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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,

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what to see and where to stay.

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

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of rail adventures across
the United Kingdom,

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to see what of
Bradshaw's Britain remains.

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My journey that began in Norfolk
continues through Kent.

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Bradshaw's tells me that,
"The railway's iron roads

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"intersect this beautiful county,

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"affording the inhabitants
of the great metropolis

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"to become acquainted
with picturesque scenery,

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"cities and baronial halls."

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They had set out
in order to discover

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the essence of Britain,
as I have today.

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On this leg, I'll deliver beer

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with old-fashioned directness...

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Anyone in need of a drink?

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..learn about some old balls...

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That is the oldest cricket ball

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known to exist
anywhere in the world.

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It was used in a match at Lord's
in 1820.

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..and ruffle some feathers
in Dorking.

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I quite like a wash and blow-dry
myself, so we're birds of a feather.

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My journey began in
the cathedral city of Norwich.

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I travelled south,
through East Anglia to Ipswich

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and Chelmsford,
and crossed the Thames at Tilbury.

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Now I'll continue
through Kent to Dover.

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After heading
inland to Tonbridge,

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I'll return to
the coast at Brighton,

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before ending my journey

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in another
cathedral city, Chichester.

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Today, I will start in Faversham,

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travelling on to Dover
and the Channel.

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I'll continue my journey
through western Kent,

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detouring to Dorking, in Surrey.

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My next stop is Faversham.
The guide book tells me that,

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"It's situated on a small stream
running into the East Swale,

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"which is navigable.

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"There are some imports and
a considerable coasting trade."

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I think some of those boats
were hopping to local ports,

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bearing the town's frothy product.

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This part of Kent is famous
for its distinctive oast houses,

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which were used for drying hops.

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Beer has been made here
for centuries

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and Faversham has
a distinguished brewing history.

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At the time of my guide,
there were two breweries based here.

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Today, one survives,

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Shepherd Neame, and it claims
to be the country's oldest.

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I'm meeting local historian
John Owen to find out more.

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Hello. Michael, good morning,

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welcome to Shepherd Neame.
Thank you so much.

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Faversham is a beautiful town,

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permeated by
the gorgeous smell of hops,

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and this is a very ancient
brewery, by the look of it.

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You go back how far?
We've been on the same site

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from 1573.

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Extraordinary, actually here?

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Actually on this site.
It is just a remarkable survival.

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I assume that originally,

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beer production had to be
for local consumption,

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does beer travel well?

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No, it doesn't, and certainly,

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beer made in the 16th century

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would have travelled
far worse than it does today.

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What made the difference
to all of that?

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I think the quality of
the transport and, ultimately,

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the coming of the railways
in the middle of the 19th century.

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The railway arrived
in Faversham in 1858

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and this brewery, in particular,

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was quick to see
a new business opportunity.

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It built a new malt house

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and invested heavily
in the railways.

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Did the brewery
have its own rolling stock?

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I think it had about a dozen trucks
by the 1880s.

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In the brewery's livery?
Oh, yes. Wonderful livery.

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Pale cream and Oxford blue, which
must have made quite a statement

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going up and down the line.

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And the expansion was quick.

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Whereas in 1865, the brewery
had only five stores,

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by 1900, it had nearly 20.

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Thanks to the railways,
they could now send their beer

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all the way up to Camberwell,
in South London.

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This brewery's association
with steam engines

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goes back much further.

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As early as 1789, it bought
a Sun and Planet steam engine,

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which revolutionised production,

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mechanising the grinding of malt,
and pumping water and beer

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around the factory.
To find out how they make beer now,

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I'm meeting
Chief Brewer Richard Frost.

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Hello, Richard.
Hello, Michael, good to see you.

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It's an ancient brewery,

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and here I see some
fairly ancient looking machinery,

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what kind of vintage is this stuff?

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These mash tuns date back to 1914.

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100 years old. Yeah, 100 years old.
Very traditional, made of oak.

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So that's contributing

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part of the flavour.
Definitely, without a doubt.

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I mean, here, you have
the most fantastic combination

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of the old and the new.
You've got digital controls,

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with some fairly
ancient looking machinery.

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Yeah, the machinery dates back
to Victorian days.

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Are you doing any mashing today?
We are, in fact,

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Ian is just going to
kick the process off.

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The brewing process
hasn't changed much either.

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The crushed malt from the hopper
above is mixed with hot water

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that has to be at exactly
the right temperature.

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What temperature
are we going up to, Ian?

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Between 63 and 63.4,
just trying to get it

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levelled off in the middle area.

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So just a little adjustment here
to this wheel.

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63.4 is about right.
It's going up a bit there,

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so you open it up slightly.

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Now I'm going upstairs
to the coppers,

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to find out about
the next step in the process.

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The next part is to boil that up
with some hops,

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some Kentish locally grown hops.

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So we'll go ahead and add some
here. We have some behind you.

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It has that magnificent aroma,
doesn't it?

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Oh, yeah, hops are rather like
herbs and spices

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that a cook would use,
or a chef would use.

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They add aroma and flavour to beer.

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If you would like to tip those in.

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Look at all that Kent goodness
going down the chute.

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They're wonderful hops.

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Having found out how to brew
a traditional Kentish beer,

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it's appropriate to make
a local delivery,

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in one of the brewery's oldest vans.

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Here, we have a lovely Austin 20,

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and I thought it would be really
nice if we could recreate a journey

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delivering some beer to the
Railway Tavern in Faversham.

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I believe they're very thirsty
there. Let's get going.

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Ah, what a magnificent car!

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Ah, thank you very much.

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Anyone in need of a drink?
Yes, please. Thank you.

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It's now time to leave Faversham

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and head for the coast.

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Bradshaw's makes Dover sound
really inviting.

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"The line of noble-looking mansions
spreading along the coast,

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"the pureness of the atmosphere,

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"the bold and rocky scenery

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"give it an important position
among our-sea loving citizens."

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Ah, but Dover had
an important position

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militarily and strategically
long before tourism.

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Guarding the narrowest stretch
of the English Channel,

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Dover has been a strategic
defensive town since Roman times.

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Here, I am little more than 20 miles

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from our historic enemy, the French.

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The castle, says my guide book,

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is, "The great lion of Dover,

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"and as the first object that
strikes the eye of the traveller,

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"it is sure to woo
his footsteps thither."

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Well, my footsteps are wooed

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by another military structure
which is a bit less obvious.

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According to Bradshaw, this is,

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"The grand military shaft,

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"leading to the heights

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"and barracks above.

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"Sufficiently capacious to contain
many thousand troops."

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For such a vast place, this must be
Dover's best kept secret.

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I'm meeting Mandy Whall of the
Western Heights Preservation Society

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to find out more.

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Mandy, hello. Hello, Michael.

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I think this is the most
extraordinary place

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I've ever seen.
Why was this built?

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Above us on the cliff,
we have the Grand Shaft Barracks

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where approximately 1,000 troops
would have been housed.

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The only way down to the seafront,
had an enemy invaded,

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would be to run down
the side of the cliff,

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down there, miles away, come back...
It's about a mile and a half.

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So they needed a way to move troops
very quickly from the barracks

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down to the seafront,
which is about 300 yards that way.

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So we've got the elegant solution
of a triple helix spiral staircase,

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so you can move your troops
very quickly from the barracks site

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down to the seafront.

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This is all about fear
of invasion, I suppose? Yes.

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And I suppose it's the French
as usual that we were worried about?

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Oh, yes, yes, Napoleon.

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The initial building started in 1804
and it was completed by 1806,

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so a very quick build.
Was this a very secret operation?

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We wouldn't have told the French,
to be sure.

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There are a lot of fortifications
up here.

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They are all very well concealed

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so they couldn't be observed
from even the town of Dover itself.

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And are we able to go up to the top
these days?

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You certainly are, yes,
it's 200 stairs

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and I've got a bit of a challenge
for you.

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In 1826, one soldier bet
that he could run up these stairs

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in 30 seconds, and I wondered
if you would like to have a go?

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200 steps in 30 seconds?! Yes.

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I don't think so,
but I'll give it a go!

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See you in a minute!
See you in a moment.

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OK, Michael? Ready... Steady... Go!

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What's the score? 46.6 seconds.
I was weighed down by my book!

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Did I come all that way?
You certainly did!

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I think this now explains something
in Bradshaw's Guide

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which was puzzling me

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that says that there are
three spiral staircases

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and I see there are.

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Now, what was the point
of having three?

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It means you can move three times
the troops in a third of the time.

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And how did they decide
which one to use?

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When it was first built,
there was no class distinction,

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so anybody went down
whatever staircase,

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but by the time you get
to the Victorian era,

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there's a much bigger
class distinction.

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So what they did is
they allocated staircases.

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One for officers and their ladies,
one for sergeants and their wives

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and the other for soldiers
and their women.

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But it just shows the class system

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gets into everything in Britain,
doesn't it? Yes.

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Oh, not another set of steps!
MANDY LAUGHS

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So, I think I get the idea now.

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The fortress is sunk into the cliff
so that in Napoleonic times

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and actually even today,
you have no clue that it's here.

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Well, that's right. It's cunningly
concealed within the contours

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and topography of the landscape.

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What went on here at the top?

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Well, this is the parade ground,

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at the late 19th century
they had the Easter Reviews.

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It was a huge spectacular.

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The Easter Volunteers would stage
elaborate military manoeuvres

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that were important battlefield
training exercises.

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But they were also massive
public spectacles

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with thousands of people coming
to watch from all over the country.

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We have accounts of 30 trains
between 6am and 9am

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bringing down 25,000 troops
as well as any ammunition

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and all the horses, and everything
else that they required on that day.

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And then they all pack up at the end
of the day and go home by train.

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Absolute military precision -

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mechanised warfare
using the railways.

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Can we take a walk around?
Of course you can, yes.

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Mandy, as we look out towards
France, across the narrow moat

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that has protected our realm
over the centuries,

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let me read to you from Bradshaw.

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"Nowhere, perhaps in the whole
circuit of the kingdom

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"is there another spot
so calculated to awaken

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"in the bosom of an Englishman
feelings of pride and exultation,

240
00:14:06,505 --> 00:14:10,785
"as the objects around call up
in succession those martial

241
00:14:10,785 --> 00:14:14,625
"and intellectual achievements
by which the inviolate island

242
00:14:14,625 --> 00:14:17,065
"of the sage and the free

243
00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:20,945
"has attained her present
unquestioned supremacy."

244
00:14:35,825 --> 00:14:40,425
It's now time for me to continue
my journey on through Kent.

245
00:14:50,785 --> 00:14:53,865
My train has taken me
into the interior of Kent.

246
00:14:53,865 --> 00:14:57,905
Bradshaw's tells me that my next
stop, Staplehurst, is near

247
00:14:57,905 --> 00:15:02,265
the remains of Sissinghurst Castle
and that's well worth a visit.

248
00:15:02,265 --> 00:15:05,425
If I could lay my head close
to Sissinghurst Castle,

249
00:15:05,425 --> 00:15:06,945
that would be something.

250
00:15:24,545 --> 00:15:28,345
Best known for its gardens,
designed in the 1930s by the poet

251
00:15:28,345 --> 00:15:29,785
Vita Sackville-West,

252
00:15:29,785 --> 00:15:34,145
Sissinghurst Castle had been in
Victorian times a mediaeval ruin.

253
00:15:34,145 --> 00:15:38,185
But the estate had won fame for its
progressive farming techniques

254
00:15:38,185 --> 00:15:40,185
under the tenancy of George Neve.

255
00:15:40,185 --> 00:15:43,985
Some of the farm buildings from
the mid-19th century have survived

256
00:15:43,985 --> 00:15:48,065
and stand as a monument to the
Great Victorian Farming Revival

257
00:15:48,065 --> 00:15:49,905
that began in the 1850s.

258
00:15:49,905 --> 00:15:51,545
Peter Mellor knows more.

259
00:15:51,545 --> 00:15:53,825
Hello, Peter. Hello, Michael.

260
00:15:53,825 --> 00:15:57,425
Good to see you. Welcome
to the Sissinghurst Castle Estate.

261
00:15:57,425 --> 00:15:58,505
Well, thank you.

262
00:15:58,505 --> 00:16:01,705
So, this farmhouse on the castle
estate

263
00:16:01,705 --> 00:16:05,905
has a very Victorian look to me,
what's its history?

264
00:16:05,905 --> 00:16:12,225
Built in 1855 by the Cornwallis
family for a farm tenant,

265
00:16:12,225 --> 00:16:17,065
George Neve, who was only 28
at the time the farmhouse was built.

266
00:16:17,065 --> 00:16:21,385
It was a splendid house
for a very progressive

267
00:16:21,385 --> 00:16:26,545
and energetic farm tenant in the
golden age of Victorian farming.

268
00:16:26,545 --> 00:16:30,585
The farmhouse was the centre
of a thriving and modern farm

269
00:16:30,585 --> 00:16:32,305
of around 500 acres.

270
00:16:32,305 --> 00:16:35,425
The railway was crucial
to the farm's success,

271
00:16:35,425 --> 00:16:38,825
allowing it to transport
its produce far and wide.

272
00:16:40,865 --> 00:16:43,385
Well, the house tells
a very Victorian story.

273
00:16:43,385 --> 00:16:45,225
I shall be very pleased indeed
to stay here.

274
00:16:45,225 --> 00:16:46,905
Cheers. Cheers, Michael.

275
00:17:01,825 --> 00:17:04,625
It's a new day
and I'm heading west -

276
00:17:04,625 --> 00:17:07,225
further into the Weald of Kent.

277
00:17:14,265 --> 00:17:16,785
My first stop today
will be Tonbridge.

278
00:17:16,785 --> 00:17:19,945
Bradshaw's tells me that
it's situated on the Tun

279
00:17:19,945 --> 00:17:23,625
and four branches of the Medway
all crossed by bridges.

280
00:17:23,625 --> 00:17:25,945
It is noted for the excellent
grammar school.

281
00:17:25,945 --> 00:17:28,825
I'm hoping to take a lesson
in how the railways

282
00:17:28,825 --> 00:17:31,265
put the school on track.

283
00:17:43,225 --> 00:17:46,265
At Tonbridge School,
I'm hoping to find out more

284
00:17:46,265 --> 00:17:49,545
from former deputy head teacher
David Walsh.

285
00:17:51,505 --> 00:17:55,465
David. Good morning, Michael,
and welcome to Tonbridge School.

286
00:17:55,465 --> 00:17:58,505
Thank you very much. A very ancient
foundation, dating back to...?

287
00:17:58,505 --> 00:18:04,145
1553. It was founded by Sir Andrew
Judd who was a city merchant.

288
00:18:04,145 --> 00:18:06,785
I think of public schools
as rather large institutions,

289
00:18:06,785 --> 00:18:08,625
did it begin that way?

290
00:18:08,625 --> 00:18:11,265
No, for the first 300 years
of its existence,

291
00:18:11,265 --> 00:18:14,105
really until the railways came
in the mid-19th century,

292
00:18:14,105 --> 00:18:16,105
it only had about 40 or 50 boys,

293
00:18:16,105 --> 00:18:19,185
but by the time
the Victorian Age ended,

294
00:18:19,185 --> 00:18:21,305
it had gone up to about 440 boys.

295
00:18:21,305 --> 00:18:23,465
And the railways had
something to do with that?

296
00:18:23,465 --> 00:18:25,265
The railways had a lot
to do with that.

297
00:18:25,265 --> 00:18:28,145
The railways were, of course,
one of the main sort of drivers

298
00:18:28,145 --> 00:18:30,985
of Victorian prosperity, which
meant that more and more people

299
00:18:30,985 --> 00:18:34,025
could afford to send their children
to schools where they had
to pay fees.

300
00:18:34,025 --> 00:18:37,865
But they also widened people's
geographical horizons considerably.

301
00:18:39,105 --> 00:18:42,545
Tonbridge School was also fortunate
to own a piece of land

302
00:18:42,545 --> 00:18:45,705
next to the new
St Pancras station in London.

303
00:18:45,705 --> 00:18:49,425
When that was sold profitably to the
Midland Railway during the 1860s,

304
00:18:49,425 --> 00:18:51,625
around the time of my Bradshaw's,

305
00:18:51,625 --> 00:18:55,465
the school was able to rebuild
and enlarge its buildings.

306
00:18:55,465 --> 00:18:57,785
The school also owned
a sloping piece of land

307
00:18:57,785 --> 00:19:00,225
near the new railway line
in Tonbridge,

308
00:19:00,225 --> 00:19:03,265
which it levelled, using the spoil
from the line's construction

309
00:19:03,265 --> 00:19:06,465
to create The Head cricket ground.

310
00:19:06,465 --> 00:19:08,545
David's taking me to have a look.

311
00:19:08,545 --> 00:19:12,225
It's a lovely setting
for a cricket match.

312
00:19:12,225 --> 00:19:14,825
Cricket has always been an important
part of Tonbridge school.

313
00:19:14,825 --> 00:19:18,025
I think partly because
of the lovely ground we have here

314
00:19:18,025 --> 00:19:20,625
but also because
of the presence in the school

315
00:19:20,625 --> 00:19:22,545
of old boys like Colin Cowdrey,

316
00:19:22,545 --> 00:19:25,585
who was a boy here
from 1946 until 1950.

317
00:19:25,585 --> 00:19:28,265
Beginning with Colin Cowdrey

318
00:19:28,265 --> 00:19:31,785
many talented cricketers
have emerged from this school.

319
00:19:31,785 --> 00:19:35,745
Including his sons, Chris and
Graham Cowdrey, and more recently

320
00:19:35,745 --> 00:19:38,905
Richard Ellison and Ed Smith,
the Test Match Special pundit.

321
00:19:38,905 --> 00:19:43,945
The area is as noted for cricket
balls as cricket stars.

322
00:19:43,945 --> 00:19:46,945
And here's how it's
made down in the garden of Kent.

323
00:19:46,945 --> 00:19:49,705
While the hide strips
for the cover are drying,

324
00:19:49,705 --> 00:19:52,025
the core or quilt
is being fashioned,

325
00:19:52,025 --> 00:19:54,705
the cover is cut into quarters
and these are sewn

326
00:19:54,705 --> 00:19:59,145
together into halves
by a process known as closing.

327
00:19:59,145 --> 00:20:02,025
So a powerful vice is used
to press them together
and up into a slight ridge.

328
00:20:02,025 --> 00:20:06,385
Now comes another lot of sewing,
with threads of
specially prepared flax.

329
00:20:06,385 --> 00:20:10,905
And then the harvest, ammunition for
village greens and county pitches.

330
00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:15,785
Neil Robinson from the MCC
Museum will educate me, it seems.

331
00:20:15,785 --> 00:20:20,265
What have you got here?
We have got a sample of 3 balls

332
00:20:20,265 --> 00:20:21,985
from various periods
through history.

333
00:20:21,985 --> 00:20:24,425
and you will notice immediately
simply from the size

334
00:20:24,425 --> 00:20:26,985
and design that they really
haven't changed that much.

335
00:20:26,985 --> 00:20:32,265
If you'd like to pop these
gloves on you will be able
to weigh them in your hands.

336
00:20:32,265 --> 00:20:35,905
Now that is the oldest cricket
ball known to exist anywhere
in the world.

337
00:20:35,905 --> 00:20:39,945
It was used at a match
at Lords in 1820

338
00:20:39,945 --> 00:20:44,865
So this ball feels to me pretty
much like a cricket ball of today.

339
00:20:44,865 --> 00:20:49,305
It should do the only notable
difference is obviously the leather
has faded over the last 2 centuries.

340
00:20:49,305 --> 00:20:53,785
And this newer ball.
The second ball we have here

341
00:20:53,785 --> 00:20:59,825
dates from 1902. You'll see the
leather has faded slightly but isn't
quite as far gone as the 1820 ball.

342
00:20:59,825 --> 00:21:02,945
This was used in a match at the Oval
a test match between England

343
00:21:02,945 --> 00:21:05,305
and Australia which England
won by one wicket,

344
00:21:05,305 --> 00:21:08,425
a very famous match, a very
thrilling innings by Gilbert Jessop.

345
00:21:08,425 --> 00:21:13,905
And it was actually made, this ball,
in the John Wisden and Co works on
Baltic Road here in Tonbridge.

346
00:21:13,905 --> 00:21:18,145
John Wisden, now that's a name
I know surely for the cricket
almanacs.

347
00:21:18,145 --> 00:21:21,825
Well, yes indeed, Wisden brought out
his first cricket almanac in 1864

348
00:21:21,825 --> 00:21:25,705
and it's been going for 150 years
now rather like Bradshaw there.

349
00:21:25,705 --> 00:21:29,865
Yeah, this is 1864ish as well.
Indeed.

350
00:21:29,865 --> 00:21:32,185
An important year for cricket?
It was very much so.

351
00:21:32,185 --> 00:21:36,105
WG Grace made his first appearance
at Lords, over arm bowling
was legalised.

352
00:21:36,105 --> 00:21:38,825
So you may say the modern world
was making itself

353
00:21:38,825 --> 00:21:42,265
felt in cricket as it was through
the railways and other areas.

354
00:21:42,265 --> 00:21:45,785
Well, Neal, I don't believe
I have touched a cricket ball
for some decades

355
00:21:45,785 --> 00:21:47,305
but this has given me an idea.

356
00:21:50,465 --> 00:21:53,425
This is where Bradshaw
turns to Brad-MAN.

357
00:22:05,265 --> 00:22:06,705
Oh, yes!

358
00:22:08,505 --> 00:22:10,665
My luck is in today.

359
00:22:14,265 --> 00:22:15,745
Wow, we're off again.

360
00:22:25,145 --> 00:22:28,025
Even Bradman had his bad days.

361
00:22:34,545 --> 00:22:40,465
Bowled over by the cricketing
prowess of Tonbridge school, I'm
detouring further west into Surrey.

362
00:22:40,465 --> 00:22:47,505
I'm changing trains at Redhill
because something in my Bradshaw's
has piqued my interest.

363
00:22:54,025 --> 00:22:56,065
I'm on my way to Dorking.

364
00:22:56,065 --> 00:22:59,505
Bradshaw's tells me
it's celebrated for its poultry.

365
00:22:59,505 --> 00:23:02,745
Particularly for a five-toed
breed called Dorkings,

366
00:23:02,745 --> 00:23:05,785
supposed to have been
introduced by the Romans.

367
00:23:05,785 --> 00:23:08,025
Now that's worth crossing
the road for!

368
00:23:20,025 --> 00:23:22,265
I'm going to visit Wymbleton farm,

369
00:23:22,265 --> 00:23:27,145
where Lana Gazder is going to
tell me all about this noble fowl.

370
00:23:27,145 --> 00:23:29,585
Hello, Lana. Hello, Michael.
Nice to meet you.

371
00:23:29,585 --> 00:23:33,225
I'd never thought of counting
the toes of a chicken but Bradshaw's

372
00:23:33,225 --> 00:23:36,865
tells me there's a special five-toed
variety here in Dorking.

373
00:23:36,865 --> 00:23:39,105
There is and they are quite rare.

374
00:23:39,105 --> 00:23:43,585
It is one of the oldest chickens
in Britain if not the oldest.

375
00:23:43,585 --> 00:23:45,985
And the five toes is a bit
of a mystery where it came from.

376
00:23:45,985 --> 00:23:49,065
People think that the Romans
brought the Dorking in

377
00:23:49,065 --> 00:23:50,705
but I don't believe that.

378
00:23:50,705 --> 00:23:53,745
If that was so, there would
still be Dorkings in Italy.

379
00:23:53,745 --> 00:23:56,825
So I tend to think
they were here already,

380
00:23:56,825 --> 00:23:59,505
possibly brought in
by the Venetian traders,

381
00:23:59,505 --> 00:24:03,625
they might have brought in the Hudan
or the Arden, they have five toes,

382
00:24:03,625 --> 00:24:06,905
and they may have mixed them
with the Scott's dumpy,

383
00:24:06,905 --> 00:24:12,865
so I reckon there was a five-toed
bird in England and when the Romans
came they recognised them as

384
00:24:12,865 --> 00:24:17,305
an excellent bird to feed their
army, and I do believe they
perfected them.

385
00:24:17,305 --> 00:24:19,185
Just show me the difference.

386
00:24:19,185 --> 00:24:21,985
These are the front three toes,
which every chicken has,

387
00:24:21,985 --> 00:24:24,145
and they also have a fourth toe
at the back.

388
00:24:24,145 --> 00:24:27,505
But the Dorking has a fifth toe,
so that is the unusual bit.

389
00:24:27,505 --> 00:24:33,105
It's probably a deformity but it was
bred in an it's a dominant feature

390
00:24:33,105 --> 00:24:36,385
OK so they have more toes.
What else makes them special?

391
00:24:36,385 --> 00:24:38,225
What makes them important?

392
00:24:38,225 --> 00:24:40,545
They're important for the fact

393
00:24:40,545 --> 00:24:44,905
they are probably the most
excellent meat bird in Britain.

394
00:24:44,905 --> 00:24:51,665
Also, the whole shape of them
is a lengthy, rectangular bird.

395
00:24:51,665 --> 00:24:54,905
Are Dorkings still sold for meat?
Sadly not.

396
00:24:54,905 --> 00:24:59,145
It's economically
not viable nowadays.

397
00:24:59,145 --> 00:25:03,305
The Dorking's eggs were particularly
prized by Queen Victoria

398
00:25:03,305 --> 00:25:08,465
She insisted on them being
served because they
were delicious and digestible.

399
00:25:08,465 --> 00:25:12,745
I just have to find out
what all the fuss is about.

400
00:25:12,745 --> 00:25:16,785
Mmm, lovely dark yellow hue.

401
00:25:21,345 --> 00:25:25,705
It's bursting with flavour.
Absolutely glorious.

402
00:25:25,705 --> 00:25:30,385
And you can assure me that it's also
easy on my digestion! Absolutely.

403
00:25:30,385 --> 00:25:32,185
Queen Victoria couldn't
have been wrong!

404
00:25:33,985 --> 00:25:36,305
This humble chicken
has put Dorking on the map.

405
00:25:36,305 --> 00:25:39,585
There's a 10 foot statue
of a Dorking

406
00:25:39,585 --> 00:25:42,785
installed on a roundabout in 2007.

407
00:25:42,785 --> 00:25:46,465
It was modelled on one
of Lana's exhibition chickens.

408
00:25:46,465 --> 00:25:50,025
I'll now help her
to prepare one for a show.

409
00:25:52,385 --> 00:25:54,425
This is a dark Dorking.

410
00:25:54,425 --> 00:25:56,305
What are you going to do first?

411
00:25:56,305 --> 00:25:59,585
I will very carefully
put her in the water.

412
00:25:59,585 --> 00:26:03,425
And very quietly apply
the water without scaring her.

413
00:26:03,425 --> 00:26:06,745
No brisk movements is the secret.

414
00:26:06,745 --> 00:26:10,305
Dab the sponge
until she gets used to it.

415
00:26:10,305 --> 00:26:14,985
And then you have to very
carefully scrub at her legs.

416
00:26:14,985 --> 00:26:18,585
Well, Lana, I can absolutely tell
you that I have never before

417
00:26:18,585 --> 00:26:21,305
scrubbed the feet of a chicken
with a toothbrush!

418
00:26:21,305 --> 00:26:24,465
What a handsome beast you're going
to be! She's enjoying it I think

419
00:26:24,465 --> 00:26:25,865
Very well behaved indeed,

420
00:26:25,865 --> 00:26:29,425
considering she's being
groomed by an amateur.

421
00:26:29,425 --> 00:26:31,425
Now, you've got one wet chicken.

422
00:26:31,425 --> 00:26:35,265
I have.
She'll have to be blow dried.

423
00:26:35,265 --> 00:26:39,505
You can't be serious.
No, they really enjoy it
because if you think of a chicken

424
00:26:39,505 --> 00:26:42,945
on a tree, the wind blowing
through their feathers,

425
00:26:42,945 --> 00:26:45,145
that's a natural thing for them.

426
00:26:45,145 --> 00:26:46,705
This, I have to see.

427
00:26:49,025 --> 00:26:50,425
Very handy having help.

428
00:26:54,425 --> 00:26:56,065
Under the wing.

429
00:26:58,065 --> 00:27:01,025
She'll be feeling nice and warm now,
won't she?

430
00:27:01,025 --> 00:27:05,545
I quite like a wash and blow dry
myself so we're birds of a feather!

431
00:27:05,545 --> 00:27:09,945
I think she's virtually done now
with the hairdryer. Well, Lana,
thank you so much.

432
00:27:09,945 --> 00:27:12,785
And just to think I would never have
discovered a five-toed

433
00:27:12,785 --> 00:27:15,345
Dorking without my Bradshaw's guide!

434
00:27:15,345 --> 00:27:16,865
That's very good.

435
00:27:23,745 --> 00:27:26,785
The Duke of Wellington remarked
that the battle of Waterloo

436
00:27:26,785 --> 00:27:28,705
was won on
the playing fields of Eton.

437
00:27:28,705 --> 00:27:34,225
You might also say that test matches
have been won on the cricket
square of Tonbridge school.

438
00:27:34,225 --> 00:27:40,465
Warm beer, cricket
and public schools were parts
of Victorian culture.

439
00:27:40,465 --> 00:27:43,985
The white cliffs of Dover
would be the front line in which

440
00:27:43,985 --> 00:27:48,345
British customs and values would
be defended against aggressors.

441
00:27:48,345 --> 00:27:52,785
A sentiment expressed in patriotic
language by my Bradshaw's guide.

442
00:27:55,745 --> 00:27:58,745
Next time, I'll pick up the scent
underground in Brighton...

443
00:27:58,745 --> 00:28:02,625
I had no idea that sewage
had such a sweet tinkle to it.

444
00:28:02,625 --> 00:28:05,465
..Visit a party palace
fit for a queen...

445
00:28:05,465 --> 00:28:07,625
"As the royal pair approached
Castle Square,

446
00:28:07,625 --> 00:28:10,305
"the crowed pressed
forward more closely

447
00:28:10,305 --> 00:28:14,305
"and some errand boys rudely
peered beneath her majesty's
bonnet."

448
00:28:14,305 --> 00:28:15,545
How frightful!

449
00:28:15,545 --> 00:28:18,025
..And pass the chequered
flag in style.

450
00:28:18,025 --> 00:28:23,625
Down the straight they are doing 180
miles per hour. I can't believe it.

451
00:28:23,625 --> 00:28:28,105
I'm touching just over 60 now and
enjoying it. That was 70, come on!