0:00:31 > 0:00:34People come to the coast to indulge their passions.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41It's one of my ultimate heroes that's brought me here,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to the home turf of Horatio Nelson.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51I think there's something mesmerising about the sea that turns us all into dreamers,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and I suspect, as a boy, Nelson was no different.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00I imagine young Nelson coming here, looking out,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05dreaming of dashing victories, distant battles, faraway seas.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11But the truth is, not even his wildest dreams could have matched the reality of his own life.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18You've got to admire Nelson.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I think he was a tactical genius.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Without his naval victories over the French in the Napoleonic Wars,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Britannia wouldn't have ruled the waves.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32But mighty as Nelson's reputation is now,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36he was born into humble surroundings.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40On from The Wash, just a mile inland from the north Norfolk coast,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44is the small village of Burnham Thorpe.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Nelson was the son of the local parson here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53In 1787, during a period of peace,
0:01:53 > 0:01:5929-year-old now Captain Nelson was temporarily unemployed.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04So like many of us have, he moved back home,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08where he spent the next five years waiting for war.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12The parsonage at Burnham Thorpe is long gone,
0:02:12 > 0:02:13but its garden is still here,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and this is where he left a lasting legacy.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Frustrated not to be fighting the French,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Nelson did some digging instead.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29In fact, it's said that he dug out this pond.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31But he was still dreaming of the sea.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35He dug this pond to represent the deck of a ship.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40That's why this end is square - this is the stern, the back of the ship.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44If you imagine being at the top of the crow's-nest, on top of the mast,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47the whole thing narrows to a point 30-odd feet away.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49That's the bow, the pointy bit of the ship.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53It's a lot smaller than the gun deck of The Victory,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57but you can see that if all these lilies and all the grass and slime was scraped away,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00it would be quite obvious - it's shipshape.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06After five landlocked years,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Nelson was recalled to the Senior Service.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Finally, he was back at sea, where he belonged,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and 10 years later, he achieved his destiny
0:03:15 > 0:03:18onboard his flagship - The Victory.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It's impossible to walk through this village without constantly
0:03:22 > 0:03:26catching glimpses and reminders of the life and times of Nelson.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39As a parson's son, the church in Burnham Thorpe would have been a second home for Nelson,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44so it's fitting that memorabilia of my hero hangs from every wall.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And there's the man himself -
0:03:52 > 0:03:54a bust of Nelson -
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and he's looking over the graves of his mother and father.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Now, the great warrior wanted, at the end of everything,
0:04:01 > 0:04:08to rest in peace in this church beside the graves of his mother and father,
0:04:08 > 0:04:09but that didn't happen.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Nelson's mortal remains are in St Paul's Cathedral.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Boats were crucial to the culture of our early ancestors,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29a heritage that's alive and well around our coast.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32In living memory, sailing boats were still used
0:04:32 > 0:04:34as fishing and cargo vessels
0:04:34 > 0:04:36all around this coastline.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Today, enthusiasts prefer to race them.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51So Mark has risen early to join a crew on competition day.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03'Andy Harman, skipper of a Thames sailing barge, the Edme.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'He's hoping for a strong start.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:08GUNSHOT There's the gun.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Look at them all lined up down there!
0:05:12 > 0:05:16The secret to this racing lark is start first and finish first.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29The Edme's a Thames thoroughbred. Built of wood in 1898,
0:05:29 > 0:05:34they could achieve high speeds with a small crew.
0:05:34 > 0:05:41Today, a big group of enthusiasts bring these swift cargo carriers back to life by racing them.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45They do it for the sheer love of sail.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51GUNSHOT AND CHEERING
0:05:53 > 0:05:57'We finish first, but what counts is the camaraderie of the competitors
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'and the joy of handling a living piece of history.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'It's amazing that these vessels survive
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'despite the tide of progress.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11'People will go to extraordinary lengths
0:06:11 > 0:06:13'to preserve old working boats...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18'..even resurrecting their wrecks.'
0:06:21 > 0:06:24This is the remains of the Xanthe,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27an Essex fishing smack,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28about 100 years old.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40Look, you can see the ribs perfectly preserved under all this seaweed.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42This must be the stem.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46You can see it's all... Take the seaweed off,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49there she is.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Boats like this are actually worth a fortune.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56People spend something like £50,000 - £100,000
0:06:56 > 0:07:00restoring Essex fishing smacks like this.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05I just want to know what makes these boats quite so special.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13Smacks were workhorses, used for dredging and trawling.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16You appreciate their sheer beauty in action.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Cue another competition -
0:07:18 > 0:07:21oyster dredging this time.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23They love contests here.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24Hi.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- You must be Gerard. - Mark, hello. How are you doing?
0:07:29 > 0:07:33'I've joined the crew of the Kate, skippered by Gerard Swift.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38'Gerard and his wife Helen have lovingly restored this Essex smack.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'It's a far cry from the skeleton I've just seen in the mud.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:47So why are these oyster smacks so special?
0:07:47 > 0:07:50They're very graceful craft from a very much earlier...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Just work boats, but very yacht-like in their appearance
0:07:53 > 0:07:56with the long counter-stern. Very fast, easy boats to sail.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00For workboats, they were something really special.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The design frees up space to work at the stern.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08The three dredges are thrown overboard
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and hauled in at regular intervals.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14So you've got just enough sail to drag them along the bottom.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- Yeah, going along like a garden rake.- Here's the first catch.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Look at them all!
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Most of it's dead shell.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I've only got one.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25THEY LAUGH
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Not a good day in the oyster beds.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30We're in the wrong spot.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32How many do you reckon we're going to get?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I'd like about 10 kilo, that'd be nice.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Well, we've got four oysters at the moment.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42The competition has two prizes -
0:08:42 > 0:08:44one for the most oysters,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48another for the smack which dredges with the most style.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51That's bound to be us.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54What are the points that the judges are looking for?
0:08:54 > 0:08:58The boat going the right speed, the dredgers towing evenly, the boat in control,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02just going along whilst the guys work the dredgers basically.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05There's the judges boat over there. They're checking us out.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So what do you think you should mark the Kate?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- Certainly an eight.- An eight, yeah.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13'Eight out of ten isn't bad.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19'Right now, it's double our number of oysters, but the morning is still young.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21'The competition takes two hours...'
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- It's hard work.- Back-breaking.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'..by which time we're all exhausted.'
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- Is that it? - That's it, the last.- The last one.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33There's another one, Mark.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- Oh, fantastic!- And another.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41- Bonus time. I reckon the last has been our best.- Yes, it probably has.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45We haven't brought the greatest weight, I don't think.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46I'm sure we had the greatest style.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Hope so, hope so.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'We take our meagre catch to Packing Shed Island,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'where oysters have been packed for more than 100 years.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'The weigh-in is very strict.'
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Let's get ours weighed in, shall we?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- Moment of truth.- 2.8.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09'Needless to say, less than three kilos isn't a winning catch,
0:10:09 > 0:10:14'and we're robbed of the trophy for the most stylish dredging too.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17'But the real reward is in taking part,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21'putting these historic boats back to work,
0:10:21 > 0:10:26'dredging for oysters as they were perfectly built to do.'
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And so we're into the mighty Thames Estuary.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Just 12 miles out to sea from here,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50you're beyond our territorial waters.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Handy if you're in a business that's not strictly legal.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58In the 1960s, that was pirate radio.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Back then, listeners only had one option - the BBC -
0:11:03 > 0:11:07so a group of DJs took to the waves to broadcast their kind of music.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12They called their station Radio Caroline.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17One former DJ is off to visit a boat that rocked.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21# Her name is Caroline... #
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I'm Tom Anderson, and I was one of the last DJs on the Mi Amigo,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28the Radio Caroline ship, nearly 30 years ago.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I grew up in Clacton-on-Sea,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34where I saw the pirate-radio era start from my bedroom window.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35It was in my blood to start with,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39but the main reason it was Caroline, was the music.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42We were on the cutting edge of music at the time.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The whole operation was very clandestine,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49it was rough and ready. Often we ran out of very basic supplies.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54Sex and drugs and rock and roll? I doubt it very much, to be honest.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58We knew the boat was on its last legs, but we thought she was invincible,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00and when you're young you think you're invincible
0:12:00 > 0:12:04and none of us ever foresaw the day that she'd sink at sea.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'Well, we're sorry to tell you that due to the severe weather conditions,
0:12:08 > 0:12:14'and also to the fact that we're shipping quite a lot of water, we're closing down. Tom.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17'Yeah, it's not a very good occasion, really.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20'I'm going to have to hurry this because the lifeboat is standing by.'
0:12:20 > 0:12:24It's nearly 30 years ago that I uttered those words,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26and now I'm on my way back.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The Port Of London Authority regularly check wrecks in the area,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and they have allowed me to come along with them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Here we are at the moment, tracking along,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38then the wreck site is bounded by this red square.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40That's where we're heading.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Look forward to seeing my old home.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49So this is the 3D image of the wreck.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52That's superb, that really is incredible.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55The lifeboat approached us from this side here.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00We were told to bring nothing and I stuffed a carton of cigarettes up my jumper.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Absolutely everything went with it.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08There were some very valuable autographed copies of records by The Beatles that are no more.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Very sad.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17The pirates haven't sunk without trace.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Their off-shore antics ushered in commercial stations,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23which made radio broadcasting into a business.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Profit and loss are shipmates on this shore.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48The Thames was the revenue stream for the growth of Britain's capital.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56They're abandoned now, but the expansion of London's docks in the 19th century
0:13:56 > 0:13:59was built on global trade from the Empire.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08British companies enjoyed the freedom to sail the globe because the Royal Navy ruled the waves,
0:14:08 > 0:14:14thanks to the heroic efforts of a seafarer that London honoured in stone at the heart of the capital.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20By the time that Nelsons Column was completed in 1843,
0:14:20 > 0:14:26the true scale and significance of his victory at Trafalgar was plain for all to see.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36Nelson won his greatest and final victory in October 1805.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38The French fleet was crushed
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and the British Navy went virtually unchallenged
0:14:40 > 0:14:42for more than 100 years.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53The news of triumph and tragedy at Trafalgar
0:14:53 > 0:14:55was painfully slow to filter back to London.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58A small ship left the battle immediately
0:14:58 > 0:15:00with a message for the Lords of the Admiralty.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09On the night of 6th November, just after midnight, William Marsden,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11the First Secretary to the Admiralty,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14was still working in the boardroom.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Making his way to meet Marsden as fast as his horses could carry him
0:15:18 > 0:15:22was British Naval Officer Lieutenant John Richard Lapenotiere.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Just 37 hours earlier, his schooner, The Pickle, had docked at Falmouth,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31returning from the Battle Of Trafalgar.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Now, after 21 stops for fresh horses, the news had finally reached London.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Lapenotiere arrived exhausted into the cobbled courtyard of the Admiralty.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50He headed straight to the boardroom to deliver his bitter-sweet message
0:15:50 > 0:15:52to the First Secretary of the Admiralty.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00Sir, we have gained a great victory, but we have lost Lord Nelson.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08'If only these walls could talk.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11'Stepping into the Admiralty boardroom,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15'it looks almost exactly as it did to Nelson himself.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20'He'd come here to receive his orders ahead of the Battle Of Trafalgar.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25'The Lords of the Admiralty no longer sit here, so they're not here to meet me,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27'but Professor Andrew Lambert is,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31'an expert in naval history and as much of a Nelson fan as I am.'
0:16:31 > 0:16:36How much of a plan of battle did Nelson have?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39He's not such a fool as to have a detailed point-by-point plan
0:16:39 > 0:16:42because they always go wrong,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44so this is Nelson's concept of battle.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It's a very brief sketch jotted down on the back of an envelope.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Quite literally, it's a scrap piece of paper,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51and he shows this linear battle,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and we're going to have to break through the formation
0:16:54 > 0:16:57to set up this close-quarters or pell-mell battle,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02and great leadership is about setting up the position for his subordinates.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07He knows that if his captains and crews are led to battle in the right way, they can do the job.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Just how significant then was the victory at Trafalgar?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Trafalgar is the capstone on 150 years
0:17:14 > 0:17:18in which the British have gone from being a significant European player
0:17:18 > 0:17:21to being the first true global power.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Nelson is the capstone on that, so it's the defining moment
0:17:25 > 0:17:30when Britain goes from being a European power to being THE world power.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53After triumph at Trafalgar,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55the threat of invasion from France was gone,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and the Royal Navy reigned supreme.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11Nelson, the boy from Norfolk who stood on the shore and dreamt of glory at sea,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15had helped propel Britain into an unparalleled age of empire.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25From earliest times, the coast nurtured the people of our isles.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31It welcomed settlers and repelled invaders.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37Reaching out from the coast, the Empire would draw in more than 400 million people,
0:18:37 > 0:18:43enriching and expanding our small island with bonds across the seas.