1
00:00:01,630 --> 00:00:06,230
'I'm Richard Wilson and I'm on a
driving tour of the UK.'

2
00:00:06,950 --> 00:00:09,910
The thing about the country lanes is
that you never know

3
00:00:09,910 --> 00:00:13,030
what you're going to see when you go
round the corner.

4
00:00:13,030 --> 00:00:16,470
'But I'm doing it without the aid of
modern technology.

5
00:00:16,470 --> 00:00:18,430
No sat-nav for me.'

6
00:00:18,910 --> 00:00:21,950
Very twisty. Twisty-turny.

7
00:00:22,590 --> 00:00:25,790
'I'm using the rather splendid
collection of Shell Guides,

8
00:00:25,790 --> 00:00:27,870
first published in the 1930s,

9
00:00:27,870 --> 00:00:30,790
to see how Britain has changed over
the decades.'

10
00:00:35,350 --> 00:00:38,710
'The Shell Guides sent you round the
counties of Britain

11
00:00:38,710 --> 00:00:40,830
and mapped out where to go,

12
00:00:40,830 --> 00:00:42,830
things to do...'
Ohh!

13
00:00:42,830 --> 00:00:44,870
'..and even what to eat.'

14
00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:50,830
'When they first appeared, going for
a drive was a pleasurable
experience...'

15
00:00:50,830 --> 00:00:54,310
(HORN HONKS)
(GASPS) Ooh, Mummy, Daddy.

16
00:00:54,750 --> 00:00:57,550
'..something that's harder to
accomplish today.'

17
00:00:57,550 --> 00:01:00,350
Oh, I'm trying to reverse.

18
00:01:00,350 --> 00:01:02,790
(HORN HONKS) Oh, shut up.

19
00:01:03,630 --> 00:01:06,110
'But I'm sure that me and my
Daimler...'

20
00:01:06,510 --> 00:01:09,030
Which I have christened Deborah.

21
00:01:09,030 --> 00:01:11,750
'..will get us where we need to go.'

22
00:01:14,150 --> 00:01:17,310
Today I'm in Essex in the southeast
of England.

23
00:01:19,430 --> 00:01:22,230
A county with a rich variety of
landscapes,

24
00:01:22,230 --> 00:01:24,190
delightful country villages...

25
00:01:25,030 --> 00:01:27,310
and ancient Roman remains.

26
00:01:28,230 --> 00:01:30,470
Following the 1968 guide,

27
00:01:30,470 --> 00:01:33,750
my route is going to take me to the
Roman capital of Britain,

28
00:01:33,750 --> 00:01:36,030
a seafood-lovers paradise,

29
00:01:36,870 --> 00:01:39,270
one of England's newest towns

30
00:01:39,270 --> 00:01:42,310
and to a house built to entertain a
king.

31
00:01:47,070 --> 00:01:50,230
It's unbelievable that some people
still associate Essex

32
00:01:50,230 --> 00:01:52,550
with dodgy suntans and nightclubs.

33
00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:56,430
But here we are in the most beautiful
countryside.

34
00:01:57,350 --> 00:02:02,190
'This seems at odds with the
immediate stereotypical image we have
of Essex.

35
00:02:02,710 --> 00:02:05,630
It appears to be a county with two
identities.

36
00:02:05,630 --> 00:02:07,950
I'm intrigued to find the true Essex

37
00:02:07,950 --> 00:02:12,390
and what better place to start than
its oldest town, Colchester.

38
00:02:12,390 --> 00:02:16,710
There's actually been a town here for
over 2,000 years

39
00:02:16,710 --> 00:02:20,750
and for a time Colchester was the
capital of Roman Britain.'

40
00:02:22,230 --> 00:02:24,190
The guide says it contains...

41
00:02:30,510 --> 00:02:32,550
So, with a recommendation like that

42
00:02:32,550 --> 00:02:34,630
it's definitely worth a stop-off.

43
00:02:34,630 --> 00:02:39,270
I have to say, it doesn't look much
like a Roman town so far

44
00:02:39,270 --> 00:02:43,190
and I haven't seen a chariot
double-parked yet.

45
00:02:43,910 --> 00:02:46,430
'The Romans had only been in Britain
for a year

46
00:02:46,430 --> 00:02:49,870
when they established Colchester as
their main military base

47
00:02:49,870 --> 00:02:52,670
and the British army still has
barracks here today.

48
00:02:54,310 --> 00:02:56,670
Norman Scarfe, who wrote the guide
book,

49
00:02:56,670 --> 00:03:00,390
says that the museums here are
crammed with so many Roman artefacts

50
00:03:00,390 --> 00:03:02,350
they look like department stores.

51
00:03:03,830 --> 00:03:06,550
I'm not sure if the producers have
made a mistake

52
00:03:06,550 --> 00:03:09,870
but they seem to have sent me to a
real department store.'

53
00:03:11,550 --> 00:03:14,270
Which floor are the Roman remains on?

54
00:03:14,270 --> 00:03:16,350
Which floor? Furniture. Upstairs.

55
00:03:16,350 --> 00:03:20,390
Furniture. That's where I'd find the
Roman remains. Yes. OK.

56
00:03:22,910 --> 00:03:25,270
Ooh, a few nice smellies.

57
00:03:25,990 --> 00:03:29,830
'This is odd, going upstairs to a
dig.'

58
00:03:30,550 --> 00:03:32,590
Furniture. Here we are.

59
00:03:32,590 --> 00:03:34,550
Roman remains.

60
00:03:37,870 --> 00:03:40,470
Er...Furniture. Second floor.

61
00:03:41,390 --> 00:03:43,430
And I'm on the first.

62
00:03:43,430 --> 00:03:45,510
So I'm going up here.

63
00:03:45,510 --> 00:03:47,910
'I wonder if someone's pulling my
leg.'

64
00:03:47,910 --> 00:03:49,870
Here's Furniture.

65
00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:53,230
Oh, look, there's a big sheet there.

66
00:03:54,310 --> 00:03:58,230
That suggests Roman remains I'd say.

67
00:03:59,830 --> 00:04:01,790
Are the Roman remains up here?

68
00:04:02,470 --> 00:04:06,150
Are they? No, not here. They're not
up here? No, sorry.

69
00:04:06,150 --> 00:04:11,030
I was going to say, if they've got
Roman remains they wouldn't be on the
second floor.

70
00:04:11,030 --> 00:04:13,270
Somebody's sent me on a wild-goose
chase.

71
00:04:14,190 --> 00:04:15,550
Oh!

72
00:04:15,550 --> 00:04:20,990
'Of course, Roman remains would be
under the store. Where else would
they be?'

73
00:04:20,990 --> 00:04:24,310
Hello. Hello, Richard. Are you Adam?
I am indeed.

74
00:04:24,310 --> 00:04:28,710
Ah, at last. Nice to meet you. Thank
you very much. Hello. Very nice to
meet you.

75
00:04:28,710 --> 00:04:31,990
I've been chasing around this store
on a wild-goose chase.

76
00:04:31,990 --> 00:04:34,070
You're the expert.

77
00:04:34,070 --> 00:04:38,470
Well, kind of, yes. This is where
we're doing our archaeological dig.

78
00:04:38,470 --> 00:04:41,750
Yeah. This is the side of the store
they're redeveloping.

79
00:04:41,750 --> 00:04:46,470
As part of the redevelopment we get
to come and investigate some of the
archaeology.

80
00:04:46,470 --> 00:04:50,550
'It's my first time at a dig and I'm
really excited to see some ancient
relics

81
00:04:51,390 --> 00:04:53,750
and some of them might be older than
me.'

82
00:04:55,070 --> 00:04:57,030
Ah, so...

83
00:04:57,630 --> 00:05:01,830
'Is that it? From here I can hardly
see what the Romans did for us.'

84
00:05:03,470 --> 00:05:07,270
Where's the Roman bit? The Roman bit
is right at the very bottom

85
00:05:07,270 --> 00:05:09,870
and goes all the way up to the burnt
layer

86
00:05:09,870 --> 00:05:12,030
where the town was burnt down by
Boudicca.

87
00:05:13,590 --> 00:05:17,510
'It's incredible to think it's nearly
2,000 years ago

88
00:05:17,510 --> 00:05:20,110
since Britain's most famous warrior
queen

89
00:05:20,110 --> 00:05:23,830
was rampaging up and down the high
street and burning down the town.'

90
00:05:25,150 --> 00:05:27,670
Is this a very, very significant
find?

91
00:05:27,670 --> 00:05:31,230
We know that the town was burnt down
in AD60-61.

92
00:05:31,230 --> 00:05:34,310
So any finds that we recover from
that layer

93
00:05:34,310 --> 00:05:36,070
we know the date of them.

94
00:05:37,310 --> 00:05:40,910
'Adam and his colleagues have been on
this dig for months.

95
00:05:40,910 --> 00:05:43,950
And they say where there's muck
there's brass

96
00:05:43,950 --> 00:05:46,990
and here's a tiny but very precious
find.

97
00:05:46,990 --> 00:05:49,750
This little gemstone is from a ring

98
00:05:49,750 --> 00:05:54,070
probably worn by a Roman woman back
in the 1st century.'

99
00:05:54,070 --> 00:05:56,110
Oh, that's beautiful. It is, isn't
it?

100
00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:58,630
And how much is this worth?

101
00:05:58,630 --> 00:06:01,230
We don't put a value on the stuff we
find.

102
00:06:01,830 --> 00:06:05,350
Right. That is a find that belongs to
the people of Colchester.

103
00:06:05,350 --> 00:06:08,510
It's part of their history, part of
their town's history

104
00:06:08,510 --> 00:06:11,950
and will end up in the Colchester
Museum, 300 yards down the road.

105
00:06:14,910 --> 00:06:18,510
I know very little about Roman
history but I know quite a lot more
now.

106
00:06:20,270 --> 00:06:24,030
'The guide promised me history and I
have to say I found it,

107
00:06:24,030 --> 00:06:25,990
in a very unlikely place.'

108
00:06:29,590 --> 00:06:33,630
'After the dust and grime of the dig,
I think I'll stretch my legs.'

109
00:06:35,230 --> 00:06:37,950
Look at that. Gorgeous.

110
00:06:38,630 --> 00:06:41,310
'Oh, good, I see some Essex girls.

111
00:06:41,910 --> 00:06:45,630
It's not often these days I get a
chance to practise my flirting.

112
00:06:45,630 --> 00:06:47,590
So any opportunity...'

113
00:06:48,070 --> 00:06:50,830
Good afternoon, ladies. ALL: Hello.

114
00:06:50,830 --> 00:06:55,270
Hello. You didn't think you'd be on
television today, did you? ALL: No.

115
00:06:55,270 --> 00:06:57,710
Are you going to make room for me in
the middle?

116
00:06:58,870 --> 00:07:02,590
You've all got your ice creams. I'm
not sharing my ice cream with you.

117
00:07:03,150 --> 00:07:06,190
You're not? That's a bit mean, isn't
it?

118
00:07:07,150 --> 00:07:11,910
Do you know anything about
Colchester's Roman connections?

119
00:07:11,910 --> 00:07:14,710
Not a great lot. I know it's the
oldest...

120
00:07:15,750 --> 00:07:18,510
..town, Roman town. Yeah. Yeah.

121
00:07:19,150 --> 00:07:22,910
And the Romans introduced oyster
farming...

122
00:07:23,590 --> 00:07:25,110
to Colchester.

123
00:07:25,110 --> 00:07:27,070
Do you like oysters? No. No.

124
00:07:27,750 --> 00:07:29,710
None of us.

125
00:07:30,350 --> 00:07:34,190
I notice you're eating your ice cream
much slower than your friends.

126
00:07:34,190 --> 00:07:39,390
What's the reason for that? Cos I
didn't want it to drip all down my
chin on television, of course.

127
00:07:42,430 --> 00:07:46,230
'What charming ladies. And not a
white stiletto in sight.

128
00:07:47,830 --> 00:07:51,630
Another example of the county's Roman
heritage are the oyster beds

129
00:07:51,630 --> 00:07:53,950
they cultivated just off the coast.

130
00:07:53,950 --> 00:07:57,070
They were so popular they even
shipped them back to Rome.'

131
00:07:58,550 --> 00:08:01,030
I'm off to Mersea Island.

132
00:08:02,030 --> 00:08:05,990
In 1967 they had such a bumper crop
of oysters

133
00:08:05,990 --> 00:08:10,910
the oyster farmers had to hire a
helicopter to fend off poachers.

134
00:08:12,070 --> 00:08:14,590
I want to see if the industry is
still thriving.

135
00:08:15,030 --> 00:08:18,030
And, of course, I want to try some
oysters.

136
00:08:19,670 --> 00:08:21,710
You know what they say about oysters.

137
00:08:23,950 --> 00:08:25,990
(HONKS HORN) Ooh!

138
00:08:25,990 --> 00:08:27,950
That was a bit close.

139
00:08:28,550 --> 00:08:32,870
The guide says that Mersea has
managed to avoid

140
00:08:32,870 --> 00:08:34,910
everything bad

141
00:08:34,910 --> 00:08:38,350
that goes with seaside popularity.

142
00:08:38,950 --> 00:08:40,910
Let's see if that's true.

143
00:08:42,510 --> 00:08:46,470
Oh, look, yes. Boats. Many, many
boats.

144
00:08:47,390 --> 00:08:51,630
'This is much more like it. I do like
to be beside the seaside.'

145
00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:56,910
This is very... I see. It is
very...quaint.

146
00:08:57,470 --> 00:09:00,350
'I wonder if I can spot the oyster
man.

147
00:09:00,670 --> 00:09:02,670
But what does an oyster man look
like?

148
00:09:03,030 --> 00:09:04,990
Could this be him?'

149
00:09:06,070 --> 00:09:08,790
Are you Richard Haward? Ah, no, I'm
not.

150
00:09:08,790 --> 00:09:13,270
I'm John Welham. I'm the water
bailiff. Pleased to meet you. The
water bailiff?

151
00:09:13,270 --> 00:09:16,870
Yeah. What does a water bailiff do,
John? Keep this car park clear.

152
00:09:20,350 --> 00:09:22,470
Yes, it's very picturesque, isn't
it?

153
00:09:22,470 --> 00:09:25,110
It's another world, West Mersea.

154
00:09:26,790 --> 00:09:30,070
'Whenever I'm by the sea I'm reminded
of my childhood

155
00:09:30,070 --> 00:09:33,830
and the sounds and smells of growing
up near the Scottish coast.'

156
00:09:35,470 --> 00:09:40,230
If anyone could tell me whether
Mersea has changed since the guide
it's the Haward family.

157
00:09:40,230 --> 00:09:43,870
They've been dredging oysters here
for eight generations.

158
00:09:47,950 --> 00:09:50,030
'Today's skipper is Bram

159
00:09:50,030 --> 00:09:53,310
and his dad, Richard, is taking a
back seat.'

160
00:09:54,710 --> 00:09:59,110
The guide says that oyster farming
was started by the Romans.

161
00:09:59,110 --> 00:10:02,950
It was. They were farming oysters in
Italy before they came to Britain.

162
00:10:03,470 --> 00:10:06,310
They found plenty of oysters and ate
plenty of oysters

163
00:10:06,310 --> 00:10:09,590
cos they found the evidence of the
shells what were left behind.

164
00:10:10,190 --> 00:10:14,590
So, has West Mersea managed to hang
on to its identity

165
00:10:14,590 --> 00:10:17,230
or is it being a bit swamped by
Londoners?

166
00:10:17,230 --> 00:10:19,190
I think it's hung on to it.

167
00:10:19,950 --> 00:10:22,230
We have a lot of people come from
London.

168
00:10:22,230 --> 00:10:25,470
They have caravans or yachts and
will eventually move here.

169
00:10:25,470 --> 00:10:27,510
But perhaps because we are an island

170
00:10:27,510 --> 00:10:31,430
most people who come here appreciate
the place and don't want to change
it.

171
00:10:31,430 --> 00:10:35,190
When they want to change it they
perhaps don't get encouraged to
stay.

172
00:10:36,710 --> 00:10:39,150
Whoo! Oysters.

173
00:10:39,910 --> 00:10:42,870
'West Mersea produces two million
oysters a year.

174
00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:46,030
Most of them head to the tables of
London restaurants

175
00:10:46,030 --> 00:10:49,550
but some are exported as far away as
Hong Kong.'

176
00:10:50,190 --> 00:10:52,550
So it's all done by hand. It is.

177
00:10:52,910 --> 00:10:54,990
Chuck the small ones over.

178
00:10:54,990 --> 00:10:57,590
One which is only two years old.
That looks a good one.

179
00:10:57,590 --> 00:11:00,030
That's a good one. Put that in
there, please.

180
00:11:00,750 --> 00:11:03,550
That's big enough? Yes. That's just
one.

181
00:11:04,030 --> 00:11:06,110
Yeah, that one's fine. That's good.

182
00:11:06,110 --> 00:11:09,550
Good. The shape's a bit funny but
the oyster inside will be good.

183
00:11:15,230 --> 00:11:17,750
I'm told you come from the seaside
originally.

184
00:11:17,750 --> 00:11:20,190
I come from Clydeside. Yes.

185
00:11:20,190 --> 00:11:22,150
Greenock. Greenock. Yeah.

186
00:11:22,830 --> 00:11:26,350
Greenock, of course, was
shipbuilding. Yeah.

187
00:11:27,990 --> 00:11:31,790
My father worked in the shipyards as
a timekeeper.

188
00:11:32,550 --> 00:11:34,870
I wanted to go to sea for a long
while...

189
00:11:34,870 --> 00:11:36,470
but then I changed.

190
00:11:36,910 --> 00:11:40,830
I became a lab tech before I became
an actor. Oh, right.

191
00:11:40,830 --> 00:11:43,790
I didn't go to RADA till I was 27.
Oh, right.

192
00:11:48,510 --> 00:11:50,990
I don't think I'd like a life at sea.

193
00:11:51,550 --> 00:11:55,110
It's nice to get out on the water
from time to time

194
00:11:55,110 --> 00:12:00,030
but I think... I mean, going out and
gathering oysters every day.

195
00:12:01,990 --> 00:12:05,950
And having to do all that work by
hand. No.

196
00:12:07,190 --> 00:12:10,070
'I think I'm becoming a bit of a
southern softie.

197
00:12:10,070 --> 00:12:12,150
But Richard's a real man of the sea

198
00:12:12,150 --> 00:12:15,110
who's devoted to keeping an ancient
tradition alive.'

199
00:12:17,630 --> 00:12:21,790
'I'm going to enjoy my catch of the
day right next to the sea.'

200
00:12:23,070 --> 00:12:25,030
That's a lovely one.

201
00:12:32,470 --> 00:12:35,150
This was probably caught just out
here.

202
00:12:36,750 --> 00:12:39,750
Amazing to think you're only 50 miles
from London.

203
00:12:39,990 --> 00:12:42,910
'Sadly that's the end of my visit to
the seaside.

204
00:12:42,910 --> 00:12:46,790
My next stop is a controversial
recommendation from the guide -

205
00:12:46,790 --> 00:12:48,790
Harlow New Town.'

206
00:12:53,719 --> 00:12:56,799
Today I'm in Essex in the southeast
of England.

207
00:12:57,239 --> 00:13:00,919
I'm exploring the county without the
aid of sat-nav

208
00:13:00,919 --> 00:13:04,559
and instead have the 1968 Shell
Guide,

209
00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,799
written by Norman Scarfe, to lead the
way.

210
00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:10,639
In it he describes the county of
Essex

211
00:13:10,639 --> 00:13:14,039
as beautiful landscape full of riches
and charm.

212
00:13:14,599 --> 00:13:17,519
That's not an image of Essex I had.

213
00:13:17,519 --> 00:13:22,079
Although I'm learning there is more
to the county than meets the eye.

214
00:13:22,999 --> 00:13:26,479
The next leg of my journey is taking
me to inland Essex

215
00:13:26,479 --> 00:13:30,119
and two places that the guide has
waxed lyrical about -

216
00:13:30,119 --> 00:13:31,799
Harlow New Town

217
00:13:31,799 --> 00:13:34,919
and the Jacobean palace Audley End.

218
00:13:38,639 --> 00:13:40,319
Harlow New Town

219
00:13:40,319 --> 00:13:43,639
was a regular touring spot for us.

220
00:13:43,639 --> 00:13:46,359
I played here many, many, many years
ago.

221
00:13:46,359 --> 00:13:50,679
And, interestingly enough, I'm going
to be appearing in Essex

222
00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:52,679
later on in the year.

223
00:13:54,199 --> 00:13:56,159
I can't remember...

224
00:13:56,159 --> 00:13:58,119
I've forgotten where I'm going.

225
00:14:00,279 --> 00:14:02,239
(HORN HONKS) Gosh.

226
00:14:02,999 --> 00:14:04,959
They didn't like me coming out.

227
00:14:06,759 --> 00:14:11,319
Interestingly, the guides paint the
new towns in a very positive light.

228
00:14:11,319 --> 00:14:13,759
Back in the '60s when the guides were
written,

229
00:14:14,359 --> 00:14:16,959
they were new and exciting places to
live.

230
00:14:16,959 --> 00:14:19,479
Norman Scarfe, the author, says,

231
00:14:19,479 --> 00:14:21,159
on entering the town...

232
00:14:25,479 --> 00:14:28,119
'And the towns were big news in their
day.'

233
00:14:30,359 --> 00:14:35,199
REPORTER: Harlow is a thriving
industrial centre though many
opposed it when it was first mooted.

234
00:14:35,199 --> 00:14:39,599
It's abreast of the times and
everything seems to be looking
forward in the 1970s.

235
00:14:41,479 --> 00:14:45,559
REPORTER: The satellite town scheme
is planned to reduce congestion in
London

236
00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:48,599
and give workers employment in
pleasant surroundings.

237
00:14:50,839 --> 00:14:54,519
'I'm not sure how well Harlow has
fared in the intervening years

238
00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:58,839
but Essex author Peter May is bound
to have something to say.'

239
00:14:58,839 --> 00:15:02,079
Now, I'm touring Essex

240
00:15:02,079 --> 00:15:05,079
using my Norman Scarfe

241
00:15:05,079 --> 00:15:07,999
Shell Guide of the 1960s.

242
00:15:08,759 --> 00:15:13,239
But I believe that you have written
another guide to Essex.

243
00:15:13,239 --> 00:15:16,479
I have indeed... A more up-to-date
one.

244
00:15:16,479 --> 00:15:20,399
..which is my guide here the Joy Of
Essex. The Joy Of Essex.

245
00:15:20,399 --> 00:15:22,639
Now, that sounds slightly biased to
me.

246
00:15:22,639 --> 00:15:25,999
A Travel Through God's Own County is
the subtitle.

247
00:15:27,239 --> 00:15:29,479
Let's come to Harlow New Town.

248
00:15:29,479 --> 00:15:34,159
It was built in 1947 after the...
After the war. Post-war, yes.

249
00:15:34,159 --> 00:15:38,519
And it was meant to be a sort of
overspill for London.

250
00:15:38,519 --> 00:15:41,639
Yeah, it was a classic sort of
East-End overspill town.

251
00:15:41,639 --> 00:15:44,559
It's got a clear sort of
self-deprecating wit.

252
00:15:44,559 --> 00:15:47,599
Quite aspirational. It's got, I
think, of any county...

253
00:15:47,799 --> 00:15:50,639
It's probably looking a bit
rough-and-ready now.

254
00:15:50,639 --> 00:15:54,519
It's also, like a lots of places in
Essex, a place of contrasts.

255
00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:58,039
In Britain it's got the strongest
identity. You think so? Yeah.

256
00:15:58,039 --> 00:15:59,999
I mean, maybe Yorkshire runs close.

257
00:16:00,159 --> 00:16:02,599
I was going to say Yorkshire.

258
00:16:02,599 --> 00:16:06,039
A Yorkshireman might call that into
question.

259
00:16:06,959 --> 00:16:08,919
Roll up, roll up!

260
00:16:09,439 --> 00:16:12,519
Come and get your peanuts here. All
good prices today.

261
00:16:12,519 --> 00:16:16,799
'I can understand how, at the time of
the guide, Harlow was an exciting
place

262
00:16:16,799 --> 00:16:20,159
but, to my eyes, the architecture
hasn't aged at all well.

263
00:16:20,159 --> 00:16:22,759
And it doesn't feel fresh and
exciting any more.

264
00:16:23,159 --> 00:16:25,999
Perhaps in a hundred years it might
look quite quaint

265
00:16:25,999 --> 00:16:27,999
but I won't be around to find out.'

266
00:16:27,999 --> 00:16:30,079
Are you Victor Meldrew?

267
00:16:30,079 --> 00:16:33,799
I was Victor Meldrew but he died, of
course. (LAUGHS)

268
00:16:34,879 --> 00:16:36,879
It's a very friendly place

269
00:16:36,879 --> 00:16:39,359
and it's got quite a lot of chutzpah.

270
00:16:45,279 --> 00:16:47,799
'My route is taking me from a modern
town

271
00:16:47,799 --> 00:16:50,639
through the medieval town of Saffron
Walden,

272
00:16:50,639 --> 00:16:52,599
which the guide describes as...

273
00:16:57,919 --> 00:17:00,679
And just a mile off the B1052

274
00:17:00,679 --> 00:17:03,919
is one of the most spectacular houses
in the county.'

275
00:17:05,039 --> 00:17:07,479
This is Audley End.

276
00:17:07,919 --> 00:17:11,039
The guide describes it as a Jacobean
palace.

277
00:17:11,559 --> 00:17:13,879
My goodness, a palace it is.

278
00:17:14,639 --> 00:17:17,439
Look at that. Spectacular.

279
00:17:18,959 --> 00:17:20,919
It was used as a sort of...

280
00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,359
..holiday let for royalty.

281
00:17:27,159 --> 00:17:29,119
It's wonderful.

282
00:17:29,519 --> 00:17:31,839
This is real Essex architecture.

283
00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,679
'It was built between 1605 and 1614

284
00:17:36,679 --> 00:17:39,719
by Thomas Howard, the 1st Earl of
Suffolk.

285
00:17:42,319 --> 00:17:46,759
He carried out the work specially to
entertain King James I

286
00:17:46,759 --> 00:17:48,919
who was the son of Mary Queen of
Scots.'

287
00:17:48,919 --> 00:17:50,759
Nice to meet you. I'm Richard.
Hello.

288
00:17:50,759 --> 00:17:52,679
'My guide is Andrew Hann.'

289
00:17:52,679 --> 00:17:56,759
Can I read you what my guide says
about... Please do. ..your splendid
house?

290
00:17:57,359 --> 00:17:59,559
(READS) The house, so palatial,

291
00:17:59,559 --> 00:18:02,039
faced with
stone from Wiltshire and Rutland,

292
00:18:02,039 --> 00:18:06,439
is nevertheless only the heart of the
great quadrangular series

293
00:18:06,439 --> 00:18:09,119
laid out by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl
of Suffolk,

294
00:18:09,639 --> 00:18:12,919
who ruined himself by spending public
funds on it.

295
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,599
Yes. Is that about right? Yes, very
much so.

296
00:18:16,599 --> 00:18:19,639
There were specific doorways here
for the king and queen

297
00:18:19,639 --> 00:18:22,239
so they would each have their own
entrance. Oh.

298
00:18:22,239 --> 00:18:24,319
And whose entrance was this?

299
00:18:24,319 --> 00:18:28,959
This was the queen's entrance. So
the king and queen would be
travelling together

300
00:18:28,959 --> 00:18:33,119
but they'd go in different doors.
Yes, cos they had their own suite of
rooms

301
00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:37,599
on opposite sides of the house and
they each had their own entourage of
servants.

302
00:18:37,599 --> 00:18:41,719
Shall we go in? Yes, let's... Thank
you. How exciting.

303
00:18:42,159 --> 00:18:44,239
'What a posh place for a sleepover.

304
00:18:44,239 --> 00:18:47,359
It's the smartest Travelodge I've
ever been to.'

305
00:18:48,079 --> 00:18:51,799
So, this is the Great Hall. Yes.
Fabulous, isn't it?

306
00:18:51,799 --> 00:18:55,799
Beautiful. It's one of the few
surviving Jacobean interiors in the
house.

307
00:18:57,879 --> 00:19:01,479
And behind us we have this
absolutely fabulous Jacobean screen.

308
00:19:01,479 --> 00:19:03,559
Oh, yes.

309
00:19:03,559 --> 00:19:05,639
It's one of the beauties of the
house,

310
00:19:05,639 --> 00:19:07,879
an original part of the interior.

311
00:19:11,519 --> 00:19:14,599
The 3rd Lord Braybrooke was very
much an antiquarian

312
00:19:14,599 --> 00:19:16,759
and he brought additional banners
in.

313
00:19:16,759 --> 00:19:20,359
All these weapons on the wall and
all the paintings and whatever,

314
00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:22,399
are all brought in.

315
00:19:22,399 --> 00:19:24,359
Wonderful.

316
00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:30,479
The house may have been built for
royalty back in the 17th century

317
00:19:30,479 --> 00:19:35,639
but today you're more likely to bump
into a group of women from the WI
than Charles and Camilla.

318
00:19:36,399 --> 00:19:39,319
'Audley End now belongs to English
Heritage

319
00:19:39,319 --> 00:19:44,799
but in 1963 the last private owner,
Lord Braybrooke, had a thing for
trains

320
00:19:44,799 --> 00:19:49,079
and he built himself an elaborate
trainset at the bottom of the
garden.'

321
00:19:49,079 --> 00:19:51,039
(WHISTLE TOOTS)

322
00:19:57,479 --> 00:19:59,199
How extraordinary.

323
00:20:02,799 --> 00:20:06,199
So, why did Lord Braybrooke want to
build a model railway?

324
00:20:06,199 --> 00:20:09,199
Well, Lord Braybrooke had a passion
for steam engines

325
00:20:09,199 --> 00:20:13,959
and, as a boy, rode up and down on
the branch line from Audley End to
Saffron Walden.

326
00:20:13,959 --> 00:20:16,039
So, did he drive his own trains?

327
00:20:16,039 --> 00:20:19,199
He did, yeah. He drove regularly up
until a few years ago.

328
00:20:19,199 --> 00:20:21,719
He's retired from driving steam
engines now.

329
00:20:21,719 --> 00:20:23,759
What's it like to drive?

330
00:20:23,759 --> 00:20:25,999
It's...it's...it's brilliant.

331
00:20:25,999 --> 00:20:28,079
Is it? Would you like to drive?

332
00:20:28,079 --> 00:20:31,919
Ooh, am I allowed? Yeah, we'll get
you in there and driving. Ooh.

333
00:20:32,839 --> 00:20:34,799
(WHISTLE TOOTS)

334
00:20:35,599 --> 00:20:39,359
'Oh, the smell of a steam train and
the sound of an old-fashioned whistle

335
00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,399
takes me back to my childhood.'

336
00:20:41,399 --> 00:20:43,359
That's it.

337
00:20:44,319 --> 00:20:46,279
We're off!

338
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:54,479
(WHISTLE TOOTS)

339
00:20:54,479 --> 00:20:57,399
'Well, I've been pleasantly surprised
by Essex

340
00:20:57,399 --> 00:20:59,999
despite it's stereotypical tacky
image.'

341
00:20:59,999 --> 00:21:02,079
It couldn't be more different.

342
00:21:02,079 --> 00:21:05,679
Norman Scarfe in the guide say, 'You
get to know Essex.'

343
00:21:07,039 --> 00:21:08,999
Well, I've gotten to know Essex.

344
00:21:09,839 --> 00:21:12,039
'And I'll certainly be back.'

345
00:21:17,759 --> 00:21:19,799
'Next time, in Devon,

346
00:21:19,799 --> 00:21:22,119
I'm riding high in Torquay...'

347
00:21:22,839 --> 00:21:24,959
It is a stunning location.

348
00:21:24,959 --> 00:21:28,759
'..there's a vintage bus trip to
Agatha Christie's home

349
00:21:28,759 --> 00:21:30,799
on the English Riviera...'

350
00:21:30,799 --> 00:21:33,359
I sat on Agatha Christie's bed.

351
00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:37,879
'..and one of Devon's oldest families
gives me a guided tour of his home.'

352
00:21:37,879 --> 00:21:40,599
I think we peaked about 1530

353
00:21:40,599 --> 00:21:43,599
and it's been quite a long decline
ever since.

354
00:21:43,599 --> 00:21:45,559
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