1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,960
In 1840, one man transformed
travel in the British Isles.

2
00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:12,560
His name was George Bradshaw,

3
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,760
and his railway guides inspired the
Victorians to take to the tracks.

4
00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,480
Stop by stop, he told them
where to travel,

5
00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,560
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,880
Now, 170 years later, I'm making a
series of journeys across the length

7
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:35,320
and breadth of these isles to see
what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.

8
00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,760
I'm now more than halfway through
my journey from London to

9
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,200
Newton Abbott, and now I've reached
North Devon

10
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,440
and the most unusual Victorian
railway.

11
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:16,360
On today's journey, I get up close
with a piece of natural history.

12
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,120
It's a moa egg. It's an extinct bird
from New Zealand.

13
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,880
There's only 36 specimens
of a decent size being

14
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:24,720
catalogued in the world.

15
00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:29,440
I visit a garden used as a viewing
platform for public hangings.

16
00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,200
We've got the three tiers going up,

17
00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,160
and, apparently, according to
the records, they were full.

18
00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,080
They were shoulder to shoulder,
line to line of people.

19
00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,320
And experience a timepiece
like no other.

20
00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,560
You know, in my political career,
Peter, I met a few two-faced liars,

21
00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,240
but this is my first
experience of a four-faced liar.

22
00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,640
One of them's correct though!
HE LAUGHS

23
00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,960
Using my Bradshaw's Guide,
I'm following the tracks

24
00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,200
of Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

25
00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,200
master engineer
of the Great Western Railway.

26
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,080
I started at Paddington Station,
one of his greatest structures,

27
00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,440
and I'll finish in Newton Abbott
in Devon,

28
00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,400
where one of his boldest
ideas proved a failure.

29
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,840
The fourth leg of my journey
begins in Lynton and Lynmouth,

30
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,880
heads south west to Barnstaple,
through Eggesford

31
00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:18,920
and on to the city of Exeter.

32
00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,800
My Bradshaw's tells me that the
scenery in the neighbourhood

33
00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,560
of Lynton and Lynmouth is wild,
beautiful, magnificent

34
00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,720
and lovely beyond the powers
of description.

35
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,720
Such is the scenery abounding
in this fascinating neighbourhood.

36
00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,880
The steepness of this landscape,

37
00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:43,720
required Victorian railway builders
to exercise a special ingenuity.

38
00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,920
The twin villages of Lynton
and Lynmouth stand atop

39
00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:57,160
and at the foot of a steep cliff
that posed a major obstacle to both,

40
00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,960
and villagers relied on horses
to move from one to the other.

41
00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:09,080
The Lynmouth Cliff Railway
opened on Easter Monday, 1890.

42
00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,760
Engineering manager, Ashley Clarke,

43
00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,280
has worked on the railway
since 1979.

44
00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,000
So, Ashley, how does this machine
work?

45
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,360
It works on a counter-balance system.
We fill the top car with water,

46
00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,880
which I'm going to do now.
You fill the car with water?

47
00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,360
That's right, it's got a 700-gallon
tank underneath,

48
00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,480
which is about three tonnes of water.

49
00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,280
When they're both full up,
they weigh the same, obviously.

50
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,360
When the drivers have given each
other the signal,

51
00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,120
the bottom car releases water.

52
00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,720
The water comes out which makes that
car lighter, and in doing so,

53
00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:50,240
the top car being heavier
pulls the lighter car up to the top.

54
00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,600
I had no idea you were putting
water inside the car.

55
00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,400
Where does the water come from?

56
00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,880
It comes from the West Lynn
river, about a mile and a half away,

57
00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,120
through the roads and into holding
tanks at the top here.

58
00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,240
Is there any difference in the way
in which you operate this railway

59
00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,040
today from the way it was operated
originally by the Victorians?

60
00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,120
No, it works in exactly the same way.
There's no difference whatsoever.

61
00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,360
An Act of Parliament in 1888
gave the company the right

62
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:24,720
to pump 60,000 gallons of water
per day from the river, a mile away.

63
00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,000
So whose masterplan was this? It was
the masterplan of Sir George Newnes.

64
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,000
And he was a man of grand
visions, I think. He was, yes.

65
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,160
He had a three-stage plan
for Lynton and Lynmouth.

66
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,920
One, to build the esplanade
at Lynmouth.

67
00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,520
Secondly, to build a pier
off the end of that esplanade.

68
00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,160
And, thirdly, to build the railway.

69
00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,400
Unfortunately for Lynton
and Lynmouth,

70
00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,600
they didn't actually build the pier

71
00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,280
because Sir George Newnes decided

72
00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:53,720
that he didn't want to spoil
the tranquil place in which he lived.

73
00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,880
He didn't want steamerloads
of people coming over from Wales

74
00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,000
to drink for the day? Exactly, yes.

75
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,800
Because you couldn't drink on
Sundays in Wales, could you?

76
00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,280
No, that's right.

77
00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:06,320
Well, I'd better let you do some
braking here,

78
00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,640
otherwise we're going to visit
the beach.

79
00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,720
I've never travelled by
water-powered railway.

80
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,840
There's always a first, isn't there?
There certainly is. Thanks so much.

81
00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,920
At my next destination,
less than five miles away,

82
00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,920
I'm hoping to catch
a very old train.

83
00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:44,280
I've left Lynmouth and climbed
nearly 1,000ft above sea level

84
00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:46,920
which may seem like a strange place
to look for a railway station,

85
00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,560
but from the end
of the 19th century until 1935

86
00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,840
a line linked Lynton to Barnstaple.

87
00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:57,720
And in recent years, along a short
stretch of that line,

88
00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,840
the chugging of steam engines
has been heard again.

89
00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,280
Keen to keep his beloved
Lynton tranquil,

90
00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:12,760
Sir George Newnes
ensured that this railway,

91
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:17,000
which he also championed, would
avoid Minehead and Ilfracombe,

92
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,640
which he apparently believed were,

93
00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,080
"being scandalised by drunken Welsh
on Sundays."

94
00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,320
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Trust is currently renovating

95
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,560
the line
and has bought Woody Bay Station.

96
00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,840
Tony Nicholson is a trustee.

97
00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:36,680
Tony. Michael. Very good to see you.

98
00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,800
This railway had quite a brief
life, didn't it?

99
00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,000
Yes. It was opened in 1898,
so quite late as railways go,

100
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:44,760
and closed in 1935.

101
00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,240
It's only 37 years.

102
00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,480
So it died young and stayed
beautiful.

103
00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,960
You've got a little bit
of the railway open now. How much?

104
00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,160
Just a mile so far, but we have big
plans. What are your plans?

105
00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,240
Well, eventually to go right back to
Lynton and right back to Barnstaple.

106
00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,240
Recreate the Lynton to Barnstaple
railway.

107
00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,160
And that would be, what, about
20 miles?

108
00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:04,520
19 miles.

109
00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,200
From sea level at Barnstaple Town
Station where it connected

110
00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,360
with the standard-gauge line to
Ilfracombe, the line curved

111
00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:17,320
through Barnstaple and snaked up
the Yeo Valley to Exmoor, where,

112
00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,320
for eight miles, it climbed at

113
00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,960
an almost continuous one in 50
gradient.

114
00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,760
Entrusted today with making that
same ascent is the railway's

115
00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,000
lovingly-restored
Joffre Class Locomotive.

116
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,960
One of 70 60cm gauge engines
built in Stoke-On-Trent

117
00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:44,080
in 1915 for the French Army to
use along The Western Front.

118
00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,200
Hello there! This doesn't look like
standard steam engine equipment.

119
00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,280
We sneak that in in the morning
when we have breakfast.

120
00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,000
We get the engine ready, get the
fire lit and then we have breakfast.

121
00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,800
And so you're cooking the bacon
there?

122
00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:00,560
We're cooking the bacon now,
yeah.

123
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:01,800
In the fire box?

124
00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,800
That's about ready, that. Would you
like to try one? I certainly would.

125
00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,960
Thank you very much. Not at all.

126
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,360
You are an engine driver
and a gentleman, sir.

127
00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,120
Although it's going to leave me
somewhat stranded,

128
00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,080
I'm determined to take a ride
to the only stop on the line.

129
00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,360
The food service on this train
certain beats any buffet trolley.

130
00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,160
This is the bacon butty express.

131
00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:42,120
So the train's arrived
at Killington Lane, end of the line.

132
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,680
It looks like it's ended in a field.

133
00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:49,600
I can't wait for the line to be
completed to Barnstaple.

134
00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,840
As there's still 18 miles
of unrestored line,

135
00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,080
I'm left with no choice
but to continue my journey by road.

136
00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,440
My next destination
is Barnstaple on the River Taw,

137
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,800
which in the late 16th and early
17th centuries became a busy port

138
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:18,000
whose Great Quay and Little Quay
were built to accommodate the import

139
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:23,840
of tobacco, wine and spices, and the
export of Devon wool and pottery.

140
00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,960
Bradshaw's tells me
that Barnstaple is a sea port

141
00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:34,840
situated on the River Taw which is
crossed by a bridge of 16 arches.

142
00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,120
Apparently the principle
manufactures are baize,

143
00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:44,400
woollens, bobbin net, paper,
pottery, tanning, malt and ship

144
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,920
building to which Bradshaw's could
have added furniture.

145
00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,960
In 1851, Barnstaple entrepreneur
Henry Shapland

146
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,000
returned from America.

147
00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,400
He'd discovered modern
woodworking techniques

148
00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,480
and set about constructing
a wavy moulding machine.

149
00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,920
His business flourished,
particularly

150
00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,560
when the railway enabled goods
to be transported

151
00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:12,400
swiftly from production line
to London emporia.

152
00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,480
His factory,
which now produces specialist doors,

153
00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,960
became renowned for fitting out
cruise liners

154
00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,560
and, of even greater interest to me,
Pullman railway carriages.

155
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,560
I'm meeting production analyst Peter
Jenkins to find out more.

156
00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,160
Peter. Michael, nice to meet you.

157
00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,440
I see evidence here of railway
tracks.

158
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:37,600
Was it used by the factory

159
00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,640
for sending its furniture out to
the markets?

160
00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,080
It was used for the furniture
industry really,

161
00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:46,320
and also for doing carriages
which they refurbished in

162
00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:51,000
and out of their main
sort of design of furniture.

163
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:52,800
It was another addition
to what they did,

164
00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,200
because it was quite skilled.

165
00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,640
High quality stuff.

166
00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:57,000
Very high quality stuff.

167
00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,960
And predominantly setting out
by train.

168
00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,080
Predominantly setting out by train,
true.

169
00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,160
Freight operations on the Barnstaple
to Ilfracombe branch,

170
00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,520
which serviced the factory, ceased
in the 1960s as part of the cuts

171
00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,200
made by the Chairman of The British
Railways Board, Dr Richard Beeching.

172
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,040
And in 1970, its passenger
services also ceased.

173
00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,160
I'm hoping some of Shapland's older
staff might remember it and the

174
00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,800
long-since-demolished bridge that
carried it across the River Taw.

175
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,520
Hello, gentlemen.

176
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:41,760
I hear that you are long-serving
employees here.

177
00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:43,200
Yes. How far do you go back?

178
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,440
Well, I'm the youngest one.
I've been here 44 years.

179
00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,480
Fantastic. And I'm 47 and a half.
And I'm just coming up for 50 years.

180
00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:50,720
Amazing.

181
00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,560
Do you remember the bridge that
used to go across here?

182
00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,640
It looked rather rickety really
or almost infirm,

183
00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,360
because it was only a single
carriageway track

184
00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,720
and when you were on it, it went
over it very, very slow

185
00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,280
because I suppose it was obviously
a speed limit,

186
00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,000
because it wasn't that clever.

187
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,040
And whenever there was
bad weather,

188
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,080
they would always have the divers
out to check the bridge

189
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,160
before the trains
could go over it again.

190
00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,360
Watching the divers checking
the bridge doesn't

191
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,360
increase your confidence, does it?

192
00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,400
No. Thank you so much, gentlemen.

193
00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:25,840
I've enjoyed sharing your
memories very much. Bye-bye now.

194
00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,120
Enjoy the rest of your journey!

195
00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,840
Barnstaple does retain one historic
bridge

196
00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,000
which apparently confused my
Bradshaw's.

197
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,040
I'm hoping the town council's
Peter Doel can explain.

198
00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,400
Good afternoon, Michael.

199
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:42,720
It's a very beautiful bridge
here in Barnstaple.

200
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,560
My Bradshaw's guide tells me
it has 16 arches,

201
00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:48,200
but I can only count 15.

202
00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,040
It's an easy mistake to make because
the final arch on the town end

203
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:52,520
is actually a subway on dry land,

204
00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:57,080
and, at one time, the bridge is often
described as having 13,

205
00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:00,160
because the final three at the town
end were in wood, and only later

206
00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:01,400
replaced in stone.

207
00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,840
So sometimes you hear it described
as having only 13.

208
00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,480
So my Bradshaw's was not wrong.
No, no. Not wrong as such.

209
00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,560
There is only 15 actually
spanning the river today.

210
00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:15,240
Now, we are standing in front
of the most handsome clock tower

211
00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,880
not mentioned in Bradshaw's.
Was it here in the 1860s?

212
00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,720
It was completed in 1862.

213
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,760
So it probably just
misses your Bradshaw's.

214
00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,200
Let's go and have a closer look.

215
00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,280
Like so many towns
across these islands,

216
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:36,080
Barnstaple has a memorial to Queen
Victoria's prince consort, Albert.

217
00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,360
And
I hear that this one has a quirk.

218
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,440
Can we see signs that it's dedicated
to Albert?

219
00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,400
Yes, there are two memorial
panels either side

220
00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,360
and incorporated in the architecture
there is the letter A.

221
00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,320
You see it over and over again, once
you start looking for it.

222
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,080
Now, I don't want to be rude,
but I'm looking up at two faces

223
00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,280
at the moment and they tell
different times.

224
00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:56,880
Do you not keep it up to speed?

225
00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,520
We do. All four faces actually
tell a different story.

226
00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,360
They're known locally as
the four-faced liar.

227
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,000
Supposedly, when the clock was
installed, it was never fully

228
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,440
synchronised,
and when the town council restored

229
00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,720
the clock in 2009 we decided
to fossilise that four-faced

230
00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:16,320
liar within the electronic
regulator that's in there today.

231
00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,760
You know, in my political career,
Peter, I met a few two-faced liars

232
00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,040
but this is my first
experience of a four-faced liar.

233
00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:23,880
One of them's correct though!

234
00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,640
How very nice to see you. I'm
very interested in your clock,

235
00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,880
which tells a different time
on every face.

236
00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,320
Can you explain that to me?
No.

237
00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,960
It used to be called a lying clock,
because each face was different.

238
00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:47,200
Does it make people in Barnstaple
confused? Yes.

239
00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,480
You always look at your watch
as it goes bong. "No".

240
00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,120
You look at which face sort of
relates to your watch.

241
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,400
Well, enjoy the summer's weather.

242
00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,640
As the Devon evening draws in,
my thirst needs quenching.

243
00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,000
This is the Golden Lion,

244
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,560
which scores a mention in
my Bradshaw's guide.

245
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,920
It seems a good place to end
the day. Cheers!

246
00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,320
My first stop on this new day will
be the delightfully-named

247
00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,840
Eggesford, which is hardly
a metropolis.

248
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,560
Indeed my Bradshaw's describes it
as having no particular attraction,

249
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,760
and yet every train on this
line stops there.

250
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:57,600
It's not even a request stop
as many of the stations are.

251
00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,840
And I'm thinking there must be
a reason why.

252
00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,920
I'm travelling towards
Exeter on the Tarka Line,

253
00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,240
so named because it follows
the gentle river valleys

254
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,000
of Henry Williamson's
classic novel Tarka the Otter.

255
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,720
Hello. Hi. I notice that all
the trains stop at tiny little

256
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:25,520
Eggesford. Yes.

257
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:26,960
Do you know why that is?

258
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,640
Yes, it's the point
of exchange of the tokens.

259
00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,280
Because it's a single line
everywhere else,

260
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,280
each train has to have its own
specific token,

261
00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,760
because the token runs
from Eggesford to Barnstaple,

262
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,080
back to Eggesford.

263
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,440
Right, so it's a single line.
Of course.

264
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,880
So it's the safest way of operating
the actual line,

265
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,320
so no two trains can
be on the same section of track.

266
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,440
Exactly. You can
only have one train at a time.

267
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:55,480
As we arrive into Eggesford,

268
00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,720
I'm keen to see whether the single
line token system

269
00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:01,080
has become as automated
as the rest of the railways.

270
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,920
OK, Crediton signalman, I've removed
the Eggesford-to-Crediton key token.

271
00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:13,280
The whole scene could be Victorian
apart from the Portakabin.

272
00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,160
Token in hand.
Signalman informed.

273
00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:19,960
He is indeed. How was the journey
for you, sir? Very nice.

274
00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,360
Have a good one yourself. Thank you.
Thank you. Bye-bye now.

275
00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,440
I understand why trains stop
at Eggesford today,

276
00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,400
but tokens were introduced on this
line only in 1987.

277
00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,480
I'm hoping that local
Derek Dyer will be able to tell me

278
00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,080
why they've been stopping
in sleepy Eggesford

279
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:41,600
ever since Bradshaw's day.

280
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,560
This is downtown Eggesford,
is it? Yes, this is Eggesford.

281
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,000
It's been known locally
as the church without a village,

282
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,360
as there's not much else around here.

283
00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:54,600
Now why have
we come to this vantage point?

284
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,160
We've come here because if we look up
the hill we can see Eggesford House.

285
00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,360
It came into
the Earls of Portsmouth's family

286
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:04,160
by marriage in the 18th century.

287
00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,000
And the chap that became
the fourth Earl of Portsmouth,

288
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,520
Newton Fellowes, got the road built
through here and also the railway.

289
00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,160
And what conditions had he put on,

290
00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:15,600
allowing the railway
though his land?

291
00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,480
He made it quite clear, I think,
in a legal covenant, that he

292
00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:20,920
wanted every train
to stop at Eggesford,

293
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,280
and clearly he wanted to show off
his country estate, as well.

294
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,600
What remnants are there
of the Earls of Portsmouth?

295
00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:29,640
Do you see their name around?

296
00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:30,880
Yes, in the local area.

297
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,240
They owned about
10,000 acres of land around here,

298
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:36,680
a huge, huge estate, considering
it wasn't the main estate -

299
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,000
there are estates in Hampshire,
as well.

300
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:40,640
They built a school in the area,

301
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,680
there's workers cottages,
which have built-in pigsties -

302
00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,080
probably at the time
quite forward-thinking.

303
00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:47,840
I think it would have
been fantastic,

304
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,160
I mean not for me
companion of honour,

305
00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,200
not for me
a knight of the garter,

306
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:53,840
to be remembered as the man who

307
00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,080
made the train stop in perpetuity,
that's all I want.

308
00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,920
Yes, he's very well-loved
in the area, I think, still,

309
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:01,240
the Earl of Portsmouth.

310
00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:03,760
Mainly because there's
a pub named after him.

311
00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:05,200
THEY LAUGH

312
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,120
My next stop will be Exeter,
which my Bradshaw's tells me

313
00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:26,720
is "The capital of Devon
and of the west of England.

314
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,960
"A bishop's see, city
and parliamentary borough

315
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,000
"on the Great Western Railway,

316
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,240
"194 miles from London."

317
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,800
So I'm going from one of Devon's
least-used stations

318
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,320
to one of its busiest.

319
00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:41,960
Back in the second century,

320
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,600
the Romans built a sturdy wall
around Exeter,

321
00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:48,080
a Norman castle
and cathedral followed.

322
00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,480
The city's more recent prosperity
was built on engineering,

323
00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,360
iron, brewing,
papermaking and printing.

324
00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,400
The first train
of the Great Western Railway

325
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:03,520
steamed into St Davids Station
from London on 1st May 1844.

326
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:09,200
"Exeter," says Bradshaw's,
"stretches for nearly two miles

327
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,040
"over a hill above the river
and is therefore

328
00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,920
"not only pleasantly seated,
but well drained.

329
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,440
"At the top north of the town
are the picturesque

330
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,960
"ruined walls and gate
of Rougemont Castle."

331
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:27,080
And then it talks about the
"fine elm walk of Northernbay."

332
00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,680
But I think that's either
a mistake or a misprint,

333
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,320
because the gardens in Exeter,
I believe, are called Northernhay

334
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,960
and they overlook
Exeter Central station.

335
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,440
'Incorporating
a stretch of Roman wall

336
00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,360
'and the only length
of Saxon town wall seen in England,

337
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:53,880
'Northernhay Gardens underwent
major re-landscaping in 1860,

338
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,120
'including the terraces
overlooking the railway.

339
00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:03,200
'Galvin Short looks after
the gardens now.'

340
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,080
For the railway enthusiast, the
great thing about these gardens

341
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,400
is that you can see
the gardens from the railway

342
00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,920
and you can see the railway
from the gardens.

343
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,800
Were the Victorians keen to come
here and look at the trains?

344
00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,600
Absolutely. We also have a view
of, what, the jail over there?

345
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,520
The county jail, yes.

346
00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,280
It was built in 1853
and it was the location for all our

347
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,000
public executions until 1866.

348
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,840
So, you could stand here,
watch the trains go by,

349
00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:33,120
afternoon, catch a hanging,
and then go off and do other things.

350
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:34,880
We've got the three tiers going up

351
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,160
and apparently, according to
the records, they were full.

352
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,760
It was shoulder to shoulder,

353
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,240
line to line of people
watching both.

354
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,360
Yeah, the Victorians could be
a bit ghoulish, couldn't they?

355
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,720
'Above the tiered walkway
is the park proper.

356
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,880
'Galvin appears to be as passionate
about it

357
00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,400
'as his Victorian predecessors.'

358
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,280
What is the history of this
lovely verdant space?

359
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,120
Northernhay Gardens is
officially designated

360
00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,240
the oldest public open space
in the country

361
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,120
and that's dated at 1612.

362
00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:06,600
And what I'm looking at today?

363
00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:10,120
You're looking at today is a
quintessential Victorian lay out.

364
00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:12,560
Got a nice wide avenue of footpaths,

365
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:16,800
but the purpose of the footpaths
was that Victorian habit of

366
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,760
going out for a stroll,
perambulating around,

367
00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,520
exchanging business cards,
exchanging pleasantries

368
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,720
and, most importantly, being seen.

369
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:26,480
Being seen doing it.

370
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,520
The Victorians also took their parks
very seriously, didn't they?

371
00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,600
They did. The first
official public park

372
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,840
was built and designed by Paxton,

373
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:39,200
Joseph Paxton, who passed away
in 1865 and every public park

374
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,360
should have a statue of him
on the main gate, because without

375
00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:47,600
his drive at the time, parks would
still be the realm of the rich.

376
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,800
Who are the other great
Victorian figures in the park world?

377
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:52,280
Well, if I could have a statue

378
00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:55,640
of Joseph Paxton
at one end of the park,

379
00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:59,360
James Veitch senior would have
to be at the other end of the park.

380
00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:02,600
Who was he? James Veitch senior
was the powerhouse

381
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,040
behind the House of Veitch,

382
00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,640
which was the
internationally-acclaimed nurseries,

383
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,560
which were Exeter-based.

384
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,280
And we can look around any part
of the Exeter skyline

385
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,600
and there's the heritage
for all to see.

386
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:19,320
'At the end of the Napoleonic Wars,
importing plants became easier

387
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,160
'and James Veitch
took full advantage.

388
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,600
'He started in Devon, but in 1853

389
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,240
'his family opened
a nursery in Chelsea.

390
00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,160
'Their plant houses
attracted high society,

391
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,720
'as royalty and scientists,
including Charles Darwin,

392
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,720
'admired and studied
the Veitch collections.

393
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:44,600
'Galvin is replanting the park
in the Veitch style.'

394
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,920
What I'd like you to do,
if you don't mind,

395
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,360
is help me with this project.

396
00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:49,520
Here's a sweet pea.

397
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,240
And if we can get
a couple of the sweet peas

398
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,800
in that frame, hopefully,
by about August,

399
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:57,800
we'll have a tower of flowers.

400
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,400
Thank you very much.

401
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,840
In the best traditions
of a Victorian head gardener,

402
00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,440
I'll just push that
in with my foot.

403
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,200
To satisfy the Victorian demand
for exotics, Veitch sent

404
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:21,000
plant hunters to the
corners of the globe

405
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,520
and his passion for precise
knowledge was typical of the age.

406
00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,560
The urge to gather plants
from around the world was

407
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,240
part of a broader
Victorian mentality.

408
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,880
They were collators,
cataloguers and curators.

409
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,360
Everything from beetles to bottles,

410
00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,520
and tortoises to tyrannosaurus

411
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,560
was, for the Victorians,
collectible.

412
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,960
When Prince Albert died,
Exeter responded by building

413
00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,840
The Albert Memorial Institution
on Queen Street.

414
00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:55,160
The building housed a museum,
art gallery, public library,

415
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,720
school of art and a college.

416
00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,480
'These days it's known
as the Royal Albert Memorial Museum

417
00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:05,320
'and contains many and varied
Victorian collections,

418
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,160
'now cared for by
the conservation department,

419
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,040
'led by Alison Hopper-Bishop.'

420
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,760
I've come in search
of Victorian collections.

421
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,640
Hello. Well, you'll find
plenty of those here.

422
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,440
This is a prime example.

423
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:20,960
What are these?

424
00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,000
Well, this is a
small selection of shells

425
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,800
from the collection donated to us

426
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,880
by Miss Linter, who was
an avid shell dealer

427
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,280
and collector of land snails.

428
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:32,520
This is her.

429
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:35,640
She made it her mission to try
to collect every land snail

430
00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,120
that was known about.

431
00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:39,520
The collection is very important
to us today,

432
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,800
because many of the snails
that she did collect

433
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:46,720
are now extinct in the part of
the world that they came from,

434
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,360
in particular Hawaii.

435
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:52,480
'At least 50 animal species
have become extinct since

436
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:57,960
'Bradshaw's day, including mammals,
reptiles, amphibians and birds.'

437
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,000
I don't know much about shells,

438
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,240
but my guess is that this thing
here is not a snail shell.

439
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,360
What is that? It's a moa egg, it's
an extinct bird from New Zealand.

440
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:09,280
How rare is that?

441
00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,160
There's only 36 specimens

442
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,360
of a decent size been catalogued

443
00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:15,720
in the world, but at the moment

444
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,040
we're thinking this
might be a 37th one.

445
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,120
How exciting. What are you
having to do with it?

446
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,120
Basically, clean it up, but because
of the DNA, you have to use

447
00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:24,680
dry methods, if possible.

448
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:27,800
DNA of an extinct species. Yes.

449
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:29,800
Wonderful.

450
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,480
So, Kirsty, what do you actually
have to do to these shells?

451
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:34,920
Do you want to have a go?

452
00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:36,680
Yes, I'd love to.

453
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,040
Gloves. Yes, please...

454
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,120
So here, that's a shell for you.

455
00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:44,840
So this one is in
its original box...

456
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,920
In its original box, with
its original packaging.

457
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:49,960
You've got two shells in there.
I have.

458
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:52,200
I have I don't know if you
want to use tweezers.

459
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,040
'Kirsty's cleaned around
20,000 snail shells

460
00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:56,480
'in three and a half years,

461
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,600
'that's almost the entirety
of Miss Linter's collection.

462
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,360
'But the snail catalogue numbers
in excess of 60,000,

463
00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:06,400
'and they all need cleaning.'

464
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,240
Do you think that little fellow's
clean? I think he's clean.

465
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,280
Very satisfying to think that
that another little Victorian shell

466
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,120
has taken a bath.

467
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,400
Thank you very much. Thank you.

468
00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,080
Both the clock tower in Barnstaple
and the museum in Exeter

469
00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,280
were memorials to Prince Albert,

470
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,760
the beloved husband
of Queen Victoria,

471
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,800
who, with his support
of progress and innovation,

472
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,440
was a typical Victorian.

473
00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:40,480
George Bradshaw might be especially
grateful to him, for it was he

474
00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:45,400
who persuaded Her Majesty
that it was safe and ladylike

475
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,360
and fit for a queen
to travel by train.

476
00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:55,520
'On my next journey,
I'll take to sea with

477
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:57,960
'the heroes of the RNLI...

478
00:27:57,960 --> 00:27:59,960
Couple of big waves coming now.

479
00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:01,280
There we go. Whoa!

480
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,280
At the moment, it feels
a bit like, I imagine,

481
00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,320
a jockey in the Grand National.

482
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,920
We're going up and down
and over the fences.

483
00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:12,320
'..I'll visit a stormy
coastal railway...'

484
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,280
When the waves hit this section, the
plumes of water go right over the top

485
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,320
of the footbridge at the station.

486
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:24,320
'..and have a close encounter
with a boyhood hero.'

487
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,840
This is exciting. Is this genuinely
a section of Brunel's pipe?

488
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:29,280
It is indeed, yes.

489
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,800
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd