40 Years of Great Finds
One of the nation’s most beloved television programmes, Antiques Roadshow has become a national institution. Over four decades, it has told thousands of unique stories about the beautiful, curious and priceless gems, toys, furniture, paintings, ceramics and more that have been handed down through the generations, or found in attics around the world.
The series currently showing was filmed earlier in the year, Antiques Roadshow is again touring the country and coming from a variety of locations from a railway station to castles. In four decades the programme has hardly changed. And some of the experts have been there from the beginning. It has become bigger and slicker, but the concept is still the same. It deals in nostalgia and national pride: the Britain of stately homes and the class system, of letters and medals from first world war, of porcelain passed down through the family, to Beatles’ memorabilia.
A book has been Published to mark it’s 40-year milestone, the most memorable and extraordinary finds from across the years will be collected together for the first time. Programme experts Paul Atterbury and Marc Allum look back at the quintessential moments from the programme, revealing the stories behind the finest and most intriguing objects that have appeared on screen. Beautifully illustrated, the book will uncover some wonderful anecdotes and moments in history.
I spoke recently with Paul, a co-author of the book. Antiques expert, lecturer, museum curator as well as writer, Paul is best known as a specialist on The Antiques Roadshow. He has written over thirty books on subjects ranging from ceramics, architecture, travel, railways, canals and postcards to the First and Second World Wars. His most recent book, World War One in 100 Family Treasures, was the result of an appeal by The Antiques Roadshow for contributions for a special programme filmed in the Somme.
Paul’s fevour for antiques is enhanced by the stories that lie behind the objects. He told me “our aim is to encourage people to read the stories, understand the history behind them and seek to fill the gaps in their education.”
We have 10 copies of this glorious book to give away to 10 lucky readers so go to our competition page to be in with a chance.
