Faversham to Dorking Great British Railway Journeys

In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.

His name was George Bradshaw

and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.

Stop by stop, he told them where to go,

what to see and where to stay.

And now, 170 years later, I'm aboard for a series

of rail adventures across the United Kingdom,

to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.

My journey that began in Norfolk continues through Kent.

Bradshaw's tells me that, "The railway's iron roads

"intersect this beautiful county,

"affording the inhabitants of the great metropolis

"to become acquainted with picturesque scenery,

"cities and baronial halls."

They had set out in order to discover

the essence of Britain, as I have today.

On this leg, I'll deliver beer

with old-fashioned directness...

Anyone in need of a drink?

..learn about some old balls...

That is the oldest cricket ball

known to exist anywhere in the world.

It was used in a match at Lord's in 1820.

..and ruffle some feathers in Dorking.

I quite like a wash and blow-dry myself, so we're birds of a feather.

My journey began in the cathedral city of Norwich.

I travelled south, through East Anglia to Ipswich

and Chelmsford, and crossed the Thames at Tilbury.

Now I'll continue through Kent to Dover.

After heading inland to Tonbridge,

I'll return to the coast at Brighton,

before ending my journey

in another cathedral city, Chichester.

Today, I will start in Faversham,

travelling on to Dover and the Channel.

I'll continue my journey through western Kent,

detouring to Dorking, in Surrey.

My next stop is Faversham. The guide book tells me that,

"It's situated on a small stream running into the East Swale,

"which is navigable.

"There are some imports and a considerable coasting trade."

I think some of those boats were hopping to local ports,

bearing the town's frothy product.

This part of Kent is famous for its distinctive oast houses,

which were used for drying hops.

Beer has been made here for centuries

and Faversham has a distinguished brewing history.

At the time of my guide, there were two breweries based here.

Today, one survives,

Shepherd Neame, and it claims to be the country's oldest.

I'm meeting local historian John Owen to find out more.

-Hello.

-Michael, good morning,

-welcome to Shepherd Neame.

-Thank you so much.

Faversham is a beautiful town,

permeated by the gorgeous smell of hops,

and this is a very ancient brewery, by the look of it.

-You go back how far?

-We've been on the same site

from 1573.

Extraordinary, actually here?

Actually on this site. It is just a remarkable survival.

I assume that originally,

beer production had to be for local consumption,

does beer travel well?

No, it doesn't, and certainly,

beer made in the 16th century

would have travelled far worse than it does today.

What made the difference to all of that?

I think the quality of the transport and, ultimately,

the coming of the railways in the middle of the 19th century.

The railway arrived in Faversham in 1858

and this brewery, in particular,

was quick to see a new business opportunity.

It built a new malt house

and invested heavily in the railways.

Did the brewery have its own rolling stock?

I think it had about a dozen trucks by the 1880s.

-In the brewery's livery?

-Oh, yes. Wonderful livery.

Pale cream and Oxford blue, which must have made quite a statement

going up and down the line.

And the expansion was quick.

Whereas in 1865, the brewery had only five stores,

by 1900, it had nearly 20.

Thanks to the railways, they could now send their beer

all the way up to Camberwell, in South London.

This brewery's association with steam engines

goes back much further.

As early as 1789, it bought a Sun and Planet steam engine,

which revolutionised production,

mechanising the grinding of malt, and pumping water and beer

around the factory. To find out how they make beer now,

I'm meeting Chief Brewer Richard Frost.

-Hello, Richard.

-Hello, Michael, good to see you.

It's an ancient brewery,

and here I see some fairly ancient looking machinery,

what kind of vintage is this stuff?

These mash tuns date back to 1914.

-100 years old.

-Yeah, 100 years old. Very traditional, made of oak.

So that's contributing

-part of the flavour.

-Definitely, without a doubt.

I mean, here, you have the most fantastic combination

of the old and the new. You've got digital controls,

with some fairly ancient looking machinery.

Yeah, the machinery dates back to Victorian days.

-Are you doing any mashing today?

-We are, in fact,

Ian is just going to kick the process off.

The brewing process hasn't changed much either.

The crushed malt from the hopper above is mixed with hot water

that has to be at exactly the right temperature.

What temperature are we going up to, Ian?

Between 63 and 63.4, just trying to get it

levelled off in the middle area.

So just a little adjustment here to this wheel.

-63.4 is about right.

-It's going up a bit there,

so you open it up slightly.

Now I'm going upstairs to the coppers,

to find out about the next step in the process.

The next part is to boil that up with some hops,

some Kentish locally grown hops.

So we'll go ahead and add some here. We have some behind you.

It has that magnificent aroma, doesn't it?

Oh, yeah, hops are rather like herbs and spices

that a cook would use, or a chef would use.

They add aroma and flavour to beer.

If you would like to tip those in.

Look at all that Kent goodness going down the chute.

They're wonderful hops.

Having found out how to brew a traditional Kentish beer,

it's appropriate to make a local delivery,

in one of the brewery's oldest vans.

Here, we have a lovely Austin 20,

and I thought it would be really nice if we could recreate a journey

delivering some beer to the Railway Tavern in Faversham.

I believe they're very thirsty there. Let's get going.

Ah, what a magnificent car!

Ah, thank you very much.

-Anyone in need of a drink?

-Yes, please. Thank you.

It's now time to leave Faversham

and head for the coast.

Bradshaw's makes Dover sound really inviting.

"The line of noble-looking mansions spreading along the coast,

"the pureness of the atmosphere,

"the bold and rocky scenery

"give it an important position among our-sea loving citizens."

Ah, but Dover had an important position

militarily and strategically long before tourism.

Guarding the narrowest stretch of the English Channel,

Dover has been a strategic defensive town since Roman times.

Here, I am little more than 20 miles

from our historic enemy, the French.

The castle, says my guide book,

is, "The great lion of Dover,

"and as the first object that strikes the eye of the traveller,

"it is sure to woo his footsteps thither."

Well, my footsteps are wooed

by another military structure which is a bit less obvious.

According to Bradshaw, this is,

"The grand military shaft,

"leading to the heights

"and barracks above.

"Sufficiently capacious to contain many thousand troops."

For such a vast place, this must be Dover's best kept secret.

I'm meeting Mandy Whall of the Western Heights Preservation Society

to find out more.

-Mandy, hello.

-Hello, Michael.

I think this is the most extraordinary place

I've ever seen. Why was this built?

Above us on the cliff, we have the Grand Shaft Barracks

where approximately 1,000 troops would have been housed.

The only way down to the seafront, had an enemy invaded,

would be to run down the side of the cliff,

down there, miles away, come back... It's about a mile and a half.

So they needed a way to move troops very quickly from the barracks

down to the seafront, which is about 300 yards that way.

So we've got the elegant solution of a triple helix spiral staircase,

so you can move your troops very quickly from the barracks site

down to the seafront.

-This is all about fear of invasion, I suppose?

-Yes.

And I suppose it's the French as usual that we were worried about?

Oh, yes, yes, Napoleon.

The initial building started in 1804 and it was completed by 1806,

-so a very quick build.

-Was this a very secret operation?

We wouldn't have told the French, to be sure.

There are a lot of fortifications up here.

They are all very well concealed

so they couldn't be observed from even the town of Dover itself.

And are we able to go up to the top these days?

You certainly are, yes, it's 200 stairs

and I've got a bit of a challenge for you.

In 1826, one soldier bet that he could run up these stairs

in 30 seconds, and I wondered if you would like to have a go?

-200 steps in 30 seconds?!

-Yes.

I don't think so, but I'll give it a go!

-See you in a minute!

-See you in a moment.

OK, Michael? Ready... Steady... Go!

-What's the score?

-46.6 seconds.

-I was weighed down by my book!

-Did I come all that way?

-You certainly did!

I think this now explains something in Bradshaw's Guide

which was puzzling me

that says that there are three spiral staircases

and I see there are.

Now, what was the point of having three?

It means you can move three times the troops in a third of the time.

And how did they decide which one to use?

When it was first built, there was no class distinction,

so anybody went down whatever staircase,

but by the time you get to the Victorian era,

there's a much bigger class distinction.

So what they did is they allocated staircases.

One for officers and their ladies, one for sergeants and their wives

and the other for soldiers and their women.

But it just shows the class system

-gets into everything in Britain, doesn't it?

-Yes.

-Oh, not another set of steps!

-MANDY LAUGHS

So, I think I get the idea now.

The fortress is sunk into the cliff so that in Napoleonic times

and actually even today, you have no clue that it's here.

Well, that's right. It's cunningly concealed within the contours

and topography of the landscape.

What went on here at the top?

Well, this is the parade ground,

at the late 19th century they had the Easter Reviews.

It was a huge spectacular.

The Easter Volunteers would stage elaborate military manoeuvres

that were important battlefield training exercises.

But they were also massive public spectacles

with thousands of people coming to watch from all over the country.

We have accounts of 30 trains between 6am and 9am

bringing down 25,000 troops as well as any ammunition

and all the horses, and everything else that they required on that day.

And then they all pack up at the end of the day and go home by train.

Absolute military precision -

mechanised warfare using the railways.

-Can we take a walk around?

-Of course you can, yes.

Mandy, as we look out towards France, across the narrow moat

that has protected our realm over the centuries,

let me read to you from Bradshaw.

"Nowhere, perhaps in the whole circuit of the kingdom

"is there another spot so calculated to awaken

"in the bosom of an Englishman feelings of pride and exultation,

"as the objects around call up in succession those martial

"and intellectual achievements by which the inviolate island

"of the sage and the free

"has attained her present unquestioned supremacy."

It's now time for me to continue my journey on through Kent.

My train has taken me into the interior of Kent.

Bradshaw's tells me that my next stop, Staplehurst, is near

the remains of Sissinghurst Castle and that's well worth a visit.

If I could lay my head close to Sissinghurst Castle,

that would be something.

Best known for its gardens, designed in the 1930s by the poet

Vita Sackville-West,

Sissinghurst Castle had been in Victorian times a mediaeval ruin.

But the estate had won fame for its progressive farming techniques

under the tenancy of George Neve.

Some of the farm buildings from the mid-19th century have survived

and stand as a monument to the Great Victorian Farming Revival

that began in the 1850s.

Peter Mellor knows more.

-Hello, Peter.

-Hello, Michael.

-Good to see you.

-Welcome to the Sissinghurst Castle Estate.

Well, thank you.

So, this farmhouse on the castle estate

has a very Victorian look to me, what's its history?

Built in 1855 by the Cornwallis family for a farm tenant,

George Neve, who was only 28 at the time the farmhouse was built.

It was a splendid house for a very progressive

and energetic farm tenant in the golden age of Victorian farming.

The farmhouse was the centre of a thriving and modern farm

of around 500 acres.

The railway was crucial to the farm's success,

allowing it to transport its produce far and wide.

Well, the house tells a very Victorian story.

I shall be very pleased indeed to stay here.

-Cheers.

-Cheers, Michael.

It's a new day and I'm heading west -

further into the Weald of Kent.

My first stop today will be Tonbridge.

Bradshaw's tells me that it's situated on the Tun

and four branches of the Medway all crossed by bridges.

It is noted for the excellent grammar school.

I'm hoping to take a lesson in how the railways

put the school on track.

At Tonbridge School, I'm hoping to find out more

from former deputy head teacher David Walsh.

-David.

-Good morning, Michael, and welcome to Tonbridge School.

Thank you very much. A very ancient foundation, dating back to...?

1553. It was founded by Sir Andrew Judd who was a city merchant.

I think of public schools as rather large institutions,

did it begin that way?

No, for the first 300 years of its existence,

really until the railways came in the mid-19th century,

it only had about 40 or 50 boys,

but by the time the Victorian Age ended,

it had gone up to about 440 boys.

And the railways had something to do with that?

The railways had a lot to do with that.

The railways were, of course, one of the main sort of drivers

of Victorian prosperity, which meant that more and more people

could afford to send their children to schools where they had to pay fees.

But they also widened people's geographical horizons considerably.

Tonbridge School was also fortunate to own a piece of land

next to the new St Pancras station in London.

When that was sold profitably to the Midland Railway during the 1860s,

around the time of my Bradshaw's,

the school was able to rebuild and enlarge its buildings.

The school also owned a sloping piece of land

near the new railway line in Tonbridge,

which it levelled, using the spoil from the line's construction

to create The Head cricket ground.

David's taking me to have a look.

It's a lovely setting for a cricket match.

Cricket has always been an important part of Tonbridge school.

I think partly because of the lovely ground we have here

but also because of the presence in the school

of old boys like Colin Cowdrey,

who was a boy here from 1946 until 1950.

Beginning with Colin Cowdrey

many talented cricketers have emerged from this school.

Including his sons, Chris and Graham Cowdrey, and more recently

Richard Ellison and Ed Smith, the Test Match Special pundit.

The area is as noted for cricket balls as cricket stars.

And here's how it's made down in the garden of Kent.

While the hide strips for the cover are drying,

the core or quilt is being fashioned,

the cover is cut into quarters and these are sewn

together into halves by a process known as closing.

So a powerful vice is used to press them together and up into a slight ridge.

Now comes another lot of sewing, with threads of specially prepared flax.

And then the harvest, ammunition for village greens and county pitches.

Neil Robinson from the MCC Museum will educate me, it seems.

-What have you got here?

-We have got a sample of 3 balls

from various periods through history.

and you will notice immediately simply from the size

and design that they really haven't changed that much.

If you'd like to pop these gloves on you will be able to weigh them in your hands.

Now that is the oldest cricket ball known to exist anywhere in the world.

It was used at a match at Lords in 1820

So this ball feels to me pretty much like a cricket ball of today.

It should do the only notable difference is obviously the leather has faded over the last 2 centuries.

-And this newer ball.

-The second ball we have here

dates from 1902. You'll see the leather has faded slightly but isn't quite as far gone as the 1820 ball.

This was used in a match at the Oval a test match between England

and Australia which England won by one wicket,

a very famous match, a very thrilling innings by Gilbert Jessop.

And it was actually made, this ball, in the John Wisden and Co works on Baltic Road here in Tonbridge.

John Wisden, now that's a name I know surely for the cricket almanacs.

Well, yes indeed, Wisden brought out his first cricket almanac in 1864

and it's been going for 150 years now rather like Bradshaw there.

-Yeah, this is 1864ish as well.

-Indeed.

-An important year for cricket?

-It was very much so.

WG Grace made his first appearance at Lords, over arm bowling was legalised.

So you may say the modern world was making itself

felt in cricket as it was through the railways and other areas.

Well, Neal, I don't believe I have touched a cricket ball for some decades

but this has given me an idea.

This is where Bradshaw turns to Brad-MAN.

Oh, yes!

My luck is in today.

Wow, we're off again.

Even Bradman had his bad days.

Bowled over by the cricketing prowess of Tonbridge school, I'm detouring further west into Surrey.

I'm changing trains at Redhill because something in my Bradshaw's has piqued my interest.

I'm on my way to Dorking.

Bradshaw's tells me it's celebrated for its poultry.

Particularly for a five-toed breed called Dorkings,

supposed to have been introduced by the Romans.

Now that's worth crossing the road for!

I'm going to visit Wymbleton farm,

where Lana Gazder is going to tell me all about this noble fowl.

-Hello, Lana.

-Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.

I'd never thought of counting the toes of a chicken but Bradshaw's

tells me there's a special five-toed variety here in Dorking.

There is and they are quite rare.

It is one of the oldest chickens in Britain if not the oldest.

And the five toes is a bit of a mystery where it came from.

People think that the Romans brought the Dorking in

but I don't believe that.

If that was so, there would still be Dorkings in Italy.

So I tend to think they were here already,

possibly brought in by the Venetian traders,

they might have brought in the Hudan or the Arden, they have five toes,

and they may have mixed them with the Scott's dumpy,

so I reckon there was a five-toed bird in England and when the Romans came they recognised them as

an excellent bird to feed their army, and I do believe they perfected them.

Just show me the difference.

These are the front three toes, which every chicken has,

and they also have a fourth toe at the back.

But the Dorking has a fifth toe, so that is the unusual bit.

It's probably a deformity but it was bred in an it's a dominant feature

OK so they have more toes. What else makes them special?

What makes them important?

They're important for the fact

they are probably the most excellent meat bird in Britain.

Also, the whole shape of them is a lengthy, rectangular bird.

-Are Dorkings still sold for meat?

-Sadly not.

It's economically not viable nowadays.

The Dorking's eggs were particularly prized by Queen Victoria

She insisted on them being served because they were delicious and digestible.

I just have to find out what all the fuss is about.

Mmm, lovely dark yellow hue.

It's bursting with flavour. Absolutely glorious.

-And you can assure me that it's also easy on my digestion!

-Absolutely.

Queen Victoria couldn't have been wrong!

This humble chicken has put Dorking on the map.

There's a 10 foot statue of a Dorking

installed on a roundabout in 2007.

It was modelled on one of Lana's exhibition chickens.

I'll now help her to prepare one for a show.

This is a dark Dorking.

What are you going to do first?

I will very carefully put her in the water.

And very quietly apply the water without scaring her.

No brisk movements is the secret.

Dab the sponge until she gets used to it.

And then you have to very carefully scrub at her legs.

Well, Lana, I can absolutely tell you that I have never before

scrubbed the feet of a chicken with a toothbrush!

-What a handsome beast you're going to be!

-She's enjoying it I think

Very well behaved indeed,

considering she's being groomed by an amateur.

Now, you've got one wet chicken.

I have. She'll have to be blow dried.

-You can't be serious.

-No, they really enjoy it because if you think of a chicken

on a tree, the wind blowing through their feathers,

that's a natural thing for them.

This, I have to see.

Very handy having help.

Under the wing.

She'll be feeling nice and warm now, won't she?

I quite like a wash and blow dry myself so we're birds of a feather!

-I think she's virtually done now with the hairdryer.

-Well, Lana, thank you so much.

And just to think I would never have discovered a five-toed

Dorking without my Bradshaw's guide!

That's very good.

The Duke of Wellington remarked that the battle of Waterloo

was won on the playing fields of Eton.

You might also say that test matches have been won on the cricket square of Tonbridge school.

Warm beer, cricket and public schools were parts of Victorian culture.

The white cliffs of Dover would be the front line in which

British customs and values would be defended against aggressors.

A sentiment expressed in patriotic language by my Bradshaw's guide.

Next time, I'll pick up the scent underground in Brighton...

I had no idea that sewage had such a sweet tinkle to it.

..Visit a party palace fit for a queen...

"As the royal pair approached Castle Square,

"the crowed pressed forward more closely

"and some errand boys rudely peered beneath her majesty's bonnet."

How frightful!

..And pass the chequered flag in style.

-Down the straight they are doing 180 miles per hour.

-I can't believe it.

-I'm touching just over 60 now and enjoying it.

-That was 70, come on!