´óÏó´«Ã½

First through the workshop doors is Ben, bringing a torn and tattered lace dress that played a big part in his late sister Lizzie’s life. The dress became artist Lizzie’s ‘muse’ and formed a central role in many of her paintings. Ben explains to the barn’s experts, Dominic Chinea and Rebecca Bissonnet, that his beloved sister transitioned at the age of 35 and that the dress became her ‘creative rock’, featuring in her self-portraiture. With Lizzie recently passing away, Ben is keen to have the dress restored so it can be displayed as part of a posthumous show he’s arranging to showcase his late sister’s talent. It’s a challenging task for textile conservator Rebecca to get the dress back to its former glory, but Ben’s emotional reaction when the cloth comes off makes it well worthwhile.

A damaged drum is the next item to arrive. Richard’s heirloom was once the beating heart of an old Cornish May Day festival. His late father Pete played the instrument every year at the Padstow event known locally as ‘Obby Oss Day’. In celebration of the start of summer, the townsfolk split into two groups and either follow the red or blue ‘obby oss’ through Padstow, playing drums and accordions as they go. Both sides ultimately gather around the maypole in the centre of town. With the drum now tarnished and torn, Richard is keen for instrument restorer Pete Woods to transform it in memory of his father. Returning with his son Tom, the pair are blown away by Pete’s dramatic transformation of their beloved instrument.

A clocking-in clock may not be everyone’s idea of an heirloom, but it’s something that immediately transports the next visitor, Emma, back to her childhood. As a youngster, Emma would pay visits to her family’s street lighting business in Dudley, West Midlands. She has fond memories of whizzing around the factory floor on her little scooter, aged six. She also remembers the ‘ding’ as the workers clocked in, something she loved to do herself. Horologist Steve Fletcher clocks up the hours getting the heirloom back to its best, much to the delight of Emma when she returns. But it’s clocking in again and hearing the nostalgic ‘ding’ that really sends her back to childhood.

Wheeling in the final item are a father and his three sons: dad Rob, joined by Mark, Adam and Nick, who have brought a career-first for bike restorer Tim Gunn. The polo bike and mallet belonged to the absent fifth family member and team-mate, Joe, who tragically passed away in a motorbike accident in 2015. Tim’s stunning restoration not only rekindles fond memories but also gets the brothers back on to their own bikes, much to their dad’s delight.