0:00:00 > 0:00:04We're travelling across the UK on a mission.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08All over the country our heritage is at risk.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Ancient buildings and monuments are under threat of demolition.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Valuable arts and crafts are on the brink of extinction
0:00:15 > 0:00:19and our rich industrial heritage is disappearing fast.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24We're scouring town and country in search of the nation's unsung heroes
0:00:24 > 0:00:28determined not to let our heritage become a thing of the past.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Today, we meet the woman who's single-handedly taken on
0:00:32 > 0:00:35the restoration of this historic Shropshire mansion.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Had I known anything about buildings, I probably would've run a mile.
0:00:39 > 0:00:46And I take to the skies to see the work being done to reveal Britain's hidden historical sites.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51- That's the sort of thing we'd think for an Iron-Age farmstead. - Fantastic.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55On this journey, we're uncovering the hidden treasures of our country,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58treasures that are certainly worth fighting for.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01And meeting heritage heroes saving Britain at risk.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18There's not much point in looking at the map - there's only one road.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- We'll see where it takes us. - Well, indeed.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28We started at the northernmost point of the English/Welsh border.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32We've driven south through Denbighshire, Cheshire and Powys
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and will continue into South Wales until we reach our journey's end
0:01:35 > 0:01:37at the Bristol Channel.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Today, we're exploring the rural idylls of Shropshire and Herefordshire,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47shining a light on the area's disappearing heritage.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Look at this, John. Ponies.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- Yeah, quite a herd of them. - I had no idea.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58- They look pretty healthy, don't they?- Nice, fat tummies on them.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59Hello, you lot.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03We're not far from the Stiperstones,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06one of your old stamping grounds, I think.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Yeah... Strange name, isn't it, Stiperstones?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13It's actually the name of a range of hill.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I think it goes on for about ten miles, if I remember rightly.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21And it's bleak, open land like this. Very forbidding countryside, really.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25I've been up there in the middle of winter and it's quite spooky, I'm telling you.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28When there's a mist up there, as there often is,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and a chill in the air,
0:02:31 > 0:02:32it sends shivers down your spine.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38In the mid 1800s, the mines of the Stiperstones area in Shropshire
0:02:38 > 0:02:41produced over 10% of Britain's lead.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43As the workforce grew,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46some miners set up squatter's cottages on the hills
0:02:46 > 0:02:48high above the village of Snailbeach.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52It's thought five families lived in this lonely place.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The cottages were abandoned in the 1950s
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and stayed that way for more than 50 years.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02As they're situated in a Natural England nature reserve,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05the organisation raised funds to restore them
0:03:05 > 0:03:08before they disappeared entirely.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Simon Cooter and Tom Wall have been involved with the project
0:03:12 > 0:03:14since its beginnings over a year ago.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This was common land?
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Yeah, this was common land,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23so the idea was that if anyone could build a chimney
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and have smoke coming out of it overnight,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28then they could squat in that area and live there
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but then pay a rent to the landlord.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35As far as they could throw the axe from the corner of their house,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- that was where they could till the land from.- Really?
0:03:39 > 0:03:44So the small squatter cottage then turned into the larger dwellings
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and then settlements, and so quite large settlements were here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- And it that one of those squatter cottages there?- That is, yes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54That's what's referred to as Cook's Cottage,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58which is one of the last ones to be occupied, indeed up to the 1950s.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And why do think it's important to restore small cottages like that?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's important because they're rare. There's few of them now.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We find them here in their natural environment
0:04:08 > 0:04:14which enables us to understand more about the lives of the people who lived here and worked here.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18As well as restoring the cottages,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21the group are involved with an oral history project,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25asking relatives to share their memories of past generations.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30- What did he grow? - Oh, potatoes and cabbage.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Their stories will be turned into a book which, hopefully, will raise even more money
0:04:35 > 0:04:37for the restoration scheme.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42There was a grocery delivery but that's by horse and cart.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44'Clifford Davies is one of the interviewees.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49'His grandfather Edwin lived in the second cottage for over 30 years.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'He made the two-hour journey up and down the hill to the lead mine
0:04:53 > 0:04:54'almost every day.'
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- And this is where your grandfather lived?- That's right. This is it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Years ago, it was just stone. - All derelict?- Yeah.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- No roof on it?- No.- The rain coming in?- That's right, yes.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11The sheep going in through the door!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So, this would be, what, the main living room
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- and the kitchen as well? - That's right.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- Everything went on in here. - Old grate down there. Is that the original?- Yes.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24You can remember sitting round, can you?
0:05:24 > 0:05:28I can remember sitting round that and the table here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:34I can more or less see it now. There was a settee there.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Yeah?- He used to come through the door there
0:05:36 > 0:05:41and he used to put the saddle on the one arm of the settee.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43What was this room, then?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48This, in the latter years, was my grandad's bedroom.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52There was only him so he had no need to go upstairs.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56What was this, then?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00This was the scullery sort of thing here.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04We used to have a bench there with a bowl on it
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and he had his water which he carried from outside.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13- Tin bath here as well?- Yes, tin bath, and that was all there.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20How do feel now, coming back to this place?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I'm quite pleased they've done it up.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26I thought, you know, they'd forgot about it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29But they've made a darn good job of it.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33He'd think he was in Buckingham Palace if he were here now.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Restoring these humble cottages
0:06:38 > 0:06:43has led to the re-discovery of the living history held within their walls.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47They're important reminders of the mining families who once made
0:06:47 > 0:06:50this harsh, isolated countryside their home.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56We're back on the road and continuing our drive through Shropshire.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01One thing Shropshire isn't short of, John, is gorgeous deciduous forests.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06The road here either side of us is just packed with clearly quite ancient woodland.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Yeah, certainly down the valleys,
0:07:08 > 0:07:15some really beautiful old oaks. Of course, at the moment,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19the big tragedy facing our oak trees is this disease -
0:07:19 > 0:07:21acute oak decline.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24The oaks are being struck down by this terrible disease
0:07:24 > 0:07:27which is just sweeping across the country.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33The oak tree has long been a powerful symbol of Britain's history and culture.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The tree's durable timber was used to build thousands of sailing ships,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41establishing Britain's power as our Empire grew.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43But, today, it's at risk from this new threat.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Attingham Park is one of the National Trust estates
0:07:47 > 0:07:52feeling the full brunt of acute oak decline.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57In the past five years, up to 20 of the estate's 100 oak trees have become affected.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Bob Thurston is the gardens manager for the estate
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and he's determined to tackle the problem.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05In the wider parkland around here,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08we've got trees 200 years, 300 years, 400, 500,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10up to 650 years old,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12and they're really, really important.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15In fact, they've been designated by Natural England
0:08:15 > 0:08:18as a Site of Special Scientific Interest just for those old trees
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and the things that are living in them.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So, I'm really worried that if this disease is going to kill old oaks.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27we've got a collection of really old, precious oaks just here.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30In this little woodland here,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33we've gone from one tree to now 15-20 trees
0:08:33 > 0:08:36in a woodland that's got no more than 100 in it anyway.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37So it's quite a worrying thing.
0:08:37 > 0:08:44It's thought that bacteria causes the tree to weep a black fluid from its trunk.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It then goes on to lose its leaves.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50The weaker tree is now vulnerable to the agrilus beetle
0:08:50 > 0:08:53that can kill it within five years.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Today, we've got a tree - it's died, it's dangerous.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00I need to get it on the ground and try and piece together what's happening.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03What is causing this disease and from that,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06how do we treat it and stop it spreading across our countryside?
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Bob's called in Dr Sandra Denman - a Forestry Commission scientist
0:09:11 > 0:09:16whose research is at the forefront of the battle to save the oak trees.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Once the tree is felled, she will examine the bark
0:09:27 > 0:09:30to see if she can find traces of the beetle.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Look at the bark. There's hardly any bark left.- Yeah.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38That's the bark, there's outer bark
0:09:38 > 0:09:40and here, it's into the sap wood,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44so, yeah, that's pretty bad. Very dry.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Here you can see the remnant of that blackened cavity
0:09:50 > 0:09:56and lots and lots of agrilus activity all the way around here.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Sandra will then take a sample of the infected bark
0:09:59 > 0:10:02back to her lab in Surrey for further analysis.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I love my oak trees and I want to do everything I can
0:10:09 > 0:10:13to help protect them and to ensure their future...
0:10:15 > 0:10:19..because we are looking after a living heritage
0:10:19 > 0:10:25and we want to ensure that they're going to be there in future generations.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32We're moving south through Shropshire
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and are just north of the ancient market town of Ludlow.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- Up there?- Yeah.- Where it says "private drive"?- That's it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45We're allowed to go somewhere it says "private", are we?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- We've been specially invited. - Oh, good.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49If I can get it out of gear.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- Where are we?- This is the entrance to Stokesay Court.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Now, this...- Stokesay Court? - ..does look rather impressive.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02- Lovely parkland, sweeping drive. - Very impressive driveway.- Yeah.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07The lady that now owns it didn't know she was in line to inherit it,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10opened a letter one day from the solicitor's
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and found herself the proud and I think somewhat daunted owner
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- of a crumbling Victorian pile.- Good heavens. Was she pleased or not?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20We'll have to ask her and find out.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26This grand residence was built in 1892
0:11:26 > 0:11:29by wealthy Victorian industrialist John Derby Allcroft.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Stokesay Court required armies of staff to upkeep all 90 rooms
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and saw many grand coming-of-age balls
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and village fetes throughout the early 1900s.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46But the frivolity was cut short with the beginning of World War I
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and the house was never the same again.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Current owner, Caroline, is the niece of Allcroft's granddaughter
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and opened the door to an extremely run down
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and neglected Stokesay in the mid-1990s.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03She's spent the past two decades painstakingly restoring
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and maintaining the building.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- Hello?- Hello. Anyone at home?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Caroline?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Do you think we've come in the back door?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- Come in.- That is the back door, which makes you wonder what the front's all about.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- Ah, hello.- Hello.- Caroline.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Welcome to Stokesay. Very nice to see you.- Lovely to see you.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- Goodness me, how about this? - It is quite something, isn't it?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Isn't it? Good heavens, that is just beautiful.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35- I wasn't expecting this at all. - Proper kind of Edwardian country house, isn't it?
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Absolutely,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40and it hasn't had any alterations to it since it was built.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45But when I came, this was in a terrible state.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51The roof was leaking and the entire structure was completely rotten,
0:12:51 > 0:12:56which we didn't realise until we peeled the lead off the roof.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Then found that really all that was holding it up were oak casings.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03You inherited this unexpectedly.
0:13:03 > 0:13:10Totally unexpectedly. I received a long, brown envelope when I got back from work in London one day,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and in the envelope was a copy of a will and a compliment slip.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19I knew nothing at all about buildings, which is probably a very good thing
0:13:19 > 0:13:24because, had I known anything about buildings, I probably would have run a mile.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28As Stokesay is Caroline's home, she's not eligible for any heritage funding
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and had to sell the entire contents of the house
0:13:31 > 0:13:33to fund death duties and repairs.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Everything from Edwardian toys to suits of armour went under the hammer.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44It took over ten years to get the house in a liveable state.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48But just as Caroline had managed to complete the basics,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50a stroke of good luck came her way.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52This is colourful.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Well, this is the dressing room/ master bedroom suite
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and when I came, this was in a most terrible state.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04And I had just got to the point where I had re-wired it
0:14:04 > 0:14:08and put radiators in and along came Atonement.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- What, the movie?- The movie.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- So they shot the movie here?- Yes. - Keira Knightley and...?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
0:14:15 > 0:14:22- Did they dress it for you? Are we looking a the remains of Atonement? - You are.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27Well, this is complete film set and I haven't actually changed it
0:14:27 > 0:14:29since the filming of Atonement.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33It was built entirely for the film. So everything you see if fake.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38The light switches and the sockets are all behind in the wall.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- There's panelling behind there. - This is an oak-panelled bedroom.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- So this is all just dressing?- Yes.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I guess, obviously, the money from the film had a big impact
0:14:48 > 0:14:53but also just allowing you to address some of the fabric issues with the building at the same time.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Yes, it was absolutely brilliant
0:14:56 > 0:15:01and a lot of the decoration has helped enormously.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The film set has provided a temporary solution
0:15:03 > 0:15:06to the ongoing decoration problems
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and, importantly, has brought in additional revenue
0:15:09 > 0:15:12in the location tours that Caroline now runs.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15But there are more than 60 other rooms that need attention,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19as well as the ongoing maintenance required for a mansion of this size.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Up on the roof, local craftsman Ivor and his son-in-law Gavin
0:15:23 > 0:15:25are re-doing the lead work.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28What a racket!
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- Hi, guys, how are you?- Very well.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- Nice to see you. Is it Ivor? - Ivor.- Jules.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- Gavin.- Nice to see you, fellas.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37I heard you two a mile away.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41This is clearly what it's all about, reinstating some of the lead work.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- Yeah.- Is it a never-ending job here?
0:15:43 > 0:15:47It took us about 10, 12 years to get over it all.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- Yeah.- It's all been replaced.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Over the years, they've had to turn their hands to anything
0:15:53 > 0:15:56from cleaning over 600 window panes
0:15:56 > 0:15:58to sweeping all 15 chimneys.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Can you imagine the day
0:16:00 > 0:16:04when this may have simply been left to disintegrate?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I'd hate to think of it, but without Caroline, it was possible.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11She's got on top of it, she's on top of it now.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15This is her life. This is her love, this is her passion for the place.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19If you take away your heritage, what have you got?
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Sounds obvious, but not everybody would agree.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24This is what it is. This is what we were.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Keep it as much as you can, you've got to.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Try and bend it first.- Yeah.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36And then just dress.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Keeping Stokesay's heritage alive clearly takes a lot of elbow grease.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43And while Jules rolls up his sleeves to give the boys a hand,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I'm finding out about Caroline's plans
0:16:46 > 0:16:49to secure a sustainable future for the house.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Well, I'm thinking about what to do with this building here,
0:16:53 > 0:16:59which, as you will see in a moment, is in a very bad state of repair.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- And it wasn't...- So it is, yes.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05That's no understatement, is it?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09This is the original stables for the riding horses, I think,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14- as you see that their names are all still there.- Oh, yes - Bayleaf,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Rajah, The Doctor.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18What's your plan for here, then?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Well, I think the future for the house,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and I'm trying to create a sustainable future for it,
0:17:23 > 0:17:28must lie with opening and inviting more people in.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Probably, the way forward is to open the gardens,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and then maybe to turn this into tea rooms.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40There's a fantastic space up above there,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42which could be perhaps a gallery.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44But with this, obviously,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48we've got major capital works to undertake
0:17:48 > 0:17:50and when I have lots and lots of visitors,
0:17:50 > 0:17:51the house comes alive,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53and that seems to me to be
0:17:53 > 0:17:57a way forward for the house, and the right way forwards.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58People love visiting,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and so I want to share it with them.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08So I say, hats off to Caroline.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Absolutely. Can you imagine opening the post
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and finding you're going to be guardian of all this lot?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Cos that's what she is, a guardian, not an owner, really.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19And what a millstone round your neck,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22to be in charge of somewhere like that.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26But she's taken it on, I think brilliantly, and valiantly,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and now, it looks as if it has got a future.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33Yeah. Because a lot of people who own great piles like this privately
0:18:33 > 0:18:36put up the "keep out" signs, don't they? But not Caroline.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Nope. "Come on in and make what you can of it." I love it.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Back on the road,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55we're leaving Shropshire behind and talking shoes.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Have you got a pair of clogs, Jules?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Do you know, John, I haven't.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I bought a pair for my girlfriend recently
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and she absolutely loves them, and I quite fancy some.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05They're becoming fashionable again, clogs.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07They're meant to be good for your feet.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11And apparently great for working in, in the workshop, in the garden.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Yeah, as you say, making a bit of a comeback.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15But of course,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19two or three generations ago, everybody would wear clogs.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Well, they were the utilitarian footwear of their day, I suppose.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I think they were the poor people's footwear, weren't they?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29They're very expensive now, I can tell you.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32But in the old days, get a pair of clogs, you were lucky.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36You were lucky to have a pair of feet, never mind a pair of clogs!
0:19:36 > 0:19:37Aye, son, back in the day!
0:19:37 > 0:19:40The wooden clog was the original working man's shoe,
0:19:40 > 0:19:45worn in steel mills and factories throughout the Industrial Revolution.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48From many hundreds of traditional clog-makers,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51there are now only a handful of remaining craftsmen
0:19:51 > 0:19:54making bespoke clogs entirely by hand.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Jeremy Atkinson makes and sells clogs from his workshop in Kington.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00He passed on his skills to Geraint,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04who works full time over the border in Wales, demonstrating clog-making
0:20:04 > 0:20:07at the St Fagans Museum near Cardiff.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12All right there?
0:20:12 > 0:20:15HE SPEAKS IN WELSH
0:20:15 > 0:20:17The craft is extremely specialised
0:20:17 > 0:20:22and it's taken Jeremy over ten years to master the knife work.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It's almost impossible to work out how they're supposed to work
0:20:27 > 0:20:30without somebody taking you through it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36I think you have to have somebody who's done it to teach you.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41See, you have to manipulate the sole, turn the sole
0:20:41 > 0:20:44as well as moving the knife...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46on the curves.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Each piece of wood has different problems.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55There's grain structures, the word wants to go a certain way,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58you have to cut it on the bias. All sorts of stuff to know.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Once Jeremy has hand-carved the sole,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04he attaches the hand-cut leather upper.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07The toetins are 1920s stock.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12The nails, I start off with maybe a 7/8 nail here,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and then half-inch up here,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18and a 5/8, 3/4 here.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22The letter is from Chesterfield,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25but it was basically for hedging gloves.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27It's going to last 1,000 days,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30which doesn't sound very much, it's only three years,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32but that's continuous use.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I very rarely get a pair back much less than 10, 12 years.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38As each order takes two to three months to complete,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43it's impossible for Jeremy to earn a full-time living
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and for him, the ancient craft has inevitably become a labour of love.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51But Geraint's job at the museum
0:21:51 > 0:21:55ensures the craft is still offering him a living wage
0:21:55 > 0:22:00and affording him the time to pass on his knowledge to the next generation.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01You see a lot of people come in.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Some of the older people, they remember clogs
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and they remember a clog-maker from their local village
0:22:07 > 0:22:10or their grandfather used to repair them, or whatever,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12so you get a lot of stories from them,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14and also, you get children coming in
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and they've never seen anything like this,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and of course they think, "What? Wearing wood on your feet!"
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It's a common misconception
0:22:22 > 0:22:25that clogs are heavy and clumpy and uncomfortable, and they're not,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27so it's really good to educate people
0:22:27 > 0:22:32and show people that these crafts are important.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34The hope being, as I come up to my retirement age,
0:22:34 > 0:22:35I will get an apprentice,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and they'll work with me for four or five years,
0:22:38 > 0:22:43and then I will retire and they just take over the workshop.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46There will be a clog-maker and the craft will hopefully survive,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and that is my hope.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55We're continuing our trip through the borderlands
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and weaving our way north to our final destination.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Just look at that view, Jules.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Absolutely gorgeous, John.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It feels as if we're flying, almost, doesn't it?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- Well, I've got a little treat coming up.- Have you?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I'm jumping in a plane with an aerial archaeologist
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- to have a look at Herefordshire from above.- Can I come with you?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- Nope.- Why not?
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Mind the sheep here. There's a sheep asleep on the road.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Come on! Off you go!
0:23:24 > 0:23:28I'm hoping that we might find something we've never seen before.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32That would be exciting, a true moment of discovery, wouldn't it?
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Certainly would.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Aerial photography was used during the First World War,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and archaeologists later discovered
0:23:40 > 0:23:44that reconnaissance photos could reveal ancient sites
0:23:44 > 0:23:48in more detail than from the ground.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Hundreds of archaeological sites
0:23:53 > 0:23:56are still being discovered by aerial surveyors every year
0:23:56 > 0:23:58and their important research ensures
0:23:58 > 0:24:01that sites are not damaged or destroyed.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I'm meeting archaeologist Neil Rimmington
0:24:04 > 0:24:08at Shobdon Airfield in Herefordshire to see what we can discover.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Nice to see you, sir. How are you?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- Hi, Jules.- Ooh, watch your head.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- A bit of a mixed day for flying, clearly. Bit of rain.- Very mixed.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Our weather forecast seems to have changed over the last day,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- so it's not ideal for us.- But we'll still get a chance to get up.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24We'll still go up and have a look.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27We're at the end of the season for spotting archaeological crop marks
0:24:27 > 0:24:30but we'll have a look, see what's left out there.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34How vulnerable is this survey to the economic pressures of today?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Highly vulnerable. In fact, nationally, in terms of England,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41there's only about ten people who actually do what I do.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45But what can we see from the air that we can't make out on the ground?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Some of them are places where people lived,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50so we get Iron-Age farmsteads, we get castle sites,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- we get mediaeval moated sites... - Roman sites?
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Roman sites, and in fact today, hopefully, we'll see one of those.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04We're on the lookout for crop marks
0:25:04 > 0:25:08that may show the outline of ancient buildings.
0:25:08 > 0:25:101015 2-4 Alpha...
0:25:10 > 0:25:13If we spot any, Neil will take a series of photos
0:25:13 > 0:25:16that will be added to the National Monuments Record,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18hopefully leading to more research
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and conservation of these discoveries.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25- Look at that.- It's a long way up. - This is absolutely terrific.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I've seen a lot of Herefordshire in my time, but never from the air.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34You realise just what a kind of rolling landscape this is.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Very much a rolling landscape. We're on the edge of the Welsh hills.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45OK, we're on the Roman side here, Neil, and obviously we've got the rain coming in from the west.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47And we can still see it, which is nice.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- Oh, is that it down there? - You can still see it.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55I mean, it's showing there as a sort of pale golden colour or a darker golden colour.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Any idea, you know, of date for that one, Neil?
0:25:58 > 0:26:04This one dates from between about 70 AD and 130 AD.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- Our first Roman site of the day. - First Roman site of the day!
0:26:15 > 0:26:18As you can probably tell, Neil's opened the window!
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Incredibly windy. Bob is about to go for a very tight turn
0:26:22 > 0:26:28to get Neil as near vertical as he can over this Roman site, to get a nice clear shot of it.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33That's the corner of the fort... emerging.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36A very important site, really, for our understanding
0:26:36 > 0:26:41about how the Roman Conquest of Britain was happening.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43WIND HOWLS
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Oh, that's better!
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Look beneath us now. Little square enclosure.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- Yes, another fort!- Not a fort.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56I reckon that's about 50 metres square.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59That's the sort of thing we'd think for an Iron-Age farmstead.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- Am I allowed to take a photograph? - Yes, I'll just come round that way.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10That part of that monument - that's the first time that's been seen.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- Fantastic.- So there you go, we did have something new today as well.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17That is excellent, right. I'll take that off.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Shut the weather out again, shall I?!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Well somewhere down there is John Craven.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24But what he's up to, I've no idea!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27That's a very, very nice ride, Bob, thank you very much.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32- OK, wait until we are down! - Yes, I don't want to tempt fate!
0:27:39 > 0:27:44- We're down. Thank you very much, Bob. - OK. My pleasure.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50Well, it's been fascinating to meet the people who are still uncovering ancient historic sites.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56It's exciting to think just how many archaeological gems are out there, waiting to be discovered.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02What an extraordinary day in our journey along the Welsh-English border.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06I loved meeting Caroline and hearing about her inspirational battle
0:28:06 > 0:28:09to save Stokesay Court.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14And for me, a highlight was discovering the story behind the miners' cottages in Shropshire.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Next time, we meet the villagers who clubbed together
0:28:18 > 0:28:21to save their traditional country pub.
0:28:21 > 0:28:28And I take part in some pig wrangling with the family determined to save some of Britain's rare breeds.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd