1 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,440 For Victorian Britons, 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,560 George Bradshaw was a household name. 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:10,760 At a time when railways were new, 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,920 Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them to take to the tracks. 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:16,960 I'm using a Bradshaw's Guide 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,400 to understand how trains transformed Britain - 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,760 its landscape, its industries, society and leisure time. 8 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,600 As I crisscross the country 150 years later, 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,120 it helps me to discover the Britain of today. 10 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,360 Until the 20th century, 11 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,440 Britain was an intensely Christian country 12 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,960 and the first to experience an industrial revolution. 13 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:09,200 George Bradshaw, a Quaker, seems to imply 14 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,400 that Britain's virtues were responsible for its prosperity. 15 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,440 Its perseverance in serious study had overcome mysteries in science 16 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,800 and challenges in engineering 17 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,160 and its international trade policy was liberal. 18 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,080 Today, I'm beginning a journey 19 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,360 that will take me from the noisy workshops of Derby 20 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,160 to the mystic tranquillity 21 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,640 of one of Britain's earliest Christian sites at Lindisfarne. 22 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:43,040 Following my Bradshaw's Guide, 23 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,600 my journey starts in the heart of the industrial East Midlands, 24 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,680 then continues to Nottinghamshire, 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,720 before heading north towards the rugged foothills of the Pennines. 26 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,120 Crossing the gritty Yorkshire West Riding, 27 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,160 I'll take in the history of the county 28 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,040 before heading up the coast to the industrial cities of the North. 29 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,560 My journey will end on the part-time island of Lindisfarne. 30 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,800 On today's leg, I'll start in the railway hot spot of Derby, 31 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,840 then travel to the city of Nottingham, 32 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,960 before heading out to Sherwood Forest 33 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,040 and the beautiful Newstead Abbey. 34 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,520 My last stop is one of Lincolnshire's best-known markets. 35 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,800 'On the first leg of this adventure, 36 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,680 'I help to give an old engine a fresh start...' 37 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,240 Ooh, my goodness! 38 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,080 George is getting appallingly damaged here. 39 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,840 '..discover the macho side of the poet Byron...' 40 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,160 He was a fantastic boxer. 41 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,080 He had the champion of England - Gentleman Jackson - 42 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,600 actually teach him how to box. 43 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,760 '..and find that my cooking skills 44 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,520 'aren't what they're cracked up to be.' 45 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,280 There's a bit of eggshell in there, Michael. So, point deducted. 46 00:02:58,040 --> 00:02:59,680 According to my guidebook, 47 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,080 "various manufactures are carried out in Derby, 48 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,760 "the most flourishing being silk, stockings, ribbons, 49 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,360 "tape, cotton and porcelain." 50 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:14,480 The first silk mill in England was built here in 1718 51 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,520 and manufacturing has been a thread 52 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,480 running through Derby's history ever since. 53 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,560 Between the dawn of the 19th century and the time of my Bradshaw's Guide, 54 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,640 Britain's population doubled, 55 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:34,000 but Derby's multiplied five times - from 10,000 to 50,000 souls. 56 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,960 The railways played no small part in that extraordinary transformation. 57 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,800 As my guidebook points out, 58 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,080 this industrial town was also the chief depot 59 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:47,960 of the Midland Railway Company. 60 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,160 To steer me through its illustrious history, 61 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,080 I'm meeting engineering director Pete Erwin 62 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,720 at what was affectionately known as the Loco Works. 63 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:03,200 Nice to meet you. 64 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,160 It's a fantastic railway territory, this, 65 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,360 and I think you're celebrating 175 years of railways here in Derby. 66 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,200 How did it all start? 67 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:14,920 Really started with the bringing together 68 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,560 of three railway companies into what was the London Midland Region 69 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,280 and typically, at that time... 70 00:04:20,280 --> 00:04:22,640 If we look over there, we've got a new building. 71 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,520 That was originally the Derby Locomotive Works. 72 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,400 Throughout its history, the growth and supply 73 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,960 and traction of rolling stock for the area, 74 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,920 it was identified that they really needed a separate place 75 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:35,800 for the locomotives and the carriage. 76 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,040 And over the back of what is the old research buildings there 77 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:40,720 is the Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, 78 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,520 which today is occupied by Bombardier - 79 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,040 building trains still in the area. 80 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:46,800 From humble beginnings, 81 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,280 the Midland company grew into a major national network. 82 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:52,280 It connected Leeds with London 83 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:56,600 and the East Midlands to Birmingham, Bristol, York and Manchester. 84 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:58,480 During the 1860s, 85 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,640 the company created London's mighty St Pancras station 86 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,280 and with business booming, its first locomotive superintendent - 87 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:09,040 Matthew Kirtley - persuaded the directors 88 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,760 to build their own rolling stock. 89 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,600 Why did the Midland company decide to build its own locomotives? 90 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,680 I mean, why not buy on the market, as it were? 91 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,720 I think a lot of the things at that time were really route specific 92 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,840 because of obviously our bridges 93 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,800 and the horse-drawn carriages that used to go through them. 94 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,320 What happens today is we try and get as many go-anywhere routes as we can, 95 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,720 given the constraints of the infrastructure on our railways. 96 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,640 The Derby site has continued to play its part in railway history. 97 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,200 In the 1960s, the British Rail Research Centre 98 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,280 was based here and built the first tilting trains. 99 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,760 The engineering research centre also designed 100 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:53,960 the high-speed InterCity 125s that run on our railways today. 101 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,320 I joined the railways in 1971. 102 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:01,240 I'm the third generation of my family to work in the industry 103 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,840 and I came to BR Research in late '78 104 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,360 and spent 13 years of my career with BR Research. 105 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,560 It's my 43rd year this year and I owe the industry a lot. 106 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,520 It's a fantastic industry to work in. 107 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,120 Today, Railway Vehicle Engineering uses its skills 108 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,760 to give tired old trains a new lease of life. 109 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,880 So, historically, what went on in this workshop? 110 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:31,040 This was the original APT building, 111 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,760 so the Advanced Passenger Train was developed 112 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,680 and tested in this building, where we're standing now. 113 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,400 And today, the work undertaken by Railway Vehicle Engineering 114 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,840 is very much the maintenance 115 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:44,480 and overhaul of various amounts of rolling stock. 116 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,520 This is part of the Northern Belle train 117 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,120 and that's very much an overhaul and a refurbishment 118 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,800 to give it its next six, eight-year life, 119 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,280 typically, within the industry. 120 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:54,520 Lovely to see rolling stock 121 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,640 in the old cream and chocolate colours, isn't it? 122 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:01,640 Our pride and joy is just here. Now, this is the Class 73 locomotive. 123 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,640 This is for one of our major customers in Network Rail 124 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:06,760 and it's getting christened the Ultra 73 125 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,240 because the important thing about this locomotive 126 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:11,240 is it has two modes of operation. 127 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,600 It was a diesel locomotive and it also operates off a third rail. 128 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,560 But typically, the diesel element of it was very much underpowered, 129 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,960 you know, for the kind of operation that's needed. 130 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:23,040 But the important... 131 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,160 The gauging of this, the structure gauging, 132 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,400 that makes it a go-anywhere locomotive, 133 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:29,600 so, to our customer, very important. 134 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,000 There's something extremely satisfying 135 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,960 about seeing engines being given a fresh start. 136 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,120 Oh, we're going on here, are we? Yeah. 137 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,440 And it's an honour for me to be allowed to help 138 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,160 with the finishing touches to Ultra 73. 139 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,360 Ooh, my goodness! 140 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,000 George is getting appallingly damaged here. 141 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:54,520 So, it's going to go where? About there, is it? 142 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:55,760 Yeah, seems about right. 143 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:02,400 The last time I applied a transfer, it was to a plastic model aircraft. 144 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,320 This is on a bigger scale. 145 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,440 It's remarkable that after 175 years, 146 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,000 the site constantly reinvents itself. 147 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:11,320 Oops! 148 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,360 I name this a new Class 73...Ultra. 149 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,560 As I rejoin the East Midlands main line, 150 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,760 I'm reminded that this area has a Viking past. 151 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,440 Derby is in fact an Old Norse name - 152 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,480 the B-Y at the end means village or farmstead. 153 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,680 My next stop is Nottingham. 154 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,920 According to my guidebook, "near the beautiful River Trent, 155 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,440 "which is well-known to the angler. 156 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,440 "It's situated on a rocky eminence of red sandstone 157 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:59,400 "and is one of the most picturesque and healthiest towns in England." 158 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,560 It spawned a chain of health stores to boot. 159 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:13,080 Mid-Victorian Nottingham was a severely overcrowded city 160 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,440 with a population of 50,000 161 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,920 packed into its cramped medieval centre. 162 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:22,720 Death rates were high. 163 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:26,840 Smallpox, typhus, and tuberculosis were endemic 164 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,960 and cholera alarmingly epidemic. 165 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,280 Against that backdrop, in 1849, 166 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,400 John Boot opened a small herbalist's shop 167 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,680 selling home-made remedies to poor factory workers. 168 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:44,480 And over the next 160 years, 169 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,960 his business grew into the UK's best-known high street chemist. 170 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,800 I've come to their manufacturing site 171 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:54,840 to meet archivist Sophie Clapp. 172 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,160 John Boot, where did he come from? What was his background? 173 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,960 So, he was an agricultural worker and he had a very humble background 174 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,560 and he was too ill, really, to work on the land 175 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:08,240 so he came to the centre of Nottingham 176 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,760 to start supplying these herbal remedies. 177 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,680 So, what was the next stage in the development of Boots? 178 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:17,160 So, unfortunately, John died quite young 179 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,560 and from then, his son Jesse took over the shop 180 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:24,520 and he really developed the business and he started to really challenge 181 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,280 the established trade of the pharmacy business 182 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,960 by offering traditional medicines at a much reduced rate. 183 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:33,880 Central to building the business 184 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,680 was his extraordinary range of products. 185 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:38,800 Bestsellers were lobelia pills, 186 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,920 said to remove obstructions from every part of the system. 187 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:48,480 Ointment Of No Name was recommended for a variety of skin complaints. 188 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:52,520 One of Boots' most popular products was fluid beef. 189 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,760 Manufacturing obviously began at some point. 190 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,320 Did it begin here? No, it was in the centre of town, 191 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,560 actually on Station Street and Island Street, 192 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:03,000 which is very close to the station, for obvious reasons. 193 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,000 So, like many factories in Nottingham, 194 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,920 they were based close to the railway and to the canal 195 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,040 and to the main road networks. 196 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,760 But this site was acquired in the late '20s as a manufacturing site 197 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,480 because we were running out of space in the centre of town. 198 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,360 In 1890, Jesse Boot had ten stores 199 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:27,400 and by 1914, the number had multiplied to 550. 200 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,000 To service his shops, 201 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,200 this huge manufacturing building opened in 1933, 202 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,440 part of a 300-acre site. 203 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:39,640 I had taken this to be a much more modern building. 204 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:41,320 Tell me about its features. 205 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,440 It was designed to look like an ocean liner. 206 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,760 So, you can tell that from the porthole-style 207 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,120 glass disc in the roof, which allowed the daylight to come in. 208 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,680 So, this was the first daylight factory in the UK. 209 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:53,080 Was it a success? 210 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,760 It was an absolute success and it was proving to be so efficient 211 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:58,520 that we were having an excess of stock, 212 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:00,720 so what the company did was quite unique 213 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,760 and it started, really, the manufacturing weekend. 214 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:05,960 So, it gave people Saturday morning off, 215 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,000 which was what most people would have to work, 216 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,640 with no reduction in pay, 217 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,080 which was obviously a great initiative for the staff. 218 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:18,440 The company's high productivity was due in part to its own railway. 219 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:22,160 Puffing Billy brought raw materials into the heart of the factory 220 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,400 and the wider rail network was used for distribution 221 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,760 and for workers' social outings. 222 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:30,080 In our very early days, we were using the railways 223 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,960 to enable us to take our staff to the countryside 224 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,320 or to the seaside and on one occasion, 225 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,160 we decorated eight trains and we took them - 226 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:39,600 5,000 members of staff - 227 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,160 down to the British Empire Exhibition in 1924 - down to Wembley. 228 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,560 They were all hanging out of the windows smiling. 229 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:51,200 Today, the company has a workforce of 60,000 people. 230 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,000 And thanks to Jesse Boot's philanthropy, 231 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,600 research into naturally-occurring medicines 232 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:59,480 continues at Nottingham University. 233 00:13:04,560 --> 00:13:06,440 Chris Moody is the seventh 234 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,040 Sir Jesse Boot Professor of Chemistry. 235 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:10,680 Hello, Michael. Good to see you. 236 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,800 What sort of things were they making in Victorian times? 237 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,320 What sort of drugs could they make in those days? 238 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,280 Well, a lot of the stuff came from nature. 239 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:19,880 If you look at the Victorian adverts, 240 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,320 they're advocating cocaine and morphine 241 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:24,160 and all sorts of things for treatments. 242 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:25,720 They all come from natural sources. 243 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,360 Aspirin was discovered in 1897, 244 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,600 so those are the sorts of simple, synthetic drugs 245 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:34,320 that Boot and his scientists would have been making. 246 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,920 Aspirin comes from the willow tree, 247 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,720 whose curative properties had been known since ancient times. 248 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,440 But it was only in the late 19th century 249 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:48,000 that a German firm developed the medicine that we still use today. 250 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,200 What have you done there? You've added what? 251 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,440 I've added something we call acetic anhydride, 252 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,040 which is related to acetic acid, 253 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,680 which most people would know as vinegar. Ha! 254 00:13:57,680 --> 00:13:58,880 Willow trees and vinegar. 255 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,760 You're making it sound very simple. Yeah. 256 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:02,760 And then we add what we call a catalyst, 257 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,400 which, in this case, is a few drops of acid. 258 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,400 So, a catalyst is something which speeds up the process 259 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,440 without being changed itself, if I remember. 260 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,080 That's correct, yes. 261 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:16,320 And then we have to put it to heat for ten to 15 minutes. 262 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,280 I shall be very intrigued to see what comes out 263 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,160 cos it's obviously not going to be a little packet of tablets, is it? 264 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:22,640 No, it's not. 265 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,720 Once heated, the final product looks like this. 266 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,600 The Boots of Nottingham are a fine example 267 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,440 of how the ordinary man in Victorian England 268 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:38,360 could stride ahead. 269 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:42,520 Time to raise a glass to them, at my rest stop for the night. 270 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,880 I'm up early and it lifts my heart 271 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,000 to see the newly restored Nottingham station. 272 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,560 Built at the end of Queen Victoria's reign, 273 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,760 the station has been spruced up and freed from clutter 274 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,280 so it's possible to appreciate 275 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,400 this marvellous brick and glass building, 276 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,760 which expresses the pride and the affluence 277 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:10,800 of the old Midland Railway. 278 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,720 I'm directed now to Newstead Abbey, 279 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,280 which my Bradshaw's tells me was formerly Lord Byron's seat, 280 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,200 to which he succeeded when he was only ten years old. 281 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:34,920 Morning! 282 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,440 Good morning. Good morning. 283 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,880 I'm on a pilgrimage to find out about Lord Byron. 284 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,640 Do you know much about Lord Byron? Not really. Only what I've read. 285 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,640 Just apart from obviously us being in the marching band. 286 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,120 We're actually named after Lord Byron. 287 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,880 We're the Mansfield Woodhouse Byronaires marching band. Heavens! 288 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:00,960 Do you know why you're named after Lord Byron? 289 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:02,960 Yeah, I think it's just about the area, really, 290 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,720 cos Mansfield Woodhouse is probably only about five miles away 291 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,360 from Newstead Abbey itself. 292 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,840 So, just named after him, really. Just after Lord Byron. 293 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,280 How fantastic. What sort of music do you play? 294 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,440 It's basically like a kazoo and marching band 295 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,160 with, like, marching marimbas and bells. 296 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,480 You know, the ones what started off in the pit villages 297 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,000 years and years ago during the miners... Absolutely. 298 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:25,880 We're quite successful as well. 299 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,080 We're going to the world championships in a few months now 300 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,280 and we've won the best Midlands bands on several occasions now, 301 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,040 so, hopefully, we're going to do well this year as well. 302 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,600 But you don't strike me yourself as overly Byronic. 303 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:39,840 No, no, perhaps not. 304 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,040 If you'd seen some of my tempers, though, at band practice sometimes. 305 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:45,360 I believe he had a bit of a temper. I see. He did too. 306 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,120 I think there's maybe that bit lives in me a little bit. Very good. 307 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:49,880 Have a great day. Thank you very much. 308 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,440 Keep winning! Hopefully, yes. Thank you. 309 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,600 Newstead Abbey near Sherwood Forest was founded in 1163 310 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,560 as an Augustine priory. 311 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,480 It remained a religious house for nearly 400 years 312 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,360 until its dissolution by Henry VIII. 313 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:22,680 I'm meeting Diane Turner, one of the house stewards, 314 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,760 to learn more about Byron's connection. 315 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,560 So, how did this religious building eventually become a private house? 316 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:30,800 It became a private house 317 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:32,760 due to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 318 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,680 So, Henry VIII comes on the throne. 319 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,360 He asked for all the religious buildings to actually be taken down 320 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:41,080 and one of the ancestors of our poet Byron, 321 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,560 John Byron, he actually purchased this for £810, 322 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,320 having supported the king loyally in his royal fights 323 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,080 and this was his reward. A bargain. 324 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,920 And then the poet Lord Byron is descended from those Byrons? 325 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:56,560 He comes down from those Byrons 326 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,240 and he comes to inherit it from his great-uncle, 327 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:00,640 the fifth Lord Byron. 328 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,840 But his great-uncle managed the estate very badly, 329 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:10,800 so, in 1798, when the young Byron came into his inheritance, 330 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,480 it was very run down. 331 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:15,600 But I can imagine, you know, a Romantic poet 332 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,800 would be inspired by a Gothic ruin. 333 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:19,520 I think he was and I think we see that. 334 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,000 If we read some of his poetry, we see that melancholy 335 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,360 and the gothicness that comes out of his poetry 336 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:28,680 and I think that really does echo probably from his first view 337 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,320 and he does write about, you know, his beloved Newstead. 338 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,080 So, George Byron inherits this tremendous pile, 339 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,920 albeit a ruin, and of course, he inherits a title, 340 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:45,800 but then he's a man with a limp, 341 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,880 so what sort of personality does that produce? 342 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:49,960 Well, I think probably the limp did define him, 343 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:51,960 but I think one of the interesting things 344 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,320 is how good a sportsman he was. 345 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,920 One of the things that he did was he was a fantastic boxer. 346 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,120 He had the champion of England - Gentleman Jackson - 347 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:01,840 actually teach him how to box. 348 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:05,720 He did sword fighting. In this room, he did pistol practice. 349 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,800 The only thing that he didn't do was dance. 350 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,360 I sympathise with him! 351 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,040 But that's quite a social disability in those days. 352 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,880 Apparently, he would stand quite aloof at the side of the room 353 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,160 and look that Byronic look, as he did, 354 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,240 and I think that's what people became used to seeing him, 355 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,720 not realising that perhaps he didn't want to dance. 356 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,440 I have that image of, you know, like, Mr Darcy 357 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:34,720 in Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice standing haughtily to one side. 358 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,200 Yes, I mean, we have heard that perhaps the character of Darcy 359 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,160 was actually based on Byron by Jane Austen 360 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,240 when she was actually at one of these gatherings. 361 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:48,600 By 1813, Byron was at the height of his fame. 362 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,560 Byromania took off, didn't it? Yeah. 363 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:53,640 And that was a new phenomenon in those days. 364 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,120 Yeah, I think he was the biggest celebrity of the day. 365 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,760 One of his quotes is that he woke up one morning 366 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,200 and found he was famous. 367 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,440 And his success with women, I think, 368 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:04,400 would not have disgraced a modern rock star. 369 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:05,600 No, I don't think it did 370 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,840 and a lot of the women used to request snippets of hair from Byron. 371 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,320 But by all accounts, he used to take a snippet off Boatswain the dog 372 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,160 so that he didn't land up bald. 373 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,200 The Romantic poet's energy for writing and loving 374 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,760 contrasts with the abbey's tranquil air. 375 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,520 He had a lust for life 376 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,240 and considering how many mistresses he had, 377 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,640 the boxing may have come in handy too. 378 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,440 It's the most remarkable monument to a dog. 379 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,640 He must have been very, very fond of this animal. 380 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,840 I think he was and I think when you read that, 381 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,640 it tells you much he did love his animals and especially his dog. 382 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:49,240 "Here are deposited the remains 383 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,480 "of one who possessed beauty without vanity, 384 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:55,080 "strength without insolence, courage without ferocity 385 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,480 "and all the virtues of man without his vices." 386 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,120 This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery 387 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,520 if inscribed over human ashes, 388 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:08,280 is here a just tribute to the memory of Boatswain, a dog. 389 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,160 So, all the human virtues, none of the human vices. 390 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:12,880 No, and I think it shows from his poem 391 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,080 how much he actually did love his animals. 392 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,120 I think it sums it up in that poem. 393 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:23,960 I've rejoined the East Midlands line heading east. 394 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,400 I'm now crossing from Nottinghamshire into Lincolnshire. 395 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,160 My next stop will be Grantham. 396 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,800 According to Bradshaw's, 397 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,920 "a parliamentary borough near the River Witham 398 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:36,720 "with some long wolds. 399 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,920 "At the Free School founded by Bishop Fox, 400 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,680 "Sir Isaac Newton was educated." 401 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:48,160 I feel myself attracted to Grantham as if by some gravitational force. 402 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,840 OVER TANNOY: This train will be arriving into Grantham station. 403 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:09,160 Grantham, situated alongside the Great North Road, 404 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,040 has roots going back to Roman times. 405 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:16,760 It's famed for having produced some of the nation's most powerful minds. 406 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,120 This fine building, dating back to 1497, 407 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:21,800 is The King's School. 408 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,720 One of its most celebrated 17th century scholars 409 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,160 was the scientist who discovered gravity, 410 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:30,640 Sir Isaac Newton. 411 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,120 If Isaac Newton is Grantham's most famous son, 412 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:38,960 then Margaret Thatcher is certainly the town's most famous daughter. 413 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:40,600 I think when she was growing up here, 414 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:42,960 there were three strong influences in her life. 415 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,960 The first, that Britain was then at war alone against the dictators. 416 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,200 The second was the example of public service 417 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,880 given by her father, Councillor Roberts. 418 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,720 And the third was that she was born 419 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,960 above her father's corner grocer shop 420 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:00,000 where she used sometimes to serve. 421 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,000 And even when she was Prime Minister, 422 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,400 she would recite to me the price of a half pound of butter 423 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:06,920 or a pint of milk, 424 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,520 which made her considerably more in touch 425 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,120 than some holders of her office. 426 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,240 Whilst Grantham has produced a great scientist 427 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,120 and a prime minister, 428 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:27,680 I'm here to discover more about a delicacy 429 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:29,560 highlighted in my guidebook, 430 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:33,840 which has become an obsession for local entrepreneur Alistair Hawken. 431 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,040 Hello, Alistair. Hello, Michael. How are you? Good to see you. 432 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,480 I'm intrigued by this, in Bradshaw's, 433 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:43,360 that Grantham is noted for the manufacture of Grantham cakes, 434 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:46,840 a very superior sweetmeat sold in boxes at a shilling. 435 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,480 Very superior indeed cos a shilling was a lot of money. 436 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:50,760 It certainly was back then. 437 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,160 It's the oldest commercially traded biscuit in the United Kingdom, 438 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,760 as far as the history books are concerned. 439 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,600 And it really was a product that was first created, 440 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:01,880 you know, when biscuits were biscuits. 441 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:09,080 In the 1700s, Grantham was a halt for coaches on the Great North Road. 442 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:13,280 Passengers and drivers would stock up on Grantham Whetstones, 443 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,160 which were hardy rusk-like biscuits. 444 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,840 They were some of the first biscuits made for sale in this country. 445 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,240 So, how did that Whetstone get converted into a gingerbread? 446 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:25,600 Well, William Egglestone, 447 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:27,920 who was one of the bakers of Grantham Whetstones, 448 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:31,520 mistook one ingredient for another one dark Sunday morning in his bakery 449 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,200 and hey, presto, a very sweet ginger biscuit was created, 450 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,560 which latterly became known as Grantham gingerbread. 451 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,720 Is it still manufactured in the town today? 452 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:41,880 It is, absolutely, by my own fair hands 453 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,240 and a good team that I've got behind me. 454 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,920 And I think that's something special. It needs to be created. 455 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:48,640 It's a product of Grantham. 456 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,400 Are you using an original recipe? Yes, we are. 457 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,560 It's in my trusted book here. 458 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,080 You have your own trusted book. Exactly. Just like yours. 459 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,320 This is a recipe book that's been passed down 460 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,360 from the family of William Egglestone over the generations. 461 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:04,160 And would it be like certain well-known fizzy drinks - 462 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,080 that the recipe is an absolute secret? 463 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,760 Absolute secret. Everyone knows it! 464 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,280 Given that Alistair's book is about the same age as my Bradshaw's, 465 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,600 it feels appropriate to try it out. 466 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:23,400 Ah, there are the magic ingredients. Ha-ha! 467 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,680 Are you good with eggs? Oh, very good with eggs. 468 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,360 You've got some eggshell in there, Michael. 469 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:33,800 So, that's a point deducted, but I'll forgive you. 470 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,680 'The biscuits hadn't been made commercially 471 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,480 'for more than 50 years.' 472 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:43,360 So, what we need to achieve is a 13 gram ball of dough. 473 00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:45,960 Can't be serious. I can be absolutely series. 474 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:47,760 BOTH LAUGH 475 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,920 'Many recipes claim to be the original, 476 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,840 'all with differing quantities of flour, ginger, butter, 477 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:55,840 'sugar and eggs. 478 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,120 'Finally, William Egglestone's great-great-great-nephew 479 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:02,840 'came forward and produced the definitive 1740s version.' 480 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:06,480 Oh, lovely! Look at those. 481 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,800 They've spread out beautifully and they've got a nice dome 482 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,600 and they are really a superlative sweetmeat 483 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,160 and I'm sure they're worth all of a shilling a box. 484 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,440 Well, I think it would be entirely unfair 485 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:19,720 to keep these to ourselves. I think you're right. 486 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,480 I'm heading back to Grantham station. 487 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,680 I wonder what the locals will make of my batch. 488 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:29,080 Have a go at that. 489 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,640 Mm! Do you like it? Delicious. Mm. 490 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:37,520 It is Grantham gingerbread. Oh, right. OK. 491 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,080 As made by my fair hands. 492 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,600 Do you think your friend here would like some? 493 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,960 Sputty, would you like some? 494 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:48,640 I think that gets the seal of approval, don't you? I think so. 495 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:52,640 How do you find it? That's all right, that. Is it? Yeah. 496 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,200 Would you like another one, would you? No, I'm all right. 497 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,040 After drinking that, I'll be feeling sick. Very good. Thank you. 498 00:26:58,040 --> 00:26:59,920 Would you like to try one? Thank you. 499 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,600 Mm. They're good. You did a good job. Yeah? It's OK? Yeah. Yeah? Good. 500 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,200 Tell you what, have another one. Thank you. There we go. 501 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,320 They're still warm, I think. They are, yes, yes. 502 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,680 On this first part of my journey, 503 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,400 I've encountered some great names from history - 504 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:28,920 Sir Isaac Newton, the genius founder of modern science, 505 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:34,520 George Byron, who left a trail of verses and lovers in his wake 506 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:36,280 and Margaret Thatcher, 507 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,560 one of the world's most powerful women, 508 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:40,760 who helped to shape modern Britain. 509 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,040 But none of their memories is evoked 510 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,080 by a million last-minute Christmas presents 511 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:50,480 nor by an outlet in almost every major railway station, 512 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,400 as is the name of Jesse Boot. 513 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,160 Next time, I put my culinary skills to the test 514 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,840 using the nation's favourite cooking apple... 515 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,200 Quite good, that. That's a new technique, I think. 516 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:09,640 I've never done that before. 517 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:13,520 Learn about forgotten lives in a Victorian lunatic asylum... 518 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:18,160 There are 2,861 women, men and children 519 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,880 buried three deep in unmarked graves. 520 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,840 ..and take the wheel of a surprisingly speedy steam engine. 521 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,120 I had no idea you were going to go so fast!