Fans of Antiques Roadshow were left pretty amazed during Sunday night’s show as a statue found in a compost heap was found to be incredibly high in value.
Sunday’s episode of Antique Roadshow took place at Culzean Castle in Scotland which is located near the village of Alloway where the legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns was from.
The poet’s work was known to highlight and celebrate Scottish culture, with his famous song Auld Lang Syne which is sung around the world every New Year.
In the programme, viewers saw a heavy statue of Rabbie, the Bard, arriving from South Africa.
(Image: BBC)
The statue was described as “the heaviest items we’ve ever valued” on Antiques Roadshow.
Antique expert Dandy Easton also emphasised the weight of the statue and added that it must of “weighed a ton” to bring it safely to Scotland.
The owner of the statue who was also a guest on the show confessed that it was “a third of a tonne” and stated that it was made of cast iron and was constructed in six parts.
As the programme went on, it was revealed that the statue which was sculpted by Royal Scottish Academy member, David Watson Stevenson had been found during the 1950s in Durban, South Africa in a compost heap.
The large statue stayed in the family of its finder until the guest bought the statue in 2015.
(Image: BBC)
It is believed that the statue ended up in Durban due to many Scots visiting during the 1900s in an era of gold mining and exploration, railways, and departmental stores.
At the base of the statue, a quote from the poet is inscribed.
Dendy suspected that the statue was being kept in a grand house in Durban and that it was later discarded as fashions and times changed.
He said: “It’s lucky that it’s been found and it’s extraordinary that it’s in one piece.”
(Image: BBC)
While speaking in more detail about the statue, one of the owners revealed that it cost them roughly £5,000 to have the item restored and transported from Cape Town, South Africa.
Denny valued the statue to be worth around £10,000 to £15,000 as he explained that cast iron statues were not usually valued for a lot of money, but as it is a Scottish icon it may be worth this price.
Surprised by this, one of the owners replied: “Gosh? Really!”
One viewer was shocked by the overall value of the statue too and wrote on Twitter: “£15,000 statue #Antiqueroadshow [Gem emoji]
While another viewer was surprised that it managed to arrive in Scotland in one piece. One viewer wrote: “Fair play to that lady getting the statue there.”
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC one at 7pm.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
