1
00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,080
For Victorian Britons,

2
00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,360
George Bradshaw was a household name.

3
00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:13,000
At a time when railways were new,
Bradshaw's guidebook

4
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,200
inspired them
to take to the tracks.

5
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,040
I'm using a Bradshaw's Guide,
to understand

6
00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,600
how trains transformed Britain -
its landscape,

7
00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:23,800
its industries,

8
00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,760
society and leisure time.

9
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:30,240
As I crisscross the country
150 years later,

10
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,120
it helps me to discover
the Britain of today.

11
00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,720
I'm beginning a journey
that will carry me the length

12
00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,640
of England's south coast.
By the time of my guide book,

13
00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,360
railways had opened up
its ancient forts and beaches

14
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,240
to travellers of every class.

15
00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,880
But the English Channel
remained our national moat -

16
00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:14,880
a broad defence against invasion -

17
00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,040
and throughout most
of the 19th century,

18
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,200
it was assumed that any
advancing enemy would be French.

19
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,960
Following my Bradshaw's Guide,

20
00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,840
this week, I'll be travelling
the south coast from east to west.

21
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,760
Starting at the closest
crossing point to France,

22
00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,920
I'll pass through coastal defences
and seaside resorts,

23
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,360
wind through Thomas Hardy country,

24
00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,200
before ending up at the first,
and last, place in England.

25
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,880
Today, I'm starting in the
cross-Channel port of Dover.

26
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:56,760
From there, I travel to Hythe,
visiting its mainline in miniature,

27
00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,240
before heading to elegant Eastbourne.

28
00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,440
My journey finishes in Lewes,

29
00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,240
at a country house famed
for its opera performances.

30
00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,160
On this journey,

31
00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,760
'inspired by a brave Victorian,
I take the plunge...'

32
00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,440
I can't believe I'm doing this.

33
00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,000
..enjoy the exhilaration of steam...

34
00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000
At the moment, we are doing 18mph.

35
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,480
It's, basically, the equivalent
of doing 75 on the mainline,

36
00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:32,600
cos we're nearer to the ground.
Yeah, it absolutely creates

37
00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,880
the illusion of great speed.
It's very exciting!

38
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,880
..and scale the heights
of the operatic world.

39
00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,720
HE SINGS AN ERRATIC SCALE

40
00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,120
But you skipped the highest note!
Oh, did I?

41
00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,080
My first stop will be Dover.
Bradshaw's says,

42
00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,080
"It is divided from the French coast
by a passage of only 20 miles.

43
00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,760
"Advantageously situated
on the margin of a picturesque bay,

44
00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:14,600
"screened by its lofty cliffs
from the piercing northerly winds."

45
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,560
Those famous white cliffs,
another formidable natural defence,

46
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,120
would also have been a welcome sight
to travellers completing

47
00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,720
the Channel crossing, having survived
its notorious tides and currents.

48
00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,520
The South Eastern Railway Company
opened a line

49
00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:34,160
from London to Dover in 1844,

50
00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:38,320
connecting Victorian travellers
with the ferries steaming for France.

51
00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,640
The town once had
a number of stations,

52
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,880
but only Dover Priory remains.

53
00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,800
The port of Dover, as the closest
crossing point to the Continent,

54
00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,480
gives access to Britain's
nearest European neighbour

55
00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,360
and, equally, represented
the first point of defence.

56
00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,520
The English Channel is one of the
busiest shipping lanes in the world.

57
00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,760
On a glorious day like today, you can
see why Bradshaw's would talk about

58
00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,880
"The weather-beaten features
of the cliffs of Albion,

59
00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,200
"illuminated with sunny smiles
of welcome".

60
00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:28,320
And in 1875, Dover gave a welcome
to a man who, by his endurance

61
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,080
and bravery,
could be regarded only as a hero.

62
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,440
As the trains made seaside resorts
like Dover accessible,

63
00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,280
swimming, very slowly,
became more popular.

64
00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:49,880
The epic achievement at Dover
of one very determined man

65
00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,240
transformed Victorian attitudes.

66
00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,400
I am meeting local historian
Jon Iveson,

67
00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,040
to find out about
Captain Matthew Webb.

68
00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,600
What was it that Captain Matthew Webb
had done, that made him a hero?

69
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:09,480
He was the first person
to swim the Channel.

70
00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,280
And how long had that taken him,
in those days?

71
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:14,960
It was just under 22 hours.
21 and three-quarter hours.

72
00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,720
An extraordinary achievement
of endurance. Absolutely, yes.

73
00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,600
He believed, when he started,
that he was going to do it in 14,

74
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,280
but the tides were against him.

75
00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,800
Born in Dawley, Shropshire, Captain
Webb had been a merchant seaman

76
00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,440
since the age of 12.
At the time of his heroic swim,

77
00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:38,320
he was 27 and already had a history
of courageous watery endeavours.

78
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:43,600
In 1873, he was second mate
on the steamship The Russia.

79
00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,240
A man fell overboard

80
00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,480
and he jumped off the ship,
to try and rescue him.

81
00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,040
As a result, he was the first winner
of the Royal Humane Society

82
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,480
gold medal for rescuing people.

83
00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,120
That, Webb says, was the luckiest
thing that ever happened to him,

84
00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:01,200
because it allowed him to consider
something he had been thinking about

85
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,520
for a while, which was
trying to swim the Channel.

86
00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,480
On 24 August, 1875,
greased with porpoise oil,

87
00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,480
Captain Webb
got under way from Dover,

88
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,520
with a steady breaststroke
of 20 to the minute.

89
00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,400
Because of the strong tides,
he ended up swimming a course

90
00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,720
of 39 miles.

91
00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,160
After 21 hours and 45 minutes
in the cold water,

92
00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,960
he arrived in Calais,
to an ecstatic welcome.

93
00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,440
His fame spread very rapidly
and souvenirs and pictures of him

94
00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,160
appeared everywhere
and he wrote a book.

95
00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,800
This is the book he wrote - a first
edition of The Art Of Swimming.

96
00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:41,440
Oh, what a beautiful thing.

97
00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,120
"By Captain Webb,
the Channel swimmer."

98
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,160
And here he is with his medals,
as well. That's a fantastic piece.

99
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,560
Did all this -
the Channel swim and the book -

100
00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,000
have an effect on the popularity
of swimming? Yes, it did.

101
00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,320
English swimming moved on
in leaps and bounds after this.

102
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:04,640
His remarkable feat popularised
swimming, but his achievement

103
00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,760
wasn't matched for another 36 years

104
00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,480
and, even today,
fewer than 2,000 have succeeded.

105
00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,200
More people
have climbed Mount Everest.

106
00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,440
All that talk of the heroism
of Captain Matthew Webb

107
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,920
has stimulated me to have a go.

108
00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,680
Whilst I'm not about to swim
to France, I can receive

109
00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,720
a few pointers from Chloe McCardel,

110
00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:32,520
an Australian who is very familiar

111
00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,840
with this infamous stretch of water.

112
00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,440
How often have you swum the Channel?
Ten times now. Absolutely amazing.

113
00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,320
How long does it take you?
Usually in the low nine hours.

114
00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,240
It took Captain Matthew Webb
nearly 22 hours.

115
00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,400
Any idea what the change has been?
Are you just better swimmers?

116
00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,240
He swam it breaststroke,
for example.

117
00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,600
I swim it front crawl, or freestyle,
which is a much faster stroke,

118
00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,000
and the food that we eat, the
nutrition, is much more developed

119
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,480
these days. He drank whisky, of all
things, while crossing the Channel.

120
00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,480
So, what makes a person like you
want to do this?

121
00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,720
Captain Matthew Webb himself coined
the term "nothing great is easy"

122
00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,920
and it's got that mystique, the
history and it's just probably

123
00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,880
the hardest marathon swim one
could challenge oneself to do.

124
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:20,960
With Webb's mantra ringing in my ears

125
00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,160
and facing a water temperature
of just 16 degrees,

126
00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,720
I can't put it off any longer.

127
00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,480
I'm going to have to go in.

128
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,600
I can't believe I'm doing this.

129
00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,160
How do you feel?
HIGH-PITCHED: Cold!

130
00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:46,920
Very cold.

131
00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,320
You're doing well, though.
Keep going.

132
00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,480
Show me your crawl. OK. I'm going
to put my head down, though. Yeah.

133
00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,680
Chloe, what's it like
when you get cold,

134
00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:07,680
when you've been swimming
for a long time?

135
00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:11,400
Your core temperature drops,
so your organs start getting cold,

136
00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,720
your arms might start
doing funny things,

137
00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,400
you might say strange things,
you may even refuse

138
00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,080
to get out of the water
if you're very hypothermic.

139
00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,440
I don't think I'd refuse
to get out of the water.

140
00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,360
You OK? Yup.
Do you want a hand? Yup.

141
00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,120
Wow, I'm glad to be back on board.

142
00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,440
It's one of the most beautiful places
you can have imagine to have a swim,

143
00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,720
by the white cliffs, but I found it
incredibly cold.

144
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,360
I'm very overwhelmed. Yes, it takes
many months to get used to that cold

145
00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:41,840
so you did very well
for your first time.

146
00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,040
Thank you, Chloe.
Good luck to you. Thanks.

147
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:54,720
Very thankful to be back on firm
ground, and warm on the train,

148
00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,440
as I leave Dover heading west,
I'm reminded by my guidebook

149
00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,680
"to pay attention to the shrill
shriek of the whistle"

150
00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:04,040
as we plunge into the chalky tunnels

151
00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,120
connecting Dover to Folkestone
and beyond.

152
00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,840
I shall be leaving this train
at Westenhanger for Hythe.

153
00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:22,640
Bradshaw's says, "The town of Hythe
is small but clean and healthy,

154
00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,600
"and prettily situated at the foot
of a hill extending down to the sea."

155
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,520
It sounds divine.

156
00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,920
From Westenhanger I make my way
to Hythe,

157
00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,720
still a small market town as pretty
as Bradshaw's described it.

158
00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:48,920
Before going to my next destination

159
00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,880
I'm visiting a church
that has piqued my interest.

160
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:54,560
Bradshaw's tells me that

161
00:10:54,560 --> 00:10:59,200
"the church on the hill has a light
tower ornamented by four turrets"

162
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,400
and I've been attracted up the slope
towards it, as to a beacon.

163
00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,560
This is the most macabre sight.

164
00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:21,000
Everywhere I look there are skulls,

165
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,280
thigh bones, leg bones,
arm bones, jaws -

166
00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,480
it's as though I've stumbled upon
the site of an appalling massacre.

167
00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:33,680
A shock because nothing in Bradshaw's
prepared me for it.

168
00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:38,360
I hope that local researcher
Mike Pearson can shed more light.

169
00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:39,640
Mike, hello. Hi, Michael.

170
00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,240
Welcome to the crypt of
St Leonard's Church, Hythe.

171
00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,600
It looks like a charnel house
or something.

172
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,240
Is it actually the result of a
slaughter? No, it's not, actually.

173
00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:51,280
There were various theories on...

174
00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,640
Danes killed in battle,
even Battle of Hastings people,

175
00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,800
but we've done some research -
it's actually a normal population.

176
00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,840
There are more females in this
collection than there are males

177
00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,360
and there are just
under 10% young people

178
00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,520
so it's actually a cross section
of the population dying,

179
00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,280
we think, normally.
How many heads do you have here?

180
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:19,400
We've got 1,200 skulls but it's
said that there are 8,000 long bones

181
00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,160
and that amounts
to 4,000 individuals.

182
00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,040
Are you adding to the collection?
LAUGHING: No, not at all!

183
00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,760
But we do have visitors
from time to time who say,

184
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,560
"Can I reserve a place
for when I go?"

185
00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:34,760
THEY LAUGH

186
00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:46,080
Keeping my head when all around
have lost theirs,

187
00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,240
my next stop is curiouser
and curiouser.

188
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,760
I often enthuse about stations,

189
00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,280
and this one is absolutely beautiful

190
00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,560
but somehow it's shrunk,
it's not at the right size!

191
00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:06,280
As though entering a wonderland,

192
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,080
I've arrived at the Romney,
Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.

193
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:18,360
Opened in 1927, it's a fully working
steam railway one third of full size.

194
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,040
Today it's owned by Danny Martin.

195
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,560
Danny, hello.
Hello. Nice to see you.

196
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:31,360
How did it come to be, then, that the
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway

197
00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,080
was built miniature?

198
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,320
Well, the guys that built it had
a passion for model engineering

199
00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,120
which, you might say,
trains of this sort of size

200
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,920
and then they wanted to outdo
everyone else so they wanted

201
00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,760
the biggest model engineered railway
that money could buy.

202
00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,720
This railway wasn't open
in Bradshaw's day

203
00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,520
but the locomotives here
hark back to the age of steam.

204
00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:58,720
Has it ever had a serious purpose?

205
00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:01,080
Yes, it has. During the war years,

206
00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:04,720
the Royal Engineers commandeered the
railway, they ran an armoured train

207
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:06,480
and, most importantly of all,

208
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,600
they were constructing PLUTO -
Pipeline Under The Ocean -

209
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,680
and that was used to feed
the D-Day landings

210
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:16,520
and it was dragged out nightly,
having been wound up on our railway.

211
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:21,200
Fantastic story. So is there a train
I can take? There is, certainly,

212
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,480
this one we've got just here.

213
00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,960
Super. Thank you very much.

214
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,800
Taking me on my journey
is professional train driver

215
00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:30,000
Mick Knight.

216
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,520
Hello, Mick. Hello. Permission to
come aboard? Oh, permission granted.

217
00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,240
Thank you very much indeed.

218
00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,080
Nice tight fit, isn't it?

219
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,040
Just slip the latch down
and that's it.

220
00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,560
But unlike most locomotives
you get to sit down. You do.

221
00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:48,400
WHISTLE BLOWS

222
00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:01,480
The line runs 13.5 miles
from Hythe to Dungeness.

223
00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:03,400
WHISTLE BLOWS

224
00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,200
This locomotive, though very small,
must be very powerful.

225
00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:14,360
How many people can you carry? Each
train holds about 200-250 people.

226
00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:18,120
It's the equivalent
of about 40-45 tonnes.

227
00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,840
At the moment we're doing 18mph.

228
00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,440
It's basically the equivalent
of doing 75 on the main line

229
00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,480
because were nearer to the ground.

230
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:38,040
It absolutely creates the illusion
of great speed. It's very exciting.

231
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:51,880
With half the journey completed, Mick
thinks it's time for me to have a go,

232
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,920
so from Romney Marsh station
I'll take over the controls

233
00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,800
to complete the journey to Dungeness.

234
00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:07,320
That feels good, doesn't it?
There we go. That feels good.

235
00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,480
Amazing to me that a little
pull on that lever

236
00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,760
brings all this power into play.

237
00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,160
So, on your left-hand side shortly
you'll see a W sign.

238
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,440
Yes, and then I whistle.
Yep, give a toot for them.

239
00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:31,920
I see a whistle board.

240
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:33,840
WHISTLE BLOWS

241
00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,560
And we pass a level crossing.

242
00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:58,600
What a wonderful experience.
What a feeling of speed and of power

243
00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,400
and responsibility.

244
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,000
Thank you very much, Mick.
That's OK. Well done.

245
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,680
Well done, we'll make
a driver out of you yet.

246
00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:11,720
My journey continues from Appledore

247
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,480
where I'm re-joining the main line
crossing from Kent into Sussex.

248
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,520
I'm going to spend the night in Rye.

249
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:24,240
Bradshaw's tells me that,

250
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,400
"In the reign of King Edward III,

251
00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,480
"Rye sent nine armed vessels
to the royal fleet

252
00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:31,960
"when that Monarch invaded France."

253
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,440
It was one of the so-called
Cinque Ports

254
00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,480
that supplied ships to the king.

255
00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,960
And in return they received many
privileges and a lot of autonomy.

256
00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:45,040
I bet the people of Rye still feel
very proud of that royal history.

257
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:54,200
Between the 11th and 16th centuries
Rye was a port surrounded by sea

258
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,800
but after centuries
of storms and silting,

259
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,960
the coastline is now
three miles away.

260
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:04,400
One of Rye's most charming buildings
survives from its Tudor heyday,

261
00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:06,600
The Mermaid Inn.

262
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:11,240
Built in the 15th century it was
the infamous haunt of smuggling gangs

263
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,160
but today it offers
my bed for the night.

264
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:32,200
Ship-shape and ready to go,
I'm heading out of Rye.

265
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,840
The next leg of my travels
is a 45-minute journey

266
00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,640
along the coastline to an important
resort in East Sussex.

267
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,080
My next stop will be Eastbourne.

268
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,440
My guidebook tells me that,
"It has within a very few years

269
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,280
"become fashionable
as a watering place

270
00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:51,880
"and offers the beauty
of country scenery

271
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,960
"and stately trees close to the sea."

272
00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,120
At the time of my Bradshaw's guide

273
00:18:57,120 --> 00:19:00,080
there was a corner
of the county of Sussex

274
00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,280
that became forever Devonshire.

275
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,080
The 7th Duke of Devonshire
owned much of the land

276
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,080
on which the small town
of Eastbourne stood.

277
00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,680
The Victorian vogue for seaside
holidays offered him an opportunity.

278
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,800
He campaigned for a railway
to Eastbourne

279
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:27,960
and after it opened in 1849
he developed a high-class resort.

280
00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:35,120
He employed architect Henry Currey
to fulfil his grand designs.

281
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,840
I'm meeting an architect
and local historian, Richard Crook,

282
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:43,280
by Currey's Winter Garden.

283
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,760
Richard. Good morning.
Very good to see you.

284
00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,840
What was the character
of the Eastbourne that he wanted?

285
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,680
Well, Henry Currey had been on the
grand tour of Europe as a student.

286
00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:55,760
He loved Italian architecture

287
00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,880
and in particular
the architecture of Venice.

288
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,360
So we get this wonderful Italianate
feel to the town centre.

289
00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:04,720
And he wanted it to be
a very high-class resort.

290
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,920
A town built by a gentleman
for gentlemen.

291
00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,440
But presumably the town did have
a working class population?

292
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,920
Oh, yes, it did. Eastbourne
was quite fortunately placed

293
00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:16,920
for a zoning of the resort.

294
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,000
And there's a nice phrase that
came down that's been quoted -

295
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,280
"Don't go east of the pier,
my dear."

296
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,200
And the idea was that the pier was
the cut-off point

297
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,040
from the high-class hotels from the
boarding houses and the laundries

298
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:30,760
and the service industries,

299
00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:35,280
which were in the east end of town
on the lower lying marshy areas.

300
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:42,600
Currey's Queen's Hotel is set forward
as a visual and geographical barrier

301
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:48,120
between the two zones, building the
class divide into the town's fabric.

302
00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:56,240
Henry Currey also designed
a three-tiered promenade

303
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:57,760
running the length of the bay,

304
00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,000
which perpetuated the resort's
class consciousness.

305
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,400
The local paper of the day pointed
out the fact that it took on

306
00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:09,560
an unwritten social status about
which level you were walking on,

307
00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:13,920
and it actually quoted that the
promenaders on the upper level

308
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:17,880
would look down like true born
hidalgos on the motley crowd

309
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,120
of nondescripts sauntering along
the lower parade.

310
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:24,760
Extraordinary Victorian snobbery.

311
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,280
One thing that Currey omitted from
his town plan was an opera house

312
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:39,120
because opera was mainly confined
to a short season in the capital.

313
00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:46,120
All the more remarkable that in the
1930s a highly successful opera house

314
00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:50,320
opened remote from any
metropolitan population.

315
00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:55,440
Bradshaw's tells me that the station
at Glynde is just half a mile

316
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,880
from the village of Glyndebourne.

317
00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:03,400
But I've decided to leave this train
at Lewes and I'm dressing

318
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:09,960
because I believe I may be able to
blend in with the crowd scene there.

319
00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,080
OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

320
00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:18,760
Lewes is the rail gateway to
the Glyndebourne Opera Festival.

321
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,760
As an opera lover
I'm a frequent visitor

322
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,320
and coming by train
is part of the experience.

323
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:32,960
From the station a complimentary bus
service whisks us to the theatre.

324
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:41,120
Do you feel excited to be going to
Glyndebourne? Very much so. Yeah?

325
00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:43,920
Yeah. Absolutely. I've never
done something like that before

326
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:45,520
and it sounds like a lot of fun.

327
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,000
Where are you guys from?
I'm from the Czech republic.

328
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,560
I'm from Belarus.
Oh, I hope you have a wonderful time.

329
00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:51,880
Enjoy the show. Thank you.

330
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,360
OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

331
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,720
This really is the most
British scene -

332
00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,960
people dressed up to the nines
in the heat of the summer,

333
00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,520
bearing great burdens, their picnics,

334
00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:12,480
but they're going to have a really
British experience -

335
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,120
opera and picnic and champagne.

336
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:18,840
Hello, everybody. How are you
enjoying your picnic, may I ask?

337
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:22,760
We're just about to start. You
look as if you're very well prepared.

338
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:24,560
How many courses are you
serving today?

339
00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:26,320
Well, we're going to have lunch now

340
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:30,120
and then we'll have our three
courses in the long interval.

341
00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:32,680
Have a wonderful day. By the way,
there's an opera as well.

342
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:34,040
THEY LAUGH

343
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,080
Now, how important is the opera
to you? It's extremely important.

344
00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,800
Far more than the picnic.
Oh, I don't know!

345
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:41,240
THEY LAUGH

346
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,480
I suppose it would go opera,
champagne, picnic.

347
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,240
I hope you all enjoy
a wonderful performance

348
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,640
and that your picnic will be
extremely successful.

349
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:52,880
ALL: Cheers!

350
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,000
The Glyndebourne opera season

351
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,760
dominates the house
all through the summer

352
00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,520
and yet it remains the family
home of Gus Christie.

353
00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,240
Gus, lovely to see you.
Very nice to see you, Michael.

354
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:10,280
My Bradshaw's refers to Glynde Place
which is a different house, I think,

355
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,200
belonging to J Langham. Is there
any connection with you?

356
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,200
Yes, they were cousins of ours.

357
00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:20,440
Glyndebourne came into our family
around the 1830s.

358
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,560
And whose idea was it to attach to
this lovely house an opera house?

359
00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:29,280
My grandfather was mad about opera,
so he actually built this room,

360
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,600
initially, in the '20s,

361
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,480
and they would stage scenes from
operas and a few professionals

362
00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,880
he'd get in, one of whom
was my grandmother.

363
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:42,760
And then he wanted to extend this
room make it bigger but she said,

364
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:44,680
"If you're going to spend
all that money,

365
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,400
"for God's sake do the thing
properly."

366
00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,320
So he built her an opera house in
the garden. Right from the beginning

367
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,800
my grandfather set the quality bar
extremely high.

368
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,240
His motto was not
the best that we can do

369
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,640
but the best that can be done
anywhere.

370
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,000
Which is a very high bar to set

371
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,680
and we still aspire to that
same level nowadays.

372
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,440
I'm lucky enough to be invited
behind the scenes

373
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:11,440
to meet one of tonight's stars,
Edgaras Montvidas.

374
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,320
Edgaras.

375
00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:16,640
Hello, Michael.
Good to see you.

376
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:18,720
I spotted you on the train.

377
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,120
Not many people would think
of a great opera star

378
00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,400
coming down to the opera house
by train, is that a regular thing?

379
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,760
Absolutely, yes. Now, you have to
perform this afternoon.

380
00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,520
You were doing your warm-up,
do you mind if I stay for a second

381
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,440
while you continue? Not at all.
What were you doing?

382
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:37,360
I would normally sing
a couple of exercises.

383
00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:40,080
You must be baritone and so
I'll do it a bit lower.

384
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:47,080
HE SINGS SCALES

385
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:48,560
Michael?

386
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,600
HE SINGS SCALES

387
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,000
But you skipped the highest note!
Oh, did I?

388
00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:00,160
HE SINGS SCALES

389
00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,360
HE SINGS SCALES

390
00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:04,360
HE SQUEAKS AT HIGH NOTES

391
00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:06,440
That's why I skipped the high ones.

392
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,120
Well, a few lessons wouldn't harm!
THEY LAUGH

393
00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:11,520
Let's hear a piece from the opera.
OK.

394
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,960
HE SINGS OPERATICALLY

395
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,120
That's higher than...
Beautiful.

396
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,280
I just want to wish you
a fantastic performance

397
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,160
and many happy years at Glyndebourne.

398
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,320
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.

399
00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,160
The production is Mozart's
Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail,

400
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,200
in a performance which demonstrates

401
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,320
that the highest standards
are being maintained.

402
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,960
And it brings today's
journey to a close.

403
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:01,680
OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

404
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,480
MUSIC AND SINGING ENDS

405
00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:12,520
APPLAUSE

406
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,160
The Duke of Devonshire
created in Eastbourne

407
00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:19,360
the ideal of a high-class
seaside resort.

408
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:23,360
Similar attention to detail
went into the ultimate model railway

409
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,640
running between Romney,
Hythe and Dymchurch.

410
00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:30,440
The opera at Glyndebourne
has prospered against the odds

411
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:34,320
because of an uncompromising
commitment to excellence

412
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,320
and I want to pay tribute
to Captain Matthew Webb,

413
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,560
a Victorian hero whose motto was
"nothing great is easy"

414
00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,800
and who endured 22 hours
in the English Channel.

415
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,320
Whereas I found it difficult
to survive for ten minutes.

416
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:54,520
Next time, I marvel at exquisite
railway engineering...

417
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:55,960
That is an extraordinary view,

418
00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,880
almost as though we were in
a gothic cathedral or something.

419
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,760
..take my pick in
a temple of red fruit...

420
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,840
All aboard for the Tomato Express!

421
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,280
Another go? Yeah.

422
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:11,040
..and test my patience
against the southerly wind.

423
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,640
If at first you don't succeed...

424
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,080
try, try again. That's the mantra of
kite flying if ever there was one.