A YORK historic house has played host to a TV antiques show.

The presenter of the BBC's Bargain Hunt, David Dickinson, was at Fairfax House for filming on Monday.

Furniture from the Regency town house on Castlegate will feature in three programmes due to be screened this autumn.

The small television crew arrived early in the morning and had finished filming by the time the house opened to the public at 11am.

The programme involves teams of two scouring the country for antiques in order to make a profit, as well as featuring particularly interesting, or well-preserved, antiques.

Filming concentrated on three different pieces of furniture - two bureaux and a dressing cabinet. All of the antiques dated from the eighteenth century.

Staff at Fairfax House were delighted to report that Mr Dickinson had been impressed with the quality of the furniture. The house was refurbished, after years of neglect, by the York Civic Trust, with furniture donated by Noel Terry, great-grandson of Joseph Terry, the founder of Terry's confectionery business.

Updated: 08:38 Wednesday, July 31, 2002