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00:00Secret stately homes, a priceless part of our heritage, and now some are throwing open the doors.
00:06Wow, I like it already.
00:08To auctioneer and country house connoisseur Angus Ashworth.
00:11You walk in here, you cannot not be amazed with it. It's sort of a visual overload.
00:16He's on a mission to help save these historic houses for the nation.
00:20More than 200 have vanished since the war.
00:23They've just bulldozed. People couldn't afford them. They were lost forever.
00:26He'll be hunting through lofts and cellars.
00:29Oh, I've spotted something.
00:31Let's see, look, look, armour.
00:33There's the armour.
00:33Here!
00:33There's the armour, yeah.
00:35For forgotten treasure.
00:37Look at that.
00:37Look at that, bad boy.
00:39This is like a dream for me.
00:41It's quite a mess for me.
00:42I don't think I can do anything with the toilets.
00:45To raise cash to help fund renovation or repairs.
00:49It's a battle, you know, something goes wrong every day.
00:52Something significant breaks every week.
00:54And the upkeep's enormous.
00:56He'll be diving into life.
00:59As a weekend house guest and occasional butler.
01:04All right, cheers.
01:06Arriving in style.
01:08It's beautiful from up here, isn't it?
01:09It gives you a real perspective.
01:11To experience a lost way of life in some of Yorkshire's most stunning stately homes.
01:17OK, here we go, Angus.
01:24OK.
01:29Angus and Pilot James are in the air again over the rolling Yorkshire walls.
01:34I'm afraid the catering is not very good on board this ride today.
01:39Also, the heating is terrible, but the air conditioning is very effective.
01:42Their destination today is Birdsell House in North Yorkshire.
01:47There's been a stately home on this site since the 1500s.
01:52Birdsell, incredible spot, surrounded by the farmland.
01:55It's a huge farming estate.
01:57Birdsell House is the grade two star listed home of Lady Cara Willoughby, her husband James,
02:04their three children and a menagerie of peacocks.
02:08I think James has known this house since he was a boy.
02:13I was very much aware that I didn't know the house as well as he did.
02:17It was quite daunting coming in.
02:19Well, Cara and I moved here in about 2018 after my grandparents had passed away
02:24and started using the majority of the house for more commercial purposes.
02:27In the 19th century, this house existed as a country escape for its owners.
02:34All posh dinners, parties and dancing.
02:37But today's owners live here all year round.
02:41When we moved into Birdsell, there'd be no family with young children living here for 90 years.
02:48So there was a bit of an adaption to do.
02:50It's a big house with a big character.
02:51So it took a little bit of time for us all to find our way around the house
02:58and how we could make it into a family home.
03:00Cara and James have invested heavily in the future
03:03with a very unusual addition to the house.
03:07Today, Birdsell is one of the only stately homes in the country that boasts its own nightclub.
03:13We've really tried to create a variety of different types of events
03:18so that we're attracting a huge different number of people.
03:21In today's world, you know, this house has to wash its own face.
03:25Cara has even brought back dancing to Birdsell's ballroom.
03:30Recently hosting a night with a star from television Strictly Come Dancing.
03:35Well, obviously there's an enormous amount to do to keep the show on the road.
03:40You've got to find a way of making it sustainable financially.
03:44God, it's like trying to drag a donkey up a hill.
03:48Right, there we are.
03:50Angus is staying for the weekend to see just how this unusual venue works.
03:56And he's offered to have a hunt for any unwanted items that can go off to auction.
04:01I mean, it is incredible, isn't it?
04:03I mean, Birdsell Estate is vast.
04:07I expect to take a lot of upkeep, but I can't wait to see inside it.
04:12Angus has met Cara and James before,
04:15but being a weekend guest is a first.
04:18Hi, Angus. Morning.
04:21Another bumpy landing.
04:23Morning. How are we doing?
04:24Good. Nice to see you.
04:25Hi.
04:26Hello. How are you?
04:26Very well, thank you.
04:28Very well. Thank you.
04:29Welcome to Birdsell.
04:35Wow.
04:38So, what a room.
04:41Yeah.
04:41So, this is the main entrance in.
04:44Birdsell's first owners were the Sotheby family,
04:47who went on to set up the auction business.
04:49In 1729, the Willoughby's married in,
04:53and it's remained in this family ever since.
04:56Got a busy weekend planned.
04:57Wonderful.
04:59It's a classic Georgian house with perfect symmetry and proportion.
05:05On the inside, Birdsell boasts one of the largest collections
05:09by a certain English cabinetmaker,
05:12including Angus's bedroom for the weekend.
05:15Cara, wow.
05:19So, this is a bed by Thomas Chippendale
05:23that we thought you might enjoy to stay in.
05:27I can honestly say I've never slept in a Chippendale bed.
05:32I mean, that is absolutely incredible.
05:34That's a first for everything.
05:37Chippendale is widely regarded as Britain's greatest cabinetmaker.
05:41This bed is rarely used,
05:44which is not a surprise as one recently sold at auction
05:47for a quarter of a million pounds.
05:50The marble fireplaces, the furniture.
05:53I mean, a Chippendale bed.
05:55It's just ridiculous.
05:56En suite.
05:57Beautiful furniture throughout.
05:59I mean, even the little things.
06:00Things that, you know, pale into significance
06:03alongside the Chippendale bed.
06:04Nice Canton Famille Rose Bowl there.
06:06You know, lovely oil paintings.
06:07And, yeah, spot on.
06:12Absolutely spot on.
06:13This is lovely.
06:21But there's no time for Angus to put his feet up.
06:24He's needed downstairs.
06:26While the furniture is an important part of Birdsall's history,
06:30Cara is banking on the future.
06:33And there's a new part of the house she's especially proud of.
06:36Oh, wow.
06:40This wasn't the servants' kitchens I was expecting.
06:44To help Birdsall make money,
06:45a new space had to be found
06:47to allow guests to let their hair down.
06:50This is a country house with its own nightclub.
06:53So this is the old kitchens
06:55that were put together in 1873 for the house.
06:59So we have weddings up in the house, as you know.
07:02We've been doing that for seven years or so.
07:04But it became difficult where to dance in the evenings
07:07because of the historic fabric of the building.
07:10We didn't want to wreck it.
07:11So this area wasn't doing anything.
07:13And why not then make use of it,
07:16make it make some money,
07:17help keep the upkeep of the place going?
07:19And it seemed like a great space to develop.
07:22Well, it looks like it goes on.
07:24Yes, sure, I'll show you a few more bits.
07:25OK.
07:28So these were the old kitchens.
07:31My word, look at it.
07:33Look at it, this is incredible.
07:34With a glitter ball.
07:37This is the old oven.
07:39I know people are going to get up on there to dance on it.
07:41This is incredible.
07:42I mean, you wouldn't know from the outside.
07:43You've got to, I mean, it's basically a nightclub.
07:46You know, it's quite fun.
07:47No one would expect when they come to a wedding
07:49that it's upstairs, it's grand, it's formal,
07:52and then they come downstairs.
07:53But then you've got all the original features,
07:55which I absolutely love.
07:57I am seriously impressed.
07:59This is incredible.
08:01I can only begin to imagine how much this has cost.
08:05So it's a huge investment.
08:06And you know, of any investment, there's a risk.
08:09They've got to get people here.
08:11You know, this is the sort of venue you'd expect to see
08:12in the centre of London or Leeds or a big city.
08:15We're not.
08:16So you've got to get people here,
08:18and it's got to pay for itself.
08:19I hope it does.
08:30With the old kitchens now the new nightclub,
08:33Cara's got her eye on other spaces
08:35that are currently unused.
08:37These stables once were full of horses.
08:41Today, they're full of junk,
08:42and Angus has offered to start the clear-out
08:45to see what could go off to auction.
08:49Right, let's have a look in here.
08:51Wow.
08:53I love these buildings.
08:55They're sick very much.
08:56Right, there may be some bits in here.
09:02Wow.
09:02Cara's brought me down to the stables,
09:04but, you know, the stables and the stables.
09:06I mean, it is vast.
09:08And you can imagine this back in the day, you know,
09:10in the 19th century, in the 18th century.
09:12I mean, it would have been hive activity.
09:14All these buildings full of horses
09:16and all the people servicing the horses.
09:18Incredible.
09:19The stalls that would have had horses don't have horses,
09:22and they're filled with other stuff
09:23that they've moved from wherever.
09:25Where do we put it?
09:25Put it in the stable.
09:26It's time for Angus to get stuck in.
09:30And organs.
09:32That organ came out of the servant's wing.
09:34What do you think about that?
09:35They are one of the hardest things to sell.
09:39I mean, lovely,
09:40even with the provenance of it coming from here.
09:42In the 19th century,
09:44every fine home had a pump organ.
09:47Today, Angus knows you can't give them away.
09:51I'm seeing if it still worked.
09:53No, it's not bothering you.
09:54Organs, sadly, they're just a thing of the past.
10:01They're big, they're heavy, they take up a lot of space.
10:04It's that dark furniture that people, generally speaking, don't want.
10:07So, yeah, I can't see them ever coming back.
10:10This organ has played its last tune.
10:15Angus is going to have to work much harder to fill his country house auction.
10:19There's a few chairs in here, quite nice.
10:21OK.
10:21That little one there.
10:23And there's probably a few in there that we could do something with.
10:25OK.
10:28They're quite pretty, aren't they?
10:30They are pretty.
10:33Deeply unfunctional.
10:35Yeah, pretty but unpractical, yes.
10:37There's a nice little sort of Georgian one there with sort of faux bamboo frontlets,
10:42which is always quite a nice look.
10:44And then there's all various cane-seated ones.
10:47Is there a market for that sort of thing?
10:49Um, you know, it's not huge.
10:52No.
10:53But I think pretty little chairs, a couple of them,
10:54little sort of like bathroom chairs, that sort of thing.
10:56Yeah.
10:57So I think, you know, we could find a home for them.
10:59You know, at the back of the stall, there's just mountains of chairs.
11:03I mean, stacked up, stacked up.
11:04They're all of a similar ilk, cane-seated, sort of what we'd call a bedroom-type chair.
11:09You know, not huge amounts of money.
11:11The gem, though, is the little Georgian chair.
11:13It looks a bit rough, but those little faux bamboo legs on it,
11:18I think that's the little sleeper among the chairs.
11:21Individually, these chairs might not be worth much,
11:24but together they could fetch several hundred pounds.
11:29Angus has put together a mix of 30 chairs to go off to auction.
11:33Not a fortune, but it's a start.
11:48Expert auctioneer Angus Ashworth is spending the weekend at Birdsall House
11:53helping owners James and Cara Willoughby.
11:56I don't really want to stand on the boxes.
11:58No, I think you'll go through them.
11:59He's searching the outbuildings for things he can sell at auction,
12:03and he hasn't finished yet.
12:05It goes on and on, Cara, isn't it?
12:07Yeah, absolutely.
12:09Well, you might find something in this one.
12:10OK.
12:12I've got this.
12:13What on earth is this?
12:14So this is a table that held a massive pestle and mortar
12:19in the Victorian kitchens.
12:22Shall I have left this out?
12:23So I've got the pestle and mortar.
12:25Right.
12:25So you'll need this to put the pestle and mortar in?
12:28Nope.
12:28I've already got it in something else,
12:30but this is what it did use to go in.
12:33You know, we go to the next door,
12:34and straight in, before we can even get it in,
12:37there's this table.
12:39Very sort of estate-made country house.
12:42You know, definitely downstairs use rather than upstairs.
12:45Big, solid, painted legs and this scrub pine top.
12:49This table made on the estate
12:51would have housed a huge bowl or mortar
12:54for grinding herbs and nuts.
12:57Cara thinks it's ready for the bonfire.
12:59Angus thinks it's ready to make money.
13:02It'd be very easy to just say,
13:04get rid of it, it's rubbish.
13:05You know, Cara's items are going to get rid of it.
13:07But you've just got to have a little bit of vision.
13:09OK, in its current state, you think,
13:11clean it all down, wax that top up,
13:15maybe sit something in it, a sink or something like that.
13:17It's the character, it's the history.
13:19It's come out of Bird's All House.
13:21Look at all that amazing history.
13:22And you can have that in your house.
13:24I think it's got a lot of character.
13:26OK, I'm not sure how you're going to get there,
13:28so over to you.
13:30I'm going to try and surprise you with that, OK?
13:32I'll sell that.
13:34What else is there?
13:35Right.
13:35Another organ?
13:43There's all sorts in here, isn't there?
13:44Do you mind if I...
13:45I'm just going to...
13:46Another organ.
13:47OK.
13:55Well, these two painted Victorian Pineside tables are right,
14:00and the table underneath it looks OK.
14:02We've got two white painted tables at the back.
14:04One's better than the other.
14:05It's original, albeit somebody's gone over it
14:07in the white gloss, which happened a lot during periods.
14:11It's a single drawer, but it's still usable.
14:13It's just a handy little table.
14:14We're not talking huge amounts of money.
14:16Angus is convinced there's something special
14:18beneath the paint on these tables,
14:20and they should sell well,
14:22especially with their aristocratic provenance.
14:25OK, a few bits out there.
14:27OK, watch out for this.
14:28Yeah, yeah, that's a prize piece, that.
14:30Oh!
14:31Oh, I've spotted something.
14:33Oh, you? OK.
14:34Yeah.
14:34What have you seen?
14:37Um, this car.
14:38I think this is the old kitchen's table
14:42that the equivalent to Carson and Mrs Hughes
14:45sat at every day.
14:46The prep table in the middle of the kitchen.
14:50This is wonderful, this huge estate table.
14:52You can imagine it in the kitchen,
14:54in the sort of servants' quarters.
14:55That scrub pine top.
14:57Very basic, crudely made.
14:58You know, this is rough.
15:00This is the downstairs, not the upstairs.
15:02But weirdly, the downstairs stuff's more commercial
15:05than the upstairs now.
15:06So I'm afraid I think this is probably too historically attached,
15:10I think is probably the word.
15:11I totally get that.
15:12Yeah, that's...
15:13It's wonderful, but it needs to stay with the house.
15:15Well, if we ever do, I'll let you know.
15:18You know, all the stories,
15:20the history that's happened around that table
15:22is phenomenal, isn't it?
15:23And it should stay with the house.
15:25My job's not to take heritage away.
15:27Something like that needs to be looked after
15:29and find somewhere on this estate for it.
15:31Angus has almost finished hunting
15:34when he suddenly spots something rather special.
15:38Darling and wood.
15:39York.
15:40Nice.
15:44Don't break it.
15:45No, no, no, no, no.
15:47That needs rewiring, doesn't it?
15:51It's got its pendulum,
15:53so it needs a wire for its striker.
15:55Um, probably a big oval.
15:57This wall clock is from a time
16:00when staff in the house didn't have watches.
16:03This clock and its bell
16:05would have been central to the lives
16:07of everyone here at Birdsall.
16:09Kara wants this to stay.
16:12That clock, interestingly,
16:14um, came from the old Victorian kitchens
16:17and I would love to get it mended.
16:19And I know where it went and I've got photographs of it,
16:20but it doesn't work anymore.
16:22Kara quite rightly says,
16:24you're not having that,
16:25we want to put it back
16:26in where it would have been in the house.
16:29You know, you need to know when to call time, don't you?
16:31So, um, I think if we can get that restored,
16:34do a really good job on that
16:35and make that a feature piece, wonderful.
16:39So that's an idea for you?
16:40I can get that.
16:42I can get that sorted.
16:43We'll have that running.
16:44OK.
16:44Darlingham Wood began making clocks in York in the 1820s.
16:50They are still sought after by collectors.
16:53Although this one is not worth a fortune,
16:55it is almost priceless to Kara
16:57with its connection to the house.
17:00Angus' challenge is to get this clock working again.
17:04The lads will be coming back to gather a few bits up
17:06that we can sell a lot of items
17:07that are going to stay with the house.
17:09So we're going to get the clock sorted,
17:10there'll be enough money in the items
17:12that we're selling to pay for that,
17:13and that is a result.
17:15You know, it's refunding the estate funding
17:17restorations to continue.
17:19A few times a year,
17:23Birdsall opens its doors to paying visitors
17:26who come to look at the house,
17:28the artwork,
17:29and, of course, the furniture.
17:32Hi, Angus.
17:33Hi, Kara. Are you all right?
17:34Good, thank you.
17:35Good.
17:35I've got a job for you.
17:36Right.
17:37But first of all, can I get you to put that on?
17:38Yes, certainly can, yeah.
17:40And then...
17:42Please, can I get you to chop those up?
17:46Before the First World War,
17:48this kitchen would have been buzzing with staff.
17:51Today, it's just Kara,
17:53and she's got guests coming any minute.
17:56We have got the Furniture History Society.
18:00Excellent.
18:00And they have come from all over the world.
18:03And, um, normal for you to be preparing all the lunches?
18:06Yes, yes.
18:07There's no risk for the wicked around here.
18:10Part of the deal is a lunch made and served
18:14by Lady Kara herself.
18:15On the major day, we've just got quiches and salads
18:19because it's a nice warm day,
18:20so luckily it's not too heavy-duty.
18:23Excellent.
18:24I suppose that you just have to get mucked in with everything, then.
18:27Yes, yes.
18:28I mean, someone asked me what my job was once.
18:31And so I wrote about 365 different roles
18:34in tiny, tiny writing,
18:35including chief driver, sous-chef, head chef, duster.
18:41You know, you write it all in
18:42because your job is so varied around here.
18:45But there's no time to waste.
18:47The Historical Furniture Tour is about to arrive
18:50to look over Birdsell's priceless collection
18:52of Chippendale furniture.
18:54And, of course, none of that is for sale.
18:58So, welcome.
18:59Welcome to Birdsell.
19:00Today I'm going to show you all the way round
19:02and then I'm slightly going to leave the furniture to you.
19:06Lady Cara just gets stuck in.
19:08She's running round, carrying boxes, doing the lunches.
19:12I think that's what estate life is.
19:14Lunch first, I think.
19:16Come in and have some lunch.
19:17It's not just about the house.
19:18It's everything.
19:19It's the bigger picture, you know.
19:20It's the furnishings.
19:21It's the ground.
19:22And it's wonderful to have these people travelling
19:24from all over the world to come and see the fantastic piece of furniture in it.
19:27Yorkshire Furniture, Chippendale.
19:29Before these guests can get their hands on Cara's Chippendales,
19:33it's time for lunch.
19:34How are you finding the lunch?
19:36Delicious.
19:37Good. Is there any particular bit you find delicious?
19:39I think the quiche are fabulous.
19:40Is it the quiche?
19:41Are you responsible for the quiche?
19:42No, no.
19:43I'm sorry.
19:44What are you responsible for?
19:45Well, the pomegranate.
19:47Oh, I love them.
19:48Oh, thank you.
19:48And that's a lot of work, pomegranates.
19:51After lunch, it's time to get down to business.
19:54Picture-wise, we've got fillet riding balls,
19:58one, two, three, four, five,
20:00all commissioned by the family of their sporting horses
20:03and their sporting hounds.
20:05The owls above the doors are 1588,
20:08the owl being the family crest.
20:10There's one item that's getting quite a lot of attention.
20:14This is Chippendale's original book,
20:17The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director.
20:20Today, it's probably the most valuable furniture catalogue
20:24in existence.
20:25So, I didn't know Cara had Chippendale's directory.
20:30I mean, this is...
20:32Yeah, the Holy Grail.
20:35So, for me, I'm more excited about the book than the table.
20:40Some people might shoot me for that,
20:42but that is like the Holy Grail of furniture design
20:46and design book.
20:48Incredible to see an original copy.
20:51I mean, the table's lovely as well,
20:53but the book is the creme de la creme.
20:56But I think the most important things here
20:57are these two Chippendale commodes that we've taken out.
21:01They normally live under perspex,
21:02so we've taken them out for you.
21:04Some of the guests have flown across the Atlantic to be here.
21:08They're incredible art.
21:09Yeah, that handle is a typical Chippendale handle.
21:12These are super ambitious,
21:14both because of the form
21:15with these very exaggerated sea scroll supports,
21:19the turning here,
21:20the lushness of the lacquer panels,
21:22how the scenes are super vivid.
21:25It's a bit like a sort of detective job you've got, isn't it?
21:27It is.
21:28That is exactly what it is,
21:30because cabinet making is no different than handwriting.
21:32Like, you recognise someone's style
21:35just from the subtleties of what they do.
21:38I know they'd never be sold,
21:39but if they came on the market...
21:40With something like this,
21:42you just don't know,
21:42because the market will decide,
21:45and the collectors are always there
21:46for this type of thing.
21:47Yeah, and they're exceptional, aren't they?
21:49Yeah, yeah.
21:51Quite often I talk about, you know,
21:52Antings Furniture,
21:53and the market not being good for it,
21:55but the good stuff,
21:56there's always a market for that,
21:57because this is the top of the top.
22:01This is the best you'll get in the world ever,
22:04and it's the biggest name in furniture.
22:08I mean, obviously it's never going to come on the market,
22:11but if it did, who knows?
22:13I mean, we're talking huge amounts of money.
22:15The furniture tour may be nearly over,
22:18but Cara has lots more to show Angus
22:20on just what it takes to run a house like Bertel.
22:24Auctioneer Angus Ashworth
22:39is enjoying a privileged invitation
22:41to one of Yorkshire's finest country properties,
22:45Bertel House.
22:46The owner, Cara,
22:48is keen to show him how the upkeeper
22:49on a property like this
22:51is never-ending
22:52and very expensive.
22:55That's where you've got the...
22:56Starting to get a bit tired.
22:59So I think we need to replace that bit,
23:02and then all that sill,
23:03and then that sill and the one at the end.
23:06Right.
23:06The estate has hundreds of windows.
23:09The programme of repair and replacement is constant.
23:13The way of eating a whole elephant
23:14is one bite at a time,
23:16and I think it's the same with the house.
23:17You just start with one window
23:19and go on to the next.
23:20And I don't think we'll get them all done
23:21in our generation,
23:22but we can try.
23:23You know, when you walk around
23:24and you just stop and pause
23:25and look closely,
23:27you can see the odd cracks
23:28here and there,
23:29and you've got to keep on top of it
23:31because they soon fall into rack and ruin.
23:33And you only need one generation
23:34to not pull their socks up,
23:37and then you're in big trouble.
23:39All the replacement windows are now made on site,
23:43so the estate workshop has been called into action.
23:47So, Angus, this is the joiners' workshop,
23:49so everything that we need to repair,
23:52all the buildings are made here.
23:54And this is Simon.
23:54Wonderful.
23:55How do you do?
23:55You all right?
23:56Hey, nice to meet you.
23:56Good, good.
23:57It looks like a hive of activity we've got going on.
23:59Absolutely.
24:00Yeah.
24:00Adrian's busy.
24:01Yeah.
24:02So, what do we do here?
24:04We make windows, doors, gates,
24:06anything you can think of,
24:08we make it in here.
24:09A hundred years ago,
24:11this workshop made the kitchen furniture,
24:13including the table Angus found in the stables.
24:16Today, it's making windows all year long.
24:20We're just de-nibbing ready for a first coat.
24:23They've had a rough sand,
24:25so it's just a case of,
24:27with this wire wool,
24:29go with the grain,
24:31and just sand it till it's like a baby's bottom.
24:34Wonderful.
24:35It must be satisfying
24:37when you see that finished product
24:38and the windows reinstalled.
24:40Oh, yes.
24:41Yeah.
24:41Yeah.
24:43Yeah, without a doubt.
24:44So, how many of these have we got to do?
24:47Well, you're fortunate
24:49in that this is just one window.
24:51I mean, that must be
24:52quite nice to all pass again.
24:54Oh, it is.
24:56Yeah, yeah.
24:57Huge satisfaction.
24:59I think, you know,
25:00it's incredible.
25:00We've got this whole team
25:01that just worked tirelessly all year round
25:04to maintain this property.
25:06And that's what people just don't see, you know.
25:08But go back a hundred years,
25:10two hundred years, three hundred years.
25:11That's what would have happened.
25:13They were self-sufficient
25:14and the whole estate would have provided.
25:16They would have had workshops.
25:17They would have had this.
25:18I think that is the great thing about estate life.
25:21It is that wider community
25:22and, you know, a big employer,
25:24an important employer.
25:26And the staff stay here for lifetimes.
25:28Angus is on his way
25:33to meet one such member of the staff
25:35who's lived and worked at Birdsall
25:37all his life.
25:42Well, then, Richard.
25:44How are you, Angus?
25:45You all right?
25:45Yes, you all.
25:46Yeah, yeah, grand.
25:47Grand.
25:47I've been sent down to give you a hand.
25:50That's fine.
25:51Yeah.
25:51That's fine.
25:52Yeah, I've said I've got to earn my keep.
25:53Oh, yeah.
25:54Yeah.
25:54Well, I'm just gathering some logs up
25:56at the party tonight.
25:57Oh, right.
25:57Well, I'd best get it loaded up then.
25:58Now, you have to give us an hand?
25:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:00I'm here to work.
26:01Can you do it?
26:02I'm here to work.
26:03Yeah.
26:03Yeah?
26:04Yeah, it's a fantastic sport, isn't it?
26:06Yeah, it's brilliant.
26:07Absolutely brilliant.
26:08Richard is the estate gamekeeper.
26:11Today, he's preparing for a party
26:14in the new nightclub.
26:15I started when I was 15
26:17on that work experience scheme thing
26:21and then I got took on full-time at 16.
26:25Right, so how many years is that then?
26:28That's 56 now.
26:30I love it.
26:32I absolutely love it.
26:33Look, job.
26:35Look, people I work for.
26:36You couldn't want better people to work for.
26:39Me, er, me father worked for him.
26:41Me dad.
26:42Yeah.
26:43On the farming side.
26:44My granddad worked for him on Woodside,
26:48so I'm third generation.
26:50Blubber neck.
26:51So they've been good to us
26:53and we've been good to them.
26:55In a few hours,
26:56the old kitchens will open their doors
26:58as a nightclub.
27:00And just like this building,
27:01Angus has had to smarten up as well.
27:04There's a bar over there.
27:05Yeah.
27:05Oh, that sounds good.
27:06And we need you to start making some cocktails
27:08for tonight, please.
27:09The guests arrive fairly shortly,
27:11so if you could go and do a bit of a practice one
27:13with Jules.
27:14Yeah.
27:14Then we'll see you in a minute.
27:16Okay, brilliant.
27:17I will do.
27:18Just enough time for Angus
27:20to learn tonight's signature cocktail,
27:22the Birdsall Country Garden.
27:25Jules, is it?
27:26Good evening.
27:26You're right.
27:27I've been sent to be your helper.
27:29Right.
27:30What do we do?
27:31First things first.
27:32So it's going to be a tall drink.
27:34Okay.
27:34So one glass up top.
27:36We're going to be shaking this cocktail.
27:37So we're going to be using a two-piece tin.
27:40Okay.
27:41And then three ingredients.
27:43Gin, elderflower liqueur, fresh elderflower.
27:53Beautiful.
27:53Wow.
27:57I'm going to start drinking those at home from now on, you know.
27:59Yes.
28:00So we've now just got 18 more to do.
28:02Right.
28:03I'm going to have to get quicker on the shaking, aren't I?
28:04Absolutely.
28:04Yeah.
28:05Okay.
28:05Well, I think I've got it.
28:06I've got the mechanics.
28:07Practice makes perfect.
28:08Many country houses host weddings and parties to help pay the bills, but few boast their own nightclub.
28:26Good evening.
28:27Hello.
28:27Evening, ladies.
28:28Hello.
28:29Some drinks here for you.
28:30Thank you very much.
28:33By day, Richard's a gamekeeper.
28:36Good evening.
28:36Are you all right?
28:37Yes, very well.
28:37Good.
28:38Very well.
28:39You're straight down there and enjoy.
28:40By night, he greets the guests.
28:43Bertil has changed a lot in his lifetime.
28:46What was it like?
28:48Storage.
28:49Yeah.
28:50Blaster was off walls.
28:52They've done an amazing job.
28:53They've done an amazing job.
28:55And it's been done nice.
28:57Yeah.
28:57It's been brought back to life.
28:59That's the main thing.
29:00It's been brought back to life from being, what would I put it, cobwebbed.
29:04Yeah.
29:05Being left to be nothing.
29:07Yeah.
29:14Today's been great, you know, right the way through.
29:17Traditionally, the backbone economy of these houses was farming and agriculture.
29:20That's got harder and harder and the revenues are less.
29:23And they've got to look at other resources.
29:25And actually, entertainment.
29:27But they've done it so well here.
29:29And I've never seen anywhere quite like that.
29:32And I think it is unique.
29:33And I think they've, here at Birdsall, they've got it spot on.
29:36And even the peacocks agree.
29:38Yeah.
29:38The day might be drawing to a close, but Angus has got a rather important appointment
29:48in his bedroom with one of the best beds ever made.
29:52As hard as the day's been, I'm going to have to sleep in probably one of the most impressive
30:03beds in the world, you know, made by Chippendale.
30:07Okay, for most people, you might not get how special that is, but to sleep in Thomas Chippendale
30:12bed, it's up there.
30:28It's the morning after the night before.
30:30And it's Harriet's job to tidy up with a bit of help, of course, from Angus.
30:36Right, so what have we got to do?
30:38Okay, so I'd like you to clean the dance floor, please.
30:40If you give it a good mop and get into all the corners.
30:41And then I'm just going to go around and wipe all the surfaces and make sure there's
30:44no marks and everything.
30:46And then we're all set.
30:47Once, the Birdsall estate had 17 members of house staff.
30:52Now it survives with a small, dedicated team led by operations manager, Harriet.
30:58This is the bit people don't see, isn't it?
31:00Absolutely, yeah.
31:01Yeah, this is the after bit, yeah.
31:03Yeah, yeah.
31:05We all do multiple roles, a bit like Richard.
31:07He does multiple roles within the estate and we all work together.
31:10It must be a real community.
31:12Absolutely, a great team.
31:13We all really enjoy working with each other again.
31:15It's great.
31:16I mean, that's a testament to the estate, isn't it?
31:18That, I mean, people like Richard, who's been here, well, his whole life.
31:21Yes.
31:21Yes, exactly.
31:23With the nightclub clean and ready for its next big night,
31:27Angus's weekend at Birdsall is nearly over.
31:30Do you know, this weekend has been incredible.
31:32I, you know, I was expecting to see lovely things, but it's an amazing estate.
31:37Lady Cara and James, wonderful.
31:39But the contents of this house is unbelievable.
31:43In every room you go into, it's like, wow, wow, wow.
31:47Um, amazing.
31:48Actually, there's not many houses with finer contents than this.
31:53You know, the best, the best.
31:54I mean, I will probably never in my lifetime sleep in an original Chippendale bed.
32:01But that's it.
32:02The weekend's come to an end.
32:03You know, I'll sign the guest book and say my farewells and back to the day job.
32:07Well, thank you very much for the most amazing weekend.
32:15Not at all.
32:15Thank you for all your help.
32:17Well, that's all right.
32:18Yeah, no, I've enjoyed it.
32:19It's been a fantastic weekend.
32:21It's been a pleasure having you here and letting you have a look at what we do.
32:24No, it's been wonderful.
32:26Good luck on your trip as well.
32:27I'll get the chocks away and off I go.
32:29Lovely to see you.
32:29See you.
32:30Bye.
32:30Bye.
32:30Bye.
32:31Angus has sent a van to collect everything he's found.
32:39Every item needs to be catalogued and photographed.
32:42The auction needs to make top prices if the clock from the old kitchens is to ring out once more.
32:49Angus has staked his reputation on saving this piece of Yorkshire heritage.
32:53So what do you think of this, Tim?
33:10It's a lovely clock, isn't it?
33:11Oh, it's beautiful, yeah.
33:13It's got...
33:13The broken clock from the old kitchens has arrived at Angus's Restorers.
33:18Got a little bit of carving missing as well here.
33:21Oh, yes, there, the curl's missing there.
33:23The same this side as well.
33:25Right, OK.
33:26Oh, yes, there's just that piece missing there.
33:28Yes.
33:29Oh, that should be easy enough to carve.
33:31I noticed this bits are loose as well, this moulding.
33:33Oh, yeah.
33:35The issues with it have happened because it's been kept somewhere really damp.
33:41So the movement's quite rusty.
33:43All the steel inside the movement, that's all quite rusty.
33:48And it's very, very dirty as well.
33:49The first job is to replace the missing mahogany scroll from the cabinet.
33:55What I'm going to do here is a silhouette of the piece that's missing.
34:00So I'll just draw around the edge of where the piece originally was.
34:11Yes, it fits fine, does that?
34:21Yes, that should carve around nicely, should that?
34:26Yeah.
34:27This edge here will flow nicely into that edge there.
34:31While the cabinet is recarved, the clockwork itself needs to be repaired.
34:36Time stood still on this clock decades ago.
34:39It's Matt Kittle's job to see if he can make the bell ring out once more.
34:44So this is a particularly good example of a dial clock.
34:48It's got a bell, which is very unusual for a passing strike,
34:52which we'd assume was to help the staff.
34:56It's just a regular reminder what time it was.
34:58You know, if you're being tired, you're getting the breakfast ready.
35:01Off you go.
35:02You can hear it.
35:03You can let rip with the bacon and eggs.
35:06Every piece needs to be cleaned, polished and oiled.
35:10And once reassembled, Birdsall will have its own clock back.
35:14One of the unusual things about it is this engraved piece on the back.
35:18And that enabled them to set up what time the passing strike was going to go off.
35:24You can just imagine the servants having a little tinker,
35:26trying to get home five minutes early.
35:28And finally, the bell is the one part Matt isn't going to restore.
35:34As a general rule, we don't clean the bells.
35:36We want the sound to stay the same as it did the last time it was heard,
35:40so 50, 60 years ago.
35:42And let's just try it.
35:47Ah, beautiful.
35:49That's going to sound great back on the clock.
35:54Over at Kirby Moorside...
35:56We've got the country house sale with Birdsall's items in today.
36:00And they haven't got a lot.
36:02Well, actually, it looks a lot,
36:03because there's like a whole car park full of chairs.
36:06Individually, they're not that great.
36:07However, there's one really good, sleepy chair
36:11that we've slipped in with the others.
36:13And I think people will buy the locks of that.
36:17The two washstands, I think whatever we get for them is a bonus.
36:20But the lot, actually, I really want to sell is the mortar stand.
36:25Because Cara pulled her face when I said,
36:28I can sell that for you.
36:29She's like, well, I was going to burn it.
36:30You can't sell it, Angus.
36:31I'm like, I can, I can.
36:34So I just hope it sells.
36:36Or else I'm going to be very embarrassed.
36:38But it's a good thing.
36:39You know, I rate it.
36:40Put a nice top on that.
36:41It's going to sell well, that.
36:43It's the day of the auction.
36:44So we move on to this lovely collection of country house furniture.
36:48Birdsall only has a few items in the sale catalogue.
36:52Angus hopes there's enough to pay for the clock restoration.
36:56Well, now we're now on to Birdsall House,
36:58home to Lady Cara and James Willoughby.
37:01Been in the family since 1729.
37:03This is the first lot.
37:04Look at that there.
37:05Look at all those chairs.
37:07These recital chairs.
37:08And one of them a nice sort of Georgian elbow chair
37:11nestling in the middle of them there.
37:12And we can start this lot at, well, we can start them at £100.
37:17At £100, I'm bid for the lot.
37:19£110, I'm bid.
37:20£110, £120.
37:2130 chairs came out of the stables.
37:23Many were purely decorative.
37:26But there was one Angus thought the trade might like.
37:29£180, £190, £200.
37:31£200, £210.
37:33There's a Georgian chair in there.
37:34A lot of the little ones aren't that saleable.
37:38We've put a sleeper in among them.
37:39£260 back on line, £270.
37:41There's one chair in there that they're all fighting over.
37:44£280, I'm bid there.
37:45At £280 for all of the chairs.
37:47At £280.
37:48Angus is banking on these chairs selling well
37:50if the clock is to be restored.
37:53£480.
37:53At £480.
37:54Go do £500.
37:55Come on, go.
37:55At £480, easy live.
37:58At £480, then.
37:59Don't mistake it, then.
37:59I'm selling, then, at £480, £500.
38:01Yes.
38:03That's the clock fixed.
38:05That's good.
38:06Good.
38:06At £600, now.
38:07At £600, then.
38:09I'll have to hurry you now.
38:10At £600.
38:11At £600, don't mistake it, then.
38:13At £600 for all the chairs, then.
38:14It's a mixing up, but sometimes different.
38:18Gets you more.
38:20That's good.
38:20That's a good result.
38:21Next up, it's the mortar and pestle table
38:24that Angus has staked his reputation on.
38:27Thank you very much.
38:28Slot 1260, Burtsell House again.
38:30This needs to sell well,
38:31because I told Cara, a lady Cara,
38:33that I could sell this,
38:33and she didn't believe me.
38:34She was going to burn it.
38:36So, no pressure.
38:38Good thing.
38:38Make a superb...
38:40Really good thing.
38:40What's facing in it, couldn't you?
38:41Lovely thing.
38:42And we can start it at £100.
38:44Yes.
38:46I told her it to sell.
38:47At £100, thank you.
38:50At £110, £120, £130, £140, £150.
38:54Cara, I was going to burn it.
38:57No, but £150 it is.
38:58In the room, then.
38:59At £150.
39:01At £150, don't mistake it, then.
39:02At £150, in the next bid, it's £160, no.
39:04At £150, I'm selling them to £150.
39:08£150.
39:09Excellent.
39:09Excellent.
39:10I told her.
39:17And finally, the last lot from Birdsall
39:19is the pair of small pine tables.
39:22This might be a little bit harder, these two.
39:25Will you start me at £30 for the lot, please?
39:26£30.
39:27It's bid, thank you, at £30.
39:28At £30, I'm bid, thank you, at £32.
39:30£35, £38.
39:32£40 on line, £42.
39:34£45, £48.
39:36At £48, then.
39:37At £48 for the two.
39:38At £48, then.
39:39A good lot, then at £48.
39:41The gavel rising at £48.
39:43Thank you, £48.
39:44Right, I'm delighted, OK, Bertal didn't have a lot of stuff in, but we wanted to raise
39:50enough money to restore that clock, to put it back in its rightful place.
39:53And we've done that on the chairs.
39:56That was the sleeper that we thought would do well.
39:58The more to stand, you know, I just really wanted that to sell, because I'd put my neck
40:03on the block.
40:03The following day, Angus is on the road again.
40:10So, I'm just heading back to Bertal, and it's going to be great to have a catch-up with James
40:16and Cara.
40:17We've had the auction, which did really well.
40:21Chairs sold really well.
40:22I sold the table that Cara didn't think I could sell.
40:24And we've generated enough money that's actually paid for the restoration of that wonderful
40:29clock.
40:30It's had all the work done.
40:32I've had it delivered to Bertal, and I haven't seen it yet.
40:36Cara hasn't seen it.
40:38Yeah.
40:39Yeah.
40:40Good to be back.
40:41Good to be back.
40:41You've had a delivery.
40:43There should be, yes.
40:44Yeah.
40:46Ah, good.
40:47It's arrived.
40:50This is so exciting.
40:51Yeah.
40:52But I'm really pleased, and it's all been done, really, off the proceeds from the auction.
40:57Great.
40:57I didn't think we'd make that much.
40:59Well, I've got some good news for you how the auction went, actually.
41:02So, the chairs did 600.
41:04Good.
41:05Oh, my goodness.
41:05That's far more than I thought they would.
41:07That's exciting.
41:08Well, yeah, to be fair, they did a bit better than what we thought, so that's good.
41:10So, that really helped.
41:13And then, can you remember the pestle table?
41:15Yes, yeah, the one I was going to get rid of.
41:16Yeah, and I said, I can sell that, and you looked at me like I had two heads.
41:19Yeah.
41:20Got 150 quid for that.
41:21Did you?
41:21Yeah, I told you.
41:25So, yeah, in total, you made £798.
41:29Wow.
41:30Which, you know, not a huge amount, but...
41:32No, no, no, it's impressive for what it was, because I was really going to put that in the skip.
41:35Yeah.
41:35The pestle table.
41:36And it's covered, restoring a bit of heritage.
41:39See, that's what it's all about.
41:40So, best time of luck, see if you're happy.
41:43Ta-da!
41:44That's amazing.
41:45That really is amazing.
41:46So, it's all been cleaned.
41:47Oh, I love it.
41:48They've synthetically sort of restored, so that...
41:52Yeah, I don't want it looking brand new.
41:53They've touched up the hands and the name, York, and this has all been re-carved, because this piece, that was missing.
42:01Yes, it was totally. We couldn't find it in the...
42:03Yeah.
42:03So, they've carved that to match it in, so it's completely as it should be.
42:08I can't tell which is the old and which is the new. They've done a brilliant job.
42:10So, that's the original.
42:11And this is the clock they used every single day to run their lives by.
42:16You know, it should be back in here, shouldn't it?
42:18Yeah.
42:18You know, last orders, you'll hear the bell, everything's functioning now. Look.
42:27The old kitchens will soon host its next event with the clock back in its rightful place.
42:34Angus's work saving a small piece of Yorkshire heritage is complete.
42:39It's wonderful to be back at Birdsell and bring the clock back.
42:42And Cara's absolutely delighted. I'm really pleased with it.
42:45They've done a fantastic job.
42:47But I'm also pleased because this is where it belongs.
42:50It was made for these rooms in the downstairs kitchens.
42:53That's where it started its life, and that's where it's back now, and it's going to stay there.
42:56And that's how it should be. That's history.
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