0:00:03 > 0:00:05For Victorian Britons,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07George Bradshaw was a household name.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10At a time when railways were new,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them to take to the tracks.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I'm using a Bradshaw's Guide
0:00:16 > 0:00:20to understand how trains transformed Britain -
0:00:20 > 0:00:25its landscape, its industries, society and leisure time.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29As I crisscross the country 150 years later,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33it helps me to discover the Britain of today.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Until the 20th century,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Britain was an intensely Christian country
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and the first to experience an industrial revolution.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09George Bradshaw, a Quaker, seems to imply
0:01:09 > 0:01:13that Britain's virtues were responsible for its prosperity.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Its perseverance in serious study had overcome mysteries in science
0:01:18 > 0:01:20and challenges in engineering
0:01:20 > 0:01:24and its international trade policy was liberal.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Today, I'm beginning a journey
0:01:26 > 0:01:29that will take me from the noisy workshops of Derby
0:01:29 > 0:01:31to the mystic tranquillity
0:01:31 > 0:01:35of one of Britain's earliest Christian sites at Lindisfarne.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Following my Bradshaw's Guide,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46my journey starts in the heart of the industrial East Midlands,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48then continues to Nottinghamshire,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52before heading north towards the rugged foothills of the Pennines.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Crossing the gritty Yorkshire West Riding,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57I'll take in the history of the county
0:01:57 > 0:02:01before heading up the coast to the industrial cities of the North.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05My journey will end on the part-time island of Lindisfarne.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09On today's leg, I'll start in the railway hot spot of Derby,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11then travel to the city of Nottingham,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13before heading out to Sherwood Forest
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and the beautiful Newstead Abbey.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19My last stop is one of Lincolnshire's best-known markets.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'On the first leg of this adventure,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'I help to give an old engine a fresh start...'
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Ooh, my goodness!
0:02:28 > 0:02:32George is getting appallingly damaged here.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36'..discover the macho side of the poet Byron...'
0:02:36 > 0:02:38He was a fantastic boxer.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41He had the champion of England - Gentleman Jackson -
0:02:41 > 0:02:42actually teach him how to box.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'..and find that my cooking skills
0:02:44 > 0:02:46'aren't what they're cracked up to be.'
0:02:46 > 0:02:49There's a bit of eggshell in there, Michael. So, point deducted.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59According to my guidebook,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03"various manufactures are carried out in Derby,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06"the most flourishing being silk, stockings, ribbons,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09"tape, cotton and porcelain."
0:03:09 > 0:03:14The first silk mill in England was built here in 1718
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and manufacturing has been a thread
0:03:16 > 0:03:19running through Derby's history ever since.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Between the dawn of the 19th century and the time of my Bradshaw's Guide,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Britain's population doubled,
0:03:27 > 0:03:34but Derby's multiplied five times - from 10,000 to 50,000 souls.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The railways played no small part in that extraordinary transformation.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42As my guidebook points out,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46this industrial town was also the chief depot
0:03:46 > 0:03:47of the Midland Railway Company.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55To steer me through its illustrious history,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I'm meeting engineering director Pete Erwin
0:03:58 > 0:04:01at what was affectionately known as the Loco Works.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Nice to meet you.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's a fantastic railway territory, this,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and I think you're celebrating 175 years of railways here in Derby.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12How did it all start?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Really started with the bringing together
0:04:14 > 0:04:18of three railway companies into what was the London Midland Region
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and typically, at that time...
0:04:20 > 0:04:22If we look over there, we've got a new building.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25That was originally the Derby Locomotive Works.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Throughout its history, the growth and supply
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and traction of rolling stock for the area,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33it was identified that they really needed a separate place
0:04:33 > 0:04:35for the locomotives and the carriage.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39And over the back of what is the old research buildings there
0:04:39 > 0:04:40is the Derby Carriage and Wagon Works,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42which today is occupied by Bombardier -
0:04:42 > 0:04:44building trains still in the area.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46From humble beginnings,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50the Midland company grew into a major national network.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52It connected Leeds with London
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and the East Midlands to Birmingham, Bristol, York and Manchester.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58During the 1860s,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02the company created London's mighty St Pancras station
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and with business booming, its first locomotive superintendent -
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Matthew Kirtley - persuaded the directors
0:05:09 > 0:05:11to build their own rolling stock.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Why did the Midland company decide to build its own locomotives?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I mean, why not buy on the market, as it were?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I think a lot of the things at that time were really route specific
0:05:21 > 0:05:23because of obviously our bridges
0:05:23 > 0:05:26and the horse-drawn carriages that used to go through them.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30What happens today is we try and get as many go-anywhere routes as we can,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33given the constraints of the infrastructure on our railways.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The Derby site has continued to play its part in railway history.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42In the 1960s, the British Rail Research Centre
0:05:42 > 0:05:46was based here and built the first tilting trains.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48The engineering research centre also designed
0:05:48 > 0:05:53the high-speed InterCity 125s that run on our railways today.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57I joined the railways in 1971.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01I'm the third generation of my family to work in the industry
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and I came to BR Research in late '78
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and spent 13 years of my career with BR Research.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13It's my 43rd year this year and I owe the industry a lot.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15It's a fantastic industry to work in.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Today, Railway Vehicle Engineering uses its skills
0:06:21 > 0:06:24to give tired old trains a new lease of life.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28So, historically, what went on in this workshop?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31This was the original APT building,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33so the Advanced Passenger Train was developed
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and tested in this building, where we're standing now.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39And today, the work undertaken by Railway Vehicle Engineering
0:06:39 > 0:06:41is very much the maintenance
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and overhaul of various amounts of rolling stock.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46This is part of the Northern Belle train
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and that's very much an overhaul and a refurbishment
0:06:49 > 0:06:51to give it its next six, eight-year life,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53typically, within the industry.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Lovely to see rolling stock
0:06:54 > 0:06:56in the old cream and chocolate colours, isn't it?
0:06:56 > 0:07:01Our pride and joy is just here. Now, this is the Class 73 locomotive.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04This is for one of our major customers in Network Rail
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and it's getting christened the Ultra 73
0:07:06 > 0:07:09because the important thing about this locomotive
0:07:09 > 0:07:11is it has two modes of operation.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15It was a diesel locomotive and it also operates off a third rail.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19But typically, the diesel element of it was very much underpowered,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21you know, for the kind of operation that's needed.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23But the important...
0:07:23 > 0:07:25The gauging of this, the structure gauging,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27that makes it a go-anywhere locomotive,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29so, to our customer, very important.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34There's something extremely satisfying
0:07:34 > 0:07:36about seeing engines being given a fresh start.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- Oh, we're going on here, are we?- Yeah.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42And it's an honour for me to be allowed to help
0:07:42 > 0:07:46with the finishing touches to Ultra 73.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Ooh, my goodness!
0:07:47 > 0:07:51George is getting appallingly damaged here.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54So, it's going to go where? About there, is it?
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Yeah, seems about right.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02The last time I applied a transfer, it was to a plastic model aircraft.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04This is on a bigger scale.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It's remarkable that after 175 years,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10the site constantly reinvents itself.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Oops!
0:08:11 > 0:08:15I name this a new Class 73...Ultra.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28As I rejoin the East Midlands main line,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I'm reminded that this area has a Viking past.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Derby is in fact an Old Norse name -
0:08:34 > 0:08:37the B-Y at the end means village or farmstead.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44My next stop is Nottingham.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47According to my guidebook, "near the beautiful River Trent,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50"which is well-known to the angler.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54"It's situated on a rocky eminence of red sandstone
0:08:54 > 0:08:59"and is one of the most picturesque and healthiest towns in England."
0:08:59 > 0:09:03It spawned a chain of health stores to boot.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Mid-Victorian Nottingham was a severely overcrowded city
0:09:13 > 0:09:15with a population of 50,000
0:09:15 > 0:09:17packed into its cramped medieval centre.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22Death rates were high.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Smallpox, typhus, and tuberculosis were endemic
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and cholera alarmingly epidemic.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Against that backdrop, in 1849,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37John Boot opened a small herbalist's shop
0:09:37 > 0:09:41selling home-made remedies to poor factory workers.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And over the next 160 years,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48his business grew into the UK's best-known high street chemist.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I've come to their manufacturing site
0:09:52 > 0:09:54to meet archivist Sophie Clapp.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59John Boot, where did he come from? What was his background?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02So, he was an agricultural worker and he had a very humble background
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and he was too ill, really, to work on the land
0:10:05 > 0:10:08so he came to the centre of Nottingham
0:10:08 > 0:10:10to start supplying these herbal remedies.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So, what was the next stage in the development of Boots?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17So, unfortunately, John died quite young
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and from then, his son Jesse took over the shop
0:10:20 > 0:10:24and he really developed the business and he started to really challenge
0:10:24 > 0:10:27the established trade of the pharmacy business
0:10:27 > 0:10:31by offering traditional medicines at a much reduced rate.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Central to building the business
0:10:33 > 0:10:36was his extraordinary range of products.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Bestsellers were lobelia pills,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41said to remove obstructions from every part of the system.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48Ointment Of No Name was recommended for a variety of skin complaints.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52One of Boots' most popular products was fluid beef.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Manufacturing obviously began at some point.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Did it begin here? - No, it was in the centre of town,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00actually on Station Street and Island Street,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03which is very close to the station, for obvious reasons.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05So, like many factories in Nottingham,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07they were based close to the railway and to the canal
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and to the main road networks.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13But this site was acquired in the late '20s as a manufacturing site
0:11:13 > 0:11:16because we were running out of space in the centre of town.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21In 1890, Jesse Boot had ten stores
0:11:21 > 0:11:27and by 1914, the number had multiplied to 550.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29To service his shops,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33this huge manufacturing building opened in 1933,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35part of a 300-acre site.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I had taken this to be a much more modern building.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Tell me about its features.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43It was designed to look like an ocean liner.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45So, you can tell that from the porthole-style
0:11:45 > 0:11:49glass disc in the roof, which allowed the daylight to come in.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So, this was the first daylight factory in the UK.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Was it a success?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It was an absolute success and it was proving to be so efficient
0:11:56 > 0:11:58that we were having an excess of stock,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00so what the company did was quite unique
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and it started, really, the manufacturing weekend.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05So, it gave people Saturday morning off,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08which was what most people would have to work,
0:12:08 > 0:12:09with no reduction in pay,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13which was obviously a great initiative for the staff.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18The company's high productivity was due in part to its own railway.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Puffing Billy brought raw materials into the heart of the factory
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and the wider rail network was used for distribution
0:12:25 > 0:12:27and for workers' social outings.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30In our very early days, we were using the railways
0:12:30 > 0:12:32to enable us to take our staff to the countryside
0:12:32 > 0:12:35or to the seaside and on one occasion,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38we decorated eight trains and we took them -
0:12:38 > 0:12:395,000 members of staff -
0:12:39 > 0:12:43down to the British Empire Exhibition in 1924 - down to Wembley.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45They were all hanging out of the windows smiling.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Today, the company has a workforce of 60,000 people.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And thanks to Jesse Boot's philanthropy,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56research into naturally-occurring medicines
0:12:56 > 0:12:59continues at Nottingham University.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Chris Moody is the seventh
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Sir Jesse Boot Professor of Chemistry.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10- Hello, Michael.- Good to see you.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13What sort of things were they making in Victorian times?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16What sort of drugs could they make in those days?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Well, a lot of the stuff came from nature.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19If you look at the Victorian adverts,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22they're advocating cocaine and morphine
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and all sorts of things for treatments.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25They all come from natural sources.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Aspirin was discovered in 1897,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31so those are the sorts of simple, synthetic drugs
0:13:31 > 0:13:34that Boot and his scientists would have been making.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Aspirin comes from the willow tree,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41whose curative properties had been known since ancient times.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But it was only in the late 19th century
0:13:44 > 0:13:48that a German firm developed the medicine that we still use today.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50What have you done there? You've added what?
0:13:50 > 0:13:52I've added something we call acetic anhydride,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55which is related to acetic acid,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57- which most people would know as vinegar.- Ha!
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Willow trees and vinegar.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- You're making it sound very simple. - Yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And then we add what we call a catalyst,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05which, in this case, is a few drops of acid.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08So, a catalyst is something which speeds up the process
0:14:08 > 0:14:10without being changed itself, if I remember.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12That's correct, yes.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And then we have to put it to heat for ten to 15 minutes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I shall be very intrigued to see what comes out
0:14:18 > 0:14:21cos it's obviously not going to be a little packet of tablets, is it?
0:14:21 > 0:14:22No, it's not.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Once heated, the final product looks like this.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The Boots of Nottingham are a fine example
0:14:33 > 0:14:36of how the ordinary man in Victorian England
0:14:36 > 0:14:38could stride ahead.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Time to raise a glass to them, at my rest stop for the night.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I'm up early and it lifts my heart
0:14:52 > 0:14:56to see the newly restored Nottingham station.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Built at the end of Queen Victoria's reign,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02the station has been spruced up and freed from clutter
0:15:02 > 0:15:04so it's possible to appreciate
0:15:04 > 0:15:06this marvellous brick and glass building,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08which expresses the pride and the affluence
0:15:08 > 0:15:10of the old Midland Railway.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I'm directed now to Newstead Abbey,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27which my Bradshaw's tells me was formerly Lord Byron's seat,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30to which he succeeded when he was only ten years old.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Morning!
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- Good morning.- Good morning.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I'm on a pilgrimage to find out about Lord Byron.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49- Do you know much about Lord Byron? - Not really. Only what I've read.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Just apart from obviously us being in the marching band.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55We're actually named after Lord Byron.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- We're the Mansfield Woodhouse Byronaires marching band.- Heavens!
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Do you know why you're named after Lord Byron?
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Yeah, I think it's just about the area, really,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05cos Mansfield Woodhouse is probably only about five miles away
0:16:05 > 0:16:07from Newstead Abbey itself.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10So, just named after him, really. Just after Lord Byron.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13How fantastic. What sort of music do you play?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16It's basically like a kazoo and marching band
0:16:16 > 0:16:19with, like, marching marimbas and bells.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21You know, the ones what started off in the pit villages
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- years and years ago during the miners...- Absolutely.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25We're quite successful as well.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29We're going to the world championships in a few months now
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and we've won the best Midlands bands on several occasions now,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35so, hopefully, we're going to do well this year as well.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38But you don't strike me yourself as overly Byronic.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39No, no, perhaps not.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43If you'd seen some of my tempers, though, at band practice sometimes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- I believe he had a bit of a temper. - I see. He did too.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- I think there's maybe that bit lives in me a little bit.- Very good.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49- Have a great day. - Thank you very much.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- Keep winning! - Hopefully, yes. Thank you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Newstead Abbey near Sherwood Forest was founded in 1163
0:17:10 > 0:17:12as an Augustine priory.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16It remained a religious house for nearly 400 years
0:17:16 > 0:17:19until its dissolution by Henry VIII.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I'm meeting Diane Turner, one of the house stewards,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25to learn more about Byron's connection.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29So, how did this religious building eventually become a private house?
0:17:29 > 0:17:30It became a private house
0:17:30 > 0:17:32due to the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34So, Henry VIII comes on the throne.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38He asked for all the religious buildings to actually be taken down
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and one of the ancestors of our poet Byron,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45John Byron, he actually purchased this for £810,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49having supported the king loyally in his royal fights
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- and this was his reward.- A bargain.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54And then the poet Lord Byron is descended from those Byrons?
0:17:54 > 0:17:56He comes down from those Byrons
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and he comes to inherit it from his great-uncle,
0:17:59 > 0:18:00the fifth Lord Byron.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05But his great-uncle managed the estate very badly,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10so, in 1798, when the young Byron came into his inheritance,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12it was very run down.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15But I can imagine, you know, a Romantic poet
0:18:15 > 0:18:17would be inspired by a Gothic ruin.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19I think he was and I think we see that.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23If we read some of his poetry, we see that melancholy
0:18:23 > 0:18:25and the gothicness that comes out of his poetry
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and I think that really does echo probably from his first view
0:18:28 > 0:18:32and he does write about, you know, his beloved Newstead.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41So, George Byron inherits this tremendous pile,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43albeit a ruin, and of course, he inherits a title,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45but then he's a man with a limp,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47so what sort of personality does that produce?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Well, I think probably the limp did define him,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51but I think one of the interesting things
0:18:51 > 0:18:54is how good a sportsman he was.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56One of the things that he did was he was a fantastic boxer.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00He had the champion of England - Gentleman Jackson -
0:19:00 > 0:19:01actually teach him how to box.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05He did sword fighting. In this room, he did pistol practice.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The only thing that he didn't do was dance.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I sympathise with him!
0:19:11 > 0:19:14But that's quite a social disability in those days.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Apparently, he would stand quite aloof at the side of the room
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and look that Byronic look, as he did,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and I think that's what people became used to seeing him,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26not realising that perhaps he didn't want to dance.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I have that image of, you know, like, Mr Darcy
0:19:29 > 0:19:34in Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice standing haughtily to one side.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Yes, I mean, we have heard that perhaps the character of Darcy
0:19:38 > 0:19:41was actually based on Byron by Jane Austen
0:19:41 > 0:19:44when she was actually at one of these gatherings.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48By 1813, Byron was at the height of his fame.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- Byromania took off, didn't it?- Yeah.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And that was a new phenomenon in those days.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Yeah, I think he was the biggest celebrity of the day.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58One of his quotes is that he woke up one morning
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and found he was famous.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02And his success with women, I think,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04would not have disgraced a modern rock star.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05No, I don't think it did
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and a lot of the women used to request snippets of hair from Byron.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13But by all accounts, he used to take a snippet off Boatswain the dog
0:20:13 > 0:20:15so that he didn't land up bald.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21The Romantic poet's energy for writing and loving
0:20:21 > 0:20:23contrasts with the abbey's tranquil air.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26He had a lust for life
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and considering how many mistresses he had,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31the boxing may have come in handy too.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40It's the most remarkable monument to a dog.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42He must have been very, very fond of this animal.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I think he was and I think when you read that,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47it tells you much he did love his animals and especially his dog.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49"Here are deposited the remains
0:20:49 > 0:20:51"of one who possessed beauty without vanity,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55"strength without insolence, courage without ferocity
0:20:55 > 0:20:58"and all the virtues of man without his vices."
0:20:58 > 0:21:01This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery
0:21:01 > 0:21:03if inscribed over human ashes,
0:21:03 > 0:21:08is here a just tribute to the memory of Boatswain, a dog.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11So, all the human virtues, none of the human vices.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12No, and I think it shows from his poem
0:21:12 > 0:21:15how much he actually did love his animals.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I think it sums it up in that poem.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I've rejoined the East Midlands line heading east.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27I'm now crossing from Nottinghamshire into Lincolnshire.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30My next stop will be Grantham.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31According to Bradshaw's,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34"a parliamentary borough near the River Witham
0:21:34 > 0:21:36"with some long wolds.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39"At the Free School founded by Bishop Fox,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42"Sir Isaac Newton was educated."
0:21:42 > 0:21:48I feel myself attracted to Grantham as if by some gravitational force.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56OVER TANNOY: This train will be arriving into Grantham station.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Grantham, situated alongside the Great North Road,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12has roots going back to Roman times.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's famed for having produced some of the nation's most powerful minds.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20This fine building, dating back to 1497,
0:22:20 > 0:22:21is The King's School.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26One of its most celebrated 17th century scholars
0:22:26 > 0:22:29was the scientist who discovered gravity,
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Sir Isaac Newton.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34If Isaac Newton is Grantham's most famous son,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38then Margaret Thatcher is certainly the town's most famous daughter.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I think when she was growing up here,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42there were three strong influences in her life.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47The first, that Britain was then at war alone against the dictators.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The second was the example of public service
0:22:50 > 0:22:52given by her father, Councillor Roberts.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And the third was that she was born
0:22:54 > 0:22:57above her father's corner grocer shop
0:22:57 > 0:23:00where she used sometimes to serve.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And even when she was Prime Minister,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05she would recite to me the price of a half pound of butter
0:23:05 > 0:23:06or a pint of milk,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09which made her considerably more in touch
0:23:09 > 0:23:12than some holders of her office.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Whilst Grantham has produced a great scientist
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and a prime minister,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I'm here to discover more about a delicacy
0:23:27 > 0:23:29highlighted in my guidebook,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33which has become an obsession for local entrepreneur Alistair Hawken.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- Hello, Alistair.- Hello, Michael. How are you?- Good to see you.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I'm intrigued by this, in Bradshaw's,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43that Grantham is noted for the manufacture of Grantham cakes,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46a very superior sweetmeat sold in boxes at a shilling.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Very superior indeed cos a shilling was a lot of money.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50It certainly was back then.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54It's the oldest commercially traded biscuit in the United Kingdom,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56as far as the history books are concerned.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And it really was a product that was first created,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01you know, when biscuits were biscuits.
0:24:03 > 0:24:09In the 1700s, Grantham was a halt for coaches on the Great North Road.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Passengers and drivers would stock up on Grantham Whetstones,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16which were hardy rusk-like biscuits.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19They were some of the first biscuits made for sale in this country.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24So, how did that Whetstone get converted into a gingerbread?
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Well, William Egglestone,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27who was one of the bakers of Grantham Whetstones,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31mistook one ingredient for another one dark Sunday morning in his bakery
0:24:31 > 0:24:35and hey, presto, a very sweet ginger biscuit was created,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37which latterly became known as Grantham gingerbread.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Is it still manufactured in the town today?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41It is, absolutely, by my own fair hands
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and a good team that I've got behind me.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46And I think that's something special. It needs to be created.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48It's a product of Grantham.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- Are you using an original recipe? - Yes, we are.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53It's in my trusted book here.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- You have your own trusted book. - Exactly. Just like yours.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58This is a recipe book that's been passed down
0:24:58 > 0:25:01from the family of William Egglestone over the generations.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And would it be like certain well-known fizzy drinks -
0:25:04 > 0:25:06that the recipe is an absolute secret?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Absolute secret. Everyone knows it!
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Given that Alistair's book is about the same age as my Bradshaw's,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17it feels appropriate to try it out.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Ah, there are the magic ingredients. Ha-ha!
0:25:23 > 0:25:25- Are you good with eggs? - Oh, very good with eggs.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31You've got some eggshell in there, Michael.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33So, that's a point deducted, but I'll forgive you.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'The biscuits hadn't been made commercially
0:25:36 > 0:25:38'for more than 50 years.'
0:25:38 > 0:25:43So, what we need to achieve is a 13 gram ball of dough.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Can't be serious. - I can be absolutely series.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47BOTH LAUGH
0:25:47 > 0:25:50'Many recipes claim to be the original,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53'all with differing quantities of flour, ginger, butter,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'sugar and eggs.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59'Finally, William Egglestone's great-great-great-nephew
0:25:59 > 0:26:02'came forward and produced the definitive 1740s version.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:06- Oh, lovely!- Look at those.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09They've spread out beautifully and they've got a nice dome
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and they are really a superlative sweetmeat
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and I'm sure they're worth all of a shilling a box.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Well, I think it would be entirely unfair
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- to keep these to ourselves. - I think you're right.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I'm heading back to Grantham station.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I wonder what the locals will make of my batch.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Have a go at that.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Mm!- Do you like it?- Delicious. Mm.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- It is Grantham gingerbread. - Oh, right. OK.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39As made by my fair hands.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Do you think your friend here would like some?
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Sputty, would you like some?
0:26:43 > 0:26:48- I think that gets the seal of approval, don't you?- I think so.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52- How do you find it? - That's all right, that.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- Would you like another one, would you?- No, I'm all right.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- After drinking that, I'll be feeling sick.- Very good. Thank you.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59- Would you like to try one? - Thank you.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08- Mm. They're good. You did a good job. - Yeah? It's OK?- Yeah.- Yeah? Good.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Tell you what, have another one. - Thank you.- There we go.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13- They're still warm, I think. - They are, yes, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21On this first part of my journey,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I've encountered some great names from history -
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Sir Isaac Newton, the genius founder of modern science,
0:27:28 > 0:27:34George Byron, who left a trail of verses and lovers in his wake
0:27:34 > 0:27:36and Margaret Thatcher,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38one of the world's most powerful women,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40who helped to shape modern Britain.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43But none of their memories is evoked
0:27:43 > 0:27:46by a million last-minute Christmas presents
0:27:46 > 0:27:50nor by an outlet in almost every major railway station,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53as is the name of Jesse Boot.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Next time, I put my culinary skills to the test
0:28:03 > 0:28:05using the nation's favourite cooking apple...
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Quite good, that. That's a new technique, I think.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09I've never done that before.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Learn about forgotten lives in a Victorian lunatic asylum...
0:28:13 > 0:28:18There are 2,861 women, men and children
0:28:18 > 0:28:20buried three deep in unmarked graves.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24..and take the wheel of a surprisingly speedy steam engine.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27I had no idea you were going to go so fast!