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.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I'm now completing my journey from London to Newton Abbot
0:01:03 > 0:01:07and I've arrived alongside the coastal beauty of what Bradshaw's
0:01:07 > 0:01:09would call South Devonshire.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12This was the scene of some of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's
0:01:12 > 0:01:17greatest railway engineering successes and worst failures.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And both his triumphs and his disasters proved his genius.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Today I'll take to the sea with the heroes of the RNLI.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Couple of big waves coming now...
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Here we go! Woo!
0:01:30 > 0:01:33At the moment it feels a little bit like, I imagine, a jockey
0:01:33 > 0:01:37in the Grand National, we're going up and down and over the fences.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'I'll visit a stormy coastal railway...'
0:01:40 > 0:01:44When the waves hit this section, the plumes of water go right over
0:01:44 > 0:01:46the top of the footbridge at the station.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52'..and have a close, personal encounter with a boyhood hero.'
0:01:52 > 0:01:56This is exciting, is this genuinely a section of Brunel's pipe?
0:01:56 > 0:01:58It is indeed, yes.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Using my Bradshaw's Guide, I'm following the tracks
0:02:01 > 0:02:03of Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06master engineer of the Great Western Railway.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10I started at Paddington station, a monumental success,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and I'll finish in Newton Abbot in Devon, the scene of one of his
0:02:13 > 0:02:16biggest disappointments.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19The last leg of my journey begins in Exmouth, detours to Sidmouth,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24then crosses the Exe estuary to Starcross, on to Dawlish
0:02:24 > 0:02:25and finally, Newton Abbot.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36My Bradshaw's says, "We have all have the romantic allurements
0:02:36 > 0:02:42"of the watering places of the West, where we may find a fund of illimitable
0:02:42 > 0:02:46"enjoyment in the rich bouquet that nature has spread before us
0:02:46 > 0:02:50"on the freshening shores of Devon."
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The Victorians could be pompous and verbose
0:02:53 > 0:02:57but their appreciation of the beauties of Devon was sincere.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04I'm on a line known locally as The Avocet, where a locomotive
0:03:04 > 0:03:07first steamed the ten miles from Exeter to my first destination,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Exmouth, in 1861.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Once a small fishing village, Exmouth grew into an important port,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19from which Sir Walter Raleigh launched many of his voyages.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23The town became a very popular tourist destination
0:03:23 > 0:03:26during the Georgian period and its two-mile long
0:03:26 > 0:03:29promenade shows that it has remained so ever since.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34# Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside... #
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Already intoxicated by sea air!
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Bradshaw's tells me that Exmouth has, "in its immediate
0:03:43 > 0:03:46"neighbourhood a valley, sheltered on all sides from the winds,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50"and capable of affording a genial retreat. Exmouth is
0:03:50 > 0:03:52"a decidedly healthy place,"
0:03:52 > 0:03:56but the sea also brings its dangers
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and Exmouth has had a lifeboat station for more than 200 years.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Over the course of two centuries, lifeboats have saved
0:04:06 > 0:04:11the lives of over 139,000 people off the coasts of Britain.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15They first patrolled the waters around South Shields in 1790.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Exmouth has had one since 1803 and half a century later,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23the station joined The Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Tim Mock is a full time mechanic and coxswain.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Tim, you've had a lifeboat at Exmouth
0:04:29 > 0:04:31going all the way back to 1803.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Yes, that's correct, yes. A privately run life boat in those days.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And those lifeboats in those days - how would they have been powered?
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Well, that was pulling and sailing boats, that's rowing and sails only.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44What do you think of that?
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Very hard work, I had a go at it in one of the old boats
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and just found it impossible.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52How they ever managed to
0:04:52 > 0:04:55row for hours and hours on end, I really admire them for that.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Standing on the former slipway here is a reminder that, actually,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00you could be called out at any time today.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02That's a possibility, yes,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07south-easterly winds here means the sea is quite rough - although
0:05:07 > 0:05:10it's a nice sunny day, small boats can get in trouble at any time.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Do the people of Exmouth feel a strong connection with their lifeboat?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Oh, definitely, yes.- Are they supportive?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Very much so, the lifeboat's always been a big part of the community
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and for our side of things we need the community to operate
0:05:22 > 0:05:25the service and, of course, going back to Victorian times, the bigger
0:05:25 > 0:05:29boats were launched by hand only, so you'd need 40 or 50 men and
0:05:29 > 0:05:33women to pull the boat down here out into the water.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37I see your present station is 1903, so you're just post-Victorian.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39A connection between lifeboats and railways?
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Most definitely, boats would have been
0:05:41 > 0:05:45delivered by the railways, spare parts...
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and in latter years, tractors
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and heavier bits of equipment would have all come by rail.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Sir William Hillary founded the National Institution
0:05:54 > 0:05:59for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, in 1824.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Today almost 5,000 volunteers crew lifeboats,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and I've been invited aboard the Exmouth all-weather lifeboat
0:06:06 > 0:06:08for a scheduled training exercise.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Luckily, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
0:06:11 > 0:06:13shares my taste in bright-coloured clothes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Well, I have once before been out with the RNLI,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but that was in a small inflatable, this is a completely different
0:06:25 > 0:06:28kettle of fish, this is a very substantial boat.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48At the helm today is former Royal Marine, deputy coxswain Scott Ranft.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Well, it's quite surprising that on a warm
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and sunny day there's quite a swell out here.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57We've got a force five wind heading from an easterly direction
0:06:57 > 0:07:00so it does pick up, especially in this channel as we come out
0:07:00 > 0:07:03through, it specifically picks up because it's quite shallow.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05There's a couple of big waves coming now...
0:07:05 > 0:07:07There we go...whoa...
0:07:07 > 0:07:10At the moment it feels a little bit like, I imagine, a jockey
0:07:10 > 0:07:15in the Grand National, we're going up and down and over the fences.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17That's right.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Roger Jackson, a crew member for the last 14 years, has taken the helm.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30I've heard he was recently honoured for leading a particularly
0:07:30 > 0:07:33hazardous rescue, manoeuvring the station's in-shore lifeboat
0:07:33 > 0:07:37to retrieve four young men from very rough seas.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40We had to get them one by one, climb and climb and climb,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42dumping surf over the top, go back round and go in again,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and go in again four times.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46What state were they in?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Absolutely hypothermic, really cold, really, really shocked,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and extremely pleased to see us. They were very lucky lads.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56And you were given the Bronze Medal for Gallantry?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59That's right, yes. Last week I actually went to London
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and the Duke of Gloucester awarded it to me.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04It was a very proud moment for myself, of course,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07but also for Exmouth lifeboat station, as well.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09I'd love to see it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12That is the actual medal there.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16As you can see, that's Sir William Hillary, the founder of the RNLI.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18How wonderful.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19Would you like to have a drive?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I'd love to have a drive, thank you very much indeed.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24If you want to come through...
0:08:24 > 0:08:28OK. I've quite often been asked to take control of a steam engine.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33I think I feel more control of this than I do when it's a locomotive.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34How's that, Michael?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Well, it's just a great honour to be steering this vessel
0:08:37 > 0:08:38standing next to a hero.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I don't know about that.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49I'm travelling by road to my next destination.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Sidmouth didn't have a railway when my guide was written and the
0:08:52 > 0:08:57line that opened in the 1870s fell to the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04I'm intrigued to know why railway-less Sidmouth,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07which my Bradshaw's describes as, "Nestled at the bottom
0:09:07 > 0:09:11"of a valley between lofty hills, 500 feet high,"
0:09:11 > 0:09:15was deemed important enough for an entry covering almost a whole page.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24This range of cliffs, according to my guidebook has been
0:09:24 > 0:09:28"the theatre of convulsions or landslips.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33"One commencing on Christmas Day, 1839, whereby 45 acres of arable
0:09:33 > 0:09:36"land were lost."
0:09:36 > 0:09:39The beach is now fenced to the public,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41so landslips are not a thing of the past, and this
0:09:41 > 0:09:45so-called Jurassic Coast is of interest to geologists today.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Sidmouth's cliffs are particularly
0:09:51 > 0:09:54important because they occasionally yield fossils of rare
0:09:54 > 0:09:57pre-historic amphibians and reptiles.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Earth Science manager, Richard Edmonds, is
0:10:00 > 0:10:04responsible for protecting this world heritage site.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- Richard, hello.- Hello, Michael, nice to meet you.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Apparently, for centuries, these cliffs have been tumbling down?
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Well, that's right ,they're actually 230 million years old,
0:10:13 > 0:10:18but the natural recession rate is about five metres a century.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21But my Bradshaw's tells me that on one occasion there was a landslip
0:10:21 > 0:10:24where 45 acres of farming land were lost,
0:10:24 > 0:10:25so that has been going on a long time.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Yes, but landslides are a different process.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Landslides tend to be an enormous great, sort of, rending of the earth.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35What we're seeing here is more cliff fall caused by the sea
0:10:35 > 0:10:36undercutting the base of the cliffs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40In the 19th century did they take steps to slow down the erosion?
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Well, to start with, Sidmouth was
0:10:42 > 0:10:45built on the back of a vast shingle spit,
0:10:45 > 0:10:46so it was a very healthy beach,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49the waves could hit the beach and be soaked up, the energy,
0:10:49 > 0:10:54but in the 1830s, after big storms, they started to construct
0:10:54 > 0:10:59sea defences and those have just become bigger and bigger and bigger.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03In the 1920s, a great gale breached the sea wall
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and wrought havoc along much of Sidmouth's esplanade,
0:11:06 > 0:11:12so the town built a new, higher wall at the then hefty cost of £100,000.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13But in Bradshaw's day,
0:11:13 > 0:11:19railway builders weren't put off by high seas and eroding cliffs.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I believe the Victorians tried to put a railway in here?
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Yes, that's right, the plan was to build a harbour on the western
0:11:24 > 0:11:28side of Sidmouth at Ship Rocks and use Salcombe stone which
0:11:28 > 0:11:31comes from a village just a couple of miles this way.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34The plan was apparently to quarry the stone and then transport
0:11:34 > 0:11:37it in a railway in a tunnel running parallel to the back of the cliff.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39And what happened to that plan?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41The railway engine they bought didn't fit in the tunnel
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and the company went bust.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44- That can't be true, can it?- It is.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46So, they at least got as far as making the tunnel?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49That's right, you can still see the tunnel sticking out of the cliff,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52but what's happened since then is the erosion has come through
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and actually eaten away and destroyed the tunnel.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The entrance was literally just here at Pennington Point and in
0:11:57 > 0:12:00the last 20 years the cliffs have receded and it's been lost.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02So the tunnel added to the difficulties of the cliff?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Well, it's done its damage, yes, the cliff has got to the point
0:12:05 > 0:12:07where it reached the tunnel,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and suddenly there's this increase in erosion.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12That's likely to be one of the reasons why we've had this very
0:12:12 > 0:12:15marked increase in erosion over the last years.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Hopefully now the tunnel's gone
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and the sea is coming back into the solid geology,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21we should see it slow down.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Richard, thank you very much, I must slip away. Bye-bye.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Back to Exmouth now to take not a train, but a short boat ride,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38that will deliver me to the exact spot I'm aiming for.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41PA ANNOUNCEMENT: "...on the ferry to Starcross.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I'm on the ferry crossing the mouth of the River Exe to Starcross,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56a small place with a big chunk of railway history.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59And I think I can see a relic of it coming into view now.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06The final three destinations of my journey all played a pivotal
0:13:06 > 0:13:10role in Isambard Kingdom Brunel's greatest railway failure -
0:13:10 > 0:13:12his atmospheric railway,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16where trains were not hauled by steam locomotive but forced
0:13:16 > 0:13:20forward by atmospheric pressure, running through a pipe on the track.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Starcross is first.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27This is a pumping station that was used on Brunel's atmospheric
0:13:27 > 0:13:31railway, there's a pub dedicated to the history of that line
0:13:31 > 0:13:34and after a long day I've earned myself a drink there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Good evening.- Good evening.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48- Could I have a half a lager, please?- You sure can.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I see you're called The Atmospheric Railway,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52are you quite an admirer of Brunel, are you?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I sure am, I think he's one of the greatest engineers we've ever had.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Why are you such an admirer?
0:13:57 > 0:14:02Well, he just wasn't one particular item, was it, I mean
0:14:02 > 0:14:08he built bridges, tunnels, boats, he was just an all-round great engineer.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Well, then, the toast is - Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20After a day's travelling, it's a night cap and early to bed for me.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28As a boy, I marvelled at the life of Brunel.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Even though the atmospheric railway was ultimately a failure,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34I'm keen to find out more about it.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37At my next destination, Dawlish, the line had a station.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I'm on the Exeter to Paignton branch line this morning.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Before trains reached the south Devon coast, Brunel's
0:14:50 > 0:14:55challenge was to lay track over very hilly and sharply curving terrain.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57The trains are now powered by diesel,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01but the route is almost the same as in Bradshaw's day.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The result is one of the most thrilling
0:15:03 > 0:15:05stretches of track in England.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10My Bradshaw's is understandably excited about this
0:15:10 > 0:15:11part of the journey.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16"The magnificent scenery which opens on each side as we proceed.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19"There is scarcely a mile traversed which does not unfold some
0:15:19 > 0:15:23"peculiar picturesque charm, or new feature of its own to make
0:15:23 > 0:15:27"the eye dazzled and drunk with beauty,"
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and for me there's the additional interest that we're travelling
0:15:30 > 0:15:34on tracks that were once part of Brunel's doomed atmospheric railway.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51In 1044, King Edward the Confessor,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54granted the parish of Dawlish to
0:15:54 > 0:15:57his chancellor and chaplain, Leofric.
0:15:57 > 0:16:03Salt-making, fishing and agriculture were the town's mainstay,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06until the 18th century penchant for taking the sea air
0:16:06 > 0:16:08and bathing, attracted the aristocratic set.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16But when the South Devon Railway arrived in the 1840s, the town
0:16:16 > 0:16:19was opened to everyone.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Here at Dawlish, the station is built between the beach and the
0:16:26 > 0:16:30town, making this one of the most dramatic stretches of railway in
0:16:30 > 0:16:34England, and that's not just because of the views from the trains.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42In 1844, Brunel started building a sea wall to protect the line
0:16:42 > 0:16:45standing just a few yards from the foaming brine,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49but the elements were unkind to his coastal railway.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Heavy rain would cause rock falls, breaching its defences,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56and even now the salty sea spray that billows up
0:16:56 > 0:17:00and over on rough days can affect the operation of the railway.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03John Wilkinson has lived here all his life.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04John...
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- hello.- Morning, Michael.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09There's a bit of spray coming over the wall this morning, but I've
0:17:09 > 0:17:13been on trains and seen it far worse than this, how bad does it get?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It gets very bad, on a bad day you wouldn't possibly be able to
0:17:16 > 0:17:20walk along this wall, when the waves hit this section the plumes of water
0:17:20 > 0:17:24go high in the air and actually get blown over onto Marine Parade,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and just to give you some idea of the height, the actual plumes
0:17:27 > 0:17:30of water go right over the top of the footbridge at the station.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And what effect does that have on the functioning of the railway?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36It does have effect on some of the train services,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40because when the plumes of water go high in the air it actually
0:17:40 > 0:17:44lands on the top of the trains and gets into the exhaust
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and into the electronic systems on the top.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And historically it's interrupted services from time to time.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It has... indeed, but when you consider the length of time
0:17:53 > 0:17:57it's been here I think the interruptions are not too serious,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and any form of transport is subject to adverse weather.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03It's one of the great rides in England, isn't it?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I think so, yes. It's got to be in the top ten, if not...
0:18:12 > 0:18:13A green tea, please.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16So where would you rank this amongst English train journeys?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Number one!
0:18:18 > 0:18:20It's a beautiful piece of coastline, isn't it?
0:18:20 > 0:18:22It's a gorgeous piece of coastline, yes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Certainly the most picturesque, most exciting railway line in the country.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27You've got one of the best views of a railway
0:18:27 > 0:18:29anywhere in Britain, I should think.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Do you like watching trains go by?
0:18:30 > 0:18:32We do, yeah.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- Hello.- Hello.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40Have you been here before?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Yes, I used to come down here when I was a baby.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Did you come on the train?
0:18:45 > 0:18:46No, not on the train...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Ha-ha, that's a pity.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50We used to wave at the trains!
0:18:50 > 0:18:51So, you've brought your kids here now?
0:18:51 > 0:18:52My kids are here now.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Are they waving at the trains?
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Yes, they love seeing the trains go past.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Do you know who built this railway line?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I don't know who built this railway line, actually, no.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Isambard...
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Kingdom Brunel...
0:19:04 > 0:19:10and my son is named Noah Isambard after Brunel.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Wow, you are admirers of Brunel.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Yes, I'm an engineer, I think his work is fantastic.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- Such a pleasure to talk to you, thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Bye-bye, enjoy your day.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33With its track skirting the shore and with the sea pounding its
0:19:33 > 0:19:35platforms and its footbridge,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39there's no doubt that Dawlish is Brunellish.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48The last nine miles of my current journey is an exciting
0:19:48 > 0:19:51quarter-of-an-hour ride along the coastal line that Brunel
0:19:51 > 0:19:55built for his hapless atmospheric railway, because even though
0:19:55 > 0:20:01the technology failed, the route has remained in use for over 150 years.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07In the past, my Bradshaw's guide has directed me to places described as
0:20:07 > 0:20:13the Switzerland or the Athens or the Paris of the British Isles.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Now I'm headed for Newton Abbot,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18dubbed The Swindon of the South West.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29In Bradshaw's day, the station was called Newton Junction.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33What became the South-West's Victorian rail hub was,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37in the 17th century, the small market town of Newton Abbots,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40an unlikely spot to shape the history of Britain.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Felicity Cole is the town museum's curator.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I think we've come across something else mentioned in my Bradshaw's,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48regarding the declaration that was made
0:20:48 > 0:20:52when William of Orange landed in Britain in 1688.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Tell me about that.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Well, William of Orange made his declaration, or his intent to
0:20:58 > 0:21:02become king of England in 1688,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05so a very politically-charged moment.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07There were 30,000 troops that
0:21:07 > 0:21:09came through the town that day,
0:21:09 > 0:21:14and an extraordinary scene of things like Finlanders dressed
0:21:14 > 0:21:18in bearskins, Spanish mercenaries with damseamed armour, but hundreds
0:21:18 > 0:21:22of them processing through the town, so presumably anybody who had
0:21:22 > 0:21:25said, "Well, we don't want that," would have got fairly well squashed
0:21:25 > 0:21:27by the army.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Fundamentally, this was a Protestant rebellion
0:21:29 > 0:21:33against a Catholic King which is why it says here, William III,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Prince of Orange, the glorious defender of the Protestant religion.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Indeed.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I've really come in pursuit of the town's railway history,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42may we have a look at that, please?
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Absolutely.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50In 1892, The Great Western Railway built a new engine shed, workshops,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55locomotive bays and a factory fashioned on their Swindon works.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58The expansion in Newton Abbot meant that workers needed to be
0:21:58 > 0:22:02housed, and whole streets were built for the purpose.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Here we are in a street that is really full of railway houses,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09and where the railwaymen would have lived, and here is
0:22:09 > 0:22:12David Grills who is one of those railwaymen that lived in the area.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- Hello, David.- Pleased to meet you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Were these all occupied by railwaymen in your day?
0:22:17 > 0:22:18More or less, yes.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22There were at one time 49 railwaymen in this one street,
0:22:22 > 0:22:28and that ranged from wheel tappers to guards, goods guards,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32passenger guards, enginemen, boilermen
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and people who worked in the factory, so there was quite an extensive
0:22:35 > 0:22:39mix right the way throughout all these terraces.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Did Newton Abbot deserve the title of the Swindon of the South West?
0:22:42 > 0:22:47It indeed did, it was little Swindon, without a doubt.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52At times, I can remember when I started as a young lad,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56there were at least somewhere in the region of a thousand plus men
0:22:56 > 0:23:00employed at Newton Abbot. We boasted at one time nine
0:23:00 > 0:23:04working platforms, and the main platform was at least
0:23:04 > 0:23:10a quarter of a mile long, and during the busy season we would entertain
0:23:10 > 0:23:14something in the region of 350 trains in one weekend.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16What was your job with the railways?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I was a passenger coach shunter, rather a dirty job, wet,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24miserable and if you notice on most coaching stock, all the drain pipes
0:23:24 > 0:23:26run down onto the back of the poor shunter who
0:23:26 > 0:23:30is in the middle, coupling coaches up, so I used to get very wet,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33but very dirty, but the money was good
0:23:33 > 0:23:35They sound like good old days.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37They were indeed good old days. I confess to going to
0:23:37 > 0:23:42work as a small lad where I wore a peaked hat,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I polished the peak and I also polished the buttons
0:23:45 > 0:23:50on the front of my jacket, I was so proud to be a railman.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53GWR - God's Wonderful Railway.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- I'm very proud to have met you, David...- And you, too.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58Thank you, sir, very much indeed.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01All the best, bye-bye.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06It was Brunel's atmospheric railway that first ran to Newton Abbot.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Patented in 1839 by Samuel Clegg and the Samuda Brothers,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13the system that ran on atmospheric pressure was
0:24:13 > 0:24:19first employed on a Dublin line in 1844, where Brunel investigated it
0:24:19 > 0:24:23and became convinced it was viable, and even preferable to steam power.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I'm hoping to find out more at Felicity's museum.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34So, Felicity, can you explain to me how the atmospheric railway worked?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Well, the first question I could ask you is -
0:24:37 > 0:24:40what do you notice about looking at this model?
0:24:40 > 0:24:42No locomotive, and obviously a large
0:24:42 > 0:24:45pipe running down the centre of the railway track.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And we've also got a pumping house or engine house here,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51so what the pumping station is actually doing is evacuating
0:24:51 > 0:24:55the air in front of the carriage in the pipe,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and then pressure is building up in the pipe behind the carriage
0:24:58 > 0:25:01which pushes the whole thing along.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05So you have a train that doesn't produce any smoke or any steam,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09not very much noise, I imagine. It's extraordinary...
0:25:09 > 0:25:11In fact, the passengers that travelled on it loved it,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16and used to comment that it was swift, silent and smokeless,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and so despite all the things that did go wrong with it...
0:25:20 > 0:25:23erm, people were very sad when it went.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The atmospheric railway caused great controversy.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Brunel's rival, Robert Stevenson,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34claimed the atmospheric system would be expensive and less
0:25:34 > 0:25:39reliable, compared to the steam locomotive he'd helped to invent.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Brunel refused to heed Stevenson's prophetic warning.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48This is exciting. Is this genuinely a section of Brunel's pipe?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50It is indeed, yes.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The piston would be travelling along inside this pipe,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58which had been evacuated of air by the pumping house and as a
0:25:58 > 0:26:02leather flap attached here was raised,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06the air would come in behind the piston,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08and creating the atmospheric pressure
0:26:08 > 0:26:11to push the carriage forward, but then the problem would be the
0:26:11 > 0:26:15flap had to return to its place and make a seal,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18ready for the next train.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Although the technology had advantages,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23it faced two major problems.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Its air pipes corroded in the salty sea air
0:26:26 > 0:26:31and animal fat had to be manually applied to stop the leather seals from cracking.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Local legend has it that rats ate through the seals
0:26:35 > 0:26:39and caused the line's closure, but it was the cost of upkeep which,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42after eight months, finally did for it.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48Undaunted, Brunel went on to engineer the ship, SS Great Eastern,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Paddington Station and the
0:26:50 > 0:26:52magnificent Royal Albert Bridge in Cornwall
0:26:52 > 0:26:55before he died at the age of just 53.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Well, his qualities certainly made him my boyhood hero,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and he's the hero of many people still living today who remember
0:27:04 > 0:27:07the fantastic achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Indeed.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18My railway journey from London Paddington to Newton Abbot
0:27:18 > 0:27:22has taken me past some of southern England's most beautiful buildings
0:27:22 > 0:27:23and finest views.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27My guidebook has opened my eyes to key events
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and sights in our island history.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Where George Bradshaw has guided my tracks,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the tracks.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Standing here above his Great Western Railway,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43I seriously doubt whether a finer civil engineer ever existed.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56On my next journey, my Bradshaw's will lead me
0:27:56 > 0:27:59across the Irish Sea, tracing 19th century tracks from Kerry
0:27:59 > 0:28:05to Galway, landscapes shot to fame by Queen Victoria.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- If it was good enough for the Royal Family, it was good enough for everyone?- Correct.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'I'll visit the Irish National Stud,
0:28:11 > 0:28:12and find myself bucked....'
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Oh, the horse is going very fast now.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Absolutely exhausting!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'..and hear Irish history, preserved in song.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:22# Oh, there is a land...
0:28:22 > 0:28:26# far away. #
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Well done, Michael.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Ooooooh!
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd