1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,960 On Salvage Hunters, craftsmanship fit for royalty... 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,640 This job here, I made for King of Spain. 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:09,760 A staircase out of bronze. 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,360 Whoa, whoa, whoa. You made the king of Spain a bronze staircase.Yeah. 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:15,680 ...salvage mystery solved... 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,200 Don't ask me what it is because I don't know. 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,920 Four pieces.Are they hollow? Yes.It's a chimney. 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,320 ...and vintage objects to blow your socks off. 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,240 Whoa, what's this? This was when Martin was planning 10 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,720 on invading Wolverhampton. 11 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:34,920 Drew Pritchard is one of Britain's 12 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,800 leading antique and decorative salvage dealers. 13 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,240 It's a great-looking thing, isn't it? Fab thing. 14 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,240 Joined on the road by queen of the haggle 15 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,040 and quick flip, Viki Knott... 16 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,280 £275 the lot.Yeah. Yeah, I'll take them. 17 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,000 ...and lover of all things weathered and wonderful 18 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:51,680 Alister Dryburgh... 19 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,560 Just needs a load of cleaning. You clean it, I'll sell it. 20 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Can we do it the other way round? 21 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,040 ...Drew is sharing the knowledge... 22 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,080 What are those over there, Drew? They're great little mill carts. 23 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,840 ...and the expertise... Three-step Anglepoise. 24 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,840 Rare as hell. God, it's an education already. 25 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,840 ...he's gained over the past three decades. 26 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:12,960 Would have to be a really buy-me-now price, 27 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:14,960 but I don't think it will be. £550, Drew. 28 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,640 Okay, so we're off to AD Castings today to see a man called Tony... 29 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,960 Yeah....in Blackburn. Yeah.A foundry. 30 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,800 Good. One of my favourite places. Yeah, not been to one. 31 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,840 Going back, small villages would have their own. 32 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,000 Anything to do with metalwork would be done. 33 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,600 You would take your spade to be fixed. You'd take your cart in to be fixed. 34 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,320 Your sledgehammer, your axe, you take all these things in to be fixed. 35 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,680 There was one next to the pub in Capel Bangor. 36 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:54,280 No.A foundry. There was. Next to the pub, mate.Really?Yeah. 37 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,200 So like you said, every village had one.Well, I love them. 38 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,720 Now Al's regularly joining him on the road, Drew's keen to pass on 39 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,120 what he's learned about buying from locations 40 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,800 that are off the beaten track for most antique dealers. 41 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:12,320 So today the boys are heading 100 miles northeast into Lancashire. 42 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,920 So what do you expect to buy today? 43 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,360 Patterns. Crucibles. 44 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,480 Any sort of ornate castings can be really profitable. 45 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,120 The one-offs, but also filthy dirty. 46 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,280 But that's all right. We're not dealing in fine antiques today, all right.No. 47 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:31,800 It's dirty, great lumps today. 48 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,920 Metalwork began to thrive in Blackburn 49 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,320 during the 19th century, partly driven 50 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,960 by the need for textile machinery in the factories, 51 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,800 which were powering the town's growth 52 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,760 into one of the world's most important exporters of woven fabrics. 53 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,880 And for the last 15 years, the city has been home to a foundry 54 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,440 continuing metal crafts which date back millennia... 55 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,200 ...making everything from heavy-duty castings for steam trains 56 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,440 to intricate ornamental bronze. 57 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,480 These days the furnaces at AD Castings 58 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,240 are kept burning by third-generation founder Tony Duxbury. 59 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,280 My granddad started the foundry after the World War II. 60 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,560 Basically what I do here, I get a block of metal called an ingot, 61 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:20,640 which I place in the crucible. 62 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,200 When it melts, take the metal out of the furnace, 63 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:24,880 pour it into the mould. 64 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:27,840 It's quite a wide range of work that I do. 65 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:31,760 I make parts for ships for Ministry of Defence, 66 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,280 right through to sculptures 67 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,760 in between making parts for people with motorbikes, old cars. 68 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,680 They'll bring a piece into me and say, 69 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,120 "Tony, can you replicate that?" 70 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:45,840 "Yes." 71 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,520 Tony. Hiya. How are you? Hello, Drew.Nice to meet you. 72 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,200 How are you doing, Tony? Can we have a look around? 73 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,040 We can indeed. See what you're up to. 74 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,880 Well, I've just actually poured some bronze 75 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:57,800 before you came through the door. 76 00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,560 I'll be able to pick it up now. 77 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,400 They're one-armed bandits.Oh, yeah. 78 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,680 Stock-in-trade has been this sort of factory for a long time. 79 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,840 There's a few things that you'll find in these places. 80 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,840 It's the oddball pieces. It's the strange and the weird 81 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,760 the wonderful that you really wanna try and walk away with. 82 00:04:18,840 --> 00:04:23,000 It's just dust, dirt, grime. 83 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:25,400 But then when you look, you see things. 84 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,520 And there's stuff here. 85 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,560 Coming with Drew, who's been to these places before, 86 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,360 is brilliant because he knows what he's looking for. 87 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,080 With what you do, there's no substitute. 88 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,800 You just got to do it this way. That's it, isn't it?Yeah. 89 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,320 And it hasn't changed for nearly 2,000 years. 90 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,360 Fascinating. 91 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,960 But I do quite prestigious... This job here... 92 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:53,640 Well, that... 93 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,240 I made for the king of Spain, a staircase out of bronze. 94 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,640 Every piece of railing had one of those in the middle, front and back. 95 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,720 Hang on. Whoa, whoa, whoa. You made the king of Spain a bronze staircase?Yeah. 96 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,040 That's no idle boast. In bronze.In bronze. 97 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,720 There was a ton and a half of bronze in this tiny room. 98 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,320 The guys here made a bronze spiral staircase for the king of Spain. 99 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:21,440 You can eat out on that one, can't you? 100 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,360 Blackburn to the king of Spain. Why not? 101 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,680 That's a great sign. That yours?No. 102 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,840 During Storm Deborah or whatever she was called, 103 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,600 my sign fell off revealing that underneath.Oh. 104 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,160 That was the original sign for this place.For this foundry.Yeah. 105 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,200 "E.S. Binns, brass founder." It's just cool, isn't it? 106 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:47,880 The font is really good on it. 107 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,360 It's got different colours coming through. 108 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,080 I think it originally had a green background. 109 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:55,960 It's been overpainted, 110 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,200 and it's just aged in that right way to give it that look. 111 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:02,920 Would you have just chucked that? 112 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,360 Was it ready for that? I'm not telling you that. 113 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,760 It was leaning on the skip. 114 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:13,600 You did give the game away by having it leaning on the skip. 115 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:17,000 £100.Absolutely sold. 116 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,400 That's very fair.That is, isn't it? That's fair.Yeah. 117 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,520 It's a cracking-looking thing. 118 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,080 I'm not gonna get rich-rich on that sign. 119 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,960 Maybe £200 when it's all done. 120 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,920 You might be interested in these letters, Drew. I don't know. 121 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,560 Oh, God. Look at those. I've seen that design a lot of times. 122 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:36,280 Can I have a look at one, please? 123 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,520 So what happened with this job, 124 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,480 the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital was being knocked down, 125 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,920 and they were building houses on it, but they still wanted to put up 126 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,960 some sort of a board that said what had been there previously. 127 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,320 So they came to me and said, "Can you replicate the ones that have gone missing?" 128 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,400 And it got lost in translation, and I just replicated them all. 129 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,680 So what metal is that now? That's aluminium. 130 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:01,400 I've got quite a few of these. 131 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,080 I quite like them. Do you? Yeah, these are great. 132 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,760 I love how stylised they are. The A and the H are just great. 133 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,720 They're in a very particular font, 134 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,400 which is the English Gothic Revival. 135 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,280 And you could really highly polish those if you wanted to. 136 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,560 You can paint them, you can stick them on the wall. They're always fun. 137 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,040 These are a bit of you, I think. Yeah, definitely. 138 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:27,960 You know what's best? What's really good? 139 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:30,080 A rude word, right? 140 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,360 If you get these lettering and then do a rude word in your shop, 141 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:37,200 it's gone the same day. It's gone. It's true, innit? 142 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,440 We're all looking down to see what we can make now.Yeah. 143 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,880 £24 there.Tenner a piece.Yeah. 144 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,440 A tenner a piece and I'll throw all those little ones in for free. I'm happy with that. 145 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,680 But what I normally do with these in the shop, 146 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,880 I just scatter them all over a table. 147 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:54,800 Maybe I'll just make one little word up 148 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,880 just to give an idea in somebody's head, 149 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:59,800 and I'll just price them individually. 150 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,200 These crucibles are something I've bought. Yeah, you've got a few of them. 151 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:09,040 So what are they made of? They're made of a mix of silicon and carbon. 152 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,160 There's aluminium in there, bronze in there, brass in that one. 153 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,600 They've all got their own surface patination. 154 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,480 They've all got their own colour, their own gnarliness to them, almost like a bit of moon rock. 155 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,280 They're the weirdest volcanic, oddball things, 156 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:24,960 but it's all man-made, 157 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,320 and you're never gonna get two that are the same. 158 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,440 Great. It's part of the charm. 159 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,120 Crucibles have to be strong enough to withstand temperatures 160 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,440 from 900 degrees to melt copper 161 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,600 and up to 1,500 degrees to melt steel. 162 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:44,800 Archaeological examples were made of stoneware or ceramic. 163 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:46,760 Each with its own unique character, 164 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,320 these modern silicon and carbon versions 165 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,080 could now be repurposed as decorative pieces or planters. 166 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,240 Sold in Al's shop, they could fetch around £150 each. 167 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,720 Which ones can go? 168 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,040 That one. That one. That one. So those three. 169 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,160 Are they £50 each? Yeah, that's very fair. Good. 170 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:13,160 Thank you.Thank you. 171 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,080 Drew was probably the first person to buy these and make them popular. 172 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:19,000 I've never bought them in situ before. 173 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,120 I've had them in fairs. I've sold them. 174 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,560 But it's nice to get them from the foundry. 175 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,000 There's some big patterns in here. 176 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,800 Do you ever sell your patterns off? Yeah. 177 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,840 Oh, look, this is what you were talking about. 178 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,240 Oh, now you're talking. Right, young man. 179 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,640 One thing I knew we were gonna find. Patterns. 180 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,720 People call them wooden moulds. They're not, they're patterns. 181 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,160 It's a real art form. It's a real art form. 182 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,280 Right. Educate me.Okay. 183 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,960 So, patterns.Yeah. 184 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:51,920 The ones that are the most saleable. 185 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,200 See those ones there like cogs and gears and valves and whatever, 186 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,560 that are on a backboard, which you can already screw them to the wall, 187 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:00,760 they're your easy, low-hanging fruit, right? 188 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,240 They do look like little art pieces when you hang them on the wall, particularly in groups. 189 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:10,000 They are technically amazing things. 190 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:13,480 The guys who make these patterns, they blow my mind. 191 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:15,360 They're so beautifully done. 192 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,280 That's the pattern maker. 193 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:20,680 The skill to do that. 194 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,120 The pattern maker is the skilled guy in this game. 195 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,520 To create an intricately cast object, 196 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,880 a pattern must be constructed first, 197 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,480 which is then pressed into sand to make the mould. 198 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:36,520 Ingenuity is required to ensure the pattern can be removed, 199 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,520 leaving the sand perfectly intact 200 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,400 and ready for molten metal to be poured in. 201 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,640 Originally created for a Ministry of Defence contract, 202 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,560 these late 20th century wooden patterns 203 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:50,120 are now extraordinary decorative items. 204 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,920 Sold as a collection, Drew thinks they could be worth around £650. 205 00:10:56,680 --> 00:10:58,880 These are my favourite types. 206 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:00,760 The one you can sit on a desk. 207 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,560 Just have that on your desk, just cleaned up and polished. 208 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:05,560 Just looks really cool, I think. 209 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,360 That's off a steam train. 210 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,760 Axle box off a steam train. Off a steam train. 211 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,320 I'm thinking might be doing a deal with you if we buy them. 212 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,160 Yeah, yeah. So how many is there? 213 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,160 One, two, three, four, five, six. 214 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,600 Seven.Seven. Do you want me to do it? 215 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:27,200 Yeah, you can buy them, yeah. £280 the lot. 216 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,160 Drew's giving Al a crash course on what to look for 217 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,360 amongst the dust and grime of a traditional Lancashire foundry. 218 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,400 Oh, look, now you're talking. 219 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,880 Right, young man.Right. Educate me. 220 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,200 And the boys have decided to go halves 221 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:52,960 on a batch of wooden patterns. 222 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,040 Originally made to create sand moulds for casting metal objects, 223 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,280 they now have strong decorative potential. 224 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:01,800 So how many is there?Six. 225 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,120 Seven.Seven.£280 the lot. 226 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,360 Let's round it up. 300 quid. That's absolutely fine. 227 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:12,200 So what we've done with the patterns 228 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,400 is a very common thing in the antiques trade. 229 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,840 We've buddied up on them, we've gone halves. 230 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,680 So they'll get shipped down to Al, he will do the work and get them ready, 231 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,000 and he'll sell them and we'll split the profits. 232 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:29,520 Right. Are you done? I think... I'm really done. 233 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:33,920 Hosepipe?We've been worse.Hm. 234 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,120 Erm, thank you very much. 235 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,120 A really good day with Tony at AD Castings. 236 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:41,920 Just great fun. 237 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,840 And once again, to see a small British business 238 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,160 doing so well and doing such beautiful work. 239 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,600 Slim pickings for me today, but I went in with Al 240 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:52,760 on the patterns which will pay for the day 241 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,360 cos they'll sell quick, and that's all right with me. 242 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,400 Believe it or not, it is good to come to these places with Drew, 243 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,480 because again today I've looked at things differently, 244 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:03,200 and I've learned from the guy. 245 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,000 I've learnt from his experience, 246 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,720 and that's what it's all about, learning. 247 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,320 So to come here today, it's been brilliant 248 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,760 to see how the place works, to meet Tony, 249 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,760 and to get stuff that no one else has had their hands on. 250 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,880 Tony, thank you very much, mate. Much appreciated.No problem. 251 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,760 Really enjoyed it. Thank you. Nice to meet you.Take care. Cheers, mate. Ta-ta. 252 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:30,880 Right, well, that was good. Enjoy yourself?Very good. Yeah. 253 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,480 I love going to any industrial thing. 254 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:36,920 I've been to hundreds, right, and I'm still not bored. 255 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,600 Love it. Today was really good. Really good. 256 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,280 After a day of new experiences for Al, 257 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,600 it's around 110 miles south into Derbyshire 258 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:51,480 where Drew wants to introduce an important contact 259 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,800 and offer Al another chance to learn, 260 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,440 this time about the world of antique lighting, 261 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,560 one of Drew's specialist subjects. 262 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,200 Today we're off to see Martin and Rachel 263 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,440 at Ashby Lighting, family business. 264 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,440 I met them about six years ago. Right. 265 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,240 Martin's expertise is in late 19th century 266 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,360 into early 20th century English lighting, 267 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,600 and particularly Benson.Benson. 268 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,400 That's one of his great loves. He seems to be more and more obsessed with Benson. 269 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,560 Every time you go there. But it's his background as an engineer for Rolls-Royce 270 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,440 and all of those design skills and manufacturing skills 271 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,560 he's brought into his own business. Okay. 272 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,800 Is it just lighting he deals in, or are we gonna see other stuff? 273 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,080 He's got all sorts of things. 274 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,720 When I first met him, he was doing aviation and military 275 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,920 and lots and lots and lots of guns...Right. 276 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,720 ...and, erm, rocket launchers. Really?Yeah. Missiles. 277 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,040 All sorts of crazy stuff, so he might have a bit of that lying around. 278 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:52,960 People buy that, do they?Yeah. 279 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,040 The origins of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne 280 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,920 may have been as a settlement to service a royal manor, 281 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,080 visited several times perhaps for the local hunting 282 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,640 at the turn of the 13th century by King John. 283 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,760 Many centuries later, it's now a hunting ground 284 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,720 for connoisseurs of antique lamps as well as other rare objects 285 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,240 collected by specialist lighting restorer Martin Ashby 286 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,680 and his wife and business partner Rachel. 287 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,680 When we started off, we were called Ashby Interiors. 288 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:28,840 That was because we had a mix of lighting, 289 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,080 we had aeronautical antiques and general antiques. 290 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:34,960 But you cannot replace the aeronautical pieces. 291 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,280 So obviously that's now wound down, 292 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,120 and then we've wound the lighting up. 293 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,840 We do sell a broad range of lighting. 294 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,040 We start off with the Arts and Crafts period, 295 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,440 and Martin is a collector of William Benson. 296 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,840 He restores a lot of the William Benson 297 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,600 and sells that worldwide. 298 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,200 We also have a range now that we manufacture, 299 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:59,400 which takes inspiration from the Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts period. 300 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,960 I particularly love lighting because you can turn something 301 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,040 that's old and not looking very good in lots of people's eyes, 302 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,120 you turn something back into a gem. 303 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,680 And I think that's really what I enjoy. 304 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:15,760 Hello.Hi.Hello.How you doing? Nice to see you again. Hey, how are you? 305 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,440 Good to see you. How are you? Very well, thanks. 306 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:22,560 I'd love to see inside. This is gonna blow you away.Is it?Really. 307 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,040 That's a nice thing to say. After you. 308 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:29,360 Look at that.Wow. 309 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,280 From the outside, it doesn't look like much. 310 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,120 But as soon as you go in through those doors, it just hits you. 311 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,880 The quality of the lighting 312 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,400 and just seeing that mass of light, it takes your breath away. 313 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:51,120 How long ago did I meet you? Nearly five years. 314 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,040 You were doing all sorts of stuff, lighting was a big part. 315 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,280 But now it's taken over, hasn't it? Yeah. 316 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,160 So you were a dealer before? Just a general dealer or... 317 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,600 No. So I worked full-time at Rolls-Royce 318 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,040 and then I was doing this part-time. 319 00:17:04,120 --> 00:17:07,160 And then because I was Rolls-Royce, I was into the aircraft stuff, 320 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,000 and then lighting was just a natural progression. 321 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,840 What you've got here, 322 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,200 I can see a combination of originals 323 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,880 and the ones you're making, but it's difficult to tell. 324 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:20,840 It's difficult to tell what's what, 325 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,880 so I'm presuming most of that is you. 326 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,760 Yes.Just cos they're so clean. Yeah. 327 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:29,720 I've copied these. I bought an original. 328 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,160 So I now replicate these, and they're identical. 329 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:35,360 And I'm not trying to say that they're Bensons. 330 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,280 I say they're Bensons made by Ashby, and I stamp them. 331 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:42,440 You make that, and that's £795 retail?Yeah, yeah. 332 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,480 And how much is the original? 333 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,000 So I paid £3,500 for the original one. 334 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,560 The name Benson was coming up a lot. 335 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,240 I'll be honest with you. I've heard of Benson Lighting. 336 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,880 But today is gonna be a learning day. 337 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,200 I'm gonna listen to what Drew and Martin 338 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,920 have to say to each other, and I'm gonna take it all in. 339 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,280 Known for the quality and beauty 340 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:08,760 of his metalwork, especially lighting, 341 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,640 William Arthur Smith Benson became a key figure 342 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,160 in the 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement 343 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,800 inspired by his mentor William Morris. 344 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,880 Both a skilled craftsman and talented designer, 345 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,800 Benson was fascinated by electrical engineering. 346 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:25,480 And among other projects, 347 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:27,880 installed the lighting in Saint Paul's Cathedral. 348 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:34,320 These are Birmingham Guild.Yeah. What do you think that's worth? 349 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,280 So we've got a price tag of 12K on it.Yeah. 350 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,240 I'm learning about things 351 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,280 that in the past, I've probably walked past, dismissed. 352 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:46,520 I've been walking past good things. 353 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,760 But coming to these places today, seeing all these lights, 354 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:51,800 seeing all these different styles of lights 355 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,280 by different makers, I'm learning. 356 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:57,000 That one at the back. 357 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,600 So there's a pair of those. Oh, is there?Yeah, I like those. 358 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:03,520 Thumb screw's missing on this one. 359 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,520 I'll probably have a thumb screw though. 360 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,480 Or I could make one to match. 361 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,840 Those are really interesting.Yeah. 362 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:14,440 I like the look of those. Yeah, they're a resto job, aren't they?Yes. 363 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,640 Table lamp about yay big. Very narrow in its form. 364 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,440 And at the centre, very cleverly, 365 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:26,080 has been made for it to rise and fall, to lift, to heighten. 366 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,840 And then Martin says, "Oh, there's a pair." Bam. Yeah. 367 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,440 This pair of brass lamps is by Osler, 368 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,360 a British company which began in 1807 369 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,640 as a humble glassmaker shaping droplets for chandeliers. 370 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,000 But within 50 years was supplying elaborate lighting 371 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:47,120 to Queen Victoria and Indian maharajahs. 372 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,360 The Osler 4-tonne cut glass crystal fountain 373 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,360 was one of the talking points of the Great Exhibition of 1851. 374 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,640 Dating from around 1910, 375 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,640 this adjustable model is particularly unusual. 376 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,760 Once restored, Drew believes the pair could be worth 377 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,400 around £1,150. 378 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,240 I think they need to be about £250 each. 379 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,840 Oh, look, it's missing the drip tray.Yeah. 380 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,960 So you want £500 as they are. 381 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:20,120 If I said to you I'll give you £750, but can you do the work?Yeah. 382 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:21,800 Yeah?Yeah. 383 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,800 Nice sort of dark brown cable on them. 384 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:27,840 One of your little inline switches. Yeah. 385 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:30,560 Deal. Thank you very much. 386 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,880 £750, done. Great. 387 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,960 So I'm getting them restored for that. 388 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,520 In my world, that's a gift. That's great news. 389 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,200 So I'm gonna get a pair back, 390 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,920 restored by Martin, by Ashby Lighting, ready to rock. 391 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,400 As you can see, this is mostly table lamps. 392 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:50,280 Yeah. Love that. 393 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:53,640 That's cool, isn't it? There's a pair of those.Fantastic. 394 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,560 What manufacturer would you put those down to? 395 00:20:57,640 --> 00:20:59,280 Tricky, aren't they?Yeah. 396 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:01,760 Cos that's not as graceful as a Benson.No. 397 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,680 They aren't a pair. They're completely different.No. 398 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,520 But they're really good, aren't they? 399 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,080 They're sort of atomic.Yeah. 400 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,560 Yeah, they are probably 1910 though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 401 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,680 They look all the world in their manufacture, 402 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,400 like a cross between a Benson and an atomic lamp. 403 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,600 They're a real oddball, and I've never seen them before. 404 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:28,080 They've got that little tripod base with the ball feet. Super cool. 405 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,360 So I just wondered what are you asking for those? 406 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,000 I could probably do a couple hundred pound each on them. 407 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,080 Thank you very much. I'll take those. 408 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:36,920 I think they're too interesting not to. 409 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,560 They're just such an oddball piece. 410 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,680 These are on me all over. 411 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,680 Absolutely, 100% purely the thing I like to buy. 412 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:51,080 Great design, very original. Just great things. 413 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,080 So, aircraft stuff, 414 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,480 that there is a propeller from a B-17. 415 00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,400 So a lot of history with that one. 416 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,400 So that's probably one of the last aircraft pieces we've got left 417 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:04,960 apart from this piece here, 418 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:09,120 which is a rocket motor from a Blue Steel nuclear bomb. 419 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,320 Wow.Good God. 420 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,640 He's still got bits of guns and sort of aviation antiques 421 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,680 that he had when I first met him about five years ago. 422 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:23,040 Still bits of that lying around. A jet engine for a nuclear bomb or something. 423 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:26,280 Crazy that you can buy these things. 424 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:29,080 Well, what's this? I like that. 425 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,760 This was when Martin was planning on invading Wolverhampton. 426 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,400 And he was setting up a small army out the back. 427 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,760 That is a .50-cal cutaway model. 428 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,040 .50 cal? The thing on top of tanks? Yeah. 429 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:47,280 Well, they had them on all sorts. Tanks, warships, aircraft. 430 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:50,280 I'll be honest with you, I paid £750. 431 00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:52,600 It's not my problem you paid too much. 432 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,680 I'd want a grand for it. Oh, come on. 433 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,600 Come on, Martin. I'd want a grand for it. 434 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,720 It's a scaled model of a machine gun. 435 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,400 It's made of wood, and it's cut. 436 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,960 So it shows you the workings inside the gun. 437 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,000 This is very, very good. It's saleable. 438 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,160 And that's got to be a grand, has it? 439 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,760 I'll take a little hit on it, but it's really nice, isn't it?Mm. 440 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,640 Drew shaking his head. I'm thinking, "I can't pay £1,000 for this gun." 441 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:24,000 His wife wants to get rid of it. She's probably sick of seeing it hanging around the place. 442 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,360 But he's got that love, that military background. 443 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:30,320 He's worked for Rolls-Royce, and he's been clinging on to it for years. 444 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,720 800 quid?700 quid.Oh, no, I paid that for it.700 quid. 445 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:36,840 But the bullets must have cost me 50 quid. 446 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:38,720 It's been sat on top of my rack. 447 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,800 He's trying to make us feel sorry for him.700 quid. 448 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,920 £750, because of the bullets. And then I'm not losing money then. 449 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,360 On an enlightening trip to a specialist restorer in Derbyshire... 450 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:07,400 This is gonna blow you away. Wow.Look at that. 451 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,280 ...Al's in a battle to seal a deal 452 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:11,680 for an extraordinary model machine gun. 453 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,800 800 quid?700 quid.Oh, no, I paid that for it.700 quid. 454 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:19,400 But the bullets must have cost me 50 quid. It's been sat on top of my rack. 455 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,880 He's trying to make us feel sorry for him.700 quid. 456 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,280 £750, because of the bullets. And then I'm not losing money then. 457 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:32,640 £750? 458 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,720 Good lad.Oh. 459 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,320 I love it. It's a really, really nice piece. 460 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,680 As a dealer, when you go around, you're looking at things. 461 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:46,480 Some things just stand out. 462 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,040 You get that gut reaction, and I don't know what it is. 463 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:52,400 Just something goes in you and you've got to buy it. 464 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,240 That little helicopter aircraft. Yeah, that's nice. 465 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,160 Bought from a model aircraft flying club at Rolls-Royce. 466 00:24:58,240 --> 00:24:59,840 There's a helicopter on the table. 467 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:02,480 It's got its own engine, and it's made of wood. 468 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,200 And it's from the '50s. 469 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,480 Just imagine that hanging in your shop window. 470 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,600 It's gonna look a million dollars. 471 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,320 What price have you got on that? Probably 150 quid or something. 472 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,640 Mm. Yeah. Are you... 473 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,440 No, go on.Yeah?Yeah, yeah. 474 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:19,640 I'm not gonna knock you on that. Thank you. 475 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:23,920 It's from the '50s, and it's got a Rolls-Royce background. 476 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,720 £150. Couldn't get my hand out of my pocket fast enough. 477 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,400 That's coming home with me. 478 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,920 Coming back to see Rachel and Martin at Ashby Lighting has been great. 479 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,000 It's really nice to see them. 480 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,560 Very happy with what I've bought. Really, they are wow. 481 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,960 The quality in them is wonderful. 482 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,280 For want of a better expression, they're pure me. 483 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:48,360 They were me when I started buying things. 484 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,440 They're still me now. Bang on. 485 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:54,400 Every day's a school day, but we're in it to make money. 486 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,880 But I didn't think I'd be going away today 487 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,360 with a machine gun in the back of my van. 488 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,560 How random is that. Brilliant. 489 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:05,360 Right then. Thank you very much. Ah, thank you. 490 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,840 Another interesting day. Yeah. Pleasure, mate. 491 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,080 Lovely to see you again. Thank you very much. 492 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,360 Give us a shout when the other ones are ready 493 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,160 and we'll get them picked up.Super. 494 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,320 Thank you, mate. Thank you. Bye-bye. 495 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,440 That was good seeing Martin. 496 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:25,360 I didn't expect to find a machine gun there today. 497 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,960 That, I was... Did you wanna buy that?Yeah. 498 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,640 I loved it.It's good.I loved it. 499 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,280 You did pay. You paid up for that, I've got to say. You called me tight. 500 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,840 You are tight.Wasn't today. I wasn't today. 501 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:42,880 To keep the customer happy, 502 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,600 Martin's taking Drew's pair of Osler lamps 503 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,240 straight into the restoration workshop. 504 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:50,320 This is the most complete one. 505 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:55,720 So this one has the thumb screw and the candle drip tray here. 506 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,200 And then this one has the thumb screw 507 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,080 and the candle drip tray missing. 508 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,520 And then it's been drilled at some stage 509 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,840 for the cable to go in there, but that's not correct. 510 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,240 Having carefully dismantled 511 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,240 the century old lamp into its components, 512 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,400 Martin has a plan to repair the hole in the base. 513 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,360 So I will have to redrill that. I will tap it, 514 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,240 and then I will find a piece of threaded brass bar, 515 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,160 and then put it in there, cut that off, 516 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,040 and then turn it over, 517 00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:28,160 and I will solder it in from the back. 518 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,320 I'm a Rolls-Royce engineer. 519 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,400 As an engineer, you try and make these things 520 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,200 so that they'll never, ever come back. 521 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,240 You'll never have a problem with it again. 522 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,760 So now we've got the brass plug in it, 523 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,400 I'm gonna then solder it from the back end. 524 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,680 And then once that's soldered and cooled down, I can dress it back. 525 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,520 This has now been dressed back flush. 526 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,800 Next step is to take it into the polishing booth, 527 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:18,640 and I will coarse polish it. 528 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:20,320 Mask back on. 529 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,880 Once polished, the new base will need to be treated 530 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:29,320 to simulate an aged finish. 531 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,560 But first, Martin needs to replace the missing drip tray 532 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,760 by delving into his giant stash of spares. 533 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,560 So all of these accessories, we have literally thousands of them. 534 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,320 It's a bit plainer, but it's not a bad match. 535 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,560 Bit more detail on this one as compared to that one, 536 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,920 but we can put that on the lathe, and I'll try and do something with it. 537 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,760 So there's two pieces of detail missing 538 00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,960 on the one that I found. 539 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,640 One, there's a tiny step there. 540 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,360 And then also, there's an internal radius. 541 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,240 With the new drip tray sculpted, 542 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,400 Martin dips each component in acetic acid, 543 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:31,120 a process known as acid etching, which adds patina to the brass. 544 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:35,120 What the acid is doing now, it's putting oxide onto the brass, 545 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,160 and then that's what basically ages. It starts to age it. 546 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:41,480 After I finish the patination process here, 547 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,160 I will use ammonia. 548 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,440 The use of ammonia will darken the surface 549 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,440 to create the aged brass look Drew wants. 550 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,680 And then the lead weight. 551 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,880 The aging on these now, I'm really pleased with it. 552 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:07,480 I think they look really natural and well-aged. 553 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,800 The oil drip tray that we changed, 554 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,400 if you didn't know that we'd done it, you wouldn't know. 555 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,200 I enjoy restoring these things. 556 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,600 And you'll turn something that was damaged, missing pieces, 557 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,400 and you turn it back into something that's really functional 558 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,600 and beautiful basically. 559 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,040 It's been an educational week for Al, 560 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,920 but in the antiques trade, the learning never ends. 561 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,760 Today the boys are heading southeast to investigate the possibilities 562 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:47,360 of a back garden salvage yard tucked away in the Cotswolds. 563 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,720 Where are we off to today, young man? 564 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:54,560 We're gonna see Francis Barber Architectural Salvage.Okay. 565 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,960 So I think Francis operates from home 566 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:01,320 with his wife in Kelmscott. I haven't heard of him. 567 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:06,080 Kelmscott?Yep. Made famous by William Morris. 568 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,960 It was the 19th century artist and designer William Morris 569 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,280 who put the quiet Cotswold village of Kelmscott on the map 570 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,200 when he rented a manor house on the edge of the village 571 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:21,920 as a retreat from the industrial grime of London. 572 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,280 In recent times, the village has also become a haven 573 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:29,640 for a new architectural salvage and antiques collection. 574 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,480 Gathered over years, it's the collaborative venture 575 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:34,520 of district nurse Sarah Barber 576 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,440 and her husband, landscape gardener Francis. 577 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:44,720 I do landscape gardening. Have done for nearly 40 years. 578 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,600 So, obviously, I accumulated lots of stuff from gardens I've cleared, 579 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,800 and I've bought stuff to do gardens and landscaping. 580 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,120 Now's the time to start getting rid of some of it. 581 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,480 We bought stuff because we thought 582 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:58,720 one day we might have a reclamation yard. 583 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,480 I like collecting things like the staddle stones and stone troughs 584 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,560 and then sort of decorative antiquey things. 585 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,040 We're looking forward to Drew and Al coming to see us 586 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,120 and get some of their opinions about what we've got. 587 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,680 Hello. Good morning. Drew. Good to meet you. Hi. 588 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,920 Hello, mate. Hi. Francis. How you doing? 589 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,760 You can sort of guess from the road what you do.Yes. 590 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,760 Love the truck, the Thames. Yeah. Yeah, it's nice, isn't it? 591 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,040 Hello. Right then, okay. 592 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:30,680 I love those saddle stones. They're nice.Yeah. 593 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,200 First impressions. It's like going back to the 1940s. 594 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,680 Immediately, it's great fun. 595 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,720 I find architectural salvage yards and architectural antiques, 596 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:45,040 without doubt, the most interesting area for the antiques business. 597 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:46,880 And yards turn up stuff. 598 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,280 It's an area of the business I really love. 599 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,040 What's that?That's nice. 600 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,880 Don't ask me what it is because I don't know. 601 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,040 The pillar. Four pieces. 602 00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:58,760 Are they hollow?Yes, yes. 603 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,000 It's a chimney.Is it? 604 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,880 There's no stain inside. Yeah. It's been cleaned out, 605 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,880 and it's probably had a liner or lead liners or something in it. 606 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,360 It's 18th century.Is it?Yeah. 607 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,000 We're here 30 seconds, and on the left-hand side, 608 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,720 something caught my eye. It's a carved sandstone pillar. 609 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,080 And straight away I think I know what that is. 610 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:20,160 That's a decorative chimney surround. 611 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:23,000 18th century, Cotswold stone. 612 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,320 And I was just pulled straight towards it. 613 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,200 It's the sort of thing you want to find in a salvage yard. 614 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,720 They're very nicely made. They're particularly well-weathered. 615 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,240 There's hardly any damage at all. I just love them. 616 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:36,720 I think they're very, very beautiful pieces. 617 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,280 These four sections of stone are marked with letters on the inside 618 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:44,440 to show the order in which they fit together 619 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,240 to form a hollow column of cladding for a chimney. 620 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,600 The size and material suggests they may have come 621 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,760 from a grand local house built in the 18th century. 622 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,560 Characterfully aged, these pieces now have decorative potential, 623 00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:00,840 and Drewe thinks they could be worth around £1,450. 624 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:03,800 Would you wanna sell them?Yeah. 625 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,320 What do you want for them? I wouldn't have a clue. 626 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,880 It's a tricky one. Throw a figure at me. 627 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,000 Well, starting point, 500 quid. 628 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:15,040 Hm. I thought they was worth a lot more, but...There you go. 629 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,320 This is why we have this discussion. 630 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,000 You know what you want for them? I don't really know. 631 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,120 But you know what you don't want for them.I think £1,500.Do you? 632 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:26,280 Yeah.Hm, that's too much. 633 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:39,000 At a back garden salvage yard in the Cotswolds, 634 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,760 Drew's identified stone cladding from the chimney 635 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,320 of a grand 18th century house and is keen to buy. 636 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,200 You know what you want for them.I don't know. 637 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,520 But you know what you don't want for them.I think £1,500. Do you? 638 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,360 Yeah.Hm, that's too much. 639 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,080 That's all right. There's no money left in it for me. 640 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,240 So we can go £1,000. 641 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:01,960 Would £1,000 buy them?Yeah. 642 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,000 All right, sir.Thank you. That was easy.Sold. 643 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:09,240 Thank you.Thank you.Thank you. Let's keep going.Yep. 644 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,560 They make a really great pair of console table bases. 645 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:15,560 Just get two and stack them on top of each other against a wall. 646 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,280 Or get two sections, put them together as they should be, 647 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,520 put a top on them, you've got two small tables. 648 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,200 There's loads of different things you can do with them. 649 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:29,080 Just going into Fran's office cum collection room. 650 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,560 You like your toys, huh? I like my toys.Oh, my word. 651 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:35,560 God. Yeah.Oh, hello. 652 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,160 You've seen one of them before?I have, in your house. Yeah. 653 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:42,400 You collect them? Erm, I've got a couple. 654 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:45,640 Would you sell that one?Yeah.Yeah? 655 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:48,760 Francis invites us to his house, to his office, 656 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:50,760 and it's just full of toys. 657 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:52,440 Brilliant. What an office. 658 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,000 And on the bookshelf, there's this wooden man 659 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:57,880 called dancing jigs, wooden jigs. I've bought a lot of them. 660 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,280 I've got a particularly very, very good one at home, 661 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,360 which I will never, ever, ever sell. A local one. 662 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,920 Also known as limberjacks and clogging men, 663 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,280 loose-limbed dancing dolls like this 664 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,280 provided roadside entertainment in Europe and beyond 665 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:15,200 probably for many centuries. 666 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:17,240 In early 20th-century Britain, 667 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:19,760 buskers using them to raise cash in the streets 668 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:22,000 were often World War I veterans. 669 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:24,520 The aged paintwork on this example 670 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,960 suggests it probably dates from the early 1900s. 671 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:31,400 Al thinks it could be worth around £250. 672 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:34,920 They're good fun, these, aren't they? 673 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,400 They dance on a biscuit tin. You know how to do it? 674 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:41,240 Can you make him dance? Erm, what have we got? What about on your desk or... 675 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,880 Your turn.It's not much of a dance. How much is he? 676 00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:52,320 £100?I'm not gonna argue with that. 677 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,120 Thank you. 678 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,600 Can we have a look at your other storage place? 679 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,400 Yeah.All right? It's just down the road. 680 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,320 You taking that with you? I'll bring it with me. Don't lose it. 681 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:07,680 They're good sellers because they're just tactile. 682 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,840 They're small, and they're boys' toys. 683 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:14,960 I've sold them to collectors who've got 20, 30, 40, 50 of them. 684 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:16,720 And they're all individual. 685 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,960 They've all been made by someone's grandfather, 686 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,680 in somebody's shed, and they're all different, 687 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:24,360 and that's what's good about them. 688 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:27,520 That very rarely is there any the same. 689 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,480 There's lots of sort of timber stuff in that one. 690 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,560 Blimey. Well, we ain't getting in there, are we? Easily. 691 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,520 They've got an old truck body over there 692 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,080 full of doors and bits of pine furniture and this, that and the other, 693 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,680 but Al and I spot the same thing at the same time. 694 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,480 Oy.Okay. 695 00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:59,920 I like that.It's got to be about 60 odd quid, isn't it? 696 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,440 A little bit less than I thought, but not much.Yeah. 697 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,120 £60? Yeah, it's fine. 698 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,880 £60. Who's buying it? Me or you? I'll buy it.THere you go. 699 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:11,480 And it's just got that crude look with all those knife marks. 700 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,400 Clean it up, wax it, 701 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:16,040 and because it's only 3 to 4 foot, 702 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,600 it's a great, great size to put in the hall. 703 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:22,280 Put your shoes on or use it in the shop to display things. 704 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,400 This big unit you've got there...It's huge, isn't it? 705 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,200 Yeah. It's got to be 12 foot? 706 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:35,200 Possibly. 707 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:37,000 Where do you get it from? 708 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,200 Came out of a farm kitchen, didn't it? 709 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:41,000 Yeah, back of the kitchen. 710 00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:45,000 What is it? Pine with a pitch pine top, Drew? It's all pine, yeah.Okay. 711 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:47,880 That's a big project. 712 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,120 It's a load of money to be spent on that. But it's got potential. 713 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,200 The last container we go into, 714 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:55,960 and there's something really rather good in there. 715 00:38:56,040 --> 00:39:01,040 It's a very large 19th century scrub top sideboard, 716 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:04,440 work table, dresser base, whatever you wanna call it. 717 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:06,120 Big deep drawers. 718 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,880 It's been in a kitchen probably all its life 719 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:10,760 or some working environment. 720 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:12,520 It's a belter. 721 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:16,000 What would you want for it? I thought £1,500. 722 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:19,200 In that condition, it's a bit of a stretch. 723 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:22,200 There's a figure springs to mind that I will pay for it, 724 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:24,960 which is £800. I don't wanna pay any more for it. 725 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,960 It'll cost £200 quid to shift it so I'm gonna be in for £1,000. 726 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:31,360 And that's me done. I can't give you any more money. 727 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,560 You're sure?Yeah. Sure?Yeah, that's fine. 728 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:39,000 Thank you.Thank you very much. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you, mate. 729 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,160 Be nice to see it all restored, actually.Yes. 730 00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:44,880 My restorer is gonna absolutely hate me. 731 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:47,000 It's going to need two grand spending on it 732 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:49,560 to get it to the standard where it can go into a house. 733 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,240 And that is two grand when it finally gets screwed to a wall. 734 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,800 You're gonna be into it for £3,000, but that will make your kitchen. 735 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,440 What a starting point for a kitchen. 736 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:01,400 It's fantastic. 737 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:04,680 Fab. Okay, I think we're done. Let's go and sort some money out. 738 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:06,960 Lovely.Go from there.Thank you. 739 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:10,520 I've had a great day today. 740 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,040 Francis Barber Architectural Salvage in Kelmscott. 741 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:14,720 Never been there before. 742 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:16,720 Just a good old-fashioned salvage yard. 743 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,920 Best thing of the day, honestly, that great big serving table. 744 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,160 That big work table. It's a great thing. 745 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:25,000 That one's got potential. 746 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:27,160 Right, guys, thank you very much. Thank you. 747 00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:29,800 Really enjoyed it.It's been good. It's been a pleasure. 748 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,400 Our carrier will be in touch about getting that shifted. 749 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:34,240 We'll do the whole lot in one go. 750 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,280 Yeah, okay. Thank you. It was lovely. 751 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,320 Take care. Bye-bye. See you. Bye-bye.Bye. 752 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:45,320 Lovely people. Really nice. Really nice people. 753 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:48,400 What a beautiful place to live and work.I like that. 754 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:50,640 You've done all right, didn't you? The table. 755 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:53,120 There's a bit of a job on to do it, 756 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:55,240 but I think I've got a home for it already. 757 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,840 Another contact in the book. Always another contact. 758 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:00,800 And Kelmscott on the doorstep. Beautiful. 759 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:06,400 Before leaving the village, there's time for another educational stop 760 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,200 for Al at the nearby Kelmscott Manor, 761 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,120 the house which during the late 19th century 762 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,680 was the country retreat of Drew's design hero, 763 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:16,360 William Morris. 764 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:20,680 Wow.Isn't it just wonderful? 765 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:23,520 William Morris called it the loveliest place 766 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:27,240 of ancient peace and tranquillity. Something along those lines. 767 00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:31,000 And Morris found massive inspiration from being here. 768 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:36,240 Imagine he'd have arrived here by carriage on the back of a horse 769 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:38,680 with his paints and his pencils. 770 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,280 It would have been amazing. It's a wonderful place. 771 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,680 Should we have some tea and cake? Oh, yeah. 772 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:50,440 It's been a big part of my life. I didn't know anything about it. 773 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:52,280 Came out of school. Nothing. 774 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:54,320 Never heard his name. Nothing. 775 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,000 And then when I started on my apprenticeship in '86, 776 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:01,200 scrawled on the wall near the phone. 777 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:03,920 There was a phone on the wall, the ones you did that with. 778 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,600 One of those. Scrawled in pencil on the wall, it says, 779 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:10,600 "Have nothing in your houses that you know not to be beautiful, believe to be useful." 780 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:13,320 I said, "Who's that?" He goes, "That's William Morris."Oh. 781 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:15,360 And that was it. Boom. 782 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:17,560 But his whole ethos is what got me. 783 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:20,000 His whole dogged refusal 784 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:22,560 to let the 19th-century industrialism 785 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:24,400 ruin Britain at that point, 786 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:29,200 and to remind us all that this can all be made by hand. 787 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,840 And it's better if it's made by hand for lots and lots of reasons. 788 00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:34,960 And it caught on in a very, very big way. 789 00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:37,440 And boom, we have the Arts and Crafts movement. 790 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:40,480 What a great place to be doing all that in.It's not bad, aye. 791 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:42,360 It's not bad. And the cake's good too. 792 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,920 Another great week on the road with Professor Pritchard. 793 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,560 Jokes aside, I do learn a lot from the guy. 794 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,080 Going into an industrial setting 795 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:03,640 and just looking at crucibles and patterns, 796 00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:05,440 seeing them in a different light. 797 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:07,280 And then giving them a new life. 798 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:10,320 Putting them into the home, making them breathe again 799 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,320 when it could have just been chucked in a skip. 800 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,760 And then we went to see Martin at Ashby Lighting. 801 00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:20,600 It was just great listening to Martin and Drew 802 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:22,880 talking about different makers, different styles, 803 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,720 different eras of lights. 804 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:27,480 And that's what's good about going out with Drew. 805 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:30,160 He's been in the trade for so many years, 806 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:33,040 he's just soaked up so much knowledge, 807 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,520 and he's letting that knowledge seep out of him, 808 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,360 and I'm picking up that knowledge. I'm learning from him. 809 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:43,320 And every once in a while, he does learn something from me. 810 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:45,800 He won't admit it, but he does.