0:00:30 > 0:00:34Today, I'm on a journey through Surrey,
0:00:34 > 0:00:35that most English of counties,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38beginning here on the racetrack at Epsom Downs
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and ending at one of its hidden gems, the Watts Gallery in Compton.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52My journey starts just 17 miles from the centre of London
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and home of arguably the greatest flat horse race in the world,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57the Derby.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Then it's onto Wisley,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and where forensic detective work
0:01:07 > 0:01:10is helping to protect Britain's best loved plants and trees.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- It's really small.- It is, yeah.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It's remarkable in a sense
0:01:15 > 0:01:17that such a small and insignificant looking pest
0:01:17 > 0:01:20can do so much damage to a very substantial tree.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I then travelled to one of Surrey's most sought-after addresses -
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Whiteley Village.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28It shares a postcode with millionaires but you have to be
0:01:28 > 0:01:30a cash-strapped pensioner to live there.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Even if I won the pools, I don't think I'd want to move out.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40My journey ends at Compton and a national treasure, Watts Gallery.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43It was built more than a century ago to bring art to all,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47but a leaky roof and crumbling walls spells disaster
0:01:47 > 0:01:51unless they could win a pot of money from the BBC's restoration programme
0:01:51 > 0:01:53but did they win?
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I will be finding out what happens to the gallery, the cash
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and the paintings.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Along the way, I'll be looking back at the best
0:02:01 > 0:02:05of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07This is Country Tracks.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16The Epsom Downs are spread across 600 acres of green, open countryside,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18right on the doorstep of London.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22It's just as popular with dog walkers as horse riders.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27On a day like today, the City couldn't feel further away.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Every June, the Epsom Downs here are packed with spectators,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34many of them enjoying a flutter.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42The Derby and the Oaks,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45both held annually at Epsom are more than just sporting events.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47They're proud traditions.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Generations of racing fans have packed into the grandstand
0:02:52 > 0:02:57and crowded the Downs, cheering their horses to victory.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58It's a carnival atmosphere
0:02:58 > 0:03:03and Derby Day prides itself on being down-to-earth and open to all.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07So much so, it was nicknamed the Londoners' Day Out.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Today, it attracts the largest crowd
0:03:19 > 0:03:22for a one-day sporting event in the UK.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27The first race was held in 1780 between Lord Derby
0:03:27 > 0:03:29and Sir Charles Bunbury.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Legend has it that they tossed a coin to decide what to call the race.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Lord Derby won and the name stuck.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Flat racing is designed for young horses.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43They're fragile creatures bred solely for speed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Many are trained here at Epsom Downs.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55By 6am, the stables are a hive of activity -
0:03:55 > 0:03:59feeding, watering, grooming and of course,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02gearing up for a hard training session.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The horses here at Clear Height Stables on Epsom Downs
0:04:07 > 0:04:08are exercised every morning
0:04:08 > 0:04:12to improve their fitness and test their potential.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Trainer Simon Dow is on the lookout for trophy winners.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19He gives the riders a leg-up and the horses a final once-over
0:04:19 > 0:04:22before heading out to the training gallops.
0:04:25 > 0:04:26They're athletes.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It's just the same as any footballer or a runner or swimmer
0:04:30 > 0:04:35doing their morning workout, so as long as the horses are fit,
0:04:35 > 0:04:36that's these guys' job to make sure
0:04:36 > 0:04:38they're as fit as they can possibly be
0:04:38 > 0:04:40when they get to the track.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I want to win top races. I want to have as many wins as I possibly can.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Realistically, my moral obligation is to develop the horse's potential
0:04:51 > 0:04:53who are in my care for their clients.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55We're all looking for champions
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and you have to kiss a lot of frogs
0:04:57 > 0:04:59to find the princes in this business.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Obviously, it's like anything.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06If you find a good athlete, it's an animal that's got speed,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08presence, courage and energy.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14For the stable lads and lasses, riding the horse is is as much
0:05:14 > 0:05:18a part of the job as grooming or mucking out.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Today, Gemma Paddock is riding one of the most promising horses,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Sotto Voce, a three-year-old filly.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Simon has big plans and high hopes for her
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and it's down to Gemma to unleash that potential on the track.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Training over and it's back to the stables.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It was a great gallop and certainly thrilling to watch.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Both Simon and Gemma seem pleased with Sotto Voce's performance,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13but has she got the makings of a champion?
0:06:15 > 0:06:16She was amazing this morning.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19She went very nicely. We're very pleased with her.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22She's hopefully going to run at Epsom in a couple of weeks' time
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and she's certainly going in the right direction.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It's nursery school stuff still at the moment,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32but she's the equivalent of a 16 or 17-year-old young lady,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34so she's got the whole of the rest of her life in front of her.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Indeed. It's early days then but are you able to say
0:06:37 > 0:06:42whether you think she might have the makings of a winner of a major race?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I don't know about a major race but she's definitely going to win
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and the thing is, they're like young athletes at this stage.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50You just keep going through the training regime
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and progressing them up through the ranks.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- She's been second a couple of times, hasn't she?- She has.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Gemma has been riding her for about four or five months
0:06:56 > 0:07:01and she's certainly noticed her getting stronger all the time.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- So what's Sotto Voce's temperament like?- She's a very sweet filly.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11She's very suspicious, as you can see in her stable.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16It's taken me a long time to build the bond with her.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19She trusts me now.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23So how do you build up the trust you have developed here
0:07:23 > 0:07:26with Sotto Voce, with a racehorse, when they can be quite skittish?
0:07:26 > 0:07:31I think it's important you've got to spend the time with the horses.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33They just get to know you.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Who knows what the future has in store for Sotto Voce?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40One thing's for sure, as a filly, she will never be a Derby winner.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Only males get to run in that race.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47But she could make an appearance on Ladies' Day. Keep an eye out for her.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Surrey has enduring links with wealth and aristocracy.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Even an all-inclusive race like the Derby has its roots in nobility.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59But unlike horse racing, historic homes and landed estates
0:07:59 > 0:08:02all over Britain are struggling to make ends meet.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Many are in dire need of restoration.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08John Craven explored a Surrey success story.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14This garden the size of a small farm
0:08:14 > 0:08:16was designed in the 18th century by Charles Hamilton.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It's Painshill Park in Surrey.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Charles Hamilton never made the park his home.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24He lived some distance away.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27But he did build this as a ruin -
0:08:27 > 0:08:30a romantic image of a ruined abbey.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34It became even more of a ruin than he could have ever imagined.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38In fact, for various reasons, his once immaculate park
0:08:38 > 0:08:41was more or less abandoned until about 35 years ago,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46when it was rediscovered by a local resident almost by chance.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51I took a walk down here and approached this spot
0:08:51 > 0:08:54through the woods and all of a sudden,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57you come upon the view just behind me,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59and I was absolutely staggered by what I saw.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I needed no further convincing that
0:09:02 > 0:09:06one of the greatest landscape parks in the world was right here.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Even in its overgrown state,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Norman Kitz knew he'd stumbled on something special.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17It has survived almost untouched more than two centuries,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20so the layout as you see it today,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22is very much as it was in the 18th century.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27I would like to see it preserved as part of Britain's national heritage.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29That's what happened.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31A charitable trust was formed
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and £12 million raised to awake Painshill Park
0:09:33 > 0:09:35from its long slumber.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40And this is how it looks now. An amazing transformation.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42If Hamilton could be around now,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I'm sure he'd be very pleased indeed.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Now, what do you make of this?
0:09:47 > 0:09:52It's limestone in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Weird ones, but in fact, it's natural.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It comes from the Cotswolds
0:09:56 > 0:10:00and Hamilton brought it here to create his very own grotto.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05All this limestone is placed on top of a brick construction.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Just wait until you see what's inside.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23Thousands upon thousands of man-made stalactites. Crystals, really.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Most of them have been here since the grotto was first built
0:10:26 > 0:10:28250 years ago.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Just further up the cave, there was disaster.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36What happened was around about 50 years ago
0:10:36 > 0:10:39when this grotto was still all but forgotten,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41a huge section of the roof collapsed
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and everything underneath was destroyed.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Now, what looks like a big reconstruction job is underway.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Is that so, Warwick?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53This was completely open to the sky originally.
0:10:53 > 0:10:59The new roof had to be designed to fit in with the existing walls.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- This is green oak here? - It is indeed.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I'm told it came from Windsor
0:11:06 > 0:11:11where they'd used a lot of it for the repairs after the fire.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Every single piece is different,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17it's tailor-made and quite complicated.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20And now the mammoth task is just starting
0:11:20 > 0:11:24of coating the whole frame with limewater and then sticking on
0:11:24 > 0:11:28hundreds of thousands of crystals to recreate the stalactites.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35- This is going to take a lifetime to do, isn't it?- Unfortunately, yes.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40We haven't yet devised a machine to do it.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And how long do you reckon it will be before this whole cave
0:11:43 > 0:11:45has been restored?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49It could be five or ten years, quite easily.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53When it's finished, it should look quite spectacular, should'nt it?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Indeed. It is one of the finest grottoes we know of.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04John Craven exploring the restored beauty of Painshill Park.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08The good news is the grotto has recently been rewarded
0:12:08 > 0:12:11a Heritage Lottery grant of £750,000.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13The work is due for completion in 2013.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I've moved on from Epsom Downs racecourse to Wisley,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21home of another very English passion.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Wisley was gifted to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1903,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and has become its flagship garden.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36If you're not much of a gardener, as I'm not,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40it's easy to take for granted our more common and familiar flowers.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44After all, a daffodil's a daffodil, isn't it?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57In fact, there are so many different types of daffodil
0:12:57 > 0:13:00you need an international registrar to keep track of them all.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03That job belongs to Sharon McDonald.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16So, Sharon, how many different types of daffodils are there?
0:13:16 > 0:13:17What we have here is
0:13:17 > 0:13:22the international daffodil register and classified list.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28In this book alone, we have between 26,000 and 27,000 unique daffodils.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Daffodil cultivars.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34There was a big daffodil conference in 1884
0:13:34 > 0:13:39and the RHS asked Peter Barr, who was a nursery man of the time,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41to produce this list.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46So, this is essentially the first daffodil register.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52You can see we go from page 32 to page 48,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- so it's a good list. - That's plenty of daffodils!
0:13:55 > 0:13:58There's some wonderful pictures in here.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- Amazing illustrations. - Obviously, now, we have this.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07I'm staggered by how many there are. But that's not species, is it?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Not species.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12What this is is cultivars, so it's selections from species
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and then eventually, these have evolved
0:14:15 > 0:14:18so that we can see the daffodils we're looking at here
0:14:18 > 0:14:22are very different to the species daffodils,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24most of which are quite small.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Mostly yellow and orange, the odd white.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Obviously, the range of colours has come out in the cultivars.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33It begs the question, why record all these different daffodils?
0:14:33 > 0:14:37This reason we do it is because there are so many
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and if we didn't do it, it would be anarchy, basically.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45You'd just have three or four different daffodils
0:14:45 > 0:14:48all with the same name, possibly all looking very similar.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50If you went to a garden centre
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and wanted something called Silver Standard, for example,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56how would you know that the one you wanted was the one you were buying?
0:14:56 > 0:15:01That's why we do it, so that people are absolutely sure
0:15:01 > 0:15:05that what they're buying or what they're growing in their garden
0:15:05 > 0:15:07is what it says it is.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I'm going to be incredibly vain now
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and see if there's one named after me.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- Okay, there could be. - You never know.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- Does everybody do this?- Yes, oh, yes.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18We're all terribly vain.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Eleanor. That'll do. I'll take one of those.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27I think there's an Ellie something or other. Let's have a look.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Here we go!
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Ellie Ney. Well, well, well.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34But no Ellie, so it's still possible.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38If you could find somebody who's got a daffodil without a name.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42And a lot of time to go and create one for me.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45They take a long time to come to flower from seed.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Well, if anybody's interested, I should be very grateful.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Thank you very much. Little Ellie Harrison daffodil. Wonderful.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Although there are thousands of different names for daffodils,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03they all come under one species name - Narcissus,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06which comes from Greek mythology.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Narcissus was a handsome young man who rejected the love
0:16:09 > 0:16:11of a nymph called Echo.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The gods decided to punish him by condemning him
0:16:14 > 0:16:17to fall in love only with his own reflection.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20He was forced to gaze at himself in a clear pond
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and pine for a love he could never have.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Eventually, he disappeared and in his place grew a lovely flower
0:16:27 > 0:16:30with its head bent looking down into the water.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Wisley it isn't the only centre of excellence around here.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Matt Baker got a look behind the scenes
0:16:47 > 0:16:51at one of Britain's most illustrious military academies.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Sandhurst is the home of the Royal Military Academy.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58There's been a military college here for over 200 years,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and the list of ex-cadets is a real who's who,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04from the explorer Chris Bonington to Winston Churchill.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Even Princes William and Harry trained here,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10so we're talking the real top brass.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18700 cadets come through the gates each year to be trained as officers
0:17:18 > 0:17:20in the British Army.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And before they leave, every single one of them
0:17:26 > 0:17:29will get to know this landscape really, really well,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32because this is their training ground.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I'll be seeing more of that training in a little while, but first,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45I'm off to find out about life as a trainee officer here.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So, Tim, how do you actually get to Sandhurst?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Do new recruits turn up here
0:17:51 > 0:17:54or do you have to have done training first?
0:17:54 > 0:17:56They will have gone through a selection process
0:17:56 > 0:17:58at the Officer Selection Board down at Westbury,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02where we're really looking at them to see what potential they have got.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06They go to the selection process any time between the ages of 17 and 28.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08How long do they stay here then?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10They're here for a year, most of them.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Our core business is what is called
0:18:12 > 0:18:14the regular Army Commissioning Course -
0:18:14 > 0:18:17that's those cadets who are wanting to join the regular Army.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21They come to us for a year in which they work bloody hard -
0:18:21 > 0:18:25oops, shouldn't say "bloody"! They work extremely hard.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30We're trying to really judge whether they've got the potential
0:18:30 > 0:18:34to have that fantastic honour of leading our soldiers on operations.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Ultimately, we need to have the confidence
0:18:37 > 0:18:40that they've got the ability to make the right decision
0:18:40 > 0:18:42on a really difficult day.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It is quite a place, isn't it?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Standing here now and looking back at these buildings,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50there's some atmosphere.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52It's a spectacular environment.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I mean, 600 acres inside the wire here.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59In the middle, as we are, fairly suburban, built up Camberley Surrey.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01It's a wonderful site and we've been here for 200 years,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03pretty much doing this.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Life at Sandhurst revolves around
0:19:09 > 0:19:12the spectacular Old College, built in 1812.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Over 700 officer cadets, male and female,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17all live on site during their year-long course.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19As well as being their home,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22it's also where they learn leadership skills
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and tactics in the classroom.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27But it's out here on the 1,400 acres of heathland
0:19:27 > 0:19:29that surrounds the Academy
0:19:29 > 0:19:33that Officer cadets are put through their practical paces.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- Is it what you expected it to be? - Yeah.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47There's a lot of sleep deprivation, that's the main thing, I think.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51It's been OK, I think. Not too bad.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It's a pretty harsh environment out there.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Can you put into words what it feels like out there training?
0:19:56 > 0:19:59We went on an exercise last week
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and I think the most we got was about four hours' sleep all week.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07That was quite amazing, people staring off into the distance
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- thinking they could see things and definitely couldn't.- Incredible.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Obviously, you all met six months ago, you go through your training.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19When you leave, do you still all stay together
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and do you get posted out to different parts?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25You disperse across the army into all your different regiments
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and units whether it's infantry, Air Corps. Anything like that.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Obviously, most of us are going to remain friends.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Speaking to people who've been commissioned before,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36they stay in touch and meet once a year.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40It's probably hard not to if you are going through all of this.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45As well as training,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49this landscape is also the venue for serious competition.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53A gruelling endurance race that's part of the annual contest
0:20:53 > 0:20:56to find the best platoon.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Every cadet will have done this in his time at Sandhurst.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's over six miles,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04over the common, uphill, down dale, across country.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Those who are yet to come will always be told
0:21:06 > 0:21:09this is the worst possible thing that can never happen to you.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12It will take them about an hour, probably,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14with a really good hard sweat.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17The race starts at dawn.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19First, the three platoons face a straight run
0:21:19 > 0:21:22from the base on to the heathland.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31The platoons are now 1.3 miles into the course
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and they're carrying these stretchers now for just over a mile.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37We'd better stand out the way because they don't stop.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43The makeshift stretcher actually weighs 60 kilos
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and each platoon has to stay together for over a mile
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and deposit it at the top of the hill.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Then there's a recovery period.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58A one mile march which has to be covered in 13 minutes.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Keep it tight. We're on camera.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08The next load is an 11 ft long log.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17You just hear all the guys screaming
0:22:17 > 0:22:19with those that are carrying the log.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20Because they've got a rope around it,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22they have to keep in front of it.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26It's the most important thing, just to keep the momentum going.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's a crisp and cold autumn morning and for the cadets,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32it's also going to get wet.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Safely through the bog and up the hill, it's back down to base
0:22:44 > 0:22:48and in front of Sandhurst's New College,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51the final team make it home, cheered on by the other platoons.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- That was impressive! How was it? - It was really good.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- How do you feel now?- Tired. - I bet you do.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- Longer strides for you, mate! - What was the hardest bit?
0:23:04 > 0:23:09- Probably the logs. - You set off at an incredible pace.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13You must think, we've got a long way to go, how do you pace yourself?
0:23:13 > 0:23:14That's the problem really.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Bravado sets in
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and the camera's here as well so we had to dig in more.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Keep smiling, grit your teeth, but it was incredible.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Pulling them bits-and-pieces through the bog.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Not fancy jumping on a log and giving us a hand?
0:23:28 > 0:23:33- I was cheering you on.- We felt it. - Listen, huge congratulations.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I must admit, I'm also wondering why Matt didn't get stuck in.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Anyway, I'm at Wisley Gardens in Surrey
0:23:39 > 0:23:43where the Royal Horticultural Society is fighting a frontline battle
0:23:43 > 0:23:46to save the nation's trees and flowers.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Imagine a CSI for plants.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Dead or dying specimens are sent in to the scientists here at Wisley
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and their job is to put together the clues
0:23:59 > 0:24:01and try and figure out what is wrong.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15There are two categories of offender - disease and pests.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Mostly it's an open and shut case
0:24:17 > 0:24:21but sometimes the team are faced with a real mystery.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Dr Roger Williams is head of science.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- Hi, Roger.- Hi there, welcome to the plant pathology lab.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Thank you very much.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Can you talk me through the process of what you do here
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- and how you identify what's wrong with the plant?- Certainly.
0:24:33 > 0:24:40For every year we get about 60,000 advisory inquiries from RHS members.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Of those, about 6,000 come into this lab and this is fairly typical.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48This is a box plant
0:24:48 > 0:24:50and it's not very well.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52On one side of it, all the leaves have fallen off -
0:24:52 > 0:24:54that's a giveaway, is it?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57That is a giveaway because we know about this disease now
0:24:57 > 0:25:00but from the 6,000 inquiries that come through every year,
0:25:00 > 0:25:05there are usually two or three new diseases to the UK.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Sometimes, we've got some heads-up on what they are
0:25:08 > 0:25:10from other organisations but on some occasions,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13we're the first people to identify them.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15This little fellow here, box blight,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17this particular disease is an example
0:25:17 > 0:25:19where we were the first to correctly identify it in the UK.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22So the box were coming in and there was clearly something wrong with them
0:25:22 > 0:25:26and you had to identify what it was and you managed to do that?
0:25:26 > 0:25:32We did. These sorts of diseases are caused by fungi
0:25:32 > 0:25:33and they're microscopic.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37What we'll start off doing is taking a piece of diseased material
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and examining it down a microscope.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Sometimes you can tell just from the shape of the spores
0:25:43 > 0:25:46or the mycelium - the fluffy growth of the fungus - what the disease is.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Obviously, if it's something new you haven't seen before, you can't.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54What we sometimes have to do is basically extract the DNA.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Just to step you through the processes there.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01We scrape a bit off a diseased leaf
0:26:01 > 0:26:04and plate it out on to this jelly-like growing medium.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06You can see here that whole surface
0:26:06 > 0:26:09is now fluffy from the mycelial growth.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10You have to let it grow out
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- and then there will be loads of it to identify.- That's right.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16We then scrape off some of that mycelium
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and move to a very high-tech piece of equipment -
0:26:19 > 0:26:21the pestle and mortar.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Basically, we grind that up with liquid nitrogen
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and then we purify the DNA using these special kits.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30When we've done that, we can sequence it
0:26:30 > 0:26:33rather like the sequencing of the human genome.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35From the specific sequence,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37we can then begin to identify what fungus it is.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It sounds incredibly labour-intensive
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and you have thousands of inquiries every year.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Are you able to answer all of them?
0:26:45 > 0:26:46We do answer all of them.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Fortunately, a lot of them are very common diseases
0:26:49 > 0:26:52we get frequently and we can identify very quickly.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Sometimes, like this, it requires a lot of work, DNA extraction,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58incubating the fungus and so on.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01In that case, we often have to get back to the RHS member
0:27:01 > 0:27:04who sent the sample in and say we're working on it
0:27:04 > 0:27:08but it will take six weeks, we will get back to you as soon as we can.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The RHS members have their very own panel of experts at their disposal?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- They absolutely do. - It's a great resource, isn't it?
0:27:14 > 0:27:18It's fantastic but it's also really useful for us
0:27:18 > 0:27:21because these members around the country, effectively,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25are sampling material from their gardens very frequently,
0:27:25 > 0:27:26sending that in.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29We get to be the first to hear of these new pests and diseases.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33We are, if you like, on the front line of garden plant health defence.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Up in entomology,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39insect experts have exposed a threat to one of Britain's favourite trees.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47So the horse chestnut's had a bit of trouble in recent years, hasn't it?
0:27:47 > 0:27:49It has.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54In 2002, an RHS member sent in a horse chestnut leaf sample
0:27:54 > 0:27:56to us saying, what this?
0:27:57 > 0:28:00This particular pest had been spreading across Europe
0:28:00 > 0:28:03for some time so we were on the lookout for it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We got a sample in that looked rather like this
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and our entomologists had a look at it under the microscope
0:28:10 > 0:28:14and fairly quickly figured out it was horse chestnut leaf miner.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- Cameraria Ohridella.- Wow.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20So what's a leaf miner look like?
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Well, we've got some specimens in here.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27This is horse chestnut leaf mining moth.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Here's an adult with its wings open
0:28:30 > 0:28:33and here's an adult with its wings closed.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35That's really small!
0:28:35 > 0:28:36It's remarkable in a sense
0:28:36 > 0:28:40that such a small and insignificant looking pest
0:28:40 > 0:28:44can do so much damage to a very substantial tree, but it can.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Absolutely. I saw this around last year.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49I didn't realise it had been around as long as it has been,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51it's been quite some years.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54It has been spreading through the UK,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56but typically the symptoms you see are
0:28:56 > 0:29:00this kind of autumnal colour appearing in late June or July,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02several months before you'd expect it.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05During the course of the summer, in many cases,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09the whole tree by the end of August will be looking like that.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13How does the leaf miner do so much damage to the tree?
0:29:13 > 0:29:16If you look at these blotches here, normally this would be green
0:29:16 > 0:29:19when this sample came in but if you look at these blotches here,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22this is where the larvae have eaten out the inside of the leaf.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24So will it kill the tree?
0:29:24 > 0:29:26We don't think it will kill the tree but clearly,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29if you have most of the leaves damaged in that way
0:29:29 > 0:29:34early in the season, it's going to be able to photosynthesise less.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's going to be weakened.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39We would expect it to produce smaller and fewer conkers.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43Probably make the tree more susceptible
0:29:43 > 0:29:45to other fungal diseases.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47It could weaken the tree.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50I think people are quite sentimental about horse chestnuts.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52We love out conkers after all.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55- Is there any cure, anything that can be done about it?- Not really.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57If you have an isolated tree in your garden,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00you could gather the leaves together and if you burn them, that will help
0:30:00 > 0:30:03to destroy the larvae and you will have less adults the following year.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06But in most situations, that's going to be entirely impractical,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- so I'm afraid it's not very good. - Oh dear.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Other pests on the most wanted list included the berberis sawfly.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17First confirmed sighting was in 2002
0:30:17 > 0:30:21and it spread across England like a plague of locusts.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24It will strip a berberis shrub and devour the leaves.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Look out for the larvae -
0:30:27 > 0:30:31they're creamy-white with black spots, instantly recognisable.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34The lily beetle - it's been on the loose in Britain
0:30:34 > 0:30:37since the 1930s and spreading ever since.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39It's a bright red bare-faced offender,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42both the adults and larvae will feed on the foliage.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45As for the quickest way of dealing with these menaces,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47pick them off and discard them.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Surrey has another non-native visitor to its gardens.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02Parakeets have colonised many a bird feeder across the county,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05but unlike the pests in the labs at Wisley,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08these colourful birds are being welcomed by some gardeners.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12If you'd expect a typical London bird to be a pigeon
0:31:12 > 0:31:15or perhaps a raven, then think again.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Parakeets are alive and well in suburbia,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22but you don't have to take my word for it.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27They've been coming to my garden in western London
0:31:27 > 0:31:31for over 25 years, certainly.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Originally, it was just one here and maybe you'd see it
0:31:35 > 0:31:38and not see another one for three weeks or so.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40So there were moments of excitement.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47I rejoice in the parakeets. They are glamorous Oriental strangers.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53In the wild, ring-necked parakeets are found in the Himalayas,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56much of India and parts of Africa.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01But they've been breeding in the UK since the '60s.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07In those days, you just saw one maybe once every few weeks.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Each time it appeared, it was an excitement.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Over the past few years, they've suddenly increased hugely in numbers
0:32:13 > 0:32:18and now I get regular parties of a dozen or so coming in.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23So how did they get here? There are a number of interesting theories.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30This is that they escaped from the set of The African Queen,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33filmed at Shepperton Studios in 1951.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Whilst at his girlfriend's flat in 1968,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Jimi is believed to have released a breeding pair
0:32:43 > 0:32:47of ring-necked parakeets as a gesture to world freedom.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02Parakeets are very noisy birds.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05So much so, that some owners were believed
0:33:05 > 0:33:09to have left cage doors open in the hope of a quieter domestic life.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Parakeets are gregarious and social birds
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and escapees would naturally flock together.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24So, they're here, thriving in the south-east
0:33:24 > 0:33:28where they've been delighting some Londoners for over 30 years.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32How I attracted them into the garden
0:33:32 > 0:33:34is because I've got the peanut feeders up there.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39They love them. I've got about two peanut feeders.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44They know where to come and I see them zooming over
0:33:44 > 0:33:46and they go straight for the peanut feeder.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I think they get to know where they are.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52The total number of parakeets is hotly debated.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Nora's got her own opinion.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58This paper says 6,000 and another paper says 3,000 over at Esher.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03How can you count 3,000 in a tree? I'd have a job to count 20.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05So that's wrong for a start.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10If there are so many thousands of them as they say, you don't see.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The only time I see them is when they come on my peanut feeder
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and they're only there for a few minutes and off they go,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20so I really can't see what the problem is.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Nora might be surprised to learn that
0:34:23 > 0:34:26there are over 30,000 wild parakeets in the UK.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31The RSPB estimate the number will rise to 50,000 by 2010 -
0:34:31 > 0:34:34that's an awful lot of peanuts, Nora.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Known locally as posh pigeons,
0:34:36 > 0:34:41they are now among the 20 most commonly seen bird species in London.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45You can just step out here with a camera, look up at the tree
0:34:45 > 0:34:49and one or two and sometimes dozens of them squawking away.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53You see the heads popping out looking at you quizzically.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56They are very entertaining and such great subjects.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04They're extremely rumbustious characters.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07They come swarming into the tree here, they decimate the tree,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09take all the cherries.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15I don't think I've ever had a cherry from this cherry tree.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19They do so well in this country because of the thousands of gardens.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23But they don't just survive on peanuts and cherries.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26In India, they are a serious agricultural pest
0:35:26 > 0:35:30which is bad news if you happen to be a British fruit grower.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35They're very accurate timers of when grapes are ready for picking.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Probably more than I am.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40They'll be here as soon as the grapes are ready to pick.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Then it's a struggle between waiting for ripeness,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45waiting for the weather
0:35:45 > 0:35:49and waiting for the parakeets to fill themselves up.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54If Mark's lucky, they might leave enough to make some wine to sell.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57We can get up to 10,000 bottles in a very good year -
0:35:57 > 0:36:00the average being a potential 5,000 bottles.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02What we usually get is about 3,000 bottles
0:36:02 > 0:36:05because the parakeets have taken the other two.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08That's really a serious financial blow to us.
0:36:08 > 0:36:132,000 bottles of wine at £10 each. You do the maths.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18I can do that - that's £20,000. Blimey!
0:36:18 > 0:36:21We've had as many as 200, 300 in the place.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Most years there will be 50 to 100.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Either way, it's far too many for us.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Mark is not the only one to be concerned.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Whitehall officials have ordered a study
0:36:32 > 0:36:35to determine what effects the parakeets are having
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and whether the numbers are large enough to warrant a cull.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45A cull could be allowed for three different reasons.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Conservation, protecting crops, or health and safety.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53That prospect is getting some people into a bit of a flap.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56What made me write a letter to the paper was
0:36:56 > 0:37:01I saw another letter from another person who wanted them culled.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04She thinks they're a nuisance and doing a lot of damage.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08I don't think they're any problem at all.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Pigeons are messy things, much worse than parakeets.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Then you get dog's mess all up the road here.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18That's more of a public health hazard.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21We've had foxes up here last year and their cubs.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26The mess they made all up that path here, it was disgusting.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30As for safety, they don't come down and try and take a bite of you.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34They're timid creatures. If you take a stick near them, they fly off.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I really can't see what the problem is.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46I just feel they make this country much more colourful
0:37:46 > 0:37:49and I think they bring brightness to the country, quite honestly.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Especially on a dull day.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59And if you really want to see parakeets at their colourful best,
0:37:59 > 0:38:03the biggest roost is at Esher Rugby Club
0:38:03 > 0:38:06and they are so proud of them that they named their junior team,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09the Parakeets.
0:38:09 > 0:38:113,000 parakeets returning to roost
0:38:11 > 0:38:14after spending the day feeding on London's bird tables.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Everything about this place suits them -
0:38:16 > 0:38:21the mild climate, easy pickings and lack of predators.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27I'm on a journey through Surrey, parakeet country.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Its close proximity to London makes it
0:38:30 > 0:38:32one of the most expensive places to live in Britain.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36I've moved on from the RHS gardens at Wisley heading north
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and into a very desirable area.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50The Borough of Elmbridge where I am now
0:38:50 > 0:38:53is the most expensive area in Surrey and just to give you an example,
0:38:53 > 0:39:00in 2009, the average house price was more than £520,000.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04I'm told that we are a stone's throw away from A-list addresses -
0:39:04 > 0:39:08footballers, rock stars and the like.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Hmm, the people round here don't really look like footballers though.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Or rock stars.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20The fact is I'm in Whiteley Village which is full of ordinary people
0:39:20 > 0:39:22but it's not an ordinary village.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26In 1907, a wealthy entrepreneur called William Whiteley,
0:39:26 > 0:39:30famed for inventing the modern department store,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33was shot dead by a man claiming to be his illegitimate son.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Whiteley left a million pounds in his will,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38not to his son, but for the creation of a village
0:39:38 > 0:39:42to provide homes for the elderly and needy.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44I'm getting a to with Ian Lansley, the estate manager.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48It's so neat and tidy it feels a bit like a movie set.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51How on earth do you get to live here?
0:39:51 > 0:39:56The residents, once they apply, they've got to hit certain criteria.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01British citizen, good character and obviously, needy.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05The real lid on that is
0:40:05 > 0:40:08have you got access to housing benefit?
0:40:08 > 0:40:11There's mention of being of the right character -
0:40:11 > 0:40:14how is that decided?
0:40:14 > 0:40:18100 years ago, being of good character would obviously
0:40:18 > 0:40:21have different meanings from that of today.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Back then, what would it have meant?
0:40:24 > 0:40:29Probably no history of theft or any trouble with the law.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33These days, all the decisions for the applications
0:40:33 > 0:40:35are made by the trustees on the board
0:40:35 > 0:40:37before any offers have been made.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39If I was on the board it would be just no riff-raff.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42No troublemakers allowed.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46- Morning.- Hello.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51We're heading slightly out of the village now.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54How big are the grounds?
0:40:54 > 0:40:58The original grounds purchased over from Burhill estates were 225.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02We sold off about 20 acres in order to fund
0:41:02 > 0:41:05the renovations within the village.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09There's 200 acres just outside London surrounded by celebrities.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11How much is it worth?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13No one could really tell.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Where it is, in the middle of the stockbroker belt here,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19not even Roman Abramovic could afford this one.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21That's quite a price tag.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Who are the celebs that live round here?
0:41:30 > 0:41:33We've got Cliff Richard, Mick Hucknall, Bobby Davro.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35There's a fair smattering around the area.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41But to get a real handle on life in Whiteley Village,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I need to meet some residents.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56What's the community spirit like here?
0:41:57 > 0:42:01I feel I'm very fortunate to live in this place.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04It's very happy, you are well looked after
0:42:04 > 0:42:09but nobody is poking their nose in all the time.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12They're caring people.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17I feel I'm very fortunate to live here and I'm very, very happy.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Even if I won the pools, I don't think I'd want to move out.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25Arthur, what facilities are there in the village?
0:42:25 > 0:42:29We've got the village hall, the bowling green, putting green,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31golf course.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35There's all sorts of things. We put events on in the hall, dances.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37There's darts in here on a Wednesday.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Your diary's packed, isn't it?
0:42:39 > 0:42:42There's always something going on.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44This is quite an unusual environment to live in.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48How important is it to you and how important is it that it keeps going?
0:42:48 > 0:42:50It's very important to me.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I believe this is the only, to my knowledge,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57the only village of this kind in the country
0:42:57 > 0:43:02because it's a charitable trust.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06It's so important to feel that you're secure.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09You can walk out of your front or back door
0:43:09 > 0:43:13any time of day or night and you're safe.
0:43:13 > 0:43:18When I see some of the pictures of elderly people frightened
0:43:18 > 0:43:24to go out of their houses or flats at night, I think how lucky I am.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Listening to Betty and Arthur makes me realise
0:43:28 > 0:43:30what a unique place this is.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35William Whiteley's million pounds has gone a very long way indeed.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37It's easy to forget we're only a stone's throw from London,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40just another notch on the commuter belt.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Surrey has managed to hold on to its rural charm
0:43:43 > 0:43:47but, as Julia Bradbury discovered, you sometimes have to search for it.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The this is the Surrey market town of Dorking.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56It doesn't look much like an agricultural heartland now
0:43:56 > 0:43:59but once it was famous for its livestock.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02I'm on the hunt for an elusive fowl.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05This is a Dorking cockerel, a breed named after the town
0:44:05 > 0:44:08and back in the day, the Dorking was bred by the thousand.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12Unusually, the Dorking has five toes.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16In Victorian times it was hugely popular for its meat.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19But today, this is the only one I found around here.
0:44:20 > 0:44:25- Do you know what this is?- Dorking? - Yes!- Dorking cockerel.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28- Do you know where I can get one? - Afraid not.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Do you know where I can get one these days?
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- Tell you what, if I rang my daughter up, she'd know.- At the gift shop.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Do you know where I can find one, that's the question.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44I'm not having much luck.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47If I'm going to find out what these Dorkings are all about,
0:44:47 > 0:44:49I'm going to need some help.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Now, the Dorking is a very handsome bird, Pedro.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54What other qualities does it have?
0:44:54 > 0:44:58Apart from the five toes, they're very short but long.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02- Ideal table birds. - They're very plump, aren't they?
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Because they are short on the leg, they tend to fill out a bit more.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08- Why did it fall out of favour? - They're not economical.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11They're very slow-growing and it takes ages for them to mature.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13Egg capacity is very poor.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16What about the name and the association with this area,
0:45:16 > 0:45:17where's that come from?
0:45:17 > 0:45:21It's thought that the Romans brought over a five-toed fowl
0:45:21 > 0:45:24around about 47 AD, and then in Victorian times,
0:45:24 > 0:45:29the breeders around the area - Sussex, Kent and Horsham -
0:45:29 > 0:45:34crossed different breeds to produce what we know now as the Dorking.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38- 47 AD?- That's right.- That is an old bird.- A very old bird.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43But I still haven't found one.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46I'm going to have to widen my search.
0:45:46 > 0:45:47Today, the Dorking is a rare breed
0:45:47 > 0:45:50and the only place you are likely to find one
0:45:50 > 0:45:53is with a specialist breeder or collector,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56otherwise known as chicken fanciers.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00Poultry fancying has a long tradition.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Competitions to breed the best looking birds
0:46:02 > 0:46:04have been held for decades.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09With scant prize-money on offer, it's always been a labour of love.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12I'm on my way to meet a modern-day enthusiast.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15I've located a breeder that specialises in Dorkings
0:46:15 > 0:46:19so hopefully I can get a closer look at these beasties.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26- Hi, Lana. Hello.- Hello, Julia.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28I must say, I was expecting that to be a chicken.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31- I am also mad on greyhounds. - Oh, I see.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41- So here we have a live Dorking. - Yes, these are my birds.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44And they are lovely.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Davie is a feisty young cockerel with wonderful silver white plumage
0:46:47 > 0:46:50and Hannah is a dark Dorking female.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54This is Hannah then. Come on, my darling.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Now, the best way to hold her so that she's relaxed.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00She's quite a heavy lump,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03you have to have two fingers between her legs -
0:47:03 > 0:47:08- see her five toes - and let her breastbone sit on your arm.- I see.
0:47:08 > 0:47:13Then she'll be completely relaxed and happy to be in your arms.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17- Let's have a go - two fingers under there.- Between her legs.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21Support her weight - that's lovely. Then she'll be quite happy.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24How did you get into it, Lana?
0:47:24 > 0:47:26When I first moved here, I thought I've got into chickens,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29I might as well keep a local breed.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32I realised after doing some research on them they are quite rare
0:47:32 > 0:47:35and I felt it would be a good thing for me to conserve them.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38I became one of the Dorking conservers.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41- That's your passion now, Keeping them alive.- It's my passion.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Hannah and I are bonding.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47All chicken fanciers need to know how to prepare a bird for show.
0:47:47 > 0:47:52Thousands will flock to the national poultry show in a few weeks.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55I'm whisking Hannah off for a bit of a hen party
0:47:55 > 0:47:58where I'm going to learn the tricks of the trade.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- Hello, Pedro.- Hi, Julia.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06I come prepared with bird. This is Hannah.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10I want you to show me how I should get Hannah ready and sparkling.
0:48:10 > 0:48:17- It all starts with a healthy scrub. - Gently start covering her feathers.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19You don't want to scare her off.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24We're going to put a little bit of shampoo, just rub it in deep.
0:48:24 > 0:48:29Well, this is right up there with things I've never done before again.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33Washing a chicken. This, though, is just the beginning.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37I thought it took me a while to doll up
0:48:37 > 0:48:39but this chick's on another level.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48I couldn't bear it if someone was doing this to me.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Not so comfortable. Calm down, dear!
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Hannah's scrubbing up nicely but she better watch out.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01There are other ladies in town.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04What are they? They're very cute.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06We've got some Plymouth Rocks which are the brown ones
0:49:06 > 0:49:09and then we've got some Frizzles.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11I've had to take the big girl out
0:49:11 > 0:49:14because the little black one was having a go.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18There's a lot of feathers over here at the moment. They're looking for a pecking order.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25As for Hannah, it's on to the final touches. Look, she's loving that.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29You just rub it round her feet and legs.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33Yes.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37But is she good enough to show?
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Rodney Wood is an experienced judge
0:49:39 > 0:49:42and he's dropped by to give our girl the once over.
0:49:42 > 0:49:47The finer points of what we're going to be looking for
0:49:47 > 0:49:52is the markings, the colour of her and, particularly,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55whether she's got the five toes.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59She definitely has. I'm no expert but I can tell you that.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01And she's got white legs and all Dorkings have white legs.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05This part of the hackle should be a little more straw
0:50:05 > 0:50:08so that's just lacking a little bit.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12The base colour with the white running down the centre
0:50:12 > 0:50:14of each feather is spot on.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21- She's not a bad Dorking. - So I shouldn't be embarrassed?
0:50:21 > 0:50:25- Hannah has done Lana and me proud. - Absolutely.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I wouldn't be ashamed to show that in any show.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31I always knew she was a top flight bird.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37Julia Bradbury on the trail of the elusive Dorking fowl.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Meanwhile, I've arrived at Compton.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47This is Watts Chapel in the village of Compton.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50It's an amazing and lasting reminder of an artist who lived here
0:50:50 > 0:50:55100 years ago and who empowered a whole community.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57I'll be discovering more right after
0:50:57 > 0:50:59the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.
0:52:50 > 0:52:57.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12I'm on a journey through Surrey, from the racecourse of Epsom Downs
0:53:12 > 0:53:15to the stunning gardens at Wisley
0:53:15 > 0:53:17and, after stopping off at Whiteley Village,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I've travelled the final leg to Compton.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26The Surrey Hills became the home of the Victorian painter
0:53:26 > 0:53:30and sculptor George Frederic Watts and his wife Mary
0:53:30 > 0:53:35when they moved here from London in 1891 until his death in 1904.
0:53:37 > 0:53:42Watts was, and still is, a giant of the art world.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44His work can be seen at the Tate Britain
0:53:44 > 0:53:47and the National Gallery in London.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Yet his gallery in Compton, which opened the same year he died
0:53:50 > 0:53:52to house some of his most precious work,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55teetered on the edge of collapse.
0:53:55 > 0:54:00In 2006, Watts Gallery, dilapidated and impoverished,
0:54:00 > 0:54:02appeared on the BBC's restoration programme
0:54:02 > 0:54:05to appeal for a much-needed lifeline.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09When you look at the damp
0:54:09 > 0:54:13immediately above these magnificent paintings,
0:54:13 > 0:54:15it would take very little
0:54:15 > 0:54:18to just get a cascade of water running across.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21This is really putting these paintings at risk, isn't it?
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Wherever you look in this building, you see damage from damp
0:54:25 > 0:54:26and poor construction.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30A whole load of plaster ceiling just fallen down there.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Coming through now into the back corridor behind the main gallery...
0:54:34 > 0:54:37God, look at this! This is quite serious here.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42An enormous hole, a great lump of plaster fallen off.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Look at the rot in that joist. Terrible!
0:54:44 > 0:54:48Unfortunately, it didn't win the prize money
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and the fundraisers were forced to look elsewhere for rescue.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53And they got lucky.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57Generous donations, as well as money from the Heritage Lottery Fund,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00helped bring this Arts and Crafts building back from the brink.
0:55:03 > 0:55:08£10 million later and the paintings are coming home, to the delight
0:55:08 > 0:55:11of the gallery's curator Mark Bills and the director Perdita Hunt.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Can you remember the moment when you found out that the money
0:55:16 > 0:55:19didn't get given to the gallery from the programme?
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Oh, it was gutting!
0:55:22 > 0:55:25But 83,000 people can't be wrong, who voted for us
0:55:25 > 0:55:28both in the first round and the second round.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32What they saw was that Watts was an extraordinary artist
0:55:32 > 0:55:37of the 19th century, he painted right across sculpture,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40paintings, drawings.
0:55:40 > 0:55:41He founded a unique gallery -
0:55:41 > 0:55:44this is unique in being the only purpose-built art gallery
0:55:44 > 0:55:46for a single professional artist,
0:55:46 > 0:55:50and it was a gallery that they could see was letting the rain in
0:55:50 > 0:55:52and was falling apart.
0:55:52 > 0:55:57And what's so amazing is, from that moment of despair for us,
0:55:57 > 0:56:00losing BBC Restoration Village, we built up,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03with support from donors and the Heritage Lottery Fund,
0:56:03 > 0:56:08enough support, we built a team to rescue this gallery.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12So, Mark, why is it so important to keep the work here in Compton?
0:56:12 > 0:56:14It's really important,
0:56:14 > 0:56:18because this building was absolutely created just for these works.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20Watts was phenomenally famous in his own lifetime,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24he had a room permanently displaying his work at the Tate Gallery
0:56:24 > 0:56:27and then, not far away at the National Portrait Gallery,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30a huge room of his portraits, but he also felt
0:56:30 > 0:56:33he needed a gallery that was in the country
0:56:33 > 0:56:36and he had a home here in Compton,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39and so he wanted to show that personal collection of his own
0:56:39 > 0:56:43which had his masterpieces and show the real diversity
0:56:43 > 0:56:47of his work and so that's why he created it here in Compton.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49But it's not just about the inside of the gallery,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52but actually the surrounding, the fact that it's in the village.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55It's a national gallery in the heart of a village,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57it's a very rare, unique thing.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Having travelled through this beautiful county
0:57:09 > 0:57:13on the edge of our capital, it's not hard to understand why Surrey
0:57:13 > 0:57:15has always been in high demand.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Watts himself moved here to escape the terrible London fogs in winter.
0:57:19 > 0:57:24A million people a year visit the spectacular gardens at Wisley,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28but I can't begin to imagine how many have cheered on the horses
0:57:28 > 0:57:31at Epsom Downs over the years.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33And yet, for all that hustle and bustle,
0:57:33 > 0:57:37Surrey remains England's green and pleasant land.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:46 > 0:57:49E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk