0
00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:10,035
In 1 840, one man transformed
travel In BrItaIn and Ireland.

1
00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:13,031
HIs name was George Bradshaw,

2
00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,517
and hIs raIlway guIdes InspIred
the VIctorIans to take to the tracks.

3
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:19,588
Stop by stop,

4
00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,597
he told them where to travel,

5
00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:23,915
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,115
Now, 1 70 years later,

7
00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,711
I'm makIng a serIes ofjourneys across
the length and breadth of these Islands

8
00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,718
to see what of Bradshaw's world remaIns.

9
00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,120
I'm continuing my journey across
Northern IreIand,

10
00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,630
which iII Iead me
to the spectacuIar north coast.

11
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,320
Just now I'm approaching BeIfast,

12
00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,035
which, when ParIiament first approved
IegisIation for raiIways,

13
00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,196
was known as a viIIage.

14
00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:13,914
But today, it's become a mighty city.

15
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,911
On today's leg of my journey,
I'll be takIng a step back In tIme...

16
00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,716
This is Iike making a visit to the earIy
stages of the IndustriaI RevoIution.

17
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:30,789
..seeIng what gave pleasure-seekIng
VIctorIans the thrIll of theIr lIves...

18
00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,959
(woman) Being 30 to 70 feet
above the sea, crashing beIow you.

19
00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,638
It makes a change from city Iife.

20
00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,197
..and takIng to the tracks
In the latest hI-tech traIn sImulator.

21
00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:43,629
(gasps) Oh!

22
00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:45,955
Oh, dear! I think we're aII dead!

23
00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,834
My 19th-century guIdebook
Is takIng me across a land

24
00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:51,439
that at the tIme of wrItIng

25
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,358
was one Ireland
under the reIgn of Queen VIctorIa.

26
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,472
I've been followIng the hIstorIcal
expansIon of the raIlways

27
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,912
from DublIn towards BeIfast,
before fInIshIng In Derry/Londonderry.

28
00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,231
On today's stretch, I'll be explorIng
Northern Ireland's capItal

29
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,237
before headIng north to TemplepatrIck,

30
00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,239
endIng at the handsome coastal town
of WhItehead.

31
00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,790
My Bradshaw's says of BeIfast,

32
00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:20,230
''The taII chimneys and factories
for spinning Iinen and cotton yarn

33
00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,351
are the most conspicuous buiIdings.''

34
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,233
''Though ranking the second port
in IreIand,

35
00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,035
it stands first for manufactures
and trade.''

36
00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,233
And I'm deIighted to be back in a city,
which has memories for me

37
00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,510
of bad times and good.

38
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,392
BeIfast suffered greatly durIng
the polItIcal conflIct

39
00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,078
and the vIolence of the Troubles.

40
00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,829
But In recent tImes It's experIenced
greater perIods of calm

41
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,191
and economIc growth,
at least untIl the recessIon.

42
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,719
The cIty's huge IndustrIal development
began In the VIctorIan era.

43
00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,308
It was the centre for lInen

44
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,955
and by 1 873 produced more of It
than anywhere In the world,

45
00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:08,518
employIng thousands of workers and
earnIng ItseIf the monIker LInenopolIs.

46
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,719
But another Industry
also gave BeIfast global renown.

47
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,872
It was the water and the raiIways
that made BeIfast great.

48
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,434
As Bradshaw's GuIde says,

49
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,633
''Since 1839, very great improvements
have been made in the harbour,

50
00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,797
a deep channeI having been cut
right up to the town,

51
00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:37,950
so that Iarge vesseIs are now abIe
to discharge cargo at the new quays.''

52
00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,834
But even Bradshaw, I think,
foreseeing the greatness of BeIfast,

53
00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,476
wouId've been stunned by the scaIe
and wouId've been in awe to know

54
00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,388
that this city wouId produce ships
that are househoId names.

55
00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,036
To dIscover how thIs all came to be,
I've arrIved at BeIfast Dock

56
00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,390
and the Harland And Wotff shIpyard,

57
00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,035
famous for buIldIng
the Ill-fated TItanIc.

58
00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,877
I'm meetIng BeIfast Harbour hIstorIan
Andrew Waldron

59
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,596
to ascend one of the two huge
shIpbuIldIng gantry cranes.

60
00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,790
Thankfully, by takIng the lIft,

61
00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,037
rather than clImbIng
the heart-stoppIng 400 steps to the top.

62
00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,232
Wow! We can see everything from here.

63
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,119
This is a very speciaI experience,
being up here,

64
00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,834
as Iong as we're not bIown off
by this high ind.

65
00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,190
We've got aII of BeIfast
Iaid out before us.

66
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,630
Another of the iconic
HarIand And WoIff cranes, there.

67
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,435
330 feet up here, on this.
This is the Iargest crane, the Samson.

68
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,599
GoIiath is just sIightIy smaIIer
than the crane we're standing on.

69
00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,474
But these two cranes symboIise BeIfast,
for what it is today.

70
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,432
A thIrd of all Northern Ireland's
wealth Is developed

71
00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,552
from the busInesses
operatIng wIthIn BeIfast Port.

72
00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,958
And the harbour area employs
a staggerIng 1 7,000 people.

73
00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,717
But none of thIs
would have been possIble

74
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,912
wIthout the InterventIon
of VIctorIan WIllIam Dargan,

75
00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,076
the father of IrIsh raIlways,

76
00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,876
who substantIally enlarged and deepened
the harbour In the 1 840s.

77
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,993
WIth bIg shIps able to dock
for the fIrst tIme, the port boomed.

78
00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,680
So much so, that Bradshaw notes

79
00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:25,157
that customs dutIes
had rIsen tenfold In 40 years.

80
00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:28,158
And raIlways were
Instrumental In that growth.

81
00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:30,669
There's not much sign of raiIway tracks
any more,

82
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:32,916
apart from the tracks
these cranes run on.

83
00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,270
But at one time it must've been
fuII of raiIways.

84
00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,154
There were that many raiIway Iines here,
it was an industriaI raiIway system.

85
00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:43,637
There were more raiIway Iines here
than ithin the city of BeIfast itseIf.

86
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,637
And what were those tracks doing?

87
00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,639
They were bringing goods into the port,
and goods going out of the port,

88
00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,228
you know, exports.
Various different commodities.

89
00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:56,831
Linen was exported. Iron ore. Bauxite
from the hiIIs of County Antrim.

90
00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,635
SaIt. Timber was being imported.
CoaI was coming in.

91
00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,638
Just about everything under the sun
came here, at one stage.

92
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,309
The work that Dargan dId
In creatIng a shIppIng channel

93
00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,238
had another Immense
consequence for BeIfast.

94
00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,069
The spoIl from the project was used
to buIld Queen's Island,

95
00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,270
named after Queen VIctorIa.

96
00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:18,630
And there, shIpbuIldIng
really got under way

97
00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,595
when Edward Harland and Gustav Wotff
chose to sIte theIr shIpyard there.

98
00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,469
BeIfast's foresIghted
harbour commIssIoners

99
00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,434
provIded the most up-to-date
heavy lIftIng machInery and raIlways

100
00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,838
to enable Harland And Wotff to construct
the huge vessels then beIng desIgned.

101
00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,235
(Andrew) The harbour commissioners
in 1882

102
00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,635
suppIied three heavy raiIway wagons,

103
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,548
each wagon capabIe of taking
150-tonne Ioads.

104
00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,434
They didn't have anything to hauI them,
so they used horses, teams of horses.

105
00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,189
30 horses, 40 horses, 50 horses
on the much Iarger Ioads.

106
00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:58,235
They trundIed down the quayside to the
Iarge crane, the 120-tonne crane,

107
00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,079
then offIoaded them straight
into the huII of the ship.

108
00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,554
Steam locomotIves
eventually replaced the horses

109
00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,990
and BeIfast grew to be
the world's largest shIpyard

110
00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,839
by the turn of the 20th century.

111
00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,839
Harland And Wotff employed
an astoundIng 12,000 people,

112
00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,235
workIng over a sIte of 80 acres.

113
00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,352
They buIlt enormous ocean-goIng lIners

114
00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,233
IncludIng the TItanIc
and her two sIsters,

115
00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,035
whIch were Intended to saIl from
Southampton to New York.

116
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,709
And theIr output went beyond
desIgnIng and buIldIng shIps.

117
00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,115
They buiIt a number
of raiIway Iocomotives

118
00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:37,438
for use ithin Northern IreIand
and they buiIt a number of Iocomotives

119
00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,951
and a raiIcar, which they exported
to Buenos Aires and the Sudan.

120
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,629
BeIfast port contInues to be
a major marItIme gateway today.

121
00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:49,877
ShIpbuIldIng, on the other hand,
has declIned steadIly.

122
00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:55,031
HavIng buIlt over 1 700 shIps
and a faIr few traIns In Its hIstory,

123
00:07:55,160 --> 00:08:00,029
Harland And Wotff now focuses on shIp
repaIr and cIvIl engIneerIng projects

124
00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,835
IncludIng buIldIng wInd-
and tIdal-powered turbInes.

125
00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,188
So, they're not manufacturing trains
here any more?

126
00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,710
No. But the Iatest trains being buiIt
for Northern IreIand RaiIways,

127
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,354
these new state-of-the-art raiIcars,

128
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,234
are coming into here and being imported
directIy through BeIfast port.

129
00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,909
- So, there is a Iink?
- There is a Iink stiII Ieft, yes.

130
00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,559
Today, there are no operatIonal
raIlway tracks left at BeIfast Port,

131
00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,877
bar those that Samson and GolIath
run on.

132
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,037
But the docks are playIng host
to the latest generatIon of traIns

133
00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,789
beIng shIpped from SpaIn
for the Northern Ireland raIl network.

134
00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,275
When new rollIng stock arrIved
In Bradshaw's day,

135
00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:40,719
drIvers learnt on thejob.

136
00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:45,118
Today, a hIgh-tech sImulator
allows operators to practIse

137
00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,231
In the safety of a vIrtual world.

138
00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,433
And I'm lucky enough to be InvIted to
the RaIl OperatIons TraInIng Academy

139
00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:55,155
to try my hand at drIvIng
a modern commuter traIn.

140
00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:58,717
Wow, this Iooks Iike fun!

141
00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,035
My supervIsor Is ColIn Watson.

142
00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,230
- CoIin?
- MichaeI.

143
00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,237
- HeIIo.
- How are you, are you weII?

144
00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,830
This is fantastic, Iook at that.
The Iine Iaid out before me.

145
00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:11,234
Where am I?

146
00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:13,669
You're currentIy in pIatform one

147
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,633
in Great Victoria Street Station
in BeIfast.

148
00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,352
- May I start off?
- AbsoIuteIy.

149
00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,314
To move, ease the power controIIer,
over to your Ieft.

150
00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,117
And ith the weight of your hand,
just Iet it ease forward.

151
00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,834
(gasps) My goodness! We're moving.

152
00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,791
That is... (laughs)

153
00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,875
This is wonderfuIIy reaIistic, isn't it?

154
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,035
Just amazing.

155
00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:37,638
(ColIn) We're coming to a tunneI,

156
00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,149
so if you bIow the horn
as a warning of entry.

157
00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,316
(traIn horn sounds)

158
00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,556
ThIs sImulator can prepare drIvers
for any eventualIty

159
00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:49,238
that they may face on the tracks.

160
00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,831
We can have our drivers driving
in various different weather conditions.

161
00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,757
- Oh!
- There's snow.

162
00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,440
(laughs) That was
a sudden change of weather.

163
00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:03,189
I know the weather changes quickIy in
Northern IreIand, but that is amazing.

164
00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,438
We can put various different obstacIes
in front of anyone in the simuIator,

165
00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:11,028
here ranging from trees to fridges.

166
00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:15,312
Shopping troIIeys wouId be quite
an occasionaI obstacIe to come across.

167
00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:20,389
So we can represent a normaI day
or an abnormaI day for a driver.

168
00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,874
(pushes brake lever) Whoa!

169
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,037
(laughs)

170
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:30,513
Oh, dear!

171
00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:33,950
I think we're aII dead. That tree
reaIIy came out of nowhere, didn't it?

172
00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,719
(ColIn) It did, which is aIways
your probIem in fog.

173
00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,071
- Ah, God, that was frightening.
- (laughs)

174
00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,033
I thInk I'll leave the drIvIng
to the professIonals

175
00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:46,071
and stIck to what I can manage,

176
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,034
as I catch a traInjust over
a mIle south across the cIty.

177
00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:54,312
(announcement) The next statIon
Is Great VIctorIa Street.

178
00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,995
As Industry and commerce prospered
throughout the 19th century,

179
00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,759
pursuIts that had been the preserve
of the upper classes

180
00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,350
now became open to an
emergIng wealthy mIddle class.

181
00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:09,795
I'm headIng for an InstItutIon

182
00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,515
that flourIshed wIth such changes
In VIctorIan socIety.

183
00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:18,838
Bradshaw's says that here in BeIfast
''the BotanicaI Society possesses

184
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,635
a garden on the river,
where an isIand of 20 acres

185
00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,035
has been Iaid out ith shrubberies''.

186
00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,631
Such exotic amenities
were popuIar in Victorian times.

187
00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,832
I'm guessing that the right pIace
to get out and see it

188
00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,032
is at the raiIway station
caIIed Botanic.

189
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:43,752
The VIctorIan perIod was the golden age
of plant collectIng,

190
00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,633
and botanIcal adventurers
rIsked theIr lIves

191
00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,992
brIngIng back the fInest exotIc
specImens from around the world.

192
00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:55,557
LuscIous ferns and fruIts,
gIant water lIlIes from the OrIent

193
00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:56,829
and palms from IndIa.

194
00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,635
All these specIes requIred protectIon
from the BrItIsh clImate,

195
00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,514
and that gave rIse to
stupendous VIctorIan glasshouses.

196
00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:09,873
My guIde to thIs palace of plants
Is hortIculturalIst Reg Maxwell.

197
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,833
- Reg, heIIo.
- Good to have you.

198
00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:14,439
WeIcome to Botanic Gardens.

199
00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:18,235
I'm just beitched by this buiIding.
It is so beautifuI.

200
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:19,509
When does it date from?

201
00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:24,191
(Reg) It dates from 1839-40 and that was
the two ings that were buiIt first

202
00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:25,230
by Turner of DubIin.

203
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,716
He was the great iron master who went on
to buiId a number of gIasshouses

204
00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,308
and specificaIIy Kew Gardens,
the big one.

205
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:34,470
But the dome wasn't buiIt straight away.

206
00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,434
That wasn't buiIt untiI 1852
by Young of Edinburgh.

207
00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:41,472
And is this what Bradshaw wouId caII
''an isIand of 20 acres''?

208
00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:43,830
- It's the same site today, is it?
- That's right.

209
00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:48,238
The path systems that you waIk around
here, and Iook into the trees

210
00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,432
and the great Iawn,
were aII Iaid out in 1828.

211
00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:54,074
(MIchael) And how speciaI
is this paIm house?

212
00:12:54,200 --> 00:13:00,548
WeII, I think it's speciaI in that it is
buiIt specificaIIy for tropicaI pIants.

213
00:13:00,680 --> 00:13:03,478
It's made of cast iron and wrought iron

214
00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,478
and it is a cuRViIinear house.

215
00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:10,832
And that's because the bars are cuRVed
and the gIass is cuRVed.

216
00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,633
That makes it very important.
Because it makes it

217
00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,433
one of the earIy suRViving

218
00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:20,075
fuII cuRViIinear paIm houses.

219
00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,556
I have a feeIing that it's even more
remarkabIe inside than outside.

220
00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:25,830
- ShaII we go and have a Iook?
- I think so.

221
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,232
Advances In the manufacture of
Iron and glass

222
00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,828
gave BrItaIn both Its
canopIed raIlway statIons

223
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,235
and Its botanIcal glasshouses.

224
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,432
And these elegant feats of archItecture
and engIneerIng

225
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:41,630
brought VIctorIans flockIng.

226
00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,037
The interior is warm and humid
and the sunIight is streaming in

227
00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,913
and you've got these immense specimens.
It's deIightfuI.

228
00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,270
Isn't it? And in the Victorian times,
of course,

229
00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,234
for the ordinary person coming in here,
it wouId've been totaIIy amazing.

230
00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,636
AImost Iike, for us today,
if we're deaIing ith the space age

231
00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:04,198
and waIking on the Moon. It's that kind
of magnitude of surprise and interest.

232
00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,073
(MIchael) Because of specimens
they'd never seen before?

233
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:11,159
(Reg) From parts of the worId that they
couId never even think of or dream of.

234
00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,837
BusIness travellers and those
on colonIal or mIlItary servIce

235
00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,748
had the opportunIty to see
these plants In theIr habItats.

236
00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:23,873
They would then send seeds, cuttIngs
or whole plants back to BrItaIn.

237
00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,839
- And how did these specimens get here?
- (Reg) By ship and over Iand.

238
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,430
Once the raiIways came, of course,
things speeded up.

239
00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:37,554
And so the chances of pIants suRViving
and getting back were much greater.

240
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,639
(MIchael) And the Victorians
were very serious about studying pIants

241
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:43,637
and cataIoguing pIants, weren't they?

242
00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,230
(Reg) They were, because there were
thousands of these pIants coming in,

243
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,238
and so they had to try
and find out what they were,

244
00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,557
because they didn't fit into the fIora
that we had in our own country.

245
00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,229
So it was a great chaIIenge to them
to try and grow them.

246
00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,635
And that's why they had
to buiId these houses.

247
00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,149
This is a fine exampIe
of a pIant that came in

248
00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:06,034
from the South Americas
in the Iate Victorian period.

249
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:07,957
And this is aechmea fascIata.

250
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,310
(MIchael) It has the IoveIy
creaking Ieaf.

251
00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:13,432
Yes, and, of course, the Victorians
wouId Iove that experience

252
00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,599
of being abIe to touch and feeI
and smeII a pIant such as this.

253
00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:22,555
AII these pIants around us wouId've been
considered extremeIy rare and exotic

254
00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,434
and wouId be the pIant that you had to
have to be in the fashion

255
00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:29,597
and to be a coIIector,
but now are common housepIants

256
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:33,269
and we take them for granted.
But they're beautifuI aII the same.

257
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,513
Back on the traIn Into the centre of
BeIfast at the end of a fascInatIng day.

258
00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,951
WhIlst my journey around thIs great cIty
has so far celebrated

259
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,435
the trIumphs of Its VIctorIan past,

260
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:55,236
I can't come here wIthout acknowledgIng
the dIffIcultIes of more modern tImes.

261
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:59,638
And my bed for the nIght Is In a hotel
whIch experIenced and wIthstood

262
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,513
much vIolence
durIng the polItIcal conflIct

263
00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:04,710
generally known as the Troubles.

264
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,834
Since the 1970s, the Europa has been
one of BeIfast's premier hoteIs

265
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:14,238
and as such it attracted journaIists
and poIiticians who stayed here.

266
00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,635
I came here myseIf
back in those days of TroubIes

267
00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:21,629
and I remember it surrounded by
an enormous fence ith sandbags,

268
00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:26,436
ith concrete, ith security cameras
and enormous security measures, as weII.

269
00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,633
The fact that aII that has been taken
away and you can just waIk straight in

270
00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,035
is perhaps an eIoquent sign

271
00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,914
that more peacefuI times
have returned to Northern IreIand.

272
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,239
Good morning.

273
00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,715
For the first time,
I have stayed in a room

274
00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,638
that was once occupied by a president
of the United States.

275
00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,673
Because in November 1995,
BiII and HiIIary CIinton

276
00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,157
made a remarkabIe visit to
Northern IreIand in search of peace.

277
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,031
Perhaps most remarkabIy,
at the 30th anniversary of the hoteI,

278
00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,630
BiII CIinton sent a message saying,
''The Europa stands today

279
00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,638
as a Iiving exampIe
of an extraordinary past

280
00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,035
and the promise
of an even greater future.''

281
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,039
That being a reference to the fact
that this hoteI was bombed 36 times

282
00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:25,479
during the TroubIes.

283
00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:31,032
ThIs mornIng my ''Bradshaw's''
leads me away from BeIfast,

284
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,199
to the vIllage of TemplepatrIck,
1 4 mIles north-east of the cIty.

285
00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:40,391
To work the land productIvely
has been key to survIval

286
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,431
In Ireland for centurIes.

287
00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,552
And the humble spade
has been the maIn tool

288
00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:49,036
wIth whIch the IrIsh
have cut peat for fuel,

289
00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,072
planted foods
and toIled as constructIon workers.

290
00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:55,638
So I'm takIng a step back In tIme

291
00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,230
to one of the last remaInIng
VIctorIan spade mIlls,

292
00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:01,920
to meet spade maker ColIn Dawson.

293
00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,839
- CoIin.
- HeIIo, MichaeI. PIeased to meet you.

294
00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,838
Great to see you.
I've never been to a spade miII before.

295
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,428
TeII you the truth,
I've never thought about spades.

296
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,551
Are there many, many
different varieties?

297
00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:18,515
WeII, in IreIand aIone there were
1 7 1 different varieties of spade.

298
00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,632
Every county had its own type of spade.

299
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,594
For instance, SIigo is grey cIay
and a Iot of stone,

300
00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,029
so you need a very narrow, thick spade.

301
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:32,836
Fermanagh is very wet Iand, so you need
a spade that's a wee bit Iike a spoon,

302
00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,235
ith a bend in it,
very thick in the middIe,

303
00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:38,909
so that you can break the suction
of the wet soiI.

304
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,431
I hope it's OK if I say that I suppose
IreIand has been a Iand of digging.

305
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,678
When I think about agricuIture,
when I think about turf

306
00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,110
and when I think about navvies,
they're aII using spades, aren't they?

307
00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,756
Yes. Irish navvy was
the best navigator in the worId.

308
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,238
PeopIe think of a navvy
as being a Iabouring man,

309
00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,113
but they were very, very skiIfuI peopIe.

310
00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,838
The term navvy, short for navIgator,
has been used sInce the 1 8th century

311
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,111
to descrIbe those workIng on
cIvIl engIneerIng projects.

312
00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:15,318
From canals, roads and tunnels
to the raIl network,

313
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,399
navvIes are recognIsed as the men
who buIlt Ireland and BrItaIn.

314
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:22,990
But to do thejob,
they needed an effectIve tool.

315
00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,315
EnterprIsIng VIctorIan
spade manufacturers

316
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:30,115
recognIsed the potentIal for mechanIsIng
the productIon of spades

317
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,869
and took over thIs sIte, orIgInally
a water-powered lInen mIll.

318
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,833
How would condItIons have been In mIlls
lIke these In the 19th century?

319
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,315
Oh, they wouId've been
horrendous pIaces to work.

320
00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,510
There was no such thing
as heaIth and safety.

321
00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:46,710
ChiIdren worked when they were ten.

322
00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,638
They went to work in the morning
and schooI in the afternoon

323
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,832
or they wouId've went to work one day
and schooI the next.

324
00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,235
They were caIIed a haIf-timer
or a part-timer.

325
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:59,239
Then, whenever they were 12, they Ieft
schooI, went to work fuII time,

326
00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:02,591
from six in the morning to six at night,
six days a week.

327
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,429
At 1 4 you started an apprenticeship
untiI you were 25.

328
00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,438
And sometimes you didn't get paid
for the apprenticeship.

329
00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:11,232
It was a pIeasure to get doing it.

330
00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:14,716
For the Iife of me, I don't know why
they caIIed it the good oId days.

331
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,034
At the peak of spade-makIng
In the mId-19th Century,

332
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,958
there were 37 mIlls throughout Ireland,

333
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,629
makIng an astoundIng 36,000 spades
per year.

334
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,236
ColIn and hIs colleague Tom Mahon
have kIndly agreed to show me

335
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:32,032
thIs tIme-hallowed process,

336
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,233
somethIng they stIll do every day
to meet a huge order book.

337
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,237
So you start
just ith a piece of steeI?

338
00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:43,558
We start ith a soIid bIock of steeI.
As you see, we knack it.

339
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,439
We spIit the knack and now we're going
to pierce the socket down into it.

340
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:50,516
And this is water-powered, this machine.

341
00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,835
The whole spade head
Is made from one pIece of steel,

342
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,076
heated In a forge
to blIsterIng temperatures

343
00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,192
to allow It to be worked Into shape.

344
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,199
After you've done about 200 of these...

345
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,591
..you're ready for a pint of Guinness.

346
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,428
The spades are made In batches of 12.

347
00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,269
WhIlst each Is worked, the others
are beIng heated In the furnace.

348
00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,034
Can't beIieve the speed
at which this is going on.

349
00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,278
One spade after another
coming out of the furnace.

350
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,029
ColIn and Tom beat the steel
Into a spade-shaped blade

351
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,118
usIng the mIll's orIgInal
water-powered hammer.

352
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,072
Never saw anything Iike that in my Iife.

353
00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:45,791
It's Iike a big nodding duck.

354
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:51,628
This is Iike making a visit to the earIy
stages of the IndustriaI RevoIution.

355
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,275
You just can't beIieve
the ingenuity of man.

356
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,356
And the skiII of CoIin working it.

357
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,633
What sort of power is that deIivering,
CoIin?

358
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,194
RoughIy 100-tonne pressure
coming down on it.

359
00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:15,234
(laughs) That I don't beIieve. Tom just
pops in there ith a bit of wood.

360
00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:16,588
I just can't beIieve it.

361
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,473
The whoIe secret is to make sure
your thumb's not on top of it

362
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:20,715
when you put it in there.

363
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,035
(MIchael) Yeah, that wouId be important.

364
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,435
So the next stage is
just to keep bringing it out

365
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,030
untiI you get the bIade beat out,
and then you trim it up.

366
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,720
How many times iII you have
to bring it out and beat it?

367
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,832
- About seven times.
- AII of this for one spade.

368
00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,993
In Bradshaw's day, the fInIshed spades
were dIstrIbuted by traIn over Ireland

369
00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:45,510
and by shIp onwards to BrItaIn
and the contInent from BeIfast Port.

370
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:52,389
VIctorIan entrepreneurs saw how raIlways
could help to expand IndustrIal output,

371
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,399
and to supply new demands from the
IncreasIngly numerous mIddle class.

372
00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:03,829
My lastjourney today takes me
1 7 mIles north-east of BeIfast

373
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,235
to where a Northern IrIsh
raIlway magnate

374
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:12,037
constructed an astoundIng
coastal attractIon,just for tourIsts.

375
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,118
I'm on my way to Whitehead
and IsIandmagee.

376
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,437
My Bradshaw's says,
''The cIiffs and caves of the isIand

377
00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,836
are frequentIy basaItic,
especiaIIy at the Gobbins.''

378
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:23,439
Since I've arrived in IreIand,

379
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,758
I've found that most raiIways were buiIt
for passengers rather than freight.

380
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,031
On this Iine, the raiIways
actuaIIy buiIt an attraction

381
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,628
to bring the tourists aIong the Iine.

382
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,030
I think this is going to be
a beautifuI spot,

383
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,836
the way the Iine ran aIong the coast
there was just gorgeous, breathtaking.

384
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,039
The VIctorIans and EdwardIans
loved nothIng more

385
00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,037
than a bracIng walk along a seafront,

386
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,152
and WhItehead became
a popular seasIde destInatIon.

387
00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:05,640
VIsItors were partIcularly drawn
by the GobbIns,

388
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:09,912
a serIes of awe-InspIrIng clIffs
towerIng hIgh above the IrIsh Sea,

389
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,759
on whIch a pathway
had been constructed.

390
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,236
It was desIgned by raIl entrepreneur
Berkeley Deane WIse

391
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:18,828
for the BeIfast
and Northern CountIes RaIlway,

392
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,599
wIth the express aIm
of attractIng passengers

393
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:25,395
to use the raIl
between BeIfast and WhItehead.

394
00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,239
CouncIl executIve GeraldIne McGahey
Is my guIde

395
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:31,272
to thIs IntrIguIng
VIctorIan sales promotIon.

396
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,269
BerkeIey Deane Wise
was the engineer and architect

397
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,392
who worked for BeIfast
and Northern Counties RaiIway.

398
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,035
He was the visionary behind
aII of the tourism aspects

399
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,116
that the raiIway company
got invoIved in.

400
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,028
He heIped construct Whitehead.
He buiIt Whitehead RaiIway Station,

401
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,628
Larne RaiIway Station
and many, many others.

402
00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,639
So aIthough we're deaIing ith cIiffs
and other naturaI phenomena,

403
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,752
the path itseIf had to be constructed
in some way.

404
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,269
The path itseIf was constructed by hand

405
00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,836
and you'II see that he has used oId
raiIway sIeepers encased in concrete.

406
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,349
He was one of the pioneers
of reinforced concrete

407
00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:09,870
and he did this to encourage peopIe
to use the raiIway Iine

408
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,035
as far as Whitehead.

409
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:12,434
And this was about tourism,

410
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:16,075
to give something for peopIe to do
at the end of the raiIway Iine.

411
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:22,635
WIse constructed paths,
suspensIon brIdges and tunnels,

412
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:24,955
all hewn Into the rocks,

413
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,755
Intended to gIve pleasure-seekIng
VIctorIans the thrIll of theIr lIves.

414
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,077
The Victorians Iiked their fresh air,
they Iiked to be out in nature.

415
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,031
This gave them that kind of exposure.

416
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,039
You're taIking about being 30 to 70 feet
above the sea, crashing beIow you,

417
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,948
the fresh air that comes ith that.
It makes a big change from city Iife.

418
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:49,551
Unfortunately, after the Second World
War, the pathway fell Into dIsrepaIr

419
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,558
and was eventually closed to the publIc.

420
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:57,276
But some parts of thIs great pIece
of VIctorIan IngenuIty stIll remaIn.

421
00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,436
MichaeI, back when this path
first opened,

422
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,836
a IittIe boy used to sit on the steps
and coIIect the entrance money.

423
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,838
- Sixpence, way back in the 1900s.
- An expensive treat.

424
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,235
If you came on the raiIway,
you got it free.

425
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,237
So, now as we come round,

426
00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,432
you can see the spectacuIar pathway
unfoIding in front of you.

427
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,312
- I can.
- You can see where the remnants

428
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,149
of the oId raiIings, the handraiIs
that came up there, they were cast iron.

429
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,512
And then the stonework that was buiIt up
to produce the actuaI path itseIf.

430
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:27,312
A reaI engineering feat.

431
00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,033
In Its heyday,
thIs attractIon was more popular

432
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,958
than Ireland's famous GIant's Causeway.

433
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,434
Are there any pIans to restore it
to its former gIory?

434
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,438
AbsoIuteIy. We have now secured
£6 miIIion of funding

435
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,439
from a variety of sources,
and by the end of 2013,

436
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,313
we'II have this path
back to exactIy the way it was

437
00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:56,874
when BerkeIey Deane Wise
first opened it.

438
00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:58,991
(MIchael) Back to the bridges
and tunneIs?

439
00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:01,554
(GeraldIne) Everything is going
to be put back.

440
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:03,671
Not cast-iron,
stainIess steeI this time,

441
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,190
a bit more durabIe, but peopIe
iII stiII get the same experience.

442
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,038
When Berkeley Deane WIse's

443
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,835
heart-stoppIng suspensIon brIdges
and tunnels are restored,

444
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,757
I shall defInItely return.

445
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,428
I'd lIke to experIence
a VIctorIan thrIll

446
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,711
of tIptoeIng hIgh above the IrIsh Sea.

447
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,428
The Victorians had an eye for beauty.

448
00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,393
They found it
in the four corners of the Earth

449
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,433
and sent back specimens
to the BotanicaI Gardens in BeIfast.

450
00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:42,109
And they perceived beauty too
in craftsmanship,

451
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:46,631
whether it was Iaying tracks
or hammering out a humbIe spade

452
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:51,311
or buiIding the mightiest ships
that the worId had ever seen.

453
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,030
On the next part of my raIl adventure,

454
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,232
I'll be marvellIng
at a gIant's handIwork...

455
00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:06,399
It is the most amazing,
awe-inspiring sight.

456
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:07,509
..hearIng how women,

457
00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,394
famous for theIr dexterIty
wIth the needle, buIlt a cIty...

458
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:14,512
If there wasn't a shirt factory,
this wouId be a desert.

459
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,796
..and dIscoverIng how emIgratIon
profoundly shaped famIlIes and natIons.

460
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,799
When you went to America in the '50s, it
was kind of goodbye for ever, you know?.