An Antiques Roadshow guest didn't quite know how to react when she was told of the true rarity of her jug. The BBC episode, filmed at Scarborough Grand Spa Hall, saw expert Lars Tharp meet a guest with a unique jug that he was very impressed by. "This is a bit of a find.
And it was found in 1857", he started. The guest confirmed: "That's right. It was found on New Queens Street and it was the site of Nesfield Brewery, digging out the foundations.
" "An aquamanile is a posh term for a water jug and it's from the days before running hot and cold water," he clarified, before the guest added more details. "Yes, in the Mediaeval period in the 14th Century, water would be brought to the table in an aquamanile for you to wash your hands. And if you were someone of importance, you would have quite a fancy jug for that purpose.
" When asked about its origin, the guest revealed that it wasn't hers personally but belonged to the Rotunda Museum in Scarborough. Tharp noted: "And indeed it is now called Scarborough ware and if you actually look at where the clay's exposed, it has this pink fabric and that's how it's recognised, even in fragments. In my 26 years on the Roadshow, I have never seen anything of this calibre.
"This wonderful fleece, it's so gorgeous and they've done this by taking a knife or something very sharp and just pushing the pottery up, piece by piece by piece by piece and you end up with this shaggy woolly coat." "It's a wonderful thing. I wished for one of these to come.