0:00:04 > 0:00:08For Edwardian Britons, a Bradshaw's was an indispensable guide
0:00:08 > 0:00:11to a railway network at its peak.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I'm using an early 20th century edition,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21to navigate a vibrant and optimistic Britain at the height of its power
0:00:21 > 0:00:22and influence in the world.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27But a nation wrestling with political,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30social, and industrial unrest at home.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59It's easy to assume that it was the First World War
0:00:59 > 0:01:03that changed Britain, equipping it for the 20th century.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And, on that view, the prewar period can seem like
0:01:06 > 0:01:11a long, summer's afternoon of calm before the mayhem.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14But, as I travel from the north-eastern coast of England,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18using my prewar Bradshaw's guide,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I expect to discover that those were, in fact, tumultuous years.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31My journey starts in East Yorkshire
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and continues to the Roman city of York.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38From there, I'll move inland across the industrial heartlands
0:01:38 > 0:01:41of West and South Yorkshire, and Merseyside.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45After exploring Edwardian Liverpool,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I'll wend my way through North Wales,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51hugging its northern coast and finishing in Caernarfon.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55The first leg of my travels
0:01:55 > 0:01:58begins in East Yorkshire and the city of Hull.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Then I'll make my way north to the seaside resort of Scarborough.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08From there I'll head south-west to the town of Malton,
0:02:08 > 0:02:09on the River Derwent.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15On this trip, the chips are down but I'm on the up.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Hee-hee!
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Oh, let's play again!
0:02:19 > 0:02:20LAUGHTER
0:02:20 > 0:02:23I hear a tale of wartime resilience.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27There was a rumble in the air, people thought it might be thunder,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30but it wasn't. It was the shells from the German navy.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And I get a taste of Edwardian temperance.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37"Not even a dipsomaniac would have touched this mixture
0:02:37 > 0:02:38"of fungus and smelly liquid."
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- That's superb.- She had a way with words.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51My Bradshaw's lists the shipping services that were available
0:02:51 > 0:02:53from my first stop, Hull.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And they ran almost everywhere, from Yarmouth to Bombay,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00from Dundee to Montevideo.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06I should be interested to know how the port of Kingston upon Hull,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09advantageously situated on the Humber Estuary,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12where the waters of the River Hull run into it,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16became so important for fishing, cargoes and passengers.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37At the turn of the 20th century, Hull was a prosperous harbour town.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43It had been granted city status on Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47But, as the new century unfolded, the city's economy suffered.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51In recent years, Hull might have appeared down on its luck.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But, today, it's experiencing a renaissance.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Hull was Britain's City Of Culture, 2017.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01There was music and dance and theatre.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The Turner Art Prize was judged here.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06A bit of money was spent on the place
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and the city feels more optimistic about its future.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Ladies.- Hello.- Excuse me, I just wondering,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- has the city of culture meant anything to you?- Yeah, quite a lot.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I definitely think it's brought a lot to the area.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25I remember right at the beginning of the year they had a light show
0:04:25 > 0:04:27on these three buildings,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30showing loads of different things throughout Hull's history,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and I honestly actually felt quite emotional watching it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So, it has succeeded in making people think differently about Hull?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- I would say so. - Yeah, I think so, yeah.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I mean, I think it's changed the reputation quite a lot, actually.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- I'm pleased to hear it. Thank you so much.- Thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54At the heart of Hull's history is its medieval harbour.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59By the time of my Bradshaw's, Edwardian travellers
0:04:59 > 0:05:02would have admired the more recent Alexandra Dock,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06named after their queen, where I'm meeting history writer,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Robert Bell.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Rob, there's clearly an enormous growth in the Hull port
0:05:13 > 0:05:15in the 19th century. What's driving it?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17The initial driver was wool.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19And, then, as we moved to the building
0:05:19 > 0:05:21of this particular dock in 1885,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24the Alexandra Dock, the big one's coal.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28But perhaps the most surprising money earner was actually migration.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Hull was built on the money not of slavery, like Liverpool,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Bristol and the like, but actually on migration.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Migrants from Europe were attracted to land at Hull
0:05:38 > 0:05:42because of its particularly good railway connections
0:05:42 > 0:05:46that had originally been laid to transport goods and fish
0:05:46 > 0:05:47all over Great Britain.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Two and a half million people,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54including impoverished Scandinavians in search of a better life,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and Jews fleeing anti-Semitic persecution in Russia,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00passed through the port.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03From Hull, they took trains to Glasgow, Liverpool,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05London and Southampton,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09often to board steamships bound for the New World.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Why, then, does the great port of Hull suffer a decline
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- in the 20th century?- My own view is that, actually, the First World War
0:06:16 > 0:06:20was something that Hull did not, actually, recover from.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Because, ironically, in the run-up to the First World War,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26the one port that was dealing with the Germans
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and doing extremely well on their economy booming was Hull.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34The docks are now getting a second wind,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39with a £310 million joint investment from engineering company,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Siemens, and Associated British Ports.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The site's being transformed into a renewable energy factory.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Andy Sykes is head of quality here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Andy, we're in the old Alexandra dock. How does all this relate?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Some of the land has been reclaimed,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57some of the old dock is being used for the purposes of both
0:06:57 > 0:06:59inward transportation and also moving blades offshore.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I've seen offshore wind turbine farms
0:07:02 > 0:07:05but without any idea of the scale.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06This is just one blade.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- What dimensions is this? - This is a 75-metre long blade.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13So, if the blade is 75 metres, we must be talking about
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- a tower of what?- Yeah, it's roughly 90 metres standing above the ocean.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Each giant blade weighs 28 tonnes
0:07:21 > 0:07:27and is longer than the wingspan of an Airbus A380 aircraft.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And, at its base, wide enough to hold an elephant.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Andy, to my surprise, the construction of this enormous thing
0:07:36 > 0:07:38is essentially a handmade process.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Yeah, it really is craft based.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44It's made of fibreglass, balsa wood and epoxy resin.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45You can see the lower packing team
0:07:45 > 0:07:48down at the root end of the mould there, meticulously placing
0:07:48 > 0:07:50each piece of fibreglass
0:07:50 > 0:07:53to get the quality that we expect of the finished product.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Could I introduce you to Dave, one of our packing team?
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Dave, I'm Michael. - Hi, nice to meet you.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00How do you do? What are you doing there?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I'm just making sure all the glass that we've laid previously
0:08:02 > 0:08:04is all nice and smooth.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07So, how are you able to work it, is the stuff hot?
0:08:07 > 0:08:10No, it's not hot, it's very much like carpeting.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- May I have a go at that? - Of course, you can, yeah.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15We're making sure there's no wrinkles, up to the top,
0:08:15 > 0:08:16down to the bottom,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18making sure it's completely flat.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23So, making sure that it's nice and flat against the wall here.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24Yeah, and it follows the shape.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Tucking it in, pushing all those...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- Yeah.- ..wrinkles and bumps out.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Quite a light pressure, yeah.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31That's it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35There's quite a lot to do, isn't there?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38There's a lot to do, and we've still got at least another
0:08:38 > 0:08:43- eight to 12 hours of work to get on with, so, yeah.- Good luck.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46The precision applied to the production of the blades
0:08:46 > 0:08:49reflects the reliability expected from them.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Each blade will last 25 years,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55performing tens of millions of rotations.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Stepping inside one of these extraordinary wind turbine blades
0:08:59 > 0:09:02is another way of appreciating the scale.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05There's light entering from the outside
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and it seems to stretch away indefinitely,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11like an infinite railway tunnel.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16These things are a very far cry from windmills that we used to know.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24These blades will be shipped to a site off the East Yorkshire coast
0:09:24 > 0:09:29to form part of what will become the biggest wind farm in the world.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35174 turbines will generate 1.2 gigawatts,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39the equivalent of nearby Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58I continue my journey with a short trip north-west of Hull,
0:09:58 > 0:09:59to the town of Cottingham.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05I noticed from my Bradshaw's that almost every ship
0:10:05 > 0:10:09sailing out of Hull is run by the Wilson Line,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11a company of which I had never heard.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14But it turns out that at the beginning of the 20th century
0:10:14 > 0:10:18it was, in fact, the world's largest privately owned shipping company.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21And this family of Hull entrepreneurs
0:10:21 > 0:10:25must have made a pile and, certainly, they built one.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43About four miles from Hull,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Cottingham was first connected by rail in 1846.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51The Victorian middle class built their villas here,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53away from the industrial grime of the city.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The grandest of them all was Tranby Croft.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06The house is now used by Hull Collegiate School.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The Edwardian traveller would have known it
0:11:09 > 0:11:11in an entirely different guise.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I'm meeting head of history, Claire Atkin.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Claire, this is now Hull Collegiate School, but, in its time,
0:11:21 > 0:11:22the home of the Wilson family,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25of the Wilson Line Shipping Company fame, is that right?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Yes, absolutely.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31This is the ancestral home of the Wilson family.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34This was built by Arthur Wilson and Mary Wilson.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37They were massive entrepreneurs in the city of Hull,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and they wanted a mansion to entertain people.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43So, built Tranby Croft. It was completed in 1876.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- So, obviously, they had made their money in trade.- Yes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Did that mean that they were excluded
0:11:49 > 0:11:50from aristocratic connections?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53They were absolutely desperate to go up in the world.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Mary Wilson, particularly, is a social climber,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and they were keen to try and woo the upper classes.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05In September 1890, the Wilsons' prayers were answered.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, stayed at Tranby Croft.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Unfortunately for them, his visit brought trouble.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18He's already been associated with quite a few scandals,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20usually involving women,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but at Tranby Croft it's something a little bit different.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26It's the temptation to play a card game, which is illegal,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28a baccarat game.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36In 1886, baccarat had been made illegal, if played for money.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Although fortunes could be lost in a single night,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45it didn't stop the aristocracy from playing behind closed doors.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50So, Claire, their house has been quite well preserved.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52They did live a grand life, didn't they?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- Yes, they absolutely did. - Tell me about the game of baccarat.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- What goes wrong?- Well, the Prince and some of his friends
0:12:58 > 0:13:01are really rather addicted to playing cards
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and they liked to gamble.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05And the first night that they're staying here,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07one of the gentlemen who's playing,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10a decorated military man, Sir William Gordon-Cumming,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13is seemingly adding £5 counters
0:13:13 > 0:13:18every now and then to his stake and the Wilsons become suspicious.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20The following day, they have a seating plan
0:13:20 > 0:13:23so that no matter where Sir Gordon-Cumming sits,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26he'll actually be sitting next to a member of the Wilson family
0:13:26 > 0:13:29so they can see if there's any more of this suspicious
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- cheating going on. - Is there?- Definitely.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The press got wind of the scandal.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Reputations were at stake and a court case ensued.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44For the first time in 500 years,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48a British heir to the throne was called onto the witness stand.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52The future King, or "Bertie" as he was known,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54was a most reluctant witness.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59But the evidence against his friend Gordon-Cumming was convincing.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Bertie suffers, certainly.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06The Wilson family definitely suffer.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Mary Wilson must have just been in tatters.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11That's the end of her social climbing.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And Gordon-Cumming is court-martialled,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16dismissed from the Army for ungentlemanly behaviour.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19He has to break off a wedding engagement,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23and he disappears effectively from society and is ostracised.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Strictly in the cause of research,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Claire has organised for me to try my hand at playing baccarat,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33in the room where it all happened.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37My fellow players are all staff at Hull Collegiate School.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And Joanna Dunn is croupier for the occasion.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43The only problem is I don't know how to play.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- We can teach you.- Please do.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47OK, it's a very simple game.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52It's a game of chance, there's no skill involved whatsoever.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- Perfect.- So, you just have to bet
0:14:54 > 0:14:58on whether you want the player's cards to win,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01the banker's cards to win, or a tie.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06And it is two cards closest to nine that would win that deal.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09So, we have the player's card on this side,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11the banker's card on this side.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Do you want the player's card, the banker's card
0:15:15 > 0:15:17or place for a tie in the middle, please.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20I think this one's going to win.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24OK. So, on the player's card, we have nine, so that will stand,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27that is a natural. On this side, it looks like we have 14
0:15:27 > 0:15:29but we always knock off the first digit
0:15:29 > 0:15:31so it's actually a four on this side.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33So, player wins.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36People that bet on the players, then you would double your money.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Hee-hee!
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Oh, let's play again!
0:15:40 > 0:15:41LAUGHTER
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Having won, I see how the Prince of Wales
0:15:46 > 0:15:49might have found the game attractive.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I expect to dream tonight of high society and winning hands.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I start the new day by heading due north to reach the coast.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Tickets, please.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- There we go.- Good morning.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Good to see you. How long have you been on the railway?
0:16:28 > 0:16:3151 years and six months.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- Wow! Is that a record? - It probably is a record.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35They're calling a man who works in Doncaster
0:16:35 > 0:16:37who's got, I think, three months ahead of me.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41So I'm just hoping that, at some stage, I can beat him.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46- Outlast him.- Yeah. - Well, a real privilege, thank you.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Privilege, thank you.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58My next stop will be Scarborough, which, according to the guide book,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02"has been an aristocratic resort for more than a century.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05"The spa buildings are very handsome,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09"containing theatre, picture gallery, promenade, etc,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11"with excellent orchestra.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15"The cliffs overlooking the South Bay are impressive in grandeur,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19"terminating in the promontory of Scarborough Castle."
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Now, that was published in 1913.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27What could possibly interrupt the tranquillity of this holiday spot?
0:17:42 > 0:17:46In its history, Scarborough has been invaded by Anglo-Saxons
0:17:46 > 0:17:48and raided by Vikings.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53Its 12th-century castle was besieged during the English Civil War,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and used in defence during the Jacobite rebellion
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and the wars against Napoleon.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02By the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Edwardian travellers would have found a peaceful holiday resort.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09But, before long, Scarborough became a casualty once more.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Mark Vesey, chairman of the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17can shed light on the period.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Mark, I've always had a soft spot for Scarborough
0:18:21 > 0:18:23with its fantastic topography.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26What was the place like just before the First World War?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It was doing very well. It was a busy resort.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31A lot of people came at the weekends,
0:18:31 > 0:18:32they were bathing and paddling,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36having an ice cream, having a beer, similar to what we do today.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39My Bradshaw's says, rather surprisingly, perhaps,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42that it had been an aristocratic resort for a century.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- What do you make of that? - Yes, I think it was.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47The South Cliff was a very aristocratic area,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49more expensive hotels.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52But, when the railways arrived, it did become more for the masses.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57And what was it that interrupted the tranquillity of this idyllic spot?
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Well, the 16th of December 1914, eight o'clock in the morning,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05a bit of a misty day, there was a rumble in the air,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08people thought it might be thunder but it wasn't.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10It was the shells from the German Navy.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Less than five months into the First World War,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19a British blockade of Germany's ports prevented its navy
0:19:19 > 0:19:21from accessing the North Sea.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Frustrated, it found a gap in the minefields
0:19:26 > 0:19:31intended for fishing vessels and struck England's north-east coast.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Scarborough was an easy target.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Mark, we have a good view of Scarborough here.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38What was doing the shelling?
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It was two of the biggest battle cruisers the German navy had,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43the Derfflinger and the Von der Tann.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And what munitions did the battle cruisers throw at Scarborough?
0:19:47 > 0:19:53Mostly six inch shells, over 770 of them in 30 minutes.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The first pass was along the seafront.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Then the German battle cruisers turned around
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and fired further into the town so more of the centre of the town
0:20:03 > 0:20:05was hit on the pass, on the way back.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07That's an extraordinary level of attack.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10How much damage did that create in Scarborough?
0:20:10 > 0:20:11It did do a lot of damage, Michael.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And, sadly, 18 people were killed.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19In addition to those who lost their lives,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21over 100 people were injured.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26And some of the most iconic buildings in Scarborough
0:20:26 > 0:20:27were damaged.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32What was the reaction of the British public to this attack?
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Well, anger, at first, and shock.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38I think people thought it could've been an invasion.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42And we think the Germans really did it to try and shock the British
0:20:42 > 0:20:43into keeping troops at home
0:20:43 > 0:20:46instead of sending them to go and fight in France.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51The German attack was counterproductive.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Photographs of the damage to this beautiful town
0:20:54 > 0:20:56angered the British public.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Postcards of the atrocities circulated
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and young men rushed to join Pals battalions
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to fight alongside their friends and relatives,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08encouraged by propaganda urging loyal citizens
0:21:08 > 0:21:10to remember Scarborough.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Today, it feels apt, once more, to remember.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21In Scarborough's very beautiful The Crescent,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25some of the houses are still peppered with the shrapnel
0:21:25 > 0:21:27of December 1914.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32This population was one of the first civilian populations in the world
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to be subjected to a terror bombardment.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37During the course of the 20th century,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40they would be joined by many millions of others,
0:21:40 > 0:21:45and, of those, countless numbers would be slaughtered in their homes.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08I'm on my way to one of Britain's great stately homes, Castle Howard.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11I'm impressed that it was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14that it has 145 rooms,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17that it's twice been used for adaptations
0:22:17 > 0:22:20of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22but my Bradshaw's reveals
0:22:22 > 0:22:25that it used to have its own railway station.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Now that has caught my attention.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- PA:- We will shortly be arriving at Malton.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Today, I'm alighting at the market town of Malton.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Castle Howard's station ceased to handle passengers in 1930,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51but it was in service when Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1850.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Castle Howard's impressive Baroque architecture
0:23:08 > 0:23:11was conceived by Sir John Vanbrugh,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14who is also responsible for Blenheim Palace.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18This magnificent estate includes rose gardens,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20follies, 13 farms,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and 10,000 acres of land.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28It took over 100 years and three generations of earls
0:23:28 > 0:23:29before it was complete.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31At the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35this was home to a fascinating figure in the campaign
0:23:35 > 0:23:38for women's suffrage, which was gathering momentum
0:23:38 > 0:23:40at the beginning of the 20th century.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Archivist Anna Louise Mason knows more.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Anna Louise, I've come in pursuit of a radical Countess,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50who I believe was the lady of Castle Howard in the Edwardian era.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- Who was she?- That's right, you're referring to Rosalind Howard.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56She was married to George Howard, the 9th Earl of Carlisle,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and together they raised a family of 11 children.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03She actually managed the estates on behalf of her husband.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06He was an artist and he wasn't really interested
0:24:06 > 0:24:08in doing the typical earl duties.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10There's a wonderful saying where she says,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13"Worry kills, work does one good."
0:24:13 > 0:24:14What made her radical?
0:24:14 > 0:24:19Well, she did repeatedly show sympathy for striking workers.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24In 1891, it was Scottish railway men, and in 1893, it was miners.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27But her main passions were temperance
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and also women's suffrage.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Rosalind Howard had had a political upbringing.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Her mother was a women's education campaigner
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and her father served as a member of Parliament.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49She used Castle Howard to put into practice her political convictions.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52In her campaign against alcohol consumption,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55she revoked the licence for the estate's pub,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58turning it into a temperance guesthouse for women.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- She was famous for her temperance. - She certainly was.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Yes, she was. In fact, there's one of the most famous anecdotes
0:25:06 > 0:25:10at Castle Howard is the story of when Rosalind, the Countess,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13threw all the wine into a hole in the ground.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16And this was actually reported in the press,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20where she was accused of having destroyed 1,500 bottles
0:25:20 > 0:25:22of perfectly good wine.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Now, Rosalind was very quick to respond to this.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29"The so-called wine in the 800 bottles
0:25:29 > 0:25:31"that have been thrown away was sour stuff,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34"condemned as worthless and undrinkable.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39"Not even a dipsomaniac under the influence of his worst drink craving
0:25:39 > 0:25:43"would have touched this mixture of fungus and smelly liquid."
0:25:43 > 0:25:46That gives us a feel for the woman, doesn't it?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48- She had a way with words. - That's superb. Yes.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50How would you summarise her?
0:25:50 > 0:25:52The Times, when she died in 1921,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56headed her obituary with "A fearless champion of causes,"
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and that's how I like to think of her.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And however you view the Countess Rosalind,
0:26:02 > 0:26:04she's an important figure in the history of Castle Howard.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Absolutely.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Castle Howard has remained in the hands of the Howard family
0:26:09 > 0:26:14throughout its history. And, today, Rosalind Howard's direct descendent,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17the Honourable Nicholas Howard, still lives here.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22I've come to find out what it means to call this stunning place home.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- Nick, how wonderful to see you. - How nice to meet you, Michael.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And here we are in the wonderful Long Gallery,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31one of the finest rooms, I suppose, in Castle Howard.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Now, what on earth was it like to grow up in a place like this?
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Well, of course, at the beginning, I didn't know anything else.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38But, as I became older,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I became more and more aware of how special it is.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43But, I mean, in this room, we used to race up and down,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47we had some ornamental wheelbarrows, and my brother and I used to
0:26:47 > 0:26:49push each other up and down the room in it.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And, now, you are responsible for Castle Howard.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It's a responsibility that I'm so happy to be doing,
0:26:55 > 0:26:56and even excited at times.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It is a gorgeous place to be.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Do you see visitors being amazed by what they see?
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Oh, I think so. I do see people in various states of amazement.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08There is a sense of wonder and awe as people approach down the drive.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Well, count me in on that.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23The commitment of the radical Countess of Castle Howard
0:27:23 > 0:27:26to women's suffrage and striking railway men
0:27:26 > 0:27:29gives an idea of the turbulence of the Edwardian years.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Those political causes had to be set aside
0:27:33 > 0:27:35for the duration of the Great War,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39which had an enormous impact on the north-east of England.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41It dealt a massive blow to the port of Hull,
0:27:41 > 0:27:46while Scarborough and other coastal towns were shelled.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Meanwhile, North Eastern Railway workers had set out for the front
0:27:50 > 0:27:55in Pals battalions to get the British war effort moving.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Next time, I do important research in an historic tearoom.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- What shall we have?- We should order some tea and some dainty cakes.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- And some scones?- Absolutely.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I get dressed down in Leeds.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11- How am I looking, Sir?- Um... - Gary, be truthful.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14I would suggest you're wearing that slightly a bit tight,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- especially around here.- It's the size of my wallet, Gary.- Yeah.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19LAUGHTER
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And attend a private Edwardian concert.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27HE SINGS