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

With 200 pounds each-- I want something shiny.

TIM WONNACOTT --a classic car, and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

I like a rummage.

I can't resist.

TIM WONNACOTT: The aim?

To make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat.

Why do I always do this to myself?

TIM WONNACOTT: There will be worthy winners-- Give us a kiss.

TIM WONNACOTT: --and valiant losers.

Come on, stick 'em up.

TIM WONNACOTT: So, will it be the high road to glory-- Onwards and upwards.

TIM WONNACOTT: --or the slow road to disaster?

Take me home.

TIM WONNACOTT: This is Antiques Road Trip.

[MUSIC PLAYING] TIM WONNACOTT: Yeah.

Today, we'll be exploring the expansive horizons of East Anglia, with North Norfolk Digital on the dial.

So are you an Alan Partridge fan?

Isn't everyone an Alan Partridge fan?

You deserve a little bit of Alan Partridge, but then everyone, [INAUDIBLE] TIM WONNACOTT: Ah ha!

Ah ha ha ha.

TIM WONNACOTT: That's Natasha Raskin behind the wheel of the racy red Mercedes, in the very good company of Paul Laidlaw.

They like a laugh.

You and I, how are we getting along?

Quite well.

Are we?

Let's analyze our relationship.

TIM WONNACOTT: Lordy.

Amateur psychologist and professional auctioneer, Natasha, from Glasgow-- Stretching.

He's saying no, no, don't buy me.

You probably can't afford me.

TIM WONNACOTT: --is up against a formidable foe in fellow countryman and auctioneer Paul.

Wow.

TIM WONNACOTT: Some shrewd buys have put him way out ahead, and despite flopping at their last auction-- Ouch.

TIM WONNACOTT: --he still has quite a cushion of cash.

See, I heard you were good for a tab.

TIM WONNACOTT: You'll be lucky.

The 200 pounds that Natasha began with is shrinking fast.

Down now to 168 pounds and 72p, whilst Paul's identical starting sum has headed in the opposite direction, and currently stands at 457 pounds and tuppence.

I could spare some pennies, some shekels, and bail you out.

But thinking about that, there's not a generous bone in my body, so no.

OK. OK.

Awkward silence.

TIM WONNACOTT: After kicking off on the West Coast of Scotland, Paul and Natasha have mostly motored South, tootling towards the eastern coast of England, before arriving at a concluding auction in Norfolk at Diss.

Today, we'll be taking an East Anglian canter towards the finishing line at a Newmarket auction, but starting out in the Norfolk village of Northwold.

Nestled in the sugar beet belt, and with an old filling station, now put to a very different use.

Cute.

See you later.

NATASHA RASKIN: See you soon.

Oh, it'd help I put it into drive.

TIM WONNACOTT: No novelty air fresheners or bunches of tarred carnations here.

- Hello there.

- Hello.

How are you doing?

I'm Paul.

- Pleased to meet you.

- You are?

Mary.

Mary, it's good to see you.

So all sorts of different sheds and barns full of treasure?

Yeah.

See you in a minute.

TIM WONNACOTT: I think that might be a tad optimistic, especially with your forensic approach, Paul.

PAUL LAIDLAW: That's a great thing.

That's going to be late '50s, early '60s.

BOAC.

I think that was the British Overseas Air Corporation.

Speedbird routes across the world.

My word, that is evocative of the excitement of post-war air travel.

What a great thing.

And you know what?

There are collectors for these, and I don't think they're fan collectors.

I think they're collectors of commercial airline memorabilia.

Isn't that seductive?

It appears to be reduced to all of 12 pounds.

And frankly, if that's your bag, that's a gift.

But is it the profit that I need?

No, so onwards.

TIM WONNACOTT: He might well have bought it on day one, though.

Can you smell that?

Smokey smell.

TIM WONNACOTT: Nope.

All that cash burning a hole in your pocket, perhaps?

PAUL LAIDLAW: OK, it's in a locked cabinet, so trust me here when I tell you we have got 1950s British design classic in there.

Homemaker cups and saucers.

Monochrome printed, very stylish, very modern.

Retailed by Woolies, for what it's worth.

6 for 60 pounds.

Chips on one cup.

10 pounds for a Homemaker cup and saucer.

That's good value.

And you know what?

It brings me back to another classic that I rejected a few steps ago.

Heatmaster we see in the 1940s introducing these earthenware bodies.

Your teapot, your egg coddler, your milk jug, all distinctively clad in nickel or chrome plated jackets.

And these weren't purely decorative.

They were meant to be insulating.

This keeps your tea hot for longer.

This is definitely cheap at 18 pounds for the three pieces.

So if I lotted these together at auction, similar periods, similar style, iconic names and brands, I think that works.

TIM WONNACOTT: Over to Mary for a closer look at those.

PAUL LAIDLAW: 60 pounds for 6, with a chip to one cup.

Frankly, I've seen worse than that.

But it's too dear for me.

Now teacups and saucers need a teapot, and I like the blue Heatmaster.

Can there be any movement on the combined package?

Is it the same vendor owns both?

Yes.

TIM WONNACOTT: But as he's uncontactable today, it's Mary's call.

I'm going to say 48 pounds.

TIM WONNACOTT: For the Homemaker?

MARY: Yeah.

Can you make a decision about-- What was on that?

Not a lot, to be honest with you.

18 pounds.

I'll say 15.

48 and 15 is 63 pounds.

[INAUDIBLE] offer 55.

Another eight pounds off.

Yeah.

I'll take it on my head.

PAUL LAIDLAW: I bought something.

TIM WONNACOTT: So with Paul having bagged the tea things-- PAUL LAIDLAW: That's wonderful.

Lovely seeing you.

And you.

TIM WONNACOTT: --it's time to learn where Natasha is taking the Merc.

Towards neighboring Suffolk, actually.

And Mildenhall Woods, where she's about to discover a highly unusual fortification.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Welcome to Mildenhall Warren Lodge.

There are only two of these buildings standing left anywhere in the world.

TIM WONNACOTT: As local historian Anne Mason knows, this early 15th century construction was once at the center of a huge medieval rabbit farm, known as a warren, where the little creatures were raised for their meat and furry pelts.

Rabbits were high class luxury items.

They were often on the menu, actually, at important banquets and feasts.

And if you were a peasant, you were not allowed to eat rabbit meat, nor wear rabbit fur.

People tried to do it, but no.

The penalties were severe.

NATASHA RASKIN: So who was allowed to wear this rabbit fur, and eat rabbit meat?

Anyone who is of manorial rank and above.

And the higher up you were in the nobility, you were then allowed to wear black rabbit fur or the silver gray fur, which was a little like ermine.

TIM WONNACOTT: Bunny mania began in 1066, although the Romans had brought rabbits to Britain first, but it was our Norman conquerors who reintroduced them, creating warrens to keep their treasured exotic creatures safe from indigenous poachers.

ANNE MASON: They come from the Mediterranean, and they like a dry, sandy soil, and they like a dry climate in winter, which is why this part of East Anglia, known as the Brecks, is suited to rabbits because it has the closest to that kind of Mediterranean climate of anywhere in this country.

So how do you keep all these rabbits under control?

I mean, if they're just everywhere and breeding, as we know, like rabbits.

ANNE MASON: Each warren had perimeter banks around it.

So if you were to walk the half mile to the edge of this warren, you would discover that there are banks delineating it.

And these banks originally would be up to 12 meters wide, and they'd be 2 meters high.

And then, they'd have a hedge of gorse planted on the top, which acted as a barrier to the rabbits escaping, but also helped to prevent predators, including human poachers, from coming into the warren.

TIM WONNACOTT: But the well-paid man in charge, known as the warrener, was taking no chances-- Would you like to go in first?

Oh, I sure would.

Thank you.

TIM WONNACOTT: --hence this sturdy building, recently restored, which served as both family home and fortress.

ANNE MASON: The lodges are almost like miniature castle keeps, because they're defensive.

There's a single doorway, and if you see the square windows-- they are the medieval windows, so they're 600 years old, and there's one on each of the walls, so that the warrener could look out over the whole warren and survey it, and make sure everything was secure.

TIM WONNACOTT: With very good reason.

We know that in the 1380s the warrener on Brandon Warren hired what we would call security guards to protect him against malefactors of the night.

NATASHA RASKIN: That's unbelievable, isn't it?

TIM WONNACOTT: And demand for rabbit meat and fur kept on growing, with peak bunny, especially for this area, reached during the Victorian era.

From the 1840s, once railways came to East Anglia, they were transported by train.

And there was actually a train that left Thetford station that became known as the bunny train, because it took all the rabbits up to the London markets.

So then at this time, is rabbit fur and rabbit meat still only available to the upper classes?

No, because in 1884, parliament passed something called the Ground Game Act, and that removed rabbit's exclusive protection so they could be eaten by anyone.

And then, of course, in the Second World War, they were very much part of the staple diet, because by now, they were wild in the countryside, and people regarded them as a way of getting their ration of meat.

NATASHA RASKIN: Well that was fascinating, Anne.

Really, I've never been anywhere like it.

But now, I'm going to make like a rabbit and hop off.

TIM WONNACOTT: Quite a tale, eh?

ANNE MASON: Bye.

NATASHA RASKIN: Bye.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Rabbit run, run, run!

TIM WONNACOTT: But while Natasha has been rabbiting on, Paul's been following the usual scent, taking our route back north to the Norfolk town of Swaffham.

Famous for the old English folk tale about a certain peddler, and an antiques monger in this old schoolhouse.

Hello, is it Mel?

Yes, and you're Paul?

Good to see you.

And you.

Wow, what a school this must have been.

Absolutely.

What a building.

Many an old boy has come back, and they've had the cane in here.

TIM WONNACOTT: Oh, lordy.

Should I have come an apple for miss?

Definitely, as long as you've got full pockets, that's what we like.

TIM WONNACOTT: I think Paul might well be top of the class, here.

Do you like?

I like.

TIM WONNACOTT: Especially as the curriculum includes one of his favorite subjects.

One would think that partner had to be right.

TIM WONNACOTT: Looks like a belt buckle, eh?

Price?

14 pounds.

Does Keith flex at all on price?

10%.

So a 14 pound badge is a 12 pound badge when I round up the 1 pound 40 to 2 pounds?

Do you want to know what it is?

TIM WONNACOTT: Do tell.

PAUL LAIDLAW: This is Great War, perhaps even pre-first war, Ottoman-- what we would call Turkish-- army officers waist belt clasp.

And almost certainly, this is a souvenir of two campaigns.

Gallipoli, there's a possibility.

Or more likely, what was called then Mesopotamia.

You've seen Lawrence of Arabia.

Yes, of course.

OK. And that, I think, is a souvenir of that campaign.

I'll take that.

Let's take that in the Laidlaw pile.

OK.

I'll keep ferretting about in here.

I might have found a rich vein, you see.

You never know.

You cool with that?

There's some more military stuff in the scout hut, as well.

Oh, you're a temptress.

I know, I know.

Yes.

TIM WONNACOTT: Oh, Miss!

Someone likes your buckles.

What about Natasha?

Back down in Suffolk, and off to Risby.

Nice thatch.

On her way to the first shop of the day.

Hello.

Good afternoon.

Hello there.

I'm Tasha.

I'm Richard.

Pleased to meet you.

Lovely to meet you.

What a roof.

RICHARD: It's an impressive roof, certainly.

There's plenty of it.

TIM WONNACOTT: Yes, they like them big around here.

Should suit all tastes then, Natasha.

Genuinely, I am obsessed with darts.

Can you imagine going to play a game of darts, and these were presented to you?

Spalding's special wooden darts.

Look at the flights on these.

They imitate bird feathers.

They are so cool.

Honestly, if I were buying for myself, I would buy these.

Unfortunately, there's one missing, which is such a shame.

Oh, it's only 5 pounds 50 on the ticket.

Might have to pass.

TIM WONNACOTT: The search for the star prize goes on.

What's that?

It says on the label "rain measuring kit," and then inside, you've got this copper funnel for catching the rain, obviously.

Pop it in there, and it actually fits really nicely on top of the bottle.

So chances are, this is the original.

And there's a beaker.

Oh, look at that.

So there we are.

It's measured in milliliters, as you would expect.

But once you get to the top here, that equates to half an inch of rain.

And the funnel seems to be original, and the case is definitely original, because everything fits in an absolute treat.

I think Paul would quite like that, if I came back with a rain measurer.

We did start in Scotland in the pouring rain, so he might find it quite funny if I bring the rain to Norfolk.

TIM WONNACOTT: Unlikely to be another one at the auction.

Back at school in Swaffham, Paul's in the fourth form, by the look of it.

Still in a good mood, too.

So I spy this vase in a sea of drab blue and white.

A stand out vase in terms of modernity of geometry.

A very distinctive cylindrical neck and everted rim on a diminutive, truncated, conical body.

Now is that circa 2010 designer piece, or something earlier?

So what do you do?

Well, turn it upside down, you fool.

A-U-L something.

Ault.

A-U-L-T. And there is one name that we associate with the old manufactory during the late 19th century, and that name is Dr. Christopher Dresser.

This father of the aesthetic movement is one of the most prolific and important designers of the Victorian era.

That's a Christopher Dresser design produced by Ault.

Late 19th century.

What's the price tag on this?

20 pounds.

Sold.

TIM WONNACOTT: Another great find.

Well, I'm back.

MEL: Hi, wow.

This pile is getting bigger slowly.

Oh please, keep going.

Keep going.

Now, I'm not the biggest spender you're going to meet today, and that's got 20 pounds on it, [INAUDIBLE].

- OK. Is there a wee bit?

10%.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Sweet.

- OK. PAUL LAIDLAW: Just stick that in the pile.

Wonderful.

MEL: Perfect.

Lovely.

TIM WONNACOTT: So 18 pounds, then.

With his belt buckle, a total of just 30.

And now, he's off to look at that miliitarium Mel mentioned.

PAUL LAIDLAW: John, have we tested it your barometer?

Does it work?

I'm sure it does.

They never go wrong.

PAUL LAIDLAW: They do.

JOHN: They don't.

PAUL LAIDLAW: They do.

Give me two takes.

TIM WONNACOTT: Hey, what's he up to?

I now have a laboratory.

It's pretty straightforward, stuff this.

But what I can do now, assuming this is airtight, is I can change the pressure inside there.

See that?

Increase in air pressure.

JOHN: It's working very well.

Working a treat.

TIM WONNACOTT: That is a top tip.

Would you like my apparatus for free?

That's the next auction.

Thank you very much.

TIM WONNACOTT: OK, so it works.

Now what's attracted you to it then, Paul?

PAUL LAIDLAW: The fact that it's designated mark two.

So now, we're looking at clearly an instrument for use by technicians.

We've got a serial number, oblique 45.

That was made during the war.

It could be metal.

It's Met Office.

MO.

And the Met Offices all as you know during war is key-- Just a bit.

PAUL LAIDLAW: --to feed the air forces, and so on.

So that is a wee piece of history, one way or another, and I love it.

TIM WONNACOTT: And so, onto the next bit.

You've got a 40 pound price tag on it.

Are you the kind of man I can haggle with or not?

Oh, well, everybody in this trade haggles a bit, don't they?

You'll not accept it, but it won't frighten you.

I'll offer you 20 pounds.

I'll do that.

What about 30?

You know what I'm going to say now, don't you?

TIM WONNACOTT: We all do.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Are you going to accept 25?

JOHN: Yes.

Deal, sir.

Thank you very much.

TIM WONNACOTT: Paul's very pleased with his school prices.

Thank you kindly.

I shall grab said instrument-- OK, Paul.

--and bid you adieu.

TIM WONNACOTT: And last time we checked, Natasha was keen on the rain measuring kit.

Anything else of note?

NATASHA RASKIN: Old leather music case, circa 1950.

That's such quality.

There are initials on the front.

N-E-W. How funny.

It's something old and it spells "new".

It's been taken everywhere by the looks of it.

But it's good quality leather, and as a result, although it's worn, it has lasted.

It smells of cigarettes and tobacco.

Gosh, what an interesting thing.

And there's a wee thing, here.

Noel-- Noel E. Wimperis.

Small Heath, Birmingham.

And I just wonder, because it is such nice quality.

I wonder if he was somebody.

How many times have you heard people talk about provenance?

The name is there, so why not look online?

Because you never know.

OK, so no.

This is a forum that I found talking about cinema in Birmingham.

The Warwick Cinema situated in Wesley Road Acocks Green originally opened as a silent cinema with Noel Wimperis and the Warwick Orchestra playing music to accompany the films.

Hold on, there's a bit more.

OK, so this is from the Tamworth Herald.

I'm getting all excited.

In Birmingham, Noel, in brackets Eric, Wimperis, son of Tamworth's best known band master was playing Ivor Novello's popular tunes in Tony's smart new ballroom, and this is his music bag.

And it's only listed at 18 pounds.

Provenance is key.

We have it.

We have a cool item.

I've got to bag it.

TIM WONNACOTT: Hey, this is all very exciting.

With the bag plus that rain measurer under discussion, eh?

I'm interested in these two lots.

Obviously, I want to do a little bit of a haggle, Richard.

Yes.

So what's the combined price?

Your maths is probably better than mine.

56?

56 as he stands at the moment.

OK, what about 30 pounds, the two?

But of course, you want to beat Paul.

Or at least catch up with him.

Yeah, I'd like to try.

RICHARD: Special offer today, but today only, then.

Are you sure?

Yep, we'll go with that.

Well, I'm chancing my arm, and so I'll shake your hand.

Thank you so much.

That's really kind of you.

RICHARD: OK. TIM WONNACOTT: That was short and sweet.

You're a very nice gentleman.

Thank you very much, then.

Thank you so much.

Take care.

Bye bye.

TIM WONNACOTT: Now has Mr. Partridge got a drive time show?

Nighty night.

[MUSIC PLAYING] TIM WONNACOTT: Next morning, the wind is most definitely from the east.

NATASHA RASKIN: Well, do you think maybe we could put the roof up?

Is this about your hair again?

No, it's not about my hair.

It's about the fact that it's a bit chilly.

Also my hair.

TIM WONNACOTT: Paul breezed through day one, acquiring a barometer, a tea set, and some cups and saucers, a vase, and a military belt buckle.

Oh, you're a temptress.

Yes.

TIM WONNACOTT: Ah, yes.

Leaving him with just under 350 pounds for today's shopping.

While Natasha was no slouch, either, acquiring a music case with provenance-- I'm getting all excited.

TIM WONNACOTT: --and a rain measuring kit, as you do.

Thus reducing her float to less than 140.

PAUL LAIDLAW: You got a shopping trolley full of goodies?

A couple of things already.

OK. NATASHA RASKIN: One of them could be pertinent if the weather changes.

Is it a brolly owned by Fred Astaire?

Who told Paul?

TIM WONNACOTT: Later, they'll be heading to that auction at Newmarket, but the first stop today is just outside the Norfolk village of Panxworth, where there be dragons.

Arr.

NATASHA RASKIN: This is such a cool place, Paul.

And you love reclamation stuff.

You're big on that, aren't you?

PAUL LAIDLAW: I am, and I can give you this one for free.

Pallets of bricks are so in at the moment.

PAUL LAIDLAW: You're a legend, thank you.

And look at this Mustang.

TIM WONNACOTT: Very nice.

Want to swap cars?

Talk to the chaps in charge.

- How are you doing?

- I'm Frank, I'm the manager.

Frank, how are you doing?

I'm Paul.

- Nice to meet you, Paul.

- I'm Tasha.

I'm Daniel.

Daniel.

Look at that.

Look at-- over there.

Look at it!

TIM WONNACOTT: Calm down.

There must be enough to go around.

What a building.

What a space.

Even the smell.

Old buildings, old timber.

You bottle that, I'll dab it behind my ears every morning happily.

TIM WONNACOTT: Eau de antique, eh?

Irresistible.

NATASHA RASKIN: That's quite cool, isn't it?

The candle holder, there.

There are little sconces-- little candle holders missing from the second tier, but it's 1, 2, 3, 4-tiered and weird candelabrum.

Yes.

OK.

Steady.

OK, so you pop your little candles in there, and then you have a lovely feature.

One at the top.

There would have been three, here.

Increasing in number.

It's wrought iron that is rusting a little bit, but it's quite interesting.

And it doesn't have a price on it.

And it's covered in cobwebs.

And maybe Daniel and Frank hid this.

OK.

Put it back over here, and I'll keep looking.

TIM WONNACOTT: Marching towards the sound of gunfire?

PAUL LAIDLAW: A Royal Enfield Lightweight Sports.

It's a good bike in its day.

Sturmey Archer hub gears.

A proper Brooks saddle.

That's a good thing.

TIM WONNACOTT: Very, Paul.

PAUL LAIDLAW: That's the condition you want to find them these days.

Unrestored, original, but not too far gone.

What's really desirable is this sleepy, untouched, original condition.

Just oil it, wax it, conserve it, and enjoy.

TIM WONNACOTT: Meanwhile, at the back.

Oh, I can't believe I can open that.

Oh!

Oh, it's filled with water.

Oh, it's horrible.

It's all over my hands.

TIM WONNACOTT: Have another look.

What is going on with this place?

TIM WONNACOTT: Well, Paul's discovered the workshop, for a start.

What's all that marble over there?

Is that some sort of center table being reconstructed?

It's art deco.

It's as art deco as it comes.

PAUL LAIDLAW: What's the top like?

Yeah, single piece.

Be impressive when it's done.

DANIEL: Can we put it on just to show?

PAUL LAIDLAW: Very stylish thing.

Impossible to date.

You'd love that to be inter-war.

TIM WONNACOTT: Far from pristine condition, though.

Is that buyable in this state?

DANIEL: If I recall, it cost me 130 pounds.

You're tempting me.

That's going to be 180 before I break even, and 200 pounds makes me 20.

And it might make 200 pounds, but I'm not sure.

TIM WONNACOTT: Me neither.

Maybe something a wee bit more classical, eh?

[MUSIC - LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, "SYMPHONY NO.

5"] I think that that's Beethoven.

TIM WONNACOTT: Well the music's a clue.

Because I have sold a really beautiful etching of Beethoven in the past, and it was called "Grumpy Beethoven," and he looked just like this.

A really good likeness.

Classical music is a really big market.

You know, music stands, beautiful instruments.

But it doesn't have a price.

And I have a feeling that he might be quite expensive, because of his iconic status.

TIM WONNACOTT: I think you might be right.

NATASHA RASKIN: Cheer up, love.

PAUL LAIDLAW: That violin case opens from the narrow end.

Is that a funky interior, or is it just vacant?

That'll be a surprise for you me.

You all right there, Paul, Yeah?

Pull it on here.

I'll do the trick.

DANIEL: It's quite different.

That is quite different.

Harrods Limited.

TIM WONNACOTT: Whoops, it may have just gone up.

That one will be dear, will it?

20 quid.

DANIEL: 50 quid.

TIM WONNACOTT: Or maybe a bit of a job lot with that risky marble table he admired.

DANIEL: I said 130 pounds, but to make it nice, and to juice it up I'll do 150 quid for the [INAUDIBLE].. Oh, boom.

You've just done that.

Sucker punch.

I only wanted to buy one thing, but I know when the right offer has been made.

A gentleman.

DANIEL: Tis' right.

All done.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Pleasure.

I'm going to grab my case and I'm going to scoot.

TIM WONNACOTT: The table might just slow you down a bit, though.

Now what's Natasha found?

NATASHA RASKIN: A vintage, weird, bulbous lamp thing.

TIM WONNACOTT: Nice description.

NATASHA RASKIN: It could actually have been a vase.

This is brand new.

Someone has glued this on rather crudely.

But I would definitely have this in my flat.

I think it is super gorgeous.

I don't mind the crude bit at all.

Don't even really mind the price tag.

TIM WONNACOTT: Which is 86 pounds and 40p.

72 before that.

Thank you so much.

Come on.

All right, let me show you what I found.

Do you like this one?

DANIEL: I do like it.

NATASHA RASKIN: What could be the best price on it, Daniel?

DANIEL: So I'll take 40 pounds.

That's very generous of you.

I wonder if I could just make you a cheeky offer, and say, if you were to sell it to me for 30 I take it away and you'd never have to see it again.

DANIEL: Do we have other stuff you're interested in?

TIM WONNACOTT: Well, there's the candelabrum.

DANIEL: Let's say 120 pounds for the both.

NATASHA RASKIN: I can't do it for 120.

TIM WONNACOTT: That's true.

She needs to make her 138 pounds 72 go a bit further.

I can really only afford to offer you 80 pounds.

80 pounds.

That's what I was thinking, so we'll have that.

NATASHA RASKIN: Really?

Are you sure?

- Yeah, come on.

That'll do.

TIM WONNACOTT: That shocked her.

Will you give me a hand carrying them out?

Yeah.

Frank?

TIM WONNACOTT: Good work, Natasha.

Now, with Paul.

En route to the rivers and lakes of the Norfolk Broads and Ludham for a voyage into the area's past.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Hello, Bryant.

BRYANT: Hello, Paul.

Welcome to the Norfolk Wherry Trust and the 118-year-old wherry Albion.

TIM WONNACOTT: Black-sailed wherries were for hundreds of years the iconic lorries of The Broads, although the Albion is one of only two left.

BRYANT: They are not seaworthy.

They're adapted entirely to the rivers and the large lakes of the area.

They came originally from a keel design, which is a step on from Viking long boats.

When did they come about?

Probably we're talking 300 or 400 years ago.

And the tradition was they were never built to plans.

You know, the boat builders just knew.

Someone said I want a wherry that will carry 40 tons, and they would build them one.

TIM WONNACOTT: With their shallow draft and distinctive sail, plus plenty of muscle, the wherries were able to carry goods to all corners of the man-made Broads, providing a vital commercial and social link.

That's some tool you've got there, David.

This is a quant.

Right.

DAVID: So we launch it out there, into the bottom.

Put the button in your shoulder and then lean down, one hand on the boat.

TIM WONNACOTT: How difficult could it be, eh?

o PAUL LAIDLAW: I've been less daunted.

OK, and then upright, like so.

Have I driven it in?

Or is it just floating away?

It's like a harpoon.

It's in now, I can feel that.

Push.

I can feel I'm doing some work.

TIM WONNACOTT: Oh, no.

Thanks Paul.

Now look lively with that black sail, the practical emblem of these traders.

Handles off and down.

Only several times a day you have to do this.

TIM WONNACOTT: Well worth it, though.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Why the black sail, Bryant?

BRYANT: Originally, they were heavy canvas which rotted, of course.

And so they used to get fish oil and smear it all over to help preserve the sail.

But then they found that the rats actually quite enjoyed that.

Pretty yummy for a rat.

And so they then put either tar or coal dust on the top.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Do you go home to your bed at night?

BRYANT: You have the cabin at the back, which is called the cuddy.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Right.

BRYANT: So they would have slept in that some of the time.

And there are stories of them being in the winter, frozen in for several days at a time.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Oh, they weren't!

We have a good stove in the cuddy, so they would have been as warm as toast in there.

PAUL LAIDLAW: A crew of, typically?

BRYANT: Two.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Two?

Often a man and a boy.

Oh my word.

Apparently, there's one record of a 14-year-old who was a skipper, and his younger brother was the mate.

No, it wasn't a soft life at all.

TIM WONNACOTT: Once the Broads would have been thick with these sails, but the coming of the railways rendered the freighters obsolete.

There's another sail.

That amazes me.

TIM WONNACOTT: So that by the turn of the 20th century, most of the wherries were either converted to pleasure craft or else scrapped altogether.

So do be careful with that tiller pole.

PAUL LAIDLAW: I've got my concentrating face on, because I'll tell you I am.

If you go aground you have to get it off.

Oh.

TIM WONNACOTT: Aye aye, captain Ian.

[MUSIC PLAYING] TIM WONNACOTT: Yep, all "wherry" nice.

But it's time to call a "Holt," because that's where Natasha's taken our route off to.

The very Georgian market town in north Norfolk, in search of one last shop.

Hello.

Good afternoon.

Hi there.

I'm Natasha.

Hello, I'm Anita.

Nice to meet you.

TIM WONNACOTT: As on the last few trips, Natasha has faced a similar problem at about this time.

Lack of funds.

NATASHA RASKIN: You've got 58 pounds in your purse, and you're in a place that's filled almost exclusively with just the good cool stuff and all the rest has been filtered out.

I think I've got my work cut out.

TIM WONNACOTT: You can do this, girl.

I'm going to go this way.

TIM WONNACOTT: Nothing too fancy though, OK?

It's a little easel, and it's just so lovely.

Look how easy to transport that is.

Early 20th century is when it became so popular to paint en plein air, which just means outside.

Something as simple and brown and sort of boring looking as this could perhaps have such an amazing story behind it, because for all we know, it could have belonged to Pizarro, or I don't know, anyone else.

TIM WONNACOTT: She paints a picture, yeah?

NATASHA RASKIN: Now this is really cool, but I will confess to you, when I was walking over here, from a distance, I thought it was a really decimated and sad dressing screen.

It's quite obviously a door, and in fact, if I'm right, it's a door from a train.

So here we are.

Railway carriage door, 1930s, 1940s era from the LNER.

TIM WONNACOTT: That's the London and Northeastern Railway.

There it is.

LNER.

I was on the Flying Scotsman the other day, shoveling coal.

TIM WONNACOTT: She was, too.

In York.

But this train treen has had a hard life.

NATASHA RASKIN: It's been left outside, hasn't it?

OK, so it has rotted a little in areas.

And of course no window to pull down and lean out of to kiss your lover goodbye in a sort of brief encounter moment.

TIM WONNACOTT: Really?

NATASHA RASKIN: 75 pounds.

I think it's already reflected in the price, but I don't have 75 pounds.

I have spotted NT, that means No Trade.

They don't want to haggle, but maybe if I beg they'll let me do it.

TIM WONNACOTT: Mind the doors, Anita.

The LNER carriage door has caught my eye, but although I like it, and although I'd like to buy it, I don't actually have the ticket price in my purse.

ANITA: Right, OK. NATASHA RASKIN: Would you be open to an offer of 50 pounds.

ANITA: I'm not sure.

It's more than the 10% discount that we normally would like to offer for dealers.

OK, I'll tell you what I'll do.

Anita, I'm going to come clean.

I have got 20, 40, 55.

I hear a bobble.

58.

Yeah.

And 72 pence.

What do you think?

Well, we won't deprive you of your hair bobble, but I think that's a good offer.

Are you sure?

We'll take that.

That that's really great.

Thank you so much.

I've never really wiped myself out before.

TIM WONNACOTT: It had to happen sometime.

NATASHA RASKIN: Thank you so much.

I'll take my bubble and I'll say thank you.

Take care, bye.

TIM WONNACOTT: And that brief encounter concludes our spree.

So let's have a look at what we have on board.

With Paul parting with 260 pounds for a belt buckle, a tea set plus 6 cups and saucers, a barometer, a vase, a suitcase, and a marble table.

While Natasha lavished all of her 168 pounds and 72 pence on a rain measuring kit, a lamp stand, a music case, a candelabrum, and that train door.

So first class or about to hit the buffers, eh?

I like Natasha's purchases.

I like Natasha's purchases.

NATASHA RASKIN: The vase is my favorite thing that Paul has bought.

It's so simple, so discreet.

It's just how I describe Paul himself.

PAUL LAIDLAW: The triple gourd glass lamp.

I love it.

I do not recognize that table from the salvage yard, but it's pretty fabulous.

PAUL LAIDLAW: That's my gamble.

130 pounds paid.

If you look at that and go, it's been fabulous, but is beyond restoration, oh deary me!

TIM WONNACOTT: After setting off from Northwold in Norfolk, our experts are now on their way to a Suffolk auction in Newmarket, where at the historic epicenter of horse racing, our couple of thoroughbreds are approaching the parade ring.

Pretty impressive, Paul.

Think they'll let us in?

TIM WONNACOTT: I doubt it.

But this is no day at the races, because Raleigh's auctioneers are here with internet bidding, too.

So is the contest going to be a classic?

Over to the gavel wielder, James Fuller.

The rain measuring kit.

Interesting lot.

Never sold one, to be honest with you.

Nice, sunny day today.

Not sure how that's going to fare.

The Heatmaster and the Homemaker may struggle here today, as we're a lot more of a traditional sale.

The LNER carriage door, someone with good vision and imagination could turn that into something very interesting.

TIM WONNACOTT: A profit would be lovely.

What a place.

Quite the venue.

I feel like we're taking our seats at the theater.

TIM WONNACOTT: [INAUDIBLE] on Paul's first offering, the Ottoman belt buckle.

Will it be a belter?

I'm going to start straight in here at 18, 20, 22, 24, 25 bid.

I though he said 80.

I though he said 80.

JAMES FULLER: 30, thank you, internet.

Oh no, wait, the internet's gone wild.

JAMES FULLER: Where's 5?

Internet bid, then on this lot at 30 pounds.

PAUL LAIDLAW: Not enough.

NATASHA RASKIN: Wait a minute, you got it for thruppence.

TIM WONNACOTT: Bit more, but the point's well made.

At this point, we'd be doing a wee cartwheel across the parading ring right here.

TIM WONNACOTT: Now Paul's admitted he rather admires Natasha's lamp.

So do I.

Going to start in here with me at 22, 24 pounds bid.

24 bid.

26 where?

- Come on.

- Is this your lamp?

- I think so.

I've lost the part.

--my commission bids at 24 pounds.

No.

I think that was it.

TIM WONNACOTT: Crikey, someone's got a bulbous lamp for a slim price.

NATASHA RASKIN: That was my favorite thing, as well.

It was going to make money to validate the fact that I have great taste.

TIM WONNACOTT: Now, do we see a profit on Paul's tea gubbins?

Got to start those here with me at 22 for 26.

I bid now.

26 I have on commission.

28 where?

Come on, good name, this Homemaker.

Good designer stuff, this.

Where are we going with these?

26 with me.

He's selling at 24.

34 against you.

With me at only 34 pounds.

Internet's out.

It's my commissions at 34 pounds.

Ouch.

Is that [INAUDIBLE]?

TIM WONNACOTT: He doesn't usually do losses.

I'm just going to have a little cry.

TIM WONNACOTT: Cheer up.

Natasha's rain measurer is next.

Where are we going with this?

I'm going to start here with me at 22, 24, 26 pounds bid.

26 pounds bid.

28 where?

Good looking lot.

Nicely cased and lovely presented.

With me at 26 pounds.

TIM WONNACOTT: A few precious drops of profit, Natasha.

Rain measuring gauge was half full.

TIM WONNACOTT: Paul's posh luggage, anyone?

Wee bit shabby, isn't it?

Or is it still looking all right?

With you dissing my case?

To your face.

TIM WONNACOTT: Oh concentrate, you two.

I'm going to go on this one here with me at 25, 28, 30 pounds bid.

I mean, if it doesn't sell today, you can always just add it to your collection.

30 pounds.

Who's got 5?

With me at-- But it's got initials on it, doesn't it?

How much did it sell for?

I think it sold for 30 pounds.

Thanks, sir.

TIM WONNACOTT: Well, at least someone was on the case.

Now, Paul, you need to stop messing around because that was your law.

Start taking this seriously.

TIM WONNACOTT: Natasha's movie and music related luggage, next.

You know, they say a touch of celebrity adds a bit of value to a lot.

I wouldn't say that Noel Eric Wimperis-- did you know who he was?

PAUL LAIDLAW: The Noel Eric Wimperis?

Pay attention.

Here it comes.

Don't miss it.

A couple of commision bids-- Two commission bids.

5, 30 and 2, I'm bid.

32 bid.

5 where?

Tripling your money, just about.

With me at 32 pounds.

5, will you?

This is cool.

That's an all right wee profit.

What do you mean, that's magic?

TIM WONNACOTT: Yes, are we looking at a happy ending?

Two commission bets.

And then the music kicks in.

TIM WONNACOTT: Back to Earth, with Paul's little barometer.

It's been pressure tested and is in working order.

You can buy it with confidence.

And I have commissioned bids on it, starting here with me at 22, 24-- Now what did you pay for it?

25.

And 6 I'm bid.

38, 40 I'm bid.

50, internet.

60 where?

60, come on.

Pay internet bid of 50 pounds.

TIM WONNACOTT: Much more like it.

NATASHA RASKIN: There's a wee dog, panting like a beast and I can't handle it.

I keep thinking it's you.

TIM WONNACOTT: Now, any train door fanciers?

Good interesting lot, this.

Make a nice mirror or something of that nature.

He's selling it.

He's selling it.

That's my boy.

Start it here at 25.

25?

35 bid.

40 where?

Come on, we need someone with some imagination to make this into something interesting.

Or a railway carriage missing a door.

40 on the internet.

5 I have against you internet.

Come on, 50.

Come on, yes.

50 pounds bid, and 5 I have.

It's making a profit.

8 pounds bid.

I shall sell to the internet at 60 pounds.

Oh.

[INAUDIBLE] sold.

Do you reckon?

TIM WONNACOTT: "Abso- blooming- lutely."

Gambled and got away with it.

You went with your heart, and you made 1 pound 28, and then you lost more than that in charges, but that's by the by.

That's a result.

TIM WONNACOTT: This, however, represents a much bigger gamble, Paul.

I'm starting straight in at 30 pounds.

Bid 30, bid only.

It's a long way off, that.

JAMES FULLER: Seems cheap, very stylish.

Yes, it was cheap.

At only 30 pounds.

5, do I see anywhere?

This is scary.

I feel bad for you, but oh no, I feel-- 35 I have against you.

5 if you'd like.

He must have a hoverer on the internet.

--it's 45.

Surely someone's going to round that up to 50.

Seems very cheap.

Surely someone is going to round that up to 150.

OK, and that's how you get a kiss off 100 pounds in one load.

TIM WONNACOTT: Oh well, you can afford it.

NATASHA RASKIN: I actually feel sad for the antique.

If I'm personifying the antique-- Never mind the antique.

Me!

TIM WONNACOTT: How does that make Natasha's candelabrum feel, we wonder?

Nervous?

With me at 30 pounds-- I need more.

I need more, auctioneer.

Seems cheap at only 30 pounds.

5 internet, surely.

A lot of decorative metal work for 30 pounds.

Sad, sad.

Only 30 pounds.

Sad.

TIM WONNACOTT: Not a lot, but then she didn't have much to start off with.

I've just realized the trick that I missed.

Maybe for votive candles.

Maybe I should have lit a few in advance of the sale.

I've seen them at beaches there.

What we really need in this auction is divine intervention.

I think we're in trouble.

TIM WONNACOTT: Well, it felt like a small miracle when this vase popped up, Paul.

Your last lot.

I am in it.

I've just got one more thing I've got to do.

Starting in here at 18 pounds bid.

Now I'm bid.

22-- Oh, OK. 24 where?

My commission's at 22.

It's got to be worth so much more than that.

I would've hoped.

Selling here with me at 22 pounds.

Oh, Paul.

Technically a profit.

A very, very small profit.

TIM WONNACOTT: Count your blessings.

NATASHA RASKIN: Let's go.

Let's go.

TIM WONNACOTT: Paul began with 457 pounds and 2 pence, and after auction costs he made a loss of 86 pounds and 98 p. So his current pile stands at 370 pounds and fourpence.

While Natasha started out with 168 pounds and 72 pence, and after auction costs she made a much smaller loss of 27 pounds and 68 pence.

So she wins today, but with just 141 pounds and four pence left.

Do you know something?

This is all going the wrong way.

NATASHA RASKIN: It wasn't going to be in our greatest hits compilation.

Am I catching up?

No.

Oh, a wee bit of buffer.

But the way things are going, no chickens.

TIM WONNACOTT: And they're off!

[MUSIC PLAYING]