[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

Yes, a good weight.

[SNIFFS] And it smells.

[HORN HONKS] Oh, steady.

NARRATOR: Behind the wheel of a classic car.

Good morning, my lady.

Good morning, partner.

NARRATOR: And a girl to scour Britain for antiques.

Whoops.

Come on.

NARRATOR: The aim, to make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners.

[CHEERS] And valiant losers.

[WHINING] Will it be the high road to glory?

It's about winning.

NARRATOR: Or the low road to disaster?

Whoa!

Pop off.

[CLUNKS] NARRATOR: This is the "Antiques Road Trip."

[MUSIC PLAYING] Oh yeah.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Well right now, lovers, we've arrived in the wonderful west country with this pair of crockles.

[CLAPS] - Angus?

Rue?

Do you know what?

I'm feeling so, so excited.

What a montumen-- monumentous road trip.

Montumentous?

Montumentous.

You are excited.

I know.

NARRATOR: Argue they're full of beans today.

Our enthusiastic experts, Rue Irvin and Angus Ashworth, are out and about taking in all things Devonian.

Obviously famous for a lot of things.

High hedges.

[RUE LAUGHS] A little known fact about Devon is the high hedges.

Really?

Angus, there's only one thing I think of when I think of Devon.

What's that?

Clotted cream.

Clotted cream, oh, it is divine, isn't it?

NARRATOR: What isn't divine is the current state of their finances.

Oh dear.

Angus, who was sitting on a tidy sum, made a few chassis purchases.

Fortune favors the brave.

I'll take the pair of them.

NARRATOR: While Rue, who was strapped for cash, indulged in a spot of panic buying.

That is lovely, but that is not going to be affordable.

NARRATOR: And sadly, neither strategy paid off at the auction.

[GAVEL BANGS] You win some, you lose some.

It's a bit all over the place because I won the last battle.

If anything I won two out of our three battles.

Yeah, it's too warm, but-- [INAUDIBLE] I'm about 100 ahead, aren't I?

NARRATOR: Not far off.

After some early success, Rue has managed to whittle her 200 pounds starting budget down to 114 pounds and 56 pence.

Not brilliant.

[GAVEL BANGS] While our man Angus finds himself pretty much back where he started with 205 pounds and 28 pence.

But are they downhearted?

Not on your nelly.

What are your tactics now for this next round of spending?

Are you going to go big?

Play it safe?

Yeah, you can play it safe, but where's the fun in that?

You've got to go for it, haven't you?

NARRATOR: And at least you'll be going in style in your 1980 Silver Shadow, same vintage as are two trippers as it turns out.

Are you an 80s child?

I am an 80s child, yes.

So am I.

1980 on the nose.

Oh, you've just given your age away to the world.

Oh.

[CLEARS THROAT] NARRATOR: Hey, we'll never tell, Rue.

Honest.

This trip kicked off in Northern Ireland, wandered through Wales, and now they're down in the southwest of England before they head off to a final auction in Cleaveton.

This time out we're making our way to an auction in Exmouth but our buying begins in Barnstable.

Yes!

This lovely Devonshire town has a long and colorful history, but is perhaps best known as the birthplace of a certain dashing, some would say strikingly handsome, antiques expert with a silky smooth voice, too.

[PURRS] Angus' first shop of the trip is Adam's Antiques.

Come on Barnstable, do me proud, my lovers.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Melvin, how are you doing?

Angus.

- Oh I'm grand, thanks, Angus.

- Good.

- My name's Wayne.

- Wayne?

I've got a brother-in-law called Wayne.

- Have you?

- Yeah.

I don't know if that gets me a discount but it's worth a try, isn't it?

NARRATOR: Cory never misses a trick, do he?

Wayne's shop might be a little one, but it's chock a block with really nice things and some of your favorites too, Angus.

Cabinet full of military.

Dream.

Particularly what I like is this.

Now it's an officer's dress belt, lovely gilt and white metal.

It's the North Devon regiment, the 11th regiment afoot.

It's a great little piece and very popular.

There we go.

465.

It's slightly out of my budget.

Would love to buy this.

And actually a good selling piece, but I haven't got that much money so I'm going to have to leave that there.

NARRATOR: Yeah, I don't think even the ancient society of Waynes would help you out on that one.

Try something else.

Absolute classic there.

Bit of arts and crafts design, it's lovely copper, it'll be a Benson jug, I'm sure.

Yeah, so its stamp's underneath.

WAS Benson.

There we go.

And we've seen these quite a few times, but they're just lovely design pieces nicely polished up.

What's unusual is it's got a wooden top on it, which is a bit different.

Usually they'd have another copper stopper and if we look inside it's actually an insulated jug suit Keep everything cool or hot in there, you've got an insulated liner.

What have we got on it?

45 pounds.

That's not bad.

That might be worth having a little chat about.

It's a safe bet, but maybe I need a safe bet or two after my last auction.

NARRATOR: Very good point.

And someone else who could do with a bit of a safe bet is our Rue, currently en route to the Devonshire town of Bideford, oh-hoh, home of Bideford black, a pigment that was made here and used in camouflage paint and mascara.

Actually, our girl will be batting her lashes in Old Bridge Antiques, and given her current financial she needs all the help she can get.

RUE IRVIN: I'm at just under 115 pound.

The gap has narrowed, but I seem to be slipping down the ladder a little bit more and I refuse to go into double figures.

I have pride, I can't let that happen.

Famous last words.

NARRATOR: Better get busy, then.

Lots to get to grips with in here.

Now that is a vase.

NARRATOR: Oh, she's good, isn't she?

Dare I try and pick this up?

[GRUNTS] No.

No, no, no.

Isn't even levitating.

It's staying right where it is.

That is magnificent.

That's 485 pounds, so well outside my budget.

Not even an Angus' budget.

But that's a Victorian Champs-leve vase.

Champs-leve is basically French for raised ground.

This actually creates trenches into the actual material and then the enamel is poured in.

And what a piece.

I don't doubt that it is worth every single penny, but I'm not buying it because I can't afford it and I also can't get it off the shelf.

NARRATOR: Two very valid reasons.

Then something more portable, perhaps.

RUE IRVIN: That's quite a delicate little thing.

It's a bread fork.

So this is, back in the Victorian days where it was frowned upon to actually touch the food with your fingers.

Probably late Victorian to the early 1900s.

But what makes this quite special is Norwegian silver, which really is the trend.

Anything Norwegian Scandi in terms of design is quite collectable.

But it's got age to it and it's also got the maker.

Theodore Olson, pretty much the main silversmith or goldsmith in Bergen in Norway at the time.

So that's a great name to have on a silver item of Victorian cutlery, but you know the best part?

5 pounds.

Job's are goodun.

NARRATOR: I think she's having that.

What else will catch her eye?

Now this piece of Railwayana stands out like a sore thumb in amongst all the sort of bronze and brass and guitars.

Now that's priced up at 32 pounds, so my first thought is is it a reproduction?

That's quite a good price.

This is far easier to age a modern piece than say a piece of furniture would be because you can just start scraping the paint off and it looks like it's got real age to it.

But as I see that the paint is coming off all the time.

I don't know whether that's a good sign or a bad sign as to its authenticity.

NARRATOR: It's also made of aluminum, so I don't think it's particularly old.

32 pound is a good price and it's just a cool decorative piece.

One of the rare occasions where you want the paint to be a bit chipped.

That might be quite a nice buy.

NARRATOR: Well, she seems to be chugging away quite happily there.

Back in my old stomping ground, Angus is still scrutinizing those cabinets.

Spotted a bit of pewter in there and you've always got to check pewter.

And it's not the really early stuff.

What we want to see is the arts and crafts stuff, particularly Tudric, which is very popular, this hammered detail on it there.

Lovely clock.

The date wise looks right, sort of early 20th century.

So does it say the magic words?

Yes, it does.

Tudric.

That is what we want.

NARRATOR: Tudric was the brand name for pewterware sold by Liberty of London.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: One of the famous designers of Tudric was Archibald Knox.

Obviously if you had a bit that was named Archibald Knox then that goes through the roof.

Even so, if that wasn't Tudric it's a 20, 30 pound piece.

Tudric is probably 80 to 120, so really good.

What have we got on the price tag?

Have we found a bargain?

Well, the shop knows what they're on about.

110 pounds, so it's, yeah, it's about there.

So actually that's a really good piece.

Very collectible, definitely worth seeing what we can do on that.

NARRATOR: And it sits nicely with that so-called Benson jug that you had your eye on.

Shall we have a chat with Wayne?

Found some bits.

Great, please.

I've found a few bits, actually.

OK.

There's this lovely clock and this Benson jug, so wondering what we could do on those.

All right.

And I've also just spotted that bottle up there.

SHOPKEEPER WAYNE: OK. ANGUS ASHWORTH: I love these mallet-shaped bottles.

They look like they've just been squashed down on the table.

You can just imagine that in an old tavern with a glass and a fine wine coming out of there.

This lovely raised piece there and you can just see where the neck's been twisted slightly and you've got this grain in the glass.

Lovely color.

Rue would love it.

So potentially there's three items there.

Three items, yeah.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: You haven't got a very west country accent, have you?

No, I put the North in North Devon.

I'm actually from Lancashire.

Oh God.

Rough.

Wrong side of the peninsula, innit?

Oh yews, but my children are all born in Halifax.

Ah, so you're Yorkshire man.

NARRATOR: Could have been the Wars of the Roses all over again.

Honestly I'm from Yorkshire and we have to look after each other, don't we?

So they say.

Yeah, so what's the best price on the clock?

SHOPKEEPER WAYNE: 80 quid.

The Benson.

Yeah, the Benson, which is nice.

SHOPKEEPER WAYNE: 25.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: The bottle's ticket price of 28.

SHOPKEEPER WAYNE: 20 quid.

20 pounds, OK.

So, 80, 20, 25, 125 for three.

Yeah.

Can't argue with that.

That's brilliant.

- Are we going to do a deal?

Yeah, we'll do a deal.

Wonderful, Angus, thank you.

NARRATOR: Three very nice things, one very nice discount.

Barnstable's been good to you, boy.

Now it's hungry work, the shopping, and Angus always likes to eat local.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Well hang on a minute, home of the Yorkshire chip?

We're in Devon.

That can't be right.

I'm from Scarborough, home of the Yorkshire chips.

I think I'm going to have to sample this.

NARRATOR: Did we mention he's from Yorkshire?

I think it's come up once or twice.

Down the road in Bideford, Rue's also been a busy bee.

There's a bread fork and a local number plate put aside and now she's roped into owner, Susanna, for a bit of help.

Go, Susanna, go.

RUE IRVIN: All right, let's see this.

[GASP] I do get excited by all the things.

I'm in the right trade, though, aren't I?

It's great.

The key turns, it all works.

It's beautiful.

[KEY SQUEAKING] RUE IRVIN: Oh, that's lovely.

Look at the size of that key.

NARRATOR: A Georgian oak lock.

Must have been one heck of a door.

Let me survey the back.

I mean, to be fair, you don't want it to be in pristine condition because it's Georgian.

It's 200 years old.

That's beautiful.

It could come from a church, a chapel.

That's true.

Or a large farm building.

RUE IRVIN: See what I love about antiques like this, we've got no idea about the house.

This is just how to get into the house.

True.

And it's one part of the jigsaw puzzle, but probably my most favorite part because without it you can't get in.

Unless you break a window.

NARRATOR: We don't do that.

It's priced up at 75 pounds.

SHOPKEEPER SUSANNA: The absolute death on that would be 45.

NARRATOR: That's quite a chunk off.

Shall we put it with your other potentials?

RUE IRVIN: The very best on this is 45 pound?

Yes.

Right, so that's, that's very fair.

Thank you so much.

I do love the fork at 5 pound.

That's a bargain so I will take that.

The aluminum railway sign, it might have lost a couple of chips of paint since I brought it over, but 32, what is the absolute very, very, very best you can do?

If I said 20 pounds on this one, it would be a 70 pound deal.

We like to do package deals here.

Well I like package deals, too, so then thank you so much.

NARRATOR: What's not to like, then?

I think you've been well looked after there, Rue.

RUE IRVIN: Oh, these are heavy.

NARRATOR: It's a good job you're the one with the motor, then.

Off you pop.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Angus, meanwhile, is taking a break from shopping and has headed to the coast.

He's come to Ilfracombe to find out the great lengths the town went to to cash in on the 19th century craze for bathing.

He's meeting Jamie McClintock, the director of the tunnels' beaches.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Hi, how you doing?

You all right?

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Hi, yeah, good.

RUE IRVIN: Good, brilliant, well what a beautiful spot we've got.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Yeah, lovely, isn't it?

So tell me about this spot.

Well Ilfracombe used to be a tiny fishing village very tucked away from the rest of the country.

So there wasn't a lot here.

It wasn't the grand buildings there are now.

So it wasn't initially a tourist destination?

No.

We've always got beaches.

They're quite inaccessible to get to for people.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: So the big cliffs and?

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Yeah.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Yeah.

So there's no way of actually accessing them?

No.

No, not in those days.

You'd come around by boat and bathe by boat.

NARRATOR: In the early 1800s bathing was becoming popular amongst the world to do for health and recreation.

To get their slice of the bathing boom, a group of local entrepreneurs formed the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company.

In 1823 they hired hundreds of Welsh miners to dig tunnels through the cliffs to give access to the beaches.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Six tunnels built in all.

This is the second one.

So it was a massive amount of work involved.

Took two years to do.

Wow.

Two years, that's incredible.

I mean I noticed all these marks in the stonework there.

Was that?

Yeah, so that's blast marks.

The first tunnel was hand-carved, but the later tunnels were blasted out.

So that's where we've used explosives to obviously work away the rock and then move it by hand.

Move it by hand.

So quite an undertaking, quite dangerous as well.

Yeah, definitely.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: I've noticed that they're quite wide and tall, aren't they?

I mean.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Yeah they're designed so horse and carriages could get all the way through to a beach because they'd have bathing machines.

Basically they're huts on wheels, which is drawn by horses and ponies and they back them into the water, step down so the ladies who get out with all their dresses hiding in modesty so literally no one could see them.

NARRATOR: This massive undertaking paid off and soon holidaymakers flocked to the town.

In just a few years, Ilfracombe became quite the fashionable place to come and take a dip.

[SEAGULLS CALLING] I can see this pool here on this beautiful beach.

Is this a tidal pool?

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Yeah.

So we built three, actually, in Victorian times, only one of which still remains.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: As the high tide comes in, it fills the pool out.

As it goes out you still got the bathing.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Yeah, so it's there for six hours in every 12.

Three hours before and after high tide.

They also built the bathhouse in 1836, slightly later than the tunnels, and that was originally a seawater spa where you could have hot and cold seawater baths.

It was only for the wealthy initially and then became the main bathhouse of a town where people would bath and shower because they didn't have any in their own homes.

NARRATOR: Ilfracombe remained a popular resort all through the Victorian era and well into the 20th century.

For proprieties' sake, men and women each had separate beaches accessed by their own tunnels.

It wasn't until 1905 that mixed bathing was eventually allowed.

Well I never did.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: This is actually the gentleman's beach.

Women would bathe one side, the gents the other.

And there was actually a bugler who'd sit on a rock just around here and sound the horn if any gents tried to go around to the lady's side.

That's brilliant.

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: Well ladies actually wore head to toe dresses.

Some even had a lead in the seams to keep the dresses down low as they went into the water whereas gents would be completely nude.

- Naked?

- Yeah.

OK.

I might offend the women a little bit.

Right.

OK, well, and was swimming a popular thing at the time?

JAMIE MCCLINTOCK: It was becoming popular.

People couldn't really swim.

They came here to learn to swim and a local guy called Professor Harry Parker would come down here and not only teach swimming but also do all sorts of feats and escapology down here to wow the crowds, swimming while smoking a cigar or sipping champagne or firing a revolver while swimming and all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

I kind of feel really I should have a go and have a swim in the sea while I'm here.

Oh yeah, crack on.

Don't forget the dress code, though, will you?

NARRATOR: Naughty.

I think he's going for it.

Genteel ladies should look away now.

Although we do have a bugler on standby.

Hey, it's that sort of show, is it?

Seems to be going that way.

That's it, cut to a wave.

Very subtle.

Naughty.

Bit parky in there, isn't it?

[GASP AND LAUGHTER] I don't know how people in the 19th century did it because this is freezing, not to mention the rocks I'm standing on.

That's enough for me.

Even as a northern lad who swims in the North Sea, this is too cold.

NARRATOR: I don't know.

Call yourself a Yorkshireman?

[MUSIC PLAYING] Rue, meanwhile, is staying nicely warm and dry.

She's pointed the roller towards the town of Great Torrington with a very friendly West country welcome.

They've even broken out the bunting for you, Rue.

Her next port of call is the encouragingly named Collectability.

The shop's not long been trading, so hopefully there'll be lots of stuff that's fresh to the market for our girl to get her mitts on.

RUE IRVIN: Believe it or not I love a good pewter tankard.

They're secretly a medieval man living inside me and this is what he used to drink from.

NARRATOR: That tankard looks 20th century to me.

RUE IRVIN: There's something so rustic about a pewter tankard, but you see them in every single antique shop.

What makes this one different is it's Indian and it's got a lovely Indian scene here with some pelicans and beautiful foliage but then it's got a map on the back.

It makes you think of my ancestry because I'm from the Rajput caste, which is from the kings and queens.

And here I am with 44 pound in my pocket.

I've come far, haven't I?

Thank you, tankard for reminding me of my past and my current financial crisis.

NARRATOR: Well we're finding out all sorts today.

Now, what does your majesty think of that?

I'm not a huge fan of stoneware, but I can appreciate it when it's large and it's got that lovely glaze to it.

NARRATOR: I bet you're inner medieval man quite likes it, too.

RUE IRVIN: And this is four gallons, so it's going to hold enough water to wet your whistle.

It's got a wee chip on the side, which is a shame to break such a beautiful, shiny glaze, but that might help me a little bit with the price.

And speaking of price, this is made by Price in Bristol.

Charles Price in particular, and he was making stoneware from 1799, long time ago, but more on his own from 1820 and this definitely passes a weight test.

And I like it.

It's something that people will have in their homes in a country kitchen and it's priced up at 45 pound.

Now I've known collectors to spend a lot more than that on stoneware jars.

I'm not going to take it to the till because it is rather heavy, but I'm sure Felicity won't mind if I refer to it and point in the corner.

NARRATOR: That'll be Felicity, then.

Hello, Felicity.

Hi, Rue.

Hi, Felicity.

And I've spotted a stone, a very large stoneware pot made by Price in Bristol and it's priced up at 45 pounds.

SHOPKEEPER FELICITY: Yeah.

RUE IRVIN: It's got a few chips around the edge and one sort of chip in the glaze, which does detract from its beauty a little bit.

Could you do it for round about the 25 pound mark?

I don't think we'd be able to go to that.

Would you settle for 35?

Could we meet in the middle at 30 and that would just be.

32?

RUE IRVIN: Go on, then.

32.

Thank you so much.

SHOPKEEPER FELICITY: Pleasure.

NARRATOR: Indeed it was.

And after that purchase our Rue's only got a little over 12 pounds left.

RUE IRVIN: Bye bye.

SHOPKEEPER FELICITY: Thank you.

NARRATOR: I'm sure you could have got one of your flunkies to carry that for you, your Highness.

And with that, it's time to pick up your mate.

He should have thawed out by know.

I think your driving has proved.

You're not reaching for the invisible brake with your foot, you're not clutching onto the front door.

No, because I mean to be fair, a Rolls-Royce has got probably the largest crumple zone on any vehicle in the world, so I'm safe if we hit anything.

Oh thank you.

That makes me feel better.

NARRATOR: Nighty night.

[MUSIC PLAYING] As a new day dawns in the West Country, are dashing duo are getting all loved up.

I really like you.

Oh, likewise.

It's these little comedy quips that you come out with.

They're great.

And not to mention the wardrobe.

I mean it's, every day is just.

Are you enjoying it?

Just an education for me.

Yeah.

We're getting to know each other really well and it's nothing short of a pleasure.

Team Rue and Angus, I tell you.

Rugus.

Rugus.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: It'll never catch on.

Yesterday Rue went to town on the shopping, snagging a silver bread fork, some Railwayana, a big stoneware jug, and a Georgian oak lock.

Look at the size of that key.

NARRATOR: All of which leaves her with just 12 pounds and 56 pence to play with.

Angus splashed the cash, too, getting his hands on a mallet wine bottle, a copper jug, and a pewter clock.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Does it say the magic words?

Yes, it does.

Tudric.

NARRATOR: So he now has over 80 pounds left in his wallet and a continued fascination with the local hedgerows.

They're very different to a Yorkshire hedge.

They've got like a mud bank and wall and then the hedge sits on top, so they've almost got like a boundary bun line in the earthwork.

With you being such a hedge expert does that make you a hedgitarian?

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Better than being a hedgehog.

Later we'll be heading to a Devonshire auction in Exmouth.

But first Angus has gone solo popping into Somerset in the village of Sampford Brett, home to his next shop, Keith Richards Antiques.

Let's hope he can get some satisfaction in here.

Hello.

How are you doing?

Angus.

Nice to meet you.

Hello, Angus.

I'm Keith.

Excellent well it looks like a great shop.

Proper antique shop.

SHOPKEEPER KEITH: I try, yeah.

Cabinets all open.

Dive in.

Brilliant, thank you.

NARRATOR: Keith's in the kind of shop where everything is immaculately displayed and it's all top notch stuff, too, so you might have a job finding something to fit your 80 pound budget, Angus.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: I just love the fact that no matter where you go in the world you find a bit of Yorkshire because that's how great Yorkshire is.

Everybody has it all over the country.

NARRATOR: Oh, he's off again.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: We've got a Wren Man coffee table, occasional table.

Oak, quality English oak.

So Wren Man was actually a chap called Bob Hunter from just near Thirsk, just up the road from where I live, about 20 minutes away.

So there was Wren Man, there was Fish Man, Rabbit Man, Lizard Man, Gnome Man.

All sorts.

But a lot of them started as apprentices at Mouse Man and then set up under their own brands.

So each carver would have their own sort of little signature piece.

This one has the wren on it there.

And it's become hugely popular.

Unfortunately, you know, 695, quite reasonable really for the current market but way out of my price range for today.

NARRATOR: You can't always get what you want.

Maybe something a bit smaller.

Interesting looking spoon down here.

Very interesting for a couple of reasons.

You've got this lovely sort of loop around handle goes around that's sort of the rope twist there, the ball on the end.

Very typical of Norwegian spins.

Quite a lot of them have this on.

You know, this lovely leaf shaped ball on it there, a little detail on it.

They're absolutely fantastic.

So if you turn it over there and again you've got this continuation of the pattern underneath there.

So it's Norwegian silver.

I think Rue would approve of it.

It's shiny, it's pretty.

NARRATOR: And it would go with her Norwegian silver fork.

This one's by Marius Hammer, also from Bergen and around the same period, too.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Norwegian silver spoon, circa 1890, 44 pounds.

Do you know what?

I think that's worth a conversation.

NARRATOR: Well, no time like the present.

Keith?

ANGUS ASHWORTH: I found this nice little spoon.

I mean I found loads of stuff that I love.

Unfortunately I haven't got tons of money, so this is a bit more within my budget.

I mean you've got a ticket price of 44 pounds on that.

SHOPKEEPER KEITH: Right.

I'm pretty sure it's not, you know, probably your biggest profit margin piece in the shop, but.

It came in with a whole load of stuff.

That's always promising, isn't it?

But a bit of help on it?

Could we?

SHOPKEEPER KEITH: Very bottom line would be 30 pounds.

30 pounds?

- Yeah.

- Not gonna argue with that.

Thank you very much.

I'll take that.

NARRATOR: You've got the silver and that leaves Angus with a little over 50 pounds for his last shop.

Right on, baby.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Elsewhere, Rue, now in her country clothes, has headed out into the countryside.

She's come to the Exmoor National Park near Dulverton and the Exmoor Pony Center to meet some of the locals.

RUE IRVIN: Hi, Lindsay.

Hi.

Lovely to meet you.

Hi, sweetheart.

NARRATOR: Lindsay Green manages the center, which has been helping to protect the Moor's unique equine residence since 2006, but the story of the Exmoor pony goes back considerably further.

There's been ponies on Exmoor for thousands of years and they're a really pure breed.

They're one of our oldest native breeds in Britain.

They've got lots of special qualities that make them perfect for living in a rough upland area, so they're in their natural habitat at their best.

NARRATOR: Traditionally kept for land management, the ponies were allowed to roam free across the Moors to graze and over the centuries, these rugged animals have evolved to withstand whatever the British weather can throw at them.

Lindsay, who is this?

Who am I meeting?

So this is Almond and he's a local Exmoor pony.

Exmoor ponies have some very special characteristics that set them apart from other breeds.

They have a thicker sort of eyebrow hair, which we call the toad eye and it helps all of the rain sort of come off without going into their eyes.

So it's sort of a fleshy lid there.

And then this lovely brown coat.

So the summer coat is hard and bright and sort of tight to the skin and then in the winter they will have a thick dual layered coat where they have insulation under a waterproof layer.

What do they actually eat?

LINDSAY GREEN: On the Moorland, they'll be eating gorse, they'll eat brambles, they can eat nettles, so all sorts of things that we wouldn't want to go near the ponies are very good at eating them and they are all over the world doing a great job of environmental grazing.

NARRATOR: The pony's placid nature and incredible stamina also make them ideal as work animals.

Exmoor ponies have been used on farms around here for shepherding, plowing, and pulling carts.

They're also quite happy to take an antiques expert for a trot.

Lydia Hi, Lydia.

And the pony, Fleeter.

I have never been on any animal before apart from a camel when I was eight years old so this is very much a first for me.

So if you just want to step up onto the block.

RUE IRVIN: OK. And you're going to put your left foot in the stirrup.

And then you're going to sort of go 1, 2, 3, and then you're going to swing yourself over.

RUE IRVIN: 1, 2, 3.

That's perfect.

[NERVOUS BREATH] Give him a little squeeze around his tummy and just say walk on.

Walk on.

Oh, oh.

NARRATOR: Gorgeous seat, Rue.

Fleeter is used to novice riders.

Over the years, there have been many efforts to conserve this distinct native breed.

In 1921, the Exmoor Pony Society was formed to ensure their ancient bloodline was preserved, but the ponies came under threat during World War II when Exmoor became a training ground for troops.

CARETAKER LYDIA: Their guardians were off at war, and the boundaries and the cattle grid sort of lapsed and so the ponies weren't as well managed and it did mean that they were rustled for their valuers as meat.

So the numbers went down to about 50.

RUE IRVIN: 50!

So they really needed some serious effort to start looking after them again.

NARRATOR: This ancient breed was on the verge of extinction after the war, but since then their numbers have slowly risen to around 500 thanks in no small part to the hard work of enthusiasts keen to ensure that these tough little ponies continue to wander across Exmoor.

LINDSAY GREEN: By running the center, we're promoting the breed and we're hoping to get lots of people involved and enthusiastic about our native breed and they're preserved for the future.

RUE IRVIN: Lindsay, I have to say I really feel a bonded with Fleeter, and on that note, Fleeter, walk on.

Good boy.

Oh, he might have to come home with me.

NARRATOR: Talking of boys, Angus is taking his trusty steed towards the Somerset village of Carhampton.

He's here for a mooch around Chris's Crackers, the self-proclaimed best junk shop in the Southwest.

I think we should put that to the test, don't you?

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Hello.

How are you doing?

I'm Angus.

- Hi there.

I'm fine.

I'm Carol.

Carol, nice to meet you, Carol.

You all right?

A bit cold.

A bit cold as well.

I I'm going to get warmed up running around here.

Tons of places to go and look at.

NARRATOR: He's not wrong.

Lots of salvage, reclamation, and other assorted odds and ends to get stuck into.

[FEIGNED ELECTROCUTED SCREAM] Tell you what, the stuff in this spot is electrifying.

NARRATOR: Stupid boy, you'll have a lobotomy soon, get on with some proper work, ANGUS ASHWORTH: This is interesting.

What is it, you're probably thinking.

Well, it's a woodworking plane, but it's a very early woodworking plane.

Quite often these were out of block woods.

This is an early metal one there.

So you hold on there, hand on there, push along, and you plane your wood.

That is a lovely early piece and on the front, look at the maker's mark there.

Stanley Rule and the Level Co. NARRATOR: And that's not a plane plane, either.

It's a circular plane for smoothing curves and it probably dates to around 1900.

They can do really well at auction, particularly woodworking planes.

Now this one hasn't got a price on it, but I'm going to go and find out because I think this could be a real find.

NARRATOR: Very good.

Let's see what Carol can do for you.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Hello.

I'm back.

You're back.

And I found something.

This woodworking plane.

That is quite nice.

SHOPKEEPER CAROL: It is.

It's an old Stanley.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: No price ticket on it.

SHOPKEEPER CAROL: I would say 30 quid.

Something like that.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: 30 pounds.

What would be the best price we can do on that?

Cause I'm keen on it.

Yeah, absolutely.

25 with the very, very best.

25 pounds.

I think that is worth a go.

Marvelous.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: Thank you very much.

SHOPKEEPER CAROL: Smashing.

No problem at all.

NARRATOR: Well you managed to shave a bit off there and that'll do for your shopping.

And in the nick of time because look who's just rode into town.

Can his cash-strapped companion find anything here?

RUE IRVIN: Hi, Peter.

- Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you for having us.

I'm going to give you a heads up.

I have somewhere between 12 and 13 pound.

I know, I know, I'm sorry.

Big budget.

RUE IRVIN: So I'm going to have a look around.

Do you have small things as well?

SHOPKEEPER PETER: Yeah so if you follow your nose around in the little antique barn, there's a few smalls in there.

RUE IRVIN: I don't think I'll get a nice big pair of stone lions.

Not for 13 pounds.

Worth asking, isn't it?

NARRATOR: Well, you might find a dodgy looking gargoyle in amongst all this.

RUE IRVIN: Angus Ashworth.

Yes, Rue?

Why do you have time to be swinging around?

Oh, I'm having a bit of chill time.

Well unlike you, I have things to do.

I assume you're done and dusted?

Well, you know I'm just taking a bit of time out.

You crack on.

Oh dearie me.

All right, I'll make sure I find something absolutely rocking that's going to beat you.

NARRATOR: All right, you, time to delve into those smalls.

I have been saying I haven't bought any glass yet and Angus has beaten me to it.

This is just good old-fashioned art glass but that's a lot of glass.

No chips.

That's in beautiful condition.

And what I love most about it?

The gorgeous tortoiseshell colors.

And age-wise I would probably say 1940s?

Not as antique as I would like, but again, I can't afford to be fussy with the money I have.

And the condition is very nice.

Oh!

It's a love heart.

It's meant for me, I think.

NARRATOR: Better find out if you can afford it, then.

I had a good look around your gorgeous emporium and this is what I've fallen in love with.

It's lovely that is.

It's really nice.

Now all I'm asking is could this be 12 pound 56?

We could do 12 pound 56.

Really?

We could do it just to help the job off.

I'm going to take a risk here.

Thank you so much.

I will let you hold this while I give you the money.

NARRATOR: And that final purchase wipes out the last of her budget.

Only one place left to go.

Well, here we go back in the car.

RUE IRVIN: I know.

We're officially done and off to auction we go.

Off to auction, I know.

Why don't I drive you?

You've had a long, hard day.

After you, Madam.

Thank you spending all the money.

NARRATOR: But first time for some shuteye, I think.

Nice hedge.

[MUSIC PLAYING] We're headed back to Devon for our auction and the town from which Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on many of his expeditions.

Our antiques explorers are hoping that their treasures will find favor here.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: What a beautiful day.

It is, but I'm feeling the pressure because I'm running out of chances to pull it back.

You'll pull it back today.

I think it's going to be your day.

Nearly a hundred pound behind.

NARRATOR: Well, we'll soon see.

After plundering the antiques shops of the West Country, our experts have dropped anchor in Exmouth, here to parade their goods at Piers Motley Auctions.

Angus coughed up 180 pounds on his five auction lot.

RUE IRVIN: He has spent 80 pound, that's a huge whack of money, on this lovely arts and crafts clock.

It's something that would fly online, but there's no online at this auction.

But it means he's got to make nearly a 100 pound in the room to actually make profit.

NARRATOR: Rue forked out every last penny of her 114 pound 56 P on her five lot.

ANGUS ASHWORTH: What are the chances?

I bought a silver Norwegian spoon.

Rue has bought a silver Norwegian fork.

And the difference is I paid 30 pounds for my spoon.

Rue's only paid 5 pounds for this little fork.

Lovely design on it.

Really nice thing.

The question is which bit of Norwegian silver is going to do better?

The spoon, or the fork?

NARRATOR: Now, what does our eponymous auctioneer, Piers Motley, make of their buys?

Over to you, Piers.

The Stanley plane is made in America.

It's quite a rare item, but doesn't necessarily mean it's hugely valuable.

I would expect this to make about 50 pounds.

My favorite item is the Studio Glass tortoiseshell vase.

It has got that look.

It's a good size, as well.

I think this is a very desirable piece in the present market.

NARRATOR: All very encouraging.

Time to squeeze past into your seats and get this auction going.

Here we are.

Another day.

Yeah.

Another dollar.

Hopefully it's more than a dollar.

NARRATOR: Pound sterling, thanks.

First up is Rue's four gallon flagon.

At 20 pounds?

Come on.

PIERS MOTLEY: Any interest in 20 pounds?

Or 10 pounds, then?

I turn a bit of at 12 anywhere?

10 pounds I have.

Any of us on 10 pounds?

That's very low.

At 12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

Not at 22?

20 pounds I have.

Any of us on 20 pounds?

All done?

Be selling at 20 if no other bids.

All done at 20 pounds, then.

[GAVEL BANGS AND GROAN] NARRATOR: Not an auspicious start.

Might have done better if it was full of cider.

Unlucky.

Someone give me a break.

NARRATOR: Time for a second vessel, Angus' copper jug.

At 20 pounds, then?

At 20 pounds.

Oh dear.

At 20 pounds.

And 10 pounds-- You'll get it.

Know that it will claim up.

Thank you, 10 I've been offered.

12 anywhere?

10 pounds I have.

12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

Not at 22?

20 pounds I have.

Any of us at 20 pounds?

20 pounds.

That's cheap.

PIERS MOTLEY: Are we all done, ladies and gentlemen?

Selling at 20 pounds.

[GAVEL BANGS] I thought that was a guaranteed profit.

NARRATOR: No guarantees in this game, Angus.

Just ask Rue.

That is a shame.

It's a lovely thing.

NARRATOR: Now, anybody got an enormous door that needs locking?

I love it.

But.

But I'm not sure if you'll make a profit.

There's been a little bit of interest in this sort of stuff.

Let's start the commission bid just under the lower estimate there at 12 pounds.

15 with you?

12 pound and 15 in the front?

18?

15 pounds I have.

18 with you?

At 18, 20, 22.

22, 25?

Not at 25?

Thank you, 22 I have.

Any of us on 22 pounds, ladies and gentlemen?

Be selling at 22 pounds, then.

Oh, you know, you get that full sense of hope when you hear a lot of interest.

NARRATOR: Oh, they were interested but just not enough to buy it.

I mean, I'm surprised nobody saw it was stamped Windsor Castle.

I know.

How could they miss that?

That would have put the price up.

Someone got a bargain there.

[LAUGHTER] NARRATOR: Next up is Angus' mallet-shaped wine bottle.

We've got a lot of liquid containers today, haven't we?

I'm starting with.

Oh.

Oh.

Here we go.

I'm starting with a commission bid which has come in at 25 pounds.

28 with you?

25 pounds I have.

Any of us on 25 pounds?

Any of us on 25 pounds?

Are we all done, then, ladies and gentlemen?

Last chance if you wish to bid.

28 with you.

All done, selling at 25 pounds.

[GAVEL BANGS] Well, listen, it's a profit.

It's a profit.

It was my big-- That should have flown.

NARRATOR: Well at least it didn't crash.

Our first profit of the day.

I don't think it's going to be our day today.

But you know, it doesn't matter.

No, because I got to spend the day with you.

And we've got glitter in our hearts.

[WHEEZING] NARRATOR: She's always so chipper, isn't she?

But can her tortoiseshell glass-cased vase add some glitz to the proceedings?

Now this is not a true antique.

No, but it's you.

At 20 pounds?

No interest at 20 pounds?

It's a lovely thing.

At 10 pounds, then?

[RUE GASPS] Thank you, 10.

I've been offered 15 anywhere?

Any of us on 10 pounds?

I can't believe it's going so low.

I know.

PIERS MOTLEY: Nice decorative piece, there.

All done.

I will sell at 10 if there are no other bids.

Order 10 pounds, then.

[GAVEL BANGS] Colors are stunning on it.

Can't believe you lost on that.

NARRATOR: That's definitely taken the sparkle off things.

Angus' plane now.

Will it get over this rough patch?

At 40 pounds.

45 anywhere?

Fantastic.

PIERS MOTLEY: 40 pounds or 45?

50?

And five?

60?

And five?

Not at 65.

60 pounds I have.

Any of us on 60 pounds?

At the back there 65.

70?

And five?

80?

And five?

90?

And five?

Not at 95?

90 pounds I have.

Any of us on 90 pounds?

All done, ladies and gentlemen?

Look at you.

PIERS MOTLEY: Selling at 90 pounds, then.

[GAVEL BANGS] Well done.

Thank you very much.

That is a brilliant buy.

NARRATOR: And a smooth result.

Good job, Angus.

Hats off to you, sir.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Well let's see what her number plate can do.

It's from a railway bridge, apparently.

I would just like a profit right now.

And 10 to start me.

Any interested in 10 pounds?

Thank you, 10.

I have a 12 anywhere?

10 pounds I have.

12 with you?

A little bit more.

Any of us from 10 pounds?

Are we all done, ladies and gentlemen?

Selling at 10 pounds.

[GAVEL BANGS] Wowser NARRATOR: Oh, Rue.

It's not happening for you today.

Is there a violin here?

NARRATOR: Angus' big ticket item, now, and it's got the name but have we got the bidders?

At 30 bid of it.

32 anywhere?

30 pounds I have.

32?

35?

38?

40?

42?

Not at 42?

40 pounds I have.

Any of us on 40 pounds?

Are we all done, ladies and gentlemen?

I will sell if there are no other bids.

All done 42.

45.

48?

Not at 48.

45 I have.

All done, ladies and gentlemen?

Selling at 45 pounds then.

[GAVEL BANGS] Keep on trucking, Angus.

Keep on trucking.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Someone got a nice piece of Tudric for a very good price.

I'm smiling, you're smiling.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Through the tears.

Now it's the Battle of the Norwegian Cutlery.

Rue's fork first and her last lot.

Right who'll start me off at, let's say at 10 pounds on this then.

Is there 10 pounds?

At 10 pounds, thank you.

Lovely.

All straight here.

PIERS MOTLEY: 15?

18?

20?

Come on, keep going.

This is my legacy.

Thank you.

20 pounds I have, any of us on 20 pounds?

More.

More, more, more.

Any of us on 20 pounds?

Last chance if you wish to bid, ladies and gentlemen.

All done.

[LAUGHTER] Bless you.

All done at 20 pounds, then.

[GAVEL BANGS] NARRATOR: Finally, Rue gets a profit and not a bad return at that.

I'm happy with that.

Yeah, 5 quid to 20?

Good result.

NARRATOR: But can his bit of Norway follow suit?

His spoon is the last lot.

Any interest at 20 pounds?

At 15 pounds, then?

[INTERPOSING VOICES] PIERS MOTLEY: 15 pounds ask?

How about a 18?

20?

22?

25?

28?

Not at 28.

25 pounds I have.

Any of us on 25 pounds?

A little bit more.

Some loss.

PIERS MOTLEY: Last chance if you wish to bid again.

All done.

Selling at 25 pounds.

[GAVEL BANGS] I'm really surprised at that.

Your fork was better than my spoon.

NARRATOR: That's how it goes.

But you can't begrudge her that, can you, after the day she's had?

You know, we are going to make history, road trip history, on the next leg.

Oh yeah.

Let's break through four figures.

Yeah.

[WHEEZES] Come on, let's get some sunshine.

NARRATOR: Yeah, you've go and do that while I do the sums.

I'm almost scared to look.

Ooh.

Rue made quite a loss after auction costs.

47 pounds and 32 pence to be exact and that leaves her with only 67 pounds and 24 P in her pocket.

It's a road trip record, but not one that you'd want to shout about.

Angus also made a loss, but a much smaller one.

After selling fees, he's left with 193 pounds and 38 pence for next time.

But you know, I think a bit of sock pulling up all round is required.

Oh.

Wowzer.

Not the best of days for us.

No it wasn't, really, but doesn't matter because there's one more auction.

We're going to do it.

We're going to nail this?

Yeah, come on.

Come on, then.

[MUSIC PLAYING]