and it used to be said even if scholars give less credence to the fact that when candles were lit to our lady of the motherlode riches were bound to follow. is he for real? i thought the bible said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. that was only if you tried to take it wh you, isn't that right professor? that's right, yeah. run that by me again. our lady of the motherlode. oh, yes. apparently, for centuries she's been standing down by the river, just waiting for some passing prospector to make his pitch. is that right? the professor says. where did they get the batteries from? mmm? in the 17th century, for her glowing heart,

where did they get the batteries from? hooked her up to the mains. oh, right. here it comes. oh, he looks fine. thank god for that. brendan! of course, i didn't tell her she didn't have to go to mass. chaser. i told her that when she grew up the constitution allowed her to make a free choice. a bit young to grasp the distinction -- i didn't think so.

i may be wrong but i didn't think so. the point is she asked. and if doesn't hurt or confuse, i like to give an honest answer. i'd say it confused. well, you know everything, father. have you talked to her mum? i have. but she doesn't want to get rid of him; she never did. mrs. o'connor doesn't decide these things, i do... the board does. i know, father, but... the child is ten years old. your duty should be clear to you, father. this isn't about me, it's about the parents. on their behalf, i have done what is necessary. good night, father. i have three grandchildren there, and i think tis a disgrace. the kids love him. he's a good brain on him.

how's he taking all this? and i heard he's been hitting the jar. what rubbish! where did you hear that? i saw him getting off the bus. don't take it out on me, siobhan. and if ambrose comes in... [ all ] we'll tell him. good luck there, niamh. all the best, niamh. yeah, good luck. so this is how it's going to be, is it? good man, brendan, we're all gointo miss him. what do you mean? are we going to talk about it all night or do something? like what? like a bit of direct action... like taking our protest to the one man responsible for all this. father mac. exactly. you're going to have to decide whose side you're on. that was a bit strong, assumpta

with the clergy? every time. i couldn't sleep. too much coffee. you're a big boy now,rendan. somebody die in here? stopped serving, assumpta? no, no. club orange so, and er -- whatever anybody else wants. i'll have a fizzy water with you then, brendan. a diet coke woul go down well.

thank you very much, father. okay, bye bye. bye-bye, take care. [ ♪ musical interlude ♪ ] [ horn beeps ]

will i get securicor for that? nice suit. what do you want? well, that's not very polite, liam. i've come to bail you out... if you're interested. what do you mean bail us out? your equipment: pans and sieves and stuff i'll buy them off you. liam. why would you do that? i have a heart of gold. what do you say? will you give us what we paid for them? i didn't say i had a brain of sponge. i'll give you half. half? a better return then you'll ever get.

well, what do you want with it? not your problem. no way. what? [ ♪ musical interlude ♪ ]

what's the meaning of this? father clifford, are you with these people? i am, father. it's nothing personal. oh, yes, it is. assumpta. i'll have your respect assumpta fitzgerald. ha, in a parallel universe. you haven't even got children. i do. we do. and we want them taught by brendan kearney. [ all expressing agreement ] when you'vnished flaunting your liberation theology i'll see you in my office. thanks for that. i have never, in all my years as a parish priest, encountered such insolence. i'm sure she didn't mean it. i didn't mean miss fitzgerald. in the name of god, on a sunday to take the side of those gurriers

against me. it's a dignified protest. don't talk of dignity; where's the dignity in that? all they're saying -- they? all right. all we're asking is please reconsider, don't sack him. he has not been sacked he's been transferred. and we'll lose him. [ knock at door ] god bless this house. brian. [ brian ] listen... which one of yous wants to do the christening? what? i'm going to be a granddaddy. ambrose, he's done it. i mean, niamh's pregnant? got it in one, or in his case... oh, brian, that's wonderful. congratulations. i'm very happy for you, brian. give my regards to them both. will we have a drink? probably not. ah, go on. father mac. yes, i'd say i'm entitled. absolutely. i'll be off.

can i park here just for a moment? of course. do you want me to look after it while you're away? ambrose, so it's true. a man really can walk on air. how're you, father? congratulations, mate. i'm made up for you. how's niamh? looking through a book of names. mairie. where is he? i don't know, he left. ere did he go? has he gone back to england? i'd say he has. shall we go and see the doc? no. my congratulations to niamh.

[ phone rings ] hello. ambrose, teresa doyle in wicklow. this fella you were asking about -- jimmy kilfeather. yeah, right. they threw your man out of a pub in langford street an hour ago and put him in a taxi home. thanks, teresa. [ ♪ suspenseful interlude ♪ ]

jimmy! jimmy kilfeather get out here now! bless me, father for i have sinned. it's a week since my last confession, father. my name is mairie kilfeather. you don't have to tell me. i think i do. mairie! there's no rush. [ knock at door ] my ribs hurt. i should have seen the doctor, i know, but -- mairie! i went to the house and he came home and and he wanted chips and i went to the cupboard and there was no oil. i'd forgotten the oil. what could i do but melt some fat? but he didn't want chips made with fat. mairie, are you in here? i tried to explain. then he started to beat me. i tell you, father

i could have put up with the beatings but it was when the hot fat from the pan fell onto my arm, i swear to you, father as god is my witness until th moment, i never meant him any harm. i struck him with the pan. i struck him. i mean, i really struck him. and he fell. and i struck him again. and -- and he got up -- and i hit him again. and he got up on his knees and he said, "mairie, oh, for pity's sake." only i had no pity. i went over to the door and i opened the door and i said that he was no longer welcome in the house. and he left? after i struck him again. where did he go? i don't know, father. only i think i might have killed him.

father? would you come with me to the gard's? [ knock at door ] mairie! are you, okay? never mind me. she thinks she might have killed her husband. she might have done, too if i hadn't found him. where? in the river. ambulance is taking him to hospital now. what did you use the skillet?

will i put the kettle on? ♪ johnny's in love with ♪ ♪ the girl next door ♪ ♪ mary's down at ♪ ♪ the record store ♪ ♪ they don't want to be ♪ ♪ around us no more ♪ ♪ord knows ♪ ♪ but we hardly speak ♪ ♪ too busy running to ♪ ♪ a different beat ♪ ♪ it's hard to understand ♪ ♪ we were once like them ♪ ♪ how i wish ♪ ♪ we could find ♪ ♪ those rock 'n rollin' ♪ ♪ days again ♪ ♪ we were the ♪ ♪ rock 'n roll kids ♪ ♪ rock 'n roll ♪ ♪ was all we did ♪

♪ listening to the ♪ ♪ songs on the radio ♪ ♪ i was yours and ♪ ♪ you were mine ♪ ♪ but that was ♪ ♪ once upon a time ♪ ♪ now we never seem ♪ ♪ to rock 'n roll ♪ ♪ we just never seem ♪ ♪ to rock 'n roll anymore ♪ rock n' roll! thank you! [ cheers and applause ] thank you very much. [ cheers and applause ] will you have a drink, brendan? yeah, er -- a club orange. what's the matter with you? have a drink. assumpta! what, is she deaf?

blind is more likely i'd say. as i'd say are you in a different conxt. you're not doing too bad yourself, father. he's not, is he? oh, father clifford. have you booked your holiday in cuba yet? thanks for driving. interesting experience orange juice. will you come in for a coffee? yeah, i will. thirsty place, fitzgerald's. you can say that again. one or two of them like a drink anyway. father, will you hear me confession? no. well, you have to. it's the law. well, try father mac. he's drunk. pot calling ttle. eh? i hope he didn't drive home. he couldn't make it to the car. well, where is he?

he's at your place. how did he get in? i have the key. i own the place. well, cheers. the next thing you'll be telling me, he's in my bed better you know now, eh? oi, where'd he go? sh-sh-sh-sh-sh the young one. aileen, i -- i'm sorry. oh, no problem. he was as good as gold out to the world. oh, great stuff. hello. oh, hi. you okay for getting home? oh, yeah i'm fine. are you sure now? no, really. aileen, i'm sorry. he drove me home; i had to invite him in. i know.

coffee! enda, enda... can i ask you something? baby-sitter... daughter of a friend. no, the child upstairs is it your child? he is. and er -- how old would he be? he would be eleven. enda, you must think i'm nosy -- not at all. his mother lives in america but she wants him to go to school over here. would you like something stronger? what school exactly? i hope you won't be offended, brendan, but the local school, of course. is it full? not exactly. you really don't know? i know they've given you the elbow. are you telling me there's no place for the boy? certainly not... do you know something? i think i might have something stronger.

[ knock at door ] peter. oh, great. do you want me to get that? [ knock at door ] peter! no danger of you waking up. brendan. peter... i know it's late, but i thought you'd like to know. [ knock at door ] brian, come in. how are you feeling this morning? save it for the punters, father. is he up? well, i don't know about homo erectus, but he's on his feet.

what is it, brian? couldn't it wait till i've had a cup of tea? you wanted to see me. what's he doing here? brian, father mac. oh, happy day. which brings the numbers up to 58. thus enabling the board to take on -- sorry, take back a third teacher. well, you must be delighted, father. about due for a rent review, i think. i'll be in touch. well played, brendan.

great. maybe she disapproves. did you ever think of that? now what do you want? i've a job for you if you can spare the time. it wasn't a bad idea; it could have worked. oh, i know. is that offer still open? what offer? to buy our stuff. i don't know about that. what differences does a day make?

what difference? 25 percent. you said you'd give us half. exactly. and it's a better return than you'll ever get. donal? what's the job? gather up that stuff and take it down to farrell's. the tour operator? in wicklow. he'll take i off your hands. he's expecting it? he's expecting you, yeah. you've already sold it to him? it's just business liam, nothing personal. how much? don't do this to yourself. i have to know. what? i know. it's a miracle isn't it?

[ ♪ musical interlude ♪ ] got your claim back then? yep. enda, you could prospect in this river for the nextundred years and you wouldn't find enough gold to make a tooth. i think i have. let it grow.

do you feel better for that? not really. thanks for last night. it was good. if i had a pound for every time a woman said that to me. yeah, yeah, yeah. do er -- do you do breakfast? i don't give it away. that's the challenge then. captions by: midwest captioning des moines, iowa

if i were to ask you where england's first public art gallery opened, you'd be right in thinking it must be london. but no it's not the tate, the national or the royal academy. it's here in dulwich. welcome to the roadshow. this is a corner of the country i know well.

the sprawl of south london is probably more famous for places like battersea dogs' home and clapham junction than a home for the arts. but here in dulwich stands england's first purpose-built art gallery, the dulwich picture gallery. and it's a real jewel. so how did such an outstanding collection end up here in the suburbs? it all started when two 18th-century art dealers in london were commissioned to put together a collection of paintings for the king of poland. but at the same time the king was fighting to save poland's independence from its neighbors. he lost the battle and had to abdicate, and suddenly, a superb collection of art was left without a home. it could've been left to prominent institutions like the british museum, but that was considered too aristocratic so instead, it was left to an educational institution dulwich college.

the first visitors arrived in 1817, and the first public art gallery was born. old masters, household names, hidden gems, all grace the walls. rubens, canaletto, gainsborough, rembrandt, all hang within a few feet of each other. and it wasn't just paintings that were left to the college. tucked away in a corner of the gallery is a mausoleum, containing the bones of the two men who bequeathed the collection, and one of their wives. at the time of the second world war, during the blitz, the valuable paintings were removed from the gallery, but not the bones, so when the gallery took a direct hit, the bones were scattered. and the story goes that local schoolchildren were drafted in to help find the

bones and place them back inside the caskets. must've given them nightmares. today, we're welcoming visitors to both the gallery and the grounds as we look for our own collection of old masters. i own a noah's ark because, to me it says everything about toys about childhood, about artistry about craftsmanship. and to see one as it arrived today, i was so excited to think there might be one that we could talk about today. what made you buy it? when i was about nine, i was in devon and we walked past a shop and i saw one. but me mum dragged me past and said it was too expensive. the yearning's been there ever since. so i saw one... and had the money. no, actually. it's me mum's money. i owe her. so some things never change. it's still your mum's money.

where did you buy it? was it an auction thing or from a shop or...? no, it was a toy dealer who bought a man's collection that he'd spent 20-odd years collecting. and he sold the whole lot to them. lucky you. right time, right place. what do you love about it, apart from the fact that it reminds you of you age nine, being dragged past a toy shop. i think it's the craftsmanship and the naivete. it's folk art, isn't it, so... there's something so whimsical somehow about it. i mean, the size for instance of the ladybirds right down at the front here in comparison to the elephant or even the people. i mean, it's the size of a rugby ball. thank goodness those died out in the flood. that's all i can say. most of these came from the erzgebirge region of germany or austria. and these flat-bottomed arks tend to be dating from

the 1840's, 1850's. yeah, right. they were, of course somewhere to store all the animals, although this lot could never fit into that. this is not a tardis. so obviously there would have been a box, as well, to go with this ark. and they are very desirable. if arks survive, they tend to survive in good condition, because i think they were only played with one day a week. i think they were tended to be played with on a sunday in the strict religious households of the time. so maybe that's why they do survive. perhaps they were played with under supervision. what did you pay? should i tell you? go on. it's our secret. 2,000. £2,000 sounds just about the right price for me. if i tell you that i paid more than that for mine, many years ago i think one of us was done but i don't think it was you. brilliant. thanks very much.

henry cotton is arguably thought of as britain's most famous and most successful golfer. he won the open in 1934, 1936, and '48, i think and certainly three times. three times, yes. so hugely appreciated here in britain, and i believe, as good as anybody post-war like nicklaus or even tiger woods. but being british, i'm bipartisan. what i didn't know until i met you earlier today, was that he was a local lad. was he brought up here or did he go to school here? i understand he was born in cheshire but he went to school at alleyn's college nearby in dulwich. while he was at dulwich, he joined our golf club at 13 to take up golf, and during his time there, he won these two trophies. fantastic. i mean, alleyn's is not known for golf. it's more, today anyway, certainly known for its cricket and its hockey. how did he ever find the way to your golf course? i understand he had been playing golf anyway but he was a better cricketer. but after a rematch

the prefects on the team six of them, made the five non-prefects bring back all the bags. so it held him back from public transport, and he was a bit miffed, so he wrote a very terse letter to the prefects, which caused a fuss. the headmaster said he should be caned which of course, refused to do so. and headmaster said, "well, in that case, you can't play cricket. what will you do if you can't play cricket?" "i'll play golf, sir." so presumably, he hopped on his bike and came down to your club, which is a couple of miles away. that's correct. and you're the secretary. i'm the secretary, yes. and that's why you've come with these wonderful trophies. and if i came to your club and joined, i might have the opportunity to compete. absolutely. we still play for these competitions today. that's wonderful. to actually have something with your name and cotton's at the same time would be a great joy to any serious golfer. i never have done, but i know people who have and it's a great thrill for them. and they're actually illustrated in this book. that's correct. there's a picture of henry and his elder brother leslie with the two trophies they had won. they were about 15, 16 before henry went on to become a professional.

he left at 16 years old. it's fantastic to see all this information and to learn so much, as well because i feel that the trophies together with all the archive material that you've got back at the club the original scorecards and all the documentation, is a very important part of his very early life. you're never going to sell it, obviously. the club will always keep it. but for insurance purposes i think between £6,000 and £8,000. thank you very much. that's very interesting. thank you for bringing them in. we're quite a long way from covenant garden. it's all of six miles up the road. but you've brought us a nice little break. yes. tell me about it. well, this is my banana, which my grandma gave to me and she got it from her husband's father, so my great-grandfather your great-grandfather so that takes us four generations. if we allow 25 years for each generation, that's, what, 1900 or thereabouts. something like that. of course, bananas do go off after 100 years,

and all of these bananas are all rather fresh. but the fact is, if we stay here for a little bit longer, one of those bananas will remain forever fresh, and the others will go black. i just had to do what i've done just now. i didn't tell you i was going to do this. i requested for bananas, and one of our team brilliantly, obviously a carver in his spare time has taken out one and followed your banana exactly. and i challenge anybody watching this to decide which is the genuine and which is the fake banana. and of course, the answer is... fake. true. this is made of ivory. it's made of elephant ivory. and it is extraordinary how a japanese carver can produce a facsimile of a banana. it is absolutely amazing. look at the end where it's been torn off the plant. it's discolored deliberately

and he's colored everything correctly down to that flush of green at the bottom. and then, when you peel a banana, what happens is you get these strings of pith collecting and he's got that absolutely. i don't know how long it takes to do this in ivory. certainly longer than the time it takes to eat one. i would have thought so, yes. i'd have thought it must be of the order of a week of solid carving. doing nothing but carving a banana. very, very popular as souvenirs for europeans visiting the far east. so i would guess the collection includes other ivories as well. yes, it does. there's several things. there's a napkin ring and there's a shell, which has got a fishing scene carved into it. and do you do what most people used to do use it as a practical joke? i haven't, no, but i can see i could. it could be an extremely expensive practical joke if someone sank their teeth into this, both for the dentist bill, and secondly,

for the damage to a piece of ivory. my god, look at the fiber he's got into the skin. it's absolutely just like the fiber on the real thing. it is minute observation. i love it. what's it worth? that one is worth-- this morning, that cost us 18p. this one, probably the world's most expensive banana, £700 to £1,000. whoa. okay. thank you. i suppose, probably after 30 years, i thought i'd seen nearly every type of box but this one intrigues me because it's got hinges in all the wrong places. in the wrong places? you don't usually see butt hinges on the top. so you tell me about it, because i shall probably open the wrong piece. so let's start and unravel the secret. this has a key but i've left it open today. so it opens up.

and it opens out. and it belonged to my three times great-grandmother, who was danish and traveled through europe with her husband in 1797 and again in 1803 into 1804. they were wealthy businesspeople and it was really a business trip. and they met all sorts of exciting people. the grand tour. the grand tour. and she wrote a diary on this. can we pull these out? yes. these have little treasures in it. look at these. artistic family. wow! i don't know who has made them. a little silhouette. oh, lovely. gosh. this is probably 1820, 1830. look at her dress. the costume gives a lot of dating clues. and then, just to tell you that this the danish 20-kroner note

from a series from the '70s. and they used the paintings by this danish painter jens juel, and that lady is her mother. my four times great-grandmother. my goodness. you don't get much better than your portrait on a bank note, do you? then it has a little side drawer here. and i have just... look at this. i have just put this in, so this is very modern. that's the mirror. i suppose that she used it for her toiletry. and this is her sewing box. look at the color of that leather. gosh! a treasure house within a treasure house. it is a treasure house. i love it. i'm sure. isn't that wonderful? i want to look at it as a piece of furniture. this part has been restored. this is not a criticism. it's an observation. see, this is very open grain.

now, when new, or original, that would've been the same quality timber as the rest of it, which is this fine mahogany. see how close grain that is? really very tight close grain. this is a great timber which you can see cut across the grain. you see these ripples. we call that fiddleback mahogany. you see that on the back of a violin. and then, it's inlaid with boxwood and ebony. and at one time, and this is typically northern european rather than english, two fine lines of black so you have white, black white, black, white. just like a ribbon. it would have been startling. and that particular type of oval is, again, northern european rather than english. impossible to price. there isn't another one in the world. so whatever i said it could be worth, it wouldn't be enough. i love it, i love it.

i've loved it all my life. but as a box as a piece of furniture, a box like this, without all that wonderful history, that on its own is probably 4,500 to 5,000. wonderful. it's a lovely piece of furniture and being danish without any doubt, but... never to be parted with. it's going to go to a museum. well, i'm privileged to have seen it. thank you very much. thank you. we tend to think of digital display as something that occurred in wristwatches when quartz crystals came in in the early '70s, you probably remember the red light-emitting diodes, and then the liquid crystal display, but this rather pre-dates that. what sort of date do you think this might be? i think it's from the early 1900's. it belonged to my grandparents. they came over from germany in 1912 so i guess either it was a wedding present or they brought it with them. so it would've been sometime around then. i think you're absolutely right.

looking at this case popping that front door, we have the absolutely typical mahogany carcass and we've got the little satinwood medallion inlay down here. just the sort of thing for the english edwardian market. but this is a fabulous dial, isn't it? a circular silver dial with this beautiful gilt sunburst here. a little sun and down here, we have a little face, as well. now, these things were only in production for a very short time, mainly because, often, the tickets kept flipping over, and time literally did fly. do you have it running at home the whole time or not? oh, yes, we do. it doesn't quite do a week, so occasionally, it stops until i wind it, but i wind it up about once a week, and it keeps very good time. that's marvelous. let's just try there. there it is, 12, 1, et cetera, et cetera. i think it's tremendous. i really think it's fun. but you said you thought it might have come from germany.

or where else do you think it might have come from? i really don't know. let's have a look. the joy of this it just withdraws, the seatboard comes out. and there we are. we can see the tickets on their various rollers. and the movement in the a-shape plates is signed by lenzkirch which, of course is a german company down in the black forest. so it possibly did come from germany. i think very likely they would have brought it with them from germany. so could that make it older? i think we could say it could be as early as 1905. lenzkirch were known for making very good quality vienna-style regulators, and generally, they were known as being far better than average. it's not really a purist clock man's clock but for anybody interested in slightly obscure horology a clock enthusiast will give you at least £1,000 for that. probably quite a bit more, because it is very scarce.

and i've never seen one in the flesh before. so for me, it's a first. lovely. thank you very much. thank you. a school photograph. i've seen thousands of these. and basically, these photographs are worth maybe 25p, 50p. if you're lucky. if you're lucky. exactly. the only thing that matters with a school photograph is is there anybody of importance or interest. so this is a lovely photograph. 1891, we know exactly when it is. and luckily for us on the back, it says "seated in the front row the slight figure, third from the left, is mr. f.w. platt." we don't know who mr. platt is? doesn't mean much to me. however, the junior peeping round from under the stairway is master winston spencer churchill. arguably, the greatest prime minister

we've ever had. and what i love about it is that, typical of the man, one might say, is he's rather cheeky. he is. he's not sitting down or standing properly. he's rather sweetly looking round the corner. i think it's a photo that you wouldn't normally see of him. exactly. and where did you get it? it's funny actually. my husband was a great rummager and collector and he went to lots of auctions and he bought it in a box of junk. and he come home and said, "look what i found." the rest of it's worthless, but this is super. fantastic. and i think the photograph, as it is is five p. but winston churchill... it's not worth a tremendous amount of money. i would say about £100 to £150. fantastic. but you love it anyway. yes, it's worth more than that to me.

i've been told that you brought this all the way from australia to the antiques roadshow in london for a friend. is that right? yes, i have, except it's a little different, 'cause it's actually a friend of a friend. are you mad? you brought this all this way? i think so. but i think it's worth it. i hope so anyway. i guess we'll find out. it now intrigues me. and had you seen it before? no, because i actually picked it up on the way to the airport so when i picked it up it was enclosed in a box. customs didn't open it so i didn't actually see it until i got to england and opened the box. you know that moment when you go through customs, they say, "could anyone have interfered with your bags or are you carrying something for anyone else," did you think this might be a bit of a sticky moment? i thought it would be, and i decided to be totally honest and say, "it's not mine, i didn't pack it "so if there's anything in there,

i've got nothing to do with it." i hope it is worth something. you've come how many thousands of miles? have you done a deal to split the proceeds? quietly, yes. well, let's find out more about it. i think marc allum's the man for you. i'll go and get him. where did you get these then? they were my grandfather's. he was quite an avid collector, but i'm not quite sure when. it might have been the '20s. i don't know the time scale of when he bought them but he bought lots of things and he bought these, and they were the pride of place on his mantelpiece. when they were left to me i didn't put them out, because i had a feeling. i was a bit worried about them somehow. worried that they might get broken or someone might dust them and... so what, they're in the loft in the cellar? no, they've been in a special place, but wrapped up in a special place. what do you think they are? i think that they're fo dogs. yes, that's what i think they are. so you think they're chinese, dogs of fo? that's what i think they are. you're quite wrong.

am i? yes. if they were chinese they would be porcelain or possibly a high-fired stoneware. the material of these, this is a soft pottery body. and it's been decorated with a thick tin glaze to give it the white appearance to porcelain. dogs of fo or lion dogs in japanese art, they're called shishi. they have nice curly tails. you get lion dogs in chinese art all the time. these are very european lions. french or dutch. it's difficult to say. i think they're probably northern french. but they're jolly nice. yes. they are notoriously difficult things to date precisely, but there are a few indicators. looking at these closely the way the bases are finished the way that this mark is done, which is in very much the style of the 17th century dutch mark but also particularly in the style of the shields, indicates that they're 19th century rather than 18th century. i'm still rather upset you keep them locked in a box somewhere.

they're very decorative, and they're pretty good order. i think in the sale room today, they'd fetch between £1,000 and £1,500 pounds. oh, really? maybe i shouldn't get them out. you pleased? i'm very pleased. i'm quite amazed, actually. i am quite amazed. i had no idea they were worth that much. they're really nice objects. they'd certainly appeal to the european market. yes. yes. do you like them? yeah, i do. yes. get them out! enjoy them! i've just had a quick word with fiona, and i understand that this has come rather a long way from down under, in fact. it has. from melbourne. from melbourne. right, okay. it's actually quite a fascinating little item. i can tell immediately that it's of quite some age. and what's really interesting about it and i've seen a lot of ship dioramas in my time, is this one is made from cut paper. it's absolutely amazing. the skill and detail in this little model is absolutely superb. even down to the little people on the rigging and everything.

i can see that there's something written down in the bottom right-hand corner. it says, "a. walker, fecit, 1759." fecit, in fact, means "had me made," or "made me." so essentially, walker had this made in 1759, or made it in 1759. that's a lovely bit of magical information which dates it perfectly. the problem is is the frame it's in. why is it in this modern frame? do you know? when the owner bought it about ten years ago, the frame was completely damaged with borers. borers. that's a good australian expression. i take it you're referring to some huge insect that drills holes through the woodwork. they're terrible things. so they really almost ruined the frame. so he reframed it. okay, i'll be quite frank with you. in doing that, he would have been better to leave the original wood-wormy frame on this piece, because in effect, actually, he has kind of almost destroyed the integrity of it in some ways. it's 18th century, it's gorgeous.

i love that, its period. but instead of being worth perhaps £1,000 or £1,500, it's probably going to be worth more like £500. which is fine. as long as he knows. that's fine. and i hope they don't charge you excess baggage on the way home. this is a nice little autograph album. got an old handwritten note. "autographs of queen victoria and other 19th-century people." can you tell me about it? yes, it belonged to my great-grandmother who collected the autographs. it's sat in the box of family papers since she died a good half-century ago. nobody's really noticed it till i started going through it. that was recently. that was fairly recently. do you know how she collected, how she met these people or corresponded with them? she lived in aston sanford in buckinghamshire. and her father owned the village. and the vicar, a chap they called scott

was head of a little intellectual coterie. and i think in those days, they wrote to everybody. they didn't e-mail. no, no. it took rather longer. but of course, the result is, that when they wrote back... we've got real signatures. we got real signatures. we start off with victoria queen victoria. i think they followed a protocol here. the first page includes victoria, and then we've got some of her prime ministers including disraeli. and if we turn a page or two, this is the one that intrigues me most. we've got a letter a note really, by charles darwin. now from a collectible point of view, he's in the top bracket. if we can look at the letter very briefly, "dear sir, i am much obliged for your note. "since writing, my plans have changed a little, "and i won't be ready to begin correcting until the 28th or 29th." i presume that's august, as the letter is dated august. but which year? if he was correcting the origin

if we could tie it in with the origin that would be a truly important letter. i have to say my suspicions are that it's somewhat later. dates of the other letters tend to be 1870's and such like so i think we're post the origin i'm afraid. nevertheless charles darwin is very, very collectible, so that's a key element in this little album. i think it's a sweet album. it's got lots and lots of clipped signatures in it, and they're all in good condition. value-wise, you've got to add those names together putting the big names in with the big prices and i think there could be the better part of £1,000 worth in that little album. that's nice. that's very nice. well, gosh. will you sell it? no. it'll remain a family item. it's been in the family for one and a quarter centuries. it better be in it for another. names like that will only go up in value. thank you very much. when we say the name moorcroft most people instantly think of flowers and fruit and all that kind of thing.

however, what we have on the table in front of us is, quite rightly, a piece of moorcroft. but tell me, how do you come to own it? well, it was bought in the village here in dulwich many years ago. i think it was the 1970's. and we liked the look of it. and what did you pay for it when you bought it? i can't really feel that this is so, but i'm sure it is. it was £100. £100? yes. i'm amazed that we would pay that much. that was a lot of money back then. did you know what it was when you were buying it? did you know it was a piece of moorcroft? i don't think so. we liked it, the color and the fish. that's the thing that draws me to it. it's the fact that we have something so different from moorcroft. twice in his career, he actually used the device of fish. once in the very early days when he was still working at macintyre and you get these fish all tangled up in seaweed. and then later in the 1930's, he reintroduced this device on a range of vases and bowls, as we see here.

they're usually flowers, aren't they? they are, and they're quite unusual, really. it's also a combination of the fish with all these underwater plants, and also, almost like a salt glaze, a lower glaze finish. most moorcroft is very high glaze and very shiny. yours is a classic example of a 1930's piece, you think it is '30s? absolutely. i was never sure if it was older than that. because it was different. the fish came back in between 1930 and 1934. so obviously when you bought it it was a secondhand piece. it's quite a defined market. when you're looking at these more unusual pieces, 'cause so many people traditionally like the more florid examples. but i think there's a lot going in this one's favor. yes. it's different. but also, it's the sheer size of it. it's very heavy. it is a very large base. heavy, too. we have to sort of look at value, and i've been mulling this one over. there's two valuations to be given here. i'll explain why. first of all, this vase would be worth somewhere in the region