Irita Marriott and the £1,800 Job Lot That Started Her Antiques Career
If you know Irita Marriott from Antiques Road Trip, you might wonder where she learnt to spot the one piece in a crowded shop worth taking to auction. The answer starts with her mother-in-law, a £1,800 bill and a collection of objects Marriott had little idea how to sell.
Today, the Latvian-born antiques dealer has her own auction house in Melbourne, Derbyshire. Her career makes particularly good viewing across two programmes. On Antiques Road Trip, it’s her judgement on the line when the hammer falls. On The Derbyshire Auction House, the belongings are someone else’s, and so are the reasons for selling.
How Irita Marriott learnt the antiques trade
Marriott grew up in Latvia, went to America at 18 to work as an au pair and moved to England in 2004, aged 20. One of her first jobs was at a Bradford garden centre. She started as a temporary employee and worked her way into buying and retail management. Long before she could put a name to a piece of porcelain, she had experience choosing stock that customers might actually take home.
The antiques came after a move to Derbyshire and redundancy from a subsequent job. As Marriott told interviewer Steve Orme, her mother-in-law turned up with a job lot she had bought at auction. Then came the catch. Marriott owed her £1,800. With no spare money to pay her back, she spent the next fortnight researching the objects and visiting antiques fairs. By the end of it, she wanted to carry on.
Car boot sales gave her a way to learn from people who knew more than she did. She told the Derbyshire Times she would put boxes out and watch what dealers picked up. A book might help identify what was in a box. Standing behind the stall told her which pieces people would cross a field to examine.
Marriott began dealing in 2012. She also took a part-time cataloguing job at a Derbyshire auction house and spent seven years gaining saleroom experience. Cataloguing meant finding words precise enough for a stranger to recognise what was being sold. Dealing meant putting her own money behind that description. On television, viewers get to see her do both.
The bronze bulldog that made her first Road Trip
Marriott wanted to be on Antiques Road Trip enough to ring its executive producer herself. She told HELLO! she was already a fan and saw little reason to wait for someone to discover her. She joined the programme in 2021. For an introduction to her style, start with the first day of her trip with fellow expert Tim Medhurst.
Both experts had £200 to spend. Marriott, who has a particular fondness for porcelain, used her entire budget on five lots. Her biggest buy was a bronze Bergman bulldog. By the time its turn came at auction, Medhurst admitted he rather wished he had bought it himself. The bidding opened at £60, passed £100 and finally settled at £125.
The lot immediately before it is worth watching too. The auctioneer asked for £100 for Medhurst’s teacup. For a moment, Medhurst thought someone had offered that much. The first actual bid was £10, and the cup eventually sold for £18. In a few minutes of television you can hear the difference between the price an auctioneer invites and the amount a buyer agrees to pay. Marriott finished the day with £260.76 after fees.
Inside her Derbyshire auction house
Marriott launched Irita Marriott Auctioneers in June 2023. Its base is Williams Yard in Melbourne, South Derbyshire, and bidders can browse illustrated catalogues online. For someone who once travelled to fairs to bring stock to customers, an online sale offered another way of reaching them. A bidder can inspect photographs from home, request a condition report or arrange a closer look at a particular lot.
The first episode of The Derbyshire Auction House shows what happens before those photographs appear. A daughter needs help clearing her late father’s collection of antique bottles. A later episode follows two sisters clearing their childhood home, where Marriott uncovers military medals. For a family facing a house full of belongings, deciding what deserves a second look can be the hardest part of the sale.
There are striking results, too. In a piece marking the auction house’s second anniversary, Marriott reported that a diamond eagle brooch had made £11,400. The bottles make just as good a starting point for a new viewer, though. Many of us can picture inheriting a shelf of things that meant a great deal to someone and realising we never asked why they collected them.
Why her sons figured in the decision
Marriott has spoken publicly about being married and raising two sons. When they were small, they accompanied her on buying and selling trips. Later, as she explained to HELLO!, she wanted to build a business they could one day choose to join. She would welcome them if they wanted a place there, but she also wanted the decision to be theirs.
How to prepare an object for a valuation
Suppose you have inherited a porcelain cup and saucer. You remember seeing them in your grandmother’s cabinet, but nobody knows where she bought them. Marriott’s auction house accepts photographs for an initial enquiry and considers the maker, condition, ownership history and current demand. Here’s how to give a valuer something concrete to work with.
- Start with the whole object. Photograph the cup and saucer together in daylight against a plain background. Include their dimensions so the valuer can distinguish a tiny cabinet piece from a breakfast cup.
- Turn each piece over. Photograph the bases separately, keeping any painted or stamped marks in focus. Sending both lets the valuer check whether the pieces appear to belong together.
- Show wear up close. Add a side view of a chipped rim, a repaired handle or rubbed gilding. A well-lit picture of the flaw can answer a question that several attractive front views leave open.
- Write down what you know. Include a receipt, an old label or a dated family photograph if you have one. If the only history is your grandmother’s recollection, say so. Ask what else the valuer needs before deciding whether to enter the piece for sale.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Irita Marriott from?
She was born in Latvia. Before settling in England at 20, she spent time in the United States working as an au pair.
Which TV shows has she appeared on?
Alongside Antiques Road Trip and The Derbyshire Auction House, her credits include Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt and Channel 4’s The Greatest Auction.
What kind of antiques does she like?
Decorative antiques are a particular interest. On her first trip with Tim Medhurst, she talked about her taste for gilding, cherubs and scrollwork. If you’re trying to picture her taste in porcelain, think elaborate decoration and a piece that draws the eye across a room.
Can the public visit Irita Marriott’s auction house?
Yes. The business offers appointments at Williams Yard in Melbourne. If you want to view an item before bidding, give the team its lot number when you book. Check the arrangements for your chosen sale, as most bidding takes place online.
Can I get a valuation without travelling to Derbyshire?
Yes. The auction house accepts photographs by email and photographs or video through WhatsApp. Its valuations page lists the contact options and explains how the team assesses an item.
Where to start watching
Irita Marriott built her career by paying attention to what people picked up, what they put down and what they would pay to take home. To see that eye at work, start with the bronze bulldog on her first Antiques Road Trip with Tim Medhurst. Then watch the opening episode of The Derbyshire Auction House to see how she handles the other side of a sale, when a family entrusts her with a collection it took someone a lifetime to build.
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