Behind The News
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The enthusiast who has taken the stuffiness out of antiques
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| Eric Knowles |
Anyone who expects the world of antiques to be all solemn seriousness should think again.
Eric Knowles may be an established and respected antiquarian - but he cheerfully admits that going to Harewood House is like Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory'.
It's the type of infectious enthusiasm which ensures he never gets bored after decades in the job - and which has undoubtedly helped him to forge a highly successful career in his chosen field.
Mr Knowles, who will be speaking at Harewood in July, is now an instantly recognisable face, particularly to viewers of the BBC's Antiques Road Show'.
And he is looking forward to his visit to Harewood.
"It's a beautiful place - I never get tired of going there," he said.
His regular TV appearances in the 1990s saw him appearing in numerous shows including Crimewatch UK', Selling the Family Silver,' Going for a Song', and Countdown.'
But his work is not restricted to TV and radio. He has written a number of books, he is a contributor to the BBC Homes and Antiques magazine and Collect it, and is the antiques expert for The Sunday Times.
Add to that, among other things, lectures in the UK, USA and Canada and Eric Knowles is clearly a very busy man - and he admits: "It is an exciting life."
But the man who lectures at such venues as the Victoria and Albert Museum and who is an ambassador for the Prince's Trust, as well as being called upon to present the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards at Buckingham and St James' Palaces, did not grow up in quite such rarified circumstances.
Born in Nelson he spent his formative years on a council estate where his love of history marked him out as different.
"I was a history boffin from birth - my mates thought I was weird," he remembers. "It was seen as just one step away from catching butterflies with a net.
"I was the kid Dennis the Menace would have bashed. I grew up in a council semi-detached house in Nelson
"We had a William the fourth piano which no-one wanted. No-one in my family played - although my brother and I played under it and on it."
Eric inherited his love of antiques from his parents, and his passion was fed by family shopping trips.
"My grandmother took us to a couple of shops, one of which - the dress shop filled us with dread. The other shop was always the antique or secondhand shop.
"But the big thrill was that afterwards we would go into Burnley for something truely exotic like a Wimpy."
His love of history was nurtured by the proximity of the hills of Pendle and by visits to surrounding areas which were steeped in the past.
"The Pendle witches were such an inspiration," he said.
With Yorkshire just three miles away he also enjoyed trips to places such as Ilkley, Otley, Skipton, Harrogate and York.
He had been made redundant from his engineering job when he was taken on by the London auctioneers Bonhams in 1976.
"There were not careers as such for kids from my part of the world and my up-bringing - I am just very lucky that Bonhams took me under their wing," he said.
| “The worst thing is when they have bought something they have paid a lot for, and you know it is a fake.” | | Eric Knowles |
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He began as a porter in the ceramics department - becoming head of department in 1981, and within four years he was offered a full directorship. He now works as a consultant to Bonhams.
His work on television began in 1981 when he was invited on to the BBC's Antiques Road Show, and he has never looked back.
"When I started doing it I thought this could run for two to three years," he said.
"I never thought it would be for 27 years. It is a formula that seems to work. It is always the BBC's most popular factual programme."
Shows about antiques are incredibly popular - but it's a popularity which could one day be in danger of fading.
Eric said: "I do worry from time to time that we are in an overkill situation. Whenever you turn the TV on it is in your face all the time. Eventually it may go the same way as DIY."
But for the moment at least there is no sign of the public interest dwindling. And people turn up to roadshows in their droves in order to have their treasures assessed.
But surprisingly most are not so much interested in the value of the property as in the history behind it.
"Invariably despite the common misconception most people just want to know what they have got. The value is purely incidental."
But some people find it hard to accept the outcome when they are given professional advice.
"Twenty five years ago this woman brought in what she was convinced was a Constable, and the picture expert told her it wasn't.
"She said - 'but it's signed' - and he said ' when you receive a letter from a friend you don't tend to need to look at the signature - you look at the hand writing."
On this occasion the lady in question was not convinced - and Eric said it can be difficult having to break bad news to people bringing in their treasures.
"The worst thing is when they have bought something they have paid a lot for, and you know it is a fake."
But some finds are true gems.
One such was the marble bust of a young girl, which had been sitting in a conservatory in Scunthorpe.
That beautiful piece was the work of a leading French Art Nouveau sculptor.
Not everything memorable is as exquisite as the marble bust.
One treasure which Eric recalls was a bound volume of civic crested toilet paper - compiled from the times when local authorities pompously printed their own crest at the top of each sheet.
"It doesn't get more barmy than that," Eric laughed.
People in this area will have the chance to take their treasures for assessment during a visit of the Antiques Road Show to Bolton Abbey and during Eric's visit to Harewood on July 8.
His valuation at Harewood will take place from 1pm to 5pm on Tuesday, July 8. From 6pm to 8pm in the evening he will give a lecture about the China Trade. Tickets and information about the Harewood visit are available at www.harewood.org or by phoning (0113) 218 1000.
11:23am Thursday 8th May 2008
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