1
00:00:04,604 --> 00:00:06,579
I'm a Londoner, born and bred.

2
00:00:06,604 --> 00:00:08,449
Three generations of my family

3
00:00:08,474 --> 00:00:11,010
have lived and worked
alongside the Thames.

4
00:00:13,635 --> 00:00:15,810
And I want to show you how today,

5
00:00:15,835 --> 00:00:19,369
it's even busier and a bigger
part of our lives than ever.

6
00:00:20,635 --> 00:00:21,890
Don't move.

7
00:00:23,715 --> 00:00:26,660
It's very difficult
to interview you while I'm counting.

8
00:00:26,685 --> 00:00:28,890
How many have you got in there now?
God knows.

9
00:00:28,915 --> 00:00:31,690
My journey will take me
to its furthest reaches,

10
00:00:31,715 --> 00:00:33,730
from the Cotswolds in the west...

11
00:00:33,755 --> 00:00:35,910
Some size quarry, isn't it?

12
00:00:37,624 --> 00:00:40,170
...to where the river meets
the sea in the east.

13
00:00:40,195 --> 00:00:43,010
They're all laughing over that side.
Keep a straight face.

14
00:00:43,035 --> 00:00:44,249
I'm doing my best.

15
00:00:44,274 --> 00:00:47,449
I'll meet people whose working lives
depend on the Thames

16
00:00:47,474 --> 00:00:50,940
and who feel as passionately
about it as I do.

17
00:00:54,325 --> 00:00:57,690
Best job in the world, Tone.
Well, apart from yours obviously!

18
00:00:57,715 --> 00:01:01,940
I'll go behind the scenes
of its most iconic landmarks...

19
00:01:01,965 --> 00:01:03,990
Oh, wow. Bang!

20
00:01:04,015 --> 00:01:06,160
...and discover its hidden gems.

21
00:01:06,185 --> 00:01:08,530
They do look sci-fi, don't they?

22
00:01:08,555 --> 00:01:12,090
This is the River Thames
as you've never seen it before.

23
00:01:12,115 --> 00:01:16,660
Hectic, hardworking,
breathtaking, awe-inspiring.

24
00:01:16,685 --> 00:01:18,579
I can't wait.

25
00:01:32,775 --> 00:01:35,080
When it comes to famous landmarks,

26
00:01:35,105 --> 00:01:38,940
the Thames is like going to a party
full of Hollywood A-listers.

27
00:01:38,965 --> 00:01:41,860
You've got the Ml6 building
just there,

28
00:01:41,885 --> 00:01:44,690
Tower Bridge back there,
the London Eye,

29
00:01:44,715 --> 00:01:47,420
the Houses of Parliament.

30
00:01:47,445 --> 00:01:51,420
But it's no accident these legendary
buildings are here and nowhere else.

31
00:01:53,555 --> 00:01:57,690
Because whether it's for prestige,
practical or political reasons...

32
00:01:59,245 --> 00:02:01,010
...they need the Thames.

33
00:02:02,524 --> 00:02:05,090
And my journey starts
with a personal favourite.

34
00:02:06,675 --> 00:02:08,369
When I was a lad,

35
00:02:08,394 --> 00:02:12,170
my dad worked on that side
of the river round the bend

36
00:02:12,195 --> 00:02:16,690
and there was one building
that really overawed me down there.

37
00:02:18,755 --> 00:02:21,060
And that was
Battersea Power Station.

38
00:02:22,995 --> 00:02:25,530
This four chimneyed,
red-bricked beast

39
00:02:25,555 --> 00:02:29,940
has towered over the river bank in
South West London for over 8O years.

40
00:02:29,965 --> 00:02:31,810
And I loved it.

41
00:02:33,035 --> 00:02:34,579
As a kid,

42
00:02:34,604 --> 00:02:38,140
I had no idea what Battersea Power
Station was or what it did.

43
00:02:38,165 --> 00:02:43,420
All I knew was it was big and squat
and powerful and really unusual.

44
00:02:43,445 --> 00:02:46,449
And that image
has stayed with me all my life.

45
00:02:49,715 --> 00:02:53,610
Battersea was built in 1929
to generate electricity

46
00:02:53,635 --> 00:02:57,970
for London's ballooning population
and was powered by coal.

47
00:02:57,995 --> 00:03:00,900
And the reason it was here
and nowhere else?

48
00:03:00,925 --> 00:03:02,900
Because of the Thames.

49
00:03:04,404 --> 00:03:09,980
A million tonnes of coal used to be
landed here ever year in barges,

50
00:03:10,005 --> 00:03:13,740
Thames water was used
for its cooling processes

51
00:03:13,765 --> 00:03:17,660
and, of course, Battersea is
adjacent to the heart of London.

52
00:03:17,685 --> 00:03:21,540
So it's the perfect place
to generate London's power.

53
00:03:23,095 --> 00:03:26,479
By the 1980s,
coal was falling out of favour.

54
00:03:27,734 --> 00:03:30,430
Gas, oil and nuclear
were taking over.

55
00:03:30,455 --> 00:03:34,790
Battersea became obsolete
and closed in 1983.

56
00:03:34,815 --> 00:03:38,709
Over the years, various dreams
and schemes for the building,

57
00:03:38,734 --> 00:03:41,820
including becoming Chelsea's
new football ground,

58
00:03:41,845 --> 00:03:44,980
came to nothing
and it's lain dormant ever since.

59
00:03:46,404 --> 00:03:47,870
Until now.

60
00:03:47,895 --> 00:03:51,100
Music to my ears, it's going
to be the centrepiece

61
00:03:51,125 --> 00:03:54,740
of an incredibly ambitious
£9 billion development project.

62
00:03:56,325 --> 00:03:58,660
And for the very first time
in my life,

63
00:03:58,685 --> 00:04:00,900
I'm going to be allowed inside it.

64
00:04:00,925 --> 00:04:05,379
Not just inside, but I'm going to go
into the hallowed Control Room A,

65
00:04:05,404 --> 00:04:09,230
which was once the beating heart
of this monster.

66
00:04:10,404 --> 00:04:12,379
I'm a little bit excited.

67
00:04:13,685 --> 00:04:16,660
A giant reminder
of Britain's industrial past,

68
00:04:16,685 --> 00:04:19,729
this is one of London's
most legendary buildings.

69
00:04:21,065 --> 00:04:23,709
Work in Control Room A
has only just started

70
00:04:23,734 --> 00:04:27,459
so, apart from the scaffolding,
it's pretty much unchanged.

71
00:04:29,404 --> 00:04:32,459
Oh, wow. It's real old school
electrics, isn't it?

72
00:04:33,685 --> 00:04:35,740
It looks a bit like Chernobyl.

73
00:04:35,765 --> 00:04:40,940
I guess these dials
are where the power went to.

74
00:04:40,965 --> 00:04:45,459
Horseferry Road, Peckham,
Deptford, Verney Road. Cor!

75
00:04:50,614 --> 00:04:52,940
At its peak in the '50s,

76
00:04:52,965 --> 00:04:55,980
Battersea supplied a fifth
of London's electricity.

77
00:04:57,175 --> 00:04:58,940
It just goes on and on.

78
00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:01,350
There are 181 of these boards.

79
00:05:01,375 --> 00:05:07,540
91 E panels for east and 90 W panels
for, you guessed it, west.

80
00:05:08,845 --> 00:05:10,259
Wimbledon.

81
00:05:10,284 --> 00:05:12,100
Alpha Place.

82
00:05:12,125 --> 00:05:14,070
They've been gathering dust

83
00:05:14,095 --> 00:05:17,279
since Battersea was shut down
over 35 years ago.

84
00:05:17,304 --> 00:05:20,870
Now, builder Danny Christodoulou
has been drafted in

85
00:05:20,895 --> 00:05:23,300
to give this room
a new serge of life.

86
00:05:24,895 --> 00:05:26,620
Danny. Hello, Tony.

87
00:05:26,645 --> 00:05:30,230
How many people would have been
operating this control room

88
00:05:30,255 --> 00:05:31,430
in its heyday?

89
00:05:31,455 --> 00:05:33,230
I would say three,
to a maximum of five.

90
00:05:33,255 --> 00:05:35,300
Oh, you're kidding. Why so few?

91
00:05:35,325 --> 00:05:38,379
It's just a monitoring service.
That's all it was up here.

92
00:05:38,404 --> 00:05:40,820
The main controller
sat behind his desk.

93
00:05:40,845 --> 00:05:44,320
He could check all his dials all
around to see how power was flowing,

94
00:05:44,345 --> 00:05:47,170
if there was a serge,
maybe it needed reducing,

95
00:05:47,195 --> 00:05:49,980
if someone was lacking a bit,
they were drawing too much,

96
00:05:50,005 --> 00:05:52,180
they'd give them a little bit more.

97
00:05:52,205 --> 00:05:54,540
What are you going to do
with this control room?

98
00:05:54,565 --> 00:05:57,150
My job is to give
a sympathetic refurbishment,

99
00:05:57,175 --> 00:06:00,379
restoration of the area
to make it a function area

100
00:06:00,404 --> 00:06:04,180
that will house parties,
fashion shows, exhibitions,

101
00:06:04,205 --> 00:06:05,980
that sort of thing.

102
00:06:06,005 --> 00:06:08,351
So, it'll be well used.

103
00:06:10,670 --> 00:06:13,885
I'm not sure how I feel about
my beloved Battersea

104
00:06:13,910 --> 00:06:16,725
becoming a cocktails
and canapes kind of place.

105
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,645
But, fortunately,
it's got protected status,

106
00:06:20,670 --> 00:06:23,885
so any restoration has got to be
sympathetic with its history.

107
00:06:26,519 --> 00:06:29,925
This is one of our samples that
we've produced for English Heritage.

108
00:06:29,950 --> 00:06:32,925
So, this is waiting for the
English Heritage inspector to come.

109
00:06:32,950 --> 00:06:34,975
This has been inspected
and approved.

110
00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,885
That has set the standard now
for us to work our way through

111
00:06:37,910 --> 00:06:39,885
and do all the panels
to look this way.

112
00:06:39,910 --> 00:06:42,364
Shall we unwrap?
Oh, yeah, if you don't mind.

113
00:06:42,389 --> 00:06:46,135
Now, if you want to have a go
at that. Oh, it looks fantastic.

114
00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,335
As you can see, the colour
comparison is pretty good.

115
00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,775
That's great.
I love that salmon pink paintwork.

116
00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,564
It's come up a real treat.

117
00:06:53,589 --> 00:06:55,444
And that's got a plate
on it there because...

118
00:06:55,469 --> 00:06:57,645
Because there used to be
a dial in there...

119
00:06:57,670 --> 00:06:59,875
It's lost or broken or whatever.
It's gone.

120
00:06:59,900 --> 00:07:02,665
All these light fittings
will eventually be illuminated

121
00:07:02,690 --> 00:07:05,435
because there'll be LED strip
lights behind to shine through

122
00:07:05,460 --> 00:07:06,665
the actual dials.

123
00:07:06,690 --> 00:07:10,105
It'll look fantastic, won't it?
It's going to look brilliant.

124
00:07:10,130 --> 00:07:12,464
I can hear blokes up there.
What's going there?

125
00:07:12,489 --> 00:07:15,825
We're repairing the lay lights.
Can I have a look? Absolutely.

126
00:07:18,409 --> 00:07:21,435
We're going up into what
looks like a metal matrix,

127
00:07:21,460 --> 00:07:23,235
but it's the control room ceiling,

128
00:07:23,260 --> 00:07:25,464
which has been given
a temporary floor

129
00:07:25,489 --> 00:07:27,905
to allow Danny and his team
to spruce it up.

130
00:07:29,690 --> 00:07:32,235
As you can see, our painter here
is busy having a go.

131
00:07:32,260 --> 00:07:35,264
Would you like to have a go
yourself? Yes, I certainly would.

132
00:07:35,289 --> 00:07:38,514
Just one bloke for this whole room
seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?

133
00:07:38,539 --> 00:07:40,355
A bit of paper here for you.

134
00:07:40,380 --> 00:07:42,875
I was never going to pass on the
chance to work on Battersea.

135
00:07:42,900 --> 00:07:44,714
It's like a childhood dream.

136
00:07:44,739 --> 00:07:46,384
So, what is this grid?

137
00:07:46,409 --> 00:07:48,625
It's designed to accommodate
etched glass.

138
00:07:48,650 --> 00:07:51,945
So, originally it would have looked
like this with natural light.

139
00:07:51,970 --> 00:07:55,025
When the war came along, they
blacked out all the glass above.

140
00:07:55,050 --> 00:07:57,384
So, the Germans wouldn't bomb it?
Absolutely.

141
00:07:57,409 --> 00:08:00,714
And now we're tasked with bringing
it back to its original finish.

142
00:08:00,739 --> 00:08:02,905
That's your job, isn't it?
Absolutely.

143
00:08:02,930 --> 00:08:06,995
So I'm working under
what will be a huge glass ceiling.

144
00:08:07,020 --> 00:08:10,514
And to make sure everything hits
the mark for English Heritage,

145
00:08:10,539 --> 00:08:12,905
it's highly specialised work.

146
00:08:12,930 --> 00:08:15,355
Too intricate to be done by machine,

147
00:08:15,380 --> 00:08:19,584
every piece of steel in this massive
space is being prepped by hand.

148
00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:23,355
Endless amounts of samples
have been researched

149
00:08:23,380 --> 00:08:26,075
to source the right paints.

150
00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:27,945
What colour's this metal
going to be?

151
00:08:27,970 --> 00:08:31,514
It's going back in a gold, in a
satin finish. Satin gold. Oh, wow.

152
00:08:31,539 --> 00:08:34,564
I've got a little piece of glass
here, if you'd like to pop it in?

153
00:08:34,589 --> 00:08:37,464
And each new four-millimetre
toughened glass pane

154
00:08:37,489 --> 00:08:40,055
will be individually cut.

155
00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,205
There's a bit of new four mil
toughed opaque, like so.

156
00:08:43,230 --> 00:08:46,415
Everyone working here,
metal workers, painters, glaziers,

157
00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,285
are all experienced tradespeople.

158
00:08:49,310 --> 00:08:52,205
Ooh, you needed someone
a bit taller!

159
00:08:52,230 --> 00:08:54,085
Unlike me.

160
00:08:54,110 --> 00:08:56,925
Keep going. Keep going.
We have touchdown. There we are.

161
00:08:56,950 --> 00:08:59,085
I thought it was going
to bust for a minute.

162
00:08:59,110 --> 00:09:00,645
I've done one.

163
00:09:00,670 --> 00:09:02,135
Just

164
00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,805
But eventually,
over 9,000 glass panes

165
00:09:04,830 --> 00:09:07,775
will be placed into this
never-ending grid.

166
00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:09,805
That does look great, doesn't it?

167
00:09:09,830 --> 00:09:15,135
Imagine what it's going to look like when this whole
room is covered in glass. Yeah, it'll lookfantastic.

168
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,444
You're a Londoner, aren't you?
Born and bred.

169
00:09:17,469 --> 00:09:19,925
Do you remember the first time
you saw this place?

170
00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:23,085
Yeah, you're in awe of it because
it's looks so big and massive.

171
00:09:23,110 --> 00:09:25,364
And it is...
That's exactly how I felt.

172
00:09:25,389 --> 00:09:29,005
That's exactly how I felt.
The word 'awe' is right, isn't it?

173
00:09:29,030 --> 00:09:30,494
It is.

174
00:09:30,519 --> 00:09:34,165
It's just great and what drives me
on now is to see it finished.

175
00:09:34,190 --> 00:09:37,775
To stand back and say, yes,
we have created this wonderful space

176
00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:39,975
and brought it back to life again.

177
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,975
It's lucky it's so well-prepped,
isn't it? Absolutely.

178
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,975
Goes without saying.

179
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,005
Later, I'll be feeling the heat...

180
00:09:47,030 --> 00:09:48,494
Oh, my God.

181
00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:51,055
...when I head out of London
to see how the red bricks

182
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,244
for Battersea's makeover
are being made.

183
00:09:53,269 --> 00:09:55,444
That is a very scary thing,
isn't it?

184
00:09:56,589 --> 00:10:00,135
And I join a very unique
floating fire station on the river.

185
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,694
Man overboard! Man overboard!

186
00:10:02,719 --> 00:10:04,694
Man overboard!

187
00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:20,535
While industry has left
its iconic mark on this river,

188
00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:24,015
there are some buildings on the
Thames that have been built to,

189
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:26,425
well, quite frankly, show off.

190
00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,374
And that takes me 30 miles upstream
to leafy Berkshire

191
00:10:31,399 --> 00:10:33,535
to Cliveden House.

192
00:10:37,290 --> 00:10:39,855
Stood majestically
overlooking the river,

193
00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:41,855
it may look all grand and innocent,

194
00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,704
but it was home
to the Profumo affair

195
00:10:44,729 --> 00:10:48,295
and has a history steeped in sex,
scandal and politics.

196
00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:53,855
The manor was built over 300 years
ago by the second Duke of Buckingham

197
00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,374
to impress his mates
and his mistress.

198
00:10:57,599 --> 00:11:00,935
Well, if you were a duke with money
and an ego then, of course,

199
00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,624
you'd put your play palace on a
prime spot overlooking the Thames.

200
00:11:06,090 --> 00:11:08,855
And Cliveden's been
a notorious party house

201
00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,494
for the royal, rich
and famous ever since.

202
00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,215
Anyone who was anyone stayed here.

203
00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,454
Queen Vic, Charlie Chaplin,
Churchill, Gandhi

204
00:11:18,479 --> 00:11:22,704
and more recently, on the night
before her wedding, Meghan Markle.

205
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,574
The house is now a hotel,

206
00:11:26,599 --> 00:11:28,125
which is so luxurious,

207
00:11:28,150 --> 00:11:30,404
it's only really accessible
to the very wealthy.

208
00:11:30,429 --> 00:11:35,355
But the woodlands and the garden and
the land leading down to the Thames

209
00:11:35,380 --> 00:11:38,075
are available to the likes
of you and me.

210
00:11:41,890 --> 00:11:45,384
It's been owned by the
National Trust since 1942

211
00:11:45,409 --> 00:11:48,535
and 500,000 people visit
this estate with its

212
00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,745
manicured gardens every year.

213
00:11:52,170 --> 00:11:53,865
Hello, Mark. Hello, Tony.

214
00:11:53,890 --> 00:11:57,484
Mark Lamb is part of Cliveden's
100-acre gardening squad.

215
00:11:58,870 --> 00:12:01,745
This is a classic piece of stately
home gardening, isn't it?

216
00:12:01,770 --> 00:12:03,075
Oh, well, it is, isn't it?

217
00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:04,915
And that is a real spirit level?

218
00:12:04,940 --> 00:12:06,555
We just do it to get the, you know,

219
00:12:06,580 --> 00:12:09,785
not exact level, but you want it
looking as good as you can, really.

220
00:12:09,810 --> 00:12:12,745
Do you change every year
what sort of animal

221
00:12:12,770 --> 00:12:14,185
or pattern you're going do?

222
00:12:14,210 --> 00:12:17,105
Oh, no. No, these have
been peacocks since 1900.

223
00:12:17,130 --> 00:12:19,185
I thought it was a bee!

224
00:12:19,210 --> 00:12:22,025
Do you know, people have said
they think it's Mickey Mouse,

225
00:12:22,050 --> 00:12:23,584
but, yeah, they're peacocks.

226
00:12:23,609 --> 00:12:27,225
Peacocks made of hedges? Well, you
don't get more Cliveden than that.

227
00:12:27,250 --> 00:12:30,075
And, of course,
they're going to be trimmed by hand.

228
00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:33,785
Can I have a little go?
Course you can.

229
00:12:33,810 --> 00:12:35,105
I don't want to do too much.

230
00:12:35,130 --> 00:12:37,275
No. The idea of wrecking
your topiaries...

231
00:12:37,300 --> 00:12:39,105
No, you can't wreck it.

232
00:12:39,130 --> 00:12:41,714
The thing is as well,
the public love you doing this.

233
00:12:41,739 --> 00:12:43,865
They chat to you,
they think you're an artist.

234
00:12:43,890 --> 00:12:45,584
And of course, you're not really,

235
00:12:45,609 --> 00:12:48,075
you're just taking off
the year's growth.

236
00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:51,275
I'm trimming a posh bush.
I'm quite good at it, too.

237
00:12:51,300 --> 00:12:54,355
Normally I'm rubbish at these things
but I'm steaming round.

238
00:12:54,380 --> 00:12:57,555
There's one bit I've got to do.
Can you move back slightly, Wil?

239
00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:00,584
This bit is just doing my head in.
Take it off. Right, ready?

240
00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:04,105
That's going to be hard with that.

241
00:13:04,130 --> 00:13:07,355
You need... Yay! Well done.
Oh, I feel better for that.

242
00:13:07,380 --> 00:13:10,355
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Well done. Well done. Cheers.

243
00:13:11,659 --> 00:13:15,225
Cliveden House has been home
to countless counts and ladies,

244
00:13:15,250 --> 00:13:19,175
but none are as famous or infamous
as the last lady of the house.

245
00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:23,464
She really knew how to milk
its prime position on the Thames.

246
00:13:26,409 --> 00:13:29,504
Nancy Astor, who was Lady Astor,

247
00:13:29,529 --> 00:13:31,865
was one of the really big
personalities in the history

248
00:13:31,890 --> 00:13:36,555
of this place, and she used
to invite the rich and famous here

249
00:13:36,580 --> 00:13:39,555
at weekends to mess about on
the Thames in boats.

250
00:13:39,580 --> 00:13:44,785
And in order to facilitate this,
she had the boathouse done up.

251
00:13:44,810 --> 00:13:47,175
It is pretty wonderful, isn't it?

252
00:13:48,609 --> 00:13:52,105
Nancy Astor and her husband,
Waldorf, who were both Americans,

253
00:13:52,130 --> 00:13:54,305
were the last owners of the estate.

254
00:13:54,330 --> 00:13:56,665
Nancy got involved
in British politics

255
00:13:56,690 --> 00:13:58,584
and became the first woman MP

256
00:13:58,609 --> 00:14:01,384
to ever take a seat
in the House of Commons.

257
00:14:01,409 --> 00:14:04,464
Oh, this is lovely.
This isn't yours, is it?

258
00:14:06,330 --> 00:14:10,865
And away from Westminster, this was
the other seat Nancy liked to take.

259
00:14:10,890 --> 00:14:13,555
Collections and House Manager
Sophie Clarke

260
00:14:13,580 --> 00:14:16,305
knows all about
the Liddesdale canoe.

261
00:14:23,050 --> 00:14:25,745
From the motor company?
So, is it electric power?

262
00:14:27,970 --> 00:14:31,995
I knew boating on the Thames was
a Victorian and Edwardian craze,

263
00:14:32,020 --> 00:14:35,555
but I'd always thought it involved
lots of oars and hard work.

264
00:14:35,580 --> 00:14:38,555
So, she looks really elegant
and old-fashioned

265
00:14:38,580 --> 00:14:41,464
but was actually the height
of modernity at the same time.

266
00:14:41,489 --> 00:14:43,785
So, has it always been here
just rotting away?

267
00:15:04,659 --> 00:15:07,464
I can't take her out though?

268
00:15:08,609 --> 00:15:13,195
The National Trust raised 25,000
quid to restore Liddesdale.

269
00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:16,745
Its elegance certainly
represents the lady in Astor,

270
00:15:16,770 --> 00:15:19,425
but maybe not so much
the politician.

271
00:15:19,450 --> 00:15:23,425
Nancy Astor was undoubtedly
very glamorous,

272
00:15:23,450 --> 00:15:27,225
but she was also a very
strange person in many ways.

273
00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:31,195
She was, on one hand,
Britain's first woman MP

274
00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:33,815
and she supported
all sorts of causes

275
00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,195
which now we'd think of
as being progressive,

276
00:15:37,220 --> 00:15:39,225
like votes for younger women.

277
00:15:39,250 --> 00:15:40,714
But on the other hand,

278
00:15:40,739 --> 00:15:45,355
her attitude towards Catholics
and Jews was frankly ghastly,

279
00:15:45,380 --> 00:15:50,275
and she flirted with the Nazi party
prior to the Second World War.

280
00:15:50,300 --> 00:15:53,454
So, you know,
she was no high society angel.

281
00:15:56,020 --> 00:15:59,065
But that didn't seem to matter
to the high society hangers-on

282
00:15:59,090 --> 00:16:00,995
at her posh boat parties.

283
00:16:01,020 --> 00:16:05,025
I'm not allowed to take Nancy's
beautifully restored canoe out,

284
00:16:05,050 --> 00:16:09,025
but Cliveden does have river craft
you can hire from Sam Harris.

285
00:16:09,050 --> 00:16:10,915
And they're electric.

286
00:16:11,940 --> 00:16:13,745
Hello, Sam. Hi, Tony.

287
00:16:13,770 --> 00:16:16,105
It's not quite as glamorous
as Lady Astor's boat,

288
00:16:16,130 --> 00:16:17,785
but it's pretty sleek, isn't it?

289
00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:20,195
These are very nice modern boats,
we think, yes.

290
00:16:20,220 --> 00:16:23,225
I think it's the lack of noisiness
that I'm so impressed by.

291
00:16:23,250 --> 00:16:25,425
I mean, you can hear nothing today,

292
00:16:25,450 --> 00:16:28,425
whereas other rivers it's just
grrrrr all the time, isn't it?

293
00:16:28,450 --> 00:16:31,065
Exactly. Can I get in?
Please do. Step aboard. Ta.

294
00:16:34,890 --> 00:16:37,945
Cliveden Reach is a two mile
stretch of the Thames

295
00:16:37,970 --> 00:16:40,555
from Cookham Lock to Boulters Lock.

296
00:16:40,580 --> 00:16:42,834
Ooh, there's a nice little breeze.

297
00:16:42,859 --> 00:16:46,025
Cruising along in an electric boat
isn't just in keeping

298
00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:49,945
with its history, but it's kinder
on the environment, too.

299
00:16:49,970 --> 00:16:53,355
Where do you get these boats from?
They're actually built in Poland.

300
00:16:53,380 --> 00:16:55,065
Are they built to be electric?

301
00:16:55,090 --> 00:16:58,275
No, these are built to take an
outboard engine and as it happens,

302
00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:01,704
we have very reliable electric
outboards that will last

303
00:17:01,729 --> 00:17:04,145
effectively all day, and then,
we charge them overnight,

304
00:17:04,170 --> 00:17:05,915
ready to go again the next day.

305
00:17:05,940 --> 00:17:07,305
Your family on the river?

306
00:17:07,330 --> 00:17:10,584
I'm the third generation of the
family working on the Thames now.

307
00:17:10,609 --> 00:17:12,945
Did you go on to the river
straight from school?

308
00:17:12,970 --> 00:17:16,355
No, I went to university first, got
what you might call a proper job,

309
00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:19,384
but after 18 months in an office
decided the river was for me.

310
00:17:19,409 --> 00:17:21,555
I think you probably
made the right choice.

311
00:17:21,580 --> 00:17:23,105
On a day like today, definitely.

312
00:17:25,529 --> 00:17:28,785
This is Spring Cottage, so this
was the site of the Profumo Affair.

313
00:17:28,810 --> 00:17:30,995
Oh, this is the one that, uh,

314
00:17:31,020 --> 00:17:34,145
Lord Astor lent to Stephen Ward
for all his shenanigans.

315
00:17:34,170 --> 00:17:36,045
Some stories to be told there.

316
00:17:36,070 --> 00:17:38,765
So, that's presumably where
Christine Keeler stayed?

317
00:17:38,790 --> 00:17:39,854
It would have been.

318
00:17:39,879 --> 00:17:43,165
It was a scandal
that rocked the government.

319
00:17:43,190 --> 00:17:46,115
Tories supposed to be running
the country from one house

320
00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:49,965
on the Thames, but instead, they're
caught romping upriver in another.

321
00:17:49,990 --> 00:17:51,724
It's not bad here, is it?

322
00:17:51,749 --> 00:17:55,165
This is Boulters Lock, renowned
in the 1920s as a very popular

323
00:17:55,190 --> 00:17:58,365
spot on the Sunday of Ascot
where people would flock from

324
00:17:58,390 --> 00:18:01,165
far and wide and watch the rich
and famous on their way home.

325
00:18:01,190 --> 00:18:02,935
Gawping at the stars. Yeah.

326
00:18:05,390 --> 00:18:08,325
Sadly, it's time to turn round
and head back,

327
00:18:08,350 --> 00:18:11,245
but I think Sam may have
saved the best until last.

328
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,685
So, if you look around now, Tony,
you'll see the best view

329
00:18:15,710 --> 00:18:17,295
of Cliveden House on the river.

330
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,215
That is astonishing, isn't it?

331
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,524
From here you can see exactly why
they built it in the spot they did.

332
00:18:22,549 --> 00:18:24,724
Yeah.
Absolutely strategic, isn't it?

333
00:18:27,629 --> 00:18:31,165
Money, power, confidence, class.

334
00:18:31,190 --> 00:18:33,604
We own this land, it says.

335
00:18:40,749 --> 00:18:44,085
This messing about in boats for fun
is all well and good,

336
00:18:44,110 --> 00:18:47,245
but now I'm ready
for some serious action.

337
00:18:47,270 --> 00:18:50,724
And to find it, I've gone back
downstream to South London.

338
00:18:53,749 --> 00:18:55,935
Red Watch, Red Watch on,
answer your names.

339
00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,724
Firefighter Hulse? Sir. Firefighter
Gordon? Firefighter Kelly? Sir.

340
00:18:59,749 --> 00:19:01,365
Firefighter Kilminster?

341
00:19:01,390 --> 00:19:05,325
Today, I'm going to be joining
Lambeth River Fire Station,

342
00:19:05,350 --> 00:19:08,965
which is the UK's only
water-based fire station.

343
00:19:08,990 --> 00:19:11,325
And I'm so looking forward to it.

344
00:19:11,350 --> 00:19:15,215
High water today
at Chelsea Bridge is 10:52,

345
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,724
low water 17:23
and we are bang on a neap tide.

346
00:19:18,749 --> 00:19:21,805
Red watch, Red Watch.
For your duties, fall out.

347
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,935
Blimey, it's like being in the army.
Hope I can keep up.

348
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,045
So, you're going to be
the boss today?

349
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,404
Lee Phillips is in charge
of today's watch

350
00:19:32,429 --> 00:19:35,654
and it turns out
fires are the least of his worries.

351
00:19:35,679 --> 00:19:38,854
Most of our calls on the river
station are to people in the water,

352
00:19:38,879 --> 00:19:41,654
eitherjumping off the bridges
or falling in off boats.

353
00:19:41,679 --> 00:19:44,724
It's quite slack tide now but
the tide can move up to six knots,

354
00:19:44,749 --> 00:19:47,935
so we've seen people jumping off
the bridges, they've gone under

355
00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,654
and they've not come up,
because the current has got them

356
00:19:50,679 --> 00:19:53,365
underneath the water, or they're
entangled in something.

357
00:19:53,390 --> 00:19:55,295
So, yeah, it is really dangerous.

358
00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,654
The brigade responds
to over 250 call-outs a year

359
00:19:58,679 --> 00:20:01,135
along 48km of the river.

360
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,755
And when they're not
dealing with an emergency,

361
00:20:03,780 --> 00:20:07,005
they're doing drills to make sure
they're primed and ready

362
00:20:07,030 --> 00:20:08,685
for the next one.

363
00:20:08,710 --> 00:20:10,295
Man overboard! Man overboard!

364
00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:12,755
Man overboard!

365
00:20:12,780 --> 00:20:15,495
It might only be a poor old dummy
in the water,

366
00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,404
but if you can't save that
you certainly won't be any good

367
00:20:18,429 --> 00:20:22,854
when it comes to the real thing, so
even in a drill every second counts.

368
00:20:22,879 --> 00:20:25,654
So, I want you to work with Glen.
You're going to be a spotter.

369
00:20:25,679 --> 00:20:26,885
What does that mean?

370
00:20:26,910 --> 00:20:29,654
You're going to use that boat hook
to line it up with the casualty,

371
00:20:29,679 --> 00:20:31,805
and direct Nathan, the coxswain, in.

372
00:20:31,830 --> 00:20:33,755
No pressure then!

373
00:20:33,780 --> 00:20:37,295
Nath, got it? Luckily, we're coming
straight in, so it won't be too bad

374
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:41,115
and as it gets closer, we'll give
him an idea of how far away we are.

375
00:20:41,140 --> 00:20:43,325
I'm rubbish at metres.
ls that five metres?

376
00:20:43,350 --> 00:20:46,005
Yeah, it's at five metres, Nath.
Five metres, Nathan.

377
00:20:46,030 --> 00:20:47,524
Four.

378
00:20:47,549 --> 00:20:49,045
Three.

379
00:20:49,070 --> 00:20:50,495
Two.

380
00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,495
Oh, no. Missed him.

381
00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:53,965
Sorry.

382
00:20:53,990 --> 00:20:56,755
He's gone. He's gone.
Go around, Nath. Go around.

383
00:20:59,830 --> 00:21:03,165
Damn! It was my responsibility
and I blew it.

384
00:21:03,190 --> 00:21:05,135
My stress levels are rocketing.

385
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,085
About 25 metres away.

386
00:21:07,110 --> 00:21:09,575
I don't want to mess it up again.

387
00:21:16,174 --> 00:21:17,429
<i>OK.</i>

388
00:21:22,613 --> 00:21:24,479
Right, coming up lovely.

389
00:21:25,764 --> 00:21:26,919
Four.

390
00:21:26,944 --> 00:21:28,099
Three.

391
00:21:29,533 --> 00:21:30,708
Two.

392
00:21:30,733 --> 00:21:31,919
Yep.

393
00:21:34,533 --> 00:21:36,739
Contact! Contact. We've got him.

394
00:21:38,174 --> 00:21:40,378
Try and guide him
into the Jason's cradle now.

395
00:21:42,014 --> 00:21:44,199
Don't worry sunshine,
you're nearly safe.

396
00:21:44,224 --> 00:21:46,309
Give us a hand on this now, Tony.
That's it.

397
00:21:48,504 --> 00:21:50,149
Man back onboard.

398
00:21:52,694 --> 00:21:54,479
I let you down, mate, didn't I?

399
00:21:56,584 --> 00:22:00,279
What struck me though was the
speed that the Thames flows.

400
00:22:00,304 --> 00:22:03,349
Cos it looked as though it was just
sort of bobbing up and down

401
00:22:03,374 --> 00:22:06,279
in still water.
But as soon as we came up to it,

402
00:22:06,304 --> 00:22:08,479
it was like it was going
by at the speed of train.

403
00:22:29,224 --> 00:22:32,588
Over 100 London firefighters
have asked to transfer

404
00:22:32,613 --> 00:22:35,199
to the river squadron
and I can see why.

405
00:22:35,224 --> 00:22:39,708
But there's no time to bask in the
glory of a job fairly well done,

406
00:22:39,733 --> 00:22:42,119
it's straight on to the next drill.

407
00:22:42,144 --> 00:22:45,588
We've got the casualty just across
the river there trapped in the mud.

408
00:22:45,613 --> 00:22:47,149
Just under that bridge? Yeah.

409
00:22:47,174 --> 00:22:50,069
I think it's the same guy we
rescued earlier from the river.

410
00:22:50,094 --> 00:22:51,949
He won't learn, will he?!

411
00:22:51,974 --> 00:22:55,869
The Thames has a huge tidal range
and its water level can rise

412
00:22:55,894 --> 00:22:58,479
and fall by as much as seven
metres.

413
00:22:58,504 --> 00:23:00,789
So getting stuck in the mud
at low tide

414
00:23:00,814 --> 00:23:04,149
would land you in big trouble
when the tide rises.

415
00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:06,559
People think it's a good idea
to go swimming,

416
00:23:06,584 --> 00:23:08,739
especially when the
weather's like this.

417
00:23:08,764 --> 00:23:11,919
And then they try to get back to
shore and they might become trapped

418
00:23:11,944 --> 00:23:13,309
in the mud for that reason.

419
00:23:13,334 --> 00:23:15,919
Or sometimes they've just had
a few too many to drink

420
00:23:15,944 --> 00:23:18,378
and they decide it's a good idea
to go into the mud.

421
00:23:18,403 --> 00:23:22,149
The raw sewage sometimes found
in the Thames' mud banks

422
00:23:22,174 --> 00:23:24,789
means Red Watch need
to wear protective gear

423
00:23:24,814 --> 00:23:27,269
when they're doing
these types of rescue.

424
00:23:27,294 --> 00:23:29,739
Well, I did say
I was happy mucking in.

425
00:23:29,764 --> 00:23:31,508
It's a really hot day, isn't it?

426
00:23:31,533 --> 00:23:33,989
What do you reckon, 29 degrees,
something like that?

427
00:23:34,014 --> 00:23:35,588
Not really the right day for it.

428
00:23:35,613 --> 00:23:38,789
Probably the worst day you want to
be putting one on, to be honest.

429
00:23:40,533 --> 00:23:42,479
There we go, that's the one.

430
00:23:42,504 --> 00:23:44,378
Ooh, like a flower blossoming!

431
00:23:45,863 --> 00:23:48,349
Gear on, drill two gets under way

432
00:23:48,374 --> 00:23:52,229
and at low tide, there's
only so far the boat can go.

433
00:23:52,254 --> 00:23:55,508
Right, you stay on board. Yep.
They're now going to pepper pot.

434
00:23:55,533 --> 00:23:59,559
Use those mats, it's what we call
pepper potting, up to the casualty.

435
00:23:59,584 --> 00:24:03,949
Tossing a couple of mats across
the Thames' mud bed may sound easy,

436
00:24:03,974 --> 00:24:08,949
but from where I'm stood it's taking
a heck of a lot of effort.

437
00:24:08,974 --> 00:24:11,628
What are you thinking, when you're
heaving that mat out of the mud?

438
00:24:11,653 --> 00:24:13,588
It's hard work,
it's just energy-sapping.

439
00:24:13,613 --> 00:24:16,708
The mud's got a suction to it with
the mat on top, so it's difficult.

440
00:24:16,733 --> 00:24:19,309
And then, when you get to the
casualty, you've then got the extra

441
00:24:19,334 --> 00:24:22,628
weight of the casualty on the mats,
which you've got to bring back.

442
00:24:22,653 --> 00:24:27,019
And if it's someone who's injured or
frightened, that's doubly difficult.

443
00:24:27,044 --> 00:24:28,588
Yeah, exactly.

444
00:24:28,613 --> 00:24:30,708
Within minutes, though,
they're across.

445
00:24:32,014 --> 00:24:35,479
That's incredibly fast,
given the problems that they had

446
00:24:35,504 --> 00:24:36,838
getting through that mud.

447
00:24:36,863 --> 00:24:39,378
Yeah, they've done well to get
there. That's very impressive.

448
00:24:39,403 --> 00:24:42,559
Now they've got the even more
difficult job of getting back...

449
00:24:42,584 --> 00:24:45,429
We're pretty much aground here,
lads.

450
00:24:45,454 --> 00:24:46,838
...which is where I come in.

451
00:24:46,863 --> 00:24:50,269
OK, if you want to step down onto
that mat now, Tony. Yeah.

452
00:24:50,294 --> 00:24:51,309
Okey doke.

453
00:24:51,334 --> 00:24:52,989
One big lift...

454
00:24:54,504 --> 00:24:56,269
Two, three!

455
00:24:56,294 --> 00:24:59,628
...and my hero duties
for the day are done.

456
00:24:59,653 --> 00:25:00,869
HE CHUCKLES

457
00:25:03,454 --> 00:25:07,659
The drills that we've been doing
today have been really fun.

458
00:25:07,684 --> 00:25:10,758
We've had quite a laugh actually,
haven't we? It has, it's been good.

459
00:25:10,783 --> 00:25:13,399
But they also have
a very important point.

460
00:25:13,424 --> 00:25:17,269
At some time, this will be a
life-and-death moment for somebody.

461
00:25:17,294 --> 00:25:22,119
And when that moment happens,
it's crucial that these guys' skills

462
00:25:22,144 --> 00:25:23,909
are really finely-honed.

463
00:25:25,144 --> 00:25:27,838
Can you, er, have a go
on the other side? Thank you.

464
00:25:33,783 --> 00:25:37,269
Later, I'll be getting my hands
dirty for the Thames again...

465
00:25:37,294 --> 00:25:38,789
Right, let's go!

466
00:25:38,814 --> 00:25:42,039
...making a brick for Battersea
Power Station against the clock.

467
00:25:42,064 --> 00:25:43,838
Rah! Oh, God, it's broken.

468
00:25:43,863 --> 00:25:44,949
It's splitting in half!

469
00:25:55,813 --> 00:26:00,029
On the Thames South Bank, I've been
invited to see restoration work

470
00:26:00,054 --> 00:26:03,229
being done on the magnificent
power station at Battersea.

471
00:26:07,054 --> 00:26:10,509
And what made this temple of power
stand out wasn't just

472
00:26:10,534 --> 00:26:16,589
its towering chimneys, but its
solid, bold, red brick exterior.

473
00:26:16,614 --> 00:26:20,349
Battersea Power Station is
one of the biggest brick buildings

474
00:26:20,374 --> 00:26:21,839
ever created.

475
00:26:21,864 --> 00:26:24,559
It was the brainchild of
Gilbert Scott, who was one of the

476
00:26:24,584 --> 00:26:26,949
most famous architects of his time.

477
00:26:26,974 --> 00:26:30,668
He also created what's now
Tate Modern,

478
00:26:30,693 --> 00:26:35,069
and he invented London's
red telephone boxes.

479
00:26:35,094 --> 00:26:38,668
It's funny, cos he didn't think
this was one of his great works -

480
00:26:38,693 --> 00:26:41,029
although now everybody loves it.

481
00:26:41,054 --> 00:26:45,949
Pink Floyd even floated a giant
inflatable pig over the top of it

482
00:26:45,974 --> 00:26:47,947
for one of their album covers.

483
00:26:47,972 --> 00:26:50,697
And you don't get
more famous than that.

484
00:26:50,722 --> 00:26:54,108
But it's Battersea's celebrated
brickwork that's been one of

485
00:26:54,133 --> 00:26:57,747
the biggest headaches for
the developers doing it up.

486
00:26:57,772 --> 00:27:01,028
They needed over a million bricks,
and they all had to be the right

487
00:27:01,053 --> 00:27:06,588
size and shape, and colour
so they would fit seamlessly in -

488
00:27:06,613 --> 00:27:11,178
turning the whole place into one
humongous brick jigsaw puzzle.

489
00:27:11,203 --> 00:27:14,408
They searched to see whether
the original brick makers,

490
00:27:14,433 --> 00:27:18,208
called Northwick, still existed,
but nothing came up.

491
00:27:18,233 --> 00:27:22,078
But a chance phone call revealed
the brickyard was still operating,

492
00:27:22,103 --> 00:27:23,568
but under a new name.

493
00:27:23,593 --> 00:27:25,847
Kerching! They struck gold.

494
00:27:25,872 --> 00:27:30,048
Away from Battersea and upstream
from London is Northcot Bricks,

495
00:27:30,073 --> 00:27:31,847
around 30 miles from the source

496
00:27:31,872 --> 00:27:33,128
of the River Thames.

497
00:27:34,513 --> 00:27:38,078
And amazingly, to make their bricks,
they're using clay from

498
00:27:38,103 --> 00:27:40,608
the very same quarry
as they did 90 years ago.

499
00:27:43,742 --> 00:27:46,488
Dale Moss is the manager here.

500
00:27:46,513 --> 00:27:50,488
This quarry is where Battersea Power
Station first emerged from.

501
00:27:50,513 --> 00:27:52,647
Cor, some size quarry, isn't it?

502
00:27:52,672 --> 00:27:54,128
What's the story of the site?

503
00:27:54,153 --> 00:27:57,178
1925, the local landowner,
Spencer Churchill...

504
00:27:57,203 --> 00:27:59,048
Churchill, as in Winston Churchill?

505
00:27:59,073 --> 00:28:00,408
Cousin of Winston, yes. Yeah.

506
00:28:00,433 --> 00:28:03,608
Decided he'd find work for
local people and, er,

507
00:28:03,633 --> 00:28:06,048
he was going to start a
basket factory.

508
00:28:06,073 --> 00:28:09,208
But they found this lovely blue
clay here, and decided to turn it

509
00:28:09,233 --> 00:28:10,288
into a brickworks.

510
00:28:10,313 --> 00:28:14,717
Why did they choose
Churchill's quarry to supply

511
00:28:14,742 --> 00:28:16,288
the bricks for Battersea?

512
00:28:16,313 --> 00:28:20,288
I do believe he was a personal
friend of the architect.

513
00:28:20,313 --> 00:28:22,488
Do you know, I thought that
might be the case.

514
00:28:22,513 --> 00:28:23,488
THEY LAUGH

515
00:28:24,672 --> 00:28:27,078
Over the last century,
this quarry has produced

516
00:28:27,103 --> 00:28:29,208
a third of a billion bricks.

517
00:28:32,383 --> 00:28:35,178
Right, Tony,
we're at a face of the quarry.

518
00:28:35,203 --> 00:28:36,967
Do we know how old this clay is?

519
00:28:36,992 --> 00:28:39,647
They say two million years,
Jurassic.

520
00:28:39,672 --> 00:28:42,967
They say Jurassic, because we do
get fossil bands within the clay.

521
00:28:42,992 --> 00:28:45,928
We found two dinosaurs
out the quarry.

522
00:28:45,953 --> 00:28:49,248
They were sea dinosaurs,
about 15 metres.

523
00:28:49,273 --> 00:28:51,767
Oh, so it was really big skeleton?
Yes.

524
00:28:51,792 --> 00:28:55,048
What puzzles me is that
this clay is so very grey,

525
00:28:55,073 --> 00:28:57,248
and yet Battersea is so very red.

526
00:28:57,273 --> 00:28:59,818
On chemical analysis,
this clay, although it's grey,

527
00:28:59,843 --> 00:29:01,358
is very iron-rich. Mm-hm.

528
00:29:01,383 --> 00:29:04,328
Of course, when iron's fired,
it turns red, bright orange.

529
00:29:04,353 --> 00:29:07,048
So, that's what gives it the
depth and warmth of the colour

530
00:29:07,073 --> 00:29:08,178
such as Battersea.

531
00:29:09,742 --> 00:29:14,328
At one time, the clay would've been
excavated by men with quarry picks.

532
00:29:14,353 --> 00:29:17,538
Now, it's the job of one man
and his digger.

533
00:29:17,563 --> 00:29:21,288
But from that point on,
each and every brick of the

534
00:29:21,313 --> 00:29:25,288
1.3 million commissioned
by Battersea is made using

535
00:29:25,313 --> 00:29:28,288
traditional tools and techniques.

536
00:29:28,313 --> 00:29:32,717
A Victorian Wheaton Roller
grinds the clay to a fine texture.

537
00:29:32,742 --> 00:29:34,328
It's mixed with water...

538
00:29:35,633 --> 00:29:38,568
...then it's off to a master
brick-maker to be thrown by hand.

539
00:29:40,742 --> 00:29:43,048
So, this is where the magic happens?

540
00:29:43,073 --> 00:29:44,767
This is where it all happens, yes.

541
00:29:44,792 --> 00:29:47,097
It's a curious thing,
a brick, isn't it?

542
00:29:47,122 --> 00:29:48,328
But it's also beautiful.

543
00:29:49,593 --> 00:29:51,358
Why do you make them by hand?

544
00:29:51,383 --> 00:29:54,097
They match a lot of old buildings.

545
00:29:54,122 --> 00:29:57,248
They get a better,
more pleasing product to the eye.

546
00:29:57,273 --> 00:30:00,128
And what's this stuff that
Thomas is wrapping round them?

547
00:30:00,153 --> 00:30:01,967
That's just a sand.

548
00:30:01,992 --> 00:30:04,767
We do various sands,
different granule sizes to get

549
00:30:04,792 --> 00:30:06,928
a different appearance of a brick.

550
00:30:06,953 --> 00:30:08,688
How many can you make a day, Thomas?

551
00:30:08,713 --> 00:30:11,458
Thousand...thousand every day, yes.
Five days.

552
00:30:11,483 --> 00:30:13,488
Do you feel it much on your muscles?

553
00:30:13,513 --> 00:30:16,097
It's a heavy job, you know?
Yeah, yeah, it is a heavy job.

554
00:30:16,122 --> 00:30:19,128
Yes, yes, yes. So, are we ready?
Yeah, we're ready.

555
00:30:19,153 --> 00:30:22,358
To show you how quick Thomas is,
I'm having a go.

556
00:30:22,383 --> 00:30:25,818
But first, the master needs
to show me how it's done.

557
00:30:25,843 --> 00:30:29,097
Right, you start forming it
front and back, side and side.

558
00:30:29,122 --> 00:30:30,568
Oh, yeah, and I'll wham it in.

559
00:30:30,593 --> 00:30:31,568
That's it.

560
00:30:32,792 --> 00:30:36,408
Cut it along, you get your
two boards, tip the brick out,

561
00:30:36,433 --> 00:30:40,608
roll it over, take the bottom off,
take the mould off.

562
00:30:40,633 --> 00:30:41,847
How long was that?

563
00:30:41,872 --> 00:30:43,967
15 seconds. 15 seconds!

564
00:30:45,203 --> 00:30:46,967
Now, it's my turn.

565
00:30:46,992 --> 00:30:48,288
Right, let's go!

566
00:30:50,792 --> 00:30:52,328
Now I have to get the sand on it.

567
00:30:52,353 --> 00:30:53,358
HE STRAINS

568
00:30:53,383 --> 00:30:54,717
Oh, God, it's broken.

569
00:30:54,742 --> 00:30:57,248
Oh...it's splitting in half!

570
00:30:57,273 --> 00:30:58,967
I don't know how I'm doing for time.

571
00:31:00,073 --> 00:31:02,248
HE STRAINS
Bash!

572
00:31:02,273 --> 00:31:05,568
But I'm pretty sure I've passed
Thomas' 15-second mark.

573
00:31:05,593 --> 00:31:06,998
Maybe a little more?

574
00:31:07,023 --> 00:31:08,358
Oh, yeah. Oh, God...

575
00:31:08,383 --> 00:31:10,208
You're not meant to tell him,
Thomas.

576
00:31:10,233 --> 00:31:11,278
THEY LAUGH

577
00:31:11,303 --> 00:31:14,568
In total, Battersea needs
18 individual brick types

578
00:31:14,593 --> 00:31:19,278
in unique sizes to achieve
its seamless repairs.

579
00:31:19,303 --> 00:31:21,928
And it's really hard, heavy work.

580
00:31:24,992 --> 00:31:26,568
Ahh! That's it.

581
00:31:26,593 --> 00:31:29,358
You took just over
two minutes to do one brick.

582
00:31:29,383 --> 00:31:30,767
Absolute rubbish.

583
00:31:32,073 --> 00:31:34,208
I've got a nasty feeling
my beautiful brick

584
00:31:34,233 --> 00:31:35,928
will end up in the reject pile.

585
00:31:37,792 --> 00:31:41,458
But, once the bricks are made
properly, they're taken to the drier

586
00:31:41,483 --> 00:31:44,637
and stored at 8O degrees Celsius
for six days.

587
00:31:46,303 --> 00:31:49,717
Then it's off to a big
underground oven to be fired,

588
00:31:49,742 --> 00:31:53,248
which gives it that brilliant
Battersea-red colour.

589
00:31:53,273 --> 00:31:57,608
I can really feel the heat
coming up off the ground.

590
00:31:57,633 --> 00:32:00,128
The actual kilns are
under your feet at the moment,

591
00:32:00,153 --> 00:32:02,847
at currently 940 degrees.

592
00:32:02,872 --> 00:32:05,248
Cor, and I can see it down there!

593
00:32:05,273 --> 00:32:09,928
It's this gas-and-coal firing which
transforms the relatively weak,

594
00:32:09,953 --> 00:32:12,458
dried clay into strong,
durable bricks.

595
00:32:13,742 --> 00:32:15,528
That is a very scary thing,
isn't it?

596
00:32:15,553 --> 00:32:17,328
It's like a flame thrower.

597
00:32:17,353 --> 00:32:20,148
I'm trying to do a gentle
interested interview,

598
00:32:20,173 --> 00:32:22,148
and there's a dragon behind me.

599
00:32:22,173 --> 00:32:23,178
THEY LAUGH

600
00:32:23,203 --> 00:32:24,637
Tom? Yes?

601
00:32:24,662 --> 00:32:26,488
Are you going to show me
what you do? Yep.

602
00:32:26,513 --> 00:32:28,847
You can just see the edge of
the brick there, the first one.

603
00:32:28,872 --> 00:32:30,608
That's where we take
our measure from.

604
00:32:30,633 --> 00:32:32,847
So, we stack the bricks
22-high in a chamber, and then,

605
00:32:32,872 --> 00:32:35,738
when they've shrunk three inches,
we know we've got the vitrification

606
00:32:35,763 --> 00:32:37,918
point which is when the bricks
have gone hard enough.

607
00:32:37,943 --> 00:32:39,918
Why do they shrink?
What's in them that...

608
00:32:39,943 --> 00:32:42,168
It's just moisture.
It's amazing, isn't it?

609
00:32:42,193 --> 00:32:44,358
It's such an old-fashioned way
of doing it.

610
00:32:44,383 --> 00:32:47,408
When the 22 have been
reduced by three inches...

611
00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:50,097
That's it. That's right?
Yeah, it's when we're happy.

612
00:32:50,122 --> 00:32:51,168
THEY CHUCKLE

613
00:32:51,193 --> 00:32:53,568
It does look like the fire
from hell, doesn't it?

614
00:32:53,593 --> 00:32:54,887
Oh, my God!

615
00:32:54,912 --> 00:32:55,887
Jeezg

616
00:32:58,153 --> 00:33:02,358
The kiln is manned
24 hours a day for three days.

617
00:33:02,383 --> 00:33:06,128
Five clays after firing's finished,
the bricks can be removed.

618
00:33:07,912 --> 00:33:11,488
This kiln is being emptied,
and the bricks are still hot.

619
00:33:11,513 --> 00:33:13,328
How do you do it, mate?
Oh, you just stick...

620
00:33:13,353 --> 00:33:14,918
We've got a good saying here, Tony.

621
00:33:14,943 --> 00:33:17,248
Yeah? "If the bricks start
to burn your hands,

622
00:33:17,273 --> 00:33:19,818
"you're holding on to 'em too long."
TONY LAUGHS

623
00:33:19,843 --> 00:33:24,168
It's so stifling in here,
even Dale's fittest lads can only

624
00:33:24,193 --> 00:33:29,168
stack 30-40 bricks a time
before needing a break.

625
00:33:29,193 --> 00:33:31,738
I feel like I need suntan oil
on my head, it's just going,

626
00:33:31,763 --> 00:33:33,887
"Boom, boom, boom".

627
00:33:33,912 --> 00:33:35,818
It's a nice job in the winter.

628
00:33:35,843 --> 00:33:38,378
I bet it is, yeah.
THEY LAUGH

629
00:33:38,403 --> 00:33:41,818
Next, the bricks are plunged
into a pool to cool,

630
00:33:41,843 --> 00:33:44,628
sorted by colour,
and packed ready for transport.

631
00:33:45,863 --> 00:33:48,847
They don't look like new bricks,
even though they are -

632
00:33:48,872 --> 00:33:52,358
which is why they should
sit alongside their 1930s and '40s

633
00:33:52,383 --> 00:33:54,818
brick buddies at Battersea
no problem.

634
00:33:57,023 --> 00:34:00,918
To find out, I can't resist
coming back to have a look.

635
00:34:00,943 --> 00:34:05,738
And, of course, getting my hands on
my beloved Battersea one final time.

636
00:34:05,763 --> 00:34:07,608
Oh, it looks fantastic!

637
00:34:07,633 --> 00:34:10,278
Austin, I've never laid
a brick before in my life.

638
00:34:10,303 --> 00:34:12,887
So, here we are,
I get the cement on here, yes?

639
00:34:14,792 --> 00:34:16,998
This is the way idiots do it,
isn't it?

640
00:34:17,023 --> 00:34:18,097
THEY LAUGH

641
00:34:18,122 --> 00:34:20,048
ls that enough?
Yeah?

642
00:34:20,073 --> 00:34:21,998
Being left-handed,
I've got to turn it around.

643
00:34:22,023 --> 00:34:25,048
Yeah,yeah.
Squeezeitin.

644
00:34:26,872 --> 00:34:28,278
Tap, tap, taP-

645
00:34:30,583 --> 00:34:33,847
I have put a brick into
the new Battersea Power Station.

646
00:34:33,872 --> 00:34:35,637
If you ever see one tumbling
off the side -

647
00:34:35,662 --> 00:34:36,808
you won't, of course -

648
00:34:36,833 --> 00:34:39,048
but if you did,
it would probably be this one.

649
00:34:39,073 --> 00:34:40,887
Cheers, mate.
Thanks.

650
00:34:40,912 --> 00:34:43,608
Give us a shout if you need
any more done.

651
00:34:45,193 --> 00:34:49,168
Even with my dodgy handy work,
my favourite building on the Thames

652
00:34:49,193 --> 00:34:52,488
is well on its way to getting
its legendary red look back.

653
00:34:53,912 --> 00:34:56,767
And when it's done,
it's going to come alive again

654
00:34:56,792 --> 00:34:59,767
with homes, restaurants,
shops, offices.

655
00:34:59,792 --> 00:35:02,808
It's even getting
its own tube station.

656
00:35:02,833 --> 00:35:06,048
In there is a brick that I laid.

657
00:35:06,073 --> 00:35:09,708
And ridiculously,
that does give me quite a buzz.

658
00:35:09,733 --> 00:35:12,097
And, when it's all finished,
and it's flash and new,

659
00:35:12,122 --> 00:35:15,738
and they've got rid of all
this ghastly plastic stuff,

660
00:35:15,763 --> 00:35:19,528
I think it's going to look even
better than it did the first time

661
00:35:19,553 --> 00:35:21,688
I ever saw it when I was a lad.

662
00:35:26,912 --> 00:35:30,278
But Battersea isn't the only Thames
treasure getting a makeover...

663
00:35:30,303 --> 00:35:31,528
We'll get you kitted up.

664
00:35:31,553 --> 00:35:34,328
...as I delve into
the river's oldest bridge.

665
00:35:34,353 --> 00:35:36,967
I never thought anything
like this existed.

666
00:35:45,713 --> 00:35:48,538
I couldn't end my look at
the brilliant structures along

667
00:35:48,563 --> 00:35:51,378
the Thames without paying
homage to its bridges,

668
00:35:51,403 --> 00:35:54,147
which have been popping up
since Roman times.

669
00:35:54,172 --> 00:35:56,258
Currently, there are 35 of them.

670
00:35:58,633 --> 00:36:03,017
From the historic London Bridge
to the beautiful Tower Bridge,

671
00:36:03,042 --> 00:36:05,458
to the relatively new
Millennium Bridge,

672
00:36:05,483 --> 00:36:09,378
all these bridges have
one common function -

673
00:36:09,403 --> 00:36:12,897
to get people from one side of
the river to the other.

674
00:36:15,283 --> 00:36:18,097
But they've got something else
in common, too -

675
00:36:18,122 --> 00:36:21,328
they're all part of
an ambitious £45 million

676
00:36:21,353 --> 00:36:24,967
light installation project which is
going to light up London's bridges

677
00:36:24,992 --> 00:36:26,788
for the next ten years.

678
00:36:26,813 --> 00:36:28,298
Hiya. Hi!

679
00:36:28,323 --> 00:36:29,738
How are you? Good, thank you.

680
00:36:29,763 --> 00:36:32,788
Sarah Gaventa
is directing the project.

681
00:36:32,813 --> 00:36:35,458
This is London Bridge.

682
00:36:35,483 --> 00:36:37,897
Now, it's very unloved actually,
I mean, a lot of people think

683
00:36:37,922 --> 00:36:39,428
it's really ugly.

684
00:36:39,453 --> 00:36:41,967
Yeah, I think I do, yeah, yeah.
SHE LAUGHS

685
00:36:41,992 --> 00:36:44,858
London Bridge was one of the
first bridges that we illuminated.

686
00:36:44,883 --> 00:36:48,738
It's a bit of a challenge cos it is
so, kind of...concrete-y, isn't it?

687
00:36:48,763 --> 00:36:51,248
It is, but it's also
a wonderful canvas.

688
00:36:51,273 --> 00:36:55,048
And so, there's a lovely coloured
wash that moves across and changes,

689
00:36:55,073 --> 00:36:56,608
and it's quite impressionistic.

690
00:36:56,633 --> 00:36:59,328
So, every one will be different?
Totally.

691
00:36:59,353 --> 00:37:02,048
We know on some, it's about working
on the surface, some it's about

692
00:37:02,073 --> 00:37:04,688
revealing the rivets - all of them
have a little bit of movement.

693
00:37:04,713 --> 00:37:07,578
Not too much because we're not doing
disco lights, it's not, you know -

694
00:37:07,603 --> 00:37:09,967
this is something that has
to last ten years, so we don't want

695
00:37:09,992 --> 00:37:11,428
people to get bored with it.

696
00:37:11,453 --> 00:37:14,788
What would you like people to think
about it in ten years' time?

697
00:37:14,813 --> 00:37:18,458
I would hope that they all have
a particular bridge that they feel

698
00:37:18,483 --> 00:37:21,248
more attached to,
a particular point. Yeah.

699
00:37:21,273 --> 00:37:24,938
That they've had a moment
out of their busy, frantic lives

700
00:37:24,963 --> 00:37:26,897
to just have a bit of calm.

701
00:37:26,922 --> 00:37:29,938
I think if it reconnects people
and gives them a moment ofjoy,

702
00:37:29,963 --> 00:37:31,538
then I think it will be a success.

703
00:37:33,172 --> 00:37:34,858
You probably don't realise this,

704
00:37:34,883 --> 00:37:38,298
but if you've crossed the Thames
over the last 18 months,

705
00:37:38,323 --> 00:37:42,608
lights could've been going in
right under your nose.

706
00:37:42,633 --> 00:37:46,608
I must've crossed Westminster Bridge
about 500 times in my life.

707
00:37:46,633 --> 00:37:51,178
And normally, if I come to a safety
barrier and there's a load of blokes

708
00:37:51,203 --> 00:37:55,097
in orange glowing suits,
I don't think much about it.

709
00:37:55,122 --> 00:37:57,818
But this is actually extraordinary.

710
00:37:57,843 --> 00:38:00,688
I never knew you could disappear
into a bridge.

711
00:38:00,713 --> 00:38:04,738
Today, Adam Barnes is letting me
join his light installation team.

712
00:38:04,763 --> 00:38:09,298
We're going to be installing
450 lights, er, on the bridge,

713
00:38:09,323 --> 00:38:11,967
eventually illuminating
the underside of the bridge

714
00:38:11,992 --> 00:38:13,017
and the facades.

715
00:38:13,042 --> 00:38:14,378
We'll get you kitted up. OK.

716
00:38:16,603 --> 00:38:18,818
When he says "kitted up",
he means it.

717
00:38:20,042 --> 00:38:23,237
It's like a huge nappy
without the absorbent bits -

718
00:38:23,262 --> 00:38:26,068
which wouldn't be much use,
really, would it?

719
00:38:26,093 --> 00:38:29,268
I thought this abseiling gear
was a bit overkill at first,

720
00:38:29,293 --> 00:38:31,478
but now, I see why I need it.

721
00:38:31,503 --> 00:38:34,198
Yikes, I hadn't realised that
I'd actually be able to see

722
00:38:34,223 --> 00:38:36,157
the river as I was coming down here.

723
00:38:38,583 --> 00:38:40,318
It is a privilege...

724
00:38:41,903 --> 00:38:44,237
...to be underneath
Westminster Bridge.

725
00:38:44,262 --> 00:38:47,958
I never thought anything
like this existed.

726
00:38:47,983 --> 00:38:51,838
It was built in 1862 to replace
the original stone one

727
00:38:51,863 --> 00:38:54,117
that went up a century earlier.

728
00:38:54,142 --> 00:38:56,478
It's now London's oldest bridge,

729
00:38:56,503 --> 00:38:59,708
and another of the Thames'
Grade ll-listed structures.

730
00:39:01,623 --> 00:39:03,808
How do you fix the lights
onto the bridge?

731
00:39:03,833 --> 00:39:07,237
As you can imagine, the age of the
bridge, the finish of the bridge,

732
00:39:07,262 --> 00:39:10,958
the finish of the lighting itself -
it's all about aesthetics. Yeah.

733
00:39:10,983 --> 00:39:13,268
The attention to detail
is the most important thing.

734
00:39:17,012 --> 00:39:18,838
Yep.

735
00:39:18,863 --> 00:39:21,598
Ooh, whoa! It's a bit tight
around the whatsit.

736
00:39:21,623 --> 00:39:25,318
Yeah. But the bracketry themselves -
actually quite simple.

737
00:39:25,343 --> 00:39:28,348
Yeah, there you go.

738
00:39:28,373 --> 00:39:30,838
Crocodile clamps on the top,
a few bolts through -

739
00:39:30,863 --> 00:39:32,678
there you have it,
one hanging light.

740
00:39:36,583 --> 00:39:38,878
I will, yeah.
Are you the only abseiler here?

741
00:39:41,733 --> 00:39:43,678
Night shifts?

742
00:39:45,343 --> 00:39:48,237
I'm not sure I'd fancy
abseiling in the dark,

743
00:39:48,262 --> 00:39:51,117
but Will's been professionally
dangling from buildings

744
00:39:51,142 --> 00:39:52,958
for six years now.

745
00:39:52,983 --> 00:39:56,117
So, tell me some of the London
buildings that you've worked on.

746
00:40:00,473 --> 00:40:01,958
Was that scary?

747
00:40:09,223 --> 00:40:11,088
So, it's still a bit of a buzz.

748
00:40:15,903 --> 00:40:18,088
It's amazing, isn't it,
when a boat goes by?

749
00:40:18,113 --> 00:40:21,448
They've got no idea that we're here
or what we're doing.

750
00:40:22,932 --> 00:40:25,117
That's one more light in place.

751
00:40:25,142 --> 00:40:28,448
But the installation here will take
another five months to finish.

752
00:40:30,653 --> 00:40:34,448
Four bridges have been completed,
though, and as darkness falls

753
00:40:34,473 --> 00:40:37,478
and London's streets light up,

754
00:40:37,503 --> 00:40:41,878
I've gone back onto the Thames
to see how this art is taking shape.

755
00:40:43,903 --> 00:40:47,348
There's Westminster Bridge,
where I was earlier on,

756
00:40:47,373 --> 00:40:50,088
totally upstaged
by the London Eye now.

757
00:40:50,113 --> 00:40:52,598
I can't wait to see
that bridge lit up.

758
00:40:55,142 --> 00:40:57,678
That's Blackfriars,
which they haven't done yet.

759
00:40:57,703 --> 00:41:00,318
See how lost in the landscape
it is without any lights.

760
00:41:03,783 --> 00:41:08,157
But go west, and the world on
the water begins to illuminate.

761
00:41:08,182 --> 00:41:10,398
It's brilliant
just what a difference

762
00:41:10,423 --> 00:41:13,117
these installations can make.

763
00:41:13,142 --> 00:41:15,878
I always find London Bridge
a bit, kind of, brutal.

764
00:41:15,903 --> 00:41:18,398
But the lighting has really
softened it, hasn't it?

765
00:41:22,653 --> 00:41:26,117
The girders of Southwark Bridge
catch the light beautifully.

766
00:41:29,573 --> 00:41:32,678
Cannon Street,
the railway commuters bridge.

767
00:41:32,703 --> 00:41:35,198
Quite subtle, this lighting,
isn't it?

768
00:41:35,223 --> 00:41:38,548
But the more bridges you can see,

769
00:41:38,573 --> 00:41:42,907
the more you get the sense
of the Thames as a whole riverscape.

770
00:41:45,983 --> 00:41:50,237
The last of the four finished
is the Millennium Bridge.

771
00:41:50,262 --> 00:41:53,548
Do you see the way the lights
flash underneath them?

772
00:41:53,573 --> 00:41:54,958
That is so clever.

773
00:41:56,903 --> 00:42:00,598
This is just a taste
of what's hopefully to come.

774
00:42:00,623 --> 00:42:04,628
There are ambitious plans
to light up 14 bridges in total,

775
00:42:04,653 --> 00:42:08,907
which will make the Thames home to
the longest artwork in the world.

776
00:42:08,932 --> 00:42:11,678
When I was a kid, you wouldn't
want to look at the Thames.

777
00:42:11,703 --> 00:42:13,987
It was just dirty and stinky.

778
00:42:14,012 --> 00:42:17,958
You'd be far more interested in
what was going on over there.

779
00:42:17,983 --> 00:42:20,037
But now, all that has changed.

780
00:42:20,062 --> 00:42:22,758
Look at the iridescence
of the water.

781
00:42:22,783 --> 00:42:25,958
Who wouldn't want to feast
their eyes on that?

782
00:42:25,983 --> 00:42:30,728
Once again, the Thames is
becoming the centrepiece of London,

783
00:42:30,753 --> 00:42:35,157
and the men and women who built
these extraordinary bridges

784
00:42:35,182 --> 00:42:38,237
are being celebrated in light.

785
00:42:38,262 --> 00:42:40,628
And I reckon that's
a pretty good thing.

786
00:42:47,503 --> 00:42:49,188
Next time...

787
00:42:49,213 --> 00:42:52,958
This place isn't just big,
it's ginormous!

788
00:42:52,983 --> 00:42:55,878
...carte blanche access
to the Thames' biggest port...

789
00:42:55,903 --> 00:42:58,157
How many have you got in there now?
God knows.

790
00:42:58,182 --> 00:42:59,958
...behind the scenes at St Paul's...

791
00:43:01,142 --> 00:43:02,728
Oh, wow.

792
00:43:02,753 --> 00:43:03,987
Bang!

793
00:43:04,012 --> 00:43:05,838
...and I try my hand at brewing.

794
00:43:05,863 --> 00:43:07,478
How many pints would that make?

795
00:43:07,503 --> 00:43:11,454
92,000 pints. 92,000 pints!

796
00:43:11,479 --> 00:43:13,737
It's all in a day's work
for the Thames.

797
00:43:13,762 --> 00:43:15,417
Good on you, Thames.

798
00:43:37,522 --> 00:43:40,457
Subtitles by Red Bee Media