An antiques expert and BBC presenter visited a Wiltshire country house to talk about his life in TV and antiques earlier this week.

Paul Martin, most well known for presenting programmes such as 'Flog It!', 'Celebrity Antiques Road Trip', 'Britain's Hidden Heritage' and 'Make Me A Dealer', spoke at Bowood House on Wednesday, September 4.

During the morning event held in the Gardeners’ Bothy, audience members were invited to bring along their own prized objects for valuation.

This was followed by an exclusive viewing of the Napoleonic collection, which included a bronze death mask of Napoleon, inscribed by Dr Antommarchi and taken from the original plaster mould made by Dr Antommarchi on St Helena.

The piece reveals the history of Napoleon's aide-de-camp supervising the ex-emperor’s detention on board the Bellerophon in the Plymouth Sound and his despatch to St Helena.

Following a Q&A book signing of 'Paul Martin: My Life in TV & Antiques', guests visited the exhibition A New Pure Air, which marks the 250th anniversary of oxygen being isolated by Dr J B Priestly in the laboratory at Bowood House.

Mr Martin said: “Bowood House is a spectacular and historically important privately owned house which has been owned by the Fitzmaurice family since 1754.

"After previous filmings of 'Flog It!' and other shows at Bowood House, I am delighted to have been invited to revisit.”

Having started his career as a professional drummer for bands including the Quireboys and the Average White Band, Mr Martin later worked as a scene painter at Pinewood Studios and as an antique dealer on Portobello Road.

He was spotted by a BBC researcher who visited his former gallery, The Table Gallery, in Marlborough, which led to his first BBC screen test and launch into television.

Bowood House, which is home to Lord and Lady Lansdowne, has a range of historical treasures, including Queen Victoria’s wedding chair, interiors designed by Robert Adam, one of Britain's most important British neoclassical architects, and extensive gardens set in 2000 acres of parkland.

Mr Martin has worked as head of valuations at Henry Aldridge & Son since completing filming for Channel 5's 'The Great Auction Showdown with Paul Martin' in October 2023.

Henry Aldridge & Son sells antiques and collector's items, and is one of the world's most respected maritime auction houses, specialising in the Titanic.