Back in 2018, the Antiques Roadshow came to Wrest Park.

We had a vintage olfactometer to show them. They had other ideas.

Do you remember the balmy summer of 2018, when the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow came to visit our little corner of Bedfordshire?

We thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce the experts to a rather unusual piece of our own history: a vintage olfactometer, the specialist equipment used in odour measurement. Sadly, they weren’t quite as excited about it as we were. Their attention was soon diverted elsewhere, and our Project Manager Victoria Sneath found herself rather unexpectedly in the spotlight.

The day eventually made it onto television. Wrest Park’s episode of Series 41 was broadcast on 10 March 2019. Victoria appeared alongside antiques expert Hilary Kay, with James and Joanna also making occasional appearances in the background.

The original broadcast is no longer readily available to watch, but we’ve kept the photographs and memories of what turned out to be a rather extraordinary day.

So, for a little trip down memory lane, here’s what happened.

July 2018: The Antiques Roadshow Comes to Wrest Park

The Silsoe Odours laboratory is based in the grounds of English Heritage’s flagship property, Wrest Park. We often share our workspace with weddings, festivals and film crews. But the arrival of around 5,000 visitors for the Antiques Roadshow was something a little different.

Naturally, we wanted to join in.

We dug out our very own vintage olfactometer, the machine we use for measuring odour. Victoria and Nalisha also brought along some personal family treasures of their own.

We thought it would be a good idea to challenge the marvellous British summer. Cue the team standing in a queue for four hours in the early afternoon sun.

Yes, there was sunburn (which we certainly do not recommend). But there was also an abundance of new acquaintances, great conversation, good humour and a general acceptance of popping in and out from time to time.

In summary, a queue rivalled in British etiquette only by Wimbledon!

Our Vintage Olfactometer Didn’t Make the Grade

We are devastated to report that the charm of a vintage olfactometer is apparently confined to the scientific community. It didn’t make the TV grade.

Victoria’s ‘Spinning Jenny’, however, was a different matter entirely. The production team was immediately interested, and staff were soon running around in search of the right antiques expert.

Victoria’s Moment in the Spotlight

Things were taking an unexpected turn. Identified as a potential TV star, Victoria (with the rest of us in tow!) was directed towards the pre-production waiting area.

A cool room, tea and ginger biscuits. Perfect! And a make-up artist for our A-lister, of course.

I’m sure you’ll agree the photos speak for themselves. We had a great day, and Victoria was a natural on camera. Here she is in the centre of things with her new best pal Hilary Kay. A truly lovely lady!

Victoria’s antique was a 200-year-old bone carving. In fact, it was a ‘Spinning Jenny’ toy, carved in Suffolk by a French prisoner of war during the Napoleonic wars.

It Didn’t Stop There

After an amazing day, we were ready to call it quits. However, there was still more to come.

In all the excitement over her Spinning Jenny, Victoria’s other treasure had almost been forgotten. Time for one last hurrah for Silsoe Odours at the Antiques Roadshow.

So, can you picture the scene? Four odour specialists running around Wrest Park with TV antique expert Hilary Kay. You really couldn’t make this up.

Hilary was helping us search for fellow expert David Battie, who was taking shade in the centre of the action. Eventually, we tracked him down, and he told Victoria she had a Japanese stag-antler page-turner.

So, definitely not your average Thursday at Silsoe Odours, but one we certainly won’t forget in a hurry.

A Little More About Our Olfactometers

While Victoria was busy charming the television cameras, we hadn’t entirely forgotten about our original mission: showing off our vintage olfactometer!

An olfactometer is a specialist laboratory instrument used in dynamic olfactometry to measure the concentration of odour in air samples. It’s an important part of the work we do at Silsoe Odours, although our equipment has moved on rather considerably since the 1970s.

Today’s instruments are used for precise, controlled odour measurement in accordance with BS EN 13725:2022.

Here’s our late 1970s version. It came from Germany and still has its original operating instructions and notes dating from 1985.

According to our Director, Robert Sneath, it didn’t work. Perhaps that’s why the TV experts weren’t interested! 

Still, we think it deserves its place in the history of odour measurement, even if it never quite achieved television fame.

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Still Making Memories at Wrest Park

It’s lovely to look back on days like this. We’re still based at Wrest Park, and while our laboratory equipment has changed over the years, our enthusiasm for all things odour certainly hasn’t. From accredited odour analysis to consultancy and assessment work, we’re still doing what we do best – helping our clients understand and manage odour.

If you’d like to find out more about our laboratory or the wider work we do in odour measurement and consultancy, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Call: 01525 860222
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