0:00:03 > 0:00:05BIG BEN CHIMES
0:00:23 > 0:00:28This was once the heart of the British Empire.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33It used to house the India Office and the Colonial Office.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Between them, they ruled a quarter of the globe.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Today, the British Empire is long gone.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48But hidden away at the top of a staircase
0:00:48 > 0:00:52is a work of art from 1778
0:00:52 > 0:00:55that brings back the spirit of that age.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11This is a painting called Britannia Receiving The Riches Of The East.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16And it shows Britannia sitting on a rock with the British lion beneath her,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18receiving various gifts -
0:01:18 > 0:01:22a string of pearls,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24a casket of jewels,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27a great porcelain vase,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29a tea chest
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and a bale of cotton.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Britannia's receiving these gifts as though she's entitled to them,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39as though it were her birthright.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Not a view we hold today, and perhaps that's one reason
0:01:42 > 0:01:45why it's hidden away in the Foreign Office, where few visitors can see it.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But it does give us an insight into the era -
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the development of the British Empire
0:01:51 > 0:01:55with a kind of spirit of adventure and opportunity -
0:01:55 > 0:01:59even though we know today that there was a darker side
0:01:59 > 0:02:04as Britain tried, by force, to impose its will on the unwilling.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43In the middle of the 18th century,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45with naval and commercial victories overseas,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Britain was entering a new imperial era.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It drew us into a different way of thinking about the world,
0:02:55 > 0:03:01led from the top by the Royal Family, the figureheads of the nation.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Here at Kew, in a modest, even homely fashion,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17King George III and Queen Charlotte raised their large family.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22But there was nothing modest about what they taught their children.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30At the heart of the palace is a very special children's toy.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36This is a tiny, elegant cabinet, very small.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39But it contains the whole world.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43When you open it, take out the drawers,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47what's revealed is one of the very first jigsaw puzzles ever made.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And it shows a map of the world.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It was used to teach the children geography.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58And I'm going to see if I can put it together,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01which is not easy, because, unlike modern jigsaws,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03which have their sort of interlocking pieces, this doesn't.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05It's almost completely shapeless.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07The shapes are the shapes of the countries.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10So you have to know where each country goes,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12and, what's more, it's all written in French.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14So you have to speak French as well.
0:04:14 > 0:04:15Er...
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Hmm. Ah!
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Ethiopia, I think.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Wait a moment. Somalia...
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Don't think my geography's that bad.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Where's this thing go?
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I can't read that one.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Can you read that one?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37The infant Prince of Wales poring over this puzzle
0:04:37 > 0:04:42pieced together strange countries and continents.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50When the jigsaw was complete,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55the young prince could look at all the lands that he would inherit -
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Great Britain, Ireland,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01the east coast of America,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03but not the part to the west -
0:05:03 > 0:05:05"Partie inconnues", "Unknown part" -
0:05:05 > 0:05:08bits of the Caribbean,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12down here, parts of West Africa, the Gold Coast...
0:05:14 > 0:05:15...parts of India.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18But interestingly, not Australia and New Zealand,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21because when this jigsaw was made, they hadn't yet been discovered.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23That was still to come.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28In his lifetime, he would add those two great chunks to his Empire.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32What an enticing prospect the whole thing must have seemed!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42British explorers crossed the oceans,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45claiming new territories in the name of the King.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55At the heart of Britain's naval exploits
0:05:55 > 0:05:57was Greenwich.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07It's here that our great seafaring heroes are celebrated -
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Horatio Nelson,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Sir Walter Raleigh
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and, of course, Captain James Cook.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Captain Cook was one of our greatest explorers.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30In three daring, magnificent voyages, he crisscrossed the world,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33finding things that were unknown in Europe at the time -
0:06:33 > 0:06:36new peoples, new species,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39new islands, new countries,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41new continents even.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The very names of his ships -
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Endeavour, Resolution,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Adventure, Discovery -
0:06:49 > 0:06:52send a chill down the spine.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Cook's expeditions weren't just undertaken by rough sailors.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14He also travelled with scientists, with botanists
0:07:14 > 0:07:16and with artists.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21This room is hung with the paintings
0:07:21 > 0:07:24of one of the artists who accompanied Cook on his voyages -
0:07:24 > 0:07:27William Hodges.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31They're the holiday snaps of Cook's journeys,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and pretty sensational they are.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45In the 1770s,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Hodges' canvases changed Britain's understanding of the world.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57People were thrilled to see for the first time
0:07:57 > 0:08:01the far-flung lands of the Pacific.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14This big canvas is the most exciting of all Hodges' paintings
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and it shows a true and really terrifying event
0:08:18 > 0:08:20on one of Cook's voyages.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24He was sailing in the Resolution when it got caught in a terrible storm,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26described by one of his officers
0:08:26 > 0:08:29as great black clouds coming up from the horizon,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33the wind blowing in all directions
0:08:33 > 0:08:35and, worst of all, these.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40The waterspouts - four waterspouts - great columns of water.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43This one all turbulent, lifting up into the sky.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47And the officer described how they had to shorten sail quickly,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49furl all their sails,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54and try and claw their way off the land to avoid going onto the rocks.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59But what's really striking about this painting
0:08:59 > 0:09:03isn't just that it's a picture of a terrifying incident.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07It's these figures down here that Hodges has painted in.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11A half-naked woman with a child
0:09:11 > 0:09:16and a man standing on the rocks with his hand up, almost in benediction,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21some say looking like Moses showing the way to the Promised Land
0:09:21 > 0:09:26or parting the waters to make a safe passage for Resolution.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32Hodges is saying this is much more than just a dangerous journey.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36There's something mystical about this, about the triumph of man over nature.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38This is an epic voyage
0:09:38 > 0:09:41with Captain Cook as its hero.
0:09:55 > 0:10:01The spirit of adventure didn't just inspire great explorers.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03In their wake came thousands of people
0:10:03 > 0:10:07wanting to escape Britain in search of opportunity.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25These British didn't leave home just to conquer unknown lands.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28They wanted to settle, to make a new life.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Ever since the 17th century,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46for those brave enough to make the journey,
0:10:46 > 0:10:52America had seemed a thrilling new world offering prosperity and freedom,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56ideals which remain at the heart of the American Dream.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Ah! Looks like a dog's breakfast. MAN LAUGHS
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Thanks very much.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Oh, it's nice and warm, anyway.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Three bucks.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22- Great. Thank you. - Enjoy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Philadelphia's one of the great American cities
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and it's remarkable, because it was the vision of one man,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36an Englishman, William Penn.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40He was a Quaker, a religious sect which was persecuted in Britain.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42He himself had been imprisoned.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45And he came over here to seek freedom
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and founded Penn...sylvania.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51And, for that matter, this great city of Philadelphia -
0:11:51 > 0:11:55the Greek for "the city of brotherly love".
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And now the city of the Philly cheesesteak.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Don't know which end to start at.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08HE CHUCKLES
0:12:13 > 0:12:18The figure of William Penn still dominates the city of Philadelphia.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Penn wanted to make this a place of tolerance,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32a place where all religious sects could flourish
0:12:32 > 0:12:35without fear of persecution,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37equal in the eyes of God.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Throughout the 18th century,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44the British settlers built on Penn's ideals
0:12:44 > 0:12:47of living in harmony together.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Central to this was architecture.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Following Penn's guidelines,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Old City, Philadelphia, was built with wide streets,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04healthy open spaces,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07uniform, regimented houses -
0:13:07 > 0:13:11all built on simple geometric lines.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Perfect harmony - in stone.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27But lurking behind this ideal was an inconvenient truth -
0:13:27 > 0:13:30that the great city of freedom
0:13:30 > 0:13:33was built on land that had belonged to Native Americans.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Many of my people were forced out of the region
0:13:37 > 0:13:39by the mid-1700s, late 1700s.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The majority of us were forced further west.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Those that remained had to basically hide in plain sight...
0:13:46 > 0:13:49without the rights that we had
0:13:49 > 0:13:52in dealing in British courts, even under William Penn.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56It was a difficult time and it's been a difficult time.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58What's your feeling about Penn?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00He was a man trying to live out his faith,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03to build an ideal situation here in Pennsylvania.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05But for us to live together
0:14:05 > 0:14:10meant that we did not impose our wills on each other.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13That was not necessarily the way
0:14:13 > 0:14:18that even Penn, in all of his benevolence, seemed to view it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It was living in peace under his government,
0:14:21 > 0:14:22under the British Crown,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and that was something that was foreign to us.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It didn't suit the settlers' image of themselves
0:14:40 > 0:14:44to think they'd simply stolen their land from somebody else.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48So much so that one Pennsylvanian-born artist,
0:14:48 > 0:14:54Benjamin West, created a fantasy around the founding of the colony.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12At the centre of the picture is William Penn himself
0:15:12 > 0:15:15in Quaker dress, a rather portly figure.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19There are merchants here - colonialists -
0:15:19 > 0:15:22offering gifts to the Native Americans.
0:15:22 > 0:15:29The Chief there and, sitting in a circle, the sort of elders of the tribe.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34This painting became an instant bestseller.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36That's to say it was reproduced
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and hung in hundreds of American homes.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And the reason was that it gave a portrait of Empire
0:15:42 > 0:15:46which the settlers wanted to see.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51So the whole scene is one of perfect harmony.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Not of an empire or a colony being established by force and violence,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00which, of course, happened,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04but of agreement between the people who lived here
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and the people who were coming in,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10and the assumption that each had something to offer the other.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13An ideal portrait,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16a perfect picture of what Empire could be.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It wasn't long before the settlers were confident enough
0:16:36 > 0:16:38not to need the motherland.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44In 1776, America declared its independence from Britain,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46and war broke out between them.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54For eight years, the country was drenched in blood,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59a defining moment in its history
0:16:59 > 0:17:04and an enduring inspiration for its art.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Against all expectations,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19the British Crown was defeated by its own colony.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35One finely crafted object
0:17:35 > 0:17:39marks the transformation of America into a new nation.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46This is the Liberty Bell,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48a symbol as powerful for America
0:17:48 > 0:17:51as the White House or the Statue of Liberty.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57It was originally cast in memory of William Penn and his ideals
0:17:57 > 0:17:59by the state of Pennsylvania.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It was actually made not here, but in London.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It developed this famous crack,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09which means it can never now be rung.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And it had this inscription put on it -
0:18:13 > 0:18:15"Proclaim liberty...
0:18:16 > 0:18:19"throughout all the land
0:18:19 > 0:18:22"unto all the inhabitants thereof."
0:18:22 > 0:18:25A quotation from the Bible.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Tradition has it that when the American Declaration of Independence from Britain
0:18:29 > 0:18:31was signed here in Philadelphia,
0:18:31 > 0:18:36with its commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40this bell rang out to mark the occasion.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Back in Britain,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03many felt the loss of America was a national humiliation.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09They were determined the same thing shouldn't happen again.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Britain's focus now moved to the East
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and to its interests in India.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35During two centuries of trade,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Britain had grown rich on the spoils of India.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45Its art and treasure were prized for their rare, exotic beauty.
0:19:56 > 0:20:03But as Britain tried to extend its power, from trading partner to ruler,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05it met resistance.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18In a storeroom of the Victoria and Albert Museum
0:20:18 > 0:20:23is an object that instilled fear in British hearts.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32This is Tipu's Tiger.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It was made for Tipu Sultan,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38the ruler of Mysore in southern India,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40who was the thorn in the flesh of the British.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43He hated them, fought them all the time,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and they feared him.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48His emblem was the tiger.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50He once said,
0:20:50 > 0:20:55"I'd rather live two days as a tiger than 200 years as a sheep."
0:20:55 > 0:20:59And he had this extraordinary toy made.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's a kind of toy for adults.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Now, what happens is, if I wind the handle,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10the tiger apparently lets out a fearsome growl.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15And the figure here, who is a European,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19screams in terror and agony.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I'll just put my hand there to stop it from falling
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and start the winding. Here we go.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26HOOTING
0:21:26 > 0:21:27LAUGHS
0:21:27 > 0:21:28HOOTING
0:21:31 > 0:21:32I think that's the scream!
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Where's the growl?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36STRONGER HOOT Ooh!
0:21:36 > 0:21:38That was the growl of the tiger.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40HOOTING It's brilliant!
0:21:50 > 0:21:54In 1799, Tipu Sultan was finally defeated
0:21:54 > 0:21:58and met his death at the hands of the British.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02The tiger was taken from his palace and brought to London,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04where it was put on display.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06The message was clear.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09If we didn't want India to go the same way as America,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14we had to start taking our responsibilities in the Empire seriously.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Like the tiger, India had to be tamed.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Today, Calcutta is the poorest but also the most vibrant
0:23:03 > 0:23:06of all India's great cities.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It's a place of nonstop energy and excitement,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13where life is lived on the streets.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23In the 18th century,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Calcutta was a power base for British traders.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32From the first, they were astonished and bewitched
0:23:32 > 0:23:37by the sights, the sounds, the smells of India.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48They even started adopting Indian customs.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Wearing Indian clothes.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59In fact, acting more Indian than British.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH
0:24:09 > 0:24:12But as a new century dawned,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16this easy mingling between cultures came to an abrupt end.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41A new Governor-General was appointed to impose British control over India,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Richard Wellesley.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45There was no danger of Wellesley going native.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48He despised the way the British and the Indians mixed.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51He actually thought of the Indian people as depraved.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55And he didn't want to be just the leader of a great trading company,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57he actually wanted to be a ruler.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00And in keeping with these imperial ambitions,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03he built himself a new residence - Government House.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41The grandeur of Government House was designed to intimidate India.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57At the end of this ceremonial route came the throne room.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01And here the Governor-General sat in state, like a king.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Wellesley was the first Governor-General
0:26:04 > 0:26:07to have a throne made for himself - of solid silver,
0:26:07 > 0:26:13supported by lions, for Britain, on each end.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And what an impression it must have made when visitors came here.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19They must have felt, as they approached the throne,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22the might of British power.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46At the back of this great house
0:26:46 > 0:26:50is an area given over to busts of Roman emperors.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53150 years' worth of Roman rule.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54Julius Caesar is here.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Augustus.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Even Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01The implication is obvious -
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Wellesley saw himself as their successor,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06part of their tradition.
0:27:06 > 0:27:13And if Wellesley was a Caesar, Britain was Rome.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Throughout the 19th century,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Calcutta was transformed into an imperial city,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40where size mattered.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42There were to be great churches.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47A Gothic-style cathedral.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50An imposing law court.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Grand mansions and villas.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Even the post office exuded authority and power.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09And it wasn't just the buildings.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The whole British way of life was imported.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Even our national sport.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It's a nice bat.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Very slow, cos I shall miss it otherwise.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33ALL CHEER LAUGHS: Try one more.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41I haven't played this for 50 years. One more?
0:28:44 > 0:28:45ALL CHEER I'm running.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52Thank you very much.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Thank you so much.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13The new imperialists saw India through blinkers.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15A fascinating world,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18but one from which they would remain separate.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25This detachment was reflected in the art of the time.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29People in Britain
0:29:29 > 0:29:32were very curious about what India was like.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34What was it that drew people here?
0:29:34 > 0:29:36And it wasn't long
0:29:36 > 0:29:40before professional painters started coming out here to Calcutta
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and began painting scenes.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45And what they drew was interesting,
0:29:45 > 0:29:49because it wasn't quite the exotic, vibrant, colourful India
0:29:49 > 0:29:52that we know now.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56It was a rather quieter, paler version of India,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59as though they didn't want to upset people back home
0:29:59 > 0:30:02by suggesting it was too turbulent and a difficult life here.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07There was a lot of attention paid to the fine details of buildings...
0:30:09 > 0:30:13to pale horizons and trees.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17It was, in a way, India... but without the Indians.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46By the middle of the 19th century,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49the British were wondering how to develop their Empire.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51And they came up with an idea,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53which a civil servant at the time described as
0:30:53 > 0:30:56"creating a monument that would exceed in grandeur
0:30:56 > 0:30:59"the aqueducts of Rome, the pyramids of Egypt
0:30:59 > 0:31:01"and the Great Wall of China".
0:31:01 > 0:31:04He meant the railway.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Calcutta's Howrah Station.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Built in 1851,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17it's one of the busiest in India,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21used by three-quarters of a million passengers a day.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Railway mania in India
0:31:49 > 0:31:54meant that 25,000 miles of railway was laid in just 50 years.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56It meant that a journey from Calcutta to Delhi,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00which by road in 1800 would have taken six weeks,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03by 1900 took under a day.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08And, of course, it meant a huge improvement in efficiency, in trade
0:32:08 > 0:32:10and in control of the country.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14WHISTLE BLOWS
0:32:25 > 0:32:30The Empire was now able to reach even the most remote regions of India.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54The state of Rajasthan seems unchanged by time.
0:32:55 > 0:33:01It's a place rich in folklore, where life is still bound by tradition.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07- Ram! Ram!- Ram! Ram!
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Can I climb on?
0:33:10 > 0:33:11I'll go round.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Oh!
0:33:15 > 0:33:17OK.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20Ooh!
0:33:25 > 0:33:27OK, let's...
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Ooh! Ah! Oh!
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Let's go.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43I'm on my rather ungainly way
0:33:43 > 0:33:46to a place where it's possible to discover
0:33:46 > 0:33:51how Indians in the 19th century viewed the British.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02This region was the home of rich Indian merchants
0:34:02 > 0:34:05who travelled throughout the country.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17On their return home,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20they paid for their houses to be transformed
0:34:20 > 0:34:23into spectacular works of art.
0:34:38 > 0:34:44Every big house in the town of Mandawa was decorated with frescoes.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49But look closely and you can see some very bizarre images.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54They were inspired
0:34:54 > 0:34:57by the Indian merchants' dealings with the British.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05With these frescoes, the people of Mandawa
0:35:05 > 0:35:09had come up with a way of depicting their rulers.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19These exuberant paintings
0:35:19 > 0:35:22weren't done by artists who were shipped in, professionals,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24they were done by the local builders.
0:35:24 > 0:35:25And you can see it in the way they did it,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29because they were asked to paint all the excitement of new technology,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32railway trains, motor cars, that kind of thing.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35And a lot of portraits of the British
0:35:35 > 0:35:37with whom these people, the merchants, were doing trade.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39So what did they do?
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Well, they used illustrations, perhaps from magazines,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44or somebody told them what things looked like,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46and they just let their invention rip.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47This painter, for instance,
0:35:47 > 0:35:52has been told that a train is like houses on wheels.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Never seen a train, so what does he paint?
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Rows of little houses on wheels, with the passengers in,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02being pulled along by an engine.
0:36:02 > 0:36:03"What's an engine like?"
0:36:03 > 0:36:06"It's like a kind of bottle with steam coming out at the end."
0:36:06 > 0:36:07So what does he paint?
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Literally, a bottle
0:36:09 > 0:36:12with a funnel at the top and steam coming out.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The idea behind it, of course, is partly a sort of admiration
0:36:20 > 0:36:23for the British and their technological achievements,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26but there's also a sort of nice sense of mischief.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29You feel, with some of the figures,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32they're actually making fun of the rather upright and pompous
0:36:32 > 0:36:33British attitudes at the time.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06Kishore Thalia lives in one of the finest of these Indian merchants' houses.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15Look at this!
0:37:15 > 0:37:20The interior of his house is decorated in the traditional Indian style,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23as though the British had never arrived.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27This is ladies' courtyards.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28So this would be only for women?
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Only for women.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Before, ladies not allowed outside, so pray here.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36So they pray here and live here, really?
0:37:36 > 0:37:37- Yes.- Yes.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39What paintings do they have? What are these pictures?
0:37:39 > 0:37:42These are the Hindu god and goddess.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44So it's all religious?
0:37:44 > 0:37:48- All religion paintings.- Lovely.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54And these were painted by just the local person?
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- Lower caste, lower caste. - Lower caste?
0:37:57 > 0:38:00And upstairs, what was all this? Cos this is all painted too.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Look at the procession of elephants and horses
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and soldiers and...
0:38:05 > 0:38:06And that's a band, is it?
0:38:06 > 0:38:09- Is that musicians playing? - Yes, band, band.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11They look like soldiers, but they're musicians.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13So it's a wedding procession, is it?
0:38:13 > 0:38:16- A wedding procession.- Yes.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20- Are you married?- I am married.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Did you have a big wedding with bands and music and...?
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- Yes. - Did you? Did you have an elephant?
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- No elephant. Horse.- A horse?
0:38:27 > 0:38:28- Horse.- Did you ride the horse?
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- Yes.- Oh!
0:38:52 > 0:38:56The ancient traditions of India were to prove unyielding,
0:38:56 > 0:39:01despite British efforts to impose their own attitudes.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07It was a clash of cultures that couldn't be resolved.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17As the 19th century wore on,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Indians began to become discontented with British rule.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25They felt that the British were out to change their whole way of life,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28abolish their religious ceremonies,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31even possibly try and convert the country to Christianity.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33It came to a head in 1857,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37when soldiers in the Indian Army rose and killed their officers.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41And the mutiny quickly spread right across the country.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51The rebellion led to brutal atrocities on both sides.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59But the British emerged supreme.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09British artists were quick to show the revolt and its defeat
0:40:09 > 0:40:15as a triumph of imperial values over barbarism.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28The breaking of India set a pattern for the whole of the Empire,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32where disobedience was to be crushed without mercy.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- TANNOY:- 'The train now approaching Platform 2 is the...'
0:40:42 > 0:40:47Back home, people were adjusting to the demands of Empire.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Popular support couldn't be taken for granted
0:40:51 > 0:40:56and everything was done to encourage an imperial instinct.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Every new generation now had to be taught
0:41:03 > 0:41:05the importance of Empire.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10This is a book - An ABC For Baby Patriots
0:41:10 > 0:41:12by Mrs Ernest Ames.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15It's a sort of humorous look at the Empire,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18but, of course, it had a serious message behind it.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20A was for the Army.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22"B stands for Battles.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27"C is for Colonies Rightly we boast
0:41:27 > 0:41:31"That of all the great nations Great Britain has most."
0:41:31 > 0:41:33D. E. E!
0:41:33 > 0:41:36"E is our Empire
0:41:36 > 0:41:38"Where sun never sets
0:41:38 > 0:41:42"The larger we make it The bigger it gets."
0:41:42 > 0:41:44And F.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48"F is for flag Which wherever you see
0:41:48 > 0:41:52"You know that beneath it You're happy and free."
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Goodness, how times have changed!
0:42:03 > 0:42:06The job of Britain's public schools
0:42:06 > 0:42:10was to provide soldiers and civil servants to run the Empire.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19The ethos of service to Queen and country
0:42:19 > 0:42:24was taught not just in the classroom but on the playing fields.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28PLAYERS CHEER
0:42:28 > 0:42:31There's a famous poem about the role of sport,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34not just in school but in life, by Henry Newbolt -
0:42:34 > 0:42:37a poem that every schoolboy would have learnt.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40It begins with the captain of the team, at a desperate moment,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42putting his hand on the shoulder of a team-mate
0:42:42 > 0:42:46and saying, "Play up, play up and play the game."
0:42:46 > 0:42:50And then the scene moves to a battlefield in Africa,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53with the desert sand sodden with blood,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57with the machine gun jammed, the colonel dead, the line broken,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59and a voice is heard rallying the troops
0:42:59 > 0:43:05with that schoolboy cry, "Play up, play up and play the game."
0:43:08 > 0:43:10- SOLDIERS:- One!
0:43:10 > 0:43:12- Squad, two!- Two!
0:43:12 > 0:43:15- Squad, three!- Three!
0:43:16 > 0:43:19The lessons learnt at school
0:43:19 > 0:43:23were designed to be applied on battlefields across the globe.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31In the 1880s, as Britain expanded into Africa,
0:43:31 > 0:43:38a figure emerged who was seen to embody all the imperial virtues.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55This is General Charles Gordon,
0:43:55 > 0:43:59perhaps the greatest hero of the Empire.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03He sits, in this statue, on a camel,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06looking very glamorous with a fez,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10dressed in uniform with his medals.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13He was a professional soldier
0:44:13 > 0:44:19and he'd been on expeditions to Turkey, to India, to China,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21covering himself in great glory,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24famous among the British public for his deeds.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26But it was his final expedition
0:44:26 > 0:44:29which took him to the Sudan
0:44:29 > 0:44:33to relieve the besieged capital of Khartoum.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37And what made him an immortal to the British public
0:44:37 > 0:44:39was not what he achieved there
0:44:39 > 0:44:40but the way that he died.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Gordon chose to die rather than desert his post,
0:44:48 > 0:44:52inspiring the most famous portrait of Empire -
0:44:52 > 0:44:56GW Joy's Gordon's Last Stand.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03The image of the general nobly facing down the foreign hordes
0:45:03 > 0:45:07was irresistible to the British public.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20In death, Gordon was transformed from a soldier to a saint.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49Gordon's body was never found,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52so in the national hysteria that followed his death
0:45:52 > 0:45:55there was nothing for people to commemorate
0:45:55 > 0:45:59until they turned, as with all the great martyrs,
0:45:59 > 0:46:01to souvenirs of his life.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03There's an extraordinary collection of them.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07This is just a few of the objects that were left behind.
0:46:08 > 0:46:13This, for instance, is General Gordon's cigarette case.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16It was his only known indulgence, that he smoked cigarettes.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Otherwise he was a puritan in every way.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22And it actually has three cigarettes in it.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26Though whether they're from the time, I leave up to you to decide.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29Now, there's an interesting box here.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35This has got an extraordinary relic,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37a piece of paper,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40and on the paper it says,
0:46:40 > 0:46:45"A fly that walked the Gordon nose."
0:46:45 > 0:46:50And there is the little crushed body of the fly.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55Poor thing. Made a terrible mistake of walking Gordon's nose.
0:46:55 > 0:46:56I wonder how they got that.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01Now, the most remarkable memory of Gordon...
0:47:02 > 0:47:04This piece of stone
0:47:04 > 0:47:06is said to be the stone on which Gordon was standing
0:47:06 > 0:47:07when he was killed.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11This belonged to Queen Victoria, who was a great admirer of his.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15It's got this wreath of leaves in silver.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17But really interestingly,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21here, the date of his death and a Christian cross,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25almost like a saint's relic.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Of course, there's no way of authenticating any of these objects.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33But the almost-religious cult of Gordon
0:47:33 > 0:47:35marks the point when the pursuit of Empire
0:47:35 > 0:47:39becomes almost a medieval crusade.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47The public cried out for vengeance for Gordon's death.
0:47:47 > 0:47:52An army was sent to Africa under the slogan "Remember Gordon".
0:47:52 > 0:47:56And this time, they carried a new weapon -
0:47:56 > 0:47:59the world's first machine gun,
0:47:59 > 0:48:03invented in London by Hiram Maxim.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11As merchants of death go, it's very beautiful, isn't it?
0:48:11 > 0:48:13- It's a wonderful machine. - Beautiful.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16What was so special about it?
0:48:16 > 0:48:18What was it that Maxim achieved with this?
0:48:18 > 0:48:20Well, he was the first person
0:48:20 > 0:48:23to ever really make a fully automatic gun.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27Up till this time, somebody had to have hand power -
0:48:27 > 0:48:29they cranked it by hand,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33and you could only fire as fast as the man could go.
0:48:33 > 0:48:34But what Maxim discovered was,
0:48:34 > 0:48:39with all that force that came back from when you fire a rifle,
0:48:39 > 0:48:40you could use that force,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42and he invented this wonderful system
0:48:42 > 0:48:45that just kept it cycling around, the force loading, firing,
0:48:45 > 0:48:46and carrying on from there.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48And what was the effect of it on warfare?
0:48:48 > 0:48:52It just absolutely revolutionised the whole aspect of warfare.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57It made us realise that cavalry was now no longer of any use,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and you could take a whole...
0:48:59 > 0:49:03you could take six of these machines instead of six regiments
0:49:03 > 0:49:04and achieve exactly the same thing.
0:49:04 > 0:49:05What date is this one?
0:49:05 > 0:49:09This one was made in 1896.
0:49:09 > 0:49:111896.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13- Does it still fire?- Absolutely.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15It's in perfect working order.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17- Can I fire it?- You can.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19- You can give it the whole nine yards.- OK.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21I'll give you a pair of those things.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23It's a bicycle saddle.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28Safety catch off and fire.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32- Safety catch off and push forward. - OK, I'll give it a go.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38RAPID GUNFIRE
0:49:42 > 0:49:44RAPID GUNFIRE
0:49:55 > 0:49:58The British used the weapon without mercy
0:49:58 > 0:50:00in their campaigns in Africa.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08In 1898, they returned to the Sudan
0:50:08 > 0:50:12to meet Gordon's killers at the Battle of Omdurman.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23In the Maxim gun,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26the British Army had a weapon that made them unbeatable.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29It was mechanised slaughter.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31At the Battle of Omdurman,
0:50:31 > 0:50:3511,000 Sudanese were killed in one day,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38those that didn't die immediately left bleeding to death
0:50:38 > 0:50:40in the desert sand.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43The British commander, Lord Kitchener, said,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47"I think the enemy have had a good dusting."
0:50:51 > 0:50:57Once again, art was to sanitise the reality of Empire.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Paintings of the African wars were heroic...
0:51:03 > 0:51:06..romantic...
0:51:07 > 0:51:11..emphasising the bravery of the cavalry
0:51:11 > 0:51:14rather than the power of the Maxim gun.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22One of the most successful painters of the age, Richard Caton Woodville,
0:51:22 > 0:51:26became famous for his pictures of Britain's foreign battles.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35The story was always the same -
0:51:36 > 0:51:41the hardy British crushing the unruly natives.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50You can still see treasures plundered in these campaigns.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58Britain's rule and influence the world over
0:51:58 > 0:52:03meant many exceptional works of art found their way here.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19One notorious plunder occurred in 1897.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26These are the magnificent Benin Bronzes.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31They were looted by the British Army from the capital of Benin,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34from the kingdom in West Africa whose king had defied British rule.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40They went in, destroyed the city...
0:52:41 > 0:52:44and brought back 4,000 different objects,
0:52:44 > 0:52:48among them, these and many other beautiful brass plaques.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Some of them were sold to pay for the expedition,
0:52:55 > 0:52:56others were put on display.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00And the extraordinary thing is that when they were displayed here in London,
0:53:00 > 0:53:02people simply refused to believe
0:53:02 > 0:53:07they could have been done by the Africans in Benin.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11They thought this work was too fine.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13And it is very fine. The detail is wonderful.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16The faces and the hands and the decoration
0:53:16 > 0:53:19all beautifully, beautifully done.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31The message the British were sending to their colonies in Africa
0:53:31 > 0:53:35was that, "Seizing your treasure like this
0:53:35 > 0:53:39"is the price you'll pay for defiance."
0:53:47 > 0:53:52African art was itself to change under British rule.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57Artists acknowledged the power of the Empire
0:53:58 > 0:54:02as they created objects to please their new masters.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Thank you very much.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12This is a little wooden carving of Queen Victoria,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15made by the Yoruba people of West Africa.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18The person who did this would never have seen her.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20She never went on a state visit to Africa.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23She hardly went anywhere in her colonies.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25But they've got a very good likeness.
0:54:25 > 0:54:30Rather solemn, po-faced. Quite recognisable as Queen Victoria.
0:54:30 > 0:54:36She's got her crown, big bosom with string of pearls.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39She's got a rather grand dress on.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44Here a...fly swat or a fan - not quite sure which.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47But anyway, it's clearly Queen Victoria, and the point about this is,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52this is just one example of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of images
0:54:52 > 0:54:56of Queen Victoria which were used to represent the British Empire
0:54:56 > 0:54:58right round the globe.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01People who never saw her heard about her,
0:55:01 > 0:55:06knew that she was at the heart of it, the Great White Queen.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08She looks almost...
0:55:08 > 0:55:11not regal but divine here, like a god.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24The power of Victoria's image carried on beyond her death.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30In 1911, the Victoria Memorial by Thomas Brock was unveiled,
0:55:30 > 0:55:34blocking the view of Buckingham Palace.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49This statue is so familiar you barely notice it.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53It's almost part of the scenery, and yet, if you examine it closely,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55it's the most extraordinary celebration -
0:55:55 > 0:55:59not just of the Queen but of her Empire when it was at its peak.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06The scale of the monument is truly impressive.
0:56:07 > 0:56:13There sits the Queen on her throne, looking rather boot-faced
0:56:13 > 0:56:17and staring up across Westminster.
0:56:17 > 0:56:22Underneath, the inscription... "Victoria Regina Imperatrix" -
0:56:22 > 0:56:25"Victoria Queen Empress".
0:56:25 > 0:56:28And then on three sides,
0:56:28 > 0:56:34what were thought of as the virtues that Empire provided for the colonies -
0:56:34 > 0:56:37justice,
0:56:37 > 0:56:39truth
0:56:39 > 0:56:40and charity,
0:56:40 > 0:56:46interestingly shown as motherhood, the mother protecting her children.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51And the whole glorious marble fantasy
0:56:51 > 0:56:55crowned by the golden image of winged victory.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58Britain's triumph.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14By the time this grandiose memorial was unveiled,
0:57:14 > 0:57:17the cracks in Empire were already starting to show.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Independence movements were springing up, world war was looming,
0:57:21 > 0:57:23and within decades, those countries
0:57:23 > 0:57:27that Britain had thought of as her overseas possessions
0:57:27 > 0:57:29were starting to fall away,
0:57:29 > 0:57:33turning what had been planned as a celebration of Empire
0:57:33 > 0:57:36into its mausoleum.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd