0:00:26 > 0:00:29Hello. Today I'm on a journey in the east of England,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33travelling through the historic flatlands of South Lincolnshire.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43I'm starting my journey near Stamford at Burghley House,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47where I'll be granted a rare insight into the life of an amazing man
0:00:47 > 0:00:52who created this building and helped alter the course of British history.
0:00:53 > 0:00:59This is the draft in William Cecil's hand
0:00:59 > 0:01:03of the warrant to execute Mary, Queen of Scots.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05- THE draft?- THE draft.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09'Then I'll walk the course, getting a unique rider's eye view
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'of the hazards of Burghley's famous horse trials.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:13They have to jump off that.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18- Quite intimidating, isn't it? - It's quite spectacular, yes.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19'I'll travel northeast,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22'where I'll put my nose to the grindstone
0:01:22 > 0:01:27'discovering how the country's tallest windmill is being brought back to life.'
0:01:27 > 0:01:30The crowning glory will be when those sails go on.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33There might be an odd tear and bit of a shake in the voice
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and definitely a glass of champagne.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40'Pushing on west to Easton Gardens, I discover how one woman's passion
0:01:40 > 0:01:44'has reclaimed this 400 year-old lost treasure.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'And finally I'll come full circle back to where I started
0:01:51 > 0:01:55'as I get close and personal with endangered creatures from the deep
0:01:55 > 0:01:58'found in the lakes of Burghley House.'
0:01:58 > 0:01:59Oh, wow.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01They're tiny, aren't they?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And, along the way, I'll be looking back at the very best
0:02:04 > 0:02:07of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Lincolnshire is a county famous for its agriculture.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Its flat, fertile landscape makes it perfect farming country.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But it's also a place of great beauty and intriguing history.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I'm starting my journey just outside Stamford, which in days gone by
0:02:30 > 0:02:33was an important staging post on the route north to south.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38But the stone town's ancient architecture is outshone
0:02:38 > 0:02:41by the Tudor glory of nearby Burghley House,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45built by local man William Cecil in 1555.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49And it's here that I'm making my first stop.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52William Cecil, or Lord Burghley as he was also known,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55was at the heart of Queen Elizabeth I's court.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56But he went further than that.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01He was her confidante, influencing international events
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and shaping the course of our nation's history.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Philip, we are clearly heading up, but what's the destination?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Well, this is the original Tudor grand staircase
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and we are going up to a place which people don't normally get to see.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29'To find out more about the man and his house,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'I'm following estate manager, Philip Gompertz.'
0:03:32 > 0:03:36And here we are on the roof of Burghley.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37- The roof?- Yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- Wow!- Quite something, isn't it?
0:03:42 > 0:03:47It's incredible. What a landscape up here. All these pillars, what are they, chimneys?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Most are chimneys. A mixture of classical features you can see up here.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Burghley was very much influenced by the classical studies.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58You can see these Doric columns are chimneys. You've got pinnacles.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Triumphal arches. Obelisks.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's showing his new-found knowledge and wealth that he had.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- He was showing that off to the people.- What an unusual space.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11It's a bold statement, isn't it? So, why this, why here?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13He built it for one main reason,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and that was to entertain and flatter Queen Elizabeth I.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22- The Queen? So she would have come here, would she?- She was meant to come here in 1565.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24She was due to visit Lord Burghley here.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Unfortunately, his daughter caught smallpox the day before she was due to arrive
0:04:28 > 0:04:34and the Queen ended up staying in a local convent nearby and she never ended up staying here.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37And this was slightly to prove himself. I mean, he was new money.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- He wasn't old aristocracy. - He wasn't actually aristocracy.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43His father was in the court but from a farming background.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47You can see a number of locations on the roof where there are reminiscences of that.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The wheatsheaf on the coat of arms which shows his origins as a family.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The chimneys here were showing that he had this classical knowledge,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59but the number of chimneys is showing off there number of rooms he had in his new house
0:04:59 > 0:05:01and the number of servants he had.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The more smoke you saw meant more wealth at the time.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It's very ornate up here.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It looks like it's to be enjoyed. There's the staircase we came up.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Most houses wouldn't have stairs to the roof. So would he have been up here?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It's designed to be used and enjoyed, quite frankly.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It's a place where people have walked around up here
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and discussed matters of state without being overheard.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25It's a place where he could bring his guests onto the roof
0:05:25 > 0:05:29and look out over his estate and say, "Look what I've become now."
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- A little bit of showing off but a bit of secrecy in there as well?- Absolutely.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44It's said that, in his day, William Cecil was the most powerful non-royal alive.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50His position helped him consolidate the influence and wealth
0:05:50 > 0:05:55that enabled him to create the magnificence of Burghley House.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I'm on my way to meet house curator, Jon Culverhouse
0:05:59 > 0:06:02to see something truly remarkable that shows,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05not only was William Cecil a powerful statesman,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08he was also a spy.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09This is a remarkable document.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It's remarkable, it's a beautiful thing,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16but it's remarkable because at the time, in William Cecil's time,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18it was a working document.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20This was his atlas.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. It dates from, this edition, 1561.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I don't think I've ever seen a map from this time
0:06:28 > 0:06:32and it's just so beautifully decorated and so detailed.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34And hand-coloured, of course.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37These maps of the Continent are very accurate.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41You could pretty much find your way around now.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45OK, this is Gaul, France.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46Southern coast of England.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51The coast of France right the way down to Spain in the south.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56But, on the back of the page referring to France, is the treasurer's hand.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01And what he's doing here is recording the various ports,
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Bordeaux, Nimes.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04He's recording the ports
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and then here he's writing who is in charge of the various towns.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14He's writing about the size of the garrison of these port towns.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Who is the man in command.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Who is the night commander you see if you want something done. This is intelligence.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25It is intelligence, isn't it? The movers and shakers and military strength in different places.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Intelligence gathering. This is 16th century James Bond.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So he was involved in intelligence gathering abroad
0:07:31 > 0:07:35but also he had quite potent domestic power, didn't he?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39He was a force to be reckoned with. He was right behind the Queen.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44He and Walsingham probably just about ran this country together.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46He was involved in everything that went on.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51There was nothing that the court did, that Elizabeth did, that he didn't have a hand in.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Including some of Elizabeth's biggest decisions she had to make?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57The very biggest.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01The biggest of which was probably the awful decision to execute her cousin.
0:08:01 > 0:08:08'And it's this that starkly illustrates William Cecil's influence over historic events.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13'When Queen Mary abdicated the Scottish throne and fled to England in 1567,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17'her cousin Queen Elizabeth granted her a safe haven.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'But when plots and rumours began to circulate
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'that Catholic Mary was looking to usurp Protestant Elizabeth,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28'her courtiers knew that action had to be taken.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32'It was William Cecil who put before the Queen a royal warrant
0:08:32 > 0:08:36'suggesting she execute her own cousin.'
0:08:36 > 0:08:41It was a very major thing to actually get rid of Mary.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46How can we be sure today that he had such a hand in this?
0:08:46 > 0:08:47This document.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52This is the draft, in William Cecil's hand,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56of the warrant to execute Mary, Queen of Scots.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- THE draft?- THE draft.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03From this, he made a fair copy which was then taken to the Queen
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and she was persuaded to sign it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09You can see it's an emotional document.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12This is his hurried hand if you like.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17And here we get a sense of just how delicate he had to be.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20He's choosing and crossing out his words carefully.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24It's written in such a way that he can persuade the Queen.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Nobody knew her better.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29He was the man who really understood what she was all about.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- There's a narrative here, a thought process going on on the page. - As he does it.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And so, when he'd put this together
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and was happy with it, he then had the fair copy drawn up
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and presented it to the Queen.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It's one thing to gently whisper this in someone's ear.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- It's another to commit it to writing.- Yeah.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Only someone very close to the Queen could do this.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I think probably only Cecil himself.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57He was as close to her as anybody was in court.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It's pretty commonly thought that she signed it
0:10:00 > 0:10:04with the thought that she would have time to recant
0:10:04 > 0:10:06and say, "I didn't quite mean that."
0:10:06 > 0:10:10But in fact, what happened was, the moment the ink was dry on the signature,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Cecil has it galloped up to Fotheringhay the next day,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18where the Queen was being held, and she was executed within 24 hours.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21So that there was no time to go back
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and Elizabeth was deeply shocked and furious.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30She exiled Cecil from the court and Cecil was in disgrace for three months.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It's an incredible privilege to be here with this actual document,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36which, to some extent, changed history.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Yeah, the real thing is quite remarkable.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45The sense of power and everything else that was put into this document
0:10:45 > 0:10:47is there in this man's handwriting.
0:10:47 > 0:10:53I think to see it in the flesh, as it were, is a very powerful and rare privilege.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55This is England in the making.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09'Thousands of tourists come here to see the beautiful building that William Cecil created.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'It really is a magnificent place.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'But thanks to those documents, I also feel I now have a grasp
0:11:15 > 0:11:20'on the secret history of both the house and the man.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32'Just beyond Burghley House, lies the local town of Stamford.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'William Cecil's wealth also helped revive
0:11:34 > 0:11:40'the fortunes of this whole community in the 1500s.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'Jonathan Foyle stopped off there to find out more.'
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Between Burghley's gatehouse and the River Welland,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50lies the main approach into Stamford called High Street St Martin's
0:11:50 > 0:11:54and the Cecils' influence can be seen from one end to the other.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Through a mixture of money and canny business sense, Cecil transformed
0:11:58 > 0:12:01a medieval street into one of the finest highways in Britain.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06When we talk about "high" in terms of high street and highway,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10it has since the ninth century meant a primary route.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12There are over 5,000 high streets in Britain
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and, as they were the premier routes into town,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17they became the focus of high fashion.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28By about the 1720s,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31architectural pattern books were becoming popular.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33The pattern book is a way of giving you a manual
0:12:33 > 0:12:38so you could copy the most fashionable styles from the capital and the great architects.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Now, this sort of chunky style became the Stamford style.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46And it owes its origins to James Gibbs, the Scottish architect
0:12:46 > 0:12:49who built the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields
0:12:49 > 0:12:50by Trafalgar Square.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55And these great blocks that march around the windows and doors are called Gibbs architraves.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Stamford, the first major town north of London, loved it.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Balconies were all the rage in the Regency period
0:13:02 > 0:13:05when it was much more acceptable to just show off,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08so imagine the age of the stagecoach.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Coming into town would be 40 coaches a day bringing not just mail
0:13:11 > 0:13:15but people of fashion and influence who were looking for places to lodge,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18people to spend their time with and places to spend their money.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21This was a spectator sport.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Stamford's wealth was built on the back of these fashionable travellers.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Inns provided a fresh change of horse and, in an age before hotels,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32a safe place to spend the night.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Martin Smith is an expert on Stamford's coaching inns
0:13:35 > 0:13:40and one of its most famous is the George near the river end of High Street St Martin's.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45The structure of the whole building was based around this access route through,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and this would have been open to the elements
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and horses and carriages and dung on the floor, probably.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53And we can see scrape marks on the side.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And there's wagers actually in the early 19th century
0:13:57 > 0:14:01to come down High Street St Martin's and do a right-angled turn
0:14:01 > 0:14:05the quickest you could, through into this access route.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07So this whole building would be rumbling
0:14:07 > 0:14:09with the weight of vehicles, horses,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11from the 17th century onwards.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15As traffic increased between London and York, the George
0:14:15 > 0:14:18expanded its accommodation providing a welcome home from home.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21And here is this fantastic Georgian wing,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24which is like an actual whole Georgian street.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26It is, that is no normal-looking B&B.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28The Cecils of Burghley House were paying for this,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32so they put in the best they could to cater for the traveller.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35You'd be wrong to think High Street St Martins
0:14:35 > 0:14:38is all coaching inns and period des reses.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43At the end of the street we find what looks like a row of quaint cottages.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47But how can such lowly buildings occupy such a prime site?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Well, they're not cottages, but almshouses.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Almshouses are really an early form of terrace,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56more or less identical houses united behind one facade
0:14:56 > 0:14:59but they come from an older tradition, the monastic cloister
0:14:59 > 0:15:02or the college quad, only here they are not enclosed,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05they are broken open to display the charity
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and the piety of the person who paid for them to be built.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11And the builder, William Cecil.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15William Cecil's houses top and tail St Martin's.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18From the palatial Burghley which showcases how powerful he was,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22to the humble almshouses revealing his pious charity.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24By the north side of the almshouses
0:15:24 > 0:15:26there is the bridge over the River Welland,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and here St Martin's ends and Stamford proper begins.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Right by the stone ford from which the Anglo-Saxons drew the name,
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Stamford.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38You could say that this is the end of this leg of the great coaching route
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and the baton is handed on to the succession of communities
0:15:41 > 0:15:44who all drew from and contributed to the Great North Road.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51Back down the road at Burghley House I've come out into the 2,000 acres
0:15:51 > 0:15:55of surrounding parkland to find out about a world-class sporting event
0:15:55 > 0:15:56that is helping secure
0:15:56 > 0:15:59the estate's financial future.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04COMMENTATOR: Andrew's focus, unmistakable.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07To come back and jump straight into water,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Armada is answering all of the questions with absolute ease.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Burghley Horse trials is one of the main events in the equestrian calendar.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20It's one of only three worldwide events with a four-star rating,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and the course here at Burghley is known to be very technical,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27requiring skill and endurance from both horse and rider.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And its four-star rating means
0:16:29 > 0:16:33it ranks as the most challenging level for an equestrian event.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37'Just that one unfortunate fall.'
0:16:37 > 0:16:41This year the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials are celebrating their 50th birthday,
0:16:41 > 0:16:46and who better to show me what goes into staging the event
0:16:46 > 0:16:48than clerk of the course, Philip Herbert.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Now I'm not exactly au fait with all things equestrian
0:16:55 > 0:16:58so what happens here in a horse trial over three days?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00This is what is called a three-day event.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04- Which strangely enough takes place over four days.- Oh, OK.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09And traditionally the three days have the three different tests.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The first day is dressage, the second day is for cross country,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16and the third day is for showjumping.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Because we have more entries these days than there were originally,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21it takes two days to do all the dressage,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24so that takes place on Thursday and Friday,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and then Saturday is the big day which is when my side of things
0:17:27 > 0:17:29comes into play which is the cross country.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Burghley held the first World Championships in 1966
0:17:34 > 0:17:39and has staged more international championships than any other venue.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's down to staff like Philip and the course designers
0:17:43 > 0:17:46to make sure it retains its prestige status.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So he's taking me for a closer look at one of the jumps
0:17:49 > 0:17:52the cross-country course is famous for.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54The Leaf Pit.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'And head now towards the Leaf Pit.'
0:17:57 > 0:18:01'He can attack this, which he does.'
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The log we're walking up to here is actually the alternative,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07the easy alternative, of the obstacle.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11The actual question is jumping down the step over here.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13So horses are coming this way.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14From that direction.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And they come to the edge of the step here,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and they have to jump off that,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and then there will be another obstacle at the bottom
0:18:21 > 0:18:24which isn't there at the moment, which they will jump next.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25That's quite a leap.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30I wouldn't be that happy jumping off it right now with no horse,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33but sitting a lot higher, it is quite intimidating, isn't it?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35It is quite spectacular, yes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'Probably route one.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40'That unique style of riding.'
0:18:40 > 0:18:42How dangerous is this?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46There is some danger in the sport, isn't there? That is the challenge.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50When you get on a horse and you ride it at over 20 mph
0:18:50 > 0:18:53up to solid obstacles, inevitably there is some danger there,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57but we manage the danger in the best possible way we can,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00by the way the profiles of the fences are designed,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and we also have safety systems we incorporate into some of the fences.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08And what's the challenge here, in terms of what skills it brings out of the rider,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10what are you looking for in this kind of obstacle?
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The three-day event is the all-round test for a horse
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and they have to do the dressage first which is the obedience test
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and they do certain movements,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and then they have to be bold and brave and agile
0:19:21 > 0:19:23to do the cross country,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25then they have to come back on the third day,
0:19:25 > 0:19:26or the fourth day as it is now,
0:19:26 > 0:19:27and do the showjumping
0:19:27 > 0:19:31which shows that they are still fit and sound and agile enough
0:19:31 > 0:19:32to jump the knock-down fences,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35so it covers the whole range of equestrian skills.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38And when you design this, do you jump on a horse
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and test out the course once you've put it all up?
0:19:41 > 0:19:45No, the course is never tested by anyone beforehand.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47The first rider is the tester of it.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48I find that extraordinary.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51So how do you know if you have designed it so that it is rideable?
0:19:51 > 0:19:55The course designer, Captain Mark Phillips, who does the job now
0:19:55 > 0:19:57is an extremely experienced horseman
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and he is spending his whole life looking at horses jumping obstacles,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04and he has a very good idea in his mind of exactly what a horse can and can't do.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And then we have a whole panel of inspectors that come round
0:20:07 > 0:20:11and make sure it complies with the rules, and it is all safe and suitable.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14This is one of the leading events in the world,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16it is run at the top level of competition,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and in fact it is one of the few events
0:20:18 > 0:20:21that has never been cancelled or abandoned,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23it's run every single year since 1961.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Crikey, some British determination in there, isn't there?
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Even on foot you get a sense of just how tough this course is going to be.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35When Adam Henson travelled to these parts,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38he sampled a much more sedate use of the Lincolnshire countryside.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42This big sky county makes it perfect for bird-watching.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47It also boasts some of the best soil in the country, ideal for growing crops.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51I'm in Deeping St Nicholas
0:20:51 > 0:20:54to meet a farmer who's passionate about this landscape
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and the birdlife that thrives here.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00He has an MBE for a lifetime's dedication to farming and conservation,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and last year he was the Countryside Farmer of the Year.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07And to meet him, you have to be up very early.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Yes?
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Hello, Nicholas.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20- Great to see you.- Hello.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Now tell me, how long have you been watching birds?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Well, since I was about this high, I suppose.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29In fact, I fell out my first tree when I was nine.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31I know we haven't got many trees around here,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33and I was in bathing trunks.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34And I fell into a bed of nettles.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Goodness me! And it didn't put you off?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39No!
0:21:39 > 0:21:43You've been looking after them for a long time, how did that get started?
0:21:43 > 0:21:47I suppose in 1982 I wanted to know what birds were breeding on my farm
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and so I came down the farm here with a map
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and a pen and a pair of binoculars and recorded what I saw and heard.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57By doing that I know what's declining,
0:21:57 > 0:22:03and through my surveys on my farms and other people's farms,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I can see what is working and what isn't working,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08so then I do my conservation measures
0:22:08 > 0:22:10to fit things that are not doing very well.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Amazing. I'd love to have a look round.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Yes, OK, let's go.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Nicholas has monitored the birds on his farm for 30 years
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and he's found that numbers have been falling steadily.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Why do you think that farmland birds have decreased?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Well, quite simply we've been farming too well.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We've got a good armoury of weedkillers,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34so now in a field of wheat there needn't be any weeds
0:22:34 > 0:22:36if the farmer does his job properly,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and the insects live on the weeds,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43the birds need the insects to feed their young,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and when you have got two large fields of wheat,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48or even three large fields of wheat, next to one another,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50with no weeds in,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52where will birds find the insects to feed their young?
0:22:52 > 0:22:55On your farm you have done a lot to change that.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Yes, we have.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01We have planted hedges, we have widened dykes into ponds,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03we've put nest boxes up,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05put islands in these ponds we've dug,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09and we've also got these cultivated margins.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11They're probably the biggest asset of all.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15A lot of farmers would find it probably quite onerous
0:23:15 > 0:23:17and many would claim they wouldn't have the time
0:23:17 > 0:23:20to be able to put something back and get the birds here again.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Well, where there's a will, there's a way.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25But tragically though, where there isn't a will,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27there very often isn't a way.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29But it's not too difficult.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33There are prescriptions for farmers to get paid for doing these things,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and we are guardians of the countryside,
0:23:36 > 0:23:37and we should acknowledge that,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and get on and try and bring farmland birds back.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46To monitor the birds on his farm,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Nicholas keeps an eye on any newborn chicks.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So what are you doing here then, Nicholas?
0:23:50 > 0:23:55I am putting a ring on these tree sparrow legs.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I've been monitoring the nest boxes,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00we have put up 20 nest boxes for tree sparrows
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and nearly all of them have been taken up.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05We can follow their progress?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I wouldn't say follow their progress,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10but there is a chance that one of these might be found somewhere.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Each ring has a different number on, and it has an address on it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16We know where it started life,
0:24:16 > 0:24:21and when it's found it could be we know where it finishes its life.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24You know how successful they have been, how long they have lived,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- how far they have gone. - That's right.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27I've got three nest boxes
0:24:27 > 0:24:31where they are actually having three broods this year.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So there is obviously plenty of food around,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and the sort of ponds that I've dug and the hedges I've planted
0:24:38 > 0:24:40are actually working.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Nicholas grows organic, arable crops on this farm and like most farmers
0:24:46 > 0:24:49he is always on the lookout to diversify.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54By chance, he discovered a way of combining his love of birds and making his land work.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Now with all your passion for farm birds,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00you're now growing this great big field of sunflowers, just for birdseed.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01How did the idea come about?
0:25:01 > 0:25:06We started feeding the birds in the winter in our farmyards.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08And we had such a lot of birds,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11800 buntings and finches at any one time,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15it was a spectacle, so we had an open day.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And at that open day, two or three people said,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20"Can you sell me any bird food?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23"You must be feeding them with some good stuff."
0:25:23 > 0:25:25But the truth was, we weren't.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29But, you know, a few years later we started growing sunflowers
0:25:29 > 0:25:32because they were far more nutritious than the rape
0:25:32 > 0:25:34that we were selling then.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36And here we are today.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38So how many acres in total, just for the birds?
0:25:38 > 0:25:39400.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Goodness me!
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Making a bit of money?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Well, I'm not a very good accountant,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48but we are keeping our heads above water, anyway.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Sounds like something I should do back home!
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Nicolas is being modest.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56He's now the biggest bird seed grower in the UK,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and sells 1,500 tonnes of it a year.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Alongside the sunflower seed he also grows millet, maize,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03and wheat, to name a few.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05After the seed is harvested,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08it is cleaned and separated from stalks,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11then it all gets mixed up into different bird recipes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Then if flies off the shelves to homes across the country.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24On my travels through South Lincolnshire,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I have left Burghley House behind me
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and I am travelling northeast to the village of Moulton.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Wow!
0:26:36 > 0:26:38What an incredible building.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40This is Moulton windmill.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It was built in 1822.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Unfortunately it has stood idle for the last 15 years,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48but I hear that's about to change.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Janet, how are you?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- Very well, thank you.- Good. Very busy up here, what is going on?
0:26:56 > 0:26:57It is busy.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00We are finishing off the last of the shutters ready for the sails.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Getting the shutters ready for the sails. This is what?
0:27:03 > 0:27:05A shutter?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08This is a shutter. This is number 208.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So the very last one that I am stitching now.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15And where is this, pardon my windmill ignorance,
0:27:15 > 0:27:16where is this going to go?
0:27:16 > 0:27:17This sits on the sail stock,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20so basically you have a piece of wood that sits in the middle
0:27:20 > 0:27:22with a shutter either side,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26and this allows us to actually catch the wind to push the sails round.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28So it works a bit like a Venetian blind.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Once this shutter's stitched, it is coated with two coats
0:27:32 > 0:27:35of this white paint, and that just seals the shutter then,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38and makes it weatherproof.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40The other bit it does is it makes that canvas taut.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43As you can see on this at the minute, it is a bit baggy.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46That just tightens it all up so it shrinks the canvas.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Very good. And a chain gang in operation behind us moving them all.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53This is a lot of work. You have been going for how long now?
0:27:53 > 0:27:55We started the project in 1998,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58and the majority of the group involved in the project
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- were here back in those early days.- Goodness.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04I think it's just the sense of community we get from this building,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06it really is special. It gets under your skin.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18You don't have to be a geographer to look across and see this part
0:28:18 > 0:28:21of Lincolnshire is very flat. It's ideal for these buildings.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Yes, and in this area alone,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27there were over 300 windmills throughout Lincolnshire.
0:28:27 > 0:28:33In this parish there were 12 working windmills and now we're down to one.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36And if we don't save those buildings, where has our identity gone?
0:28:38 > 0:28:43When these go up, how big is this windmill going to be?
0:28:43 > 0:28:45We are the biggest, or we will be the biggest,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47so as soon as the sails go on
0:28:47 > 0:28:50we'll ask the Guinness Book of Records to get that listing correct.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53At the minute, that goes to Maud Foster in Boston.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55I'm sorry, we are going to have that title.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- A bit of windmill competition. - There is, yes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00The crowning glory will be when those sails go on,
0:29:00 > 0:29:04and there might be an odd tear and a little bit of a shake in the voice.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Definitely a glass of champagne.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Despite losing its sails in a storm in 1822,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14this mill was working until just 15 years ago.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18And to find out what this windmill was like in its prime,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I'm heading down to meet the last miller of Moulton,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23John Biggadike.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26This building lost its sails over 100 years ago.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29- That's right.- How have people been milling here ever since?
0:29:29 > 0:29:34At the time it was let to another flour miller, Mr Tindall,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and he was a very enterprising miller,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40and he bought the mill at Holbeach and moved there eventually.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44But at that time he brought in a steam engine.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Obviously with engine power you can mill every day.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53When you are waiting on the sails, you wait for the wind to blow.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57And also, looking around, there are some peculiar things.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00What would this, this looks like a lethal acorn,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02but what actually is it?
0:30:02 > 0:30:06I think it is part and parcel from the old windmill days,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09to hang on the sails, on the chains behind the sails.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12So that would open up or close up the shutters on the sails?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15They will require the same thing or some newer ones
0:30:15 > 0:30:17when they get the restoration.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28How do you feel about the local people here, the community,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30taking this on, it restoring it and putting sails on?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33It's the best thing that could ever happen to it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38In all my career I wanted to see it, hopefully, preserved.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42If any mill in this country is worth preserving, it is this one,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46because it is the biggest and tallest that you come across.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48I'm not saying that cos it was mine.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Because I've been in a good many, and that is a fact.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53It really is a Rolls-Royce of a mill,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56there's not another one like it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Without doubt this is an incredibly unique place.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06I love all the original features, the machine parts,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09there's 100-year-old graffiti from some of the millers here,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13and this great big solid, towering building.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16But what is so important is that once this place
0:31:16 > 0:31:19was at the centre of local food production,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22and now thanks to everyone's efforts here
0:31:22 > 0:31:24it is once again a community space,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28it is once again at the heart and soul of Moulton.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33James Wong learnt all about
0:31:33 > 0:31:37another of the region's traditional industries, farming.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Rather than plucking fruit or pulling up veg,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42he was tiptoeing through the tulips.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46I'm really lucky to see a field like this in the UK nowadays.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50It is becoming an increasingly rare sight.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52But just 50 years ago flower fields
0:31:52 > 0:31:56were a really common part of the landscape in these parts.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00The family of farmers responsible for this dazzling display
0:32:00 > 0:32:04have been growing for the cut flower market since the 1950s.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07They remember when their nursery here
0:32:07 > 0:32:09alongside the flat plains of Lincolnshire
0:32:09 > 0:32:11was surrounded by flower farms.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13It wasn't that many years ago
0:32:13 > 0:32:15when there used to be literally coach trips round here.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18People would come from all over the country, have an evening
0:32:18 > 0:32:21in the area and have the coach trip round the bulb fields.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Daffodils, tulips, whatever.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- No need for a flight to Amsterdam. - No.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30In fact, back in the '50s and '60s,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33this was a vibrant economy of flower growers.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36NEWSREADER: 'These are the tulip fields of South Lincolnshire.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39'Some of the blooms are sold as cut flowers
0:32:39 > 0:32:41'but most of them are grown to produce bulbs.'
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Most of these farms are gone
0:32:43 > 0:32:45and it is hard for businesses like this
0:32:45 > 0:32:46to compete with Dutch companies.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51They've cornered the market in tulips, thanks to economies of scale.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52The situation is,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55we can have a lorry load of flowers here and nobody to buy them.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57We'll send them to Holland
0:32:57 > 0:33:00and they will be bought by the same English companies
0:33:00 > 0:33:02who wouldn't buy them in this country, perhaps.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06So it literally has to go to Holland just to get on the auction system.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09- It is about getting into the supply chain.- Yes.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12It almost needs the Dutch seal of approval, if you like.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Which is crackers really, because we are British.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Ironically though, right now the interest in British flowers is rising.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Supermarkets like Marks and Spencer
0:33:22 > 0:33:26make a point of labelling their flowers British.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Peter Ireland, who manages M&S flower buyers,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31says there is a real demand for blooms
0:33:31 > 0:33:34that haven't travelled thousands of miles.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38Peter, what does the average shopper think about British-grown flowers?
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Our customers think they are fantastic.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44We sell over 100 million flowers to our customers.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47I think British flowers have got such a lot going for them.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51We can all remember that great heritage of our grandad's garden.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55I remember him making me cut his dahlias for him all those years ago.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58And I think that resonates with shoppers.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01You can get British flowers all through the year.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04It is too early to predict a return to past glories.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07But Mark's family business is certainly busy.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11And he set me a challenge to see if I can sell his flowers
0:34:11 > 0:34:14at a local auction for a profit.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17I just hope the buyers there agree with the man from M&S
0:34:17 > 0:34:20and are happy to pay a good price for my British blooms.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Wish me luck.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26So, Mark, how do we do this?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Do we go for the biggest, most developed ones, presumably?
0:34:29 > 0:34:31What you want to look for is the most open ones.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Just give them a little wiggle, they gently ease up.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36There is no soil in this.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38This is growing hydroponically, just in water?
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Yes, it is a lot easier to work.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Less mess, we end up with a lot cleaner product.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Also, if you happen to pick the wrong one,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46all you have got to do is drop it back,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49it falls back on the spikes, you can carry on.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51I am not sure if I am as quick as those other guys.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55I mean, I think we'll have to give you a bit of training.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58I don't think I'd earn the hourly rate, I can tell you that.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06So how much is a bunch like this worth?
0:35:06 > 0:35:0813p a stem, probably £5 or £6 worth.
0:35:08 > 0:35:09That is not bad at all.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12- But, we have got to finish the job yet.- Oh, right.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Come on, we've got to get them packed.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17And so to the production line.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21They produce 15 million tulips so there is no time to hang about.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23What does this bit of kit do?
0:35:23 > 0:35:24Just chop off the bulbs?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- This takes the bulb off at the bottom.- OK.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- And what we have got to do is lay them on here neatly.- OK.
0:35:29 > 0:35:30And level.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Come on! Quick! Come on!
0:35:33 > 0:35:35They all get tangled up, though.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I know, that's part of the battle.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41You've lopped the bulb off,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44now just grab any old pile and stick them into bunches?
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Now we make sure we have the same lengths
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and they have to be the same stage of flower.
0:35:49 > 0:35:50Like a puzzle, match them?
0:35:50 > 0:35:53You have to match them and count them at the same time.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56That's a lot harder than I imagined.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03Now they are picked, we need to make sure they get to market
0:36:03 > 0:36:06and ultimately the customer in prime condition.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11So we wrap them in the white paper to keep the stems straight
0:36:11 > 0:36:13and to stop them growing and bending,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15because they do grow once they are in water.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16Oh, really? Even once they are cut?
0:36:16 > 0:36:20They can grow two to three inches once they are in water.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23So six bunches in one batch.
0:36:23 > 0:36:29Two, three, four, five, six.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31And just roll it up like an ice-cream cone?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36There we are.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39As I head for the auction, I feel strangely proud
0:36:39 > 0:36:40of my British blooms.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42But will they sell?
0:36:44 > 0:36:47This local auction is doing well,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51but once auctions like this would have sold many more blooms.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Now they are the preserve of independent florists and market traders.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57These guys are in search of a bargain
0:36:57 > 0:37:00so it'll be tough to persuade them to pay the price I'm looking for.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05The time has come, and now I am here it is really quite intimidating.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07AUCTIONEER TALKS QUICKLY
0:37:11 > 0:37:13How does this work? I don't see anyone bidding.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16I don't see anyone waving anything in the air.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18This fellow has just had a bid.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23He raises his face, the auctioneer gets used to how they are bidding.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24Some people wave like mad.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27I expected them to wave something in the air.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28It's not like a traditional auction
0:37:28 > 0:37:30where they have card numbers. Very subtle.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33This is another Narcissi.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37The Narcissi sell easily,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39but then I realise some rival tulips have sold.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41How much did these tulips go far?
0:37:41 > 0:37:43They went for about 50p.
0:37:43 > 0:37:4550p for five?
0:37:45 > 0:37:4650p for five benches?
0:37:46 > 0:37:47So 10p each.
0:37:47 > 0:37:4910p a stem.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Maybe it's going to be tough to hit my 13p a stem target after all.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55That's what Mark gets per stem.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57But how will I do?
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Well, it is my turn next.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01224, tulips.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Everything's happening so quickly.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05A pound a go,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07pound for 10?
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Bid £1.20, £1.30.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13£1.30 for 10.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16That's 13p each! Bargain.
0:38:16 > 0:38:17Happy with that?
0:38:17 > 0:38:20That's exactly what he said he would get. Fantastic.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I had great fun at the auction.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26Wouldn't it be nice to think that one day,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28if current trends continue,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32Britain's tulip fields might be on the tourist map once more?
0:38:33 > 0:38:37James Wong and the tulips of Lincolnshire.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40My travels have brought me west on a horticultural mission of my own,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43to Easton Walled Gardens.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I'm here to meet Lady Ursula Cholmeley,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48whose green fingers and hard graft
0:38:48 > 0:38:51have brought this once derelict landscape back to life.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54How big is the area we are dealing with?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56We're dealing with 12 acres.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58This is coming into view. This is fantastic.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00What a landscape.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02It is a fantastic landscape. It is quite amazing.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04People can't quite believe it
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- when they come to the top here and look out.- Beautiful.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12What would it have been like just 10 years ago here?
0:39:12 > 0:39:1510 years ago we couldn't have been able to get visitors to this site,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17it was just covered with trees.
0:39:17 > 0:39:18Very, very different.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27For 450 years these gardens were constantly cultivated,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31but they were abandoned during the Second World War.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35When Lady Cholmeley and her family moved back here in 2001,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37this is the sight that greeted them.
0:39:40 > 0:39:4350 years of neglect had taken its toll.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48So when you got back here, what sort of sight greeted you,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50what was this place like?
0:39:50 > 0:39:53I thing lost garden would be a polite way of describing it.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55It was just covered. Everything behind us
0:39:55 > 0:39:59was just covered in trees, mostly sycamores, elder, brambles.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Nature had completely taken over.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06This bridge had trees growing out of it. We took the whole thing apart.
0:40:06 > 0:40:07This was the starting point.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08This was where you began.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Because at least it was finite.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13You couldn't make a list, there were so many things to do.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15So we said let's get the bridge
0:40:15 > 0:40:17so we can actually see it clear of trees,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19clear of the turf that had grown on it,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21so this was our starting point.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22This is where you got going.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29The gardens here obviously beautiful and it is a big estate.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33It doesn't quite seem to fit the size of the house.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36It feels like something is missing, is that true?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38What you can see now is a tiny proportion
0:40:38 > 0:40:41of what the house that was there was.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44In fact, there was a great big manor house there
0:40:44 > 0:40:48until 1951 when the house was demolished.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Crikey! So what was the house like, what was the scale of it?
0:40:52 > 0:40:53A very big country house,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56had a lot of glass round the south and west fronts
0:40:56 > 0:40:59so the gardens were very important to it cos you could look out from it.
0:40:59 > 0:41:05Sadly, its future from the beginning of the 20th century was always in jeopardy,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08and during the Second World War, it was used by the Army.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11They used to let grenades off in the greenhouses,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14rounds in the house. And it was really in such a terrible state
0:41:14 > 0:41:21by 1951 that my husband's grandfather made the heartbreaking decision
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- to pull his house down.- Wow.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25When you say grenades in the greenhouse,
0:41:25 > 0:41:28it sounds like they were training. But they were just stationed here?
0:41:28 > 0:41:33- Like a barracks.- Yes, the officers were across the other side of the A1,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37and the lads were here. And, you know, they had some wild nights.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Sadly, the house is lost for ever.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45But years of hard work and dedication mean the gardens
0:41:45 > 0:41:49have been brought back to life and are open for anyone to enjoy.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52And now the Cholmeley family are back tending this site,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56they are continuing 14 generations of family tradition.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Here, we've got the early sweet peas, very early this year
0:42:01 > 0:42:05because of the very warm weather we've had this spring.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10- These are all sweet peas? - Yes, we grow 60 varieties here.
0:42:10 > 0:42:1360! Did you have to recreate this garden,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17or was it there to be uncovered when you were hacking back the foliage?
0:42:17 > 0:42:22I think we worked from a set of black-and-white photos
0:42:22 > 0:42:27from about 100 years ago, so we had some idea of what was under here.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29And we found broken-down walls and thought,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32they obviously need rebuilding at some stage.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34We're 10 years down the line now.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37And although I had quite a plan as to how it would be,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41you never imagine you can pull it off and it is fantastic
0:42:41 > 0:42:45to come and say, "Yes, this is not just a site we're working on now, it's a garden."
0:42:45 > 0:42:48And a legacy, now, a garden that will hopefully stay this way
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- for a long time to come. - I hope so.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54But for me today,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57it's just been lovely to stroll around these grounds.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01However, Juliet Morris's visit to the surrounding countryside
0:43:01 > 0:43:04was a slightly less serene experience.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10This is the village of Haxey where for 364 days of the year,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14you can enjoy a relatively peaceful stroll through the streets.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17But for one day, forget it. Because the whole of the village
0:43:17 > 0:43:19is turned into one large playing field
0:43:19 > 0:43:22for a game that's known here as the Haxey Hood.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28The story goes that Lady de Mowbray, the wife of the local landowner,
0:43:28 > 0:43:30was riding over the hills towards nearby Westwoodside
0:43:30 > 0:43:34when her silk riding hood was blown away by the wind.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39Much to her amusement, the local farm hands competed so vigorously to save it for her,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41that she donated 13 acres of land
0:43:41 > 0:43:45so that the event could be re-enacted every year.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Today, the Haxey Hood is as popular as ever among both players and spectators.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Hundreds of people take part and get into the "sway",
0:43:53 > 0:43:56which is a kind of rugby-style scrap.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Anyone can join in as there are no official teams.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03The objective is to get the hood to one of four pubs,
0:44:03 > 0:44:07so everyone pushes towards their favoured watering hole.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10The hood, which today is made of a leather tube,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13can't be thrown or run with, so the game can take hours.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16The re-enactment all starts fairly early.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20Three pubs in Haxey itself and one in Westwoodside, half-a-mile away,
0:44:20 > 0:44:23are the possible destinations for the hood.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25And like all good sportsmen,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28the players and the officials, the ones in red called Boggins,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30begin the day walking the pitch, shall we say.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33The modern day hood is on display,
0:44:33 > 0:44:37but remains in the hands of the Boggins for now.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39# And to sew and to reap and to mow... #
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Three traditional songs are sung in each of the four pubs.
0:44:43 > 0:44:49# Born to be a farmer's boy. #
0:44:51 > 0:44:55The Fool of the Hood is painted up to look like the bruised and bloodied farm hand
0:44:55 > 0:44:58who tumbled over the fields after Lady de Mowbray's hat.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Quite a lot of these people had their first pint
0:45:04 > 0:45:06with their fry-up at 10:30am this morning.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10Right now, it's 1:30pm, there are still another couple of pubs to go to,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12the thing doesn't start until 3:30pm.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16So I'm sticking with orange juice. I've got to pace myself.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19I've also got to try and get to the bar.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23It's what we do every year, a tradition, the end of Christmas and New Year.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25When the sway goes down,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28you wonder if you're going to get out alive.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30That's it. Isn't it? It is.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- It's horrible. But it's fantastic. - Sweaty bodies, loads of steam.
0:45:33 > 0:45:39Hmm, can't wait! After the serious business of trying out all the pubs, the fun begins.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41It's off to the fields for the main event,
0:45:41 > 0:45:44and the game, well, it just begins.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Somewhere in the middle of all this mayhem is the hood.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50I can't actually tell you which way it's going at the moment.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53As somebody who's up for giving most things a go, quite honestly,
0:45:53 > 0:45:57I am so happy not to be face down in the mud in the middle of all that.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I am staying on the sidelines!
0:46:08 > 0:46:12The Boggins try to retain as much order as possible, keeping players
0:46:12 > 0:46:14and the huge crowd in step.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18One trainer for sale!
0:46:18 > 0:46:21Our father was the lord, so we were brought up with it.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25- Fantastic. You've never taken part, though?- No, we're not allowed to.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Females aren't allowed to take part.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31- Would you like to have ever had a go?- Yes!
0:46:31 > 0:46:33We would when we was young, yes.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Darkness descends, but no-one leaves the sway without a fight.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Since the game started an hour and a half or so ago,
0:46:51 > 0:46:53the sway has gradually been moving uphill
0:46:53 > 0:46:56towards the village of Westwoodside.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00There's one pub in Westwoodside, and three that way in Haxey.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03So as you can imagine, Westwoodside is often outnumbered.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07But right now, the signs are looking very good.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Now, you are the Lord of the Hood. What does that mean?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I'm the chief referee,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21try and keep some composure amongst the idiots in the middle.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Do you miss actually getting involved in it?
0:47:24 > 0:47:26I used to do, yes, when I first took over I did.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30But I don't now. I'm quite happy just being on the sidelines.
0:47:30 > 0:47:31It's a young man's game.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35It does look pretty rough. It must hurt, doesn't it?
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Yeah, you'll hurt for two or three weeks after!
0:47:37 > 0:47:42Why has it got such a special significance, both in Haxey
0:47:42 > 0:47:45and in everybody's hearts and minds here?
0:47:45 > 0:47:49I think because there's nothing else really like it. Everything has been sanitised.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53In fact, if the HSC got their hands on it, I don't think it would happen!
0:48:03 > 0:48:08Well, it looks like the hood is on its way to Westwoodside.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12Westwoodside were the underdogs, having only one pub.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14But right now, it's on the home straight.
0:48:14 > 0:48:19The people of Westwoodside gather to add their support
0:48:19 > 0:48:22to the last few yards of the hood's journey.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27When the landlord reaches out to claim the hood...
0:48:27 > 0:48:30- CHEERING - ..the game's over, and the pub and its regulars
0:48:30 > 0:48:33will keep the hood until the rematch next year.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43There is only one word to describe today - mad.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47I dread to think how a lot of these people are going to wake up feeling tomorrow morning.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51However, the game may have ended, but the party has just started.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54I think now is the time to get in on the action.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00Juliet Morris braving the fray of the Haxey Hood.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02I'm on the last leg of my Lincolnshire journey,
0:49:02 > 0:49:05going full circle back to where I started
0:49:05 > 0:49:08near Stamford in the grounds of Burghley House.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11There, I've been offered the chance to get hands-on
0:49:11 > 0:49:15with a creature of the deep that's been discovered lurking in the lake.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18But first, the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.
0:51:50 > 0:51:57.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10I'm on a journey beneath the big skies of South Lincolnshire.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13I started at Burghley House on the outskirts of Stamford.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Then I headed northeast to Moulton
0:52:15 > 0:52:18and a building that's set to reclaim its place
0:52:18 > 0:52:20as Britain's tallest windmill.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Travelling to Easton, I saw how its famous walled gardens
0:52:23 > 0:52:26had been brought back from the dead.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29Now finally, I'm coming full circle to Burghley House,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32where the Environment Agency's Chris Reeds has promised me
0:52:32 > 0:52:35a close encounter with an endangered species.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Chris, what are we looking for?
0:52:40 > 0:52:43We're looking for the native white-clawed crayfish.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47They were only recently discovered here. It's an important site.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49The white-clawed crayfish, are they quite rare?
0:52:49 > 0:52:52Yes, it's the only native crayfish we have.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56There's quite a few rivers with them in, but they are decreasing rapidly
0:52:56 > 0:52:58because of threats from signal crayfish,
0:52:58 > 0:53:02threats from water quality, habitat destruction and stuff like that.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09White-clawed crayfish have been under threat from American signal crayfish,
0:53:09 > 0:53:14which were introduced into the UK in the 1970s as a food fad,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16and later released into canals and rivers.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Over-aggressive, oversexed and over here,
0:53:19 > 0:53:23they now threaten our native species.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Chris is part of a team monitoring their numbers.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28If I wasn't with him, it'd be illegal for me
0:53:28 > 0:53:33to even pick these endangered creatures out of the water.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37So I'm hoping this will be a rare chance to see one close-up.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Where are we looking, Chris? Where would they be living?
0:53:40 > 0:53:45Under stones, under timber, in relatively shallow water,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48otherwise we won't see them if it's too deep.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51Somewhere like just here, that's a suitable stone.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53- All right, let's try. - You never know.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56Water is amazingly warm.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Nope. Nothing there.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Why is it that this site is so good?
0:54:04 > 0:54:07It's isolated, protected from external threats,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09there's no river flowing into it.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13And it's relatively a long way from the nearest river as well.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16The signal crayfish which can get out and walk to new waters
0:54:16 > 0:54:18probably wouldn't get here.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22It's an important site, it's important that we protect it.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24The signal crayfish, spell out the differences.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27They are the main threat to the white-clawed crayfish?
0:54:27 > 0:54:30They are the main threat. They're bigger, they out-compete,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34they carry a fungal plague that affects the native crayfish and can kill them.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39As well as that, they have a very disturbing effect on the ecology of the local river.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41The rivers get wider and shallower
0:54:41 > 0:54:45because the signals burrow in to the banks, the banks collapse,
0:54:45 > 0:54:49and the river tends to get a lot broader and more silty because of that.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Wow! So we can blame a lot of things on them?
0:54:51 > 0:54:56- They are basically changing rivers. - They do, they change the appearance of rivers,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59they eat all the insects and all the fish eggs.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01A lot of the water weed is eaten as well.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05So it isn't just the effect on the native crayfish, it's the effect on the entire ecology.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Well, I can certainly attest to the fact
0:55:11 > 0:55:14that our native white-claws are in short supply.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22Even here, where the isolated location means they're protected
0:55:22 > 0:55:26from predatory signal crayfish, we're having a hard time finding any.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30- Quite elusive, aren't they? - They are elusive.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I sort of thought it might happen.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I've been here all day, I've had the opportunity to look round
0:55:35 > 0:55:37and I've got one or two I caught early on.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Good man! So I can see one. After you.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47Oh, wow!
0:55:47 > 0:55:48They're tiny, aren't they?
0:55:48 > 0:55:51They're not the biggest animal in the world.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53But they're quite important.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54- They're quick!- They are quick.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56There we are.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59They also grab hold of you, which they are doing at the moment.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Come on then. Come on then.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04So they've got this nice olive-green colour.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Although they're called white-clawed crayfish,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11I'm not seeing a lot of white. Is it on the underside?
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Yes, if you look at the underside of the claw...
0:56:14 > 0:56:17- Oh, yeah. - They are sort of pale-coloured.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19It's not exactly white,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22but it's certainly a lot lighter than the American signal crayfish.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26- It's quite cute in a way. - They are spectacular animals.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28We'll put him back before he goes anywhere.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30This site really is important.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33How many are there left in the country where these are thriving?
0:56:33 > 0:56:36There's probably... It's into the hundreds I would think.
0:56:36 > 0:56:41Every year, we find sites that no longer contain the native crayfish.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44Every year, there's sites where they have disappeared.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49That's through development or the crayfish plague the signal crayfish carries.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53- So it is really important to look after places like this?- Absolutely.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55I know the crayfish like it wet,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57but this is getting a little bit grim.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01- They need to go back where they came from. - I'll trust you with that. Come on.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07My journey through Lincolnshire has been a truly eye-opening experience.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11The beauty of the landscape is laid out all around,
0:57:11 > 0:57:13but what's been really enjoyable is the chance
0:57:13 > 0:57:18to discover the historic places that were at the heart of power,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22as well as experiencing a living, breathing heritage
0:57:22 > 0:57:25that's drawing communities together today.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29So, I'm leaving here not just with a new appreciation of what Lincolnshire has to offer,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32but also a sense of what it's contributed
0:57:32 > 0:57:36and continues to contribute to the story of our nation.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:53 > 0:57:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk