0:00:02 > 0:00:04Pubs have been at the heart of Britain for hundreds of years.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Cheers, mucker.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08- In city taverns... - ..and village inns...
0:00:08 > 0:00:12..landlords have pulled pints for locals, travellers,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and, well, the odd King or two.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15'Myself included.'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Try and have a drink now!
0:00:20 > 0:00:23But, with 30 pubs closing every week,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25our historic taverns need defending.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We're heading out to discover amazing stories
0:00:30 > 0:00:32linked to the nation's watering holes.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- Not far to go.- How far?
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- Oh, couple of miles.- What?!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38From the Wars of the Roses...
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..to shipbuilding on the Clyde.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44We've ditched our bikes, so that we can sample and ale or two.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Get in!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47This is very good.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50So, join us for...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03With its harbour and shipping heritage, Bristol's long been
0:01:03 > 0:01:06a city of salty sea dogs, with tales by the barrel load.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11And today I'm on my tod,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14to delve into Bristol's murky seafaring past, through
0:01:14 > 0:01:17a tour of the pubs that refreshed its sailors after months at sea.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Land ahoy!
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Me old landlubber mate Si is stuck in port, so he's sent me
0:01:27 > 0:01:30on a solo voyage, down the West Country.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Avast, ye swabs!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Do you know, I haven't got a Scooby-Doo what all that means.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38But, you know, I bet they only said that after they'd
0:01:38 > 0:01:41been in the pub all night, drinking rum.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Talking of which...
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I'm heading back to the early 1700s,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51when Britannia really did rule the waves.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Britain's new world colonies kept merchant seamen
0:01:55 > 0:01:57busy on the transatlantic trade routes,
0:01:57 > 0:01:58and wars with foreign rivals
0:01:58 > 0:02:02meant demand was high for seamen in the Royal Navy, too.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And this bustling city's position in the South West made it
0:02:06 > 0:02:09an ideal gateway to this exciting, seafaring world.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Hello, mate.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16'Oh, and I've got a new first mate. Sorry Si!'
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I'm going to take a sneaky peek
0:02:19 > 0:02:20at an unusually named hostelry.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22The Hole In The Wall -
0:02:22 > 0:02:25it sounds like a hang-out for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27but, in fact, there is a hole.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It was a spy hole used by sailors
0:02:29 > 0:02:33to keep a lookout for evil villains, like press gangs
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and people offering you a PPI claim.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I'll tell you what, we need one of those down my local pub.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44This place is a sailor's paradise they reckon
0:02:44 > 0:02:46dates back to the 17th century.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Historian Dr Richard Stone
0:02:49 > 0:02:52knows all about its unique nautical story.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- Hello, Richard. It's lovely to meet you.- Yes, and you.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56So what sort of people would have used this pub?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Well, a lot of sailors would have used it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01There's a lot of pubs in the docks here in Bristol,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03about 180 in all just in this small area.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06You can imagine the thirsty sailors all diving in here, because they'd
0:03:06 > 0:03:09be coming from the four corners of the globe, in those days.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Yes, of course pubs are really important places for sailors.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17It's where they would have come to socialise, to drink, to stay, or even to look for work.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21But sometimes the work came looking for THEM.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Bands of Royal Navy recruiters, called press gangs, roamed
0:03:26 > 0:03:31the taverns of Bristol looking for sailors to force into naval service.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34But this pub had a trick up its sleeve.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36It's called The Hole In The Wall because one of its most unusual
0:03:36 > 0:03:40architectural features is this little slit window which,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42the story goes, that the sailors drinking here could
0:03:42 > 0:03:44station someone to look out of the window,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and then keep an eye out for any press gang who were coming along.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Right. And was there a very great fear of the press gangs?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Yeah, press gangs could be a real menace.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Basically, people weren't that willing to serve in the Navy.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Conditions weren't great, pay wasn't great,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02so they often had to be coerced into doing it by force.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- And were the press gangs violent? - Yes, they could be.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08They often had to use force to be able to recruit people.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Often someone would refuse, it would descend into a fight
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to get them to come along. They would deliberately
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- get people drunk as well.- Right. - Next thing you know,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- you'd wake up on board ship. - Oh, God.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And of course there's the famous King's shilling which you're
0:04:20 > 0:04:22given, literally as a sign you've joined the Navy.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- And how does that work?- It's literally something you'd be handed,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and then it would mean you became part of the Navy.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31But also they'd come up with all kinds of devious means - for example
0:04:31 > 0:04:34they might just literally drop it into someone's drink,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and then they suddenly discover they're part of the Navy.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Using a man's own pint of ale against him,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41how low can you get?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43But of course people got wise to this.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And so then they developed these glass-bottom tankards, so they could
0:04:46 > 0:04:50look in the bottom of it and check whether there was a coin there.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Blimey, all this talk is making me nervous.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Excuse me, Barman. Barman?
0:04:56 > 0:04:57I think it's off.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Someone want to keep an eye on that hole in the wall, I tell you.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04'Too right.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09'Those poor old sailors couldn't even relax down their local alehouse. Criminal!'
0:05:11 > 0:05:14As Bristol's shipping trade grew through the 17th and 18th centuries,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17it didn't just pack the pubs with thirsty sailors -
0:05:17 > 0:05:19it also provided the booze.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- Hello, James. Pleased to meet you. - And you too.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Writer and cider aficionado James Russell knows all about
0:05:28 > 0:05:31the tipples they would have enjoyed back then.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35He's even brought some drinks for us to sample.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Now, if we were two sailors, and we came into a 17th or 18th century
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Bristol tavern, what would our choice of drinks have been like?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46We would have been spoilt for choice, we could have had
0:05:46 > 0:05:49a glass of rum from the West Indies,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51some sherry from Spain,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53wine from France...
0:05:53 > 0:05:56This was because of Bristol's position as, like,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- a global importer.- Absolutely,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02we had all of this trade coming in, and then of course you had,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05more locally, cider which was being made just up the Severn...
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Right.- ..in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and sold here in the pubs as well as being exported.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16- Yes.- It was big business back in the 17th, 18th centuries.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20People were making a lot of money out of it, and around 10% of
0:06:20 > 0:06:25the land was put down to orchards because cider was so popular.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So was cider quite an egalitarian drink?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Was it for poor people, posh people, or everybody?
0:06:31 > 0:06:33You know what? That is exactly right.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37'Everyone drank cider - but some ciders were posher than others.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:39You know, you got your champagne cider.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40- This is the kind of thing... - CORK POPS
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- Whoa.- Oh. - ..that the gentry were drinking.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Charles II - very fond of a glass of cider.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52It would have been pretty expensive, and it was bottled here in Bristol.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Oh, that is very fine.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- Pretty clean. - That's pretty good, isn't it?
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Yes, it's the right kind of sweet and savoury...
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Oh, that's beautiful.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Well, apart from the sort of champagne cider
0:07:04 > 0:07:06you've got your West Country cider,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09known to a lot of people as scrumpy.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I've had some bad experiences with scrumpy,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14some of which I think will turn up on the internet one day.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'I hope this won't end up the same way!'
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Ooh, that's lovely.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It's quite sweet. It's got a taste of honey.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's very different to the scrumpy I know.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- "I am a cider drinker." Cheers. - Cheers.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Ooh-arr! Cider inside your insides - lovely!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Right, that's me all shipshape and Bristol fashion,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44ready to take on whatever comes next.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Whoa! Now, there's an expression.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It comes from when Bristol was famous for its tidal harbour.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52At low tide, there'd be no water at all,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56so the ships moored there would fall off the keel one way...
0:07:56 > 0:07:58or the other way.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The result was that unless everything was tidied away
0:08:01 > 0:08:03it would tumble all over the place.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Unless, of course, you were...
0:08:05 > 0:08:07shipshape and Bristol fashion.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11And, on the shipshaped
0:08:11 > 0:08:12streets of Bristol, you can
0:08:12 > 0:08:14learn more about the city's past
0:08:14 > 0:08:15from the pub signs.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Here's three faves
0:08:19 > 0:08:20from the ocean waves.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24The punters at The Ostrich Inn aren't the types
0:08:24 > 0:08:26to hide their heads in the sand,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29though they might have turned a blind eye over the centuries.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The pub boasts a cave supposedly used
0:08:32 > 0:08:33to hide smugglers' stash.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37The King William Ale House,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40on the other hand, couldn't be more regal.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45Sitting on King Street, its sign bears the Royal coat of arms.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47I wonder if my mate Kingy's ever visited.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48He'd fit right in.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52And The Golden Guinea in Redcliffe
0:08:52 > 0:08:54proudly displays the face
0:08:54 > 0:08:56of one of its reputed regulars -
0:08:56 > 0:08:59local boy Blackbeard the pirate.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Oh, he's got better chops than me.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Back on the streets of Bristol, I still want to know more
0:09:10 > 0:09:12about the city's seafaring story.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14So I've headed down to the harbour.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I love harbours, and back in the 1700s
0:09:19 > 0:09:22this place would have been so ram-jam packed with ships,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25it was possible to walk from one side to the other
0:09:25 > 0:09:26by stepping boat to boat.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But all these ships - who kept them seaworthy?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Here at the Underfall Boatyard,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36further west on Bristol's floating harbour, skilled craftspeople
0:09:36 > 0:09:41have been keeping the city's vessels afloat since shipping's golden age.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45A Bristol lad keeping these traditions alive today
0:09:45 > 0:09:47is boat builder John Raymond-Barker.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51He's showing me his latest restoration project.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- Hello, John. Dave. - Hello. Pleased to meet you.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Lovely to meet you. God, this is a proper boatyard, isn't it?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00- Yeah, yeah.- What a beautiful boat.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02She's an original pilot cutter.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Bristol Channel pilot cutters would transport specialised pilots
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to ships in the channel, for them to safely navigate vessels
0:10:10 > 0:10:13the final dangerous leg into harbour.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Historic valet parkers, if you like.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19We're restoring her ground up, really.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I mean, replacing most of her hull and planking.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And it's going to be used as a family vessel.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Gosh, what an heirloom.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- Do you want to come up and have a look?- Yeah. That'd be wonderful.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33'Wait for me, John!'
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- You're used to bouncing up these two at a time, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Bloomin' heck.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'By heck, he's like a mountain goat.'
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- What's she called, this one? - This one's called Breeze.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- Breeze.- 1887 she was built.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48One of the oldest pilot cutters surviving.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51We've been restoring her extensively.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54There's a fair bit of original boat still in her,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56and including the mast, which is down here...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- Oh, yes. - ..which is original pitch pine.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03But I think she'll be the only pilot boat with an original mast in her.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Fantastic.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Why specifically in Bristol did you need a pilot cutter?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The Bristol Channel is notorious for bad weather
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and very fast tidal streams,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14and a huge rise of tide.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So you've got something like I think, 13, 14 foot rise of tide.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Aye, aye. - And the Bristol pilotage was unique
0:11:20 > 0:11:22in the way that it was private.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26So throughout the rest of the country, pilots
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- were run by the council.- Yes.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30But in the Bristol Channel, they got paid
0:11:30 > 0:11:32by a percentage of the value of the cargo.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35So if you got the right cargo, you were a rich man.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'And the pilot cutters
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'made sure the valuable cargo of those large ships made it to shore.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I'm always impressed by the fact that these ships would navigate
0:11:44 > 0:11:46across the world and come back safely,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48I've no idea how they did it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It's hard to think that the last lap, you know,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- they needed somebody to park the car!- Yeah.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56This is wonderful, you should be very proud, John.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Well, thank you so much, and congratulations, she's beautiful.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Pleasure.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And boat builders weren't the only craftspeople needed to keep
0:12:06 > 0:12:08a busy port afloat.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Next door, in Underfall Boatyard, is blacksmith Joanna Williams,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15who is also keeping traditional skills alive.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- Hello, Joanna. Dave. - Oh, hiya, Dave.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- How are you?- I'm OK, thank you.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24It's amazing to see this in a boatyard
0:12:24 > 0:12:27but I suppose, you know, back in the 1700s -
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I suppose a boatyard, it had to have a blacksmith.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31But what sort of things were being made?
0:12:31 > 0:12:36They would have made things like this, which is a swivel shackle.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- So, that would have been used for some kind of rigging.- Yeah.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- And it would definitely hold quite a lot of tonnage.- Cor.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And then er...other sort of bits and pieces.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48So you'd actually even make the chain...
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Of course - when you think that the anchor chains
0:12:51 > 0:12:52- were made link by link.- Yep.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I suppose everything that was metal on a ship
0:12:55 > 0:12:56used to be made by the blacksmith.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Do you think they would have taken the blacksmith on board with them when they went to sea?
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- On long voyages they would have. - Yeah?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Blacksmiths travelled on large ships,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07on hand to repair any metal parts.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I don't fancy keeping that fire going on a wooden ship.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16The type of smithing that you're doing is, like,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19heritage blacksmithing, isn't it? It's the old ways.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I do traditional forge work, so I use all the traditional methods.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25I'll cut on the anvil...
0:13:25 > 0:13:27So, this is a very important part of your kit.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Yeah, my lovely, lovely anvil. Definitely.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Yeah?- And my favourite hammer.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34So, I'll fire weld...
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Fire welding, what's that?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39That's when you're actually joining two bits of metal together.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42So you bring it up to a really high, almost molten heat...
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- Yes.- ..and then you give it a hit, get loads and loads of sparks...
0:13:45 > 0:13:46I wonder, in those days
0:13:46 > 0:13:49do you think there were any women blacksmiths?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, I don't think there would have been any women on ships.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- No? - Let alone any woman blacksmiths.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Welcome to the 21st century. Yay!
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- OK, do you want to have a go at fire welding?- Yeah!
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Right. You'd better go and get your gear on.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Look at this.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You've got me all-new togs.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08'Well, there's a fire...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11'It can be all that different from cooking. Right?'
0:14:13 > 0:14:14My buckle's come off.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19'Maybe I can forge a new one. Hah!'
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Hey, Joanna.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- You can't tell I'm brand-new, can you? - SHE LAUGHS
0:14:24 > 0:14:27So I suppose this would be the most basic,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- like, simplest form of welding, isn't it?- Definitely.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32This is how everything was welded together before machines.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34OK, have a look...
0:14:34 > 0:14:35Cos that's white hot, isn't it?
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- Little bit hotter, put it back in. - That it, yeah?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39White heat.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40It's warm here, like.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42It's generally ME in the kitchen
0:14:42 > 0:14:45that's saying whether it's done or not.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48OK. Quickly...
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And then hit it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Hey!
0:14:52 > 0:14:54# If I had a hammer
0:14:54 > 0:14:55# I'd hammer in the morning
0:14:55 > 0:14:57# I'd hammer in the evening... #
0:14:57 > 0:14:59That's it. Excellent.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I nearly put your best hammer in the forge.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- There you go, you fire welded.- Hey!
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Is that done now? - That's it. Put it on the side...
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'Ooh, those blacksmiths back in the day,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17'they certainly earned their beer.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I tell you what though, Joanna, it's all very well doing it here,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22but can you imagine doing it on a rolling ship at sea?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24There'd be sparks everywhere.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- Now, you've probably got the thirstiest job, haven't you, really? The boatyard?- Definitely.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Thank you, Joanna, that was brilliant. Thank you.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- No worries.- Thank you.- Brilliant.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38And I know just the place to quench that thirst -
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Bristol's historic city centre.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Back in the 18th century,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47these streets were full of pubs packed with thirsty sailors.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Local history buff Mark Steeds
0:15:50 > 0:15:52is going to give me a guided tour.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- Hello, Mark.- Matey, how are you?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- It's great to meet you. - Great to meet you.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Aw, these streets are fab.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Just paint me a picture. What was life like on these streets in the 1700s?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05You had the docks right there, right into the heart of the city.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07You had Marsh Street just running off of it -
0:16:07 > 0:16:0937 pubs in that street.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10That's were all the lowlifes were,
0:16:10 > 0:16:14the ladies of the night, sailors, dockers... Everything.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Sounds great!
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Well! There was a pub there called The Jolly Sailor.- Yeah?
0:16:19 > 0:16:21That pub, the landlady got a bullet in the neck
0:16:21 > 0:16:22from one of the press gang.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Rule number one - don't shoot the landlady.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- Not if you want a drink.- No!
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Then you came into King Street just here,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32and you've still got the atmosphere and the feel
0:16:32 > 0:16:34in Bristol's most historic street.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- Right, lead on, Mark. - MARK LAUGHS
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- This street's alive with pubs, isn't it?- Cor, not half.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Yeah, we've got the Bunch Of Grapes there
0:16:44 > 0:16:46and then the Naval Volunteer...
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer? - Yeah.- That's a contradiction in terms, isn't it?
0:16:49 > 0:16:51They didn't have any choice, did they?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55They didn't have any choice. Cracked over the head, all sorts, just to get them there.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57No-one wanted to be in the Navy.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00That looks like an interesting pub, The Llandoger Trow.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02What on earth's a Llandoger trow?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Llandoger is a corruption of Llandogo,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07which is a place on the River Wye.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It harks back to Bristol's old trading days, and the trows,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14flat-bottomed boats that used to go across the Bristol Channel
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and trade with ports all up and down...
0:17:17 > 0:17:19They used to come over and deposit their goods here.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25'The Llandoger Trow's very first landlord was no landlubber.'
0:17:25 > 0:17:27The original pub was run by an old sea dog,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29a chap by the name of Hawkins,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- and he opened the pub in 1664.- Gosh!
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Around the time this pub first opened,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39the high seas were experiencing another big boom -
0:17:39 > 0:17:42in piracy. Arrr!
0:17:42 > 0:17:45One of the most notorious actually came from Bristol, Blackbeard.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47And he was quite a guy, he was.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Big black beard, he used to eat glass
0:17:49 > 0:17:52so his gums bled when he interrogated people.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55He had lighted tapers under his hat,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58he had all sorts of things to intimidate people. Quite a guy!
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Sounds like Si's doppelganger, if you ask me!
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Many a seafaring tale's been spun about Blackbeard,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and one of the most fearsome is how he died -
0:18:08 > 0:18:11on a ship, fighting some Royal Navy officers.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16In this fight, Blackbeard took 20 cuts to his body,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18five musket balls to him,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21when a Scottish seaman with his claymore took Blackbeard's head off.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And they picked Blackbeard's body up, threw it over the side
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and he swam three times round the ship before he went under.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30They picked up his head, pickled it,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32and then used it as a drinking vessel.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Wow, that's some ending!
0:18:35 > 0:18:38'Eugh! The only thing I like pickled in a pub is an egg.'
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Isn't it funny there's all these tales of daring-do
0:18:42 > 0:18:47around the world, and it all comes back to Bristol pubs.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51'And it's time for Mark and I to pop into one.'
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- Shall we? - Yes, come along, come along.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56'We'll have to toast old Blackbeard after all.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:01And I know another pub in Bristol
0:19:01 > 0:19:04where a pint could have you rolling down the aisles.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08It's time to meet... a local who loves his local.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14In the South Bristol area of Hartcliffe
0:19:14 > 0:19:17is the appropriately named Hartcliffe Inn.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And it's a right proper regulars' boozer,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23loved by local Geoff Snook.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26The Hartcliffe Inn is very much a local pub.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30There was a big protest when they attempted to close it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36Well, I started coming to the pub in 1978.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Jeff plays in the pub's skittles team.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Well, I play for two teams here.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45My daughter plays, my dad and mum both played,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47I've got three brothers and two sisters
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and over the years we've all played.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52My father-in-law still comes with us on Sundays,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54you know, and he's 85, so...
0:19:55 > 0:19:56There's a long tradition of skittles
0:19:56 > 0:20:00in the pubs of Bristol and the West Country,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03with unique rules and customs that have survived generations.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05And here in The Hartcliffe Inn,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09they're proud to keep the local game alive.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10It's a big community thing, really.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14It brings people here, and you know people from the other pubs.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16You know, a lot of them you only see once or twice a year
0:20:16 > 0:20:18but it's people you went to school with.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Which obviously in my case was a long time ago!
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It's not just skittles in the pub,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25they've got darts teams, they've got pool teams,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28they've got a motorcycle club, fishing club...
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It is the centre of the area for most people.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36In tough times for local pubs, this right fine boozer has kept itself
0:20:36 > 0:20:39at the heart of the local community,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and the skittles keep the punters coming back for more.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Skittles for the pubs in Bristol are vital.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Because during the week, you know,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50you're bringing in sort of 30, 40 people to the pub
0:20:50 > 0:20:51most nights of the week.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55You know, without those people in the pubs, the pubs will die.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57But we've already signed up for next season to play here
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and hopefully we'll continue to play here for a long time.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Back on the trail of Bristol's seafaring past,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I'm in the central neighbourhood of Redcliffe,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and off in search of a heavenly body.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Oo-er!
0:21:15 > 0:21:18There it is, the 7 Stars.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19It's named after the Plough -
0:21:19 > 0:21:22well, the part of the sky that even I can recognise.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Yonks ago, sailors would use that group of stars
0:21:25 > 0:21:27to navigate their way at sea.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29You know, it's pretty handy if you're in a force nine
0:21:29 > 0:21:32in the mid-Atlantic and you think to yourself,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35"Ooh, I've had enough of this. Where's the pub?"
0:21:35 > 0:21:37The answer is, it's written in the stars.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46This pub's been a sailors' tavern for centuries,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50but it's also connected to a vicious and shameful chapter
0:21:50 > 0:21:53in Bristol's maritime history.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- Steve. I'm Dave.- Dave, how are you? - I'm fine. Nice to meet you.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- Pleased to meet you. Can I get you a beer?- Lovely, yeah.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'Landlord of the 7 Stars Steve Smith can tell me more.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- There you are, my friend. - Aw. This is very welcome.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08We've been talking a lot about trade and the history
0:22:08 > 0:22:11of trade within Bristol, but there's like, one abominable trade
0:22:11 > 0:22:14that we haven't touched upon yet, and that's the slave trade.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's erm.... You know, it's a big part of Bristol's history.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And Bristol made huge sums of money out of the brokerage of slaves.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I mean, the trade in human life is absolutely shocking.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30In the 17th and 18th centuries, the British Empire
0:22:30 > 0:22:36took part in a deplorable triangular trade across the seas.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Britain shipped goods like guns and textiles to Africa,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43where they were exchanged for African prisoners.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Those poor souls were then shipped to plantations in the New World
0:22:46 > 0:22:49to work as slaves.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52They'd be sold, and that's where we really picked up the goods
0:22:52 > 0:22:53that made us the money -
0:22:53 > 0:22:58you know, tobacco, molasses, sugar, and that came back to the UK.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00The 7 Stars - what's its connection with the slave trade?
0:23:00 > 0:23:04The pub's been here for many hundred years, but its association with
0:23:04 > 0:23:09the slave trade is when a guy called Thomas Clarkson stayed here in 1787.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14A great abolitionist, hated the slave trade and everything about it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18But the landlord of this very pub, a chap named Thompson, also played
0:23:18 > 0:23:23a big part in this incredible story by becoming Clarkson's ally.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25They were on the same wavelength.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Thomas Clarkson, he made over 19 visits to Bristol.- Right.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And his sole driving idea was to pick up evidence
0:23:32 > 0:23:35of exactly the conditions these slaves were operating in.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37You know, they needed written statements
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- from sailors that'd been on the ships...- Yes.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42..and also what was used in the ships to chain the slaves -
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- be it the manacles...- Mm-hm.- ..or the chains. Atrocious conditions.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50So were there some moles in the industry that were helping Thompson and Clarkson?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Oh, without a doubt. It was those contacts that they put together
0:23:52 > 0:23:55over the course of his 19 visits to Bristol,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57and yes, they spill the beans.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The evidence Thompson and Clarkson collected
0:24:00 > 0:24:03helped make the case for the abolition of slavery.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Do you know, I think it's fantastic you can come to the 7 Stars,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10have a beer, and it's in a pub that witnessed
0:24:10 > 0:24:13such an important part of British history.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Here's to Thompson and Clarkson!
0:24:15 > 0:24:20MUSIC: The Tide Is High by The Paragons
0:24:20 > 0:24:26# The tide is high but I'm holding on...
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Today, Bristol is a very different place
0:24:28 > 0:24:30to the busy seaport of the 18th century,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and the slave trade a terrible memory.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38But it's still a place that celebrates its positive connections
0:24:38 > 0:24:39with the wider world.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Local poet and historian Dr Edson Burton
0:24:44 > 0:24:46is going to fill me in on that legacy.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48- Hello, Edson.- Hi.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- Pleased to meet you. - Good to meet you.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Do you know, I've been learning all about, you know,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54the slave trade and Bristol.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58You know, are modern Bristolians aware of that shameful past?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Well, yeah. Since the mid-nineties
0:25:00 > 0:25:03it's kind of grown in public awareness.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06It wasn't the first generation of people who came to England
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- who talked about the slave trade and got to know about it...- Right.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12..it was actually the second generation, people my age, who kind of
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- became aware of, "Hang on a minute, we're living in a city..."- Yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18"..that's related to the slave trade."
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'Edson's heritage is African-Caribbean,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'a community that thrives in Bristol today.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:27How long has the African-Caribbean community been in Bristol?
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Some people have thought that
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- that community was descended...- Yes. - ..straight from the slave trade, that's not the case.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Actually, the Caribbean population that's here -
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- that's second, third generation now...- Yeah.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41..have all come from the Caribbean, and many of them settled in other cities -
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Birmingham, Cardiff and London - and they came here because
0:25:44 > 0:25:48actually they've found that there's much more diversity of work here.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50But there's a real sort of cultural wind
0:25:50 > 0:25:51that's come with the Caribbean community
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and carnival is one of them -
0:25:53 > 0:25:56an attempt to give a really positive image to the city.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Bristol's St Pauls Carnival celebrates African-Caribbean culture
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and attracts tens of thousands of revellers.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07If you're a Bristolian, you know,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- it's a time when people got to eat the curried goat and the jerk chicken.- Oh, I love it. Yeah.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15I think that's one thing I'm proud of the British, the way we've embraced other food cultures.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Yeah, and I think, you know, over food we get to have conversations,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22get to build relationships, get to understand stuff.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Today in Bristol, you can get a bit of jerk chicken
0:26:26 > 0:26:29along with a pint down the local boozers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32But Edson's passionate about another Bristolian pub pastime.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36There's a really thriving poetry scene.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39There's a lot of these poets have really been nurtured in pubs
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and other spaces that we don't traditionally associate with poetry.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44So you've got your slam poetry,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47where poets go head-to-head in various rounds
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and they get whittled down by the audience
0:26:49 > 0:26:51who go, "Boo" or "Yay" or...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Would that happen in pubs, a poetry slam?- Yeah, it would.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I'll drink to that.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Come on, teach me how to become a slam poet.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Well, I thought we could have a bit of a laugh
0:26:59 > 0:27:01with a poem written in Jamaican Creole.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I'll give it a go. Do we do a verse each?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07So would we have like a face-off, like boxers?
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'This is one of Edson's poems -
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'I'd better not muck it up.'
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Still dis is a land of opportunity
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Come nuh, man, mek a lickle money
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Build up your pocket den build up your country
0:27:20 > 0:27:22But come, man, come to me
0:27:22 > 0:27:26'ere de woman they fall like a pear from the tree
0:27:26 > 0:27:29An all dem wan' to pick is we.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32It no matter whether you're red, black or ugly
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Mi know you have yu honey
0:27:34 > 0:27:37But come now, man, have a lickle fun with me.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41So nuh tarry book yu passage
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And when yu come bring bottle a rum
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Bring tale of Defreitas and John
0:27:47 > 0:27:48Bring mento record
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Bring piece a yam
0:27:50 > 0:27:52But I beg yu, man, come!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- 'Ey! That were brilliant. - How about that?
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- APPLAUSE - Thank you!
0:27:58 > 0:28:00'Come to Bristol.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01'Well, I'm glad I did.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'From scrumpy-drinking sailors
0:28:04 > 0:28:07'and smithing on the high seas,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09'right through to the end of slavery,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12'this has been a fascinating historic pub tour of the city.'
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Now, before I disappear,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20here's a quick question from the 7 Stars' pub quiz.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Author JK Rowling based her character Harry Potter
0:28:22 > 0:28:25on a young lad she met growing up where?
0:28:27 > 0:28:30If you said Bristol, give yourself a Brownie point.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33If you didn't, well, it's back to school for you,
0:28:33 > 0:28:34and we know that means Hogwarts.