(UnitedVoice.com) – Henry Sandon joined BBC One’s “Antiques Roadshow” in 1979. For four decades, he appeared on the show and let people know how much their antiques were worth. Sadly, the antique expert has now passed away.
John Sandon, Henry Sandon’s son, announced his father passed away on Christmas Day in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, according to BBC. He was 95 years old when he died.
Sandon was born in London in 1928. After graduating high school, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music, where he became a singer. He later became a music teacher at the Royal Grammar School Worcester. In 1953, he became a lay clerk at the Worcester Cathedral. During that period, he lived in an old house near the cathedral and became interested in pots, which led to him switching careers to archaeology.
When he was 29 years old, Sandon found medieval pottery remains and human bones in his garden at home. The Telegraph reported he recollected that moment, saying it was like “a blinding flash of light,” and the first pot that set him off was a Roman storage jar that was about 1,900 years old.
In 1966, Sandon became the curator at the Royal Worcester Porcelain and Dyson Perrins Museum, which later became the Museum of Royal Worcester. In the 1970s, he appeared on a number of television programs, including “Going for a Song,” “Arthur Negus Enjoys,” and, of course, “Antiques Roadshow.”
Later in his life, he became the director of the Bronte Porcelain company. He published many books about porcelain and pottery. Sandon married his wife in 1956 and had three sons with her, including John, who became an antiques expert like his father and is often on television.
Catherine Catton, a BBC executive, said the network was “very saddened to learn of [Sandon’s] passing.” She went on to call him a “much loved member of the original Antiques Roadshow” and offered condolences to his family.
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