1 00:00:05,580 --> 00:00:09,980 In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain. 2 00:00:09,980 --> 00:00:12,180 His name was George Bradshaw 3 00:00:12,180 --> 00:00:17,180 and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks. 4 00:00:17,180 --> 00:00:20,300 Stop by stop he told them where to go, 5 00:00:20,300 --> 00:00:22,980 what to see and where to stay. 6 00:00:22,980 --> 00:00:25,860 And now, 170 years later, 7 00:00:25,860 --> 00:00:30,860 I'm aboard for a series of rail adventures across the United Kingdom 8 00:00:30,860 --> 00:00:34,380 to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains. 9 00:00:54,060 --> 00:00:58,660 I'm continuing my journey from the Hampshire coast to the West Midlands 10 00:00:58,660 --> 00:01:00,340 using mainly branch lines, 11 00:01:00,340 --> 00:01:03,500 but thanks to the railways, the towns along my route 12 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:07,540 could play their part at the heart of the British Empire. 13 00:01:07,540 --> 00:01:11,740 There's a distinctly military feel to this part of my beat. 14 00:01:15,260 --> 00:01:20,540 'On this stretch I encounter the Duke of Wellington's impressive funeral car.' 15 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:25,340 It is the most colossal thing, isn't it? Absolutely enormous 16 00:01:25,340 --> 00:01:28,980 'I get my marching orders from the army.' 17 00:01:28,980 --> 00:01:33,900 Get those knees up, Portillo, get those knees up nice and high! 18 00:01:33,900 --> 00:01:38,180 'And I learn of the surprisingly enlightened 19th-century attitude 19 00:01:38,180 --> 00:01:40,620 'towards the criminally insane.' 20 00:01:40,620 --> 00:01:43,060 What the Victorian did was they established that people 21 00:01:43,060 --> 00:01:45,700 with mental illness who committed crime needed health care. 22 00:01:45,700 --> 00:01:47,900 They needed a hospital, not a prison. 23 00:01:52,820 --> 00:01:55,620 My journey started on the south coast, 24 00:01:55,620 --> 00:01:57,260 heads through Hampshire, 25 00:01:57,260 --> 00:01:59,100 north west to Newbury, 26 00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:02,420 takes in an engineering triumph in Bristol 27 00:02:02,420 --> 00:02:04,780 and ends in the West Midlands. 28 00:02:07,020 --> 00:02:10,060 Today's leg begins at Winchfield in Hampshire, 29 00:02:10,060 --> 00:02:12,700 takes a short hop to Farnborough, 30 00:02:12,700 --> 00:02:15,980 and crosses into Berkshire to finish at Crowthorne. 31 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:22,820 My first stop will be Winchfield. 32 00:02:22,820 --> 00:02:26,540 Bradshaw's tells me that the line passes beneath Odiham Bridge, 33 00:02:26,540 --> 00:02:30,780 which leads to the seat of the late and present Duke of Wellington - 34 00:02:30,780 --> 00:02:35,620 Stratfield Saye, situated about six miles off to the right. 35 00:02:35,620 --> 00:02:40,540 The victor of Waterloo and an estate owner to boot. 36 00:02:43,060 --> 00:02:46,220 The station at Winchfield opened in 1838. 37 00:02:48,060 --> 00:02:51,100 Firmly established on London's commuter belt, 38 00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:56,180 in Bradshaw's day it was renowned for its proximity to Stratfield Saye, 39 00:02:56,180 --> 00:02:59,980 home to perhaps the 19th century's most famous British soldier - 40 00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:01,660 the Duke of Wellington. 41 00:03:03,460 --> 00:03:06,140 This beautiful estate at Stratfield Saye was gifted 42 00:03:06,140 --> 00:03:08,780 to the Duke of Wellington by a grateful nation 43 00:03:08,780 --> 00:03:11,020 after his victory at the Battle of Waterloo. 44 00:03:11,020 --> 00:03:16,140 The only precedent was the land that was given to the Duke of Marlborough 45 00:03:16,140 --> 00:03:18,500 after his victory at the Battle of Blenheim, 46 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:22,540 but whereas Marlborough built an enormous Blenheim Palace 47 00:03:22,540 --> 00:03:26,140 on his estate, Stratfield Saye remains 48 00:03:26,140 --> 00:03:28,900 a delightfully understated country house. 49 00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:35,460 Although avoiding ostentation, 50 00:03:35,460 --> 00:03:39,460 Wellington did like his modern conveniences at Stratfield Saye, 51 00:03:39,460 --> 00:03:42,140 where flushing lavatories and central heating 52 00:03:42,140 --> 00:03:45,740 were installed in the house, which dates from 1630. 53 00:03:47,260 --> 00:03:51,220 To learn more, I'm meeting Lord Douro - the current occupant 54 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:53,380 and eldest son of the present Duke. 55 00:03:54,820 --> 00:03:57,660 The Duke of Wellington was fortunate to live 37 years 56 00:03:57,660 --> 00:04:00,340 after the Battle of Waterloo. Did he enjoy Stratfield Saye? 57 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:03,660 I think very much, but I think also 58 00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:07,460 his wife and children very much enjoyed living here, 59 00:04:07,460 --> 00:04:09,420 so he was very, very content 60 00:04:09,420 --> 00:04:12,540 and all his life considered this as his home. 61 00:04:12,540 --> 00:04:15,340 He was unlucky enough in a way to become Prime Minister. 62 00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:17,820 Did that interrupt his enjoyment of Stratfield Saye? 63 00:04:17,820 --> 00:04:21,300 I think it must have to a certain extent. I mean you can't not 64 00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:25,780 become Prime Minister and find yourself extremely occupied. 65 00:04:25,780 --> 00:04:28,620 So he would have had less time to come here. 66 00:04:30,180 --> 00:04:35,700 'Born Arthur Wellesley in Dublin to Anglo-Irish aristocrats in 1769, 67 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:39,140 'the future Duke rose quickly through the officer ranks, 68 00:04:39,140 --> 00:04:44,060 'led British forces to victory in India at Assaye in 1803 69 00:04:44,060 --> 00:04:46,940 'and then, as shown in this filmed re-enactment, 70 00:04:46,940 --> 00:04:49,940 'defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo. 71 00:04:51,180 --> 00:04:53,900 'The Duke's popularity rivalled Queen Victoria's 72 00:04:53,900 --> 00:04:56,500 'and I wonder how they got on.' 73 00:04:56,500 --> 00:04:59,660 Tell me about his relationship with the young Queen Victoria. 74 00:04:59,660 --> 00:05:02,300 He was godfather to one of her children, 75 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:05,980 she was godmother to one of his granddaughters. 76 00:05:05,980 --> 00:05:09,140 So I think it was a very close relationship 77 00:05:09,140 --> 00:05:11,260 and when she came to stay here, 78 00:05:11,260 --> 00:05:14,900 she writes charmingly about the experience of staying with the Duke. 79 00:05:16,940 --> 00:05:19,580 Although Winchfield had its own station, 80 00:05:19,580 --> 00:05:23,820 Wellington wasn't a fan of the railways and rarely took the train. 81 00:05:23,820 --> 00:05:27,900 Maybe part of his doubts about railways 82 00:05:27,900 --> 00:05:34,020 were the result of a tragic, tragic incident in 1830 83 00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:38,660 when he was Prime Minister when he was asked to open the new railway 84 00:05:38,660 --> 00:05:40,740 from Liverpool to Manchester. 85 00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:45,580 And halfway along the journey, the train stopped and Mr Huskison, 86 00:05:45,580 --> 00:05:47,620 who had been a cabinet minister, 87 00:05:47,620 --> 00:05:51,660 got out of his carriage to walk along the track 88 00:05:51,660 --> 00:05:57,380 to say hello to the Duke and was killed by Stephenson's Rocket 89 00:05:57,380 --> 00:06:00,020 which was coming along in the other direction. 90 00:06:00,020 --> 00:06:01,500 And, I think, ever since then 91 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:04,460 the Duke had a very sceptical approach to railways. 92 00:06:04,460 --> 00:06:07,260 Well, I think we can forgive the Iron Duke 93 00:06:07,260 --> 00:06:09,740 his views of the railways, given that he was 94 00:06:09,740 --> 00:06:11,140 a great national hero. 95 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:15,940 On the 18th of June 1815, 96 00:06:15,940 --> 00:06:19,260 the Commander in Chief's faithful companion at Waterloo 97 00:06:19,260 --> 00:06:21,660 was his chestnut stallion, Copenhagen. 98 00:06:23,980 --> 00:06:26,620 21 years after the battle, the horse died 99 00:06:26,620 --> 00:06:29,140 and the Duke buried him at Stratfield Saye 100 00:06:29,140 --> 00:06:31,260 with full military honours. 101 00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:35,740 The first Duke must have felt very strongly about his horse 102 00:06:35,740 --> 00:06:38,180 to bury it in this way - why, do you think? 103 00:06:38,180 --> 00:06:41,780 The Duke was tremendously dependent on a reliable horse. 104 00:06:41,780 --> 00:06:43,700 He rode this horse all day, 105 00:06:43,700 --> 00:06:46,420 from early in the morning to late that evening 106 00:06:46,420 --> 00:06:49,180 so Copenhagen played a very important part 107 00:06:49,180 --> 00:06:52,020 in the success of the battle. 108 00:06:52,020 --> 00:06:56,100 Copenhagen deserved to be buried with such honours. Certainly. 109 00:06:59,140 --> 00:07:04,540 In November 1852, two months after Wellington's death, aged 83, 110 00:07:04,540 --> 00:07:07,740 he was laid to rest in a lavish state funeral. 111 00:07:10,140 --> 00:07:14,100 Prince Albert helped to design the 27-foot-long car 112 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:17,660 that carried the Duke's coffin to his final resting place, 113 00:07:17,660 --> 00:07:22,300 next to Lord Nelson in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral in London. 114 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:25,180 The car dominates the house museum. 115 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:30,180 So through here you're going to see suddenly... 116 00:07:30,180 --> 00:07:31,940 the funeral car. 117 00:07:33,060 --> 00:07:37,300 It is the most colossal thing, isn't it? Absolutely enormous. 118 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:39,380 What on earth does it weigh? 119 00:07:39,380 --> 00:07:41,380 I believe it weighs 18 tonnes, 120 00:07:41,380 --> 00:07:46,260 but more remarkable is that it was made in 18 days. From what? 121 00:07:46,260 --> 00:07:49,620 Partly from canons captured at Waterloo. 122 00:07:50,940 --> 00:07:53,780 And it's quite a complicated mechanism, because 123 00:07:53,780 --> 00:07:57,180 the whole of the top part has to be able to swivel, 124 00:07:57,180 --> 00:08:02,500 so as to take the coffin off and up the steps of St Pauls. 125 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:04,300 Spectacular. 126 00:08:05,740 --> 00:08:09,020 'Although in Pall Mall, 30 soldiers had to free the car 127 00:08:09,020 --> 00:08:11,940 'after the sheer weight of it caused the roadbed to give way.' 128 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:15,700 'More than a million people, hats in hand, 129 00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:18,860 'lined the route from Westminster Hall to St Paul's 130 00:08:18,860 --> 00:08:21,980 'and Queen Victoria was one of them.' 131 00:08:21,980 --> 00:08:23,620 She didn't go to the ceremony, 132 00:08:23,620 --> 00:08:26,380 because in those days it would not have been appropriate, 133 00:08:26,380 --> 00:08:29,540 but she watched the procession pass Buckingham Palace 134 00:08:29,540 --> 00:08:32,460 and then went to St James's Palace 135 00:08:32,460 --> 00:08:35,820 and watched it again coming down St James's. 136 00:08:35,820 --> 00:08:37,900 She was extremely sad. 137 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:41,420 She had great love and affection for him 138 00:08:41,420 --> 00:08:45,780 and she wrote a wonderful letter to the then Lady Douro. 139 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:50,060 "It is impossible to think of this country without the Duke - 140 00:08:50,060 --> 00:08:52,460 "her pride, her hero. 141 00:08:52,460 --> 00:08:57,540 "It is a terrible loss, and to us, dear Bessie, a very severe one." 142 00:09:03,980 --> 00:09:07,140 Having seen how the Commander in Chief spent his retirement, 143 00:09:07,140 --> 00:09:10,340 at my next stop, I hope to discover what life was like 144 00:09:10,340 --> 00:09:13,220 for rank and file Victorian soldiers. 145 00:09:16,220 --> 00:09:20,020 I shall be alighting at Farnborough, which my Bradshaw's tells me 146 00:09:20,020 --> 00:09:23,340 is the nearest station to the Army camp at Aldershot. 147 00:09:23,340 --> 00:09:26,780 I once had the honour of inspecting the Paras there 148 00:09:26,780 --> 00:09:30,020 and I shall be interested to find out how such brave men 149 00:09:30,020 --> 00:09:32,220 are made fit for battle. 150 00:09:35,220 --> 00:09:38,460 Amid concern that the Army was unfit for purpose, 151 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:42,660 Prince Albert urged commanders to modernise training methods. 152 00:09:43,860 --> 00:09:47,300 Close enough to the south coast to repel potential French invaders, 153 00:09:47,300 --> 00:09:49,140 Aldershot Heath was chosen. 154 00:09:50,780 --> 00:09:54,820 I'm meeting military historian Paul Vickers at the camp museum. 155 00:09:56,700 --> 00:09:59,580 Bradshaw's Guide tells me that the nearest railway station 156 00:09:59,580 --> 00:10:02,340 to the camp at Aldershot is Farnborough, 157 00:10:02,340 --> 00:10:04,180 but surely it is actually Aldershot? 158 00:10:04,180 --> 00:10:06,820 Well, at the time of your Bradshaw's Guide, it wasn't, 159 00:10:06,820 --> 00:10:09,500 because the railway itself didn't come to Aldershot 160 00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:14,700 until 1870, after the town grew up around the camp. 161 00:10:14,700 --> 00:10:16,660 And what was it like in those early days? 162 00:10:16,660 --> 00:10:19,100 You would just see line upon line of wooden huts, 163 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:21,860 because that's what was built initially for the Army. 164 00:10:21,860 --> 00:10:25,300 Prior to that time Aldershot had just been a very small village, 165 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:29,580 about a mile further to the east, of 875 people. 166 00:10:29,580 --> 00:10:33,220 Suddenly within five years, there were 15,000 soldiers. 167 00:10:35,660 --> 00:10:39,780 In 1890, the wooden huts, which had stood for 30 years, 168 00:10:39,780 --> 00:10:42,140 were replaced with brick barracks 169 00:10:42,140 --> 00:10:46,340 I'm keen to find out about the living conditions of an infantryman. 170 00:10:48,020 --> 00:10:51,460 There'd be a company of soldiers, so there'd be 40 men living in here. 171 00:10:51,460 --> 00:10:54,180 We can see that he has a simple bed, 172 00:10:54,180 --> 00:10:57,940 a rack on which he can keep his uniforms and equipment. 173 00:10:57,940 --> 00:10:59,620 What was the bed like? 174 00:10:59,620 --> 00:11:02,060 Not the most comfortable. 175 00:11:02,060 --> 00:11:05,100 The conditions were fairly spartan in the barrack blocks. 176 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:06,980 Quite narrow too, isn't it? 177 00:11:06,980 --> 00:11:10,500 Yes, well, they were packed in here but also people at that time 178 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:13,020 were much smaller than they are now. 179 00:11:13,020 --> 00:11:15,100 So here's my Victorian soldier - 180 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:16,700 fairly cramped conditions, 181 00:11:16,700 --> 00:11:18,300 lots of heavy equipment, 182 00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:20,820 heavy rifle musket, 183 00:11:20,820 --> 00:11:24,980 but nonetheless, a good deal better than many people in civilian life 184 00:11:24,980 --> 00:11:27,860 and a great deal better than living in a tent or a wooden hut. 185 00:11:29,900 --> 00:11:33,340 'Aldershot got its civilian station in 1870 186 00:11:33,340 --> 00:11:35,580 'and it's still here today. 187 00:11:35,580 --> 00:11:38,700 'Now Paul wants to show me a Victorian railway 188 00:11:38,700 --> 00:11:40,460 'that hasn't stood the test of time.' 189 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:45,500 So why have you brought me to these sidings off the main line here? 190 00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:48,780 This is quite possibly one of the most expensive pieces 191 00:11:48,780 --> 00:11:52,500 of railway in the country. Well, it certainly doesn't look it. 192 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:54,140 First of all, where does it go? 193 00:11:54,140 --> 00:11:58,300 In the 1890s, the first soldiers to go out to the Boer War 194 00:11:58,300 --> 00:12:01,180 came down these sidings on to the main line 195 00:12:01,180 --> 00:12:04,620 to go out to the campaign. So why so expensive? 196 00:12:04,620 --> 00:12:09,140 Because in 1885 they'd launched a new campaign in the Sudan 197 00:12:09,140 --> 00:12:12,780 for which they wanted a railway to transport their goods and materials. 198 00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:16,460 So 38 ships full of railway equipment were sent out, 199 00:12:16,460 --> 00:12:19,060 but no sooner had the campaign started 200 00:12:19,060 --> 00:12:23,100 that Prime Minister Gladstone pulled the plug on the campaign. 201 00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:27,020 So the ships were sent back to Britain with all this material, 202 00:12:27,020 --> 00:12:29,380 then used for railway lines such as this one. 203 00:12:29,380 --> 00:12:30,820 What did that cost? 204 00:12:30,820 --> 00:12:35,500 It was calculated that the cost at the time was £865,000 205 00:12:35,500 --> 00:12:38,980 which in present day values is around £73 million. 206 00:12:40,380 --> 00:12:41,900 Extraordinary! 207 00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:50,580 As a former Defence Secretary, I know what emphasis the Army places 208 00:12:50,580 --> 00:12:54,620 on physical fitness, but I wonder whether that was always the case. 209 00:12:56,580 --> 00:12:59,820 I confess that the gymnasium is not exactly my natural habitat 210 00:12:59,820 --> 00:13:03,140 but this is a glorious building! 211 00:13:03,140 --> 00:13:05,540 This building is from 1894, 212 00:13:05,540 --> 00:13:09,420 but it replaced the original gymnasium 213 00:13:09,420 --> 00:13:12,300 and this was put up in 1860. 214 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:16,300 It was the first gymnasium in the British Army anywhere. 215 00:13:16,300 --> 00:13:18,020 During the Crimean War, 216 00:13:18,020 --> 00:13:22,020 the fitness of the soldier was not as good as it should be 217 00:13:22,020 --> 00:13:27,100 and the Army Physical Training Corps was founded here in 1860, 218 00:13:27,100 --> 00:13:29,540 bringing in a much more scientific approach 219 00:13:29,540 --> 00:13:32,020 to physical fitness at this time. 220 00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:35,780 How did they set about being scientific about physical education? 221 00:13:35,780 --> 00:13:39,460 Well, they nominated an officer, Major Frederick Hammersley, 222 00:13:39,460 --> 00:13:41,980 and 12 non-commissioned officers 223 00:13:41,980 --> 00:13:44,940 and they were sent to a college in Oxford to learn 224 00:13:44,940 --> 00:13:47,620 the science of gymnastics, as it was at the time. 225 00:13:47,620 --> 00:13:49,860 They then came back to Aldershot 226 00:13:49,860 --> 00:13:53,500 and set up what was then known as the Army Gymnastic Service, 227 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:58,380 and from that grew the Army Physical Training Corps as we know it today. 228 00:13:58,380 --> 00:14:01,420 Do you think for the individual it can make the difference 229 00:14:01,420 --> 00:14:03,460 between life and death, and for the army 230 00:14:03,460 --> 00:14:05,860 can it make the difference between defeat and victory? 231 00:14:05,860 --> 00:14:07,100 Oh, very much so, yes. 232 00:14:07,100 --> 00:14:10,180 Without the necessary fitness in the field. 233 00:14:10,180 --> 00:14:13,340 a soldier cannot fight to the full capacity. 234 00:14:18,460 --> 00:14:20,940 Portillo versus the British Army. 235 00:14:20,940 --> 00:14:22,220 They don't stand a chance. 236 00:14:25,060 --> 00:14:28,700 Get those knees up, Portillo, get those knees up nice and high. 237 00:14:28,700 --> 00:14:31,900 And now slightly leaning back again and flicking the toes up 238 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:33,740 and carry on normal jogging. 239 00:14:33,740 --> 00:14:36,700 Listen to voice command. When I say direction change, 240 00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:39,820 pick up the leading foot and turn and run in the opposite direction... 241 00:14:39,820 --> 00:14:41,260 When does this finish? 242 00:14:41,260 --> 00:14:43,060 Change! 243 00:14:43,060 --> 00:14:45,900 Well done. That was a surprise. 244 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,540 And bouncing off the toes. 245 00:14:48,540 --> 00:14:51,180 HE BREATHES HEAVILY 246 00:14:51,180 --> 00:14:52,500 Five press-ups, off you go. 247 00:14:52,500 --> 00:14:55,740 Well, I survived about five minutes. 248 00:14:55,740 --> 00:14:59,340 I imagine these guys will be going on for, I don't know, 249 00:14:59,340 --> 00:15:02,140 30, 45 minutes. 250 00:15:02,140 --> 00:15:03,980 You've got to admire them... 251 00:15:03,980 --> 00:15:06,460 Well done, guys, carry on. 252 00:15:06,460 --> 00:15:08,220 Keep it going, guys! 253 00:15:12,940 --> 00:15:16,500 To reach my next destination I'm using North Camp, 254 00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:19,340 a station opened to troops in 1858. 255 00:15:21,060 --> 00:15:24,100 From there, I'm heading one stop to Farnborough North. 256 00:15:25,900 --> 00:15:28,380 Having reminded myself how the military 257 00:15:28,380 --> 00:15:32,220 dedicates its lives to the service of Her Majesty the Queen, 258 00:15:32,220 --> 00:15:35,060 I'm now interested to see how another group, 259 00:15:35,060 --> 00:15:38,060 established in the community since late Victorian times 260 00:15:38,060 --> 00:15:42,500 dedicates its lives to the service of God. 261 00:15:43,980 --> 00:15:45,660 Put through my paces by the Army, 262 00:15:45,660 --> 00:15:49,180 I'm seeking a tranquil spot to reflect on my journey so far. 263 00:15:50,300 --> 00:15:52,660 What better place to rest my weary limbs 264 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:55,820 than the invitingly named Monastery of St Michael? 265 00:15:56,980 --> 00:15:58,580 Hello. Hello. 266 00:15:58,580 --> 00:16:02,980 I'm looking for the Benedictine monastery of St Michael's. 267 00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:06,940 Yes, it's across the road there and it'll be up to your right-hand side. 268 00:16:06,940 --> 00:16:08,220 Oh, great! 269 00:16:08,220 --> 00:16:10,620 Have you any idea why there is a monastery here? 270 00:16:10,620 --> 00:16:14,460 The only thing I know about it is Princess Eugenie is buried there. 271 00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:16,700 Beyond that I don't know. 272 00:16:16,700 --> 00:16:19,540 Thank you very much for the directions, 273 00:16:19,540 --> 00:16:21,540 I'll make my way. Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. 274 00:16:21,540 --> 00:16:25,460 This Eugenie was actually a French empress, 275 00:16:25,460 --> 00:16:29,900 and I'm intrigued to know why such a personage is buried 276 00:16:29,900 --> 00:16:34,180 in a suburban town just a stone's throw from a commuter line. 277 00:16:37,020 --> 00:16:39,140 This is the most extraordinary sight, 278 00:16:39,140 --> 00:16:42,860 about as far from my concept of Farnborough as it's possible to get. 279 00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:45,940 It appears to be a medieval French castle, 280 00:16:45,940 --> 00:16:49,420 next to a Victorian house, 281 00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:53,180 with a Renaissance chapel beyond, 282 00:16:53,180 --> 00:16:59,020 and, I must say, the most delightful feeling of tranquillity. 283 00:17:04,460 --> 00:17:08,540 I'm meeting Abbot Cuthbert Brogan by the monastery's chapel 284 00:17:08,540 --> 00:17:11,740 to find out more about this surprising Hampshire retreat. 285 00:17:12,860 --> 00:17:15,580 How did it come to be that a Benedictine monastery 286 00:17:15,580 --> 00:17:17,060 was built in this place? 287 00:17:17,060 --> 00:17:20,540 The origin of the monastery is the Empress Eugenie. 288 00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:24,980 The Empress was the widow, by the time she came to Farnborough, 289 00:17:24,980 --> 00:17:27,420 of the emperor Napoleon III. 290 00:17:27,420 --> 00:17:31,260 Napoleon III is the nephew of the one we all know about. 291 00:17:31,260 --> 00:17:34,740 And she moved to Farnborough in the September of 1880 292 00:17:34,740 --> 00:17:37,540 and built the monastery and the church 293 00:17:37,540 --> 00:17:39,580 and gave it to us. 294 00:17:39,580 --> 00:17:44,540 18 years into his reign, French Emperor Napoleon III 295 00:17:44,540 --> 00:17:47,700 lost the Franco Prussian war, in 1870, 296 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:50,740 was captured and exiled to England, 297 00:17:50,740 --> 00:17:53,020 where he lived in Chislehurst, Kent, 298 00:17:53,020 --> 00:17:55,620 with his wife Eugenie and their son Louis. 299 00:17:57,460 --> 00:18:02,500 Napoleon died in 1873 and Louis perished in the British Army, 300 00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:06,380 fighting Zulus, leaving Empress Eugenie heartbroken 301 00:18:06,380 --> 00:18:08,420 and alone in Chislehurst. 302 00:18:09,660 --> 00:18:12,500 The move to Farnborough was all about leaving behind 303 00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:14,180 the bitter memories of Chislehurst, 304 00:18:14,180 --> 00:18:16,140 and her sufferings in that house, 305 00:18:16,140 --> 00:18:19,300 and creating something worthy, a permanent mausoleum 306 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:24,060 which, inevitably, would now have to be in England rather than in Paris. 307 00:18:24,060 --> 00:18:26,900 Was Eugenie responsible for the architecture? 308 00:18:26,900 --> 00:18:28,900 I thought at first it was Renaissance. 309 00:18:28,900 --> 00:18:32,380 Now I think it's Gothic and Baroque - what is it? 310 00:18:32,380 --> 00:18:33,780 It's a great mishmash, really. 311 00:18:33,780 --> 00:18:36,940 Favourite churches, mostly along the Loire valley, 312 00:18:36,940 --> 00:18:39,380 all put together - details of this one, 313 00:18:39,380 --> 00:18:42,540 a dome from that one, a pinnacle from that one, 314 00:18:42,540 --> 00:18:43,980 and there it is. 315 00:18:43,980 --> 00:18:47,420 And was there already a community of Benedictine monks 316 00:18:47,420 --> 00:18:49,220 for whom she was building this monastery? 317 00:18:50,660 --> 00:18:51,900 No! 318 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:55,420 She built the monastery and then started scurrying around France 319 00:18:55,420 --> 00:18:57,780 looking for some monks to live in it! 320 00:18:57,780 --> 00:18:59,620 And that's easier said than done. 321 00:18:59,620 --> 00:19:03,500 So it wasn't until 1895 that she brought 322 00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:07,780 Benedictines from the Abbey at Solesmes in the north of France. 323 00:19:07,780 --> 00:19:11,020 And in 1940 there was a new experiment, 324 00:19:11,020 --> 00:19:13,780 a daring new adventure began in our house. 325 00:19:13,780 --> 00:19:17,100 We began to speak English on Mondays and Tuesdays. 326 00:19:18,540 --> 00:19:20,140 A devout Catholic, 327 00:19:20,140 --> 00:19:23,460 Eugenie's motivation here at St Michael's was spiritual. 328 00:19:23,460 --> 00:19:27,860 She spent her time and money establishing a Benedictine community 329 00:19:27,860 --> 00:19:31,060 to pray for the family's souls during eternity 330 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:33,860 in the crypt that she spent years building. 331 00:19:35,180 --> 00:19:36,820 Here they are. 332 00:19:36,820 --> 00:19:38,820 The Emperor Napoleon III 333 00:19:38,820 --> 00:19:41,380 and then on the left, Louis, 334 00:19:41,380 --> 00:19:43,180 the Prince Imperial, his son, 335 00:19:43,180 --> 00:19:46,660 and above the altar in the prime position, 336 00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:48,580 the Empress Eugenie. 337 00:19:48,580 --> 00:19:54,060 She died in 1920, so 50 years in exile and 40 of them in Farnborough. 338 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:58,500 And long enough to complete this extraordinary mausoleum 339 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:00,180 to the three of them. 340 00:20:00,180 --> 00:20:01,980 And the monks of course, 341 00:20:01,980 --> 00:20:04,460 repeating what often happened in the Middle Ages 342 00:20:04,460 --> 00:20:06,140 with Royal or Imperial families, 343 00:20:06,140 --> 00:20:08,260 the monks were brought to pray for their souls. 344 00:20:08,260 --> 00:20:09,980 Thank you so much. 345 00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:14,140 MONKS CHANT 346 00:20:20,860 --> 00:20:25,140 At the heart of the Abbey's life is the daily round of offices 347 00:20:25,140 --> 00:20:28,780 sung in Latin to Gregorian Chant. 348 00:20:35,180 --> 00:20:38,540 I doubt there could be anything more beautiful and calming 349 00:20:38,540 --> 00:20:42,180 before resting for the night as a guest of the monks. 350 00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:56,220 Having enjoyed the hospitality of the monks at the monastery, 351 00:20:56,220 --> 00:20:59,500 I've woken to this beautiful view of the chapel. 352 00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:01,980 I've spent the night in this very comfortable room, 353 00:21:01,980 --> 00:21:04,140 known as the bishop's room, 354 00:21:04,140 --> 00:21:07,180 and now it's time for me to resume my travels. 355 00:21:09,420 --> 00:21:11,620 But not wanting to leave on an empty stomach, 356 00:21:11,620 --> 00:21:15,260 I'm breaking bread with Brother Anselm Carpenter 357 00:21:15,260 --> 00:21:18,540 to find out why he, like his three fellow monks, 358 00:21:18,540 --> 00:21:20,780 chose to commit his life to prayer. 359 00:21:22,780 --> 00:21:26,860 I joined the monastery at 21, 360 00:21:26,860 --> 00:21:29,340 straight from university 361 00:21:29,340 --> 00:21:31,660 and I'm 28 this year, 362 00:21:31,660 --> 00:21:34,780 although ravaged by virtue. 363 00:21:34,780 --> 00:21:37,380 Is it a hard life? It brings its challenges. 364 00:21:37,380 --> 00:21:39,900 I've always been astounded that 365 00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:43,500 the things I thought would be difficult when I was 21 366 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:45,180 are actually very easy 367 00:21:45,180 --> 00:21:47,820 and the things which were to be very easy, 368 00:21:47,820 --> 00:21:50,660 doing what you're told and being obedient, 369 00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:53,500 are more difficult, more trying. 370 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:55,940 How does the calling express itself? 371 00:21:55,940 --> 00:21:58,100 God wore me down. 372 00:21:58,100 --> 00:22:02,020 The desire to try the life became more intense, 373 00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:05,500 to the extent that I realised that I had to just give it a go, 374 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:09,340 because the monastic life is something that you try to live, 375 00:22:09,340 --> 00:22:12,140 and it's something that tries you, 376 00:22:12,140 --> 00:22:16,220 and it's through this almost dialogue of trying and being tried 377 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:19,140 that one hopefully realises that you're in the right place. 378 00:22:27,860 --> 00:22:32,140 Spiritually refreshed, I've left the monastic life behind. 379 00:22:32,140 --> 00:22:35,620 I'm going to study yet another Victorian institution. 380 00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:39,300 This one made great progress in the field of mental health. 381 00:22:41,780 --> 00:22:45,260 I'm heading north west, on the Ash to Wokingham branch line, 382 00:22:45,260 --> 00:22:47,940 to my final stop, Crowthorne. 383 00:22:47,940 --> 00:22:51,220 Crowthorne is home to Wellington College, 384 00:22:51,220 --> 00:22:54,140 where the sons of British officers were educated. 385 00:22:55,660 --> 00:22:59,100 Then in 1863, the year that my Bradshaw's was published, 386 00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:01,940 a notorious new institution opened here - 387 00:23:01,940 --> 00:23:05,700 England's first asylum for the criminally insane. 388 00:23:05,700 --> 00:23:09,420 These forbidding walls mark the perimeter of a place 389 00:23:09,420 --> 00:23:13,820 whose name sends a chill through the body, Broadmoor. 390 00:23:13,820 --> 00:23:18,020 But such a place demands an open minded approach, 391 00:23:18,020 --> 00:23:20,140 both to the work done here by the Victorians 392 00:23:20,140 --> 00:23:22,060 and the work done here today. 393 00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:27,380 Broadmoor is now one of Britain's 394 00:23:27,380 --> 00:23:30,180 three high security psychiatric hospitals. 395 00:23:31,620 --> 00:23:35,260 The Criminal Lunatic Asylum Act of 1860 gave the Home Office 396 00:23:35,260 --> 00:23:38,500 responsibility for caring for mentally ill people 397 00:23:38,500 --> 00:23:40,700 who'd committed crimes. 398 00:23:40,700 --> 00:23:42,700 Broadmoor's Victorian buildings 399 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:45,620 were the first specifically built for the purpose. 400 00:23:47,820 --> 00:23:50,300 Author Mark Stevens knows more. 401 00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:54,620 This must have been the old Victorian entrance, must it? 402 00:23:54,620 --> 00:23:57,100 Yes, this is the iconic image of Broadmoor. 403 00:23:57,100 --> 00:24:00,020 If you're a male patient arriving at the Victorian hospital, 404 00:24:00,020 --> 00:24:01,660 this is your first sight. 405 00:24:01,660 --> 00:24:04,740 Why did the Victorians choose to build Broadmoor here? 406 00:24:04,740 --> 00:24:07,740 They wanted something that wasn't too far away London 407 00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:12,180 and was on Government land and there was a bit of a deal clincher here - 408 00:24:12,180 --> 00:24:14,260 there was a railway station being built nearby. 409 00:24:14,260 --> 00:24:17,940 Most asylums were built, if not directly close to a railway station, 410 00:24:17,940 --> 00:24:21,580 within a carriage ride away and Broadmoor's no exception. 411 00:24:21,580 --> 00:24:23,180 'Since the 14th century 412 00:24:23,180 --> 00:24:26,180 and throughout the Georgian 18th century, 413 00:24:26,180 --> 00:24:29,980 'the straitjackets, public humiliations and horrific conditions 414 00:24:29,980 --> 00:24:33,340 'of London's Saint Mary of Bethlehem Asylum 415 00:24:33,340 --> 00:24:34,980 'better known as Bedlam, 416 00:24:34,980 --> 00:24:38,020 'were the norm in the incarceration of the mentally ill.' 417 00:24:39,020 --> 00:24:41,060 'I wonder whether the Victorians 418 00:24:41,060 --> 00:24:43,300 'were more enlightened in their attitudes?' 419 00:24:44,340 --> 00:24:46,340 When a Victorian patient arrived here, 420 00:24:46,340 --> 00:24:48,540 what were the aspirations that they had for him? 421 00:24:48,540 --> 00:24:53,060 They gave people regular occupation, a diet of decent food, 422 00:24:53,060 --> 00:24:55,900 plenty of fresh air and also the notion of routine 423 00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:59,580 so the idea of Victorian healthcare is you'll nurse somebody better 424 00:24:59,580 --> 00:25:03,420 using those things. Quite progressive, really, the Victorians. 425 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:14,180 Set in farmland, and with workshops for shoemakers, upholsterers, 426 00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:17,020 tinsmiths, carpenters and more, 427 00:25:17,020 --> 00:25:19,340 at the time my guide was published, 428 00:25:19,340 --> 00:25:23,100 Broadmoor's therapeutic regime consisted of work, exercise 429 00:25:23,100 --> 00:25:25,980 and rest with newspapers, games 430 00:25:25,980 --> 00:25:27,940 and a library available to all. 431 00:25:29,260 --> 00:25:32,940 Do you think any of the Victorian principles survive today in Broadmoor? 432 00:25:32,940 --> 00:25:35,780 Yes, I think what the Victorians did was they established 433 00:25:35,780 --> 00:25:38,980 that people with mental illness who committed crime needed healthcare. 434 00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:41,020 They needed a hospital, not a prison. 435 00:25:41,020 --> 00:25:42,620 By and large, it worked. 436 00:25:42,620 --> 00:25:45,260 You had a few convicts from the Victorian prison system 437 00:25:45,260 --> 00:25:48,700 who thought that maybe feigning insanity would be a better idea 438 00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:51,140 than being in prison and they soon found that actually, 439 00:25:51,140 --> 00:25:54,020 being surrounded by people who were behaving irrationally 440 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:56,460 was not at all a preferable option to being surrounded by 441 00:25:56,460 --> 00:25:59,300 the certainties of your fellow convicts. 442 00:26:00,820 --> 00:26:03,980 'Nowadays, Broadmoor treats men only, 443 00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:07,380 'but it first opened with 95 female patients.' 444 00:26:08,420 --> 00:26:11,620 'One of the best known was Christiana Edmunds, 445 00:26:11,620 --> 00:26:14,220 'who was sentenced as result of evidence found on board 446 00:26:14,220 --> 00:26:16,740 'a London to Brighton train.' 447 00:26:16,740 --> 00:26:19,380 'Dubbed the Chocolate Cream Poisoner, 448 00:26:19,380 --> 00:26:22,060 'she laced sweets with strychnine 449 00:26:22,060 --> 00:26:25,100 'to see off the wife of the married man that she desired. 450 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:28,740 'Victorians were fascinated by true crime stories 451 00:26:28,740 --> 00:26:31,540 'and Edmunds became something of a celebrity, 452 00:26:31,540 --> 00:26:34,420 'like many other early Broadmoor patients.' 453 00:26:35,820 --> 00:26:38,140 These are works by Richard Dadd 454 00:26:38,140 --> 00:26:41,300 who's one of the more celebrated Victorian patients. 455 00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:43,140 Dadd was a well-known artist 456 00:26:43,140 --> 00:26:45,980 before he became consumed by the idea that 457 00:26:45,980 --> 00:26:48,460 he was obliged to battle the devil. 458 00:26:48,460 --> 00:26:51,060 Unfortunately for him, the devil took the form of his father 459 00:26:51,060 --> 00:26:53,180 and he actually stabbed his father to death. 460 00:26:53,180 --> 00:26:56,180 Dadd spent the rest of his life in asylums including Broadmoor. 461 00:26:56,180 --> 00:26:58,580 The other very well-known Victorian example 462 00:26:58,580 --> 00:27:00,380 is a chap called William Chester Minor. 463 00:27:00,380 --> 00:27:03,220 He was a surgeon in the American Civil War, 464 00:27:03,220 --> 00:27:06,100 came over to England and shot and killed a man in Lambeth, 465 00:27:06,100 --> 00:27:09,020 but when he entered Broadmoor he brought his library with him 466 00:27:09,020 --> 00:27:11,860 and he used this to contribute examples of word use 467 00:27:11,860 --> 00:27:13,620 to the first Oxford English Dictionary. 468 00:27:15,460 --> 00:27:18,900 One can only imagine how dedicated the current staff 469 00:27:18,900 --> 00:27:21,020 at this imposing place must be. 470 00:27:21,020 --> 00:27:22,860 And I'm heartened to hear that, 471 00:27:22,860 --> 00:27:25,420 even when my Bradshaw's guide was published, 472 00:27:25,420 --> 00:27:29,220 conditions here may, at the very least, have been tolerable. 473 00:27:31,980 --> 00:27:36,180 The Duke of Wellington is one of this country's most celebrated heroes 474 00:27:36,180 --> 00:27:38,580 but as my visit to Aldershot reminded me, 475 00:27:38,580 --> 00:27:41,380 not all military heroes are generals, 476 00:27:41,380 --> 00:27:44,700 nor do all heroes wear military uniform. 477 00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:48,140 Some give service as part of their monastic life and, 478 00:27:48,140 --> 00:27:53,060 here at Broadmoor, some Victorians toiled with scant recognition 479 00:27:53,060 --> 00:27:56,500 to bring compassion to the treatment of the mentally ill. 480 00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:05,460 'On the next leg of my journey, I make headlines in Reading...' 481 00:28:05,460 --> 00:28:07,900 So you now beat the back of your flom. 482 00:28:07,900 --> 00:28:10,300 No, with the hairy side. Oh, with the hairy side. 483 00:28:12,460 --> 00:28:15,580 '..discover a Tudor entrepreneur in Newbury...' 484 00:28:15,580 --> 00:28:18,420 Victorian historians used to label this 485 00:28:18,420 --> 00:28:21,060 as England's first factory. 486 00:28:21,060 --> 00:28:24,940 '..and test a bicycle with Victorian origins.' 487 00:28:24,940 --> 00:28:27,020 A lovely smooth ride over the cobbles. 488 00:28:27,020 --> 00:28:28,980 Thank you very much. You're welcome.