In a recent article entitled ‘How to Lose a Legacy’ in the New York Times, Ellen Lupton studies our preoccupation with keeping and passing on family heirlooms to future generations and suggests that (more…)
Ian Burrell, Media Editor of the Independent in an article he wrote on the 6th July, reported that the BBC Trust, its governing body, had criticised the number of programmes on ‘collectible hunting’ and property shows being run on the BBC’s daytime schedule. According to the article, the Trust wants to (more…)
A new BBC programme on antiques is looking to find an antiques master from amongst the general public.
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David Dickinson’s afternoon talk show The David Dickinson Show has been axed by ITV according to The Sun.
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For the stuffed shirts amongst us, there have been rumblings regarding Fiona Bruce presenting a documentary about Queen Victoria wearing very tight jeans.
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For the purists in antique furniture collectors and enthusiasts, although sideboards from the 1970’s may not be considered hugely collectable yet in antiques terms, painting them is rather like returning to the 1960’s and its penchant for painting everything that was fussy and Victorian white. The result of this was the next forty years were spent stripping everything back to the original pine or mahogany and losing all those patinas in the process. Admittedly some of the Victorian pine furniture was already painted, but if left alone, would have taken on that shabby chic that many are so fond of now.
BBC2’s Cracking Antiques (more…)
Nothing will bring more focus and attention to an area than a blockbuster movie being filmed in its locality. With the latest version of Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, being filmed in Pembrokeshire, the whole world is set to get a real eyeful of the stunning Pembrokeshire coastline in south west Wales. A month before Robin Hood, Harry Potter was also being filmed there, so it would seem that the media focus on the area is set to continue.
The locality has a wealth of castles and beaches, plus any number of quality hotels and cafes for both tourists and film crews alike coming to the area. One café, near Bosherston, has already won the heart of Russell Crowe with their freshly brewed loose tea, iced sponges and scones.
New boutique hotels such as The Grove are also attracting famous visitors such as Ridley Scott and Cate Blanchett. The hotel was originally an 18th century mansion which has been restored to its former glory. The chef who used to work with Raymond Blanc serves locally caught and sourced ingredients in the panelled dining room, and the bedrooms all have (more…)
Eric Knowles, a BBC Antiques Roadshow resident expert was back in his childhood haunt of Burnley recently during filming of the new BBC antiques programme Antiques Master. Eric informed the Lancashire Telegraph that he had actually grown up near to where they were filming the programme in the Grade I listed Towneley Hall.
There has been some criticism recently by (more…)
An article published on the 16th May in The Daily Telegraph by Jonathan Wynne-Jones, their Media Correspondent, suggests that the antiques trade is complaining that programmes such as Cash in the Attic and even the Antiques Roadshow tend to overly focus on an item’s value rather than the artefact itself.
The appreciation for the item, rather than its resale value however, could smack rather of elitism, particularly where most people are feeling the pinch financially at the moment. The trade seem worried that antiques generally are going to be reduced to some sort of media side show through the growing number of antiques focused shows on television at present. They suggest that a greater focus should be on the cultural history of an item rather than its value.
The trade perhaps has conveniently forgotten that many top of the range antiques are (more…)
Two stalwarts of BBC Sunday night viewing managed to be in the same town, the same week. Last week the Antiques Roadshow, hosted by Fiona Bruce, was filmed in Beverley Minster and two episodes of Songs of Praise, hosted by Aled Jones, were also filmed in the Minster and in the historic town of Beverley and its Grammar School. The people of Beverley, in West Yorkshire, were very proud to have two such popular TV shows being filmed in their town in the same week.
With the Antiques Roadshow and it selection of antiques brought for valuation came some interesting stories. A 64 year old man from Hull brought with him a piece of shrapnel belonging to his father who had been a gunner on HMS Ajax. The shrapnel had just missed his father, but managed to decapitate his father’s mate and killed 3-4 others. Although rather ghoulish, the piece (more…)