0:00:04 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see, and where to stay.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28Now, 170 years later, I'm making four long journeys across the length
0:00:28 > 0:00:34and breadth of the country to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55My first journey this week begins
0:00:55 > 0:00:58in the gorgeous open spaces of Derbyshire, the Peak District,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and the wonderful town of Buxton.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Before long I'll be penetrating
0:01:02 > 0:01:05the heart of Britain's Industrial Revolution -
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Burton, Derby, Birmingham - and thinking about trains that carried
0:01:09 > 0:01:11coal and minerals as well as passengers,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14before going on to the Home Counties,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18and eventually to the nation's capital - ending up in London.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24'Along the way, I'll be exploring some hidden architectural gems.'
0:01:24 > 0:01:25It is huge.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30- Are we talking St Peter's Cathedral in Rome?- Larger than!- No!- Yes.
0:01:30 > 0:01:36Finding out how the landscape of the Peak District has changed since Bradshaw's time.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42The Industrial Revolution - the coal-fired industries - basically destroyed the bog surface.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And taking a nostalgic trip back into my childhood.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52From the moment I arrived on this platform, I got that scent of railway engine.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I'm old enough to remember trains pulled by steam engines
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and it just took me straight back to my childhood.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06All this week, I'm travelling from Buxton along one of the
0:02:06 > 0:02:12earliest railway routes in England, first built to transport freight from north to south.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Each day, I'll be stopping at towns and cities recommended
0:02:16 > 0:02:21by Bradshaw's guide, until I reach the end of the line in London.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Today, I'll be covering the first 40 miles, to Holme Moss
0:02:25 > 0:02:29then on through the Peak District via Millers Dale to Matlock Bath.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39My first stop is at England's highest market town, Buxton.
0:02:43 > 0:02:50Buxton sprang to life as an upmarket resort in the 18th century, on the back of its famous spa.
0:02:50 > 0:02:57The well-to-do visitors came for the curative effects of the famous local spring water.
0:02:57 > 0:03:04As Bradshaw tells me, I will find a fountain which gives us the Buxton waters.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10He says the water is clear and tasteless.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15It's also warm.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23And, says Bradshaw, has a stimulating effect.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24I must watch out for that.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33The water was said to be especially good for gout and rheumatism.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39Today, the fountain, known as St Ann's Well, still attracts people looking for a cure.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I see you're really going for it, you're filling up...
0:03:43 > 0:03:46four litres of water?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Does it do you good?
0:03:48 > 0:03:53I'll give you a story. We had a dachshund and it went off its legs.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54The vet said we couldn't do anything for it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Somebody said that it's good for rheumatism.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02We thought, we'll get some of this for the dog. The dog's legs mended, and he walked,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and he lived for another five years.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08That's fantastic. I'd better have some more, I think.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Many of the Regency buildings from Buxton's 18th-century heyday
0:04:19 > 0:04:26as a spa town are still in place, giving Buxton a stately and graceful feel.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Bradshaw is enthusiastic about Buxton.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32"Situated in the midst of one of the most picturesque parts of Derbyshire,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35"the Crescent is the principal building at Buxton."
0:04:35 > 0:04:42"It was erected by the late Duke Of Devonshire and has three storeys, and extends for 257 feet."
0:04:45 > 0:04:52Built in the early 1780s, the Crescent was a direct copy of the one in Bath, by architect John Wood.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It housed a ballroom, assembly rooms,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58shops and fashionable hotels,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01as well as a house for the Duke.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09After Buxton had had a Regency heyday,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14it then had a Victorian revival, with a lovely municipal park,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17botanical gardens and an opera house.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22This is a small town we're talking about, and it has an opera house.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It's fantastic.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29I've been to the opera house in Buxton twice, once years ago
0:05:29 > 0:05:34for a Mozart opera, and once to make a speech.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39When the railways reached Buxton in 1863,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43this northern spa town boomed for the second time.
0:05:43 > 0:05:49To cater for the trainloads of new visitors, The Duke of Devonshire led the building of new attractions.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Over the next 40 years, the opera house, the Pavilion Gardens
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and the huge Palace Hotel all sprang up,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01funded by the citizens of Buxton themselves.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04These Victorian attractions look pretty much as they did
0:06:04 > 0:06:09in Bradshaw's time, and still bring tourists to Buxton all year round.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17Another landmark built by the Duke dominates Buxton's skyline - his extraordinary stables.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24This is one of Buxton's most magnificent buildings, and
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Bradshaw says, "These are the large stables of the Duke of Devonshire."
0:06:28 > 0:06:33He loves to give figures. "Built at a cost of £120,000."
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Bradshaw is quite shocked by that.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39£5 million in today's money, for stables, that is quite something.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44And a fantastic dome, which Bradshaw doesn't mention.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53This is really beautiful.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56I hadn't expected this lovely colonnade, all the way around.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I hadn't expected so much light, because the top of the dome
0:07:00 > 0:07:06is completely glass, and light enters all the way around the dome. Oh!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08And I've got an echo.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Echo.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11Echo.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22Today, the building is a university campus and Adrian Brown is a former student.
0:07:22 > 0:07:29I can't believe this huge building was a stable, and I can't believe that a stable has a dome.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33In fact, it didn't. The original building, as a stables, was created in 1790.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38People can be a little surprised to learn that it was nearly a century later before the building acquires
0:07:38 > 0:07:44the dome, thanks to the efforts of the 7th Duke and his architect, Robert Rippon Duke.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49Just as he was creating this dome, the Tay Bridge disaster happened.
0:07:49 > 0:07:5476 people died during the storm in later December of 1879.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01The Tay Bridge disaster was to have a huge impact on the building of the dome.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07One night during a violent winter storm, the railway bridge across the Tay to Dundee suddenly collapsed.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09It was less than two years old.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Engineers discovered that the bridge had failed because the rivets weren't
0:08:13 > 0:08:17lined up properly with the holes and had sheared off in high winds.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Fearing that the same methods were being used to build the dome,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Architect Robert Rippon Duke immediately halted work.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29What Robert Rippon Duke was concerned about was the fact
0:08:29 > 0:08:33that the construction of the dome was very similar
0:08:33 > 0:08:38to that of the Tay Bridge, in that it was a cast-iron construction,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41bolted and riveted to a stone base.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43I can see the bolts and rivets.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47The way in which the Victorians would have bolted a structure together like this,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51it was made to tight tolerances, but nevertheless, the bolt holes didn't necessarily coincide.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57In that case, the bolt had to be forced, or as the Victorians called it, drifting in the bolt.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00The bolts in some cases were heated up to almost red heat, so they
0:09:00 > 0:09:05became molten, almost plastic in their nature, before they were then hammered into place.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Robert Rippon Duke came rushing back to the building and stopped work.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14He had all the bolts taken out, the holes re-drilled where necessary.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Then the whole thing was put back together again,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21with the effect that 130-odd years on, the building is extremely sound.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25So thank goodness - potentially, a second disaster was averted.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Correct.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The lessons learned changed the way the Victorians built,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and helped them achieve some incredible feats of engineering.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37The dome weighs 560 tonnes,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and spans 145 feet.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45It is huge. What are we talking, St Paul's Cathedral in London?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- Larger than.- Larger than?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- Yeah.- St Peter's Cathedral in Rome?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51- Larger than.- No.- Yes!
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I still have that sort of sense of wonder, and also great pride,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58that Buxton has got one of the largest domes in the world,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and architecturally, one of the most attractive domes in the world.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07It is truly, I think, the gem in the middle of the Buxton architectural crown.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Well placed pride.- Thank you.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18Bradshaw didn't just recommend local architectural landmarks in his guides -
0:10:18 > 0:10:21he also suggests visiting some of nature's most attractive sites.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- Does this go to New Mills New Town? - Yes.- Thank you very much.
0:10:33 > 0:10:41I'm now leaving Buxton to travel on into the heart of the Peak District National Park, to Holme Moss.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48Bradshaw is at his most lyrical about the Peak District.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52He says, "We have the peculiar scenery of Derbyshire before us.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58"The tourists will seldom see such glorious landscape from the window of a railway carriage."
0:10:58 > 0:11:00"Whilst at one moment the bold hills
0:11:00 > 0:11:06"rise up before us, behind us and on either side, at the next a winding valley
0:11:06 > 0:11:09"shows us a charming picture stretching away for miles."
0:11:12 > 0:11:16In 1951, this area became Britain's first National Park.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21I'm going to the Dark Peak, named after the peat landscape.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26I've never lived in the country and have never wanted to.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I love cities, and love London, where I live.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But you see the Peak District
0:11:32 > 0:11:35on a day like today,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39sunny and bright and open, and beautiful,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41it's fantastic.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59To get out on the moors, I now need to leave the railways and take a taxi.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Are you for Michael Portillo? ..Thank you.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- Is this one of the prettiest roads? - It is, because you've got the reservoirs down here on
0:12:11 > 0:12:16your right-hand side, all the way up to Ladybower, going up to Sheffield.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21You have some absolute beautiful views.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25This area is now the second most visited national park in the world,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28after Mount Fuji in Japan.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Over 20 million visitors come here each year to enjoy the scenery.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36It's quite a contrast to Bradshaw's day, when the peaks were surrounded
0:12:36 > 0:12:39by some of Britain's busiest industrial towns.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The views are still stunning, just as Bradshaw describes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51'But the moors are currently under threat.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Hello.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- Are you Chris?- Please to meet you, I am, yes.- Good to see you.
0:12:56 > 0:13:04Park ranger Chris Dean is heading up a group of volunteers trying to save the precious peat bog.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09The problem here is that we're on one of the iconic hills
0:13:09 > 0:13:12of the Peak District, Holme Moss,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and it is one of the places that is suffering
0:13:15 > 0:13:18from erosion to the peat.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Where I'm seeing these ridges of dark matter - that's the peat?
0:13:22 > 0:13:27- It is.- And the stuff in between is where the peat's disappeared? - The peat has largely disappeared.
0:13:27 > 0:13:33If we drew a line across the top of these peat hags, all the material
0:13:33 > 0:13:35underneath is what we've lost.
0:13:35 > 0:13:41The reason for that is that the soil was quite badly acidified
0:13:41 > 0:13:45by the atmospheric pollution from the textile industry.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- Going all the way back to the 19th century?- Yeah, absolutely.
0:13:48 > 0:13:54You are talking about heritage railway journeys, which were all powered by coal-fired trains.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00At that time, there was a massive industry, all powered by coal.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03The Industrial Revolution basically destroyed the bog surface,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06because a lot of those plants are quite delicate.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10While there are plants that grow in an acidic environment,
0:14:10 > 0:14:15if it gets too acidic, as here, it just wipes them out completely.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21So, that is effectively acid rain, and then that stops these grasses growing back on the peat again?
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It is basically down to the pH, the acidity of lemon juice,
0:14:25 > 0:14:30so it is extremely acidic, so we have to do something about that,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33so we can get vegetation back on these areas.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The soil is so badly damaged that the vegetation can't grow back.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44The peat lies exposed to the elements and is gradually eroded away.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Once the soil has been treated to reduce acidity,
0:14:47 > 0:14:53Chris and the volunteers are aiming to plant 500,000 plug plants, such as cotton grass.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58The work will continue until 35 square kilometres are covered.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04It should protect the peat from erosion and encourage more of it to be produced.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- A hive of activity.- It is, it is.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12You've got quite a lot of volunteers out here today.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15We like to involve young people, because they are
0:15:15 > 0:15:19the ones who are eventually going to benefit from this, in the long term.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Chris aims is to complete the first phase of work by 2015,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27using hundreds of people, including volunteers.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- What are you using?- These are dibbers
0:15:29 > 0:15:33and we have got to push them in the ground and make a hole.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Shall I have a go?- Yeah. - You've given me a nice dirty one.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40- Should be all right.- Any tips?
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Sometimes it's quite hard so you've got to push quite hard.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Oh, you're not kidding.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50And it's hard to get it out, so you might want to wiggle it a bit
0:15:50 > 0:15:52before you take it out.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53A good wiggle...
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Ah. Oh.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I'm not meant to make a big hole like that, am I?
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Right, should it go in there?
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I can see why the work could take a while, but it's important.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11As the peat erodes, it releases CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17As each plant takes root, it will help to lock the CO2 in the soil again.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Well done, thank you very much indeed. Oh, here's your...
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- what was it called?- Dibber.- Dibber.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- A dirty dibber!- Yeah.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Every generation lives with the legacy of its ancestors.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32We are dealing with pollution caused by the Industrial Revolution
0:16:32 > 0:16:36in previous centuries, living with consequences that were unforeseeable.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39But at least the damage is now being repaired.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44And the Peak District is still hauntingly beautiful, much as it was in Bradshaw's day.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50There is another big change that's affecting my journey.
0:16:50 > 0:16:56In the 19th century, train lines snaked across the moors carrying people and freight.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03Bradshaw could have caught the train from Buxton to Matlock, but the line is now closed.
0:17:03 > 0:17:09It's become a cycle and walking trail used by thousands of people every year.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Bradshaw described the route, passing through Millers Dale along
0:17:13 > 0:17:17the River Wye, as, "One of the most stupendous valleys in Derbyshire,
0:17:17 > 0:17:24"which contains a succession of some of the most remarkable tors and wild picturesque views imaginable."
0:17:24 > 0:17:27"It is, in fact, a magnificent ride,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30"sublimely grand at all seasons."
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Though that moor was very beautiful,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36it was cold and it was windy,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41and I am hungry and I'm tired. Luckily, Bradshaw always recommends hotels,
0:17:41 > 0:17:46and there's one here today that he recommends, founded in 1802.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51It looks pretty grand, exactly the place for a steak and a comfortable bed.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Hello.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Hello, good evening, sir.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Michael Portillo, checking in.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Welcome to the New Bath Hotel.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Thank you very much indeed.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08The hotel was originally for well-to-do visitors coming to Matlock Bath to enjoy the spa waters.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12There is even an old Victorian spa bath in the basement.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Let's hope the rest of the plumbing's been updated.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- Beautiful. - It is.- Ah, and the room is good.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Lovely four poster bed. Thank you very much indeed.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I'm going to kick off my boots and then come down to dinner. Thank you.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30And there, indeed, is the gorge.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39Matlock Bath, like Buxton, originally attracted visitors to its thermal springs.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43But when the railways arrived in 1840, it began to model itself
0:18:43 > 0:18:47on the bigger seaside resorts like Blackpool and Southport.
0:18:47 > 0:18:53It opened funfairs and fish and chip shops, and even developed
0:18:53 > 0:18:55its own annual illuminations.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Matlock Bath is still a popular destination for day-trippers
0:18:59 > 0:19:05with hundreds of thousands arriving every year, and perhaps Bradshaw can explain why.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Bradshaw is poetic about Matlock Bath.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14"Unquestionably the sweetest and most charming of the Derbyshire spas, it's at the bottom of Matlock Dale."
0:19:14 > 0:19:19"A narrow defile, the rocky limestone sides of which are piled up in the manner of the Undercliff
0:19:19 > 0:19:26in the Isle of Wight, but covered with a profusion of pine, fir, yew, box and other hardy trees."
0:19:26 > 0:19:30"The scenes through Matlock Bath are exquisitely beautiful
0:19:30 > 0:19:33"and may be compared to Switzerland in a nutshell."
0:19:35 > 0:19:38A little over the top, perhaps?
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Although it may seem odd now, the Victorians were prone to describing
0:19:48 > 0:19:50steeply wooded natural scenery as "Swiss".
0:19:50 > 0:19:57It became a well-used term in travel literature for tourists, something the locals seem to know all about.
0:19:57 > 0:20:03I'm following a 19th-century guidebook which says this is like Switzerland in a nutshell.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Byron named it that, Little Switzerland.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Byron named it that as well, did he?
0:20:08 > 0:20:13- Yes, he did, yeah.- I'm following a 19th-century guidebook, it says it's like Switzerland in a nutshell.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- Would you agree with that?- It is.- It is, is it?- Don't you think so?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Well, it's beautiful green slopes, isn't it? And the cable car.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- What's interesting about this place, it's got a seaside atmosphere, even though we are inland.- Very much so.
0:20:28 > 0:20:34So, a little taste of Switzerland by the sea, even though we're 90 miles from the coast.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Matlock Bath does have the feel of a seaside resort,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and whenever I'm at the seaside, I do like to have an ice cream.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- Morning.- Good morning. How are you?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Very well, could I have an ice cream please?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- Certainly, which cone would you like?- A rum and raisin, please.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Do you like Matlock Bath?
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Yes, I love it. I have lived here nearly 30 years.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59My husband and I have travelled extensively in Italy
0:20:59 > 0:21:04and I still don't think there's anywhere as nice as this area.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It's funny you should mention Italy, because I'm following
0:21:06 > 0:21:09a 19th-century guidebook and it compares Matlock Bath to Switzerland.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Yes. I'm not sure if that was Lord Byron that did that.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Our family, we call it a seaside without sea.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- Thank you very much indeed. - OK, thank you.- Bye-bye.- Bye.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27Although the railways brought tourism to the area, they had a more important role in the 19th century -
0:21:27 > 0:21:31to transport freight from here to the rest of the country.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42I'm now leaving the very tiny resort of Matlock Bath, which was always about tourism,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46for the much bigger Matlock, which was a city of industry.
0:21:51 > 0:21:58For the last leg of my journey I'm heading just six miles away to Rowsley, changing trains at Matlock.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18From the moment I arrived on this platform,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I got that scent of railway engine,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25that special stench that goes right up inside your nostrils.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30I am old enough to remember trains pulled by steam engines, and it just took me straight back
0:22:30 > 0:22:32to my childhood.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47The other thing that's really bringing back the memories is this sort of corridor train,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51which was so typical in the '60s, and long before that.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58The line passes through some of the prettiest scenery in the Peak District.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01According to Bradshaw,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04in Derbyshire, "The exquisitely beautiful prevails.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09"The lofty rocks and bold crags, richly wooded, the magnificent uplands and rounded knolls.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14"The sweet valleys intersected with silver streams such as the Derwent, the Wye, the Dove,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17"are comprised in one beautiful picture."
0:23:20 > 0:23:26In the 19th century, this line was part of the busy Midland Railway route from London to Manchester.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Today, it's the only part of the line still open,
0:23:30 > 0:23:36and carries day-trippers and those who love steam trains, like driver Roger Hallett.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Pleased to meet you.- Roger, Michael Portillo, how do you do?- Not so bad.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41How long have you been driving the engines?
0:23:41 > 0:23:45- About 15 years, now.- You're just a volunteer, are you?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- Yeah, just a volunteer. - And you really love it, I bet.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Yeah, absolutely, it's brilliant.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54I often said to my father, if I had been slightly older, I would have gone straight onto the railways.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- That's what we always wanted to do when we were kids.- Exactly.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- Wonderful. Thank you very much for the ride, by the way.- No problem.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Thank you, very smooth. Bye-bye.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Roger's dropped me off at Rowsley, near Stanton Moor, in the heart of the White Peak.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It takes its name from the local stone.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21In this area which is famous for its stone from quarries,
0:24:21 > 0:24:27in the days of water transport, this stuff had to be manhandled onto carts and then on to barges,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30which is incredibly expensive, so it could only be used locally.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34But with the railways, the stone from the quarries could be taken
0:24:34 > 0:24:39to Liverpool, to London, all over Britain.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48The stone here has been mined and worked for over 2,000 years,
0:24:48 > 0:24:54but the quarries expanded rapidly in the 19th century, when the railway arrived.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Suddenly, Derbyshire stone could travel anywhere.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04As the Industrial Revolution brought wealth, the towns grew, needing more and more Derbyshire stone.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It found its way into some of the grandest buildings in London,
0:25:09 > 0:25:16including Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Near Rowsley, the 12th-century manor Haddon Hall was built
0:25:19 > 0:25:24with Derbyshire stone, which was also used in its recent restoration.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Limestone, sandstone and gritstone are all still quarried here.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37As well as being used in new buildings, they're also carved
0:25:37 > 0:25:38into perpetual memorials.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- Are you Mark?- Michael, how are you? I am.- Good to see you.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50'Stonemason Mark Eaton has been working with Derbyshire stone for over 30 years.'
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Tell me, Mark, what do you do here? What is all this about?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56I bring in the raw block
0:25:56 > 0:26:01from local quarries, suited for the particular job I'm working on.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05My main focus is on restoration work.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07What makes Derbyshire stone special?
0:26:07 > 0:26:13It's the durability of it. It's a very good stone for construction, for building purposes.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18It ages well, it wears well, and it does last a good long time.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Although new technology is used to quarry the stone,
0:26:21 > 0:26:29many of the techniques used to work it are as they were in Bradshaw's day 150 years ago.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Got a piece of stone over here.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36- What do I do?- Right, I've set a line around here to work upon.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Just to form
0:26:38 > 0:26:40the leading edge.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- Would you like to have a go at that? - Yeah, let me have a go at that.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48OK. Quite a low angle, try not to take too much off.
0:26:48 > 0:26:54It would take an apprentice at least three years to learn to carve an intricate stone memorial.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59It's highly specialised work, and would certainly take me much longer.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I'm being quite cautious.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04That's OK. That's it. A little bit steeper again.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07You must need unbelievable powers of concentration on this.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10You're not sending text messages while you are doing this, are you?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12No, not at all.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Thank you, I really enjoyed that. A real privilege to do it, actually.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I realise how much has changed here since Bradshaw's day -
0:27:20 > 0:27:27steam engines no longer chug across the countryside, and ravaged landscapes are slowly being repaired.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32But all around me, in industries like Derbyshire stone, the massive changes introduced here
0:27:32 > 0:27:36almost two centuries ago can be traced right up to the present day.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42These smoking railway engines brought the Industrial Revolution
0:27:42 > 0:27:46to even the remotest parts, including the Peak District.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51They brought pollution to the hills but they brought opportunities, too,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54to the stone quarries of Derbyshire.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Now the steam engines are just nostalgia.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Next time, I'll be visiting the oldest working factory in the world.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15- Made in England.- Made in England. - Does that make you proud? - Oh, yes, that's what we like to see.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I'll be finding escape from busy city life.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21We think it's Britain's first public park, laid out in 1840.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25And I'll be discovering why Burton's beer is said to be the best.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Two weeks conditioning in the cask, a week in the pub.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- And ten minutes to drink. - You're a slow drinker.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Piva Burtonski.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd