0:00:08 > 0:00:11The Great British countryside. Beautiful, glorious...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13And very, very old.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20For three billion years these British Isles have been growing and changing.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23They've never stood still.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26If you love the British landscape the way we both do,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28then you might be very familiar with it,
0:00:28 > 0:00:30but there is another story to be told.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33The story that has always fascinated me,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35of what happened here those millions of years ago.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37And how that still affects our lives every day.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Woah!
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Hey! Look out!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Look at that!
0:00:44 > 0:00:48For a country of our size, we have a greater variety of landscapes
0:00:48 > 0:00:50than anywhere else on Earth.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's all down to our dramatic history.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Over millions of years, we've been flooded, frozen and ravaged
0:00:58 > 0:01:00by mighty earth movements.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07What's even more astonishing is how that distant past
0:01:07 > 0:01:09still shapes the countryside today.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I'm alive!
0:01:16 > 0:01:18We're going to all four corners of the country
0:01:18 > 0:01:25to discover how Britain's epic past lives on in the most surprising ways.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I'm ready for a bit of adventuring, but you're the geology buff.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- Where do you want to go first?- I want to go everywhere.- Of course you do.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- I'm a boy!- Can I come with you? - Yeah.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38- Where are you going? - Is this a footpath(?)
0:01:56 > 0:02:01This is the essence of England. A green and pleasant land.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This is the South Downs.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It's not what do you think of as the wilds. It's comfortable,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13familiar commuter-land.
0:02:16 > 0:02:2010 million people live round here. I live round here!
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And it has the sort of scenery you find on a tin of biscuits.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30It has a gentle, rolling feeling, a softness of character.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Here we go!
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Full of secrets and surprises.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- Keep running, keep running! Arms back.- How fantastic is that!
0:02:39 > 0:02:41This is a landscape built on chalk,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44one of the crumbliest rocks there is.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The chalk affects just about everything that lives here.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54And nowhere is it more visible than here on the south-east coast.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Don't you think the British landscape is fantastic?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02And today, that is just breathtaking,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05the sun reflecting off the chalk cliffs. Gorgeous.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10They look like slightly badly drawn curtains to me, chalk cliffs.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I first came here when I was about 11,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and I walked along the top of these with my dad.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I think we were meant to walk all the way to Winchester
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and we stopped short, because I felt quite ill.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23That's pretty good for 11, though.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I think I am probably at my happiest,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27when I'm on the top of a hill.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And looking at something like that,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34and trying to imagine what happened to create that shape.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Now THAT is a very good question.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Because when you discover what happened in the distant past,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48it explains an awful lot about how things are today.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55This is a place with an unexpectedly dramatic past.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58A hundred million years ago, this south east corner of England
0:03:58 > 0:04:02was under a massive dome of chalk.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Since then, it's been weathering away,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09and this is what it looks like today.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11One of the most famous landscapes in the world.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17These cliffs are best seen from a distance,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20but to really get to grips with the chalk they're made of,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22you need to be much, much closer.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Dave Pegler is a world-class ice climber,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30which is why he climbs on chalk,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34because climbing this stuff needs the same techniques as ice.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36That's what I'm climbing?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Yeah, this is your introduction to chalk climbing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- You have one of these in your hand. - OK.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And that's just the same as we'd use for climbing ice.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- This has moved on since Trotsky's murder, hasn't it?- Well, yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Gordon Bennett! It's like a sort of bird of prey but in shoe form!
0:04:55 > 0:04:56What I find slightly alarming is
0:04:56 > 0:04:59that chalk climbing is apparently the most dangerous climbing
0:04:59 > 0:05:00in the world.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Still, not to worry, it'll be fine.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13- In a way, I'm wishing I'd never agreed to do this programme. - A little bit of nerves there, maybe.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It doesn't look that far, really(?)
0:05:16 > 0:05:19You could slide down that on your bottom(!)
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Then you'd only have 30 feet to fall.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- Well, let's get on with it, there's no time like the present.- OK.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Oh, yes. Good moves.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41That it, go on, yeah, that's a good stick.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43What do I do now?
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Left stick up, up, into that hole.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yes, you're there! Brilliant.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Is that going to break off?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Well, it looks a bit more...
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And that, in a nutshell, is chalk.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02An Austrian man called Mr Mohs, in the 19th century,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04introduced the scale of mineral hardness,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and on it, diamond is a 10.
0:06:07 > 0:06:14Chalk would be about one. It really is very crumbly, look at that.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19They say chalk and cheese are very different things,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22but I have eaten Parmesan which is harder than this.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Oh, thank you. Bang.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34That is the most hard to get to viewing point that I've ever got to!
0:06:39 > 0:06:43This rock is so soft because of what it's made of.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47When this cliff was originally formed,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49it was at the bottom of a vast ocean.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54The chalk is basically the remains of billions of tiny sea creatures
0:06:54 > 0:06:57that died and sank to the sea floor.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03I'm trusting my life to a crumbling pile of miniature skeletons.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Bit more! Bit more!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Down!
0:07:14 > 0:07:17YES!
0:07:17 > 0:07:21HUGH LAUGHS
0:07:21 > 0:07:23My legs are like jelly!
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Chalk is so characteristic of this coastline.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Inland, it disappears under grass and trees.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36But the chalk is there all right.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41The South Downs run for a hundred miles,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44from Hampshire to East Sussex.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Chalk gives the South Downs their soft and sweeping character.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54And that makes it one of my favourite places in England to walk.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57It's not just pretty to look at.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01The chalk has a powerful effect on what lives here.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06My mother always told me to eat my greens when I was little,
0:08:06 > 0:08:07sound advice.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And I'm sure the same applies to these horses.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Because growing up eating this grass
0:08:12 > 0:08:15couldn't give them a better start in life.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19But these are not any old horses.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23These are champion, thoroughbred racehorses.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And the one I am about to meet is enormous.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28He's certainly lively!
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Well, he's ready to go and do a job now, really.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Claxon is a giant of a racehorse.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Much larger than your average one year old.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47OK, so he's 181 centimetres around his girth.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- Right.- Good man.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Polly Bonner is a horse nutritionist
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and she's been monitoring Claxon since he was born.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Well, we know he's tall. How tall is the question!
0:08:57 > 0:09:03He's 161 centimetres, which isn't far off 16 hands, in old money.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Ginormous! You're going to need a bigger stick soon!
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Claxon owes a lot to the chalky ground he's grown up on.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Chalk is mostly calcium, from the remains of all those sea creatures.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21The calcium leaches into the grass.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25When these horses eat it, it builds strong bones.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The South Downs grow some of the best racehorses in Britain.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39So you can see from here that is our growth curve.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- He's followed that line, but been well above it.- That's incredible.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45That's a direct impact of the grass.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46- Exactly.- Which is the calcium,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- which is the goodness of this particular ground.- Certainly.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Because the chalkland and the way the water flows through it
0:09:53 > 0:09:56gives us great access to fantastic calcium levels
0:09:56 > 0:09:58which are very easy to absorb.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04- When you get this right, the rewards are huge, aren't they?- Absolutely.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Top price was 1.7 million guineas for a Galileo f...
0:10:07 > 0:10:08What's that in real money?
0:10:08 > 0:10:13A guinea is a pound and five-pence. So, it's a fair chunk of cash!
0:10:16 > 0:10:17These horses have a golden future,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20as long as they keep eating their greens.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24And, with a price tag like that,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28it's not surprising they call it the sport of kings.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37A half ton thoroughbred racehorse
0:10:37 > 0:10:40can go from 0-40 in a couple of seconds.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43That's quicker than an Aston Martin.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50The last thing an owner wants is ground they can't trust.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52If the turf's too soft, the horses can stumble.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Too hard, and a fall could break their bones.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00Good turf needs a firm bedrock that drains well.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01And South Downs chalk is ideal.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08This is Goodwood. It's famous for the quality of its racetrack.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14And it's critical that the turf is just right.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16The man who has to make sure it is
0:11:16 > 0:11:20is the clerk of the course, Seamus Buckley.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Before a race can go ahead, he has to assess how soft the ground is.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- So, what's this made of? - It's just ash, it lasts about a year
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and we'd be putting it in the ground a thousand times a week or so,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33it wears down very quickly,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36especially if the ground is softish and I'm hitting down to the chalk.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- This gets transferred?- I transfer that from stick to stick, yeah.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42It's very Harry Potter, isn't it?
0:11:42 > 0:11:46- Who's Harry Potter?- Who's Harry Potter is a very good question!
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Well, he may not know his boy-wizards,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54but after 44 years in the racing business he knows his turf.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57So how far down is the chalk here?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Up the straight about six inches of top soil,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and then you're onto chalk. On the outer loops,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06there is only about three inches of top soil and then onto solid chalk.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And chalk courses are the best courses?
0:12:09 > 0:12:12When a chalk racecourse is in perfect condition,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14it's the best surface you can race on.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Chalk is full of tiny holes,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and allows the rain that falls to drain quickly.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28In the racing world, how wet or dry the turf is is called "the going",
0:12:28 > 0:12:33and it can make the difference between triumph and disaster.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The official assessment of the going is critical.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43So, it's a bit of a surprise that he relies on a simple stick
0:12:43 > 0:12:45to test the softness of the turf.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48It's down to each individual clerk at the course,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53and the clerk's word on the going is the official going of the day.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55But it's all determined by that stick?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Yeah. We have another type of mechanism
0:12:57 > 0:12:59which is called a TurfTrax GoingStick
0:12:59 > 0:13:02which is computerised, and very modern, and does the job well.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Seamus clearly knows the chalk better than any computerised poker,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12but he's happy to demonstrate the new technology.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Stab it, just gently, in. Well done. Pull back.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- This is like flying an aeroplane! - Exactly.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- Now...- You should have a reading. I'm not going to look.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28But, I'm expecting... I'm happy if it's between 6.5 to 7.5.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32- 7.1.- Bang on. Yep, that's where I'd like it to be. Well done.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37So you've got it exactly right with your ash Harry Potter stick,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- but you've got to use this?- Yeah.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Seamus gives the go-ahead for the racing to begin.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51And what Seamus says, goes.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Seamus has told me I'm not quite smart enough to be here,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01so I've been given this tie.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Seamus, because he thinks I don't often wear a tie,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07and I might not know how to tie it, so he is doing it for me.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- A different man, huh? - He's not the kind of man you refuse!
0:14:12 > 0:14:15My new-found understanding of the geology of horseracing
0:14:15 > 0:14:20has made me reckless, and I've decided to risk a crisp fiver.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31- Come on!- Go on!- Come on!
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- Come on!- Come on!
0:14:35 > 0:14:37CHEERING
0:14:37 > 0:14:39But when it comes to picking a winner,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43there's obviously more to it than just the chalk.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Two in a row!
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Third last! Third last!
0:14:46 > 0:14:49What about that one?
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Fourth last! There's still one coming!
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'..another winner for him on the day. Green Warrior second.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:07It's hard to believe that this is so close
0:15:07 > 0:15:11to one of the most densely populated parts of Britain.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18This is the bit I remember
0:15:18 > 0:15:21from when I walked the South Downs Way with my dad.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23We came over a ridge just behind here,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28and it gave out into this fantastic valley of the River Cuckmere,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30where the river winds and snakes,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34meanders its way across this beautiful floodplain
0:15:34 > 0:15:39in sort of perfect, lazy symmetry.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42If you were to push me,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47I think I'd say that that is why I decided to study landscape.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55When you look at a landscape, you might think that it's permanent.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58But nothing could be further from the truth.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01If you'd been walking here 100 million years ago,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03you simply wouldn't have recognised the place.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06But then the whole world looked different.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10All the landmasses on Earth are very slowly moving about.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Hundreds of millions of years ago,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17what would become the continents of Europe and Africa
0:16:17 > 0:16:18crashed into each other.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24In southern Europe, this mighty collision created the Alps,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27in an event known as the Alpine Orogeny.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34But the ripples extended much further north.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40They rucked up the thick layer of chalk that covered southern England,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43leaving it in a dome nearly a mile high.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Over millions of years, the middle was worn away,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53and all that was left were two ridges sticking up at the sides.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56And those chalk ridges are still there.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00They're the North and South Downs.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13That dramatic past has given us this very distinctive, sweeping landscape.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18These rolling hills have something very valuable hidden in them.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Deep beneath the surface, there are millions of litres of water.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Rainwater that falls onto the chalk downs doesn't actually run off.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It percolates into the ground,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34and it can take 100 years for it to reappear.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The reason for this sluggish progress
0:17:37 > 0:17:40is the structure of the chalk itself.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49The chalk, with its mass of tiny holes, acts like a giant sponge -
0:17:49 > 0:17:53dry on the surface, but full of water below.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The water collects in these holes to form vast underground reservoirs, called aquifers.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01But, in places, it overflows and bubbles to the surface.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05By the time the water does reappear,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08it's been so well filtered on its journey, it's incredibly pure.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Here it is, bubbling out of the ground naturally.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20The water maintains a steady temperature of around ten degrees throughout the year.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23All of these advantages mean that this is the perfect place
0:18:23 > 0:18:26to grow one of nature's most extraordinary super foods.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Down the ages, it's been claimed to prevent baldness and make you brainy.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39The Romans used it as an aphrodisiac,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43and the Egyptian Pharaohs fed it to their slaves to build them up.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45It's watercress.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46This area of Hampshire,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49with its plentiful water filtered through chalk,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51is the perfect place to grow it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I've never met anyone quite as enthusiastic about it
0:18:54 > 0:18:56as Dr Steve Rothwell.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59He calls himself a professor of watercress.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I often say it's the original superfood.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And the water is very important to the vitality of this vegetable.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Yes, well, the water filters through the chalk.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15It dissolves a lot of minerals on its way through the chalk aquifer,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19and the watercress then draws those in from the flowing water,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and that's why it is so rich in both minerals and vitamins.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It's got more calcium than whole milk, thanks to the chalk.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30It's got more vitamin C than oranges. It's high in B vitamins.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34It's got about as much vitamin A and beta-carotene as carrots.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I mean, it's right up there.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Watercress has another unusual claim to fame.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44It was the original fast food - the first British take-away.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51When the railways came to this part of England,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54the speed of the trains meant that fresh bunches of watercress
0:19:54 > 0:19:57could be in London within hours of picking.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02The Watercress Line carried up to 14 tons of cress a day.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05In Victorian times, it became the poor man's breakfast,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08bought at market and eaten on the run.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15This place became a watercress boom-town,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17with farms covering 1,000 acres.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19But, the boom-time passed,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23and in the 1960s, people almost stopped eating it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's only now that demand for watercress is on the rise again.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30And Dr Steve can't get enough of it.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I eat it every day, I must say.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Really? Every day of your life?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Yeah, I do. I used to make a sandwich of it,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40but now I just eat so much, I can't actually fit it in the bread!
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I eat my watercress and the bread.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46At weekends, I'll often take some home as well.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Yes, most days, I will eat a lot of watercress.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55There's a good chance that the bag of watercress in your fridge today
0:20:55 > 0:20:58will have come from these very beds.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01That's if Dr Steve doesn't eat it all first!
0:21:05 > 0:21:08You don't walk far around this stretch of Southern England
0:21:08 > 0:21:12without coming across a stream fed by a chalk aquifer.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16They're the most important source of domestic water in southern Britain.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20The rivers they feed run clear and constant throughout the year.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29And endless running water is exactly what you need to drive a watermill.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Industries sprang up along chalk rivers like the Test in Hampshire.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And some of these industries are quite a surprise.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43In 1724, the owner of this mill, Sir Henry Portal,
0:21:43 > 0:21:44won a lucrative contract
0:21:44 > 0:21:47to be the sole supplier of a high quality printing paper.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Paper which was to be used to print something
0:21:50 > 0:21:52which we all carry on us somewhere -
0:21:52 > 0:21:55except possibly the Queen - bank notes.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00The company started out with just English bank notes.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Before long, this little corner of Hampshire
0:22:03 > 0:22:08was supplying folding stuff to all four corners of the British Empire.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Bank note paper is made from cotton rags,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16which makes it tougher than ordinary paper.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21But the rags need a huge amount of clean water
0:22:21 > 0:22:22to wash and pulp them,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and the South Downs provided plenty of that.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Even the paper for postal orders was made on this site,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and, in the 1940s, the first bank notes with a metal security strip
0:22:36 > 0:22:39were invented right here in this very company.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42At the centre of it all was this river.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It snakes its way through the sides,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49appearing and disappearing under little walkways and bridges,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and all the time, quietly and efficiently providing the power
0:22:53 > 0:22:54to drive the machinery.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02For nearly 300 years, the Portals' business passed down the family.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09In 1966, the papermaking moved to a new factory
0:23:09 > 0:23:10a couple of miles upstream,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13where they're still making the paper for our bank notes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16So, that fiver in your pocket
0:23:16 > 0:23:21will have been washed in water filtered through the chalk rock of the South Downs.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Which I think counts as money laundering.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34As we travel across this stretch of Southern England,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38we're discovering that the delightful rural landscape
0:23:38 > 0:23:41is not as tranquil as it might look.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46It's full of activity, some of it totally unexpected.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And some of it goes back thousands of years.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Yeah!
0:23:55 > 0:23:58There's a lot of history written into these chalk hills.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07If you'd been here 6,000 years ago,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11you'd have seen a landscape covered in dense woodland.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15When our ancestors cut down most of the trees, and settled here
0:24:15 > 0:24:18with their farm animals, they transformed the place.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Some of the animals were better suited than others.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22Once the trees were cleared,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27the nutrients were quickly washed out of this newly exposed downland.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Conditions were perfect for sheep.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34They kept the grass short and gave us the classic rolling chalk downs.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Over the centuries,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44a hardy breed of sheep grew up on the thin soil of these chalk hills
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and became known, not surprisingly, as the South Down.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49It could thrive anywhere,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and it became one of the most important sheep in the world.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00One majestic pedigree ram is being brought up the valley
0:25:00 > 0:25:04to spend a few weeks with the ladies. And there's a lot at stake.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Hello, handsome!
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Right, first things first...
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Release the ram!
0:25:11 > 0:25:14For farming brothers Steve and Paul Humphries,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16this is a very serious business.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17Here he is.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18What's his name?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22He doesn't have a name. He's 2015.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I quite like 2015 - it gives him a sort of double agent appeal!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Yeah! Yeah!
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Sturdy beast! Lovely.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31We like him.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- Right, am I going to do the business?- Yes.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36OK, if we put him over, and, um...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Yep.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40- This is messy stuff.- That's it. - On there?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- Yes, yes. - It's a good old dollop, isn't it?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46That's it. A good old dollop, just on here.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47- There we go.- Good boy.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And this is so you know, basically, which ewes he's been busy with?
0:25:51 > 0:25:52That's right.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55What is this gunky stuff made of? It's paint and...?
0:25:55 > 0:25:56A bit of engine oil.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Engine oil, of course!
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It doesn't seem very technical.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04But Paul and Steve have raised South Downs here for decades,
0:26:04 > 0:26:05so it clearly works.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08How long have your family been on this farm?
0:26:08 > 0:26:13- Since the beginning of the century. About 100 years, yeah.- Right.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18At one time, there would have been a quarter of a million sheep
0:26:18 > 0:26:20roaming these hillsides.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24And these South Downs were exported far and wide.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28They were probably the first pure bred British sheep to be introduced to Australia.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33By 1900, they were the most widely distributed sheep breed in the world.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38These little sheep helped build the British Empire!
0:26:38 > 0:26:42They do do well on very little nutrition.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46They will thrive on poor grasses, even if it's a very dry year.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49In fact, sometimes they really do outstanding in dry years.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54Basically, because they're one of the traditional native breeds.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55No kidding!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It's been said that these sheep would grow fat on concrete.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02But then bigger, meatier breeds became more fashionable,
0:27:02 > 0:27:07and these sturdy little South Downs fell out of favour.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10In the '70s, they hit a low point, but now they're making a comeback
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and they're established all over the country.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- And all over the world. - And all over the world, yes.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20It's down to farmers like Steve and rams like 2015 to keep numbers up.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21He is set to go.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23And there's only one way to do that.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27The girls are just about to meet their pedigree chum!
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- Once he starts working, it'll be perfect.- Yes...
0:27:31 > 0:27:33He's interested in that one.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- He's definitely interested! Straight in there!- Good sign.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38We're going to have lambs next spring!
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Sheep do well up on these hills,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54but it's not at all an easy landscape to farm.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00The chalky soils are thin and, more to the point,
0:28:00 > 0:28:01the hills are very steep.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07They're like great folds in a giant carpet.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09That's the Alpine Orogeny for you!
0:28:11 > 0:28:14But, for some people, these precipitous slopes
0:28:14 > 0:28:16were just what they were after.
0:28:18 > 0:28:2040 years ago,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22in the early 1970s,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26a group of pioneering, thrill-seeking DIY oddballs,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29who were looking for a steep hill to jump off,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33recognised the advantages of the Alpine Orogeny for their new sport.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38When you think about it, it sounds like a monumentally bad idea.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42You climb to the top of a big hill and then,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45holding nothing more substantial than a flimsy bit of cloth,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47you jump off!
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Right here in the South Downs was where British hang-gliding was born,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54and, hot on its heels, came paragliding.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I'm told that the difference between a hang glider and a paraglider
0:28:58 > 0:29:01is that a hang-glider is a "stiffy" and a paraglider is a "floppy",
0:29:01 > 0:29:04but I've decided not to go into that any further.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Whatever it is you're flying, this is the place to do it.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I'm here to meet an old hand in the skies.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17He's at the top of the hill, but I'm guessing, not for very long.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Good day for it?
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Absolutely perfect, as you can see!
0:29:21 > 0:29:24You should be looking at the geology as you fly over,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27but I suspect you're not, are you? You're going "Woooah!"
0:29:27 > 0:29:30We're always looking for the next bit of lift,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32and the geology round here is what creates that lift.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36So this is why it's a mecca for paragliding.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41All you need for paragliding is a smooth, high ridge to jump off,
0:29:41 > 0:29:43no sharp bits to impale yourself on,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46and a steady breeze coming towards you.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Thanks to the folding of a chalk dome,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51that's exactly what you've got in these hills.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It definitely started here though, didn't it?
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- It did!- Because this is 1972, I think.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00That's the black plastic and bamboo bat glider, I think it was called.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02The guy flying it is Dave Watts.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06So he would have made that himself? That's not bought?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Yeah... Would you buy one of them?!
0:30:08 > 0:30:13He's got some bamboo from a garden centre and some gaffer tape.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15He was one of the first guys to do it in this country.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17It's much safer nowadays.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21They've tidied up the aerodynamics and the science behind it.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- This is looking very aerodynamic(!) - They fly beautifully.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- Sorry!- That's all right. - It happens.- Drop in any time!
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Do you want to get rigged up and have a go then?
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Yes, I do. I want to get up there.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48No, really, I do!
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Go, Hugh! Go, Hugh! Keep running, keep running, arms back.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Hey, look out!
0:30:58 > 0:31:00How fantastic is that?!
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Oh-oh, lean back, lean back.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21That's good. Now we're going to land.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35This rim of chalk is clearly a paraglider's dream,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38but what's at the bottom of the slope is just as fascinating.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44When the middle bit of the chalk mountain wore away,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47what was left was a flat plain of much older rocks.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49This is the Sussex Weald,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53and geologically it's a whole new ballgame.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56It's not all chalk. Not by a long chalk!
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Do you want to see my demonstration of the formation of the Weald,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03using only cheese, ham and bread?
0:32:03 > 0:32:06I have a feeling that, whether or not I want you to show me...
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- Correct, I'm going to show you anyway.- You are going to, yes.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13So... That's nothing. That's rock way, way down below.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Then the first bit is...
0:32:15 > 0:32:16Red Leicester.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19No. That is clay. OK?
0:32:19 > 0:32:20This is millions of years -
0:32:20 > 0:32:23hundreds of millions of years before the chalk comes.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Then, on top of that, there is a layer of sandstone - ham.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30then there's another layer of clay, slightly different clay,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33but for the purposes of this, same cheese.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36then there's another layer of sandstone -
0:32:36 > 0:32:40slightly different sandstone, same ham. On top of the lot, the chalk.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44And that's 150 million years it's taken to build that sandwich.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47And then, the whole thing gets lifted up
0:32:47 > 0:32:49so it goes into a big dome like that. Get the knife, boom!
0:32:49 > 0:32:54- Yes.- And then, you have to slice this top bit off.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55OK. Mind your fingers.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56This is very, very...
0:32:56 > 0:33:00- Shall I just chop that out? - You chop all that out.- Yes.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02It's going to be messy. There you go.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03- Right?- Yeah.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05And that bit in the middle,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07this complicated lump of cheese and ham,
0:33:07 > 0:33:08is the Weald.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13It's cracking - in some places, the ham underneath is exposed.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14In other places,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18the cheese underneath is exposed.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20It's all incredibly complicated.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Your three years at university were very well spent.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I've made a lot of sandwiches.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26And you have made geology interesting.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Well, I've made it edible.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31- Can I test your Weald? - You can, yeah.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Mmm.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37I've never eaten an area of outstanding natural beauty before.
0:33:37 > 0:33:38It's good, isn't it? Excellent.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Is there anywhere else I could make?
0:33:46 > 0:33:49In reality, the Weald is a great flat area
0:33:49 > 0:33:52with the M23 running through it,
0:33:52 > 0:33:56not to mention a major railway line and Gatwick Airport.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00But that great sandwich of rocks that lies deep below the surface -
0:34:00 > 0:34:04the clay and the sandstone - also contains something unexpected -
0:34:04 > 0:34:07something that makes you feel you must be lost -
0:34:07 > 0:34:10you can't possibly be in Sussex any more.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13It's like Texas.
0:34:17 > 0:34:23In 1987, just north of Chichester, they struck oil.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26So far, they've found 37 million barrels.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Oil geologist John O'Sullivan
0:34:29 > 0:34:32is a bit of a connoisseur of the black gold.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36But, to the uninitiated, it can be a bit confusing.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38There you go.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42That looks more like a cappuccino than it does oil, doesn't it?
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Expensive cappuccino!
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Really? How much do you reckon?
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Actually, the price of a cappuccino...
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Exactly! A cappuccino is probably more expensive than that!
0:34:56 > 0:35:00A mile down, squashed between all those layers of rock,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02are the remains of animals and plants
0:35:02 > 0:35:04that died millions of years ago.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Over time, with the right pressure and temperature,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12their sludgy remains turned into oil.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17The snag is, those reserves lie under some of the most attractive countryside in southern England.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21You can't just put a derrick up and drill straight down.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23The field isn't directly beneath us.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27The field is to the south of where we're standing right now.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30So the wells tend to drop down vertically
0:35:30 > 0:35:33and then they begin to turn and spread out
0:35:33 > 0:35:37and snake through the reservoir horizontally
0:35:37 > 0:35:39so most of the wells are at 90 degrees,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41so they're called J-wells or horizontal wells.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- And you can control your drill to that extent?- Yeah.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47I can't control... I can't put a Rawlplug in without it going...
0:35:47 > 0:35:49something weird happening to it.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51It's an expensive PlayStation!
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Do you ever get a well...
0:35:54 > 0:35:57You know, in films, there's always a gusher that you drill
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and suddenly the oil spurts out the top and everybody dances
0:36:00 > 0:36:02and lets themselves get covered in oil.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- No? Not here?- Not here.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09I mean, people think that oil fields are these large caverns
0:36:09 > 0:36:13under the ground full of lakes of oil, which is sadly not the case.
0:36:13 > 0:36:19Oil tends to get trapped within the minute spaces within a rock.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20And this sucks it out?
0:36:20 > 0:36:26This is a like a child sucking fluid with a straw out of a rock?
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Basically, you've got a straw
0:36:28 > 0:36:30that's a couple of thousand feet in length
0:36:30 > 0:36:32and you're pulling on one end.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35It is worth the effort though.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39So far, they've taken barely a quarter of what might still be down there.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47It just feels so unlikely to have an oilfield
0:36:47 > 0:36:48in the middle of an English wood.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54So that's how a little bit of Sussex
0:36:54 > 0:36:58might find its way into your petrol tank.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01But then there are all sorts of geological surprises
0:37:01 > 0:37:04that you wouldn't expect in the Home Counties.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13From the surface, you'd never guess what's hidden away
0:37:13 > 0:37:15beneath this gentle countryside.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18The first clue is this strange conveyor belt
0:37:18 > 0:37:22which snakes its way through the Weald for three and a half miles.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27The second clue is this modest shutter door in the hillside -
0:37:27 > 0:37:32The unlikely entrance to the largest underground mine in southern England.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Are you sure it's not a car wash?
0:37:36 > 0:37:40No, I can assure you of that. It's a very big hole
0:37:40 > 0:37:43and we're continuing to make it bigger.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Mine supervisor David Dunk has been working in this dark,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54subterranean world for a long time.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58I come through some of the most beautiful countryside in England
0:37:58 > 0:38:00to get to my job, and then go underneath it,
0:38:00 > 0:38:06a thousand feet and into a totally alien, almost moonscape landscape
0:38:06 > 0:38:10to dig out the minerals 1,000 feet below it all.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- And how long have you worked down here?- 33 years.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Once a miner, you're always a miner, it just sticks in your blood.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22Well, I'm very glad you know where you're going, that's all I can say!
0:38:22 > 0:38:24You do get used to it.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31You wouldn't want to get lost down here. It's vast.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36Ten square miles of mine workings, great underground tunnels.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40It's like a film set. Dr Evil's secret lair.
0:38:40 > 0:38:47But this very valuable piece of the Weald was created 150 million years ago.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Where I'm standing now was once a coastal tidal mudflat
0:38:55 > 0:38:59and above us... Well, none of that rock would be there.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02All you would have been able to see is a blazing tropical sun
0:39:02 > 0:39:05which evaporated the mud to leave this stuff.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11It's a mineral called gypsum, known to you and me as Plaster of Paris.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16It's often used to make plasterboard, but most of this mine's output goes into cement.
0:39:18 > 0:39:24Virtually every bag of cement sold in Britain contains gypsum from down here.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30You'll almost certainly have some of this very mine in your house.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37Now, this gypsum would have taken about ten million years to lay down,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40and it's going to come out a whole lot quicker than that!
0:39:43 > 0:39:48The process starts at the rock face with this monster drilling rig.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50The twin boom jumbo.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56What they're doing is making holes for dynamite.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59The blast will go 100 yards up the road
0:39:59 > 0:40:02and, provided the drilling is to the required standard,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04the main beam will stay intact.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- Yeah.- Support the roof. - I'm hoping that as well(!)
0:40:12 > 0:40:16The explosives arrive, driven by Ron, the blast technician,
0:40:16 > 0:40:21who quickly trained me in the use of his highly specialised tools.
0:40:22 > 0:40:28I have to admit, pushing detonators into sticks of dynamite leaves me a little bit nervous.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32But Ron seems very jolly as he wires it all together.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39When we press the detonator,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42it's going to set off 140 kilos of explosives down here.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47But the people of the Home Counties above us won't know a thing about it...
0:40:47 > 0:40:49we hope.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55- Is that enough?- Yeah, that's fine. - Ready?- Yeah.- Here we go!
0:40:57 > 0:41:00EXPLOSION
0:41:18 > 0:41:22- Quite pleased with that, to be honest!- We're pleased as well.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Excellent contribution, thank you very much!
0:41:27 > 0:41:30And when the dust has settled, there's 300 tons of gypsum
0:41:30 > 0:41:34ready to begin its journey by conveyor belt across Sussex
0:41:34 > 0:41:38and possibly, ultimately, bringing a bit of the Sussex Weald
0:41:38 > 0:41:40into the walls of your new extension.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Sussex gypsum makes a vital contribution
0:41:47 > 0:41:51to the building industry, but like chalk it's incredibly soft.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Buried deep in this landscape is one of the toughest substances there is...
0:41:56 > 0:41:59not far behind diamond.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Up in the cliffs, where the chalk is exposed,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04there are thin bands of black rock.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08It's flint, and you only find it in chalk.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Away from the coast, it comes to the surface in great chunks.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18You can find flint lying around everywhere in the South Downs.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21It's wonderful stuff. Not only is it incredibly hard,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24it can be razor sharp and, if you know what you're doing,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27absolutely deadly.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32It was flint that put stone into the Stone Age.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43'It might look basic,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47'but you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50'James Dilley is an ancient craftsman...'
0:42:50 > 0:42:51Good shot!
0:42:51 > 0:42:53'..and he's fascinated by flint.'
0:42:53 > 0:42:55It's impressive stuff, isn't it, James, flint?
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Yeah, it's a really sharp material and it's very versatile,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01and it's a bit mysterious as well, how it was formed.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04No-one's totally sure how it was formed.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08How long have you been interested in flint because you make these bows and arrows, don't you?
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Yeah, well, I've been collecting sticks and stones,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14like any young boy, since I was...a young boy!
0:43:14 > 0:43:18- Basically, you watched Robin Hood, as a boy.- It must have been that!
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Could you show me how to make one of these?
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- Well, hopefully. - How long would it take?
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Hours. Days, maybe.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27Good job I brought a packed lunch.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37So James, how are you going to turn that incredible bulk of flint
0:43:37 > 0:43:39into a dainty little arrowhead?
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Well, I'm hoping to take some flakes off because that's how
0:43:42 > 0:43:44we get the arrowhead out of it.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Sometimes, if you hit the flint in different places,
0:43:48 > 0:43:50you get a slightly different sound.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54That suggests to me that that piece has got a big, natural crack
0:43:54 > 0:43:58running through it so that should just fall off.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01And it did.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04'This really is an ancient craft.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07'Long before people knew how to work with metal,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10'making tools from flint meant the difference between life and death.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14'With the right weapon you could bring down a bear or a deer
0:44:14 > 0:44:17'and keep your family from starvation.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'It's a bit of a lost art, but James has got the gift.'
0:44:20 > 0:44:23- It's beautiful, isn't it? - Yeah, like many natural materials,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27when you work with wood or flint, it can produce some real surprises
0:44:27 > 0:44:31and you get fossils inside the flint of shells and sea creatures.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Their remains were trapped in the flint like amber.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40The stone gets sharper and sharper.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44This could slice through flesh and bone.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48That one could be used for an arrowhead with little work to it.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51That's sound like my kind of job!
0:44:53 > 0:44:58Flint is formed under the sea, but no-one is quite sure how.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00It's not calcium, like the chalk, but silica,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03the same sort of material as glass.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07So working flint is like working shards of glass.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Time to test my arrowhead on a piece of leather.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15- That is incredibly sharp.- Yeah.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19- As sharp as any kitchen knife I've got.- Easily, yeah.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22And this is why people think that flint,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25when worked like this, can be as sharp as,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29if not sharper than glass, and even up to a level of sharpness as steel.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33It's got a lovely teardrop shape.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36That could definitely cause some damage.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40'Now all I need is a bow.'
0:45:40 > 0:45:43It's not an incredibly powerful bow,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46but it's enough to take down an animal for hunting
0:45:46 > 0:45:48and that's what it was designed for.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53- So this shot is to save your family, effectively.- OK.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55So it needs to be just right.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Right, out the way, everyone!
0:46:07 > 0:46:12Just right. So you fed your family for a week now!
0:46:12 > 0:46:13Yes!
0:46:13 > 0:46:16My child will eat! I feel like the cavewoman!
0:46:27 > 0:46:30As a rock, flint is a bit of an oddity in the South Downs.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34Most of the rocks round here are extremely soft.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38As a result, the buildings aren't quite what they seem.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40The magnificent Regency buildings of Brighton
0:46:40 > 0:46:42are basically made of chalk rubble,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45with a bit of flint thrown in.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49They say you could knock them down with a well-aimed water hose.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56You might think that anyone wanting to build big around here
0:46:56 > 0:46:59wouldn't choose local stone.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02But there is one quite astonishing exception.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21This is the largest school chapel in the world.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34It's huge, bigger than most cathedrals.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38You can see it bulging out of the landscape for miles around,
0:47:38 > 0:47:40and it dwarves the school.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44It belongs to Lancing College
0:47:44 > 0:47:47and was built by an ambitious Victorian curate
0:47:47 > 0:47:49called Nathaniel Woodard
0:47:49 > 0:47:51who was determined to build big.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00Jeremy Tomlinson was a teacher here for 30 years,
0:48:00 > 0:48:01and loves this building.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03It is amazing!
0:48:03 > 0:48:05It is absolutely amazing!
0:48:05 > 0:48:09And the more you look at the beauty of the architecture,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12- the more amazing it is. - But he couldn't quite afford it.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15He couldn't really afford any of it!
0:48:15 > 0:48:16He raised money
0:48:16 > 0:48:21by putting tremendous pressure on wealthy and important people.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Nathanial Woodard set about building his vast chapel
0:48:26 > 0:48:31with local sandstone, which was all he could afford.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33And that was rash,
0:48:33 > 0:48:38because Sussex sandstone might be cheap, but it's extremely crumbly.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41So what is the nature of this stone, then?
0:48:41 > 0:48:46The stone splits very easily. We can probably quite easily split a piece.
0:48:46 > 0:48:51That's a bit out of one of the windows on the south side
0:48:51 > 0:48:54and it doesn't give you a lot of confidence really, does it?
0:48:54 > 0:48:59Yeah, never has it been more obvious that sandstone is essentially sand.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03No, because there it is. And they're very, very small grains.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06- Astonishing.- It's really quite like a digestive biscuit.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09And everywhere in this building, if you leave it long enough,
0:49:09 > 0:49:15a fine coat of sand appears which is gradually, gradually coming off the stone.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19- It irritates the verger! - THEY LAUGH
0:49:28 > 0:49:31You've got to be a bit worried about the structure,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33if that's the state of the windows.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37- I hope you know where you're going! - Yes! Come back down here.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39When you climb up, you can see the scale of the thing
0:49:39 > 0:49:45and you can also see how badly the stone is weathering in the sea air.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51The only reason it's still in one piece
0:49:51 > 0:49:54is because the school is constantly mending it.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59When a bit crumbles, they have to replace it with a stronger kind of sandstone.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05They've had to bolster the rods holding up the magnificent rose window.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12The flying buttresses are reinforced with bolts.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19So far, it's cost more than a million pounds in repairs.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27But maybe they're getting off lightly.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29If Nathanial Woodard had had his way,
0:50:29 > 0:50:33he'd have gone on to add a 350 foot tower
0:50:33 > 0:50:35with a lighthouse on top.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48There is something about this part of the country that is just so...
0:50:48 > 0:50:50British.
0:50:57 > 0:51:03These white cliffs of southern England have become a sort of national symbol.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07We sing songs about them and they're what you look out for
0:51:07 > 0:51:10when you're going backwards and forwards on the ferry.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15If Britain was a brand, the white cliffs would probably be the logo,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17and you can see why.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21They seem to rise like castle walls out of the sea,
0:51:21 > 0:51:28giving this impression of permanence and strength and impregnability.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33But in fact, these cliffs are relatively recent.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37Where the English Channel is now, there was once all dry land.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42A mere 200,000 years ago, you could have strolled from southern England
0:51:42 > 0:51:43right across to France.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50It was the middle of the Ice Age.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Britain was physically joined to Europe.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55The dry land that joined us together
0:51:55 > 0:51:59had a rim of chalk at one edge holding back a huge lake.
0:52:04 > 0:52:11But suddenly, almost overnight in geological terms, this rim broke.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14A deluge of mud, rocks and water
0:52:14 > 0:52:18rushed across the land between Dover and Calais.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Over the next couple of hundred thousand years,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24the channel got wider and wider.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27And so we became an island.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36When you stand on the beach on the south coast,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38you can still see France.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Not today, obviously.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45But geology most certainly cut us adrift, and as an island race
0:52:45 > 0:52:48we could now start to develop those distinctly British virtues
0:52:48 > 0:52:51like fair play, a stiff upper lip,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54and having ideas that other people pinch and do much better.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01And on the hills of Hampshire,
0:53:01 > 0:53:05there is something you'd never believe we thought of first.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08One of Britain's lesser known inventors was a man called
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Christopher Merrett.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14In 1662, he suggested that wine could be improved
0:53:14 > 0:53:17if you added a bit of sugar to it, to make it bubbly.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20Typically, here, no-one took any notice.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23But in the Champagne region of France,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25they thought it was quite a good idea.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Now, 350 years later, we are racing to catch up.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Christian Seely has spent his life in the wine trade,
0:53:39 > 0:53:43and has managed a string of world-renowned vineyards.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46So why did he choose to set up a vineyard of his own
0:53:46 > 0:53:48on a chalky hillside in Hampshire?
0:53:48 > 0:53:52Because, believe it or not, it's just like France.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57It's quite a large map! As you can see!
0:53:57 > 0:53:59It's a large map, but it's the wrong way up.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02'I've brought my pocket-sized geological map of Europe along,
0:54:02 > 0:54:06'so Christian can show me what he means.'
0:54:06 > 0:54:09There we go, so this is Britain.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13And we're here, aren't we? We're in the Hampshire Downs.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16So this whole green area here is chalk.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Yeah, it's what they call the Paris Basin
0:54:19 > 0:54:21and it starts over here in the east.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24He's dead right of course.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26When you look at it, it's so obvious.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Northern France is made of exactly the same stuff as the south of England.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33It's just a bit of water separating us.
0:54:33 > 0:54:38It's geologically more or less identical to what exists in Champagne.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41And that's what's exciting about the potential here.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Although we can't really say we're part of France, can we?
0:54:44 > 0:54:46We have to be very careful.
0:54:46 > 0:54:51That's true, but one could also say that France was part of us.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55We can, yes. Let's say that!
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Chalk soil is poor soil
0:55:02 > 0:55:06but it makes the vines dig deeper for their nutrients,
0:55:06 > 0:55:10and that really concentrates the flavours in the developing fruit.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Poor soil means perfect grapes.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19So you got the chalk here, but does it matter that you haven't necessarily got the sun?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Yes, a little more sun would sometimes be welcome,
0:55:22 > 0:55:26but we've got just enough sun here to make a sparkling wine.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29And the point about champagne was that it was invented
0:55:29 > 0:55:31to make a great drink out of grapes
0:55:31 > 0:55:33that were grown in a northern climate
0:55:33 > 0:55:35and Champagne is quite far north, like here.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37- So, Hampshire wins?- Hampshire wins!
0:55:41 > 0:55:45Rather looking forward to this. It's a very satisfying noise.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49'Now this is clearly not the sort of wine you'd knock back with
0:55:49 > 0:55:51'a packet of porky scratchings.'
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- Well, cheers.- Cheers!
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Well, that is delicious.
0:56:04 > 0:56:09- Thank you.- If ever I launch a ship, I'm going to use this stuff.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11I think it would be highly appropriate.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Is that a good use for champagne, do you think?
0:56:15 > 0:56:17It's quite an extravagance.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28Who'd have thought it? Hampshire, the home of world-class bubbly.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30But that's the South Downs for you.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Always something unexpected up its respectable sleeves.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39This corner of Britain has given us sparkling wine
0:56:39 > 0:56:40and super-sized racehorses
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and tough little sheep that helped build the empire.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48There are hidden mines and secret reserves of oil.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Not to mention all the watercress you can eat.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56And these riches are down to the land that lies beneath.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03These chalk hills themselves have a magnificence about them.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05A real sense of dependability.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10They've always had that.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Down the ages, people would take to these hills
0:57:12 > 0:57:16whenever there was any threat of invasion and light bonfires,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18to let everyone know that there was trouble brewing.
0:57:21 > 0:57:27And up here, in 1588, a beacon fire on this very hill
0:57:27 > 0:57:31warned Elizabethan England that the Spanish Armada was heading our way.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Such terrific views from the South Downs.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39You must be able to see this beacon for miles and miles!
0:57:39 > 0:57:42I can almost feel Sir Francis Drake out there,
0:57:42 > 0:57:45and I'm sending him the Tudor equivalent of a text message.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48Well, there was a beacon there at that time
0:57:48 > 0:57:51but this one actually dates from the Queen's Jubilee in 2002.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55I don't know what happened to the old one. Possibly it burnt down.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Nothing lasts for ever!
0:57:57 > 0:57:59No. Including the whole of the South Downs, of course,
0:57:59 > 0:58:01cos eventually all the chalk will be worn away
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and there won't be any hills anywhere.
0:58:04 > 0:58:05No need for us to rush though.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08No, we'll be fine. It's going to be millions of years.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Millions of them.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15That's the thing about landscape. It just won't be hurried.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23Next time, Hugh and I are in the Scottish Highlands.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27We get a real taste of powerful forces...
0:58:27 > 0:58:30that shaped this spectacular landscape.
0:58:41 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd