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.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and where to stay.
0:00:25 > 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.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Steered by my Bradshaw's guide, I am now completing my journey
0:00:58 > 0:01:02towards the most westerly part of South Wales.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06This area hosted a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and I'm keen to discover the cultural legacy of that period,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and also to find out whether industry and trade
0:01:12 > 0:01:16are still continued here on a colossal scale.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19On the final leg of this journey, I'll be discovering
0:01:19 > 0:01:23how the 19th-century steel trade has been brought up to date.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I can feel the heat of the blast furnace.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I can see a stream of molten iron. I can see sparks flying.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I can see smoke. And now, this fantastic train that's emerging.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Going on a Victorian adventure to see a marvel of the natural world.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42It's wonderfully wet and wonderfully thrilling, isn't it?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44It's, kind of...very, very romantic.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46And learning how industry
0:01:46 > 0:01:49gave birth to beautiful music in Bradshaw's day.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53- Sir, how long have you been in the choir?- Oh, only 53 years.- No?!- Yeah!
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Yeah!
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I've been making a long journey from the heart of England to West Wales.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03It's taken me through rolling hills
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and ancient forests, before crossing the border,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07where I've been exploring
0:02:07 > 0:02:11the rich industrial and railway heritage of the Welsh valleys.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16This stretch kicks off in Port Talbot,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20then takes in the natural wonders of the Vale of Neath,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23finishing up at the port of Milford Haven.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27My guide book paints a vivid picture
0:02:27 > 0:02:31of this region's beating industrial heart.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Here is Bradshaw's gripping description of South Wales
0:02:35 > 0:02:37in the mid-19th century.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40"At night, the lurid glare from countless coke ovens,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42"by day, the dense clouds,
0:02:42 > 0:02:47"proceeding from hundreds of chimney stalks overhanging the valley.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50"At all times, the arsenical,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55"sulphurous vapour filling the air, which you may both smell and taste.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57"And that gives the scene
0:02:57 > 0:03:00"a character scarcely to be seen elsewhere."
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Bradshaw's recognised that the Industrial Revolution
0:03:03 > 0:03:06had brought both Paradise and Inferno.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13The heat and smoke that hung over the valleys in Bradshaw's day
0:03:13 > 0:03:17was producing iron and steel, vital ingredients for the spread
0:03:17 > 0:03:21of the railways and Britain's rapid industrial growth.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24My first stop is Port Talbot,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28a town that is still synonymous with steel today,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34I'm heading to the vast modern steelworks
0:03:34 > 0:03:36just south of the town
0:03:36 > 0:03:38to see how the industry has changed since the 19th century.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44This 20km squared site is managed by John Ferryman.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Good morning, John.- Good morning, Michael.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- Lovely to see you.- This is really industry on an epic scale, isn't it?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Absolutely. We're stood in front of the blast furnaces,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53here, at Port Talbot.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Fantastic site.- I was reading my Bradshaw's guide on the way here.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00He has this description of the blast furnaces in the mid-19th century.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- So, iron and steel making goes back a long way here.- Absolutely.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08The plant is built around coal supplies and iron ore supplies.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12It goes back to Christopher Talbot, back in the 19th century.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot was a local landowner.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19The ironworks he opened here in 1831
0:04:19 > 0:04:22took advantage of recent industrial innovations
0:04:22 > 0:04:26that made large-scale iron production possible.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29But his ambitions for the area went further,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31as the town's name suggests.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37- So, he gave his name to Port Talbot. He developed the dock?- Absolutely.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39The dock came along.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40He realised when you had an iron works,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42you needed to bring materials in.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43So he actually developed the docks.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45He also had something to do with the railways as well.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48In fact, Talbot was a major player
0:04:48 > 0:04:50in the railway history of South Wales.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53He was chairman of the South Wales Railway Company,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57which built the line used to export coal from the region to London.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Closer to home,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03his efforts helped Port Talbot to boom in the 19th century.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06So, actually, in one person, this Talbot, you've got the dock,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08you've got the ironworks, you've got the railways,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09all integrated in this single figure.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Yeah, he did, and he actually brought that in in the 19th century
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and made a huge difference to this area.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17And it's still the same today.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Industrially produced iron helped Britain's railways
0:05:22 > 0:05:26to unfurl across the land, used for everything
0:05:26 > 0:05:28from tracks to stations and viaducts.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But, by the 1870s, a new technology allowed iron
0:05:31 > 0:05:35to be transformed inexpensively into steel, which was stronger,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37giving fresh impetus to the Industrial Revolution.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Port Talbot gained its first steelworks in 1901,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and then the core of the modern plant opened in the 1950s.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Further technological progress
0:05:48 > 0:05:51has transformed the manufacturing process.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Wade, hello.- Hello.- What is it that you control from here?
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I control all the furnace parameters.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59How quick the furnace is running, how much iron we are making,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03what we put in the top, what percentage of coke to ore.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- What I'm looking at on the screen there.- Yes.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06How far away is that from this building?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- It's about 30 foot behind those windows.- Really?
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Straight across, yes.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13But it would be pretty damn hot if we were down there.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15If you were up there at the moment, you would be very warm,
0:06:15 > 0:06:16quite uncomfortable.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17You'd be wearing safety gear.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The iron itself is about 1,500 degrees this morning.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22And how do you get the temperatures up?
0:06:22 > 0:06:26We blow hot air in the bottom, about 1,000 degrees, and inside there,
0:06:26 > 0:06:31we mix that with coke and oxygen and we get combustion.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35The flame temperature at the bottom, there, is about 2,240 degrees,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38which produces that iron, at about 1,528, right now.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41The temperatures are just bewildering to me.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43An extraordinary environment.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48This vast site handles the whole steel-making process,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51from smelting to rolling out the finished product,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53producing up to 5,000,000 tonnes per year.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57The plant has its own internal railway,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01where locomotives pull so-called torpedoes
0:07:01 > 0:07:03full of blistering hot liquid iron.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07John, it's a fantastic feeling here.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I can feel the heat of the blast furnace.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I can see a stream of molten iron. I can see sparks flying.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17I can see smoke. And now, this fantastic train that's emerging.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Tell me about that.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21The torpedo is like a flask on wheels
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and it's holding in 1,530 degrees of molten iron.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28So there's about 300 tonnes in this torpedo behind us.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31And it's now going off to our steel plant, where it will be treated
0:07:31 > 0:07:33to turn it from iron into steel.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35I can see the heat haze rising above the torpedoes.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37This is an open vessel, is it?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yeah, the top of the vessel is open.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42That's the area we pour into and actually pour out of
0:07:42 > 0:07:44when it gets into the steel plant.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47You must have, yourselves, a pretty enormous
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and busy railway network inside the plant.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Yeah, I mean, the blast furnaces are known as the heart of the plant,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and the railway network is known as the veins.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00And, actually, we're moving about 80,000 tonnes of molten iron a week
0:08:00 > 0:08:01through the plant.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02- A week?!- A week, yes.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06So, I mean, you know, that does make you a very substantial
0:08:06 > 0:08:07railway operation.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09The railway here is absolutely essential to this business.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It just cannot operate without a railway network.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16I'm sure George Bradshaw would be struck that coke,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20iron smelting, and the transportation of steel
0:08:20 > 0:08:25by rail continue today in a form that he would recognise.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But the railways in his day served passengers as well as freight.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I'm leaving Port Talbot, following the tracks of Victorian
0:08:32 > 0:08:36adventurers who came to explore this region's gorgeous landscape.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42My Bradshaw's says, "Here, the fine Vale of Neath may be ascended
0:08:42 > 0:08:45"to the beautiful waterfalls at its summit.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48"Some of the best waterfalls in South Wales."
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And while industry has changed a lot since Bradshaw's day,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I'm assuming that nature has not.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11I leave the train at Neath station.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13In Bradshaw's day,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15I would have been able to pick up the Vale of Neath Railway here,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18to take me closer to the valley's most stunning scenery.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23The line's gone, now,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25but that won't deter me
0:09:25 > 0:09:27from following the trail of Victorians,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31who sought the thrill of nature in waterfall country.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I'm meeting countryside warden Helen Pie,
0:09:42 > 0:09:47to hear whether this beauty spot has changed since Bradshaw's day.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Helen.- How are you?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- What an awesome site that is.- It's absolutely stunning, isn't it?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55The power of nature, eh?
0:09:55 > 0:09:59I imagine that Victorian tourists did come in considerable numbers.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01The numbers were actually quite low.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06This area was quite an extreme environment for them to come to,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10so, you did generally tend to get explorers, naturalists,
0:10:10 > 0:10:11artists, really.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15And probably people who were more of the higher classes,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18because it was quite an adventure to come here, really.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Of course, the Victorians combined this romanticism,
0:10:21 > 0:10:26this wish to get back to the forces of nature, with a very keen
0:10:26 > 0:10:28sense of scientific enquiry, didn't they?
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Yeah, definitely.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33So, you had people like Alfred Russel Wallace coming here.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35He was a famous naturalist of the 19th century.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Though no longer a household name,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Alfred Russel Wallace was well known in Victorian times.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Working independently,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48he hit upon a theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Indeed, hearing of Wallace's work spurred Darwin to publish his own.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56This countryside first inspired Wallace to study the natural world,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and it still attracts scientific interest today.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03This site is actually of European importance, and it's designated
0:11:03 > 0:11:08for its open Ash woodland and some of the really rare species
0:11:08 > 0:11:12that that supports, so, and most people don't really know about them.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15They are lichens and mosses, all those green things that you
0:11:15 > 0:11:18see growing on trees, but they are actually really important
0:11:18 > 0:11:19and rare on this site.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24These days, the area attracts 154,000 visitors a year,
0:11:24 > 0:11:29many doing the 21st century equivalent of the Victorian tour.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31The four waterfalls walk.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35A highlight is the opportunity to stand behind
0:11:35 > 0:11:37this magnificent torrent of water.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43It's wonderfully wet, and wonderfully thrilling, isn't it?
0:11:43 > 0:11:47It's kind of...very, very romantic.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53I wish I were a Victorian poet who could pen a few lines,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56or a Victorian painter who captured the beauty, or a Victorian who
0:11:56 > 0:11:58could take the steam railway back down the Neath Valley.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Somewhere dry.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08After my Victorian adventure,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I'm now in search of a bed for the night.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Bradshaw's recommends Neath's Castle Hotel,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and, apparently, it also has a sporting claim to fame.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Before I touch down for the night, I'm stopping off for a chat
0:12:22 > 0:12:26with Neath Rugby Club Secretary Mike Price.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- Hello, Mike.- Michael, welcome to Wales's rugby capital.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- That's Neath, is it? - That's Neath, yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35The good citizens of Cardiff might disagree with it,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37but Neath is the place where Welsh rugby really all started.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40And this room is a particular shrine, isn't it?
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Yes, this is the Centenary room in the Castle Hotel in Neath,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46and this is where the Welsh Rugby Union itself was founded.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Rugby was introduced to Wales in the 19th century, and the working men
0:12:54 > 0:12:57of the Welsh valleys were quick to make it their own.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01The railways helped to encourage matches, even between distant teams.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04And with the creation of the Rugby Union, Welsh rugby came of age.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Now, Wales could field an official national team,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13kicking off a love affair that shows no sign of fading.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19So, tell me about Wales's love of, or passion for rugby.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Well, it borders on fanaticism, really,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and I think it all grows from people's school days.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I wouldn't think there's a school kid in Wales who hasn't participated
0:13:29 > 0:13:32in a game of rugby at some level or other,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34and even before that,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38children get given rugby balls as presents, even as toddlers.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42After a stimulating day, I must convert my energy to sleep,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44and try to get some rest.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Today, I'm continuing west towards the city of Swansea.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02In the 19th century, this area was a hive of industrial activity,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05dominated by coalmining and copper smelting.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17At the end of a day working in the pit, or on the railways,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22or at the blast furnace, the working man sought a leisure activity,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and that has bequeathed us something we associate more particularly
0:14:26 > 0:14:29with the Welsh than even coal or steel.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34MALE CHOIR SINGS
0:14:41 > 0:14:45In this region, the dirt and smoke of the Industrial Revolution
0:14:45 > 0:14:48gave birth to the Welsh male voice choir.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Formed not of classically trained musicians but working men,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58these choirs are a fundament of Welsh culture.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I'm leaving the train at Swansea
0:15:02 > 0:15:04and heading to the nearby suburb of Dunvant,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07where I've heard there's an intriguing connection
0:15:07 > 0:15:09between singing and the railways.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Until the 1960s, Dunvant was linked by rail to Swansea docks.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Sadly, these days, that line has gone,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23and all that remains of the station is a modest hut.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27It's where I'm meeting the choir chairman, Barry Evans.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- Barry.- Michael, nice to meet you. - Great to see you.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36The Dunvant Male Voice Choir has quite a claim to fame, doesn't it?
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Yes, it's the oldest established continuous male voice choir
0:15:40 > 0:15:44in Wales, established in 1895, and has been going ever since,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46without a break, really.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48You've decided to meet me here for what reason?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Well, because before the main male voice choir was formed,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55the other choir in the village started in this building in 1880
0:15:55 > 0:15:57when it was part of the main station building.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58And when this choir split up,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01some of the members went to form the male voice choir.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Why did they form in a railway station?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Well, because the station master, Isaac Peters,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09was a musician of sorts and he pulled people
0:16:09 > 0:16:11together in the area from Killay and Dunvant
0:16:11 > 0:16:13to form a mixed choir,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and they used to practise in the station when he was on shift.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Industrialisation and the new railways soon brought
0:16:20 > 0:16:23unprecedented numbers of miners and metalworkers
0:16:23 > 0:16:25to villages across the valleys,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29all working to the new rhythms of the industrial age.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Set shifts became the norm,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35leaving the men with structured leisure time to fill.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Why did working men join choirs in the 19th century?
0:16:37 > 0:16:38Well, I think it was a bit of a challenge.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40There wasn't much else to do at the time.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Most people were in the chapel.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44It paid to be in the chapel and the schools.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46And it was a community thing.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48You got together, not just men, but ladies as well.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49And you had mixed choirs.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And then the men found you could have a nice sound
0:16:52 > 0:16:53with a male voice choir.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55So, lots of male voice choirs were founded.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Did it mix with what, I assume, is quite a macho culture?
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I mean, men who were working underground all day,
0:17:00 > 0:17:01men who were working on the railways,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03men who were working in the blast furnaces.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Well, I think it was just being part of a team.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09As well as being in the pit, they used to play rugby together,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and do all sorts of things together, and singing,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15it just brought people together for a bit of enjoyment.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16That was the main reason for it.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The choirs could exploit local rivalries,
0:17:19 > 0:17:24as the men threw their hearts into competitions between villages.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The tradition survives to this day
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and the quest for excellence is undiminished.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55I suppose that I could have strayed here during Victoria's reign
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and heard a sound as powerful and as moving.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05What a privilege. What beautiful harmonies.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06You've got fantastic voices.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Absolutely incredible voices. Thank you so much.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13May I ask you, how long have you been in the choir?
0:18:13 > 0:18:1525 years, now.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16- 25 years.- Yes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17And what do you get out of your singing?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I suppose it's the comradeship. It's good fun.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21It's good for your health.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26Very good for your health, in fact. The opportunity to travel.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29And the opportunity to learn from people
0:18:29 > 0:18:32like our musical team here, for instance.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37How to hone our voices and take us to some very prestigious venues
0:18:37 > 0:18:40to sing with some very prestigious people.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45- Sir, how long have you been in the choir?- Oh, only 53 years.- No?!- Yeah!
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Yeah!
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- 53 years!- And I'm the youngster in the choir now.- Fantastic.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- Was your family in the choir? - Very much so.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59My father and my grandfather. Three generations.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03And my other grandfather was also in it, but not during my time.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Why have you done it for 53 years?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07What have you gained from your singing?
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Well, it's my village. I was born here. Born into this chapel.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Spent all my life here. And it's the people that I've lived with.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It's a part of what we are.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22What would life have been like for you without your singing?
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Oh, dear. I... LAUGHTER
0:19:29 > 0:19:33- You can't even think about it, can you?- No, not really, no.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I wouldn't have imagined living without singing.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40You know, I can't imagine anything more beautiful than
0:19:40 > 0:19:43walking in here and hearing this choir sing.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44I can't imagine any better welcome
0:19:44 > 0:19:47in the hillside or any better welcome in the vales.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07With the sound of Wales ringing in my ears, I'm now taking my last
0:20:07 > 0:20:09train on this long trip.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I'm bound for Milford Haven, in Pembrokeshire,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15which receives an enthusiastic review in my 19th-century guide.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The final stage of my journey takes me to the Welsh coast,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24to one of the most westerly places in mainland Britain.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26My Bradshaw's talks about...
0:20:26 > 0:20:29"that magnificent inlet called Milford Haven.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34"Milford is prettily situated on a sloping point of land
0:20:34 > 0:20:37"about six miles from the entrance to the Haven
0:20:37 > 0:20:39"to which it gives its name."
0:20:39 > 0:20:44And the natural advantages of that harbour serve Milford Haven
0:20:44 > 0:20:48today as well as they have in centuries gone by.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52The railway reached Milford in 1856,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57and a few years later, the line was extended to reach the main docks.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01I'm getting off in the town centre, and heading to the waterfront,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to see what the locals make of their fine harbour.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- Hello.- Hello.- Enjoying the view? - It's lovely.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Do you come from Milford Haven?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I live around the corner, yeah, just round the corner,
0:21:19 > 0:21:20not far from here at all.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And do you manage to get out and enjoy the water sometimes?
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Yes, we do. We go out on my friend's jet ski, and we go surfing.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30The beaches are beautiful, I have to say.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Pembrokeshire has its cons, but the beaches are absolutely stunning.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Yeah, I know it's not great today, but the scenery is beautiful.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42You know, it's supposed to be summer. But obviously not today.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Milford Haven was founded only in the 1790s, but in its short
0:21:47 > 0:21:51200 year history, it's been through several incarnations.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53Surprisingly, some of the first people
0:21:53 > 0:21:55to settle here came from America.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And their legacy is discernible in the town today.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01This transatlantic connection came about
0:22:01 > 0:22:04thanks to the remarkable natural harbour.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07To hear more, I'm meeting Andrew Brown,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10from the Milford Haven Port Authority.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- Hello, Andrew.- Michael, welcome to Milford Haven.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18It's great to be here. I've been lured here by my Bradshaw's guide.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It says, "As there is plenty of deep water,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22"the harbour at Milford Haven
0:22:22 > 0:22:24"would easily hold the entire British Navy."
0:22:24 > 0:22:27That's quite a thought, and quite a claim, isn't it?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29It is, and it's absolutely true,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and it's been part of the success of Milford Haven
0:22:32 > 0:22:33over the last 200 years.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37The water depth is 16.5 metres in the main channel,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and that's minimum, it's actually more than that,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42or in Bradshaw's day, that's over 50 feet of water
0:22:42 > 0:22:43at all states of the tide.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Only in the late 18th century
0:22:45 > 0:22:48did local landowners realise the potential of the Haven.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55They lobbied Parliament for permission to build a new town,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59with a very unusual group of new residents in mind, American whalers.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04They were looking for a base in the UK
0:23:04 > 0:23:08to bring in all the spoils from their whaling.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12And they started here in the late 1790s into the 1800s.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18They would go away into the seas for a year or more at a time.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21They brought the whales in.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24The whale bones were used for fine ladies corsetry, apparently,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and the sperm oil was taken up to London,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and that was used as fuel for street lighting in London.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34These whalers had settled in Milford,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37partly because of its excellent harbour,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40but also to avoid high import duties.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45At that time, America led the hugely lucrative whale trade.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48In the days before petroleum, oil made from whale blubber
0:23:48 > 0:23:52was highly prized, and as the Industrial Revolution progressed,
0:23:52 > 0:23:57it was put to many uses, from candles to lubricating locomotives.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01But as a whaling port, Milford didn't last long.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06By the mid-19th century, the whale trade was in decline,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09thanks to the inventions of gas lighting and kerosene.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13In the 1880s, Milford Haven decided to chart a different course,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16which began with building new docks.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The initial aspiration was that the docks,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24when they were built, would attract transatlantic liners.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28But the reality, when the gates first opened in 1888,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31was that the first ship in was this small steam trawler
0:24:31 > 0:24:33by the name of Sybil.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37And she landed, I believe, about five tonnes of fish.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40And that set the future of Milford for the following 100 years.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44And that fish was headed, I assume, for the railway
0:24:44 > 0:24:46for the cities of Britain?
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Well, indeed. And, in fact,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49there was a fish quay which was one fifth of a mile long,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51and, in fact, in Paddington as well,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53there were posters that said,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55"Milford Haven, where the fish comes from."
0:24:55 > 0:24:57And there were fish trains that went up to London,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59up to Billingsgate, every day.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04By the 1900s, Milford was Britain's sixth largest fishing port.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09But by the middle of the 20th century, things were going downhill.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The harbour came to the rescue once again when, in the 1950s
0:25:13 > 0:25:19and '60s, oil companies saw it as an ideal site for refineries.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Today, the docks are filled with vast tankers carrying oil
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and liquefied natural gas.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32So, Milford Haven has gone from whale oil to crude oil.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It's the second oil age, as we call it,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and then more recently,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39in the last two or three years,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42liquefied natural gas has started to come ashore,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47and each of them produce about 20%, 25% of the UK's needs,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51both in terms of refined product, and in terms of the gas.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Milford's liquefied natural gas complex
0:25:55 > 0:25:57is one of the biggest in the world.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59The oil companies still use the railways,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01with eight to ten trains
0:26:01 > 0:26:06carrying 2,000 tonnes of refined material out of the town every week.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It was the references in Bradshaw's that brought me here today,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12and, frankly, it's been a surprise, because Milford Haven
0:26:12 > 0:26:16is not necessarily a name that's on everybody's lips,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and yet it turns out to be a fundamentally important port
0:26:19 > 0:26:22for the very same reason that Bradshaw's mentions,
0:26:22 > 0:26:23the depth of the water.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's the depth of the water that has made Milford Haven,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30in spite of its peripherality, in spite of how far away it is
0:26:30 > 0:26:36from the centre of the UK and Europe, we are the energy port of the UK.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40We are the third largest port, in terms of tonnage moved in the UK,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and we are the largest port in Wales.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44There is an immense pride in Milford Haven
0:26:44 > 0:26:45in what the port has done for it.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51During this rail trip, I have been musing on how the Victorians
0:26:51 > 0:26:55harnessed the railways to make the most of their resources.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Trains carried everything from self-improving tourists
0:26:58 > 0:27:01to the very coal, iron, and steel
0:27:01 > 0:27:03that fuelled the Industrial Revolution.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10On this journey from Oxford to Milford Haven, I have contemplated
0:27:10 > 0:27:13beautiful British landscape from towers and hills.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16This land has been good to us.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The Victorians changed it, cultivating its fields,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and mining its minerals.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Some of what they did has now returned to nature.
0:27:24 > 0:27:30For the span from Bradshaw's time to ours is but a moment gone,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33whilst this island of ours endures forever.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38My next journey takes me to the North of England,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40as my Bradshaw's leads me from Berwick-upon-Tweed,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43south-west across the backbone of England,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46through industrial heartlands and dramatic scenery,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49finishing on the beautiful and unique Isle of Man.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I'll be admiring spectacular engineering triumphs
0:27:54 > 0:27:56in the Cumbrian countryside.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Thank you for going so slowly over the viaduct.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- You're welcome.- Isn't that a beautiful thing?- Oh, it's beautiful.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Submerging myself in a top secret world.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05It is enormous,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and it's like the last scene of a James Bond movie, isn't it?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And hearing how perilous life was on the industrial railways
0:28:10 > 0:28:11of the North East.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16So, if it's your job to get that rope off and you happened to trip,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20- what's the consequence?- You're dead.
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0:28:30 > 0:28:34E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk