The Rise And Fall Of The Antique

Episodes

EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
RepeatedComments
New For Olde2018080720200913 (R4)Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique, examining how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting.

In the second episode, he continues his survey of the history of the antiques business, charting the brisk trade in artefacts between Britain and America in the 1920s and 1930s. He singles out the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst as an extreme example of an avid collector of all things antique, including whole buildings.

Interviewees include antiques expert John Bly, historian Dr Eleanor Quince, of the University of Southampton, and Victoria Kastner, author of Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House and State Historian for the San Luis Obispo Coast District, California State Parks.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique.

Post-war Portobello2018080820200920 (R4)Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique, examining how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting.

In episode three, his chronological survey of the antiques trade reaches the post-war era of the swinging sixties when antiques became fashionable with pop stars, and nostalgia for Victoriana co-existed with the modernising trends epitomised by the 1951 Festival of Britain.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique.

Retromania2018081020201004 (R4)Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique, examining how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting.

He concludes his series on the changing fortunes of the antiques trade, discovering the impact of the internet, and the rise of `vintage` wares alongside traditional antiques.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique.

The Heritage Industry2018080920200927 (R4)Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique, examining how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting.

He traces the rise of the heritage industry which saw a decline in country house sales and a corresponding fall in the flow of antique goods for the trade. Meanwhile, the 1980s saw a rise in public interest in antiques, fuelled by television programmes and the publication of Miller's Antiques Price Guide, empowering the collector and amateur dealer.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique.

01The Good Old Days2018080620200906 (R4)Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique, examining how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting.

In the first episode, he looks back at the origins of the antiques trade and traces how it developed in Britain during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. He discovers the fashion for buying suits of armour and unearths the significance of `Wardour Street English`.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Travis Elborough charts the rise and fall of the antique.