One of the most beloved experts on the Antiques Roadshow, pottery guru Henry Sandon, has died at the age of 95.
Appointed curator of the Dyson Perrins Museum at the Royal Worcester factory in 1967, Sandon joined BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow for its second series in 1979.
He became one of the show’s favourite experts, taking great delight in shocking punters by telling them how much – or little – their treasures were worth. Fiona Bruce once said Sandon “effortlessly charms all the people he meets on Roadshow days”.
His son John confirmed he died peacefully at a care home in Malvern, Worcestershire, on Christmas morning.
John Sandon, who too became a face on the show, told the BBC his father was like a “favourite uncle” to those who tuned in each week.
He added his father was “a hugely popular television presenter and a giant in the world of antiques” as well as being “synonymous with Worcester, due to his enthusiasm for Royal Worcester pots and his infectious personality”.
“To the millions who tuned in every Sunday evening to watch The Antiques Roadshow, Henry was like a favourite uncle, whose enthusiasm for even the humblest piece of chipped china was infectious,” John Sandon said.
“His joy when he discovered a rare Staffordshire pottery owl jug, nicknamed ‘Ozzy’, was a magic TV moment few will forget.”
Ozzy was a slipware owl that was used as a doorstop for its oblivious owners until Sandon gave it a valuation of £20,000 during an episode of the roadshow in Northampton. It was later acquired by the Potteries museum in Stoke, with proceeds donated to support five orphans around the world.
Interviewed by Bruce about the programme for its 31st anniversary, Sandon said he was a fan before he got the call and was “delighted to join series two”.
He said: “The first recording was quite interesting. It was the first time one had the pleasure of meeting actual people and talking about their things, which was rather nice.”
One of his first “actual” people was a man who had paid £30 for a Caughley porcelain mug, which Sandon thought would be worth £150 if only it weren’t so cracked on the bottom.
“I suppose I’m kind to people. I can winkle out of them little facts that they may not want to give – certainly about how much they paid for it, which they sometimes don’t like to do,” he said. “But it’s nice to know how much they paid, and then you can judge whether they are going to be shocked or surprised at what you tell them the value is, which is always rather nice.”
Sandon’s popularity extended beyond the UK, thanks to Antiques Roadshow’s international reach.
Olwen Gillespie, the programme’s long serving public liaison officer, once recalled arriving to film the programme in Toronto and wondering why there was a second queue outside the venue.
“It was only when we saw Henry Sandon at the head of it that we realised this was his own fanclub queueing for autographs – and a kiss – which he seemed more than happy about,” she said in 2014.
The Museum of Royal Worcester, where Sandon was curator and then patron, said he would be “sorely missed”.
The museum wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “It is with great sadness we share the news that Henry Sandon passed away on Christmas morning. Our curator and then patron of the Museum for many years, a much-loved expert who shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for pots and Worcester in person, in books & on tv. Sorely missed.”
It is with great sadness we share the news that Henry Sandon passed away on Christmas morning. Our curator and then patron of the Museum for many years, a much-loved expert who shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for pots and Worcester in person, in books & on tv. Sorely missed. pic.twitter.com/FSJH0svDq1
— Museum of Royal Worcester (@TheMoRW) December 26, 2023
Sandon was married to Barbara for 56 years before her death in 2013, and together they had three sons, David, Peter and John. He is also survived by three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Earlier this year, a sale of Sandon’s private collection of pottery was estimated to have raised about £50,000 at auction.
Some pieces dated as far back as 100BC and also included his treasured Royal Worcester pottery.
He started the collection after finding broken plates in his garden by the city’s cathedral.
