4. The Heritage Industry

Available for over a year

Travis Elborough is charting the rise and fall of the antique. He examines how, ultimately, the present always dictates which bits of yesteryear we deem worthy of collecting. He traces the rise of the heritage industry which saw a decline in country house sales and a corresponding fall in the flow of antique goods for the trade. Meanwhile, the 1980s saw a rise in public interest in antiques, fuelled by TV programmes and the publication of Miller's Antiques Price Guide, empowering the collector and amateur dealer. Producer: Sheila Cook. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.