Judith Miller's Blog

It's fingers crossed here in Melrose this morning! It's a lovely morning and weather forecast looks fine, but there is a threat of some showers later. Yesterday when I arrived in Edinburgh and came south to the Borders there was some very heavy rain and it was HOT!

Along with the other Roadshow presenters, which included Mark Hill, we had a tour of Abbotsford, Walter Scott's home. When Scott came to Abbotsford in 1812 the property consisted of a small cottage and farm steading. In 1817-19 Scott erected a new building in the space linking the cottage and steading and this first part of Abbotsford was built by Messers Sanderson & Paterson of Galashiels. It consisted of a conservatory, (subsequently changed by his successors) a dining room, Scott’s first study, and an armoury with bedrooms above and kitchen below. The building extending from the entrance porch to the right, was the second portion to be built in 1822-25 by John & Thomas Smith of Darnick.

It really is a fabulous place to visit and anyone interested in antiques will enjoy what the house contains; especially if you are also a fab of Scott. The Library has over 9000 volumes, many of them extremely rare and priceless, remains as it was when Scott arranged the books originally. An avid book collector from childhood, Scott’s intense interest in a huge variety of subjects produced an eclectic collection including books on history, travel, literature, folklore, linguistics and law, written in eleven languages. The room also houses many fascinating artifacts and items of furniture.

Do visit if you are ever in the Borders.

Just in the office briefly before heading over to London City Airport to fly to Edinburgh for tomorrow’s Antiques Roadshow in the Scottish Borders. I'm really looking forward to going 'home' and I'll be staying in the lovely town of Melrose, which nestles underneath the impressive Eildon Hills. Tomorrow's Antiques Roadshow is at Abbotsford, Walter Scot's historic home on the banks of the Tweed between Melrose and Galashiels. I'm sure the weather will be a little cooler than in London but lets hope it's a lovely day.

On Friday I'm staying with friends over in Berwickshire before doing a talk and signing at Mainstreet Trading in St Boswells. It's from 3pm until 5 pm and details are HERE. Last week they had their first birthday party and there is this lovely picture in the Bookseller this week of Roz and Bill de la Hey and their children. I'm really looking forward to Saturday as my friends have told me that the shop is beautiful.

This year’s Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair which took place a couple of weeks ago will be the last.  The Grosvenor House hotel has decided to pull the plug on its fair for financial reasons. This despite the fact that it recorded strong takings for nearly 100 dealers who had bought stands. Visitor numbers were up two per cent on last year to nearly 20,000 despite the event being hit by the Tube strike.

It is understood that the hotel, which established the fair and owned the name, believes it can get a more profitable return on the use of its central Great Room for dinners, balls and reception. While the Fair runs for just a week but another week is required either side to set up and dismantle the show. Costs have also risen because of increasing insurance premiums which would have required a rise in rental charges to dealers to break even.

Members of the British Antique Dealers' Association, who were closely involved in the event, are looking to find an alternative venue to mount a new fair. Simon Phillips, chairman of the fair, said: "It is a great disappointment to me that the fair has come to an end. I quite understand that it no longer makes financial sense to continue the fair. It has been a long and happy partnership but most great events have a lifespan and a diamond anniversary is a fitting point on which to end on a positive note."

The signed Thriller LP went for $1,425 attracting 10 bids and the factory sealed cellophane Thriller LP sold for $455.

What would you do if someone on the Antiques Roadshow told you what you had is worth over a $1 million. Well a lady who took some jade pieces to the show in Raleigh on Saturday at first said absolutely nothing before recovering to say “damn!”

The collection of jade pieces from China's Chien Lung (pictured) reign from 1736-1795  belong to an unidentified woman who arrived early at the Saturday taping in Raleigh, North Carolina saying the pieces belonged to her father, a military liaison to China in the 1930s and '40s,  According to Asian art appraiser James Callahan, who examined the four pieces, "The dealer selected very fine pieces," he said. "I've never seen anything like it." Callahan says the value of the pieces depends on the market for them in China and that the Chinese government often wants to get such pieces back, but estimated their value to be $1.07 million. It was the first million dollar appraisal on the American series of the Antiques Roadshow.