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I'm a Londoner born and bred.

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Three generations of my family
have lived

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and worked alongside the Thames.

4
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And I want to show you how today,
it's even busier

5
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and a bigger part
of our lives than ever.

6
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Don't move!

7
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It's very difficult
to interview you while I'm counting.

8
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How many have you got in there now?
God knows.

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My journey will take me
to its furthest reaches,

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from the Cotswolds in the west...

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Cor, some size quarry, isn't it?

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...to where the river
meets the sea in the east.

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They're all laughing over that side.

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Keep a straight face!
I'm doing me best.

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I'll meet people whose working lives
depend on the Thames

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and who feel as passionately
about it as I do.

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We love our Thames. We're so lucky.

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Best job in the world, Tone.
Well, apart from yours, obviously.

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I'll go behind the scenes
of its most iconic landmarks...

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Oh, wow. Bang!

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...and discover its hidden gems.

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They do look sci-fi, don't they?

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This is the River Thames
as you've never seen it before...

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...hectic, hardworking,
breathtaking, awe-inspiring.

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I can't wait!

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I want to show how the Thames is a
vital artery, putting food and drink

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on our tables day after day, just
as it's done for thousands of years.

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My first port of call
is a place where food

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arrives from all over the world.

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It's the Thames' newest container
port. It's also the biggest.

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This place isn't just big,
it's massive.

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And all the things associated
with it are absolutely ginormous.

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This is London Gateway
on the Thames in Essex, where the

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river widens to meet the sea.

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It opened in 2013

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and can handle the largest
container ships in the world,

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giants packed with everything from

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flat-screen TVs
to our fruit and veg.

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ALARM BLARES
Now, I'm used to clocks being

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smoky and busy

41
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and, yeah, noisy.

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But there's only one noise here,
and that's warning you that

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another of these great mega lifts
is going to move slowly towards you.

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How does anyone get their head
round this landscape of technology?

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Andrew Bowen should know.
He's in charge.

46
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This site is ridiculously big,
isn't it? It is an amazing site,

47
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165 hectares of land, of which 100
was reclaimed from the Thames.

48
00:03:08,922 --> 00:03:12,787
So all this land that we're
currently on is reclaimed?

49
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It's all reclaimed. If you got
your car here with your sat nav,

50
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if it wasn't updated, it would
show you driving in the river.

51
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Well, that's crazy, isn't it?

52
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And the funny thing about it, to me,
is that nobody knows about it.

53
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You know, I'm a Londoner,
I know Essex so well.

54
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I didn't know it existed.

55
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Cos, yeah, people don't
go through ports.

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This is the Thames' big secret,
isn't it? It is.

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Today, almost half of all our food
arrives from overseas,

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so this hidden hive of activity
is a vital link to the world.

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I'm off to explore it,

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and team leader John Smethwick
will make sure I don't get lost...

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...or squashed.

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These cranes are as high
as the London Eye.

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Do you want to take the lift or
walk all the way? Walk all the way!

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Walk all the way? Let's go.

65
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I have this intermittent
fear of heights. Oh, really?

66
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VOICEOVER: Yes, really.

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I've made it to the first platform,
and, for me, that's a major triumph.

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These cranes are very impressive,
aren't they?

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The longer these ships are in port,
the less profit they make,

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so the goal, get them in and out
in just 12 hours -

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pretty impressive
when you realise most of them

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hold about 13,000 containers.

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We're moving! Look!

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Why are we moving?
We've picked up our new containers

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and we're now moving onto our next
bay to start our work over there.

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Just moving to the end of this bay?
Just to the end of this one here.

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Phew!
You might feel a little judder.

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Now he tells me...

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Whoo, I went a bit funny then.

80
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The engineering that goes into
these cranes is amazing,

81
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to realise what you are actually
lifting and how you're able to get

82
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it there and the speed and accuracy,
as well. But we're still relying on

83
00:04:59,451 --> 00:05:03,727
the eye and the brain of the bloke
in the cab. Exactly, that's it.

84
00:05:03,752 --> 00:05:06,727
Actually, she's not a bloke.
She's Emily.

85
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Apparently, she took one look
at these cranes

86
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and said, "l want to be up there."

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And if I want to meet her, I need
to go up there too. Oh, heck...

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I'm 177 feet up in the air,

89
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and heights is just about
my worst ever thing.

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But you see I'm pretty relaxed. My
hand is just lightly on this rail.

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What you probably can't see
is that my knuckles are white

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and my legs are shaking.

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Emily, when you first started,

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did you get a bit of a wobble
occasionally? Yeah.

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It is definitely a lot higher
than I thought it was,

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looking from the ground.
That's the point!

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Hold on to that point.
That's why I'm so scared, yeah.

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Looking up, it looks like it's easy.
Yeah. I'm used to it now.

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I've been doing it for
nearly three years. I'm 24 now.

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Are there many crane drivers here
as young as you?

101
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No, I am the youngest.
Do you get ribbed for that?

102
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Yeah! All the old boys are always
telling me all the old tricks.

103
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How many containers
do you unload in a shift?

104
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Average shift, probably
between 280 to 350.

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How long is each shift?
It's a 12-hour shift.

106
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Can I just compare my hand
with your hand?

107
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Mine's really wobbly, and yours
is still and cool! Yeah.

108
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Cut, please.

109
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Bless you. Get him down
as quick as possible.

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I think I'll take it
at my own steady pace, thank you.

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Watching all this technology
in action is like being hypnotised

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by your microwave, but I think I'm
getting the hang of what's going on.

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So, ship comes in
and, jonk, the containers, they

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go down there on the quayside,
and then these glorious Star Wars

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machines with a guy driving them
right at the top comes and picks

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them up and puts them over here on
this great long rib of containers.

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From here, the port's high-tech
automation swings into action,

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moving boxes from quayside
to landside.

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60 automatic stacking cranes
dance mesmerisingly up in the air,

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sorting the yard's 50,000
containers, ready to ferry them

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onto waiting trucks and trains.

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And because they're automated,
the cranes can operate in higher

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winds and lower light, keeping
this riverside port on the go.

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I'd no idea the Thames was the stage

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for such an epic, never-ending
piece of choreography.

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Talk about a world in motion!

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And it's all here to deliver
what we need when we need it.

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Everything that goes on here
is about managing time

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and volume and safety, and it's
virtually all done automatically.

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But when the containers land here,
that's not the end of their journey.

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Now they set off into the UK,

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and it's that part of their story
I'm going to be looking at next.

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It's very difficult
to interview you while I'm counting.

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How many have you got in there now?
God knows.

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I'm at London Gateway
on the Thames Estuary in Essex.

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It's one of the fastest-growing
ports in the world

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and a living illustration
of the Thames in action,

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bringing fruit and veg to us
from all corners of the earth.

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There are 30,000 containers piled up
here, but what happens next?

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How does the stuff inside them

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get from the dockside
into your supermarket?

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Cos that's where
most of it's headed.

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Just 20 years ago, that process
would have meant lorries

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driving all the way to distribution
centres deep inside the country

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and then driving back
to the supermarkets they supply.

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But not any more.

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At London Gateway, the sorting
can be done right here.

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In Bay 6C, Brad is expecting
a container.

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I love these little trucks.

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But he's not driving a lorry.
This is a terminal tractor.

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What's your job called?

152
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I'm a shunter, so I'm one of the
shunters who moves the boxes around.

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Brad the shunter. Yeah. And once
that's on, what do you do with it?

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Then we will go for a drive with it.
Where do you go to?

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You can't just go for a drive.
We'll be going out of the terminal

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and then over onto
the logistics park.

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Yes, this place has
its own logistics park,

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so many of these containers
are emptied right here at the port,

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saving thousands of road miles.

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It's a vast complex on a scale
like no other in Europe,

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the size of 400 football pitches.
Crikey, that's big!

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Do you know what's in these
containers? This one I know will be

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fruit, but it could be anything.

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I'm being let loose in one of the
facilities at the logistics park.

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Halo is a fruit and veg
ripening and packing facility.

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00:10:28,552 --> 00:10:32,726
Operations director Wayne
oversees all the work here,

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from warehousing to quality control.

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All right, where are we going first?
We're going to head over to the

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production line. Yeah. So, here,
you'll see us packing some of the

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fruit that you're going to see
that's come in a container.

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First we do a quality inspection.

172
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That QC check will identify
the defects for the guys to pull

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00:10:49,581 --> 00:10:52,476
out, and then either pulling it out
for market or throwing it in the bin

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00:10:52,501 --> 00:10:54,987
as animal feed.
And then it goes up there?

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The conveyor belt whisks the fruit
up to an overhead scale,

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00:10:59,621 --> 00:11:02,887
which then drops the desired weight
into the netting machine.

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00:11:02,912 --> 00:11:07,277
That's a gorgeous machine.
Thank you, Tony. Not you, that! Oh!

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00:11:07,302 --> 00:11:10,117
They get a heck of a lot
of fruit out the door,

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00:11:10,142 --> 00:11:12,917
so I want to see how fast
they have to work.

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00:11:12,942 --> 00:11:15,317
We put 22 in a box, Tony. So
we've got to... 22? 22 in each box.

181
00:11:15,342 --> 00:11:17,647
So you've always got to be counting.

182
00:11:17,672 --> 00:11:19,837
You've got to be counting
and check that each time

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00:11:19,862 --> 00:11:22,167
they have a label on...
Oh, yeah, yeah. ..the net's good.

184
00:11:22,192 --> 00:11:25,197
It's very difficult to
interview you while I'm counting.

185
00:11:25,222 --> 00:11:27,397
How many have you got in there now?
God knows.

186
00:11:27,422 --> 00:11:30,596
You've got to make sure there's 22.
..six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

187
00:11:30,621 --> 00:11:33,117
How many do you reckon you do a day
of these little bags?

188
00:11:33,142 --> 00:11:35,726
We do about 120,000 nets per day.

189
00:11:35,751 --> 00:11:38,237
Wow, that's a lot.
Yeah, it's a lot of fruit.

190
00:11:41,982 --> 00:11:44,837
I started off as packing,
as you are now, Tony. just this?

191
00:11:44,862 --> 00:11:47,806
Yeah, absolutely. I've probably been
in directorship for the past seven

192
00:11:47,831 --> 00:11:50,367
years now. That's brilliant,
isn't it? It's great. ls your mum

193
00:11:50,392 --> 00:11:54,757
proud of you? Er, I'll ask her,
Tony. I THINK that's 22.

194
00:11:54,782 --> 00:11:57,197
No, you've got to make sure
these ones don't go in.

195
00:11:57,222 --> 00:11:59,647
They've got to go
into the other tray. Oh, right.

196
00:11:59,672 --> 00:12:02,447
They have to go into the grey box
down here as a reject.

197
00:12:02,472 --> 00:12:04,447
I guess I'd better
stick to the day job.

198
00:12:04,472 --> 00:12:06,367
I think that's 20, 21, 22.

199
00:12:06,392 --> 00:12:09,367
Can I give this one one extra,
just in case I've undercounted?

200
00:12:09,392 --> 00:12:11,157
No, I think that'll probably upset

201
00:12:11,182 --> 00:12:14,317
my importer, if I do that and give
their fruit away. Oh, all right.

202
00:12:16,142 --> 00:12:18,676
I think we need to take you off this
line now and put this lady back.

203
00:12:18,701 --> 00:12:22,037
22 or 23. No, it needs to
be 22, Tony.

204
00:12:22,062 --> 00:12:25,647
Well, he's the big boss, and you've
got to admire how efficiently

205
00:12:25,672 --> 00:12:27,447
he runs the place.

206
00:12:29,062 --> 00:12:32,676
Produce is going from shipping
container to supermarket-ready

207
00:12:32,701 --> 00:12:34,237
in mere minutes.

208
00:12:34,262 --> 00:12:35,397
There's a few fruit bowls

209
00:12:35,422 --> 00:12:37,757
going to be filled tomorrow
from this lot, isn't there?

210
00:12:37,782 --> 00:12:40,517
All that's left to do
is to load the pallets of fruit

211
00:12:40,542 --> 00:12:42,757
and veg onto waiting lorries.

212
00:12:42,782 --> 00:12:45,926
Out of the 200 containers
that we receive per week,

213
00:12:45,951 --> 00:12:49,197
each week we'll then turn that
into about 2.5 million

214
00:12:49,222 --> 00:12:51,367
packs of fruit to go back out
to the retailers.

215
00:12:51,392 --> 00:12:53,237
And the fact that the Thames

216
00:12:53,262 --> 00:12:56,087
is right outside your door
isn't a coincidence.

217
00:12:56,112 --> 00:12:58,757
No, it's not a coincidence at all.
That's the whole reason why we set

218
00:12:58,782 --> 00:13:00,317
up home here, at the port,

219
00:13:00,342 --> 00:13:04,007
because it allows us to get fruit
to the customer a lot quicker,

220
00:13:04,032 --> 00:13:07,117
a lot fresher. And there's the whole
question of the environment.

221
00:13:07,142 --> 00:13:10,726
Yeah, we've saved
650,000 kilos of C02.

222
00:13:10,751 --> 00:13:13,476
So by not shipping containers
all the way around the country

223
00:13:13,501 --> 00:13:16,187
and bringing them straight
from the port into Halo allows us

224
00:13:16,212 --> 00:13:19,437
to take them containers
off the road. One final thing.

225
00:13:19,462 --> 00:13:22,796
Ask your mum if she's proud of you.
For you, Tony, I will.

226
00:13:25,862 --> 00:13:28,187
For hundreds of years,
the London clocks have been

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00:13:28,212 --> 00:13:31,117
full of working people
lifting things up, heaving them

228
00:13:31,142 --> 00:13:36,476
back down, pushing, pulling, doing
their backs in, getting hernias.

229
00:13:36,501 --> 00:13:39,117
Now, thanks to modern technology,

230
00:13:39,142 --> 00:13:43,367
all our freight can be moved about
much more flexibly, much more

231
00:13:43,392 --> 00:13:47,827
economically and in a much more
environmentally friendly way.

232
00:13:54,672 --> 00:13:58,647
But the Thames isn't just about
super-modern production lines.

233
00:13:58,672 --> 00:14:02,846
It also provides us with food
the old-fashioned way.

234
00:14:02,871 --> 00:14:04,716
I'm heading across the estuary

235
00:14:04,741 --> 00:14:08,007
and travelling
about 50 miles further east.

236
00:14:10,422 --> 00:14:15,097
This is Whitstable, a quaint seaside
town on the Thames Estuary in Kent.

237
00:14:16,412 --> 00:14:19,457
Once upon a time,
this was just muddy banks,

238
00:14:19,482 --> 00:14:23,057
but in 1832, they dug this harbour.

239
00:14:23,082 --> 00:14:26,537
Now, today it looks like a cute
little fishing port, doesn't it?

240
00:14:26,562 --> 00:14:31,227
But originally it was for coal,
which came down from the north

241
00:14:31,252 --> 00:14:34,897
in ships and then it was
off-loaded onto trains.

242
00:14:34,922 --> 00:14:39,127
There was a big terminaljust here,
where that ice-cream van is,

243
00:14:39,152 --> 00:14:43,027
and then it went off to Canterbury,
and from there to London.

244
00:14:44,402 --> 00:14:47,057
Around the same time
as the coal train arrived,

245
00:14:47,082 --> 00:14:51,147
another industry was
at its height - oysters.

246
00:14:51,172 --> 00:14:53,587
They've actually been harvested
in Whitstable

247
00:14:53,612 --> 00:14:56,257
since the Romans were here
2,000 years ago.

248
00:14:56,282 --> 00:15:00,017
Graham West is a sixth-generation
oyster fisherman.

249
00:15:00,042 --> 00:15:03,257
His great-great-great-grandfather
began the family business

250
00:15:03,282 --> 00:15:05,257
in the early 1900s,

251
00:15:05,282 --> 00:15:08,736
and it's been passed down
from one generation to the next.

252
00:15:09,841 --> 00:15:12,736
Why is Whitstable so famous
for oysters and not somewhere else?

253
00:15:12,761 --> 00:15:16,587
So, this is the area where the river
meets the sea, where the

254
00:15:16,612 --> 00:15:20,767
fresh water meets the salt water.
It feeds the plankton.

255
00:15:20,792 --> 00:15:22,147
The plankton love it.

256
00:15:22,172 --> 00:15:26,017
The oysters eat plankton, so
they grow really, really well here.

257
00:15:26,042 --> 00:15:29,057
These clays, oysters are farmed
in the shallow

258
00:15:29,082 --> 00:15:32,537
waters of Whitstable Bay,
but they still grow wild here, too.

259
00:15:32,562 --> 00:15:35,507
Here is a proper
Whitstable native oyster.

260
00:15:35,532 --> 00:15:38,147
We can only catch them
when there's an R in the month,

261
00:15:38,172 --> 00:15:40,377
so we're not allowed to fish
until the 1st of September.

262
00:15:40,402 --> 00:15:42,377
What's the "R in the month"
thing about?

263
00:15:42,402 --> 00:15:44,657
Why can't you fish them
in May, June and July?

264
00:15:44,682 --> 00:15:47,457
Because they're spawning. There's
a time of year when the water's

265
00:15:47,482 --> 00:15:53,017
warmer, the algae is really thick,
so the oyster will spawn, fatten up.

266
00:15:53,042 --> 00:15:56,377
They can have a million babies,
so if you eat them

267
00:15:56,402 --> 00:15:59,787
when there's a million babies,
we'll wipe the population out.

268
00:16:01,042 --> 00:16:05,457
For Victorian Londoners, oysters
were part of their everyday diet.

269
00:16:05,482 --> 00:16:09,017
They were cheap and nutritious, and
the Thames Estuary was full of them.

270
00:16:10,072 --> 00:16:14,507
By the 1860s, over 100 boats
were bringing in 8O million

271
00:16:14,532 --> 00:16:18,097
oysters a year to be sent
to London's Billingsgate Market.

272
00:16:19,202 --> 00:16:22,866
Then there were a lot of hard
winters and disease and pollution

273
00:16:22,891 --> 00:16:26,936
and overfishing,
and the industry collapsed.

274
00:16:26,961 --> 00:16:33,227
Between the 1940s and the 1970s,
it was at a really, really low ebb.

275
00:16:33,252 --> 00:16:36,147
After that, it began
to come back again,

276
00:16:36,172 --> 00:16:38,616
and in the last
ten to fifteen years,

277
00:16:38,641 --> 00:16:41,686
that growth's accelerated,
until now,

278
00:16:41,711 --> 00:16:46,337
three million oysters are harvested
from the mudflats around this

279
00:16:46,362 --> 00:16:48,686
part of the Thames Estuary
every year.

280
00:16:50,091 --> 00:16:53,507
It's all thanks to higher standards
and a cleaner river.

281
00:16:53,532 --> 00:16:57,736
But the greater costs and smaller
output have pushed prices up.

282
00:16:57,761 --> 00:17:01,427
The once abundant oyster
is now a luxury item.

283
00:17:01,452 --> 00:17:05,427
Is it still important to Whitstable?
It's important to Whitstable, yes,

284
00:17:05,452 --> 00:17:09,657
because it's our heritage. They are
the only oysters who've got PGI

285
00:17:09,682 --> 00:17:12,977
status, which is
Protected Geographical Indication.

286
00:17:13,002 --> 00:17:17,736
So you can only call it Whitstable
oyster if it is born, bred

287
00:17:17,761 --> 00:17:19,866
and lives in Whitstable.

288
00:17:20,891 --> 00:17:25,967
Whitstable oysters are one of only
88 foods with this status in the UK,

289
00:17:25,992 --> 00:17:30,537
so the annual festival here has
gained an international reputation.

290
00:17:30,562 --> 00:17:32,816
With visitors flocking to the town,

291
00:17:32,841 --> 00:17:37,066
Graham processes 20,000 oysters
in a single weekend.

292
00:17:37,091 --> 00:17:39,297
I guess it's a good
marketing tool now.

293
00:17:39,322 --> 00:17:42,066
Everybody knows about Whitstable
just because of the oysters.

294
00:17:42,091 --> 00:17:45,616
That's right. But I've been told
that there are more oysters coming

295
00:17:45,641 --> 00:17:48,297
off these banks now than there
were, say, ten or fifteen years ago.

296
00:17:48,322 --> 00:17:50,507
Oh, yeah, because
there's a higher demand,

297
00:17:50,532 --> 00:17:53,606
not so much in England,
but in Europe, France.

298
00:17:53,631 --> 00:17:58,177
Italy like the really big oysters,
France like the small oysters,

299
00:17:58,202 --> 00:18:00,177
the Netherlands like them,

300
00:18:00,202 --> 00:18:03,707
so there is a very, very massive
market at the moment for oysters.

301
00:18:03,732 --> 00:18:06,606
And I, for one, am a VERY big fan.

302
00:18:09,322 --> 00:18:11,217
Mm!

303
00:18:11,242 --> 00:18:12,606
In one. Gorgeous.

304
00:18:19,202 --> 00:18:23,427
Next, I'll be continuing
my tour of culinary delights

305
00:18:23,452 --> 00:18:25,856
and washing it all down
with a pint...

306
00:18:25,881 --> 00:18:27,497
...or maybe a few.

307
00:18:27,522 --> 00:18:32,856
How many pints would that make?
92,000 pints. 92,000 pints?!

308
00:18:43,171 --> 00:18:45,377
The Thames is loaded with treats.

309
00:18:47,842 --> 00:18:51,817
A couple of miles east of Whitstable
is the village of Seasalter.

310
00:18:51,842 --> 00:18:55,177
Here, you'll find a pub
that's one of the few in Britain

311
00:18:55,202 --> 00:18:56,817
with a Michelin star.

312
00:18:57,842 --> 00:19:00,457
The Sportsman sounds
a pretty modern name, doesn't it?

313
00:19:00,482 --> 00:19:02,787
But it isn't. It's Victorian.

314
00:19:02,812 --> 00:19:05,896
In those clays, people used to
come and stay here

315
00:19:05,921 --> 00:19:08,096
when they were going down
to the Thames Estuary to blast

316
00:19:08,121 --> 00:19:11,067
the living daylight
out of a duck for sport.

317
00:19:11,092 --> 00:19:13,896
I don't think duck's on the menu
today, though.

318
00:19:13,921 --> 00:19:17,096
The chef isn't in,
but I know where he'll be.

319
00:19:17,121 --> 00:19:19,016
On the seashore.

320
00:19:19,041 --> 00:19:22,947
Oh! It's really idyllic, isn't it?

321
00:19:22,972 --> 00:19:27,707
You'd never guess that this place,
amongst all these mudflats and

322
00:19:27,732 --> 00:19:32,737
marshes, has been a source of food
for London for over 1,000 years.

323
00:19:34,121 --> 00:19:37,297
There he is. That's the chef,
Stephen Harris,

324
00:19:37,322 --> 00:19:40,607
gathering ingredients
for today's menu.

325
00:19:40,632 --> 00:19:43,177
He's trying to get his food
for free this morning.

326
00:19:43,202 --> 00:19:46,707
Stephen? Hi!
Can I give you a hand?

327
00:19:46,732 --> 00:19:48,216
Yeah, grab a bucket.

328
00:19:51,812 --> 00:19:54,497
What we are looking for?
Today, it's seaweed.

329
00:19:54,522 --> 00:19:56,857
What sort?
This is sea lettuce.

330
00:19:56,882 --> 00:19:59,737
I would call this
the king of seaweed.

331
00:19:59,762 --> 00:20:02,737
Oh, it's quite big, isn't it?
It's like a little scarf.

332
00:20:02,762 --> 00:20:04,787
It's fantastic.
There's another one here.

333
00:20:04,812 --> 00:20:08,377
This is called gutweed,
or angel hair, if you're romantic.

334
00:20:08,402 --> 00:20:11,177
Oh, I know about angel hair.
ls there much of it around?

335
00:20:11,202 --> 00:20:14,886
Yeah, there is. I mean,
you know... just behind you there.

336
00:20:14,911 --> 00:20:17,177
You find it in clumps. Yeah.
This is not rigged. No, no!

337
00:20:17,202 --> 00:20:19,966
Just behind you,
a whole load of seaweed.

338
00:20:19,991 --> 00:20:22,497
This is a huge source of umami.

339
00:20:23,562 --> 00:20:26,346
Now, umami, I know
theoretically what that is.

340
00:20:26,371 --> 00:20:27,987
The fifth taste, isn't it?
That's right.

341
00:20:28,012 --> 00:20:30,247
I don't even believe it exists.

342
00:20:30,272 --> 00:20:33,177
We always thought in the West
that there was sweet, sour, salty

343
00:20:33,202 --> 00:20:37,497
and bitter. Meanwhile, in japan in
1905, a scientist isolated a fifth

344
00:20:37,522 --> 00:20:39,297
one. It's savoury.

345
00:20:39,322 --> 00:20:42,857
It's that kind of... You know
when you eat those cheesy biscuits,

346
00:20:42,882 --> 00:20:45,577
your cheeks salivate and
you can't wait to have another one?

347
00:20:45,602 --> 00:20:47,346
It's that. That is umami.

348
00:20:47,371 --> 00:20:50,527
How much do you rely on the food
that you actually

349
00:20:50,552 --> 00:20:53,377
get from these beaches?
We use a lot of what's around us.

350
00:20:53,402 --> 00:20:56,447
My cooking is kind of
inspired by the landscape.

351
00:20:56,472 --> 00:20:58,156
It's the sort of thing
that chefs say.

352
00:20:58,181 --> 00:21:01,727
"My cooking is inspired by
the landscape." I know. The terroir.

353
00:21:01,752 --> 00:21:04,267
Well, exactly, yeah.
We got enough, do you reckon?

354
00:21:04,292 --> 00:21:08,197
Yes, we've got plenty, but we also
are going to make some salt.

355
00:21:08,222 --> 00:21:10,116
MAKE some salt?
Yes.

356
00:21:10,141 --> 00:21:13,366
Of course. Seasalter, salt.

357
00:21:13,391 --> 00:21:16,837
The village began producing it
way back in the Iron Age.

358
00:21:17,862 --> 00:21:22,317
This water's settled, because the
tide's been out since one o'clock

359
00:21:22,342 --> 00:21:28,597
this morning and is on its way in,
and you get a really nice, clean...

360
00:21:28,622 --> 00:21:31,216
Can you see? Yeah.
You see how clean that is?

361
00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:35,937
Is it actually worth
making your own salt?

362
00:21:35,962 --> 00:21:38,136
It's a lot of work,
and salt isn't that expensive.

363
00:21:38,161 --> 00:21:41,377
But it's about the kind of
story behind the food. Mm.

364
00:21:41,402 --> 00:21:44,417
We're in a village called Seasalter,
and I always say

365
00:21:44,442 --> 00:21:47,216
if you haven't made your own
sea salt and you live in Seasalter

366
00:21:47,241 --> 00:21:50,527
and you're a chef, you're
sleeping on the job. You know?

367
00:21:50,552 --> 00:21:53,657
Stephen doesn't just forage
on the beach for ingredients.

368
00:21:53,682 --> 00:21:56,547
He wants to know
all about their history, too.

369
00:21:56,572 --> 00:21:59,627
Just 20 years after
William the Conqueror landed,

370
00:21:59,652 --> 00:22:03,346
Seasalter's shellfish and
marshland produce gave the village

371
00:22:03,371 --> 00:22:07,136
a place in Britain's
earliest record, The Domesday Book.

372
00:22:07,161 --> 00:22:12,096
And Stephen also found mention of
a farm that supplied him with meat.

373
00:22:12,121 --> 00:22:16,346
The Domesday Book, you know,
obviously 1086, it says that this

374
00:22:16,371 --> 00:22:20,136
land is owned by the kitchens of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Really?

375
00:22:20,161 --> 00:22:25,007
Yeah, and this over there
is the Monkshill Farm.

376
00:22:25,032 --> 00:22:28,807
I was using it for five years
before I realised, "Ah, the monks!"

377
00:22:28,832 --> 00:22:31,297
And the story
just started to appear.

378
00:22:31,322 --> 00:22:34,447
So, for example,
we're walking on an earthwork.

379
00:22:34,472 --> 00:22:37,937
This mound was built
to protect the marsh by the monks

380
00:22:37,962 --> 00:22:39,547
in the 13th century.

381
00:22:39,572 --> 00:22:42,297
It was probably pretty wealthy
around then with

382
00:22:42,322 --> 00:22:45,807
lots of activity going on then.
Yeah, there was commercial.

383
00:22:45,832 --> 00:22:48,907
I mean, the Domesday Book said
there were eight fisheries

384
00:22:48,932 --> 00:22:52,797
just along this short bit of coast.
And now there's just your pub?

385
00:22:52,822 --> 00:22:54,657
And now there's just my pub.

386
00:22:57,442 --> 00:23:01,336
We're whipping up a fish dish
cooked with a seaweed butter

387
00:23:01,361 --> 00:23:03,777
and seasoned with
the home-made salt.

388
00:23:03,802 --> 00:23:06,057
So that just goes on there.

389
00:23:06,082 --> 00:23:09,627
Basically, the process
is that you heat up the salt

390
00:23:09,652 --> 00:23:11,937
and you evaporate off
the water. Yeah.

391
00:23:11,962 --> 00:23:16,216
And that's when you get your salt
that you would be familiar with.

392
00:23:16,241 --> 00:23:19,036
The salt takes
about four hours to make.

393
00:23:19,061 --> 00:23:20,927
There you go. Oh, yeah.
You've already got it.

394
00:23:20,952 --> 00:23:23,577
You can feel. Oh, my goodness,
I didn't realise there was quite so

395
00:23:23,602 --> 00:23:26,136
much salt in there.
I thought it was just on the top.

396
00:23:26,161 --> 00:23:30,857
Yeah. Ah, wow! That's basically
how we make sea salt.

397
00:23:30,882 --> 00:23:34,016
The seaweed is dried for 24 hours.

398
00:23:34,041 --> 00:23:36,216
Ooh, yeah,
that's beautifully done.

399
00:23:36,241 --> 00:23:39,216
That's part of the River Thames.
It is. Dried.

400
00:23:39,241 --> 00:23:42,577
Do you feel an affinity
with the Thames? Very much so.

401
00:23:42,602 --> 00:23:46,877
You know, I grew up here,
so it's the sea I swam in as a boy.

402
00:23:46,902 --> 00:23:51,086
Run that through your fingers and
tell me if you can smell vanilla.

403
00:23:52,111 --> 00:23:54,307
I can smell all sorts in there.

404
00:23:54,332 --> 00:23:56,907
Oh, it's an incredibly complex
series <i>of...</i> It is. ..smells.

405
00:23:56,932 --> 00:23:59,547
When you asked me what it smelled
like, I was going to take the mick

406
00:23:59,572 --> 00:24:01,907
and say it smells like Southend,
but it doesn't at all.

407
00:24:01,932 --> 00:24:03,497
It doesn't, does it?

408
00:24:03,522 --> 00:24:06,857
Get me, helping out
in a Michelin-starred kitchen!

409
00:24:06,882 --> 00:24:09,547
That looks pretty even
all the way through now.

410
00:24:09,572 --> 00:24:12,297
Put that onto there.

411
00:24:12,322 --> 00:24:14,517
One, two, three, four!
Well done.

412
00:24:14,542 --> 00:24:16,437
There we go.
Excellent.

413
00:24:16,462 --> 00:24:18,437
How professionaPs that?

414
00:24:18,462 --> 00:24:21,597
And that's it. And we'll wrap it up,
put it in the fridge,

415
00:24:21,622 --> 00:24:24,517
and then we will
cook your fish in it. OK.

416
00:24:24,542 --> 00:24:27,637
We're going to cook
a local fish, a slip sole,

417
00:24:27,662 --> 00:24:30,437
and we're going to grill it.

418
00:24:30,462 --> 00:24:33,387
I always think the fish
and the seaweed and the salt

419
00:24:33,412 --> 00:24:36,156
are kind of reunited
in the dish as they all

420
00:24:36,181 --> 00:24:39,156
come from the same water
and all from the Thames. Great.

421
00:24:41,692 --> 00:24:44,717
I'm not a big fan of sole.
I find it a bit rubbery.

422
00:24:44,742 --> 00:24:47,797
But I'll see if Stephen
can work his magic on it.

423
00:24:49,152 --> 00:24:53,026
Normally, if you go out to eat,
the food will have come to you

424
00:24:53,051 --> 00:24:57,997
via container ship or plane
or by road, or whatever,

425
00:24:58,022 --> 00:25:01,637
so you might have a relationship
with the restaurant,

426
00:25:01,662 --> 00:25:04,667
but you're not going to have
a relationship with the food itself.

427
00:25:04,692 --> 00:25:09,917
Here, though, they've been producing
food for thousands of years,

428
00:25:09,942 --> 00:25:13,127
so it's like you're eating history.

429
00:25:13,152 --> 00:25:16,307
Right. Oh, lovely.
Here you go. Oh, thank you.

430
00:25:16,332 --> 00:25:19,437
There's your slip sole
in seaweed butter. Yeah.

431
00:25:19,462 --> 00:25:22,026
Thanks for doing this for me.
Let's have a taste. Yeah.

432
00:25:24,622 --> 00:25:26,437
And after some "sole-searching"...

433
00:25:26,462 --> 00:25:29,077
Oh, see what I did there?

434
00:25:29,102 --> 00:25:32,077
It's very nice, isn't it?
Do you see what I mean about umami,

435
00:25:32,102 --> 00:25:36,077
the kind of savour?
I do. I do.

436
00:25:36,102 --> 00:25:38,997
I thought it would be much more
seaweedy than this, but it's not.

437
00:25:39,022 --> 00:25:42,947
It's just another taste or tastes

438
00:25:42,972 --> 00:25:45,877
that inform
the taste of the fish. Yeah.

439
00:25:49,662 --> 00:25:52,236
That was such an amazing experience.

440
00:25:52,261 --> 00:25:55,156
I've never, ever been
to a restaurant before

441
00:25:55,181 --> 00:25:59,877
where the food came from the beach
a couple of hundred yards away,

442
00:25:59,902 --> 00:26:02,077
even the condiments.

443
00:26:04,612 --> 00:26:07,406
The Thames provides for us
every day,

444
00:26:07,431 --> 00:26:10,077
not just delivering up tasty treats,

445
00:26:10,102 --> 00:26:13,837
but the water of the river itself
is a valuable resource.

446
00:26:15,381 --> 00:26:17,837
I've now come to west London
to see how

447
00:26:17,862 --> 00:26:21,437
they turn H2O into
something rather special.

448
00:26:25,942 --> 00:26:29,437
The Thames has been the lifeblood
of brewers for centuries.

449
00:26:29,462 --> 00:26:34,877
It had the perfect business model.
It transported their barley and hops

450
00:26:34,902 --> 00:26:38,437
and the coal for their power.
And, of course, there's the water.

451
00:26:39,902 --> 00:26:44,226
In Victorian England, the river
was dirty and full of disease.

452
00:26:44,251 --> 00:26:47,307
Beer was a way of making the water
safe to drink.

453
00:26:47,332 --> 00:26:52,356
Before long, there were eight
huge breweries along its banks.

454
00:26:52,381 --> 00:26:55,356
The last of those brewers
is this one,

455
00:26:55,381 --> 00:26:59,327
which became Fuller's
Griffin Brewery in 1845.

456
00:27:00,381 --> 00:27:04,077
Today, they brew a staggering
50 million pints a year here.

457
00:27:05,582 --> 00:27:09,156
So water from the Thames
is vitally important here.

458
00:27:09,181 --> 00:27:13,476
It's their basic ingredient, the
foundation for all their products.

459
00:27:15,942 --> 00:27:19,117
So how does all that water
turn into beer?

460
00:27:20,181 --> 00:27:23,557
Well, it begins with the right
combination of malted grains.

461
00:27:24,742 --> 00:27:30,197
Behind this enormous, corrugated
wall up there are four vast

462
00:27:30,222 --> 00:27:33,687
30-tonne silos containing malt,

463
00:27:33,712 --> 00:27:37,226
which is a kind of barley
that's been germinated.

464
00:27:37,251 --> 00:27:42,117
It's them that gives the beer
its sweet, malty taste.

465
00:27:42,142 --> 00:27:46,797
But for the more subtle, distinctive
notes, you have to look in here.

466
00:27:47,862 --> 00:27:52,396
This is where special grains are
added to create each unique beer.

467
00:27:52,421 --> 00:27:55,117
The man with the flavours
is Guy Stewart.

468
00:27:55,142 --> 00:27:59,347
What are you tipping in, Guy?
Speciality malt.

469
00:27:59,372 --> 00:28:02,837
So we have Cara Gold.

470
00:28:02,862 --> 00:28:05,967
So, this is quite sweet.
Bit of a toffee sort of chewiness.

471
00:28:05,992 --> 00:28:08,967
Yeah, yeah. It is.
Yeah, toffee. Toffee.

472
00:28:08,992 --> 00:28:12,637
So we put this into beer
to give it sort of a sweet,

473
00:28:12,662 --> 00:28:14,557
caramelly sort of notes.

474
00:28:14,582 --> 00:28:16,757
We now have crystal.

475
00:28:16,782 --> 00:28:20,837
So, this, after the barley's been
made, is sort of roasted a bit.

476
00:28:20,862 --> 00:28:26,356
Yeah. And if you bite into it,
it's quite...quite crunchy.

477
00:28:26,381 --> 00:28:29,276
It tastes very different from
the other one, doesn't it? Yeah.

478
00:28:29,301 --> 00:28:31,247
And it'll add a nice sort of
sweetness to the beer

479
00:28:31,272 --> 00:28:34,717
and a lovely sort of red hue
to the beer, so this goes in ales.

480
00:28:34,742 --> 00:28:38,037
And this one? And then in the last
one, that is chocolate malt.

481
00:28:39,102 --> 00:28:43,146
So, that is roasted.
It doesn't taste of chocolate.

482
00:28:43,171 --> 00:28:45,867
Oh, that's disappointing.
But it'll add chocolate coffee notes

483
00:28:45,892 --> 00:28:49,717
if you're making
a porter or a stout.

484
00:28:49,742 --> 00:28:54,677
How do you mix this in with the malt
that comes from the big hoppers?

485
00:28:54,702 --> 00:28:58,917
We tip it into the hole there.
It looks so...

486
00:28:58,942 --> 00:29:02,787
So 19th century, isn't it?
It's not, like, shiny and...

487
00:29:02,812 --> 00:29:04,507
Oh, yeah.
..21st century at all.

488
00:29:04,532 --> 00:29:06,717
Well, if it ain't broke,
don't fix it.

489
00:29:06,742 --> 00:29:09,476
So this needs to go in.
Yeah. Feel free.

490
00:29:14,022 --> 00:29:16,317
The next step is to mill the grains.

491
00:29:17,702 --> 00:29:20,427
These beautiful machines!
How old are these?

492
00:29:20,452 --> 00:29:21,967
They're over 100 years old.

493
00:29:21,992 --> 00:29:23,917
They were reconditioned
a few years ago.

494
00:29:23,942 --> 00:29:27,247
They grind the malt
so the starch stored in it can be

495
00:29:27,272 --> 00:29:30,427
converted into sugar
later on in the brewing process.

496
00:29:30,452 --> 00:29:34,787
The malt gets ground into grist.
And that's grist? That's grist.

497
00:29:34,812 --> 00:29:36,757
As in "grist to the mill"?
Grist to the mill, yes.

498
00:29:36,782 --> 00:29:40,117
Which means adding something tiny
to make the whole thing better. Yes.

499
00:29:40,142 --> 00:29:43,037
I never knew where it came from
before. Yeah, yeah.

500
00:29:46,862 --> 00:29:48,997
I love all the reminders of the

501
00:29:49,022 --> 00:29:51,317
history that they've kept here.

502
00:29:51,342 --> 00:29:52,887
Isn't this great?

503
00:29:52,912 --> 00:29:56,557
The last vestiges of the old brewery
with those magnificent

504
00:29:56,582 --> 00:30:00,146
cauldrons, compared with
the modernity of this.

505
00:30:03,022 --> 00:30:06,757
This high-tech room is where
Hayley Marl mixes the grist

506
00:30:06,782 --> 00:30:09,677
and the water together
to make what's known as mash.

507
00:30:09,702 --> 00:30:12,197
And that's not the mash
you get with your pie.

508
00:30:12,222 --> 00:30:15,526
It comes through here and then goes
into the mash tun through there.

509
00:30:15,551 --> 00:30:17,276
What's it like in the mash?

510
00:30:17,301 --> 00:30:21,276
It looks a bit like
a...dark porridge.

511
00:30:21,301 --> 00:30:24,167
The mixture's gently heated.

512
00:30:24,192 --> 00:30:26,526
In there, it will stand for a while.

513
00:30:26,551 --> 00:30:28,707
And that's a sort of
steeping action,

514
00:30:28,732 --> 00:30:31,447
so it's a little bit like
making a giant cup of tea.

515
00:30:31,472 --> 00:30:35,957
With the solids - or teabag,
if you like - removed,

516
00:30:35,982 --> 00:30:39,037
the liquid is pumped
into these giant vats.

517
00:30:40,062 --> 00:30:42,677
And guess what, it's got a new name.

518
00:30:42,702 --> 00:30:43,957
Wort.

519
00:30:43,982 --> 00:30:47,447
So, we've now got 596 hectolitres
of wort in here.

520
00:30:47,472 --> 00:30:51,037
You've just skated through that.
590 hectolitres? Yes.

521
00:30:51,062 --> 00:30:56,807
How many pints would that be? 92,000
pints. 92,000 pints in there?!

522
00:30:56,832 --> 00:31:01,037
Yeah, yeah. What we're going to do
is add the bittering hops to the

523
00:31:01,062 --> 00:31:03,637
copper, and that's what brings
the bitterness to the beer.

524
00:31:03,662 --> 00:31:05,447
HE STRAINS

525
00:31:07,551 --> 00:31:10,447
Heyyy! Like a pro_

526
00:31:10,472 --> 00:31:14,627
Yeah, if I'd messed that up,
I would have destroyed 92,000 pints.

527
00:31:16,832 --> 00:31:18,757
And now for the important bit,

528
00:31:18,782 --> 00:31:22,837
where the beer becomes alcoholic
in the fermenters.

529
00:31:22,862 --> 00:31:25,476
This is where the yeast is put in.
This is where the yeast is put in.

530
00:31:25,501 --> 00:31:27,396
What is it that's so magical
about the yeast?

531
00:31:27,421 --> 00:31:31,237
We've been using this strain
since 1976, and it's just the way it

532
00:31:31,262 --> 00:31:33,447
ferments and the flavours
it produces in the beer.

533
00:31:33,472 --> 00:31:37,117
Can I have a look? Yeah,
have a look. DON'T breathe in.

534
00:31:37,142 --> 00:31:39,757
Are you serious?
Yeah.

535
00:31:39,782 --> 00:31:41,707
Cos of the CO2 atmosphere.

536
00:31:41,732 --> 00:31:44,757
So I could pass out
without going near a pint.

537
00:31:44,782 --> 00:31:47,987
This tank is finished fermenting.
I can see it bubbling now.

538
00:31:48,012 --> 00:31:51,476
Yeah, yeah. lt'lljust be
ticking over. But this yeast is like

539
00:31:51,501 --> 00:31:53,167
the fingerprint of our beer.

540
00:31:56,421 --> 00:31:58,807
At last, the beer's ready.

541
00:31:58,832 --> 00:32:03,197
Michael Richardson gets to seal
them up and roll out the barrels.

542
00:32:03,222 --> 00:32:05,516
Oh, Michael, this is the bit
I've always wanted to see.

543
00:32:05,541 --> 00:32:07,726
No problem. I'm going to show you
how it works. Yeah.

544
00:32:07,751 --> 00:32:09,877
I'm going to do this one,
then you can do the next one.

545
00:32:09,902 --> 00:32:11,627
Can I? All right.

546
00:32:13,182 --> 00:32:15,117
Glue to go.

547
00:32:17,501 --> 00:32:19,447
Push it down as hard as you can.

548
00:32:19,472 --> 00:32:23,317
Stand back as the Incredible Hulk
leaps into action.

549
00:32:23,342 --> 00:32:26,726
Perfect. Last one.
Thank you very much. Thanks a lot.

550
00:32:26,751 --> 00:32:31,396
Oh! I stink like a brewery!

551
00:32:33,652 --> 00:32:36,907
But it's nice to think
there'll be beer out there

552
00:32:36,932 --> 00:32:39,837
I had a hand in brewing.
And now the important bit.

553
00:32:40,902 --> 00:32:45,757
Tasting. Cue Zoe Edwards
and her sensitive taste buds.

554
00:32:46,862 --> 00:32:48,596
Hmmm, one sip's not enough.

555
00:32:48,621 --> 00:32:51,596
I think I should take another sip
just to make sure.

556
00:32:51,621 --> 00:32:53,596
Turns out two sips
aren't enough, either.

557
00:32:53,621 --> 00:32:55,757
It's good, isn't it?
Best when it's fresh.

558
00:32:55,782 --> 00:32:57,757
Actually, it does taste very fresh.

559
00:32:57,782 --> 00:32:59,726
Yeah, I'll just check.

560
00:32:59,751 --> 00:33:01,087
VOICEOVER: I'll catch you later.

561
00:33:05,142 --> 00:33:09,677
Next, I think I say the wrong thing
in St Paul's Cathedral.

562
00:33:09,702 --> 00:33:12,317
There's a lot of dirty monks'
fingers on this page, aren't there?

563
00:33:12,342 --> 00:33:14,627
Yeah. Or should I say
there's a lot of, er,

564
00:33:14,652 --> 00:33:16,757
monks' dirty fingers
on this page? Yeah!

565
00:33:27,815 --> 00:33:32,351
The Thames is a superhighway,
transporting our food, drink

566
00:33:32,376 --> 00:33:34,951
and other everyday items.

567
00:33:34,976 --> 00:33:37,670
But over the centuries,
it's also played a vital

568
00:33:37,695 --> 00:33:42,511
role in the construction of many of
the icons that lie on its banks...

569
00:33:43,536 --> 00:33:46,101
...like St Paul's Cathedral.

570
00:33:46,126 --> 00:33:48,381
Sir Christopher Wren's famous design

571
00:33:48,406 --> 00:33:51,431
is at least the fourth building
to bear the name,

572
00:33:51,456 --> 00:33:55,740
after its predecessor burned down
in the Great Fire in 1666.

573
00:33:56,815 --> 00:34:00,271
When the fire was over, the great
and the good of London decided

574
00:34:00,296 --> 00:34:04,990
they needed a brand-new cathedral,
one which would be big

575
00:34:05,015 --> 00:34:10,591
and impressive and make London feel
like a really modern city.

576
00:34:10,616 --> 00:34:14,511
And they got the stone for it
from Dorset, from Portland,

577
00:34:14,536 --> 00:34:19,841
brought it all the way upriver to
here, what was known as Paul's Dock,

578
00:34:19,866 --> 00:34:25,351
and loaded it, lashed it to horses
and drove the horses up this

579
00:34:25,376 --> 00:34:27,561
hill and started work.

580
00:34:27,586 --> 00:34:30,381
VOICEOVER: ..on what was to become
a national treasure.

581
00:34:35,976 --> 00:34:39,990
This river access helped
construction, and St Paul's was

582
00:34:40,015 --> 00:34:43,461
declared officially complete
on Christmas Day 1711.

583
00:34:44,685 --> 00:34:47,870
As you can imagine,
over the last 300 years,

584
00:34:47,895 --> 00:34:52,910
every part of that building has been
renovated on different occasions,

585
00:34:52,935 --> 00:34:55,101
some of it quite dramatically -

586
00:34:55,126 --> 00:34:58,511
all of it, that is,
except for the library.

587
00:34:58,536 --> 00:35:04,071
Only now is it being beautifully
restored, and I've been given the

588
00:35:04,096 --> 00:35:08,511
unique opportunity to go and have
a nosy around while they work on it.

589
00:35:13,096 --> 00:35:16,381
Oliver Caroe is overseeing
the three-year project.

590
00:35:16,406 --> 00:35:19,591
Welcome to St Paul's Cathedral.
Come in. Thank you.

591
00:35:20,935 --> 00:35:23,740
But rather than showing me
through those famous front doors,

592
00:35:23,765 --> 00:35:25,481
he's meeting me round the side.

593
00:35:25,506 --> 00:35:28,631
Oliver, this isn't like a church,
it's like a palace.

594
00:35:28,656 --> 00:35:32,071
So, this is the secular entrance
into the cathedral.

595
00:35:32,096 --> 00:35:34,790
It gives you a sense
of power, doesn't it?

596
00:35:34,815 --> 00:35:37,301
Like a palace, as you say.
It does, yeah.

597
00:35:37,326 --> 00:35:41,660
And a sense of staircase.
That is absolutely gorgeous.

598
00:35:41,685 --> 00:35:43,870
These are huge slab of stone,

599
00:35:43,895 --> 00:35:47,910
but they only go into the wall...
Do you want to guess how much?

600
00:35:47,935 --> 00:35:50,511
Well, looking at them, I would say
they probably went in the same

601
00:35:50,536 --> 00:35:52,790
length as the outside bit
that you can see.

602
00:35:52,815 --> 00:35:55,151
They go in two inches.
TONY LAUGHS

603
00:35:56,176 --> 00:35:57,870
Still want to come in?

604
00:35:57,895 --> 00:36:01,351
My cameraman's up there,
perched on them!

605
00:36:01,376 --> 00:36:02,761
How do they do that?

606
00:36:02,786 --> 00:36:06,581
So, that's a complicated story
of structural mechanics.

607
00:36:09,015 --> 00:36:13,431
It's all thanks to mathematics,
each step resting on the one below.

608
00:36:16,815 --> 00:36:21,711
We're heading for the library,
with its 12,500 theological texts.

609
00:36:21,736 --> 00:36:22,990
But before we get there...

610
00:36:23,015 --> 00:36:24,941
Oh, wow. Bang!

611
00:36:26,096 --> 00:36:29,381
Yourjob is... Let me see
if I can get this right.

612
00:36:29,406 --> 00:36:31,870
Is it Master to the Fabric?

613
00:36:31,895 --> 00:36:33,581
Surveyor to the Fabric.

614
00:36:33,606 --> 00:36:38,790
So, in direct descent
from Christopher Wren in title,

615
00:36:38,815 --> 00:36:43,910
I'm the 13th surveyor. And
there have been architects and

616
00:36:43,935 --> 00:36:48,151
surveyors who've looked after this
gorgeous building ever since Wren.

617
00:36:48,176 --> 00:36:51,221
How do you feel about being
in the steps of the great man?

618
00:36:51,246 --> 00:36:53,021
Does it weigh heavy
on your shoulders?

619
00:36:53,046 --> 00:36:55,531
It's like being a parent of...

620
00:36:55,556 --> 00:36:57,531
Of the fabric?
..of the fabric.

621
00:36:57,556 --> 00:37:01,680
And the latest chapter
is the library? Yes.

622
00:37:07,316 --> 00:37:09,810
It's very understated, isn't it?

623
00:37:15,396 --> 00:37:18,701
QUIETLY: This is a really intimate
space in the cathedral,

624
00:37:18,726 --> 00:37:22,880
and when it's full of books and
some of our beautiful collection,

625
00:37:22,905 --> 00:37:25,491
it's a place of calm and sculpture.

626
00:37:25,516 --> 00:37:28,731
Why are we whispering
when we have no need to?

627
00:37:30,085 --> 00:37:32,491
Yeah, but it's... It makes you
whisper. It really does, yes.

628
00:37:32,516 --> 00:37:34,321
It's reverence, isn't it?

629
00:37:36,446 --> 00:37:38,411
So, what is the project here?

630
00:37:38,436 --> 00:37:43,601
So, books are made out of
organic stuff, leather, which rots.

631
00:37:43,626 --> 00:37:47,371
It has to be stable for
temperature and humidity.

632
00:37:47,396 --> 00:37:51,880
So light is our enemy, water is
our enemy, humidity is our enemy.

633
00:37:51,905 --> 00:37:55,411
When we get sweaty,
we get a bit fungally.

634
00:37:55,436 --> 00:37:59,161
Just one point. I'm old and
a bit tired, but I'm not fungally.

635
00:38:01,756 --> 00:38:04,810
Has everything that's been added
since Wren's time

636
00:38:04,835 --> 00:38:07,241
now been cleared away?
Absolutely.

637
00:38:07,266 --> 00:38:10,341
Very little has changed
in this room.

638
00:38:10,366 --> 00:38:14,651
The library's due to open
to the public in summer 2021.

639
00:38:14,676 --> 00:38:17,800
It hasn't been seen like this
for 300 years.

640
00:38:19,035 --> 00:38:22,571
I think the thing that my eye's
drawn to all the time is

641
00:38:22,596 --> 00:38:25,981
the subtlety of
all this elaborate carving.

642
00:38:26,006 --> 00:38:29,161
It's not in your face,
but my goodness, it's complex.

643
00:38:29,186 --> 00:38:32,291
So, Wren really knew
about craftsmanship

644
00:38:32,316 --> 00:38:37,411
and he knew about craftspeople
and getting the best.

645
00:38:37,436 --> 00:38:40,880
And what's wonderful
is we know the names of every single

646
00:38:40,905 --> 00:38:44,571
craftsperson who worked here
and what they did.

647
00:38:44,596 --> 00:38:47,010
This floor was by Richard Jennings,

648
00:38:47,035 --> 00:38:50,130
and it's in the accounts,
a naked oak floor.

649
00:38:51,186 --> 00:38:54,771
The latest name to add
to that list is Emma Norris.

650
00:38:54,796 --> 00:38:59,651
Her team will restore the paintwork.
But to decide how much to remove,

651
00:38:59,676 --> 00:39:01,981
they have to discover every layer

652
00:39:02,006 --> 00:39:04,621
that's been added
over the centuries.

653
00:39:04,646 --> 00:39:06,491
And I'm going to join in.

654
00:39:08,155 --> 00:39:10,981
I feel a little bit like
a mad scientist!

655
00:39:11,006 --> 00:39:15,521
The different paints are uncovered
by extremely careful scraping.

656
00:39:15,546 --> 00:39:20,161
You're looking for a slight colour
change or a change in texture.

657
00:39:21,236 --> 00:39:24,571
It is archaeology, isn't it?
Oh, completely. Yes.

658
00:39:24,596 --> 00:39:27,930
Combining this with written records
builds a picture of what's

659
00:39:27,955 --> 00:39:31,771
happened in different areas
of the library over the centuries.

660
00:39:31,796 --> 00:39:36,010
That's as far as you want to go.
Yeah. You're doing really well.

661
00:39:36,035 --> 00:39:38,211
I just think maybe
this might take a while.

662
00:39:38,236 --> 00:39:41,260
Are you being slightly ironic
in that I should be working faster?

663
00:39:41,285 --> 00:39:42,930
No, I'm trying to save you

664
00:39:42,955 --> 00:39:45,081
and tell you we have got
one we prepared earlier. Ah!

665
00:39:45,106 --> 00:39:46,851
HE LAUGHS

666
00:39:46,876 --> 00:39:49,260
Emma, this isn't kids' telly!

667
00:39:49,285 --> 00:39:51,651
Would you like to look at it?
Yes, let me have a look.

668
00:39:52,676 --> 00:39:56,441
So, this is the colour scrape
that was carried out

669
00:39:56,466 --> 00:39:59,571
by our conservator earlier. And
that's the one that I got down to?

670
00:39:59,596 --> 00:40:01,521
That is, yes.
That's the first layer.

671
00:40:01,546 --> 00:40:04,331
And then you go down subsequently
to all the layers.

672
00:40:04,356 --> 00:40:08,771
So the original Christopher Wren
paint is this one?

673
00:40:08,796 --> 00:40:10,691
The early grey, Yes-

674
00:40:10,716 --> 00:40:14,331
How wonderful.
Paint from 300 years ago.

675
00:40:14,356 --> 00:40:18,611
This is a complete conservation,
taking in paint, woodwork,

676
00:40:18,636 --> 00:40:22,240
masonry and, of course, the books.

677
00:40:24,336 --> 00:40:28,271
I know the library looks
pretty austere right now -

678
00:40:28,296 --> 00:40:31,110
there's the main body
of the cathedral -

679
00:40:31,135 --> 00:40:34,631
but it'll really spring back to life
again once the books, which

680
00:40:34,656 --> 00:40:40,551
are currently being stored off-site,
are put back on the shelves.

681
00:40:40,576 --> 00:40:44,110
There are one or two of them,
though, that are still here.

682
00:40:46,086 --> 00:40:50,391
When the library opens, selected
rare books will be on display.

683
00:40:50,416 --> 00:40:53,391
Simon Carter's deciding
not just which books

684
00:40:53,416 --> 00:40:56,061
but which pages
those books will be open at.

685
00:40:56,086 --> 00:40:58,521
Yeah, I'm just looking at a book
of psalms that's going to

686
00:40:58,546 --> 00:41:00,910
be on display in the library
when it's totally preserved.

687
00:41:00,935 --> 00:41:04,391
What sort of date is that?
It's from about 1200,

688
00:41:04,416 --> 00:41:07,061
so it's actually the earliest book
in the cathedral library.

689
00:41:07,086 --> 00:41:09,751
How come it survived
the Great Fire of London?

690
00:41:09,776 --> 00:41:11,910
Well, fortunately,
it was off-site at the time.

691
00:41:11,935 --> 00:41:14,110
It's one of only three surviving

692
00:41:14,135 --> 00:41:16,521
manuscripts from
the pre-fire library.

693
00:41:16,546 --> 00:41:19,110
This book predates
the printing press,

694
00:41:19,135 --> 00:41:21,551
so everything was done by hand.

695
00:41:21,576 --> 00:41:25,751
I noticed that you were actually
handling it, but not with gloves on.

696
00:41:25,776 --> 00:41:27,110
There's a big debate,

697
00:41:27,135 --> 00:41:28,621
isn't there, about whether
you should wear gloves or not?

698
00:41:28,646 --> 00:41:31,701
That's right. Some people
prefer the cotton gloves,

699
00:41:31,726 --> 00:41:35,951
the Paul Daniels look. Yeah!
But that can snag on pages... Yeah.

700
00:41:35,976 --> 00:41:39,030
...and sort of pulls, so we tend
to go for the clean hands option.

701
00:41:39,055 --> 00:41:41,391
Is it all right? I have washed
my hands. Yeah, no, absolutely.

702
00:41:41,416 --> 00:41:44,391
Turn it over
and have a look at a few pages.

703
00:41:44,416 --> 00:41:47,421
There's a lot of dirty monks'
fingers on this page, aren't there?

704
00:41:47,446 --> 00:41:49,471
Yeah. Or should I say
there's a lot of, er,

705
00:41:49,496 --> 00:41:51,671
monks' dirty fingers
on this page? Yeah!

706
00:41:51,696 --> 00:41:53,621
I mean, the pages,
which have been opened a lot,

707
00:41:53,646 --> 00:41:55,871
particularly ones with a decoration,
tend to be the darker ones just

708
00:41:55,896 --> 00:41:58,421
because they've had much more use.

709
00:41:58,446 --> 00:42:01,591
Oh, look, there's a face!
Who do you think it might have been?

710
00:42:01,616 --> 00:42:03,801
Well, I mean, it could be
the person who wrote it.

711
00:42:03,826 --> 00:42:05,551
He was putting his face
in his own book.

712
00:42:05,576 --> 00:42:08,311
I mean, that'd be a nice way
to sign it, wouldn't it? Yeah, yeah.

713
00:42:08,336 --> 00:42:09,591
It looks so modern.

714
00:42:09,616 --> 00:42:12,591
That's an original 1200 haircut,
I think we can say.

715
00:42:12,616 --> 00:42:15,701
...whose owner would be proud
to think that their book is being

716
00:42:15,726 --> 00:42:20,150
taken care of so meticulously
all these years later.

717
00:42:20,175 --> 00:42:23,980
For centuries, the Thames has been
a vital means of transport,

718
00:42:24,005 --> 00:42:26,230
linking us with
the rest of the world

719
00:42:26,255 --> 00:42:30,541
and providing access to
the very heart of this capital city.

720
00:42:30,566 --> 00:42:34,311
And it still is. It's working
harder than ever before,

721
00:42:34,336 --> 00:42:39,471
keeping London and beyond
fed, clothed and watered.

722
00:42:39,496 --> 00:42:41,061
Good on you, Thames.

723
00:42:48,216 --> 00:42:49,511
Next time:

724
00:42:49,536 --> 00:42:50,751
This is fantastic.

725
00:42:50,776 --> 00:42:54,110
...behind the scenes
at an iconic Thames attraction...

726
00:42:54,135 --> 00:42:56,311
It's like painting
the Forth Bridge, isn't it?

727
00:42:56,336 --> 00:42:58,471
It's a job that will
never, never end.

728
00:42:58,496 --> 00:43:01,150
...insight into a unique craft...

729
00:43:01,175 --> 00:43:04,311
Wow! That hits you
full in the face, doesn't it?

730
00:43:04,336 --> 00:43:07,621
...and I help out
at a thriving riverside business...

731
00:43:08,646 --> 00:43:11,951
Hey! That was a nice one.
Put a spring in my step, that did.

732
00:43:11,976 --> 00:43:14,980
...all on the river
that keeps me on my toes.

733
00:43:15,005 --> 00:43:16,791
My Fitbit's going off the scale.

734
00:43:33,255 --> 00:43:35,181
Subtitles by Red Bee Media