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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw drops in shock as she learns eye-watering value of 'exquisite' watch - despite swipe from BBC expert
An Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw dropped in shock as she learnt the eye-watering value of her 'exquisite' watch - despite a swipe from a BBC expert. A recently repeated 2004 episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Hampton Court Palace in London. Expert Richard Price met with a woman who had brought in a gorgeous Swiss ball watch she had inherited after a 'very dear friend' passed away. She explained their relationship: 'I actually used to work for her and her husband was a buyer at one time in Harrods, a jewellery buyer for Harrods.' The antiques specialist asked if her friend wore it often, to which she replied: 'Yes, she used to wear it nearly every day on her suit lapel.' Richard was touched - and impressed: 'That's a lovely story and I'll tell you something, it is in absolutely exquisite condition. 'There's not a chip out of that enamel anywhere.' He tried out the mechanism, winding the unusual spherical watch using the bezel and testing the clock hands, before saying it 'does everything it should do'. The antiques expert showed off its inner workings to the camera, dubbing the delicate metal work 'absolutely typically Swiss'. 'It is an exquisite thing. Wonderful quality', he exclaimed. But it was not an entirely positive assessment, as the expert took a swipe at the watch's bezel: 'But there's just one thing I'm not entirely happy with. 'The little rose diamonds around the bezel of this watch just don't have quite the same style and class, if I can use that word, of these brilliant cut ones here.' He asked, as the guest nodded in agreement: 'Do you see how that's just a little bit nicer than the watch itself?' Richard also had a problem with the chain used to hang the watch: 'I'm not sure that the pendant actually went on with the watch when new.' But it was not an entirely positive assessment, as the expert took a swipe at the watch's bezel: 'But there's just one thing I'm not entirely happy with' 'The little rose diamonds around the bezel of this watch [left] just don't have quite the same style and class, if I can use that word, of these brilliant cut ones here [right]' But the appraiser was willing to move past that: 'The colours are so good that it doesn't really matter. 'It blends extremely well because this is an unusual quality of enamel and it's an unusual colour because you've got the dark reds and you've got these lovely almost coral-y petals.' The guest was not sure what period the watch was from - but Richard used his expertise to identify it: 'Well, these flowers, the petals, leaves, the enamel, it's very sort of art nouveau in style, isn't it?' 'And just looking at the general shape and size of the piece, I'm quite happy to say it's about 1905 to 1910.' Then came the moment the guest had been waiting for - the valuation. Richard said: 'Well, you're never going to replace it because you'll never need to. 'But if you went to look for one, I think that's going to cost you an absolute minimum of £6,000 to £7,000.' The guest was absolutely amazed, with her jaw dropping in shock: 'Oh goodness! Oh goodness me! Thank you, that's wonderful.' Richard said, laughing: 'Next time somebody takes you out for a lovely dinner, pop it on.' The woman chuckled, looking towards her partner off camera: 'I'll tell him!' It comes after an Antiques Roadshow guest was left wide-eyed as an expert gasped 'I need time to come down from this' in response to the 'trickiest item she's ever had to value'. A repeat episode of the BBC show went to Belton House near the town of Grantham, Lincolnshire. Expert Hilary Kay met with a woman who had brought in a unique item - the funeral standard of 17th-century English statesman Oliver Cromwell. He led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars in the mid-1600s against King Charles I, helping to overthrow him before his execution in 1649. The soldier and politician then led the Commonwealth of England that was quickly established, serving as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. Hilary began the segment: 'Sheltering from a passing shower and sheltering with an object which is, I feel, almost radioactive with power. 'It's a very interesting phenomenon to be this close to something that is really quite important.' The woman explained how such an incredible object came into her possession: 'It was in a collection about seven years ago. My father actually bought the collection of militaria. 'We now own it as a family. It's actually kept in one of our spare rooms and as you say, it's one of those objects that make you tingle.' With anticipation built up, about an item with such historical value, the valuation could not come sooner - and it did not disappoint. Hilary said: 'This is about the trickiest thing I've ever had to value. 'It is certain to fetch £25,000 but how much more would it go for?' The wide-eyed guest was rendered absolutely speechless, with Hilary saying: 'It's going to take me a little while to come down from this. 'It'll take a couple of bars of chocolate and a cup of tea but this has been a really special moment with a really extraordinary object, don't you agree?'
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Expert predicts what your garden will look like in 2050
Drought-tolerant plants, Mediterranean trees and vertical growing will dominate our gardens by 2050. You can also expect more smart innovation - according to garden designer Kitti Kovacs. Kovacs is creating "Illusion 2050," a garden of the future, in the new Gardens Of Curiosity category at this year's RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. The exhibit will showcase how gardeners can adapt to climate change while maintaining beauty and biodiversity. Kovacs cites a 2024 report by Kew Gardens, which warned that over 50 per cent of its trees, including oak, beech, and holly, could be at risk by 2090. The report calls on the horticulture industry and urban planners to increase the diversity of trees and shrubs. 'They are looking for solutions, for replacements for these trees and shrubs which may become non-existent because they can't cope with climate change – and we need to follow the same principles,' she says. 'Everyone can do their bit.' So, where will we be by 2050? 'We will be more aware of sustainable materials which are sustainably sourced, we will reuse things, repurpose materials and will be going back to natural materials,' she says. ' Plants we are using will be low maintenance.' Smart lighting which is wildlife-friendly, rain-monitoring irrigation systems and apps which provide information at your fingertips will become more prevalent as an aid to gardeners, she predicts. 'By 2050 we will have systems where a garden designer would create your plant list which is stored in a computer system which decides which plant should be watered at which time of the day.' Vegetable growing will also be more calculated, she says, with systems taking account of the needs of families and the amount of produce they will need to grow, along with warnings about growing thirsty plants such as tomatoes which won't survive if you go on a two-week summer holiday and don't have anyone to water for you. We should have more success with citrus, grapes and other heat-loving fruits in a warmer climate, she adds. Tree changes Trees which are common in the Mediterranean, such as olives, should thrive in our changing climate, she says. 'We need to be creative. Fagus (beech), for example, will be vulnerable, but if we are using ornamental trees, Italian cypresses, which need less water, are being used in my garden. Trachycarpus (palm trees) will also be happy in a warm environment.' 'We will be looking at drought-tolerant plants and those which are native in areas of Europe such as eryngiums, lavenders and ornamental grasses. 'Ornamental grasses are a really good bond between plants. I love my Sesleria autumnalis grasses because they look good all-year round. It's a low-maintenance evergreen choice.' Plants such as hydrangeas will disappear because they are really thirsty, she predicts. Vertical growing People with limited space will be growing plants in vertical set-ups as a matter of course. Vegetable gardens will often be hanging gardens in smaller spaces, where they will get more exposure to the sun and there will be widespread automated watering systems incorporating sensors to detect when the plants need watering, she reckons. 'If you look it up in the dictionary, sustainability means something you can keep for a long time. For me, I ask, can my clients look after it? Is it suitable for their lifestyle? 'I think the appearance of gardens will change as they become more like grassland, with combinations of perennials which look good all-year round, such as salvias, eryngiums, sedums, which are Mediterranean-type plants but you don't have to do much with them.' Bulbs will still be big ' Bulbs are great for enhancing our gardens, because they store their energy in the bulb, so things like alliums are amazing and you can have them in different shapes and sizes, and there are really reliable.' Water butts and other systems developed for harvesting rainwater will become more commonplace as water becomes more scarce, she anticipates. 'More people will have water features in their garden which can keep the rainwater clean by circulating it all the time and we can use solar panels to drive water pumps. 'We can use rainwater to irrigate our gardens but water is also a really beautiful feature and beneficial for mental health. By 2050, more people will look at gardening as a way of life, a way of being part of nature to cure their anxieties, and will be spending more time outside looking after their gardens.' 'British people have a deep connection to their lawns, which are usually their pride and joy. But for wildlife alone, it is an unusable space. When you have a lawn in your garden you have no birds, butterflies or bees coming in because they are looking for food. 'Only when you start adding bushes, perennials and flowers do you introduce plants which are beneficial for pollinators.' Perennials will be prevalent Perennials which are beneficial to pollinators will help our insects during climate change, she predicts. Layering will also become popular so that larger plants can provide shade for smaller ones.
Auto Car
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
All Minors, no majors: Learning to drive in a 57-year-old Morris
Learning to drive in a classic car can be a very shrewd choice – and it could well make you a better driver too You can keep your Fiestas, this is a far cooler car for learning to drive in Close There's a Morris Minor fan near where I live. He has a Traveller on his drive and a saloon on the road outside that doesn't appear to have moved for some time because there's an eco system developing underneath it. Then a few weeks ago, while cycling past Hampton Court Palace, I saw what looked like the saloon motoring along the A308 in the direction of the M3. An impressive turnaround in fortune for a car that, I suspected, might never run again. Except this wasn't that Morris Minor. This one was being driven by a young-looking lad who, from the presence of an L-plate front and back, appeared to be learning to drive in it. A few days later, I spotted the car parked outside the local doctor's surgery. Further detective work revealed that the blue 1968 Morris Minor 1000 is the pride and joy of father Ed Wilson and his son Patrick. Patrick is 17 years old and has been learning to drive over the past four months. First, if you believe the mass media, no youngsters are learning to drive these days, and second, if they are, they're not likely to be learning in a 57-year-old classic. I found the sight of young Patrick in his Morris Minor rather heart-warming. So, Ed, why isn't junior learning to drive in something more modern? Something a bit more conventional like a Volkswagen Polo or Ford Fiesta? 'Money,' says Ed. 'At least that's the primary reason.' I'd heard via word of mouth that insuring young people to drive a classic car was far cheaper than for a modern car. That turned out to be true because Patrick, who is the policy holder on the Minor, with dad as a named driver, pays only £120 per year. "That's for limited mileage, and only 1000 miles at that, but that's adequate for us as we don't go very far from home,' says Ed. 'And although the premium will rise once he's passed his test, it will still be far cheaper than for a modern car.' Why a Morris Minor? 'Well, my grandfather had one,' says Ed, 'which added some appeal. We looked at a Traveller but the woodwork was really rotten so we gave that one a miss. Then we spotted this saloon that was for sale for £1500. "As you can see, the paintwork is very dull and there is some surface rust in places, but structurally it's pretty sound. The other advantage of this car is that it's ULEZ-exempt, which is an important factor when you're on a tight budget.' Ed learned to drive at the age of 25 in a Ford Fiesta, a rather more sophisticated car than the Moggie. 'It took me a while to adjust to driving the Minor,' he says, 'but Patrick picked it up quicker than me.' Patrick says: 'Most of my friends are learning to drive, but nobody is driving a car as old as ours. They haven't commented much on the Morris but my sister Poppy reckons that it's a really cool car.' Even for Ed, the Morris has features he had not encountered before. Such as a foot-operated dip switch. 'I've never owned a car with a manual choke,' he says, 'which has taken some mastering.' But it's not what the car has: it's what it hasn't that makes it interesting for a learner driver. Like synchromesh on first gear. 'I've had to learn to think ahead,' says Patrick. 'I only drive the car in town but even so I have to think carefully when I'm coming up to a junction or making a manoeuvre. I don't think I'd like to drive it on a motorway as it's not fast enough and other traffic would be intimidating. I'll be taking my test in a modern car.' There's no question in my mind that Patrick will be a better driver for learning in such an analogue car with no distractions. He'll be picking up skills that will be of great use to him throughout his driving life even if he does migrate to a modern car that will help steer and park for him, spot pedestrians and carry out emergency stops. What did I learn in? A Morris Minor 1000 Traveller. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
The Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Why the designs for Queen Elizabeth II's memorial may have missed an important point
When, perhaps from the top of a London bus, you catch sight of the White Tower, the Norman keep at the heart of the Tower of London, do you ever feel, as I do, that you have come face to facade with William the Conqueror? William was buried in the abbey he founded in Caen, yet this massive, four-square fortress stamping its weighty presence by the River Thames is surely his English memorial. I came. I conquered. I built. For generations of schoolchildren, William has been the first in the litany of English and British monarchs stretching from 1066, and all that, to the late Queen, and now, to King Charles. The Queen's bloodline stretched further back, though, to Athelstan, the first king of England. So, you might well think that there are dozens of glorious memorials – Saxon, Norman, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, Hanoverian, along with those more recent from the houses of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Windsor – that could serve as inspiration for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial to be built in St James's Park, London, the final design of which is to be revealed this summer. There are, in fact, precious few outstanding public memorials to our kings and queens. Open-air memorials, that is. There are fine tombs to some, though not all, of our monarchs, while the greatest memorials to date, are perhaps Henry VII's Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, a spectacular display of fan vaults and supreme craftsmanship, Wren's graceful English Baroque Fountain Court for William and Mary at Hampton Court and, of course, William I's White Tower. Of statues, there is a fine equestrian bronze of Charles I by Hubert Le Seuer, cast in 1633 and the first of its Renaissance kind in England, looking down Whitehall from a traffic island to the immediate south of Trafalgar Square. Commissioned for the lord high treasurer's house in Roehampton, it was hidden during the years of Cromwell's Commonwealth. Here, in October 1660, eight of those who had signed the death warrant of the Stuart king were hung, drawn and quartered. To the Flemish sculptor, John Michael Rysbrack, we owe the accomplished equestrian statue of William III erected in Queen Square, Bristol, in 1736. Back in Trafalgar Square, George IV – styled as a Roman emperor by Francis Leggatt Chantrey – rides yet another beautifully realised horse. This statue, erected in 1828 and partly paid for by the king himself, was to have sat on top of John Nash's Marble Arch. Somewhere in the 20th century, this art of memorialising royalty was lost. The bronze statues of King George VI (William McMillan, 1955) and the Queen Mother (Philip Jackson, 2009) overlooking the Mall from Carlton Gardens feel lacklustre, a little too stiff, as do earlier stone statues of George V, by William Reid Dick, in Westminster's Old Palace Yard and Edward VII in Waterloo Place, by Bertram Mackennal, even though he's riding a rather grand horse. How almost irrelevant such statues seemed in the century of industrialised global war. In contrast, Charles Sergeant Jagger's cast bronze, an unknown soldier reading a letter from home, standing sentinel on platform one at Paddington station, is deeply and universally moving. It memorialises the 2,524 employees of the Great Western Railway who died fighting for king and country during the Great War, a number upped to 3,312 at the end of the Second World War. The statue, wreathed gently in steam from the 'King' class locomotives that for four decades hauled famous named trains across the country, represents art and artistry of the highest order in the service of everyone. As for other celebrated and mourned members of the royal family, Prince Albert's memorial in Hyde Park is a glorious, contentious, polychromatic Gothic confection orchestrated by a committee, designed by George Gilbert Scott, encrusted with a frieze of distinguished architects, composers, painters, poets and sculptors and adorned with vigorous sculptures depicting the four continents. Gold-leafed, Albert sits under a great Gothic canopy that might just belong to the world's tallest, if imaginary, Gothic cathedral. This enjoyable exuberance contrasts with the assured Duke of York's column overlooking the Mall and St James's Park from Waterloo Place. Here, architecture, sculpture and pitch-perfect city planning are woven seamlessly. The Duke, who died in 1827, had been commander in chief of the British army. He was a success despite the jaunty, up-hill, down-hill rhyme by which we know him best. His statue, sculpted here by Richard Westmacott, stands at the top of a granite Tuscan column designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt at the top of a flight of steps set between the palatial blocks of Nash's Carlton House Terrace. He marks a full stop in the Regency architect's ambitious set-piece route from Regent's Park to St James's Park. How, do the design teams shortlisted for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial match or even trump Nash, Westmacott and Wyatt? The memorial will rise from the heart of St James's Park and whichever one is chosen certainly needs to be better than the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, an overscaled Cornish granite version of a Scalextric racetrack, or the oddly drab Diana-with-children sculpture at Kensington Palace. Significantly, the teams are composed of architects, artists and landscape designers. Among the finalists architect Thomas Heatherwick's Heatherwick Studio's design includes a canopy of giant limestone lily pads with twisting stems towering over a statue of the queen. Another concept is 'a tranquil family of royal gardens' linked by 'a natural stone tessellated path' designed by architect Norman Foster's firm Foster + Partners, with audio installations featuring Elizabeth's voice. This will be completed with a rippling 'wind sculpture' by artist Yinka Shonibare, the Royal Academician best known, in London, perhaps, for his Nelson's Ship in a Bottle perched on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. There is a bedrock bridge – because 'the queen was the nation's bedrock' – and forested glades by landscape architects J&L Gibbons; a memorial by garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith gives us on a bronze cast of an ancient oak tree; and a thread of pathways and landscapes 'gently woven through the natural fabric' of the park by architects WilkinsonEyre. It's equally interesting to learn that Thomas Heatherwick, who tried to build the controversial Garden Bridge across the Thames, is working with Halima Cassell, the Pakistan-born sculptor and ceramicist whose patterns are sourced as much from nature as they are from Islamic design. The winning design team is to be announced this summer, and the final design will be revealed in April 2026 to coincide with the centenary of the Queen's birth. There is a pattern to be found in the formation of these design teams. One way or another, they represent the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth was so fond of. And of her love of nature. The queen's former private secretary Robin Janvin, who is chairing the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, said the goal is to create 'a landmark memorial of outstanding beauty that celebrates and honors the life of Queen Elizabeth II.' Successful memorials in cities, however, demand a certain discipline if they are to endure in the public imagination or to garner critical acclaim with future generations. They need to reflect far more than fashions of the moment. At the same time, it can be hard to reconcile a wish to be popular and multimedia-friendly with the kind of cool precision of the Duke of York column. Equally, there are spaces in cities, the royal parks among them, where nature, however contained by surrounding city streets and shaped in part by the hands and eyes of landscape gardeners, is allowed to triumph over overt human intervention. Feeding 'cockney' sparrows by hand from the slight, pale blue metal bridge spanning the lake in St James's Park was always more enchanting than the sight of Portland stone pedestals crowned with glum-looking 20th-century royals could ever be. I have no idea what the late Queen would think of this, yet I wonder if her memorial might be something else altogether. Of course, there might be a plaque in Westminster Abbey, but what about an animal sanctuary laced around with wildflowers dedicated to horses and dogs and those who wish to care for them in the heart of the countryside, in the Highlands perhaps? A place where people of all ages and backgrounds and capabilities could come to learn to ride and to understand better the animals that make so many lives so much the happier and more content as they did that of the Queen. Why not several such Queen Elizabeth II memorials the length and breadth of this 'sceptr'd isle'? Living horses rather than bronze horses, which are nature's true art? Whatever the committee-approved memorial is selected, you will always be able to sit on a bench in St James's Park, or even on the grass in summer, and listen to birds splashing in the lake and hear the sound of lustrous horses trooping timelessly along the Mall.
Scotsman
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
One brave runner completed the London Marathon – dressed as a pizza box
One brave runner completed the London Marathon – dressed as a pizza box. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Vince Dilig, 25, from Ashstead, donned the 62cm by 62m suit with the aim of finishing the 26.2 mile course in three hours and 15 minutes. The unconventional competitor sported the Domino's inspired cardboard costume for much of the race in the cardboard costume, drawing cheers and confused looks from the crowd. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He was also seen refuelling on garlic and herb dipped crusts on his way around – using his helmet to top up on dip. When asked about his bizarre choice of running gear, he said: 'Nothing gives me the inspiration to run like a Domino's pizza. "So, I thought, why not? It'll get me round the course in fine fettle. 'With a little determination, and a lot of garlic and herb dip, anything is possible.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Vince has completed two marathons in the past with his fastest time being three hours and 29 minutes in last year's London race. He's also completed a half Iron Man in five hours and 46 minutes after swimming, cycling and running his way to the finish line after 70.3 miles. He also has the Hampton Court half under his belt after completing it in February 2025. However, this was the first time Vince had ever run in a fancy dress costume. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With four big races behind him, he wanted to add an extra challenge. This was the first time Vince had ever run in a fancy dress costume | 72Point/ Domino's 'Nothing gives me the inspiration to run like a Domino's pizza' 'I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone,' he said. 'It was a challenge to get over the finish line when I first started, but now I'm more seasoned, I want to try something new. 'People won't remember my time, but they will remember me if I'm wearing a pizza box. 'I got so many high fives, and being dressed like this does spur people on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That's the beauty of the London Marathon, people wear outrageous costumes and still make it to the finish line. 'I think some people were jealous of my garlic and herb dip supply, so many people asked for some on the way round and I was happy to oblige.' Vince spent seven months training for the marathon and hadn't had any alcohol since New Year's Eve. His strict regime included long runs every weekend, covering between 25 and 35 kilometres. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His strategy for race day was to stay topped up on electrolytes – something he hoped to get from the garlic and herb dip. He even treated himself to a Domino's the night before the race, saying, 'I thought I'd get myself in the mood and order one in.
