0:00:04 > 0:00:06For Edwardian Britons,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08a Bradshaw's was an indispensable guide
0:00:08 > 0:00:11to a railway network at its peak.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18I'm using an early 20th-century edition to navigate a vibrant and
0:00:18 > 0:00:19optimistic Britain
0:00:19 > 0:00:22at the height of its power and 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.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55My journey continues from South Wales
0:00:55 > 0:00:57towards the west of England.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Today, I want to look at three developments
0:00:59 > 0:01:03before the First World War that were to transform society.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07They are represented in history by three sets of siblings -
0:01:07 > 0:01:09the Lumiere brothers in France,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11the Wright brothers in the United States
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and the Pankhurst sisters in the United Kingdom.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Cinema, aviation and votes for women.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I began in West Wales,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36skirting the coast to make my way through the industrial core
0:01:36 > 0:01:40of South Wales and the nation's capital. Heading east,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I'll cross the Severn Estuary into England,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45to uncover pioneering Edwardian technology
0:01:45 > 0:01:48which led Britons to take to the skies.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I'll continue my journey
0:01:50 > 0:01:52through the heart of the West Country,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54to finish in Cornwall.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00This leg of my travels begins in the Welsh city of Newport and continues
0:02:00 > 0:02:04to the birthplace of British aviation at Filton, in England.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I'll uncover an enlightened place of refuge in Bath.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And take in a movie on the Bristol Channel.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20On this journey, a cinematic experience hits a high note.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25That's absolutely brilliant.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27This is Mary.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I learn about the fight for female emancipation.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32How do you feel about those women, those suffragettes?
0:02:32 > 0:02:37They knew what they wanted and, in the end, they got it, didn't they?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39And prepare for a smooth landing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41The toilets are no longer in use.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Cabin crew, resume your seats, please.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Oh! That is amazing.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Coal was big business in South Wales,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and there were fortunes to be made.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Cardiff docks were transformed,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Barry Port was created out of nothing,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06and at my next stop, Newport,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10entrepreneurs wanted to enter the hectic competition.
0:03:10 > 0:03:17But on July the 10th, 1909, dock disaster, many workmen killed.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It seemed that the fortunes of the few could entail
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the misfortunes of the many.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I am midway on my journey through Wales and England's West Country.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Newport was the first stop
0:03:35 > 0:03:38on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's South Wales Railway
0:03:38 > 0:03:40from Chepstow to Swansea,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43which opened in 1850 and became key
0:03:43 > 0:03:46to exploiting the region's coalfields.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50In a strategic position, near the mouth of the River Usk,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Newport was built on a rich,
0:03:52 > 0:03:562,000-year history of international maritime trade.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I am taking to the water to learn more...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04..with Rod Lewis from Associated British Ports.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Rod, what about the port of Newport today, what does it do?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12We still do some coal,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16we do a lot of steel, import and export, project cargoes -
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- for example, railway locomotives. - Railway locomotives?- Yeah, yeah.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24The ports are well connected, so you can bring a locomotive in,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26alongside the quay, and put it straight onto rail.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Newport's first dock opened in 1842.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Today, the docks handle one and a half million tonnes
0:04:37 > 0:04:39of commodities every year
0:04:39 > 0:04:44and enclose a body of water that covers 125 acres.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46The tide here is tremendous.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50It is, yeah. It is the second largest tidal range in the world.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52But because the range is so great,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56it actually affords us water for deep drafted vessels
0:04:56 > 0:04:58to get this far up the estuary.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05By 1914, Newport was shipping over 6 million tonnes of coal annually.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06The city owed its success
0:05:06 > 0:05:08to an extraordinary feat of engineering,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12which became famous for both horror and heroism.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Historian Tom Dart is at the bow.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Tom, we have a great view here of this great lock.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I would imagine, even at the beginning of the 20th century,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32this is still a site of mass labour.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35There was very little mechanical help in those days.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38All the digging, in fact, was done by hand.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Tell me about what happened on that dreadful day in 1909.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Well, the men were just working on the trench,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47digging this lock here behind us.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52And at about five o'clock in the afternoon, rumblings were heard
0:05:52 > 0:05:53and movement was spotted.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Some men managed to scramble up,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58but over 40 men were trapped
0:05:58 > 0:06:01when the dock wall collapsed into the dock.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06So, this massive timber collapses with men trapped underneath.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- What could be done? - Not a lot, actually,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11because they were all big burly fellows,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and there wasn't enough space to get down there. So,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17they decided that a small man was needed,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and a young lad called Tom Toya Lewis,
0:06:20 > 0:06:21who was 17 at the time,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24volunteered to go down, and he was lowered down
0:06:24 > 0:06:26about 30ft on a rope,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28down to a chap called Fred Bardill,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30who had been trapped by his arm,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32and then the timbers started to move again,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and Tom Toya was hauled out.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Fortunately, Fred Bardill had been freed enough that he was able to be
0:06:39 > 0:06:43pulled out. 39 men were killed in the end,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and some of them were drowned,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47unfortunately, with the tide coming in.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52And was Tom Toya Lewis recognised for his terrific bravery?
0:06:52 > 0:06:53He was, yes.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55He was awarded the Albert Medal,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59which was the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And he was taken to Buckingham Palace by his father
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and he was given the medal.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Work continued on the lock and, in 1914, it opened
0:07:09 > 0:07:13to allow ships to enter the dock directly from the Bristol Channel
0:07:13 > 0:07:14for the first time.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18A memorial to the victims of the disaster
0:07:18 > 0:07:21stands in the nearby St Woolos cemetery,
0:07:21 > 0:07:26where I am meeting David Fouweather, the 385th mayor of Newport.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Some of the names here on the plaque are not complete, why would that be?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33They were guys from Bristol and other places that came to work
0:07:33 > 0:07:36on the docks and, sadly, nobody knew who they were.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38What do you know of Tom Toya Lewis?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- Well, Tom Toya Lewis was my great-grandfather.- Wow.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45And I was actually born in his bed at 11 Henry Street in Newport.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49So, this young lad from Newport is invited to Buckingham Palace to meet
0:07:49 > 0:07:51the King and Queen, is that right?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Absolutely right. My nan tells me that, whilst he was there,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56he didn't know how to use a knife and fork.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59So, the King actually said to him, "Just use your fingers."
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Not only did he have a medal, he also had a brooch, which I have.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Merit medal, presented by the Liverpool Weekly Post.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08And there is his name,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Tom Lewis.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- Isn't that lovely?- It is.- You'll look after that pretty carefully.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- I do look after it.- How do you feel about being Tom's great-grandson?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Oh, very proud indeed.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And for his great-grandson now to be the mayor of Newport,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24as well, who would have thought?
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Tom would never have believed that.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27He would be very pleased.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28- And very proud.- He would.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38I am picking up my journey...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40HE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:08:40 > 0:08:42..to head across the border into England.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52A century ago, ideas had begun to fly not only westward,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55but also eastward across the Atlantic,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57from the United States to Europe.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The aeroplane was an American invention,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04adopted and adapted in Bristol.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08But who could know that aviation in the West Country would eventually go
0:09:08 > 0:09:09with such a bang?
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I am passing underneath the estuary on the River Severn,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21through the four-mile Victorian tunnel that links
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Monmouthshire with South Gloucestershire.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32While above me, road vehicles travel across the water
0:09:32 > 0:09:36on the second Severn crossing built just over a hundred years later.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43I'm alighting at Filton Abbey Wood, which serves Filton on the outskirts
0:09:43 > 0:09:44of Bristol.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I understand that the roots of British aviation
0:09:49 > 0:09:50are to be found here.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53And I have arranged to meet author Andrew Appleton.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56What a magnificent runway this must have been in its day.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57It is fantastic, isn't it?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- Yes.- Now, what was the origin of aviation here in Bristol?
0:10:01 > 0:10:03It started back in 1910,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06there was a local businessman called Sir George White,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09who was founder of a tramway company.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11He was involved in lots of transport.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13With the start of aviation
0:10:13 > 0:10:16round about the turn of the century, he got quite interested in that.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17He could see the potential.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Sir George White took inspiration from the Wright Brothers,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25the two American inventors who achieved the first powered,
0:10:25 > 0:10:30sustained and controlled aeroplane flight in 1903.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33By 1910, White's company was manufacturing aircraft
0:10:33 > 0:10:35on the Bristol Downs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Why was Filton chosen as a site?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Well, there was a bus terminus at the top of Filton Hill,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43and he thought that would be a good place to start.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46He could take over the shed there, turn it into a factory.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49What sort of aircraft did he build, or at least which ones successfully?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52The first successful aircraft was the Boxkite, which flew in 1910.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55It was actually the first mass-produced aircraft in Britain.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58There was about 85 of them built altogether.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Made of wood, wire and cotton,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04the Bristol Boxkite was exported throughout the world.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08And as the skies darkened with the threat of war,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12aviation was to evolve remarkably fast.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The British Government was quick to see the military potential,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and Filton would play a vital role.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21What aircraft types might we know the names of?
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Probably the most successful one was the Bristol Fighter which was built
0:11:25 > 0:11:27in 1917. That was so successful,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30they built about 5,000 of them, I think.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Right up to 1929.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And then probably the next successful one was Concorde.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So why don't we have Concorde today?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I think it was really down to the costs of it all,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42justifying using that much fuel to fly across the Atlantic.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44So it was all about economy.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Although aircraft no longer fly from here,
0:11:50 > 0:11:55Filton is still at the forefront of aeronautical engineering.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59I am making my way to Airbus' landing gear test facility
0:11:59 > 0:12:01to meet Phil Simms.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Phil, these things are enormous.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07This is the undercarriage of one aircraft.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10This is the Airbus A380 aircraft.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14We've got the entire landing gear system here.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17There are 22 wheels in all.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21It has all reached an extraordinary level of sophistication, hasn't it?
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We're carrying 500, maybe up to 800 passengers on an Airbus A380.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29You need the very latest technology, in terms of materials
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and in terms of the analysis of this sort of equipment to know it's safe,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and we have to make sure that we've tested it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40When I pull that lever, there's 25 tonnes of rubber, metal,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43steel and all sorts of other things go up safely,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45as we hope it will on the aircraft itself.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- I want to pull that lever.- Great.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54I am about to move 25 tonnes of landing gear.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56The A380 is airborne.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I am in the captain's seat.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Undercarriage up.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Wow, and it all kicks into motion.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Oh!
0:13:10 > 0:13:14That is amazing. Bits and pieces going up all over the place.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Just one push on the lever, and the whole lot retracts.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Undercarriage doors are going into place right now.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25That was so good, I think we might bring them down again!
0:13:25 > 0:13:27The toilets are no longer in use.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Cabin crew, resume your seats, please.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33The lever goes down, the undercarriage doors open.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36Wheels appearing over there.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Enormous wheels!
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Wow. They are quite intimidating.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43We are ready to land.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46How many times do you have to test that?
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Well, we typically test it about 5,000-6,000 times
0:13:50 > 0:13:51before an aircraft goes into service.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54I'm willing to do about 50 for you, would that be all right?
0:13:54 > 0:13:55That would absolutely fine.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00To celebrate the story of Bristol's aerospace history,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04work is underway to create an aviation museum.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Of course, the most iconic passenger plane takes centre stage.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I used to travel on the Concorde a bit,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16but I have never felt so intimate
0:14:16 > 0:14:19with this magnificent piece of machinery.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21I'd do day trips to Washington DC,
0:14:21 > 0:14:26arriving there by 11am, coming back in the evening subsonically.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27I felt so proud,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31because supersonic passenger travel was the preserve of the French
0:14:31 > 0:14:35and the British, not the Americans, not the Russians.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38And now that we can no longer use it across the Atlantic,
0:14:38 > 0:14:44it must be the only example of human beings having slowed down
0:14:44 > 0:14:45in their history.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I'll spend the night in Bristol.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05And it occurs to me that the city has, for centuries,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07thrived on transport.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10First, there were the ships, with their many cargoes,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12including excellent Bristol sherry.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Then, the trains, with the building of the Great Western Railway,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21And in the 20th century - aircraft,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24from the Boxkite to the Concorde,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28and everything was shipshape and Bristol fashion.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I rejoin the railway to make the 11-minute journey
0:15:49 > 0:15:52from Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55During the course of the 19th century,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Britain moved gradually from allowing only a small minority
0:15:59 > 0:16:00of people to vote
0:16:00 > 0:16:05towards what politicians called universal suffrage.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08But still, half the population was disqualified,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13not by wealth or by character or by intellect, but by gender.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The Wiltshire Times of 1908 reports
0:16:17 > 0:16:22a meeting at Eagle House in Bath Eastern where a suffragette,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Miss Annie Kenney, spoke of her prison experiences.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29What had once been a voice in the wilderness,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31calling for votes for women,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35became, during the Edwardian period, a deafening clamour.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Founded around its hot springs, from Georgian times,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Bath was a resort for the well-heeled and fashionable.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's famed for its Neo-classical Palladian architecture.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I'm heading to a fine Victorian building to find out
0:17:20 > 0:17:23how the city played a part in the suffragette movement,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27with professor of modern British history June Hammond.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Very good to see you.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30How nice to meet you.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31And a very nice place.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- It's lovely, isn't it? - Why did you suggest it?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Well, I thought it would be a good idea,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37because it used to be the old police station,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41and of course it was a place that suffragettes could be brought
0:17:41 > 0:17:44when they had done something to break the law.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47What were the prison experiences of the women?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Well, they usually had a pretty difficult time,
0:17:49 > 0:17:50and I think partly because
0:17:50 > 0:17:52they wanted the status of political prisoners,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and they were not being given that status.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56And so, by 1909,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00many of them went on hunger strike, and that was when they would be
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- forcibly fed.- How did the Liberal government react to this terrible
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- embarrassment?- Well, they were worried about them becoming martyrs,
0:18:07 > 0:18:13and so they brought in legislation which ensured that if you got very
0:18:13 > 0:18:15weak, you would be brought out of prison,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and then you would go back into prison when you had recovered.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21And so they called this The Cat And Mouse Act.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I am interested in this press cutting.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27"By the kind invitation of Colonel and Mrs Blathwayt,
0:18:27 > 0:18:28"and Miss Blathwayt,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32"a number of guests assembled in the beautiful garden at Eagle House,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35"Bath Eastern." Tell me about the Blathwayts.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Well, the Blathwayts were a local family
0:18:38 > 0:18:42who were all supportive of the militant suffrage movement,
0:18:42 > 0:18:43the most well-known one being
0:18:43 > 0:18:46the Pankhurst-led Women's Social and Political Union.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Between 1909 and 1912, the Blathwayt family offered their
0:18:51 > 0:18:55home, Eagle House, as a refuge for around 60 women
0:18:55 > 0:19:00who had been put in jail. Among them were suffragette Annie Kenney,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04a friend of sisters Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Does Eagle House still exist?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Yes, it is still there, and it is still very recognisable
0:19:08 > 0:19:10with the eagle on the top.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Women over 30 first voted in Britain in 1918,
0:19:17 > 0:19:18but it wasn't until 1928
0:19:18 > 0:19:23that all women enjoyed equal voting rights with men.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27I've made a four-mile trip to Eagle House, outside the city,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31to hear some reminiscences from Frieda Roberts.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Now, what is your connection with Eagle House?
0:19:34 > 0:19:39Well, of course, I was born in the servants' quarter,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43and we rented it from the Blathwayts.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Which members of the Blathwayt family do you remember?
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Mary and William.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Do you have an impression of Mary Blathwayt?
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Yes, I do. Very kind,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54almost timid lady.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Tell me about this photograph here.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- This is Mary.- Mary Blathwayt.- Yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01And this is Annie.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Kenney?- Yes. - And what are they doing?
0:20:04 > 0:20:09When they visited the house, they were asked to plant a tree.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12And so, for each of the women who came here, perhaps from prison,
0:20:12 > 0:20:13a tree was planted, was it?
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Yes. Each one.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Have any of those trees survived, do you know?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Well, apparently there's one.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- Just one.- It would be 100 years old by now.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- It will. - How do you feel about those women?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- Those suffragettes?- Well, I think they went through an awful lot.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31You know, people should remember that, I think.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36They knew what they wanted and, in the end, they got it, didn't they?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Well, we've only got a cup of tea,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41but I think we should drink a toast to women's suffrage.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42Yes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I'm heading back to Bristol Temple Meads
0:20:56 > 0:20:59to change trains for my last destination.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The Edwardian period brought with it anxieties,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07industrial strife, rebellious stirrings in Ireland,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11violence perpetrated by and inflicted upon suffragettes.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Luckily, this was the first age of escapism,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19for the golden era of Empire ushered in the silver screen.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- Hello.- Hello, sir.- Stopping service to Plymouth, going to Yatton.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- 9.55, Plymouth, sir. Platform 12.- Platform 12.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Down the stairs, diagonally across. - Thank you.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54I'm en route to Yatton,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57but my end point is the Somerset town of Clevedon,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00which travellers following my 1907 timetable
0:22:00 > 0:22:02could have reached directly
0:22:02 > 0:22:04with at least ten trains running per day.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Clevedon became a popular seaside resort in the Victorian era.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But I have come here to see how Edwardians
0:22:14 > 0:22:17added a thoroughly modern attraction.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Susannah Shaw is an expert on the history
0:22:22 > 0:22:24of the town's community cinema.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Susannah, this is a marvellously preserved cinema -
0:22:29 > 0:22:31how long is its history?
0:22:31 > 0:22:35It goes back to 1912, that is when the first cinema opened,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39built by Victor Cox, a stonemason, who had a good eye for business.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Has this cinema been opened continuously since 1912?
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, it's run continuously,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49even with the rebuilding that went on in the 1920s.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Tell me about its inauguration in 1912.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Well, it was due to open on the 15th of April,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58but there was a technical hitch and it was delayed for a few days,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and in that period, we heard news about the sinking of the Titanic.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05So, the first film that was shown here,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08it was a fundraiser for the families
0:23:08 > 0:23:10and the survivors of the Titanic.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12An extraordinary piece of history.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16What we know as moving film, moving footage, when does that originate?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19The first public viewing would have been with the Lumiere brothers'
0:23:19 > 0:23:21first film in 1895.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- In France.- In France, yeah.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Were there are already movie stars in the Edwardian era?
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Yes. Obviously, someone like Mary Pickford,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30who was America's sweetheart.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32She and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35teamed up with Charlie Chaplin to create United Artists.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Cinema emerged as a popular entertainment
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and an important source of
0:23:43 > 0:23:46information in the Edwardian era.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Moving pictures of Queen Victoria's funeral and Edward VII's coronation,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55with their pomp and circumstance, found an enthusiastic audience.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01The world of cinema is highly addictive,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and for those who've got the bug,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07there is nowhere more exciting than the projection room.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Two projectors, because in the old days,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13the projectionist showed one reel on one projector -
0:24:13 > 0:24:15that lasted about 20 minutes -
0:24:15 > 0:24:17then the other projector would kick in.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Meanwhile, the projectionist is preparing the next reel,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23so that the whole film is shown seamlessly.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And this is just such a beautiful and exciting place.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35John Neal has been a projectionist here for over 20 years.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Hello, John.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- Hello, Michael.- I find you in the very modern projection room,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42but in the earliest days, 1912,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45what would it have been like in the projection room?
0:24:45 > 0:24:46Well, it would have been very hot.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48They would have been using carbon arcs -
0:24:48 > 0:24:52carbon arcs are carbon electrodes that come together to make a spark.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54It produces an intense amount of light,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57but an intense amount of heat.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59And there would have been a lot of panic to get
0:24:59 > 0:25:02one reel laced up, in frame,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05in rack before the next one runs out.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10- Was it dangerous, then?- It was a dangerous activity because there was
0:25:10 > 0:25:12flame and there was nitrate film stock,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16but these were operations that could be managed safely,
0:25:16 > 0:25:17and they managed.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- You had to be wiping the sweat from your brow, I imagine.- Absolutely.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Until the arrival of the talkies,
0:25:28 > 0:25:33silent movies depended on live musical accompaniment,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37today in the hands of Bernie Brown, one of the cinema's organists.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Sorry to interrupt you, Bernie.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48When did they start to use organs in cinemas?
0:25:48 > 0:25:53- In the Edwardian period?- Yes, from around about 1907 onwards,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56you'd find small church organs being used in cinemas.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58That looks like a church organ there,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00but all of these bits and pieces,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- what are they for?- Well, they're all designed to accompany silent films,
0:26:03 > 0:26:04so you have loads of different effects.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06You'll have sort of a fire gong...
0:26:06 > 0:26:07A klaxon horn...
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- A car horn... - You didn't give me a train.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- HE LAUGHS - I can do a train.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20So yes, you can do a train.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23That's absolutely brilliant. Is there any chance of seeing some
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- footage on your lovely silver screen today?- Yes, of course there is.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28We've got a silent film rigged up for you to see.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I hope you'll be playing to accompany it.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31- I will indeed.- I'll take a seat.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36ORGAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:26:52 > 0:26:54"There was once a man who caught a train...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56TRAIN WHISTLES, BELL DINGS
0:26:56 > 0:26:59HE LAUGHS
0:26:59 > 0:27:01TRAIN CHUGS
0:27:08 > 0:27:10"The end."
0:27:10 > 0:27:13UPLIFTING MUSIC
0:27:13 > 0:27:15What a happy ending.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27An Edwardian watching an air show could have no idea
0:27:27 > 0:27:30that, in coming years, planes would obliterate cities
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and fly us from London to New York in three hours.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36At the time of my Bradshaw's,
0:27:36 > 0:27:41suffragettes were widely regarded as misguided fanatics.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Only the most vivid imaginations could conceive of talking pictures,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49with their potential to inform and entertain.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Today, we think we know everything,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55but we understand the future no better
0:27:55 > 0:27:57than our Edwardian ancestors.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Next time, I discover how Edwardian gardens came into bloom.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09They're old-fashioned roses,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12the scent's really powerful in the old roses.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Yes, wonderful fragrance.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Learn how the new bells peeled...
0:28:17 > 0:28:19..to herald the incoming monarch.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Isn't that lovely?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And I'm led a merry dance in the name of fertility.