0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in the British Isles.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and 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 > 0:00:23what to see and 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 these isles to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I'm now more than halfway through my journey from London to
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Newton Abbott, and now I've reached North Devon
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and the most unusual Victorian railway.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15On today's journey, I get up close with a piece of natural history.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18It's a moa egg. It's an extinct bird from New Zealand.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22There's only 36 specimens of a decent size being
0:01:22 > 0:01:24catalogued in the world.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29I visit a garden used as a viewing platform for public hangings.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30We've got the three tiers going up,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and, apparently, according to the records, they were full.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36They were shoulder to shoulder, line to line of people.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And experience a timepiece like no other.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43You know, in my political career, Peter, I met a few two-faced liars,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45but this is my first experience of a four-faced liar.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- One of them's correct though! - HE LAUGHS
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Using my Bradshaw's Guide, I'm following the tracks
0:01:54 > 0:01:56of Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59master engineer of the Great Western Railway.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03I started at Paddington Station, one of his greatest structures,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and I'll finish in Newton Abbott in Devon,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09where one of his boldest ideas proved a failure.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The fourth leg of my journey begins in Lynton and Lynmouth,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16heads south west to Barnstaple, through Eggesford
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and on to the city of Exeter.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24My Bradshaw's tells me that the scenery in the neighbourhood
0:02:24 > 0:02:28of Lynton and Lynmouth is wild, beautiful, magnificent
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and lovely beyond the powers of description.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Such is the scenery abounding in this fascinating neighbourhood.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37The steepness of this landscape,
0:02:37 > 0:02:43required Victorian railway builders to exercise a special ingenuity.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52The twin villages of Lynton and Lynmouth stand atop
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and at the foot of a steep cliff that posed a major obstacle to both,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and villagers relied on horses to move from one to the other.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08The Lynmouth Cliff Railway opened on Easter Monday, 1890.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Engineering manager, Ashley Clarke,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13has worked on the railway since 1979.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, Ashley, how does this machine work?
0:03:20 > 0:03:24It works on a counter-balance system. We fill the top car with water,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- which I'm going to do now. - You fill the car with water?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30That's right, it's got a 700-gallon tank underneath,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33which is about three tonnes of water.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35When they're both full up, they weigh the same, obviously.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39When the drivers have given each other the signal,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41the bottom car releases water.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45The water comes out which makes that car lighter, and in doing so,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49the top car being heavier pulls the lighter car up to the top.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I had no idea you were putting water inside the car.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Where does the water come from?
0:03:54 > 0:03:58It comes from the West Lynn river, about a mile and a half away,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01through the roads and into holding tanks at the top here.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Is there any difference in the way in which you operate this railway
0:04:07 > 0:04:10today from the way it was operated originally by the Victorians?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13No, it works in exactly the same way. There's no difference whatsoever.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18An Act of Parliament in 1888 gave the company the right
0:04:18 > 0:04:24to pump 60,000 gallons of water per day from the river, a mile away.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- So whose masterplan was this?- It was the masterplan of Sir George Newnes.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- And he was a man of grand visions, I think.- He was, yes.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34He had a three-stage plan for Lynton and Lynmouth.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37One, to build the esplanade at Lynmouth.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Secondly, to build a pier off the end of that esplanade.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43And, thirdly, to build the railway.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Unfortunately for Lynton and Lynmouth,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48they didn't actually build the pier
0:04:48 > 0:04:49because Sir George Newnes decided
0:04:49 > 0:04:53that he didn't want to spoil the tranquil place in which he lived.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57He didn't want steamerloads of people coming over from Wales
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- to drink for the day?- Exactly, yes.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Because you couldn't drink on Sundays in Wales, could you?
0:05:02 > 0:05:03No, that's right.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Well, I'd better let you do some braking here,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08otherwise we're going to visit the beach.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I've never travelled by water-powered railway.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- There's always a first, isn't there? - There certainly is.- Thanks so much.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33At my next destination, less than five miles away,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I'm hoping to catch a very old train.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I've left Lynmouth and climbed nearly 1,000ft above sea level
0:05:43 > 0:05:46which may seem like a strange place to look for a railway station,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but from the end of the 19th century until 1935
0:05:49 > 0:05:53a line linked Lynton to Barnstaple.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And in recent years, along a short stretch of that line,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01the chugging of steam engines has been heard again.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Keen to keep his beloved Lynton tranquil,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Sir George Newnes ensured that this railway,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16which he also championed, would avoid Minehead and Ilfracombe,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19which he apparently believed were,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22"being scandalised by drunken Welsh on Sundays."
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust is currently renovating
0:06:25 > 0:06:28the line and has bought Woody Bay Station.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Tony Nicholson is a trustee.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- Tony.- Michael.- Very good to see you.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39This railway had quite a brief life, didn't it?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Yes. It was opened in 1898, so quite late as railways go,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and closed in 1935.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45It's only 37 years.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So it died young and stayed beautiful.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52You've got a little bit of the railway open now. How much?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- Just a mile so far, but we have big plans.- What are your plans?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Well, eventually to go right back to Lynton and right back to Barnstaple.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Recreate the Lynton to Barnstaple railway.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02And that would be, what, about 20 miles?
0:07:02 > 0:07:0419 miles.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09From sea level at Barnstaple Town Station where it connected
0:07:09 > 0:07:12with the standard-gauge line to Ilfracombe, the line curved
0:07:12 > 0:07:16through Barnstaple and snaked up the Yeo Valley to Exmoor, where,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18for eight miles, it climbed at
0:07:18 > 0:07:21an almost continuous one in 50 gradient.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Entrusted today with making that same ascent is the railway's
0:07:31 > 0:07:34lovingly-restored Joffre Class Locomotive.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37One of 70 60cm gauge engines built in Stoke-On-Trent
0:07:37 > 0:07:43in 1915 for the French Army to use along The Western Front.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Hello there! This doesn't look like standard steam engine equipment.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52We sneak that in in the morning when we have breakfast.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56We get the engine ready, get the fire lit and then we have breakfast.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58And so you're cooking the bacon there?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00We're cooking the bacon now, yeah.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01In the fire box?
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- That's about ready, that. Would you like to try one?- I certainly would.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Thank you very much.- Not at all.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11You are an engine driver and a gentleman, sir.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Although it's going to leave me somewhat stranded,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I'm determined to take a ride to the only stop on the line.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The food service on this train certain beats any buffet trolley.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27This is the bacon butty express.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41So the train's arrived at Killington Lane, end of the line.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45It looks like it's ended in a field.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49I can't wait for the line to be completed to Barnstaple.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56As there's still 18 miles of unrestored line,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I'm left with no choice but to continue my journey by road.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08My next destination is Barnstaple on the River Taw,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13which in the late 16th and early 17th centuries became a busy port
0:09:13 > 0:09:17whose Great Quay and Little Quay were built to accommodate the import
0:09:17 > 0:09:23of tobacco, wine and spices, and the export of Devon wool and pottery.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Bradshaw's tells me that Barnstaple is a sea port
0:09:28 > 0:09:34situated on the River Taw which is crossed by a bridge of 16 arches.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Apparently the principle manufactures are baize,
0:09:37 > 0:09:43woollens, bobbin net, paper, pottery, tanning, malt and ship
0:09:43 > 0:09:47building to which Bradshaw's could have added furniture.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55In 1851, Barnstaple entrepreneur Henry Shapland
0:09:55 > 0:09:57returned from America.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59He'd discovered modern woodworking techniques
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and set about constructing a wavy moulding machine.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06His business flourished, particularly
0:10:06 > 0:10:09when the railway enabled goods to be transported
0:10:09 > 0:10:11swiftly from production line to London emporia.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17His factory, which now produces specialist doors,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20became renowned for fitting out cruise liners
0:10:20 > 0:10:24and, of even greater interest to me, Pullman railway carriages.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29I'm meeting production analyst Peter Jenkins to find out more.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33- Peter.- Michael, nice to meet you.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I see evidence here of railway tracks.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Was it used by the factory
0:10:37 > 0:10:39for sending its furniture out to the markets?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41It was used for the furniture industry really,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and also for doing carriages which they refurbished in
0:10:45 > 0:10:50and out of their main sort of design of furniture.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It was another addition to what they did,
0:10:52 > 0:10:53because it was quite skilled.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55High quality stuff.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Very high quality stuff.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58And predominantly setting out by train.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Predominantly setting out by train, true.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Freight operations on the Barnstaple to Ilfracombe branch,
0:11:06 > 0:11:11which serviced the factory, ceased in the 1960s as part of the cuts
0:11:11 > 0:11:14made by the Chairman of The British Railways Board, Dr Richard Beeching.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20And in 1970, its passenger services also ceased.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27I'm hoping some of Shapland's older staff might remember it and the
0:11:27 > 0:11:31long-since-demolished bridge that carried it across the River Taw.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Hello, gentlemen.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41I hear that you are long-serving employees here.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42- Yes.- How far do you go back?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Well, I'm the youngest one. I've been here 44 years.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49- Fantastic.- And I'm 47 and a half. - And I'm just coming up for 50 years.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Amazing.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Do you remember the bridge that used to go across here?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It looked rather rickety really or almost infirm,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58because it was only a single carriageway track
0:11:58 > 0:12:03and when you were on it, it went over it very, very slow
0:12:03 > 0:12:05because I suppose it was obviously a speed limit,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07because it wasn't that clever.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11And whenever there was bad weather,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14they would always have the divers out to check the bridge
0:12:14 > 0:12:16before the trains could go over it again.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Watching the divers checking the bridge doesn't
0:12:18 > 0:12:20increase your confidence, does it?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- No.- Thank you so much, gentlemen.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I've enjoyed sharing your memories very much. Bye-bye now.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26Enjoy the rest of your journey!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Barnstaple does retain one historic bridge
0:12:31 > 0:12:34which apparently confused my Bradshaw's.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I'm hoping the town council's Peter Doel can explain.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Good afternoon, Michael.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's a very beautiful bridge here in Barnstaple.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45My Bradshaw's guide tells me it has 16 arches,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47but I can only count 15.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's an easy mistake to make because the final arch on the town end
0:12:50 > 0:12:52is actually a subway on dry land,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and, at one time, the bridge is often described as having 13,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59because the final three at the town end were in wood, and only later
0:12:59 > 0:13:00replaced in stone.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04So sometimes you hear it described as having only 13.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- So my Bradshaw's was not wrong. - No, no. Not wrong as such.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11There is only 15 actually spanning the river today.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Now, we are standing in front of the most handsome clock tower
0:13:14 > 0:13:18not mentioned in Bradshaw's. Was it here in the 1860s?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It was completed in 1862.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So it probably just misses your Bradshaw's.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Let's go and have a closer look.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Like so many towns across these islands,
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Barnstaple has a memorial to Queen Victoria's prince consort, Albert.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And I hear that this one has a quirk.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Can we see signs that it's dedicated to Albert?
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Yes, there are two memorial panels either side
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and incorporated in the architecture there is the letter A.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49You see it over and over again, once you start looking for it.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Now, I don't want to be rude, but I'm looking up at two faces
0:13:52 > 0:13:54at the moment and they tell different times.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Do you not keep it up to speed?
0:13:56 > 0:14:00We do. All four faces actually tell a different story.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02They're known locally as the four-faced liar.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Supposedly, when the clock was installed, it was never fully
0:14:05 > 0:14:08synchronised, and when the town council restored
0:14:08 > 0:14:12the clock in 2009 we decided to fossilise that four-faced
0:14:12 > 0:14:15liar within the electronic regulator that's in there today.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19You know, in my political career, Peter, I met a few two-faced liars
0:14:19 > 0:14:21but this is my first experience of a four-faced liar.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23One of them's correct though!
0:14:28 > 0:14:32How very nice to see you. I'm very interested in your clock,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35which tells a different time on every face.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- Can you explain that to me? - No.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It used to be called a lying clock, because each face was different.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- Does it make people in Barnstaple confused?- Yes.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49You always look at your watch as it goes bong. "No".
0:14:49 > 0:14:51You look at which face sort of relates to your watch.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Well, enjoy the summer's weather.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00As the Devon evening draws in, my thirst needs quenching.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04This is the Golden Lion,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07which scores a mention in my Bradshaw's guide.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It seems a good place to end the day. Cheers!
0:15:39 > 0:15:42My first stop on this new day will be the delightfully-named
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Eggesford, which is hardly a metropolis.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50Indeed my Bradshaw's describes it as having no particular attraction,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and yet every train on this line stops there.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57It's not even a request stop as many of the stations are.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And I'm thinking there must be a reason why.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I'm travelling towards Exeter on the Tarka Line,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12so named because it follows the gentle river valleys
0:16:12 > 0:16:16of Henry Williamson's classic novel Tarka the Otter.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Hello.- Hi.- I notice that all the trains stop at tiny little
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- Eggesford.- Yes.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Do you know why that is?
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Yes, it's the point of exchange of the tokens.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Because it's a single line everywhere else,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35each train has to have its own specific token,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39because the token runs from Eggesford to Barnstaple,
0:16:39 > 0:16:40back to Eggesford.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Right, so it's a single line. Of course.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So it's the safest way of operating the actual line,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47so no two trains can be on the same section of track.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Exactly. You can only have one train at a time.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54As we arrive into Eggesford,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I'm keen to see whether the single line token system
0:16:57 > 0:17:00has become as automated as the rest of the railways.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08OK, Crediton signalman, I've removed the Eggesford-to-Crediton key token.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12The whole scene could be Victorian apart from the Portakabin.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Token in hand. Signalman informed.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- He is indeed. How was the journey for you, sir?- Very nice.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- Have a good one yourself.- Thank you. - Thank you.- Bye-bye now.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I understand why trains stop at Eggesford today,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32but tokens were introduced on this line only in 1987.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37I'm hoping that local Derek Dyer will be able to tell me
0:17:37 > 0:17:39why they've been stopping in sleepy Eggesford
0:17:39 > 0:17:41ever since Bradshaw's day.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- This is downtown Eggesford, is it?- Yes, this is Eggesford.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It's been known locally as the church without a village,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51as there's not much else around here.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Now why have we come to this vantage point?
0:17:54 > 0:17:57We've come here because if we look up the hill we can see Eggesford House.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59It came into the Earls of Portsmouth's family
0:17:59 > 0:18:03by marriage in the 18th century.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And the chap that became the fourth Earl of Portsmouth,
0:18:06 > 0:18:11Newton Fellowes, got the road built through here and also the railway.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12And what conditions had he put on,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15allowing the railway though his land?
0:18:15 > 0:18:17He made it quite clear, I think, in a legal covenant, that he
0:18:17 > 0:18:20wanted every train to stop at Eggesford,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and clearly he wanted to show off his country estate, as well.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27What remnants are there of the Earls of Portsmouth?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Do you see their name around?
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Yes, in the local area.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32They owned about 10,000 acres of land around here,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36a huge, huge estate, considering it wasn't the main estate -
0:18:36 > 0:18:38there are estates in Hampshire, as well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40They built a school in the area,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43there's workers cottages, which have built-in pigsties -
0:18:43 > 0:18:45probably at the time quite forward-thinking.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47I think it would have been fantastic,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49I mean not for me companion of honour,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51not for me a knight of the garter,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53to be remembered as the man who
0:18:53 > 0:18:56made the train stop in perpetuity, that's all I want.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Yes, he's very well-loved in the area, I think, still,
0:18:59 > 0:19:00the Earl of Portsmouth.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Mainly because there's a pub named after him.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04THEY LAUGH
0:19:19 > 0:19:22My next stop will be Exeter, which my Bradshaw's tells me
0:19:22 > 0:19:26is "The capital of Devon and of the west of England.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29"A bishop's see, city and parliamentary borough
0:19:29 > 0:19:31"on the Great Western Railway,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34"194 miles from London."
0:19:34 > 0:19:37So I'm going from one of Devon's least-used stations
0:19:37 > 0:19:38to one of its busiest.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Back in the second century,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44the Romans built a sturdy wall around Exeter,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47a Norman castle and cathedral followed.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50The city's more recent prosperity was built on engineering,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54iron, brewing, papermaking and printing.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57The first train of the Great Western Railway
0:19:57 > 0:20:03steamed into St Davids Station from London on 1st May 1844.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08"Exeter," says Bradshaw's, "stretches for nearly two miles
0:20:08 > 0:20:11"over a hill above the river and is therefore
0:20:11 > 0:20:15"not only pleasantly seated, but well drained.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17"At the top north of the town are the picturesque
0:20:17 > 0:20:21"ruined walls and gate of Rougemont Castle."
0:20:21 > 0:20:26And then it talks about the "fine elm walk of Northernbay."
0:20:26 > 0:20:29But I think that's either a mistake or a misprint,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32because the gardens in Exeter, I believe, are called Northernhay
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and they overlook Exeter Central station.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44'Incorporating a stretch of Roman wall
0:20:44 > 0:20:48'and the only length of Saxon town wall seen in England,
0:20:48 > 0:20:53'Northernhay Gardens underwent major re-landscaping in 1860,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'including the terraces overlooking the railway.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02'Galvin Short looks after the gardens now.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:05For the railway enthusiast, the great thing about these gardens
0:21:05 > 0:21:07is that you can see the gardens from the railway
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and you can see the railway from the gardens.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Were the Victorians keen to come here and look at the trains?
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- Absolutely.- We also have a view of, what, the jail over there?
0:21:17 > 0:21:18The county jail, yes.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It was built in 1853 and it was the location for all our
0:21:22 > 0:21:26public executions until 1866.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So, you could stand here, watch the trains go by,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32afternoon, catch a hanging, and then go off and do other things.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34We've got the three tiers going up
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and apparently, according to the records, they were full.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39It was shoulder to shoulder,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41line to line of people watching both.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Yeah, the Victorians could be a bit ghoulish, couldn't they?
0:21:44 > 0:21:48'Above the tiered walkway is the park proper.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51'Galvin appears to be as passionate about it
0:21:51 > 0:21:53'as his Victorian predecessors.'
0:21:53 > 0:21:56What is the history of this lovely verdant space?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Northernhay Gardens is officially designated
0:21:59 > 0:22:02the oldest public open space in the country
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and that's dated at 1612.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06And what I'm looking at today?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09You're looking at today is a quintessential Victorian lay out.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Got a nice wide avenue of footpaths,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16but the purpose of the footpaths was that Victorian habit of
0:22:16 > 0:22:19going out for a stroll, perambulating around,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22exchanging business cards, exchanging pleasantries
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and, most importantly, being seen.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Being seen doing it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The Victorians also took their parks very seriously, didn't they?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32They did. The first official public park
0:22:32 > 0:22:34was built and designed by Paxton,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Joseph Paxton, who passed away in 1865 and every public park
0:22:38 > 0:22:42should have a statue of him on the main gate, because without
0:22:42 > 0:22:47his drive at the time, parks would still be the realm of the rich.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Who are the other great Victorian figures in the park world?
0:22:50 > 0:22:51Well, if I could have a statue
0:22:51 > 0:22:55of Joseph Paxton at one end of the park,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58James Veitch senior would have to be at the other end of the park.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Who was he?- James Veitch senior was the powerhouse
0:23:02 > 0:23:03behind the House of Veitch,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06which was the internationally-acclaimed nurseries,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08which were Exeter-based.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10And we can look around any part of the Exeter skyline
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and there's the heritage for all to see.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18'At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, importing plants became easier
0:23:18 > 0:23:21'and James Veitch took full advantage.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'He started in Devon, but in 1853
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'his family opened a nursery in Chelsea.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30'Their plant houses attracted high society,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34'as royalty and scientists, including Charles Darwin,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'admired and studied the Veitch collections.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44'Galvin is replanting the park in the Veitch style.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:46What I'd like you to do, if you don't mind,
0:23:46 > 0:23:47is help me with this project.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Here's a sweet pea.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52And if we can get a couple of the sweet peas
0:23:52 > 0:23:55in that frame, hopefully, by about August,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57we'll have a tower of flowers.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06Thank you very much.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09In the best traditions of a Victorian head gardener,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11I'll just push that in with my foot.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17To satisfy the Victorian demand for exotics, Veitch sent
0:24:17 > 0:24:20plant hunters to the corners of the globe
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and his passion for precise knowledge was typical of the age.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27The urge to gather plants from around the world was
0:24:27 > 0:24:30part of a broader Victorian mentality.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34They were collators, cataloguers and curators.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Everything from beetles to bottles,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and tortoises to tyrannosaurus
0:24:39 > 0:24:42was, for the Victorians, collectible.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47When Prince Albert died, Exeter responded by building
0:24:47 > 0:24:51The Albert Memorial Institution on Queen Street.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54The building housed a museum, art gallery, public library,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57school of art and a college.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01'These days it's known as the Royal Albert Memorial Museum
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'and contains many and varied Victorian collections,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'now cared for by the conservation department,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10'led by Alison Hopper-Bishop.'
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I've come in search of Victorian collections.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Hello. Well, you'll find plenty of those here.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19This is a prime example.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20What are these?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Well, this is a small selection of shells
0:25:22 > 0:25:24from the collection donated to us
0:25:24 > 0:25:28by Miss Linter, who was an avid shell dealer
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and collector of land snails.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32This is her.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35She made it her mission to try to collect every land snail
0:25:35 > 0:25:36that was known about.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39The collection is very important to us today,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42because many of the snails that she did collect
0:25:42 > 0:25:46are now extinct in the part of the world that they came from,
0:25:46 > 0:25:47in particular Hawaii.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51'At least 50 animal species have become extinct since
0:25:51 > 0:25:57'Bradshaw's day, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds.'
0:25:57 > 0:25:59I don't know much about shells,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03but my guess is that this thing here is not a snail shell.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- What is that?- It's a moa egg, it's an extinct bird from New Zealand.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08How rare is that?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10There's only 36 specimens
0:26:10 > 0:26:12of a decent size been catalogued
0:26:12 > 0:26:15in the world, but at the moment
0:26:15 > 0:26:17we're thinking this might be a 37th one.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19How exciting. What are you having to do with it?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Basically, clean it up, but because of the DNA, you have to use
0:26:22 > 0:26:24dry methods, if possible.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- DNA of an extinct species.- Yes.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Wonderful.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33So, Kirsty, what do you actually have to do to these shells?
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Do you want to have a go?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Yes, I'd love to.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- Gloves.- Yes, please...
0:26:38 > 0:26:41So here, that's a shell for you.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44So this one is in its original box...
0:26:44 > 0:26:47In its original box, with its original packaging.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49- You've got two shells in there. - I have.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I have I don't know if you want to use tweezers.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'Kirsty's cleaned around 20,000 snail shells
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'in three and a half years,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'that's almost the entirety of Miss Linter's collection.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02'But the snail catalogue numbers in excess of 60,000,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05'and they all need cleaning.'
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- Do you think that little fellow's clean?- I think he's clean.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Very satisfying to think that that another little Victorian shell
0:27:12 > 0:27:14has taken a bath.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Both the clock tower in Barnstaple and the museum in Exeter
0:27:25 > 0:27:27were memorials to Prince Albert,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30the beloved husband of Queen Victoria,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33who, with his support of progress and innovation,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36was a typical Victorian.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39George Bradshaw might be especially grateful to him, for it was he
0:27:39 > 0:27:44who persuaded Her Majesty that it was safe and ladylike
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and fit for a queen to travel by train.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55'On my next journey, I'll take to sea with
0:27:55 > 0:27:57'the heroes of the RNLI...
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Couple of big waves coming now.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00There we go. Whoa!
0:28:00 > 0:28:03At the moment, it feels a bit like, I imagine,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05a jockey in the Grand National.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08We're going up and down and over the fences.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'..I'll visit a stormy coastal railway...'
0:28:11 > 0:28:15When the waves hit this section, the plumes of water go right over the top
0:28:15 > 0:28:17of the footbridge at the station.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'..and have a close encounter with a boyhood hero.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:27This is exciting. Is this genuinely a section of Brunel's pipe?
0:28:27 > 0:28:28It is indeed, yes.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd