Catch up TV

Series 14: Episode 18

Four more cherished items arrive at the barn, each carrying deep personal and historical significance, and all in need of expert restoration.\n\nFirst through the doors are a pair of battered wooden seats, with a story soaked in football nostalgia. Londoner Michael Wise brings in the treasured family relics - two original seats from Arsenal’s iconic Highbury stadium, where his grandfather held season tickets in the famous art deco west stand. Upholsterer Sonnaz and metalwork expert Dom take on the challenge of restoring these near-century-old pieces, which have served three generations of devoted Gunners. With a new oak base designed to allow the chairs to be proudly displayed and sat on once more, the final result is more than a restoration - it’s brought back to life a family’s shared history.\n\nMaster goldsmith Richard Talman welcomes Fliss from Ashton-under-Lyne, who has brought in a broken locket that once belonged to her beloved grandparents, Bert and Winifred. Carried by her grandmother throughout the Second World War, the locket holds a photo of Bert in uniform - a symbol of their enduring love. With delicate repairs to the hinge and help from paper conservator Angelina, Richard faces the tricky task of reuniting the couple’s portraits in one beautiful piece of jewellery, allowing Fliss to wear the memory of her grandparents close to her heart.\n\nAidan Fries from County Donegal entrusts an extraordinary ledger to bookbinder Chris Shaw. This heavy volume, once used to track transactions in Aidan’s family-run shop and post office, charts daily life from 1909 through Ireland’s turbulent journey to independence. Damp, mould and a crumbling spine have left the book in a sorry state - but with meticulous rebinding, leather dressing and even some custom alphabet tabs from Dom, Chris is determined to transform the ledger into a dignified historical artefact that will once again serve Aidan’s family and village.\n\nFinally, a very special miniature chapel arrives, lovingly built by hand in the 1970s by Sarah Gardner’s grandfather, Llewellyn Pluck. Once part of a magical model village nestled in a Somerset garden, the chapel has suffered decades of neglect. While woodworker Will takes on the damaged framework and rotting roof tiles, ceramics expert Kirsten faces the biggest challenge as she tackles the restoration of the crumbling plaster walls, using the same innovative homespun technique that grandfather Llewellyn pioneered over 50 years earlier.

Source: BBC 2