0:00:04 > 0:00:09In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:17His name was George Bradshaw and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:24Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see, and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:30Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys across the length
0:00:30 > 0:00:35and breadth of the country, to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58Over the last few days, I've been travelling on railway lines in Southeast England
0:00:58 > 0:01:04that got the Victorian middle classes on the move and opened up remote farmland.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07WHISTLE BLOWS
0:01:10 > 0:01:15With George Bradshaw's 19th-century guidebook whispering travel tips in my ear,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20I am now completing my journey that began on the south coast of Britain, and has brought me
0:01:20 > 0:01:26to the northern shores of Norfolk, and a vintage diesel, running on a heritage line out of Dereham.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31And indeed, one of the reasons I enjoy visiting Norfolk is to be reminded of the skill
0:01:31 > 0:01:37and effort that's required to put food on our plates.
0:01:39 > 0:01:46'Writing about this part of England, my Bradshaw's Guide makes very clear what Victorians liked to eat.
0:01:46 > 0:01:53'So along the way, I'll be finding out why a rare breed of turkey is making a modern comeback...'
0:01:53 > 0:01:57We start hatching here in April. That's a long time to Christmas,
0:01:57 > 0:02:03- and it takes a long time to finish them, so you're getting more of a moist meat.- Roll on Christmas!
0:02:04 > 0:02:07'..sitting shakily in the driving seat...'
0:02:09 > 0:02:15I think I do need further lessons, I don't think that was a complete success! But it was very exciting.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20'..and seeing the crowds still drawn to a Victorian delicacy.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:24It saves the person doing the eating a lot of work, doesn't it?
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Of course, yeah. Not everybody knows how to dress a crab.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And not everybody can dress a crab like Tracy!
0:02:38 > 0:02:42I'm almost at the end of my journey from Brighton through London
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and across the fens of Cambridgeshire.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Having left King's Lynn, I'm now heading for East Dereham,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51before reaching the North Norfolk coast.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Today, after taking the heritage line to Wymondham,
0:02:57 > 0:03:02I'll move on to Norwich and my final stop, the seaside town of Cromer.
0:03:05 > 0:03:11The first stretch of the route takes me away from the main line, along a rural Norfolk branch line.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14In Bradshaw's time, it was used to transport turkeys to market
0:03:14 > 0:03:20in London, earning its trains the nickname "the Turkey Express".
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Now, it's a heritage route, operating the last generation of diesels.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Every smell, every sound, the roar of the diesel,
0:03:30 > 0:03:37the chug-chug across the railway lines, it's all so evocative of a form of rail travel now gone.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I'm about to go and see the driver,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Peter, and I've met him before.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Peter Eyre has worked on this route for over 12 years.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Peter. Good morning. How lovely to see you.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52It's been a while, hasn't it?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54It has, Michael, it has indeed.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Can you remind me where it was that we met?
0:03:57 > 0:04:01We met in Hornsey EMU depot, when you presented me
0:04:01 > 0:04:06with the Minister's Cup for punctuality on the Great Northern out of King's Cross.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08And you absolutely deserved it, well done.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Well, those were electric trains you were driving then.- Yes, yes.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Now we're on a diesel, have you driven every sort of train?
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Virtually, yes.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20HORN BLARES
0:04:20 > 0:04:26So, Peter, this diesel multiple unit, this was being introduced when I was a kid, in the '50s.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31- Yes. That's right.- And it was elbowing the steam engines aside. - That's right.- Was that a sad time?
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It was. It was into the unknown.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41A lot of the older drivers at that time, they really couldn't get used to it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45And we had two or three incidents on the railway,
0:04:45 > 0:04:50where people actually committed suicide because of the pressure, they couldn't handle the change.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- That's very sad, isn't it?- It is.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56They just couldn't get their head round it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Right, now, I'm going to put you in the seat.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08So you get an idea of a bit of basics on what a driver's job was.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Well, that's...
0:05:09 > 0:05:11OK, Peter, that's pretty daunting!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Now, the first thing you've got to remember,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- this is what they call the dead man's handle.- Yes.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22You've got to keep it down, because if you release it,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- between five and seven seconds, you'll get a brake application.- Yeah.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28That is the most important thing.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Knock that right round to number one...- One.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33..open up, and blow the horn.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39It seems like having to tickle the top of your head and play with your nose at the same time!
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- And then kick this into one...? - Straight to the top.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43That's it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Wow.- Now, open the controller.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49That's it, yes, that's fine.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Now, open the controller a bit, to give her some power.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58- You see the board on the right with the big red dot in it?- Yeah.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- Well, that is a stop signal.- Right.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03And that's where we shall stop.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Now, gradually bring the brake round towards you.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08A bit more, keep going.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Bit more.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- That was a bit of a sharp pull-up, wasn't it? - If we were doing this for real,
0:06:21 > 0:06:26the public would be really having a go. They'd say, "Who's driving that?
0:06:26 > 0:06:28"You've just spilt my tea."
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Yes. I think I do need further lessons. I don't think that was a complete success!
0:06:33 > 0:06:35But it was very exciting indeed.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I'll tell them George Bradshaw was driving!
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Yes, that's right.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I've more or less safely delivered myself to Thuxton,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47which though tiny, scores a mention in Bradshaw's Guide.
0:06:47 > 0:06:54Bradshaw says of North and Northeast Norfolk that, with its sandy and gravelly soil,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57"it is peculiarly salubrious and pleasant".
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And it isn't just human beings that find it so.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05'Turkeys have also thrived here. The mild Norfolk climate has
0:07:05 > 0:07:08'for centuries made it an ideal place to breed them.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14'But the trade really took off in the 1870s, when the railways were completed.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'I've come to explore the origins of the turkey business
0:07:17 > 0:07:19'and first, I'm meeting Bob Curson,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'who's spent over 60 years in the industry.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:24That is a magnificent car.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29'Bob, who's now retired, has clearly come to pick me up in style.'
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- In your day, how did turkeys get to the people who wanted to eat them?- All by rail.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39They were all sent to Liverpool Street, all over the country, really.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Were you putting your turkeys onto passenger trains?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Yes, oh yes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47You couldn't have them hanging about on a goods train, could you?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51- No.- Otherwise they'd be gone off before they got there!
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Do you remember taking them down to the station?- Oh, yes, yes.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- I'm on the photograph, you see? - Can I see that?
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Yeah, of course you can.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03There's something written on the back.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- 1954.- 1954 that is, yes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12"Consignment of oven-ready turkeys, packed in crates to go by train from Thuxton station to London.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15"Bob Curson by the tractor."
0:08:15 > 0:08:21- That's you!- Yes.- That's a fantastic photo. Thank you for showing it to me.- That's all right. My pleasure.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Are we travelling to the farm in your car?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26If you'll take a chance on it!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I'll take a chance on it! Fabulous. Wow!
0:08:28 > 0:08:32This is quite an experience for me.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Bob's taking me to the farm where he used to work.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40I'll be meeting a local family who've been breeding turkeys
0:08:40 > 0:08:44since the poultry trains began running in the 19th century.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- Good morning, Pat!- Good morning.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- How lovely to be here. - Nice to see you.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- What a lovely farm.- Yes.- And it's your family farm?- Yes, it is.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57My father always called it "the home of the Norfolk Blacks".
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The Norfolk Black is the oldest breed of turkey in the country.
0:09:02 > 0:09:09Pat and her son, James, run one of the few farms still rearing them in the traditional way.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Right, well here we see James, he's now going to feed...
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- Hello, James.- Hello, Michael. - Very nice to see you.- And you.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22- This is the Norfolk Black turkey? - This is the Norfolk Black turkey, that's right.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- But it's not really from Norfolk? - No. Originally it came from South America.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31And then arrived in the early 1500s, it arrived in Europe and obviously
0:09:31 > 0:09:36King Henry VIII was first English king to have turkey at his banquets.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Along with peacocks and pheasants and various other game,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42because it was a game bird,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46and it is still a game bird that we have here today.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51By Victorian times, turkey had become a popular choice for Christmas dinner,
0:09:51 > 0:09:58thanks to the railways and because it featured in Charles Dickens's popular tale, A Christmas Carol.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04In the 20th century, farmers began crossbreeding turkeys to make bigger, faster-growing birds.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The traditional Norfolk Black was almost extinct when,
0:10:07 > 0:10:13in the 1930s, James's grandfather built up a new flock of pedigree birds.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17You should look at a pure Norfolk Black turkey as a very angular
0:10:17 > 0:10:19type of bird.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It shouldn't be very round and roly-poly.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24The other varieties grow a lot quicker,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29therefore they need less time to rear and feed and labour and everything else.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32These guys here, we start hatching here in April.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37That's a long time to Christmas, and it obviously takes a long time to finish them.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So therefore you get more of a moist meat.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43James's birds roam outside for most of the year,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46fed with grain grown on the farm.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50This year, he's rearing 2,500, as the breed is popular
0:10:50 > 0:10:54with those seeking a distinctive Christmas treat.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58I have to ask you, when you sit down to your Christmas lunch,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- what do you eat?- Turkey!
0:11:00 > 0:11:01- Turkey?- Unfortunately, yes!
0:11:01 > 0:11:05I don't know how you can bear the sight of it by then!
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Well, it's a bit early to take a Christmas turkey, so I'm leaving empty-handed,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15as I continue my journey back on the main line.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19This is Wymondham station. On my travels, I've seen many
0:11:19 > 0:11:23good-looking stations, but this one really is beautiful,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and it looks almost as much like a garden as a railway station.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37I have arrived ahead of time, to explore the station cafe.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41It's been voted one of the top ten station eateries in the UK.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48It's absolutely glorious. The whole thing is not so much
0:11:48 > 0:11:53like a first-class lounge as a first-class compartment.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Complete with luggage racks.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- Can I help you, sir?- Hello.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01It's absolutely beautiful in here.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Are you responsible for this?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04For my sins, yes, I am.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08It's rather a dream that's come true, actually.
0:12:08 > 0:12:1123 years ago, I took on this building, which was absolutely redundant
0:12:11 > 0:12:15and in a dreadful state of repair, and put a lot of money into it
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and resurrected it to what you see now.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20With the theme Brief Encounter.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- But it's still a railway station? - Oh, yes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26A very important station now, complete with ticket office, screening,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29cameras and announcements, et cetera.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33So is the railway happy that you've done this terrific job?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37I think they are. They never interfere with anybody, and I've had nothing but respect
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- from all departments.- I'm just going to have a cup of tea, please.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46- Jolly good. It's been a great pleasure to talk to you, sir. - Great to see you. Bye-bye.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56After a refreshing cup of tea, it's time to catch my next train.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I'm heading ten miles along the tracks to this county's capital, Norwich.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Whenever I go to Norwich,
0:13:20 > 0:13:25I'm struck by the quality of its architecture.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It's got lots of really splendid old buildings.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33Obviously the cathedral and the castle, but also many fine houses.
0:13:33 > 0:13:40And it's all testimony to the fact that once, it was one of Britain's most prosperous cities.
0:13:44 > 0:13:51In fact, Norwich is home to what was, in Bradshaw's era, one of Britain's premier banks - Gurney's.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55It's mentioned several times in my guide.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- Hello, Anthony. Michael. - How do you do?
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Good to see you.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03'Historian Anthony Howe is waiting for me
0:14:03 > 0:14:05'outside the bank's old headquarters.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:10I wanted to meet you here because I was intrigued by something in my Bradshaw's Guide.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It says on Bank Plain, which is apparently where we are, is Gurney's Bank,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19"established by an old Norfolk family, equally known for their good works and philanthropy."
0:14:19 > 0:14:21It's an impressive spot for their bank, isn't it?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Absolutely. This spot, I think, reflects the stature of the family,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29both within the business community and within the city and the region.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31They were not only outstanding businessmen,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35but also of great importance in terms of philanthropy and other good works,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38in terms of anti-slavery, support for religion,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41prison reform, and even the setting up of Liberia.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Bradshaw's recommends Gurney's as a place to take out cash
0:14:44 > 0:14:45along your travels.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But immediately after the guide was published,
0:14:49 > 0:14:54the Gurneys were involved in the biggest financial crash in history.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59One branch of the family diversified into funding credit in the City of London.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05They set up this new bank, Overend Gurney, and it was that bank which was involved in a crisis.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08This was a period of a global financial boom,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12and so they start putting money into shipping, shipbuilding.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17They do invest in extending some of the suburban railways in London.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The bank began to buy risky new investments,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25including railway stock.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Railway shares boomed in the 1860s, but were hugely overvalued.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37When the bubble burst in 1866, panicking shareholders prompted a run on the bank.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41So, the bank actually fails?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44People are out there in the street, demanding their money back?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Absolutely. The day after, there's pandemonium in the City of London.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Not just knocking on Gurney's doors, but on the doors of all the banks,
0:15:51 > 0:15:58because the fear was that every bank was going to come down. They became too speculative and, in 1866,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03they found that they were no longer able to fund all their projects.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Effectively, they were bankrupt.
0:16:04 > 0:16:12This offshoot of Gurney's bank collapsed, owing the equivalent in today's money of almost £1 billion.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16It led to a new role for the Bank of England,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20which, from then on, agreed to rescue the banking system if it failed.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24This has a very modern feel about, this story, doesn't it?
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Absolutely, yes.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It was the product of speculation and greed.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33And so it was a moral lesson for the City of London that was learnt.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Intrigued by stories of economic calamity,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I've sought a place to stay,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43connected with the Norfolk banking family.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49When the prudent Gurneys were building up their banking business in the 18th century,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51they had an elegant Norwich townhouse built for them.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56It's now a bed and breakfast, and the place that I've decided to spend the night.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Morning has broken in Norwich.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19My Bradshaw's Guide refers to mustard seed under Cambridgeshire.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24But I remember, as a kid, it was my job to mix up the mustard powder
0:17:24 > 0:17:27with a little water for our roast beef on Sunday.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31And I couldn't help noticing that the product came from Norwich.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36And so 50 years later, I couldn't leave the city without discovering the home of mustard.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42While investment in the railways almost brought down Gurney's Bank,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45the trains boosted the fortunes of this industry.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I'm heading to the site of Colman's Mustard factory.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Thanks to its proximity to the railways in the 19th century,
0:17:53 > 0:17:59this company grew rapidly from a small local business to a national giant.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I'm now clearly at the business end of the manufacturing process.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08I've got an appointment with Mick, the miller, and I'm going to find him somewhere up there.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Hello, Mick, fantastic view, isn't it?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Fantastic, Michael. Welcome.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20From the top of these towering silos, I can survey a whole area
0:18:20 > 0:18:25of the city bought by Jeremiah Colman in the mid-1800s.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31He needed to actually get a site where you'd got more interest in the transport side of things.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34What were the transport links at this site?
0:18:34 > 0:18:40Well, the railway, for a start-off, the main railway, which was really expanding in those days.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43And he then contacted the Norfolk Railway Company
0:18:43 > 0:18:48and bought this piece of land, that we are actually on now, in 1850.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'This was the first large-scale mustard producer in Britain
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'and the business quickly spread across the site.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02'By 1885, an internal network of trains shuttled up to 250 tons
0:19:02 > 0:19:09'of finished product a week away from the factory, and vast volumes of mustard seed into it.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:13It feels like we've come to the very heart of things here.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Yes, you're now in the nerve centre of the mustard mill.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22This is where we produce the mustard flour from the seed, through what we call the roller mills, here.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- I can see the powder pouring through.- Yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29In between each one of these rollers is a gigantic sifting machine,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31which separates the different grades of flour.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I imagine that even if the process has changed,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- the product is similar to what the Victorians would have known? - Oh, yes, most definitely, yes.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42'What makes English mustard distinctive is the mix of brown
0:19:42 > 0:19:46'and white seed, unlike French Dijon, which uses only brown,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48'and its smooth texture.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51'In 1720, a Mrs Clement from Durham
0:19:51 > 0:19:57'discovered how to make the characteristic English fine ground powder that we know and love today.'
0:19:57 > 0:20:03When I was a kid, it was always powdered mustard. I don't remember the jars of ready-made mustard.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06No, they came into being in the 1960s.
0:20:06 > 0:20:12They wanted a convenience mustard, so in actual fact, they made what we call a ready-mixed jar of mustard.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17Once you open it, you can put it back in the fridge and it's all made for you.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22So when I was mixing mustard as a kid, it wasn't because I was from a deprived family,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- they hadn't invented the ready-made mustard yet! - No, not until the '60s, Michael.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- Up until then, it was all powdered mustard.- That dates me, then!- And me!
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Now, though, it's time to leave Norwich for the final leg of my journey,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40heading out towards the coast.
0:20:43 > 0:20:461:45, platform six.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48My final destination, Cromer.
0:20:55 > 0:21:02I'm now bound around 27 miles along the line towards the seaside.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06My journey started in Brighton, a resort within easy striking distance of London.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11And now I'm headed for Cromer, another much-loved holiday destination.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13But on the North Norfolk coast,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17you get an idea of the power and the beauty of nature.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22It's altogether more remote, more wild.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30When the railways arrived, trainloads of Victorians came to enjoy the beaches.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35New hotels, guest houses and businesses soon sprang up,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38turning Cromer into a bustling resort.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44According to my Bradshaw's, Cromer is "a pleasant bathing place on the cliffs of the North Sea.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49"Crabs and lobsters are got." Yummy!
0:21:55 > 0:22:01It seems that Cromer's famous seafood is as popular as it was in Bradshaw's day.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Delicious-looking crabs.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- Yes.- What's the Cromer crab? Why is it different from other crabs?
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Why is it different to other people's? The water is shallow, they live on a flinty, chalky bottom.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16And there's not a heavy density of water pressure on top of them,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18so the meat is that much sweeter.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Have you been in business long?
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Yeah, a little while. A little while. About eight generations.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- You're not serious? Really? - Yes, I am serious! Yes.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- What, selling crabs? - Yes, catching and selling crabs, yes.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Catching them too?- Yes. - Do you do the catching?- Yes. Yeah.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I'm not normally in the shop. My wife Claire runs the shop.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- Hello.- But yes, I'm mainly at sea, I catch the crabs.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Then what do you do? Because you sell them dressed, don't you?
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Well, we sell boiled, dressed, boiled crabs, dressed crabs, very few live crabs nowadays.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Of course, years ago, all the live crabs,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- straight on the trains and off to Norwich, London, all over the place.- Really?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- They went down live, did they? - Yeah, all live, yeah. - Alive-alive-oh!- Yes!
0:23:00 > 0:23:05'On a good day, up to 200 crabs are prepared in this shop,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'and I can't wait to taste their delicious meat.'
0:23:08 > 0:23:14- So these crabs have been boiled first, have they?- Yes, they were caught and boiled this morning.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19A dressed crab, the ideal thing is to have the different meats, the dark meat, the white meat?
0:23:19 > 0:23:25Yeah, you've got the brown meat, which is more a creamy, yellowy meat, and then the white meat on the top.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Is that all from one crab, or more than one together?
0:23:29 > 0:23:30No. That's all from one crab.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34It saves the person eating it a lot of work, doesn't it?
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Yeah. Not everybody knows how to dress a crab. And not everybody can dress a crab like Tracy!
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Tracy, you're doing that with amazing skill.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46- I guess you've been doing that a while. How long have you been doing it?- About 27 years.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Wow. Are you the most experienced crab-dresser that you know?
0:23:51 > 0:23:52- No.- No?!- No.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- I should imagine there's more out there.- Really?- Yes..
0:23:55 > 0:23:58She's definitely our most experienced crab-dresser!
0:23:58 > 0:24:01That looks absolutely fantastic. Look at that.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06'Since Victorian times, this is how Cromer crabs have been dressed.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Mmm. Completely fresh.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Absolutely beautiful. Mmm!
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- Worth the train ride, do you think? - Worth the train ride.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Tastes of the sea.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Isn't that wonderful?
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Although the sea provides Cromer's livelihood, it's also a threat to the town.
0:24:29 > 0:24:36The situation became desperate in the 19th century and is even documented in my Bradshaw's Guide.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I'm hoping coastal engineer Peter Frew can tell me more.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Hello, Peter!- Hi, Michael.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45What a wonderful view we have today, don't we?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47We do. Beautiful beach, beautiful weather.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53Now, my Bradshaw's Guide says that Cromer is suffering from "the encroachments of the North Sea",
0:24:53 > 0:24:58"by which the land is fast swallowed up, and converted into dangerous shoals".
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- I'm guessing we're standing on a Victorian sea defence, is that right?- Yes, we are.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06These defences were built in 1845,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10in response to the erosion they were experiencing.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16The walls in Cromer were built... The starting point was mid-1830s,
0:25:16 > 0:25:23some more again in 1845, and some more again right at the end of the century, 1899, 1900.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29In the 19th century, Cromer was so devastated by erosion
0:25:29 > 0:25:32that cliffs, a jetty and even a lighthouse, were washed away.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37This blossoming seaside resort faced disaster.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41The Victorians' solution was to build these massive sea walls.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46And were they effective? Did they keep the sea at bay?
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Yes, they did.
0:25:47 > 0:25:53The terraces we've got above us here today would not be there,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56had not the Victorians built these defences.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59They built in the Victorian way, strong, and for the long term?
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Yes, they did.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06These impressive, Grade II-listed walls may have saved the town,
0:26:06 > 0:26:13but further along the coast, I can see just how destructive the sea is.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19There have been cliff falls along here, and we can see one of those on the beach there, which has come down,
0:26:19 > 0:26:25ended up on the beach, the sea then has started to erode it away.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27And over this stretch of coast here,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31we've lost probably four or five metres in the last three or four years.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36So is there a move now to build more Victorian-style defences?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Where we've got towns, we will be building defences.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45Where we haven't got towns, we're moving towards saying, "Nature maybe had the right idea."
0:26:45 > 0:26:49A good beach is a good defence. The Victorians weren't wrong,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52they did a good job with what they did do.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56But perhaps our understanding now, the way the sea behaves,
0:26:56 > 0:27:01the way the coast then behaves with the action of the sea, means that maybe we're changing our views.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Having followed my Bradshaw's Guide across the country,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I find evidence all around of the enduring Victorian legacy.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Modern customs and modern architecture
0:27:13 > 0:27:19have transformed our towns, but at their core, they are unmistakably Victorian.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25My journey from Brighton has taken me from coast to coast.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28The railways joined up the once-remote places in between,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31with results both good and bad.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I've been struck by how small our island is.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And it was a thought that bedazzled the Victorians,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41that little Britain could be the most powerful nation on Earth.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44For in those days, Britannia ruled the waves.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46But for many Victorians,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50British coastal resorts were the limits of their ambitions.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54And on a day like today, you feel they weren't missing very much.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03'On my next journey, I'll be following the route of the Irish Mail, travelling north from Ledbury,
0:28:03 > 0:28:08'through Wales to Holyhead, on the Isle of Anglesey.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14'Along the way, I'll be scaling Wales's highest peak, Mount Snowdon...'
0:28:14 > 0:28:19It's magnificent! It's really imposing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23'..uncovering a hidden chemical weapons plant...'
0:28:23 > 0:28:28We're probably looking at the Second World War's most secret building in Britain.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32In 1942-43, there was nowhere more secret in the world than this.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35'..and admiring the world's first iron bridge.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:39- Where would I have to go to see it? - Just down the bottom.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40It's amazing! You'll love it.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:49 > 0:28:52E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk