Ribble Valley Restoration Roadshow

Lancashire antiques expert Eric Knowles will offer advice

A new BBC Two antiques programme called 'Restoration Roadshow' is coming to Stonyhurst College in August.

Members of the public are invited to bring along items from damaged heirlooms to attic treasures which they hope can be restored.

Restoration Roadshow will then follow the restoration process of featured items throughout each episode.

Lancashire antiques expert Eric Knowles will be on hand to offer advice to would-be restorers.

A squad of antiques restorers will visit towns across the country where visitors are invited to bring along items which they hope can be restored. They want you to rummage in the loft or garage to see if you've anything that, no matter how tatty, has potential to be restored to its former glory.

New leg

Featured items will be appraised and valued before restoration and viewers will discover the back story and history to the item, plus the reason the owner would like them to be restored.

Restoration Roadshow will then follow the restoration process of featured items throughout each episode.

At the end of the journey the owners will have the opportunity to sell their antiques at auction and hopefully make a bigger profit than they would have made from selling the damaged piece.

Eric Knowles explains what kind of bric-a-brac they're after: "We're looking for those things that people would normally throw out - antiques, Victoriana, things that you have had in your loft; that chair that you've been meaning to get re-covered, or get a new leg put on it, but you've never got round to it, you're not that emotionally attached to it.

"The idea being that you bring it along to us, but it's all down to you - whether or not you decide you're going to sell it at auction, and whether or not you have it restored - because you pay for it! So you've got to take a balanced view of whether it's going to be worth it, but I am on hand to offer a bit of advice."

Restoration Roadshow will be at Stonyhurst College in the Ribble Valley on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2009. For more information visit the website.