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For Victorian Britons,

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George Bradshaw
was a household name.

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At a time when railways were new,

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Bradshaw's guidebook
inspired them to take the tracks.

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I'm using a Bradshaw's guide
to understand how trains

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transformed Britain -

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its landscape, its industry,
society and leisure time.

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As I crisscross the country
150 years later, it helps me

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to discover the Britain of today.

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I'm beginning a journey
across southern Scotland,

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exploring the people and pastimes
that make this country distinctive.

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Long before my Bradshaw's guide,

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this region had produced
key creators of the modern world -

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the philosopher David Hume,
from Berwickshire,

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the economist Adam Smith,
from Kirkcaldy,

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the developer of the steam engine -
James Watt, from Greenock.

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No wonder that the Industrial
Revolution took root here.

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My journey this week will take me
across Scotland from west to east.

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Beginning at the Firth of Clyde,

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I head through the Scottish Lowlands
to Glasgow.

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Then north to Stirling and Perth,

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close to where
the kings of Scotland were crowned.

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I'll travel on east to Fife

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and the famous
university town of St Andrews,

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finally heading south to Scotland's
capital, where my journey ends.

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On today's leg, I'll hug the coast
up to the North Ayrshire town

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of Kilwinning, before heading to
the historic harbour at Troon.

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I'll then make tracks northeast
to Kilmarnock,

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before ending my journey
in rural Stewarton.

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'On this first part, I get to grips
with an ancient sport...'

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Good, and let go.

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HE GIGGLES

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'..learn how being overweight
could bring a heavy penalty...'

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The way they worked out
the passengers was

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exactly the same way as the goods
on it - they were done by weight.

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So you wanted quite a small
breakfast

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before you went down to the train?
Well...

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'..and cap it all off
with a touch of tartan.'

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Maybe try that one on for size?

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You'll ne'er look so bonny
as in a Bonnet Toun bonnet.

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Bradshaw's tells me that about
ten miles out in the sea

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is Ailsa Craig,

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a huge basalt rock
1,100ft high and two miles around.

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I'm getting off the train at Ayr
to discover what use is made

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of the craig
in this land of ice and granite.

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The wild character of the Scottish
coastline shows much evidence

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of a landscape
shaped by glaciers and volcanoes.

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And dominating the seascape,
this famous rock, which is

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also the source of Scotland's
prized curling stones.

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'I'm lucky enough to be visiting
the family-owned factory that

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'still makes them. Bill Hunter is
the manager.' Hello, Bill.

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Good to see you.
Good to see you, sir.

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Bill, I've come in search of Ailsa
Craig granite. Have I found it?

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You have found it,
and this is the one piece of it.

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Ailsa Craig is...

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It's been used now for
well over 100 years,

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and it is now proved to be the best
granite for making curling stones.

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It's part of the volcano from Arran.

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When the offshoot came out,
it cooled down so fast there's

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no chance of quartz to grow, so it's
now classified as a microgranite.

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'That means it's a rock
that is much more densely packed,

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'containing crystals
smaller than grains of rice,

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'and it makes a difference
to the stones' resilience.'

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When the two stones hit
off each other, they don't shatter.

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If you're working with other
granites, they are quartz-rich,

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so when the two stones hit,
they will shatter.

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This is the only company in the world

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that actually uses
Ailsa Craig granite.

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'Kays of Scotland was founded
back in 1851, and every 12 years,

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'it harvests around 2,000 tonnes
of granite.

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'The company supplies stones
to 55 countries around the world.'

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It doesn't look much like
a curling stone at the moment.

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What do you do to it next? Come into
the factory and we'll show you.

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Thank you.

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'The process begins with
a stone-cutting machine,

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'which carves from the granite
a shape like a cheese wheel.

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'Then it's on to the grinder,

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'to bring the stone closer
to its finished weight of 44 pounds.

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'Finally, it's off
to the experienced hands

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'of the polisher, who removes
a further ten pounds.

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'This expertise has been carefully
passed down the generations

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'of the family.

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'The current owner is Jimmy Wyllie.'

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Hello, Jimmy.

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Hello, Michael.

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That's a little bit smaller than
the curling stone I expected to see.

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What is that? Yes, this is
the miniature gift wheel that we do.

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This is exactly the same material
from Ailsa Craig

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as the large stones. Beautiful.

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And you're actually
part of the family.

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Yes, born and bred, as they say.

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Third generation of my family
in the business.

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My grandfather got into the business
well over 100 years ago,

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and I think that probably about...

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More than 12 or 13 of the family
at the last count

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are involved, over more than
100 years. Extraordinary.

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Do you ever do any curling yourself?

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Yes, now that I'm an old man,
I decided I'd better take it up

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again, so yes, I've been curling
again in recent years.

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And how's it going? Er...

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Not as good as I would like.

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Does it take its toll on the joints?

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Because I'm thinking of having a go
myself. Yes.

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The modern way of delivering the
stone involves really quite a bit

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of physical manoeuvring,
you might say,

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and maybe you should have
a little lubrication before you try.

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MICHAEL LAUGHS

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'Well, ever the willing guinea pig,
now's my chance to curl.

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'I feel very lucky to have
a Scottish world champion,

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'Sheila Swan, to teach me.'

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Hello. Hi, Michael. Nice to see you.
Very good to see you.

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When were the rules of curling
established?

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The Royal Caledonian Curling Club,

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the governing body for curling
in Scotland,

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was constituted in 1838 and they're
generally known as the mother club

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of curling and contributed
to the major rules of the game.

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It's fundamentally a Scottish
sport, then.

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Yes, the sport originated in
Scotland back in the 15th century.

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It's remarkable that this sport was
born when the Scots discovered

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the fun that could be had
throwing stones onto a frozen river.

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What's been your role in the sport?

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Development manager
for the Royal Caledonian Curling Club

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and I'm responsible for adults,
disability

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and competitions within
the Royal Caledonian Curling Club.

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Her coaching has brought huge
success to the Scottish junior team,

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but teaching me
is one of her tougher assignments.

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So this is the hack. It's a bit
like a starting block in athletics.

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Your gripper foot will go on top of
the hack, your toes up on the slope.

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Your slider foot will be parallel to

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but slightly in front
of your gripper foot.

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From there you bend at the knees,
hips and waist.

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So you hold on to the stabiliser
and the stone.

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And you keep your back nice and flat.
That is the ready position.

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Steady, you will pull back your stone
and your sliding foot

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and then go, your stone moves
forward, sliding foot behind.

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Curling resembles bowls, but players
slide a stone down a 45-metre

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stretch of ice
known as a curling sheet.

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Points go to teams that get
more of the stones closer

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to the centre of a target,
called the house.

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Bend at the knees, hips and waist.

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Lift your bottom up a little bit.
Excellent, that's ready, steady...

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pull back and...go.

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Good. And let go.

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SHE LAUGHS

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That was very good
for a first attempt.

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So where does all the brushing
come into it?

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OK, sweeping does three things.
It keeps the ice clean.

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If a little bit of dirt gets under
the stone it will deviate

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from its line quite sharply.

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It makes it go further, not faster,
and it also keeps it straighter,

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because curling stones always go in a
curve rather than a straight line.

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Sweep, Michael!

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Hard, Michael! Hard! Hard!

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Hard, hard, hard!

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We're in! Well swept! House!

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Brilliant! Well done. Well done.

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I've headed back to Ayr station
to take the mainline north.

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I love to see Scottish stations
so beautifully kept.

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Louis Wall and his team of
green-fingered volunteers

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look after 21 of them.

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Louis, I must say this station
looks absolutely splendid.

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Do people appreciate what you are
doing? Absolutely.

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It cheers them up.

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Stations used to always look
glorious,

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but I think we've
improved on days past.

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Have you won any awards in the past?
Oh, yes.

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Last year we came up with
the national award,

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the award for the United Kingdom.

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And we came top in that category
of best floral display.

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Well done to you. Thank you
very much. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

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My next stop is Kilwinning, which
lies 25 miles southwest of Glasgow.

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From one traditional
activity to another.

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I shall be getting off at
Kilwinning

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because Bradshaw's tells me
that an archery club is held here

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which was established in 1488
and at which the popinjay is held.

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What is "popinjay"?
I'm all a-quiver.

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Kilwinning is
a historic Ayrshire town.

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The settlement and its 12th century
abbey are thought to be named

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after St Winin.

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Today the abbey is just a ruin,

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but Bradshaw's is generally
reliable on places of interest.

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It may look like a festival
of umbrellas,

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but it is in fact an archery
competition with a long history.

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I'm meeting Stuart Wilson

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00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,640
from the Ancient Society
Of Kilwinning Archers.

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00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:38,960
Hello! Hello, Michael. How are you?
How are you doing, Stuart?

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Excellent, apart from the rain.

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Bradshaw's tells me that you've had
an archery club here since 1488.

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1483, in actual fact,
is the date we go for.

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Its history has been a bit
indistinct in that time.

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00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,960
Bradshaw's talks about a popinjay.
What's that?

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00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,480
Popinjay is an English word,
in actual fact, for parrot.

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An old English word.

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00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,240
The Scots word for it is papingo,

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00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,400
and that's what we'll be doing today,
shooting at the papingo.

196
00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,560
What is this handsome object here?

197
00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:18,000
This is the Ancient Society
Of Kilwinning Archers silver arrow.

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00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:24,040
The first medal on it is 1697,
which is before the Act Of Union.

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00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:29,880
And the earliest part of the trophy
is this part along here.

200
00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:34,560
This was donated by an archer
called David Muir.

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00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:38,160
A medal goes on for the archer who
hits the pigeon or,

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00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,320
as we would say,
"dings doun the doo".

203
00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,240
Dings doun the doo. Indeed.

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00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,320
There are a few interesting
medals on here.

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00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,720
We've even had a politician on here.
No!

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00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,400
Mr Stanford was a professor of Greek

207
00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,720
and he stood for Parliament in
Glasgow, but he didn't get elected.

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00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,200
I know the feeling!

209
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,120
But he did stand
the following year for Paisley

210
00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:03,080
and he got elected for that.

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00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,680
But he decided he didn't like it
and within the year he resigned.

212
00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:08,400
I know that feeling, too!

213
00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:11,640
Back in the 15th century,

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every district in Scotland had
a review of its troops

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called a wappenshaw,

216
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:19,560
where they would show their weapons
and their skill.

217
00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:25,080
And the challenge for the archers
was a target on top of this tower.

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Right, Michael, this is what we are
going to be shooting at.

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00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,200
This is the papingo.
MICHAEL LAUGHS

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00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:34,720
What's it made of?

221
00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:37,600
This is wood and it's
supposed to represent a pigeon.

222
00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,280
This will go on the end of the pole.

223
00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,160
We are going to push it out
to our mark.

224
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So it just fits like so
and it's loose at the moment,

225
00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,000
and we very carefully slide this out.

226
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,960
So, lift from here... Lift
from there, gently, and slide out.

227
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,920
In days of old a live pigeon was
used. We're more humane these days.

228
00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,920
Keep it going. Keep it going...
Right, now, hold it there.

229
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:03,680
You can let go now.

230
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:06,640
Well, Stuart, I have done some
weird things in my time,

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00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,080
but pushing a papingo out on a pole

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00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,120
from an abbey tower
rates right up there!

233
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,000
Despite my evident sporting
handicaps,

234
00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,920
I'd be so happy to score a birdie.

235
00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,280
Whoa! Oh, that was close.

236
00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,160
That's what you've got to do.

237
00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,160
And I expect you to get a bit closer
than that after I've taught you.

238
00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,600
But that is absolutely impossible,
Stuart,

239
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,640
how does anybody hit the papingo?

240
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:33,280
Well, it's been done.

241
00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,560
If you look at my bonnet, you will
see there are three rosettes,

242
00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:41,920
and the rosettes were given
for hitting the wings.

243
00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,400
Returning from my training session,

244
00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,600
it's time to focus on how the oldest
archery competition in the world
is going.

245
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,600
CHEERING

246
00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,840
He's done it, he's dinged doun
the doo.

247
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,640
Well done.

248
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,120
That was fantastic,
you hit the papingo.

249
00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:10,880
Yes, it's absolutely spectacular.

250
00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:12,880
How many years have you tried?

251
00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,840
This is actually my first year.

252
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:16,160
No! Absolutely first year.

253
00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,520
They're really nice because they tell
you up a bit, down a bit,

254
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,080
right, right.

255
00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,920
I just let go and as it was going up,

256
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,200
it was as if it just went
into slow motion,

257
00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,880
and I saw it hit. It was fantastic.

258
00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,400
My go.

259
00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,480
Good luck!

260
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:37,200
So I have just one arrow to hit
a target 103 feet up

261
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,680
but looks the size of my thumb.

262
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,720
Here we go. Right.

263
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:48,160
Let me stand one foot on the step,
one foot on the gravel.

264
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,880
Bring the bow up into the vertical.

265
00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,440
I'll give you some guidance
with my arrow again.

266
00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,960
Out more to the vertical.
Out to there.

267
00:15:57,960 --> 00:15:59,840
That's better.

268
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,200
It's not the easiest of angles.
When ready.

269
00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,040
That's a good shot.

270
00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,760
That wasn't as bad as I thought.

271
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:15,920
That was close.

272
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,000
I feel good for that,
thank you so much.

273
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,280
APPLAUSE

274
00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:24,960
The first award today
for dinging doun the doo

275
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,840
goes to Johan Kangasniemi.

276
00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,480
APPLAUSE

277
00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,560
Congratulations, Johan.
Thank you.

278
00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,400
How does it feel to hold that?
Impressive.

279
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,240
I did not plan on this
when I showed up this morning.

280
00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,600
I'm really, really grateful.
Well done.

281
00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,520
APPLAUSE

282
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:49,040
I've so thoroughly enjoyed being
a medieval archer

283
00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,200
that it's a pity not to celebrate
the doo with a dram,

284
00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,400
but my bed for the night is
still three stops away.

285
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:04,600
At my next destination, Bradshaw
promises me salmon and rabbits.

286
00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,640
As the goon who failed to ding doun
the doo,

287
00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:09,240
I'm on my way to Troon.

288
00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:14,720
Troon is famous today for its
royal golf course,

289
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:19,640
but in the 19th century it was the
town's railway which caused waves.

290
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:21,800
I'll find out why in the morning.

291
00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,840
I'm up early on a stunning morning
to meet local historian

292
00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:47,120
Bill Fitzpatrick at the site
of the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway

293
00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:50,480
which began here at the coast.

294
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:53,920
Hello.

295
00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,480
Excellent to see you,
what an astonishing view.

296
00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,080
Beautiful view.

297
00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:02,120
Bill, I believe that the first
railway line in Scotland
was hereabouts.

298
00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:05,840
Yes, the Duke of Portland
had many coal mines in Kilmarnock,

299
00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:08,600
and he decided to build a port down
here

300
00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,280
to shift his coal,
mainly to Ireland.

301
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:16,000
His original idea was a canal but he
then replaced it with a plateway,

302
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,600
which would run wagons
pulled by horses on it.

303
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:24,040
These early rails were specifically
engineered to take a flat wheel.

304
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,040
The plateway rail is L-shaped
to keep the wagon wheel on track.

305
00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,800
And there were frequent places
where one vehicle could pull across

306
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,800
to the other track to allow
a faster horse to pass.

307
00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,080
A horse could pull about five
tonnes in two hours

308
00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,080
from Kilmarnock down to here,
which is about 10 miles.

309
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:42,520
And what date was all this?

310
00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:48,320
The act was passed about 1808
and the railway was opened by 1812.

311
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,880
It's easy to forget how
dependent the world was

312
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,400
on horsepower before the coming
of steam.

313
00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,120
Horses were the universal mode of
land transport from personal steed

314
00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:00,800
to omnibuses.

315
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,000
This was strictly for coal, was it?

316
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,640
It was strictly for coal

317
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,120
but almost from the beginning, they
seem to have carried passengers.

318
00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:11,360
The railway company
couldn't carry passengers

319
00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:15,280
but it could license people
and it could toll people
for carrying passengers.

320
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,880
The way they worked out
the passengers

321
00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,320
was exactly the same way as goods
on it.

322
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,760
They were done by weight.
My goodness!

323
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,480
So you wanted to have quite
a small breakfast before you
went down for the train.

324
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,280
Well, I've no doubt they had all
that thought out before they did.

325
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,480
The railway also went on to become
the earliest line in Scotland

326
00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,320
to use a steam locomotive, and the
towns of Troon and Kilmarnock

327
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,480
benefited significantly
because of its development.

328
00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,880
Is there any vestige
of the line left?

329
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,520
This end has gone and the
Kilmarnock end has gone,

330
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,160
but the bit between Barassie
and Kilmarnock is pretty well
still there,

331
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,320
re-laid and worked as a proper
railway line.

332
00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,720
So if I were to take a train over
those tracks,

333
00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,160
I'd have a distinctly
historic feeling. Yes.

334
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,440
And that's exactly what
I intend to do.

335
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:11,600
Because this is the 21st century's
big, bold answer to hauling coal.

336
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,160
I'm embarking on this freight train
at Barassie Station

337
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:19,560
to travel along
this historic route.

338
00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,440
These days, moving coal
from the port at Hunterston

339
00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,840
to West Burton power station
in north Nottinghamshire

340
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,320
is a relatively stress-free
business.

341
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,920
In order for the train to change
direction from the mainline

342
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:39,600
north to the branchline east,
this 3,300 horsepower locomotive

343
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:42,760
has to swap ends.

344
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,160
So we brought the locomotive
all the way down the train

345
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,400
so we can change ends.

346
00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:51,960
Small impact coming up.

347
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,080
Boom! Very neat.

348
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:58,560
Then it's all about pulling
this huge weight back up
to cruising speed

349
00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,440
because it's important not to hold
up passenger traffic.

350
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,040
I notice the locomotive, powerful
as it is,

351
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,400
was quite slow to pick up.
What kind of weight are we hauling?

352
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:20,360
The train that we're hauling
today is upwards of 2,200 tonnes,

353
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:21,920
so she's very heavy

354
00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,280
and obviously very difficult
to initially get moving.

355
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,160
It's a very powerful machine but
because of the weight of the train,

356
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,360
it lets you know where the
gradients are,

357
00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:32,760
so part of our route knowledge
is knowing where the gradients are

358
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,240
and knowing how to use them
to our advantage.

359
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,800
Scott, were you aware this is the
oldest railway line in Scotland?

360
00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:43,560
I was aware of the history involved
in this particular part of the line

361
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:44,960
we are travelling on,

362
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:50,640
Having initially been built to
transport coal from the coal fields
round about Kilmarnock up to Troon.

363
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,120
You imagine they were using horses
in those days. Absolutely, yes, yes.

364
00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:58,840
It was about 1812, was it? It was
1812. And I suppose you can
understand it,

365
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,960
because this is very much on the
level, isn't it?

366
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:03,280
Yes, it is pretty much, yeah.

367
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,840
Although we have got quite a gradient
as we go into Kilmarnock station.

368
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,840
Pretty much not noticeable with a
passenger train

369
00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,520
but with the weight we are pulling
today it is very noticeable.

370
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:26,880
I am now returning to the comfort of
a passenger service as I head north
towards Glasgow.

371
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,320
A short journey north will bring me
to Stewarton.

372
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:36,960
Bradshaw's tells me that,

373
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:43,160
"Considerable manufactures of
woollen tartans, caps and Scotch
bonnets are carried on here."

374
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:48,040
It might have added Balmorals,
Glengarrys and Tam O'Shanters,

375
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,240
because it is a town of hats to
which I am headed.

376
00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:01,760
Stewarton, in rural northern
Ayrshire,

377
00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:06,360
doesn't seem an obvious place for a
Victorian manufacturing hub,

378
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:09,000
but in the 1840s it was.

379
00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,840
I am meeting Keith Mackie,
the owner of Robert Mackie,

380
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:18,480
a company that manufactures
traditional Scottish bonnets.

381
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:26,880
So I believe I am not only in
Stewarton but in Bonnet Toun.
What's the history here?

382
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:31,520
Well, bonnet making in Stewarton can
be traced back 400 years.

383
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,040
I can trace it
back in my family 11 generations.

384
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,480
What sort of products were you
producing, traditionally?

385
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,520
By today's standards you would call
them berets, if you like.

386
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,120
Rather course, hand-knitted berets.

387
00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:48,440
And the customers for these hats
were who? Everybody.

388
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,200
This is way before the days of
central heating.

389
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:56,080
If you went outside you wore a hat
and that hat would have been a very
simple bonnet.

390
00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,280
And tell me about the industry in
Victorian times.

391
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:02,800
This company was
started by Robert Mackie in 1845,

392
00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:08,360
and with the advent of very soon
after that the railways coming to
Stewarton

393
00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:13,080
and finer rolls were
available from Australia,

394
00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:17,120
he invented the first knitting
machine for bonnets.

395
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:24,320
The steam powered machines speeded
up the manufacturing process and
improved the overall quality,

396
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,840
allowing the company to make bonnets
for Scottish regiments.

397
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:33,480
Different regiments had different
hats. Some had Glengarrys,
some had Balmorals.

398
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:39,040
And they had different dicing and
different pom-poms, touries,
different plumes to signify the hat.

399
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:44,000
They certainly confer on the wearer
a sense of pride.

400
00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:49,320
The fabric comes off the machine in
a spiral and is cut into that shape.

401
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,800
OK. I don't want to be rude, but that
doesn't look like anything at all,
really.

402
00:24:54,800 --> 00:25:01,800
It is then, what we call linked, with
an invisible seam, it is very hard to
see. Beautiful.

403
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:07,000
If you smell that you'll smell the
wool oil. Yeah. And it
feels quite rough.

404
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,360
So the next stage is washing.

405
00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:12,360
And then it has been what we call
"milled" or "felted."

406
00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:14,600
And that is feeling a bit
softer now.

407
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,040
It is getting nearer all the time,
I had no idea it was so elaborate.

408
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,040
And then the next stage is dyeing.

409
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:24,400
So it is dyed either black or indigo.

410
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,800
I have a feeling, though, that it is
still not quite finished. It's got a
long way to go

411
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,920
I never knew there was so much to
it. But just as with the curling
stones,

412
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:38,320
the tradition of passing down the
skills is very much alive.

413
00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:42,400
Keith wants me to meet bonnet
supervisor Paula Wilson.

414
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,080
Hello! Hello! Good to see you, I'm
Michael. Pleased to meet you,
Michael.

415
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,120
Have you been making hats for very
long?

416
00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:53,160
Yes, I've been making hats for 30
years. That's a long time. That is a
long time.

417
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:59,640
And your family as well? My mum
worked here as well, she was here for
25 years, and my dad worked here.

418
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,200
And at the moment my sister and my
niece work here.

419
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,160
It is a big business in Stewarton,
even today. Yes, it is.

420
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,720
Even when the body of this Glengarry
is complete,

421
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,440
there are still those all-important
embellishments to be added.

422
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,480
Theresa is making pom-poms.

423
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,800
Hello, Theresa. What shall I do?

424
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,840
Just put your finger in there,
Michael. Put my finger in there, are
you kidding?!

425
00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:22,840
Yeah, it's all right,
everything will be fine.

426
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,960
Whoa! Now what do I do?

427
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:29,680
And now, pull it really tight.

428
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,560
Oh, it's shaping up quite nicely,
isn't it? That's it.

429
00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:39,760
Would you like to give it
a wee bit of a trim?

430
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:46,000
Give it a trim, right.
So, any little bit of surface stuff?

431
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,040
Just take those off.

432
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,360
How's that looking? It's looking
lovely, Michael. Thank you.

433
00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:58,880
For me, one of the bonnet's most
iconic appearances is in this famous
railway film.

434
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,200
They won't see us! It's all no good!

435
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,440
Jenny Agutter, sporting
one of the factory's finest.

436
00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,120
Now, I wonder
whether I can carry it off?

437
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:10,440
Want to try that one on?

438
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,520
Fits perfectly, how's that?
Very nice. You suit that, Michael.

439
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:22,000
You'll ne'er look
so bonny as in a Bonnet Toun bonnet!

440
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:35,560
A Martian visiting Scotland might be
surprised to see archers shooting
arrows at a wooden bird.

441
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:41,080
Or curling players sweeping the ice
before a slithering piece of
granite.

442
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:46,400
With the advent of the railways,
trains have brought competitors and
tourists

443
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,560
to help to sustain these splendid
traditions.

444
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,040
You might think them peculiar, but
if so,

445
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,640
I'll ask you to keep your opinion
under your Tam O'Shanter.

446
00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:03,440
Next time, I meet a seagoing
beauty...

447
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:07,720
She was the last of the Clyde-built
excursion paddle-steamers to work on
the Clyde.

448
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,360
..discover how a Victorian icon
nearly met his end...

449
00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:13,000
ROARING

450
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,720
..and rise to a bake-off challenge.

451
00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:23,000
There is always a point where a
dough says to you that it's had
enough.

452
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,680
Oh. And I believe that was about two
minutes go.