0:00:04 > 0:00:09In 1840, one man transformed travel in the British Isles.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11His name is George Bradshaw.
0:00:11 > 0:00:17And his railway guides inspired Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Stop by stop, he told them where to travel,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23what to see and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:28 > 0:00:31across the length and breadth of these isles
0:00:31 > 0:00:34to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I'm on the last leg of my journey from the Solent to the Humber.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Before the mid-19th century, the quickest way to do that journey
0:01:02 > 0:01:04would have been by boat around the coast.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09In Bradshaw's day, railways provided a rapid overland connection.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Today, I see how Lincolnshire farmers
0:01:13 > 0:01:16utilise rails to improve their harvests.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19That was fun!
0:01:19 > 0:01:24I visit one of Britain's most ancient and impressive cathedrals.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The tower is like fingers
0:01:27 > 0:01:31of honey-coloured stone against the blue sky.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Absolutely breathtaking.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And I look to the future of rail freight.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38It gives me the most enormous pleasure
0:01:38 > 0:01:43to be able to name this locomotive
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Immingham 100.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48APPLAUSE
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Using my Bradshaw's Guide, I began my journey in Portsmouth,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58travelled through Hampshire, on to Surrey,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01then London, Bedfordshire and Peterborough,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05finishing today on the Humber Estuary.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12The last leg of my journey starts in Spalding, heads north to Lincoln,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17on to Market Rasen and finally, the ports of Grimsby and Immingham.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28I'm in the county of Lincolnshire, which my Bradshaw's found,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30to put it mildly, underwhelming.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It admits the numerous churches in the county
0:02:32 > 0:02:34are objects of admiration, but says,
0:02:34 > 0:02:39"the most splendid were erected chiefly in its lowest and most fennish situations.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42"And we are at a loss to assign a reason.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44"The beauties of nature
0:02:44 > 0:02:48"are scattered with a very sparing hand over Lincolnshire."
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Oh, dear!
0:02:51 > 0:02:54On my railway journeys, I sometimes have the privilege
0:02:54 > 0:02:57of travelling up front in the driver's cab.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59But I'm hoping this morning
0:02:59 > 0:03:02that my conductor might allow me a new perspective.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Morning.- How are you? - Not too bad. Yourself?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- Good view out the back? - Yes. This is my little office
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and this is the best office view in the world.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- May I share it with you? - You may, yes.- Thank you very much.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I've never done that. I've often been in the cab,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I've never been at the back. That's a really nice view.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23It's strange to see where you've been,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25rather than being a driver and seeing where you're going.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33It may be boggy and flat, but judging from the vast acreage
0:03:33 > 0:03:35of rapeseed yellow,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38agriculture seems to have tamed this land.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46My first stop on this leg of my journey is Spalding.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- Bye-bye. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Bradshaw's goes on, "the fruitfulness and richness of Lincolnshire's soil
0:03:56 > 0:04:00"makes ample recompense for the deficiency of beauty.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04"Its trade consists almost entirely in produce for manufactured grocery
0:04:04 > 0:04:08"and other consumable commodities."
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And included in those is the humble spud.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Set around the picturesque River Welland,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I'm in the bustling Georgian market town of Spalding
0:04:21 > 0:04:23to visit Nicholas Watts,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27a farmer whose family has been growing potatoes in this boggy soil
0:04:27 > 0:04:29since the 19th Century.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And whose predecessors and neighbours used farm railways
0:04:33 > 0:04:36to improve the efficiency of their harvests.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- Nicholas, how good to see you. - Good morning. Nice to see you, too.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Are you going to come down the farm? - Yes, please.- OK. Jump in, then.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- Nicholas, I understand you're a bit of a railway enthusiast.- Yes, I am.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54And in actual fact, we used to have a railway down the farm.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56There were nine railways in the village
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and this is the only bit of any of those nine that's left.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04What a lovely sight.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The railways in this village were used to bring potatoes down the farm
0:05:08 > 0:05:10up and to near the main road.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13And then they were put onto a horse and cart to go to the station,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16where they were loaded onto the London and North Eastern Railway.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20My Bradshaw's Guide talks about the low and fenny ground.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24What made the Lincolnshire farmers think of putting railways across their land?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26In a wet winter, it would take three horses
0:05:26 > 0:05:31to pull a tonne of potatoes in a cart up the mud track.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But when they got the railway, one horse could pull three tonnes.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Out of the nine railways in the village,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39there was one that had a locomotive.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Quite a big railway system.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44So, shall we give it a push?
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Yes, yes. Yes, OK, yes.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56That was fun!
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Farmers weren't alone in employing light rail technology.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03The military did, too.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07During the First World War, tracks were used to move heavy goods
0:06:07 > 0:06:10across the often hideously muddy ground of the frontline.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15And after the armistice, much of the surplus of rail, sleepers and carts
0:06:15 > 0:06:19found its way to the potato fields of Lincolnshire.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22It's quite a thought that some of these tracks
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- had first done service on the Western Front.- That is true, yes.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28And, of course, I looked at that
0:06:28 > 0:06:31when I went to see the war graves in northern France recently.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39Back to Spalding station for the short trip to Lincoln.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Any Spalding tickets?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I'm looking forward to the view of Lincoln Cathedral.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57You'll enjoy it when you see it.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It looms over the city.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Which side will I see it?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06You'll see it on the right-hand side as we come into Lincoln itself.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08You can't miss it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It doesn't matter which direction you're coming from, actually,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14it's just a beautiful view.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Originally an important Roman town, replete with public baths,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25in 1072, the town acquired a cathedral,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28thanks to William the Conqueror, who relocated the bishopric
0:07:28 > 0:07:34of one of the largest dioceses in mediaeval England to the city.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Lincoln Cathedral always astonishes me. I never get used to it.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41It absolutely dominates the city.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And with those slender towers and tall roof,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46it's so wonderfully elegant.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52Completed in 1092, the cathedral was built of Lincolnshire limestone.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Over the centuries, earthquake, fire, high winds and war
0:07:56 > 0:07:58have wrought havoc on the building.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02And its regular repair explains the building's mix
0:08:02 > 0:08:05of Norman and Gothic influences.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08It was once deemed the tallest structure in the world,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11thanks to its 14th-Century spire.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13And although there are no spires today,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the building itself is visible 50 miles away.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20This cathedral is absolutely spellbinding.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22At the lower level, we have these rounded arches,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24which are Romanesque,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29and then just above, the pointed arches, which are Gothic.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31And then the tower is like fingers
0:08:31 > 0:08:35of honey-coloured stone against the blue sky.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Absolutely breathtaking!
0:08:40 > 0:08:44I'm meeting cathedral librarian Doctor Nicholas Bennett
0:08:44 > 0:08:48to find out how the Victorians regarded this jewel of East England.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- Thanks for seeing me today. May we go inside?- Indeed, yes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Bradshaw's is very keen on Lincoln Cathedral.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- Was that a common Victorian view? - It was.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Gothic architecture to the Victorians
0:09:02 > 0:09:05was the perfect form of ecclesiastical architecture.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The great Victorian critic John Ruskin said of Lincoln Cathedral
0:09:09 > 0:09:13that it was the best, in fact, it was worth any two of the others.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16He put it so high on its pedestal.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20That really sums up what Victorians thought of Lincoln Cathedral.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23These windows date from the mid 1850s.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25They were put in this transept
0:09:25 > 0:09:29as part of a memorial to the Bishop of Lincoln, John Kaye.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32The Victorians dared to alter the cathedral, to tamper with it?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Absolutely. They had supreme confidence in what they were doing.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39And they didn't hesitate to put in new windows
0:09:39 > 0:09:41where they felt they belonged.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Should we regard this as an artistic success?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Some liked it, others were quite savage about it.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50And there is a late Victorian guide to the cathedral
0:09:50 > 0:09:52that's slightly after Bradshaw's,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Murray's Handbook of the County of Lincolnshire,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58which is very critical about the glass in the cathedral.
0:09:58 > 0:10:05And it says the glass in the nave is badly designed, badly executed.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09It describes these windows as an unhappy memorial to Bishop Kaye.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So they didn't mince their words.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I enjoyed my rail journey here enormously.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I imagine the Victorians used the railway
0:10:16 > 0:10:19to indulge their passion for things Gothic.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Exactly. The railways brought crowds of people to the cathedral,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but it enabled the cathedral to make use of these vast spaces
0:10:25 > 0:10:27in the nave and the chapterhouse
0:10:27 > 0:10:29in a way they hadn't been used since the Middle Ages.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33For example, the 1889 music festival
0:10:33 > 0:10:35where they performed Mendelssohn's Elijah,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37they put on trains from all over Lincolnshire
0:10:37 > 0:10:39to bring those massed choirs into the cathedral.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Down the centuries, many have undertaken repairs
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and reconstruction work in the cathedral.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52In 1676, Sir Christopher Wren designed the baroque-style library.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55The building has 700 historic windows
0:10:55 > 0:10:58which need a lot of careful restoration.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Currently being provided by glazier Dan Beal.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05So, what period was this clear glass used?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09The original glass that was in here was quite recent, from the 1920s.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Major restoration works went on within the cathedral around then.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16And then these panels, how are you going to put those in position?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Well, I'll show you now, actually.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21The bottom one will just drop in quite neatly
0:11:21 > 0:11:23and then this is the nature of this method,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26the top ones also have to go in first
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and the middle panel will just kind of slot in
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and lap over, in theory.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I believe you, I believe you.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- We'll have a go at it. - Shall we see whether it works?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40It simply sits in a groove.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- So that one was pretty easy.- Yeah. The bottom ones are the best ones.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48This middle one has got to kind of slot in
0:11:48 > 0:11:51in between the other two panels, which is...
0:11:51 > 0:11:55That's the trickier bit, but it's OK. It should go in straightaway.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- And this is where it gets kind of tight. Are we on there?- Yeah.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04That's what I mean about being tricky.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's kind of...there's no space for fingers involved.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11This top panel has been jacked up. That's why all this lead's folded down.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13To give us the space to push this panel in
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and then you sort of take the little packers out and that drops down.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And hopefully stays there.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22The last panel to go in is always the trickiest panel to go in
0:12:22 > 0:12:25because you've only got a set size for it to slot into.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28But hopefully, fingers crossed, this one will be OK.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30That window's a bit of a pain.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Well...excuse the pun.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36In Victorian Britain, led by philosophers and social critics
0:12:36 > 0:12:40keen on mediaeval craftsmanship, artistry and spiritual beauty,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44stained glass in the Gothic style was in vogue.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48So much so that it decorated fashionable homes
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and graced the largest ecclesiastical buildings.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55At Dan's restoration studio, I'm hoping to find out
0:12:55 > 0:12:58whether the Victorian artists who painted glass for Lincoln Cathedral
0:12:58 > 0:13:01are easy to identify.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04One of the problems we have with 19th-Century glass is a lot aren't signed.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06They were churned out ten a penny, really.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08A lot of the windows aren't signed.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11It's quite difficult to decipher who made the windows.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13So because we struggle with that at the moment,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17then for the future generations, we sign and date the windows.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20So this stained glass has already been worked on and restored, has it?
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Yeah. This is a panel, um...
0:13:22 > 0:13:24the panels were donated to the cathedral in the '70s.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26What would it have looked like then?
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Originally, they're in this state, which is a lot of broken leads,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33a lot of broken pieces of glass. There's cracks in various areas,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36across that area, it seems to have folded at some point.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- And filthy. - And very, very dirty, yes.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42One of the problems that crops up is just cleaning stained glass.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I mean, many people will really quite destroy some of the paintwork
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- by over cleaning them. - What do you use, these brushes?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50It's a very gentle approach.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- I mean, initially it's like a soft bristle brush.- Yes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57And you just kind of go around and you pull a bit of the dirt away.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Do you feel unfulfilled that you're restoring somebody else's work?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04No. You get to work on different artists' work
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and every one you work on, you learn from it
0:14:06 > 0:14:09because it's a different style, different painting techniques.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So it's all a process of learning, continually learning, really.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16As I say, I thoroughly enjoy it. It's great.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Having seen Lincoln cathedral,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I feel positively Victorian in my enthusiasm for it
0:14:23 > 0:14:29and could happily linger all day, but my next destination awaits.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39My next stop is Market Rasen
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and I'm drawn there by this entry in my Bradshaw's.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46It says that, "there's a curious embattled town church
0:14:46 > 0:14:49"whose vicar takes tithe of ale."
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Now, I understand why churches took tithes for their upkeep,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56but a tithe of ale suggests a pretty tipsy vicar.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Charles Dickens described Market Rasen
0:15:04 > 0:15:07as the sleepiest town in England.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09But when its station opened in 1848,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13enabling trains to link the Humber to the Midlands,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16its place in railway history was cemented.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Documents suggest that just 100 years earlier,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22the Vicar of Rasen was taxing his parishioners
0:15:22 > 0:15:24through a tithe of ale.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I wonder whether the present incumbent,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Reverend Michael Cartwright's tankard still overflows.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Hello, Michael. How lovely to be in your church.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- It's really nice to meet you. Welcome.- Thank you so much.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Um...what were tithes?
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Well, tithes go back to the 8th Century, really.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It was a way of giving the parson a living.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And so he was given some land,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56he was given either a cow or a bull
0:15:56 > 0:16:01and he had the right to claim one tenth from his flock
0:16:01 > 0:16:05to support him in his life.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07And then in the 10th...that was voluntary.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11In the 10th Century, the church got wise to it and made it compulsory.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15- One tenth of a person's income? - Yes. Yes.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It's a biblical precept. It goes back to biblical times.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25My Bradshaw's refers to the vicar of this church taking a tithe of ale.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Yes.- Explain, please.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Well, the history of it is that before the reformation,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36there was a priory at a small village up the road called Sixhills.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39It was said, actually, that the prior of Sixhills
0:16:39 > 0:16:43laid a tithe of ale on the parishes round about
0:16:43 > 0:16:46for the grandium of his table.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50In other words, he wanted some booze on his table, really.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Apparently, it did die out long after the prior was dead and gone.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59By the time of my Bradshaw's Guide, actually, the custom had ailed.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I think, in effect, the custom had died out, yes.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Do you receive a tithe of ale today?
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Good heavens, no. Not at all. I'm still waiting for it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10When I first came to Lincolnshire, somebody said,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14"It's a country area, you'll get a sack of potatoes every week."
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I've never had a sack of potatoes in my life!
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I hope you're not too proud to take a half pint with me.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Not at all. That would be absolutely brilliant.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Good evening. Two halves of ale, please.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31'It's been a fascinating, but taxing day.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36'And with an early start tomorrow, it's just a nightcap for me.'
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Cheers, Michael.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39Cheers and thank you.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41I'm so sorry about the loss of your tithe.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43HE LAUGHS
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Well, this compensates.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47First time in 25 years.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50THEY LAUGH
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Morning.- Morning. Are you all right?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55After a good night's sleep,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58I'm ready for some bracing sea air this morning.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06During my journeys, I've become used to the idea
0:18:06 > 0:18:08that many towns and cities were transformed
0:18:08 > 0:18:11by the coming of the railways.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15But speaking of my next destination, my Bradshaw's says,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19"They commenced planting in defiance of all natural obstacles
0:18:19 > 0:18:24"a new commercial city to become the great entropy of the trade
0:18:24 > 0:18:28"between western, northern and eastern Europe."
0:18:28 > 0:18:29In the case of Grimsby,
0:18:29 > 0:18:35the port wasn't transformed by the railways, it was created by them.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I'm on my way to Grimsby Town station
0:18:39 > 0:18:43to change onto the Northern Railway for the docks.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Founded in the 9th Century,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Grimsby was a small port with a natural harbour,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56whose development was blighted by siltation.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Huge improvements to the problem were made around 1800
0:19:00 > 0:19:02with the building of a dock.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04But the biggest change was in the 1840s,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
0:19:08 > 0:19:10arrived in Grimsby.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13The company's visionary general manager Edward Watkin
0:19:13 > 0:19:16transformed the existing facilities
0:19:16 > 0:19:19and financed the building of a new dock
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and oversaw the construction of what may be
0:19:21 > 0:19:24the most incongruous 300-foot quayside structure
0:19:24 > 0:19:26of Bradshaw's day,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30which I'm hoping local historian Garry Crossland can explain.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Why do Grimsby docks have what appears to be an Italian bell tower?
0:19:38 > 0:19:43It was built specifically to house the hydraulic mechanism
0:19:43 > 0:19:45for the operation of the quayside cranes,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47the lock gates and the sluices.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51It was designed by James Wild in this Renaissance style.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56He wanted a high tower with a constant supply of water
0:19:56 > 0:19:59that can be contained within a tank
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and that will get him his hydraulic pressure.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05And so, that water pressing down,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08what, then lifts the gate and lowers the gate?
0:20:08 > 0:20:12It opens the gate, because they're pivoted and they act like doors.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14So they open and close for the lock.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Was it successful? - Oh, it was very successful.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I find it very endearing that Victorians,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23who had these wonderful engineering solutions,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27felt they wanted to disguise them in buildings
0:20:27 > 0:20:29from a different century completely.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Well, that's right. But it's a marvellous building.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It means a lot to Grimsby.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38The original hydraulic tower
0:20:38 > 0:20:42was based on Sienna's Palazzo Pubblico bell tower.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45But it wasn't Edward Watkin's only legacy here.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49His fish dock became active in 1857.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53And when fishermen from as far away as London and Devon
0:20:53 > 0:20:55heard about the new rail distribution system,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57they landed their catch here,
0:20:57 > 0:21:03turning Grimsby into one of the busiest fishing ports on the planet.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08Reductions in fish stocks and in what fishermen are allowed to catch
0:21:08 > 0:21:10have caused the industry to decline.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14But John Vincent, a trawler guide at the Fishing Heritage Centre,
0:21:14 > 0:21:20sustains our understanding of the town's fishing history.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22My first ever trip on a trawler
0:21:22 > 0:21:24was when I was nine year old with my father.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28My father was a trawler skipper and it was a tradition
0:21:28 > 0:21:30for the eldest son of a fishing family in Grimsby
0:21:30 > 0:21:33to go with Dad during the summer holidays.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And I was the eldest of five lads and he took us all to sea,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40between the ages of eight and nine and we all ended up going to sea.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42- All at sea?- All went to sea.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44How old were you when you started working on trawlers?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Just before my 15th birthday, 1960.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- When I started, we used to have 700 trawlers down at Grimsby.- 700?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Yep. You could walk from one side of Grimsby fish docks to the other
0:21:54 > 0:21:56without getting your feet wet on trawlers.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Today, you'd be lucky if you can find four ships.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Now, famously, the trawlers operated in pretty savage conditions.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- Was it very tough? - It could be, could be.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07What was the most dangerous moment you faced?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10The most dangerous moment I ever faced on a trawler was when we got hit by two big seas.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15All you could see was two big waves coming aboard the trawler on the starboard side.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And one of the lads who was stood near the winch barrel, Tommy Fisher,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21the sea hit him and it dropped him into the washer.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And you couldn't see anything on the front end of the ship.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27She shuddered, up she come and picked us up.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30The skipper hung his head out the window, counted us and asked if we was all right.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32And we said, "Yeah, carry on fishing."
0:22:32 > 0:22:36You were bobbing in the sea and the trawler came up underneath you and swept you up?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38That's right. Picked us up.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Amazing!
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It was great.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43THEY LAUGH
0:22:43 > 0:22:45It's part of fishing. It's the life.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Now you're in the wheelhouse.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56This is the nerve centre of the trawler.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58You've spent many a long hour here?
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Yeah.- When it's running a rough sea, you have to really hold onto this?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Fishermen used to think if they held onto the wheel
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and lean back when the sea's coming towards them,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09it would help to lift the bow of the trawler over the top.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11The bows of the trawler come up natural.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Fishermen used to get hold of these and say, "Come up,"
0:23:14 > 0:23:15and up she'd come over the top.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18These are the best white-knuckle rides you can be on.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20These beat Alton Towers into a top hat,
0:23:20 > 0:23:21to go over the top of a big sea.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The fishing industry may have declined,
0:23:29 > 0:23:34but its demise is by no means the end of Humber's maritime story.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Just along the estuary, the port of Immingham, which opened in 1912,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42has equally strong links to rail
0:23:42 > 0:23:47and handles a massive 50-million tonnes of cargo each year.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51John Fitzgerald is port director.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55They tell me Immingham is quite a busy port,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58that you do quite a volume of cargo. Is that right?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00We have a lot of bulk products.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02We have petroleum products with two refineries.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04A lot of coal, a lot of iron ore,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08but we're also exporting grain from the Lincolnshire bread basket.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10We're importing fertiliser,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14we're handling new cars, paper, a whole range of cargos.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18We handle business from elsewhere, right the way round the world.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Indonesia, South Africa, Russia. So it's very much a global gateway.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It's fundamentally a combination of location and the facilities.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28We have natural deep water here and we're in the centre of the country.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It's also the largest rail freight hub in the country,
0:24:31 > 0:24:36with 25% of all rail freight being based on the port of Immingham.
0:24:36 > 0:24:3725% of the UK's rail freight?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Of the UK's rail freight either comes in or goes out of Immingham.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- 25% in one port?- Absolutely right. - That is impressive.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Do you see railways being an important part of Immingham's future?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49It was a rail company that built this port.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51We're heavily involved in rail freight
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and all our new developments are focussed on rail.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57We're building new terminals here at Humber International Terminal
0:24:57 > 0:24:59to handle the cargo of the future by rail.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03I can't tell you how happy that would make George Bradshaw.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07In May 1970, the first vessel loaded coal
0:25:07 > 0:25:11in Immingham's new deep-water coal jetty.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14It was for export by the National Coal Board.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16But as British coalmining waned,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Immingham's main business has become the import of coal
0:25:20 > 0:25:24on an industrial scale to supply power stations.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- Hello, I'm Michael.- Hello, I'm Paul.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32So, what's going on here?
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Today, we're loading a train for GB rail freight going to Eggborough.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- To the power station? - To the power station, yes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44We do roughly one train an hour, about 12 trains in a 12-hour shift.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48- How many wagons in each train? - There's 24 on this one,
0:25:48 > 0:25:53but they have different variations of number for different power stations.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56And so each train can carry away what kind of weight of coal?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Just about 1,700 tonnes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01You're sitting here, looking at a computer screen.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03It is computerised, this process, is it?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It's an automated system and it takes over once you've set it up.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I can't see there's anything to do.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- There are no levers to push or anything, are there?- No.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14If you'd like to come and sit down, you're welcome.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Come and sit down(!)
0:26:17 > 0:26:22So this is just showing me on the computer each wagon moving through.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Yes. We've got different-numbered lasers on the side.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29That basically picks up the beginning of the wagon, the end of the wagon.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31It tells the system when to open the chute and close it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36- Completely, beautifully automated, isn't it?- Yep.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It's Immingham's centenary year.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45It seems entirely apt to name a new locomotive to commemorate it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And I'm honoured to be asked to perform a small ceremony
0:26:49 > 0:26:51to launch it on its way.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Well, thank you. It gives me the most enormous pleasure
0:26:54 > 0:26:58to be able to name this locomotive.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And again, I congratulate you all
0:27:02 > 0:27:05on choosing to name this locomotive Immingham 100.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07APPLAUSE
0:27:13 > 0:27:16APPLAUSE
0:27:21 > 0:27:25This journey has taken me from the great naval dockyard of Portsmouth
0:27:25 > 0:27:28to this bustling industrial port of Immingham.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Along the way, my Bradshaw's Guide
0:27:30 > 0:27:34has steered me along the route of Victorian history.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38But now, with the commissioning of HMS Dragon on the Solent
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and the naming of this locomotive on the Humber,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I turn my eyes down the tracks towards the future.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59My next journey snakes along Scotland's east coast,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02then passes through dramatic highland landscapes
0:28:02 > 0:28:06en route to Britain's most far north coastline.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Along the way, I'll see how 19th-century railway builders
0:28:09 > 0:28:10conquered the wilderness.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15It really is a spectacular piece of architecture and engineering.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Learn how industrialisation gave the world a taste of Scotland.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Stop the conveyor belt, I want to get off!
0:28:22 > 0:28:25And visit where Victorian prospectors hit on hidden riches.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Gold! We've found gold!
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd