大象传媒

Jay Blades and the team revive the oldest item to ever enter the barn.

First up, instrument expert Pete Woods has a medley of musical family memories wrapped up in a faded fifties drum kit to restore. Mark鈥檚 Grandad Pappy, along with his dad, uncle and great-uncle, were better known as Pete and his Stardusters in the pubs and clubs of the West Country in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Some of Mark鈥檚 earliest memories as a child are of watching his family play with Grandad Pappy on drums, and even on very special occasions, joining them on stage to play sitting on Pappy鈥檚 knee. Mark would like to revive the drums and his family鈥檚 musical heritage, but after years in the garage the drums are more rack and ruin than rock and roll, and restoring them will test even Pete鈥檚 formidable percussive restoration talents.

Next to arrive, the oldest ever item to pass through the barn doors - and an ancient jigsaw puzzle for the barn鈥檚 resident ceramics expert, Kirsten Ramsay. A 2,000-year-old terracotta figure of a man belonging to Melanie, which sadly smashed into several pieces during her family's recent move to the UK from North America. The statue once belonged to Melanie's great-grandmother, for whom the statue became an important reminder of her homeland after fleeing China鈥檚 communist rule in 1943. For Melanie restoring the statue will also restore the link to her great-grandmother and her own Chinese heritage, while for Kirsten, getting the statue back on his feet will draw on her own restoration roots, conserving ancient treasures at the British Museum.

Finally, another puzzle, this time for art conservator Lucia Scalisi. Emily鈥檚 painted wooden toy box belonged to her grandfather Rolf and his brother John. It followed them to the UK when the boys fled persecution in 1930s Nazi Germany, because of their Jewish heritage. As well as reviving the beautiful paintwork, Lucia has the tricky task of deciphering and restoring the fading German lettering before she can return this important piece of family history back to Emily, ready to be handed down to her own young son.