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, great engineers,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11but above all great businessmen, entrepreneurs.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16One of the best examples was the pioneer photographer, Francis Frith.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21In the 1860s Francis Frith embarked on a monumental mission,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25using the newly invented photographic camera.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28He wanted to document every city, every town,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and every village in the land.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I'm tracing the footsteps of this remarkable man
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and his team of photographers.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Using their pictures as my guide,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42I'll be travelling the length and breadth of the country,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45finding out what has altered and what has stayed the same.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Along the way, I'll be taking my own photos
0:00:48 > 0:00:52to 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 > 0:01:17The more I tour the country looking at Frith photographs,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20the more I'm impressed by the man.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Any role call of the great artists of the 19th century
0:01:22 > 0:01:27is unlikely to include Francis Frith, but perhaps it should.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Many of those old heroes have long since faded away,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34but the Frith photographs remain sharp and clear.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And I think it's time we celebrated him as a great artist of his time.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Today, my travels take me through the towns
0:01:43 > 0:01:46and villages of the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I'll be heading across the county and into Nottinghamshire,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52using a few of my favourite Frith photographs to guide the way.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54I'll be heading up the crooked church spire
0:01:54 > 0:01:57which put Chesterfield on the map...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01You can't tell from here, can you? If you look up, it's just a jumble.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04..having a flutter on the horses at the Nottingham races...
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- Are you a bit worried? - Not really.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09THEY LAUGH
0:02:09 > 0:02:13And of course creating a record of my travels along the way,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15just as Frith did over 100 years ago.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19That's it. There won't be a dry eye in the house.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24My first port of call is to a town Frith would have found familiar.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30Frith was born into a prosperous Quaker family in 1822,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33in the Derbyshire market town of Chesterfield.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36From his father, who was a cooper making barrels,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41he inherited a skill in business and a love of the arts.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Chesterfield first became a market town in 1204
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and still has one of the largest open-air markets in the country.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Frith would have seen the place flourish in the 19th century
0:02:53 > 0:02:56as the coming of the railways transformed the town
0:02:56 > 0:03:00into a busy industrial centre with a thriving mining community.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05These streets and the market square are the streets of Frith's boyhood.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Today's first Frith photo has quite a childlike appeal.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16This is a story with a twist.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21The great twisted spire of the Church of Chesterfield.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23And it is a magnificent church.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Started in the 14th century but then several hundred years later,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30the spire began to twist.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Is it still as bad as this? No, it's worse. Look at that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37It was this strange steeple
0:03:37 > 0:03:41that particularly captured Frith's imagination.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46St Mary's verger, Paul Wilson, knows where the picture was taken
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and how the twisted spire came into being.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Where do you think this was taken from?
0:03:51 > 0:03:56From a higher point somewhere in this area, straight across to the church.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59But of course, if you want to show how twisted the spire is,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01this doesn't show it so that much.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's probably not the best angle.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08No, but if you look at it now, it looks as if it is much more twisted.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Has that happened in the last hundred or so years?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It looks like that and there's strong evidence
0:04:14 > 0:04:18to say that it has moved considerably since that photograph was taken.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And is it still moving? Is it still, is it still twisting more?
0:04:21 > 0:04:26They gave it a new backbone in 1898, but it's still twisting,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28very, very small measurements each time.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- But it is the most famous twisted spire in Britain.- Absolutely.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36St Mary's is the largest church in Derbyshire.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39It underwent a major restoration in 1843,
0:04:39 > 0:04:44when the state of the tower was fully debated.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46So at the time of the restoration,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49that was the moment when they had to decide
0:04:49 > 0:04:51whether to keep the crooked spire?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53That's right. That was the final time.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Mercifully, they decided to live with the mistake
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and Chesterfield benefited from that ever since, I suppose.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It's what put Chesterfield on the map, that mistake.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08The quirky steeple was loved back then and it's still loved today.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But what could possibly have gone so wrong?
0:05:11 > 0:05:15We're climbing up the 144 exhausting steps to find out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Right. So we're... Well, we're inside the spire, aren't we?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- And how much does it weigh? - About 200 tons, altogether.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So it starts to twist and why is that?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Well, a lot of people talk about the unseasoned timber.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33A lot of people think it was common practice to use green wood.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36You needed a certain amount of movement and flexibility there,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38to shape it and fashion it.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40But it's thought the original workmen
0:05:40 > 0:05:43possibly weren't as clued-up as they might have been
0:05:43 > 0:05:47as to what extent that wood was going to start warping.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51So these top beams that we can just see right up there,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- they are very, very slowly doing that?- That's right.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- That's what's going on?- That's it.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00You can't tell from here, can you? If you look up, it's just a jumble.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04'While the spire looks incredible from inside,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08'Paul has insisted we need to go outside to get the full picture.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12'Outside, onto the small and very windy parapet.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'Now, I don't have a good head for heights.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19'There might well be a lovely view but I'd prefer not to look at it!'
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- All this is lead, that we are seeing.- All lead.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27It's been patched over the years but the original lead
0:06:27 > 0:06:31was far too thick and heavy for that wooden frame to cope with.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35So the lead, really, is one of the major causes of the twist?
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Certainly. You've also got problems with the lead when the sun comes out.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43The sun warms the lead up and of course expands that little bit
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and contracts, and of course, when the lead moves,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48the wood underneath, to some extent, moves it with it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- That is a terrific twist, isn't it? - That's it.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53If you look up there, you can see it coming right over the top of you.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- That's amazing.- Nothing prepares you for looking up and seeing that.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Interesting to see the spire from up there but for me,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05it's much nicer from down here, on terra firma.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Francis Frith knew this church as a boy.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11His parents were married here and it's possible to trace
0:07:11 > 0:07:15back his family roots to this area, at least to the 17th century.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19He remembered his mother telling him as a child
0:07:19 > 0:07:23to run over to the church and find out if the spire had fallen in.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Well, Francis, is still there, isn't it?
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Chesterfield's church spire
0:07:30 > 0:07:33has been part of the town's skyline for centuries,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37an inspiration for Frith and countless other photographers.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41St Mary's, with her unusual crowning glory,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44is what I, too, want to capture in my photograph.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49On this occasion, I want to be more the photojournalist.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53I'm going to tell the story of the crooked spire in my photograph,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and that means I've got to be here,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00because that's where the spire is at its most crooked.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07St Mary's, a rich church with a not-so-fatal flaw,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09set against a perfect blue sky.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13But we do get the sense of a terrific church,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16a magnificent church,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20with the quirkiest little spire that you could even think of.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23It is a sort of dream, really.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Francis Frith grew up in Chesterfield.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36His father was born in a village nearby and that's my next stop,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40because the second Frith photo we're looking at is this one.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Taken in the picturesque village of Eyam,
0:08:42 > 0:08:47the photo's title reveals the extraordinary tale it tells.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51The Plague Cottages have become legend here in Derbyshire.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56In 1665, these cottages bore witness of a terrible event.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02Eyam was struck by the infamous bubonic plague and the villagers,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06with great courage, put themselves into voluntary quarantine.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10A large number of them were killed by the Black Death
0:09:10 > 0:09:12but as a result of their action,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16many others in the area were able to live.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18And that's why this photograph was taken,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22because these are the Plague Cottages of Eyam.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28The bubonic plague came to Eyam through infected fleas
0:09:28 > 0:09:30that were in cloth delivered from London
0:09:30 > 0:09:33to the village tailor, George Vickers.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Very soon, he and six other villagers had died.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It was at this point, in the village church,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41that the brave decision was made.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47Joan Plant is a descendant of one of the few families to survive.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50The minister and the previous minister, Stanley,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54thought there was something dreadful happening and they made a plan
0:09:54 > 0:10:00to close the Church, to close the churchyard and to close the village.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And they went to the villagers to ask that question.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Why did they accept the plan?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I think at that time, those people had a great faith in God.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13They believed that that's what God wanted them to do.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16So, they agreed to do that to stop it spreading
0:10:16 > 0:10:19to the rest of Derbyshire and the rest of the country.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- This is the roll call. - This is the roll call.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26George Vickers, he is the first person to die on 7th September 1665
0:10:26 > 0:10:29right the way through to the last person.
0:10:29 > 0:10:321 November, 1666.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36So, that's 14 months that it raged through the village
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and 260 people died.
0:10:38 > 0:10:4083 survivors.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43It is a terrible story, isn't it?
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Absolutely devastating.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It's a shocking account
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and impossible to imagine how the villagers coped
0:10:50 > 0:10:53as they isolated themselves from the outside world.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Here is Mompesson's Well.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57This is the north boundary.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01When they closed the village off, the villagers would have come up here
0:11:01 > 0:11:04to collect the food that the Duke of Devonshire would have left.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06The money to pay for the food
0:11:06 > 0:11:09would have been put in the water here in vinegar as a disinfectant.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- They would pay for the food? - Absolutely, isn't it incredible?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Even at a time like that,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18they wanted to carry on as normal and pay for what they were given.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20'Villagers who did not contract the plague,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22'including Joan's ancestors,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'were buried here in the village graveyard.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27'To avoid further infection,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'plague victims were buried in their own back gardens.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'But why did some of the villagers get off lightly?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36'Recent medical advances have shed new light on this.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39'It's all down to genetics.'
0:11:39 > 0:11:43We found, only a few years ago, about Delta 32,
0:11:43 > 0:11:49this gene that they've identified that plague survivors had.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52If you have two lines of family that have survived the plague,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55then the chances are you have Delta 32.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57It's extraordinary to think
0:11:57 > 0:12:02that we now know why it is that members of Joan's family survived.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04It's a marvellous tale.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07What we're trying to do is have a nice, happy picture of Joan.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10She's a survivor so she's got to look happy, that's good,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14but she's next to the grave of some of her ancestors
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and they share one thing in common, which is the gene
0:12:18 > 0:12:23which allowed her ancestors to survive the plague.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25That is a remarkable picture
0:12:25 > 0:12:29when you're told the story and that's what I want to.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37So that's my photo, with Joan proudly standing in the centre.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40It's the portrait of a great survivor.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46My picture is in sharp contrast to the Frith picture.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52His turns out to be a story of death and horror.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Mine looks as if it is going to be a sad story,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57set in a graveyard, but it's not -
0:12:57 > 0:13:01it's actually a picture of hope and cheerfulness.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I'm very proud of this picture.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I'm travelling around the country,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15tracing the footsteps of pioneer photographer, Francis Frith.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I'm now setting south from Eyam to the countryside near Bakewell.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20And the photo is this one-
0:13:20 > 0:13:21A romantic scene
0:13:21 > 0:13:25with a winding stream and a mysterious stately home.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28The house is the idyllic Haddon Hall,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32a fortified manor house dating from the 12th century.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Frith and his team took a series of photos here
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and I can see why they were drawn to this house.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39As in Frith's time,
0:13:39 > 0:13:44it's the home of Lord Manners whose family have owned it for 500 years.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50Haddon Hall is one of the most romantic stately homes in Britain.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51I think that it's a good idea
0:13:51 > 0:13:54that when you see a stately home for the first time,
0:13:54 > 0:13:59you should arrive at the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04You should then get the impact of the house being slowly revealed
0:14:04 > 0:14:07in just the way that the original designers intended.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10That's why we are going very slowly
0:14:10 > 0:14:15and here is the grounds, and here you see the house.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21It is very impressive. Haddon Hall does not disappoint.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26'Jo Walker has been the steward here for nearly 30 years.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31'She knows the Frith pictures of Haddon Hall very well.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- It is a perfect romantic picture, isn't it?- It is, isn't it?
0:14:35 > 0:14:36There's a cart there.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I wonder if that was posed. It would've been, I would imagine.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I think they worked very hard on this to get it right.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I like the fact the light is coming across in such a beautiful way.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50We're going to try and find the spot where it was taken from, aren't we?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- I've got a fairly good idea. - I'm sure you have.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56We can't be precise because we don't want to uproot a hedge.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- But we can have a look. - Oh, we mustn't uproot a hedge.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04'Well, Jo is entering into the spirit of our little adventure.'
0:15:04 > 0:15:10I don't think it's much further, if we turn and have a look now and see.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Right, well... Wait a minute. This water isn't there, is it?
0:15:14 > 0:15:18I think the river has moved its course quite a little bit.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20But if we look at the chimneys,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22we don't want a gap between those chimneys there
0:15:22 > 0:15:24but we do want a gap between those.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So I think that's not far off.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Yeah. But it's these trees.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34In the 100 years or so since then, they've grown much bigger.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- So that's kind of... The effect isn't the same.- It is, yes.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41'If the outside of Haddon Hall is striking,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45'the interiors really do take your breath away.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50'It's incredibly rare to find an almost intact medieval home
0:15:50 > 0:15:54'that has somehow survived the centuries.'
0:15:56 > 0:15:58What's so amazing about Haddon
0:15:58 > 0:16:01is that for 200 years, no-one lived here.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03It was all properly maintained,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06but there would've been no fires as there are today.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- It would've been very cold.- That looks like one of the best features.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12So it would have been fearfully cold.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Fearfully cold. No light, as dull as anything.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18But people would've been maintaining it
0:16:18 > 0:16:20to make sure it didn't fall into major disrepair
0:16:20 > 0:16:23but no-one spent any money on modernising it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26But the family knew it was valuable, they wanted to keep it.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29That was one of the points that they would always have thought,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31that, "It's a treasure we can save
0:16:31 > 0:16:33"and we'll do something with it in the future."
0:16:33 > 0:16:36From our point of view as visitors, this was a time capsule.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Absolutely. It was the 200 years
0:16:38 > 0:16:41when the Georgians were rebuilding everything
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and the Victorians were putting central heating in everywhere.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48So when you're thinking of medieval banquets and things,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51we can imagine them taking place here.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52This is the sort of place.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54We still have one table from that period
0:16:54 > 0:16:57but there would have been others down the length of the room.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59They were trestle tables so, at night,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02they could be moved and the household would sleep on the floor.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07This house exist in its present form because of its family history.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10The current owner is Lord Edward Manners,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13who's proud of what his ancestors did.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Haddon was built as a Norman fort in the early 12th century
0:17:18 > 0:17:25and has been in my family by blood for the last 800 or 900 years since.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Gosh!- The Vernons were here from the 12th century
0:17:28 > 0:17:34and then my family married into the Vernons the mid-16th century.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37But that was a tricky marriage wasn't it? It wasn't simple.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43It wasn't no, because the heiress, Dorothy Vernon,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47actually eloped with my ancestor, John Manners,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51who was the second son of the Earl of Rutland.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The story goes that my ancestor was rather a dashing young man
0:17:54 > 0:18:00and would ride over from Belvoir, which is our other main family seat
0:18:00 > 0:18:04and they would have secret trysts in the woods and around the estate
0:18:04 > 0:18:08whilst Dorothy could slip out from her father's eyes.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Eventually, she managed to escape, there was a big banquet going on
0:18:12 > 0:18:20and she ran down the garden and over the bridge over the river
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and John Manners was waiting for her.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24And she hopped on the back of the horse
0:18:24 > 0:18:26and off they rode and got married.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- But then her father died. - Then her father died, she inherited,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34and that's how the house came into my family in the 1550s.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38When Frith took his photograph, Haddon Hall still lay dormant.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39It was empty.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42But visitors were impressed by the way it cast a spell.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47At the beginning of the 20th century, change was underway.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50One of the most remarkable bits of this house's history
0:18:50 > 0:18:54is the restoration of the house, which started in 1912.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58The bulk of the restoration work was done during the 1920s.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01If my grandfather hadn't restored the house then,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03it definitely would have become a ruin by now.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08And in that restoration, you had all sorts of discoveries.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Well, these murals in particular - they're actually seccos -
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and they were painted in the 1420s.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19My grandfather discovered these paintings
0:19:19 > 0:19:25under white plaster work and he unpicked them using dental tools.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Why were they covered?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30During the Reformation, these sorts of paintings
0:19:30 > 0:19:33were either destroyed or painted over or plastered over.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We are lucky here because plastering over them
0:19:36 > 0:19:37was what saved them in the end.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42When they uncovered, these amazing murals were discovered.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Haddon Hall's history and the lyrical mood it created
0:19:47 > 0:19:49inspired Frith and his team.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53I, too, have fallen under its spell.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57I'm trying to capture the romance of the Frith photograph,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I can't really do it with the house,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04because there are trees in all the wrong places and I can't move them,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09but what I can do is take a romantic picture of this bridge.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12This bridge has got a good story, so we're told.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17Dorothy Vernon decides to elope
0:20:17 > 0:20:21and she rushes across this bridge to see her lover, John Manners.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26So this bridge was obviously a high point for the Victorians.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31This is the most romantic bridge in Derbyshire and I'm going to take it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35So, there it is,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39my attempt to capture a bridge into a different world.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I think those Victorian writers, artists
0:20:42 > 0:20:45and of course, photographers would have approved.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49They came to be inspired, and so I have been.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51My picture isn't of the front of the hall,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53that you see in the Frith photograph,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55it's in the grounds,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58but I think that is equally romantic.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03There are modern bits in it, too, that's an aeroplane vapour trail
0:21:03 > 0:21:09and I wanted to get a grey signet that was gliding down the river
0:21:09 > 0:21:13and I could have done with her. But what can you do with swans?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16When you want them, they're just not there.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23My final leg across the Midlands
0:21:23 > 0:21:25takes me over the border into Nottinghamshire
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and to its county town.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32The Frith picture is of the old Forest Racecourse in Nottingham
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and was taken in 1893.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The ground is still used for sport and recreation
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and the famous Nottingham Goose Fair is on at the moment.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47It's held here for a few days every year and has been since the 1920s.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Professor John Beckett,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52a social historian from Nottingham University,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55is meeting me at the spot where Frith's photo was taken.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01It was famous for horse races as well as football and cricket
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and other sporting activities.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And why were the horse races held here and how eminent were they?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Because it was a very large open space.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12In the early days of organised horse racing,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15the courses were much longer than they are now,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18so you needed a lot of space in order to set it out and plan it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22We know there was racing here in the 1680s
0:22:22 > 0:22:26and almost certainly it's a major course quite early on,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28because it has a King's Plate.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33When you're running for the King's Plate, you've got royal approval.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36But the horse racing was a bit rough, wasn't it?
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It was usually associated with rough people
0:22:39 > 0:22:43who you didn't want your daughter to get too close to.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47But it also, bizarrely, brought together the social classes,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51because the better-off people also came here
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and they would sit on the pavilion, part of which you can see here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Just over there?
0:22:56 > 0:22:58And then lots of football teams
0:22:58 > 0:23:00would play here on a Saturday or Sunday
0:23:00 > 0:23:04most famous, of course, was Nottingham Forest.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07They were associated with the church that's still there.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09It's just off our picture to the right.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11We've still got some football here.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Thousands of people could have assembled here
0:23:14 > 0:23:16- and they wouldn't be charged.- No.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Is that one of the reasons
0:23:20 > 0:23:22why the racing was moved to the other side of town?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Certainly it was.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27In the late 19th century, almost all open courses are closed
0:23:27 > 0:23:30in the sense that they moved to enclosed premises
0:23:30 > 0:23:31where they can be charged.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34You get the odd one surviving, Epsom is a good example.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36But generally speaking,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39they are put into closed areas where a charge can be made
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and order can be kept and betting can be regulated.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46So maybe the Frith photographer came here
0:23:46 > 0:23:49to capture the end of an era of racing at the Forest ground.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52At around the same time the picture was taken,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55horse racing in Nottingham was moved out of town
0:23:55 > 0:23:59to the Colwick Park Course, which is still very much in business.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03And as it happens, there's a race on today.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So, purely for... "educational" reasons,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I thought I might soak up a bit of the atmosphere
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and maybe have a little flutter.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Pip Kirkby, the managing director, is here to offer some advice.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19There's been racing here since 1892.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21So the racecourse is steeped in history.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Obviously, Nottingham has a longer history than that.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Lots of character, lots of colour.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I've got my race card here.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I don't know anything about them,
0:24:32 > 0:24:37so, quick, I've got £10 to win for two horses, so £20 in all.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42I think we should go for Monopolize and Sunday Bess.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Sunday Bess. OK. Am I going to win?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Best of luck, but I'm a rotten tipster.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Now you tell me! All right, thanks very much. Thank you.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54I've got my tips ready,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58now I just need to find a bookie to take the bets.
0:24:58 > 0:25:05Hi! I'm going to put £10 to win for Monopolize.
0:25:05 > 0:25:12Spelt funny. And £10 to win for Sunday Bess.
0:25:12 > 0:25:18- Number 5.- OK, now that I've placed my bets, what are my chances?
0:25:18 > 0:25:20- What do you think? - Your chances are good, very good.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- Very good?- Very good.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26- Right, are you a bit worried? - Not really.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31But you're still favourite to win with your two selections.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34When it came to gambling in the old days,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37the Forest Racecourse charged its well-to-do official members
0:25:37 > 0:25:42a yearly subscription in return for valuable silver betting tickets.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47But it was the unofficial and unregulated wagers on the side
0:25:47 > 0:25:50in which gentlemen lost their shirts.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52That sort of betting ceased
0:25:52 > 0:25:55when the races started here at Colwick Park.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Licensed gambling on horses remains as popular as ever
0:25:58 > 0:26:01with an estimated £300 million
0:26:01 > 0:26:05staked on the Grand National alone each year.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I'm heading into the stands with the other spectators
0:26:08 > 0:26:11because the race is about to start.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Come on, Sunday Bess. Come on, Monopolize.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19- COMMENTATOR: - Monopolize is trying to get by.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Monopolize didn't get second place, nor did Sunday Bess -
0:26:24 > 0:26:25a really dismal third.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28And last was...
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Hopeless, absolutely hopeless.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39I've learned my lesson.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40Perhaps.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Could you just move into the middle, do you mind?
0:26:45 > 0:26:51That's it. You move into the middle. Everybody look here.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54All right.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59Here's my picture of the bookies and a punter at the Nottingham races.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03A triumph of hope over experience.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05The thing about horse racing -
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and I'm sure it was true when Frith took his picture
0:27:08 > 0:27:10in the 19th century -
0:27:10 > 0:27:15is that there were characters then and characters now.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20Poor old Frith. That's a bit short on character and I've added to it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I've gone for character in a big way.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Here we've got two marvellous bookies and a punter.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30But the great thing about this is they're all smiling.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34I happen to know each one of the people in the picture
0:27:34 > 0:27:36have all lost money today.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40It's good, shows they enjoy the racing, whatever happens.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51My trip around Frith's Britain has drawn to a close.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55What a fascinating experience it's been.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Much has changed over the intervening years,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01but I'm pleased to see much is exactly the same.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Yes, big smile now.
0:28:02 > 0:28:08My admiration for Mr Frith knows no bounds.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12What for me has come out of this series is that Francis Frith
0:28:12 > 0:28:16was not only a brilliant businessman, he was a great artist.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19He seized the chance to make a lot of money from this photographs
0:28:19 > 0:28:23but he also helped to give us an entirely new art form.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd