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 > 0:00:16and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23Stop by stop, he told them where to go, what to see and 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 > 0:00:34across the United Kingdom to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I'm reaching the end of my journey and I'll be travelling
0:00:58 > 0:01:03along the south coast through the counties of East and West Sussex.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Bradshaw says, "Railways may now be considered as accelerators
0:01:07 > 0:01:11"of pleasure. Bringing the most favourite watering places
0:01:11 > 0:01:16"along the coast within the compass of a brief and agreeable journey."
0:01:16 > 0:01:20As we might say today, trains were changing the work/life balance.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27'On this leg, I'll pick up the scent underground in Brighton...'
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I had no idea that sewage had such a sweet tinkle to it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'..visit a palace that didn't amuse a queen...'
0:01:33 > 0:01:36As the royal pair approached Castle Square,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39the crowd pressed forward more closely and some
0:01:39 > 0:01:42errant boys rudely peered beneath Her Majesty's bonnet.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44How frightful!
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'..and pass the chequered flag in style.'
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Down the straight in the revival, they're doing 180mph.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51I can't believe it.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I'm touching just over 60 now and enjoying it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- That was 70, come on.- Ha, ha!
0:02:02 > 0:02:05My journey began in the cathedral city of Norwich.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09I travelled south through East Anglia to Ipswich and Chelmsford.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Crossing the Thames at Tilbury, I continued through Kent to Dover
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and then headed inland to Tonbridge.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21I'll return to the coast at Brighton, before ending
0:02:21 > 0:02:24my journey in another cathedral city.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Now I reach the seaside at Brighton and visit Bramber and Arundel,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35before arriving at my final destination - Chichester.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44My first stop will be what Bradshaw's calls "the marine metropolis".
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And here's an interesting social comment.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49"Merchants who formerly made Dulwich or Dalston
0:02:49 > 0:02:52"the boundaries of their suburban residences
0:02:52 > 0:02:56"now have their mansions by the south coast and still get
0:02:56 > 0:03:01"in less time, by a less expensive conveyance, to their counting houses in the city."
0:03:01 > 0:03:05What's more, Brighton had a royal seal of approval.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The railway arrived here in 1841
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and by the mid-1840s, the journey time from London
0:03:13 > 0:03:15was just over an hour.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Brighton Station was soon bustling with day trippers and commuters.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24My guidebook comments that, "The Brighton terminus is
0:03:24 > 0:03:28"an elegant structure, fitted up in the most convenient manner."
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Hear hear.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Originally called Brighthelmstone, as a fishing village
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Brighton avoided the limelight until the late 18th century.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46That changed after the Prince Regent,
0:03:46 > 0:03:52later King George IV, first visited Brighton in 1783.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54He began to spend time here.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58As a man devoted to elegance and pleasure,
0:03:58 > 0:04:03he decided in 1787 to create this whimsical pavilion.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07The Brighton Pavilion, says my guidebook, "Rises with domes
0:04:07 > 0:04:12"and minarets, and is fretted with greater variety than taste.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18"Erected for George IV, after a fanciful oriental model."
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You sense here the disdain that every generation
0:04:21 > 0:04:24feels for the fashion of its predecessor.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29'I think I'll ask some of today's visitors what they think...'
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- Hello.- Hello, how are you doing?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I'm using a 19th-century guidebook
0:04:33 > 0:04:37which says that the exterior of the building displays more variety than taste.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39What do you think of that remark?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I think taste is in the eye of the beholder, really.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I actually think it's really nice to look at, so I'd disagree with that.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I think the variety actually adds to the taste, really.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It makes it quite unique and different. Definitely.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54What do you think of the pavilion here in Brighton?
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I am Italian. We usually have good taste, like French.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00And I think that...
0:05:00 > 0:05:03so mixing things, not very good taste.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08I think that the outside is beautiful
0:05:08 > 0:05:11but the inside is a bit eclectic.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It's just like a mishmash of styles.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I'm going inside to find out more about this extraordinary
0:05:18 > 0:05:21building from Alexandra Loske.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Alexandra, I think this is the most exotic,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27not to say over-the-top, building that I have ever been in.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29What made the Prince Regent - George IV -
0:05:29 > 0:05:31choose Brighton for his residence?
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Well, he came down as a very young man,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38the young Prince of Wales in 1783, really to get away from London.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42He rented a farmhouse, substantial house, which was on this site,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and later transformed it into this exotic,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Indian-looking building.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And of course the architect of that was the famous John Nash.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54That's extraordinary because I associate John Nash with
0:05:54 > 0:05:57the very symmetrical buildings of Regent's Park,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Buckingham Palace and so on.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02This was his walk on the wild side.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It was, both for John Nash and for King George IV.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09This was a place away from London where you could, you know,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11let your imagination run wild.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I don't think this building could have been built in London.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Brighton suited George's louche lifestyle.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19With a passion for fashion, the arts
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and good living, he was a rebel against his strict upbringing.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25He threw himself with enthusiasm into drinking,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27gambling and womanising.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Was he able to enjoy the building?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33He did. He used it really for entertaining.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37And you can tell by the way the building looks and how it's laid out
0:06:37 > 0:06:39that it was really a party palace.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The extraordinary style - what were the inspirations for it?
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Well, the inspirations were India, any exotic country,
0:06:46 > 0:06:47mostly the Far East,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50and that was fashionable, so he wasn't alone in this.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54It's a style called orientalism or chinoiserie
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and it was hugely popular in the mid-18th century
0:06:57 > 0:07:01but nobody did it on this scale.
0:07:01 > 0:07:08So this was a fantasy vision of the east, as imagined by the Europeans.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09At the ceiling here we have,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14supposedly holding this gigantic chandelier, a dragon.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And, of course, you associate China with dragons.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22But if you look closely, it's actually a Welsh dragon.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25It's what the artist knew about dragons.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Very few people had solid knowledge about the Orient
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and Chinese mythology and symbolism.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36George IV didn't have long to enjoy his pleasure dome,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40which was completed in 1823.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Perhaps his extravagant lifestyle caught up with him
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and his health failed.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48His last visit to Brighton was in 1827
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and he died three years later.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55In 1837 the Victorian era begins.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58How did the young queen take to this building?
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Well, she comes here just a few months after her coronation - she's still only 18.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07And she has mixed feelings and views on the building
0:08:07 > 0:08:10but it's probably best to tell you more about this in her
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- private apartments here in the building.- Excellent.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17George IV's palace by the sea expressed one man's
0:08:17 > 0:08:20personal taste for Oriental splendour.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It was too flamboyant
0:08:22 > 0:08:26and too much associated with decadence for Queen Victoria.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29So here we are in Queen Victoria's private apartments on the
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- upper floor of the royal pavilion. - Did she like Brighton?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35She tried to like it but it had various problems.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38The place was too small for her,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42certainly not good for a growing number of children.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45But it was mainly the lack of privacy here.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48And did the railways contribute to this loss of privacy?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Of course, absolutely. Because from 1841
0:08:51 > 0:08:54when the line opens between London and Brighton,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57many, many more people come to Brighton on day trips.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00It's mostly Londoners and they can afford to now.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04It's quick, you can come for a day or a weekend, it's cheap
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and the place gets swarmed with ordinary people.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11And of course, Victoria does object to that.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Did the Queen herself use the train to come to Brighton?
0:09:13 > 0:09:15She did at least once.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17On the way down she likes the comfort
0:09:17 > 0:09:20of the saloon she's travelling in.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21On the return journey she says,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24"Oh, it only took us an hour and six minutes.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26"This is rather too quick, I think."
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Yeah, Queen Victoria did not like fast-moving trains.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32'But then came the final straw.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35'On her last visit here in 1845,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39'Victoria and Albert went for a walk incognito.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42'Word got around that the royal couple were on the pier.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46'The Illustrated London News reported the story.'
0:09:46 > 0:09:49"As the royal pair approached Castle Square, the crowd
0:09:49 > 0:09:51"pressed forward more closely
0:09:51 > 0:09:55"and some errant boys rudely peered beneath Her Majesty's bonnet".
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- How frightful.- It is a bit.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02And then Victoria writes a letter to somebody saying, "The people in
0:10:02 > 0:10:05"Brighton are terribly indiscreet
0:10:05 > 0:10:08"and it feels very much like a prison here."
0:10:08 > 0:10:11She sells the entire estate here in Brighton - and the buildings -
0:10:11 > 0:10:16in 1850 to the town of Brighton.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18After Queen Victoria abandoned Brighton
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and sought privacy on the Isle of Wight,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23the hoi polloi continued to delight in
0:10:23 > 0:10:26the pleasures of this seaside town.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29This is my guidebook's description of Brighton,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32"Pleasure seekers out for the day and eager to be ubiquitous,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35"hurrying to and fro, through the market to the spa,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37"to the racecourse,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40"the windmill, the beach, the shops, and the chain pier,
0:10:40 > 0:10:45"in as rapid succession as the most ingenious locomotion could devise."
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Some of the attractions have changed but the nature of Brighton hasn't.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54But my Bradshaw's reveals another layer to this town.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Here's a change of tone in my guidebook.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01"A twang of saltiness greets the lip."
0:11:01 > 0:11:05There is another Brighton burrowing beneath the royal palace
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and my journey today will take me from the sublime to the slime.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17The rapid expansion of towns such as Brighton
0:11:17 > 0:11:21demanded wonders from Victorian engineers.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Some of the most impressive are hidden deep underground.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32I'm descending into the sludgy, Victorian bowels of the earth...
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'to meet Stuart Slark to find out more.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Stuart, what a charming place to meet.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Turn our stomachs a bit -
0:11:42 > 0:11:45what was Brighton like before it had a sewerage system?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Very bad, very smelly because all they used to do in the old days,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50they used to drain it to the top of the beach.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52So at the beginning of the 19th century,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55tourists would come down to Brighton and find what?
0:11:55 > 0:11:59A lot of messy stuff all over the beach. It was disgusting. Absolutely disgusting and smelly.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01And so what was it that the Victorians did about it?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Well, they built these magnificent sewers
0:12:04 > 0:12:05that you're going to see today.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09A wonderful piece of engineering from Sir John Hawkshaw.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Can we go and witness this glorious Victorian engineering?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- Of course you can. Come with me. - Thank you.- That's it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19'44 miles of sewers were constructed in 1865
0:12:19 > 0:12:22'followed by this enormous intercepting sewer,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24'completed in 1874,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27'which took the waste water out of the town altogether.'
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Stuart, that was a very slippery and slithery tunnel
0:12:30 > 0:12:33but now we come into this magnificent vault!
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I mean, the engineering here! The scale of it! Fantastic!
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Yeah, this is... We are now 40 feet underground.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We're right by the side of the steam fountain in Brighton.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44You've got the Victorian sewer running down the side.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Also, we have got two big sewers coming down into this,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52that when they have heavy rain, it will overflow into where we
0:12:52 > 0:12:55are standing and then go down these two barrels behind us
0:12:55 > 0:12:57towards the sea.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Wait a minute, so we're standing here...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02What happens if that overflows while we're standing here?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05We'll have the ride of our life down those tunnels.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07It would be better than your train journeys.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Frankly, has this been over-engineered?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12For some unknown reason they really went to town on this.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14They over-engineered it
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and even to this day, it still copes with the present
0:13:18 > 0:13:21climate of the heavy rains that we're getting now.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25So I understand this has been built to last for 500 years.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28And how does it actually work? Because I don't see any motors.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I don't see where there would have been a steam engine. What's the power?
0:13:31 > 0:13:35It's all gravity-fed. Normally, it's falling down one foot per mile
0:13:35 > 0:13:38for seven and a quarter miles down to Portobello.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40And that pleasant sound of tinkling water
0:13:40 > 0:13:45is actually the sound of Brighton's sewerage going past, is it?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48That is correct, yes. Everything else coming down as well, yeah.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I had no idea that sewage had such a sweet tinkle to it.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Brighton needs its sewers, as society needs politicians.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Now it's time for me to return to Brighton Station
0:14:07 > 0:14:09to travel on to my next stop.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26My overnight rest will be in Bramber. Bradshaw's tells me that,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29"It's a place of no particular note beyond the remains of a castle,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32"which dates from about the time of the conquest."
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Still, shortly after this guidebook was written,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38tourists were flocking in by train.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52Bramber Station closed in 1966 as a result of the Beeching axe.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55So I'm disembarking at nearby Shoreham
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and travelling up to what remains of Bramber's Norman castle
0:14:59 > 0:15:02to meet museum curator Chris Tod.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Hello, Michael. Good to see you.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07What was it that brought the tourists in their large numbers?
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Well, there was the castle
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and subsequent to Bradshaw's publication,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16there was a museum of taxidermy known as Potter's Museum.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Taxidermy was very popular with Victorians but why would it merit a museum?
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Well, he had a twist on it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28He created tableaux telling stories with numerous different animals.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Mimicking either a poem
0:15:30 > 0:15:35in the case of Who Killed Cock Robin or a rabbit's schoolroom
0:15:35 > 0:15:37or a kitten's croquet party.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Some of which had mechanical bits which you could activate.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Tell me what Bramber was like when these waves of tourists
0:15:43 > 0:15:45were descending upon it.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47The tourists came by train. There was
0:15:47 > 0:15:52the line running from Shoreham to Horsham, which stopped at Bramber,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55and they constructed an extra-long platform at Bramber,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59so that they could take an extra couple of coaches.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Well, I'm staying tonight at the Castle - is that one of your historic inns?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06It is. Its history goes back, as far as we know, to Tudor times
0:16:06 > 0:16:11but in the mid-19th century when its name was still different - it was called the White Lion -
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Walter Potter's father, James Potter, ran it
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and Walter Potter was a servant at the inn.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- I will potter off. Very good. Thank you.- Nice seeing you.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Potter's museum of taxidermy has long since closed.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32'But the Castle Hotel is just the place
0:16:32 > 0:16:34'for a generously-stuffed pillow.'
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Good evening.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It's the final day of my journey
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and I'm heading back to Shoreham Station.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04My first stop today will be Arundel.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08I'm told that, "It's situated on the declivity of a steep hill.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10"At the foot runs the river Arun,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13"over which is built a handsome stone bridge.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16"The appearance of the town with its stately castle
0:17:16 > 0:17:20"and winding river is singularly beautiful."
0:17:20 > 0:17:24As I near the end of my journey, my eyes are going to feast.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Arundel can thank the Duke of Norfolk for its railway station.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45The Howards' impressive castle overlooking the Arun river
0:17:45 > 0:17:47was begun in 1068
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and partially destroyed during the English Civil War.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56The family rebuilt in the 19th century
0:17:56 > 0:17:59in this Victorian Gothic style.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04I'm starting my tour in the library with my guide, Brenda Thompson.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07What a beautiful library, Brenda.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09The restorations that my Bradshaw's are referring to -
0:18:09 > 0:18:13those before, say, 1864 -
0:18:13 > 0:18:15these were various dukes restoring,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17in inverted commas, to a gothic style?
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Yes, yes. Starting probably with our 11th duke -
0:18:21 > 0:18:24he was the man who also built this beautiful library.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Took about 13 years to complete.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27How many books does it have?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29We have 10,000 in here.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32I'm very interested in the doings of Queen Victoria.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Did she get to visit the castle?
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Yes, she did, in 1846 with Prince Albert.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41They had... They were given two years' notice that she was coming
0:18:41 > 0:18:43so they had time to prepare.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45And so this room in particular,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48all the red furnishing was put in for her visit.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51They had some furniture made for the state bedroom,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54they also put some little stoves along the picture gallery
0:18:54 > 0:18:57because they thought she might get a bit chilly.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Did the queen enjoy her visit?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Yes, I believe so because we have copies of her diaries.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04A couple of things she thought a little boring
0:19:04 > 0:19:08and she thought her rooms were very comfortable, but rather small.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13- It's wonderful to have the frankness of Queen Victoria's diaries.- Yes.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Then there was a huge restoration, wasn't there?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Well, Duke Henry decided to continue the restoration work,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20enlarge the castle and he
0:19:20 > 0:19:23wanted it all in this Gothic style so it had this flow throughout.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29All this work was made far easier by the proximity of the railways,
0:19:29 > 0:19:34allowing building materials to be transported from the nearby station.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37The duke did some very progressive renovations here,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41including a steam-pumped water supply, central heating,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45a hydraulic lift and 1,000 electric light bulbs.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49A great supporter of the railways, the duke was happy for the line
0:19:49 > 0:19:54to cross his land as long as the timetable met his convenience.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58He made sure all the trains stopped here in case he wanted to go to London.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I think you can divide the dukes of the 19th century into two sorts -
0:20:01 > 0:20:04those opposed to railways and those who were in favour of them -
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- but they all liked the train to stop where they wanted it.- Exactly.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I know the train won't wait for me,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12so I must be at the station in time to catch
0:20:12 > 0:20:15the last train of this journey.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31I'm now approaching my last stop,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Chichester, which Bradshaw's tells me,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36"Is an old town on the square Roman plan.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40"It's a clean and neatly-built cathedral city." And so my journey
0:20:40 > 0:20:44that began in Norwich has taken me from one cathedral to another.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Well, I've made a long journey to see this wonder
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and I'm not disappointed.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10It has a slender refinement to it.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Bradshaw's tells me that it was built in the 12th century.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19It's 377ft long including the Lady Chapel here.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Norman and Early English work prevail.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26The fine eight-sided spire is 300 feet high.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31In fact, the spire collapsed dramatically in 1861, was rebuilt
0:21:31 > 0:21:36by the architect Gilbert Scott with a donation from Queen Victoria.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41An event in the British social calendar draws
0:21:41 > 0:21:44thousands of visitors every summer.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48To find out more, I'm heading up into the South Downs
0:21:48 > 0:21:52to a ducal estate with long-standing passions for fast horses,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and fast cars - Goodwood.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01It all started with the first Duke of Richmond's passion for hunting.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05These splendid kennels for foxhounds were built by the third duke.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I'm meeting Hilary Sloan to find out more.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- Hello, Hilary!- Hello, Michael.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Erm, Bradshaw's tells me
0:22:13 > 0:22:16about horse racing here in July at Goodwood.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18But we're meeting by some kennels.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21How do we move from fox hunting to horse racing?
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Well, the third duke was passionate about horses.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26He'd been exercising his own horses
0:22:26 > 0:22:31on the sands down at Itchener, close by, since 1783.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33And in 1801 he was asked
0:22:33 > 0:22:38if the Sussex militia could exercise their horses up on the Harrow Way,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41which is where the horse racing still takes place today.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45This was such a great success, this private meeting.
0:22:45 > 0:22:481802, he established the first public meeting
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and the rest really is history.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55For the best outlook on the racecourse, Hilary takes me
0:22:55 > 0:22:57up to a viewpoint known as the Trundle.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00A glorious view of Glorious Goodwood.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Who would have had this view in the 19th century?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05It was most definitely both sides of society.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Royalty, aristocracy and
0:23:08 > 0:23:12the locals and even Londoners and people from Brighton.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Now if you were up here, viewing the races for nothing,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17you were not only looking down on horse racing -
0:23:17 > 0:23:20you were looking down on the British establishment, weren't you?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Most definitely and this was the place, the favourite
0:23:23 > 0:23:28playground for the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32What did Queen Victoria think of his racing passion?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Ah, well, I get the feeling she was not amused.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Horse racing did not interest her at all and of course she felt that
0:23:39 > 0:23:44her son - often called Bertie - was playing around a little too much.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47How did the hoi polloi on the Trundle
0:23:47 > 0:23:51and the establishment down there make their way to the racecourse?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I hope they came by train.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Well, of course, let's talk about the royalty first.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57The Prince of Wales - he would arrive on the train,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01But he wouldn't come in to Chichester -
0:24:01 > 0:24:06he would stop at a halt called Drayton, about two miles to the east of Chichester.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10And the etiquette would be that the Duke of Richmond would have arranged
0:24:10 > 0:24:12for a carriage to go and collect him.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14He even went to the trouble of watering the road
0:24:14 > 0:24:19between Goodwood and Drayton to make sure there'd be no dust in the way.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24The plebeian hordes would trudge up to the Trundle from the station
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and gaze upon the grandees from this vantage point.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I'm getting the impression that Goodwood's always evolving.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34It started with fox-hunting then there was horse racing -
0:24:34 > 0:24:36why does it keep changing?
0:24:36 > 0:24:38This is really something of the passions,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41the different passions, of our various dukes
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and by the time of the 20th century
0:24:44 > 0:24:48our 9th Duke of Richmond was mad keen on everything to do with motor racing,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53and that was the start of the motor passions here at Goodwood.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58So these days the Goodwood Estate also draws the crowds
0:24:58 > 0:25:01for a different type of horse power.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Chris Taylor is going to fill me in.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- How's it going? Hello there. - It's going very well.- Good.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I've been thinking about the horse racing here, but now
0:25:10 > 0:25:14you have a motor circuit too - how did Goodwood make the transition?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The airfield was set up to be a fighter base during the Second World War
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and afterwards when all the planes had gone, the Duke of Richmond was
0:25:21 > 0:25:24driving round here with a friend and the friend said to him,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28"I say, old chap, this place would make a jolly fine motor circuit, don't you know?"
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The first meeting in 1948 here, was the first meeting,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35first race meeting, after the war in all of the UK.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And now you have these great gatherings, don't you? What are they called?
0:25:38 > 0:25:42You're talking about the Goodwood Revival, which is the race meeting
0:25:42 > 0:25:46which has been set up by the Earl of March to recreate
0:25:46 > 0:25:49the races that took place between the '50s and '60s.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52So it's the same cars, in some cases with the same drivers,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and everybody dresses up in period gear.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59All the cars that are on site are pre-'66.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02I mean, if you were to parachute in here during the meeting,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04you'd think you'd fallen in another world.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I have actually attended. I came as a teddy boy, I...
0:26:07 > 0:26:08I'd like to have seen that...
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Yeah, I had winkle-picker shoes and I had sideburns painted on with
0:26:11 > 0:26:14cork of course and masses of attitude.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16And did you feel that you fitted in?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Yeah, no, it was a great day out.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20What is this lovely machine?
0:26:20 > 0:26:22This is your original cops and robbers car,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26It's a Mark 2 Jaguar 3.8 litre. First of all the baddies bought them
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and then the police all had to go out and buy them to keep up with them
0:26:29 > 0:26:33and in those days it must have seemed like an absolute rocket ship!
0:26:34 > 0:26:35Do you mind if I take it for a spin?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Put your seat belt on.- OK.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Just put Bradshaw in the back.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Right, let's go.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45You're not going to scare me, are you?
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Fasten your seat belt.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Chris gives me an accelerated course to get me up to speed.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57OK, so this is the main straight, or the pit straight.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59The first corner we come to is a right hander.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03So the thing about driving on a race circuit is always be looking ahead.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04OK, first corner's a right hander.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Ease over to the left and keep your hands at the quarter to...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10That's it, perfect.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Sign there saying "brake". Tiny bit of brake.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Tiny bit of brake, now back on the power.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Cos that balances the car and you're driving through the corner
0:27:17 > 0:27:19rather than rolling through the corner
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and the car will feel much more stable.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23You know, down the straight in the Revival,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25they're doing 180mph.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30I can't believe it. I'm touching just over 60 now and enjoying it.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- Come on, that was 70, come on. - Ha, ha, ha!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35And what do you think Bertie, the man who became Edward VII...
0:27:35 > 0:27:39What would he have thought of this? He was a good racy fellow, wasn't he?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Oh, he would have absolutely loved it and, you know,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45it's a shame you can't bring those guys back and say, "Hey, have a look at this.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48"How much fun is this? You know, your horses are fine
0:27:48 > 0:27:49but isn't this fun too?"
0:27:49 > 0:27:54Superb. Though I remain more of a rail anorak than a petrolhead.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59On this journey from Norwich to Chichester I've steered clear
0:27:59 > 0:28:03of the factories and chimney stacks of Bradshaw's Britain,
0:28:03 > 0:28:08focusing instead on country pursuits and places of pleasure.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11But the railways changed everything everywhere,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14making people physically and socially mobile.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Monarchs and commoners alike travelled by train.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21And here at Goodwood, the masses could look down upon
0:28:21 > 0:28:25the royals as they enjoyed the sport of kings.