Road trip show visits Rothesay antiques shop

A Rothesay antiques shop is set to feature on a television show after it received a visit from a presenter and film crew last week.

Paul Laidlaw from the Antiques Road Trip at West Bay Homes and Antiques with owners Marilyn and Neville Albone.

West Bay Homes and Antiques on Argyle Street, run by husband and wife Neville (62) and Marilyn Albone (65), was visited by presenter Paul Laidlaw as part of the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip programme.

Marilyn explained how the trip to her shop came about.

She said: “I had an email the previous Saturday from the BBC saying they were interested in coming to see us, as we were recommended by the auction house Callan’s of Ayr. So I instantly emailed back.

“It’s something I have been wanting to do for a while, to get them to come to the island.

“They then rang us and we told them a little about the shop and arranged their visit.

“Paul Laidlaw came over with the crew. The cameraman took them around the bay and they had a drone out over the coastline and the ferries.

“They had a really good time. They were in the shop from 2.30pm-7pm. They filmed everything about three times.

“Paul was smashing, really good. No problem at all. Willing to have photos taken with everybody.”

Antiques Road Trip is a weekday programme on BBC1 in which two antiques experts trawl the shops to find items to sell on at auction to see who can make the biggest profit for charity. The episode featuring West Bay Homes and Antiques Emporium is expected to air in about six months time.

Marilyn is delighted that Bute will feature on the programme.

“It was a really good positive thing for the island. We were really pleased,” she said.

“My husband has put so much work into the shop so I was really pleased for him.”

The couple, originally from the Fens in England, are loving life on Bute. Marilyn added: “We have been here for two and a half years. I’m originally from Luton. We were looking into my father’s ancestry and discovered my great great grandfather worked for the Marquess of Bute. So we decided to come up to visit and we fell in love with the place.

“Once I retired from working at John Lewis we upped sticks and moved.

“It’s really nice and peaceful. And not far from Glasgow so you aren’t isolated.”