Episode 15 Britain's Heritage Heroes

We're travelling across the UK on a mission.

All over the country our heritage is at risk.

Ancient buildings and monuments are under threat of demolition.

Valuable arts and crafts are on the brink of extinction.

And our rich industrial heritage is disappearing fast.

We're scouring town and country

in search of the nation's unsung heroes

determined not to let our heritage become a thing of the past.

Heave away!

Today I head out to sea,

to learn how boats were sailed over 100 years ago.

Time for those blisters to start popping.

And I visit an 18th century cider house

in need of a serious facelift.

On this journey we're uncovering the hidden treasures of our country,

treasures that are certainly worth fighting for.

And meeting Heritage Heroes saving Britain at risk.

John, at long last, the final leg of our journey.

Cornwall stretches beyond and either side of us.

And we're on the A30 - the highway to Cornwall.

The road on which generations of people

have been stuck in traffic jams

on their way to their dream holidays.

Indeed.

We've been travelling pier-to-pier across South-West England.

We started in Dorset then headed inland to Somerset

and on through Devon.

Our journey's end has brought us into Cornwall.

You'd be hard pressed not to fall for this county.

With a rich maritime history,

every bay, beach and cliff of Cornwall has a story to tell.

Inland, signs of its mining past

sit amongst the stunning countryside.

We're on the road to find the people working hard to save this heritage.

John, there are some great names in this country.

Aren't there? And some of the villages we've been through,

they remind me of Victorian actor managers,

like Sir Compton Poundsfoot.

-Langton Matravers.

-Wimbourne St Giles.

There's some beauties, aren't there?

Here in Cornwall, Godolphin is a name to be reckoned with.

-Fine name, isn't it?

-It's a brilliant name.

It's actually also a name of a house

that the National Trust have recently bought,

and are pouring a lot of money into.

And it's said it's an iconic part not just of Cornish history

but of Cornish architecture.

-Well worth a look at.

-I would think so, yeah.

In the 19th century

Cornwall was the world leader in tin mining production,

with over 2,000 mines.

The Godolphin's earned their fortune from the industry,

making them one of the leading families of west Cornwall.

This house is a display of their status.

By the 17th century it'd been extended to house over 100 rooms.

Over the decades its fate changed

and parts of the building were demolished.

Now this important Cornish property is open to the public

for the first time since it was built in 1475.

-Well.

-Oh, yeah.

-That is unusual, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I've never seen a big house designed like that before.

And look at this gate, the door.

This has been opened a few times!

I should say so, yeah. Give it a push.

-It's enchanting, isn't it? Look at that.

-Wow.

It's almost like a kind of monastery garden.

Columns continue this way as well. It's a proper cloister, isn't it?

Beautiful. Come on, John, let's go in here.

-Which way?

-This way.

I think this way, yeah.

This would make a gorgeous home, wouldn't it? Fabulous.

-Lovely fireplace there.

-What do you reckon this is, Jules?

Look at that.

-I've never seen anything like that.

-Well, the hole looks right at the front door.

I think that's a musket loop, for shooting unwanted guests.

So anybody you didn't like... Goodbye, guests!

Goodbye, yes.

Put one in at home, John, might be useful!

The rest of the property is just as impressive.

Adam is the contractor who completed the renovations in the main house

and is now reviewing the work still to be done.

Relatively speaking, which is the newest bit of the house, Adam?

The newest bit is the front. It's the front elevation.

-What era would that be?

-That's 17th century.

Then the Civil War came along and they backed the wrong side

and ran out of money.

They were going to demolish the old section and carry on round.

So they built a new facade intending to build a big, new house

but ran out of money?

Yeah. There's no new stone.

We haven't replaced any of the stone,

we've managed to conserve all of that.

It's really just been a re-pointing job.

Just re-pointing, but it's cost more than £1 million, hasn't it?

Well, new roofs, timbers, joinery,

all sorts of major structural support.

-The house is safe now, is it?

-It is.

It was in a very perilous state, so we got it just in time.

I'm told that a few more million pounds are needed

to do the rest of the work on the estate, so what kind of things?

We've got the cider house here. It's one of the next projects.

If they raise the millions to restore the rest of the site,

the cider house that sits in the grounds is on the priority list.

Watch your head.

-Goodness me, it's in a bad state, isn't it?

-It is.

It's obviously a slate roof, isn't it?

It is. Cornish slate.

And been covered in cement by the look of it.

Yeah, they covered it in cement to keep the weather out.

Unfortunately long-term it actually causes more damage.

The cement is so hard and brittle, you can't clean the slates up.

So on the main house we were able to salvage a lot of the slates

because they were bedded in lime.

But in this instance we'll be able to salvage very little.

So a totally new slate roof on here.

Yeah, if we get 10% out we'll be very lucky.

Along with the cider house there are barns to be renovated

and a 13th century garden to be restored.

Malcolm Smitheram, of the National Trust,

is overseeing the work being done on this historic home.

Malcolm, this is a fantastic place

to get a real sense of the geography of Godolphin.

-There it is nestling.

-Absolutely wonderful.

And inside we've refurnished it absolutely beautiful.

John and I were having a look earlier and it does look gorgeous.

Very homely and very unexpected in a National Trust property.

It is.

What we're trying to do in the National Trust

is to make people feel part of the National Trust even if they are not members.

So we're encouraging people to come along,

we hold different events, they sit in the house, sit on the furniture.

The general feel is that it's homely.

This is something that we set out to do right from the beginning.

But I see my job here, seriously,

it's to hold onto the atmosphere of Godolphin.

What an intriguing place this is, Jules, isn't it?

If I'm honest, I don't know about you,

this is one that's kind of grown on me.

-I was a bit confused at first.

-It's a bit different, isn't it?

It is. But seeing what Malcolm's team have done here,

it's an extraordinary building.

They've just scratched the surface but when it's all done - what a place!

And surface is the word because beneath the surface here

is where mining really started in Cornwall.

-This is the house above the shop, isn't it?

-It's not bad, is it?

From the buildings to the landscape, Cornwall has a wonderful heritage,

and we're doing our best to understand its unique culture.

John, I thought we'd pass the time on our journey constructively

-by trying to learn a little Cornish.

-Wow.

If you don't already speak Cornish,

here are a few phrases to get you started.

OK.

Do you speak Cornish?

SHE SPEAKS CORNISH

HE REPEATS

It doesn't sound like anything else at all.

-It's not like Welsh or anything, is it?

-No.

OK, try another one.

Please.

SPEAKS CORNISH

-THEY IMITATE

-Please. That's quite good.

Thank you.

SPEAKS CORNISH

THEY IMITATE

So please...

BOTH IMITATE CORNISH

Please and thank you.

We're all over this.

We've conquered that language already. And we've only just...

And we can add ourselves to the grand total of 300 people

who speak it fluently in Cornwall.

In 2010 the Cornish language was classified as critically endangered.

Across the county work to save it has been gathering pace,

and it was recently announced that the government

is spending nearly £400,000 towards it's survival.

THEY SPEAK CORNISH

The Cornish Language Partnership holds informal classes

in several local pubs across the region.

Elizabeth Stewart is one keen member.

I think groups like this are really important

because the most important part of learning a language is speaking it.

Whilst you go to a class,

you learn to read it, write it, you learn to speak it,

but this is where you play about with it

and be a bit creative with it and really live the language.

Becky, a teacher in a local primary school, is also learning the language

and sharing her passion for it with the next generation.

THEY SING IN CORNISH

It's fantastic for the children

to have an opportunity to learn Cornish.

In our school we have a lot of children

who are generations Cornish born and bred,

but we've also got a lot of children who moved to the area recently.

For them to learn Cornish is not just about learning a language

but understanding where they live and giving them a sense of place.

THEY SPEAK CORNISH

I'm really passionate about keeping Cornish alive

because it's everything about who we are down here in Cornwall.

It doesn't matter if you weren't born in Cornwall

or if you've moved in,

it's all around us in the place names

and it's part of our history and heritage and our culture.

If you let that go you lose a huge part of your soul of who you are.

It needs to be kept alive for that reason.

We've finally made it to the coast, and the stunning town of St Ives.

With its history stamped firmly in both fishing and art,

we've got a lot of heritage to explore.

This is what it is all about, John, eh?

-Away from the crowds up here, aren't we?

-Nice, empty beach.

But once upon a time this whole town would have been full of fishermen

and Artisans and shops, but a lot of that has now gone.

They all used to have their homes facing the sea.

Like every other seaside town,

anywhere with a sea view is a premium price now, isn't it?

Well, all of these are now second homes or holiday flats

and that sort of thing.

So all of that lovely heritage and Artisanship has been squeezed out.

-Very much a risk, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

But there is one exception.

-Can you see that building over, with a blue roof?

-Yeah.

That is one of the very few remaining artists studios

now overlooking the sea.

An oasis of creativity.

Is it in danger of being bought out or anything?

No, this is a success story.

-So I'm going to go and check that out and you, mate, are off to church.

-Oh.

Probably need it!

In fact, Porthmeor Studio is the only property on this beach

that isn't holiday flats or a private home.

Keeping it out of reach of property-hungry developers

is a challenge in itself.

It sits in a prime location

where two-bed flats alone can cost over a million,

making the studios hot property.

A trust has been formed to save it as an art studio.

Culture Officer Tamsin is part of a team who've worked hard

to ensure the local fishing and artistic community

can continue to enjoy their rightful home.

-It's so obviously an artist's haunt really.

-That's right.

And was originally essentially the protecting wall for St Ives,

to stop the sand and the waves going over into the town.

So that's why there's huge blocks at the bottom.

-Absolutely. You can think of this as being the castle walls.

-Yeah.

Looking at the fabric, the sea has done its worst.

-That's not good.

-Especially on the new stuff. No.

That's not good.

And waves will come crashing against this wall at high tide.

So how much is it going to cost to transform this?

We've already done a big section but we've got the main block to do.

-You're talking nearly £4 million.

-All in?

-All in.

-But you've already started.

-Oh, very much so.

-Let's have a look.

Its restoration is essential.

The studios have been graced by artistic greats

such as Patrick Heron, Ben Nicholson and Francis Bacon.

This site a national treasure.

Here you can see the whole building complex.

You can see the sea over there.

-This was the wall keeping the sea from the town.

-That bit there, yeah.

Yes. This is where the fishermen were originally.

Down in the basement area.

That cellar down there is a huge cellar

and includes pilchard tanks, where the pilchards were stored.

This courtyard is where they dry the pilchards out on lines.

We've still got fishermen underneath.

Artists on this layer here.

It was paramount that the artists and fishermen remained in this building.

The last thing we wanted was for this to become a tourist attraction.

This is a working building.

An artist you should talk to is John Emmanuelle.

-He's been here for years.

-Has he?

-He's a fascinating character.

This looks like the church Jules said I should visit

but now it's owned by the St Ives Society of artists.

I'd better find out more.

Built in the early 1900's,

this Mariner's church has been as battered by the elements

as the fishermen who once worshipped here.

It was bought by the Society of Artists in the 50's

and has been used as a gallery ever since.

A campaign has been launched to fund essential repairs.

-Janet. Nice to meet you.

-And you, too.

What a wonderful place...

-for an art gallery.

-Isn't it wonderful?

-It looks to be in a bit of a state actually.

-I'm afraid it is.

I don't think anything's been done with it for ages.

-There's a lot of damp. Not a good place to put pictures.

-No.

-The roof's in a very bad state.

-So what are you hoping to do?

We're are trying to get funding to do a new roof, new windows,

so that it's a perfect place for a gallery.

And then there is a downstairs part,

and we want to convert that from a gallery

to be St Ives archive.

Heritage Manager Janet Axten looks after the town's vast archive.

It's currently being stored on the other side of St Ives.

-If you'd like to come in.

-This is it?

-This is it.

And how long have these archives been collected for?

We've been collecting them for the last 15 years.

People bring us things. We have acquired a few photographs,

but most of them, people bring them.

It seems to me so fortunate

that a small town like this has so much archive.

It has. And we're getting more and more everyday.

We're learning so much about the town.

You never ever finish learning about an area.

It's very interesting indeed.

Back at the studios, I'm in search of a living artistic landmark.

Hey, fellas. I'm looking for John Emmanuelle.

Long-term resident artist John Emmanuelle

is looking forward to getting a watertight studio.

-John?

-Hello, come in.

Hello, sir. This is amazing!

-What a fantastic studio you've got.

-I've been lucky, haven't I?

You certainly have. You're on the move now.

On the move and hopefully to come back soon when it's done up.

All of it will be refurbished.

Is it going to be strange returning to a new studio?

It'll be like I was 30 years ago. Except I'll be warmer!

-What they do, English Heritage, they'll keep all this.

-All of it?

They'll wire brush it down.

Those will remain the same, the ceiling.

They'll just patch up where they've got to patch up

but they don't do anything new unless they've got to.

-So the fabric will be similar.

-It'll be the same.

But you can see some of the issues.

The water that's coming in and so forth.

There was a gully along there so that wall collapsed.

But it doesn't worry you, having to pack everything up,

turn over 30 years of experience of this building, move out for a bit

and then come back when it's all been sanitised and put back together?

It's not a worry.

It's a pleasure in some ways because the building will be saved.

-That's what's important really.

-Yeah.

-We are just passing through, aren't we? You know?

-Yeah.

Isn't it great that a small town like this

wants to keep its history so very much alive today?

And they've got some fantastic initiatives to really keep it going.

Let's face it, every seaside town has to evolve.

But they're not just taking the fast buck in terms of tourism.

They're trying hard to keep the legacy going.

I've been looking at a wonderful archive which,

if they get the funding, in two or three years time

everybody will be able to see the history of this place.

-Shall we buy a painting?

-Why not?

-Come on.

You know, John, one place I've never been to in Cornwall,

and I keep threatening to get there one day,

is Tintagel and the castle,

and that great Arthurian story that goes with it.

We're not going there, Jules,

because King Arthur is no longer at risk.

That was about 1000 years ago.

But did you know there's a legend round here

that when he died, King Arthur,

his spirit went into a very rare local bird called the chough?

-The chough.

-A chough.

And how do you think he felt about that?

-I suppose he was dead chuffed!

-You see, I knew we'd get there.

-You fed me that one.

-Yeah, great.

I'll keep lining them up if you keep knocking them down, John!

Our search for these rare birds is taking us to south-west coast,

close to the town of Botallack.

Chough's are a distinctive bird with red legs and beaks.

They disappeared from Cornwall in 1973

but in 2001, three birds returned.

The coastal heathland habitat makes a perfect nesting ground.

Keeping track of the growing numbers is Clare Mucklow from the RSPB

and volunteers who are keen to twitch, whatever the weather!

It's a natural re-colonisation and that's quite unusual these days

in the world of re-introduction.

So these birds have returned naturally,

and they're just slowly increasing.

But that hold is still quite tenuous, so they are still at risk.

The choughs are special, part of Cornish history.

In the Industrial Revolution, there were many of them

and they were so important,

they became part of the Cornish coat of arms.

So those of us who are interested are very keen to help extend their life as much as possible.

So choughs need access to the soil and an open mosaic of vegetation

where they can use their long red bills to dig into the soil.

I work a lot with landowners and farmers to try and get the habitat

around the coastal fringe in good condition,

so that the birds have lots of places to feed.

So I enjoy watching them, but I also work behind the scenes

to make sure that they've got a good future here in Cornwall.

Without these dedicated supporters,

this rare bird could easily flee again from these shores.

We're sticking to the coast for the final stop on our run

through the South-West of England.

Well, Jules, we're in Newlyn now, and we started at Swanage Pier,

We finish our journey at Newlyn Pier.

-Pier to pier!

-Pier to pier!

-Shall I tell you something about Newlyn that not many people know?

-Go on.

On the harbour here is the official mark for the sea level

-of the whole of the UK.

-Here in Newlyn?

-Here in Newlyn.

When you hear somewhere is so many metres or feet above sea level,

well, the mark for that sea level is right here on this harbour.

That is actually very interesting!

Yeah! But that's not what we're here for, is it?

No, we are here to look at that lovely boat down there.

A lugger.

This lugger is a survivor. Launched over 100 years ago,

she's one of the oldest fishing vessels on the UK register.

Unique to the area, she would have worked these shores

fishing for pilchards, mackerel and herring.

It's taken four years to restore her.

And it's down to one man, skipper John Lambourne.

-Well, she's a fine looking boat.

-Yeah! Where's the skipper? John?

-Good morning!

-Morning! How are you?

-We've been hearing about you!

-Nice to see you. Very good! Beautiful!

-How are you?

-All right!

And why pick on a boat like this to restore?

Well, it's Cornish and with my background, I felt it had to be done

and if I didn't do it, it wouldn't happen.

-So, I did it with a team.

-She is a beauty, John.

There you are. It feels alive to me,

but my wife maintains it hasn't got a heart in it!

-But I don't agree.

-But this is your mistress, right?!

Well, I'd better not say that! But that's how it turns out.

Takes all the time and the concentration,

you don't think about anything else.

Well, I know a sailor here who'd love to have a go on your boat.

-Can I come aboard?

-Of course, we'd be delighted to have you.

Well, it's a great sight, Jules.

To see a boat like this leaving the harbour again.

You're right, John. Sailing a bit of history!

What's interesting about this boat is there's no standing rigging,

there's no ropes holding the mast up permanently.

This is called the burton and this is the only thing holding it up.

So when the wind is going this way and the sail is filled,

this is just holding the mast up on its own and if that goes,

your burton's gone, and that's gone for a burton! How about that?!

John is a true Heritage Hero.

He's invested his time and money

into restoring this boat for us all to enjoy.

Are you all right, Mr Tack Man?

He now wants it to be used as a hands-on educational tool,

to teach traditional Cornish sailing techniques.

And it's not long before my training starts.

-You've got to work it fast, no messing about.

-Aye-aye, Skipper!

Time for those blisters to start popping! Up she goes!

Untwist the blocks there!

OK. That's it.

I don't know how you remember what to do!

LAUGHS

-We're sailing!

-Now you've got the mizzen to do.

-Whoah.

Well, Julian and Tim, you are new, yet old hands, it seems,

on this particular boat?

There's an awful lot to sailing this, isn't there?

It's very different to sailing a normal kind of plastic boat.

Yeah. That's what I'm used to. This is completely different.

-It's a lot more physical.

-There's a lot of weight in the sail.

Big, powerful sail, lot of weight in the cloth,

lot of weight in the yard, as you found out!

Absolutely, hoisting that thing up!

But, you know, for all the hard work,

you get a real sense of the heritage of these boats.

And you're resurrecting skills and sailing methods

that have been forgotten on these shores for a long time.

I think, in a sense, speaking for everybody else,

we all feel quite proud of that, actually.

Especially when we did a trip to France in the summer,

and you really get a feeling for how hard the guys who used to sail and fish these used to be.

They must have been really tough guys.

Well, I should catch up with John now.

-He's taking it far too easy!

-Absolutely!

-Helming away, there.

-And when you need a hand, give us a shout!

-Will do, Jules. Cheers!

Well, Skipper, we've just put in yet another tack. You're keeping everybody on their toes today!

Yes, I can see that lovely blister coming on on your left hand there!

Yeah, look! We are getting something.

You've obviously relied on a lot of local oral history,

first-hand memories from the old boys that used to sail these boats.

How much harder would it have been if you hadn't had that resource?

If they'd all gone?

Well, they have gone and what we actually have got

is hand-me-down of the stories,

the skills have to be re-learned.

There's nobody alive who's actually made a living sailing one of these.

-Right, OK.

-But there's a tremendous amount of paintings,

a tremendous amount of photographs, a tremendous amount of models,

and a tremendous amount of the social history of Cornwall.

Who owned the boat, who skippered it? Who had shares in it?

How much fish did they catch? Where did the money come from

for building all the chapels

and creating all the communities in Cornwall?

It came from these boats.

And when you've got a sail like this full of wind,

it becomes an animal which is difficult to tame,

but it takes quite a lot of courage and it takes quite a lot of skill

and expertise and experience - and a vast amount of blisters!

LAUGHS

Yes, I'm learning that already!

How was life on the lugger, Jules?

A real trip down memory lane, John, for any salty old seadog.

And a real taste of living history. And it was exactly that.

Living history being protected. That's the theme, really, isn't it,

of our journey right through the Southwest.

It's been a real treat. But how about this one, mate? This is at risk!

-Fancy a project?

-Quite a restoration job, that!

THEY LAUGH

What a great end to our tour of South-West England.

We've met some incredible heroes, celebrating their region's heritage.

-Right, that's fine.

-I knew you wouldn't let me down!

From the group at Swanage Pier working hard to raise money for its future,

to the farmers re-introducing shire-horses in Devon.

We've had an amazing trip.

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