The Vintage French Farmhouse

Melissa Drabble, Lucy Ryder Richardson and Jon Swanston travel to Carpentras, a historic trading centre that has been a hub for commerce since the time of ancient Greece. While exploring Carpentras, Melissa finds a pair of vintage compasses as part of their visit.

The episode is presented by Melissa Drabble, Lucy Ryder Richardson and Jon Swanston, forming the core team of a programme that follows their journeys to places of historical interest. It is structured as a single instalment that documents their on‑the‑ground experiences and discoveries. In this instalment the trio travel to Carpentras, a town that has acted as a centre of commerce since the era of ancient Greece. While there, Melissa comes across a pair of vintage compasses, adding a tangible link to the town’s long‑standing trading past. Carpentras is highlighted for its enduring role in trade, a fact that frames the backdrop of the presenters’ visit. The location’s historic significance is underscored by the presence of the old navigational instruments that Melissa finds, suggesting a continuity between past and present commercial activity. The episode concludes with the three presenters reflecting on the find and the broader context of Carpentras’s commercial heritage. Their observations are presented in a straightforward manner, keeping the focus on the journey, the setting and the artefacts uncovered during their time in the town.