:00:14. > :00:22.The story of Wales is an epic journey through centuries of Welsh
:00:22. > :00:26.history. Using the most up-to-date historical information, the latest
:00:26. > :00:34.computer graphics, and dramatic reconstructions, this landmark
:00:34. > :00:40.series brings our nation's story to life. Making the story of Wales
:00:40. > :00:46.takes a closer look at just how we did that.
:00:46. > :00:56.We also dig deeper into the history itself. What we know, how we know
:00:56. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:20.it and how new discoveries turn the For the BBC landmark history series,
:01:20. > :01:24.the Story of Wales, scale was the name of the game. To produce six
:01:24. > :01:28.hours of programming, the production team travelled 6,000
:01:28. > :01:34.miles filming over 100 hours of footage using hundreds of extras
:01:34. > :01:39.and consulting with dozens of expert academics. In the first
:01:39. > :01:43.episode of making the story of Wales, we looked at how the team
:01:43. > :01:48.turned down history from the Stone Age to the Tudor age into
:01:48. > :01:56.compelling TV. In this episode, we look at the last 300 years of Welsh
:01:56. > :02:06.history. When the pace of change propels us from the basic
:02:06. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:15.agricultural society to the cutting At the start of the 18th century
:02:15. > :02:25.Wales was a poor society, living off the land. Within 100 years all
:02:25. > :02:29.
:02:29. > :02:36.that would change. The rediscovery of copper eo rerks e would help
:02:36. > :02:41.propel Wales into a new age, the industrial age.
:02:41. > :02:49.In the story of Wales we see how the first truly global industry,
:02:49. > :02:53.copper, spear heads Wales' Industrial Revolution.
:02:53. > :03:01.The series focuses on the land scale of the copper mines, but if
:03:01. > :03:08.you dig into local history and the restore images, you find out much
:03:08. > :03:14.more about the entrepreneur of Anglesey's copper, Thomas Williams.
:03:14. > :03:20.And about the scale of the copper port.
:03:20. > :03:27.Archive shows as many as 40 copper car goes and inbound ships could be
:03:27. > :03:32.anchored at one time. And we know that by 1793 this port became so
:03:32. > :03:37.busy an act of parliament had to be passed to regulate it.
:03:37. > :03:46.But it was another small village in Wales that would become the copper
:03:46. > :03:56.smelting capital of the world. Swan sigh. Known as copperopolis, it was
:03:56. > :03:57.
:03:57. > :04:01.the beating heart of the industrial Wales. Overgrown and derelict today,
:04:01. > :04:05.the banks of the river was once the biggest copper works in the world.
:04:05. > :04:12.How did the story of Wales' animation team bring it back to
:04:12. > :04:17.life. Earlier in the process we produced a concept sketch, so from
:04:17. > :04:27.there we can stop to block out in broad strokes, the shots and
:04:27. > :04:34.atmosphere that we are looking for. The next phase involved populating
:04:34. > :04:41.footage with the graphic models. this stage it is still fluid so we
:04:41. > :04:45.can move buildings without having too much of an impact. We have the
:04:45. > :04:51.original plate which bears very little resemblance to the finished
:04:51. > :04:56.chart. This was a very challenging shot to work on because we had to
:04:56. > :05:02.replace so much of the footage. transformation scene in swancy is
:05:02. > :05:07.only the beginning of a change that will define the next century of our
:05:07. > :05:16.history. We showed how industry started to flourish in all kinds of
:05:16. > :05:21.places. Slate in north-west Wales. Coal from flincher, textiles in
:05:21. > :05:30.Balach. But there are surprising industrial stories that often lie
:05:30. > :05:39.hidden deep in Welsh countryside. In west Wales this was the centre
:05:39. > :05:43.of its own thriving woolen industry. What began as a cottage industry in
:05:43. > :05:53.the 18th century would grow into a major centre of highly mechanised
:05:53. > :05:54.
:05:54. > :06:02.production. First part to be meck anised was carding, making the wool
:06:02. > :06:06.into yarn. Then it goes to spinning to be made into knitting yarn.
:06:06. > :06:12.Carding mill started in the 17 hundreds and were just the
:06:12. > :06:18.beginning of a process that would see the whole industry meck anised.
:06:18. > :06:26.All the spinning couldn't keep up with the amount of wool they had.
:06:26. > :06:34.Meck anisation of the spinning came in with large spinning wheels and
:06:34. > :06:42.then into the machines we see today. Cumbrian mills had two spinning
:06:42. > :06:48.wheels with 400 spindles each. Although it increased productivity
:06:48. > :06:53.four the mill owners it came as a high cost to local people. It would
:06:53. > :06:59.have been a big input into the industry. You had one woman
:06:59. > :07:05.spinning on a great wheel, you would have had 400 people at one
:07:05. > :07:11.time, so 400 jobs was being done by one person on a spinning wheel.
:07:11. > :07:17.Throughout the 19th century the textile output continued to grow.
:07:17. > :07:22.By 1,900 there were 52 mills in full production and that created
:07:22. > :07:28.work alongside the machines. Even local children were employed in the
:07:28. > :07:36.mill after school hours. There were three factors driving the success
:07:36. > :07:42.story. Swift flowing water to power the mills. Flentiful supply of wool.
:07:42. > :07:47.And most importantly, the development of the railway system.
:07:47. > :07:54.In the story of Wales we see how the evolution of our transport
:07:55. > :07:59.network was vital to the growth of industry. The development of the
:07:59. > :08:08.steam engine in 1804 becomes a turning point in moving goods
:08:08. > :08:13.across the country. But even before the engine, the Industrial
:08:13. > :08:23.Revolution was demanding an economic and reliable way to
:08:23. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:32.transport mass goods. Canal boats were one answer, they could carry
:08:32. > :08:37.cargo with one horse pulling. Over 200 miles of canals were
:08:37. > :08:45.constructed connecting towns and villages across the country. And
:08:45. > :08:55.the engineering was revolutionary for its time. To cross the valleys
:08:55. > :09:02.
:09:02. > :09:07.of Wales, aqueducts were created. This Aqueduct is still the highest
:09:07. > :09:10.canal ever built and a World Heritage Site. But it wasn't just
:09:10. > :09:14.the movement of goods that was essential for feeding the growth of
:09:14. > :09:20.the Industrial Revolution in Wales. Throughout the 19th century there
:09:20. > :09:25.was also a huge movement of people from rural areas into the South
:09:25. > :09:29.Wales Valleys. In the story of Wales, we learn it was the honey
:09:29. > :09:33.pot of Merthyr Tydfil that attracted the greatest number of
:09:33. > :09:43.migrants. Home to the fourth biggest iron works in the world,
:09:43. > :09:58.
:09:58. > :10:02.The population went from 700 roughly in 1750 to nearly 60,000 by
:10:02. > :10:07.1850. It is probably the first time people moved on this scale in Wales,
:10:07. > :10:13.but the 19th century saw populations which unprecedented in
:10:13. > :10:18.the history of Britain. Why would people have left their homes, their
:10:18. > :10:23.communities and often their families to come to Merthyr Tydfil.
:10:23. > :10:27.Word got around you could earn earn four times the amount working in
:10:27. > :10:31.industry and the people who came here were go getters, people who
:10:31. > :10:37.wanted to better themselves, wanted a better standard of living,
:10:37. > :10:42.prepared to make sacrifices and leave their homes. The migrants
:10:42. > :10:48.weren't just Welsh. If you go to the merl kept in the local library
:10:48. > :10:53.or look at the records you find the evidence for the diverse ar gins of
:10:53. > :10:58.Merthyr Tydfil's population. Irish moved from Ireland because of
:10:58. > :11:04.the potato famine. The Jews were prompted to come from Eastern
:11:04. > :11:11.Europe to better themselves. They were economic migrants. The Spanish
:11:11. > :11:16.came as skilled steelworkers. They worked at a time when the dowellers
:11:16. > :11:20.works was frantically short of workmen. By the end of the 19th
:11:20. > :11:28.century, the population was a rich mix, but each of the my graneds had
:11:28. > :11:34.a position in Merthyr Tydfil. of the Jewish people sold luxury
:11:34. > :11:37.goods, so did the Scots actually. But although the opportunities were
:11:37. > :11:43.attractive, the story of Wales reveals that working and living
:11:43. > :11:53.conditions were often appalling. Especially in the early days of
:11:53. > :11:55.
:11:55. > :12:00.Merthyr's industrial story. Just emergency living in a room -- -
:12:00. > :12:05.just imagine living in a room this size. Husband, wife, children,
:12:05. > :12:10.cooking, eating, sleeping all kins of other things, in a room as small
:12:10. > :12:17.as this and then next door, another family, and then another family and
:12:17. > :12:22.then another family. In 1841 there are 1500 people living in stone
:12:22. > :12:29.huts this size. It is one of the biggest slums in Wales and the
:12:29. > :12:39.conditions are unimaginable. A striking CGI sequence from the
:12:39. > :12:39.
:12:39. > :12:49.story of Wales reveals why this network of Hoghels was nicknamed
:12:49. > :12:55.little little hell. It is filthy, crime ridden and dangerous. But for
:12:55. > :13:05.the few at the top Merthyr is a gold mine. Eventually, the
:13:05. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:17.disparity leads to discontent. And the rebellious mood isn't confined
:13:17. > :13:27.to the towns. Rebellion is also brewing in vels. Poverty stricken
:13:27. > :13:28.
:13:29. > :13:35.farmers are angry about being challenged to use their local roads.
:13:35. > :13:43.The protests became known as the Rebecca Riots.
:13:43. > :13:50.Men with blackened faces disguised in women's clothing mounted
:13:50. > :13:53.guerrilla attacks. How much do we really know about these secretive
:13:53. > :14:00.rioters? Archive held at the national
:14:00. > :14:06.library of Wales can give us some clues. We know the names of two
:14:06. > :14:12.characters,ed bad boys of the rioters, John Jones and David
:14:12. > :14:22.Davies. They were probably paid to riot. But also involved with quite
:14:22. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:28.a lot of inciting riot as well and threatening letters. But John Jones
:14:28. > :14:35.and David Davies are unusual. Actually identifying capturing and
:14:35. > :14:42.then convicting the rioters was not easy. Jurors didn't want to condemn
:14:42. > :14:45.their fellow citizens and the Rebecca rioters were scene as
:14:45. > :14:50.defenders of the people. The Government offered huge amounts of
:14:50. > :14:53.money for information leading to the conviction. It would have been
:14:53. > :15:03.extremely tempting because a labourer would have earned
:15:03. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:16.something Reich �6 a year with his board in a farm house. One couple
:15:16. > :15:18.
:15:18. > :15:24.who took the bait were Griffith and Ann Jones. The money would have set
:15:24. > :15:29.them up for life, but it came at a high cost to the rioters themselves.
:15:29. > :15:34.The punishments were very heavy for what they did. But it was that time
:15:34. > :15:39.when there was a lot of rioting at this time and punishments were
:15:39. > :15:49.meant to fit the crime. Transportation was a very, very
:15:49. > :15:52.
:15:52. > :16:02.serious funishment. Ultimately the Rebecca Riots are victorious. Roads
:16:02. > :16:03.
:16:03. > :16:08.are improved and tolls reduced. It is a triumph for the working man.
:16:08. > :16:15.The coal boom of the 1850s onwards is our next significant chapter in
:16:15. > :16:22.the story of Wales. The series focused en masseive impact on world
:16:22. > :16:27.trade of South Wales coal, but coal is found all over Wales and the
:16:27. > :16:34.north-east is crucially important. There are two separate bits, east
:16:34. > :16:38.flincher and also in the area around Wrexham. Coal has been mined
:16:38. > :16:42.there since the Middle Ages. You do see some similar trends of what is
:16:42. > :16:46.happening in the South Wales coal field in the way it boosts urban
:16:46. > :16:53.developments and creates new communities. At its peek over
:16:53. > :17:01.19,000 men were employed in nearly 4 million tonnes of coal produced.
:17:01. > :17:10.The economy of North Wales soared at a result. Towns like clan did
:17:10. > :17:18.know grew into thriving centres. It was a very different industry,
:17:18. > :17:23.unlike South Wales its coal wasn't geared towards exporting for use to
:17:23. > :17:27.steel raising power, it was more used for industrial purposes and
:17:27. > :17:31.domestic use. The other difference between north and south was the
:17:31. > :17:38.sheer size of the coal fleet. The shipping companies and traders of
:17:38. > :17:47.the Cardiff coal exchange turned South Wales coal into big money.
:17:47. > :17:52.Into this money making world comes a remarkable Welshman. David Davies
:17:52. > :17:57.was the first Welsh millionaire. He made a fortune out of railways and
:17:57. > :18:02.then opened up coal pits in the Rhondda valley from the 1860s
:18:02. > :18:06.onwards. He is also remembered for another spectacular achievement. By
:18:06. > :18:13.driving the development of Barry Docks, he was responsible for one
:18:13. > :18:18.of the greatest construction projects in late 19th century Wales.
:18:18. > :18:24.But why was it so important for David Davies to take on this huge
:18:24. > :18:31.challenge? Coal was being produced in South
:18:31. > :18:34.Wales much more quickly than it can be exported from Cardiff docks. It
:18:34. > :18:44.was a frustrating cap on the amount of coal being sold and money being
:18:44. > :18:55.
:18:55. > :19:04.made. According to some, he was charging higher rates than should
:19:04. > :19:09.have been. Many argued it was the refusal to improve facilities at
:19:09. > :19:19.Cardiff. Landowners, including David Davies get involved in this
:19:19. > :19:27.scheme to build a whole Newport with railway connections up to the
:19:27. > :19:33.coal field. It was a risky venture that cost around �2 million. And
:19:33. > :19:39.Davis personally invested the lion's share. Even in its first
:19:39. > :19:44.year Barry exported one million tonnes of coal and it was then
:19:44. > :19:50.exporting more coal than Cardiff. Trade increases to 9 million tonnes
:19:50. > :19:57.and by 1913 they are handling over 4,000 ships a year. Barry box
:19:57. > :20:02.quickly becomes regarded as one of the best ports in the world. And
:20:02. > :20:07.David Davies cements his place as one of the crucial figures of 19th
:20:07. > :20:15.century Welsh history. The pace of change in Wales is now
:20:15. > :20:20.rocketed along. We live through times of great turmoil and hardship.
:20:20. > :20:28.From poor working conditions to violent rioting and painfully long
:20:28. > :20:33.strikes. But we also see huge triumph, from the rise of Lloyd
:20:33. > :20:38.George to the first foundations of the welfare state and the expansion
:20:38. > :20:41.of Edwardian entertainment. It is those good times as well as
:20:41. > :20:47.the bad that create much of the inspiration for the rich popular
:20:47. > :20:52.culture we see in post-industrial Wales. Sporting heroes,
:20:52. > :21:02.entertainers and of course brass bands. It is a cultural legacy we
:21:02. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:15.But with the story of Wales covering 30,000 years of our
:21:15. > :21:25.history, reflecting that legacy was a particular challenge. Tasked with
:21:25. > :21:26.
:21:26. > :21:31.writing the series was world renowned composer Karl Jenkins.
:21:31. > :21:37.I suppose it is like writing a fictional film score in that the
:21:37. > :21:44.music has to convey emotion and has drama and movement, of whatever is
:21:44. > :21:50.occurred in any scene. It was important the music not only
:21:50. > :21:56.reflected the drama of our history but also its cultural references.
:21:56. > :22:03.The main Welsh references, one where we use a harp, it features
:22:03. > :22:07.quite a lot. The other would be brass bands to certain extent and
:22:07. > :22:17.also the male voice choir has been brought in as well. That is a
:22:17. > :22:21.
:22:21. > :22:26.crucial part of Welsh tradition. For one piece in particular Karl
:22:26. > :22:36.has very personal ties. The original team for this hymn was
:22:36. > :22:40.
:22:40. > :22:50.written by Karl's father David Jenkins. It is very moving and
:22:50. > :22:50.
:22:50. > :22:56.related the story of Wales as well. It is about heritage and traditions.
:22:56. > :23:02.My family is part of the story. story of Wales is now coming into
:23:02. > :23:07.the familiar territory of the 20th century. A period of the great war,
:23:07. > :23:11.the decline of coal and the depression of the 1930s. In the
:23:11. > :23:21.series, we see how those events changed our landscape and our
:23:21. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:32.people. Then into this world came the bombers of the Second World War.
:23:32. > :23:36.I can remember it like yesterday. Something I will never forget.
:23:36. > :23:42.second world war brought wholesale destruction to many towns in
:23:42. > :23:46.Britain. In swancy it was the heavy and sustained bombing by the
:23:46. > :23:53.Luftwaffe across three nights in February 1941 that's remained
:23:53. > :23:58.etched in Brian's memory. This is where I lived in the blitz. I used
:23:58. > :24:08.to stand here with my dad, during the nights of the blitz, all you
:24:08. > :24:11.could see was all fields and it was just lit up like fairy land. You
:24:11. > :24:17.would never forget it if you experienced it, it was terrible.
:24:17. > :24:24.Tens of thousands of high explosives rained down on the city.
:24:24. > :24:29.The town centre was engulfed in flames. All of swancy was - Swansea
:24:29. > :24:34.was flattened. I remember the market which was glassed over which
:24:34. > :24:40.was destroyed during the blitz. More than 850 properties were
:24:40. > :24:49.destroyed and 11,000 buildings were damaged. But for a young boy, the
:24:49. > :24:56.war also brought a sense of excitement We used to collect
:24:56. > :25:02.shrapnel and incendiary bombs. I remember I was in school and the
:25:02. > :25:08.sirens went and the teachers rushed us into the cellars. I remember one
:25:08. > :25:12.of the teachers with the low ceilings hitting his head on the
:25:12. > :25:16.low girders and knocking himself out and us laughing!
:25:16. > :25:26.It's personal testimony like Brian's that really connects us
:25:26. > :25:33.
:25:33. > :25:42.In the story of Wales, we establish the huge post-war changes seen in
:25:42. > :25:45.Wales. A developing economy and firm establishment of the welfare
:25:45. > :25:49.state and the the shifting relationship between Wales and
:25:49. > :25:57.Britain. But another key relationship was
:25:57. > :26:02.also changing. The one between men and women evolves dramatically and
:26:02. > :26:06.and nowhere more significantly than in the workplace. There's almost a
:26:06. > :26:11.feeling which becomes clearer when the war ends that the world is
:26:11. > :26:17.being turned upside-down. Women now suddenly were everywhere, taking
:26:17. > :26:22.over all the jobs vacated by men. World War II was the trigger for
:26:22. > :26:26.this sea-change in employment opportunities. Not just in terms of
:26:26. > :26:36.the women's war organisations but also jobs in munitions, aircraft
:26:36. > :26:40.factories, as well as the civilian jobs left empty by men. The post-
:26:40. > :26:46.war years, women into the workforce, really brought about a sea-change
:26:46. > :26:50.in the whole of the Welsh economy. There were lovely newspaper
:26:50. > :26:57.newspaper accounts that every morning these young women with
:26:57. > :27:04.their make-up on, carrying their cases, wearing turbans and slacks,
:27:04. > :27:08.were going off to work, laughing and joking as they went. For Diedre
:27:08. > :27:14.it is these social changes she wants to make sure we all remember.
:27:14. > :27:23.By the end of the war, the percentage of women in ensured work
:27:23. > :27:27.had risen by over 130%. That's pretty dramatic. But not everyone
:27:27. > :27:31.was happy about the new opportunities available to women.
:27:31. > :27:37.Older men, miners weren't happy their daughters were coming home
:27:37. > :27:40.saying I have ernt so much this week. There were all sorts of
:27:40. > :27:44.threats embodied in these young women, threats to the existing
:27:44. > :27:49.social order. Society didn't change overnight, but the war had given
:27:49. > :27:54.women an experience of work, freedom and having their own money.
:27:54. > :28:01.The scene was set for a revolutionary shift in attitudes
:28:01. > :28:08.over the next two decades. The story of Wales took us on a roller
:28:08. > :28:15.coaster ride through centuries of Welsh history. In the earliest
:28:15. > :28:25.human burial found in Western Europe, the largest mine in the
:28:25. > :28:31.ancient world, the riches of monastic Wales. The cutting edge of
:28:31. > :28:37.technology in the Industrial Revolution. Welsh giants who shaped