0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:02 > 0:00:05- Boundaries are there to be pushed.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10- I'm Gareth Potter, - a DJ and actor by profession.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- My parents didn't speak Welsh.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17- I've always been aware - of linguistic boundaries.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21- This series is about - a real, geographical boundary.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27- I want to understand the - borderlands' history and culture...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29- ..and meet the people who live here.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34- Does living on a border - create its own unique identity?
0:00:34 > 0:00:38- Come with me on a journey - to find out.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50- I remember once when - a crowd of us worked in Wrexham.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53- We were in the pub after work.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56- We noticed a sign that said...
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- .."Welcome To Wales."
0:01:00 > 0:01:02- After a few pints...
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- ..we decided to move the sign.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12- I remember a punk song - from my youth...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- .."Revolution Starts - At Closing Time."
0:01:16 > 0:01:20- It was a daft, rebellious - thing to do. But it was a laugh.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23- There was a purpose to it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27- Any border is fairly artificial.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- They have been created...
0:01:31 > 0:01:35- ..and moved - back and forth across the centuries.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40- We assume geographical borders - are cast in stone. But they're not.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46- A thousand years ago, these islands' - borders were completely different.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- There were tribal borders...
0:01:49 > 0:01:53- ..natural borders - of rivers and mountains.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- In the 8th century...
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- ..King Offa...
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- ..ordered the construction - of this dyke.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- It was the first definitive border.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- Today's border is a result - of history, battles and politics.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- It's been in place, more or less, - since 1536.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21- My journey begins in Chester, - on the modern border.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27- The football stadium's entrance - is in England, the pitch in Wales.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34- I'm going from Chester to Deva, - as the old oppressors called it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47- I know I look odd walking - around Chester like this...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- ..but the city - is a journey back in time.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56- The city walls and Chester Rows - date back to the Middle Ages.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- The streets are unique to the area.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05- I'm going all the way back - to Roman times.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- The Roman remains...
0:03:09 > 0:03:14- ..seen on the streets - and many shop and cafe cellars...
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- ..include mosaics, huge - pillar bases and an amphitheatre.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- I'm going there to learn to fight.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- And then you can come in - with an attack.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- I'm out of breath after two minutes, - and I'm quite fit!
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- Blimey! I wouldn't last ten seconds - in an amphitheatre.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- Despite the training...
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- ..no-one mentioned fighting a bear.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- SCREAMS
0:04:16 > 0:04:21- To banish the memory of being - beaten by a man in a bear suit...
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- ..I arranged to meet Mark Parry - from Cheshire.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- He decided to learn Welsh.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28- Hello, Mark.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- Hello, Mark.- - How are you?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- I always enjoyed visiting Wales...
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- ..and walking in Snowdonia.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- I saw the Welsh language - on signposts.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- It was mysterious and charismatic.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- I wanted to learn the language.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- In 2010, I had time to learn.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- I lived in Scotland - when I was younger.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00- There is a big difference between - the England-Scotland border...
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- ..and the Wales-England border.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Once you cross the border - into Scotland...
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- ..you hear the Scottish accent.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- If you go from Chester to Wales...
0:05:16 > 0:05:21- ..there isn't such - a marked difference in accents.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- You come from Chester.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Are the local people...
0:05:28 > 0:05:33- ..aware they're next - to another country...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- ..and another culture?
0:05:36 > 0:05:41- Generally, people know Wales exists.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46- The Welsh language isn't important - to the people of Chester.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- There is no real awareness of it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- I wouldn't say there is.
0:05:54 > 0:05:54- Thanks, Mark.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Thanks, Mark.- - You're welcome. Take care.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- I left Mark to continue my journey.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- You can't get closer - to the border than this place.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- One road is split - between Flintshire in Wales...
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- ..and Cheshire in England.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- Boundary Lane, Saltney.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21- The right side is in Wales, - the left in England.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- The border runs right through me.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31- I'm here to meet a member of one - of my favourite eighties bands...
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- ..Phil Bradley from Brodyr Y Ffin.
0:06:34 > 0:06:40- # A OES HEDDWCH? # - Brodyr Y Ffin
0:06:42 > 0:06:47- I'll never forget seeing Y Brodyr - for the first time in the eighties.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- They were new, and unlike - anything I'd heard before in Welsh.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- The band formed in Holyhead.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- They moved to Chester - to get more gigs.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07- We had a lift from some bloke. He - asked us what brought us to Chester.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- I explained to him. He said, - "I've just bought two houses.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- "They're a bit derelict.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- "You can stay there temporarily - until you find a place."
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- "Thanks very much," we said. - We moved into one of the houses.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- We were there - for three or four years!
0:07:30 > 0:07:36- We lived on Boundary Lane. - One side of the road was in Wales.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- But if we walked out of - the back door, we were in England.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42- Amazing.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Saltney is pivotal - to Brodyr Y Ffin's story.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- The town has an interesting history.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Saltney was built on salt marshes - on the River Dee...
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- ..hence the name.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- It was open marshland - until the 18th century.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- It developed into a port - to serve the Chester area.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- Boundary Lane - was an industrial area.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- There were strong ties - to the railways...
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- ..and bringing coal in - from Saltney Junction.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25- The steelworks made chains - and anchors that weighed 50 tons.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- The old buildings were still here...
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- ..in Boundary Lane...
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- ..although the industry had gone.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42- There was a scrap yard here.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47- Dave went to the scrap yard - every now and then...
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- ..to collect cans.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- He bashed them with wood and metal.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- He made sure the sound was right.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- He brought them back to the house...
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- ..made them into a certain shape...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- ..and got the sound right.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- The cans became musical instruments, - his drums.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- # BREUDDWYD MEWN CAN # - Brodyr Y Ffin
0:09:22 > 0:09:27- Standing on Boundary Lane felt like - I'd been on a musical pilgrimage.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- I concentrated on - the modern border in the first part.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- In part two, the old border.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- I visit Holywell, - ten miles from England.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- In the 8th century...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- ..it was slap bang on the border.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48- .
0:09:51 > 0:09:51- Subtitles
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- My border journey continues.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- I've visited the modern border - in Chester and Saltney.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- Now I've come 15 miles west.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- The border was here - in the 8th century.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16- Holywell was on the wrong side - when Offa's Dyke was built.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- I've never been here before.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26- There's a well here somewhere, - apparently. Let's go for a look.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- Ieuan ap Sion comes from Holywell.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- I want to find out more - about the town and its well.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34- Hiya.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35- Hiya.- - How are you?
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- We're meeting at one of - the Seven Wonders Of Wales.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- Winifred's Well - puts the "well" in Holywell.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- This is the well.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- This is the well.- - What's the history?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- It dates back to the 6th century.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- Winifred lived in the area.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Her uncle, Beuno...
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- ..himself a saint...
0:11:00 > 0:11:02- ..lived in the area, too.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- A local prince from Hawarden...
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- ..which isn't far from here...
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- ..wanted to marry Winifred.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- She ran away.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- She wanted to dedicate her life - to God.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- He was angry. He came after her, - and took out his sword.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- He chopped her head off - and killed her.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- Her head rolled down here.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- There was a church here.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- Beuno was preaching.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- A spring rose from the ground...
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- ..where her head landed.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48- The water flowed down the valley.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- Beuno prayed.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55- He put the head back on her - shoulders and she came back to life.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- She lived for fifteen more years.
0:11:58 > 0:12:04- This has been a place of pilgrimage, - probably ever since.
0:12:06 > 0:12:12- My grandfather was born - at the end of the Victorian era.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17- He used to say if you were ill - or had hurt your hand or finger...
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- ..you put it in the water, - you were healed...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- ..thanks to the water's - healing properties.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28- Perhaps faith counted - for a lot with the healing.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- I think I'd better take - some of the water with me.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34- Good idea.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39- From 6th century miracles, - we go to Holywell's workhouse.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- It was opened in 1840 - and housed up to 400 people.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- Now, it's a building site.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49- But it was a working hospital - until 15 years ago...
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- ..Lluesty Hospital.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56- Ieuan said that the workhouse - also had a cultural significance...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- ..linked to folk songs.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- Years ago, a certain - Lady Herbert Lewis lived in Caerwys.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- She was famous in Wales.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- The phonograph - had just been invented.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- It was a kind - of primitive tape recorder.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- She was far-seeing.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- She realized old melodies - should be recorded...
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- ..before they were lost.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- She unearthed a treasure - trove of songs here.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31- Two women in the workhouse - were renowned singers.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- It was arranged - for Lady Herbert Lewis...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- ..to talk to one woman - and listen to her songs.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42- But the woman's language was - unseemly and she'd been drinking.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47- They were afraid that Lady Herbert - Lewis would hear bad language.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- So they went to her 90-year-old - sister, Mrs Jane Williams.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57- She knew many songs like "Y Bachgen - Main" and "Lliw Gwyn Rhosyn Yr Haf."
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- # Good day to you, bright star #
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- There were some English songs too.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03- OLD RECORDING
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- # Oh, I'm a lad from Wales
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- # Living far from his land
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- # I have lost my ship and load
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- # And my crew has drowned #
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- Do you sing some of the songs?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- I know them all, really.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24- I know them all, really.- - Fantastic.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30- We sang Cadi Ha as children, - like my father and grandfather.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32- Do you want to hear it?
0:14:32 > 0:14:33- Do you want to hear it?- - I'd love to.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38- There are different versions, - but my grandfather gave me this one.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- # Hoo ha wen, Cadi ha
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- # Morris stout, - for the highest leaping
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- # Hoo, that will do
0:14:46 > 0:14:51- # And tail of cow and tail of calf, - the blacksmith Richard Parry's too
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- # Hoo, that will do, - lada lee, lada lo
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- # Lada gisa borrow, hoo that will do
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- # And tail of cow and tail of calf, - the blacksmith Richard Parry's too
0:15:04 > 0:15:05- # Hoo, that will do #
0:15:05 > 0:15:06- That's it.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- Thank you very much. Fantastic.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11- Wow!
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- The rain wouldn't stop. - Time for a cuppa.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- I had an opportunity - to learn more about the town.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- The area developed rapidly - during the Industrial Revolution.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- The lead, copper and cotton - works were very important.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30- Good cuppa.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Good cuppa.- - The population and town grew.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37- But now, there are only vestiges - of the former industry.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- It brought great wealth to Holywell.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- Two centuries ago...
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- ..it was a very prosperous place.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51- Of course, children - worked in the factories.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- The factories were terrible places.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- They were dusty and poisonous, - for example the copper works.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- Arsenic comes from copper.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- The factory workers, - two centuries ago, were advised...
0:16:09 > 0:16:14- ..to wash their whole bodies - once a week, to get rid of the dust.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Before eating their lunch, - their "snapin"...
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- ..they had to wash their hands.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- But they still - fell ill and threw up.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- The vomit was green, because - of the arsenic in the copper.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- Ieuan's accent is unfamiliar to me.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- It's fab to hear - the natural Holywell dialect.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- We haven't heard much - of this Welsh dialect today.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45- I'm interested in hearing - how Ieuan sees his home town now.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52- We are in Wales, don't worry - about that. We are indeed.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- It's not as Welsh - as it was long ago.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- When I was a child in the 1950s...
0:16:57 > 0:17:03- ..a lot of Holywell's old people, - the late Victorians, spoke Welsh.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- But by the 1960s, they had died. - There were no more.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12- But there's a Welsh medium school - here. Ysgol Gwenffrwd is prospering.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- Did you go to a Welsh medium school?
0:17:15 > 0:17:20- No, I went to the English school. - Almost no Welsh was taught.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26- A lot of country children, say - from Lixwm, were anglicized there.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- But in this area, - it's under the surface.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35- The names of hills, farms - and houses are all Welsh.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- But sadly, the language - is declining here.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- I think I know Holywell - a little better now.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- If you want to get to know - a place in a few hours...
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- ..find an interesting local.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07- From Holywell, I catch a bus - to the village of Hendre...
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- ..to taste some - of the local produce.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- I like nothing better - than a proper pub...
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- ..and a pint of local beer.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25- This place has - an excellent choice of beer.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- So let's go in to taste it.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- Local microbreweries - flourish in this area.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- There are about ten - within twenty miles of this pub.
0:18:40 > 0:18:40- Hiya.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41- Hiya.- - Hello.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46- I'm here to taste a beer - that is not only brewed locally...
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- ..but is full of local - ingredients too.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- This is a Hafod beer. - The owner is Phill.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- It's quite dark.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- He uses flowers - like gorse from Moel Famau...
0:19:01 > 0:19:06- ..and makes different - flavoured beers.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09- He has at least - half a dozen different beers.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- It's all based - on what grows on Moel Famau.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- I like it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23- Young people are turning away from - drinks like lagers to draught beer.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- I think many more women - drink draught beer.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28- Right.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Do you think people in this area...
0:19:32 > 0:19:37- ..are different from the people - in the rest of Wales?
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Yes, they are slightly different.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- The influence - of the English language...
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- ..and Englishness...
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- ..has really affected them.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- If you came to this pub - fifty years ago...
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- ..you might have heard - nothing but Welsh here.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03- Many people have moved - to live in the villages.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- They're not Welsh speakers...
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- ..and not Welsh, in a way.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- Having said that...
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- ..people from the area...
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- ..are very loyal - to their background and culture.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- If you go back - to the age of the bards...
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- ..Wales's greatest poets - came from this area.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- Elizabeth I insisted - that Welsh poets had a licence.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- People used to say - they were poets...
0:20:36 > 0:20:40- ..and went to the grand houses.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- The bloke said, "I have - a big feast in a fortnight.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46- "I want an ode for my guest."
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- "Alright, I'll write - an ode, no problem."
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- The night before the feast, - he'd open the window and be off.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- The lord would have no ode.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- There were complaints - back in Elizabeth I's reign.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- She said the poets - had to have a licence.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- These were distributed - at the Caerwys eisteddfod.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- The next time a poet arrived...
0:21:09 > 0:21:14- ..the lord could ask, - "Where's your licence, pal?"
0:21:14 > 0:21:15- Ah!
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- To try and stop them!
0:21:19 > 0:21:24- Different words are used - in the Welsh spoken here.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- When I first came here, - people used the word "crugo".
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- They said, "Dwi'n crugo."
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- I wondered what the hell it meant.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- Is the person in pain or dying, - or has he won the pools?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- It means "I'm sorry".
0:21:41 > 0:21:42- Right!
0:21:42 > 0:21:47- If someone in this area - says that, it means "I'm sorry."
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- They talked about the "cor".
0:21:49 > 0:21:55- I'm from Anglesey, where "cor" - is a group of people singing.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- Here, it isn't.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- It can mean a choir.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- But it can also mean a cowshed.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- So they keep cows in the "cor". - I hadn't come across it before.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- I've never heard that before.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Thanks for sharing your stories.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16- Fantastic.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17- Fantastic.- - It's a pleasure.
0:22:18 > 0:22:18- Brilliant. Thanks.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- Brilliant. Thanks.- - You're welcome.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- What a fine start to the journey!
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- The people and their - dialect are unique.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- Next week, I travel - from Chirk to Oswestry...
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- ..looking for more border stories.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45- LAUGHS
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- S4C Subtitles by Gwead
0:23:03 > 0:23:03- .