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 > 0:00:29Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:32across the length and breadth of these isles
0:00:32 > 0:00:34to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The advent of the railways in the 19th century
0:01:00 > 0:01:04connected the interior of the British Isles to 6,000 miles of coastline,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09carrying sailors to military ports and fish to British cities.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Using my Bradshaw's Guide,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15I'm embarked on a new journey from sea to sea.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18From the centuries old naval hub at Portsmouth
0:01:18 > 0:01:19through the port of London,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23to what was once the largest fishing port in the world - Grimsby.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'On today's journey, I'll be feeding the crew
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'of Britain's newest warship...'
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Lovely gooey beans.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- Tomato?- Yes, please. - Slippery little fellows.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Have a great commissioning day.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39'..Discovering how the Victorians planned to repel
0:01:39 > 0:01:41'a possible French invasion...'
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Fire!
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'..And learning that there's well established industry
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'where one might least expect to find it.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:52BELL CLANGS
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Not a bad turn of speed considering she's 98 years old.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Using my Bradshaw's Guide,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I'll begin on the Hampshire coast in Portsmouth,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08travel up through Surrey, on to London
0:02:08 > 0:02:12and push north east to Cambridgeshire,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15alighting finally in Grimsby on the Lincolnshire coast.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20The first leg of my journey starts in Portsmouth,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22takes me north to Godalming in Surrey,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26on to Guildford and finally to the village of Gomshall.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37My first stop, Portsmouth, is still a major dockyard and military base.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42In Victorian times, the Royal Navy defended the realm
0:02:42 > 0:02:47and its empire, so no wonder that Bradshaw's is patriotic in tone.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51"Portsmouth is the principle rendezvous of the British Navy.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54"The power of the English Navy consists in the vast
0:02:54 > 0:02:58"collection of materials, the number of ships, the skill
0:02:58 > 0:03:02"and experience of the officers and the excellence of the seamen".
0:03:02 > 0:03:06In those days, Britannia really did rule the waves,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and the arrival of the railways in Portsmouth
0:03:09 > 0:03:12enabled it to increase its military efficiency.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22When trains first arrived here in 1847,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25they terminated at Portsmouth Town Station.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Because the docks were so heavily fortified,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32rail wasn't allowed direct access to the quayside.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It wasn't until 1876
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that my first stop, Portsmouth Harbour Station, opened.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Portsmouth Harbour Station is exceptional
0:03:40 > 0:03:42because it's cantilevered over the sea.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44We used to use this station when I was a kid
0:03:44 > 0:03:47going on holidays to the Isle of Wight, and it used to thrill me.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49In those days, you could look between your feet
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and you could see the foam billowing beneath you.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And when you can see the sea from your railway station,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57then you know that your holiday has begun.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06But rail links to Britain's ports are more than mere holiday gateways.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Trains have transported supplies and sailors to boats,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12and raw materials to the shipyards that build them
0:04:12 > 0:04:14since the Industrial Revolution.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18But today, the ships look very different.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23If George Bradshaw were alive today, he might be disappointed
0:04:23 > 0:04:25at how few vessels the Royal Navy now has,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29but he would surely be overawed by their fire power
0:04:29 > 0:04:33and their technology, and this one here is brand new.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36It's a Type 45 destroyer. It's called HMS Dragon,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and by an extraordinary bit of coincidence and luck
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I am here on the day that it's being commissioned.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47The fourth of six Type 45 Daring Class Destroyers,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50HMS Dragon is 152 metres long,
0:04:50 > 0:04:56displaces over 7,500 tonnes, can reach over 30 knots,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and has the Sea Viper missile system which packs a punch.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03She's also an extraordinary and futuristic shape.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08I've been invited aboard to help out on the vessel's commissioning day,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11her official welcome into the Royal Navy.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12Morning, gentlemen.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15What a fantastic morning to commission a ship.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16- Welcome to Dragon.- Thank you.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18No matter how new the ship,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22centuries old traditions must be maintained.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- I just have my one action. - One action. One job.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Which follows the words, "Make it so".- Make it so.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- Happy?- Happy.- Brilliant.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Make it so.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33BELL RINGS
0:05:33 > 0:05:35'At 0800 hours every day,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'all docked Royal Navy vessels inform their crew
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'that the watch is changing with eight tolls of the ship's bell.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:44Pipe the still.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'And then immediately salute Her Majesty the Queen
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'by raising the White Ensign.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57'Napoleon famously said that an army marches on its stomach,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'and my next duty should tell me whether the same is true
0:06:00 > 0:06:01'of their navy colleagues.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- Morning.- Morning. - What can I do for you, sir?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Two bacon, two sausage, please.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- We've got two sorts of eggs. Which would you like?- Fried egg, please.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Beans. Lovely gooey beans.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- Tomato?- Yes, please.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And sausages. How many today? Slippery little fellows.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- And some mushrooms. You like your mushrooms?- Yes, I do.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Have a great commissioning day. - Thank you.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28They tell me you're a butler in civvy street.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I was, sir, yes, in civvy street.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31How long have you been in the Royal Navy?
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- I've been in for five years, sir. - What are your signature dishes?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We usually give the captain three options to choose from,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and generally it's the fillet steak he goes for.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- It's quite a long way from Hornblower, isn't it? - It certainly is, sir.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47How important is the food to the ship's morale?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Sometimes when we're at sea it's the only thing that changes,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and so it's the only thing that they look forward to,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and afterwards the only thing they seem to moan about.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I don't think they moan much about your food. That's my feeling.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00'Kitchen duties dispensed,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05'HMS Dragon's steak loving Commanding Officer Darren Houston
0:07:05 > 0:07:07'has granted me a sneak preview of the bridge
0:07:07 > 0:07:10'on his state-of-the-art ship.'
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Captain, good morning.- Good morning, Michael. Welcome to HMS Dragon.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- You must be the proudest man in the Royal Navy today.- Very much so.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The Royal Navy today has fewer ships than it used to have,
0:07:19 > 0:07:20but the firepower of these things
0:07:20 > 0:07:23has to be compared with battleships of the past
0:07:23 > 0:07:26or indeed numbers of battleships of the past.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Well, interesting you pick up on that, because the size of this ship
0:07:29 > 0:07:32is going back to the size of a cruiser, for example,
0:07:32 > 0:07:33in World War II.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36We may not have the large double barrelled guns on the front,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40however the Sea Viper missile system is the latest technology.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Being that big you must be pretty visible to the enemy.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47We've got a little cunning plan there. Because the angles
0:07:47 > 0:07:50of the side of the ship are sloping, in actual fact
0:07:50 > 0:07:53we look like a fishing vessel to an enemy radar -
0:07:53 > 0:07:54or that's what we hope we do.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57You've got the most beautiful red leather chair here.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- This is presumably where you sit? - It is, this is the captain's chair.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I'm very, very lucky to have a Rolls Royce Ghost chair,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06which was fitted recently and should make sitting on the bridge
0:08:06 > 0:08:10extremely comfortable. I think it'll worry the officer's watch
0:08:10 > 0:08:12slightly, because I'll spend an awful lot of time here.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And here is the beautiful ship's crest,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18which we see on the commissioning day.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- We do, yes.- Congratulations. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The Royal Navy may be shrinking, but the senior service is active
0:08:25 > 0:08:27on the world's stage,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31policing the Arabian Gulf, fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and protecting territories as far away as the Falkland Islands.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39And as HMS Dragon is welcomed into active service,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43I've no doubt she will prove a valuable asset.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45May your joint endeavours to uphold the high traditions
0:08:45 > 0:08:49of the Royal Navy in the service of Her Majesty the Queen
0:08:49 > 0:08:52be crowned with success and happiness.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54On right. Quick, march!
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Having seen its nautical present, I want to find out about
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Portsmouth's maritime and railway past
0:09:06 > 0:09:09from local historian Nick Hewitt.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- Nick, great to see you. - Good to meet you, Michael.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16How far does the Royal Navy history go back in Portsmouth?
0:09:16 > 0:09:18When did it establish its connections?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21You have the Navy Royal in the Medieval period,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and basically this harbour has been the home of the Royal Navy
0:09:25 > 0:09:28since then, right through to the hey day, you could argue,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31which was the 18th century, and the great wars
0:09:31 > 0:09:34with Revolutionary and then Napoleonic France.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38It was the Royal Navy that saved our bacon in 1805.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Absolutely, countless times.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43This was the ship that led the way - HMS Victory.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Celebrated as Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Is it true that Victory is still a commissioned ship
0:09:48 > 0:09:49in the Royal Navy?
0:09:49 > 0:09:53She is indeed. She is the flagship of the flag office of Portsmouth.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56She still flies the White Ensign and she's still part,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59the heart, really, of the Royal Navy's presence here in Portsmouth.
0:09:59 > 0:10:021805 - Trafalgar. The only thing wrong with that date
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- is it's pre-railways.- It is indeed.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Can you show me some railway history please?- I think we certainly can.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Leaving Admiral Nelson's Victory behind, Nick promises to take me
0:10:14 > 0:10:17even higher up the echelons of 19th-century society.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21This really says railway shed,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but it doesn't look like a Royal Navy piece of equipment.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26The clue's in the crown on the top of it.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30South Railway Jetty was constructed for Queen Victoria in 1888,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and what this did was provide her with a private railway line
0:10:34 > 0:10:36from the main line over at Portsmouth harbour
0:10:36 > 0:10:39that would take her seamlessly right to the royal yacht.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44And to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51thousands of ordinary day trippers also took trains
0:10:51 > 0:10:54to Portsmouth to witness the fleet's royal reviews.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Paint me a picture of what Portsmouth was like
0:10:58 > 0:11:02at the heyday of the Royal Navy and the heyday of the railways.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Railways are the lifeblood of the dockyard,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08so the whole site is criss-crossed with railway tracks.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Everything that's required to sustain the fleet
0:11:10 > 0:11:13has to arrive by railway, whether that's the men to crew the ships,
0:11:13 > 0:11:14the ammunition, the food.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18All the provisions, everything, all the output of Victorian Britain
0:11:18 > 0:11:21at its heyday comes here, and then passes on to the ships
0:11:21 > 0:11:25of the Royal Navy, and then out to the empire around the world.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Why does Portsmouth become so important to the Royal Navy?
0:11:28 > 0:11:30The remarkable thing about Portsmouth is
0:11:30 > 0:11:32it is a huge natural harbour.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37To get a proper sense of its scale, Nick's arranged for us
0:11:37 > 0:11:41to sail out into the harbour whose size impressed Bradshaw.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48My Bradshaw's Guide says of Portsmouth,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51"Situated on the western side of the island of Portsea
0:11:51 > 0:11:54"at the mouth of the bay termed Portsmouth Harbour,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57"Portsmouth Harbour ranks among first in Great Britain
0:11:57 > 0:12:00"for its capaciousness, depth, and security."
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Those are the qualities that make it so important.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06You only have to look around you to see what you've got is
0:12:06 > 0:12:09this immense body of calm water surrounded on three sides by land,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11so you can't attack this by sea from
0:12:11 > 0:12:13any other direction apart from that way
0:12:13 > 0:12:17and that way is protected across the end by the Isle of Wight.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20You've got a completely defensive location.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24I'm seeing around us these enormous forts. Who built these things?
0:12:24 > 0:12:26These were built in 1860.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29They were commissioned by the Palmerston government.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32They were commissioned because there was a fear at the time
0:12:32 > 0:12:34about the growing strength of the French navy.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- Did they see action?- Not at all. This was the great irony about them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40They took ten years to build.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43By the time they were built, France had been broken
0:12:43 > 0:12:45by the Franco-Prussian war,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and they became known as the Palmerston Follies.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50That is the catch of politics.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53If you spend the money, you're criticised for waste,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55and if you fail to spend the money, the French invade
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and you're criticised for that.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02On my railway journeys, I've seen many feats of Victorian engineering,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06and although dubbed follies, these four sea forts
0:13:06 > 0:13:08are another extraordinary example.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The stone foundations were hewn in quarries, transported by rail,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16delivered by barge and manoeuvred into place by divers.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17And once above sea level,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21a circular railway was laid to move the builders' steam-powered crane.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Palmerston also built another landmark.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Atop Portsdown Hill, Fort Nelson was designed to defend against
0:13:29 > 0:13:33a land invasion that also never came.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38It's now a military museum housing more than 350 cannon.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Good afternoon, Michael.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Via its labyrinthine tunnels,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45curator of artillery Phil Magrath is taking me
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to the area of the fort designed to defend its ditches
0:13:48 > 0:13:52with a series of 32 pounder, cast iron smooth bore cannon,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56and where members of the Portsdown Artillery Volunteers
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- demonstrate their use.- Clear!
0:13:58 > 0:14:00What are they doing with the gun now?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03They're going through a preparatory drill to get the gun ready
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- to load and fire.- Clear!
0:14:09 > 0:14:12What kind of ammunition was fired from this?
0:14:12 > 0:14:14It's essentially a tin case containing
0:14:14 > 0:14:18around 200 mixed metal balls of various sizes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20That's horrible.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22These are really heavy and nasty, aren't they?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- Was this gun ever fired in anger? - As far as we know, no.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28But we're going to hear it go 'pop'?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31We'll hear it go 'pop' shortly(!)
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Fire!
0:14:36 > 0:14:37My goodness!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40You wouldn't want to be a French invader with that going on.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Who could resist the opportunity
0:14:42 > 0:14:45of firing an antique 32 pounder cannon?
0:14:45 > 0:14:46I can't.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- When he gives the command, I go... - You pull.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51You don't pull, you bring your body.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Fire!
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Oops. That's not happened. It's got to be more then?- Yes.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Fire!
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Quite a responsibility, that.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Much as I would love to fire a few more rounds
0:15:10 > 0:15:12at the imaginary French hoard,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15it's time for me to leave Portsmouth
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and start the next leg of my northbound journey,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19across Hampshire and into Surrey.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27As I travel up through Hampshire towards my next destination
0:15:27 > 0:15:31of Godalming, my Bradshaw's remarks that the junction of the south coast
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and the south western lines is at Portcreek,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36between Havant and Cosham,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39but it's necessary to go to Portsmouth
0:15:39 > 0:15:42to change from one line to the other.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45There were these two circuitous routes down to Portsmouth.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Naturally, the people of the city wanted a direct line,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50and a direct line company was formed.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52But when it started operations,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55it had to run over the other company's railways.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58When they first tried to operate a train, they found
0:15:58 > 0:16:01that the South Coast Railway had put an engine in the way
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and even dug up some of the tracks.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05This was the so-called Battle of Havant,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07and it illustrates how fierce competition was
0:16:07 > 0:16:11at the height of Victorian railway mania.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Home to Charterhouse School,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Godalming, with its historic buildings
0:16:24 > 0:16:27and attractive narrow streets, bears witness to a prosperity
0:16:27 > 0:16:30built around the town's wool, leather and paper mills.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Bradshaw writes, "This town is situated on the banks of the Wey
0:16:36 > 0:16:39"at a point where the river divides into several streams".
0:16:39 > 0:16:43I'm meeting local historian Stephen Goddard
0:16:43 > 0:16:47to discuss how Victorian Godalming harnessed its abundant water.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- Hello, Stephen.- Hello, Michael.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52We're meeting under this delightful lamp because
0:16:52 > 0:16:55you're going to illuminate me about Godalming's place in history.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00It was in 1881, with the increase in the price of gas to light the town,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05that one Mr Pullman offered the service of his water mill
0:17:05 > 0:17:08to provide electric power to light the town -
0:17:08 > 0:17:12in fact the very first town in the country and indeed the world.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It was innovative mill owner RJ Pullman who spotted
0:17:17 > 0:17:20that if hydropower could keep his leather mill running,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23all he needed was a dynamo and it could also light
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Godalming's four high street lamps.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Because private residences were also able to purchase electric power
0:17:29 > 0:17:31from the entrepreneur,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the National Grid dates its founding to the evening
0:17:34 > 0:17:37that hydroelectricity first lit up Godalming.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Diarist Samuel Pepys stayed here
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and my Bradshaw's recommends The Kings Arms.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50At the end of a long day's travel, I'm looking forward to lights out.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01Refreshed and ready to continue,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05the next leg of my journey is just one stop away.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Guildford next, and my Bradshaw's says,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19"The situation of the town on the banks of the Wey
0:18:19 > 0:18:21"and spreading over the steep hill
0:18:21 > 0:18:26"as it rises from the side of the river is particularly picturesque."
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I associate Guildford with bowler hats, and the 7.41 to Waterloo,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and harrumphing letters to the Daily Telegraph,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36but there's more to Guildford than that.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38There's industry too.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Once a Saxon village, Guildford boasts a Norman castle,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50a much more modern cathedral, and an attractive,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52centuries old cobbled high street.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57The town once boasted brewers and iron works,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and I'm meeting Andy Boulton, who works for Dennis,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03a vehicle manufacturer in Guildford since 1895.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09He's picking me up in a very precious and very old company asset.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- Good morning.- Morning.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17- How are you?- Very good indeed.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18What a beautiful machine.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22BELL CLANGS
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Andy, what is this wonderful machine?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31This is a 1914 Dennis fire appliance.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35We've been building fire appliances in Guildford since 1908,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37and this is one of the earliest survivors.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43- Not a bad turn of speed considering she's 98 years old.- Amazing.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47At the turn of the 20th century, the Dennis factory,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50then in the centre of town, produced cars.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Customers included a Brazilian viscount and a Russian duke.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58But as automobiles were such a luxury, niche product,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01in 1904 the firm decided to build commercial vehicles,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and, in 1908, fire engines.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08The Dennis factory is now on the outskirts of Guildford,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and there are other relics of the company's past here too.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I can see, Andy, that you love your history,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and this vehicle's even older than the fire engine, isn't it?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Yeah, this is beautiful, this is a 1902 Dennis car.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26What was the origin of vehicle manufacture here in Guildford?
0:20:26 > 0:20:30It started really in 1895 when two brothers,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32John Dennis and Raymond Dennis,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35decided to set up a small bicycle shop on Guildford High Street.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39One of them had a great idea of bolting a small petrol engine
0:20:39 > 0:20:42onto the back end of one of their tricycles.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45One day, I believe it was John was stopped on the street
0:20:45 > 0:20:47by a police officer for doing what was described
0:20:47 > 0:20:50as the ferocious speed, in the courts,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53of 12mph, going up Guildford High Street,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55which was quite a challenge at the time,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and that was publicised and sales boomed.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I always have to ask people whether their business
0:21:00 > 0:21:03has ever had a railways connection. Has yours?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Yes, it has. During the heyday of Dennis,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08when the factory was really the focal point of the town,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11there was quite a substantial railhead
0:21:11 > 0:21:14that delivered raw materials into the factory,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16and I think probably more importantly
0:21:16 > 0:21:20the finished goods leaving the factory off around the countryside.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26The factory's railhead was at its busiest during the Second World War
0:21:26 > 0:21:31when Dennis built 700 Churchill tanks, 4,500 army lorries,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33and 3,000 carriers.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41What is it the factory does today?
0:21:41 > 0:21:44These days, we focus on just bus chassis, and we put the body on it
0:21:44 > 0:21:47in one of our other factories around the rest of the UK.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Can Britain compete with imports?
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The UK bus fleet is made up of about three quarters
0:21:52 > 0:21:55British built buses. I think we should be proud of that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- What about exports?- About 30% of the vehicles around us here
0:21:59 > 0:22:01are destined to be going overseas,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06whether it be to Hong Kong, New Zealand or North America.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- And where's this one destined for? - This one's destined for London.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Very good. We'll see it on the streets of London soon.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Thank you very much.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19On my journeys, I've driven trains, cranes and automobiles,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22but a vehicle without a body is a first.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And evidently takes some getting used to.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33During my railway journeys,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I often visit factories that have become museums,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40because Britain is not the manufacturing country it once was.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42But here at Guildford, they've been producing vehicles
0:22:42 > 0:22:45during three centuries, and they still are.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55With the coming of the railways, Londoners built luxurious homes
0:22:55 > 0:22:58here in Surrey to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'I'm on my way to Gomshall, a village six miles east
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'of Guildford on the line towards Dorking.'
0:23:15 > 0:23:17As industrialisation progressed,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20many Victorians yearned for a simpler life,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and in particular in their homes.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27In an age of mass production, they sought inspiration from the artisans
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and wanted to have hand made goods.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33I'm on my way to such a house.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Arts and crafts, a movement based on simple design and natural materials,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52flourished in the late 19th century,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and I'm in Gomshall to visit Goddards,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59a house whose Tudor pretensions, sweeping planes of roof tiles
0:23:59 > 0:24:02and dalliances with form are typical of it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Goddards was built by a philanthropic local businessman
0:24:05 > 0:24:09as a rest home for women of poor means.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The architect was Sir Edwin Lutyens, famous for the Cenotaph,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15the Viceroy's House in Delhi,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19and countless other early to mid-20th century country houses
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and war memorials.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23It's now owned by The Landmark Trust,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28and its historian, Caroline Stanford, is going to show me round.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- Caroline.- Hello.- Lovely to see you. Thank you.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Absolutely stunning.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Do I smell Victorian money here?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42You do. Ironically, you smell Victorian shipping money,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44not railway money.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46This house was built by Frederick Mirrielees,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49who made his money from the Castle Union shipping line,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51so quite a different kind of transport in fact.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54And he used an architect very well known to us?
0:24:54 > 0:24:58He did. He used a young, relatively young still,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Edward Lutyens, who was 29 at the time.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04And Lutyens followed the arts and crafts tradition, did he not?
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Yes, indeed. I think all his work is infused with that fantastic
0:25:07 > 0:25:10sense of materials and good workmanship
0:25:10 > 0:25:14that so characterised the arts and crafts movement.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16So, taking in this room, what should
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I look for to understand the passion for arts and crafts?
0:25:18 > 0:25:23You can see the timber framing, you can see the massive beams and braces
0:25:23 > 0:25:25and trusses all pegged.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27You see the little wooden pegs in the beams.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The brick vaulting over the fireplace, for example,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33the little coves and vaults over the fireplace,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35not exactly medieval at all really,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and it's clearly modern brickwork,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41but nevertheless there's this lovely warm, reassuring use of materials.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44The door furniture - the hinges, the latches, the locks on the doors
0:25:44 > 0:25:50are all beautifully made, very honestly made out of forged iron.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52So this is the drawing room.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55What does this tell us
0:25:55 > 0:25:58that the new men of wealth were looking for in their home?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I think they were looking for nostalgic comfort,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and you can imagine them hopping on the train at Charing Cross
0:26:04 > 0:26:07at the end of a long week and coming down to these leafy lanes
0:26:07 > 0:26:10looking forward to a good cigar by a comfortable fireside.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17The gardens of the house are also in the arts and crafts style.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Lutyens collaborated on their construction with Gertrude Jekyll,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24arguably the most influential gardener of the time.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28The gardens are a wonderful example of the kind of harmony
0:26:28 > 0:26:31between gardening and architecture that Lutyens and Jekyll
0:26:31 > 0:26:33contrived between them.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38You see how Jekyll has used the old materials again,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41the lovely stone, the local Surrey stone slabs, the brick paths.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46And the pond really is a classic Gertrude Jekyll feature.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49She was very concerned with practicality.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53The rain water drains off the roofs into the dipping pond
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and then you can dip your watering can in easily and water your plants.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00And here, a very lovely aspect.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Yes. We look out over a ha-ha into the ancient woodland,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and Sir Frederick Mirrielees could be lord of all he surveyed.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12If, like me, Sir Frederick or the ladies of poor means
0:27:12 > 0:27:15who stayed here had need of shelter from the rain,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17they would surely have headed inside,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21to the most surprising room in the house.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22And here's the skittle alley.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- May I have a go?- Of course.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29The original bowls await you.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36This house has bowled me over!
0:27:40 > 0:27:43A beautiful Victorian house like Goddards
0:27:43 > 0:27:46was the product of our national prosperity,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48based on industry and empire.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Bradshaw's Britain had the wealth to defend its possessions
0:27:52 > 0:27:56by creating the largest fleet the world had ever seen.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58After centuries of service,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01still today the Royal Navy stands ready to do its duty.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07'On the next leg of my journey,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'I'll get close to some precious Victorian botany...'
0:28:10 > 0:28:13So here you can see a lovely specimen of a maidenhair fern,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17collected by Charles Darwin on the famous voyage of The Beagle.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19It's quite moving to see this stuff.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'I'll play croquet...'
0:28:21 > 0:28:23You can not be serious!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25This is where I get a hammering.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32'In Surrey, I'll visit a surprising 19th-century place of worship.'
0:28:32 > 0:28:35But it's not only the first UK mosque,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38it's the first mosque to be built in Northern Europe.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd