VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts, with £200 each...

I love that.

VO: ..a classic car and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

Yippee!

I can see better with those.

VO: The aim?

To make the biggest profit at auction, but it's no mean feat.

There'll be worthy winners... ..and valiant losers.

Come to have a row.

VO: So will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

Thanks.

He's just about killed that, hasn't he?

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip!

VO: Yeah!

VO: It's a brand-new week and a brand-new road trip, and this time we've got double-trouble - with two Jameses.

JAMES BRAXTON (JB): You have been a past winner of this road trip.

I think I'm going to raise my game if I'm going to give you anything remotely like a challenge.

VO: James Braxton has 20 years experience in antique auctioneering - and alongside being dandy and dapper, he's not afraid of a cheeky offer.

JB: I thought I was being fair!

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: En garde!

His competitive companion, James Lewis, is a seasoned auctioneer with his own business in Derbyshire.

He loves a bargain and would risk life and limb to get to the best buy.

JAMES LEWIS (JL): Ouch!

I just stabbed myself with it.

VO: It's day one for James and James as they set off in their sunshine yellow, 1983 VW Beetle and it's about the only sunshine they're experiencing right now.

JB: It's trying to widdle on us, but it's not doing it very successfully.

JL: I have my hat.

JB: Well done, well done.

JL: In case of danger.

JB: In case of deluge.

(LAUGHS) JB: I'm not feeling anything on my head.

That's the funny thing about these convertible cars, it's a bit like the jet stream, isn't it?

We've got our own little jet stream and it carries everything over, so we'll be uninterrupted.

VO: The route for the week ahead takes our intrepid road- trippers from Ampthill in Bedfordshire, across the channel to Jersey and back again, to the final destination of Leamington Spa - covering almost a thousand miles.

Gosh!

But today's trip begins in Ampthill and ends up at auction in Market Harborough.

VO: Ampthill is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin.

The first settlement here was called 'Aemethyll' which literally means 'ant-infested hill'.

It doesn't look that bad, does it?

JL: Ah!

That was good.

Made it.

JB: How do I get out of this?

JL: Stretch my legs.

I'm not built for these classic cars, you know.

VO: Maybe they weren't built for you James.

JL: So, two shops, which one do you fancy?

Well, I'll take the one within striking distance, eh?

JL: OK. JB: And where's yours?

JL: It'll be around somewhere.

JB: Well, the walk will do you good, James.

JL: What are you saying?

JB: Go on.

Get on with it.

JL: I've noticed you've put on a few pounds over the years.

BOTH: (LAUGH) JB: Get running!

VO: Yes, run along, boys, you haven't got all day.

James Lewis is off to his first shop, Lawson and Lee's, to meet owner Claire.

CLAIRE: Hello.

I'm James, nice to see you.

VO: Claire has a bit of a penchant for fifties and sixties retro.

It might be in vogue but it's not exactly what James is looking for.

Until he spots something that looks a little bit familiar - an Edwardian bridge box.

JL: I bought one of these last year on Road Trip.

CLAIRE: And do you know how I know that?

JL: Cuz it's the one?

It's the same one.

It isn't the same one?

It is the one.

JL: It isn't?!

VO: It is, you know.

AUCTIONEER: At 120, top estimate.

All done at 120..?

(GAVEL HAMMERS) JL: Thank you.

VO: I thought she looked familiar.

What would be your best on it this time?

Oh gosh, I don't know.

I'm not sure.

VO: Surely he's not thinking of buying it again?

Have a think... just have a think.

CLAIRE: OK, I'll have a think then.

JL: That would be a Road Trip first!

CLAIRE: First.

Exactly!

VO: And where's the fun in that hey?

Find something new, James, come on!

Meanwhile, just around the corner, James Braxton is forging ahead at the Ampthill Antiques Emporium.

He's got his beady eye on a copper hearth surround in the arts and crafts style.

JB: The chancers are asking £45 for it.

Dear, oh dear, oh dear.

VO: Cheeky devil!

But that's not going to stop him trying to do a deal on it, oh no.

Gosh!

JB: Libby, is there some discount on that?

LIBBY: Do you really like that, then?

JB: I do like it.

LIBBY: Mmm.

Well the best would be £40.

JB: £40?

Yeah.

That's just over the 10%.

£40, OK. Well you've definitely got a deal with that, Libby.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, yeah...I'll have that.

Would you clean all that up?

Yeah, well I was hoping you might.

No, you've got to be joking!

(LAUGHS) VO: Back in the other shop, though, James Lewis has spotted a walnut music box, inlaid with geometrical micro- mosaic panels... if you want to get technical about it.

(MUSIC BOX PLAYS) VO: Ooh, listen to that.

JL: Probably Swiss, 1940, Swiss musical box, but it's that little marquetry inlay that the whole box is covered in that makes it desirable.

VO: For some strange reason, he wants to pair the £55 box with some wooden napkin rings at £20.

JL: For me to stand a chance, I need to pay something like £15 for them.

Erm...yes...ok. JL: Yeah?

Yep, that's fine.

VO: Blimey, an odd combination - but that was easy!

Well, that was easy.

VO: I just said that!

Beginner's luck?

No.

Elsewhere, James Braxton has got his eye on a gold-plated wax seal - keenly priced at £44.

But will it make an impression?

JB: So we've got a sort of a citrine here, beautifully intaglio engraved with a crest.

How much could that be, Libby?

LIBBY: £38.

JB: £38?

Yeah.

Well that's better than normal isn't it?

LIBBY: That's a good price.

JB: Do you think they might be pushed to £35, Libby?

I'd have to do a phone call.

Would you?

Yeah, that won't take me a moment.

Could you do a phone call?

LIBBY: I will.

JB: I wouldn't mind... Well if you're phoning, if you're phoning, why don't say £30 then?

LIBBY: (LAUGHS) More wasted opportunity, isn't it?

I'll see what I can do.

VO: Now who's the chancer, James?

This seal would have been used to validate a document.

Handsome, and it dates back to about 1830.

JB: How did we do?

He's accepted your offer of £32.

JB: Well he's a very kind man.

LIBBY: Which I thought that was very good.

JB: He's a very kind man.

I'll have that.

OK, that's lovely, thank you very much.

VO: I thought the offer was £30 on the seal?

Oh well, what's £2 between friends?

So that's £32 for the gold seal, and £40 for the copper hearth surround.

£72 - not bad is it?

Good day's shop.

LIBBY: No, that's right.

JB: Well take that away and I'll... OK, take that, one receipt.

JB: OK, thank you very much indeed.

LIBBY: Bye bye.

JB: Bye.

VO: Meanwhile the other James has spotted an odd-looking brooch.

JL: It's a bit of 19th century jewelry but it's...

The unusual thing is it's made totally out of hair.

VO: Human hair?

Yeuch!

The only thing rarer than this is the collectors for them.

They're even rarer.

(LAUGHS) You're either going to rate this really highly or not at all.

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: He'll need to trim something off the £100 price tag.

£20?

£25.

VO: A snip on the hair brooch!

But it looks like he's going for a job lot...again.

That is a mid-19th century brooch, probably made from pinchbeck and pinchbeck was invented by a Dr Pinchbeck who tried to make a metal to look like gold.

And he did it, and that was the result.

How much could that be?

£40.

JL: So, I like that, and I like that.

I think they work quite well together.

If I gave £45 for the two...?

VO: It's a cheeky offer.

Em... OK. JL: Ow!

Just stabbed myself with it...with excitement.

CLAIRE: Put it in a box, quickly!

JL: Look!

Blood!

Blood!

CLAIRE: Blood!

VO: Oh for goodness sake, James, stop being such a drama queen.

JL: Dear me!

OK, how much do I owe you?

The marquetry £15 and the two brooches for £45 - so that's £60 yeah?

CLAIRE: Yeah, 60.

JL: And I'm going to leave that...it would have been fun to buy it back.

VO: Get on with it, you silly boy!

JL: Here, I've got a creased one.

There we are...thank you very much.

Thank you.

JL: Thank you.

CLAIRE: Thank you.

And, ah, see how we go.

CLAIRE: Yes.

VO: Haven't you forgotten something, James?

JL: Hat!

Hat!

Thank you.

I know I'm going to lose this by the end of this trip.

JL: Bye!

Thank you.

CLAIRE: Bye!

VO: Whilst James Lewis has been giving blood, James Braxton has been making a pilgrimage to Olney in Buckinghamshire; with a certain tune in mind.

MUSIC: "Amazing Grace".

# Amazing Grace # How sweet the sound # That saved a wretch like me... # VO: "Amazing Grace" is one of the best-known hymns of the last 250 years but its origins are rooted right here - in Olney.

# I once was lost, but now... # VO: James has come along to meet Elizabeth Knight at the Cowper and Newton Museum, to find out the history of the hymn.

Oh...what rain.

Again!

Hello, James.

ELIZABETH: Hello.

Elizabeth Knight.

Hello.

Very nice to meet you.

Thank you.

Well this will be fascinating, I'm looking forward to hearing more about this amazing song that I've sung...this hymn.

Ah yes, that's only part of the story though.

VO: Amazing Grace was written by Reverend John Newton and William Cowper, who was England's most respected poet at the end of the 18th century.

This is my favorite portrait of him.

It was painted when he lived at Weston Underwood in 1792 by Abbot, and it is said when his servant first saw it, he bowed to it because it was such a good likeness apparently.

JB: Ah, really?

VO: Throughout his life, Cowper was plagued by depression.

Curiously though, his melancholia was eased by three pet hares.

They were given to the poet as young leverets to distract him as he was coming out of one of his periodic depressions.

VO: Because of his depression, Cowper had moved to Olney in 1767, to be under the ministry of Reverend John Newton.

But Newton's career path to the church hadn't been a conventional one.

JB: I'm seeing lots of things pertinent to slavery, so what's the association between Newton and slavery?

ELIZABETH: Because he was a slave captain at one time.

JB: I see.

From slave ship captain, to vicar, to curate here.

Was there a Damascus moment?

What happened?

Yes there was, let me show you.

The slavery business was known as the triangular trade.

JB: Yeah.

That could take three years, that journey.

JB: Really?

ELIZABETH: Yes.

And it was on one of these return voyages in the Atlantic where there was a tremendous storm and they thought they were going to drown.

And though Newton had an early Christian upbringing from his mother, obviously in his seafaring days he'd forgotten all about that and he actually called on the Lord's voice for the first time in many years.

And the storm didn't immediately abate, but it gradually lessened and they were able to limp home to Ireland.

And he dates his conversion from that day.

VO: Having seen the error of his ways, Newton eventually became curate of Olney.

With the help of Cowper, the Olney Hymns were written with the under-educated parishioners in mind.

ELIZABETH: In the case in the corner, we have the first edition of the Olney Hymns published in 1779 and its most famous hymn: "Amazing Grace".

MUSIC: "Amazing Grace".

# Amazing Grace # # how sweet the sound... # And this was making the sort of Bible more accessible to the people who he was serving, presumably?

Yes.

He could teach them... JB: His parishioners?

...the Bible through these hymns.

# Was blind, but now I... # VO: Amazing Grace was just one of the 348 hymns that Newton and Cowper wrote together.

Since recorded over 7,000 times, it has come to mean many things to many people.

And it all began right here in this quiet corner of Buckinghamshire.

# I first believed.

# VO: Meanwhile, James Lewis has also made his way to Olney, for his last shop of the day - the Antiques Centre.

And he's looking for something special.

That's not right.

VO: Something that'll get people talking.

JL: A £2 coin for £3.50.

VO: No...something that'll cause...a stink...maybe.

Well, what do you reckon to that?

VO: I'm not sure, James.

JL: Any ideas?

VO: No.

Help me out.

JL: Smell it.

VO: (SNIFFS) JL: What does that smell of?

VO: (SNIFFS) VO: Mmm...kind of musty...fishy...chocolatey.

That is turtle poo.

VO: You gotta be joking!

Fossilized.

Millions of years old.

It could be yours for £22.

VO: A bargain, I'll take two, please.

Ta.

Do they come in pairs?

JL: You don't often see real poo for sale.

VO: I can't think why, James!

Now go and wash your hands and carry on shopping.

Really!

VO: What have you got there, James?

JL: It's a box from the 19th century.

It's got Vise Vikatan marquetry around the edges.

The corners are missing but there are various ways of sorting that.

VO: Looks like the casket is ebony with ivory inlay.

Now, items containing ivory made after 1947 are illegal to sell, but as this piece dates from around 1880, it can still be traded.

But will owners - Sheila and Mick - let it go for less than the price tag of £25?

£15...offer.

That's it, last chance...last throw of the dice.

That sounds fine.

JL: Brilliant, thank you.

SHEILA: OK. After all that, £15.

SHEILA: You know this place, it's just unbelievable.

There we are.

Thank you very much, thank you.

SHEILA: Thank you.

VO: And just as he's about to leave, James spies one final buy.

JL: I didn't see those when I walked in.

They're quite sweet.

A little pair of lorgnettes.

Imagine a little Edwardian lady taking those out, can't you?

Very much so.

They actually work I can see better with those.

£22.

As we're on a roll...how about £15 again?

MICK: Yes, I'm sure she'll do that.

JL: Yeah?

It's not a big discount is it?

It's not a big discount.

We can do that.

JL: Can't believe that.

Look at that!

JL: A flourish at the end.

BOTH: (LAUGH) VO: A little flourish at the end?

He's not going back for that turtle poo is he?

JL: So I owe you 15 again.

There we go.

Thank you.

SHEILA: Thank you very much.

VO: And with that, day one's shopping is dung...I mean done... with four lots in the bag, it's been a good day for James Lewis.

Night night chaps.

VO: (SINGS) Morning has broken, our experts are up with the lark ...and other such clichés!

And they're heading off to carry on more shopping.

JB: Let's cut to the chase, how many items have you bought?

JL: I've...one, two, three, four...

I think six.

JB: I want to buy three lots at least, three or four lots, all with a good profit, I want to take you on James.

VO: So far James Lewis has spent £90 on four lots - the Victorian lorgnettes, the Indian Sadeli box, a pair of brooches, and the music box and napkin rings - leaving him with £110 for the day ahead.

James Braxton, meanwhile, has spent £72 on two lots - the citrine and gold-plated seal and the copper hearth surround - giving him £128 to splash.

VO: But before James embarks on more shopping, James Braxton is dropping James Lewis off at a car boot sale in Northampton.

JL: I love car boots.

I used to go, but now of course they say "oh it's him off the telly, "I'm not selling anything to him!"

JB: (LAUGHS) VO: And can you blame them?

The thing about car boot sales is that one man's trash is another man's treasure, so good luck, James!

JL: How much is the pestle and mortar?

MAN: Em, that can be £15.

JL: It's quite early, it's 18th century, 1780...could actually be early 19th, 1820, but in that period if you were ill and had an ailment, you would have visited your pharmacist and your pharmacist would have used this pestle and mortar to make your powders, to make your medicines and when qualifying, every pharmacist was given one of these as a classic graduation present.

And because they're made out of bronze they last in quite large numbers, but 15 quid is not expensive.

I like that.

MAN: Yes.

What about if I throw an old book in and we'll call it £25?

JL: The Badminton Library - "Fishing, Pike and Coarse Fish".

VO: Sounds like a bit of a catch to me.

JL: That could almost go with that.

VO: Really?!

I'll give you a tenner for that.

I'm going to have to hold out for £15, because of what it is and because I think it's got some age.

In that case I'll give you £15 the two.

Throw your £2 book in.

OK, yeah, I'll do that.

Yeah?

MAN: Yep.

JL: You've got a deal.

VO: Hook, line and sinker, but James's buys are turning into a bit of pick 'n mix.

JL: Thank you.

MAN: Bye bye, thank you.

VO: Whatever next then?

A medieval bronze bell to complete the lot, eh?

I ploughed that up in the parish of Yelvertoft a few years ago.

VO: Oh yeah?

JL: You ploughed it up?

MAN: Yeah...

It's goat or a sheep, is it?

JL: Yeah.

VO: Looks like a bell to me!

Car boot sale, a load of brand-new bits and bobs, a bit of medieval bronze.

How much is that?

MAN: 50p.

JL: Sold!

VO: Me and my big mouth, eh?

Ding, dong!

JL: There you go.

Thank you very much.

MAN: OK. JL: Have a good day.

MAN: And you.

Thank you.

VO: Back on the road, James Braxton has driven onto Finedon in Northamptonshire for his next stop.

Finedon is a small town in the district of Wellingborough.

Since 2011, their parish priest has been Reverend Richard Coles, formerly of 80's pop group The Communards.

But there'll be no dancing in the aisles for James, he's off to Affleck Bridge Antiques.

Hello.

EDWARD: Good morning.

JB: Hello.

James.

EDWARD: Hello, James.

I'm Edward.

Hello.

Very nice to meet you, Edward.

Nice to meet you too.

Well what a glorious day, isn't it?

It's lovely.

Now Edward, I quite like the personal shopping approach.

Can you tell me, have you got some sort of market-fresh, nice new items that have recently come in?

There's quite a few.

JB: Can you, can you..?

We could step through to the back room.

Oh, lovely, yeah.

EDWARD: It's got...

It's a sort of artsy craftsy piece I think.

JB: Yeah.

EDWARD: But I don't know the maker but it should be labelled.

Nice chamberstick.

JB: Nice chamberstick, isn't it?

It's sort of perpetual movement almost, isn't it?

That's rather fun, that.

VO: One for the back-burner, eh, James?

What's this?

Umbrella Covers North.

What attracts me about this item is you've got a very novelty sort of stylized, looks sort of like a kookaburra forming a handle.

It's a ladies' umbrella that all works... works.

Parasol.

It's just got a little bit of loss there but if you look at the detail of this, this is a luxury good, a luxury accessory and it's £28!

VO: So with the umbrella at £28; what about that chamberstick at £24?

Could you do £40 for the two, Edward?

That's pushing us...erm...

I thought I was being fair!

BOTH: (LAUGH) Well, to give you a chance at the auction...we can do that.

OK, that's very kind.

Thank you very much indeed, thank you.

That's really kind.

JB: There you are, that's 40.

Thank you very much indeed.

EDWARD: Thank you.

I'm glad you found something.

Good luck at the auction.

JB: I'm really pleased with those.

JB: Thank you very much indeed.

EDWARD: You're welcome.

JB: Bye.

Bye.

EDWARD: Thank you.

Bye bye now.

VO: Bye bye.

Bye bye.

So two more items for the swag bag and, without a moment's delay... VO: ..James is beetling on to his next location, Brackley and the final shop of the day.

Historically, a market town based on the wool and lace trade, Brackley was built on intersecting routes between London, Birmingham and the Midlands.

Called a crossroads.

JB: Da, da, da... VO: And just one look at this place, it really is an Aladdin's cave.

Hello, James.

Hello, James.

Jim Broomfield pleased to meet you.

Hello, and Jim, what's your part in this..?

I own it...the...

I do yes.

JB: What an amazing place.

I'm going to need a guide.

Are you going to guide me round?

JIM: I will indeed, yeah.

I'll show you round.

Well lead on, lead on.

JIM: Thank you.

If you'll come this way.

VO: The cellar has 160 dealers and covers 3,000 square feet and it's all looking ship-shape and Bristol-fashion!

JB: Oh goodness.

It's well-made.

That really, that really nipped me.

VO: Careful, James, we've already had one brooch injury.

It's a very nice design that, but quite a sort of weird for a lady to wear... a big brooch like that.

VO: Well he's not weighing anchor yet, although he is sailing towards more silverware.

JB: What is it?

It's Germ... Well, I think it's German.

JB: "Emil Langer, Hamburg".

And it's a teapot.

It's that terribly tough silver plate.

It's very well-fitting, it's got a certain robust charm about it, hasn't it?

VO: Vorsprung durch teapot, some might say.

Not me though.

Well how much do want for that one then?

Five pound?

Five pounds.

Well let's see.

Let's see if we can... Get something else to go with it.

Let's see if we can get something else to go with it, shall we?

VO: Mm, it seems James still isn't ready to commit...or is he?

Yeah, I think I'm going to take the teapot but I'll only pay him a pound for it.

Five pounds is a bit much.

VO: Ah, he's playing hard-to-get, the old devil!

So what's he going to team it up with, then?

JB: I think I'm going to go in this side.

I've always loved these nests of beakers.

1945.

These are German as well.

It's a lovely, Second World War font, isn't it?

JIM: Yeah, it is.

JB: Very German.

Do you think he'd do a decent price on those?

Yeah, I would think so.

What have we got on them at the minute?

He's got 25.

Yeah, yeah.

I can certainly give him a ring and find out the best he'll do on it.

VO: After a quick phone call to the owner, James secures the beakers for £15, but something else is weighing on his mind.

JB: I like the anchor as well.

VO: So Jim's partner, Deborah gets on the phone to the owner of the £28 anchor brooch.

Go Debs!

Hold on.

15.

15?

15, definitely I'll take it.

That's very kind of her.

Thank you...

Thanks Shirley, bye.

That teapot, shall we... do you think it would make a happy bedfellow with the beakers?

I think it would, being German.

Being German.

And well-made.

What have I... What have I got on me?

What have I got on me?

Here you are.

That's a bit insulting.

Ah, here you are.

Would a big two buy it?

The teapot?

Yeah.

VO: Two pounds?!

Oh.

Would it?

How about double or quits, then, James?

Doub... Oh, yeah, definitely.

JIM: Eh?

JB: Definitely.

We'll do that?

Yeah?

JB: Double or quits, double or quits.

Are you going to spin?

I'll spin, you call.

OK...heads because it's the Queen's time.

Tails!

Jolly lucky I had the other one.

Thank you, James.

Thank you very much indeed, Jim.

JIM: Cheers.

JB: Thank you.

VO: So after gambling - and losing - the teapot has cost James dear.

Four pounds instead of two!

On top of that, he's bought the beakers and the anchor brooch for £15 each.

VO: Having finished his shopping earlier, the other James has driven to Kettering to visit England's answer to the Palace of Versailles.

Boughton House has been home to the Montagus since 1528 and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a little bit of France right here in England.

Its design and contents have been heavily influenced by the tastes of the famous French Sun King Louis XIV.

James is here to meet Charles Lister to find out more.

JL: Charles.

CHARLES: James, welcome to Boughton House, the English Versailles.

JL: Thank you very much.

What a place.

I was not expecting to find a French palace in the middle of Northamptonshire.

What's it doing here?

Well it's very much the creation of Ralph Montagu, English ambassador to Louis XIV, who transformed his Tudor house here into a very French-style building.

And if you'd like to come through I can tell you all about him and his life.

JL: Gosh!

CHARLES: This is the Great Hall, the centerpiece of the house where all the great entertaining would have taken place, where William III would have been invited by Ralph Montagu the first Duke of Montagu, who is portrayed just over here.

This is Ralph himself.

So he built this house?

He turned a small Tudor mansion into a grand vision of what he'd seen as ambassador to Louis XIV over in France.

JL: What inspired him to do this from an original Tudor style?

CHARLES: Well it's very much he's advancing in society, he starts as a second son of Lord Montagu and he increasingly becomes more important, more prominent, so he wants to have a house that reflects that and part of the way you do that, you invite the king here, he enjoys it, hopefully he'll give you a dukedom.

JL: So it's a bit of one-upmanship?

CHARLES: Definitely.

And a bit of social climbing as well.

Some things never change, do they?

VO: It seems not.

Montagu drew on his time in France to recreate his own version of Versailles here; and the opulent court of Louis XIV, the true sun king.

JL: Oh my goodness!

André-Charles Boulle at his best.

Boulle was cabinet maker to Louis XIV wasn't he?

That's right, yes, indeed.

So, has Ralph gone over and seen..?

CHARLES: I think not only has he seen, but he's obtained pieces, or even perhaps been presented pieces by Louis XIV.

Obviously it wasn't so much of a problem then to be given ambassadorial gifts from the king, so I think this particular piece perhaps not, but many of the sort of fine, French furniture in the house may have either been bought or been given to him as ambassador.

JL: Oh look at that!

Ah my goodness.

What a lovely piece of furniture, and to still see it in private ownership is lovely.

VO: Absolutely priceless!

Boughton House is now owned by the Duke of Buccleugh but with such opulence and grandeur - this place really was fit for a king!

JL: My goodness!

That is incredible.

The colors.

Not the original upholstery surely?

CHARLES: Yes indeed, this was purchased by Ralph Montagu in 1660 from France and formed the centerpiece of his state apartments that he created to show King William III, by this point, so he would have come here and enjoy the state apartments he created for him.

I suppose he purchased them with the intention of making these the state apartments for Charles II?

That's right.

But eventually William took over by the time he'd finished, I suppose.

CHARLES: Yeah, exactly.

JL: Gosh!

There's some money spent in here isn't there?

CHARLES: Vast sums of money furnishing the bed itself, the furniture here, even the parquet floor here, it cost £5,000 in the 1680s to actually complete it, it was vast sum of money.

JL: Goodness me.

VO: That's approximately £631,000 in today's money!

CHARLES: And all really for the king to come and be here for one day really.

VO: Incredible!

It might have been an expensive case of 'social climbing' but almost 400 years later, Boughton House is one of the jewels in Britain's crown.

Essentially English, French in flavor.

In the old servants' hall at Boughton House, it's time for our experts to get the first glance at each other's buys.

JB: Look at this!

Now, pince-nez, or lorgnettes, maybe.

Lorgnettes, yeah.

They look very smart.

JL: Yeah, have a look.

There we go.

Because you know they often don't spring do they, but they... JB: Yeah.

They've got everything, these.

Aren't they fabulous?

So much clearer, so... now, what are you majoring in then?

VO: Yes, it is hard to tell.

JL: The bell, early bronze bell, medieval one.

JB: Right.

JL: And the fishing book...all from the car boot sale.

Really?

From the car booty?

JL: Yeah.

Badminton library.

Yep.

JL: The box and the napkins rings from my first shop.

Yep.

JL: Along with the plaited-hair brooch and the Etruscan eye.

Right.

JL: So, they were from the first shop.

Yeah.

The second shop was the box that took me ages to find and the lorgnettes.

Yeah, lovely, lovely.

I like the lorgnettes.

JL: 15 quid.

Now that's, that's alright.

You'll do well... VO: Not bad - but with so much 'bundling up' of items, I'd say James Lewis is hedging his bets just a little bit too much.

JB: Here we go.

This is my first purchase.

OK. My hearth surround, sort of arts and craftsy coppery fellow.

JL: Yeah.

And then the same place I bought this little fellow, a sort of seal, but very nice sort of citrine Intaglio-engraved fellow.

JL: That's lovely.

1820, 1830, isn't it?

Yeah.

Circa 1830 'without the Lord everything is in vain' it says...so that's the little motto there.

JL: And the anchor, is this silver, or..?

Em, yeah.

Unmarked though.

It reminds me of Exeter or anything but the old Irish were quite lawless weren't they?

Yeah.

Uh-huh, yeah.

So, that, you know, Exeter silver is always generally marked, but you know it could have come from somewhere like Cork.

Could be, it'll be nice if it was Cork silver.

Yeah and then I bought this rather nice sort of kookaburra...isn't that amazing?

Oh, it's brilliant.

Let's have a look.

But, but... a luxury good sort of I don't know what it is, 1930s, something like that.

JL: Yeah.

JB: Ladies' umbrella.

JL: I like that.

JB: £20.

JB: And look at the quality of it.

JL: Yeah.

JB: We've all bought a clutch of items that have merit.

Yes, I think so.

VO: Best of buddies now, but how long will it last?

So what did they really think of each other's items?

James, the great winner of this program on many series before and then he took away his cover and slightly aghast really.

Gold lorgnettes lovely, £15, an absolute gift, but I question a man who buys Sorrento Ware.

Sorrento Ware napkins and a music box, however cheap, would you really want to buy them?

VO: Get off the fence then, James!

My items look quite good beside his.

James is a guy with such a good eye and real quality normally.

The little fob seal is lovely but the rest left me cold really, couldn't see any great profits in there at all.

They are just so unfashionable, fenders, I don't know, I predict a loss there I think.

I think I've actually got a better lot of stuff than he has, but mind you he probably thinks exactly the same.

VO: It sounds like the gloves are well and truly off!

With both our experts feeling confident - there's only one way to find out who's bought best!

VO: From Kettering, our boys are back on the road as they head to auction in Market Harborough.

JB: Here we are.

(GASPS) JL: This is my least favorite part of the trip, coming to the auction - with no power.

All in the hands of the auctioneer.

I have a phrase - sit and die.

Come on, let's sit and die together.

JB: Yeah, I think so.

VO: Today, our experts are going head-to-head at Gildings which has established itself as an auction house of distinction over the last 30 years.

But have our boys spent their money wisely?

James Lewis started out with £200 and spent £105.50 on five lots - leaving him with £94.50.

James Braxton also started with £200 and bought six lots, spending £146 - leaving him with £54 in hand.

Here we go.

Here we go.

VO: First up for James Braxton, it's the arts and crafts copper hearth surround and it's over to auctioneer, Mark Gilding.

Nicely decorated this one.

£50 do I see?

JB: Oh, he's going for 50.

MARK: £10 I'm bid... 10.

MARK: At £10 I'm bid, only, at 10.

At £10 I'm bid here, at £10.

12 do I see?

JB: Come on.

I'll even polish it for you.

At £12 I'm bid then.

At £12.

At 15, 18... Oh dear.

Oh listen, we're getting there.

At £18.

The net was flashing but you're not bidding, at 18. the bid's then at £18, and selling, away at £18... (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: Ouch!

Well, that failed to set the auction room ablaze!

You were dead right.

Obviously the wrong size.

VO: First up for James Lewis, the pair of brooches - the creepy hair one and the evil eye one.

JB: Is it undamaged?

Yeah, it's perfect.

And six loops of different hair.

What am I going to say for these then, the two of them, £100 do I see?

VO: Don't all bid at once!

MARK: OK then, £20 I'm bid.

£20 I'm bid then, at 20.

Have it your way at £20, I'm bid here, and five, 30, 35, £35, at 40.

40 I'm bid now, at £40, I'm bid at 40.

You're still out on the internet... JL: No way!

MARK: ..45?

It's creeping.

£45 I'm bid now, at 45.

It's still a loss.

48, 50.

£50 I'm bid, still the net bidding then, at £50.

Five.

At £55 I'm bid, 60 do I see?

It's 55 with the net and you're all quiet in the room.

£55 and I'm instructed to sell, at £55... (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: A pin prick of a profit for James Lewis.

Well, it's washed its face, hasn't it?

A little profit... Yeah, it's a break even, yeah.

A little profit there.

VO: That's my expression.

Next up for James Lewis it's that dainty gold lorgnette.

Good luck.

We'll see.

On my book here at 22, 25, 28.

28 I'm bid now, 28.

At £28 I'm bid now.

At 30, 32, 35, £35 and all my bids are out now.

At £35 I'm bid on my left, at 35.

38 do I see?

JB: Don't explain it to me.

No way!

MARK: Are you bidding internet?

Just flashing then, at £35... (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: A man of vision is our James Lewis, but he didn't see that one coming, did he?

They could have had a one in front of them, couldn't they?

That is disastrous!

VO: Now it's James Braxton's gold-plated seal - but will it make an impression on the bidders?

JB: Do you think people still collect those seals?

It was a lovely...

It was beautifully crisp that citrine.

It was, yeah.

It was a lovely one.

£20, five, 30, five, 40, five...

BOTH: 45... JL: ..into profit.

50 do I see?

At £45 I'm bid now.

At 45, and selling, away... (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: His first profit, good, and it's not that bad.

So that's a nice little profit there.

I'm alright.

VO: Now it's James Lewis' 19th- century Indian Sadeli casket.

And bidding starts with me at 25, 30, 35, 40.

£40, I'm bid, at 40.

At £40, 45, 50, 55 seated, at 55.

At £55 I'm bid, at 60 do I see?

It should be worth more than this, but £55 I'm bid.

All out in the room there.

The net's out as well.

At 55 seated, 60, new bidder, 65, 70... Oh, you're alright with this.

MARK: £70 standing now, at 70 and you're out, seated and I'm selling at £70... (GAVEL HAMMERS) JB: That's not bad, is it?

JL: That's good, I'm pleased with that.

Very pleased with that.

VO: Yep, it's turned out to be a right little treasure chest and puts James Lewis into an early lead.

Come on Brackers, you've got some catching up to do with the 1930s ladies' umbrella.

£10 I'm bid only.

£10.

Thought this would make a lot more.

12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

22 bid now, at 22 in the room, at 22, five to bid?

At £22.

The net's out as well.

Oh, go on!

MARK: It's in the room at 22.

JL: Come on!

Go on!

New bidder here at 25 now, it's out, 28, 30, 30 I'm bid now, at £30 seated.

At 30 and selling at £30... (GAVEL HAMMERS) JB: Luxury item at 30.

...dear.

VO: Well at least he's covered himself!

Next up for James Braxton is the pottery chamberstick.

JL: There we are, there we are.

£10 I'm bid then.

For the Linthorpe-style.

At £10 I'm bid, at 10 here, at 10.

At £10 I'm bid here at £10, at 10, £12 do I see?

It's £10 only.

£12 I'm bid now, 12.

£12, bidder in the room, at 12.

JB: Bit of a charity bid there.

MARK: £12 only.

JL: Yes.

MARK: That's what you get with buying style I suppose.

At £12, and selling away... (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: The chamberstick fails to light up the room.

Another loss for James Braxton.

Next!

Right, this is my...

This is my box that you really hate.

VO: Slightly strange bedfellows now, the walnut music box and wooden napkin rings.

Lovely quality marquetry here.

Ooh, lovely quality marquetry, James!

But actually only £5 I'm bid.

JL: Oh no!

(LAUGHS) JB: That's about right.

...£12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

Out this side then.

It's 22 here, at £22.

Are you bidding?

At 22 on my left.

At 22.

Five to bid then?

I'm selling quick then at 22 and away... JL: Oh, go on!

(GAVEL HAMMERS) JL: Oh, bottom!

That's about... That's about the right price for that.

VO: The odd collection clearly appealed to someone and gives James Lewis another creeping profit.

VO: But can James Braxton accelerate with this set of plated German beakers and a teapot?

JB: I like these beakers.

The beakers are nice, they're good... take them on a picnic or anything like that couldn't you as well.

£50 are we?

£10 I'm bid then, at 10.

£10 I'm bid.

12, 15, 18, 20, 22.

You're out now.

It's down here at £22, I'm bid at 22.

Seated at 22.

Five I'll take.

At 22 bid then, and away at 22.. (GAVEL HAMMERS) VO: A good pairing, perhaps, but not the match of the day!

My last chance at a profit is the anchor.

Yeah.

It's gotta make...

It's got a big responsibility though, it's gotta make about 60 quid.

VO: No pressure then...it's the anchor brooch.

Again, should be £40-50 shouldn't it, really?

Yeah, it should.

Eh, the bidding starts with me at £15 on my book here at 15, 18, 20, 22, £22, 25, 28 and I'm out.

JL: Go on, one more.

MARK: 28, it's in the room and selling at £28, 30.

JB: Oh, well done.

Go on!

Go on!

JL: Go on.

32, 35.

JL: Keep going.

MARK: 35 at this side now.

You're out on my left and away at 35... (GAVEL HAMMERS) Well done, well done.

JB: That's good.

VO: 'Anchor's Away' - with a tidy profit!

VO: The final lot for James Lewis, is the pestle and mortar, the medieval bronze bell, and the book on fishing.

He does love a good pick 'n mix.

And bidding here starts at 10, 12, 15, £18.

18, I'm bid, 20, 22, 25, 28, 30.

30 I'm bid now in the room, at 30.

All my bids are lost, at £30 seated.

£30 in the room there, away then at 30... (GAVEL HAMMERS) JL: Oh, that's alright.

JB: That's alright.

JB: Done really well.

JL: There we go.

VO: An odd lot though.

Hooks him one last profit, but is it enough to land the first victory?

VO: James Braxton started the show with £200 and after auction costs, he's made a loss of £13.16 - sending him through to the next round with £186.84.

Don't look so serious.

VO: James Lewis also started with £200 - after costs, he's made a profit of £68.34 - taking his total to £268.34; and claiming the first victory of this road trip.

He's looking serious too!

Tight-lipped.

JL: Well... (SIGHS) JB: What, so winner decides.

JB: Do you want me to drive then?

JL: Go on, you drive.

JB: Really?

JL: I should sit in the back, really, shouldn't I?

JB: You should do, you should do.

Well...at only 60-odd pounds I don't think you get the full chauffeuring service.

JL: (LAUGHS) It's better than a loss, though, James.

JB: Certainly is.

JL: Oh, dear.

It was hard today.

JB: It was hard, wasn't it?

JL: Yeah, I think we... we struggled.

VO: You certainly did, but a good start to the trip and there's everything left to play for.

Next time on the Antiques Road Trip: James Braxton is read like a book... DEALER: You've held it more than two seconds so that means you're interested.

JB: (LAUGHS) You crafty dealers!

DEALER: Oh!

Oh!

Come on, give me the horn.

VO: And James Lewis is just red in the face... (BLOWS ALPINE HORN) (LAUGHS) subtitling@stv.tv