0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 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 > 0:00:29Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:35across the length and breadth of the country to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01I'm now well into my railway journey from the heart of rural England
0:01:01 > 0:01:06to Anglesey, using George Bradshaw's 19th-century guidebook.
0:01:06 > 0:01:13Today's route will enable me to look at some British history from well before his time and to recall that
0:01:13 > 0:01:19British inventiveness can be used to wage war as well as build bridges.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm well used to using Bradshaw as my travel guide.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28But more than that, it's a Victorian encyclopaedia in my pocket.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Every day, it provides me with fresh insights into how
0:01:31 > 0:01:36the people and places of Britain were shaped in history.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42On this stretch of the journey, I'll be exploring one of the country's oldest streets...
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Oh, this is stunning, Paul.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Basically what we've got here is a mediaeval shopping mall.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52..uncovering a hidden chemical weapons factory...
0:01:52 > 0:01:57We are probably looking at the Second World War's most secret building in Britain.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02- Would that be right? - In 1942-43, there was nowhere more secret in the world than this.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Out it goes.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08..and raking for mussels, Victorian-style.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14I think I've got nothing at all, absolute empty set.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25So far, I've already covered 118 miles through the Welsh Marches.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31Now I'm chugging north before following the coast of Wales towards the National Park of Snowdonia.
0:02:31 > 0:02:37Then, I'll cross to Anglesey, aiming for the port of Holyhead.
0:02:37 > 0:02:44Today, I'll be calling at Chester and Flint before travelling on to Llandudno and Conwy.
0:02:52 > 0:02:58Shortly, I'll be arriving at Chester, the last English city that I'll visit before going into Wales.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03And the railway line from Chester to Holyhead was built in order to speed up communications.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09And as Bradshaw says, "The line is a very important one, in shortening the distance between
0:03:09 > 0:03:13"the chief city in the British Isles and the important capital of Ireland,
0:03:13 > 0:03:18"and adds another noble power to government in the facilities of communication."
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Now Ireland was a troublesome place for the English in the 19th century.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28In fact, when the line was opened in 1848, that was the year of the famine in Ireland,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32and being a Catholic country, the English were nervous about revolution.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35So anything that strengthened communication,
0:03:35 > 0:03:40strengthened the power of the government in London, was important politically.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43And even Bradshaw noted that.
0:03:44 > 0:03:51England was officially united with Ireland in 1801 in an attempt to keep the Irish under English rule.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Once they shared the same parliament, a fast route for
0:03:54 > 0:03:58documents and mail between London and Dublin was key.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01The journey took about 33 hours by road.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06When the new railway opened in 1848, it was reduced to just 12,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10via Chester, which became a strategically important city.
0:04:12 > 0:04:19As I arrive just now into Chester, they're announcing connections to London and Manchester and Liverpool,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and it's a reminder that Chester is a hub.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27George Bradshaw was very impressed by this because several of the different railway companies
0:04:27 > 0:04:30had their own terminus here at Chester.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33And he claimed that it had the longest platform in England,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37so I'm looking forward to exploring Chester station.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Bradshaw was right that the station was busy and he also comments on the architecture.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49"That very noble pile of buildings, in the Italian style,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54"the Chester station, is the longest of all the railway termini in England."
0:04:56 > 0:05:02Magnificent though the station is, Bradshaw writes about his chief reason for visiting.
0:05:02 > 0:05:10"Chester is a genuine Roman city, built four square, within walls, which remain to this day."
0:05:13 > 0:05:16The walls are now a scheduled ancient monument.
0:05:16 > 0:05:23They've been repaired and restored over the years but still follow the original Roman layout.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Using my guide, I'm going to explore this 2,000-year-old settlement.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Do you know much about the history of Chester?
0:05:33 > 0:05:38- Only the Romans, that's all, but I don't know a lot about it.- What did the Romans ever do for Chester?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Oh, don't ask me.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- Chester, you're proud of your city? - Very much so.- Tell me a bit about the Roman history.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Tell me about what one should think about the Roman history.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53There's the old port over by the racecourse.
0:05:53 > 0:06:01And every time anybody excavates for a building, there's another piece of Roman history comes to light.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04So, it's just down there.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Chester was once the site of the biggest Roman fort in Britain.
0:06:09 > 0:06:16Tour guide Paul Hyde has asked me to meet him at the city's famous racecourse to discover more.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Paul. Michael.- Good morning, Michael, welcome to Chester.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Lovely to see you. What a fantastic vista.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Obviously over the race course.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28The race course was where the Roman port was.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Of course, Chester really began as a Roman fortress.
0:06:31 > 0:06:39It was one of the three legionary fortresses in Britain, but also it was larger than the other two.
0:06:39 > 0:06:45There is thought that one of the reasons for that is it may have been seen as potential base
0:06:45 > 0:06:49for the invasion of Ireland, what is now Ireland, but that never happened.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Like the Romans, the Victorians recognised Chester
0:06:58 > 0:07:00as the gateway to Ireland and the west.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05By the 1850s, four railway companies ran lines through Chester,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07and the city was transformed.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Reading Bradshaw, you get the impression that Chester becomes a really important railway hub.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17I suppose the railways must have contributed to a substantial revival in Chester's fortunes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Certainly in the mid-19th century, the railways helped
0:07:21 > 0:07:25make Chester fairly prosperous, and also in 1861,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28the Great Western and the London and North Western railway
0:07:28 > 0:07:34were the two biggest employers in the city, so the railway did make Chester quite an important place.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Chester became a major shopping destination,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43attracting visitors with its historic architecture.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Bradshaw writes, "On both sides are lines of shops
0:07:47 > 0:07:52"and covered ways called the Rows, to which you ascend by a few steps."
0:07:52 > 0:07:57By the 1860s, American tourists were already arriving by boat into Liverpool.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01They boarded the train to visit Chester's quaint Rows,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04constructed along the original Roman street plan.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Oh, this is stunning, Paul.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11We've come off what is the Roman Street, yes?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Yes, Watergate Street, Via Principalis in Roman times,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18following the line of the Roman street, but we're now on the Rows,
0:08:18 > 0:08:23Chester's famous Rows, which have been here since the 13th century.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Basically what we've got here is a mediaeval shopping mall, which is unique to Chester.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32So you would not be in the rain if you were doing your shopping,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and of course away from the filth of the street as well.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41Greatly changed over the ages, this is actually a 13th-century stone arch,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46but the outer building here, Booth Mansion, is actually 1700s.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51So actually, the street as we see it now is a remarkable collection of different architectural styles.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- Certainly.- It's very cosy, isn't it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Out of the mud, out of the rain.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- Chester must have been an early shopping destination.- Absolutely.
0:09:00 > 0:09:07As Victorian Chester's reputation grew, the town centre was given an extensive makeover.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Shops were rebuilt in the black and white Tudor style,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14adding to the picturesque appeal of the town to tourists.
0:09:22 > 0:09:29It's time for me to bid farewell to historic Chester and continue on the next leg of my journey.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35I'm now leaving England, bound 12 miles across the Welsh border to Flint.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39My Bradshaw's Guide tells me to keep my eyes open along the way.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I'm just coming up to the Dee Bridge.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Bradshaw says, "We cross the river Dee on the largest cast-iron girder bridge in the kingdom,"
0:09:48 > 0:09:53which is slightly puzzling, because the bridge was built in cast iron by Robert Stephenson,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57but it collapsed in 1847.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02The accident on the Dee was the first railway bridge disaster in Britain.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08A cast-iron girder cracked, plunging a train into the river and killing five people.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Afterwards, bridge builders abandoned brittle cast iron
0:10:12 > 0:10:16in favour of more flexible wrought iron.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24In Bradshaw's day, the Dee estuary was an area of heavy industry.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27My guide says, "There are extensive collieries,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32"the coals from which are shipped to Liverpool, Ireland and various parts of Wales."
0:10:35 > 0:10:41Today, the collieries are gone but another landmark mentioned by Bradshaw remains.
0:10:43 > 0:10:49My guide describes the haunting Flint Castle, saying, "At no very great distance from the railway,
0:10:49 > 0:10:55"the castle is but a mere shell, there being left only the grey ruined walls."
0:10:55 > 0:11:00It's another of those fortresses built to subdue the Welsh.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03RAILWAY ANNOUNCER: We are now at Flint.
0:11:03 > 0:11:10I'm heading just outside Flint to Rhydymwyn to meet local historian Colin Barber.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13In the 1940s, the railway tracks that once served the coal industry
0:11:13 > 0:11:17were put to work in a very different cause.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Hi, Colin. This place we're standing now. What was it?
0:11:21 > 0:11:27This was a chemical weapons factory, a war-time chemical weapons factory, and this was goods in.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33So these were the tracks coming in and what, the ingredients for chemical weapons arrived here?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Yes, all of the components for them.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37What were they making here?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41They were making mustard gas and smoke grenades.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48This branch line ran to a secret chemical weapons factory making mustard gas shells.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51That gas was first used by Germany in World War I.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57The effects were so horrific that its use was banned after the war's end by the Geneva Convention,
0:11:57 > 0:12:02so it's strange to find that it was being manufactured here in 1942.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04This is a bit shocking really.
0:12:04 > 0:12:11- What were we doing making chemical weapons?- Everybody made them in case the other side used them first.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15But we intended to use them in Great Britain if the Germans invaded our beaches.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23In 1939, the Government asked ICI to set up this factory at Rhydymwyn
0:12:23 > 0:12:29because it was remote, but close enough to the ICI chemical works at Runcorn.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34It also had good rail links to transport the shells and mustard gas.
0:12:34 > 0:12:41The first use of the gas in war was illegal, but manufacturing it as a precaution was not.
0:12:41 > 0:12:48These are the tunnels where the chemical weapons and the bulk of mustard gas were stored,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51roughly 3,000 tonnes of it.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Good Lord. Colin, I can't see any great distance because of the dark,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01but it appears to be an enormous tunnel,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04burrowed into the hillside, is it?
0:13:04 > 0:13:09It's about 860-odd feet long, about 300 metres.
0:13:11 > 0:13:17Once the shells were filled, they were stored for 24 hours to make sure they didn't leak.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21One drop of gas could cause severe burns and blistering.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Then they were sent by rail to depots around the country,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29accompanied by special staff trained to deal with any contamination.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34And the people doing the work, men? Women?
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Mostly men to start with, but from '42 onwards, mostly ladies.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48The most hazardous part of the job
0:13:48 > 0:13:53was adding the explosives and detonators to the shells holding the mustard gas.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57It was done in the so-called Danger Area.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01This building was the first place where the workers came into contact
0:14:01 > 0:14:06with the charged shells and the explosives.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10They got the shells and they strapped them to the bench with a strap
0:14:10 > 0:14:14like the one you put on the back of a golf buggy to hold the bag on there.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19And they would have a doughnut-shaped charge of explosives.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Into the middle of that, you put the fuse.
0:14:22 > 0:14:29When it actually fired, the fuse would hit, the explosives would go off and it would blow the tail
0:14:29 > 0:14:32of the shell off, and it would disperse the mustard gas.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So that's where they put it all together here.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37And to make sure they got the mixtures correct and so on,
0:14:37 > 0:14:43they weighed them here, and occasionally as all sorts of different shells
0:14:43 > 0:14:47were coming through here, they did all of the calculations on the wall.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- This is calculating to make sure they got the right amount of gas inside the shell, is it?- Yes.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Wow.
0:14:54 > 0:15:01Towards the end of the war, workers at Rhydymwyn began research that was even more hush-hush.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06We're probably looking at the Second World War's most secret building in Britain. Would that be right?
0:15:06 > 0:15:10In 1942-43, there was nowhere more secret in the world than this.
0:15:10 > 0:15:16Here scientists worked on extracting uranium-235,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19a key stage in the development of the atomic bomb.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The research was to be completed in the United States
0:15:22 > 0:15:27but the foundations of nuclear weaponry were laid here.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Every time I come into this building, it does have a presence.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32It is eerie and sombre.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37- Yeah.- And it not only echoes, but it has an ambience.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Because the world's most gruesome weapons were developed here.
0:15:50 > 0:15:58For the next leg of my journey, I'm leaving Flint to follow my Bradshaw's Guide to Llandudno.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05This line hugs the coast and you get memorable views across the water.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12This train was jolly busy when I got on. Is it always like that?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15This is from Manchester, it's a commuter train.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19And the summer season's starting up now, so there's a lot of visitors coming down.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21What are the most popular destinations?
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Llandudno.- A lot of people taking their holidays there?- Yes.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Why do you think they go there?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- It's the Queen of the Welsh resorts. - Is it?- It is indeed.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Since the railways came to this part of Wales in the mid-19th century,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45this stretch of coast has been a popular tourist destination.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Bradshaw writes, "This delightful place has become one of great import as a summer resort.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59"The air is peculiarly salubrious."
0:16:59 > 0:17:03RAILWAY ANNOUNCER: We are now at Llandudno, our final station.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I've arrived at the seaside.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Those lovely stations that are like a full stop,
0:17:12 > 0:17:19you've come to the end of the line, beyond only beaches, sand and surf.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And of course, Bradshaw is absolutely right,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26the air is peculiarly salubrious.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34As it's late, I'm heading straight to my hotel, which is perched on
0:17:34 > 0:17:38the edge of Llandudno's most famous landmark, the Great Orme,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41a promontory which looms above the town.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48In Bradshaw's day, Victorian visitors took bracing walks on this stunning rock
0:17:48 > 0:17:52to catch the fine views, a custom continued to this day.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Now this is where I'm staying,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59and I was told I was coming to a lighthouse,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03but actually it looks more like a castle.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Anyway, fantastic spot.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07It will have a pretty good view.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16This lighthouse was built 400ft up on the promontory
0:18:16 > 0:18:21and so didn't require a tower to be clearly visible to shipping.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- Hello, are you Fiona?- Yes, I am.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- Oh, what a fantastic place!- I know. Nice to meet you.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Gosh, isn't that beautiful!
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Not at all what I expected.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43Fiona Kilpatrick owns this 19th-century curiosity which is now a B&B.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Oh! There can't be any other room like this in the world
0:18:49 > 0:18:52We're absolutely hung out over the sea, aren't we?
0:18:52 > 0:18:58It's certainly one of the most remarkable vistas that I've enjoyed on my travels.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08I've slept like a log.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The weather is different today, maybe I should have done more sightseeing yesterday.
0:19:12 > 0:19:19But I don't know - this billowing wildness today helps me to appreciate this wild landscape.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And Bradshaw was certainly right about the views.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26As I look down on Llandudno, laid out like a map,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31it makes me anxious to learn more about this fascinating place.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37As with all British journeys,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42you have to be prepared for whatever the weather throws at you.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49I'm going to go down to Llandudno now on the Great Orme tramway,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54which looks a wonderful piece of historic railway architecture.
0:19:57 > 0:20:03Opened in 1902, this tramway has been delighting tourists ever since.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08It's the only one of its kind still running on a British public road.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- You've got a job that many people would envy.- Yes, yes.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20What system are you running on here?
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I see there's a cable. Are we gripping that cable?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It's fixed on to the tram underneath.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27So we're permanently fixed to this cable.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31We're permanently fixed. And as we're going down, is the other one coming up?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- Yes.- So we're kind of balanced in some way, are we?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38This one helps that other one coming up, but we're synchronised so that
0:20:38 > 0:20:42when we get to this loop here now we'll pass perfectly safely.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51You get fantastic views, particularly YOU do, don't you, being out here at the front?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It's the best view in town this, yes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- Thank you, I really enjoyed that. - You're welcome. Cheers.- Great fun. - Thank you.
0:21:07 > 0:21:14You go to many British coastal resorts and they are faded and the paint is flaking, but not Llandudno.
0:21:14 > 0:21:20It's in perfect condition. Notice the lovely pastel colours, notice that everything is freshly painted.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26There are no modern buildings, there are no skyscrapers, there are no horrible signs.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31And why would this be? I think it's because one family has controlled this place for 500 years.
0:21:31 > 0:21:39Bradshaw refers to Sir Pyers Mostyn, Baronet, but he was just one of the generations of the Mostyn family
0:21:39 > 0:21:44that have been associated with Llandudno for half a millennium.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51When the railways arrived in the 19th century, the Mostyns saw an opportunity
0:21:51 > 0:21:56to take advantage of the new connection running through their land.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59They designed a purpose-built Victorian seaside resort
0:21:59 > 0:22:03laid out on a curving grid that followed the sweep of the bay.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's maintained its distinction ever since.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11- Hello, are you from Llandudno?- Yes, that's right.- Lovely to see you.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15- I see you're wearing a Llandudno life boat... Oh, you're a crew member?- That's right.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17What's it like to live in Llandudno?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It's a nice town. A lot of good places to eat, drink, friendly people.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- It's very well kept, isn't it? - Very well kept, yeah.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Lovely front that you'll have seen to the bay.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31The local landowners ensure it's kept in good condition.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- The Mostyn family?- That's right.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Strikingly, much of Llandudno is still owned by the Mostyn estate,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40which may be why it's so finely preserved.
0:22:42 > 0:22:49I'm now leaving Llandudno for the last leg of my journey to Conwy in search of my supper.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54On this stretch of the line, Bradshaw urges me to be alert for an engineering marvel.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59So in a few moments we are going to pass through what Bradshaw described
0:22:59 > 0:23:07as that "wonder of modern, engineering skill," referring to Stephenson's tubular bridge.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Now, being a tube as you pass through it, there is no daylight.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16It's going to be dark, so we're definitely not going to miss it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Stephenson's bridge design was radical.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26A series of wrought-iron plates was riveted together to make a tube.
0:23:26 > 0:23:32Prefabricated on the shore, it was then lifted into place in only nine days.
0:23:32 > 0:23:39The tube's inherent strength allowed Stephenson to create a 400- feet bridge without supports.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46"After a few seconds of darkness we emerge into daylight
0:23:46 > 0:23:49"beneath the lofty shattered walls of Conwy castle.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53"Sweeping around the base of the castle on a circle,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57"the railway glides on and enters the town of Conwy
0:23:57 > 0:24:03"under a pointed arch constructed in the old town walls."
0:24:04 > 0:24:09Conwy, with its 13th-century castle, was a distinctive place.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11When the bridge was built in 1848,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15it was the first time that an engineer and an architect worked together
0:24:15 > 0:24:20to create a design that respected the historic town.
0:24:20 > 0:24:27Stephenson and his architect devised ramparts in mediaeval style to book-end the modern structure.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30But I'm not just here to see the bridge.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38Do not adjust your set, this change of colour into these fetching oilskins
0:24:38 > 0:24:42is because I'm going to go raking mussels.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46I'm here to meet Jamie Hughes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50His family has fished mussels across ten generations.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Hello, Jamie.- Hello.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57When the railways arrived, Conwy's famous mussel industry boomed.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Jamie still sets his watch by the trains.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I see the railway runs very close by here.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Presumably in the 19th century, they used the railways
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- to transport the mussels around the place?- Yes, from Conwy,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13from the sidings in Conwy to the markets within a day.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17And I actually use the train as a guide for the times
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- so I know what time the tide is turning.- You time yourself by the trains?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23In the morning, I know it's 7.15 when the train goes past.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26That's a very good advertisement for the train service.
0:25:26 > 0:25:33- Are there many mussel rakers today? - Full time on the job probably six, seven.- Really?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Yeah, it's changed a lot over the years.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42In the 19th century, Conwy had about 60 licensed mussel men.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Saltwater mussels were raked from the bay for food
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and put on the train to Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Freshwater mussels were also collected from the river for their pearls.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00These days, there are about 12 musselmen left, catching only the saltwater variety.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Tell me about this bit of equipment then.- It's pitch pine.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Very heavy for a start, isn't it? It's quite a vicious-looking thing.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- And that's been used for a long time?- Hundreds of years.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14- Really? Technique is just the same? - Just the same, exactly the same.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Raking doesn't produce a huge catch.
0:26:16 > 0:26:22Jamie sells what he can locally, the rest goes to markets across the UK.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Tell me, why would enjoy a Conwy mussel more than any other?
0:26:25 > 0:26:26It's a better flavour.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It's a better taste. I would say that but...
0:26:29 > 0:26:32feeding from the fresh water and the sea water.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I think it's time I had a go.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Out it goes. As you say, the technique is not to let go.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40And lose a bit of tide.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Not sure I'm feeling any mussels.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Not on the river bed anyway.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48- Oh, it's tough work, that.- It is.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Let's have a look.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I think I've got nothing at all.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Absolute empty set.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Elsewhere, mussel men have started to use mechanical dredgers
0:27:00 > 0:27:03but in Conwy, they still do it the hard way.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Put that on your shoulder.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07On my shoulder like this?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Wey!
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Wow! What a sense of achievement.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I've actually got some mussels on board. Look at that.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Good ones, too.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh boy, that feels good.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32Travelling along the North Wales coast, I am pleased that so much still recalls the Victorian era.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Places like Chester, Llandudno and Conwy would be recognisable
0:27:36 > 0:27:41to Bradshaw and they maintain strong connections with the past.
0:27:42 > 0:27:49Bradshaw describes the railway as gliding past the walls of Conwy Castle.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55The Chester to Holyhead line has transported me from Roman times to World War II.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It has enabled me to glide through British history.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07On my next journey, I'll be discovering how trains helped an early mail-order business...
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- What is it that they contain?- Iron.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13- And what does it give you? Energy? - Of course it does.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16..staying in Britain's first artists' colony...
0:28:16 > 0:28:22One of the descriptions in the 1840s/1850s is that is looks like the encampment of an invading army,
0:28:22 > 0:28:27because there are easels and white tents - every blooming rock has got an artist sitting on it.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32..and exploring the Victorian slate capital of the world.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34We've popped out into a different universe.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Where are the trees now? Where is the green?
0:28:37 > 0:28:42Just piles and piles and piles of grey slate.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:08 > 0:29:11E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk