comes to Eden Roadshow


Words: Simon Davies Photo: Ben Foster


September saw the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow pitch up at Eden along with a very special guest.


'Oh, that is very cool,’ was the reaction from Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce as I showed her three napkins, mounted and framed for posterity.


The napkins in question feature


rough sketches that depict the initial idea of the Eden Project. They were drawn one evening in a pub called the Llawnroc – which is Cornwall spelt backwards – by engineer Anthony Hunt and architects Nick Grimshaw and Andrew Whalley, over a drink with Sir Tim Smit.


Sir Tim recalls how Paul Travers, who


would become marketing director at Eden, went back to the pub and picked up the napkins, which had been left on the table, as he thought that they might be historically important. He put them in his briefcase and forgot all about them. About seven or eight years, and at


least one briefcase later, he found the napkins and had them framed. The napkins were among a whole


host of treasures and trinkets brought in by Eden team members and the general public when the Antiques Roadshow arrived at Eden this autumn to film two episodes. Carla Wentink, one of our Stewards,


brought in a hand-painted glass perfume bottle that had been passed down to her by her grandmother. She knew nothing about the bottle and was the first person of the day to speak to glass specialist Andy McConnell. Much to Carla’s delight, Andy informed her that the bottle was Bohemian and from the 1840s. He explained how it was made and put a value on it of £150, though he suggested that she might need to clean it to realise that value. David Aynsley, Gamechangers Project


Officer at Eden, arrived with a document from World War Two marked ‘Secret’ and entitled ‘German Long-Range Rocket’. It contained diagrams of the V2


Rocket and instructions about what to do with any found components. Expert


19


Robert Tilney said the document was intended for police officers and air raid wardens. David has contacted the Metropolitan Police Museum to see if they would like to add it to their collection. Ten million viewers are expected


to see the two episodes filmed at Eden that day when they are broadcast on BBC One next year. Bringing it to the screen took over ten months of planning involving the Site Managers and the Operational, Events and Media teams. Alongside the antiques on show, one episode will feature a short film about Eden, and the other will include participation from Her Majesty the Queen Consort (then HRH The Duchess of Cornwall). It was a pleasure for the team to welcome her back to Eden. As well as filming for Antiques Roadshow Her Majesty met members of the public, who had brought items to be valued and suddenly had the surprise of witnessing a Royal visit. Another wonderful moment in Eden’s rich history!


Antiques


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32