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 > 0:00:18and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:18 > 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 > 0:00:29Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:31across the length and breadth of the country
0:00:31 > 0:00:34to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53In recent days, I've been travelling along a railway line
0:00:53 > 0:00:57that was built to speed the link between London and Dublin.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59It was a vital route of communication,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01carrying the Irish mail
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and it boosted trade and tourism along its length.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I'm journeying across North Wales,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12using my 19th century Bradshaw's guide,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14towards the Irish ferry port of Holyhead.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18But today, I'm taking time out to make a diversion
0:01:18 > 0:01:22along the line that was built in the 1860s,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24following the course of the Conwy River
0:01:24 > 0:01:27through some of Wales's most beautiful scenery,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31to discover more about what these Welsh hills are made of
0:01:31 > 0:01:36and the sorts of people that they attracted in Bradshaw's day.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39In the 19th century,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43the railways sprouted mile after mile of branch lines.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48My Bradshaw's guide has set me to explore one of the prettiest in Wales,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50to appreciate how even a secondary line,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54could transform the fortunes of a locality.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Along the way, I'll be discovering
0:01:55 > 0:01:58how trains helped an early mail order business.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01What is it they contain?
0:02:01 > 0:02:02Iron.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04What does it give you? Energy?
0:02:04 > 0:02:05Of course it does.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Staying in Britain's first artist's colony.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11One of the descriptions in the 1840s and 1850s,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13is it looks like the encampment of an invading army
0:02:13 > 0:02:16because every blooming rock has got an artist sitting on it.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20'And exploring the Victorian slate capital of the world.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:23We've popped out into a different universe.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Where are the trees now? Where is the green?
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Just piles and piles and piles of grey slate.
0:02:35 > 0:02:42So far, I've travelled almost 150 miles from Ledbury to Llandudno.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Now I'm heading deep into North Wales and exploring Snowdonia,
0:02:45 > 0:02:50before crossing the Menai Straits to Anglesey and Holyhead.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53My first stop today is Llanrwst,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55then on to Betws-y-Coed,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Blaenau Ffestiniog and finally, Porthmadog.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03This stretch of the journey takes me on a detour
0:03:03 > 0:03:07away from the mainline to Holyhead, along the Conwy Valley,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10on a branch that was built in the 1860s.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I've never been down this line before and already I am surprised.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20The Conwy River is much wider than I had expected.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It is very lush and green.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And actually Bradshaw should have prepared me for this, he says,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29"This valley is remarkable for its beauty and fertility,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32"its luxuriant pastures, cornfields and groves,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34"and these are finely contrasted
0:03:34 > 0:03:37"with the bleak appearance of the Snowdon Mountain
0:03:37 > 0:03:40"which towers in frowning majesty above."
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Just about right.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46In Bradshaw's era,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50towns across the country cried out to be linked to the railway network,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52hungry for economic benefit.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56New lines like this spread like wildfire.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- Good morning.- Morning, Michael. Welcome to the Conwy Valley. - Thank you very much.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's a fantastic railway line. Was it built for tourism?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07No, the original reason for this line
0:04:07 > 0:04:12was to convey the products of the slate quarry in the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the coast.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So that was the real reason for the line.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18But of course as the years have emerged and industry has changed
0:04:18 > 0:04:20then tourism is now very much our main feature.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26'North Llanrwst station opened in 1863.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Bye!
0:04:28 > 0:04:35'The line carried slate and the mountains became accessible to rail passengers for the first time.'
0:04:35 > 0:04:37North Llanrwst station is beautifully situated
0:04:37 > 0:04:42and it was obviously built on a scale,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45a gateway to welcome tourists and visitors.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Now looking a little bit like...
0:04:48 > 0:04:49faded splendour.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I've come to see what attracted all the visitors.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Bradshaw writes,
0:04:56 > 0:04:57"In the vicinity is Trefriw,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01"in a hollow of the Caernarvonshire hills,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05"where there are some salubrious mineral waters."
0:05:05 > 0:05:10The Trefriw springs were a local secret until the 19th century.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14When the railway arrived, the town blossomed into a fully-fledged spa,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18with a bathhouse and pump room.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20The bathhouse is no more,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24but of course, the famous waters flow still.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Hello, Hilary.- Hello, Michael.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'Hilary Rogers-Jones is a guide at the spa.'
0:05:31 > 0:05:34So these are the spa waters of Trefriw, is that right?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Yes, they certainly are.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And Bradshaw, my 19th-century guide,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40says they are very salubrious waters.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42And efficacious.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45And why is that? What is it that they contain?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Iron.- Iron.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And it's in solution.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51It was called Trefriw chalybeate.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I think he may have mentioned chalybeate waters,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57which is iron in solution.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58Does it give you energy?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Of course it does.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01And how do you best take it, then?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Do you ingest it or do you bathe in it?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05No, you take it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06They used to bathe in it.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08In Bradshaw's time they bathed in it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12It was said that these iron-rich waters
0:06:12 > 0:06:14provided a natural cure for anaemia.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Demand rocketed.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And taking advantage of the new branch line,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22the spa created one of the earliest mail order businesses
0:06:22 > 0:06:25that made use of rail.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29They could get it in the post as well. Here's one of the very old boxes
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- Oh, that's fantastic. - With the bottles.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34And it has "Trefriw Wells" on it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38And I presume, sent off on the train.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Yes, they'd be collected from here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42That's when the Post Office came into Trefriw
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and then of course so much went by rail in those days.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I had no idea that at that stage you could send away
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- and get a bottle of water.- A little bottle of water, very expensive.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57This would be 42 shillings for an eight-week supply of water,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01which was a tremendous amount of money in those days. Just imagine.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- That is. That is staggering. - It's a lot of money. It is.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- They must really have believed in it.- Oh, they did.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14'Back then, 42 shillings was over a week's wages for most workers.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19'So the mail order service was an expensive luxury for the rich.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21'Those who took the train to the spa
0:07:21 > 0:07:24'could also take a dip in the special waters.'
0:07:24 > 0:07:29This is the bathhouse that people used to bathe in,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32from 1833 when it was built.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- That's a huge bath.- It is, isn't it? - And what's this made of?
0:07:35 > 0:07:36Slate.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Good Welsh slate.- Yes.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- And the water...- Just used to come...
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- Tumbling off the mountains... - Tumbling off the mountains into here.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I can understand that if you drink iron
0:07:48 > 0:07:49that might do you some good.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51But bathing in it - would that do any good?
0:07:51 > 0:07:56They believed it would, and faith is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Faith is everything.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58Yes, it is, isn't it?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'I think I'll skip the bath,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'but I wouldn't mind a taste of these famous waters.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Mind your head. - Oh, dark and damp.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Look at those iron stalactites. - I know, look at them.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Fascinating.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Down the hatch!
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Very metallic.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Oh, it's not so bad.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23I don't mind it, you see. But some people...
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It is metallic, but it's not unpleasant.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28- No, it isn't, is it?- No.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Just like...
0:08:30 > 0:08:31drinking steel.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Today, the water still compensates for iron deficiency
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and is sold all over the world.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43As for me, I'm heading to the station,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46where I need to be on the ball to catch my next train.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50At rural stations, the trains stop only by request.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Now, I've never had to do this with a train before,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55only with a bus or taxi, but I guess the technique is similar.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05That seems to have done it.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I'm now travelling another three miles along the beautiful Conwy Valley
0:09:22 > 0:09:28to one of North Wales's prettiest villages, Betws-y-Coed.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I can't resist stopping here
0:09:30 > 0:09:34because I've heard it's a train enthusiast's paradise.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44A whole world of railways opens up in front of the station here.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Little North American steam engine,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50an electric tram.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Ancient rolling stock with, apparently, a restaurant in it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Fantastic.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Bradshaw would have loved it.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The spectacular model railway shop at Betws-Y-Coed
0:10:03 > 0:10:05is owned by Colin Cartwright.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10This is the most amazing emporium!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12It makes me feel like a kid.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14That's lovely. Lovely to see you, Michael.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19This place is famous. It must be one of the best model railway shops in the world.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Yes, I think you could be right. - You've got everything here.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's not just a shop - it's a playground.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29This is every boy's dream.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31All you have to do is press the button
0:10:31 > 0:10:33and you will control a train.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35It will come to life.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37There you are.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Look what we've got here. We've got a huge station with about six roads.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45We've got over bridges, we've got the scenery.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50I love this, Colin, because I only had a clockwork model railway
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and some of my friends had electrics, and I always wanted an electric.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Are you now realising your ambitions then,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59in actually controlling a train yourself?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01At last, I've realised my ambitions!
0:11:01 > 0:11:02It had to come sometime.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- You actually stopped it in the station.- I tried to do that.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12'The first model trains in the 1890s were known as carpet railways
0:11:12 > 0:11:14'because they didn't run on tracks.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17'They were powered by miniature steam engines.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'Today's models are usually powered by rather duller electricity.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:22They're such fun, aren't they?
0:11:22 > 0:11:27They certainly are. And when you think, we were the pioneers of all railways.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I think it's lovely that we can continue -
0:11:30 > 0:11:32especially with the youngsters of today -
0:11:32 > 0:11:34continue what's gone on before.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38But it's not just youngsters, I've seen some of your prices - thousands of pounds.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- These are people with money who are investing in model railways. - Of course.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47We think it is not only a passion for railways,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- but it's also a relaxation.- Yeah.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I think it keeps families together.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56But Bradshaw didn't come here for the model railways.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59He writes, "In a green, sheltered nook of the Conwy
0:11:59 > 0:12:04"is a resort, well known to anglers and artists."
0:12:04 > 0:12:05In the 19th century,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Betws-y-Coed became popular with painters
0:12:07 > 0:12:10who came to capture nature in this beautiful location.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Peter, hello!- Hello, nice to see you.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'I'm hoping art historian, Peter Lord, can explain why.'
0:12:17 > 0:12:22Bradshaw talks about Betws-y-Coed as a resort that attracts artists
0:12:22 > 0:12:24and that's been your great speciality.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26How did that all begin - the artists?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29It begins a long time before Bradshaw, actually.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Because you're standing in one of the very early English tourist sites in Wales,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35or in Britain, to tell the truth.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40In fact, Betws-y-Coed was the first artists' colony in the country.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43It started with David Cox,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47who became one of the most distinguished landscape painters of his time.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Cox starts to come here for the summer
0:12:51 > 0:12:56and stays over all the summers between 1844 and 1856 and he brings his friends with him.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Cox is THE man.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59He's the big English painter.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02So, anybody who wants to be anybody
0:13:02 > 0:13:06in the art world in London, follows Cox here.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Cox's landscapes helped to publicise the glories of the area,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14like the dramatic Swallow Falls.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15This is very lovely.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Well, obviously, there's a lot more water here in the winter
0:13:18 > 0:13:19and you get the foam.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23- So this was the sort of place that attracted David Cox?- Absolutely, yes.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26One of the descriptions of the place in the 1840s and 1850s
0:13:26 > 0:13:29is that it looks like the encampment of an invading army.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Because there are easels and white tents
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and every blooming rock has an artist sitting on it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It was getting a bit crowded.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40So, he would wander off, he would teach a bit, talk to other artists.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43He was a very sociable man and everybody liked him.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It's a fantastic scene that you paint.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48It's almost unimaginable to us now,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50that the hills would be alive with artists.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The hills were alive with artists - that's a good way of putting it.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Eventually, that becomes a tourist attraction. You don't just come to Betws to see the scenery -
0:13:59 > 0:14:00you come to see the artists.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04From the 1860s, when the railway line opened,
0:14:04 > 0:14:10artists and tourists descended on Betws-y-Coed in ever greater numbers,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14bringing wealth and fame to the village.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So you've brought me in now to the back of the railway station.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20But you need to be looking that way.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Ah. Beautiful, beautiful.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25We've got the lovely medieval church, which is rather ironic,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27because a little further on from this place,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29David Cox painted his very famous picture,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32The Welsh Funeral, painted in 1848.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36And that's one of the key events in drawing people to Betws.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41He painted it... Or the view that he shows in the picture,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44was more or less the middle of the railway line - over there.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- So the railway is driven through the scene in the painting?- Absolutely.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It is ironic. Because it's partly the fame of Cox's picture
0:14:50 > 0:14:52which drew people to Betws.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54They came on the train after 1868 -
0:14:54 > 0:14:56middle-class tourists started to come.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's an extraordinary thing,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00but I think it's a reflection of the times.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I mean, the railway comes for good economic reasons.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05It's high-Victorian capitalism.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10The moans and groans of a few artists and spoiling the view won't make much difference.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17'The first hotel to accommodate the artists opened in 1768
0:15:17 > 0:15:19'and luckily for me, it's open still.'
0:15:19 > 0:15:21We're on our way to the Royal Oak
0:15:21 > 0:15:23because this is where David Cox
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and all the early tourists would have stayed.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It's a lot more grand now than it was then,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30but I think you'll find it very comfortable.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31It's a lovely place to stay.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33'Cox came here often
0:15:33 > 0:15:37'and painted a sign for the hotel which now hangs in the foyer.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40'It seems that in staying here,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42'I follow a very distinguished guest list.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I have arranged for the old visitors' book to be here
0:15:45 > 0:15:46so you can see that as well.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- Hello.- Hello! - Here we are.- Magnificent volume.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Here you are. That's contemporary with your Bradshaw.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54It's the 1860s.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Back here, with a bit of luck, I've marked it.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00There we can see...
0:16:00 > 0:16:02The Loyal Incorporation Of Artists at Betws-y-Coed.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09And here's a list of the artists in residence on October 3rd 1867.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Down at the bottom you can see why they came.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- They came for the booze... - They came for the booze.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17..To have a smoke,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18and to fish.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Fishing was a very good thing in Betws.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Bradshaw mentions angling here.- Yeah.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So it was an all-round experience.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27Fabulous.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28And they're all here.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Fabulous.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44The next morning I set out for the train station to continue my journey.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47I'm leaving the lush valley of Betws-y-Coed
0:16:47 > 0:16:50for the mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52TRAIN HORN
0:16:55 > 0:17:01You cannot imagine anything more rural or more green than this.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02But I've been told
0:17:02 > 0:17:06that I will shortly pass through a tunnel, two miles long -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09the longest single track tunnel in Britain.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12And at the other end,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I will pop out into another world.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27This tunnel was built in 1879.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It takes me straight through the mountain
0:17:30 > 0:17:31to what was, in Bradshaw's day,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the slate capital of Wales.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39We've popped out into a different universe.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Where are the trees now, where is the green?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Where are the sheep, where are the farms?
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Just piles and piles and piles of grey slate.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56A great grey mountain reaching down to the tracks.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02These huge heaps of slate are the waste from the quarries
0:18:02 > 0:18:04that have dominated the area for hundreds of years.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07The slate industry is all about
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and Bradshaw wrote of what he saw,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14"An inclined plane leads up to the edge of the vast mountain,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17"on the sides of which, above 2,000 hands
0:18:17 > 0:18:20"are employed in hacking and splitting."
0:18:22 > 0:18:25In its heyday, there were about ten slate quarries
0:18:25 > 0:18:27in Blaenau Ffestiniog alone.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30I'm meeting managing director, Andrew Roberts,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32who runs one of just two that are left.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Good morning, Andrew. I'm Michael.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36ANDREW SPEAKS WELSH
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Thank you very much for your welcome to your amazing town,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41which I see down here in the valley.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- Of course, I came down on the railway this morning.- Yeah.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Presumably that railway was built for this very purpose,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49for carrying the slate.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53The railway theme has been very important to the slate industry,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55you know, since the 1830s.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59The Ffestiniog railway, for example...
0:18:59 > 0:19:02was built because of the need to take the slate from Ffestiniog
0:19:02 > 0:19:06down to the port, Porthmadog, and then shipped all over world.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10So, historically, it just wouldn't have happened without the railway.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15By the late 19th century, the industry was at its peak.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Two trains a day carried 400 tonnes of slate down to the port.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The quarries were criss-crossed with tracks
0:19:22 > 0:19:24that conveyed the slate to the trains.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Nowadays, slate is quarried at the surface,
0:19:28 > 0:19:34but in Bradshaw's time, vast caverns were dug down into the hillside.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35You've just thrown a stone
0:19:35 > 0:19:39to make me realise that that is very, very deep indeed.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Almost every man in the village worked at the mine,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47many labouring by candlelight,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50blasting out the slate with explosives.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52It's quite moving, isn't it?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It must have been VERY hard
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and it must have been quite dangerous.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Very, very dangerous.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Of course, you relied heavily on the skills of your fellow workers.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05You trusted them. You had to put your trust in them,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10working and drilling in very tight, confined spaces, with explosives.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It's very hazardous.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Welsh blue grey slate was considered one of the best in the world
0:20:16 > 0:20:18because it kept its colour well
0:20:18 > 0:20:23and could be split cleanly by hand into a variety of sizes.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26In the 20th century, imports began to displace it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Now it's mainly used in restoration projects
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and it all travels by road.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35My Bradshaw's guide refers to
0:20:35 > 0:20:37the workers piling up the slates in their thousands
0:20:37 > 0:20:40and categorising them according to size and name.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43And he talks about duchesses and countesses and ladies.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Does that mean anything to you?
0:20:45 > 0:20:46It means a lot to me, Michael.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49It's the day-to-day language of this mill.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- So the duchess would be larger and the lady would be smaller? - That's correct.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57So you use the same terminology as was used in the 19th century?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59We do. It's unique to the Welsh slate industry
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and something that will continue
0:21:01 > 0:21:03while we still produce slates from this mill.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Many of the workers, like Glyn Daniels,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10have fathers and grandfathers who worked in the slate mines,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12passing on their skills.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Glyn can produce around 700 tiles a day
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and is going to teach me what he does.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I love the chair, because it's all part of the tradition.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25I sit myself down like this.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And quite a light tap to begin with?
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Yes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Oh, it's splitting already.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- And now leave her a little bit? - Put your hand there.- Put my hand there.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Oh, fantastic feeling!
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Look at that!
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Did I do that?
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Yeah.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49'Once the slate is split, it's trimmed and shaped by machine
0:21:49 > 0:21:52'so that it will fit snugly against other tiles.'
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Beautiful. So that now has a lovely chamfered edge
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- and that is the dressing.- Yeah.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01So, this is a fully-dressed lady.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Lovely piece of work.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10In the future, the slate industry may change again.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Andrew's big hope is to use the waste from the quarries for road building.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21His dream is to transport slate on the railways once more,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23back down the line to Conwy.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27As for me, I'm looking forward
0:22:27 > 0:22:29to riding on the Blaenau Ffestiniog railway.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Founded in 1832,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35it's the oldest independent railway company in the world.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38Now it's a heritage line,
0:22:38 > 0:22:43carrying tourists down to Porthmadog on the coast.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- Hello, Driver. I'm Michael. - Hello, Michael. I'm Paul.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- So how does this lovely engine drive? - Beautifully.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54It's unique to the railway. The wheels are articulated underneath.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- So you can go around... - Very sharp corners.- You've got very sharp corners on this line?- Yes.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03When it was built, engineers experimented with the track
0:23:03 > 0:23:06to negotiate the winding hillside.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10It was certainly one of the most important railways of its time.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11It was a real leader in the field.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13They realised very quickly
0:23:13 > 0:23:16they couldn't build standard gauge in the sort of terrain we're at.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20The railway also pioneered a kind of double engine
0:23:20 > 0:23:23that enabled it to power long, heavy slate trains
0:23:23 > 0:23:26through the steep mountains.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29As the slate industry declined, so too did the railway
0:23:29 > 0:23:33and the last slate train left Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1946.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35But less than ten years later,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37it reopened as a tourist line.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41And even today, its enthusiasts are growing in number.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Do you work on the line a lot?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I come up several times a year just to volunteer.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46You're a volunteer?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Yes, I am.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49And why do you volunteer to do this?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53I just fell in love with it and then decided to become a guard,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55so I'm doing my training at the moment.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Oh, lovely, so this is just for the love of it?
0:23:58 > 0:23:59Just for the love of it, yes.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Knowing the line so well,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03what would you pick out as a kind of highlight
0:24:03 > 0:24:05that I should keep my eye open for?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08One thing that the railway's famous for is its Cob
0:24:08 > 0:24:09and it splits the estuary.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12So it's got some fantastic wildlife
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and you can see a wonderful view of Snowdon from it as well.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21The long embankment called the Cob, near Porthmadog,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23was originally built in 1811
0:24:23 > 0:24:26to reclaim land from the estuary for farming.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31It later proved to be the perfect structure to carry the railway.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36So now, at last, I discover what the Cob is.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It's this immense sea defence.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41This huge wall.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And the railway runs along the top level of it
0:24:44 > 0:24:46and two lanes of cars run along the bottom level.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Then that's holding the sea behind me at bay
0:24:49 > 0:24:55and creating this vast inland piece of reclaimed land.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57And giving us the most fantastic views
0:24:57 > 0:25:01towards that looming peak of Snowdon.
0:25:02 > 0:25:09Riding the Cob takes me almost to the harbour at Porthmadog, where the slate was unloaded.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11And last stop for me, too.
0:25:14 > 0:25:22Porthmadog Harbour began to export small tonnages of slate in the early 19th century.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27When the railway gave it a high-capacity link to the slate quarries, it flourished.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32By the 1870s, over 120,000 tonnes of slate
0:25:32 > 0:25:35were loaded at Porthmadog every year.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- John. I'm Michael.- Hello, Michael. - Great to see you.
0:25:39 > 0:25:46I'm hoping that maritime history enthusiast, Dr John Jones Morris, can tell me more.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51The railway arrived at the harbour in 1836 and allowed the easy transport of slate
0:25:51 > 0:25:57from the quarries down to the quaysides here at Porthmadog for subsequent export by sea.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The standard trade was for the slate to be loaded on ships.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Usually they would leave in about April.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09Demand for slate would either be sort of in Southern England or on the continent.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Quite a lot of the slate went to the continent, particularly to Germany.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19In the early part of the 19th century, there was quite a huge fire in Hamburg,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23and the quarry owners at Blaenau Ffestiniog, seeing a good opportunity,
0:26:23 > 0:26:28went over there and persuaded the city fathers to re-roof the city with Ffestiniog slate,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32or Porthmadog slate as we like to call it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40The ships, having delivered their cargo in Europe, were filled up with heavy ballast to give them stability
0:26:40 > 0:26:43on the return voyage to Porthmadog.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47They used anything to hand, from rubbish to rocks.
0:26:47 > 0:26:54Having arrived at Porthmadog, they had to dispose of the ballast and they found a sand bank there
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and started unloading the ballast onto the island.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01And, as you can see, has built a considerable island over the years.
0:27:01 > 0:27:07- That lovely stretch of green? - That sits on top of rocks from many parts of the Mediterranean.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12If you were to dig, there would be all sorts of different types rock and rubble.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- There is a corner of a Welsh port that is forever Europe. - Indeed. Yes, there is.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24As I've journeyed along the narrow tracks and valleys of the Welsh mountains,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28I've once more admired the skills of the Victorian railway builders.
0:27:28 > 0:27:34Their ingenuity opened this corner of Wales to opportunities and visitors.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Victorian artists and tourists were attracted to the Conwy Valley
0:27:39 > 0:27:43because of its glorious landscape.
0:27:43 > 0:27:49Victorian mining companies were drawn to these parts because of what lay beneath that landscape.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55Now I'm looking forward to tackling that most famous piece of Welsh geology, Mount Snowdon.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02On the next leg of my journey, I'll be travelling
0:28:02 > 0:28:04to lofty mountain heights.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09It's magnificent. It's really imposing.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I'll be turning my tongue to the Welsh language.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16So, it's fairly easy, really.
0:28:16 > 0:28:23Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u- queern-drob-ooll-llandus-illio-gogo- goch.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27And tasting one of Wales's finest new products, salt.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30It hits you from the side of the tongue.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32It's got a wonderful texture. It's really crunchy, isn't it?
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