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Episode 5

Jay Blades and the team restore an ornate piano stool, a vintage car speedometer, a baby’s wicker crib and a royal walking stick with a hidden secret.

Jay Blades and the team bring four treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.

A beautiful, carved walnut piano stool arrives for the attention of furniture restorer Will Kirk. Proud owner Mary treasures the stool, which belonged to her dear friend Hannah, who left it to Mary after she died. It holds many memories of Hannah, who took a teenage Mary under her wing when she began working for her in her dress shop. Unfortunately, the stool recently met with an untimely accident and lost a leg at the hands of Mary’s daughter, who is hoping Will can bring all his experience to bear creating a replacement and restore the cherished piece back to its former glory.

Horologist Steve Fletcher’s knowledge of dials, numbers and needles is called upon to resurrect a very unusual object that has been broken for over 40 years. Owner Simon arrives at the barn with a defunct speedometer from his 1920s vintage car. Simon and his father Gordon worked together restoring the car for many years. After his father’s death in 1990, Simon carried on, determined to see the project through, but now he needs Steve’s help. This is a first for Steve, and before he can fix it he needs to take it apart and figure out how it should have worked in the first place.

Basket maker and willow weaver Sarah Hatton undertakes the repair of a wicker baby crib that has been at the heart of one family for generations. However, it has fallen into disrepair and has sat in an attic gathering dust for decades. Its current custodians, Adam and Sylvia, are now expecting their first baby and would love to continue the family tradition of using the cot if Sarah can make it whole again.

Finally, Morag Croll arrives at the barn with a 19th-century heirloom she hopes can be preserved for posterity. The tippling stick, a walking stick with a hidden tube for whisky inside, is thought to have belonged to King George V, who gave it to Morag’s grandfather, a master baker who supplied the royal household at Balmoral, on his retirement. Brenton and Will join forces to repair this unique item, ensuring history will live on for hundreds of years to come.

57 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jay Blades
Series Producer Tanveer Bari
Series Producer Cat Green
Executive Producer Rob Butterfield
Executive Producer Hannah Lamb
Executive Producer Alex Raw
Production Company Ricochet Limited

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If you have a treasured possession that needs restoring, please get in touch.