeah.
12:53What kind of money would that be?
12:55Hmm.
12:56100 quid.
12:58I'll take that for 100 quid.
12:59You've got to climb up and unscrew it.
13:02Oh!
13:03Okay, okay.
13:04Suddenly it's become 75 quid now.
13:07Sea Witch is quite nice too.
13:08Yeah?
13:09How much would Sea Witch be?
13:1050 quid, that one.
13:13He's...
13:14I'm going to go around this way because I can't see all of them from here.
13:16He's missing out on me.
13:17You stay there, mate.
13:18You stay there.
13:19Let's go have a look on the other side then.
13:20Yeah.
13:21It's like being in a sweet shop when you're a young child.
13:23You don't know what to pick.
13:24Do you know the Golden Plover one?
13:26That scroll is really nice, isn't it?
13:28Yeah.
13:29What would you want for the Golden Plover?
13:3050 quid.
13:3350 quid.
13:34Well, it's not a scrolly-edged fence.
13:37It's got a little chip in the end.
13:39I'll give you a little...
13:40It's distressed.
13:41100 quid.
13:42Go on then.
13:43This is amazing, this.
13:44Essex lady.
13:45Oh, I've got a pair look.
13:46You're in luck.
13:47Oh, yes.
13:48100 quid for the Essex lady.
13:49Bargain.
13:51Your turn.
13:52White high heels.
13:54I've let Alistair have good stuff in the past,
13:56and he's let me have stuff in the past,
13:58but here, Alistair takes a shot, I take a shot.
14:01Alistair has his turn, I take my turn.
14:03Oh, my God, do you miss the most important one for you?
14:06Mandy Sue Cardiff.
14:08Mandy Sue Cardiff, then?
14:10Yeah.
14:11Yeah?
14:12What do you want for that knackered one?
14:13Knackered?
14:14Yeah, man.
14:15Really bad, that one.
14:19No, you can have that one for 50 quid, I suppose.
14:22Right, that'll have to be it, otherwise you'll be...
14:24Oh, yeah.
14:25You're depleting me, sign store.
14:26Today's been really, really good.
14:32The guys are masters of the trade.
14:35It's really good to come to places like this.
14:37It's educational, you see how things are made,
14:41and if you're lucky, you get to buy really rare interesting pieces.
14:46Steve, thanks for having us, mate.
14:48Well, I'm glad you came down.
14:49It's been really good.
14:50Thank you very much, Steve.
14:51It's been a pleasure showing you round.
14:52It was a great day.
14:53Take care, Steve, thank you very much.
14:54Cheers, mate.
14:56It's nice that they understood what we're doing here,
14:59and the amount of history that all these boats have,
15:01and, yeah, for him to keep a piece, take it home,
15:05and he'll remember us for a while.
15:07Steve was a great guy, innit?
15:10Sound.
15:11Really great.
15:12Good, good man.
15:13Yeah.
15:14That wall of boat signs.
15:15Yeah.
15:16We were like kids in the county shop, weren't we?
15:17You had to stop in the end, innit?
15:19You had to say, oh, you've got to leave me some.
15:20Yeah.
15:21Because we could have gone on and on and on,
15:22and his prices were good.
15:24They were good.
15:28With some rare, finely crafted items in the van,
15:31the buying trip continues.
15:34Drawn to vintage signs with age and patina,
15:37Al has heard about a traditional sign maker
15:39selling a few pieces from his collection.
15:43And with Shere Khan's eye for bold, colourful signage and posters
15:46that resonate with his younger, trend-savvy London clientele,
15:49there should be something for both of them.
15:52So, together, they're heading just half an hour north,
15:55along the Thames, to visit another master of his trade.
16:01Today, mate, we're in for a treat.
16:02Okay.
16:03Okay, we're going to see Ash Bishop,
16:05who owns Brilliant Signs.
16:07Okay.
16:08So, he's a professional sign writer.
16:10Wow.
16:11Does a lot of gilding on glass, acid etching, reverse painting.
16:14Like them old fish and chip shop ones and things like that?
16:17Yeah, the man's a wizard.
16:18He's a magician, right?
16:19All right.
16:20Ash is like a master in what he does.
16:26Just outside Greater London,
16:27on the edge of the ancient Burnham Beaches woodland,
16:30is the quiet village of Farnham Royal,
16:33the perfect tranquil setting for a master of traditional craft.
16:37With nearly 30 years' experience since qualifying from a London art school
16:41and now working out of converted barns at his home,
16:44his dedicated sign writer, Ash Bishop.
16:53The original Brilliant Sign Company was formed in Clerkenwell in London in 1888,
16:58and they innovated signage.
17:02I started the Brilliant Sign Company with my wife, Sarah.
17:05We resurrected the name and tried to emulate, to a certain extent,
17:09what we could of the work they did and the ethos that they worked by.
17:15The quality of the old work was timeless.
17:18We wanted to celebrate the sort of men and women that used to work there
17:21and that great sort of British craft skill and innovation as well.
17:26We're lucky that we do sort of old-fashioned institutions,
17:30so I do some work at the Tower of London,
17:32some at Winter Castle and some at Eton College.
17:34It's lovely to be involved in the heritage sort of side of sign writing.
17:40Morning, gentlemen.
17:41Morning, Ash.
17:42You found me. Ash?
17:43How are you, pal? Good to see you.
17:44I'm very well. How are you doing?
17:45How are you doing? Thanks for coming.
17:46Thanks for having us.
17:47Well, welcome aboard.
17:48Here is the ranch and the overspill.
17:50So you are known as...?
17:52We are the Brilliant Sign Company.
17:53The Brilliant Sign Company.
17:54Fantastic. So we're in for some brilliant signs.
17:57Some mediocre.
17:58Let's have a look.
17:59Let's have a look.
18:00This is the sort of place you want to go to
18:02if you want to buy a good sign, something of quality,
18:06because you want people to go to your shop,
18:08you want people to come in,
18:09and if the front of your shop looks good,
18:13you know, you're halfway there.
18:15I've lit the fire, so come in for a bit of warm.
18:17Nice and warm, yeah.
18:18Wow.
18:19Amazing.
18:20This is the nerve centre.
18:22So all the stuff on the back wall is mostly the old company's work,
18:26and this is where we do most of it.
18:28So you bought the company?
18:31No.
18:32The company went out of business in 77.
18:33Right.
18:34And we reclaimed it is the word I like to use.
18:37OK.
18:38In 1999.
18:39I think in today's society, the High Street in particular,
18:41you know, it's lost its identity.
18:43Everything's plastic.
18:45You go back 100 years, you go to London,
18:47you look at pictures in books, right?
18:49The fronts of these shops are spectacular.
18:52If we could only go back to times like that...
18:55From London, the old pubs.
18:57Yeah.
18:58I'm going back.
18:59They all had this type of gold.
19:00Yeah.
19:01Yeah.
19:02What exactly is that style called?
19:03If you start with the glass,
19:04you would call it reverse glass fascia,
19:06something like that,
19:07and then the treatment on the glass,
19:09whether it was acid etched or carved letters.
19:11Yeah.
19:12So these are all originals, yeah?
19:13Almost all of them.
19:14There's one or two.
19:16One down here,
19:17the number eight I made for an exhibition.
19:19And then the cigars one I made was so good, didn't it?
19:23Wow.
19:24Amazing.
19:25We've got one there that he did that says cigars.
19:27It's got mother of pearl in it.
19:29It's got gold in it.
19:30It's stunning.
19:31There's another one there of a sign writer.
19:33I'm very rarely lost for words.
19:35The stuff that he's done,
19:37and the collection that he's got,
19:38it's incredible.
19:40Original Whip Red poster.
19:41What are you asking on the poster?
19:42120.
19:46Square it up at 100.
19:48Give me a fiver extra.
19:50105?
19:51Yeah.
19:52What is the fiver for?
19:53I don't know.
19:54It's going to be awkward.
19:55It's a lovely thing, though.
19:57It was originally in that...
19:58Yeah, I haven't touched that.
19:59I don't think it's been out of there, has it?
20:00That's nice.
20:01I think it's a lovely bit of decoration, that.
20:03There are earlier ones of those,
20:04you know, pre-war.
20:05This is a post-war one.
20:06They're really desirable posters.
20:08There's people that collect it,
20:09and I have an array of customers
20:11that that would speak to.
20:13The frame is really nice as well.
20:15It's worn just right.
20:16This is the factory end, if you like, in part.
20:20There's a letter N over there.
20:21There's a little letter N over there.
20:26This is our version of neon.
20:29But this one's not lit.
20:31So you could put an LED behind it.
20:33That's exactly what we used to do,
20:34and they look great.
20:35I'll show you one out the front.
20:36Yeah.
20:37What other letters have you got in those?
20:38There's a few over there, Shikhan.
20:39Let's have a look.
20:40I haven't always collected signs.
20:41I've always collected pretty, handsome, beautiful things.
20:46There's an O.
20:47There's an O.
20:48Oh!
20:49The next one's going to be a B.
20:50It's starting to feel a little bit like blockbusters, isn't it?
20:53And if the sign's beautiful,
20:55it's part of my job to collect it and try and sell it.
20:58And is there one more on the bottom?
20:59There is.
21:00There is a B.
21:01There is a B.
21:02So what kind of money...
21:05Ah, to you, Shikhan.
21:07You could have the five for a one-off.
21:09Oh.
21:10Not even...
21:11Just to clear them out.
21:12Not even going to argue with that.
21:13Bargain.
21:14So Ash has really gone to town on these.
21:17It's got the silver gilt in there.
21:19He's even kind of made it look as if the cable's coming through.
21:22There's a lot of work gone into these.
21:24While we're here, here's a bit of reverse glass neon.
21:27Yeah, that looks great, doesn't it?
21:29That's what you could do.
21:30It's amazing, isn't it?
21:31So everything's painted...
21:32God.
21:33...apart from the little bit there.
21:34Seriously, you see that?
21:36You know, first glance, you do think it's neon.
21:39What I think, it's cooler than neon
21:40because you get the sign writing in the day.
21:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:43So this is the overspill.
21:45That's nice, silversmith.
21:46Yeah.
21:47They're really, really rare.
21:48Wow, 23.
21:49Because it's glue chipped, which is a treatment of the glass.
21:52And that's English?
21:53That is from Brighton, I believe.
21:55Hmm.
21:59Oh, crossed arms.
22:00Who's interested in that?
22:02Are you selling them together?
22:03I would want to keep one.
22:05Oh, OK.
22:06Probably the silversmiths would be best for me.
22:08That would be the more commercial for us, probably, wouldn't it?
22:10I would have thought you'd won the other one, but no,
22:12I'd keep the other one then.
22:13The silversmith sign appeals to both of us.
22:16It's a good thing.
22:17We both know a good thing when it's right in front of our eyes.
22:20What would you charge for that?
22:24500.
22:25It wants a little bit of restoration.
22:27And a frame.
22:28Well, I know somebody could help you out with that.
22:30In with the price?
22:31I don't know if in with the price, but I could do it.
22:34I could do it at trade prices.
22:36Right.
22:37Do you fancy it?
22:39It's a nice sign.
22:40Glue chipping is a traditional glasswork technique that first appeared in the United States at the turn of the 19th century.
22:49The process involves applying animal hide glue to sandblasted glass.
22:54As the glue dries, it contracts, pulling tiny flakes from the surface to create a frosted, icy pattern.
23:01This striking effect was often used as a decorative backdrop for gilded or painted lettering, using gold on high-end signage.
23:09Once carefully restored and mounted in an ebonized frame, Alistair thinks this rare British sign could be worth around £1,750.
23:18It probably needs a good morning on it to paint those letters back in and just touch these bits of gold up.
23:25What would you charge to paint it up and frame it?
23:28Probably another 300 quid or something.
23:30Yeah, that's pushing it to eight then, isn't it?
23:32And what do you think it's worth?
23:3312 to 13?
23:35Yeah.
23:36With the amount of gold on it, it's an eye-catcher all day long.
23:42Over to you?
23:43Over to me. It's back to me now, isn't it?
23:45No, I'm just giving you a chance.
23:46Oh, thank you, mate.
23:47To help you boys in these impoverished times, if I said £750 all done, you'd have a very nice thing.
24:04Alistair and Shere Khan are in Buckinghamshire, visiting an exceptional sign-lighter.
24:09Here's a bit of reverse glass neon.
24:11Wow.
24:12Yeah, that looks great, doesn't it?
24:13That's what you could do.
24:14It's amazing, isn't it?
24:15And Alistair is hoping to seal the deal on a rare British sign in need of some artisanal expertise.
24:21If I said £750 all done, you'd have a very nice thing.
24:26Yeah?
24:27Yeah.
24:28I'm not going to shake at that.
24:29That's going to be all singing, all dancing, ready to go on the wall.
24:33Yeah, it'll be restored.
24:34It won't be perfect.
24:35It'll be restored.
24:36Yeah.
24:37No, I want it still to look old.
24:38Yeah.
24:39£750 all in.
24:40Yeah, with a bull-nosed frame.
24:41It's a great topic.
24:42You'll like it.
24:43I've had them before.
24:44They sell.
24:45It's got to be bought.
24:46And if Ash can do the whole job and get it ready for sale, you know, it's a no-brainer.
24:53If this is framed up, you've got to push it to a silversmith.
24:56I actually might know someone that will buy this off you.
24:58Yeah, that's where it wants to go.
24:59Direct to the...
25:00A silversmith in Birmingham.
25:01Don't rub the gold off, mate.
25:03Oh!
25:04I'm putting it in my pocket.
25:08Off to Hatton Garden.
25:09Yeah.
25:10I'm doing Alistair a really good favour, because he's done me favours in the past,
25:13so I let him have it.
25:14I let him have it.
25:15He should actually know that I let him have that.
25:22As a dealer of signs and somebody who's passionate about signage,
25:25coming here today has blown my mind.
25:29Today, the silversmith sign stuck out above the rest.
25:33Ash's signs, class.
25:35Total class.
25:36The handwritten neon glass plates.
25:39My brother's going to get some LEDs behind them.
25:41They're just going to blow up, seriously.
25:43They're going to look absolutely amazing.
25:45Very good.
25:46Ash, that was an amazing day today.
25:48Thank you very much.
25:49I appreciated your company.
25:50Really enjoyed it, mate.
25:51Thank you, Al.
25:52Thank you very much.
25:53You're welcome any time.
25:54I'll be back for that sign.
25:55And I'm going to contact him about getting a sign maybe done for myself.
25:58Are you?
25:59Yeah, rag and bone for us.
26:00We'll be doing that.
26:01Looking forward to that.
26:02You make sure you charge him well.
26:03Oh, yeah.
26:04Me and Ash are going to sort something out.
26:05Take care, man.
26:08Bye-bye.
26:11Ash is a really nice guy, isn't he?
26:13Yeah.
26:14Stuff he's got is amazing and his skills, man.
26:15The man has got the skills.
26:17When you look at those signs, right, it's hard to imagine that they were created by a hand.
26:24I know.
26:25Isn't it?
26:26I know.
26:27Because they're so perfect, right?
26:28It's just mind-blowing.
26:29You've got another good sign.
26:31That silversmith sign, mate.
26:32That's a good sign.
26:33Yeah, yeah.
26:34And I would have said, don't do anything.
26:35Just let me take it away.
26:36That's what I would have done.
26:37But the way I look at it, I'm going to get a top job done.
26:38Yes.
26:39And it's going to be repainted.
26:40It's going to be reframed.
26:41And it's going to look amazing.
26:42And I'm going to sell it for good money.
26:43Yeah.
26:44With a haul of unique handcrafted items in the van, Shere Khan has returned to his North London shop, which he runs with his brother, Jay.
27:03While Shere Khan spends his time sourcing new stock, Jay is usually found in the workshop, restoring items they find and bringing them back to life.
27:13I loved working with old industrial lights, especially task lamps, British, German.
27:21For example, this lamp is 1940s.
27:24So much thought and design was put into this.
27:28The chap that designed it intended it to last forever.
27:32It was made to do a job in a workshop.
27:36And it's done that.
27:37It's gone beyond that.
27:39And it's still carrying on.
27:41For having a chance to work on things like this, it's a pure joy.
27:51With their shared passion for top quality, beautifully designed items, Shere Khan and Jay are always keen to source anything made by skilled artisans at the top of their game.
28:01Today, they're heading to Somerset to visit one of the country's leading woodcarvers.
28:08So, we're off to see Charles Oldham.
28:12He's a master craftsman.
28:14So, he's done restorations in places like Hampton Court, in Windsor Castle.
28:19And it will be very, very interesting for you to see how a master craftsman, a master of his crafts works in his workshop.
28:29So, it will be like one master to another.
28:31Well, you're not quite a master yet.
28:36Famed for its legendary music festival, the magical Glastonbury tour and a once powerful 7th century monastery, Glastonbury now thrives as a haven for makers, independent shops and vibrant craft markets.
28:49Just outside town, a 19th century schoolhouse has been converted into a workshop that keeps the art of traditional English woodcarving alive.
28:58At its helm is extraordinary craftsman, Charles Oldham.
29:07I've been carving wood for 50 years.
29:09I started at school, then I was in the woodcarving trade in London for 15 years.
29:16Then I came down to Somerset.
29:20I did lots of architectural woodcarving and lots of carved mirror frames.
29:26And nowadays, I do my own sculpture and I pass the skills on to the students who come to the classes here.
29:36I've accumulated too much stuff over the years, some of which is carving related.
29:41Other stuff I had piled up, so I've got a few things which they might be interested in.
29:53Hello there.
29:54Hello.
29:55You must be Charles?
29:56Yes.
29:57Shere Khan.
29:58Shere Khan, nice to meet you.
29:59Jay.
30:00Hi Jay.
30:01Can we come in and have a look?
30:02Please do.
30:04Nice.
30:05Oh, wow.
30:06All of these carvings that you've done yourself?
30:09Some are students.
30:10So you're teaching people to carve?
30:12Yes.
30:13For the last six years, I took over my friend's teaching studio.
30:17I have 50 people coming through the week and they produce some great stuff, you know.
30:22In this kind of age where, you know, you've got 3D printing and a lot of stuff being done electronically,
30:29to find someone like Charlie, it's a rare find.
30:34Someone who's still doing things how it was originally done.
30:38So it's amazing to come and see artisans like this.
30:41So you do proper restorations as well?
30:43Yes, this is a chapel in Bristol called the Redland Chapel.
30:46Okay.
30:47I did a restoration.
30:48Am I alright having a look at that?
30:50Yeah, sure, yeah.
30:51So who carved the original?
30:53Thomas Patey and the Redland Chapel is a complete scheme of his.
31:00Built in the 1740s, the Redland Chapel in Bristol is renowned for its detailed lime wood carvings, created by master carver Thomas Patey.
31:12Nearly three centuries later, Charles was commissioned to restore Patey's work, including this flower design.
31:18Carved from lime wood and set in an oak frame, Shere Khan thinks this remarkable piece could be worth around £450.
31:28Would that be something you'd think about selling?
31:31Um, what sort of...
31:34What might you be interested in selling?
31:36What would you want for it?
31:39Well, it's a little bit special for me because...
31:42Of what it is.
31:44Yeah.
31:45So, yeah, I'd want sort of £250 for it or something.
31:49Do you think of that job?
31:51Nice.
31:53Can I just...
31:54We'll put it outside?
31:55Yeah, sure, yeah, yeah.
31:56We'll think about it.
31:57Yeah.
31:58And then...
31:59Let's see what else we find.
32:00Yeah.
32:01It's just the whole skill, the beauty of it, the provenance.
32:06I have to make a profit on this.
32:08So I said, yeah, let's just put it aside because I know there's going to be more things in here that I'm going to be interested in.
32:14Let's just show these one.
32:18They're crows.
32:19Yeah, they're crows and they're carved out of an interesting material.
32:22It's actually a piece of bog oak, so...
32:24Ah!
32:25An oak tree has fallen into the kind of swamp, the peat here, and it could be like 5,000 years old.
32:33Wow.
32:34That's an ebonized bit of wood.
32:36So that feels very different to that, doesn't it?
32:38Yeah.
32:39You feel how cold that is?
32:42So they're very tactile, the bog oak ones.
32:45Did you carve these?
32:46Yes, yeah.
32:47Never in a million years would it cross my mind that it's a piece of oak that fell in a bog and he's carved these crows out of them.
32:54That's the story just there.
32:56I don't know, ravens and crows, they just have this presence about them.
33:00He's captured those in those carvings.
33:05Thousands of years old, bog oak comes from ancient trees preserved in waterlogged conditions that prevent decay,
33:12giving the wood its distinctive black colour a naturally cool feel.
33:17Dense and brittle, its uneven texture makes working with it a challenge that only the most skilled wood carvers can master.
33:24Expertly carved by Charles, these bird sculptures are a rare example of artistic craftsmanship,
33:30and if sold in Shere Khan's shop, could be worth around 500 pounds.
33:36How much are you asking for these?
33:38They are £200 each.
33:42Let me think about that, I'll come back to that.
33:45Yeah, they are great things.
33:48So again, I'll put them down, back of my mind.
33:51You know, I'm going to see what else there is.
33:53He's asking £200 each for them.
33:56He's asking £250 for the carving.
33:58I'm sure I can push it down a little bit.
34:02Are these like mini window frames?
34:04These are bits of Gothic tracery.
34:06They would have been mainly in ecclesiastical settings.
34:11These are Gothic revivals, so these would be Victorian, I guess, or Edwardian.
34:15That Gothic style was used in domestic interiors as well.
34:19It's an architectural piece that people really like in their homes.
34:23You have that up on a windowsill with the light coming through it, it will look absolutely amazing.
34:28I mean, would you be interested in selling something like that?
34:30I suppose, I don't know, about £200 or something.
34:34I quite like that one.
34:35That's really nice. There's a lot of light and shadow in that, isn't there?
34:39Yeah.
34:40Would you shake my hand at £150?
34:42Uh...
34:45£200 is quite a good price.
34:47On the hunt for beautifully crafted objects, Shere Khan and his brother are visiting a master woodcarver at his workshop in Somerset.
35:04This is a chapel in Bristol called the Redland Chapel.
35:07OK.
35:08I did a restoration.
35:10And Shere Khan is trying to agree a price on an intricately carved late 19th century example of Gothic tracery.
35:17I mean, would you be interested in selling something like that?
35:20I suppose, I don't know, about £200 or something.
35:23Would you shake my hand at £150?
35:24£250?
35:26Uh...
35:28£200 is quite a good price.
35:30Maybe £175, maybe.
35:32Kind of, £175.
35:33OK.
35:34Nice.
35:35I'm sure there's a bit of profit in that.
35:36This is quite a new field for me.
35:39You know, I haven't sold a lot of items like this.
35:41I've always appreciated them.
35:44I've seen them in the right settings.
35:46So this is going to be a bit of an education for me as well.
35:49So this is your workshop now?
35:54Yeah, this is what I've got on my work benches.
35:57At the moment, it's kind of like restoration work I'm working on.
36:01So this is your sanctuary then?
36:03Well, it ends up being a bit of a dumping ground because I'm out there teaching with the other people.
36:08This is more sociable life.
36:10This is a bit more solitary.
36:12Yeah.
36:13Oh yeah, these are kind of work lamps I bought and I haven't used.
36:18I would have had them in my machine shop.
36:21But that's stuff I want to get rid of.
36:23On the floor was a box.
36:25There was three lamps.
36:26One was an EDL, English light, late 40s, early 50s.
36:31And then there was a cast iron base lamp and then brass painting lamp.
36:36Doesn't matter how many lights I've got in my workshop.
36:38Whenever I see a light, I just buy it.
36:42How much are you asking for these?
36:43Um, I don't know, what do you think?
36:48Um, 120 for all three.
36:53For all three?
36:54Yeah.
36:56150?
36:58Yeah, go on then.
36:59Okay.
37:00Thank you very much.
37:01There you go.
37:03Some more work for you.
37:05Here's the artisan when it comes to the restoration of lights for us.
37:08Yeah.
37:09Lovely. Thank you very much.
37:11I like the EDL lights because they are very versatile.
37:15You know, something that was made back in the early 50s, late 40s,
37:20to do a task in a workshop, but now works just as good.
37:25The desk lamp is, again, 1940s, cast iron base.
37:31It's got a brass gooseneck and a pressed alloy shade,
37:36but the shade has still got its original crinkle paint.
37:39It's got its original switch.
37:42Nice piece, once restored, you know, that will look good on any desk.
37:46Can we go back to the two bog wood crows?
37:53Oh, yeah.
37:54And there was that one other from the Bristol cathedral.
37:58Oh, yeah, yeah.
37:59The resident chapel.
38:00Yeah.
38:01Did you want to sell that?
38:02I could sell that, yeah.
38:03You could sell that.
38:04What would be the very best if I took two of those crows and that?
38:09We're thinking 200 each for those, aren't we?
38:11That would be six.
38:13Maybe if you have two crows, maybe 5.50?
38:18Okay.
38:20Thank you very much for that.
38:21Right, cheers.
38:22Really appreciate that.
38:23That's fantastic.
38:24There is space there for me to make some profit.
38:27You know, I sell a lot of lighting.
38:29I sell a lot of certain types of furniture.
38:31I sell a lot of types of decorative items.
38:34Haven't sold things like this before.
38:35I need to learn about it.
38:37I need to get into it.
38:38So, you know, jumping at the deep end.
38:40So, I think we're done.
38:41Let's collect our bits.
38:43Have a cup of tea.
38:44Okay.
38:45And then get out of your hair.
38:51Meeting Charlie today has been absolutely amazing.
38:53I didn't realise that people were still doing this
38:57the way it was done from the very beginning.
39:00Charlie's one of those people, you know,
39:02and he produces these beautiful, beautiful things.
39:05Take care.
39:06Yeah, and you.
39:07And you.
39:08Great.
39:09It's been lovely having you.
39:11Really nice couple of guys and really interested in the work,
39:14you know.
39:15It's nice that little bit of the Redland Chapel is,
39:18yeah, he's, he was pretty keen on that.
39:21So, I was quite happy for him to take that bit away.
39:24That's nice.
39:25Yeah.
39:26That was a good day.
39:27That was really nice.
39:28Interesting, yeah.
39:29That was really nice.
39:30Yeah.
39:31That was really nice.
39:32He's a guy as well.
39:33He's a really nice chap.
39:34Yeah.
39:35Very talented.
39:36Absolutely amazing that there's still craftsmen like this.
39:41You know, and, and the good thing is he's teaching people as well.
39:46So hopefully it's not like.
39:48The end of the line.
39:49Yeah.
39:50It won't be the end of the line.
39:51There'll still be people like him producing good quality carvings for generations to come.
39:58Back in his Buckinghamshire workshop, master sign writer Ash Bishop is hard at work,
40:10carrying out the restoration on the silversmith sign bought by Alistair.
40:15So with this sign, it's got various areas of gold missing from it.
40:19So the first thing to do is touch in some of the missing gold.
40:23So I'm applying some distilled water with some gelatine in and the gelatine will help
40:29the gold stick to the sandblast.
40:32I've actually put a little bit more gelatine in than normal because it's a, um, a rough surface
40:39and, and I want to be sure that it's going to stick.
40:42So I've got a little bit of gold leaf and then with what we call a tip, I will pick up
40:48the gold leaf with any luck.
40:50The letters have got some of the, what is called the bright gold line outline missing.
40:57I don't think it's a good idea to touch all of them up, but some of the worst bits, particularly
41:02on this S around the bottom edge here, we'll touch those in as best we can.
41:07This box is a, it's called a thorn tip.
41:13And it, I think it existed in days of yore, but it was kind of forgotten about.
41:19It's a French gauze stretched on a frame.
41:22But it is the greatest advancement in, uh, the sign world for many years because you can actually see what you're doing.
41:31Well, there's a tip you can't.
41:33Using a damp rag and a touch of chalk whiting as a gentle abrasive, Ash carefully removes the excess gold leaf from the glass.
41:41So the inside of the letters, which is open at the moment would have traditionally had a black paint in there, but the black paint through UV and damp has given up the ghost, dropped off the glass and is all but missing.
41:59So the next thing is to put the black infill back into these open letters.
42:04It's important now to make this black look in the same condition as the gold, i.e. not perfect, a bit raggedy, bits missing.
42:22This would originally have been black and gold.
42:24It was a classical sort of colour scheme for signs like, particularly like this.
42:29It looks brilliant.
42:30This is pretty much how it would have looked when it came out of the workshop in say 1890.
42:39Once secured in a bespoke frame with an aged finish, the sign is complete.
42:47I think this is going to do the job nicely.
42:49I think Alistair will be very pleased.
42:54The work Ash has done on the silversmith sign.
42:59Incredible.
43:00Unbelievable.
43:01You know, a master craftsman at work.
43:04The gold leaf.
43:06The bespoke ebonised frame.
43:09The way he's filled in the letters.
43:11The guy's a genius.
43:12You know.
43:14Everywhere we've been this week, master craftsmen at work.
43:18Ash and brilliant signs.
43:19And then the boat yard.
43:21You know, what those guys can do with their hands is unbelievable.
43:26What I've learned this week is the knowledge that people have.
43:32That takes years to develop.
43:34You want to buy something that's good.
43:36You want to buy something that's going to last.
43:38Something that's been well made.
43:40Made by a master craftsman.
43:41That's what you want.
43:42Quality.
43:43That's what you want.
43:44Quality.
43:45Quality.
43:47That's what you want.
43:48Yes.
43:50I feel so good.
43:53For you.
43:55Keep it there for the gold.
43:57Today starts to build the specific lot of tools.
44:01Let's go now.
44:02We're good.
44:03So what is the note?
44:05Yeah.
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