A GOWN gifted to a Tewkesbury woman in the 1960s and originally intended for her own daughter to play ‘dress up’ has been declared a rare and valuable antique.
The pensioner who appeared on Antiques Roadshow was in for a ‘shock’ when the ‘frock’ received a staggering valuation.
When the show’s presenter Hilary Kay revealed how much it was worth, the owner said: “Don’t tell my granddaughter.
“It was given to me by a friend in the 1960s. And she gave it to me because I just had a daughter and I think she thought she might be interested in [it] later on, to dress up in it.”
When questioned if her daughter had ever tried it on, the guest explained it had “never been touched” and that she’d “never seen it out”, much to Hilary’s surprise.
“You’ve never seen it out? This is the first time you’ve seen it -”, with the guest interrupting: “Yes, seen it on show.”
“How do you think it looks?” Hilary asked, with the guest commenting that it looks “very nice, beautiful”.
The expert explained that the robe was a la francaise or a sack back robe. The outfit had an open front which women would wear with a petticoat underneath as well as wide hoops to create the “wonderful silhouette”.
Hilary then delved into the history of the stunning dress on the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey.
She began: “Looking at this dress, I can sort of picture the scene one misty morning, a woman walking through the abbey meadows. It’s wonderful and is it a family heirloom?”
Dating back to circa 1760-1770s, the garment is made from painted silk. This was imported to Europe to be made up into a dress here in England. The piece has raised pockets and real wool inside to give it a three-dimensional view.
At the back of the dress, there are box pleats running down from the shoulder blades to the bottom to give it a train effect and make “quite a statement”.
“When one looks at a dress like this, one has to appreciate that this is an extraordinary survivor,” Hilary said.
She continued: “Painted fabrics are notoriously difficult to keep and the fact it’s been kept in a box for so long, would perhaps explain why it hasn’t just fallen to pieces which so often is the fate.
“It is an incredibly rare survivor, it’s beautiful, it’s a lovely design, and perhaps more importantly, a dress like this is of huge demand internationally by collectors and museums.
“This has a future way outside here at Tewkesbury and who knows where it will ultimately end up but this is for a major museum somewhere in the world.”
She then stunned the pensioner by revealing the garment was worth a staggering £40,000.
Antiques Roadshow launched all the way back in 1979 and has become a staple BBC programme. Here is a look at those who have hosted the show over the years.
Antiques Roadshow is on Sunday evenings at 8 PM.
