0:00:02 > 0:00:05Want to know about British history? You'd better get your hands dirty.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Don't bury your head in a guidebook, ask a brickie...
0:00:08 > 0:00:10a chippy...
0:00:10 > 0:00:11or a roofer.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Ever since I were a boy, I've had a passion for our past.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16So...
0:00:16 > 0:00:20I'm going to apprentice myself to the oldest masonry company in
0:00:20 > 0:00:23the country, mastering their crafts
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and scraping away the secrets of Blighty's poshest piles.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32From castles to cathedrals, music halls to mansions,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34palaces to public schools -
0:00:34 > 0:00:36these aren't just buildings,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40they're keys to opening up our past and bringing it back to life.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'Today, I'm in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'at one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country
0:01:07 > 0:01:09'with its own on-site monastery.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'I'll be getting into the abbey habit...'
0:01:12 > 0:01:14When you're out and about on business,
0:01:14 > 0:01:15would you travel in your habit?
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I think, sometimes, if people see you like this, it can be a bit...
0:01:18 > 0:01:20They get a bit freaked out.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'..restoring the Yorkshire equivalent of Hogwarts...'
0:01:24 > 0:01:25I've missed.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29'..and learning an extraordinary tale of mice and men.'
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- What a great place to study!- I know.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I think it's Mouseman's greatest work, really.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- Yeah.- Well, there's a mouse. - Yeah, there we are.- Yes!
0:01:35 > 0:01:37See how many you can spot.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Yorkshire is known as God's own country.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Well, I'm here to help restore God's own school, Ampleforth College.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It is one of the most beguiling buildings in Britain.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55It's full of monastic mysteries,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57cryptic puzzles, and historic features.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Ampleforth Abbey was set up in 1802 by local priest Father Anselm
0:02:06 > 0:02:10to provide refuge for monks on the run from the French Revolution.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14The French Revolution of 1789
0:02:14 > 0:02:18meant out with the old ways and in with the new,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20as well as fighting for the rights of the common man.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It overthrew the monarchy, established a republic,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and profoundly altered the course of modern history.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29But it had a dark side.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The notorious Reign of Terror killed thousands who were viewed as enemies
0:02:33 > 0:02:36of the new state, which had no place for religion.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Thousands of nuns, priests, and monks were killed,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42or fled the country in droves.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45And that's how a group of Benedictine monks
0:02:45 > 0:02:47ended up in North Yorkshire at Ampleforth.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54French monks often ran schools,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56so once the monks had set up Ampleforth Abbey,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58they opened one next door,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02admitting 12 local lads at first, before growing to become
0:03:02 > 0:03:05a prestigious independent boarding school.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10The school has been girls allowed since 2005, and has 600 pupils,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13as well as 63 monks, many of whom teach the kids.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17As it's a boarding school,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Ampleforth is constantly having to update its accommodation
0:03:21 > 0:03:24to modern standards, which is where we come in.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Construction firm William Anelay have just started converting
0:03:29 > 0:03:32this Goliath of a building, Bolton House.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- Ah, hello, Tony.- Hiya, Dave. How you doing?- All right, yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Well, this is shabby chic taken to a whole new level, isn't it?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- Absolutely.- You obviously haven't finished yet.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44No, no, just getting going.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45Good grief!
0:03:46 > 0:03:51The original Art Deco building was completed in 1935.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53But it's been derelict for years.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56You see, as well, it's a concrete construction,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58which must be difficult to restore.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59It is very difficult,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02because a lot of the products now aren't available,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05such as the floor cassette units, the concrete ones here.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- They are like cassettes that are slotted in.- Correct.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11They're just a precast concrete unit with steel reinforcement.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Right, crumbs.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So what's this building going to be used for?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It's going to be used mainly for accommodation
0:04:17 > 0:04:20for monks at Ampleforth College.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Gosh! But everything's been done, hasn't it?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24There's no electricity laid,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26all the pipework's out, it's all new.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31It's a £4 million contract.
0:04:31 > 0:04:3550 men will be working for the next nine months
0:04:35 > 0:04:37to restore Bolton House to its former glory.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Are you building up as well?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42We are. We're putting in an additional floor
0:04:42 > 0:04:44in four sections of the building.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Yeah, I've seen some buildings where it's been sea water and sea air
0:04:47 > 0:04:49that's eroded, kind of, the reinforcing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51What is it that's done for these?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53There used to be a lot of washrooms within the building, and also
0:04:53 > 0:04:57flat roofs that used to leak quite a bit, so the water penetrates
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- and then causes the damage.- So, sloppy monks and sloppy schoolboys?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Absolutely, yeah.- Gosh, yeah.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Would it have been cheaper to knock it down and start again?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07No, not really. A building this size,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09its character is well worth keeping.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Like many buildings in the school grounds,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Bolton House was designed by the renowned architect
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23He was noted for his blending of Gothic tradition with modernism,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26making what might otherwise have been boring old buildings
0:05:26 > 0:05:28into popular landmarks.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32He's also behind some of the country's most iconic structures...
0:05:34 > 0:05:37..Liverpool Cathedral, Battersea Power Station,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40the Tate Modern, and Waterloo Bridge.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43He even designed the red telephone box.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48But undoubtedly, his masterpiece at the school is Ampleforth Abbey,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52designed in 1921 with the typical Scott characteristics
0:05:52 > 0:05:55of mass, proportion, and simplicity.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00PRAYERFUL SINGING
0:06:00 > 0:06:02And six times a day,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05the Benedictine monks can be seen saying their prayers.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08There's something very soothing about them, too.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16The monks here very rarely speak to members of the public,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and take a vow of silence every evening.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So we're in for a real treat.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Hello, Father Wulstan. - Hello, Dave. Nice to meet you.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- Nice to meet you too.- Welcome very much to the abbey church.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Thank you, it was a lovely service.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Is it a calling that brought you here?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Was it something you knew you had to do?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Well, I first came to Ampleforth 21 years ago,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and that was as a teacher in the college.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- Uh-huh.- And it was just gradually over time that I felt myself,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46as I got to know the monks better and understood the life here,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48that I felt myself called to the life,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and that's when I asked to join the community.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And how long have you been a monk for, Father Wulstan?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I've been a monk for 17 years,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and I've been a full member of the community
0:06:56 > 0:06:58for 13 of those years,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01the first four years being a time of formation
0:07:01 > 0:07:03before making decisions about final vows.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05So what are the vows and commitments that you make
0:07:05 > 0:07:07when you join the community?
0:07:07 > 0:07:09So the first of our vows is stability,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and that means that we belong to a community.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14We might sometimes go away somewhere else for work or for study,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17but this is our home and this is where we come back to.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20We then take a vow which we call conversatio morum.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23It means a real and ongoing fidelity
0:07:23 > 0:07:26to the ways of monastic living every day.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So for us, that includes a commitment to poverty,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and it involves a commitment to celibacy.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And then our third vow is obedience.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I find the whole thing fascinating.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I mean, is there a shortage of monks now,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- or are there plenty of recruits? - There's an interest.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I mean, obviously, it's not very many people,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- if you think of the size of the population.- Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49But no, we have a steady interest of young men
0:07:49 > 0:07:51who want to explore whether they have a vocation
0:07:51 > 0:07:53to live the Benedictine monastic life,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and we're lucky that some of those, ultimately,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59do join our community, and they take their vows and they stay.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03So just a few weeks ago, two of our young men took their lifelong vows.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12And back at Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's other masterpiece,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Bolton House, there's manual labour to be done.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Sir Giles had a thing about hiding utilities.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21He liked his buildings to be neat and tidy,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26so all pipework and cables were cleverly concealed in the walls.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28During the renovations, they've all been taken out,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31which means we've now got to fill them all back in.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- How do, Rich?- What's happened through here is we've loads of pipes
0:08:35 > 0:08:37coming through all these walls at one stage.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Now what we're doing is we're making it all solid
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- so they can plaster it again.- Yeah. - Just make everything right.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It's funny, isn't it? Cos it's like, the infrastructure of this building,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48everything, all the pipework, the wiring, it's being completely
0:08:48 > 0:08:51renewed, cos it's going to be used as a modern spec building.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- Yeah, that's right.- Can I have a go? - You certainly can.- It's years since I've done any bricking.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Nip it round. All the way around.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- That's the one.- Look at that! - Straight in, perfect half.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's 20 years since I've done that.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05But once you've got it, you never lose it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Right, slice it in.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Like you're buttering a slice of bread.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Yeah, but I'm from the north-west. I'm frugal with my butter,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16not like you Yorkshire folk.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Right.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20I've missed.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24'I may not be a master craftsman, but God loves a trier.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'I just hope the monks do.'
0:09:27 > 0:09:29When was the last time you did the bricklaying?
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Er... Ooh, 20 years ago.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Not doing so bad, then.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Look at that, eh?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37It's like something Fred Flintstone's created.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Oh, that's all right. Snug.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Push down. Nice big trowel-full, off,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46and then we can get him up like that.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's literally - the bed is laid and you're just going to do that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51You know, I could sit watching a bricklayer for hours.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55It's just so deft. You know, what I'm very clumsy at...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I know, but the apprentices are the same.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It's just until you get all the wrist action right.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02It's just all in that. And the bed - laying the bricks is nothing.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05It's getting the beds correct, I think, for me. Always has been.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Ampleforth College is one of the most prestigious boarding schools
0:10:13 > 0:10:15in the world. And it should be -
0:10:15 > 0:10:18fees are a whopping £32,000 a year.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22And who better to tell me about what it's like
0:10:22 > 0:10:26than head boy Louis and head girl Mary, who are following
0:10:26 > 0:10:29in some very illustrious former pupils' footsteps.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33I mean, do you feel huge pressure?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Some of your predecessors have been huge achievers.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39You've got Lawrence Dallaglio on the rugby field, for one.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Rupert Everett in cinema.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Julian Fellowes in popular literature.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Do you feel there's a pressure hanging round your neck
0:10:45 > 0:10:48to compete with them for greatness in the world?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50I think, probably, it's something that we're proud of,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- rather than...- Something to look up to.- Some will aspire to.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I think, for the rugby players among the school,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58it is definitely a great name to have.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I mean, the pitch is called the Dallaglio Match Ground.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03But I think it does have a little bit of pressure on us, you know,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05to try and reach those dizzy heights.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I mean, you've got a lot of pressure this year with your A-levels.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I think it's the worst year of your life, really.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Are you spending all your time studying?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- Yeah.- A lot of time spent in the library.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- We can go and look there if you want.- Oh, yes, I'd love to.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18I want to see your Mouseman.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Definitely. There's lots of that about.- Lots and lots of them.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It may have plenty of famous forebears,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30but Ampleforth is completely infested
0:11:30 > 0:11:31with wooden mice.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Pretty much everywhere there's furniture, there's a mouse,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37all over the school.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41The mouse was the trademark of local lad Robert "Mouseman" Thompson,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44who made traditional handcrafted English oak furniture
0:11:44 > 0:11:46in the '20s and the '30s.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- This is it.- Oh, what a great place to study.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- I know, it's amazing. - It's an incredible place.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57And there's the coats of arms of all the families
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- who were here when it was originally built.- Gosh.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- I think it's Mouseman's greatest work, really.- Yeah.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04As you can see, there are mice everywhere.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- So Mouseman made all of this?- Mm-hm.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08I mean, I associate him with furniture,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10but not a library like this.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Yeah, it was, I think, 1920s that he did it.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Oh, there's a mouse. - Yeah, there we are.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16See how many you can spot. There's a whole load of them.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- Mouse.- Another one.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- Yeah, what a great place to study, though.- Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Just to lose your thoughts, or to concentrate.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25You know, in here, it's so private.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26- Mm-hm.- Mouse.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Early versions of the mouse were prone to broken legs,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33so his mice soon got completely legless.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The school has the largest collection
0:12:36 > 0:12:38of Mouseman furniture in the world.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Seven miles down the road, and still in family ownership,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Mouseman's workshop remains a hub of craftsmanship,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and Mouseman's great-grandson Ian is running the show.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57The mouse trademark came about quite by accident.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Great-grandfather was working on a church screen one day
0:12:59 > 0:13:01with a fellow craftsman,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and that craftsman happened to mention
0:13:03 > 0:13:05he thought they were both as poor as church mice.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09So Great-grandfather thought how alike he was, the church mouse.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11There it was, working with its chisel-like teeth,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14not making a song and dance about it,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16so he thought how nice it would be to carve a mouse
0:13:16 > 0:13:18on this particular piece.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21So ever since that day, each piece of furniture
0:13:21 > 0:13:22has a mouse carved on it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25As has been the case for 150 years,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29each item is entirely handmade by one craftsman
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and only naturally seasoned English oak is used.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35But it's all about the mouse, at the end of the day.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38I'm nearing the final stage of this mouse.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41There's the whiskers needs to finish off,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and then just a general tidy-up.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47And a good clean-up and a sand, and that's it, finished.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And as the furniture is known around the world
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and seen as collectors items, expect to pay top dollar.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Retail cost on a bureau like this is £6,300,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01at today's prices.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Everything's solid.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Even the back panels and the side panels and the drawer bottoms
0:14:12 > 0:14:16will all be constructed from solid, naturally seasoned English oak.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20We get a lot of expats that visit Yorkshire,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25and a lot of them want to take a wee slice of Yorkshire
0:14:25 > 0:14:27back to their corner of the world,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29whether they live in America or Australia.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33And that's why, I think, we are so busy today.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Back on site at Bolton House,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44the boys are hard at work dismantling an old wall
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and getting philosophical.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Any manual labour's exhausting.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55When the day's over, you sort of know you've done a hard day's graft
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and you sort of want to just go home and go to bed, like.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59But that's how the cookie crumbles.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01That's how you earn your bread and butter.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Best thing, I'd say, when you build something
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and you can stand back and sort of say,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08"Well, I've built that, and it's going to last
0:15:08 > 0:15:11"for a couple of hundred, maybe a thousand years."
0:15:11 > 0:15:13And there's not a lass in sight?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Probably isn't a lot of women in the building game
0:15:15 > 0:15:18because it's a very masculine environment.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19So, for the women,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I think it's easier for them to come out of school,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24go to university.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27You do tend to see the odd women in electricians, plumbing,
0:15:27 > 0:15:28that sort of game.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Why not, if they want to have a go and do well in it?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34But on site today is Caz,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38who has no time for stereotypes and drives a 10-tonne truck.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Some of the guys say, "Good God, it's a woman."
0:15:41 > 0:15:43And I went, "Yeah, you're right. You're very observant."
0:15:43 > 0:15:45SHE LAUGHS
0:15:45 > 0:15:48When I've turned up on the site, and I've reversed in,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I've done it in one. It's quite hard,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and the guys were quite impressed that I'd got it in one go.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55So I was like, "Well, yeah! One for the girls!"
0:15:57 > 0:16:00An access road is currently under construction
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and a new car park is being built, whatever the weather.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06A bit of rain never stopped building.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09You know, we're not downhearted, are we, Luke?
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Not at all.- No. But, you see, you look up at a building,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14you see everything, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But underground, the ground works are really important.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20That's your drains, your sewers, and all those bits.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And that's equally important with Bolton House.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24What have we got here, Luke?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27This is the new storm water pipe going in that's going to pick up
0:16:27 > 0:16:30the new downcomers that will be fitted to the building.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Oh, well, it's dirty work. Somebody's got to do it. Shall we?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Somebody's got to do it. Yeah, let's do it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- I'm in.- That'll do for now.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41That goes behind there.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Just stab it in the ground, about there.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Push it in.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46HE STRAINS
0:16:46 > 0:16:48'If I don't get these pipes stuck together properly,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52'there could be a tsunami of drain water soaking the monks,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54'and I don't want that on my conscience.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57'At least someone thinks I'm doing well.'
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Right, so we got the pipe in. That's straight. What's next, Luke?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Next job will be to, obviously,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- get your base ready for your new manhole.- Right.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08So it's a case of getting everywhere level.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10OK, that's great.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16I'm stuck, mate.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17HE LAUGHS
0:17:17 > 0:17:20'The famous sinking sands of Ampleforth.'
0:17:22 > 0:17:24And inside Bolton House,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27the lads are hard at work restoring the broken panes
0:17:27 > 0:17:29on another Gilbert Scott masterpiece -
0:17:29 > 0:17:32the stained-glass windows of the chapel.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35If you're going to do a job, best do it properly.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38After all, this space is going to be home to some monks
0:17:38 > 0:17:41with rather high values.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44All the stained-glass windows need a clean off.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47But one or two have got damage, previous damage.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I've taken this piece of glass out. I'm just going to give it to Leon.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53He's going to lay it onto a piece of plastic,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56as it was in the lead.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00And then that's going to be taken back to the workshop
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and recreated with a new piece of glass.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Bring it back, pop it back in,
0:18:05 > 0:18:06bend the lead down,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09seal it with leaded light cement,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11and then it's back to its original form.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20The Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey supported themselves
0:18:20 > 0:18:24and their charitable work by farming sheep for their wool,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26and sheep can still be seen grazing
0:18:26 > 0:18:29across the North Yorkshire moorland to this day.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34The fields are still separated using traditional dry stone walls,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37which have been there for hundreds of years.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39So I want to find out how to build one
0:18:39 > 0:18:42with park ranger Simon Bassindale.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- How do, Simon?- How do?- Hello.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52This is one of the oldest building methods, isn't it?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- Dry stone walling.- It is.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Probably been going on for thousands of centuries,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00but really, here in the North York Moors,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03really kicked off 300, 400 years ago
0:19:03 > 0:19:06with the sheep farming developing.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08So, Simon, how do you build a wall out of rocks
0:19:08 > 0:19:10that's going to last for a couple of hundred years?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Well, the principles are very simple.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16It's just a matter of following basic building techniques
0:19:16 > 0:19:19of putting one rock on top of two wherever you can.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Put the stones so the long face is running front to back.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29And then, if you get a wobble like this one,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33we just pin it under the back and then fill this space in
0:19:33 > 0:19:35with little bits of rubble.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Where do you get the stones from? I mean, are they quarried locally?
0:19:40 > 0:19:45Very much so. Any dry stone wall, if you look on the hillsides,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48you'll see little depressions all along,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51of where the stones have literally been dug out off the ground
0:19:51 > 0:19:53there and then to build the wall.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55There's no point carrying it there if you don't have to,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- if you've got good materials on site.- So it's making use
0:19:58 > 0:20:01of the landscape and what you've been given, really.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Here, in this particular corner of the North York Moors National Park,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08we've got a Jurassic landscape.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10So this would have been beautiful, warm,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13sunny beaches and sediment laying down.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14We had the mist down this morning.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You know, it could be a bit subtropical, really.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'These 550 square miles of heather moorland
0:20:23 > 0:20:25'are an incredibly rare habitat,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'and the rangers are in a permanent battle to preserve it.'
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Let's get digging around the base of this.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33I mean...
0:20:34 > 0:20:38..is it quite a delicate ecosystem here, Simon?
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Well, it can be, given the wrong conditions.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46So... Hence why we're trying to manage this.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51Cos obviously, we get lots of invertebrates,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54lots of mini beasts, as the kids like to call them...
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- Mini beasts!- ..living in here,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58helping to rot things down.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And, then, obviously,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07you get the shrews and the voles and the mice living on them.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It's all a very delicate balance, isn't it?
0:21:09 > 0:21:12If something gets out of balance, it'll go right up the chain.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- Right.- And then we'll have that chucked over there
0:21:15 > 0:21:16with those other dead ones.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23'Sometimes, you've got to be cruel to be kind.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25'If we want to keep the moor pure,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30'we need to cull non-native invaders like this evil Christmas tree.'
0:21:34 > 0:21:37It's going to seem funny to a lot of people, when, you know -
0:21:37 > 0:21:40to chop down trees, when we're educated all the time now
0:21:40 > 0:21:42never to touch a tree.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Well, we're not just going through taking all the trees out -
0:21:46 > 0:21:48it is very much selective,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51making sure the right species are retained.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54But the ones that we don't want, unfortunately,...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- They're firewood.- Yeah.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's nice to know that this corner
0:21:59 > 0:22:02will be as protected as it possibly could be.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05'Sorry, but to protect this delicate ecosystem,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08'these birch saplings have also got to go.'
0:22:08 > 0:22:12What we do with some of these is, the big woody stuff at the bottom
0:22:12 > 0:22:15we'll rack up into habitat piles,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17which are really good for invertebrates.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- Right.- But some of the branchy bits at the top
0:22:20 > 0:22:24we'll make into faggots, which are big bundles of sticks
0:22:24 > 0:22:28that we can use when we're doing path repairs on very boggy areas.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33- Yeah.- So that we can then put stone on top of the bundles
0:22:33 > 0:22:38and float the stone across the top of a boggy bit of moorland.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Should I chop and you drag, Simon?
0:22:40 > 0:22:41OK.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43I like this bit.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49# I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!
0:22:49 > 0:22:51# I work all night and I sleep all day!
0:22:51 > 0:22:54# I cut down trees I skip and jump
0:22:54 > 0:22:55# I like to press wild flowers
0:22:56 > 0:22:59# I put on women's clothing
0:22:59 > 0:23:02# And hang around in bars... #
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Could be a timber moment.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08There she goes.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Timber!
0:23:11 > 0:23:13'Aah, the cool country air!
0:23:13 > 0:23:16'And on my way back to Ampleforth, it would be rude not to check out
0:23:16 > 0:23:20'another local highlight - the finest view in England.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22'Ooh, what a corker!'
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Finest view in England - think I need to clean my glasses.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29'It's there, I promise. Underneath the fog.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'Away from the moors and back inside the relative warmth of Bolton House,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38'Father Wulstan has brought his fellow monk Father Chad along
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'to check out their future living quarters.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'They'll be moving in in under a year's time, all being well.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- Father Chad.- Good to see you. - Hello again.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51How long was this building shut for, Bolton House?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- 12?- 12 years.- Was it 12 years? It's a long time, yeah.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And you're going to be living here again, possibly,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and, you know, you lived here in the past. What's it like coming back?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I think to come back into a building that you're used to seeing,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05obviously, furnished, it's quite strange coming back in now,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but you still see the same shape of it and something of the same feel.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11As monks - I mean, I know you have a vow of poverty.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Do you have many possessions?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Well, we have a number of things which we use,
0:24:16 > 0:24:17and which we have for our use.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And each year in Lent, we go through all that and we enumerate that
0:24:21 > 0:24:22on a list called a poverty bill,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and we give that to the Abbot, who then inspects what we have.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27All the library books you've forgotten to take back,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- that sort of thing, get returned. - Is that quite liberating?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Yes. I worked before I came here,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and it was great to come to a monastery,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36where you didn't have to carry keys or a diary, or...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39You know, there was a sense of just...of freedom.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41When you're out and about on business,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42would you travel in your habit?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I think, sometimes, if people see you like this,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47it can be a bit... They can get a bit freaked out.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I tend to travel in just a clerical collar.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52When I was younger monk, I went to visit a friend in London
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and I was wearing my habit walking across Waterloo Bridge,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and the wind just lifted this thing up, the scapular,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59and just smacked this businessman in the face,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02without me moving my hands. And he didn't know what to do.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Yes.- It was an unusual social situation, I think, for him. - LAUGHTER
0:25:05 > 0:25:09You would swallow your words quickly before you said anything offensive, I'm sure.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Within the school activities, one thing we're learning -
0:25:11 > 0:25:14some of the monks play rugby, as well.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Well, play - possibly not play. I referee.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Right. Do you have a sin bin?
0:25:18 > 0:25:20I like to release people from the sin bin.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21LAUGHTER
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I see that as my special role.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28The monks at Ampleforth may have to abstain
0:25:28 > 0:25:31from many of life's pleasures, but that hasn't stopped them
0:25:31 > 0:25:34from creating their own little slice of paradise.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41This is another Ampleforth marvel - its orchard.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43How many varieties of trees have you got here?
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Well, we've got just over 40 varieties of apple,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and just over 200 trees.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Do you have a penchant for apples, or... Is it their produce?
0:25:52 > 0:25:56I think it's good to have something that gradually comes to fruition
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and takes patience, but then brings happiness to lots of people.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Well, I suppose it's a bit like the Garden of Eden, really, isn't it?
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- Well, I hope not completely, but... - No. No, it's beautiful.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Look at that!- You've come at the right time of year.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- This is a bounteous harvest. - This is the best time to be here.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- Can I try one? - They're called Spartan.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- This is a Spartan? - They might break your teeth.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- That's all right. They're all my own.- Good?- Mm.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- Crisp.- Beautiful.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22- Mm.- Sweet.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24So what do you do with the apples?
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- About ten years ago, we started making apple juice and cider.- Yeah.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And we make an apple liqueur, as well, called Ampleforth Amber.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It goes back to the thing about the Benedictine monks.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You know, you have to make a living.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So are there any problems? Are you allowed to drink?
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- In the rules, Saint Benedict says that monks shouldn't drink.- Yes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43But since they can't be persuaded of this,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45- they should at least drink in moderation.- Mm-hm.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48So, for instance, we can have a little glass of beer at lunchtime,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50which is just nice.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52It is, isn't it? It's civilised.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55'Ampleforth has a great tradition of music,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57'including bagpipers.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59'I didn't know they were big in Yorkshire!'
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Right. I should say, "You be Mother,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06but it'd be Father, really. LAUGHTER
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- Father and brother.- Right.- Right.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- Father Chad.- This is what you need.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- 8.3%?- Yeah.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16It's what we need on a day like this.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17Thank you very much.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19'Time for a toast.'
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- Here's to Saint Benedict.- Cheers.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- But only in moderation. - In moderation.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- What do you think?- Ooh. That's jolly good, isn't it?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Do you know, I'd never thought I'd see the day.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's a bit surreal that I'd find myself in an orchard in Yorkshire
0:27:34 > 0:27:37with two monks, a piper, and a table full of cider.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But, you know, I'm relishing it. It's rather fine. Thank you.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- I'll drink to that.- Cheers. Again!
0:27:43 > 0:27:44LAUGHTER
0:27:49 > 0:27:51'Next time, I'll be in Leicester, helping to restore
0:27:51 > 0:27:54'one of the Midlands' most historically important treasures,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58'the fantastic 18th-century Friars Mill.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'I'll discover how it's being brought back to life...'
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Of course, the roof would have burnt out.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Yes, all the roof burnt off.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'..I'll help clean up the lifeblood of the mill, the River Soar...'
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Ooh, yes. I think I got a whiff of the countryside.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15'..and an iconic feature is put back in its place.'
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Well, that's another change on the skyline of Leicester!