0:00:05 > 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 > 0:00:21Stop by stop he told them where to travel,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24what 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 > 0:00:34and breadth of the country to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56In the mid-19th century, Britain was in the grip of a railway revolution.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01George Bradshaw's timetables were an essential tool for the new wave of Victorian travellers.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06His handbook gave them travel tips and tourist information,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and today I'm using it to plan my journeys around Britain.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11The journey I'm starting now is along a line
0:01:11 > 0:01:15that was built for speedy communication.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Ireland was part of the United Kingdom in George Bradshaw's day.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22The railway was extended to Holyhead in 1848
0:01:22 > 0:01:26to cut five hours off the journey time between Dublin and London,
0:01:26 > 0:01:33for really important things, everything from urgent documents to members of parliament.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40This historic railway was built to carry the Irish mail.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43But it also brought changes to the crafts,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46industries and places along the way.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Bradshaw wrote about many of them, and with his help I'll be finding
0:01:50 > 0:01:54out how the railways transformed almost everything they touched.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00On the first leg of my route I'll be sampling a classic Victorian drink...
0:02:00 > 0:02:03How much cider or perry would they contain?
0:02:03 > 0:02:071,200 gallons in that one and there are about 40,000 in Pip and Squeak.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08Pip and Squeak!
0:02:08 > 0:02:11You'd get quite a hangover from one of those!
0:02:11 > 0:02:15'..Meeting Britain's finest pedigree bulls...'
0:02:15 > 0:02:17It's extraordinary that he's so docile.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Just not the reputation bulls have at all.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23'..and discovering an engineering first.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:27This is the grandfather of the skyscraper.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Really? The skyscraper was born in Shropshire.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33The skyscraper is born right here.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Following my Bradshaw's guide, I'm journeying north,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44through the Welsh borders towns
0:02:44 > 0:02:46of Shrewsbury and Chirk towards Chester.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Then I'll follow the scenic coastal route to Llandudno
0:02:50 > 0:02:54before travelling inland to explore Snowdonia
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and crossing the Isle of Anglesey to Holyhead.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Starting in Ledbury, today I'll travel 65 miles
0:03:03 > 0:03:07via Hereford to the pretty market town of Shrewsbury.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16For city dwellers like me,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Herefordshire seems impenetrably rural.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24In the days of horse and cart, its towns and villages would
0:03:24 > 0:03:27have been days away from the major English cities.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31The railways brought rapid connections and the products
0:03:31 > 0:03:35of the countryside found markets throughout the kingdom.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46We've passed through the most spectacular green rolling fields,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and that's brought us into my first stop - Ledbury.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Bradshaw's describes Ledbury as "a place remarkable for
0:03:57 > 0:04:01"its manufacture of rope, twine and also cider and perry."
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Perry has been made in this area for over 150 years,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10but apparently few people know much about it today.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Do you know what perry is? - Perry? It's a drink.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18It is, yes. Does it mean anything to you?
0:04:18 > 0:04:19No, it doesn't.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23I'm following a 19th-century guidebook, and it says that this
0:04:23 > 0:04:25place is remarkable for cider and perry.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Do you know what perry is?
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's like a sparkling...
0:04:29 > 0:04:34er...like a sparkling... I'm not quite sure!
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- What is it made from, do you know? - No, I don't.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Can you tell me what perry is?
0:04:39 > 0:04:44Perry is an alcoholic drink made from pears rather than apples, for cider.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49- So there are local perry producers in and around.- Do you drink it yourself?
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Yes, I do, chilled, very nice.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00One of the oldest perry producers is just up the road.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07I've walked through a beautiful garden
0:05:07 > 0:05:10up to this historic house, but it is surrounded by
0:05:10 > 0:05:13an industrial complex, what looks like a brewery,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16where they make the perry and cider.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Helen. Hello, I'm Michael. - Hi, Michael.- Lovely to see you.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22And you.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Helen Thomas' family has been making perry for over 100 years,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30since her great grandfather, Henry Weston, began farming here.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33But it wasn't always a business.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36When it was first made, what was it for?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Presumably for just people locally?
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Mainly it was for home consumption,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and also it was part of the wages they used to pay their labourers with.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49So they would have so much cider and so much pay at the same time.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The drink used to pay the workers was also known as Haymaker's Cider,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57and had little alcoholic content.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01To make extra cash, it was sold to passing travellers
0:06:01 > 0:06:05at the gate, who often added a little something of their own.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Bradshaw says the cider and perry are sometimes qualified with brandy.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- What does that mean?- I think they must have put a little extra
0:06:13 > 0:06:17brandy with the perry and the cider just to make it a little stronger.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I haven't actually tried that.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- That would make you pretty drunk. - I'm sure it would.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24So how did it go from being something just enjoyed by
0:06:24 > 0:06:28the villagers and the farm workers to a commercial proposition?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Henry Weston, he made a particularly good cider and perry,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and he was encouraged to actually make more of it and start to sell it commercially.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Of course, he would have used the railway to get it further afield
0:06:39 > 0:06:43so he would have used a horse and cart to actually take it to the railway station.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- And then from there to the nation. - That's right.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51As the railway network expanded through Herefordshire,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Henry Weston's perry business began to grow.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Other farmers brought their perry pears here
0:06:57 > 0:07:02to be processed and bottled before being sent all over Britain.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06But Henry had his own orchards as well.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09These are the cider apple trees,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and the taller trees you see in the front are perry pears.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18This is a perry pear tree. You can see it's much larger
0:07:18 > 0:07:20than the cider apple trees, which are behind you.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22They take years and years to grow.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25They say you plant a perry pear tree for your heirs.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29So George Bradshaw might have been drinking perry from trees like this.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- I'm sure.- But if I come back here in 20, 30 years, I'll still be able to
0:07:32 > 0:07:35see some of these magnificent, old, tall trees, will I?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Absolutely. I mean, I want them here for another 100 years.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43'The varieties of pears used for perry are native to Herefordshire
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'and are still processed in traditional ways.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- This is a fantastic site. - This is our vat house.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52So all these immense casks, vats you call them?
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Yes, and they've all got a particular name.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00So when you refer to something you know exactly where it is and what they're talking about.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We have three that Henry Weston... The first vats that he bought,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and they're called Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Is this a museum?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- You don't still use these vats? - No, all these vats are used.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16We can't get these vats now so these are part of our heritage.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Very important to how we make our ciders.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21So how much cider or perry would they contain?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24There's 1,200 gallons in that one, and about 40,000 in Pip and Squeak.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Pip and Squeak! A bit of an understatement, isn't it?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30You could get quite a hangover from one of those, couldn't you?
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'There's one change to perry since Bradshaw's day.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'Victorian perry was still, but Helen also makes a sparkling
0:08:38 > 0:08:42'variety which, these days, is sold as pear cider.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'I'm happy to try both.'
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- Any technique to this? - I don't think so.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50I think you drink it like a fine wine.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Slight smell of pear.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- Soft and mellow.- Yes, soft, mellow. Completely flat, of course.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Yes, this is still. This is what Henry Weston would have made.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05And this fellow, I can see, has bubbles.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- Slightly sparkling.- Yeah.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Stronger smell of pear, I'd say.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Much sweeter, more pear-like.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15I like the bubbles on the tongue.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I remember perry being advertised when I was a child,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23with a little bambi hopping around on the edge of a champagne glass.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24So it's not for men, is that right?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26It is today. It's served in pubs
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and you buy it by the pint, by the half pint.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So you can go to a pub and say, "I want some perry, please".
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Yes, you can!
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Well done. Cheers!
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Happy days.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Before the perry goes to my head, I need to retrace my steps to Ledbury
0:09:45 > 0:09:49and unearth more about its very unusual station.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Hello.- Morning. - Very beautiful ticket office.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57We do our best to keep standards up here.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'Unlike at most stations, the ticket office is not run by
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'a railway company, but by a small scale entrepreneur, John Goldrick.'
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I am paid on commission basis rather than a salary from the railways.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11I want to see people travelling by train.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15It's up to me to encourage people to use the railways here.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18So have you got a lot of people using the line these days?
0:10:18 > 0:10:20We're pretty much jammed.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23We've gone from a forgotten country station to capacity, almost.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Let me boost your commission a tiny bit.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Can I have a single ticket, standard class,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30to Hereford this afternoon, please?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33OK, that will cost you five pounds.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Next stop, Hereford.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'My Bradshaw's guide describes this next part of the line
0:10:45 > 0:10:47'as one of the most picturesque in the country.'
0:10:49 > 0:10:52This is the very essence of England, isn't it?
0:10:52 > 0:11:00Deep, beautiful, rich greens, rolling countryside. Fantastic.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Tickets, please.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- Thank you very much.- Cheers.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06This is a very beautiful stretch of line.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09We are seeing it at its best today, aren't we?
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- Very lovely. Nice day for it as well. - Thank you very much. Bye bye.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Next stop is Hereford, which I know a bit.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Beautiful cathedral city,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24although there are things I haven't seen there.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27But I'm going in particular because Bradshaw mentions the cattle.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31He says, "They are a splendid breed,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35"white faced with soft, reddish brown coats".
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I'm really looking forward to meeting my Herefords.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45'We'll shortly be arriving at Hereford
0:11:45 > 0:11:49'where this service will be terminating. All change, please.'
0:11:51 > 0:11:55In the 19th century, the Hereford was one of the country's top breeds,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59and Hereford beef graced many Victorian dinner tables.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Astonishingly, there were three trains a day leaving Hereford
0:12:03 > 0:12:07carrying cows acquired in the city's market down to London.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14I'm interested to know what made this pedigree breed so successful,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18so I'm heading to a farm whose speciality is grass fed,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20organic Hereford cattle.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It's been owned by the Watkins family for five generations
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and once enjoyed its own railway link.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Hello. Michael.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Hello. David Watkins.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- Nice to see you, David. - George Watkins.- Hello.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36- Welcome to Ballingham.- This is an old railway bridge, is it?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38This is in fact the old Ballingham Station.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Not much trace of the line now.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43When did this close? Do you know?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46'64, I think, when the rest of the beeching closes.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49So you would remember this, David?
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Yes, I can remember the steam train coming through here, very, very young.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Were you using it as a passenger or were you bringing cattle here?
0:12:57 > 0:13:00We used to bring cattle down, so my grandfather used to tell me
0:13:00 > 0:13:04to load them on the train to go to Hereford and Ross markets.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10'In Victorian times the farm and the cattle began to thrive, thanks to the railway.'
0:13:10 > 0:13:12It really is a very handsome animal.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14It really is strikingly red.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17What are its characteristics as an animal and as a meat?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I think the animal itself,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23why it was originally so popular was its hardiness.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27They get fat off the land here, they don't need a lot of grass
0:13:27 > 0:13:32to get them fat in comparison with a more modern breed.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39This old Welsh breed was so resilient that in the 19th century
0:13:39 > 0:13:44farmers around the world imported them to improve the quality of their cattle stock.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52I think they first started going off in 1850s, firstly
0:13:52 > 0:13:56to America, then Australia and then pretty much everywhere in between.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59So that coincided with the railways,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02probably enabled them to take them to the ports in good time.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04And then after, anywhere else, yeah.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07And Herefords have become pretty much globalised, is that right?
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Yeah, you'll see Herefords as far as the States,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Mongolia, Australia, Argentina. They're pretty much everywhere.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18George Bradshaw describes the Herefords as having the red coat and the white face.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23That's clearly exactly the same, but would he otherwise recognise these Herefords of today?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- Have they changed at all? - Oh, I think he'd recognise them.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Sometimes you see old photographs of Hereford cattle
0:14:29 > 0:14:31that might be a bit more dumpy and short, whereas now
0:14:31 > 0:14:35we try and get a longer animal with less wastage in the leg.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Herefords were known for their succulent meat marbled with fat.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44But as tastes changed in the 20th century, they fell out of fashion.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50In England they were replaced by larger, leaner European cattle,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and today, Hereford meat is marketed as a niche product for discerning customers.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00People are much more interested in where their food comes from.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Obviously, here we can oversee the whole thing from the moment
0:15:04 > 0:15:10I pull the calf to the moment it ends up on the plate in Hereford.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- So traceability is really important now.- Mmm.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And why is it such a good breed to have?
0:15:17 > 0:15:21I think it's because they're very relaxed, a very docile sort of...
0:15:21 > 0:15:25As you can see now, they're not bothered too much about us
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and I think it comes through into the flavour of the meat.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30We've got a bull just over there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- We can go up and stroke him and he's pretty docile.- You're not serious?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- Yeah.- As part of my Spanish heritage,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I'm not used to doing that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41We have a rather more aggressive approach normally.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46George, this is an immense animal.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It's extraordinary that he's so docile.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Just not the reputation bulls have at all!
0:15:52 > 0:15:54What a friendly guy.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Well, I didn't think I would ever touch a bull.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03George and David sell most of their meat locally
0:16:03 > 0:16:07and some of it ends up on the plate at their hotel
0:16:07 > 0:16:11in the centre of Hereford, where I'm going to spend the night.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Isn't this absolutely wonderful?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Quintessentially English.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22The medieval cathedral rising above the river.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27The bridge, 1490, damaged in the English civil war.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32A perfect summer's evening, a superb view
0:16:32 > 0:16:36and now, at last, I think, an excellent steak dinner.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Traditionally, Hereford beef is hung for 25 days to enhance the taste.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48I'm about to enjoy the result of all that patient effort.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Thank you very much indeed.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Mmm. Marvellous.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Tender, delicious...
0:17:02 > 0:17:03full of flavour. Fantastic.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Morning in Hereford and I'm on my way to the cathedral,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20which I've seen before, but there's something I haven't seen and I have long wanted to,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and today, I will fulfil that ambition.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30My Bradshaw's guide talks about "A curious Saxon map of the world,"
0:17:30 > 0:17:33kept in the cathedral's library.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I'm meeting the commercial director of the cathedral,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Dominic Harbour, to find out more.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- Dominic.- Hello, Michael.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43You're admiring your beautiful cathedral.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48The map is fragile and must be a kept in a darkened room.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54It's the most extraordinary thing, Dominic.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57So point out to me the great places.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Where's Jerusalem?
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Jerusalem is at the very centre of the map there, shown as a circle,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and really it's from there where the rest of the world,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10the known habitable world, spreads out.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14'This extremely rare manuscript is called the Mappa Mundi.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20'It's a 13th century concept of the world drawn onto animal skin.'
0:18:20 > 0:18:23In a way, this is what we would almost call a virtual map,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26a conceptual map. It's not geographically accurate.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Yes, absolutely. Geography isn't the greatest priority on this map.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34You've got illustrations from the Bible.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37You've got information about flora, fauna.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's like cyber-space at the end of the 13th century.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45'Originally the map would have been visited by religious pilgrims.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48'But by the 19th century, Hereford Cathedral was increasingly
0:18:48 > 0:18:53'attracting Victorians, who were simply curious about their history.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:56George Bradshaw calls it "A curious Saxon map of the world."
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Why was he rather dismissive of this thing?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Particularly to Bradshaw's time, this was something that illustrated
0:19:03 > 0:19:07perhaps everything that was bad about what we think of medieval today.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12It's chaotic, it's barbaric, it's dirty, it's complete chaos.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Is it unique to Hereford?
0:19:14 > 0:19:18There would have been other Mappa Mundi that existed all across Europe.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21In fact they were quite common at that time.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23However, certainly by Bradshaw's time,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26this was really a rare and exceptional survival.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27And did you tell me it was on hide?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Yes, it's a single piece of calf skin.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- It could be a Herefordshire, could it?- Possibly.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Really remarkable visit.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39Thank you so much.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46I'm now leaving Hereford for the last leg of my journey.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47Busy, busy.
0:19:47 > 0:19:5150 miles along the track, towards Shrewsbury.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57And there's one thing I'd like to straighten out before I arrive there.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Excuse me,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01do you know the line quite well?
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- Yes.- It's such beautiful country. - It's absolutely gorgeous.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09I love the ride just going into Shrewsbury station
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and the castle up above and the gorgeous station.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I notice you say "Shroos-bury",
0:20:14 > 0:20:16should I say "Shroos-bury" or "Shrows-bury"?
0:20:16 > 0:20:21You could ask people in Shroos-bury or Shrows-bury what they say.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- I think that's a good idea. It's like "tom-ah-to" "tom-ay-to" isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32'This train is for Manchester Piccadilly.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34'The next stop is Shrewsbury.'
0:20:36 > 0:20:40The electronic voice thinks it's Shroos-bury.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I think I'll check with real human beings when I get there.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47My Bradshaw's guide offers no advice on this thorny matter
0:20:47 > 0:20:52but it does make me focus on the town's impressive station.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Bradshaw is really keen on it because it's built
0:20:55 > 0:20:59in the Tudor style with these lovely tall chimneys.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01He's kind of shocked at how much it cost.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05£100,000, including acquiring the site.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08But he really approves of it too, and it is beautiful.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13But I suppose it's testimony that Shrewsbury was really keen on the railways and this palace
0:21:13 > 0:21:16indicates Shrewsbury's enthusiasm for the new age.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23Time now, though, to find out just how the good folk of Shrewsbury
0:21:23 > 0:21:26pronounce their town's name.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Excuse me, am I in Shroos-bury or Shrows-bury?
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- Shroos-bury.- You're very clear about that. Why is that?
0:21:34 > 0:21:39It's always known as being that side of the bridge says Shrows-bury, that side says Shroos-bury.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41And what's the difference between the two sides?
0:21:41 > 0:21:44The private school tends to bring a lot of the Shrows-bury to it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Private schools, Shrows-bury.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Yeah, I think so.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Shroos-bury or Shrows-bury -
0:21:52 > 0:21:55in Bradshaw's day, this place was very different
0:21:55 > 0:21:57from the rural market town we see today.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01It was once at the centre of the Industrial Revolution,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03surrounded by mills and foundries.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09There's one mill in particular that I've been urged to see.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10John.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- Hello, Michael.- Good to see you. - Welcome to Ditherington Flax Mill.
0:22:13 > 0:22:19'Showing me around the mill is John Yates, inspector of historic buildings for Shropshire.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Forgive me, it doesn't look all that special. What is the point of it?
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Well, it's special on the inside as you'll see in a minute.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30But it's an actual first. The world's first iron-framed building.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33This is absolutely at the cutting edge of technology.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35The new technology of the time.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37An iron building, an experimental building.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41200 feet long, five storeys high, 40 feet wide.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45An astonishing act of confidence and bravado, virtuosity and skill.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48You've whetted my appetite. How do we get into it?
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The owners of the site had just suffered a financial catastrophe.
0:22:55 > 0:23:02They'd lost thousands of pounds when one of their timber-framed mills in Leeds had burned down.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Onwards and upwards.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07'Desperate to avoid more losses,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12'they hired engineer Charles Bage to design a new mill in Shrewsbury.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17'Bage knew that cast iron was being used to make rails at nearby Coalbrookdale.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'And he decided to make use of it in a building.'
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- Aha!- That's what it's all about.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Isn't it wonderful?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31So these supports, they're made of iron, are they?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33They are. They're made of cast iron,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38iron poured molten into a bed of sand that's been shaped to go to this
0:23:38 > 0:23:43lovely slender shape, just tapering out a little in the middle,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45just like the columns on the Parthenon.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Significantly, Charles Bage's iron frame was fireproof.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55When the railways arrived, it became easier to transport large
0:23:55 > 0:23:59pieces of iron and then steel around the country
0:23:59 > 0:24:03and many other new buildings adopted the technology.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05These columns all support iron beams
0:24:05 > 0:24:09that run right across the building from one side to another.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14And then the beams themselves support shallow brick vaults,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18just half a brick thick, that span from one beam to the other.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Then to stop the vaults simply collapsing
0:24:22 > 0:24:26by pushing apart in the way that arches always do,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28there are wrought iron, even stronger iron,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31formed into bars, that run the whole length of the building,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33all 200 foot of it.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39So this three-way metal frame, up, across and along,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- is the grandfather of the skyscraper.- Really?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- Yes.- The skyscraper was born in Shropshire?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48The skyscraper is born right here.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Shropshire may seem a sleepy place now,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53but in 1800, this was Silicon Valley.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59This was absolutely at the cutting edge of the technological and Industrial Revolution.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05The use of a metal frame in place of wood enabled architects to design
0:25:05 > 0:25:11taller buildings and eventually led to the steel-framed skyscrapers of the 20th century.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Before I leave Shrewsbury, there's an intriguing reference
0:25:19 > 0:25:22in my guide book that I must investigate.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26This high spire is the Church of St Mary's
0:25:26 > 0:25:31and Bradshaw is clearly quite amused by an incident that occurred here.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33He says,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36"Many years ago, a hair-brained fellow
0:25:36 > 0:25:38"undertook to slide down a rope,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42"laid from the top of this spire to the other side of the river.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45"But he was killed in the attempt".
0:25:45 > 0:25:47That's rather sad.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53I've come to find out more about the tragic events of 1739
0:25:53 > 0:25:58from Robert Milton, who works at St Mary's Church.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Robert Cadman was a steeple jack by trade and he was asked by the church council
0:26:02 > 0:26:05to come and repair the weather vane on top of the spire.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Having done so, he then requested permission to do his party trick,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12which was to tie a rope to the bell frame,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14bringing it through behind us,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18it then extended to the very, very far-side of the river,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21to ground just short of the railway box.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- About 500 yards.- Good Lord.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27He would then walk up the line, performing tricks and firing pistols.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And I suppose hundreds of people
0:26:29 > 0:26:31would've turned out to watch this stuff?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34It was a craze of its day.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And, of course, his wife would go around and collect
0:26:37 > 0:26:40the pennies and whatever offerings were being offered at the time.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44'His final trick was to slide all the way down the rope
0:26:44 > 0:26:47'from the spire to the ground.'
0:26:47 > 0:26:50That's where it went wrong unfortunately on this occasion.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Where the rope had come through the bell louvers, it parted and poor Robert plummeted to his death.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58- It snapped here?- It snapped where it came through the wooden frame.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02So is Cadman regarded as the hero of Shrewsbury?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Do people celebrate his birthday?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09No, I think, relatively speaking, he's quite unknown within the town.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Well, I hope George Bradshaw's done something to revive his memory.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I sincerely hope so. I think it's well deserved.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I am often surprised by details that Bradshaw thought to include in his guide book.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25From hare-brained tightrope walkers to white-faced cows
0:27:25 > 0:27:29and the origins of perry - the full breadth of life and death
0:27:29 > 0:27:31is captured in its pages.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35And all of it accessible because of the new railways.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40In Herefordshire, farmers made use of the arrival of the railways
0:27:40 > 0:27:43to find new markets for their products.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47In Shropshire, inventors and entrepreneurs grasped the railways
0:27:47 > 0:27:51enthusiastically to pursue their Industrial Revolution.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54The railways transformed everywhere,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58but the nature of the change depended upon the geography
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and the character of the people in each county.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13On my next journey, I'm following Bradshaw to see the world's first iron bridge.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- Where do I go to see it? - Just down the bottom. It's amazing. You'll love it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Visiting a place where the railways weren't initially welcome.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23My ancestor at the time of the railway
0:28:23 > 0:28:27was particularly disenchanted with the idea of a railway being
0:28:27 > 0:28:33built across his land, so he tried very hard to disrupt the surveyors.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37And discovering the secrets of good cheese.
0:28:37 > 0:28:42It's just exactly as my great grandfather would recognise.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
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