'I'm Richard Wilson and I'm on a driving tour of the UK.'
The thing about the country lanes is that you never know
what you're going to see when you go round the corner.
'But I'm doing it without the aid of modern technology.
No sat-nav for me.'
Very twisty. Twisty-turny.
'I'm using the rather splendid collection of Shell Guides,
first published in the 1930s,
to see how Britain has changed over the decades.'
'The Shell Guides sent you round the counties of Britain
and mapped out where to go,
things to do...' Ohh!
'..and even what to eat.'
'When they first appeared, going for a drive was a pleasurable experience...'
(HORN HONKS) (GASPS) Ooh, Mummy, Daddy.
'..something that's harder to accomplish today.'
Oh, I'm trying to reverse.
(HORN HONKS) Oh, shut up.
'But I'm sure that me and my Daimler...'
Which I have christened Deborah.
'..will get us where we need to go.'
Today I'm in Essex in the southeast of England.
A county with a rich variety of landscapes,
delightful country villages...
and ancient Roman remains.
Following the 1968 guide,
my route is going to take me to the Roman capital of Britain,
a seafood-lovers paradise,
one of England's newest towns
and to a house built to entertain a king.
It's unbelievable that some people still associate Essex
with dodgy suntans and nightclubs.
But here we are in the most beautiful countryside.
'This seems at odds with the immediate stereotypical image we have of Essex.
It appears to be a county with two identities.
I'm intrigued to find the true Essex
and what better place to start than its oldest town, Colchester.
There's actually been a town here for over 2,000 years
and for a time Colchester was the capital of Roman Britain.'
The guide says it contains...
So, with a recommendation like that
it's definitely worth a stop-off.
I have to say, it doesn't look much like a Roman town so far
and I haven't seen a chariot double-parked yet.
'The Romans had only been in Britain for a year
when they established Colchester as their main military base
and the British army still has barracks here today.
Norman Scarfe, who wrote the guide book,
says that the museums here are crammed with so many Roman artefacts
they look like department stores.
I'm not sure if the producers have made a mistake
but they seem to have sent me to a real department store.'
Which floor are the Roman remains on?
Which floor? Furniture. Upstairs.
Furniture. That's where I'd find the Roman remains. Yes. OK.
Ooh, a few nice smellies.
'This is odd, going upstairs to a dig.'
Furniture. Here we are.
Roman remains.
Er...Furniture. Second floor.
And I'm on the first.
So I'm going up here.
'I wonder if someone's pulling my leg.'
Here's Furniture.
Oh, look, there's a big sheet there.
That suggests Roman remains I'd say.
Are the Roman remains up here?
Are they? No, not here. They're not up here? No, sorry.
I was going to say, if they've got Roman remains they wouldn't be on the second floor.
Somebody's sent me on a wild-goose chase.
Oh!
'Of course, Roman remains would be under the store. Where else would they be?'
Hello. Hello, Richard. Are you Adam? I am indeed.
Ah, at last. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much. Hello. Very nice to meet you.
I've been chasing around this store on a wild-goose chase.
You're the expert.
Well, kind of, yes. This is where we're doing our archaeological dig.
Yeah. This is the side of the store they're redeveloping.
As part of the redevelopment we get to come and investigate some of the archaeology.
'It's my first time at a dig and I'm really excited to see some ancient relics
and some of them might be older than me.'
Ah, so...
'Is that it? From here I can hardly see what the Romans did for us.'
Where's the Roman bit? The Roman bit is right at the very bottom
and goes all the way up to the burnt layer
where the town was burnt down by Boudicca.
'It's incredible to think it's nearly 2,000 years ago
since Britain's most famous warrior queen
was rampaging up and down the high street and burning down the town.'
Is this a very, very significant find?
We know that the town was burnt down in AD60-61.
So any finds that we recover from that layer
we know the date of them.
'Adam and his colleagues have been on this dig for months.
And they say where there's muck there's brass
and here's a tiny but very precious find.
This little gemstone is from a ring
probably worn by a Roman woman back in the 1st century.'
Oh, that's beautiful. It is, isn't it?
And how much is this worth?
We don't put a value on the stuff we find.
Right. That is a find that belongs to the people of Colchester.
It's part of their history, part of their town's history
and will end up in the Colchester Museum, 300 yards down the road.
I know very little about Roman history but I know quite a lot more now.
'The guide promised me history and I have to say I found it,
in a very unlikely place.'
'After the dust and grime of the dig, I think I'll stretch my legs.'
Look at that. Gorgeous.
'Oh, good, I see some Essex girls.
It's not often these days I get a chance to practise my flirting.
So any opportunity...'
Good afternoon, ladies. ALL: Hello.
Hello. You didn't think you'd be on television today, did you? ALL: No.
Are you going to make room for me in the middle?
You've all got your ice creams. I'm not sharing my ice cream with you.
You're not? That's a bit mean, isn't it?
Do you know anything about Colchester's Roman connections?
Not a great lot. I know it's the oldest...
..town, Roman town. Yeah. Yeah.
And the Romans introduced oyster farming...
to Colchester.
Do you like oysters? No. No.
None of us.
I notice you're eating your ice cream much slower than your friends.
What's the reason for that? Cos I didn't want it to drip all down my chin on television, of course.
'What charming ladies. And not a white stiletto in sight.
Another example of the county's Roman heritage are the oyster beds
they cultivated just off the coast.
They were so popular they even shipped them back to Rome.'
I'm off to Mersea Island.
In 1967 they had such a bumper crop of oysters
the oyster farmers had to hire a helicopter to fend off poachers.
I want to see if the industry is still thriving.
And, of course, I want to try some oysters.
You know what they say about oysters.
(HONKS HORN) Ooh!
That was a bit close.
The guide says that Mersea has managed to avoid
everything bad
that goes with seaside popularity.
Let's see if that's true.
Oh, look, yes. Boats. Many, many boats.
'This is much more like it. I do like to be beside the seaside.'
This is very... I see. It is very...quaint.
'I wonder if I can spot the oyster man.
But what does an oyster man look like?
Could this be him?'
Are you Richard Haward? Ah, no, I'm not.
I'm John Welham. I'm the water bailiff. Pleased to meet you. The water bailiff?
Yeah. What does a water bailiff do, John? Keep this car park clear.
Yes, it's very picturesque, isn't it?
It's another world, West Mersea.
'Whenever I'm by the sea I'm reminded of my childhood
and the sounds and smells of growing up near the Scottish coast.'
If anyone could tell me whether Mersea has changed since the guide it's the Haward family.
They've been dredging oysters here for eight generations.
'Today's skipper is Bram
and his dad, Richard, is taking a back seat.'
The guide says that oyster farming was started by the Romans.
It was. They were farming oysters in Italy before they came to Britain.
They found plenty of oysters and ate plenty of oysters
cos they found the evidence of the shells what were left behind.
So, has West Mersea managed to hang on to its identity
or is it being a bit swamped by Londoners?
I think it's hung on to it.
We have a lot of people come from London.
They have caravans or yachts and will eventually move here.
But perhaps because we are an island
most people who come here appreciate the place and don't want to change it.
When they want to change it they perhaps don't get encouraged to stay.
Whoo! Oysters.
'West Mersea produces two million oysters a year.
Most of them head to the tables of London restaurants
but some are exported as far away as Hong Kong.'
So it's all done by hand. It is.
Chuck the small ones over.
One which is only two years old. That looks a good one.
That's a good one. Put that in there, please.
That's big enough? Yes. That's just one.
Yeah, that one's fine. That's good.
Good. The shape's a bit funny but the oyster inside will be good.
I'm told you come from the seaside originally.
I come from Clydeside. Yes.
Greenock. Greenock. Yeah.
Greenock, of course, was shipbuilding. Yeah.
My father worked in the shipyards as a timekeeper.
I wanted to go to sea for a long while...
but then I changed.
I became a lab tech before I became an actor. Oh, right.
I didn't go to RADA till I was 27. Oh, right.
I don't think I'd like a life at sea.
It's nice to get out on the water from time to time
but I think... I mean, going out and gathering oysters every day.
And having to do all that work by hand. No.
'I think I'm becoming a bit of a southern softie.
But Richard's a real man of the sea
who's devoted to keeping an ancient tradition alive.'
'I'm going to enjoy my catch of the day right next to the sea.'
That's a lovely one.
This was probably caught just out here.
Amazing to think you're only 50 miles from London.
'Sadly that's the end of my visit to the seaside.
My next stop is a controversial recommendation from the guide -
Harlow New Town.'
Today I'm in Essex in the southeast of England.
I'm exploring the county without the aid of sat-nav
and instead have the 1968 Shell Guide,
written by Norman Scarfe, to lead the way.
In it he describes the county of Essex
as beautiful landscape full of riches and charm.
That's not an image of Essex I had.
Although I'm learning there is more to the county than meets the eye.
The next leg of my journey is taking me to inland Essex
and two places that the guide has waxed lyrical about -
Harlow New Town
and the Jacobean palace Audley End.
Harlow New Town
was a regular touring spot for us.
I played here many, many, many years ago.
And, interestingly enough, I'm going to be appearing in Essex
later on in the year.
I can't remember...
I've forgotten where I'm going.
(HORN HONKS) Gosh.
They didn't like me coming out.
Interestingly, the guides paint the new towns in a very positive light.
Back in the '60s when the guides were written,
they were new and exciting places to live.
Norman Scarfe, the author, says,
on entering the town...
'And the towns were big news in their day.'
REPORTER: Harlow is a thriving industrial centre though many opposed it when it was first mooted.
It's abreast of the times and everything seems to be looking forward in the 1970s.
REPORTER: The satellite town scheme is planned to reduce congestion in London
and give workers employment in pleasant surroundings.
'I'm not sure how well Harlow has fared in the intervening years
but Essex author Peter May is bound to have something to say.'
Now, I'm touring Essex
using my Norman Scarfe
Shell Guide of the 1960s.
But I believe that you have written another guide to Essex.
I have indeed... A more up-to-date one.
..which is my guide here the Joy Of Essex. The Joy Of Essex.
Now, that sounds slightly biased to me.
A Travel Through God's Own County is the subtitle.
Let's come to Harlow New Town.
It was built in 1947 after the... After the war. Post-war, yes.
And it was meant to be a sort of overspill for London.
Yeah, it was a classic sort of East-End overspill town.
It's got a clear sort of self-deprecating wit.
Quite aspirational. It's got, I think, of any county...
It's probably looking a bit rough-and-ready now.
It's also, like a lots of places in Essex, a place of contrasts.
In Britain it's got the strongest identity. You think so? Yeah.
I mean, maybe Yorkshire runs close.
I was going to say Yorkshire.
A Yorkshireman might call that into question.
Roll up, roll up!
Come and get your peanuts here. All good prices today.
'I can understand how, at the time of the guide, Harlow was an exciting place
but, to my eyes, the architecture hasn't aged at all well.
And it doesn't feel fresh and exciting any more.
Perhaps in a hundred years it might look quite quaint
but I won't be around to find out.'
Are you Victor Meldrew?
I was Victor Meldrew but he died, of course. (LAUGHS)
It's a very friendly place
and it's got quite a lot of chutzpah.
'My route is taking me from a modern town
through the medieval town of Saffron Walden,
which the guide describes as...
And just a mile off the B1052
is one of the most spectacular houses in the county.'
This is Audley End.
The guide describes it as a Jacobean palace.
My goodness, a palace it is.
Look at that. Spectacular.
It was used as a sort of...
..holiday let for royalty.
It's wonderful.
This is real Essex architecture.
'It was built between 1605 and 1614
by Thomas Howard, the 1st Earl of Suffolk.
He carried out the work specially to entertain King James I
who was the son of Mary Queen of Scots.'
Nice to meet you. I'm Richard. Hello.
'My guide is Andrew Hann.'
Can I read you what my guide says about... Please do. ..your splendid house?
(READS) The house, so palatial,
faced with stone from Wiltshire and Rutland,
is nevertheless only the heart of the great quadrangular series
laid out by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk,
who ruined himself by spending public funds on it.
Yes. Is that about right? Yes, very much so.
There were specific doorways here for the king and queen
so they would each have their own entrance. Oh.
And whose entrance was this?
This was the queen's entrance. So the king and queen would be travelling together
but they'd go in different doors. Yes, cos they had their own suite of rooms
on opposite sides of the house and they each had their own entourage of servants.
Shall we go in? Yes, let's... Thank you. How exciting.
'What a posh place for a sleepover.
It's the smartest Travelodge I've ever been to.'
So, this is the Great Hall. Yes. Fabulous, isn't it?
Beautiful. It's one of the few surviving Jacobean interiors in the house.
And behind us we have this absolutely fabulous Jacobean screen.
Oh, yes.
It's one of the beauties of the house,
an original part of the interior.
The 3rd Lord Braybrooke was very much an antiquarian
and he brought additional banners in.
All these weapons on the wall and all the paintings and whatever,
are all brought in.
Wonderful.
The house may have been built for royalty back in the 17th century
but today you're more likely to bump into a group of women from the WI than Charles and Camilla.
'Audley End now belongs to English Heritage
but in 1963 the last private owner, Lord Braybrooke, had a thing for trains
and he built himself an elaborate trainset at the bottom of the garden.'
(WHISTLE TOOTS)
How extraordinary.
So, why did Lord Braybrooke want to build a model railway?
Well, Lord Braybrooke had a passion for steam engines
and, as a boy, rode up and down on the branch line from Audley End to Saffron Walden.
So, did he drive his own trains?
He did, yeah. He drove regularly up until a few years ago.
He's retired from driving steam engines now.
What's it like to drive?
It's...it's...it's brilliant.
Is it? Would you like to drive?
Ooh, am I allowed? Yeah, we'll get you in there and driving. Ooh.
(WHISTLE TOOTS)
'Oh, the smell of a steam train and the sound of an old-fashioned whistle
takes me back to my childhood.'
That's it.
We're off!
(WHISTLE TOOTS)
'Well, I've been pleasantly surprised by Essex
despite it's stereotypical tacky image.'
It couldn't be more different.
Norman Scarfe in the guide say, 'You get to know Essex.'
Well, I've gotten to know Essex.
'And I'll certainly be back.'
'Next time, in Devon,
I'm riding high in Torquay...'
It is a stunning location.
'..there's a vintage bus trip to Agatha Christie's home
on the English Riviera...'
I sat on Agatha Christie's bed.
'..and one of Devon's oldest families gives me a guided tour of his home.'
I think we peaked about 1530
and it's been quite a long decline ever since.
subtitles by Deluxe