Thanks in part to the fictional roguish antiques dealer, Lovejoy, Jonathan Pratt is now a familiar face to many daytime TV watchers as he showcases his knowledge on a variety of BBC programmes. At home in West Meon however, he is just part of the furniture
At home in West Meon, Jonathan Pratt is part of the village’s furniture. ‘But when I go to an antiques fair, suddenly I’m famous because I’m that antiques bloke off the telly,’ he laughs.
Jonathan – known as JP – is a familiar face to anyone who watches daytime television. He’s been appearing on Bargain Hunt since 2008 and has made regular appearances on The Antiques Road Trip and Flog It! And yet he says he never aimed to break into broadcasting: ‘Back in 2007 I was at a friend’s wedding, where I ran into Tim Wonnacott. I’d worked with Tim at Sotheby’s, and he said to me, in his distinctive voice: “Tell me, JP: would you stoop so low as to go on Bargain Hunt?” The rest is history.’
Jonathan’s life in antiques began back in 1986 when he was 14 years old. ‘My favourite programme at the time was Lovejoy,’ he says. ‘Ian McShane played the loveable antiques dealer and I found it fascinating how Lovejoy understood objects. It was as if they were speaking to him in a language that I didn’t understand.’
So, after A-levels he set about learning the trade, studying a diploma in Fine Art and Chattels Valuation, later studying Gemmology and learning to value and catalogue jewellery.
Jonathan still has the enthusiasm and zeal he describes in his younger self. He recently took up a position as Managing Director at Dawsons Auctioneers in Maidenhead and is full of stories about their recent sales: ‘Every object we handle has its own story to tell,’ he says. ‘Often, the story adds enormously to the value. Recently we sold a pocket watch given to Winston Churchill in 1905 by Lord Asquith, congratulating him on crossing the floor to join the Liberals. It made £76,000, far exceeding initial estimates of £20,000-30,000. It was an interesting piece because of its complicated minute repeating movement, but its provenance made all the difference. Collectors love a story.’
Among seismic changes for the industry – online auctions, stock market crashes, the pandemic – he’s watched as tastes and lifestyles change. ‘When I started, everyone wanted antique furniture,’ says Jonathan. ‘Over the course of my career, I've seen the value of a George III bow-front sideboard go from £1,500 to £150 at one point. The majority of homes are now set up differently: people are entertaining in their kitchens more rather than in formal dining rooms, and don’t want a polished dining table if their kids are going to be doing their paintings on it.
‘Then COVID had a massive effect on the market because suddenly, people who were living in townhouses and flats wanted to move to the country. They were selling their homes for £2m or £3m and buying big houses in the country which they then needed to furnish. So, the antique furniture market, particularly fine furniture, went through the roof again. Now, with the market settled, tastes tend towards the ‘inherited look’, mixing old and new together in a much more relaxed and individual way.’
Jonathan’s own home is a listed 16th century house where he lives with his wife and three youngest children (the oldest is now away at university). Hampshire has been home ever since he moved here with his wife Claire, a native of the county, while working at Sotheby’s. Theirs was a fast-tracked romance: ‘She was working for a shipping company that went into administration and called in Sotheby's to do the contents valuation as there was a great collection of antiques and marine art. Within two months we were holidaying together, we were engaged by Christmas and married the following April.’
The couple’s first home was in West Meon in the Meon Valley, and they recently moved back after a few years in Petersfield – their new house is at the other end of the road they first lived on. All four children attended the village school, ‘We knew a lot of people in the village already, so it felt like coming home,’ says Jonathan.
‘There are many reasons why I love this village,’ he says. ‘You can walk a mile from our house to Winchester Hill and from there you can see as far as the Isle of Wight. In my 30s, I used to go walking up there a lot in the early mornings with my dog and one of my children in a carrier, so it has lots of memories for me and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.’
It’s easy to imagine the home of an antiques expert overflowing with beautiful things, but Jonathan says he’s intentional about what he buys. ‘We buy mostly what we like for the house and garden. I am always hunting for antique rugs, but perhaps my only collection is in the downstairs loo which is becoming a sort of a shrine to skiing and the mountains,’ he says. ‘I have a pair of old wooden skis, some pre-war paintings of famous mountains, and I just bought a walking stick covered in mountain village badges while I was Bargain Hunt-ing – so that went in the loo too.’
The return to West Meon has brought some surprises. ‘I have discovered that I quite enjoy theatre,’ says Jonathan, ‘West Meon has a fantastic theatre group - we don’t call it amateur dramatics!’ After a small part in a musical version of Toad of Toad Hall with his twins in 2023, he took the lead in Welcome Home, Captain Fox, a play about a World War II soldier who loses his memory and is claimed by an American family. In November he’ll appear in Kiss Me, Kate at the Theatre Royal, Winchester as Ralph the Stage Manager. ‘I’m very surprised to find myself doing theatre and in some ways, I wish I’d started 30 years ago,’ he says. ‘After a stressful day, it’s a surprisingly good way to wind down – although all the rehearsals do keep me from my gardening. I could talk all day about my plans for my own garden, but I’ll save that for another day!’
He may spend his professional life talking about the past. But this is one antiques expert with his gaze fixed firmly on the future.
Picking up the gavel for his local children’s hospice
Jonathan will be picking up his auctioneer’s gavel in September in aid of children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House, which cares for children in South East Hampshire and Sussex.
From July 10 to September 1, Arundel and Chichester will play host to The Big Hoot art trail. Thirty big and 30 small owl sculptures will be swooping into public green spaces, Chichester’s high street and harbour, and Arundel’s historic town centre during the summer holidays, providing a fun, free day out for the entire family. At the end of the trail, the owls will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity, which helps children live as full a life as possible, no matter what their condition.
The Big Hoot Farewell Auction is on September 19 at Chichester Cathedral and Jonathan is looking forward to putting his skills to good use: ‘Chestnut Tree House is a wonderful place,’ says Jonathan. ‘What they do for children and families is just fantastic, and I’m delighted to be able to support them.’
Find out more about The Big Hoot online at thebighoot.co.uk or on our diary pages. Follow on socials #ChestnutOwls to see our very own sister title Sussex Life owl.
