Man with a Van: My Story

Description

Quest TV's addictive No 1 show Salvage Hunters has turned straight-talking antiques-dealer Drew Pritchard into a cult figure around the world (19m viewers). For the first time, the man with a van tells us his story - the boy who preferred skips to school, learnt more from lost things than lessons, and proved the doubters wrong by building an empire on Britain's rustiest artefacts. Sunday Times bestseller 'When I see something old, that I think is beautiful, special, valuable, it's not about the money. It's about being in another time and place.' Star of TV's Salvage Hunters, Drew Pritchard will go to the greatest lengths for the best deals. He discovered the casts Lord Elgin made of his infamous marbles in a school garage, and broke the bank to buy the tool box Malcolm Campbell used when he set the water speed record in 1934. He made a million. Lost it. And made it again. The face of the compulsively fascinating business of finding and restoring lost treasures, visionary Drew takes us up and down the country, into garages, factories, schools and pubs, digging out incredible items from that 'other time and place'. Then by lovingly restoring them, he brings our history back to life. A flat cap among silver spoons and old school ties, our favourite no-bullshit expert may be a one-off, but his story makes us all dream of that obscure piece of antiquity gathering dust in the garden shed...

Drew Pritchard was born in 1970 in the medieval walled town of Conwy, North Wales. Drew has been dealing in architectural salvage and antiques for over thirty years, working initially as a stained-glass restorer and designer, and then as an independent dealer. His business is driven by passion, an innate knowledge of antiques and a fascination with mixing items from different periods. Drew's hit TV show Salvage Hunters is now in its sixteenth series. He is also a motoring aficionado, having restored his '52 Sunroof Volkswagen Beetle, his beloved '67 911 Porsche and a brace of Vespas.