Record Breaking Crowd at Flog It!

It’s official! Southwell Minster broke all previous records for attendance of BBC’s daytime antiques show, Flog It, when it was filmed in the cathedral on 30th January.

Despite the cold, wet weather, 1,320 people were counted through the doors, carrying everything from banjos to bendy toys.

Queues stretched right around the building as patient punters waited for more than two hours outside, and up to a further four hours once they were inside. Presenter, Paul Martin chatted to visitors and posed for photos between his pieces to camera; five programmes were filmed from the day’s recording. Quentin Rayner from BBC East Midlands Today relayed live broadcasts for both the lunchtime and evening news, following progress as the numbers swelled.

Experts were surprised and delighted by some of the objects, particularly an unusual 19th century Fijian hunting club brought by Terri Clarke of Morton, and an English three inch pocket terrestrial globe in a fish skin case, dated around 1839, brought in by the Selby family from Mansfield.

The globe has gone to auction with an estimate of £3,000-£5,000. Prior to coming to Flog It the antique had been kept in the garden shed! Michael Baggott, who valued the piece for the programme, described it as ‘absolutely wonderful.’

Location Manager, Alex Habgood said: “We really enjoyed bringing Flog It to Southwell Minster, from our point of view the event was a tremendous success. The support we received from the local community was fantastic, over 1,320 people attended, that’s the highest number of people to ever come to one of our events!”
The Dean, the Very Revd John Guille – who brought in a copy of JM Barrie’s book ‘Wendy & Peter’ and a stamp decorated pot from the early 1900s -was pleased to see so many people attend. “Everyone has been friendly and obviously enjoyed coming into the minster,” he said.