1
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:08,240
'For Victorian Britons, George
Bradshaw was a household name.

2
00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:11,320
'At a time when railways were new,

3
00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:15,720
'Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them
to take to the tracks.'

4
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,560
I'm using a Bradshaw's guide

5
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,160
to understand how trains
transformed Britain.

6
00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:26,640
Its landscape, its industries,
society and leisure time.

7
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,280
As I crisscross the country
150 years later,

8
00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,560
it helps me to discover
the Britain of today.

9
00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,160
I'm now crossing Lincolnshire,
continuing my journey

10
00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,880
towards one of Britain's

11
00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,080
most ancient Christian sites
at Lindisfarne.

12
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,640
In the decades before my guidebook
was published,

13
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,360
religious tolerance had made
great advances in Britain.

14
00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,160
The bars against Catholics
and Protestants

15
00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,320
who didn't conform to the Church of
England holding public office

16
00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:19,720
had been lifted in the 1820s

17
00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,680
and Jews could take their seats
in the House of Commons

18
00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,800
without swearing a Christian oath
from the 1850s.

19
00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,600
But my Bradshaw's reminds me
that in previous centuries,

20
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,560
some religious minorities
had preferred to travel abroad

21
00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,160
rather than to stay at home
and face persecution.

22
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,680
My journey, which began in
the East Midlands city of Derby,

23
00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,480
continued on to Nottinghamshire

24
00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,320
and will now work its way through
to Wakefield in West Yorkshire.

25
00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,920
It will then head east
to the mighty Humber estuary,

26
00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,400
catch the sweet smell of success
in York,

27
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,400
then continue up the coast to the
industrial cities of the North,

28
00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,960
reaching its conclusion
on Northumberland's Holy Island.

29
00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,320
Today's leg begins in Boston,
in the flatlands of Lincolnshire,

30
00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,160
slices into Nottinghamshire,

31
00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,920
stops off at a South Yorkshire
stately home

32
00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,120
and weaves through West Yorkshire

33
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,160
before finishing with a ghostly ride
to Hensall.

34
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,280
I'll put my culinary skills
to the test

35
00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,320
using the nation's favourite
cooking apple.

36
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,160
Just putting a bit of vigour
into this, show it who's boss.

37
00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,920
Learn about the forgotten lives
in a Victorian lunatic asylum.

38
00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:43,760
There are 2,861 women,
men and children

39
00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,840
buried three deep
in unmarked graves.

40
00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,480
'And take the wheel of a
surprisingly speedy steam engine.'

41
00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,160
I had no idea you were going to go
so fast.

42
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,080
We're ticking over. Ha-ha!

43
00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,480
"Boston," says my guidebook,
"is a port in Lincolnshire

44
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,720
"on the Witham, near the Wash.

45
00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:16,040
"Its namesake, one of the most
polished towns in the United States,

46
00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,560
"was founded by settlers
from this place

47
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,840
"who fled thither for conscience
sake about 1630."

48
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:28,920
So that's how Boston Lincs
links with Boston Massachusetts.

49
00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:32,400
'By Bradshaw's time,
Boston Massachusetts

50
00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,920
'was one of the world's wealthiest
trading ports,

51
00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:37,280
'far outstripping
the original Boston,

52
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,720
'which had had its heyday
back in the 13th century,

53
00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:43,080
'thanks to a then-booming
wool trade.

54
00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,960
'Victorian visitors
to Boston Lincolnshire

55
00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,240
'would not find a great city
to compare with its namesake,

56
00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,120
'but they would have a prospect
of it from afar,

57
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,280
'thanks to a very prominent
landmark.'

58
00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,120
Visible from many, many miles away
across the Lincolnshire plain

59
00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,360
is the enormous tower
of St Botolph's Church.

60
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,400
The church being known,
I suppose ironically

61
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,920
and affectionately, The Stump.

62
00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,680
TANNOY: Boston now, your next stop.
Thank you.

63
00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,560
There's no definitive explanation
for its long-held nickname.

64
00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,720
But getting off at Boston,
I can take a closer look at it.

65
00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,240
Morning. Morning.

66
00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,160
Are you from Boston? Yes. Yes.

67
00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,520
You've got a lot of history here.
Are you proud of it? Oh, very much.

68
00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,640
The Stump, it's one of the tallest
churches I've ever seen.

69
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,560
Oh, it's lovely. And I got married
there. Did you? Yes.

70
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,760
We've had our ruby wedding last year,
so...

71
00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,160
Congratulations. So marriages
made in The Stump last.

72
00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:43,800
It must be the water in Boston.

73
00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,520
THEY LAUGH

74
00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,960
Perhaps it was the landscape,
or the way of life

75
00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,880
that, back in the 17th century,
drew its people

76
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,680
to religious non-conformity.

77
00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,680
During that time, hundreds of
puritans from the area

78
00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,320
tried to flee the country
in order to profess

79
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,240
their Christian faith
in their own way.

80
00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,360
One group, including those who were

81
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,800
later to be known as
the Pilgrim Fathers,

82
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,760
was imprisoned at
the Boston Guildhall

83
00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,200
during its efforts to emigrate.

84
00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,840
I've come to meet
Boston's museum manager,

85
00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:16,720
Luke Skerritt, to learn more.

86
00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,640
What was it that made some people
so desperate

87
00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:22,920
that they would leave the country

88
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,520
under the burden of the established
church?

89
00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,400
The established church
had a really prescriptive

90
00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,640
method of worship that they wished
everybody to ascribe to.

91
00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,480
Parts of that reflect in
the Book of Common Prayer,

92
00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,160
which sets out
how you conduct the worship.

93
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,120
It was longwinded, so ministers

94
00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,080
didn't actually have time to preach
as part of it.

95
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,760
That's what they really
reacted against.

96
00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,120
I'm wondering why Boston,

97
00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,720
why Lincolnshire was
a hotbed of dissent.

98
00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,240
The Fenland area,
there's some isolation

99
00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,880
from the main parts of the country.

100
00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,920
The people here are used
to being independent.

101
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,640
And that Fenland, it stretches down
all the way to Cambridgeshire.

102
00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,280
And a lot of Cambridge,
it was a breeding ground

103
00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:06,880
for quite important vicars

104
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,560
who were really questioning
the Bible at that time.

105
00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,280
One of those Cambridge-educated
clerics is the connection

106
00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:19,160
between this Boston
and the one in the United States.

107
00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:20,600
His name was John Cotton,

108
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,840
and he became vicar
at St Botolph's in 1612.

109
00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:31,000
And for 21 years, his legendary
three-hour sermons filled the pews.

110
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,280
John Cotton was a very
charismatic individual.

111
00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:39,120
He was very passionate about
his interpretation of the Bible

112
00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,400
and was quite
a strong non-conformist.

113
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,000
They wouldn't use the sign
of the cross in baptism.

114
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,400
He wouldn't have people
kneel for communion.

115
00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:53,160
And the church authorities didn't
like at all what was going on.

116
00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:57,200
How does this lead to
an expedition to America?

117
00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,920
He invokes his congregation

118
00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:04,520
to aspire to having new faith
in new lands.

119
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,480
And they take the opportunity
to sail

120
00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,840
as part of the Massachusetts
Bay Company in 1630.

121
00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,240
The Massachusetts Bay Company was
a joint stock-trading association

122
00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,320
set up to colonise a tract of land
in New England.

123
00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:24,400
The flotilla of ships that set sail
for Massachusetts in 1630

124
00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,560
carried around 700 colonists

125
00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,840
who were to found their new
Christian community

126
00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:34,080
and the settlement that was
to become the city of Boston USA.

127
00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:43,480
Like Boston, my next destination
also has associations

128
00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,640
with unconventional worship.

129
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,040
To get there, I need to head west

130
00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,120
to pick up a connection in Grantham.

131
00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,480
I'm on the East Coast Main Line,
headed for Newark.

132
00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:06,800
My destination
is actually Southwell.

133
00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,040
And Bradshaw's says, "A Christian
church was founded there

134
00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:16,040
"as far back as 62 AD
by Paulinus, Archbishop of York.

135
00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:20,800
"And it has a large and ancient
collegiate church, or minster."

136
00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,240
It's a stained-glass window
in that church

137
00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,600
which is at the core
of my expedition.

138
00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,640
Southwell once had a station,

139
00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,040
but thanks to the Beeching cuts,

140
00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,800
the final whistle blew there
in 1964.

141
00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,640
So I'm getting off eight miles east
at Newark Northgate.

142
00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,640
Southwell is an elegant market town
15 miles northeast of Nottingham.

143
00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:51,200
Its centrepiece is a massive
and austerely beautiful minster,

144
00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:56,480
considered by many to be one of
England's finest medieval churches.

145
00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,560
Stained-glass windows are normally
devoted to the Madonna and child,

146
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:03,000
the Trinity, saints.

147
00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,080
This one is devoted to
the Bramley apple,

148
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,880
meaning there must be
something sacred, holy,

149
00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,840
or at least celebrating
that it's a gift from God.

150
00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:16,840
Indeed, this humble fruit

151
00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,480
is held in deep reverence
by the people of Southwell.

152
00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,560
They named their library after it
and their newspaper.

153
00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:27,600
And each October, there's a festival
to celebrate its greatness.

154
00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,600
'And the root of this fervour
took hold

155
00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:33,920
'at the beginning of the 1800s
in an unassuming cottage garden,

156
00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,240
'where I'm meeting Adrian Barlow,

157
00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:39,760
the chief executive
of English Apples and Pears.'

158
00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:42,880
Adrian, hello.

159
00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:44,440
Hello, Michael. How are you?

160
00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,320
Very, very well. Excellent.

161
00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,800
A Bramley apple, I assume,
but not any old Bramley apple.

162
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,840
Absolutely right.
This is the original Bramley tree.

163
00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,000
And it really is
an extraordinary story.

164
00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,680
Because the cottage was
owned by the Brailsford family

165
00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:03,000
and young Mary Ann was watching
her mother

166
00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,640
prepare some apples for cooking

167
00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,520
and she took a pip and planted it

168
00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,880
and here is the tree
that it grew into.

169
00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:16,160
And so, this seed that got planted
was in some way a new variant?

170
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:17,840
Absolutely. Absolutely right.

171
00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,120
It was just a
one-in-several-million chance

172
00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,560
that this tree turned out
to produce apples

173
00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:27,000
which are absolutely unrivalled

174
00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,760
in terms of their cooking abilities.

175
00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:31,440
It has a wonderful taste.

176
00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,240
It's a mix of tartness and sugars.

177
00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:39,040
And that taste comes right through
the cooking process undiminished.

178
00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,560
And who first recognised that this
was such a special apple?

179
00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:46,400
Well, a local nurseryman,
Henry Merryweather, said,

180
00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,600
"Oh, I've heard about these apples.
Where do they come from?"

181
00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,000
And by that time,
the Brailsfords had moved out

182
00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,680
and Matthew Bramley lived here.

183
00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:56,000
So Henry Merryweather said to him,

184
00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,520
"I would like to take some
cuttings from your tree

185
00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,920
"and to propagate the variety."

186
00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:05,000
Matthew Bramley said, "Fine, but you
must call it the Bramley Seedling."

187
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,880
And so you're telling me that
all the, I suppose by now, millions

188
00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:14,720
of Bramley apple trees originate
with this one here. Absolutely.

189
00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,360
Bramley became a firm
Victorian favourite,

190
00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:22,000
winning first-class certificates
from horticultural societies.

191
00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,200
And its popularity hasn't waned.

192
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,600
Because today, 95% of apples sold

193
00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,440
commercially for cooking
are Bramley.

194
00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,840
To gain first-hand experience
of this famed fruit,

195
00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,760
at the aptly-named local pub,

196
00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,440
I'm helping chef Jack Arkless

197
00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,880
to make one of his specialties -
a classic Bramley apple pie.

198
00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:45,160
We need to cook the apples slightly
with a bit of sugar and lemon juice.

199
00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,080
A really good squeeze
of lemon juice.

200
00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,640
Now, I don't like too much sugar
in my apple pie.

201
00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,000
Normally put about two tablespoons
in for this amount of apples.

202
00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:01,400
I'd probably say
that's about perfect.

203
00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,440
Mm! Doesn't that look good?

204
00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,640
It smells rather good, as well,
actually, doesn't it?

205
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:12,080
I have a feeling the difficult bit
comes now. Yes, it does indeed.

206
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,480
Just putting a bit of vigour
into this, show it who's boss.

207
00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:20,760
I think you're doing quite well
there. Just check the size of it.

208
00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,440
That looks about right.

209
00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,880
If we just lift the pie over it,
I'm just going to hover over.

210
00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,400
You can see that that's about right.
About right.

211
00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:34,840
This is the moment that sorts out
the chefs of talent

212
00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,400
from the mediocre. Whoops!

213
00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,080
THEY CHUCKLE

214
00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:40,760
Let's see that.

215
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,120
Hold the rolling pin up
a little bit. That's it.

216
00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,960
Mm. That's not bad. Hm. Just...

217
00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:48,520
MICHAEL LAUGHS

218
00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:50,920
Just a couple of strategic holes
here and there.

219
00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,760
Now, if you wouldn't mind, Jack,
I think you'd better take over.

220
00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,880
Absolutely. No problem.

221
00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,200
Outside, a crowd of locals
has gathered,

222
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,440
hungry for a slice of the action.

223
00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,960
Hello, everybody! ALL: Hello!

224
00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,320
Here is one that somebody else
made earlier. Oh, I say!

225
00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:14,120
Let us celebrate the Bramley apple
together. Yes. It's beautiful.

226
00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,400
Shall I be Mum? Yeah. Very good.

227
00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:19,000
What do you think of that? Perfect!

228
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,440
Do we think the Bramley apple
is pretty good? Very good.

229
00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,840
The best, I would've thought.
It cooks well.

230
00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,520
It cooks soft, but it doesn't
fall flat. It goes fluffy.

231
00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,560
How would you compare it? It's
better than French apples, is it?

232
00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:32,280
Of course it's better!
THEY LAUGH

233
00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,400
So, ladies and gentlemen,
I propose a toast

234
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:39,120
to the lady who discovered the
Bramley apple, Mary Ann Brailsford,

235
00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,440
and I would like to couple
the name of George Bradshaw,

236
00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,680
who led me here to your excellent
company today. Cheers!

237
00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,720
'Reluctantly leaving the delicious
Bramleys of Nottinghamshire behind,

238
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,320
'I'm heading northwest to Sheffield
in South Yorkshire,

239
00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,080
'where I'm going to pick up a train
that will take me

240
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,880
'two short stops to Chapeltown.'

241
00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,080
Last train of the day.
Nearly time for my rest.

242
00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,120
'From Chapeltown on the northern
fringes of Sheffield,

243
00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,040
'my guidebook is leading me
four miles

244
00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,880
'into South Yorkshire countryside

245
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,480
'to what I'm hoping will be a
suitable place to break my journey.'

246
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,480
What would I do without Bradshaw's,

247
00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,720
which has brought me
to Wortley Hall,

248
00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,680
the beautiful old seat
of Lord Wharncliffe?

249
00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,000
And since I'm not here at
Lord Wharncliffe's invitation,

250
00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,160
I'm guessing that it's changed
ownership.

251
00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,520
A changeover did indeed happen
in the early 1950s,

252
00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:53,200
when a group of trade unionists
re-established Wortley

253
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,520
as a recreation and education
centre for working people.

254
00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,280
The hall also operates as a hotel.

255
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,680
And this evening,
I'm fortunate enough

256
00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,480
to be receiving some
South Yorkshire hospitality

257
00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,200
from general manager
Johnathan da Rosa.

258
00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,040
So, was this a bit like the
Workers' Educational Association

259
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,640
that my parents used to belong to?
Absolutely.

260
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,440
Trade unions use us,
the Co-op use us,

261
00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,600
the Labour party's
got an office here,

262
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,440
Aslef also have a room
sponsored by them, but still,

263
00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,840
the primary goal is to provide
education for working-class people.

264
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,120
So, I've come to a stately home
of the Labour movement?

265
00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,760
You have indeed. You're in
enemy country, some might say.

266
00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,040
I think I'm going to stand out
a bit in my blue jacket.

267
00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,000
Absolutely. But you're more than
welcome. Cheers.

268
00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,520
'After a restful and,
I'm pleased to report,

269
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,080
'completely altercation-free
evening,

270
00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,680
'I'm ready to resume my journey.

271
00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:58,600
'From Chapeltown, I'm heading
20 miles north through Yorkshire.'

272
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,680
My next stop will be Wakefield.

273
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,000
Bradshaw's tells me
the town contains

274
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,560
"several important public buildings.

275
00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:11,160
"There's the house of correction

276
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,040
"and the pauper lunatic asylum
on the York Road.

277
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,280
"Originally intended for 400,

278
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,560
"but now capable of accommodating
800 patients."

279
00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,920
On my travels,
I've sometimes considered

280
00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,200
Victorian attitudes
to mental health.

281
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,000
And today, I'd like to think about
those people

282
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,280
set aside from Victorian society

283
00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,360
and largely forgotten in death.

284
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,200
During the 1800s, the approach
to mental illness

285
00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,600
underwent significant reform.

286
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,080
Legislation was passed

287
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,560
that meant that every county
was obliged to provide asylum.

288
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,840
'As well as that in Wakefield,
mentioned in my Bradshaw's,

289
00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,080
'three others were created
in the area.

290
00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:03,240
'One of those was built north
of the city in Menston in 1888.

291
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,440
'And there, I'm meeting writer
Mark Davis,

292
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,640
'who's done extensive research
into the imposing institution

293
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,280
'and written a book about some of
the many patients who stayed here.'

294
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,800
Tell me specifically about this
magnificent building at Menston.

295
00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:21,200
When it was built,
certain people said it was far too

296
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,240
magnificent,
far too much money had been spent.

297
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,840
You go in and there's
intricate mosaic tiles,

298
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:31,360
there's beautiful stained glass
and there's a magnificent ballroom.

299
00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,800
Most of these places were built on
curved driveways.

300
00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,920
Did you notice
the curve as you came up?

301
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,200
Coining the phrase,
going around the bend.

302
00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,520
So we'd have these
beautiful buildings,

303
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,880
but hidden from the gaze
of the public.

304
00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,200
Ha! That is extraordinary.
No railway station, alas.

305
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,960
Well, there was a railway
and it was joined

306
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,560
by the Midland line
down on Buckle Lane

307
00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,400
and it actually came around the back
of the hospital.

308
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,920
It was used, basically,
to bring in goods.

309
00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,000
Because what we had here was quite
literally a self-contained

310
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,120
village for the apparently insane.

311
00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,400
Confused about the Victorians
and mental health.

312
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,640
Do you think of them as progressive,
or primitive?

313
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,840
I think there was certainly a vision

314
00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:15,720
and an idea for people to do
something better for mankind.

315
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:17,720
However, everything went wrong.

316
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,040
Quite simply because of the sheer
volume of people

317
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:21,280
coming through the doors.

318
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,200
So from being a place
where people could recover,

319
00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:28,760
it became the administration
of people of large numbers.

320
00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,720
And of course, we have to remember
in Victorian times,

321
00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,520
madness was deemed to be hereditary.

322
00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,720
And therefore,
families abandoned people.

323
00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:37,640
They didn't want to be associated.

324
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,880
The institution evolved dramatically

325
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,800
and the buildings were dedicated

326
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,760
to mental healthcare
right up to 2003.

327
00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,520
Since then, they've been developed
for residential use,

328
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,880
but in one corner of the grounds

329
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,080
is a very significant part
of the original asylum,

330
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,920
which is cared for by Mark
and a group of local volunteers.

331
00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,680
We're a little distance from the
asylum now. What is this ground?

332
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,880
This is land set aside for
the disposal of the asylum dead.

333
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,360
Across this great expanse,

334
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:15,000
there are buried 2,861 men,
women and children,

335
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,880
three deep, in unmarked graves.

336
00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:23,280
When Mark and his team took on
the custody of this site in 2010,

337
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:26,040
they fully restored
the then-derelict chapel

338
00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,160
into a place of remembrance
and reflection.

339
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:33,120
So these are photographs of patients
from the 19th century.

340
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:35,320
But you have managed to find out

341
00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:37,280
the life histories
of some of these people.

342
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,440
Yeah. This is John Constantine.

343
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:43,120
He was admitted when he was
just 10 years old. Deaf and dumb.

344
00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:45,240
His mother couldn't handle him.

345
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:50,800
And he lived for 50 years under care
and treatment before dying aged 65.

346
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,360
And when you look at some of
his notes,

347
00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:55,040
they really are quite derogatory.

348
00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:00,480
He's referred to as this, "dummy
patient. A good imbecile worker."

349
00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,600
He may not have been insane at all.

350
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,800
Unable to communicate,
more than anything.

351
00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,200
And where does
John Constantine lie, exactly?

352
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,240
John's out there with the rest.

353
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,840
Identified quite simply by
a row number and a grave number.

354
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,360
But you've given that number now
a name.

355
00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:17,880
And a voice, hopefully.

356
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,280
'To continue my travels, I'm
re-boarding the train at Wakefield

357
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,560
'and heading 11 miles west.'

358
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,200
This train will take me
as far as Knottingley.

359
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:37,360
As Bradshaw's reminds me, "Here,
the line branches off to Goole."

360
00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:39,920
I'm keen not to miss my connection

361
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:44,440
as the train onwards runs
just once every 24 hours.

362
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,360
'As railways proliferated
during the 1800s,

363
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:52,000
'competition between rail companies
was fierce

364
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,240
'and regulations minimal.

365
00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:59,280
'But in 1844, a law imposed
duties on railway companies,

366
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,680
'instructing them to run
certain services

367
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,760
'known ever since as
parliamentary trains.

368
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,680
'In some parts of the country today,

369
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,400
'there are services that run only
because the law requires it.

370
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,480
'Sometimes known as ghost trains.

371
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,480
'And one of those links
Knottingley and Goole.

372
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,400
'I'm hoping to continue my journey

373
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,960
'by catching one of these
elusive trains,

374
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,000
'but I've enough time before
it's due

375
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,920
'to find out from author
and journalist, Michael Williams,

376
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:28,920
'about their history.'

377
00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,120
The origin goes back to the
middle of the 19th century,

378
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:36,800
when passengers were treated very
badly by the railway companies.

379
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,960
Fares were high, people buying cheap,
third-class tickets

380
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,560
had to travel in terrible conditions.

381
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,360
So along came the president
of the Board of Trade,

382
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,720
one William Gladstone, who you would
hardly think of as a socialist,

383
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,200
and said to the railways,
unless you improve conditions

384
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,480
for the working classes, he would do
all sorts of dire things.

385
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,160
So he created a minimum standard
for the third-class passenger.

386
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,840
On every route, there had to be a
minimum standard of the train

387
00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,520
running at a minimum of
12 miles an hour,

388
00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,840
the cost had to be no more than
a penny a mile,

389
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,040
the train had to stop at
every station

390
00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:12,000
and there had to be some degree
of comfort in the carriages.

391
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:13,800
How did the companies react?

392
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,920
They squealed, they howled,
they hated it.

393
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,280
And what they did in the end,
they circumvented it by putting

394
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,560
these parliamentary trains on at
the most inconvenient times of day.

395
00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:27,440
And actually, I mean, a train that
maybe was travelling

396
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,120
at only 12 miles per hour
and stopping in every single station

397
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:33,440
may not have been a great experience
for the passenger either. It wasn't.

398
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,680
But actually, as the century wore on,
trains got much more comfortable.

399
00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,440
And it certainly did something
to encourage railway travel

400
00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,200
and by opening rail travel
to the masses, really.

401
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,720
The painfully slow
parliamentary trains were satirised

402
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,600
by Gilbert and Sullivan
in The Mikado in 1885.

403
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,840
# Scribbles on windowpanes

404
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:59,920
# We only suffer to ride on a buffer

405
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:06,240
# In parliamentary trains. #

406
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,960
'Ah! My ghost train
has materialised.

407
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,760
'The people piling off are leaving
a regular hourly service from Leeds,

408
00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,320
'and it's from here at Knottingley

409
00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,960
'that the token once-a-day service
commences.

410
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,240
'And it's looking decidedly empty.

411
00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:27,280
'Today's parliamentary services

412
00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,920
'have little commercial appeal
to the rail companies.

413
00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:32,720
'But being specified by law,

414
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,160
'their withdrawal would require
a legal process

415
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:39,320
'with opportunities for objectors,
which can be long and expensive.

416
00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:44,120
'So running a very limited service,
even if comically infrequent,

417
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,480
'avoids all that controversy
and cost.'

418
00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:51,520
So, how come you take the ghost
train? Are you quite regular on it?

419
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:55,440
Yeah. My dad lives at Hensall, so
it's the only station near, really,

420
00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:56,920
and I'm working in Leeds.

421
00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:00,480
This is pretty much like having
a private train, isn't it?

422
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,920
It works perfectly. Are there many
regulars on the train?

423
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,920
It varies day to day, but maybe
half a dozen of us from Snaith.

424
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:09,560
So, you must know each other
quite well. Yes, yes.

425
00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,480
You never get lonely?
No, I don't mind it.

426
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,200
I've got the paper and it gives me
time to relax before I get home

427
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,000
and my dad gets on at me
about something.

428
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,600
Thank you very much. Thank you.

429
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:20,200
Enjoy your journey. You, too.

430
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,320
'I'll get off at Hensall station

431
00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,280
'to meet a man who's something of
a celebrity,

432
00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,440
'well-known to the parliamentary
train regulars.'

433
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,120
A special train
to a delightful station

434
00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:45,040
and a rendezvous
with a very particular person.

435
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,680
For the last 36 years,
Keith Collins has lived

436
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:51,760
in what was once Hensall's station.

437
00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,240
And having spent much of his life
as a locomotive engineer

438
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,680
both in East Africa and in Britain,

439
00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,920
he knows a thing or two
about engines.

440
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:01,760
Hello, Keith.

441
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:03,960
Hello, there.

442
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,320
Splendid engine!

443
00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:09,400
You think so, do you?
Oh, I do, I do.

444
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,040
What made you want to
live at the station?

445
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,000
Um...well,
when you've something like this,

446
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,360
you're antisocial
in a normal environment.

447
00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:21,720
And so I moved out here,
where I can bang

448
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,480
and clatter without disturbing
the neighbours.

449
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,200
Tell me about this beautiful engine.

450
00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:34,000
Well, it's a 1917 John Fowler
steam tractor.

451
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,200
When I got it, it was all in bits,

452
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:40,960
so I rebuilt it and made it into
this marvellous-looking machine.

453
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:45,520
It has a nice, easy turnover sound,
doesn't it?

454
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:48,000
Music. Music, is the word.

455
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,680
Music to your ears, yes.
Absolutely, yes.

456
00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:52,560
It's just a pity it doesn't
go anywhere.

457
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:54,800
Well, that can be arranged.

458
00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:56,840
I was hoping you'd say that!

459
00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:58,680
Shall we take a little ride?

460
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,160
Oh, it'll cost you a pint.

461
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:02,600
Down to the pub.

462
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:04,000
We're ready, are we?

463
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,880
We're ready. OK, wait a minute.

464
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:08,680
Engine room, prepare engines.

465
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:10,480
OK.

466
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:17,880
Right, turn like mad now,
turn like mad.

467
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,280
Go on, go on, go on,
turn like mad. Go on.

468
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,480
Right, other way, other way.
Like mad. Other way, other way!

469
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,880
Wow! This is exciting!
Over the railway.

470
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,840
'We're doing only 15 miles per hour,

471
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,720
'but from up here,
it feels like breakneck speed.'

472
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:37,360
Are you getting the hang of it? Yeah.

473
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:39,800
I'd no idea you were going to go
so fast.

474
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:41,760
Heh! We're ticking over!

475
00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:43,560
THEY LAUGH

476
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,040
This is fantastic!

477
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,840
TOOT-TOOT!

478
00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,000
How satisfying, to take
an old engine like this

479
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:52,320
and bring it back to life!

480
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:54,520
What an achievement. Well done, sir!

481
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,000
It's in the blood.

482
00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:58,880
Well, it's not only in the blood,

483
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,360
it's in the eyes
and all over the skin!

484
00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:03,120
THEY LAUGH

485
00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,520
If you don't fancy waiting 24 hours

486
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,560
for the next parliamentary train
to chug into view,

487
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,120
then a steam engine
may be a viable alternative.

488
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:26,800
During this part of the journey,

489
00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,960
I have encountered people
excluded from the mainstream.

490
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:35,000
Non-conformists who emigrated
in order to worship as they chose.

491
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:40,600
And 19th-century lunatics sent
to asylums on the edge of the city.

492
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,240
But whereas for the insane,

493
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,520
there isn't even a headstone
by which to be remembered,

494
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,360
for the Pilgrim Fathers,

495
00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:51,000
they're commemorated
by Boston Massachusetts.

496
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,560
TOOT!

497
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:02,960
'Next time, I step inside

498
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,000
'a record-breaking
feat of engineering.'

499
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:10,080
Douglas, you people built a bridge
on an extraordinary scale.

500
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:11,840
This is a massive chamber.

501
00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,240
'Learn of the conditions endured by
a prisoner of conscience.'

502
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,320
The soldier stole his bread
and water.

503
00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:19,360
He was treated something like
an animal in a zoo.

504
00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:23,560
'And brew up a Quaker-approved
Victorian cuppa.'

505
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,200
Well, it looks as appetising as mud.