Hutton-In-The-Forest Antiques Roadshow

One of the many, many aspects of being lucky enough to participate in the BBC Antiques Roadshow that I enjoy the most is the travelling. Not so much the typically poor service from Virgin trains, or the traffic jams on the M1, but the wonderful locations selected by the production team. This week’s Roadshow was no exception, and had to be one of the best I’ve experienced so far this year.
We visited Hutton-In-The-Forest, near Penrith in Cumbria, the ancestral home of Lord & Lady Inglewood, whose family have owned this ever-expanding building since 1605 (and I don’t mean five past four!). Even then, the house had been around for ages, with the protective Pele Tower dating back to around 1350. As well as a friendly, welcoming and delicious barbecue the night before the event, we were lucky enough to be taken around in small groups by Lord Inglewood on a private tour of the house and its many treasures. But it’s not just us who benefit, as it’s got to be better standing in a queue in a beautiful garden outside an interesting house like this, than inside a stuffy and dull sports centre! Although the day was as busy as usual, everybody who arrived before 4.30pm got to see and talk with an expert, and have their pieces examined and valued.
As with all Roadshows, the most exciting part for me was the day itself – seeing what treasures people brought in, and the stories that went with them. Working on the Miscellaneous tables, I saw everything from scrimshaw to Steiff and (heraldic) seals. I also managed to find something to film, but to find out what, and what other incredible pieces were discovered and discussed in Penrith, you’ll have to wait until the new series airs in Autumn this year.