THOUSANDS descended on Lowther Castle as the BBC’s antiques experts visited the historic Eden attraction.

The Antiques Roadshow attracted people from as far away as Washington DC as well as a whole host of weird and wonderful items.

Perhaps the highest valued item, as well as the most unusual, was a stuffed terrier dog, valued at £900.

The dog used to belong to the Lowther family and probably once roamed the same grounds hosting the roadshow.

But this was not the only item that returned to its original home.

A 100-year-old silver vase brought along by Katie Aris, 18, turned out to have originally come from Lowther Castle.

Katie’s great grandfather won a sheep dog trial on the castle grounds and the vase was his prize.

“It feels like it’s coming home,” said Katie, from Penrith. “The experts said that when my great grandad won they must have gone into the kitchens and given this to him as a trophy.

“They say it’s solid silver and worth around £300 but we're keeping it in the family for now.”

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A life-size Margaret Thatcher doll from Spitting Image was one of the stranger items on display.

Fiona Bruce, presenter of Antiques Roadshow and regular anchor on BBC News, spoke to the Gazette about why Cumbria is perfect for this type of event.

Fiona, who has become an avid antique collector since being asked to host the hit show, said: “I mean, look at it – it’s incredible. It’s like a film set.

“When the sun is out like today it’s an incredibly romantic place. Lowther Castle is incredible – you can even imagine all those years ago when they played war games with a real army out here.”