1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:09,160 For centuries, the sea has protected us and provided for us. 2 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:17,400 It's been a source of food, wealth, opportunity - 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,560 and our front-line of defence against invasion. 4 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,520 But over the last 200 years, our view of the sea has changed. 5 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,960 It has become our playground, 6 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,880 a place of pleasure and relaxation. 7 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:40,120 Aghhh! 8 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,680 I like the houses along there. Yeah. 9 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,160 I'm setting out on my boat, Rocket, along the coast of East Anglia, 10 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:54,080 to chart this transformation. 11 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,480 I will see how a day at the seaside became an irresistible 12 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,520 subject for artists... 13 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:03,640 I'm stopping now. 14 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:05,160 ..artists of all kinds... 15 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,400 She looks like one of those pilots, you know. Argh! 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,520 ..how it transformed our coastal architecture... 17 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:12,640 Mmm! 18 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:20,120 ..and how it created a seaside culture that is uniquely British. 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,520 HIGH-PITCHED VOICE: That's the way to do it! 20 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,680 DOG BARKS 21 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,600 For this journey, I am going to sail from Gorleston-on-Sea, 22 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,560 down the Suffolk and Essex coasts, and into the Thames. 23 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:07,520 Ending at the very heart of our maritime power - Greenwich. 24 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:09,840 BUSTLING VOICES 25 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,080 This is our idea of a seaside resort. 26 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,960 The wide sandy beaches, the deckchairs, windshields, 27 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:35,680 children playing, the grand hotels, the B&Bs, the music hall. 28 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,440 And it's all the creation of the Victorians, 29 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,600 to make the ideal place for a family holiday. 30 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,360 Not Majorca, not Florida...but Gorleston. 31 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,560 Gorleston-on-Sea is a small seaside town on the southern edge 32 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,680 of Great Yarmouth. 33 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,200 And, like its neighbour, it was transformed in the Victorian age. 34 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:15,480 By the mid-1800s, 80,000 visitors were heading to Great Yarmouth 35 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:17,120 and Gorleston each summer. 36 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,320 And they all came by the new creation of industrial genius - 37 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:24,680 the railway. 38 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,160 Tempting though it is to stay, I have a boat to board. 39 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,280 Rocket, the gaff cutter I've owned for over 30 years, 40 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,800 is anchored just off the beach, awaiting my arrival. 41 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:47,840 Hi, John. Hi. 42 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,120 'And on board, my crew.' Thanks very much. 43 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:52,960 Are you coming up? Yeah. 44 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:57,880 Can you move, Stanley? 45 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:03,360 'Stanley the dog - always happy to get under my feet. 46 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,640 'John Holden, Stanley's owner, 47 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,400 'who has spent his life around boats and looks after Rocket.' 48 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,720 OK, Cally, get the anchor up. 49 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,560 Anchor up! 50 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,240 'And Cally Stubbs - a local sailor 51 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,000 'who brings valuable experience of these tricky waters.' 52 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,720 John, I'll hold ahead to wind... OK. ..and we can get the sails up. 53 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,880 'Sails up, anchor up, and it's time to go.' 54 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,720 Our first stop is just a few miles along the coast - 55 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,000 we're heading to the port of Lowestoft. 56 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,680 During the 19th century, all along this coastline, people flocked 57 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,680 to the seaside, keen to escape the dirt of the cities, even for a day. 58 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:12,840 It was a spectacle that captivated artists and writers of the time. 59 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,400 In 1851, the painter William Frith went down with his canvasses 60 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,920 to Ramsgate in Kent. He did a series of sketches and then a huge 61 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,520 painting called Ramsgate Sands: Life At The Seaside. 62 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,080 The painting was controversial. 63 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,320 Frith had captured the confusion of social classes. 64 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,080 The sands were open to all. 65 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,680 The beaches swarmed with a variety of characters, all muddled up 66 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:49,040 together - people who would never normally have thought of mixing. 67 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:56,920 And the seaside was an open invitation to abandon convention. 68 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,840 For years, artists had delighted in it, with all its scope 69 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,840 for social embarrassment and sexual titillation. 70 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,840 Welcome to Lowestoft. Have you been through here? 71 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:21,280 Yeah, about 20 years ago. Oh, right. 72 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,560 We're safely into Lowestoft, 73 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:29,160 but our destination is just a little further upriver. 74 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,000 Where are we going? I can see a swan. 75 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,560 We're looking for a bald man waving at us. OK. 76 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,720 Oulton Broad lies on the outskirts of Lowestoft, 77 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,440 right on edge of the Norfolk broads. 78 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,480 Lovely, thank you. 79 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,240 Thanks very much, Cally. Thanks, John. 80 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,600 Thank you. OK, David. Brilliant manoeuvre, I thought. 81 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,360 Yeah, well, ten out of ten for that one. Ten out of ten! 82 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:54,960 Bye-bye, see you. 83 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:01,240 The Victorians may have created our image of the traditional 84 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:02,720 seaside holiday, 85 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,040 but I've come to see evidence that Lowestoft was attracting 86 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,560 tourists long before the reign of Queen Victoria. 87 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:23,240 This is Lowestoft Porcelain, among the earliest porcelain 88 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:28,600 produced in Britain, much of it dating from the 1760s onwards. 89 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,800 There are some very fine examples here. 90 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,840 This is a tankard, made in about 1790, 91 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,480 showing the entrance to the beach at Lowestoft, 92 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:43,560 with cottages along the front. 93 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,120 On one side, the lighthouse on the hill, 94 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,640 a stone lighthouse which still stands. 95 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:52,600 And an interesting little lighthouse here 96 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,840 that was moveable, it could go along the beach to show the smaller boats 97 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:58,960 the right channel to come up. 98 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,960 Big ships at that time couldn't come in, there was no proper harbour, 99 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:03,960 they had to go up to Great Yarmouth. 100 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,920 And then this, a brandy flask. 101 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,000 Fairly conventional picture on one side, 102 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,760 merchant ships flying the Red Ensign, but what's really 103 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:16,240 interesting on the other side, it's proof that Lowestoft was 104 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,440 already like all the resorts along this coast, being used for holidays. 105 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:22,960 Here's a bathing machine. 106 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:27,760 A man here with his long coat going up into the bathing machine, 107 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,600 he had changed there. Well, not changed, he stripped naked. 108 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,040 Because it was thought very important that you should go 109 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,680 naked into the sea, not have any clothes on, 110 00:08:35,680 --> 00:08:38,600 nothing to prevent the sea salt water getting into you. 111 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,080 That was the cure they wanted for their health. 112 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,360 And then on this end, a funny kind of three-ribbed tent which 113 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:47,080 went down into the water. 114 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,360 You hid inside this thing so nobody could see you. 115 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,000 So you couldn't swim, you just stood in the water and washed yourself. 116 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,400 And this is obviously an ink pot. 117 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,520 Ink in there, quill pens, four places for them. 118 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:01,640 And this is its twin, really. 119 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,160 This was to dry the ink before blotting paper. 120 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,360 Would've had sand or a combination of sand and flour in it, 121 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,760 and you just shook it out on the wet ink 122 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,080 and blew it off and the ink would dry. 123 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,600 But what's significant is, look - "A Trifle from Lowestoft." 124 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,520 Each of them has written on them "A Trifle from Lowestoft." 125 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,000 Hundreds and hundreds of these, "A Trifle from Lowestoft." 126 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,320 Proving that this place was a holiday resort and these were, 127 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:31,080 in effect, souvenirs. 128 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:36,720 A reminder of a few days away from the rat-race of the 18th century. 129 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,600 Can I take this off now? Yeah, that's fine. 130 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,000 I never thought Rocket would go on the Broads, John. 131 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,400 We're heading back downriver to Lowestoft, 132 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,520 and the British seaside at its most traditional. 133 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,880 Along the seafront, there's just time to catch a show. 134 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:11,520 Ohhh! That was good. Let's all sing. 135 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,760 Punch and Judy is a seaside favourite. 136 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:23,360 Just the other day, it was voted one of the top icons of Englishness. 137 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:27,080 Except Mr Punch is not English at all. 138 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:28,280 Snap! 139 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,040 He's actually Italian, 140 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,600 a mischievous character who used to entertain 141 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,000 the crowds in the streets and squares. 142 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,560 He was imported to Britain in the 17th century, 143 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:43,880 first performing in Covent Garden. 144 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,920 It was the Victorians who moved him to the coast and turned 145 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:53,280 a raucous street show for adults into a children's seaside treat. 146 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,000 Here we go! Here we go! 147 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:56,600 CHEERING 148 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,840 Every Punch and Judy show has its own characters, 149 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,760 this one has got the crocodile, we've already had the ghost, 150 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,280 we've had the policeman. 151 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,080 And there's a lot of slapstick and hitting and all the rest of it. 152 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,400 It's not actually nearly as fierce as the original Punch and Judy. 153 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:15,040 In the true story, Punch kills the wife, kills anybody who comes near, 154 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,800 he kills the policeman, the hangman comes to hang Mr Punch 155 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,400 and Mr Punch tricks the hangman into hanging himself instead of Mr Punch. 156 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,760 And finally, he kills the devil. 157 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,960 It looks as though he's about to be killed here. 158 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,680 But what the appeal of it is is very interesting because it's not 159 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:34,920 exactly...funny, it's quite cruel and yet children seem to love it. 160 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:36,920 ALL: Mr Punch! 161 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:40,000 MUSICAL TUNE: "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside" 162 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,480 The man behind the curtain is Bryan Clarke. 163 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:51,120 He has been a Punch and Judy man for over 60 years, 164 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,960 and he's been working these beaches since he was a boy. 165 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:02,360 But he's not just a performer. He is also a craftsman. 166 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,080 So this is where they're all made? Yes, this is the workshop. 167 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:10,560 'At his home near Lowestoft, Bryan carves his own Punch 168 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:12,080 'and Judy puppets. 169 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,760 'He's made and sold hundreds over the years.' 170 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,000 Is there a particular look that Mr Punch has to have? 171 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,200 Cos they're slightly different, all of them. 172 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,680 Yeah. The hook nose, hook chin, red nose, red chin. 173 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:29,240 This is called a sugarloaf hat. 174 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,840 He's clowny-looking, he's sort of jester-looking. 175 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:34,880 And he's Italian. And he comes from Italy. 176 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,080 We get all our pictures from this book here, 177 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,920 which was illustrated by that wonderful illustrator called 178 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,720 George Cruikshank in about 1840. 179 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,280 It was like the Bible for the Punch and Judy man. 180 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,240 He saw a Punch and Judy show and he did the drawings, 181 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,160 which are in the book, and from that we got this Punch. 182 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,360 But over the years, Punch has become more stylized, 183 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,400 he's become more sort of friendly. 184 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,480 But basically, we still sort of keep him 185 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,000 Italian with all his goggle-eyes. 186 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,560 Some people are very frightened of clowns. 187 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:11,400 There's something eerie about the clown. 188 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,760 But they're never frightened of Punch. Are they not? 189 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:18,200 I think the distinctive voice, the children love it. 190 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:19,480 How do you do that voice? 191 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,640 It's made by these things, which is called a swazzle. 192 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,200 A swazzle? A swazzle. 193 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,680 And it's a little reed like this and then we place it in our mouth, 194 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,560 like that, on our tongue. 195 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:34,320 And then it goes to the roof of your mouth. 196 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,680 HIGH-PITCHED VOICE: Ha-ha-ha, that's the way to do it! 197 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:40,880 NORMAL VOICE: That's the distinctive voice, and I can talk to you... 198 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,280 When we're learning, we go... "One, two, three, four, five, six," 199 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,120 and so you get that alternate voice coming in with each number. 200 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,040 NORMAL VOICE: You're very nice, Mr Punch! HIGH-PITCHED: Very good. 201 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,320 NORMAL VOICE: You've got a very nice gentleman here. 202 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,240 ALTERNATING VOICES: Who's he? I don't know. Hit him with snapstick. 203 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,800 NORMAL VOICE: You can't hit him with that. So, you know... 204 00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:59,080 And it's just fun, isn't it? 205 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,720 My Mr Punch is a bit like that, I think. Yeah, yeah. 206 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,640 But he's certainly got a big hook nose. He looks a bit like you! 207 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:06,320 Yeah, thank you, yes! 208 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,800 Well...no, they do say that, you know, like a dog, 209 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,080 people grow like their dogs. Well, you grow like the puppets, you know. 210 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,400 I don't think my eyes are quite goggle-eyes like them! 211 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:17,760 THEY LAUGH 212 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:32,320 Another sunny morning, and we're setting off early to catch the tide. 213 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,720 Is Stanley all right? Yeah, he's good. 214 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,920 He just likes to see where he's going, 215 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,240 but I don't want him going out on the side deck. 216 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:54,320 Our next destination is the seaside village of Walberswick. 217 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:07,880 Today, Walberswick is a tranquil and rather exclusive place. 218 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,480 In the late 1800s, it was the site of an artistic revolution. 219 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:20,080 In 1884, a young artist, Philip Wilson Steer, 220 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,400 came to Walberswick to paint. 221 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,600 He stayed here at Valley Farm. 222 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:28,240 He'd been studying in Paris, 223 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,760 and there he'd come under the influence of the French 224 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,480 Impressionists with their intense study of the effect of light 225 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,120 on landscape, and it was that that he found here in Walberswick, 226 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,160 making a new stage in his career 227 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:44,120 and the beginning of British Impressionism. 228 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:58,960 It was in this marshy estuary, and the beach beyond, 229 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:02,000 that Steer found his artistic inspiration. 230 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:17,000 His canvasses are shimmering landscapes and figure studies, 231 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,280 fleeting moments of youthful freedom captured in brilliant 232 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:23,640 dots of colour. 233 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,760 A fellow artist said, "I have never seen a canvas which is 234 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:36,640 "more like sun and wind. You feel like sunshine and wind and youth 235 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:42,400 "are glorious things, and that life is a gift to be grateful for." 236 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:01,360 Even today, Walberswick is a Mecca for artists. 237 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,920 Jason Bowyer is a professional painter, 238 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,400 who has been coming here for 30 years. 239 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,000 So what was it that brought Steer to Walberswick? 240 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,720 I think that when he was here, he felt that the shackles were off. 241 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,800 You know, and I'm sure that was the opportunity to experiment. 242 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:23,880 You know, it's a beautiful little estuary and I think he loved 243 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:30,120 the light that came off, obviously, the wonderful, sparkling sea. 244 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:31,760 The movement, the wind. 245 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:43,080 Is the light similar to the light the French Impressionists got? 246 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,600 Is this Britain's French Impressionist scenery? 247 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,240 Yeah, I mean, this is... You know, 248 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,040 a lot of paintings of this type are painted against the light. 249 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,480 There's wonderful roofs at the end of the harbour wall 250 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:56,920 there on the left-hand side, now, 251 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:01,160 and then the fishing boat just with that little delicacy of line. 252 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,200 And then this landing stage in front of us, 253 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,600 you get a sense which is a time it is now, but it transcends 254 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:14,360 you into something which is...which I suppose is much more eternal. 255 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,120 You haven't given me any brown, I can't do these browns. 256 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:21,600 JASON LAUGHS 257 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,400 I've only got blues and yellows here. 258 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,040 You're getting on further than me, you've got paint on canvas. 259 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,760 Yeah, well, I'm just... THEY LAUGH 260 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,560 I'm talking more than you. I've done enough! 261 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,320 Next day, we're back on Rocket, 262 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,360 but our luck with the weather seems to be running out. 263 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,440 It's not exactly plain sailing. 264 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,960 It's a bit frustrating today because the way we want to go 265 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,840 is dead into the wind and, of course, you can't 266 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,040 sail dead into the wind, your sails just flap like our ensign is. 267 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,600 What you like is the wind, well, ideally for Rocket, 268 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,080 the wind on the side or behind you, then you can go roaring along. 269 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:12,880 But she's designed for sailing. 270 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,840 But still, you can't do anything about the weather, you can't do 271 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,040 anything about the tide, you can't do anything about the wind. 272 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:25,640 Which is why sailing is one of the most...frustrating 273 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,600 and difficult sports. 274 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,120 Fun, nevertheless. Now the sun's coming out, which is great. 275 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:33,360 Beautiful. 276 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:44,480 Our next stop is just a little way down the Suffolk coast. 277 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,200 We're heading for Aldeburgh. 278 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:59,600 This town, with its long beach washed by the cold North Sea, 279 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,440 has attracted artists for generations. 280 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,520 At the beginning of the 20th century, 281 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,280 one man in particular was drawn to it 282 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,000 and inspired by it to compose some of our greatest music. 283 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,480 Musicians often talk about the things that stir their imagination. 284 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,760 For one of our most famous composers, Benjamin Britten, 285 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,800 it was the sea. 286 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,000 He was brought up back up the coast there at Lowestoft 287 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,320 and he remembers as a child his whole life being 288 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:37,480 coloured by fierce storms which drove ships ashore, 289 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,920 which ate away great sections of the neighbouring cliffs. 290 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,920 He left all that and went to the balmy sunlight of California 291 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,720 just before the Second World War, but halfway through the war, 292 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,640 he suddenly realised that this place was his real home. And at some 293 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:57,760 risk to himself, he came back across the Atlantic, daring the U-boats, 294 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,280 and arrived here in Aldeburgh and settled here, because he knew 295 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:09,200 that this place, these beaches, this sea, was his real inspiration. 296 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:18,680 Even from a very young age, Britten had been drawn to the sound 297 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:20,320 and movement of the sea. 298 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:29,120 Here at the Red House, now a museum to Benjamin Britten's life, 299 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,160 there are passionate devotees of his work. 300 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,800 This is Britten's piano, his Steinway. His own piano? 301 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,320 Yes, from the late 1960s. 302 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,400 'Lucy Walker explains how, even as a young man, 303 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:44,040 'he was fascinated by the changing moods of the sea.' 304 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,200 SHE PLAYS A GENTLE MELODY 305 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:55,400 This piece, Sailing, starts in a very peaceful way. 306 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,040 Just slipping along in a gentle breeze, really, isn't it? Exactly. 307 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,680 That's lovely. It's like Rocket on a calm sea. 308 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,320 Then what happens? 309 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,960 Then this middle section where the sea is much more turbulent. 310 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,520 MELODY CONTINUES TUMULTUOUSLY 311 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,640 Everybody's madly rushing around, pulling at the ropes, "Help!" 312 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,720 Yes, exactly. And then is peace restored or do they sink? 313 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,520 SHE LAUGHS Peace is restored towards the end 314 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,000 where the same peaceful music comes back. 315 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,000 It's just towards the end here. 316 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,440 GENTLE MELODY RESUMES 317 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:52,440 That's lovely. And then it... 318 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,560 How old was he when he wrote that? 319 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,200 He was just shy of his 21st birthday. 320 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,200 Oh, really? So one of his first compositions? 321 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:01,880 One of his early mature compositions. 322 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,920 He'd already written huge amounts as a child already. Called Holiday? 323 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,520 Well, this, he called it... The published score, 324 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,520 it's gone through several changes in title. This is called Sailing. 325 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,440 On the manuscript, it's called Yachting. 326 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,040 Because he swam, didn't he, a lot? It seemed that way, 327 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,960 and his diaries from this time, while he was composing this piece, 328 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,000 are full of tales of him having a rough sea bathe in the North Sea. 329 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,560 And it happens on regular occasions. Or long walks... 330 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,280 Yes, so you can't take the sea out of Britten, really. 331 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,040 I don't think you can, no. 332 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,840 The next leg of our journey takes us across one of the busiest 333 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,600 shipping lanes in Britain, heading to Harwich. 334 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,640 So, Cally, this is your country we're coming into, Harwich? 335 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,000 Yes, it's quite an old town. 336 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,160 Harwich looks rather beautiful from here. I've never seen it like that. 337 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:11,800 The first time I ever, ever went to sea was from Harwich. Oh, really? 338 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,680 When I was about 12, I went from here to Holland... 339 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,880 Yeah, to Holland. ..on the night ferry, 340 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,160 with a bicycle, with my mum. 341 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,640 I remember the excitement of coming to Harwich because it 342 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:24,240 was dark when we got here, 343 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,240 it was ten o'clock the ferry left or something. Mm. 344 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,080 And we were on one of those old-fashioned Pullman cars where 345 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:35,240 you had real china on the tables and armchairs to sit in on the train. Oh, fabulous. 346 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,800 We got on board and I can't remember a thing until we arrived in Holland. 347 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,760 And I'd never been abroad before, the first time I'd ever been abroad. 348 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,800 How old were you then? 12. 349 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,840 It was just after we'd smashed the Germans, you know. 350 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,840 Today, Harwich is dominated by the container port of Felixstowe, 351 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:58,640 just across the estuary. 352 00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:03,680 But at the turn of the 20th century, these waters were better known 353 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:08,000 for the rather more leisurely pursuit of yachting. 354 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,960 A hobby brought to Britain by a king. 355 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:19,480 In 1660, the Dutch presented King Charles II with a gift - 356 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,840 a 52-foot sailing boat, built solely for pleasure. 357 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,200 For amateur yachtsmen, this is where it all began. 358 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,760 Here at the Harwich Low Lighthouse - now their maritime museum - 359 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,520 I've come to see a remarkable record of this craft. 360 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,240 This is a model of the first Royal Yacht. 361 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,240 She was called the Mary. 362 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:56,040 She was presented to Charles II by the city of Amsterdam. The very 363 00:25:56,040 --> 00:26:00,480 word "yacht" comes from the Dutch "jacht", which was the word used for 364 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,240 a sort of small working boat that flitted in and out among the fleet 365 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:08,760 carrying people and provisions and doing jobs. And in the Dutch design, 366 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:12,160 of course, with these leeboards here, like the Thames barges have, 367 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:16,200 but with little elaborate touches to demonstrate that this is 368 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,960 a private yacht, in effect. 369 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,720 A unicorn gilded at the bow there. 370 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:27,160 And little gilding around the cannons. 371 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:34,480 And then an elaborate stern with a coat of arms of the King of England. 372 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,440 So a very fine boat and he was very fond of her. 373 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,920 In fact, he sort of became addicted to yachting. 374 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:46,000 In the 25 years of his reign, he had 26 Royal Yachts built. 375 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,400 And this is one of the finest. 376 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,440 This is a model thought to be of a ship called the Catherine. 377 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,200 And this model itself is very precious. 378 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:58,000 It was made in the late 1600s, and this shows how 379 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,880 the Royal Yacht gradually became more and more elaborate. 380 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:06,440 The detail is really fine, and it's only possible 381 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,920 because the wood they've used for the carving is fruitwood - 382 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,440 apple, pearwood - which grows very, very slowly 383 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,840 and so has no grain. It's like carving marble, and you can get 384 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:21,480 this absolute exquisite detail of tiny little bits. 385 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,880 The figurehead has got two figures. 386 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,760 The wreaths are very elaborate around the gunports, 387 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,800 and as we come back down the side here, this great 388 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:39,720 frieze of acanthus leaves, very elaborate Baroque decoration. 389 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:44,640 Poseidon here, trampling a monster. 390 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,320 Lamps on the stern. 391 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:53,040 And then two putti with anchors on the back here. 392 00:27:55,400 --> 00:28:00,280 If you peer over down there, there's golden steps to the cabins. 393 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:05,240 Inside there, again, four-poster bed, paintings on the walls, 394 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:11,160 fine furniture - entirely a sort of pleasure dome for the King. 395 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:17,840 Charles II loved the sea. He'd go to sea at any excuse. 396 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,600 He'd take his court to sea, he'd meet his admirals on the sea, 397 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:26,680 he took up racing his "jacht", or his yacht, for pleasure. 398 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,960 It was the beginning of a whole industry that started, rather 399 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,840 like horse racing, started with the monarch and then trickled down. 400 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:41,080 For the first time, 401 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,280 boats became about more than fighting and fishing. 402 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,000 They were built for fun. 403 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:53,000 John... Yes? ..why do you like sailing? Why? Yeah. 404 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,120 I like that feel when you're still and then the wind picks up, 405 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,720 and you just lean over and accelerate. Nothing better than that. 406 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:05,120 I think the strange thing about it is that you take it out to sea 407 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:08,200 and you're completely at the mercy of the winds... 408 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,560 the winds and the tide. 409 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,920 And it's like having a little... 410 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,880 a little sort of domestic sea that you suddenly cast onto the wild sea. 411 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:30,320 Not far up the River Orwell from Harwich is the tiny village 412 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,400 and boat yard of Pin Mill. 413 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,040 I think there was a seal there. 414 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:50,440 Just there. 415 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:04,440 In 1935 this idyllic stretch of river became the home of a man 416 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,960 who probably did more than anybody else to introduce generations 417 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:12,520 of children to the pleasures and the excitements of sailing and the sea. 418 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:17,160 His name was Arthur Ransome and he wrote Swallows and Amazons. 419 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:27,240 Swallows and Amazons is a children's classic. 420 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:28,400 Golly, it's a pirate. 421 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,560 12 novels recount the innocent adventures of the children 422 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,640 of two families during carefree summer holidays... 423 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,080 Land ahoy! 424 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,240 ..mostly spent sailing dinghies. 425 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:47,320 A keen sailor himself, Ransome turned sailing into the ideal 426 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,040 image of childhood fun and escape. 427 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:51,720 Nearly there! Nearly there! 428 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:52,760 Nearly there! 429 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,680 The early novels are set in the Lake District, 430 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:02,080 but he later moved the action to the coastal waters of Suffolk and Essex. 431 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:19,800 Pin Mill hasn't really changed much since the 1930s. 432 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:25,280 This little village captivated Ransome, 433 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:29,840 and he used to come here, to the Butt & Oyster, for a pint. 434 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,560 In 1937 he wrote a famous book that's based here, 435 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,400 it's called We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea. 436 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,200 It's actually rather a terrifying story of a group of children 437 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,840 who get landed on a boat alone, the owner having gone ashore, and then 438 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:54,200 drift out to sea and are forced to sail in a gale at night to Holland. 439 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:55,800 So it's quite an alarming story. 440 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,560 But it's very Arthur Ransome, it has his own illustrations. 441 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,280 The Hard here, for instance, is the first picture 442 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:04,720 and there are pictures of how to tie bowlines 443 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,560 and how to work an anchor and all sorts of things. 444 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:12,080 And a very obsessive attention to the detail of sailing - 445 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,720 he doesn't mind boring you silly with two or three pages of, 446 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:18,200 you know, how to hoist a sail or how to take in a reef. 447 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,760 But it was this book and these books that really entranced children. 448 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:23,880 I think also frightened them. 449 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,840 I was so, when I first read them I thought I'd never go to sea 450 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:30,720 if it was like this but that's clearly the secret of what 451 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,520 he did to dramatize sailing. 452 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,120 The boat that the children were in when they didn't mean to go 453 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:58,160 to sea was based on a real boat that Arthur Ransome had bought 454 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:01,960 and which he renamed the Nancy Blackett after the main 455 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,840 character in Swallows and Amazons. 456 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,880 Nancy Blackett, who had been called Ruth Blackett 457 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:11,560 but she wanted to be the chief of the pirates, and she was told 458 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:16,840 that pirates were ruth-less, so she changed her name to Nancy. 459 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:21,120 And the Nancy Blackett, the real boat, has been found and restored 460 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,440 and is here now at Pin Mill and I'm just on my way to see her. 461 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,960 Hi, Peter. Hello! 462 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:39,200 'On board is Peter Willis. The man responsible for looking after her.' 463 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:40,880 I borrowed this dinghy to get out here 464 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:44,880 and it's a bit of a bathtub. Bit of string. 465 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:47,600 OK. Have you got her? Yeah, yeah. 466 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:53,200 Good. Is this strong? OK, great, thank you very much indeed. 467 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:55,360 Yep. Welcome aboard. Thank you. 468 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:57,840 Come below. Have you had to do a lot of work to her? 469 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:00,240 This is all the original wood, is it? 470 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:01,320 Some of it is. 471 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:05,160 The interior was totally reshaped to bring her back as she would 472 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:06,840 have been when Ransome owned her. 473 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:10,920 Lots of space, isn't there? What's the picture there? 474 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,600 That's himself sailing. The bald man, see. 475 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:16,000 Galley here. 476 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:17,480 Galley there, sink there. 477 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:18,760 Yeah. 478 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,640 She's quite heavy inside. 479 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:22,760 I mean, wooden drawers and all that... 480 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,280 Solid. Solid construction, yeah. Yes, nice. Very nice. 481 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:33,920 What do you think Ransome saw in this boat and in the sea? 482 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,480 For this boat he just felt totally at home in her. 483 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:41,520 She's was a good sea boat, she's all he ever wanted. 484 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:46,080 He went onto bigger boats and wider boats and all sorts of boats 485 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,280 but this was the best boat he ever owned, he said. 486 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:53,480 Very nice to see a boat that carries so many memories! 487 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:54,920 I mean, I remember reading 488 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:56,960 We Didn't Want to Go to Sea as a child. 489 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Scared the living daylights out of me. 490 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,480 Did you read it as a child? Oh, yes. 491 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,840 Have you always been a Ransome fan? Yes, very much. Why so? 492 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,080 I think for the reason practically everybody is. 493 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:14,880 You get totally sucked into the world of these children, 494 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:19,000 of sailing. It turned me onto sailing totally, Ransome. 495 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:24,120 That's why I have never lost the fondness for the books. 496 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:51,320 'With plenty of wind to fill our sails, and the tide running 497 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:56,640 'in our favour, we're leaving Suffolk behind us and crossing into Essex.' 498 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,920 What speed are we doing as a matter of curiosity? 499 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,880 Seven knots. Seven knots. Maximum speed! 500 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,760 It's just a few hours to our next destination, 501 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,480 the little town of Frinton-on-Sea. 502 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:29,840 'Frinton is a small, 503 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:33,400 'rather old-fashioned town on the Essex coast.' 504 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:45,160 Between the wars, it was a byword for genteel seaside holidays. 505 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:54,560 'But I'm here to see a more recent addition to Frinton's seafront. 506 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,160 'It's a surprise, already attracting a crowd of onlookers. 507 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:04,920 'This is the original art of the seaside, 508 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:06,280 'taken to its extreme. 509 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,960 'Nicola Wood is a sand sculptor 510 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:16,080 'and she and her team have been hard at work since dawn.' 511 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,160 Just caught you before you finished. 512 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:19,800 Yes. 513 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:24,920 My sand castles never looked like this. It's so small! 514 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,280 How do you get this smoothness, first of all? 515 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,840 Well, the sand itself is very dense and very compact. 516 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:34,160 So you can apply quite a lot of pressure onto it to make 517 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:35,760 a smooth surface. 518 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,760 You can...kind of massage the grains into position, I suppose. 519 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:41,840 Yes. 520 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,920 And just a variety of different tools and smoothing devices. 521 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:48,280 This is tips for children on the beach....if you want to make 522 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:49,680 the perfect sand castle. 523 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:51,720 If you want to make the perfect sand castle 524 00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:53,640 the trick is in the preparation. 525 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:54,680 You need a lot of water, 526 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:58,840 and you need to prepare your pile of sand in layers. 527 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:00,200 Is this... What sand is this? 528 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,200 This is Frinton beach sand, there's quite 529 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,720 a lot of stones in it, so it makes it quite difficult for carving with. 530 00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:08,800 But it is beautiful beach sand. I mean, it's really, really old. 531 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,760 But tell me about how you make the look of it right. 532 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,520 Because she is the most wonderful shape. 533 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:16,120 That's one way of putting it. 534 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,320 Yeah, well, she is! But where did you begin? 535 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,120 How do you get the height? How do you get all the angles right? 536 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:24,080 Is there something inside there, a framework, or just sand? 537 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,760 There's nothing inside, a lot of people think that there is. 538 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,360 But this was, when we arrived, just a big blob of sand. 539 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:33,280 And this is what we did for the head, make a big wooden box, 540 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,080 compressed it down, put loads and loads of water in it, 541 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,800 remove the wood, and you've got a solid block, almost like sandstone. 542 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:41,600 And we made a kind of wedding cake 543 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,560 if you can imagine different levels of steps going up. 544 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,520 And on each step we would pour water and make a kind of moat. 545 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:57,120 Did you start with an idea in your mind of exactly what 546 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,240 this would be like? 547 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:01,880 Or have you done it as it's gone along? Developed it... 548 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,680 You just kind of adapt and evolve it as you carve. 549 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,640 And I've got lots of source material, I've got 550 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:10,200 pictures of old-fashioned postcards here that I've been referring to. 551 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:11,400 Oh, yes. 552 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,960 And the idea was originally to do a fun, cartoon, 553 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:17,040 seaside old-fashioned postcard type thing. 554 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,560 But because the sand is not 555 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:22,040 so strong, it left little room for elaborate shapes. 556 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,440 But she is elaborate! She is really elaborate! 557 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:28,840 She's got sunglasses. Wacky hair. A sour-looking mouth, slightly. 558 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:32,560 She looks like one of those pilot things, you know, ahh! 559 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:34,680 Ice cream cone, melting... 560 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:35,960 Yes. 561 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,640 ..huge thunder thighs. And a beach ball! 562 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:41,160 Yes! Got everything you want! 563 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:43,640 More than you want, I think. More than you want! 564 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:45,600 And a swimming costume with polka dots on it. 565 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:47,120 What happens at the end? 566 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,760 I mean, traditionally with a sand castle you kick it down, 567 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,360 don't you, before the tide comes in. 568 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:55,880 Yeah, you do. I mean, they are... it is temporary art. 569 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,360 They are transient. So they don't last for ever 570 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:01,560 and if they're not taken away by the elements then they're often 571 00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:03,920 bulldozed down and the sand is recycled for another 572 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,480 sculpture or put back on the beach like this one will be. 573 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:09,000 I've never seen anything like this. 574 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,760 I'm absolutely gobsmacked by it, I think it's wonderful. 575 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:31,120 Our next stop is a town that went to extraordinary lengths to 576 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:32,600 attract visitors. 577 00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:36,760 We're heading to Southend-on-Sea. 578 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,320 Home to the boldest pier on the British coast. 579 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,400 John, we're really at the mouth of the Thames, aren't we here? 580 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:54,200 It feels like it now to me, yes. 581 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,000 The longest pier in the world. 582 00:40:57,240 --> 00:40:58,760 Has it always been the same length? 583 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:00,360 Or did they make it gradually longer? 584 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:01,760 No, it's grown. It's grown. 585 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:04,440 The Victorians had a wooden pier at the very end and then it grew 586 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:05,800 and grew and grew. 587 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,400 But it's always in trouble because boats collide with it, 588 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:10,520 don't they, in the past? 589 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:13,440 They have collided with it, over the past few years boats have. 590 00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:15,120 Gone through the middle of it. 591 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:18,600 It's not a very easy entry. It's a bit rough. 592 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:27,600 The pier at Southend stretches almost 593 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:30,360 a mile and a half into the Thames estuary. 594 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:35,760 The original iron structure was completed in 1889 595 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,200 but it's been extended twice in the years 596 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:41,360 since to accommodate growing numbers of visitors. 597 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,680 It stands like a barometer of Southend's changing fortunes. 598 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:54,320 When this pier was threatened with demolition in the late '70s, 599 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,600 the poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, along with others, came to the rescue, 600 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,120 he said, "I love this place, to lose it would be like losing a limb. 601 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:04,080 "The pier is Southend and Southend is the pier." 602 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:05,240 And he was dead right, 603 00:42:05,240 --> 00:42:08,000 it was the Victorians who had discovered the pleasures of 604 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:13,560 the pier. The illusion of being out at sea, but in perfect safety and no 605 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,720 risk of sea-sickness, or as another writer, William Thackeray, put it, 606 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:23,640 "To pace these vast decks without the need of a steward with a basin." 607 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:32,480 The Victorians loved walking up and down seaside pleasure piers 608 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:36,560 and they were soon being built at resort towns all around Britain. 609 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:44,880 In 1883 the American artist, James McNeill Whistler, came here, 610 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:45,920 to Southend. 611 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:49,800 He captured the scene on a busy Bank Holiday, 612 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:53,960 with Victorian day-trippers promenading along the seafront. 613 00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,840 This is the face of today's seaside - loud music, 614 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,920 rides that are more and more terrifying. 615 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:17,360 The Victorians would have absolutely loved it. 616 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:20,840 I'm on one of the gentlest of the rides, 617 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,640 but this has all taken the place of promenading on the pier, 618 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:29,000 of Punch and Judy, of tea dances and music hall shows. 619 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:33,920 This is a trend that actually began here, at Southend. 620 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:48,760 It all started in a building just half a mile along the seafront. 621 00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:02,760 This ornate interior was once the lavish entrance hall to the Kursaal, 622 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:07,800 which claims to be the first purpose-built theme park in the world. 623 00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:14,080 Beyond these walls lay 20 acres of funfair. 624 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:21,320 It was this great hall, a cinema, a ballroom which was used 625 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:24,680 for all kinds of exhibitions and sports as well as for dancing and 626 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:29,840 eating, an arcade there with side shows all the way down, disguised as 627 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:33,920 a Cairo street. There was everything you could think of, from roller coasters, 628 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:37,400 there was a trotting track, and then there were weirder ones. In the 629 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:42,040 middle of the First World War there was a reconstruction of an Ypres 630 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:44,920 trench and there was a side show 631 00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:48,840 where you could knock the Kaiser's head off, which was very popular, 632 00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:50,840 the man who had that made a fortune. 633 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:03,520 It's difficult now to imagine all that, 634 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:07,360 but this Kursaal in the years between the wars was 635 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,920 everything that Southend had to offer, all the excitements, 636 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:13,880 all the attractions, constant novelties, 637 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,160 come and see Al Capone's car, come and see the fattest man, 638 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:19,360 come and see the thinnest man, 639 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:24,520 watch the first lady lion tamer - just what you want on a day out. 640 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:37,160 Yeah, that's a good view of the pier, isn't it? 641 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:39,240 See how long it is from there. 642 00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:43,280 As we leave Southend's magnificent pier behind, 643 00:45:43,280 --> 00:45:45,440 the light is starting to fade. 644 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,360 Fortunately, our next stop is nearby. 645 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,440 Just a few miles to the west lies a strip of land 646 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:59,480 separated from the coast of Essex by a series of creeks. 647 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:02,240 Canvey Island. 648 00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:12,000 You might not think it at first glance, 649 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,240 but this was once Britain's top holiday destination. 650 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:22,800 Extraordinarily, in the 40 years leading up to 1950, 651 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:27,720 Canvey Island was the fastest growing seaside resort in Britain. 652 00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:30,000 The Victorians came to the seaside for the beach 653 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:33,720 and swimming in the sea, but in the '30s what people wanted was 654 00:46:33,720 --> 00:46:39,240 fresh air and sunshine, and Canvey Island provided both. 655 00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:43,960 And it had two advantages - it was close to London, and it was cheap. 656 00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:51,720 The 1930s were really Canvey Island's Golden Age. 657 00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:03,360 You can still see the evidence today. Standing on the beach 658 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:07,560 overlooking the Thames estuary is the Labworth Cafe. 659 00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:18,080 The Labworth was built in 1932, one of the first modern buildings 660 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:20,400 to be put up just after the First World War. 661 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:23,480 It's in what is called the Art Deco style, decorative style, 662 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:26,280 and it was built by famous engineer Ove Arup, 663 00:47:26,280 --> 00:47:29,680 who went on the build the Sydney Opera House, 664 00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:32,600 rather grander than this. But this design is said to be 665 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,560 based on the bridge of the Queen Mary, 666 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:39,680 the bridge above, and then cocktail lounge below to sip 667 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:41,800 your drink while the sea rolled past. 668 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:49,520 In the 1930s, Art Deco was all the rage at the seaside. 669 00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:54,200 It was the architecture of sunshine and light. 670 00:47:56,640 --> 00:48:00,800 Seafronts and coastal towns were redeveloped with the sun 671 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:02,560 and leisure in mind. 672 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,800 The Labworth cafe tells the story of the British seaside, 673 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:11,160 hugely popular in the 1930s, 674 00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:15,200 falling into disrepair in the 1960s and now being revived once again 675 00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:19,320 as people come back to this kind of place, the cafe downstairs, 676 00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:20,760 a restaurant upstairs 677 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,960 and sitting here reminds me of being on the Queen Mary, 678 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:25,560 and it's cocktail time. 679 00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:28,840 Pina Colada, top of the list, excellent! 680 00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:35,960 Here's to the British seaside. 681 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:48,600 The final leg of our journey brings us into the Thames proper. 682 00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:52,720 The royal river on which London's fortunes were built. 683 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:54,440 We're heading for Greenwich. 684 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:03,080 'But the weather, it seems, has turned against us. 685 00:49:03,080 --> 00:49:06,560 'This feels rather more like the great British summer we know 686 00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:09,840 'and love...or love to complain about.' 687 00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:13,400 Looking for Thames Haven. That's the next place to look for. Yeah. 688 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:15,240 I was hoping we'd be able to sail up here 689 00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:18,400 but I don't think it looks very likely, does it? 690 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:22,280 My dream was to sail up the Thames, past Greenwich, 691 00:49:22,280 --> 00:49:25,240 under Tower Bridge, all under sail. 692 00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:31,760 But instead we've got drizzle and grey skies. No sign of wind at all. 693 00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:33,000 It may come. 694 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:39,640 'Even for experienced sailors, 695 00:49:39,640 --> 00:49:42,840 'the Thames can be a daunting waterway to navigate.' 696 00:49:42,840 --> 00:49:44,840 Can't really see very much, really. 697 00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:48,440 'It has strong tides, narrow channels and sandbanks. 698 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:52,480 'And it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in Britain - 699 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:56,840 'handling some 45 million tonnes of cargo every year.' 700 00:49:56,840 --> 00:49:58,120 Okay...and up. 701 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:04,280 Here, a little local knowledge goes a very long way. 702 00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:06,320 How does that look? All right, I think. 703 00:50:07,640 --> 00:50:11,240 'We're going to take on board a Thames Pilot to guide us 704 00:50:11,240 --> 00:50:13,200 'safely upriver.' 705 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:16,840 Good morning! Where do you want to get down? 706 00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:19,280 On the shrouds? Yeah, I'll go here...yes. 707 00:50:19,280 --> 00:50:23,160 'John Stafford has been a river pilot for 18 years. 708 00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:29,400 'There have been men like him working these waters for generations.' 709 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:32,360 Good morning! Good morning! And welcome. 710 00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:35,400 Thank you very much. And thank you very much for coming. 711 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:39,280 Since the time of Henry VIII, local sailors have been boarding 712 00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:43,880 ships on the river to deliver them safely to their destination. 713 00:50:43,880 --> 00:50:45,880 Pilots deal with traffic control. 714 00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:52,640 If you only had the one ship on the river, life would be a dawdle. 715 00:50:52,640 --> 00:50:54,880 But you don't, you have multiple ships. 716 00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:57,680 You'll hear it just as we go up and I'm listening to the port 717 00:50:57,680 --> 00:51:00,280 control radio...you'll hear lots of ships calling. 718 00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:03,400 And they're all doing something, there are ships going onto berths, 719 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:07,120 off berths and you don't want to be in the same place at the same time. 720 00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:10,400 So you're, as a pilot, you're adjusting the speed to make sure 721 00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:13,480 that everything matches and it's choreography, really. 722 00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:15,880 Marine choreography of the Thames. Really, so you're, 723 00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:19,840 the ballet is being organized... The dance orchestrator! 724 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:22,240 ..a dance orchestrator. 725 00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:36,440 On this river, it's hard to escape the weight of history. 726 00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:39,960 For centuries, sailors have navigated these waters. 727 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:44,400 Generations united by a passion for the sea, 728 00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:47,840 and the simple power of wind and sail. 729 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:01,080 There's Canary Wharf. 730 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:03,280 Yeah, this is Blackwell Point. 731 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:06,240 Yeah, and this is just the beginning of the city. 732 00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:08,720 Now, how far have we got to go until we get to Greenwich? 733 00:52:08,720 --> 00:52:11,800 Just around this corner, yes? Just around the corner. 734 00:52:17,680 --> 00:52:18,960 Greenwich. 735 00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:22,920 For five centuries this place has been at the heart 736 00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:25,280 of our relationship with the sea. 737 00:52:25,280 --> 00:52:29,520 A home to maritime science, history and art. 738 00:52:32,880 --> 00:52:34,880 Can you slow down? 739 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:36,440 Watch the bowsprit! 740 00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:40,520 'The river entrance to Greenwich is a flight of slippery steps, 741 00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:43,640 'where grandees used to disembark.' 742 00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:44,680 That was dodgy! 743 00:52:50,240 --> 00:52:54,600 'Today, Greenwich is a monument to some of our greatest sailors 744 00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:56,520 'and their mastery of the seas.' 745 00:53:07,600 --> 00:53:11,200 Of all the places we've visited in our journey around Britain's 746 00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:14,160 shores, Greenwich is the most powerful 747 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:16,800 symbol of our relationship with the sea. 748 00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:22,800 It was here that Henry VIII was born, the father of the Royal Navy. 749 00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:25,920 It was here that Queen Elizabeth was born. 750 00:53:25,920 --> 00:53:28,520 It was here that she welcomed Francis Drake 751 00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:31,880 back from his circumnavigation of the world in the Golden Hind. 752 00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:34,960 And it was here that Lord Nelson lay in state 753 00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:36,800 after his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. 754 00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:41,560 This great palace with Christopher Wren's buildings there, 755 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,920 the old hospital, and then the Royal Naval College. 756 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:48,040 But the building I'm going to see is the oldest building on this site, 757 00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:52,000 and the most delicate one - the Queen's House. 758 00:54:03,760 --> 00:54:10,200 The Queen's House was built in 1616 as a royal waterside retreat, 759 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:11,640 close to the river. 760 00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:21,560 'Now it's home to the National Maritime Museum - 761 00:54:21,560 --> 00:54:24,280 'and our greatest collection of maritime art. 762 00:54:41,920 --> 00:54:45,560 'It's been a fascinating journey around Britain. 763 00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:50,080 'But for me, one tiny object captures the spirit of the seafaring 764 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,160 'past we've been looking at. 765 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:56,080 'It's a treasure from Britain's first great era of sea travel, 766 00:54:56,080 --> 00:54:57,320 'the Elizabethan age.' 767 00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:02,880 This is the most extraordinary object, 768 00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:09,440 it looks like a large pocket watch. It's gilded brass. 769 00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:16,400 It was made in 1569, it's said to have been made for Francis Drake 770 00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:21,720 to take to the West Indies in 1570, it's called 'Cole's Compendium.' 771 00:55:21,720 --> 00:55:26,000 It's actually a present for a sailor who has everything, 772 00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:29,640 because this really does have everything you could need. 773 00:55:29,640 --> 00:55:33,760 It's very delicate and I have to open it up rather carefully. 774 00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:39,040 It has a series of dials on the inside, the first one is to 775 00:55:39,040 --> 00:55:45,360 tell you the phases of the moon, and then the next dial to it here 776 00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:51,480 is a perpetual calendar, giving you dates year-on-year-on-year, 777 00:55:51,480 --> 00:55:54,680 then we come to the key measurement for sailors, the measurement 778 00:55:54,680 --> 00:56:01,200 of latitude, and this one, I have to put spectacles on to see this. 779 00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:07,480 This one gives various places and the latitudes that they're at, 780 00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:14,800 Antwerp, Venice, Lisbon, Naples and so on. 781 00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:17,440 Now this is the most complex 782 00:56:17,440 --> 00:56:19,840 and difficult bit, if I can do it like this. 783 00:56:21,280 --> 00:56:24,800 It folds up and that way. 784 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:30,000 Don't ask me how but it helps you tell the latitude that you're at. 785 00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:35,120 And it reveals beneath it a little tiny compass in the centre there. 786 00:56:35,120 --> 00:56:37,680 How you do it in a rough sea, I can't imagine. 787 00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:42,920 And then we fold the whole thing up and open the other side, the back. 788 00:56:45,720 --> 00:56:50,040 Rather mysterious dial of seaports and the inscription says 789 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:57,920 "The names of principle portes and havens of Europe." 790 00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:01,320 And finally in the last leaf this very beautiful device, 791 00:57:01,320 --> 00:57:04,200 almost incomprehensible to a layman's eyes, 792 00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:07,400 which allows you to work out the tides. 793 00:57:07,400 --> 00:57:09,920 All important, of course, when you're sailing. 794 00:57:09,920 --> 00:57:13,160 What time the tides are high and low and therefore 795 00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:14,640 also which way they're flowing. 796 00:57:17,520 --> 00:57:19,360 And there it is, Cole's Compendium. 797 00:57:21,840 --> 00:57:23,960 In a way this beautiful, 798 00:57:23,960 --> 00:57:29,440 complex object perfectly illustrates our island's story. How we, 799 00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:33,680 who the Romans thought of as the furthest people in the world, 800 00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:39,360 living on the island set in an unknown sea, became, by conquering 801 00:57:39,360 --> 00:57:44,200 that sea, among the richest and most powerful nations on Earth. 802 00:57:56,640 --> 00:58:01,120 If we successfully navigate Tower Bridge it'll be my dream come 803 00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:02,640 true, Cally. How exciting! 804 00:58:02,640 --> 00:58:06,680 For me, it's the perfect end to a journey to all the four corners 805 00:58:06,680 --> 00:58:12,040 of Britain, is to end up in the heart of London, 806 00:58:12,040 --> 00:58:13,480 going under Tower Bridge. 807 00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:13,960 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd