麻豆约拍

The Antiques Roadshow visits Belton House in Lincolnshire, where surprising finds include a collection of Chairman Mao memorabilia from China, a funeral standard believed to have been snatched from Oliver Cromwell's coffin and a purse that hides a secret weapon.

Fiona Bruce welcomes visitors to Belton House and casts an admiring glance at the family silver before the specialists start spotting treasures, including a powerful bronze sculpture of Joan of Arc and an original jewellery design by Carl Faberge.

A collection of Chairman Mao memorabilia amassed by an English teacher during a stay in China dazzles specialist Clive Stewart-Lockhart, and a Chinese visitor to the Roadshow lends a hand with some timely translation.

Other finds include a tiny pistol concealed in a purse, a collection of ceramic drug jars passed down through a family who boast three hundred years in the medical profession, and an illustrated page of British wildflowers that might just be a genuine work by renowned botanist William Keble Martin.

This episode also features one of the Roadshow's most important historical finds of recent years, a piece of cloth bearing the standard of Oliver Cromwell, reportedly snatched from his funeral cortege in 1658.

In Antiques Roadshow Uncovered, glass specialist Andy McConnell reveals what happened next to a beautifully decorated vase by Jules Barbe, a French craftsman who brought his sumptuous skills to Stourbridge in the late 19th century.