0:00:02 > 0:00:03Want to know about British history?
0:00:03 > 0:00:05You better get your hands dirty.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06Don't bury your head in a guidebook.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Ask a brickie...
0:00:08 > 0:00:10a chippy
0:00:10 > 0:00:12or a roofer.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Ever since I were a boy, I've had a passion for our past.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19So, I'm going to apprentice myself to the oldest masonry company
0:00:19 > 0:00:21in the country.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Mastering their crafts and scraping away the secrets
0:00:25 > 0:00:27of Blighty's precious piles.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30From castles to cathedrals.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Music halls to mansions.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Palaces to public schools.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37These aren't just buildings,
0:00:37 > 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 Leicester helping to restore
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'one of the Midlands' most historically important treasures -
0:01:07 > 0:01:11'the fantastic 18th-century Friars Mill.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'I'll discover how it's being brought back to life...'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16- Of course, the roof would have burned out.- Yes,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18yes, all the roof burnt off.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22'I help to clean up the lifeblood of the mill - the River Soar.'
0:01:22 > 0:01:26You can see little piles of otter droppings all the way along there.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Ooh, yes, I think I got a whiff of the countryside.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'And an iconic feature is put back in its place.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:37That's another change on the skyline of Leicester.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Leicester is one of the oldest cities in the country
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and certainly has plenty to shout about.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51This grand old city
0:01:51 > 0:01:54is the birthplace of grand old Sir David Attenborough.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58And also the resting place of poor old King Richard III,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02recently found plonked underneath a car park for half a millennium.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Bless him.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10But it's not just celebrated as the resting place of royalty.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Leicester is famed for its colourful textiles,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18its football team's nifty skills, and its unique industrial heritage,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23locked away in intriguing buildings like this one, Friars Mill.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Built around 1739,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Friars Mill is believed to have been the city's first factory
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and therefore holds huge historical importance in this area.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43By the 20th century, it was not only Leicester's biggest mill,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46it was also the leading textile factory in Britain.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The factory closed ten years ago and it fell into disrepair.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But thanks to Leicestershire County Council,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58it's currently undergoing a massive £6 million renovation.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03But before I meet the builders on site,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Matthew Ellis is going to give me his first-hand knowledge
0:03:06 > 0:03:09of what life was like here when it was a bustling workplace.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Hello, Matthew. I'm Dave.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14- Dave, how are you?- Pleased to meet you.- Nice to meet you, too.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17So, Matthew, what's your connection with the mill?
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Dave, my family owned the mill for about a 100-year period
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- from the 1880s to the 1980s.- Right.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Tell us a bit about the mill, Matthew.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It was very much a family atmosphere, it really was.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29I, certainly, as a child...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32My school holidays were spent very much here, working through
0:03:32 > 0:03:36the different departments and then when I left college
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I came and worked here full-time.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44The mill spun wool and in the late 19th century it was churning out
0:03:44 > 0:03:46over 30 tonnes of yarn per week.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Sadly, the company was taken over in the 1990s.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53The family, unfortunately, had to leave.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56My father retired at the tender age of 50.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00I then went on into different lines of business.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01I left the textile trade, sadly.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04And do you feel very proud to be part of the biggest and oldest mill
0:04:04 > 0:04:06- in Leicester?- Very much so.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08It's been very sad to...
0:04:08 > 0:04:11over the last 20 years, to see the decline, but now it's,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16I guess I feel a kind of relief to see it rebuilt again.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19There have been times when I've said, sadly, that I'm glad
0:04:19 > 0:04:22my father's not here to have seen what's happened to the mill.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But now, with this wonderful work that's going on,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28I'm just delighted it's being rebuilt to its former glory.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- Have you got some photographs, Matthew?- Yes, I have, Dave.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33This is an album that was put together by my aunt
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and given to my grandfather on his 70th birthday.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Various pictures of the mill, the workers that we had here.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42At one stage, there were 400 employees working in the mill.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- Wow!- And it gives you a good idea of working life.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47The employees who were working on the strimming mills,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49the dyeing machines.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Do you know what I love about places like this?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53It's more than just bricks and mortar,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54it's the stories of lives lived.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56It's everything, it's so important.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Oh, it is, absolutely.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00You look at all the faces in the album here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It would be wonderful for those that are still with us to be able to have
0:05:03 > 0:05:05the opportunity to come back and see what's being done here.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07I'm sure they'd be very welcome.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12'It's clear the mill was once a hive of industry,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16'spinning wool and producing tremendous amounts of yarn.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'But sadly a few years after the factory closed down,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22'it was largely destroyed by a fire.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:29'Construction firm William Anelay's are working hard to restore
0:05:29 > 0:05:30'this neglected building.'
0:05:30 > 0:05:32How do, Andy? I'm Dave.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Pleased to meet you, Dave.- Pleased to meet you.- Andy Stamford.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- Now, Andy, you're the site manager. - I am, yes, for my sins, yes.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Tell me about the mill.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Basically, Friars Mill, it's one of the last standing textile mills left
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- in Leicester city itself.- Yeah.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The roof on Friars Mill, that burnt off completely.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- How did the fire start, Andy? - Well, there's a few rumours.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53One of the rumours was that it started with a firework
0:05:53 > 0:05:55that got into the roof and caused that.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58They did have a few sort of vandals and that in the building.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02After the fire in 2013,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05the Council realised that this historical building
0:06:05 > 0:06:06needed to be revived.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11And it's being transformed into modern office spaces.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14With it being a listed building, like Grade II listed,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16how do you get away with the modern works?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20We're working closely with conservation, local councils.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23This is how we're able to put more life back into the old buildings.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24I'd love to look inside.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Yeah, not a problem. We'll take you in there now.- Thank you.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35'50 skilled builders are working on this mammoth restoration project.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'And although they're completely revamping the site,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40'they will remain sympathetic to the original architecture,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43'so that it doesn't lose its charm.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:45So this, Dave, this is the new works,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- the new build part of the restoration project.- Right.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51It isn't that you can't do things with listed buildings.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53You've just got to be sympathetic about how you do it
0:06:53 > 0:06:57and making sure that you're thinking about the building all the time.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59What was left of the original building?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Originally, it was just basically an old shell.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05There was fire damage on the upper floors, and the first floor,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and a really, really damp building, really old, damp building.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10All the windows had been blocked in.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12A lot of them fire damaged.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13But it was actually blocked up
0:07:13 > 0:07:16just to make it secure, to keep vandals out.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18So, are these new windows, Andy, or refurbished?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20They're all new windows, steel windows.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- Double-glazed, too. - They're double-glazed as well.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25So, the worst thing with an old building like this is,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27the building's out of level.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29There's nothing plumb, there's nothing square.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32The building actually falls down 150mm to the far corner,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36so the windows, we had to have them specially made, specially measured.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So far, the builders have used 15,000 bricks,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44150 tonnes of concrete
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and 60 tonnes of timber to restore the mill.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54So we're heading up to the top of Friars Mill
0:07:54 > 0:07:56to see the new constructed roof.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Wow.- There's not many companies can produce a sort of roof,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- timber work like this. - It's so impressive, isn't it?
0:08:03 > 0:08:05They are actually created exactly the same
0:08:05 > 0:08:08as it was before the fire etc.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Good grief. And, of course, the roof would have burnt out.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Yes, yes, all the roof burnt off.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14So this is the new timber, you see.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15But the weight of the timber,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I can't get over the strength of the structure.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20It's magnificent.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Generally, everything's done as much as possible
0:08:22 > 0:08:23using traditional methods.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Like they did in the old days when it first was built.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- You love this, don't you? - I do, yeah.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29I'm passionate about what I do, really.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- Definitely.- Do you do any do-it-yourself at home?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Or are you a shelf shirker?
0:08:34 > 0:08:38I do, as I say, I built my own house and things.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39So, I'm passionate about what we do.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43And this, to me, is the cream of jobs and projects we do, basically.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- Brilliant. Can't say fairer than that, can you?- No.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52'There's a vast amount to do.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'Time I lent a hand, and I've heard there's an interesting couple of
0:08:55 > 0:08:57'carpenters working on-site.'
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Robyn! Maggie!
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- I'm Dave.- Hello.- Hello.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08You two are rather unique, aren't you?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10THEY LAUGH
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Don't think I've ever met a mother and daughter builders before!
0:09:13 > 0:09:15THEY LAUGH
0:09:15 > 0:09:18We quite enjoy it. We are restorers.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23And we work with wood, obviously, to bring it in ready for the varnish.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Building sites must be different places now to what they used to be
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- 20 years ago?- We've been all over the country on sites,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and we haven't been to a bad one yet.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34We turn heads, obviously, when we first arrive.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36With your pink helmet! THEY LAUGH
0:09:36 > 0:09:39All the guys have been good, that we've come across over the years.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What made you want to follow your mother into the business?
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Decided that this is what I wanted to do. I enjoy it so much.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48We have a great laugh, and we work with such great teams as well.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51'Well, if I'm going to earn my stripes,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'I'd better get my hands dirty.'
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Right, so this is for edging with the small...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57You can help prep, Robyn.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Are you going to have a cup of tea? THEY LAUGH
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Ready?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'Once these oak floorboards have been sanded down,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07'they'll be ready to be varnished.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:11It looks like you're a dab hand at this, Dave.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Have you done it before?- I spent a month last summer on my boat
0:10:14 > 0:10:17on my hands and knees on the metal hull, with one of these things,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20doing the paint, and I vowed, "never again".
0:10:20 > 0:10:22And look where I've found myself! THEY LAUGH
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Walking around this site,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31I can imagine the hustle and bustle that was the life of a busy factory.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34For many of its workers, the mill became a home from home.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Back in the 1960s,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Peter Arnold worked in sales
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and Jon Brookes worked in the finance department.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I mean, between you, you worked here for over 80 years, didn't you?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48What does it feel like coming back to the mill now,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50with its new lease of life?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. - Yeah?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- The old memories get stirred and everything, yes.- Yeah?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Absolutely.- It's quite moving.- Yes.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59When you've worked here for this length of time.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It wasn't just a building.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03It was a mill, and it meant something.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05People worked here for many years.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09There was many, many people, worked here for 20, 30, 40, 50 years
0:11:09 > 0:11:11and I think that says a lot.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13And what were working conditions like here?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15You know, in terms of camaraderie, and...?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17It was a great place to work for.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The people and the atmosphere, yeah, it was great.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- I wouldn't have swapped it for anything!- No?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25There was a big social side as well.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I've got a lot of ex-colleagues who are friends.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32And a lot of people met their future wives here.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Of course, cos a lot ladies working in the mill as well.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36That's it, so...
0:11:38 > 0:11:40'By the 1970s,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'65,000 people were working in the textile sector in Leicestershire,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'accounting for a fifth of all employment in the county.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48'It was booming.'
0:11:50 > 0:11:55Today, the HOME-SPUN textile industry is still CLOSE-KNIT
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and generating over £500 million per year.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04'Modern-day factories such as this one in the heart of the city
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'employee 100 people, making everything
0:12:06 > 0:12:10'from socks to T-shirts for major UK retailers.'
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I love this. What's great is there's kernels of the great industry
0:12:16 > 0:12:19that used to work out of Friars Mill.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Yeah, yeah. If you drive around Leicester,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24there are so many old buildings,
0:12:24 > 0:12:30old mills, that are converted into apartments, offices, restaurants.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33And if you're new to the city, you wouldn't realise that
0:12:33 > 0:12:37these buildings were actually built for another purpose.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Like many people, when I buy a shirt and I see the label, I assume,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43almost, now that it's made overseas.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46And that our manufacturing industry, not bespoke, I mean, like, good,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49everyday garments, I thought we'd lost that, but obviously we haven't.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51We've got an opportunity here.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53We hope to grow this business.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55If you look around the factory,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- there's a lot of empty machines, still.- Yes.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- We could do with another 60, 70 skilled staff in the place.- Yes.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04We just want to grow. We just want to get the message out.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07That, look, we're still here, and we're growing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I'm a bit of a dab hand with the machine, you know, myself.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- Oh, right, yeah.- I believe, with a bit of instruction,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14I could perhaps knock up a pair of socks.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16We could get you to make up a dress.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Dress?- Yeah, yeah, if you want.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It might be a bit wonky but, you know, from small acorns,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25like the Leicester textile industry, great oak trees can grow.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31'I want to know the skill behind today's seamstressing.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33'Time to put my money where my mouth is.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Slowly, slowly, slowly.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Ooh, you cut on.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I've got my builders' boots on.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49We need a label as well.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- A label?- Yeah, on back.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Right.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55It's a bit of a Vivienne Westwood, this one is!
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I think, stick to the design side of things.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- Leave it to the experts.- Yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03'OK, it's definitely harder than it looks.'
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Who's better at sewing, Mohini, men or women?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- Women.- Why?- Why?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Because she's...
0:14:10 > 0:14:14quickly pick up and she understands that more than men.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- I don't know why. - I can understand that.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Who's better at cooking, men or women?
0:14:20 > 0:14:21- Cooking?- Yeah.- Women.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26There's a lot of girl power going on here, isn't there?
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'It's good to know that Leicester's textile industry is still thriving.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36'Back on site, an essential part of the mill is being put back
0:14:36 > 0:14:37'where it belongs.'
0:14:37 > 0:14:40In its heyday, Friars Mill's most distinctive feature
0:14:40 > 0:14:44was its chimneys. Now, that one on the pump house was all right
0:14:44 > 0:14:47but the one on the mill, well, that was completely destroyed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49But now, it's been rebuilt.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'The original chimney sat above the mill's boiler room,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57'funnelling the hot air out of the building.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01'Today, this brand-new 24-metre high, zinc-clad structure
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'will serve a similar purpose,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07'albeit in a more advanced 21st-century way.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14'To help secure the chimney in place I'm joining the Mayor of Leicester
0:15:14 > 0:15:17'up on the roof with contracts manager Bob.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Dave, very good to have you here. It really is.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22This must be a wonderful, proud moment for both of you.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Amazing, it really is,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25cos when you remember what this was like when it burnt down...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- Yes.- ..they thought it was lost...- Yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30..thought we could never get it back again.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31And to see it now in this state,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and to be here today just to put the finishing touches to it
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- is brilliant. It really is. - And as the Mayor of Leicester,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39this has been one of your primary projects, hasn't it?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Yeah, they said I was mad when we bought it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43It's nice to prove them wrong.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Absolutely. Well, the chimney's back.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49It's really nice to be involved in this last piece in the puzzle,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- let's say. - We've got one last bolt to go.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53You've got the imperial spanner.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Yes, the ceremonial spanner!
0:15:55 > 0:15:57The ceremonial spanner! Right!
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Here we go.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I think that's just about got it tight.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04At least the building seems finished now,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07cos that chimney must have been familiar to residents of Leicester
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- for centuries.- Yeah, I think it was.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13And when the chimney went and the roof was lost,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I think people thought the building was lost.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21And I think now, to see it restored, is absolutely unbelievable.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27A proud moment, and very handsome it looks, too.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29But it's not just there to look pretty.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31It's going to be used to ventilate the building.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The craftsmanship going into this restoration project
0:16:36 > 0:16:38is second to none.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42And the on-site plasterer is using an 18th-century method,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46mixing goats' hair with lime mortar to insulate the windows.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47This is the goats' hair.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I'll just add this to the mix, for the base-coat mix,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54so it all ties together and it's less likely to separate.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02200 years on and this age-old method still has its advantages.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05If a wall is constructed with lime mortar in it,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09the wall will breathe and allow moisture to come in and out of it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13So, not only does the lime mortar allow the building to breathe,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17once dry, the new mortar will perfectly match the old.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22During the restoration work on Friars Mill,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25builders uncovered a large amount of Roman remains
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and a team of highly skilled archaeologists
0:17:28 > 0:17:29are now examining the find.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33We exposed this bit of wall earlier
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and we exposed this piece of flooring
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and what we are now able to do is clean up right up to the wall
0:17:39 > 0:17:42to show that what we are actually standing in is...
0:17:42 > 0:17:44We are within a building.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The wall is in situ, it's not been moved, it's not been tampered,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50it's not been broken up. So it's quite exciting.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54It's a thrilling time for the team of archaeologists
0:17:54 > 0:17:56working on the Friars Mill site.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59So far, they've uncovered the base of a column
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and the foundations of what was
0:18:01 > 0:18:04probably an important Roman building.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Lead archaeologist Dr Richard Buckley explains the importance
0:18:09 > 0:18:12of these Roman remains.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It may surprise a lot of people, but Leicester
0:18:14 > 0:18:17is probably one of the most explored cities in England, archaeologically.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21But this site's actually in an amazingly juicy part of Leicester
0:18:21 > 0:18:22in terms of archaeology.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24We're right next to the river
0:18:24 > 0:18:26and we're just tucked inside the town defences.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Where we're standing now,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30we've excavated this small area to reveal the remains
0:18:30 > 0:18:34of a Roman building with mortar floors,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36and, unusually for Leicester,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39bits of stone wall still surviving above ground level.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46The Romans were here for the best part of four centuries
0:18:46 > 0:18:48and really helped Leicester prosper.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52In fact, Leicester is positively riddled with Roman remains,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54including this impressive structure,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57which is less than half a mile from the mill.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02We're standing in one of the hot rooms of the great baths complex
0:19:02 > 0:19:06of Roman Leicester, known as the Jewry Wall Baths.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09So it's called the caldarium - the hot room.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Now, the baths weren't just used to get clean.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15They were very much a place for meeting people and doing business,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19so we hear from Roman writers that they were very noisy places.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21People talking, arguing.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24There were also things like sausage sellers
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and generally, business being contracted,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30so very busy social places and a major part of Roman life.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35And it didn't end there.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40The Romans also liked a bit of a workout, as Laura Hadland explains.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43There is evidence of a palaestra, or gymnasium
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and this was one of the first areas that people would enter
0:19:46 > 0:19:49when they visited the Roman bath site.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51And this would have been all about keeping fit,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55but rather than your weight machine and doing all those kind of fun
0:19:55 > 0:20:01Zumba classes that we see today, it's more about sort of, wrestling.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Then you go on to your hot, warm and cold baths,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08so it's very much like you're visiting a full leisure complex
0:20:08 > 0:20:11with your Turkish baths and your recreation area
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and your fitness classes,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16so in many respects, what the Romans were doing here at Jewry Wall
0:20:16 > 0:20:22in a very social way, has very real reflections in modern society today.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25From Roman ruins to exciting restoration,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I've learned so much about Leicester's rich history.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33One of the reasons Friars Mill became so successful
0:20:33 > 0:20:37as a textile factory during the Industrial Revolution
0:20:37 > 0:20:41was because it could use the water from the nearby River Soar
0:20:41 > 0:20:43to create steam to power its machinery.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51- Hello, Pete.- Morning, Dave.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56- Morning. Permission to board, skipper!- Welcome aboard.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'Now, a group of eco-warriors from Leicester's Riverside Trust
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'are on a mission to dredge out any rubbish
0:21:02 > 0:21:06'and preserve the wonderful wildlife occupying the river.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:07You know, Pete, it's funny.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11You spend all the money restoring Friars Mill, but the river
0:21:11 > 0:21:12is an integral part of the mill,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and we've got to keep that clean and up to scratch, too, haven't we?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It's really important, the river's the focal point of Leicester.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20It's why Leicester's here.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Our role in that is to keep it clean,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25to keep the litter out of the water.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28We're in a city. The litter gets in there, it gets blown in,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30it gets thrown in, and somebody's got to get it out.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33So, that's what we do on the boats with volunteers.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34It's a fact of life, isn't it,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38that cities and towns grow up around rivers?
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I mean, you wouldn't have London if it wasn't for the Thames, would you?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Exactly.- So, how clean is the river now?
0:21:43 > 0:21:44It's really clean.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Sometimes, it looks dirty because there's bits of crisp packets,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51bread bags, things like that on the water, but actually,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- the water quality's really good. - Oh, right.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- And the wildlife? - Fantastic for wildlife.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We've got all sorts of wildlife in Leicester.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00The fish quality is good.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02We have otters using the river.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- Otters?- Yes, we've got otters in Leicester, yes.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Wow! That's a bit fancier than your urban fox, isn't it?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10People don't expect that sort of wildlife,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12but if the water quality's good...
0:22:12 > 0:22:14They would have been here before the city
0:22:14 > 0:22:16so why shouldn't they be here now?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18So, what's the kind of maddest, most terrible thing
0:22:18 > 0:22:20you've ever found in the river?
0:22:20 > 0:22:21You name it, we've found it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23We've pulled out all sorts of things.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27We've pulled out motorbikes, we've pulled out pushbikes.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29We once found a wedding ring with an engagement ring
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- tied together with hair.- Oh, no!
0:22:32 > 0:22:34You name it, we've found it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Oops, there's one down here.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Spray paint.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Got it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44'It's a labour of love.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:48That one's full.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49I am disgusted by the fact,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53I can't see why people throw stuff into the river.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56It doesn't make sense.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59'And there's no end to the weird and wonderful discoveries.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:01What on Earth's that?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04'Hang on a minute. Is it a bird, is it a plane?'
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Oh, no, it's a dinosaur. It's a stegosaurus.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Of all the native wildlife in the river...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14a cardboard dinosaur.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16It could only be in Leicester, couldn't it?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I mean, it's really creative,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20but the proper place for this is maybe in the house,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22in the classroom,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24but not in the river.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28You know, Pete, it doesn't matter how old you get,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31one of the great pleasures in life has to be feeding the swans,
0:23:31 > 0:23:32doesn't it? Have you got any bread?
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'I've been told by the skipper, Vicky, that we can't feed bread
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'to swans, so I'm going to give them seeds.'
0:23:40 > 0:23:42So that's it. No bread for swans.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Well, I've learned something today, apart from a bit of building.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48And textiles. Come on.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51HE WHISTLES I'm not having much luck, you know.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Don't tell Vicky, but I think they prefer a slice of white sliced.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Vicky, they don't like your grub! HE LAUGHS
0:23:59 > 0:24:01It's too healthy for them!
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'It's not just the river that's a haven for wildlife.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07'Friars Mill is, too.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09'During the restoration work on the site,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12'the builders uncovered some furry squatters living in the roof.'
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Helen O'Brien is an ecologist from the local council.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23For all these buildings along here, the biggest concern is the bats.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27- Right.- The bats are a protected species in the UK and in Europe,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31so we have to make sure that we do the right thing for those bats,
0:24:31 > 0:24:32and protect them while we can.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Bats are highly protected, and by law,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39if the architects hadn't come up with a solution,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42the whole project could never have happened.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46So we've got special bat tiles that have been put on the roof
0:24:46 > 0:24:49so that they fit in with the building itself.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51It doesn't detract from the beauty of the building.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52So that's really important.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54But the bats still have a home there.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55The bats still have a home there.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59They're very, very small tiles but the bats are very small as well,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03so they can just fly along over the water and fly straight into their
0:25:03 > 0:25:06special roost. It's like a des res that has been created for them.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Fantastic. Man and nature in perfect harmony.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Absolutely.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Under the bridge in front of us there,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21sometimes on the shelf near the water,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25you can see little piles of otter droppings all the way along there.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Is that otter poo, there?
0:25:32 > 0:25:33So, otter poo.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That's indicative of the otter.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41- What are you doing?!- It's supposed to smell like freshly mown grass
0:25:41 > 0:25:43or jasmine tea. So what do you think?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Ooh, yes, I think I've got a whiff of the countryside.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49The river, the lake.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- The taste of Leicester.- Do you think you could use it
0:25:54 > 0:25:55in one of your recipes?
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I might smell it, but I'm not going to eat it!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59THEY LAUGH
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Thank you.- Take care.- The best of luck with the river.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- Bye.- Goodbye, guys.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'I think it's fair to say I won't be using otter poo
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'in any of my recipes.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14'It's been a fascinating day and to literally top it off,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16'I've been given the honour of putting a special feature back
0:26:16 > 0:26:18'where it belongs.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:22This little dome is a cupola. It belongs in the middle of the roof.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25It's covered in lead, and the last one melted after the terrible fire
0:26:25 > 0:26:26in 2013.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36'The cupola is purely a decorative structure and is an exact replica
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'of the old one, and this one has a weather vane.'
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Here we go.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45One of the things I've just realised,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48you know because it's got the weather vane on the top?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50We've got to get it facing the right way round, haven't we?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Or else we could completely and utterly
0:26:53 > 0:26:55distress the folk of Leicester.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Their geography will be completely to cock for the next 200 years.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Right, I've got the rope, if that helps.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Up a bit.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Up a bit more, he says.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Up a bit, and across.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16HE LAUGHS
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Right, at the minute, it's very delicate,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22actually getting the cupola into the hole, as it were,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24cos there's two big brackets.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Hold on, I've got to look, cos I'm stopping it spinning.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29How are we looking at that now?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Put it down, steady, yeah?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Pinching down nice and steady.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40THEY CHEER
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Thank you!
0:27:43 > 0:27:46That's another change on the skyline of Leicester.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51In just under a month,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Friars Mill will be open and ready to welcome its new occupants.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Thanks to fantastic restoration,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00this historic building has been brought back to life.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'Helping to restore these historic buildings
0:28:08 > 0:28:10'has been an amazing experience.'
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I helped give the angel its home back.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16I'd turn the chisel the other way round!
0:28:16 > 0:28:18'I've met some incredible people...'
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Hello, sir. Very pleased to meet you.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'..and now appreciate the hard work that goes into preserving
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'our nation's heritage.'
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Thanks to fantastic restoration,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32this historic building has been brought back to life.