0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Stop by stop, he told them where to go, what to see,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23and where to stay.
0:00:23 > 0:00:29And now, 170 years later, I'm aboard for a series of rail adventures
0:00:29 > 0:00:31across the United Kingdom
0:00:31 > 0:00:34to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I'm now more than halfway through my journey
0:00:56 > 0:00:58from Hampshire to Wolverhampton,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and my serpentine route has brought me out west,
0:01:01 > 0:01:06where I can presently enjoy the honey-coloured stones of Wiltshire.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Today I'll be discovering more about technology and engineering advances.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19On this leg, I discover the origins of Victorian photography.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Talbot made the world's first photographic negative -
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- a shot of this window. - Well, that is a feeling of history.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I visit Britain's longest rail tunnel
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and its worrying water feature.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Torrents of water. That is unbelievable!
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And I receive Bristol Zoo's seal of approval.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41OK, Michael, if you just want to raise your right hand.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And your left hand.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Hey! Well done!
0:01:50 > 0:01:55This journey has taken me from Southampton, through Hampshire,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57on to Berkshire and into Wiltshire,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02from where I'll head west to Bristol, across the Severn
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and through the Cotswolds, to finish in Wolverhampton.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Today's leg takes a snapshot in Chippenham,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15heads west to Bristol, crosses over to Wales, and ends in Gloucester.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22My first stop will be Chippenham.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Bradshaw's tells me it has two tanneries, a foundry,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and a long bridge on 23 arches, which I fear is no longer there.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32In the neighbourhood is Lacock Abbey,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36seat of Talbot Esquire, the inventor of photography.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39In a flash I see how my journey will develop.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44I'm alighting at Chippenham
0:02:44 > 0:02:47because there's no station at Lacock.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Before his house and the village he owned were given to the nation,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55William Henry Fox Talbot MP, refused Isambard Kingdom Brunel
0:02:55 > 0:02:58permission to run his railway through his land.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02But the man is better known as the father of photography.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10The curator of the Fox Talbot Museum, Roger Watson, knows more.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- Roger.- Michael, very nice to meet you.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19The house is absolutely superb. What's its early history?
0:03:19 > 0:03:23It starts out 1232, it was founded as an Augustinian convent.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24And remained a convent
0:03:24 > 0:03:27until the last year of the dissolution of the abbeys,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32when it was sold off to one of Henry VIII's friends, William Sherrington.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34In the mid-19th century,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36the Fox Talbots owned the house.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38And in 1840, Henry,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41who had a passion for all things scientific,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44invented a much-heralded photographic process,
0:03:44 > 0:03:49and I want to know just how significant that discovery was.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Is Talbot properly to be credited with
0:03:52 > 0:03:55the invention of photography as my Bradshaw's says?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57There are two inventors of photography.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Here in England, Talbot was the inventor,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01in France, Daguerre was the inventor,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03but actually their processes were somewhat different,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05they came from different directions.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I think they both actually deserve credit.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12This is the South Gallery.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Here in the middle,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17this is the latticed window where photographic history was made.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18How?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Talbot made the world's first photographic negative,
0:04:21 > 0:04:22a shot of this window.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Well, that is a feeling of history. Using these machines?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Well, we've got a couple of things set up here.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30One of them is a camera obscura,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33which is the pre-photographic type of camera,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and it's basically just a box with a lens on it.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37You can have a look though here.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I'm seeing an image of what is outside, the trees,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I can see the green grass,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48but that is just a function of light.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51That's not giving me an image that I can keep and take away.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53No, it's as fleeting as the light is itself.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57What was the vital technology in being able to capture the image?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00The vital technology was photochemistry.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Light changes the paper, changes it from white to black,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05and that's what's important.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07I've got a little camera here.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09They were the first basic cameras.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11He had them made here by a carpenter in the village.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15He would put a piece of sensitised paper in the back...
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and he would end up with a nice, little, as he called them,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Lilliputian images, postage-stamp size.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Patented in 1841,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Fox Talbot's innovation was the first negative-positive process
0:05:32 > 0:05:34used in photographic development.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Treating paper with light-sensitive silver compounds
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and other chemicals allowed, for the first time,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44the production of an unlimited number of identical prints
0:05:44 > 0:05:45from a single negative.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49It's the basic chemistry of photography,
0:05:49 > 0:05:50which is that silver nitrate,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53when it mixes with sodium chloride, or table salt,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56it becomes a very sensitive material.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58So that's what we try and use on the paper.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This is the printing frame here, it's a proper 19th century one.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Lift the back off...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07And we've got a feather inside, which usually makes a nice picture.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Lay your sensitive paper face-down.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Put the backing on.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Turn it over and see how your picture is going to look.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Hmmm. Quite nice.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Now out into the sunlight.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25So, Roger, in a few moments of stepping outside
0:06:25 > 0:06:27into the not very bright light today,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30the paper has undergone a thorough change of colour.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It's just starting now, it'll continue on
0:06:32 > 0:06:35for the next 10 minutes or so and get darker and darker.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39At some point it'll be a very dark brown and you'll know that it's done.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Into the dark room next.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46So we are going to move it from just a plain water bath
0:06:46 > 0:06:47into the salt bath.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51He found that a lot of salt would keep it from turning dark.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53And so this was one of Talbot's breakthroughs.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56How to stop the image just continuing to get darker
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- as it was exposed to the light?- That's it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:0040 years before people knew how to get the image there,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03they just didn't know how to stop it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06How quickly did the Victorians take to photography?
0:07:06 > 0:07:08It was almost immediate and at all levels.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The day that Queen Victoria proposed to Albert,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14she also bought him a photograph at an exhibition in London.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16When do you think it begins to change society?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19It changes society in a couple of areas.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21One is the Crimean War, certainly.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Images coming back from that,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25people saw the battlefields for the first time.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28But also just the fact that people living in faraway places
0:07:28 > 0:07:30could see their monarch.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35It brought the world closer, it made the world available to everybody.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Thank you so much for this snapshot of the early days of photography.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39It's a pleasure.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46In 1944, Matilda Talbot, William's granddaughter,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50gave the Abbey and Lacock village to the National Trust.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Strict rules mean residents' properties remain unchanged,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59maintaining the medieval feel of the place and its popularity today.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Every house in Lacock is exquisite,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04it is the most beautifully preserved village.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06And although I am a great fan of the railways,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I shudder to think what would have happened if Isambard Kingdom Brunel
0:08:09 > 0:08:14had been able to bring his Weymouth extension through the Lacock estate,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17cutting dangerously close to this lovely village
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Why do you come to Lacock?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Because we love the place, there's a lovely atmosphere.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Very friendly place to come to, beautiful buildings, lovely history.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's extraordinarily well preserved, isn't it?
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Yes, it's beautiful.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Hello.- Hello.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- How do you do? - It's so nice to see you.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I was thinking, you live in such a charming village
0:08:45 > 0:08:49but you besieged by tourists. Are they ever a bit of a nuisance?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51No, on the whole they're extremely nice.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- How long have you been here? - 26 years.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I still get pleasure from the village
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- because it really is beautiful. - It is lovely,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and I'm sorry that this tourist has come and disturbed you.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Not at all.- I'll be on my way.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Would you like to come in and have drink or anything?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- You're so kind.- Or are you busy? - We must be on our way.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16What typical Lacock hospitality. Thank you very much indeed. Bye-bye.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Back to Chippenham Station,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24where I've spotted an irresistible piece
0:09:24 > 0:09:27of Victorian engineering history.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Here at Chippenham Station, this little plaque tells me
0:09:30 > 0:09:33that this was the site office used by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
0:09:33 > 0:09:36during the construction of the Great Western Railway.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I think nowadays a site office would be Portakabin,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43but in Brunel's time even the site office was beautiful.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I'd like to see what's going on inside today.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50And Gareth Jones is going to show me around.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53This is the room that we believe most of the work took place
0:09:53 > 0:09:56when Brunel was designing.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57These are the original flagstones.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59In the basement most of the ceiling
0:09:59 > 0:10:02is supported by these pieces of railway line,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05which have come off the Great Western Railway itself.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08They jolly well have. That's a rail.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Wow, wow!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12And what you do from this office now?
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We look after the car parking for First Great Western.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I'm on my way now to Bristol Temple Meads,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25where I shall change toward Avonmouth.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I shall be leaving the train at Clifton Down.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Bradshaw's is enthusiastic about Clifton,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40calling it "a beautiful watering place".
0:10:40 > 0:10:42"The highly romantic and picturesque country
0:10:42 > 0:10:44"in the midst of which it is situated
0:10:44 > 0:10:46"provides on every side
0:10:46 > 0:10:49"the most varied and extensive prospects."
0:10:49 > 0:10:53And in the 19th century they added zoological gardens
0:10:53 > 0:10:57which, according to Bradshaw's, is, "near Cook's Folly on Durdham Down."
0:11:01 > 0:11:04With Iron Age hill forts overlooking its gorge,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Clifton is much older than Bristol.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13The area first prospered thanks to its medicinal hot springs.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17And the upmarket suburb was already firmly on the 19th century map,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22even before Brunel's magnificent suspension bridge opened in 1864.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Victorian zoos were about much more than animals.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33They were places suitable for promenading and entertainment.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36At Bristol Zoo, which opened in 1836,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I'm meeting Sarah Joy Maddeaux.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40- Hello, Sarah.- Hi.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I've just come through Clifton,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44which is beautiful and beautifully preserved.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It must have been quite a place in the 19th century.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48What activities were there here?
0:11:48 > 0:11:50There was the spa at Hotwells,
0:11:50 > 0:11:55but then the zoo was founded in 1836 as one of the really key attractions.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It is the oldest provincial zoo in the world.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01For £25 you could purchase a share in the society,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and that enabled you to come into the gardens whenever you wanted.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08In fact, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the first shareholders
0:12:08 > 0:12:10I've just come on the railway.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Does that play any part in the zoo's development?- It does, yes.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Once Clifton Downs station opened in 1874,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19it was key to opening access to the zoo.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23So people coming by railway to the zoo, any animals?
0:12:23 > 0:12:28We know that in 1894 the zoo sent a tiger to London by train.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We also know that they acquired a polar bear from Dundee,
0:12:31 > 0:12:32which travelled by train.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I don't think I'd wish to share a compartment
0:12:34 > 0:12:35with a polar bear or a tiger!
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Modern zoos concern themselves very much with animal conservation,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and I'm keen to find out how far that was the case in Bradshaw's day.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Were the Victorians interested in animal welfare?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Yes, this was a period when you have the foundation
0:12:51 > 0:12:54of the Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and The Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and campaigns against bear-baiting and other blood sports.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02But generally they were happy to come to zoos
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and see animals from across the globe, from across the Empire,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07in order to learn about them.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Now, from across the Empire, so was there a feeling of Imperial pride
0:13:11 > 0:13:16that these animals came from parts of the map that were painted red?
0:13:16 > 0:13:17Yes, I think that was very much a key
0:13:17 > 0:13:20to the founding of zoos in the Victorian period.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Animal welfare has come a long way
0:13:23 > 0:13:26since Bristol Zoo's Victorian beginnings.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30And I'm meeting keeper Rob Goodchild to find out more.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Hello, Rob. Just admiring your seals, they're wonderful creatures.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Zoos have had to change a lot, haven't they?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39How's Bristol doing in that regard?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Nowadays it's more about sustainable breeding programmes,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44mental stimulus for the animals.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46We've got a seal here, seems to be expecting something.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Yes, he knows he's going to get some reward now.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52OK, Michael, if you just want to raise your right hand.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55And your left hand.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Hey! Well done!
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Now that enables you to have a good look under there
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and make sure everything is all right?
0:14:02 > 0:14:03Yes, if he didn't raise them for us
0:14:03 > 0:14:06it would be almost impossible for me to check under his flippers,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10because he's not likely to do it just out of pure kindness.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13A simple spin around allows me to see
0:14:13 > 0:14:15that he's using all the muscles in his body.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Fantastic. He is a really healthy-looking specimen.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Atari is a brilliant specimen.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23He's also a fantastic father,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27so his bloodline is extremely well represented in captivity.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Just a mile away, Clifton's grand terraces are another of its charms.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41This is truly spectacular.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Bradshaw's says, "The range of buildings known as York Crescent
0:14:46 > 0:14:50"affords an agreeable southern aspect, but the elevated situation
0:14:50 > 0:14:54"leaves the houses much exposed to high winds."
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Of course Bradshaw had never heard of double glazing.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Clifton is probably most famous for Brunel's suspension bridge.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Here I'm meeting Peter Davey, chairman of a group
0:15:10 > 0:15:13which looks after a slightly less well-known
0:15:13 > 0:15:15piece of Victorian engineering.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Peter.- Michael. - A glorious view, isn't it?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Absolutely amazing. - A wonderful piece of engineering.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28I've come here in pursuit of a railway, because there used to be a rocks railway, didn't there?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30That's right. The Clifton Rocks Railway,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33for getting people up and down, Hot Wells to Clifton.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And on the first day, they arranged to have medallions
0:15:36 > 0:15:39issued to the people who travelled on the opening day,
0:15:39 > 0:15:4211th March, 1893.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44What a treasure.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Absolutely delightful.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Victorian publisher and funicular-railway entrepreneur
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Sir George Newnes built the railway.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It took two years because local conservationists
0:15:56 > 0:15:59insisted it be hidden in a tunnel,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02rather than scar the cliff face.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It closed in 1934
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and although evidence of its railway past remains,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09the tunnel was more recently used
0:16:09 > 0:16:12as a Second World War air-raid shelter.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16This is shelter number one, Michael.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21You can see down here where the people slept on those slabs.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23And how many people might have been in here?
0:16:23 > 0:16:25On this particular one, probably 100,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27but the two other ones are bigger,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29so they reckon about 300 could have slept in here.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- You bring your own bedding with you? - Bring your own bedding,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35your own food, your Thermos flask,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37as long as you had a ticket.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40There you are, look. This one was to a Mr Wade.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42So, this was a member of the public
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and he gets this pass and that means he could come in here and sleep.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48That's it. For the whole war or for one night.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02With its stunning view, the Avon Gorge Hotel
0:17:02 > 0:17:05is the perfect place for me to end my day
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and I love Brunel's suspension bridge.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Tomorrow, I'll go in search of other engineering wonders.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23ANNOUNCER: 'The service to Cardiff Central...'
0:17:23 > 0:17:25The day has dawned bright and sunny,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29but I will shortly head off to the dark and damp
0:17:29 > 0:17:33in pursuit of railway engineering heritage.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39To reach it, I'm back at Bristol Temple Meads
0:17:39 > 0:17:43to catch the First Great Western towards Cardiff,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46a much quicker journey today than it was in the 1860s
0:17:46 > 0:17:48when my Bradshaw's was written.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52During the early decades of the railways,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55the only way from Bristol to South Wales
0:17:55 > 0:17:59was a huge detour via Gloucester or by ferry.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Then in 1886, the Severn railway tunnel was built.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05It was more than four miles long
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and remained the longest tunnel in the United Kingdom
0:18:08 > 0:18:10for more than a century.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13It was an enormous engineering feat to build it,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16but another one is to keep it dry
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and that remains the case to the present day.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Passengers may appreciate the shorter journey time,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28but this tunnel wasn't built for that reason.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30This extraordinary piece of Victorian engineering
0:18:30 > 0:18:32was driven by the enormous profit
0:18:32 > 0:18:35that the Great Western Railway foresaw
0:18:35 > 0:18:37in the transportation of coal
0:18:37 > 0:18:39from the Welsh Valleys to industrial England.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I've emerged in Wales at Severn Tunnel Junction
0:18:47 > 0:18:49to meet Dai Fuller,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53who's worked at the tunnel's original pumping station
0:18:53 > 0:18:54for 27 years.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Great to see you. Very elegant pump house you have here.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Why is it necessary to pump water out of the Severn Tunnel?
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Under the construction of the actual tunnel itself,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07an underground river broke through, a fresh-water river.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Are we talking about a lot of water?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11If you go back years ago to Victorian days,
0:19:11 > 0:19:12they would have been pumping
0:19:12 > 0:19:14about 32 to 36 million gallons of water a day.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Do you think people going through on the train have any idea
0:19:18 > 0:19:22that you're pumping out millions and millions of gallons a day
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- to keep them safe? - I don't think so.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Passing underwater for over two miles,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30the project cost £1.8 million.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The chief engineer Charles Richardson
0:19:33 > 0:19:36designed the tunnel 50ft at its deepest,
0:19:36 > 0:19:3926ft wide and with a roof up to 3ft thick.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45But even such an enormous structure couldn't be engineered
0:19:45 > 0:19:47to keep the surrounding water at bay.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50How did the Victorians pump the water out?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Cornish beams were operating the pumps to draw the water up.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56I can remember, as a schoolchild,
0:19:56 > 0:19:57fascinated by looking across here
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and hearing the noises coming from this building.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Back in '62, that ceased.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06That's when it went over to electric.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10A new railway delivered almost 80 million bricks and other materials
0:20:10 > 0:20:13for the tunnel and for the new village of Sudbrook
0:20:13 > 0:20:15where labourers were housed.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Miraculously, the eight-year construction was completed
0:20:19 > 0:20:21without a single fatality,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25even when Richardson's men breached an unexpected water source
0:20:25 > 0:20:27dubbed "The Great Spring".
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- So, what is this cosy space? - This was actually built
0:20:30 > 0:20:33to cope with the underground river that broke through.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35If I lift this board up now,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39you can see the volume of water that we're actually standing above.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Torrents of water! That is unbelievable.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48You're looking at somewhere in the region between
0:20:48 > 0:20:504 to 5ft of water there, going past us.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- 4 or 5ft deep?- Yes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55That is a mighty flow.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Confident in the pump's ability to keep the tunnel dry,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I'm keen to get track-side to catch sight
0:21:02 > 0:21:05of one of the eight trains per hour which pass through.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I just heard my ears go,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10so I think we're going to witness a train going past shortly.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Feel that wind. It's got a little bit colder, I think.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Here it comes. Here it comes.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And a great gust of wind as it goes past.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29That was very exciting.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33That's an HST 125 InterCity, off to London.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41This train will take me to Gloucester
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and I shall remember on the way that that is the route
0:21:44 > 0:21:47that many passengers would have had to take
0:21:47 > 0:21:49before the Severn Tunnel was built.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51And there they would have changed trains
0:21:51 > 0:21:53to go down the other side of the Severn
0:21:53 > 0:21:55to continue their journey in England.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Ranked the 10th wealthiest town of Medieval England,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Gloucester grew rich on the trade in woven Cotswold wool.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And when the railways arrived in 1840,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16my guide book tells me that Gloucester regained its place
0:22:16 > 0:22:19amongst the elite of English cities.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25I'm meeting local historian Phillip Moss to find out why.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Phil! Hello.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Gloucester, according to Bradshaw's,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31is now the central point of communication
0:22:31 > 0:22:33between the north and the south,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36the east and west of the kingdom.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38From Plymouth, there's an uninterrupted run
0:22:38 > 0:22:40through Bristol and Gloucester
0:22:40 > 0:22:41into the furthest points of the north
0:22:41 > 0:22:44where the Iron Road has pierced its way.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46So, Gloucester was very important.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48It was indeed, but in the early years
0:22:48 > 0:22:52the journey was very far from being uninterrupted.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56It was here at Gloucester where we had the great change of gauge.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59From 1840, the Birmingham-Gloucester Railway
0:22:59 > 0:23:02came with a standard gauge to Gloucester.
0:23:02 > 0:23:071844, the Bristol and Gloucester Railway came with the broad gauge.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The Birmingham train came in on the southernmost platform
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and the train to Bristol left from the northernmost platform,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16so consequently, everybody had to decamp from the train.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18They carried far more luggage in those days than we do today
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and it was absolute chaos. It has been said that
0:23:21 > 0:23:23when anything got lost on the railway system anywhere,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26people said, "Oh, it was lost at Gloucester."
0:23:26 > 0:23:28So, there was a campaign, really,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30to reduce the numbers of gauges to one.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34- Is that the point?- That's right. About 1892, the whole rail system
0:23:34 > 0:23:36was one standard gauge.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Back in 1327, King Edward II was buried at Gloucester Cathedral
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and, guided by my Bradshaw's, that's where I'm headed next.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Here is the fine East Window which is commended by Bradshaw's.
0:23:57 > 0:24:0079ft long, it tells me.
0:24:00 > 0:24:0235ft wide.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08It is extraordinary. It's an entire wall of glass
0:24:08 > 0:24:10with these beautiful figures.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Very, very elegant. Very unusual.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Spectacular.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Commissioned around 1350 by King Edward's son Edward III,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25as a tribute to his father,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28this was once the largest stained glass window in the world
0:24:28 > 0:24:32and, incredibly, 70% of the original remains.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The Victorians left their mark on Gloucester Cathedral, too.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40The railways meant that they could easily transport heavy stone
0:24:40 > 0:24:42from both York and Bath
0:24:42 > 0:24:45for painstaking restoration work,
0:24:45 > 0:24:52craftsmanship that master mason Pascal Mychalysin continues today.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55How long have you been working as a stonemason on Gloucester Cathedral?
0:24:55 > 0:24:5723 years, Michael.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58I started on the tower,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01then we went to,, I think, the west end
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and then we went to the choir
0:25:04 > 0:25:06and then...
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Well, pretty much all around. MICHAEL CHUCKLES
0:25:09 > 0:25:11This door, did you work on that?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Yes, we did the canopies. Otherwise, all what you see here
0:25:15 > 0:25:17is Victorian, actually.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Do you recognise the stone, Michael, at the lower stage?
0:25:20 > 0:25:21If you're putting it that way,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- it's probably the stone that's used in Parliament.- Yep.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Yep, exactly. It comes from Anston in Yorkshire, near Rotherham.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31It was bought here with the railway.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Gloucester's master mason is French,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41and these days the stone that he works so expertly
0:25:41 > 0:25:43is sourced from France as well.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And who is this?
0:25:48 > 0:25:52She is the first abbess of Gloucester Abbey, the Saxon Abbey,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and she was the sister of King Osric.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56And where will she end up?
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Inside the church, at the end of the south aisle,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- just before the south transept.- And what are you working on right now?
0:26:02 > 0:26:08This canopy here, in effect, it could go over the head of the statue here.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Yes. What tools do you use for this?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Well, we use practically the same tools as medieval masons were using.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Old chisels or mallets. I can show you.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21For example, I am working with a pickaxe here.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Doing the vaulting of the canopy.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So, I'm removing the waste...
0:26:27 > 0:26:28with the pickaxe.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31And how long would it take you to have done what you've done there?
0:26:31 > 0:26:33A full month of work
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and there will be another three weeks full-time.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39You must be incredibly patient.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42To be a mason, you have to be patient.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45You have to be Zen. Would you like to have a go?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47What, and ruin your beautiful canopy?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Well, I'm sure I can trust you. You are going to be careful.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I'll be very careful. I'll do exactly what you tell me.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56OK. Put your hand a bit higher, to have better control.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- Yep.- Is that OK?
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Not bad. You need another seven years and I'm sure you will do good.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I've enjoyed that, Pascal, but I really am scared
0:27:11 > 0:27:13of touching such a beautiful thing
0:27:13 > 0:27:16on which you've spent so many weeks already.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20This stone is not needed, so you could have a wild go, if you want.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Whenever I go to Bristol, I find myself surrounded
0:27:31 > 0:27:35by reminders of Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38including his elegant Clifton Suspension Bridge.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42But partly we remember him because of that iconic image
0:27:42 > 0:27:44with top hat and cigar.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48The Victorians will live forever because of photography
0:27:48 > 0:27:53and for that invention, we thank William Fox Talbot of Lacock Abbey.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59'On the next leg, I drive a car
0:27:59 > 0:28:02'powered by the technology of the Victorians...'
0:28:02 > 0:28:04This is real motoring.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06This is the way it was.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09'..I visit the castle of the King of Salt...'
0:28:09 > 0:28:11It's as though a French chateau
0:28:11 > 0:28:14had landed in the Worcestershire countryside.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17You've got to take it with a pinch of salt.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'..and I fight a losing battle in the Wars Of The Roses...'
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Ready for the slaughter.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Harder. Come on!