1 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:09,200 For Victorian Britons, George Bradshaw was a household name. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,240 At a time when railways were new, Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them 3 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,520 to take to the tracks. 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,320 I'm using a Bradshaw's Guide to understand 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,160 how trains transformed Britain - 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:26,520 its landscape, its industries, society and leisure time. 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,200 As I crisscross the country 150 years later, it helps me 8 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,640 to discover the Britain of today. 9 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,120 I'm now halfway through a journey that spans Wales and England. 10 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,680 The fabulous wealth of Victorian Britain was founded on steam, 11 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,440 and that meant coal. 12 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,280 Today, I'd like to study the conditions of those 13 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,600 who hewed it from the earth in darkness 14 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,640 and of those whose life was lit by chandeliers. 15 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,280 I'm travelling from pit to palace. 16 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,760 This journey takes me across Britain from west to east. 17 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,600 From the industrial powerhouse of South Wales to the Welsh Borders 18 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,840 and the fertile lowlands of Herefordshire, 19 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,800 I'm seeing how the railways left no aspect of the country unchanged. 20 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,400 I'll finish in the historic university city of Cambridge. 21 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:50,760 This leg will take me below ground at Abergavenny, 22 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,560 east to Moreton-in-Marsh 23 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,880 and on to rebellious turf in Ascott-under-Wychwood, 24 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,000 ending in the Oxfordshire village of Hanborough. 25 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,280 'Today, my heart is in my mouth as I go down a mine...' 26 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,560 We're 300 feet below the surface and it's a strange feeling, isn't it? 27 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:08,840 It is. Yep. 28 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,320 '..I'm taught the art of ploughing in Oxfordshire.' 29 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,320 Are you happy with that? Are a relaxed man? Yes. 30 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,160 Good. I'm very relaxed about this. Keep... 31 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,360 Don't pull it quite so tight. Perfect. Very nice. Perfect! 32 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,240 'And at Blenheim Palace, I'm offered a glimpse of some very racy art.' 33 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,400 Ooh la la! There's a lot of flesh on display. 34 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,760 They were perhaps a little too risque for the ladies to see. 35 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,160 My first stop today will be Abergavenny which, 36 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,200 according to Bradshaw's, "Stands amongst the Monmouthshire hills. 37 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,080 "Its present prosperity derives from valuable coal, 38 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,200 "likely to be much increased 39 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,960 "by the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford railway 40 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:54,760 "on which I am now travelling." 41 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,040 It's time to descend to the bowels of the earth. 42 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,160 In the shadow of the Black Mountains 43 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,960 sits the historic town of Abergavenny, Gateway to Wales. 44 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,440 At the time of my guidebook, it was known for its 11th-century castle 45 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,120 and also for its psychiatric hospital. 46 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,400 The phrase "gone to Abergavenny" 47 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,680 was used locally as a metaphor for going insane. 48 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,720 But the focus of my visit today is the Blaenavon Big Pit Mine, 49 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:41,000 where Victorian men and children once toiled night and day 50 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,400 to power the Industrial Revolution. 51 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:49,040 Opened in 1860, it was connected to the railways six years later. 52 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:53,560 Today, it's a national museum set in a World Heritage Site. 53 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,880 I'll descend into the black world of Victorian coal mining. 54 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,480 You press this button on the right, turns the light on, OK? 55 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,640 Thankfully, experienced miner Paul Green is to accompany me. 56 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,280 Morning and thank you. Thank you. Morning. Watch your step. 57 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,160 Do you remember your first time in the cage? 58 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,200 Yeah, I was a young 15-year-old. 59 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,280 I left school at 15, started at NCB in those days. 60 00:04:21,280 --> 00:04:22,920 And when you did your training, 61 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,440 they took you to different mines to have a look at it. 62 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,160 I jumped in the cage and it wasn't lovely and quiet 63 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,200 like we've just been taken away, it was a sudden jolt. 64 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:32,920 Were you afraid? Not afraid, 65 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,160 apprehensive, for want of a better word. 66 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,560 And as this instructor took us around the roadways of this particular mine, 67 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,240 there was a guy coming out pulling a horse along behind him! 68 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:42,600 He had a horse! And I thought, 69 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:44,880 "I've only ever seen one of them in a field!" 70 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:46,840 MICHAEL LAUGHS Couldn't believe it. 71 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:48,880 You must be older than I think! 72 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,880 Nah, a little bit younger than yourself. 73 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,960 We're 300 feet below the surface and it's a strange feeling, isn't it? 74 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,280 It is, yeah. 75 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:00,200 Morning. Good to you. Morning, Pete. 76 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,440 Just watch under feet, Michael. Yeah. 77 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,640 Feet and head. Feet and head, you got it. 78 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:13,240 Close the door behind you, Michael. 79 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,080 Close this door behind me? Yeah. 80 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,480 So these doors are pretty important? 81 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,320 Yes, Michael. They're ventilation doors and what they do, 82 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:24,720 they direct the air round the roadways of the mine 83 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:25,840 where we want it to go. 84 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:27,600 We've got a series of doors here. 85 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,720 If we left these doors open, the air will short circuit. 86 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,000 Come down the shaft that we came down, straight through this roadway 87 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,200 up the upcast shaft and starve other areas of the mine of air. 88 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,520 And in Victorian times, children as young as six worked on these doors. 89 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,720 They'd sit by the door and when they heard the horse 90 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,440 and the haulier coming along, they'd get up, open the door, 91 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:47,640 close the door behind them. 92 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,640 In those days, they didn't have lights like we have today, 93 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:52,120 so the child would have a candle. 94 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,320 What do you think's going to happen with that candle 95 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,520 because of the air movement? It's going to blow out. 96 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,400 It's going to blow out, so the child is going to be in the dark 97 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,200 until the next haulier comes along with his horse and dram of coal 98 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,840 and lights the child's candle, and that's how it used to work. 99 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:06,480 Watch your head as we come through. 100 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:11,840 In 1838, an accident at a colliery near Barnsley in Yorkshire 101 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:14,680 brought the plight of children working in the mines 102 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:15,920 to public attention. 103 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:20,400 The disaster led to public outcry and a Royal Commission was ordered. 104 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,680 The outcome was an Act of Parliament in 1842 105 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:30,200 that banned women and children under ten from working underground. 106 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,320 Right, Michael, this is where we enter the stables here at Big Pit. 107 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:36,200 These are the names of the ponies, are they? 108 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,880 Yeah, names of the ponies, that actually worked here. 109 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,800 Now, the ponies were well looked-after, mind. 110 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,360 They'd come underground aged four, 111 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,000 they'd have a guy in charge of them called a haulier or a hostler 112 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,560 and his duty was to work that horse. 113 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,680 Now, if this horse got injured for any reason, 114 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,840 this mine owner would want to know why. 115 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,680 If it was found it was the haulier's fault, 116 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,720 he would have the sack, family kicked out of the cottage. 117 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,360 Always get another haulier, he had to buy another pony. 118 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:04,760 Ponies were the more valuable. 119 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:06,920 Ponies were more valuable in those days. Yeah. 120 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,040 Paul is taking me deeper into the mine 121 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,400 to see what life was like at the coal face. 122 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,000 What is this chamber? This is what we call a stall. 123 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,080 Now, you'd have man and boy working together, father and son. 124 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,520 So they'd pick the coal off using your mandrels and your tools. 125 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,680 And then it would be the boy's job to fill the dram of coal. 126 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,920 The miner would only get paid for the amount of drams he filled, 127 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,280 but only coal. 128 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,240 When they were putting the supports in there and building the cogs up, 129 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,440 as we call them, and putting the timber supports up, 130 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,480 they didn't get paid for - only for the drams that were going out. 131 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,040 So, yes, hard times. 132 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,560 You've been telling me about the appalling conditions, 133 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,960 and of course, it got better during the Victorian period 134 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:52,720 and much better during the 20th century, 135 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,720 but even so, mining always continued to be potentially dangerous 136 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:57,400 and very bad for health. 137 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,680 So why was there such a feeling of community, 138 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,000 such a sense of loyalty around coal mining? 139 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,720 Mining brought the community together. 140 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,720 You knew everyone in the village, the man worked in the pit with you. 141 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,760 In my day, and the Victorian day, it was a way of life. 142 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,840 Every village had a coal mine. 143 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:24,160 The history of coal mining is the Victorian age in a nutshell. 144 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,200 Brilliant engineering to win the coal, 145 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,840 the exploitation of labour by the coal mine owners, 146 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,800 then waves of legislation and reform 147 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,160 as Victorians developed a social conscience. 148 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:42,400 In the 20th century, the coal miners became the aristocracy of labour, 149 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,800 with an enormous sense of pride and solidarity, 150 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,680 as I well remember from my political career. 151 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,040 Before I leave Wales, there's one last highlight to explore 152 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,080 before I seek the shelter of a railway carriage. 153 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:05,760 Here the picturesque River Usk winds through verdant countryside 154 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,960 towards the Bristol Channel. 155 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,160 "The scenery of the River Usk," says Bradshaw's, 156 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:17,400 "from Abergavenny to Brecon is very romantic 157 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,720 "as it winds around the Black Mountains. 158 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,960 "Excellent trout fishing." 159 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,480 I'm in a cast of mind to find out more. 160 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,600 Fly fishing for trout can be traced back to the Romans, 161 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,560 but advances made by the Victorians 162 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:36,600 shaped the sport that we enjoy today. 163 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:42,480 Keen fisherman Simon Evans has offered to show me why. 164 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:44,840 Good to see you. 165 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,720 Was trout fishing quite popular with the Victorians? 166 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,720 Very. There was whole culture that built up 167 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,000 with hotels scattered up and down the length of the river, 168 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,360 they would catch the railway, there were stop-offs at regular intervals. 169 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:58,720 There used to be a fishing hotel 170 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:00,800 that was associated with most of the stations. 171 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,520 That hotel then had a little bit of fishing on the Usk. 172 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,560 And it's always been very popular for that. 173 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:09,840 Even up to this day, it's still very popular for that type of thing. 174 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,320 Trout thrive in clear spring-fed rivers 175 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,520 where there is plenty of flies. 176 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,120 The fish reputedly have a brain the size of a pea, 177 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,720 so the fisherman can't feel too happy when outwitted. 178 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,560 I'm trying to here use some fairly authentic tackle 179 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:28,360 of that sort of age. 180 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,320 It's interesting compared to the carbon fibre rods that we use now. 181 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:32,800 So that's made of what? 182 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,240 That's made out of cane. But in the times of the Victorian, 183 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,440 most of the people were using things made out of bamboo and greenheart. 184 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:40,480 And did the Victorians have reels? They did. 185 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,120 In the Victorian times, most of the reels were made out of wood. 186 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,880 This is a Hardy reel from about 1920, 1930. 187 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,280 But it would have been similar to a Victorian one? 188 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:50,920 It would have been almost identical. 189 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:52,840 And what did they use for lines? 190 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,000 They had silk lines. Now we use nylon lines. 191 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,400 But they used to have silk thread, plaited and tapered. 192 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,800 Probably the biggest change has been in 193 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,280 what we use to connect the line to the fly. 194 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:07,960 In those days, it was just horses' hair from the tail of a horse. 195 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,880 I suppose it was effective. They caught fish, didn't they? 196 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:12,560 They caught plenty of fish. 197 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:15,400 How did techniques develop during the Victorian age? 198 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,280 To begin with, it was just dapping. 199 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,000 So you had a pole and a line and a fly on the end 200 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,360 and you dapped it on the surface till the trout said hello. 201 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:27,160 Then casting came in with the revolutions in rods that happened. 202 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,000 And then that gave you the option of either fishing a wet fly, 203 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,840 which is you're fishing below the surface 204 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,200 trying to imitate a small fish or something of that ilk, 205 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,880 or a dry fly, which is imitating an emerging insect. 206 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:41,440 Fully briefed on Victorian technique and strategy, 207 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,120 I'm ready to cast my first line. 208 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:45,760 The rod is effectively like a spring, 209 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,480 so hold the line in your left hand. Yeah. 210 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,000 And then pick the rod up and try and cast the line behind you. 211 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,480 And then put it back out again. Without catching the vegetation. 212 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,280 So as it comes up, you're stopping it on the top of your shoulder, 213 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,040 then letting the line extend backwards, 214 00:11:58,040 --> 00:11:59,240 then it goes back out again. 215 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:03,200 Try one more time? 216 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,280 I'm not immediately getting the hang of this. 217 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,320 But what is the great attraction to you of angling? 218 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,720 It's just you and the fish, there's nothing else. 219 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:17,960 It doesn't matter what else is going on in the world, 220 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,680 whether it's raining, you've got problems at home, whatever, 221 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:23,280 it's just you and the fish for that magic moment. 222 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,600 And that's a precious thing in this day and age. 223 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,560 I must return to the line of duty and resume my journey. 224 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:36,720 I'll leave Simon to concentrate on his a catch. 225 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,720 WOMAN ANNOUNCES STOPS OVER TANNOY 226 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,440 From Abergavenny, I'm crossing the border into England 227 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,760 to the city of Hereford, where I'll change trains to travel east 228 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:51,960 to my overnight stop in the Cotswolds. 229 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:59,200 My next stop will be what Bradshaw's describes as, 230 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,880 "A small town on the old Fosse Way. 231 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,960 "It must have some claim to be at the heart of England 232 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,840 "since, apparently close by, there's a four-mile stone 233 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:13,200 "where Oxfordshire, Gloucester, Worcester and Warwickshire unite." 234 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:18,240 I can think of no better place to end this rain-sodden, soggy day 235 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,120 than Moreton-in-Marsh. 236 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:33,120 My Bradshaw's recommends this converted 17th-century coaching inn, 237 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,840 ideal for the weary traveller. 238 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,560 Before I turn in for the night, local historian Michael Rees 239 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:40,920 is joining me for a drink. 240 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,280 I think you might be interested in the Curfew Tower, 241 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,200 which is opposite this hotel. Curious name. 242 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:49,840 Yes, it was called the Curfew Tower 243 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:54,200 because a curfew was rung at night and morning here until the 1860s. 244 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:59,000 Apparently, the bell in the tower was rung every night 245 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,680 to remind the townsfolk of the risk of fire in their homes. 246 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:03,960 But it also had other uses. 247 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,280 The story is, 248 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,960 Sir Robert Fry was travelling from London to Moreton-in-Marsh 249 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,920 and he got lost in the fog on Moreton Common. 250 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:17,120 But he heard the bell and it guided him to his destination here. 251 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,560 He arrived safely? He arrived safely. 252 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:23,640 And he was so grateful that he made an endowment of 20 shillings 253 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,400 for the upkeep of the clock 254 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,160 and ten shillings for the ringing of the bell. 255 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,320 Well, I think you and I have time before the curfew 256 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:32,280 to have a little drink. Thank you, Michael. 257 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:48,400 Another day and I'm ready to move on east, deep into rural Oxfordshire. 258 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,200 "Wychwood Forest," says my Bradshaw's, 259 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,160 "is a fine wooded track of silven beauty." 260 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,880 And I shall be leaving this train at Ascott-under-Wychwood. 261 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,400 Of the Oxfordshire countryside, it says, 262 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,120 "Much butter and cheese are made 263 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:12,760 "and calves are reared and fed for London markets." 264 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,920 But amidst the placidity of the cows and sheep, 265 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,480 trouble was brewing in the countryside. 266 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:25,400 During the 1870s, 267 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,440 an agricultural depression greatly unsettled 268 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,200 Ascott-under-Wychwood's rural community 269 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,480 and gave rise to a group known as the Ascott Martyrs. 270 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,920 Historian Nicola Verdon can explain why. 271 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,880 So these benches commemorate the Ascott Martyrs. Who were they? 272 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,800 The Ascott Martyrs were 16 women who were arrested, 273 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:59,320 basically for picketing, in May of 1873 at Crown Farm. 274 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:02,960 They were mostly the wives and daughters of labourers 275 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,200 in the village and at Crown Farm. 276 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:10,520 And their local union had gone on strike for better wages. 277 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:16,480 The farmer, Mr Hambridge, had sacked his labourers who joined the union 278 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,080 and brought in blackleg workers. 279 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:24,280 So the women were trying to persuade and disrupt the blackleg workers 280 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,640 from going to work on that farm. 281 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,800 What happened to the women? 282 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,400 16 of the women were arrested. 283 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,040 They were taken to Chipping Norton police station 284 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:34,680 where they were sentenced. 285 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:40,480 The women were sentenced to between seven and ten days hard labour, 286 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,800 but once the townsfolk got to hear about that, trouble erupted. 287 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:46,640 Basically what happened is 288 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:51,200 a crowd forms outside of the police house 289 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,160 and starts rioting against the sentence, 290 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,720 trying to get into the police station to free the women. 291 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,400 They were planning to take the women to Oxford prison by train, 292 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,920 but that was considered too public and too risky. 293 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,320 So they whisked them out the back in dark at night 294 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,880 and took them by horse and wagon. 295 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,280 What happened to the women, ultimately? 296 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,240 The women were eventually pardoned. 297 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,880 They received a pardon from the Queen 298 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,920 and they were also given a five-pound token by the union, 299 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,240 although they were expressly told not to spend it on alcohol. 300 00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:31,040 During the late 19th century, rural poverty 301 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:32,920 and the rise of the trade unions 302 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,120 sparked agrarian revolts across southern Britain. 303 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:43,360 The workers struck their early blow for labourers' rights at Crown Farm. 304 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:48,560 The job of working these 460 acres has changed considerably 305 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:49,960 since Bradshaw's time. 306 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,680 To find out more, I'm meeting owner Chris Badger. 307 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,400 Hello! Hello. Excuse me stopping you. 308 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:01,880 This is Crown Farm where the Ascott Martyrs were 150 years ago. 309 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:02,960 That's right, yeah. 310 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,360 I assume the labour situation's changed enormously. 311 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,720 They would've had to employ many more people in those days. 312 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,240 Oh, yeah. They had horses and not tractors. Yeah. 313 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,160 Yeah, they didn't do so much as we do. 314 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,360 If I didn't have the diversification on here, 315 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:19,200 I'd probably do the whole lot on my own. 316 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:20,960 Really? Yeah. You could do that? 317 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,440 Oh, yeah. I might bring in one for harvest. Yes. 318 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,720 But the rest of the year, you wouldn't have anybody here at all. 319 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,760 And if you were just on your own, I suppose you wouldn't have 320 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,880 too many labour difficulties, would you? 321 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,600 Only me and the wife! 322 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,440 You might still have your difficulties. That's right! 323 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:38,480 Have a go. 324 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,600 'Although I'm here to learn about Victorian farming, 325 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,760 'I can't resist trying out some modern day machinery.' 326 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:47,520 So how do I drive this thing? 327 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,080 OK, foot on the clutch. Yes, sir. 328 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:50,400 Turn the key. 329 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,080 ENGINE STARTS UP 330 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,680 Foot off clutch? Foot off the clutch. 331 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,760 Away you go. Foot on the accelerator? 332 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:03,080 And I'm trying to keep the wheel following this furrow? That's right. 333 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:05,520 Hold tight there, Chris. That's all right. 334 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,440 You happy there? Are you a relaxed man? Yeah. Good. I'm very relaxed. 335 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,960 Just don't pull it quite so tight on the furrow. That's it. Perfect. 336 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:13,480 Very nice. Perfect! 337 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:25,120 So how are the wage levels of agricultural workers? 338 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:29,360 Can farm labourers make a decent wage? 339 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:32,320 Oh, yeah. They're earning quite good money these days, I think. 340 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,360 Lots of overtime, double time at weekends, that sort of thing. 341 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:36,960 They're earning £15-20 an hour. 342 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,400 I think I've ploughed my furrow 343 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,640 and I think I've furrowed your brow as well! 344 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:43,840 CHRIS CHUCKLES 345 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,600 In the days of the Ascott Martyrs, 346 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,720 it would have taken a man and a horse a day 347 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,680 to plough an acre of land, 348 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,400 whereas today it can be done in 15 minutes. 349 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,600 Thank you, Chris. Pleasure. I hope you enjoyed it. 350 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:02,760 Only a handful of trains stop at Ascott-under-Wychwood each day. 351 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,960 I'm interested to see that a vintage signal box survives here. 352 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,080 It's quite an unusual box. It's... 353 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,520 BELL CHIMES FOUR TIMES 354 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:20,120 ..between here and Oxford and it's basically a fringe box. 355 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:22,920 BELL CHIMES 356 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:24,760 What's all this business? 357 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,440 We communicate by bells. 358 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,360 It's an unambiguous way of talking to each other. 359 00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:31,680 What you do, you actually repeat everything back. 360 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,960 That way, it can be deemed as not being wrong. 361 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,160 So nothing is accepted until it's repeated back. 362 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:40,720 I love it. It seems so wonderfully old-fashioned. 363 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,840 There's about 52 different bell codes. No! Yeah. 364 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,600 'The railway block code, rather like Morse, is used between 365 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,920 'signal boxes to ensure the line is clear and that trains can proceed.' 366 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,160 How long has this signal box been here? 367 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:57,880 It's well over 100 years. 368 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,160 It's a lovely place to work. 369 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,760 Good place to learn your bell codes. It is. It's wonderful. 370 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:14,680 My final destination beckons and I'm ready to board my last train 371 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:16,400 to the village of Hanborough. 372 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,240 The 12-mile journey takes me through glorious Oxfordshire countryside. 373 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:30,440 Blenheim is the only house not built for royalty or for a bishop 374 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,000 to bear the title "palace". 375 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,320 Bradshaw's tells me that, 376 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:39,000 "It contains a library of more than 17,000 volumes. 377 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,680 "It did contain a most costly collection of paintings 378 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,560 "until recently, the most valuable portion of them 379 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,280 "having been accidentally destroyed in a fire. 380 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,600 "It is a calamity that the nation will deeply deplore." 381 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,640 I'd like to know which works of art were forever lost 382 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,320 and also what volumes graced the bookshelves of the house 383 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:07,480 where a decade after my Bradshaw's Guide, Winston Churchill was born. 384 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,360 I'm alighting at Hanborough, the nearest station to Blenheim. 385 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,520 The Palace was built in the early 18th century 386 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,720 and was a gift from Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough, 387 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,800 who had defeated the French at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. 388 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:45,680 The outstanding Baroque edifice is set in over 2,000 acres 389 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,440 of parkland and gardens. 390 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,200 My main interest here is the great fire, as mentioned in Bradshaw's, 391 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,040 and I am meeting archivist John Forster to find out more. 392 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,400 A magnificent space, John. What is this room called? 393 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,240 This is the Orangery at Blenheim Palace. 394 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,720 In 1861, there was a huge fire here which destroyed 395 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,400 a valuable collection of paintings. 396 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,040 When you say here, in the Orangery? 397 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:16,760 Yes, actually in this room where we are. 398 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,840 Very early in the career of the first Duke of Marlborough, 399 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,200 he'd been given a set of paintings by the Duke of Savoy, 400 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,800 a set of Titians, as they were then thought. 401 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,120 The 4th Duke of Marlborough, 402 00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,680 about 50 years after the acquisition of the paintings, 403 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,160 decided they were perhaps a little too risque for the ladies to see 404 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,240 and so, he had them put here in a separate gallery, 405 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,120 I have to say, for gentlemen's eyes only. 406 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:41,360 Would we ourselves judge them as particularly salacious? 407 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:43,360 We do have copies of them here. 408 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:48,680 I think that, by modern standards, they are fairly innocuous. 409 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,760 Ooh la la! There's a lot of flesh on display. 410 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:57,240 A lot of flesh, but restrictive by modern standards, I think. 411 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,600 But in their day, they were thought unsuitable. Yes, indeed. 412 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:01,680 Not for the ladies. 413 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,520 John wants to tell me about some of the later Dukes of Marlborough 414 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,560 and is taking me first to Blenheim's Great Hall... 415 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,760 ..a spectacular room with arched portals, columns, sculpture 416 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,160 and an exquisitely-decorated ceiling. 417 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:24,440 And who is this? 418 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,320 So here we've got the 8th Duke of Marlborough. 419 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:28,720 What sort of man was he, John? 420 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:32,920 He was very much a scientist, a mathematician, a technocrat, really. 421 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:34,880 And so, he installed electricity, 422 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,520 he installed his own design telephone system 423 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,760 and he was responsible for bringing the railway 424 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,560 to Woodstock and Blenheim. Blenheim had its own railway station? 425 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,240 Indeed it did, called Blenheim. 426 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,120 Which it no longer has, unfortunately. 427 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,560 No, unfortunately, it closed many years ago. 428 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:51,200 How did the Duke pay for these improvements? 429 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,680 One of basic things he did was sell the picture collection. 430 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,080 Really all the great pictures apart from the portraits he sold in 1886. 431 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:02,560 That's extraordinary. Some paintings destroyed in the 1860s... Yes. 432 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,040 ..others sold in the 1880s. Yes. 433 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,840 Devastating. Absolutely devastating. 434 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,400 'We're on our way to the Palace's library, that retains catalogues 435 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,440 'and documents recording the pictures that were sold.' 436 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,360 Good heavens, John, this is one of the most glorious rooms 437 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:21,720 I've ever set foot in, I think. Isn't it magnificent? 438 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,160 Those pictures that were sold. Yes. 439 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,800 Here's the original catalogue. 440 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,000 "Catalogue of the collection of pictures from Blenheim Palace, 441 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,320 "which by order of His Grace, the Duke of Marlborough, 442 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:37,000 "will be sold by auction on Saturday, July 24th, 1886." 443 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:42,240 If you turn a few pages, you can begin to see the real meat of them. 444 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:43,720 Rubens, Rubens... 445 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:49,400 And so you see the prices paid then for a Rubens, only £483. 446 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,800 This one a little more - £1,575. 447 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,400 Imagine now, you're talking of millions. 448 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,040 So this is the money that was used for the electrification 449 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,960 for telephone system and the railway station? 450 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,840 Yes, and all his other things too that he did at Blenheim, yes. 451 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,720 Bradshaw's tells me that this wonderful library 452 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,560 contains 17,000 volumes. Is that accurate? 453 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,080 Yes, in Bradshaw's day it did. 454 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,840 But again, it was sold by the 7th Duke 455 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:19,640 to fund the expenses of part of his political life 456 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:22,160 and so, he sold the library in 1881. 457 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:25,120 Does anything survive from the original collection? 458 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:28,280 We're so lucky because some things were held back. 459 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:32,680 And so, we have this magnificent remains of that original library. 460 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,280 And, Michael, it's actually in Spanish. 461 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,720 "Comienza el segundo libro de 462 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,480 "la General y Natural Historia de las Indias." 463 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:44,720 "Here begins the second book of 464 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,280 "General and Natural History of the Indies." 465 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,320 If you look at the date, 1535, 466 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,520 and when you think Columbus only discovered it in 1492, 467 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:56,080 isn't that amazing? 468 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,360 This is absolutely superb. 469 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:02,320 So this is right at the beginning of printed word as well, is it? 470 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,680 I'm impressed, you see. It's still totally legible. 471 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:06,480 You read it without any difficulty at all. 472 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:08,280 500 years it was printed. 473 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:09,880 That is superb. 474 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,120 And this magnificent piece survived the depredations of the 7th Duke. 475 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:16,960 Yes, indeed. John, thank you so much. My pleasure. Bye-bye. 476 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:28,480 Much of our island's story is the history of great men - 477 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,440 the Duke of Marlborough who won the Battle of Blenheim 478 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:33,120 and built this palace, 479 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,360 and Sir Winston Churchill, born here, 480 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,480 who led us to victory in World War II. 481 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:43,320 But in Bradshaw's time, economic forces were our masters. 482 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:47,200 And the main actors were not dukes but entrepreneurs, 483 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,200 coal owners and the like, 484 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,600 and the men and women and girls and boys 485 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:57,160 who toiled underground to build Victorian prosperity. 486 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,840 'Next time, I discover a miniature edition by my favourite publisher... 487 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,160 And this is actually the first edition of Bradshaw's. 488 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:12,800 Ah! That is exciting. 489 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,440 '..marvel at the ambition of a new railway...' 490 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:19,480 You're going to raise this up, bring the rail across by this weekend? 491 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,040 Yes. There's a man speaking with confidence. 492 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,480 '..and learn what a hat can do.' 493 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,800 It's amazing. In a moment, you've converted me 494 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,560 from an investment banker into a rake!