0:00:04 > 0:00:08For Edwardian Britons, a Bradshaw's was an indispensable guide
0:00:08 > 0:00:13to the railway network at its peak.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I'm using an early 20th century edition to navigate
0:00:16 > 0:00:19a vibrant and optimistic Britain
0:00:19 > 0:00:22at the height of its power and influence in the world...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27..but a nation wrestling with political,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30social and industrial unrest at home.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57My train travels have brought me from the far-flung coasts of Norfolk
0:00:57 > 0:00:59to England's southern shores.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01On this part of my journey,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I'll glimpse a place where Queen Victoria died,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and so where the Edwardian era began,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12and I'll follow the king's passions for motor cars and yachts...
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..oh, and actresses.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I'm following a route that has taken me
0:01:25 > 0:01:29from Cromer to Cambridge's venerable university
0:01:29 > 0:01:33and onwards to the delights of Edwardian London.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I've journeyed south to Sussex and I'll wend my way
0:01:36 > 0:01:40along the south coast, alighting at the Isle of Wight,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Bournemouth and Poole.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47The fourth leg of my journey begins at Chichester,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51in West Sussex, and continues to Portsmouth.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Then I'll cross the Solent to find out about the royals
0:01:54 > 0:01:56on the Isle of Wight.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Along my way I encounter an Edwardian duo
0:02:00 > 0:02:03who made motoring history...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Excuse me, I'm off for a little R&R.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10..learn the secrets of the royal nursery...
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Albert Edward would fly into rages and got very, sort of, frustrated.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20..and for one night only, I tread the boards.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22You are real thespians!
0:02:24 > 0:02:26APPLAUSE
0:02:34 > 0:02:38The Sketch newspaper March 11, 1903.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41"A great honour has fallen to the automobile club
0:02:41 > 0:02:44"of Great Britain and Ireland.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47"Nothing less than the patronage of his most gracious
0:02:47 > 0:02:52"Majesty King Edward VII, himself a keen automobilist."
0:02:52 > 0:02:56And here is a fine photograph of the honourable CS Rolls
0:02:56 > 0:03:00on his 80 horsepower racing car.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04To find out what happened to Mr Rolls, I'll alight at Chichester
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and head to Goodwood, a name steeped in petrol vapours.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- TANNOY:- Mind the gap between the train and the platform.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Chichester's 1950s Festival of Britain-style
0:03:35 > 0:03:38railway station contrasts with the much older
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Georgian architecture of the West Sussex county town.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I've arranged to meet Andrew Ball of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Andrew, hello. - Michael, hi.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I mean, this car is aesthetic perfection.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02It is so indescribably beautiful.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07- What is it?- Michael, this is a 1908 Rolls-Royce 40/50 horsepower,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10known popularly as a Silver Ghost.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12This is a one-off and this is The Silver Dawn.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18The turn of the 20th century heralded the motoring age.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23A self-made businessman named Henry Royce
0:04:23 > 0:04:27began to build his first motor car in 1903.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31And in that same year, an Eton-educated aristocrat
0:04:31 > 0:04:35called Charles Rolls broke the land speed record.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39So what brought Rolls and Royce together?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42So, the two gentlemen met -
0:04:42 > 0:04:46they were introduced by mutual acquaintance in 1904 on 4th May
0:04:46 > 0:04:48at Midland Hotel in Manchester.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Rolls was looking for the best engineer in the world
0:04:52 > 0:04:54to build a car, a British car, that he could sell
0:04:54 > 0:04:57from CS Rolls, his dealership in Fulham in London.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00He was very keen to sell a British car
0:05:00 > 0:05:04but it had to be a brilliant British car, an exquisite British car.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07And in Royce, he found the engineer he was looking for.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- Right, may we sit in the back? - Please.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Andrew, the sheer luxury of this.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23It's like being in a horse-drawn carriage.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25And I think early cars were known as horseless carriages,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- weren't they?- That's correct.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Of course at the time, Rolls-Royce would build you your rolling
0:05:30 > 0:05:34chassis, which would then be taken to a coach builder for you
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to have your own bodywork built just for you to your own commission.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Cue the owner, Georgina Wood,
0:05:40 > 0:05:45managing director of a company that restores vintage Rolls-Royces.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Georgina, hello. I'm Michael. - Lovely to meet you.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- What a beautiful purring noise that makes.- Thank you, she's superb.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Ah, gorgeous. I'll sit well back.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10King Edward VII was a keen motorist.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11He owned several cars,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13including two Mercedes and a Daimler,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15all in his signature claret colour.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Motoring was an expensive luxury and car ownership grew slowly.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The poor old British motor industry was held back for years,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31wasn't it, by that absurd legislation that you had to
0:06:31 > 0:06:35carry a flag with a man walking in front of the car.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37It's a miracle that this sort of thing
0:06:37 > 0:06:40was produced after that period.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42That's true and actually, it was Charles Rolls
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and a group of motoring pioneers who fought that legislation.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54In 2003, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars moved its manufacturing base
0:06:54 > 0:06:58from Crewe, setting up near one of motor racing's most famous
0:06:58 > 0:07:00circuits at Goodwood.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05It had moved close to the home of Sir Henry Royce,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10who lived just a few miles away until his death in 1933.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13A magnificent, magnificent sight.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I wasn't sure that in your factory I would see mass production
0:07:17 > 0:07:19but we are standing above a production line.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21We are, Michael, but we definitely aren't a mass-producer.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25We're very much a rare drop in the automotive ocean.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29This is our assembly line for Ghost, Wraith and Dawn.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Here we have today 1,700 skilled men and women
0:07:33 > 0:07:37and every car that we build here at the home of Rolls-Royce is bespoke.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Crafting each car can take 400 hours of skilled labour.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50The bodywork is meticulously painted and joined to the chassis.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Wood trim is painstakingly prepared to ensure that the grain
0:07:54 > 0:07:55is perfectly symmetrical.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And to create the luxurious leather interiors,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03up to nine hides are used, stitched by artisans under the watchful eye
0:08:03 > 0:08:05of manager Brian Staite.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I must say, Brian, if I were blindfolded
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I would know I was in the leather shop. Such a gorgeous smell.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12Where does it all come from?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15All of our leather comes from our supplier based in Germany.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17You've got an amazing range of colours.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- You actually make use of all these colours, do you?- We do, yes.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I don't want to insult any of your customers,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24but I find some of these quite hard to imagine. These are outlandish.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27I thought I had bright tastes, but this is extraordinary.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I think when we look at individual colours like this,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32we have to think about the context with which that customer's
0:08:32 > 0:08:34going to be using their vehicle.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37You know, they may be by the sea, by the beach.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45A single machinist stitches together the interior for each car.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50And every completed vehicle receives a test drive
0:08:50 > 0:08:52before it leaves Goodwood.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56ENGINE REVS
0:08:57 > 0:09:00King Edward VII was very keen on making alliances,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04but during his reign one of the most important unions
0:09:04 > 0:09:08was made without royal intervention, between Rolls and Royce.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Now, excuse me, I'm off for a little R&R.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52My journey takes me further west,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55tracing a route around beautiful Chichester Harbour,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59past Hayling Island and towards Portsmouth.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I have here the programme for the opening night
0:10:07 > 0:10:11of the King's Theatre, Albert Road, Southsea in Portsmouth,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15September 30th 1907.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19"HB Irving and his own company will appear for six nights."
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Portsmouth has been a naval dockyard since 1194.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- TANNOY:- The train now approaching platform one...
0:10:39 > 0:10:42The former suburb of Southsea became a popular seaside resort
0:10:42 > 0:10:46in its own right in the 19th century,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and by the 20th, required entertainment possibilities
0:10:49 > 0:10:50of its own.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56The King's Theatre was designed by renowned architect Frank Matcham.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The Kings Theatre has a wonderful facade and now for the interior...
0:11:04 > 0:11:06The foyer is delicious.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09It's 1907 and the important thing when you come to the theatre is to
0:11:09 > 0:11:14leave behind the grime of your home, leave your troubles outside,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16to come to somewhere majestic.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19And there is the crown of the king
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and the roof is held aloft by angels,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27because I've now entered a world of illusions, of magic.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I'm going to meet archivist Peter Rann.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- Peter, hello.- Hello there. Nice to meet you.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Wow! A vast auditorium.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59And every detail of this theatre is superb.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And this is the work of Frank Matcham, is it? Who was he?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Frank Matcham was a theatre designer.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10He was responsible for changing and building up to 150 theatres
0:12:10 > 0:12:12throughout the country during his lifetime.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Which were his others that I might know?- The London Palladium,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- The Buxton Opera house.- Superb.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20The Grand at Blackpool.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24It sounds then as though this was a period of great theatre building.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Yes, it was because the period was changing
0:12:26 > 0:12:29from the Victorian to the Edwardian times
0:12:29 > 0:12:31when people wanted to have fun.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Therefore, they wanted to go out and enjoy themselves.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Though he never qualified, Frank Matcham was the most prolific
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and successful British theatre architect of his day,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48known for his opulent interiors.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Tell me about the features that Matcham put into his theatre here.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Well, some of the innovations that he put in -
0:12:56 > 0:13:00his idea was that he got a maximum number of people
0:13:00 > 0:13:03into the theatre with excellent sightlines
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and good safety, because there were a lot of theatres burning down
0:13:06 > 0:13:08and having accidents in those days.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So the safety curtain was one of the things
0:13:10 > 0:13:12that he made sure was installed.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15He put the cantilevered balconies in.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18As you'll notice, there aren't so many holes and posts.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22People can get a much better view without pillars in the way.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Was he really a kind of standard and trend setter, would you say?
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I would say he was a great trendsetter, yes.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31He had a vision of elegance about him,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34a magic that made things really, really work.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Playing now is a community theatre production
0:13:38 > 0:13:42of Lads In The Village, a farce about the First World War,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45which was first performed here in 1917.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48And I'm being offered the chance to find out what it's like
0:13:48 > 0:13:50to tread the boards.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Let's hope I don't get stage fright.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55'Ere, what did you get it for, 'Erb?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- Oh, I got it for being a bad lad, Mum.- That's my boy.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59That's my boy!
0:13:59 > 0:14:06Ladies and gentlemen, on this au...spicious occasion
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I thought there could be no better commemoration
0:14:08 > 0:14:10than to have 'Erb's photo took.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15- And I shall take the honour of standing by myself.- Oh, yes!
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Oh, Mr Mayor, I am his mother.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22You must have me in the photo.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I've been living in this village...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- ALL:- Oh, do shut up!
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Quiet! Still, please.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Here, we've forgotten Sally.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- ALL:- Sally?
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Oh, what a privilege.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43You are real thespians.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:15:07 > 0:15:11The Solent, this narrow straight, is today one of the busiest
0:15:11 > 0:15:13sailing areas in the world.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20The fastest way to the Isle of Wight and with no bovver is by hover.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24This service has been running since 1965.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It's carried 29 million people in that time.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30It is the longest running hovercraft service in the world.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33It is now the only commercial hovercraft service in Europe
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and it will get me there in 10 minutes.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46We have liftoff. The hovercraft is now riding
0:15:46 > 0:15:49on its own cushion of air.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And we do a 180 degree spin...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59..head out over the beach,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01scattering pebbles in every direction,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and arrive on the sea.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Travelling by hovercraft is called flying,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and you can certainly feel the surge as you get airborne.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It's 3.4 miles from Portsmouth to Ryde.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Up onto dry land again. It has taken 10 minutes.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38This is my destination.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39I've got a ticket to Ryde.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The largest town on the Isle of Wight,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Ryde is known as the gateway to the island
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and carries a charming aura of past times
0:16:57 > 0:16:59on its salty air.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I'll be spending the night at the Royal Esplanade Hotel,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08described by Bradshaw's as "high-class".
0:17:19 > 0:17:23This morning, I feel the call of the sea.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I'm taking a constitutional on Ryde Pier.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Ryde is really one of my favourite piers.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Not only can you promenade, you can drive along it
0:17:34 > 0:17:36and of course you can take the train.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Oh, and did I mention it's very long?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41You feel like you could walk halfway to Portsmouth.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And for those like me who don't fancy the walk back to shore,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48the rail station on the pier beckons.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I used to take summer holidays on the Isle of Wight every year
0:17:54 > 0:17:58with my family and we would travel on this rail service,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00which in those days was steam.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02But now the service is provided by trains
0:18:02 > 0:18:04taken from London Underground.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25The London Underground carriages used on the Island Line,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30which runs from the pier to Shanklin, date back to 1938.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33They're the oldest passenger rolling stock
0:18:33 > 0:18:36on the national rail network to operate a timetabled service.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44At Smallbrook Junction, passengers connect
0:18:44 > 0:18:49to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, a five mile heritage line.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has a first-class compartment
0:19:00 > 0:19:05and it is springily and luxuriously upholstered.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07And I like this touch.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11This is known as an antimacassar and it's here to prevent the oil
0:19:11 > 0:19:15the gentleman used in their hair from staining the seat.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19And it's very elegantly embroidered "SR", Southern Railway.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33The end of the line is at Wootton.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Goodbye!
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I've alighted here on my way to Osborne House,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47where the future King Edward VII spent much of his childhood.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I've come to meet curator Michael Hunter.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Well, Michael, on a day like today with the blue sky,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10the colour of the architecture, the architecture itself,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13the intensity of the sunlight, we could be in Italy, couldn't we?
0:20:13 > 0:20:14Who created this magnificent palace?
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Well, it was really created by Prince Albert,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Queen Victoria's husband, in the 1840s.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23He and Queen Victoria came here very soon into their marriage
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and they were looking for a private family home,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27somewhere that they could call their own.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And the spectacular setting of Osborne here,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33the privacy of the estate, the view down to the beach
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and the view across to Portsmouth reminded him of the Bay of Naples.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Prince Albert designed the Italianate house as a place
0:20:43 > 0:20:48to enjoy a relaxing family life away from the formality of court.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52And so it would have been here that Edward VII,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Bertie as he was known in those days,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- spent important periods of his childhood.- He did.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Obviously, Osborne was one of Queen Victoria's favourite places
0:21:00 > 0:21:04to be and so she, Prince Albert and their nine children
0:21:04 > 0:21:08would come here to Osborne, principally in the summer months
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and was out walking, riding, swimming on the beach,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13enjoying the fresh air here.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16So there were happy family times here at Osborne.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Now open to the public, the house is enjoyed by over
0:21:22 > 0:21:24a quarter of a million visitors each year.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Many of them make their way through the grand corridor linking
0:21:30 > 0:21:32the main wings, conceived by Prince Albert
0:21:32 > 0:21:34as a sculpture gallery.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Michael is taking me up to the nursery quarters,
0:21:39 > 0:21:43dedicated to the children, their nannies and tutors.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47What a thoroughly evocative room this is -
0:21:47 > 0:21:49cots, cradles, chamber pots.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52What do you think the scene was like when the family was here?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Well, I think these rooms up here
0:21:54 > 0:21:56were the busiest in the house, really,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58the most important part of Osborne, I suppose.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Now, this room emphasises play but Bertie, the Prince of Wales,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04had to be educated. How did that go?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Well, yes, there was a great plan, really, wasn't there,
0:22:07 > 0:22:08to educate him.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12He had to become the perfect constitutional monarch
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had very unrealistic,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I suppose in many ways, expectations for him.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22And so he was exposed to a very rigorous educational programme.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Albert Edward was by no means an intellectual and
0:22:25 > 0:22:28it's well documented that he found it very difficult to concentrate
0:22:28 > 0:22:31on his lessons and would fly into rages
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and got very, sort of, frustrated.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Even playtime had an educational element for the nine little
0:22:38 > 0:22:41princes and princesses.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Though they had the kind of Wendy house
0:22:43 > 0:22:47that other children could only dream of.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The Swiss cottage turns out to be quite a major structure.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53What was it that the royal children could do in it and around it?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Well, it's a glorified playhouse.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59And here the royal princesses would learn how to cook and housekeep in
0:22:59 > 0:23:00the kitchens on the ground floor,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03and upstairs they would often entertain
0:23:03 > 0:23:06their parents to afternoon tea, serving them the cakes and biscuits
0:23:06 > 0:23:09that they had previously cooked themselves downstairs.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And in the surrounding gardens, each child had a plot of ground
0:23:13 > 0:23:16in which they would grow fruit, flowers and vegetables.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20So Queen Victoria died at Osborne House in 1901.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Does the new King Edward VII come here quite soon after that?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26He was obviously here for when his mother passed away.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30But he came back a number of times soon after her death.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32He came down here to the Swiss cottage
0:23:32 > 0:23:35with one of his courtiers Sir Lionel Cust
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and Sir Lionel mentions in his memoirs
0:23:38 > 0:23:41that the king was incredibly moved,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43he was really sort of fighting back the tears.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47So I think that gives an indication of how important Osborne was
0:23:47 > 0:23:50to the king, particularly this area here
0:23:50 > 0:23:52which he and his siblings remembered
0:23:52 > 0:23:56throughout their lives as they were adults with great affection.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Queen Victoria's coffin was mounted on a horse-drawn gun carriage
0:24:06 > 0:24:10to make the journey to East Cowes, where it was placed on board
0:24:10 > 0:24:13the Royal Yacht Alberta.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Today, Cowes is a yachting centre,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24well-known for its annual summer regatta,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26the largest of many such events that take place here
0:24:26 > 0:24:28throughout the summer.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Look at that big class two over there.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Bradshaw's comments that the annual Cowes Week Regatta,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39a seven day festival of sailing in the presence of royalty,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42attracts a great crowd of fashionable visitors.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Nowadays, it's still the largest event of its kind
0:24:48 > 0:24:51anywhere in the world.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Kate Johnson is on the executive team.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00I imagine organising Cowes Week is a bit of a nightmare, isn't it?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Well, I wouldn't say it's a nightmare but it's a bit of a feat,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05a feat of organisation - a very enjoyable one.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08We have between 800 and 1,000 boats racing.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11That gives us about 8,000 crew members
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and normally around 100,000 spectators
0:25:13 > 0:25:15who come to watch the week.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Crews coming from how many countries?- From about 15.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Most of our entries are UK.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22The second highest after that is Netherlands.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25We have quite a lot of boats from the Netherlands,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28but they come from as far afield as the US, Australia, Hong Kong,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30all over the place. So it does have a real international flavour.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32These waters are quite crowded.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35There are ferry boats and all sorts of things all over the place.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- Is that a complication?- It makes it fun and quite a challenge.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42And in a way, that's sort of what makes the Solent so special.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46It's a very protected stretch of water because of the Isle of Wight,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48with fantastic tidal conditions and a lot of shopping.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I mean, we're on a major shipping channel.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54So there's quite a lot for the boats to think about when they're racing.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The Royal Yacht Squadron is an exclusive private sailing club
0:26:01 > 0:26:04with long-standing royal connections.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I'm meeting Commodore David Hughes.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- David, a brilliant setting. - It's wonderful, isn't it?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12But what was the origin of the Royal Yacht Squadron?
0:26:12 > 0:26:15There was a group of gentlemen who met in a tavern in London
0:26:15 > 0:26:17in 1815 on 1st June
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and they decided to form a thing called the Yacht Club.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23And then later when William IV was on the throne,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26he decreed it should be called the Royal Yacht Squadron.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Now, Bertie, who became King Edward VII...- Yes?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- ..was he interested in yachting from an early age?- Yes, he was,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35right from the very beginning. And he built a succession of yachts.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38The most famous of them all, of course, was the Britannia,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42which was built in 1893 and she was a real trendsetter,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44different to anything else
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and she was a really, really successful yacht.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54Cowes Week began in 1826 as a single race for seven yachts.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And the social side of Cowes was important to King Edward VII.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06It was. You might say that his period as King Edward VII
0:27:06 > 0:27:09was the pinnacle of Cowes Week as a social scene,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and people came in their droves to spectate
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and do celebrity spotting.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28With the death of Queen Victoria began the Edwardian era -
0:27:28 > 0:27:31looser and loucher.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34A spate of theatre building brought troupes of dancers
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and thespians to every major town.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Our racy king gave his royal seal of approval to motoring
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and showed the cut of his jib at Cowes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48His visits to the Isle of Wight brought back happy memories
0:27:48 > 0:27:52of childhood family holidays.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Whenever I'm there, for me, it's the same.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Next time...
0:28:04 > 0:28:05At alert.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09..I promise to do my best with the Scouts...
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Once a Scout, always a Scout.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15..find war horses in the Hampshire wilderness...
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Do you like to be brushed? Look at that.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21A beautiful sheen to this coat.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24..and experience the charms of a British institution
0:28:24 > 0:28:27born in the Edwardian era.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- Do you always dress to match your beach hut?- Yes.