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Antiques Road Trip
Charles Hanson and Christina Trevanion are reunited in a classic car, six years since their last Road Trip break. They kick off their coast-to-coast antiques odyssey in Morecambe. Charles flexes his muscles, and his wallet, picking up a 250-year-old table, while Christina takes a heavy horse to the Sheffield auction, in spite of some conservative spending. A messy encounter with a seagull almost ruins one deal for Charles before he takes to the sky himself in Blackpool’s historic flying machine.
Christina Trevanion and Charles Hanson continue their road trip, this time on the Welsh border. In a horse-themed episode, Christina ditches the sporty classic car for four legs as she rides her way into a lesson about the English Civil War, while Charles learns why the gee gees are so important to Chester. Fingers are crossed that a croquet set will prove popular at the Burnley auction, but the star of this episode is Fred – long limbed, heavily bandaged and 110 years old. Will this little bear steal the hearts of the Burnley bidders?
Antique experts Charles Hanson and Christina Trevanion are road tripping around Yorkshire in a vintage vroom vroom, searching for profitable buys from a bygone age. What will prove popular at the Bedale auction? Charles makes an unscheduled pit stop and finds an exciting artefact in a toilet, while Christina is literally dancing for joy with one of her purchases, a lovely 1930s party dress. Our intrepid antiquers also explore some local history. Christina discovers yorkshire terriers weren’t always so cute and cuddly, while Charles hears a story of Victorian ear trumpets.
Antique experts Charles Hanson and Christina Trevanion are road tripping around Yorkshire in a vintage convertible searching for relics of a bygone age they can snap up and sell on for a profit at auction in Rotherham. Christina gets bitten by the keep-fit bug and buys some vintage weights, while Charles purchases an unusual artefact - a Victorian skirt lifter - but only after a demonstration from a blushing dealer. A short detour then allows Christina to learns about a thousand-year-old custom in the village of Ripon, while Charles is given a lesson in medieval archery and explores the ancient walls of York.
Antique experts Christina Trevanion and Charles Hanson are on the last leg of their coast-to-coast journey from Morecambe to Newcastle. Christina buys some quirky curios, while Charles splurges on a multitude of items including a Roman-era ring that he titles the Hanson Hoard. The road trip pit crew leap into action when smoke appears inside the classic car, and all fingers point to Charles for this minor mishap. Our intrepid antiquers also detour away from the local emporiums. Christina visits Northampton, the shoemaking capital of Britain, to discover why and how the industry has thrived for hundreds of years. Charles cycles to meet a historian and hear of a Great War cavalry battalion who used bikes rather than horses.
Auctioneers Catherine Southon and Tim Medhurst get behind the wheel of a magnificent safari-style Land Rover for trip from the South Downs to Christchurch on the Dorset coast. It’s the first time they have been paired together, so who will come out on top at auction? As well as lots of top treasure-seeking along the way, today’s episode also includes a visit to the Wealden Iron Man and the story of the Indian entrepreneur who introduced both curry and shampoo to Britain.
The contest between Catherine Southon and Tim Medhurst remains nicely poised. On this second leg, our pair of affable antiquers are abroad on the highways and mostly byways of Hampshire and Sussex, starting out amongst the fabulous ponies of the New Forest. Decked out in matching tweed, Tim and Catherine will also venture to Southampton Water to discover the ancient and environmentally friendly art of tide milling, and they learn about Portsmouth’s man of the millennium – a cobbler who helped the needy.
It’s the halfway point of our treasure trip. Experts Catherine Southon and Tim Medhurst hit the shops between St Albans and Bushey, with Tim bagging himself a piece of American folk art and Catherine plumping for some items that would serve very well at elevenses. But will their plans pay off at the Hertfordshire auction? Along the way, Tim sends up a drone to check on the ultimate field trial, and Catherine finds out about a man who was pulling out all the stops in the nineteenth century – but can she play to his tune?
The fourth leg of this week's trip sees experts Catherine Southon and Tim Medhurst in the shires. After starting out in Shropshire, they visit Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. And should the pair get peckish, Tim has some very ‘interesting’ sandwich recipes he’s happy to share. Catherine and Tim also climb the farm track that doubles as one of the oldest motorsport venues in the world and drive a tractor backwards, before heading off to an exciting auction in the town of Stroud to sell some medals and what Tim thinks could be a Roman or Saxon coffin.
It’s the final leg with auctioneers Catherine Southon and Tim Medhurst, as they explore the rolling Cotswold hills in their 1970s off-roader. The extremely circuitous open road has somehow brought them all the way from Rye in Sussex to Cirencester in Gloucestershire, where they encounter ancient artefacts, dry stone walls and lots and lots of sheep. But who will win out at the final auction in Devizes?
Avuncular veteran road tripper James Braxton takes a spin across the south east with youthful novice Izzie Balmer. She’s an auctioneer with a penchant for jewellery, but will she take the crown with her jewels? James gets waylaid by a heady brew of beer and witchcraft, and Izzie bumps into painted ladies and monarchs while discovering how the art of tattooing became popular in the west. A potter’s wheel encourages James to channel his inner Patrick Swayze, while Izzie reveals herself to be more in tune with famous Scottish bard Robert Burns. Tring Tring! Tring Tring! Hello? Yes, they’re on their way to the Hertfordshire town for auction. Who knows whether age or beauty will triumph?
The sunny Izzie Balmer tours Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire with her self-confessed curmudgeonly counterpart James Braxton. However, Izzie’s cakes soon have him eating out of her hand. Izzie goes on a strictly declassified mission to Bletchley Park, where code-breakers cracked messages from Hitler, while James dons a bandana and takes on the cream of English badminton. Mr Braxton takes a measured approach with some wooden rulers and applies his weight test to a Chinese table, and Miss Balmer is dazzled by an expensive ring made of lava from Mount Vesuvius and some glassware made of depleted uranium. Sparks may fly!
James and Izzie are off and running again, and the going is flat. That’s because they’re in the eastern counties of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Izzie gets her skates on and finds her bandy legs on the ice for a go at a winter sport that began in the Fens, while our resident gourmand drops a 'clanger', a local delicacy that was once a staple food of those who laboured on the land in these parts.
Izzie and James visit the most easterly town in the country. Izzie potters about in Lowestoft learning about the porcelain 'trifles' manufactured for the 18th-century tourist trade, while James goes crabbing in Cromer. True to form, Izzie just can’t resist the attractions of chairs - Edwardian and Georgian. And James can’t say no to a gigantic wine rack to go with his French cafe table. James is all fired up by a cannonball from a 1672 naval battle, and Izzie is charmed by an art deco necklace. Will age or beauty win the day at auction in Banbury?
For the final leg of their road trip, Izzie and James are touring Izzie’s native Derbyshire, where she tempts the gourmand with some local delicacies. Our keen ambassador for her home county is also on a mission to find Blue John. James, meanwhile, falls for a pretty lady and hopes that an Ashbourne slate fireplace will fan the flames of success. Needless to say, Izzie continues her chair obsession with a matching pair. There’s a blast from the past as James is carried away by the news from the 1780s, while Izzie follows in the tracks of Winston Churchill. But whose will be victory at auction in Lincoln?
We’re travelling in style with antiques experts Arusha Irvine and Angus Ashworth, who are out for a wee saunter around the country lanes of Northern Ireland in their stately, yet elderly, Rolls-Royce. Angus gets a musical welcome to his shopping and has designs on a piece of Victorian furniture made from an unusual material. Roo, meanwhile, seems to be fixated on collecting one particular type of jewellery. But will their tastes match those of the bidders? On their travels, Roo hits the dancefloor to have a go at Irish dancing, while Angus is put through his paces when he trains like a US ranger. They end their journey crossing the Irish Sea and attending a Welsh auction in Wrexham.
Experts Roo Irvine and Angus Ashworth hit the B-roads of south west Wales on the second leg of their hunt for antique treasures. After losing a bundle on the last auction, Angus is having to stretch his tiny budget a long way if he has any hope of catching up with his rival. Roo has no such worries, although the luxury car lifestyle that their Rolls-Royce affords them has gone to her head. Amidst all the shopping, Angus takes to the water in a particularly Welsh boat, while Roo finds out exactly what the Welsh do with all those sheep. They’re heading to an auction in Carmarthen, where there might be a few surprises, one of which relates to Angus’s ancestry.
It’s the midpoint of the road trip for antiques experts Roo Irvine and Angus Ashworth as they continue to scour the shops of south Wales for all things antique. After a huge profit at the last auction, one expert takes a big punt on a piece of local history that might not be that local after all. Another has to shop more cautiously, having lost a bundle last time out. But it seems memorabilia from Hollywood’s golden age is very affordable. Away from the shops, Angus goes down to the beach to hunt for a particular Welsh delicacy, and Roo ventures on the high seas to find the story of a boat that has saved thousands of lives. They cross the border for an auction in the Cotswolds, but will the people of Wotton-under-Edge rate their purchases?
We’re wandering the West Country with antiques experts Roo Irvine and Angus Ashworth. As both of them are fans of a clotted cream tea, it’s little wonder why they’ve ended up in Devon and Somerset. Roo is having to make her money go a long way yet gets her hands on some hefty items. Angus, meanwhile, seems to find reminders of his home everywhere he looks. Away from the shops, Roo comes face to face with Exmoor’s equine inhabitants. Angus bares all at a once quite exclusive beach that can only be accessed by tunnel – though he wishes the water were warmer. The duo end up at an auction in Exmouth, where they find out if their lots bring them success or disaster.
It's the end of the road for two enthusiastic experts Roo Irvine and Angus Ashworth, hitting the antiques shops of the West Country once more in search of interesting artefacts to take to their final auction. Roo is having to manage her money very carefully, but she’s got her eye on a very large and dangerous-looking farming implement. Although he’s in a much better financial position, it’s Angus feeling the pressure, but he still has time to knock out a 'tune' on one of his purchases. Roo takes a break from shopping and heads off to a funfair where, as well as winning a coconut, she finds out how the travelling fairs helped to boost morale during the Great War. Angus heads to Plymouth to discover the turbulent history of gin, before having a go as a master distiller, chin chin. It all comes to the crunch at their final auction in Clevedon. Who will emerge victorious?