0:00:04 > 0:00:08'For Victorian Britons, George Bradshaw was a household name.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11'At a time when railways were new,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15'Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them to take to the tracks.'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I'm using a Bradshaw's guide
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to understand how trains transformed Britain.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Its landscape, its industries, society and leisure time.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30As I crisscross the country 150 years later,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33it helps me to discover the Britain of today.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I'm now crossing Lincolnshire, continuing my journey
0:01:00 > 0:01:01towards one of Britain's
0:01:01 > 0:01:05most ancient Christian sites at Lindisfarne.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07In the decades before my guidebook was published,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11religious tolerance had made great advances in Britain.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The bars against Catholics and Protestants
0:01:14 > 0:01:17who didn't conform to the Church of England holding public office
0:01:17 > 0:01:19had been lifted in the 1820s
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and Jews could take their seats in the House of Commons
0:01:22 > 0:01:26without swearing a Christian oath from the 1850s.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30But my Bradshaw's reminds me that in previous centuries,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34some religious minorities had preferred to travel abroad
0:01:34 > 0:01:38rather than to stay at home and face persecution.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48My journey, which began in the East Midlands city of Derby,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50continued on to Nottinghamshire
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and will now work its way through to Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57It will then head east to the mighty Humber estuary,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00catch the sweet smell of success in York,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04then continue up the coast to the industrial cities of the North,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07reaching its conclusion on Northumberland's Holy Island.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Today's leg begins in Boston, in the flatlands of Lincolnshire,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15slices into Nottinghamshire,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17stops off at a South Yorkshire stately home
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and weaves through West Yorkshire
0:02:20 > 0:02:23before finishing with a ghostly ride to Hensall.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I'll put my culinary skills to the test
0:02:28 > 0:02:31using the nation's favourite cooking apple.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Just putting a bit of vigour into this, show it who's boss.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Learn about the forgotten lives in a Victorian lunatic asylum.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43There are 2,861 women, men and children
0:02:43 > 0:02:46buried three deep in unmarked graves.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50'And take the wheel of a surprisingly speedy steam engine.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I had no idea you were going to go so fast.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- We're ticking over.- Ha-ha!
0:03:06 > 0:03:09"Boston," says my guidebook, "is a port in Lincolnshire
0:03:09 > 0:03:11"on the Witham, near the Wash.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16"Its namesake, one of the most polished towns in the United States,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18"was founded by settlers from this place
0:03:18 > 0:03:23"who fled thither for conscience sake about 1630."
0:03:23 > 0:03:28So that's how Boston Lincs links with Boston Massachusetts.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32'By Bradshaw's time, Boston Massachusetts
0:03:32 > 0:03:34'was one of the world's wealthiest trading ports,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37'far outstripping the original Boston,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39'which had had its heyday back in the 13th century,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43'thanks to a then-booming wool trade.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45'Victorian visitors to Boston Lincolnshire
0:03:45 > 0:03:49'would not find a great city to compare with its namesake,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52'but they would have a prospect of it from afar,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54'thanks to a very prominent landmark.'
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Visible from many, many miles away across the Lincolnshire plain
0:04:00 > 0:04:03is the enormous tower of St Botolph's Church.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05The church being known, I suppose ironically
0:04:05 > 0:04:07and affectionately, The Stump.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10TANNOY: Boston now, your next stop. Thank you.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14There's no definitive explanation for its long-held nickname.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17But getting off at Boston, I can take a closer look at it.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- Morning.- Morning.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- Are you from Boston?- Yes. Yes.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- You've got a lot of history here. Are you proud of it?- Oh, very much.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The Stump, it's one of the tallest churches I've ever seen.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- Oh, it's lovely. And I got married there.- Did you?- Yes.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38We've had our ruby wedding last year, so...
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Congratulations. So marriages made in The Stump last.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43It must be the water in Boston.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45THEY LAUGH
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Perhaps it was the landscape, or the way of life
0:04:47 > 0:04:50that, back in the 17th century, drew its people
0:04:50 > 0:04:53to religious non-conformity.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56During that time, hundreds of puritans from the area
0:04:56 > 0:04:59tried to flee the country in order to profess
0:04:59 > 0:05:02their Christian faith in their own way.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04One group, including those who were
0:05:04 > 0:05:06later to be known as the Pilgrim Fathers,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09was imprisoned at the Boston Guildhall
0:05:09 > 0:05:12during its efforts to emigrate.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I've come to meet Boston's museum manager,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Luke Skerritt, to learn more.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20What was it that made some people so desperate
0:05:20 > 0:05:22that they would leave the country
0:05:22 > 0:05:25under the burden of the established church?
0:05:25 > 0:05:28The established church had a really prescriptive
0:05:28 > 0:05:32method of worship that they wished everybody to ascribe to.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Parts of that reflect in the Book of Common Prayer,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38which sets out how you conduct the worship.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40It was longwinded, so ministers
0:05:40 > 0:05:43didn't actually have time to preach as part of it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45That's what they really reacted against.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I'm wondering why Boston,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49why Lincolnshire was a hotbed of dissent.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The Fenland area, there's some isolation
0:05:52 > 0:05:54from the main parts of the country.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57The people here are used to being independent.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02And that Fenland, it stretches down all the way to Cambridgeshire.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And a lot of Cambridge, it was a breeding ground
0:06:05 > 0:06:06for quite important vicars
0:06:06 > 0:06:10who were really questioning the Bible at that time.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15One of those Cambridge-educated clerics is the connection
0:06:15 > 0:06:19between this Boston and the one in the United States.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20His name was John Cotton,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24and he became vicar at St Botolph's in 1612.
0:06:24 > 0:06:31And for 21 years, his legendary three-hour sermons filled the pews.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34John Cotton was a very charismatic individual.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39He was very passionate about his interpretation of the Bible
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and was quite a strong non-conformist.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46They wouldn't use the sign of the cross in baptism.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48He wouldn't have people kneel for communion.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53And the church authorities didn't like at all what was going on.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57How does this lead to an expedition to America?
0:06:57 > 0:06:59He invokes his congregation
0:06:59 > 0:07:04to aspire to having new faith in new lands.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07And they take the opportunity to sail
0:07:07 > 0:07:10as part of the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1630.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16The Massachusetts Bay Company was a joint stock-trading association
0:07:16 > 0:07:20set up to colonise a tract of land in New England.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24The flotilla of ships that set sail for Massachusetts in 1630
0:07:24 > 0:07:26carried around 700 colonists
0:07:26 > 0:07:29who were to found their new Christian community
0:07:29 > 0:07:34and the settlement that was to become the city of Boston USA.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Like Boston, my next destination also has associations
0:07:43 > 0:07:45with unconventional worship.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48To get there, I need to head west
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to pick up a connection in Grantham.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04I'm on the East Coast Main Line, headed for Newark.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06My destination is actually Southwell.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10And Bradshaw's says, "A Christian church was founded there
0:08:10 > 0:08:16"as far back as 62 AD by Paulinus, Archbishop of York.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20"And it has a large and ancient collegiate church, or minster."
0:08:20 > 0:08:23It's a stained-glass window in that church
0:08:23 > 0:08:25which is at the core of my expedition.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Southwell once had a station,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35but thanks to the Beeching cuts,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37the final whistle blew there in 1964.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41So I'm getting off eight miles east at Newark Northgate.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Southwell is an elegant market town 15 miles northeast of Nottingham.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Its centrepiece is a massive and austerely beautiful minster,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56considered by many to be one of England's finest medieval churches.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Stained-glass windows are normally devoted to the Madonna and child,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03the Trinity, saints.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06This one is devoted to the Bramley apple,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08meaning there must be something sacred, holy,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11or at least celebrating that it's a gift from God.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16Indeed, this humble fruit
0:09:16 > 0:09:20is held in deep reverence by the people of Southwell.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23They named their library after it and their newspaper.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27And each October, there's a festival to celebrate its greatness.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29'And the root of this fervour took hold
0:09:29 > 0:09:33'at the beginning of the 1800s in an unassuming cottage garden,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'where I'm meeting Adrian Barlow,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39the chief executive of English Apples and Pears.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Adrian, hello.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Hello, Michael. How are you?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- Very, very well.- Excellent.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50A Bramley apple, I assume, but not any old Bramley apple.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Absolutely right. This is the original Bramley tree.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And it really is an extraordinary story.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Because the cottage was owned by the Brailsford family
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and young Mary Ann was watching her mother
0:10:03 > 0:10:05prepare some apples for cooking
0:10:05 > 0:10:07and she took a pip and planted it
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and here is the tree that it grew into.
0:10:09 > 0:10:16And so, this seed that got planted was in some way a new variant?
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Absolutely. Absolutely right.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It was just a one-in-several-million chance
0:10:21 > 0:10:24that this tree turned out to produce apples
0:10:24 > 0:10:27which are absolutely unrivalled
0:10:27 > 0:10:29in terms of their cooking abilities.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31It has a wonderful taste.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It's a mix of tartness and sugars.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39And that taste comes right through the cooking process undiminished.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And who first recognised that this was such a special apple?
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Well, a local nurseryman, Henry Merryweather, said,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49"Oh, I've heard about these apples. Where do they come from?"
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And by that time, the Brailsfords had moved out
0:10:52 > 0:10:53and Matthew Bramley lived here.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56So Henry Merryweather said to him,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58"I would like to take some cuttings from your tree
0:10:58 > 0:11:00"and to propagate the variety."
0:11:00 > 0:11:05Matthew Bramley said, "Fine, but you must call it the Bramley Seedling."
0:11:05 > 0:11:08And so you're telling me that all the, I suppose by now, millions
0:11:08 > 0:11:14- of Bramley apple trees originate with this one here.- Absolutely.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Bramley became a firm Victorian favourite,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22winning first-class certificates from horticultural societies.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24And its popularity hasn't waned.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Because today, 95% of apples sold
0:11:26 > 0:11:29commercially for cooking are Bramley.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32To gain first-hand experience of this famed fruit,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34at the aptly-named local pub,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I'm helping chef Jack Arkless
0:11:37 > 0:11:41to make one of his specialties - a classic Bramley apple pie.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45We need to cook the apples slightly with a bit of sugar and lemon juice.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49A really good squeeze of lemon juice.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Now, I don't like too much sugar in my apple pie.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Normally put about two tablespoons in for this amount of apples.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I'd probably say that's about perfect.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Mm! Doesn't that look good?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It smells rather good, as well, actually, doesn't it?
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- I have a feeling the difficult bit comes now.- Yes, it does indeed.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Just putting a bit of vigour into this, show it who's boss.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I think you're doing quite well there. Just check the size of it.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22That looks about right.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25If we just lift the pie over it, I'm just going to hover over.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29- You can see that that's about right. - About right.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34This is the moment that sorts out the chefs of talent
0:12:34 > 0:12:37from the mediocre. Whoops!
0:12:37 > 0:12:39THEY CHUCKLE
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Let's see that.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Hold the rolling pin up a little bit. That's it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- Mm.- That's not bad.- Hm. Just...
0:12:46 > 0:12:48MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Just a couple of strategic holes here and there.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Now, if you wouldn't mind, Jack, I think you'd better take over.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Absolutely. No problem.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Outside, a crowd of locals has gathered,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00hungry for a slice of the action.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- Hello, everybody!- ALL: Hello!
0:13:04 > 0:13:09- Here is one that somebody else made earlier.- Oh, I say!
0:13:09 > 0:13:14- Let us celebrate the Bramley apple together.- Yes.- It's beautiful.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- Shall I be Mum?- Yeah.- Very good.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- What do you think of that?- Perfect!
0:13:19 > 0:13:21- Do we think the Bramley apple is pretty good?- Very good.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- The best, I would've thought. - It cooks well.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It cooks soft, but it doesn't fall flat. It goes fluffy.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29How would you compare it? It's better than French apples, is it?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- Of course it's better! - THEY LAUGH
0:13:32 > 0:13:35So, ladies and gentlemen, I propose a toast
0:13:35 > 0:13:39to the lady who discovered the Bramley apple, Mary Ann Brailsford,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and I would like to couple the name of George Bradshaw,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44who led me here to your excellent company today. Cheers!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51'Reluctantly leaving the delicious Bramleys of Nottinghamshire behind,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54'I'm heading northwest to Sheffield in South Yorkshire,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57'where I'm going to pick up a train that will take me
0:13:57 > 0:13:58'two short stops to Chapeltown.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Last train of the day. Nearly time for my rest.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10'From Chapeltown on the northern fringes of Sheffield,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'my guidebook is leading me four miles
0:14:12 > 0:14:13'into South Yorkshire countryside
0:14:13 > 0:14:17'to what I'm hoping will be a suitable place to break my journey.'
0:14:30 > 0:14:32What would I do without Bradshaw's,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34which has brought me to Wortley Hall,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38the beautiful old seat of Lord Wharncliffe?
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And since I'm not here at Lord Wharncliffe's invitation,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I'm guessing that it's changed ownership.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49A changeover did indeed happen in the early 1950s,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53when a group of trade unionists re-established Wortley
0:14:53 > 0:14:57as a recreation and education centre for working people.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The hall also operates as a hotel.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02And this evening, I'm fortunate enough
0:15:02 > 0:15:05to be receiving some South Yorkshire hospitality
0:15:05 > 0:15:08from general manager Johnathan da Rosa.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11So, was this a bit like the Workers' Educational Association
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- that my parents used to belong to? - Absolutely.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Trade unions use us, the Co-op use us,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17the Labour party's got an office here,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Aslef also have a room sponsored by them, but still,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24the primary goal is to provide education for working-class people.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28So, I've come to a stately home of the Labour movement?
0:15:28 > 0:15:32You have indeed. You're in enemy country, some might say.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I think I'm going to stand out a bit in my blue jacket.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Absolutely. But you're more than welcome.- Cheers.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49'After a restful and, I'm pleased to report,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'completely altercation-free evening,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54'I'm ready to resume my journey.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58'From Chapeltown, I'm heading 20 miles north through Yorkshire.'
0:16:02 > 0:16:04My next stop will be Wakefield.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Bradshaw's tells me the town contains
0:16:07 > 0:16:09"several important public buildings.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11"There's the house of correction
0:16:11 > 0:16:15"and the pauper lunatic asylum on the York Road.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17"Originally intended for 400,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21"but now capable of accommodating 800 patients."
0:16:21 > 0:16:23On my travels, I've sometimes considered
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Victorian attitudes to mental health.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And today, I'd like to think about those people
0:16:29 > 0:16:31set aside from Victorian society
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and largely forgotten in death.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38During the 1800s, the approach to mental illness
0:16:38 > 0:16:40underwent significant reform.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Legislation was passed
0:16:42 > 0:16:45that meant that every county was obliged to provide asylum.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'As well as that in Wakefield, mentioned in my Bradshaw's,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'three others were created in the area.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03'One of those was built north of the city in Menston in 1888.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'And there, I'm meeting writer Mark Davis,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09'who's done extensive research into the imposing institution
0:17:09 > 0:17:14'and written a book about some of the many patients who stayed here.'
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Tell me specifically about this magnificent building at Menston.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21When it was built, certain people said it was far too
0:17:21 > 0:17:24magnificent, far too much money had been spent.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27You go in and there's intricate mosaic tiles,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31there's beautiful stained glass and there's a magnificent ballroom.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Most of these places were built on curved driveways.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Did you notice the curve as you came up?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Coining the phrase, going around the bend.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40So we'd have these beautiful buildings,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43but hidden from the gaze of the public.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Ha! That is extraordinary. No railway station, alas.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Well, there was a railway and it was joined
0:17:49 > 0:17:52by the Midland line down on Buckle Lane
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and it actually came around the back of the hospital.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57It was used, basically, to bring in goods.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Because what we had here was quite literally a self-contained
0:18:01 > 0:18:03village for the apparently insane.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Confused about the Victorians and mental health.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Do you think of them as progressive, or primitive?
0:18:08 > 0:18:11I think there was certainly a vision
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and an idea for people to do something better for mankind.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17However, everything went wrong.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Quite simply because of the sheer volume of people
0:18:20 > 0:18:21coming through the doors.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25So from being a place where people could recover,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28it became the administration of people of large numbers.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31And of course, we have to remember in Victorian times,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33madness was deemed to be hereditary.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35And therefore, families abandoned people.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37They didn't want to be associated.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The institution evolved dramatically
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and the buildings were dedicated
0:18:42 > 0:18:45to mental healthcare right up to 2003.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Since then, they've been developed for residential use,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51but in one corner of the grounds
0:18:51 > 0:18:55is a very significant part of the original asylum,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58which is cared for by Mark and a group of local volunteers.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We're a little distance from the asylum now. What is this ground?
0:19:03 > 0:19:07This is land set aside for the disposal of the asylum dead.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Across this great expanse,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15there are buried 2,861 men, women and children,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17three deep, in unmarked graves.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23When Mark and his team took on the custody of this site in 2010,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26they fully restored the then-derelict chapel
0:19:26 > 0:19:29into a place of remembrance and reflection.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33So these are photographs of patients from the 19th century.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35But you have managed to find out
0:19:35 > 0:19:37the life histories of some of these people.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yeah. This is John Constantine.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43He was admitted when he was just 10 years old. Deaf and dumb.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45His mother couldn't handle him.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50And he lived for 50 years under care and treatment before dying aged 65.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53And when you look at some of his notes,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55they really are quite derogatory.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00He's referred to as this, "dummy patient. A good imbecile worker."
0:20:00 > 0:20:02He may not have been insane at all.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Unable to communicate, more than anything.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And where does John Constantine lie, exactly?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09John's out there with the rest.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Identified quite simply by a row number and a grave number.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But you've given that number now a name.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17And a voice, hopefully.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'To continue my travels, I'm re-boarding the train at Wakefield
0:20:25 > 0:20:27'and heading 11 miles west.'
0:20:30 > 0:20:33This train will take me as far as Knottingley.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37As Bradshaw's reminds me, "Here, the line branches off to Goole."
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I'm keen not to miss my connection
0:20:39 > 0:20:44as the train onwards runs just once every 24 hours.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'As railways proliferated during the 1800s,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'competition between rail companies was fierce
0:20:52 > 0:20:54'and regulations minimal.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59'But in 1844, a law imposed duties on railway companies,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01'instructing them to run certain services
0:21:01 > 0:21:04'known ever since as parliamentary trains.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07'In some parts of the country today,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11'there are services that run only because the law requires it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13'Sometimes known as ghost trains.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'And one of those links Knottingley and Goole.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19'I'm hoping to continue my journey
0:21:19 > 0:21:21'by catching one of these elusive trains,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24'but I've enough time before it's due
0:21:24 > 0:21:26'to find out from author and journalist, Michael Williams,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28'about their history.'
0:21:30 > 0:21:33The origin goes back to the middle of the 19th century,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36when passengers were treated very badly by the railway companies.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Fares were high, people buying cheap, third-class tickets
0:21:39 > 0:21:42had to travel in terrible conditions.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45So along came the president of the Board of Trade,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48one William Gladstone, who you would hardly think of as a socialist,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and said to the railways, unless you improve conditions
0:21:51 > 0:21:54for the working classes, he would do all sorts of dire things.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58So he created a minimum standard for the third-class passenger.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01On every route, there had to be a minimum standard of the train
0:22:01 > 0:22:04running at a minimum of 12 miles an hour,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06the cost had to be no more than a penny a mile,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09the train had to stop at every station
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and there had to be some degree of comfort in the carriages.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13How did the companies react?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16They squealed, they howled, they hated it.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And what they did in the end, they circumvented it by putting
0:22:20 > 0:22:24these parliamentary trains on at the most inconvenient times of day.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27And actually, I mean, a train that maybe was travelling
0:22:27 > 0:22:30at only 12 miles per hour and stopping in every single station
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- may not have been a great experience for the passenger either.- It wasn't.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37But actually, as the century wore on, trains got much more comfortable.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And it certainly did something to encourage railway travel
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and by opening rail travel to the masses, really.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48The painfully slow parliamentary trains were satirised
0:22:48 > 0:22:52by Gilbert and Sullivan in The Mikado in 1885.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54# Scribbles on windowpanes
0:22:54 > 0:22:59# We only suffer to ride on a buffer
0:22:59 > 0:23:06# In parliamentary trains. #
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'Ah! My ghost train has materialised.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14'The people piling off are leaving a regular hourly service from Leeds,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16'and it's from here at Knottingley
0:23:16 > 0:23:19'that the token once-a-day service commences.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22'And it's looking decidedly empty.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'Today's parliamentary services
0:23:27 > 0:23:30'have little commercial appeal to the rail companies.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32'But being specified by law,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35'their withdrawal would require a legal process
0:23:35 > 0:23:39'with opportunities for objectors, which can be long and expensive.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44'So running a very limited service, even if comically infrequent,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'avoids all that controversy and cost.'
0:23:47 > 0:23:51So, how come you take the ghost train? Are you quite regular on it?
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Yeah. My dad lives at Hensall, so it's the only station near, really,
0:23:55 > 0:23:56and I'm working in Leeds.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00This is pretty much like having a private train, isn't it?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- It works perfectly.- Are there many regulars on the train?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It varies day to day, but maybe half a dozen of us from Snaith.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- So, you must know each other quite well.- Yes, yes.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- You never get lonely? - No, I don't mind it.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I've got the paper and it gives me time to relax before I get home
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and my dad gets on at me about something.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- Enjoy your journey.- You, too.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'I'll get off at Hensall station
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'to meet a man who's something of a celebrity,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'well-known to the parliamentary train regulars.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:41A special train to a delightful station
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and a rendezvous with a very particular person.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49For the last 36 years, Keith Collins has lived
0:24:49 > 0:24:51in what was once Hensall's station.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55And having spent much of his life as a locomotive engineer
0:24:55 > 0:24:57both in East Africa and in Britain,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59he knows a thing or two about engines.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Hello, Keith.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Hello, there.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Splendid engine!
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- You think so, do you? - Oh, I do, I do.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12What made you want to live at the station?
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Um...well, when you've something like this,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18you're antisocial in a normal environment.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21And so I moved out here, where I can bang
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and clatter without disturbing the neighbours.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Tell me about this beautiful engine.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34Well, it's a 1917 John Fowler steam tractor.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36When I got it, it was all in bits,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40so I rebuilt it and made it into this marvellous-looking machine.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45It has a nice, easy turnover sound, doesn't it?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Music. Music, is the word.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- Music to your ears, yes. - Absolutely, yes.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52It's just a pity it doesn't go anywhere.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Well, that can be arranged.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56I was hoping you'd say that!
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Shall we take a little ride?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Oh, it'll cost you a pint.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Down to the pub.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04We're ready, are we?
0:26:04 > 0:26:05- We're ready.- OK, wait a minute.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Engine room, prepare engines.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10OK.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Right, turn like mad now, turn like mad.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Go on, go on, go on, turn like mad. Go on.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Right, other way, other way. Like mad. Other way, other way!
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Wow! This is exciting! Over the railway.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32'We're doing only 15 miles per hour,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35'but from up here, it feels like breakneck speed.'
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Are you getting the hang of it?- Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I'd no idea you were going to go so fast.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Heh! We're ticking over!
0:26:41 > 0:26:43THEY LAUGH
0:26:43 > 0:26:45This is fantastic!
0:26:45 > 0:26:47TOOT-TOOT!
0:26:47 > 0:26:51How satisfying, to take an old engine like this
0:26:51 > 0:26:52and bring it back to life!
0:26:52 > 0:26:54What an achievement. Well done, sir!
0:26:54 > 0:26:57It's in the blood.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58Well, it's not only in the blood,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01it's in the eyes and all over the skin!
0:27:01 > 0:27:03THEY LAUGH
0:27:16 > 0:27:18If you don't fancy waiting 24 hours
0:27:18 > 0:27:21for the next parliamentary train to chug into view,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25then a steam engine may be a viable alternative.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26During this part of the journey,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I have encountered people excluded from the mainstream.
0:27:29 > 0:27:35Non-conformists who emigrated in order to worship as they chose.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40And 19th-century lunatics sent to asylums on the edge of the city.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42But whereas for the insane,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45there isn't even a headstone by which to be remembered,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47for the Pilgrim Fathers,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51they're commemorated by Boston Massachusetts.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52TOOT!
0:28:01 > 0:28:02'Next time, I step inside
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'a record-breaking feat of engineering.'
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Douglas, you people built a bridge on an extraordinary scale.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11This is a massive chamber.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15'Learn of the conditions endured by a prisoner of conscience.'
0:28:15 > 0:28:17The soldier stole his bread and water.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19He was treated something like an animal in a zoo.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23'And brew up a Quaker-approved Victorian cuppa.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Well, it looks as appetising as mud.