0
00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:10,430
In 1 840, one man transformed
travel In BrItaIn.

1
00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,994
HIs name was George Bradshaw,

2
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:17,511
and hIs raIlway guIdes InspIred
the VIctorIans to take to the tracks.

3
00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:19,594
Stop by stop,

4
00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,551
he told them where to travel,

5
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,955
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,749
Now, 170 years later,

7
00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,668
I'm makIng a serIes ofjourneys across
the length and breadth of the country

8
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,678
to see what of Bradshaw's BrItaIn
remaIns.

9
00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,995
My journey using my Bradshaw's GuIde
continues through SuffoIk and Essex.

10
00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,076
Before the IndustriaI RevoIution,

11
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,192
parts of these countries
were pretty much isoIated.

12
00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:09,993
But the coming of the raiIway
opened them up.

13
00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:11,678
Not onIy to trade,

14
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,190
but aIso to that sort
of Victorian tourist

15
00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:20,235
who was educated and interested
in discovering more of EngIish history.

16
00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:24,478
On today's step of the journey,

17
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,309
I'll be comIng face-to-face
wIth a medIeval polItIcIan...

18
00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,273
Oh, my goodness. That is grotesque.

19
00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,235
..sharIng the VIctorIans' fascInatIon
wIth the freakIshly stout...

20
00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:37,998
Bags you're on our team.

21
00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:40,433
How many have we got?

22
00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,712
..and journeyIng overseas on one
of the world's fIrst electrIc raIlways.

23
00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,229
This is a great thriII.
I used to come here as a chiId.

24
00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:48,839
I've never been in the cab.

25
00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,676
I began thIs trIp on the east coast.

26
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,078
Now I'm travellIng south through
the countIes of Suffolk and Essex.

27
00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,315
In Bradshaw's day,

28
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,353
thIs area was for the fIrst tIme beIng
carved open by the raIlways,

29
00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,756
allowIng tourIsts and speculators
to flood In.

30
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,389
Today's sectIon begIns In Sudbury

31
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,353
and takes me south,
through WItham and Chelmsford,

32
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,359
and then branches back to the coast
at Southend-on-Sea.

33
00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,597
WIth the arrIval of the raIlway
from the 1 840s onwards,

34
00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:28,191
VIctorIans wIth an Interest In hIstory
could swarm on Sudbury.

35
00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,039
My Bradshaw's GuIde says of Sudbury,

36
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,109
''It was formerIy a pIace of
far greater importance than at present.''

37
00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,916
But it aIso says, ''St Gregory's Church
was buiIt by Simon de Sudbury,

38
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:46,239
who was murdered here by Wat TyIer's mob
and buried near a coIIege,

39
00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,920
the gate of which stiII remains.''

40
00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,589
Now, that murder, by Wat TyIer's mob,

41
00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,792
interests me personaIIy very much.

42
00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:58,637
(tannoy) Can I have your attentIon?

43
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,991
We wIll shortly be arrIvIng to Sudbury,
where thIs traIn termInates.

44
00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,832
The reason for the murder was poIitics.

45
00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,032
In particuIar, the imposition of a tax,

46
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:20,358
whose name may yet be inscribed
on my tombstone.

47
00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:23,869
In Bradshaw's tIme,

48
00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,992
away-days on the traIn
to InvestIgate rIp-roarIng yarns

49
00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:28,917
were extremely popular

50
00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,156
and bIg busIness for the raIlways.

51
00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,391
I'm meetIng Canon Gregory John Webb
at the Church of St Gregory's,

52
00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:40,150
to hear the grIsly truth
of SImon de Sudbury's demIse.

53
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,158
- HeIIo, Greg. LoveIy to see you.
- Good to meet you, MichaeI.

54
00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,114
Why was Simon de Sudbury murdered
by Wat TyIer's mob?

55
00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,754
At the time,
he was the Archbishop of Canterbury,

56
00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,950
but aIso the Lord ChanceIIor.

57
00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,355
It was not a good time to be
Lord ChanceIIor.

58
00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:56,436
They needed to raise some money.

59
00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,552
Somebody came up
ith the wonderfuI idea of a poII tax.

60
00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:01,671
This is not Margaret Thatcher's
poII tax.

61
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,631
DefiniteIy not Thatcher's poII tax.

62
00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:05,716
She probabIy didn't Iearn from history.

63
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,674
But Simon...
Yes, he introduced the poII tax.

64
00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,553
- In what year, then?
- That wouId be 1381 .

65
00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,719
OK. From what I remember of poII taxes,
peopIe don't Iike them too much.

66
00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:19,274
No. It was particuIarIy unpopuIar
ith the poor.

67
00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:24,349
So, a chap caIIed Wat TyIer Ied
what we now know as the Peasants' RevoIt

68
00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,391
in protest against the poII tax.

69
00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,717
According to Bradshaw, then... Erm...

70
00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:33,230
Simon de Sudbury was murdered here
by Wat TyIer's mob.

71
00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:34,679
Not quite right. No.

72
00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,473
He was murdered in the Tower of London,
in the White Tower.

73
00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,639
He was beheaded by the mob,
breaking into the tower.

74
00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,514
His body is buried in Canterbury.
In the cathedraI in Canterbury.

75
00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,677
He is the Archbishop of Canterbury
and that's very appropriate.

76
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,110
But I have got something interesting
to show you here in the church,

77
00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,276
if you'd Iike to come this way, MichaeI.

78
00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,870
So, this is the vestry.

79
00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:07,358
And this is what I want to show you.

80
00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,917
Oh, my goodness. That is grotesque.

81
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,793
You're going to teII me
that is Simon de Sudbury, are you?

82
00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:18,956
That is Simon of Sudbury's head.

83
00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:24,636
ThIs gruesome relIc drew
VIctorIan raIlway tourIsts In droves.

84
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:31,238
And that head was pIaced on a spike
on London Bridge back in 1381 .

85
00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:36,195
The foIk of Sudbury rescued it
and brought it back to Sudbury.

86
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,915
The gratefuI, fond foIk of Sudbury
brought it back.

87
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,271
ThIs Is a rather unsettlIng
confrontatIon.

88
00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,868
In the 1990s, I too was responsIble

89
00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,152
for ImplementIng a pIece
of mIsconceIved poll tax legIslatIon

90
00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,919
whIch brought a government
to the brInk of catastrophe.

91
00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,112
I feel a sympathetIc shIver
down my spIne

92
00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,995
as my eyes engage wIth poor
SImon de Sudbury's empty sockets.

93
00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,476
What do we know about the circumstances
of his decapitation?

94
00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,511
It was particuIarIy brutaI.

95
00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,633
This story is it may weII have been
seven bIows to decapitate him.

96
00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,274
I understand if you Iook
at the back of the skuII,

97
00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,039
you can stiII see some of the marks
in the vertebrae,

98
00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,549
which wouId seem to confirm
that that was the case.

99
00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:20,716
Extraordinary that it's suRVived
so Iong.

100
00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:21,590
It reaIIy is.

101
00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,632
A fascinating thing
you might have noticed about the head,

102
00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:26,591
is that there are no teeth.

103
00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:27,630
Mm.

104
00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,150
The story is that a verger,
a coupIe of hundred years ago or so,

105
00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,431
decided that it wouId be
a good idea to seII the teeth.

106
00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:36,835
The story goes on
that he soId hundreds of them.

107
00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,234
(laughs)

108
00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,999
Poor Simon introduced the poII tax
and Iost his head.

109
00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,509
As minister of the poII tax,
I very nearIy Iost mine.

110
00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:44,675
There's a Iesson here.

111
00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,349
There is. We hope poIiticians
in the future iII definiteIy Iearn it.

112
00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,314
The VIctorIans loved thIs gory story

113
00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,353
and came In theIr battalIons
to see SImon de Sudbury's head.

114
00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,278
Before televIsIon deadened
our sensIbIlItIes,

115
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,472
thIs sIght must have
set the ImagInatIon racIng.

116
00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:11,030
Another popular haunt for the VIctorIans
wIth ''Bradshaw's'' In hand

117
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,709
Is my next destInatIon,
the town of Maldon In Essex.

118
00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,598
This is Marks Tey,
where I have to change trains.

119
00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,679
The raIlways allowed VIctorIans
to breathe fresh aIr,

120
00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,555
glImpse the sea, study theIr past
and Improve theIr educatIon.

121
00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,232
TraIns also allowed VIctorIans to be
thrIlled and tItIllated,

122
00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:53,588
brIghtenIng up lIves

123
00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,395
that otherwIse offered
too few opportunItIes for merrIment.

124
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,870
I'm on my way to Witham Station
to go to MaIdon,

125
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,797
which my Bradshaw's teIIs me

126
00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,152
''carried on a great coasting
and considerabIe trade''.

127
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:29,150
But that wasn't the main attraction for
Victorian sensation-seeking sightseers.

128
00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,270
(tannoy) ThIs Is WItham.

129
00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:41,714
As Bradshaw puts it,

130
00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:46,072
''Here, Mr Bright, the fat man of MaIdon,
Iived and died.''

131
00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,352
''Aged onIy 28 years,
but weighing 44 stone,

132
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:55,918
and it is stated that seven men
couId be buttoned into his waistcoat.''

133
00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:58,918
Now, that does make MaIdon
worth a visit.

134
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:07,199
I'm meetIng local hIstorIan Stephen Nunn
outsIde Mr BrIght's house.

135
00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,390
- Stephen, heIIo.
- HeIIo. Nice to meet you.

136
00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:10,475
And to meet you.

137
00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,239
My Bradshaw's GuIde teIIs me
about the fat man of MaIdon.

138
00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,112
A Mr Bright. Who was he?

139
00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:16,992
He was a IocaI Iad. Edward Bright.

140
00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,271
He was born here in MaIdon in 1 721 .

141
00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,995
It was obvious from an earIy age
that he was going to be a big, big Iad.

142
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,157
(MIchael) He was the previous century
to my Bradshaw's.

143
00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:28,349
(Stephen) He was, yes.

144
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,995
So, the Victorian raiIway tourist,
foIIoing his Bradshaw's GuIde,

145
00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,635
comes here to find about a man
who died 100 years before.

146
00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:37,318
Edward Bright. Extraordinary.

147
00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,829
He was famous.
There were engravings of him.

148
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,554
He was a weII-known character.

149
00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,830
They came here on the raiIway.

150
00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:46,871
They came to Iook at his house.

151
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,195
They had a Iook at his tomb
in AII Saints Church.

152
00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,834
He died in his bed in 1 750.

153
00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,030
The troubIe is, they had a probIem

154
00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,517
trying to get him down from his bedroom
to take him to be buried.

155
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,349
They had to demoIish
part of the staircase and part of a waII

156
00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,119
and then use a bIock and tackIe
and put him on a cart

157
00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,117
and take him up to AII Saints Church.

158
00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,514
There's one more twIst
In Edward BrIght's tale.

159
00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:12,392
Barely a month after hIs death,

160
00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,910
a wager was laId In a local pub
that so bIg was he,

161
00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,999
seven men could squeeze themselves
InsIde one of hIs waIstcoats.

162
00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,714
Hence, folklore
and my ''Bradshaw's'' has It,

163
00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,435
that seven fIne fellows
successfully accommodated themselves

164
00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:29,358
wIthIn Edward BrIght's ample garment.

165
00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,916
VIctorIan tourIsts could stIll vIew
the waIstcoat on theIr tour.

166
00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,349
Sadly, It's dIsappeared.

167
00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,278
But I can stIll test
the plausIbIlIty of the tale.

168
00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,837
This is an exact repIica
of Edward Bright's waistcoat.

169
00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:43,995
Good Lord.

170
00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:46,998
ShaII we put it to the test?

171
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,031
WouId anyone Iike to come in here?

172
00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,469
We've got to get
seven peopIe in this waistcoat.

173
00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,239
Come on. Let's see if we can
get seven inside. In you pop.

174
00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,111
Bags you're on our team.

175
00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,196
How many have we got?

176
00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:03,914
- Seven.
- We've got seven. Let's cIose it up.

177
00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,038
What do you think, Stephen?

178
00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,197
- I think we're just about there.
- Just about there.

179
00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:14,389
(applause)

180
00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:17,838
Before I leave Maldon,

181
00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,714
there's a pIece of raIlway archItecture
I've been told I mustn't mIss.

182
00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,991
ThIs Is Maldon East StatIon,
where I could have arrIved,

183
00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,476
had It not been axed
In the BeechIng Cuts of the 1960s.

184
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,994
Rather lIke my beheaded frIend,
SImon de Sudbury,

185
00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,908
the statIon has
a cautIonary polItIcal tale to tell.

186
00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,394
This magnificent station

187
00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,353
owes a Iot to a wouId-be poIitician
caIIed David Waddington,

188
00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,711
who, anxious to get eIected
to ParIiament, buiIt the station.

189
00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,877
Of course, the workmen were
very IikeIy to vote for him.

190
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,228
It's a great resuIt.

191
00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,794
It must have cost a fortune.

192
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,150
I wonder whether it was worth it
in the Iong term?

193
00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,157
David, did no one ever teII you?

194
00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,874
AII poIiticaI careers end in tears.

195
00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,356
It's a shame I can't hop on the traIn
at Maldon East.

196
00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,473
I leave thIs sadly abandoned statIon
to return to WItham,

197
00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,068
to catch the traIn a few mIles
to Kelvedon,

198
00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:13,838
where I'm spendIng the nIght.

199
00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,238
For my night's rest,
I've turned as ever to Bradshaw's.

200
00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:39,828
''In the vicinity is Layer Marney,

201
00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:44,192
ith the oId brick gate,
property of Quentin Dick Esquire.''

202
00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,909
I'll stay overnIght at thIs sumptuous
Tudor tower and manor house,

203
00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:01,476
buIlt In 1520 durIng the reIgn
of Henry VIII,

204
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,068
by Henry 1st Lord Marney.

205
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,509
The owner Is now NIck CharrIngton.

206
00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:08,676
- Good to see you.
- Great to see you.

207
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,518
I'm amazed by the house.

208
00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:12,790
It's Iike a Tudor skyscraper, isn't it?

209
00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,912
(NIck) I think it is the taIIest
of aII the Tudor gate houses.

210
00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,110
It's a sort of statement buiIding.

211
00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:22,313
Henry Marney Ietting everybody know
that he's rich. He's powerfuI.

212
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,513
This is his...
It refIects him, as it were.

213
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:28,358
- Come and have a Iook.
- Thank you.

214
00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,235
To help wIth the upkeep of the house,

215
00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:35,909
NIck hosts all manner of events,
IncludIng weddIngs,

216
00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:37,996
one of whIch Is In full swIng.

217
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:40,673
- CongratuIations.
- Thank you.

218
00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,030
My name is MichaeI PortiIIo.
WeII done.

219
00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,674
- What a wonderfuI pIace to get married.
- It's IoveIy.

220
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:46,835
What a day you chose!

221
00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,269
We've had a wonderfuI day.
It's been beautifuI.

222
00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:51,152
It's about to go iId ith the dancing.

223
00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:52,838
Yes. Yes.

224
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,157
I belIeve that a VIctorIan owner
of Layer Marney

225
00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,990
was Involved In an MP's expenses
scandal, whIch has a modern rIng.

226
00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,237
My Bradshaw's teIIs me that
Quentin Dick Iived here. Who was he?

227
00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:05,952
(NIck) He was the MP for MaIdon.

228
00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:07,832
His chief cIaim to fame, reaIIy,

229
00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,714
is the sheer amount of money he spent
buying his seat.

230
00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:13,592
He was one of the more crooked MPs.

231
00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,996
I think he makes today's troubIe
Iook pretty minor.

232
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,838
In the first eIection, which he Iost,

233
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,191
he and the person he was
standing against, between them,

234
00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:26,074
spent over £30,000 on food, drink

235
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,395
and a bit of traveI to get everybody in.

236
00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,273
He then won two subsequent eIections.

237
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,709
Again, £30,000 bought those two for him.

238
00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,673
You haven't toId me what party he was.
I may be abIe to guess.

239
00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:37,755
ConseRVative.

240
00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:39,199
(both laugh)

241
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,635
So, another salutary tale
of a polItIcal mIscreant

242
00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,399
brIngs me to the end of a wonderful day.

243
00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:51,638
VIctorIan raIlway travellers mIght have
had cause to shake theIr heads and tut.

244
00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:55,469
But I feel the force of these storIes
more personally.

245
00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:00,276
I retIre amused, but also chastened,
by what I've learned today.

246
00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,276
On a new day, I'm stIll thInkIng how
much pleasure VIctorIan tourIsts gaIned

247
00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,154
when, for the fIrst tIme,
they could travel the country,

248
00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:18,315
just for fun.

249
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,432
But a stIll bIgger Impact
of a comprehensIve raIlway

250
00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,393
was the growth of Industry and of towns.

251
00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,193
As the concentratIons
of populatIon Increased,

252
00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,357
so too dId
the demand for food productIon.

253
00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:37,153
I'm now on my way to CheImsford,

254
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:42,354
which my Bradshaw's teIIs me has
a popuIation of 5,513,

255
00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:43,754
very preciseIy.

256
00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,475
''The town contains a Shire HaII
and County Room,

257
00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:52,549
ith basement for corn exchange
in which it carries on a Iarge trade.''

258
00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:54,636
Now, I've often heard
of corn exchanges,

259
00:15:54,760 --> 00:16:00,039
but never thought much about why they
were buying and seIIing the cereaIs.

260
00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,871
So, to find out more, what better to do
than to visit a fIour miII?

261
00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,953
Chelmsford's survIvIng flour mIll
was establIshed In 1 824,

262
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,870
when wIndmIlls and water mIlls used
the force of nature to grInd the graIn.

263
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,278
But the IndustrIal RevolutIon harnessed
steam power to drIve the mIllIng stones.

264
00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,710
No longer dependent
on the whIms of wInd or water,

265
00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,479
flour productIon Increased greatly.

266
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,195
Chelmer MIll flourIshed
and Is stIll producIng today.

267
00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:51,598
Hannah MarrIage Is the latest generatIon
of the famIly tojoIn the company.

268
00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,152
I Iove your Victorian buiIding.

269
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,159
I noticed as I came in that it says
you've been in business since 1824.

270
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:00,269
Yes, that's right.

271
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,914
We've onIy been on this site since 1899.

272
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,235
- OnIy.
- OnIy, yes.

273
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:08,511
Founded by my great-great-great
grandfather and his brother.

274
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:10,153
(MIchael) Why did you come here?

275
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,953
(Hannah) The Iand we purchased
was cIose to the raiIway.

276
00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:14,832
We couId have our own raiIway siding.

277
00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,555
The raiIway sidings were obviousIy
to take your product away, I suppose?

278
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,989
Yeah.
MainIy in terms of bringing coaI in.

279
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:22,758
It was a steam-powered miII.

280
00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:27,749
The coaI couId be transported far more
effectiveIy by raiI than by water.

281
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,475
We aIso had fIour going up to London,
by train.

282
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,353
My Bradshaw's mentions
the Corn Exchange in CheImsford.

283
00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,869
- Did your famiIy make use of that?
- Yeah, they did.

284
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,118
My grandfather and his generation used
to go down there on a weekIy basis.

285
00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,676
It was the pIace where the farmers
and miIIers and merchants

286
00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,950
wouId aII meet to buy and seII cereaIs.

287
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,275
It was quite a good pIace
to have a catch-up

288
00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:51,550
and a chat and chew things over as weII.

289
00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,559
AIthough it is a very historic site,
I gather you're aIso bang up-to-date.

290
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,911
Our miII's unique.
We've got a mix of the oId-fashioned...

291
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,556
We've got 100-year-oId French burrstones
to make stone-ground whoIemeaI fIour.

292
00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,672
We've got high-tech things.
A computer system runs the miII.

293
00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:11,669
We've got reaIIy whizzy machinery
sorting the wheat by coIour

294
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,313
and aII sorts of other things.

295
00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:14,919
It's quite an interesting mix.

296
00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,350
- You've whet my appetite. May we Iook?
- Of course. Come this way.

297
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,078
Hannah's takIng me
Into the workIngs of the mIll.

298
00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:25,510
I'm goIng to attempt
to make flour as VIctorIans dId,

299
00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:27,756
and then bake myseIf a loaf.

300
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,310
- What are these wooden cases?
- These house our French burrstones.

301
00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:36,069
We've got a set of five of these
in this room.

302
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:37,918
- Burrstones.
- Burrstones, yes.

303
00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:40,395
It's from a region in northern France.

304
00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,953
The stones are what we use

305
00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,833
to miII traditionaI
stone-ground whoIemeaI fIour.

306
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:46,518
So this is just Iike in the BibIe.

307
00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:48,312
Two great big stones...

308
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:49,589
..grinding together.

309
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:54,077
(Hannah) You can see behind you,
Simon is actuaIIy dressing the stones.

310
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:56,993
When the busIness was founded,

311
00:18:57,120 --> 00:19:00,157
all the grIndIng was done
on stones such as these.

312
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,078
Just as In the 19th century,
every couple of months

313
00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:08,274
the worn-down grooves have to be re-cut
by an experIenced mIller.

314
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,630
WIth the burrstones now powered
by electrIcIty

315
00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,432
rather than VIctorIan steam,

316
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,836
I'm goIng to help Hannah to produce
wholemeal flour.

317
00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:21,433
So, the grain is going in the top there,
going down through the stones...

318
00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,393
- Where does it come out?
- If you come round here...

319
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,430
- It's warm!
- Yeah. FreshIy miIIed.

320
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:31,470
LoveIy, though.

321
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,670
This is used for bread-making and so on.

322
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:34,630
Yeah, exactIy.

323
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,832
The next stage is we take it
to our baker for him to test it.

324
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:39,791
ExceIIent. Take me to your bread maker.

325
00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:40,955
(Hannah) FoIIow me.

326
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,631
Although the mIlls had become
mechanIsed In Bradshaw's day,

327
00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,320
bakerIes stIll languIshed
In the Dark Ages.

328
00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:53,036
Awful places to work,
wIth long hours and back-breakIng toIl.

329
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:57,073
Bread was stIll kneaded In huge troughs
wIth hands and feet.

330
00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,873
Workers suffered
Innumerable lung problems

331
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,150
from InhalIng flour partIcles.

332
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,555
Thankfully, those days are gone.

333
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:08,309
Baker KelvIn Ellam Is goIng to gIve me
a crash course In bread-makIng

334
00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,510
In a clean and safe envIronment.

335
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,552
So, KeIvin, rather ominousIy,
you've put two bols out here.

336
00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,831
Looks Iike I'm going to have
to do something. What's the technique?

337
00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:21,431
Now for the messy part, unfortunateIy.
Just run your fingers around.

338
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,269
- (MIchael) So, this is caIIed kneading?
- (KelvIn) Kneading, yes.

339
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,233
So, the strong-arm stuff comes Iater,
does it?

340
00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:31,511
It does, yes.
ActuaIIy, it's going to come now.

341
00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,200
(MIchael) Quite pIeased ith that.
Quite a cIean bol.

342
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:38,438
(KelvIn) You're reaIIy working it now
so that you deveIop aII the gIutens.

343
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:39,709
(laughs)

344
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,831
- Just Iike that?
- Just Iike that.

345
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,236
Just Iike that. And you shouId put
quite a Iot of effort into this.

346
00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:46,998
Give it quite a Iot of power.

347
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,271
How do you know when you've done enough?
It takes about ten minutes.

348
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,597
You wouId reaIIy want to work it
for eight to ten minutes.

349
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,439
- (MIchael) I'm enjoying this.
- I thought you might.

350
00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:59,277
(MIchael) Doesn't Iook smooth.

351
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,073
Just stick those bits in there.
No one iII notice.

352
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:06,637
FInally, It's tIme to taste
some hand-made bread at Its fInest.

353
00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,994
Don't they Iook magnificent?

354
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,357
That's deIicious.
It's so homeIy, isn't it?

355
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,118
I reaIIy needed that.

356
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,668
I thoroughly enjoyed
thIs slIce of VIctorIan lIfe.

357
00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,678
But as I leave the mIll,
the heavens open.

358
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:31,999
Just as I'm about to embark on my last
leg of today'sjourney, to the seasIde.

359
00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:35,039
The EngIish summer.

360
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,039
So, I'm on my way to Southend-on-Sea,

361
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:59,950
which, according to my Bradshaw's,
''has a pier a miIe and a quarter Iong,

362
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:00,956
which has been Iaid

363
00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,356
for the accommodation of passengers
arriving by steamer.''

364
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,870
WeII, I remember this pier
from my chiIdhood hoIidays.

365
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,391
And what Bradshaw's doesn't mention
is that it has a train!

366
00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,468
The growth of the seasIde resort
began In the raIlway age,

367
00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,195
as It made access cheaper and quIcker.

368
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,118
ThIs InItIally benefIted
only the mIddle classes.

369
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:31,878
But by the late 19th century,

370
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,992
the bIgger VIctorIan resorts
lIke Southend

371
00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:39,636
catered for the rapIdly-expandIng
workIng-class holIday market.

372
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,751
The name of the station
is Southend Victoria.

373
00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:55,271
Which, of course, underIines how
popuIar this was in Victorian times.

374
00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,192
Water coming through the roof a bit?

375
00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,709
AbsoIuteIy.
WeIcome to sunny Southend-on-Sea.

376
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,354
(MIchael) It's a IoveIy station.
CongratuIations.

377
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:08,951
There's a Iot of reaIIy oId Victorian
structure here. It's reaIIy nice.

378
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,640
Do you ever have time
to stand and admire it?

379
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,079
Night shift, mostIy.

380
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,395
Time to waIk around
when it's nice and quiet

381
00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:17,158
and feeI aII the ghosts.

382
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:32,511
Southend has been a holIday destInatIon
sInce the 1 8th century.

383
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:36,110
No seIf-respectIng resort
could grow up wIthout a pIer.

384
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:40,710
AmazIngly, at nearly
one-and-a-haIf mIles In length,

385
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,037
Southend has the longest pleasure pIer
In the world,

386
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,469
complete wIth Its own raIlway.

387
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,555
Now, this is
a very speciaI moment for me.

388
00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:57,511
I remember the excitement I feIt,

389
00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,110
traveIIing on this train
when I was a chiId.

390
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,597
The roIIing stop was different then.
I remember it was green and cream.

391
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,393
For some reason, I remember the noise.

392
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:13,036
It used to go, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum.

393
00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:18,670
And the excitement of traveIIing
on the worId's Iongest pier.

394
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,790
My drIver today Is Ian Peel.

395
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,717
- (MIchael) HeIIo.
- HeIIo, MichaeI!

396
00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:25,796
- I've come to join you.
- (horn honks)

397
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,229
This is a great thriII.
I used to come here as a chiId.

398
00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:35,839
I've never been in the cab.

399
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:39,236
It just is a very speciaI pier
and a very speciaI raiIway, isn't it?

400
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:40,679
It certainIy is.

401
00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,358
Lots of peopIe come here

402
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,836
to waIk aIong the pier
and to ride aIong the pier.

403
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,430
There's an obvIous reason
why Southend has such a long pIer.

404
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,712
At low tIde, the deep sea Is
over a mIle from the beach.

405
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,753
Large boats couldn't dIsgorge
theIr hordes of VIctorIan tourIsts

406
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,270
and Margate across the estuary
was pullIng In the vIsItors.

407
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,232
Local dIgnItarIes took actIon,

408
00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,751
and by 1 848,
a wooden structure of 7,000ft

409
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:10,916
was already the longest pIer In Europe.

410
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,429
By the end of the 19th century,

411
00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:18,714
a new cast-Iron pIer, essentIally the
one we see today, had been constructed.

412
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,833
One of the world's fIrst
electrIc raIlways opened In 1 890.

413
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,038
(MIchael) This noise I remember.

414
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,594
The ''da-da, da-da''.
Why does it make that noise?

415
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,280
It's because we're going over raiIs

416
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,949
that are joined ith fishpIates.

417
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,116
There's a gap between each one.

418
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,198
On modern trains and raiIways,
you'II find they're aII weIded.

419
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,072
That's why you don't get that noise.

420
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,510
UniqueIy on here,
we get that ''da-da, da-da'' aII the time.

421
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,915
How Iong does it take us to do the trip,
normaIIy?

422
00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:49,758
(Ian) About eight to ten minutes.

423
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,350
We're coming up, as you can see now,
to what we caII the Ioop,

424
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:54,993
which is the passing pIace.

425
00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:03,119
Southend PIer has, agaInst the odds,
survIved arson, electrIcal fIres

426
00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,198
and even boats rammIng Its structure.

427
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,790
(MIchael) So many seaside towns have
Iost their piers. It's such a shame.

428
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,434
They've been burned down
or they've been abandoned.

429
00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,677
This one, I mean, the Big Daddy
of them aII, it goes on, doesn't it?

430
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,110
It certainIy does. PeopIe Iove it.
PeopIe Iove to waIk up and down here.

431
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,390
The Victorians were going
to the end of the pier

432
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,988
to get their steamers.

433
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,156
To go on their pIeasure cruises.

434
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,716
Even those who couIdn't afford it,
they wouId be waIking out here.

435
00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,593
They wouId have had
the sensation of being at sea,

436
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:34,950
even if they couIdn't afford
to go to sea.

437
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,594
We used to come as day-trippers as kids.

438
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:43,431
Of course, if you got the tide wrong,
you had to waIk... weII, you know...

439
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,199
..getting on for a miIe
just to get a bathe in the sea.

440
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:47,719
Yeah, yeah.

441
00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,355
Today, we've had two boats in
that have taken day-trippers off.

442
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:52,595
- Have you?
- Yes, yes.

443
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,438
I didn't know you stiII have boats.

444
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,271
This pier is charming, even in the rain.

445
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,676
I mean, Iook at the IoveIy refIections.
Look at the Iight.

446
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:09,153
I'm going to take a wander.

447
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,158
The VIctorIans loved
to promenade on pIers.

448
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,317
You can ImagIne,
even on a damp day lIke today,

449
00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,399
people paradIng,
wantIng to see and to be seen,

450
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:26,158
dressed In theIr fInest.

451
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,955
In a faIrground settIng
of Punch and Judy shows,

452
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,550
whelk stands and Ice-cream carts,
jostlIng for trade,

453
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,875
It must have been a glorIous sIght.

454
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:39,400
Coming to Southend
has made me nostaIgic.

455
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,069
Not onIy for my own chiIdhood,
but aIso for Bradshaw's times.

456
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:47,876
The Victorians invented the seaside
hoIiday and bequeathed it to us.

457
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,913
Another part of their Iegacy
is this magnificent pier.

458
00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:00,072
When I contInue my journey,
I'll be fIndIng out how daIry herds

459
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,954
travelled the length and breadth
of BrItaIn fIrst class...

460
00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,753
The cow aIso decided to urinate on me.
But that's aIright.

461
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,873
..dIscoverIng the secret locatIon
that armed BrItaIn's empIre buIldIng...

462
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,151
That is the sound of bIack powder
in the 19th century.

463
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:16,714
- BriIIiant.
- From the Crimea to the Indian Mutiny.

464
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,150
..and hearIng of a heInous crIme

465
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,238
that shook VIctorIans' faIth
In raIlway travel.

466
00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:25,316
What they discovered on Hackney Station

467
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:30,275
was an empty first-cIass carriage,
absoIuteIy besmeared ith bIood.