Antiques expert David Dickinson was in Grantham yesterday (Thurs) filming at Golding Young & Mawer auction house.

David, and a television crew, were at the Old Wharf Road auction rooms to film an episode of his popular ITV series Dickinson's Real Deal.

As well as attending the afternoon auction, David filmed a section featuring a Roman sarcophagus - an interesting item that had gone under the hammer at the sale room the previous day and sold for £18,000.

Colin Young, Golding Young & Mawer Managing Director, told Grantham Nub News: "We'd sold the sarcophagus the day before and, as part of the filming each episode, the team looks for something in the saleroom to talk about as an insert for the programme.

"The sarcophagus is a truly stunning item - it had been fully research and had a great backstory - so was perfect."

The two-metre long Roman carrara marble sarcophagus - meaning 'flesh-eater' in Greek - is from the late 2nd/early 3rd century AD - making it more than 1,800 years old.

It is strigilated - features a decorative fluting design - with figures of Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting, and Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. The sides are worked with double axes, alluding to a battle between the Greeks and Amazons.

A sarcophagus is designed for human remains and, according to Colin, 'has a drain hole at the front for bodily fluids to escape'.

It came from a clearance at The Great House, Kegworth, after being purchased during a sale of contents at Blithfield Hall in Staffordshire.

"The buyer is from Spain and was sold on behalf of a private client," adds Colin.

Photos courtesy of Golding Young & Mawer