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In 1840, one man transformed
travel in Britain.

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His name was George Bradshaw,

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and his railway guides inspired the
Victorians to take to the tracks.

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Stop by stop, he told them
where to go, what to see,

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and where to stay.

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And now, 170 years later, I'm aboard
for a series of rail adventures

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across the United Kingdom

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to see what of
Bradshaw's Britain remains.

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I'm now more than halfway
through my journey

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from Hampshire to Wolverhampton,

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and my serpentine route
has brought me out west,

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where I can presently enjoy the
honey-coloured stones of Wiltshire.

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Today I'll be discovering more about
technology and engineering advances.

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On this leg, I discover the origins
of Victorian photography.

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Talbot made the world's
first photographic negative -

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a shot of this window.
Well, that is a feeling of history.

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I visit Britain's
longest rail tunnel

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and its worrying water feature.

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Torrents of water.
That is unbelievable!

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And I receive Bristol Zoo's
seal of approval.

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OK, Michael, if you just want to
raise your right hand.

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And your left hand.

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Hey! Well done!

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This journey has taken me
from Southampton, through Hampshire,

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on to Berkshire and into Wiltshire,

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from where I'll head west
to Bristol, across the Severn

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and through the Cotswolds,
to finish in Wolverhampton.

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Today's leg takes
a snapshot in Chippenham,

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heads west to Bristol, crosses over
to Wales, and ends in Gloucester.

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My first stop will be Chippenham.

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Bradshaw's tells me
it has two tanneries, a foundry,

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and a long bridge on 23 arches,
which I fear is no longer there.

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In the neighbourhood
is Lacock Abbey,

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seat of Talbot Esquire,
the inventor of photography.

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In a flash I see how
my journey will develop.

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I'm alighting at Chippenham

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because there's
no station at Lacock.

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Before his house and the village
he owned were given to the nation,

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William Henry Fox Talbot MP,
refused Isambard Kingdom Brunel

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permission to run his railway
through his land.

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But the man is better known
as the father of photography.

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The curator of the Fox Talbot
Museum, Roger Watson, knows more.

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Roger. Michael, very nice
to meet you.

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The house is absolutely superb.
What's its early history?

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It starts out 1232, it was
founded as an Augustinian convent.

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And remained a convent

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until the last year of
the dissolution of the abbeys,

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when it was sold off to one of Henry
VIII's friends, William Sherrington.

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In the mid-19th century,

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the Fox Talbots owned the house.

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And in 1840, Henry,

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who had a passion
for all things scientific,

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invented a much-heralded
photographic process,

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and I want to know just how
significant that discovery was.

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Is Talbot properly
to be credited with

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the invention of photography
as my Bradshaw's says?

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There are two inventors
of photography.

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Here in England,
Talbot was the inventor,

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in France, Daguerre was the inventor,

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but actually their processes
were somewhat different,

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they came from different directions.

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I think they both
actually deserve credit.

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This is the South Gallery.

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Here in the middle,

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this is the latticed window where
photographic history was made.

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How?

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Talbot made the world's
first photographic negative,

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a shot of this window.

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Well, that is a feeling of history.
Using these machines?

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Well, we've got a couple
of things set up here.

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One of them is a camera obscura,

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which is the pre-photographic
type of camera,

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and it's basically just
a box with a lens on it.

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You can have a look though here.

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I'm seeing an image
of what is outside, the trees,

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I can see the green grass,

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but that is just
a function of light.

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That's not giving me an image
that I can keep and take away.

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No, it's as fleeting
as the light is itself.

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What was the vital technology
in being able to capture the image?

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The vital technology
was photochemistry.

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Light changes the paper,
changes it from white to black,

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and that's what's important.

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I've got a little camera here.

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They were the first basic cameras.

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He had them made here
by a carpenter in the village.

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He would put a piece of
sensitised paper in the back...

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and he would end up with a nice,
little, as he called them,

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Lilliputian images,
postage-stamp size.

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Patented in 1841,

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Fox Talbot's innovation was
the first negative-positive process

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used in photographic development.

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Treating paper with
light-sensitive silver compounds

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and other chemicals allowed,
for the first time,

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the production of an unlimited
number of identical prints

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from a single negative.

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It's the basic chemistry
of photography,

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which is that silver nitrate,

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when it mixes with
sodium chloride, or table salt,

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it becomes a very sensitive material.

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So that's what we try
and use on the paper.

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This is the printing frame here,
it's a proper 19th century one.

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Lift the back off...

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And we've got a feather inside,
which usually makes a nice picture.

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Lay your sensitive paper face-down.

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Put the backing on.

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Turn it over and see how
your picture is going to look.

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Hmmm. Quite nice.

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Now out into the sunlight.

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So, Roger, in a few moments
of stepping outside

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into the not very bright
light today,

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the paper has undergone
a thorough change of colour.

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It's just starting now,
it'll continue on

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for the next 10 minutes or so
and get darker and darker.

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At some point it'll be a very dark
brown and you'll know that it's done.

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Into the dark room next.

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So we are going to move it
from just a plain water bath

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into the salt bath.

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He found that a lot of salt
would keep it from turning dark.

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And so this was one of
Talbot's breakthroughs.

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How to stop the image
just continuing to get darker

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as it was exposed
to the light? That's it.

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40 years before people knew
how to get the image there,

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they just didn't know
how to stop it.

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How quickly did the Victorians
take to photography?

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It was almost immediate
and at all levels.

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The day that Queen Victoria
proposed to Albert,

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she also bought him a photograph
at an exhibition in London.

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When do you think it
begins to change society?

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It changes society
in a couple of areas.

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One is the Crimean War, certainly.

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Images coming back from that,

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people saw the battlefields
for the first time.

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But also just the fact that people
living in faraway places

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could see their monarch.

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It brought the world closer, it made
the world available to everybody.

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Thank you so much for this snapshot
of the early days of photography.

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It's a pleasure.

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In 1944, Matilda Talbot,
William's granddaughter,

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gave the Abbey and Lacock village
to the National Trust.

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Strict rules mean residents'
properties remain unchanged,

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maintaining the medieval feel of
the place and its popularity today.

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Every house in Lacock is exquisite,

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it is the most beautifully
preserved village.

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And although I am
a great fan of the railways,

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I shudder to think what would have
happened if Isambard Kingdom Brunel

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had been able to bring his Weymouth
extension through the Lacock estate,

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cutting dangerously close
to this lovely village

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Why do you come to Lacock?

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Because we love the place,
there's a lovely atmosphere.

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Very friendly place to come to,
beautiful buildings, lovely history.

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It's extraordinarily
well preserved, isn't it?

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Yes, it's beautiful.

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Hello. Hello.

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How do you do?
It's so nice to see you.

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I was thinking, you live
in such a charming village

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but you besieged by tourists.
Are they ever a bit of a nuisance?

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No, on the whole
they're extremely nice.

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How long have you been here?
26 years.

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I still get pleasure from the village

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because it really is beautiful.
It is lovely,

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and I'm sorry that this tourist
has come and disturbed you.

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Not at all. I'll be on my way.

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Would you like to come in
and have drink or anything?

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You're so kind. Or are you busy?
We must be on our way.

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What typical Lacock hospitality.
Thank you very much indeed. Bye-bye.

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Back to Chippenham Station,

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where I've spotted
an irresistible piece

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of Victorian engineering history.

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Here at Chippenham Station,
this little plaque tells me

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that this was the site office
used by Isambard Kingdom Brunel

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during the construction of
the Great Western Railway.

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I think nowadays a site office
would be Portakabin,

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but in Brunel's time even
the site office was beautiful.

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I'd like to see what's
going on inside today.

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And Gareth Jones is
going to show me around.

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This is the room that we believe
most of the work took place

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when Brunel was designing.

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These are the original flagstones.

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In the basement most of the ceiling

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is supported by these
pieces of railway line,

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which have come off the
Great Western Railway itself.

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They jolly well have. That's a rail.

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Wow, wow!

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And what you do
from this office now?

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We look after the car parking
for First Great Western.

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I'm on my way now
to Bristol Temple Meads,

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where I shall change
toward Avonmouth.

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I shall be leaving the train
at Clifton Down.

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Bradshaw's is enthusiastic
about Clifton,

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calling it
"a beautiful watering place".

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"The highly romantic
and picturesque country

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"in the midst of which
it is situated

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"provides on every side

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"the most varied
and extensive prospects."

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And in the 19th century
they added zoological gardens

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which, according to Bradshaw's, is,
"near Cook's Folly on Durdham Down."

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With Iron Age hill forts
overlooking its gorge,

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Clifton is much older than Bristol.

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The area first prospered
thanks to its medicinal hot springs.

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And the upmarket suburb was already
firmly on the 19th century map,

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even before Brunel's magnificent
suspension bridge opened in 1864.

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Victorian zoos were about
much more than animals.

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They were places suitable for
promenading and entertainment.

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At Bristol Zoo,
which opened in 1836,

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I'm meeting Sarah Joy Maddeaux.

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Hello, Sarah. Hi.

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I've just come through Clifton,

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which is beautiful
and beautifully preserved.

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It must have been quite a place
in the 19th century.

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What activities were there here?

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There was the spa at Hotwells,

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but then the zoo was founded in 1836
as one of the really key attractions.

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It is the oldest provincial
zoo in the world.

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For £25 you could purchase
a share in the society,

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and that enabled you to come
into the gardens whenever you wanted.

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In fact, Isambard Kingdom Brunel
was one of the first shareholders

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I've just come on the railway.

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Does that play any part in the
zoo's development? It does, yes.

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Once Clifton Downs station
opened in 1874,

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it was key to opening
access to the zoo.

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So people coming by railway
to the zoo, any animals?

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We know that in 1894 the zoo
sent a tiger to London by train.

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We also know that they acquired
a polar bear from Dundee,

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which travelled by train.

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I don't think I'd wish
to share a compartment

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with a polar bear or a tiger!

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Modern zoos concern themselves
very much with animal conservation,

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and I'm keen to find out how far
that was the case in Bradshaw's day.

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Were the Victorians
interested in animal welfare?

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Yes, this was a period
when you have the foundation

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of the Royal Society For The
Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals,

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and The Royal Society
For The Protection Of Birds,

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and campaigns against bear-baiting
and other blood sports.

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But generally they were happy
to come to zoos

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and see animals from across
the globe, from across the Empire,

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in order to learn about them.

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Now, from across the Empire, so was
there a feeling of Imperial pride

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that these animals came from parts
of the map that were painted red?

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Yes, I think that was very much a key

241
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,480
to the founding of zoos
in the Victorian period.

242
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,960
Animal welfare has come a long way

243
00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,560
since Bristol Zoo's
Victorian beginnings.

244
00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:29,920
And I'm meeting keeper
Rob Goodchild to find out more.

245
00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,320
Hello, Rob. Just admiring your
seals, they're wonderful creatures.

246
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,440
Zoos have had to change
a lot, haven't they?

247
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:39,040
How's Bristol doing in that regard?

248
00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:42,000
Nowadays it's more about
sustainable breeding programmes,

249
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,120
mental stimulus for the animals.

250
00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,800
We've got a seal here,
seems to be expecting something.

251
00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,520
Yes, he knows he's going to
get some reward now.

252
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,480
OK, Michael, if you just
want to raise your right hand.

253
00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:55,200
And your left hand.

254
00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,480
Hey! Well done!

255
00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,720
Now that enables you
to have a good look under there

256
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,320
and make sure everything
is all right?

257
00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:03,960
Yes, if he didn't raise them for us

258
00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,000
it would be almost impossible
for me to check under his flippers,

259
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,480
because he's not likely to do it
just out of pure kindness.

260
00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,080
A simple spin around allows me to see

261
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:15,520
that he's using all
the muscles in his body.

262
00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,040
Fantastic. He is a really
healthy-looking specimen.

263
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,800
Atari is a brilliant specimen.

264
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:23,880
He's also a fantastic father,

265
00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:27,400
so his bloodline is extremely
well represented in captivity.

266
00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,560
Just a mile away, Clifton's grand
terraces are another of its charms.

267
00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:41,760
This is truly spectacular.

268
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:46,200
Bradshaw's says, "The range
of buildings known as York Crescent

269
00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:50,240
"affords an agreeable southern
aspect, but the elevated situation

270
00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,520
"leaves the houses
much exposed to high winds."

271
00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,560
Of course Bradshaw had
never heard of double glazing.

272
00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,440
Clifton is probably most famous
for Brunel's suspension bridge.

273
00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,360
Here I'm meeting Peter Davey,
chairman of a group

274
00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,400
which looks after
a slightly less well-known

275
00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:15,600
piece of Victorian engineering.

276
00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,520
Peter. Michael.
A glorious view, isn't it?

277
00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:24,000
Absolutely amazing.
A wonderful piece of engineering.

278
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,000
I've come here in pursuit of
a railway, because there used to be
a rocks railway, didn't there?

279
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,280
That's right.
The Clifton Rocks Railway,

280
00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,120
for getting people up and down,
Hot Wells to Clifton.

281
00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,960
And on the first day,
they arranged to have medallions

282
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,800
issued to the people
who travelled on the opening day,

283
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,640
11th March, 1893.

284
00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,160
What a treasure.

285
00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,360
Absolutely delightful.

286
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:50,360
Victorian publisher and
funicular-railway entrepreneur

287
00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,400
Sir George Newnes built the railway.

288
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,880
It took two years
because local conservationists

289
00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,120
insisted it be hidden in a tunnel,

290
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,360
rather than scar the cliff face.

291
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,600
It closed in 1934

292
00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,560
and although evidence
of its railway past remains,

293
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,920
the tunnel was more recently used

294
00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:12,400
as a Second World War
air-raid shelter.

295
00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,440
This is shelter number one, Michael.

296
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:21,080
You can see down here where
the people slept on those slabs.

297
00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,240
And how many people
might have been in here?

298
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,320
On this particular one,
probably 100,

299
00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,160
but the two other ones are bigger,

300
00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,800
so they reckon about 300
could have slept in here.

301
00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,640
You bring your own bedding with you?
Bring your own bedding,

302
00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,480
your own food, your Thermos flask,

303
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,520
as long as you had a ticket.

304
00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,560
There you are, look.
This one was to a Mr Wade.

305
00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,560
So, this was a member of the public

306
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,640
and he gets this pass and that means
he could come in here and sleep.

307
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,240
That's it. For the whole war
or for one night.

308
00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,040
With its stunning view,
the Avon Gorge Hotel

309
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,120
is the perfect place
for me to end my day

310
00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:08,320
and I love Brunel's
suspension bridge.

311
00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,280
Tomorrow, I'll go in search
of other engineering wonders.

312
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,000
ANNOUNCER: 'The service
to Cardiff Central...'

313
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,680
The day has dawned bright and sunny,

314
00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,120
but I will shortly head off
to the dark and damp

315
00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:33,320
in pursuit of railway
engineering heritage.

316
00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,480
To reach it, I'm back at
Bristol Temple Meads

317
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:43,520
to catch the First Great Western
towards Cardiff,

318
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,560
a much quicker journey today
than it was in the 1860s

319
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:48,280
when my Bradshaw's was written.

320
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,160
During the early decades
of the railways,

321
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,440
the only way
from Bristol to South Wales

322
00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,160
was a huge detour
via Gloucester or by ferry.

323
00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,840
Then in 1886, the Severn
railway tunnel was built.

324
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:05,680
It was more than four miles long

325
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,720
and remained the longest tunnel
in the United Kingdom

326
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,120
for more than a century.

327
00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:13,040
It was an enormous
engineering feat to build it,

328
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,160
but another one is to keep it dry

329
00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,560
and that remains the case
to the present day.

330
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,000
Passengers may appreciate
the shorter journey time,

331
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,240
but this tunnel wasn't
built for that reason.

332
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,840
This extraordinary piece
of Victorian engineering

333
00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:32,680
was driven by the enormous profit

334
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,200
that the Great Western
Railway foresaw

335
00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,160
in the transportation of coal

336
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,800
from the Welsh Valleys
to industrial England.

337
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,920
I've emerged in Wales
at Severn Tunnel Junction

338
00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:49,520
to meet Dai Fuller,

339
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,800
who's worked at the tunnel's
original pumping station

340
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:54,880
for 27 years.

341
00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,000
Great to see you. Very elegant
pump house you have here.

342
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,480
Why is it necessary to pump water
out of the Severn Tunnel?

343
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,240
Under the construction
of the actual tunnel itself,

344
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,400
an underground river broke through,
a fresh-water river.

345
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,040
Are we talking about a lot of water?

346
00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,280
If you go back years ago
to Victorian days,

347
00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:12,680
they would have been pumping

348
00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:14,920
about 32 to 36 million
gallons of water a day.

349
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,360
Do you think people going through
on the train have any idea

350
00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:22,000
that you're pumping out millions
and millions of gallons a day

351
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,760
to keep them safe?
I don't think so.

352
00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:27,920
Passing underwater
for over two miles,

353
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,600
the project cost £1.8 million.

354
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,360
The chief engineer
Charles Richardson

355
00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:36,360
designed the tunnel
50ft at its deepest,

356
00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:39,320
26ft wide and with a roof
up to 3ft thick.

357
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,360
But even such an enormous structure
couldn't be engineered

358
00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:47,640
to keep the surrounding
water at bay.

359
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:50,160
How did the Victorians
pump the water out?

360
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:54,360
Cornish beams were operating
the pumps to draw the water up.

361
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:55,960
I can remember, as a schoolchild,

362
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,800
fascinated by looking across here

363
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,840
and hearing the noises
coming from this building.

364
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,880
Back in '62, that ceased.

365
00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:06,160
That's when it
went over to electric.

366
00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,400
A new railway delivered almost 80
million bricks and other materials

367
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,440
for the tunnel and for
the new village of Sudbrook

368
00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:15,680
where labourers were housed.

369
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,920
Miraculously, the eight-year
construction was completed

370
00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,080
without a single fatality,

371
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,360
even when Richardson's men
breached an unexpected water source

372
00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:27,280
dubbed "The Great Spring".

373
00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,360
So, what is this cosy space?
This was actually built

374
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,760
to cope with the underground river
that broke through.

375
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:35,400
If I lift this board up now,

376
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,520
you can see the volume of water
that we're actually standing above.

377
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,480
Torrents of water!
That is unbelievable.

378
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,160
You're looking at somewhere
in the region between

379
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,600
4 to 5ft of water there,
going past us.

380
00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:52,960
4 or 5ft deep? Yes.

381
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,160
That is a mighty flow.

382
00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,960
Confident in the pump's ability
to keep the tunnel dry,

383
00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:02,360
I'm keen to get track-side
to catch sight

384
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:05,440
of one of the eight trains per hour
which pass through.

385
00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:08,160
I just heard my ears go,

386
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,920
so I think we're going to witness
a train going past shortly.

387
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,000
Feel that wind. It's got
a little bit colder, I think.

388
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,480
Here it comes. Here it comes.

389
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,880
And a great gust of wind
as it goes past.

390
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:29,640
That was very exciting.

391
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:33,200
That's an HST 125 InterCity,
off to London.

392
00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,680
This train will take me
to Gloucester

393
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,640
and I shall remember on the way
that that is the route

394
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,160
that many passengers
would have had to take

395
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,880
before the Severn Tunnel was built.

396
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:51,960
And there they would have
changed trains

397
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:54,000
to go down the other side
of the Severn

398
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:55,800
to continue their journey
in England.

399
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,400
Ranked the 10th wealthiest town
of Medieval England,

400
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:09,800
Gloucester grew rich on
the trade in woven Cotswold wool.

401
00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,440
And when the railways
arrived in 1840,

402
00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,720
my guide book tells me that
Gloucester regained its place

403
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,880
amongst the elite of English cities.

404
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:25,120
I'm meeting local historian
Phillip Moss to find out why.

405
00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:26,880
Phil! Hello.

406
00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,320
Gloucester, according to Bradshaw's,

407
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,760
is now the central
point of communication

408
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:33,680
between the north and the south,

409
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,040
the east and west of the kingdom.

410
00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,480
From Plymouth, there's
an uninterrupted run

411
00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,080
through Bristol and Gloucester

412
00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:41,920
into the furthest points
of the north

413
00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,440
where the Iron Road
has pierced its way.

414
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,720
So, Gloucester was very important.

415
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:48,760
It was indeed,
but in the early years

416
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,280
the journey was very far
from being uninterrupted.

417
00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:56,360
It was here at Gloucester where
we had the great change of gauge.

418
00:22:56,360 --> 00:23:00,000
From 1840,
the Birmingham-Gloucester Railway

419
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,280
came with a standard gauge
to Gloucester.

420
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,960
1844, the Bristol and Gloucester
Railway came with the broad gauge.

421
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,840
The Birmingham train came in
on the southernmost platform

422
00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,640
and the train to Bristol left
from the northernmost platform,

423
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,240
so consequently, everybody
had to decamp from the train.

424
00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,840
They carried far more luggage
in those days than we do today

425
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,280
and it was absolute chaos.
It has been said that

426
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,920
when anything got lost
on the railway system anywhere,

427
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,200
people said, "Oh, it was
lost at Gloucester."

428
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,400
So, there was a campaign, really,

429
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,880
to reduce the numbers
of gauges to one.

430
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,240
Is that the point? That's right.
About 1892, the whole rail system

431
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,160
was one standard gauge.

432
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:45,280
Back in 1327, King Edward II
was buried at Gloucester Cathedral

433
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,720
and, guided by my Bradshaw's,
that's where I'm headed next.

434
00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,160
Here is the fine East Window
which is commended by Bradshaw's.

435
00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,680
79ft long, it tells me.

436
00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:02,760
35ft wide.

437
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,640
It is extraordinary.
It's an entire wall of glass

438
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,480
with these beautiful figures.

439
00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:14,920
Very, very elegant. Very unusual.

440
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,040
Spectacular.

441
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,680
Commissioned around 1350
by King Edward's son Edward III,

442
00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,280
as a tribute to his father,

443
00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:28,480
this was once the largest
stained glass window in the world

444
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,360
and, incredibly, 70%
of the original remains.

445
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,960
The Victorians left their mark
on Gloucester Cathedral, too.

446
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,320
The railways meant that they could
easily transport heavy stone

447
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,440
from both York and Bath

448
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,920
for painstaking restoration work,

449
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:52,000
craftsmanship that master mason
Pascal Mychalysin continues today.

450
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,400
How long have you been working as a
stonemason on Gloucester Cathedral?

451
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,040
23 years, Michael.

452
00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:58,840
I started on the tower,

453
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,640
then we went to,,
I think, the west end

454
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,960
and then we went to the choir

455
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,160
and then...

456
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,400
Well, pretty much all around.
MICHAEL CHUCKLES

457
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,440
This door, did you work on that?

458
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:15,480
Yes, we did the canopies.
Otherwise, all what you see here

459
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,160
is Victorian, actually.

460
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,360
Do you recognise the stone,
Michael, at the lower stage?

461
00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:21,800
If you're putting it that way,

462
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,240
it's probably the stone
that's used in Parliament. Yep.

463
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,760
Yep, exactly. It comes from
Anston in Yorkshire, near Rotherham.

464
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,920
It was bought here with the railway.

465
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,560
Gloucester's master mason is French,

466
00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:41,040
and these days the stone
that he works so expertly

467
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,080
is sourced from France as well.

468
00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,120
And who is this?

469
00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:52,880
She is the first abbess of
Gloucester Abbey, the Saxon Abbey,

470
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,360
and she was the sister
of King Osric.

471
00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:57,080
And where will she end up?

472
00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,360
Inside the church, at the end
of the south aisle,

473
00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:02,800
just before the south transept. And
what are you working on right now?

474
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:08,520
This canopy here, in effect, it could
go over the head of the statue here.

475
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,120
Yes. What tools do you use for this?

476
00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:15,200
Well, we use practically the same
tools as medieval masons were using.

477
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,480
Old chisels or mallets.
I can show you.

478
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,520
For example, I am working
with a pickaxe here.

479
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,440
Doing the vaulting of the canopy.

480
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,160
So, I'm removing the waste...

481
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:28,760
with the pickaxe.

482
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,640
And how long would it take you
to have done what you've done there?

483
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,560
A full month of work

484
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:37,560
and there will be another
three weeks full-time.

485
00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:39,800
You must be incredibly patient.

486
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,400
To be a mason,
you have to be patient.

487
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,840
You have to be Zen.
Would you like to have a go?

488
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:47,640
What, and ruin
your beautiful canopy?

489
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,560
Well, I'm sure I can trust you.
You are going to be careful.

490
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,360
I'll be very careful.
I'll do exactly what you tell me.

491
00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:56,840
OK. Put your hand a bit higher,
to have better control.

492
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,640
Yep. Is that OK?

493
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,000
Not bad. You need another seven years
and I'm sure you will do good.

494
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,880
I've enjoyed that, Pascal,
but I really am scared

495
00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:13,880
of touching such a beautiful thing

496
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:16,320
on which you've spent
so many weeks already.

497
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:20,200
This stone is not needed, so you
could have a wild go, if you want.

498
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,720
Whenever I go to Bristol,
I find myself surrounded

499
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,360
by reminders of
Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

500
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,880
including his elegant
Clifton Suspension Bridge.

501
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,560
But partly we remember him
because of that iconic image

502
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,040
with top hat and cigar.

503
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,520
The Victorians will live forever
because of photography

504
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:53,320
and for that invention, we thank
William Fox Talbot of Lacock Abbey.

505
00:27:57,760 --> 00:27:59,800
'On the next leg, I drive a car

506
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,440
'powered by the technology
of the Victorians...'

507
00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:04,480
This is real motoring.

508
00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:06,320
This is the way it was.

509
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,360
'..I visit the castle
of the King of Salt...'

510
00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:11,560
It's as though a French chateau

511
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,720
had landed in
the Worcestershire countryside.

512
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,040
You've got to take it
with a pinch of salt.

513
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,560
'..and I fight a losing battle
in the Wars Of The Roses...'

514
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,160
Ready for the slaughter.

515
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:25,520
Harder. Come on!