Cromford to Burton-on-Trent Great British Railway Journeys


Cromford to Burton-on-Trent

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Cromford to Burton-on-Trent. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.

0:00:040:00:09

His name was George Bradshaw and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.

0:00:100:00:17

Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see and where to stay.

0:00:170:00:22

Now, 170 years later, I'm making four long journeys across the length and breadth of the country

0:00:240:00:30

to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.

0:00:300:00:34

Today I'm leaving the green peaks of Derbyshire

0:00:520:00:56

for the county's industrial heartland,

0:00:560:01:00

travelling to the very origins of the industrial revolution,

0:01:000:01:04

to towns and cities that were transformed by manufacturing,

0:01:040:01:08

many of them created by the railways.

0:01:080:01:12

Along the way I'll be visiting the oldest working factory in the world...

0:01:170:01:21

Made in England.

0:01:210:01:22

-Does that make you proud?

-Yes. That's what we like to see.

0:01:220:01:26

I'll be escaping from busy city life...

0:01:260:01:29

We think it's Britain's first public park, laid out in 1840.

0:01:290:01:32

And I'll be discovering why Burton's beer is said to be the best.

0:01:320:01:37

Two weeks conditioning in the cask, a week in the pub...

0:01:370:01:41

-And ten minutes to drink.

-You're a slow drinker!

0:01:410:01:44

-Pivo Burtonski.

-Pivo Burtonski.

-Pivo Burtonski.

0:01:440:01:48

All this week I'm travelling from Buxton,

0:01:500:01:53

along one of the earliest railway routes in England.

0:01:530:01:57

Each day I'll be stopping at towns and cities recommended in my Bradshaw's guide...

0:01:570:02:03

..until I reach the end of the line in London.

0:02:050:02:09

Having started from Matlock Bath, today I'll be covering the next 30 miles along the track via Derby

0:02:120:02:18

and onwards to Burton-on-Trent.

0:02:180:02:22

But my first stop is Cromford.

0:02:280:02:30

Nowadays, the beautiful Grade II listed station is set in a rural idyll.

0:02:320:02:38

-Good morning.

-Hi.

0:02:380:02:40

Can you tell me anything about that beautiful house on the platform?

0:02:400:02:43

It's the old station house that used to be the waiting room

0:02:430:02:46

-for the railway station.

-And what is it now?

0:02:460:02:48

It's a guest house now.

0:02:480:02:50

It's a beautiful station.

0:02:500:02:52

There are just two trains an hour.

0:02:520:02:54

But in Bradshaw's day this was one of the Industrial Revolution's most important towns.

0:02:540:03:00

This beautifully restored railway station at Cromford

0:03:000:03:04

has a very important part in history.

0:03:040:03:07

As Bradshaw says, "Here, Arkwright set up his first mill in 1771."

0:03:090:03:15

Really never was so much important history crammed into such a small half sentence as that.

0:03:150:03:22

Richard Arkwright built several mills at Cromford, in which he developed the modern factory system.

0:03:240:03:29

It was a new way of working, that was soon copied all over Britain.

0:03:290:03:33

The first was a water-powered cotton-spinning mill.

0:03:330:03:37

And this is it,

0:03:370:03:38

the first factory in the world.

0:03:380:03:42

Because before this, people in the cotton industry

0:03:420:03:45

had done their spinning and weaving in their own houses - the cottage industries.

0:03:450:03:51

Now Arkwright brings it all together under one roof,

0:03:510:03:55

powered by water,

0:03:550:03:58

in a factory.

0:03:580:03:59

Quite incredible to think that, 240 years ago, there were no factories.

0:04:020:04:07

This is beginning of industrialisation, right here.

0:04:070:04:11

In his new factories, Arkwright could process huge quantities of cloth very quickly.

0:04:150:04:20

And the River Derwent provided a cheap power supply.

0:04:200:04:26

The village of Cromford is not what I expected.

0:04:260:04:29

It's much prettier.

0:04:290:04:32

It doesn't seem like the place that would be the heart of the Industrial Revolution.

0:04:320:04:36

But now I think about it, Arkwright established his mill here

0:04:360:04:40

partly because he needed the water and partly because his family lived at the local castle, Willesley.

0:04:400:04:47

I can see an example of water power still operating, a water mill at the far end of this stretch of water.

0:04:470:04:53

Arkwright's factory is a now a museum.

0:04:550:04:58

But nearby is the world's oldest factory still in use.

0:04:580:05:02

It was set up in 1784 by Arkwright's finance director, Peter Nightingale,

0:05:020:05:08

a relative of Florence Nightingale.

0:05:080:05:10

His business partner was a Mr John Smedley.

0:05:100:05:14

Good morning.

0:05:140:05:17

Very historic room. Hello.

0:05:170:05:18

-I'm Michael Portillo.

-Hello. Nice to meet you. Thanks for joining us.

-Great to see you.

0:05:180:05:23

'Ian McClean is one of his descendants.

0:05:230:05:25

'The Smedley family has been producing knitwear here for over two centuries.'

0:05:250:05:30

This is incredibly historic.

0:05:300:05:33

-What's the date outside?

-1784.

0:05:330:05:37

-So, just 13 years after Arkwright.

-That's right.

0:05:370:05:40

So Arkwright was the first mill to be built, then there were two others, and we were the fourth.

0:05:400:05:45

Now the others are long since out of business,

0:05:450:05:48

and that makes us the oldest manufacturing business in the world.

0:05:480:05:53

Of course the factory's been added to so many times over the years that it makes it almost like a rabbit warren.

0:06:000:06:06

-It's quite difficult to find your way around sometimes.

-Parliament is just the same.

0:06:060:06:10

I was there 20 years and I think by the end of it I only knew about a tenth of it.

0:06:100:06:14

This looks pretty ancient through here.

0:06:170:06:19

I'll show you the original 1784 mill building,

0:06:190:06:23

-which is a little bit hidden within the structure of the factory.

-1784, that is incredible, isn't it?

0:06:230:06:28

-Yes. That's right back at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

-Yeah.

0:06:280:06:32

-The railways weren't here in 1784.

-No, that's right.

0:06:340:06:38

-So the railways weren't fundamental to the development of this business.

-The canals came first, in 1776.

0:06:380:06:46

And then the first railway came in 1831.

0:06:460:06:49

To where?

0:06:490:06:51

High Peak Junction at Cromford. I think it was integral to the growth of the business.

0:06:510:06:55

The arrival of the railway in the 1830s transformed industry here.

0:06:550:07:01

The High Peak line allowed local factories to transport goods all over the country.

0:07:010:07:07

So this is history and this is modernity here, so if we look in the historic part...

0:07:090:07:14

-Do you mean literally, you keep this as a museum?

-No, not at all.

0:07:140:07:18

These are very much working machines which make the garments that we sell.

0:07:180:07:23

What they do is they make individual pieces of the garments, so one machine will make the collar,

0:07:230:07:28

another will make the front and another will make the back,

0:07:280:07:31

and then another machine will make the rib that goes around the arm.

0:07:310:07:35

And then very skilled hand workers will then link, by hand, those pieces of the garment together.

0:07:350:07:41

It really does look as though we are looking from...

0:07:500:07:53

Well, we are looking from one century to another.

0:07:530:07:56

That's right. Absolutely.

0:07:560:07:58

These machines through here are the very latest technology.

0:07:580:08:03

When the newest machines were introduced in 2006,

0:08:060:08:10

it became possible to make garments in one whole piece.

0:08:100:08:13

These seamless clothes are meant to be exceptionally comfortable.

0:08:130:08:17

I think what's important is that whenever a new technology comes along,

0:08:170:08:22

we're one of the first people to use it.

0:08:220:08:24

And you're not tempted to go off and do it all in China?

0:08:240:08:27

Absolutely not. No, no. We see the value of manufacturing in England.

0:08:270:08:31

The quality of the clothing is, in part, thanks to being washed in local spring water.

0:08:310:08:36

It's unusually soft in this area and gives the cotton a silky feel.

0:08:360:08:42

So here these are sweaters and tops and so on.

0:08:420:08:45

-Yep.

-But you're also famous for long johns.

-That's right, yes.

0:08:450:08:50

It's said that this is where long johns were invented...

0:08:500:08:53

-Morning.

-Morning.

0:08:530:08:55

How are you? Good morning.

0:08:550:08:57

..named after Ian's ancestor, John Smedley.

0:08:570:09:00

Is there a special feel to being in a family business?

0:09:030:09:07

Yes, of course. It is not just my family, being the owners, but there are many generations of people

0:09:070:09:13

who have worked in the factory for us.

0:09:130:09:14

-Good morning.

-Hello there.

0:09:140:09:16

Good morning. How are you all? Which one is Julie?

0:09:160:09:18

-I am.

-Julie, hello. I'm Michael.

0:09:180:09:20

-How do you do?

-Fine, thank you.

-Have you been long in the business?

0:09:200:09:22

'Julie is one such employee whose family has made its living around this factory for four generations.'

0:09:220:09:29

My grandma worked here.

0:09:290:09:30

My sister worked here for a while.

0:09:300:09:33

My daughter. My son, who does still actually work here, as well.

0:09:330:09:37

-Are there any other ladies who also have family going back like yours?

-Yeah.

0:09:370:09:41

I don't know about the grandparents but actually in this room alone, we have got a mother and a daughter.

0:09:410:09:48

We've got three sisters. Then we've got another set of two sisters. That's just in this room, so...

0:09:480:09:54

It is quite a family orientated business, definitely.

0:09:540:09:57

And what is it that you're actually doing?

0:09:570:09:59

My job is I actually put the back knit labels in,

0:09:590:10:02

which is the "John Smedley - Made in England."

0:10:020:10:05

-Made in England.

-Made in England.

0:10:050:10:08

-Does that make you proud?

-Oh, yes. That's what we like to see.

0:10:080:10:10

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye.

0:10:170:10:19

It's incredibly rare to find a business like this.

0:10:190:10:23

Not only has the same family run the company for over 200 years,

0:10:230:10:26

but the employees stay generation after generation.

0:10:260:10:31

A family supported by one industry, decade after decade, is a way of life which has all but died out.

0:10:310:10:39

Hi, gentlemen.

0:10:400:10:42

I'm now leaving Cromford, and travelling another 15 miles down the railway line to Derby.

0:10:470:10:53

Good afternoon. Tickets, please.

0:10:570:10:59

Thank you very much.

0:10:590:11:01

What time into Derby?

0:11:010:11:03

14:22.

0:11:030:11:06

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

0:11:060:11:08

I don't know Derby very well, but I associate it with heavy industry,

0:11:170:11:22

with aero engines and the manufacturer of rolling railway stock.

0:11:220:11:28

But I am looking forward to it, because Bradshaw raves about the hotel where I'm going to stay.

0:11:280:11:33

He normally only gives a hotel one line but here he says,

0:11:330:11:35

"It is gratifying to be able to refer to an establishment like this,

0:11:350:11:39

"which deservedly enjoys the highest reputation.

0:11:390:11:42

"It possesses all the comforts of a home and there is no lack of the spirit necessary

0:11:420:11:45

"to provide, to the fullest extent, everything which can recommend it to its patrons."

0:11:450:11:50

Then you have to kind of wonder what was going on here, because it goes on to say,

0:11:500:11:54

"It is conducted in the most able manner by Mrs Chatfield.

0:11:540:11:57

"And it may claim to rank amongst the first hotels of England."

0:11:570:12:01

Well I am afraid, Mrs Chatfield won't be there any more but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

0:12:010:12:06

..Derby, please note our departure time is scheduled for 14:24.

0:12:060:12:12

Bye. Thanks.

0:12:190:12:22

There's Mrs Chatfield's hotel right there, which is

0:12:260:12:30

not surprising, really, because it is a railway hotel.

0:12:300:12:32

It is actually the second one ever built in Britain.

0:12:320:12:37

It was so convenient for the passengers that they built a tunnel underneath

0:12:370:12:40

so that the baggage could be taken directly to the hotel from the station.

0:12:400:12:44

And I am in very distinguished company because Queen Victoria once stayed here.

0:12:440:12:49

Opened in 1841, the Midland Hotel was one of the first railway hotels outside London

0:12:520:12:59

and was reserved exclusively for first-class passengers.

0:12:590:13:03

Thankfully today, you don't need an expensive ticket or blue blood to stay here.

0:13:030:13:09

Hello.

0:13:090:13:11

-Hello.

-I'm checking in, please. Michael Portillo.

0:13:110:13:14

-Yes. Would you just like to sign there for me?

-Thank you very much.

0:13:140:13:19

I am going to go off and see some of the sights

0:13:190:13:22

so I'm not just going up to the room at the moment but you know that I'm here anyway.

0:13:220:13:26

Only the railway companies could afford to build luxury hotels.

0:13:260:13:31

As well as catering for exhausted travellers,

0:13:330:13:35

they generated a lot of extra income,

0:13:350:13:39

so railway hotels were soon springing up at the ends of lines.

0:13:390:13:42

The railways brought wealth and investment to small rural towns like Derby,

0:13:420:13:48

transforming them into industrial centres.

0:13:480:13:50

In Derby, Bradshaw mentions the railway sheds but he also mentions an older industry,

0:13:500:13:57

the silk mill, the first in England, built here in 1718.

0:13:570:14:02

And it has the look of an Italian bell-tower.

0:14:030:14:08

And there could be a reason for that.

0:14:080:14:10

The English weren't very good at making silk until John Lombe stole the secret from northern Italy.

0:14:100:14:17

And then an Italian worker, in revenge, murdered him in 1722.

0:14:180:14:22

Lombe's newly-acquired spinning technology was soon copied throughout the region.

0:14:240:14:29

By the 1860s, the Derby silk industry was booming.

0:14:290:14:34

Bradshaw's guide says "There are about 25 silk mills at present."

0:14:350:14:39

That was one mill for just over every 1,000 residents.

0:14:390:14:43

The wealth they generated

0:14:450:14:46

led to some extraordinary acts of civic generosity,

0:14:460:14:50

including a new park for the city of Derby.

0:14:500:14:53

And Bradshaw notes that in Derby, not far from the station,

0:14:530:14:57

"is the new arboretum of 16 acres laid out in 1840 by Loudon

0:14:570:15:02

"and given to the town by Joseph Strutt Esquire, a noble gift, estimated at £10,000,

0:15:020:15:09

"with a couple of Elizabethan lodges and entry gratis on Wednesdays and Saturdays."

0:15:090:15:15

A noble gift, indeed.

0:15:150:15:17

Having made their fortune in textiles, the Strutt family wanted to give something back.

0:15:200:15:27

At first, entry was free two days a week

0:15:270:15:29

but, from 1882, there were no charges on any day.

0:15:290:15:33

For the first time,

0:15:330:15:35

the working classes could enjoy landscaped open spaces

0:15:350:15:39

previously the realm of the nobility.

0:15:390:15:41

It is a lovely park.

0:15:410:15:43

It's got beautiful topography. He's shaped the land.

0:15:430:15:48

He's put in terrific trees.

0:15:480:15:51

He's decorated with urns,

0:15:510:15:53

fountains, follies.

0:15:530:15:56

Very Victorian and very, very lovely.

0:15:560:16:00

-Is that a black walnut?

-It is a black walnut.

0:16:050:16:08

-You must be Jonathan.

-You must be Michael.

-Hello. Very good to see you.

0:16:080:16:12

Jonathan Oakes, a tree specialist, plays a key role in the continued restoration of the arboretum.

0:16:120:16:18

This park is pretty historic.

0:16:180:16:19

How important is it in history?

0:16:190:16:21

Well, we think it is Britain's first public park, laid out in 1840 and given to the people of Derby in 1840.

0:16:210:16:29

Laid out by Loudon. Who was he?

0:16:290:16:30

Loudon was a prolific author and a gardener, a landscape architect.

0:16:300:16:35

He wrote a book, Arboretum Botanicum, which explained all the trees and shrubs

0:16:350:16:40

that were available in the world at that time.

0:16:400:16:42

By way, why is it landscaped in the way that it is? That's unusual.

0:16:420:16:46

The mounds are there to give a sense of privacy,

0:16:460:16:50

so people on the other side of the mound don't necessarily know you're there.

0:16:500:16:54

It makes the place look bigger and feel bigger.

0:16:540:16:57

It really is strikingly unusual, isn't it?

0:16:570:17:00

Today we're used to landscaped gardens but Loudon's design was revolutionary at the time.

0:17:000:17:07

The winding paths, ornamental flower beds and isolated trees

0:17:070:17:12

were designed to educate people about plant specimens.

0:17:120:17:15

He even labelled them, an idea later copied by Kew.

0:17:150:17:19

Was this meant to be a place of leisure or a place of education?

0:17:190:17:24

Well, this is the interesting thing.

0:17:240:17:26

The benefactor, Strutt, wanted a place where people could relax and enjoy themselves.

0:17:260:17:31

But Loudon, the scientist, wanted a garden, a collection,

0:17:310:17:36

somewhere that was scientific and educational,

0:17:360:17:38

so, inevitably, there was some kind of a compromise between the two.

0:17:380:17:42

Thank you so much and bye-bye.

0:17:420:17:44

In an age when religion and a sense of duty were powerful influences,

0:17:460:17:51

many entrepreneurs like the Strutts spent part of their massive new fortunes for the public good.

0:17:510:17:58

During the second half of the 19th century,

0:17:580:18:00

trusts, charities, foundations and volunteering programmes all sprang up.

0:18:000:18:06

It was a golden age of philanthropy.

0:18:060:18:09

Having shared a roof with Queen Victoria,

0:18:190:18:22

I'm leaving Derby now and going to Burton,

0:18:220:18:25

the home of brewing.

0:18:250:18:27

And Bradshaw says, "The great seat of Sir John Barleycorn is on the Staffordshire side of the Trent.

0:18:270:18:33

"Bass, Allsopp and Worthington are the chief ale kings here

0:18:330:18:37

"and acres covered with barrels and casks may be seen.

0:18:370:18:41

"Vast quantities of pale ale are exported to tropical climates

0:18:410:18:45

"and drunk by thirsty souls at home as a tonic."

0:18:450:18:48

So there is something to look forward to.

0:18:480:18:52

Platform 1b.

0:19:040:19:07

On time.

0:19:070:19:09

The last leg of my journey today takes me, from Derby, another 11 miles south to Burton.

0:19:120:19:18

Tickets and passes from Derby station to your destination.

0:19:240:19:28

I'm in town, come right on down.

0:19:280:19:31

You're in good form today!

0:19:320:19:34

-Tous les jours, monsieur, tous les jours!

-Merci, monsieur.

-Merci bien.

0:19:340:19:41

The railway lines were critical to the growth of industry

0:19:410:19:45

but water was also instrumental in the birth of the Industrial Revolution.

0:19:450:19:49

Used to power mills and factories, it also helped put Burton on the industrial map.

0:19:490:19:55

The full name for Burton, of course, is Burton-on-Trent.

0:19:550:19:58

And the water of the Trent was very important also to Bradshaw.

0:19:580:20:03

And he notes that the brewers, contrary to common usage, used hard water, not soft water.

0:20:030:20:09

So I shall be intrigued to find out about that.

0:20:090:20:12

"Burton on Trent. A Gateway to The National Forest."

0:20:220:20:26

As soon as you come out of Burton station you can tell that this town

0:20:360:20:40

is dedicated to a single industry, to beer.

0:20:400:20:42

In place of the cask and barrels that was referred to in Bradshaw,

0:20:420:20:46

these enormous steel vats of beer, stretching to the horizon.

0:20:460:20:51

Here, the brewing industry is still big business.

0:20:540:20:58

I'm meeting Jeff Mumford here, who apparently knows everything about beer in Burton.

0:20:580:21:03

I don't know what he looks like but he says I'll know him when I see him.

0:21:030:21:07

HE LAUGHS

0:21:120:21:14

Mr Mumford, I assume.

0:21:200:21:22

Mr Portillo, I presume.

0:21:220:21:24

Jeff co-owns Burton Bridge Breweries, the largest independent brewer in town.

0:21:240:21:29

-Can we go and see your brewery?

-You certainly can.

0:21:290:21:32

-In this thing?

-Yep.

0:21:320:21:34

Before the railways, there were only ten breweries in Burton.

0:21:340:21:37

But the number tripled after the station was built.

0:21:370:21:41

-No seatbelts!

-No.

0:21:410:21:43

25 ale trains left Burton every day, with breweries even building

0:21:480:21:53

their own tracks to connect with the railway companies.

0:21:530:21:56

Has this always been a brewery?

0:21:570:21:59

It was part of a brewery, not totally a brewery.

0:21:590:22:02

Part of Joseph Nunnelly's brewery.

0:22:020:22:05

-This was actually a small maltings, built in 1823.

-There we are, 1823.

0:22:050:22:12

-Yes.

-And the MH stands for...?

0:22:120:22:14

-Malt house.

-Good morning.

0:22:140:22:16

Michael. This is Bruce, the brewer of the partnership.

0:22:160:22:20

Michael Portillo. Lovely stench.

0:22:200:22:22

No, I think aroma sounds so much better than stench, if you don't mind.

0:22:220:22:26

So what you're actually smelling is the aroma from the hops, which makes the beer bitter.

0:22:260:22:32

The aroma will go up and improve the general aroma of Burton-on-Trent, and we put some hops in later,

0:22:320:22:39

at the end of the process, to get the aroma of the hop in the beer.

0:22:390:22:43

How much beer will this thing make?

0:22:430:22:46

This thing will make 3,500 pints, which, in terms of Burton's production, is pretty small, because

0:22:460:22:54

of every gallon of beer drunk in Britain, one pint of that is brewed in Burton.

0:22:540:22:59

-One eighth of all the beer drunk in Britain is brewed in Burton?

-That is correct, yes.

0:22:590:23:04

And ours is a small proportion of that at the moment but it's growing all the time.

0:23:040:23:08

How long does all that process take?

0:23:140:23:16

It takes a day to convert the malt and hops into beer for the fermenting vessel,

0:23:160:23:22

a week in the fermenting vessel, two weeks conditioning in the cask, a week in the pub...

0:23:220:23:28

-And ten minutes to drink.

-You're a slow drinker!

0:23:280:23:30

Today Burton produces less of the country's beer

0:23:320:23:36

than it did in Victorian times, when it brewed a quarter of the pints sold in Britain.

0:23:360:23:42

For once, the English climate was helpful - for beer at least -

0:23:420:23:45

being neither too hot nor too cold, but just right to allow fermentation throughout the winter.

0:23:450:23:52

By 1890, there were over 30 breweries here, all exploiting a special local ingredient.

0:23:520:23:58

Now, in my Bradshaw's Guide, he says that, contrary to what is normal,

0:23:580:24:05

here in Burton you use hard water in the beer. Is that true?

0:24:050:24:09

Oh, yeah. That is the unique characteristic of Burton water.

0:24:090:24:13

It gives better hop utilisation,

0:24:130:24:16

crisper, clearer flavours, and lighter-coloured beers.

0:24:160:24:22

But only suitable for brewing ales.

0:24:220:24:24

Down the road where they produce lagers, they take all the salts out of the water

0:24:240:24:29

and brew lagers with very soft, Pilsen-style water.

0:24:290:24:32

Burton beer was so popular during the 19th century that it was in demand all over the world.

0:24:340:24:40

And this was the stuff that, according to Bradshaw, was shipped out to India? This sort of beer?

0:24:400:24:45

-Yes, very much so.

-And why? Why was Burton able to do that?

0:24:450:24:48

The purity of the water made the beer very sterile and just ideal for travelling a long distance.

0:24:480:24:55

-It must have taken a long time in those days to get to India.

-It took about six months.

0:24:550:25:00

And you're still making a kind of India Pale Ale, even though it's not going to India.

0:25:010:25:05

Yeah, the closest we get is it sits there for six months.

0:25:050:25:08

Oh, I see, so...

0:25:080:25:10

-like a voyage?

-Yes, short of putting it on a pontoon in the Trent, that is the closest we can get to it.

0:25:100:25:15

Of course, it was the railways that enabled Burton brewers to send their beer around the globe,

0:25:150:25:21

and Burton had plenty of them.

0:25:210:25:24

Oh, it was the biggest private rail network in the country.

0:25:240:25:28

It was said that no one could rob a bank in Burton because they would

0:25:280:25:32

never get through all the crossing gates, the level crossings, in time.

0:25:320:25:36

-Traffic jams everywhere?

-Well, there were.

0:25:360:25:39

I came in '64 and said I'd never come back to this place but I've lived here for 28 years now!

0:25:390:25:44

I think that is enough talking about it.

0:25:440:25:46

-Can we actually sample some, please?

-I think that's a good idea. Come this way.

-All right. Thank you.

0:25:460:25:50

-The finished article. Cheers!

-Cheers.

0:25:550:25:59

But there is a more appropriate toast, that was used in the courts of Russia, with Burton beer.

0:25:590:26:04

A lot of the beer went out to the Baltic and to Russia and it was

0:26:040:26:07

very popular in the Russian courts, and that toast was "Pivo Burtonski."

0:26:070:26:13

-Pivo Burtonski!

-Pivo Burtonski.

0:26:130:26:16

Although the beer industry is still going strong, there's been a cost.

0:26:210:26:26

The natural resources around Burton were squeezed like a sponge.

0:26:260:26:31

Coal to heat the brewing liquor, wood for the millions of barrels in which it was stored.

0:26:310:26:37

Centuries of intense brewing have scarred the surrounding landscape.

0:26:370:26:43

But that's being remedied.

0:26:430:26:45

Burton is in the middle of an area being planted with millions of trees as part of the new National Forest.

0:26:450:26:51

Set up in 1990, eventually it will cover 200 square miles.

0:26:510:26:57

As I've travelled through the Midlands, I've noticed how much the landscape bears the signs

0:27:020:27:08

of the massive changes between Bradshaw's time and today.

0:27:080:27:11

But I've been struck by how many people and businesses

0:27:110:27:16

can trace their roots directly back to Victorian times.

0:27:160:27:20

When Bradshaw was writing, the East Midlands was at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

0:27:200:27:26

And now, as you pass through the region,

0:27:260:27:28

you're aware of the decline of mining and some de-industrialisation.

0:27:280:27:32

But here in Burton, at least, brewing is an example

0:27:320:27:36

of one British industry that's still very much in business.

0:27:360:27:39

Next time I'll be heading to the centre of the leather-making world.

0:27:500:27:54

Walsall had a very distinctive stink, did it?

0:27:540:27:59

You can say it had a tinge.

0:27:590:28:00

It had its own aroma!

0:28:000:28:03

I'll be travelling to Birmingham's Balti Triangle.

0:28:030:28:08

Pakistan is like my motherland and I call England my adopted mother.

0:28:080:28:11

I'll try and make this quite elegant.

0:28:110:28:13

Very good, sir. Very good for the first try.

0:28:150:28:18

And I'll be visiting Bourneville, which some say is the happiest place in Britain.

0:28:180:28:23

Very pleasant.

0:28:230:28:24

Very nice.

0:28:240:28:26

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

0:28:260:28:28

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:28:350:28:38

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS