0:00:05 > 0:00:09'For Victorian Britons, George Bradshaw was a household name.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11'At a time when railways were new,
0:00:11 > 0:00:16'Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them to take to the tracks.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:20I'm using a Bradshaw's guide to understand how trains
0:00:20 > 0:00:22transformed Britain, its landscape,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26its industry, society and leisure time.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31As I crisscross the country 150 years later, it helps me
0:00:31 > 0:00:33to discover the Britain of today.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57My journey, that began amongst the metal-bashers of Birmingham,
0:00:57 > 0:01:02continues southwest towards the desolate moorlands of Devon.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'On the way, I'll be discovering the industries
0:01:05 > 0:01:08'and traditions that made this part of the country
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'the engine room of Britain as it emerged into the modern age.'
0:01:18 > 0:01:21My journey continues south through the Midlands,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24following the path of the River Severn,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26past great cathedral cities
0:01:26 > 0:01:29to the ancient spas and ports of the South West,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34to end up in one of Britain's most glorious national parks.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Today's leg begins in mediaeval Redditch in Worcestershire.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I then move on to the spa town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire
0:01:43 > 0:01:46before arriving in the county's capital, Gloucester.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51'On this journey, I come eye to eye with a needle...'
0:01:52 > 0:01:55That one has got four punches in. Two big ones, two small ones.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57They're the eyes of the needle.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00'..get to grips with some of Gloucester's finest...'
0:02:00 > 0:02:04That's a lovely feel, isn't it, being in contact with that gorgeous cheese.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Glorious Gloucester!
0:02:07 > 0:02:12'..and raise the roof in tribute to one of Britain's great composers.'
0:02:12 > 0:02:19# And did those feet in ancient time
0:02:19 > 0:02:25# Walk upon England's mountains green? #
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Today, my first stop is Redditch, which Bradshaw's tells me
0:02:36 > 0:02:41is a place, "remarkable for its extensive needle manufactories."
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I'm headed towards the sharp end of the Industrial Revolution.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53'In the northeast of Worcestershire, Redditch supposedly
0:02:53 > 0:02:57'derives its name from the red clay of the nearby River Arrow.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03'It first appears in the records in 1348
0:03:03 > 0:03:05'and went on to flourish in the Victorian era
0:03:05 > 0:03:09'before being designated a new town in 1964
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'to house the overspilling population of Birmingham.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21'But it's Redditch's own boom in the 19th century that interests me.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23'And that was all down to one industry,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25'not to put too fine a point on it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31'I've come to the headquarters of the English Needle and Tackle Company
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'to meet David Gibbs, the man in charge of production.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Hello, David. Good morning. How are you? Nice to see you again.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40David, tell me how Redditch would've been
0:03:40 > 0:03:43at the very height of needle manufacture.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46At the very height of needle manufacture we would've been
0:03:46 > 0:03:49producing 25-30 million needles per week,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54which was approximately 9% of the world's productivity at the time.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Now, was it an industry that was
0:03:56 > 0:03:58conducted traditionally in big factories?
0:03:58 > 0:04:03People moved into the area, the needle-makers, around 300 years ago.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And they created what we call a cottage-style industry.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08And each family either concentrated on hardening or pointing.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And over the years, they joined forces, amalgamated with others,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and then the big houses bought them up.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14And where we are in the 20th century,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18you have two or three big houses controlling the needle trade.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The development of steam power and advances in machinery
0:04:23 > 0:04:27in the mid-19th century allowed the complete needle-production process
0:04:27 > 0:04:30to come under one roof.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33This was keenly observed by no lesser figure than the great
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Victorian novelist and social commentator Charles Dickens,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40who visited a needle factory in Redditch
0:04:40 > 0:04:44and marvelled at the miracle of dexterity displayed by the workers.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48How does a needle begin? It always begins with the raw material.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51We purchase wire in various sizes to suit the needle.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54It's carbon steel, so we can heat, treat it and work with it.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Carbon steel, yet it appears to be copper-coloured.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00There's a very, very small copper coating on the outside of the wire.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02That helps prevent corrosion
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and also helps with the production processes.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It acts as a slight lubricant as it works through
0:05:07 > 0:05:09the stamping device on the combines.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'The method of production and much of the machinery in use today
0:05:13 > 0:05:17'has changed very little since the time of my guidebook.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21'My tour starts at the beginning as the points are fashioned
0:05:21 > 0:05:23'out of the steel wire.'
0:05:23 > 0:05:25This is Vicky. Hello, Vicky.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28What Vicky's doing is feeding the wires through the machine.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31There's a rubber feed wheel and a rubber saddle
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and we've got a grinding stone there.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36So as the needles are pushed around by the feed wheel,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40they're rolling against the stone to put the desired point on.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42These needles now have points at both ends. Yep.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44And that's because they're actually two needles.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46There's two needles made together.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I notice you don't wear gloves. Do you never prick your fingers? No.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Because they're quite long, they're fine to handle.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55What about at the beginning, when you first started here.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Didn't you prick your fingers? No, not really.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I have a feeling I'm going to do so today.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01THEY LAUGH
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'Points made, the next job is to fashion the eyes.'
0:06:05 > 0:06:09This is Steve. Steve, hello. Michael. This is a combine.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13This machine is probably 100 years old. Is that so?
0:06:13 > 0:06:18How long have you been operating it, Steve? Three years. Not 100, then?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20No. And what are you doing here?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Right.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26That one is stamping the shape of the eyes at the top of the needle.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Right.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33That one has got four punches in. Two big ones, two small ones.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34They're the eyes of the needle.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38And, of course, at that point, you've still got two needles. Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41All that does is put a little crimp in there so that...
0:06:41 > 0:06:45You can just set them. Bash them off. So they're two separate needles.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Have you got a lot of needles coming through?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51About 2,000 an hour. 2,000 an hour?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Yep. On a 100-year-old machine? Yep.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55That is extraordinary.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Thank you very much. That's all right. Good luck.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Any rough edges must now be smoothed off,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04so it's all hands to the grindstone.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The thing is to use the shadow on the stone.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11And I'm going to press down gently with this hand? Yeah. Here goes.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Oh, that's lovely!
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Portillo visits Redditch and sparks fly!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26'Needle-making put 19th-century Redditch firmly on the map
0:07:26 > 0:07:29'and made it a byword for quality in the furthest
0:07:29 > 0:07:32'reaches of the British empire.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35'It's reported that in the Sudan in 1850,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37'a packet of Redditch-manufactured needles
0:07:37 > 0:07:40'were so highly prized that it could buy you a wife.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'The fact that they got to Africa in the first place is largely thanks
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'to the great innovation of the age of the railways.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56'And my next stop is Cheltenham.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'You used to be able to travel all the way there on the Midland Line.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Thank you very much for the ride. That's all right.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06'But that possibility is long gone.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08'And so I've taken a cab to Ashchurch
0:08:08 > 0:08:12'to pick up the Great Western service heading south.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:26I shall be alighting at Cheltenham, which apparently is
0:08:26 > 0:08:28"elegant and fashionable.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31"Most of it is modern and well built".
0:08:31 > 0:08:34And I shall want to examine carefully its masonry.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43TANNOY: Your next station stop is Cheltenham Spa.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Cheltenham Spa is your next stop.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49'There are two reasons why Cheltenham became one of the premier
0:08:49 > 0:08:52'health and holiday resorts of the 18th century.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53'Its mineral water springs
0:08:53 > 0:08:56'and its position in the lee of the Cotswolds,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'affording a delightfully mild climate in winter and summer.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05'Bradshaw describes the currents of air which contribute to
0:09:05 > 0:09:09'the purity and salubrity of the town.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11'By the early 19th century,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15'the resident population had grown from 3,000 to 35,000
0:09:15 > 0:09:18'and there was a building boom to accommodate them
0:09:18 > 0:09:22'and the hordes of visitors who came to indulge in leisure and pleasure.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28'But amongst the stucco-fronted terraces and crescents,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'one building stands out for its rough-hewn exterior.'
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Michael, welcome to Cheltenham Masonic Hall. Do come in. Thank you.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49'The Freemasons' journey from brotherhood of skilled stoneworkers
0:09:49 > 0:09:52'to a controversial secret society
0:09:52 > 0:09:54'took place over several hundred years.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'And during the Victorian era,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59'Freemasonry gained powerful adherence.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Very impressive.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08'Freemasons organise themselves into groups known as lodges.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13'And in 1823, Cheltenham became the first town outside London
0:10:13 > 0:10:15'to have its own dedicated hall.'
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Tim, you've welcomed me to a beautiful building.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Tell me about it.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Well, Cheltenham was a very important spa town in Regency times
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and lodges did move into Cheltenham.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28In those days, they generally met in hotels.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31One lodge decided they wanted to build their own lodge building
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and they deputed one of their number, George Underwood, to design it,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and this was built and completed in 1823.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39And how old is Masonry, then?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Well, it springs from the mediaeval guilds
0:10:41 > 0:10:42to the actual operative masons,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45the masons who built cathedrals and castles.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But then, like so many other guilds,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51it was taken over as more of a social and self-help organisation.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Why, then, are Freemasons different, say,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57from arrow makers or wheelwrights, or any of the other guilds?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Where Masonry is different is that some of the rituals
0:11:01 > 0:11:03that all the guilds used to practise,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05plays and things like that,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07they took them in-house
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and used them for rituals for self-improvement.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Today, mysterious initiation rituals
0:11:14 > 0:11:19and secret memberships can attract suspicion and conspiracy theories.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23But in the Victorian era, there were no such qualms.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Famous masons of the time included
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Lord Kitchener, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Daniel Gooch,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Chief Engineer and Chairman of the Great Western Railway,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37who was an active proponent of masonry.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Do you think that the railways made a difference to Freemasonry?
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Oh, very much so. The essence of Freemasonry is visiting.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47With the introduction of the railways,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50it became easier to visit other lodges.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52We have an instance in my own province
0:11:52 > 0:11:54about the old Severn Railway Bridge.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Brethren used to go from one side to the other and visit one another.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01The story is that they always asked the station master on each side
0:12:01 > 0:12:04to join the lodge so they never missed the last train home.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Every aspect of this building is weighted with symbolism.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11The ancient tools of the stonemasons' craft,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15the square and compasses, mallets and trowels.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And my first glimpse of the inner sanctum
0:12:18 > 0:12:20is an almost theatrical experience.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Well, Tim, it's a very impressive room.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Sometimes referred to as a temple?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29They were, yes. We tend to call them meeting rooms now
0:12:29 > 0:12:32because of the confusion with religion.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34And Freemasonry is not a religion.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Now, you say that Freemasonry is much like guilds,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40but you have paraphernalia which they don't have.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45You wear aprons, there are so many symbols, stars and suns.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47A chequerboard floor.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49So there are extra elements to Freemasonry, aren't there?
0:12:49 > 0:12:54There are. It is an organisation that is primarily, as I said,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58a fellowship organisation made up of men who want to improve themselves.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And everything else flows from that.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02And the instruction for a new Mason
0:13:02 > 0:13:05is through a series of small lectures or rituals.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And, yes, we do lean heavily on symbolism.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10You referred to the chequered pavement.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12That's just the dark and light,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14the joys and sorrows of our existence on this earth.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Which does sound quite religious. No, it's life.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19THEY LAUGH
0:13:19 > 0:13:23So, if I came to your most solemn event in this meeting room,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26in this temple, what might I see performed here?
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Firstly, there's always minutes and there may be accounts,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32reports from the secretary and the like, and then,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34if there is a candidate for Freemasonry,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37we'll undertake one of the rituals that I referred to.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39So a meeting may take up to two hours,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42but a meeting essentially is followed by dinner.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45MICHAEL CHUCKLES Which can easily take another two hours.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46I'm wondering whether George Bradshaw,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49who I know was a Quaker, was also a Freemason?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, there's no reason why he shouldn't have been a Mason
0:13:51 > 0:13:55because he was a Quaker, but in anticipation of your visit,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I asked our library at head office to check whether he was.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And after a rigorous search, I'm afraid we cannot claim him
0:14:01 > 0:14:03as one of our own. Much as we'd wish to.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Tim, I've thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Thank you so much.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12'With some of the mysteries of the ancient brotherhood explained,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15'but still none the wiser about the secret handshake,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17'I head off in search of a place to spend the night.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24'My Bradshaw's mentions one particularly fine building,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'a sprawling Tudor manor that overlooks the town
0:14:28 > 0:14:30'and the fabled Cheltenham racecourse.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Bradshaw's tells me that this splendid pile is called Southam,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38the seat of Lord Ellenborough.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's now a hotel. And I shall be staying here tonight.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45I'm feeling rather grand because it's said that Anne Parr,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49the sister-in-law of King Henry VIII, once laid her head here.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51It was still on her shoulders.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Not that I'm claiming parity with a Parr.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10'The next day sees the beginning
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'of the final leg of this part of my journey.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15'It's time to bid farewell to Cheltenham
0:15:15 > 0:15:19'and take the train west to neighbouring Gloucester.'
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Bradshaw's tells me that
0:15:29 > 0:15:32"pleasant hills overlook the Vale of Gloucester.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36"A rich, loamy tract of 60,000 acres.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41"Corn, fruit, beans, turnips, hay, butter
0:15:41 > 0:15:44"and Double Gloucester cheese, for which the county is noted".
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It seems that, like Little Miss Muffet,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I'm going to be dealing with curds and whey.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'It's only a short hop, so it's soon time to quit my tuffet
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'and alight at the station.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07'Gloucester lies on the River Severn,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10'35 miles from the mouth of the Bristol Channel.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13'At the time of my guidebook, it was a thriving port,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15'the most inland in the country,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20'situated on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which opened in 1827
0:16:20 > 0:16:23'as the widest and deepest in England.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'It was big enough for seagoing ships
0:16:27 > 0:16:30'to transfer from the river to the canal.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'When the railways arrived in the 1840s,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'they added to Gloucester's importance
0:16:35 > 0:16:39'and helped to distribute the town's home-grown products.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43'Bradshaw's talks about Double Gloucester cheese,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46'but there's another lesser-known variety called Single Gloucester,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'which has also been made for over 300 years.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'To get a taste of what sets them apart,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59'I've come to a dairy farm outside the city to meet Rod Smart.'
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Hello, Rod. Hello, Michael.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Nice to meet you. Very good to see you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08And I find you at your cheese making.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Can I give you a hand with that, by the way? Of course.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13What we are doing, we are trying to keep the curd moving.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Was this this morning's milk?
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Well, we started at six o'clock this morning with milk which was
0:17:18 > 0:17:20milked from our cows last night
0:17:20 > 0:17:25because I don't fancy getting up before that to milk the cows.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28What is the difference between Single and Double Gloucester, Rod?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Single Gloucester cheese was usually a cheese which was
0:17:31 > 0:17:34made on the farm for the locality.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37It was for the workers and for the local people.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It's a younger, smoother cheese
0:17:41 > 0:17:43and nowadays it has a PDO on it.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47It is protected because there's only a few people in Gloucestershire
0:17:47 > 0:17:48who make it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Double Gloucester was the cheese that we sold off the farm.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Traditionally, it would have been sent to the cities.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56It was a good, strong, robust cheese.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58By train, I hope, Rod.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Oh, undoubtedly.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04These 800 litres of milk will eventually become
0:18:04 > 0:18:07about 80kg of cheese.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Rod uses the old methods handed down through
0:18:09 > 0:18:13the generations of Gloucester cheese makers.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16The separated curds are gathered into moulds,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19which are then put into a cheese press to extract moisture.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24So, here are some cheeses that were made on Tuesday.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27These are Victorian presses. Really?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Do you have any idea what sort of weight
0:18:29 > 0:18:32they might have put on the cheese?
0:18:32 > 0:18:3340lbs.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37They were designed to put on up to 20 hundredweight onto the cheese.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Now, if you unscrew that.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It's most definitely handcrafted cheese, isn't it?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49The next stage is to unwrap
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and turn Rod's latest batch of Single Gloucesters before they are
0:18:52 > 0:18:56returned to the press to smooth any wrinkles left by the cloth.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Ooh, do you know, that's awfully satisfying? Yes.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03That's a lovely feel, isn't it?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Being in contact with that gorgeous cheese.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07Glorious Gloucester!
0:19:09 > 0:19:14You wind it down until this lever goes up to just above horizontal.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The cheeses are then taken into the cold storage,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23where they are left to grow a rind while the flavour matures.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Double Gloucester for around four months and the Single for two.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The moment of truth. Yes, indeed.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33The pale one is the Single Gloucester cheese
0:19:33 > 0:19:34so that's the best one to start with.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Mm.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Lovely and mild and soft and creamy.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And I think, at the end of it, you should get little bit of a zing.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Pow! I just got it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Really good.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54What makes Double Gloucester that colour?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56We use annatto.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58What's that? Annatto.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01It's a colouring, comes from a South American bean or seed.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05It was originally the dye that the South American Indians used,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07the red body paints.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09They were brought back. Probably came into Bristol.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It was used in cheeses and other foodstuffs
0:20:12 > 0:20:15to make it look more appealing.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20I'm trying to forget Native American body paint.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22That's quite a bit stronger, isn't it?
0:20:22 > 0:20:24I'm getting it in the roof of the mouth
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and it's getting under the tongue.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Great cheese. And quite different.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Widely apart but very traditional cheese.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Well, with a tradition like that, no wonder the Gloucester cheeses
0:20:36 > 0:20:39score a mention in my Bradshaw's guide.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Yep. Good.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Tearing myself away from this bucolic scene,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I return to Gloucester to pay my respects
0:20:47 > 0:20:52at the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54This Norman masterpiece,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57with its 225-foot-high tower,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00dominates its surroundings.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01King Edward II is buried here.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07The architectural marvels don't stop at the city gates.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Close by is the elegant country house of two eminent Victorians,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15a father and son whose combined artistic talents
0:21:15 > 0:21:18left a lasting impression on the landscape
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and Britain's national identity.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Bradshaw's tells me that in the environs of Gloucester
0:21:24 > 0:21:26is Highnam Court,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29seat of Thomas Gambier-Parry Esq
0:21:29 > 0:21:33and he built this, the parish church at Highnam.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35He also had a son, Hubert,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37a most brilliant musician
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and for those two legacies, may Thomas's name be hymned.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Thomas's son, Hubert, was a hugely influential composer
0:21:52 > 0:21:57whose large body of work includes the anthem I Was Glad and Jerusalem.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Waiting inside the church to tell me
0:22:07 > 0:22:11more about both Parrys is author Anthony Bowden.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Anthony, hello. Michael. Hello.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20I'm dying to talk to you about Hubert Parry, the composer,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22but just before that, Thomas Parry, his father.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Why did he create this church?
0:22:24 > 0:22:29Well, this was built because he and his wife had five children,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31three of whom had died in childbirth,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34so they planned to have a church on this site.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39He and Isabella determined to call this church the Holy Innocents
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and then when Hubert was born in 1848,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46his wife was in the last throes of tuberculosis.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51She had her baby, Hubert, and 12 days later she died.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53So it was a broken-hearted Thomas
0:22:53 > 0:22:56who determined that he would now build this church.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02It took Thomas three years to build what the poet, John Betjeman,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06described as the most complete Victorian Gothic church in England.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09A bust of Isabella was placed in it by her widower
0:23:09 > 0:23:13on the night before it was consecrated in 1851.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17What was Parry's personal contribution
0:23:17 > 0:23:19to the decoration of the church?
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Well, the most obvious one is here, over the chancel arch.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27He also painted this frieze along the side of the church.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And the characters shown processing are real people from the village
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and around and about.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36And he would ask people to come in and just sit for him and he would
0:23:36 > 0:23:41sketch them and then they got worked into that rather delightful frieze.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46In the end, the son outshone the father.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Hubert Parry's music provides the soundtrack to many British
0:23:51 > 0:23:55state occasions, from coronations to weddings.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Where does Hubert Parry's greatness lie, in your view?
0:24:01 > 0:24:07Probably in passing on his precepts and his knowledge
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and his style to a generation of composers
0:24:10 > 0:24:14that he taught at the Royal College of Music.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Edward Elgar, who was a young man
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and totally unknown in the country as a composer,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23took himself down from Worcestershire
0:24:23 > 0:24:26to attend a concert of Parry's.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31Elgar was completely blown away by what he had heard in Parry.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So Parry was the pathfinder and Elgar followed.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Elgar made great use of trains. Did Parry, too? Yes, he did.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Speed, in all its forms, he loved.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Motoring, yachting and express trains.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48So much so that he found
0:24:48 > 0:24:52it stimulated his creativity in a very real way.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55So he'd write music whilst on the express train.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's easy to imagine Hubert Parry
0:24:58 > 0:25:01steaming through the English landscape,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03reading William Blake's great poem
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and being inspired to write his masterpiece.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And I'm delighted to say that Jonathan Hope
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and the Gloucester Choral Society
0:25:12 > 0:25:15are going to treat us to a rendition of Jerusalem
0:25:15 > 0:25:19with the addition of one rather rusty baritone.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20Why is it endured so much?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I think of the Women's Institute singing about their arrows of desire.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27I just think it's the perfect, um...
0:25:27 > 0:25:30amalgamation of words and music.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It's an amazing tune that he wrote.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36He had a gift for writing stunning, stunning tunes to sing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And coupled with words of probably one of our greatest poets,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I think it's just stood the test of time.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And does the choir enjoy singing it? CHOIR: Yes!
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Why don't we give it a go?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Well, let's. Where do you want to go? Ooh.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Well... Nowhere is the real answer. THEY LAUGH
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But I won't get away with that. I'll go in the middle there.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Go in the middle, yeah. Has anyone got the words? No! No.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03ORGAN STRIKES UP
0:26:12 > 0:26:19# And did those feet in ancient time
0:26:19 > 0:26:25# Walk upon England's mountains green?
0:26:25 > 0:26:32# And was the holy Lamb of God
0:26:32 > 0:26:37# On England's pleasant pastures seen? #
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Hubert was approached to write Jerusalem in 1916,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44during the darkest hours of WWI,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48when news of heavy British casualties was reported.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51His hymn became a rallying cry to the whole nation.
0:26:51 > 0:26:58# And was Jerusalem builded here
0:26:58 > 0:27:05# Among those dark satanic mills? #
0:27:08 > 0:27:11As the last notes of Hubert Parry's great tune
0:27:11 > 0:27:13rise up to his father's rafters,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I can't help reflecting on the richness of the age
0:27:16 > 0:27:19that produced them both.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24Some traditions, such as Freemasonry, have mediaeval origins,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28but were boosted by the new mobility supplied to men
0:27:28 > 0:27:32intent on self-improvement by the railways.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36The manufacture of needles has scarcely changed since Bradshaw's day
0:27:36 > 0:27:42and Gloucester cheese is still made using Victorian presses.
0:27:42 > 0:27:48William Blake and Hubert Parry implied why this vale is so fertile.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53The countenance divine shone upon England's pastures green.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01'On the next part of my journey,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'I take pot luck with an early snooker cue...'
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Oh, no. A bit askew.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11'..hitch a ride with a farmer of the future...'
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Just being out in the field getting wet and muddy is absolutely wrong.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16It's highly technical these days.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20'..and hone my conversational skills at a Victorian tea party.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:23The cucumber this season is extremely crisp.