0:00:02 > 0:00:05In the Victorian era, Britain changed as never before.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08It was the time of great inventors, engineers,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11but above all, great businessmen, entrepreneurs,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15and one of the best examples was the pioneer photographer,
0:00:15 > 0:00:16Francis Frith.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'It was in the 1860s that Francis Frith
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'embarked upon a monumental mission,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'using the newly invented photographic camera.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'He wanted to document every city,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'every town and every village in the land.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'I'm tracing the footsteps of this remarkable man
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'and his team of photographers.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'Using their pictures as my guide,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'I'll be travelling the length and breadth of the country,
0:00:42 > 0:00:43'finding out what has altered
0:00:43 > 0:00:47'and what has stayed the same and along the way,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'I'll be taking my own photos
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'to try and capture the mood of the place as it is now.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54That's great.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Welcome to Britain's First Photo Album.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Before the middle of the 19th century,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19it was up to artists to paint a scene,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23so you can imagine the excitement when the first photographs appeared,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27pictures of places you'd never been to, of people you didn't know.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Francis Frith was quick to see the commercial opportunity.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Before long, he was selling popular photographs
0:01:36 > 0:01:38in their tens of thousands.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42'Nowadays, Frith's photographs are a treasure trove
0:01:42 > 0:01:46'of historical surprises and long-forgotten stories.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'I can't wait to find out more. My trip around Britain
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'is going to take me as far south as the Isle of Wight.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56'I'll be travelling to the West Country and into Wales,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'before heading north to Scotland,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02'then back down through England to the Midlands.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'But my adventures begin in London
0:02:05 > 0:02:10'where today, I'll be meeting a group of real-life heroes...'
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- Did you say "knickers"? - Get 'em up!- You did!
0:02:13 > 0:02:18'..taking a starring role in one of the first West End theatres...'
0:02:18 > 0:02:21"What means this strange sensation?"
0:02:21 > 0:02:26'..and delving deep under one of London's most famous landmarks.'
0:02:26 > 0:02:29When you're up above, you don't see any of this.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- The public see none of this. - It's amazing.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36'My first location is rightly regarded as a national treasure.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:40The place we're going to
0:02:40 > 0:02:44is one of the very few institutions in the country
0:02:44 > 0:02:47which in my experience is never criticised.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53'Our first Frith photograph was taken in 1898
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'and is of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'complete with a group of proud Chelsea pensioners.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06'This heroes' home was founded by King Charles II in 1682
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'for soldiers who were unfit for further duty
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'because of injury or old age.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16'Designed by Sir Christopher Wren,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20'the Royal Hospital still serves its original purpose.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22'It's a symbol of our commitment to the brave people
0:03:22 > 0:03:25'who have fought for their country.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30'Paddy Fox is one of the 300 or so Chelsea pensioners who live here now
0:03:30 > 0:03:34'and he's in no doubt about their place in Britain's heart.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:40I'm right in saying that nobody criticises this place, do they?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42No, it's loved throughout the world.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44They've heard about it in Canada
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and places and they all love it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The gratitude that people show...
0:03:48 > 0:03:52People shake hands with me and think I was in the First World War.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- I'm not that old. - It's the lovely uniform too.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57The uniform attracts attention.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00It all goes back to the age of it
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and why this was founded as the Royal Hospital.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04It was founded, as it says up there,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09for the succour and relief of veterans, broken by age and war.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- And we've been living here for 316 years.- Not personally!- Indeed, yes.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16'The Frith picture was taken here in the square,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21'but there seems to be something odd in the background.'
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's like a tree there. What is it?
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Charles II, our founder, hid in an oak tree to get away from Cromwell.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32So we wear oak leaves, the statue is covered in oak leaves...
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- This is what we're seeing here. - That's Charles II.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38We call it Founder Day. Some call it Oak Apple Day.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- Do you still cover up the statue on Founder's Day?- Yes.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Not quite as much as that, but there's oak leaves all around it
0:04:45 > 0:04:47So that all looks very familiar.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51We all wear the tricorn hats, we all wear the oak leaves.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'All the traditions of the Chelsea pensioners
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'are still keenly celebrated every year,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00'as they have been since the founding of the hospital,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03'but recently, there has been one very significant change.'
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The biggest change has been the arrival of women.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They served in the army, they got their medals.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Now we've got some en-suite rooms, they're entitled to come in.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Were there some people who thought, "Not women"?
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Some people said, "Why do these women want to come in amongst 300 old men?
0:05:21 > 0:05:25They served in the army. They're here and that is it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'The decision was made in 2009 for women to be eligible.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36'It made sense, given the increasing role of women in the armed forces
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'since the Second World War.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'Dorothy Hughes was the first to come here
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'and she is now one of four female Chelsea pensioners.'
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Do you think it was long overdue
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- to make sure that women could come here?- Definitely.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56I felt like a pioneer.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I wanted to open the doors
0:05:58 > 0:06:00for younger women to come in
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and I think we'll come in hordes
0:06:03 > 0:06:06in about ten years' time.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09What's the general atmosphere like here?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It's like a very large family.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Obviously, there are quarrels that go on as they do in any family.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I know some people say it's a place you come to die.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23We're all going to die some time.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26But, here, you don't feel alone.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30You're amongst people who are in the same position as you
0:06:30 > 0:06:32and we don't think of death.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34We live from day to day.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37You wake up and say, "Good, I've got another day,"
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and you get on with it.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I'd been living on my own for 18 years.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I never liked knitting or playing whist or bridge.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51- I wanted an adventure.- And this is an adventure.- And I've got it!
0:06:51 > 0:06:55'What a marvellous spirit! Dorothy is a true inspiration.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59'For my first photo that's going to go into the album,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01'I'll try and capture that spirit of the Chelsea pensioners,
0:07:01 > 0:07:06'just as Frith did over 100 years ago.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:08This is what we've got to look out for.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- Anyone who says they're on it is wrong.- I'm already there!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14LAUGHTER
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Half of you on this side, half on the other side.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21- I think Dorothy should be in the middle.- Come on, Dorothy.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- Dorothy and Paddy in the middle. Is that all right?- Paddy!
0:07:25 > 0:07:28All right, you do look smart. Are you ready, troop?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Atten'shun!
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Stand at ease!
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Perfect. There are no other people in the world
0:07:35 > 0:07:37that could do it as well as you.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Knickers!- Who said "knickers"? That's wrong.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I've got a suspect. Did you say "knickers"?
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- Get 'em up!- You did!
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- You know that's wrong, don't you? - I know. Lock me up. Lock me up.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- We'll carry on as if it did not happen.- OK, sir.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- All right... - It's not. It's "get them off".
0:07:55 > 0:07:57LAUGHTER
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Who said, "Get them off"?
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Dorothy, you said, "Get them off." That really is bad.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- But we'll let you off too.- Thanks. - LAUGHTER
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Don't move. This is a big moment.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Now, then...
0:08:12 > 0:08:15OK, all there, stay where you are. That's great.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Yes, big smile now.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Happiness.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25'What a fantastic group they make in their smart scarlet uniforms!
0:08:25 > 0:08:29'Comradeship is always a great part of service life
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'and having a laugh.'
0:08:31 > 0:08:35What I liked about that group is they were disciplined, of course,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40but they had that tremendous capacity to,
0:08:40 > 0:08:41I don't know, fool around.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45It's very British and I think we've captured that in our picture
0:08:45 > 0:08:48because we've got the splendid pensioners,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50the marvellous Dorothy in the middle
0:08:50 > 0:08:55and it compares very favourably with the old pensioners.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58And you can just see that they love being here.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01The atmosphere of the place comes through.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It comes through in our pictures,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07but it very much comes through when we're talking to them.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12Give them half a chance and they behave, yeah, like Dad's Army!
0:09:20 > 0:09:23'My next Frith photo is of Victorian Drury Lane
0:09:23 > 0:09:25'in the heart of the West End.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30'I've just got to find out exactly where the picture was taken.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- Hello.- Hello.- Are you for hire? - I am indeed, sir.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I'll tell you what I've got to do.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I've got to find my way to this place.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Let's have a look.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45That's St Mary le Strand, so that's got to be Drury Lane.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49OK, look. Somehow we've got to get as near as we can
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- to where this photograph was. Can we do that?- Yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57- So we're going through Theatreland, aren't we?- We are.- Okey-doke.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- This area that we're going into, Theatreland...- Yeah.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08That was very run down in the 18th century.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Yeah, very much so. It was a slum area called The Rookeries.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14If you look down Drury Lane,
0:10:14 > 0:10:19- the whole scene is completely different, isn't it?- Very much so.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23If it wasn't for the fact I could see the spire of St Mary le Strand,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27I wouldn't have had such a good idea where you needed to go.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30We're approaching St Mary le Strand now
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and this is where the very first cab rank was established in 1636.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Right, so we've now got to try and get into Drury Lane.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41This is the bottom end.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Here we go.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Right... You're going to show me, aren't you?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Hopefully, we're in the right spot.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56Bush House there, the other side of it is the spire of St Clement Danes,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59unfortunately obscured, as you can see.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02And I'm assuming that these shops are no longer...
0:11:02 > 0:11:04They've all been wiped away.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- Wiped away with the redevelopment of the area.- Yeah, all that's gone.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- But this is Drury Lane. - Definitely Drury Lane.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Thanks very much. You've done us proud.- It's been a privilege.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Thank you.- Thank you.- OK.- Take care.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19'By Frith's day,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23'Drury Lane had become one of the worst slums in London.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'It's not surprising that these buildings were demolished.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29'You can already see the boarded-up shop fronts.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36'But there's one major building that survived the clearance -
0:11:36 > 0:11:37'the Theatre Royal.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'An expert on the theatre, Mark Fox,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'delights in talking about its rich history.'
0:11:43 > 0:11:46This was the fourth theatre on this site?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49It was. The first building was built in 1663
0:11:49 > 0:11:52under a royal patent from Charles II.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane?- That is why it's called the Theatre Royal.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58When you see this big auditorium,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01is it much the same as it was when our picture was taken in 1870?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04The auditorium is completely different.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08The Victorian auditorium was a horse-shoe auditorium.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11There was one more tier. We've got three tiers above us.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15There were four and a little galleried bit even above that,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17so the Victorian auditorium was higher.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20This auditorium was modelled in 1922.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25But in the Victorian period, it would still be an enormous theatre?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28And the stage was one of the biggest in London.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30And that suited the productions
0:12:30 > 0:12:33because Drury Lane was famous for its big pantomimes
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and its spectacular melodramas.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It must have been difficult to fill this great big auditorium.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Yeah, it's a barn of a place,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45so they did whatever they could to attract people in,
0:12:45 > 0:12:50to make them spend their hard-earned money to come and see the show.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52'Here at the Theatre Royal,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'they went to great lengths to entice visitors,
0:12:55 > 0:13:00'using elaborate stage machinery to create hills and startling effects.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'It was a first for Victorian London.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07'The stagehands who worked the machinery
0:13:07 > 0:13:09'had a surprising way of communicating.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:14A lot of the stage crew were actually ex-dockhands or ex-sailors,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17so most of their cueing system was done with whistles,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19so that's why there is the superstition
0:13:19 > 0:13:22that it's bad luck to whistle on the stage.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24If you had whistled in those days,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28you could have caused a disaster on stage or killed somebody
0:13:28 > 0:13:30if something had flown in at the wrong time,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- if you whistled and gave the wrong signal.- Gosh!
0:13:33 > 0:13:36'I've a bit of a yen for the stage
0:13:36 > 0:13:40'and I can't resist having a go at a version of Aladdin,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43'first performed here in Frith's time.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:47"What means this strange sensation?
0:13:47 > 0:13:52"It is thrilling - a thousand music halls at once and filling!
0:13:52 > 0:13:57"And when I am ten times at each hall encored...
0:13:57 > 0:13:59"And now I'm playing whist.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02"Turn up a club and lose a single, double and the rub.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05"The lamp is mine again, you money-grubber.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08"I've trumped your trick and fairly won the rubber."
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Now then, we get applause, don't we?
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- It doesn't seem like it. - Come on, applause!
0:14:24 > 0:14:25That was terrible.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'I've now got to take my picture.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'It's another Drury Lane street scene,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34'but quite different from Frith's.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40'The grand stage door to the Theatre Royal.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41'Without being obvious,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'it's a reminder of the age-old glamour of the theatre,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49'an entrance to the world of make believe.'
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Well, this is my picture.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56And I think it has the same sort of atmosphere as the old one.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58The Frith one is Victorian,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02but so is this, and this was here when that photograph was taken.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05And there is a perfect Victorian stage door.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09You can imagine the Victorian stage Johnnies,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14waiting here, hoping they might get a glance of their favourite actress.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22'My tour of Britain is now really under way.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'I'm following in the footsteps of pioneer photographer Francis Frith.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'My next port of call is one of the most popular parts of London -
0:15:29 > 0:15:32'Covent Garden.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37'Nowadays the 17th-century piazza is a magnet for tourists
0:15:37 > 0:15:38'with its shops and restaurants.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'Its original purpose was as a market
0:15:40 > 0:15:45selling fruit, veg and, in particular, flowers.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50'The Frith photograph that has brought me here is this one,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54'showing flower sellers who frequented the area for centuries.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57'a reminder of the real Eliza Doolittles
0:15:57 > 0:16:00'from My Fair Lady, or Shaw's original Pygmalion.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'In 1877, when the Frith picture was taken,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08'Covent Garden piazza would have been filled with market traders.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13'They arrived well before dawn to work at London's largest market.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17'The Victorian flower sellers, as in the Frith picture,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18'were most likely poor women
0:16:18 > 0:16:24'who scraped together a few pennies selling sweet-smelling posies.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:26That could be that door.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30'Now I've got to find out exactly where the photo was taken.'
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We need a lamppost here.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38We'll have to rearrange things so it looks like the photograph!
0:16:38 > 0:16:43'I think it's St Paul's Church in the background.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:47The pavement looks the same. That's the only thing that does.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But it's not much to go on, is it?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52'Simon Grigg is the vicar of St Paul's,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56'and he may know where the Frith picture was taken.'
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Now the mystery I've got to solve is this - where is it?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I've looked all the way round and I can't see where it is.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Well, this is the flower market,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- which is at the east end of the church.- So we've got to go round.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16If we come outside the church into Covent Garden,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19we find the famous portico of St Paul's Church,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23the actors' church. This is where George Bernard Shaw
0:17:23 > 0:17:26set the opening scene of Pygmalion.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And where Lerner and Loewe set the opening of My Fair Lady.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32OK, look, our picture there,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35you think, is about from here? Is that right?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37If you look at the side of it,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- I'm pretty sure that's the corner of that pillar there.- Right.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46And those railings would, at one point, have closed off the portico.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50And if you look straight through there,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53that is where those ladies were sat.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- It's a lovely picture, isn't it? - Great. And so full of character.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Sadly, that wonderful lamppost must have disappeared somewhere
0:18:00 > 0:18:03along the line, but otherwise there it is!
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- Much the same.- Yeah. - That's wonderful.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Covent Garden's famous flower market eventually closed,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14but a new version was opened just a few miles away
0:18:14 > 0:18:17on the other side of the Thames.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22This is the new Covent Garden market. It's not that new.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26It moved here, just south of the river, in the 1970s.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The change has been dramatic.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33The old boisterous, noisy bustle has all gone,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35but it's much more efficient.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Where else could you ask for 10,000 red roses and be told, "Yes, sir.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43"Would tomorrow be all right?"?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47'The purpose-built, cobble-free market
0:18:47 > 0:18:51'is now the largest wholesale flower market of its kind in the UK
0:18:51 > 0:18:53'and home to around 200 companies.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58'John Hardcastle's family has been in the flower-selling business
0:18:58 > 0:19:00'for very many years.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04'He has fond memories of the old market.'
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Tell me about when you started as a young man in the old market.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- What was that like?- Fantastic.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11I was born and bred
0:19:11 > 0:19:13in the old market.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15There was always lots of noise.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17It was noisy the whole time.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22The streets were usually congested with lots of fog, believe it or not.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27You walked through the fog to get to school. And it was fantastic.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Now in our business, the world is so small, 24 hours,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34we've got flowers from all over the world.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- In the past, we'd rely on local markets.- Sad, isn't it?
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Yeah, it's the change. The market's changed, the world's changed.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- But that's how it used to be.- Yeah.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Do you look back and think, "Those were the days"?
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I do. It was a privilege to be there.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54'New Covent Garden Market might not have the atmosphere of the old one,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'but it's still a thriving
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'and prosperous place to sell flowers.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04'So I want to create an up-to-date version of the Frith picture
0:20:04 > 0:20:08'with the help of the men and women who work here.'
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Everyone gets a bunch of flowers.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- Roses, that's nice.- Thank you.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Now you've got to look like that. OK?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Not that hard, is it?
0:20:18 > 0:20:22You can manage that. Look a bit fed up and look that way.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24And you look over there.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- OK.- And you...- Look at the flowers.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30..look at the flowers. OK? I think we're ready.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37OK, now then, look solemn. Look Victorian.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39OK.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46And very British it is.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Flower sellers and Union flags.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53That's our photograph.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55These girls here bring out
0:20:55 > 0:20:58the spirit of Covent Garden and Eliza Doolittle,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00the flower selling girls.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04And these, in their own way, tell us about modern Britain.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10There they all are in New Covent Garden Market. I rather like it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20My final destination today is one of the tourist industry's
0:21:20 > 0:21:22biggest sellers - Tower Bridge.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27A combination of Victorian engineering and architecture
0:21:27 > 0:21:28at its best.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33The Victorian era had a dramatic effect on London's skyline.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Many of the capital's greatest buildings, including Parliament,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40were built during that time.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45London's population was increasing at a rapid rate,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and many new bridges were required
0:21:47 > 0:21:50to handle all the extra traffic.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56The most striking addition was Tower Bridge,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59seen here in 1890.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01The Frith photo shows it
0:22:01 > 0:22:04four years before its completion.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Who could have imagined then it would become
0:22:06 > 0:22:10an instantly-recognised symbol of London throughout the world?
0:22:12 > 0:22:16The opening of Tower Bridge is a magnificent sight.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Charlie Harrison, the bridge operator, is there to make sure
0:22:18 > 0:22:23it all runs like clockwork.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- This is the control room. - It is. One of two.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28And how often do you do this?
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Roughly 950 times a year, but mainly April to October.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35It's mainly a summer thing.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36But when this was built,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39at the time of our Frith photograph,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42how many movements would there be?
0:22:42 > 0:22:46It would raise about 6,000 times a year then, in its early years.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- So this would be an extremely busy waterway.- That was the prize part.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55The endeavour was to get into the upper pool, nearer central London.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00They could offload goods quicker and distribute them quicker.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05- We're living in different times now. - Yes, it's all gone now, the trade.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09It's all commercial, corporate hospitality now.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12'It all looks quite simple above ground.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'Below, it gets a lot more complicated.'
0:23:17 > 0:23:20And this is where... Well, this is where all the guts are.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Oh, goodness me.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26I know it's complicated, but how does it work? Basically?
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The machinery drives that axle.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32It pushes the back end of the bridge down, raising the front end up
0:23:32 > 0:23:34to allow the ships to go through.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38- So like a great big seesaw? - A giant seesaw, yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'And further down it gets better.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:44So what have we got here?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Another part of the old equipment - the accumulator.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- It's no longer used?- No longer used.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53That would have weighed about 100 tonnes in its working life,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57bouncing up and down to help balance the whole system.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- It's an amazingly impressive... - It is.- ..structure.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06- When you're up above, you don't see any of this.- No, none of this.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It's amazing, isn't it?
0:24:10 > 0:24:15- Well, this is amazing. - Amazing. An impressive space.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Now this is the most important part of the whole building?
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Without this chamber, nothing can happen.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26- This all comes down.- Yes, it does. This is the seesaw principle.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28This is the back end, the counterbalance,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32which comes down when the machinery drives it down,
0:24:32 > 0:24:37- which raises the middle section, the road, up.- So if we're here...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40and it was to come down while we were here, what would we do?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- We'd panic!- I certainly would!
0:24:43 > 0:24:47We'd go for a safe area, on that plinth, with our backs to the wall.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- It would stop just here.- Just here?
0:24:50 > 0:24:55- But that would be frightening.- Very. - Yeah. Isn't that amazing?
0:24:55 > 0:25:00I've got one last favour. Would you let me open the bridge?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Well, I've shown you all the parts.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06It would be my honour to let you raise the Tower Bridge.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Honour? MY honour. Thank you!
0:25:08 > 0:25:12'It's time to fulfil a schoolboy's dream.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17'This should go down on my list of unforgettable moments.'
0:25:17 > 0:25:19First, you warn the bridge crew.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24So the first message is, "Stand by. About to stop road traffic."
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So I'm going to press that and start speaking.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Stand by, bridge crew. About to stop road traffic.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Now if you'd press the traffic light button,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- that will initiate the closure. - Traffic lights, red.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43- Those two buttons now will shut the entrance gates.- Here we go.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Now we can also start to unlock the bridge. Press the pause button.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50OK, pause. Here we go. Ready?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54And we can watch it on the screen actually happening.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59- So these are just the locks... - The massive hydraulic jacks.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03- You now pull that lever back. - And that's it?- That's all there is.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Right. This is an important moment.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10- All right? No ceremony. We just pull it back.- And hold it back.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Here we go. Up with Tower Bridge! Open!
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Look at it! It IS opening! Isn't that wonderful? Look at that!
0:26:19 > 0:26:21And she's going up. How graceful.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26- It goes about one degree per second. - How lovely.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31That's terrific, isn't it? You must feel very powerful.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- You've got 2,200 tonnes of structure there on the move.- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39That's wonderful. I've done some extraordinary things in my life,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41but never anything like this.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43I've very grateful. Thank you.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47This is normally as far as it goes. Just give a little bit of clearance.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49And then let go and it'll stop?
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- Yes, release it back to the middle. - OK, here we go.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58- We hope it stops. And it does. - Right!- You can rest and relax now.
0:26:58 > 0:27:04Now there is... Oh, that's wonderful. Gladys, the Thames barge.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07What a lovely boat. Look at that.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10'An old Thames barge
0:27:10 > 0:27:14'sailing under one of the greatest bridges in the world.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18'And what's my photographic record going to be? Well, it's obvious.'
0:27:20 > 0:27:26Right, I'm going to take my picture of my bridge, which I opened.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32'And there it is.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35'Sunset at Tower Bridge.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41'No wonder she's become one of the great symbols of London.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48'Next time on Britain's First Photo Album,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'I'll be following the Thames eastward to Gravesend,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55'where I'll be hitching a ride on a glorious sailing barge.'
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Ahh! The power of sail.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'Finding out what the Victorians did in their leisure time.'
0:28:01 > 0:28:04If I do do it, I want a bit of a cheer.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07If I don't get it right, I don't want a boo, OK?
0:28:07 > 0:28:12'And meeting the new owners of Charles Dickens' favourite holiday home.'
0:28:12 > 0:28:14You look absolutely great.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd