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 > 0:00:11a chippy or a roofer.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Ever since I were a boy, I've had a passion for our past,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17so I'm going to apprentice myself
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to the oldest masonry company in the country,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25mastering their crafts and scraping away the secrets
0:00:25 > 0:00:27of Blighty's poshest 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.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Today I'm in Dartmoor in Devon
0:01:04 > 0:01:08helping to restore this fascinating 20th-century building,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11the spectacular Castle Drogo.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Fierce, isn't it?
0:01:13 > 0:01:15This castle roof could take on Wembley Stadium.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17If you was to flatten everything out,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20it's roughly two football pitches in size.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'I travel back in rustic time.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:24This is incredible.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Oh, and it doesn't smell too good.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28It smells like the inside of David Bellamy's beard.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37Dartmoor - 950 square kilometres of damp, Devonian wilderness.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Sherlock Holmes came here to investigate the mystery
0:01:41 > 0:01:43of the Hound Of The Baskervilles.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47I'm here to investigate the mystery of the last castle
0:01:47 > 0:01:50ever to be built in England, Castle Drogo.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57This man-made structure might look medieval but it's just 85 years old.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It was built to look like a Norman fortress,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02with its dominant position on the moor,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05its fully functioning portcullis
0:02:05 > 0:02:07and castellated roof fit for a conquest.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12So it wasn't just pretending to be a castle, it IS a castle.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18It was built by one of Britain's leading architects of the 20th century,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Sir Edwin Lutyens.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24In his lifetime, Lutyens completed hundreds of projects,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27including iconic war memorials such as the Cenotaph.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34As you can see today, Castle Drogo is in no fit state for battle.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Fortunately it's now in the hands of The National Trust
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and it's currently undergoing huge renovation work
0:02:40 > 0:02:43by construction firm William Anelay.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46But before I meet the builders,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Tim Cambourne is going to give me an insight
0:02:48 > 0:02:50into the castle's past and present.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52You've got so much work on your hands.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I think this is possibly the biggest project
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- that we're visiting on the series. - Right.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58So what is the budget for it?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- Just over 13 million. - It's an odd building, isn't it?
0:03:00 > 0:03:01Because you first look at it,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and it's hard to determine what age it is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05But it is not as old as it looks, is it?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08No, it was built between 1911 and 1930.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12It only took that long because the First World War interrupted that.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It was built for Julius Drewe,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16- and he founded the Home And Colonial Stores.- Right.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And he retired at the age of 33 a multimillionaire.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And then he had this built, actually, in his mid-50s.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24So this was like his posh house.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27He had traced his family history and made a connection with one of
0:03:27 > 0:03:30the Norman knights, Drogo du Teigne.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33And so the idea was that it was the kind of ancestral home,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35if you like, that was being built,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37but he really wanted to build a house for his family
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and to leave it for generations to come.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Home And Colonial Stores was one of the UK's largest retail chains
0:03:44 > 0:03:45of the 1900s.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49And on selling this lucrative grocery business in 1919,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Julius Drewe was able to build a unique home.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56After finding a perfect location in Dartmoor,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Drewe persuaded Lutyens to take on the project.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Lutyens specialised in creating new, old-style houses
0:04:05 > 0:04:07for those who had just made money.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10An aspiring aristocrat, Julius Drewe wanted a large,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14imposing place that would create a lasting legacy.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17On completion, Lutyens was successful in weaving
0:04:17 > 0:04:21eight centuries' worth of period detail into Castle Drogo.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Inside, the windows are Tudor in style.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The dressing room looks Georgian.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Drewe went for luxurious Edwardian bathrooms.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34This one even has a power shower.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And the kitchen was custom-built with a state-of-the-art phone system.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42It's a brilliant trick intended to make guests think
0:04:42 > 0:04:45this nouveau-riche grocer was heir to an aristocratic dynasty.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49In the restoration of Drogo Castle,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52what were the biggest problems you encountered?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56There's three main elements - the roof, the walls and the windows.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58So the structure that sticks out of the ground, basically,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- the water comes through. - So it's water ingress.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02- Water ingress.- Yeah.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04It's work on a Gothic scale.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It is a massive scale. It is.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I wonder why we're not building castles any more.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11I think when you get a £13 million repair bill,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- that's probably part of the reason. - Yes.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14Gosh.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Castle Drogo was built with local granite,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21with some walls being six feet thick.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23But the flat roof was sealed with asphalt,
0:05:23 > 0:05:28a new and untested building material that proved to be unsuitable.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Over time, cracks emerged in the roof, allowing the rain to get in.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It was like a sieve.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37In fact, it started leaking before the building was even finished.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Site manager Gareth Townend is going to tell me more about the extensive
0:05:43 > 0:05:46renovation work going into this grand construction.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Hiya, Gareth.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Hi, Dave. Nice to meet you.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- All right?- Not bad, how are you? - I'm all right.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52By crikey, some view here.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It is, especially when the sun's shining. It's lovely.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57It's not so good on a blowy day, is it?
0:05:57 > 0:06:01No, no, it is one of the most exposed areas in Dartmoor.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04How on earth do you keep a scaffolding of that size up?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06We do fight a battle with the sheeting.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It's designed to tear off at up to 40mph.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I suppose if the sheeting doesn't give way,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14it's going to be like a hang glider and tear the scaffold off.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15The idea is that it will tear,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18so that obviously lets air pass through the scaffolding
0:06:18 > 0:06:20so the roof doesn't take off.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22And was the roof one of the major problems?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The roof was the major area of problem.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Obviously the leak was starting at the roof
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and penetrating through the walls
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and then just finding whichever route it could into the building.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The National Trust's priority in its five-year project
0:06:37 > 0:06:40is making the castle's leaky roof watertight
0:06:40 > 0:06:41for the first time in its history.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46It's all in various levels, this roof, but how big is it?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48If you were to flatten everything out,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51it's roughly two football pitches in size.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Good grief.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55How do you go about actually restoring a roof that is leaking
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- on something like this?- Well,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00initially the easiest thing to do is try and locate where the leaks are
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- coming from.- Aye. - In this instance, on Castle Drogo,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06that is most of the roof, so it is just a case
0:07:06 > 0:07:08of trying to get back to a blank canvas.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11To install the new watertight roofing material
0:07:11 > 0:07:16they've had to remove and refit over 2,300 granite blocks,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19some weighing up to 750kg.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22That's the equivalent of two large pigs.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25But it is important the castle looks just as it did
0:07:25 > 0:07:26before the renovation.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Each individual stone gets an individual number, location,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33roof number,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37so we ensure everything goes back as it was built originally.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40The most awe-inspiring jigsaw puzzle I've ever seen.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Over time, the cement sealing the bricks cracked,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47so the builders are replacing all 64km
0:07:47 > 0:07:51of the castle's original mortar with a lime-based mortar
0:07:51 > 0:07:54to prevent it from disintegrating in the future.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58You know somewhere, because it was Julius Drewe's personal passion project,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00I bet he's up there looking down, thinking,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02"Oh, thank goodness this is happening."
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- Well, for the future it's looking good.- It is.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09'Builders are patchworking the roof
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'with a bespoke material to prevent any further damp.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It's a massive amount of work, isn't it?
0:08:14 > 0:08:15Yes, very intricate.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- It's a challenge. - Do you do domestic roofing as well,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20or is it all big projects?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Everything, really. Industrial roofs, schools,
0:08:23 > 0:08:24down to little private sheds.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27It's going to be a bit dismal doing a shed after this one.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It'll be easy.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31'Time I had a go.'
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Just watch your fingers with the flame.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Obviously in the direction you are pointing at, is where it heats.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Yes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40FLAME HISSES
0:08:40 > 0:08:41Whoa-ho!
0:08:41 > 0:08:45'This tar-like material is melted, and when it cools down,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47'it will form a watertight bond.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:52It's fierce, isn't it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56So, Paul, how long do you reckon this roof is going to last, the new one?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Hundreds of years, hopefully.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- You don't want to come back to patch it.- No, not if we can help it, no.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The scaffolding alone cost £1 million for this site.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Dartmoor granite is one of the hardest stones in England.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Over the past three years,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18100 builders have worked on the renovation of the castle.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24The leaking roof and crumbling brickwork made the castle's upkeep
0:09:24 > 0:09:25almost impossible.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Bunny, great-great-granddaughter of Julius Drewe,
0:09:30 > 0:09:35lived at Drogo for 19 years, from 1954 to 1973,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and she has vivid memories of life at the castle.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40What was it like growing up here?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Presumably there was a lot of staff.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Yes, we had a certain amount of help.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Less as time went on after the war,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49but we did have a certain amount of help.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50But what was it like?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It was a lot of fun, a lot of parties.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56A lot of people to stay, lots of rooms to be in.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Bunny's late father, Anthony Drewe,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00did what he could to maintain the castle.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04But in 1974 it became too big a job to handle,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08so he gave the Drewe family home and its 600 acres of land
0:10:08 > 0:10:10to The National Trust.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Does it seem odd to see your house occupied by other people?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15We couldn't have afforded to stay here.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The Trust...you know, you can see what a job they're doing.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22- Yes.- So, really, you know, in much better hands, I think.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Do you know, Bunny, when I come to places like this, I love my cooking,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30I love my entertaining, and I feel I was born to be somewhere like this.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32You would have enjoyed it enormously.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33I would do. But I think, really,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35my place would have been the kitchens.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Oh, shall we go down there?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Well, this obviously is the kitchen we used to cook in
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- up to the end of the Second World War.- Right.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50This is a particularly good Lutyens table.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- You can see...- It echoes the domed lantern, doesn't it?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yes, it does. Very clever, very Lutyens.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Shall I show you the pantry where our food was prepared for us?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- We used this as a kitchen after the war.- Right.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Because we put the dining room upstairs, it was more convenient.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09So this would be the kitchen, obviously, that you know.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12This is the kitchen I know. I used to come down in the afternoon.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I was allowed to cook the odd cake and things like that.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16So very happy memories here. Always warm.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I noticed there, you can see where the damp's come through.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Yes, you can.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Hopefully all will be restored in the end.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Is it a massive relief to you to know the place is going to survive
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and, you know, for the next millennium?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Well, I think so, yes, it's such a huge undertaking, isn't it?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33A huge undertaking. Of course it's a relief,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and of course it's nice to see it return to its glory.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40During the renovation of Castle Drogo,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43builders discovered that its roof required replacement granite slabs,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45so here in York, specialist stonemasons
0:11:45 > 0:11:48are making them from Dartmoor granite,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and I'm keen to find out just how they do it.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53So, granite - what's it like to work with?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55It's very, very hard.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It's just hard on the saws, it's hard on the men,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00it's hard on the chisels.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02So that is how the rock looks when it comes from the quarry.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06As it comes from the quarry, it's all different thicknesses.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08So what we do, the first part of what we do here
0:12:08 > 0:12:11is put it on our machine and we will bed it off to a uniform thickness.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13What would have people done before they had machinery?
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It was all done by hand.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It is absolutely incredible and the more bigger jobs we do,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22with the skills of our lads and the machinery we've got,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25the more and more unbelievable it is to me
0:12:25 > 0:12:27of how they did projects in the past.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And keeping sympathetic to the original work,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33first, the stone slab will be cut to measure
0:12:33 > 0:12:36before the craftsman tackles the underside.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38As you can see, it's quite tough.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41What you have to do is go across to put a punch mark in,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43so it adheres to the fixing compound
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- or the gravel that's actually on the roof.- By hand.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Because that's how it was done originally.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It is a heritage building, it has to go back, and the new stuff,
0:12:52 > 0:12:53as it was before.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- Can I have a go, Jamie?- You can do.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06I've just given my knuckles a bat.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07How often do you hit yourself?
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Probably once a day, I'd say.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Hit it, Dave, don't tickle it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'Now the specialist work really takes place,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24'as skilled masons chisel the marks on the top sides by hand
0:13:24 > 0:13:27'so it looks the same as the original.'
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- This is Tom.- How do you do, Tom?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Tom is working now again with a different tool
0:13:31 > 0:13:34to put a surface texture on which is the top side of the pavement,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36which is what people will be walking on.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38So, really, this is basically like the tread.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- When people are on it, it's non-slip.- Correct.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44So when you look at it, you've got your non-slip bits,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47there's a fella cut every notch into that piece of stone.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- Yep.- It's bonkers.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51By hand, with a hammer and chisel.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- Can I have a go at that? - Yeah, of course you can.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55- Let me get out of your way.- No,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I think I will be good at this because I'm good at kind of...
0:13:58 > 0:14:00That one is a bit kind of random.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Is that sort of it? Or is it a bit rubbish?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Keep going until you miss and hit your hand.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'Well, I've done my share of hard graft, so it's back to Dartmoor.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Now, Drogo may look olde-worlde on the outside,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but the inside was very up to date for its day,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28with the latest mod cons.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30And they needed power to work.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Drogo Castle's architect, Lutyens,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35didn't just build in bricks and mortar -
0:14:35 > 0:14:37sometimes he worked in liquid too.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40For decades the castle was water-powered,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43thanks to this hydroelectric power station just here.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49In its remote location, the castle wasn't connected
0:14:49 > 0:14:51to the National Grid until the 1950s.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53It was powerless,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55so Lutyens gave it electricity
0:14:55 > 0:14:58through the clever use of water by building this power plant
0:14:58 > 0:14:59not far from the castle.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04National Trust building surveyor Wesley Key
0:15:04 > 0:15:07is going to give me the lowdown.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Is it still working today?
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's not. It was turned off in 1994.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- Right.- Due to regulations for
0:15:13 > 0:15:16obstruction licences to stop the...
0:15:16 > 0:15:17It's a big salmon river,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and it was to stop the salmon going through the turbine.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22But hopefully we are going to get it up and running
0:15:22 > 0:15:24in the next couple of years,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27and really it is just to make sure the Environment Agency are happy
0:15:27 > 0:15:28and we can start going.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- Let's go and have a look. I can't wait to see how this is done.- No problem.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35'Wes has worked at the castle since 1983
0:15:35 > 0:15:38'and sure knows a thing or two about the turbine.'
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Oh, brill.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Oh, wow.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Look at this, Wes. It's all very Jules Verne, isn't it?
0:15:47 > 0:15:48It is, isn't it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:53God, blimey. So, how do you make electricity from water?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- Well, you need a turbine.- Yep.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Here we've got two Francis drop turbines
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and the water is about eight feet above our heads.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And it actually drops through a turbine and it makes
0:16:03 > 0:16:07the generator spin. That spins, it produces our DC electric.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09So presumably you've got a massive tank of water,
0:16:09 > 0:16:10so if the river's not flowing,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13you've still got your head of water to make electric.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15We've got a head which would last, with a big turbine,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17no more than about 20 minutes.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20So you need quite a bit of flow on the river.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22The River Teign has got a big catchment area.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24You do get a lot of water off the moor.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26So this is a Grade II-listed building.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It is, yes. It was listed a few years ago now.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30When we do put new machinery in,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33we'll make sure it's sympathetic to what we've got,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- so we wouldn't take any of this out, we'll build around it.- Fantastic.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41'I'm learning all these wonderful things about Lutyens' genius designs,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45'but as I'm in Devon, there's one burning question I have,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48'and it's about their famous cream teas.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Now, Wes, it struck me that with your accent, you're a local fella.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52I am.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Are you cream or jam first?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- Cream first.- Cream first.- Yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59The Cornish are a lot more militant, aren't they,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01in safeguarding their culture?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03But you've got your own culture here, haven't you?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Oh, yes, we've got our own culture, yes.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08More of a drinking culture, really, but we like our cider,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10which is more a Devon thing.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Yeah, certainly. - And of course a Devon pasty.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Oh, aye. Devon pasty.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Never a Cornish pasty - it is a Devon pasty.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19'Not only do they have their own pasties,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21'they've got their own dialect too.'
0:17:21 > 0:17:24We're down in the valley here and there is a path that goes up over,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- and that would be stickle.- Stickle.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Steep, fair steep.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Could you say that like, "That price is fair stickle?"
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Fair stickle, yes.- Too dear. Aye.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37And there's a village across there, just up the valley,
0:17:37 > 0:17:38which is called Sticklepath,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40which means steep path.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- So it's pretty much its own language.- Yes, yes, it is.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The turbine was state-of-the-art in Lutyens' day,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51but today Drogo is doing all it can to become a self-sustaining castle
0:17:51 > 0:17:54like it was 100 years ago.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55In 2009,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59the National Trust installed the largest biomass boiler
0:17:59 > 0:18:02on any of its properties. Fuelled by woodchip,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06this beauty provides heat for both the castle and the visitor centre.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Oh, right, so this is your new toy.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Yes, it is our biomass boiler.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- The wood chip, so it is 400 kilowatts.- Right.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Which is enough to run 50 four-bedroom houses.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23'The boiler has cut carbon emissions massively
0:18:23 > 0:18:26'and generated 1 million kWh of renewable heat.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:29You've got the land, so you can grow your own fuel.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Yes, we have all the woodland down through the Teign Valley,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and that has been managed by our ranger team.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37So when you start producing your own electricity again,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39this estate is going to be...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41carbon neutral?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Yes, as close to carbon neutral as we will ever get.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46It is just using a bit of modern technology and a bit of Lutyens
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- technology and linking the two together.- Good on you.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53At the time the castle was built,
0:18:53 > 0:18:58Lutyens used materials and labour sourced right here in Dartmoor.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Local lads built Drogo Castle
0:18:59 > 0:19:03using wooden scaffolding made from local trees.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08He liked to use local materials, delivered by local transport.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Namely, shire horses.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Back then, shire horses would have been used to transport
0:19:14 > 0:19:16the building materials for the castle.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Mechanisation made shire horses redundant for a while,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23but Dartmoor local Ben May has given these powerful creatures
0:19:23 > 0:19:25another chance to shine.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28I'll go to the horse racing track and I'll look at the horses,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32but these are different. These are positively prehistoric in size.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35We've got Tom here, he's 17.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I've had him since he was two, so he's been there, done it all.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42And we've got Sonny here, and he is only three.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44He is our first home-bred shire horse.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- Strong, aren't they?- Yes.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47- And this is Joey.- Hello, Joey.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- And he's six years old.- Hello, Joey.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53'The farm prides itself on traditional farming methods
0:19:53 > 0:19:56'using shire horses rather than modern equipment.'
0:19:56 > 0:19:59They really are like the juggernauts of the farm, aren't they?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Oh, completely. It's all about power, really,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04that sort of real traction they get,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07which is just incredible when you're working three horses.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Yes, so he's a bit friendly. I said he's quite young.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I think there must be something on my jacket
0:20:14 > 0:20:16that he's taken a liking to.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19What is it that particularly attracts you to the horses?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I love that feeling of working the land, and with the horses
0:20:22 > 0:20:25you have to understand the land, you have to work with the land.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27And of course, I just love to work my horses.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30So these are working horses, they're not ornaments.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33These guys are working horses, very much so.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34Well, I think Sonny is ready for work.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Shall we go down and do some...?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- Love to, love to.- Great.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40OK, lads, walk on.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Get on.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44'Shire horses are a strong bunch
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'and their origins date back to the Normans.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50'They became known as warhorses and in medieval times
0:20:50 > 0:20:53'were used for battle.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57'By the 17th century, shire horses became workhorses,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59'turning the wheels of Britain's industry.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:02This is incredible.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04I tell you what, though, if they got a spurt on,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I don't think I'd be able to hold them back.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10'Shire horses are still used for jobs
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'such as ploughing the fields and logging trees,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'but today, Ben has a special treat in store.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'He's using his horses for muck spreading.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20'Time I got shovelling.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22'But before we get started...'
0:21:23 > 0:21:25When you're muck spreading,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27a little bit of muck just goes a little bit forwards
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and there's a slight possibility it may get you,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34so what we do is we wear these...we wear these things.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38And then stops the muck hitting your head.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- So...- Very pagan. - Yes, it is quite pagan, isn't it?
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Suits you very well.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49This is cow muck and horse muck,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51and you can imagine, with a horse of this size,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- a lot of horse muck in it. - There is, isn't there?
0:21:53 > 0:21:57I mean, what is it that appeals to you about this traditional type of farming?
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I think it is what we've called slow farming.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04What we're after is quality, not quantity.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08And with our cattle, they take probably 12 months more to grow,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- but the quality you're getting in the food because of that...- Superb.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14'If you're not going to farm with chemicals,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18'you need a natural alternative, and what could be more natural than muck?'
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Do you think this is more sustainable?
0:22:21 > 0:22:24But if you can use something that's a little bit more natural,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26like this muck, then...
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Incredible amount of earthworms. It's all there, it's all goodness.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32It's like the inside of David Bellamy's beard.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36It is, though. It stinks.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40'Traditional farming works in harmony with nature,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'keeping the soil rich and the wildlife diverse
0:22:43 > 0:22:47'whilst helping to protect the land from floods and storms.'
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Come, boys, walk on.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Go on. Go on, boys.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- I see now Tom is taking up the load.- Go on, lads.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Good lads, go on.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Of course the field's wet, so it's not easy.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02No, it does make it a lot harder work for them.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Good lads, come on.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Good lads.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Come on.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18Good lads. Good lads.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27So that's how you spread muck, 18th-century fashion.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Exactly.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36'Back on site, and the builders are working hard
0:23:36 > 0:23:38'to repair the original brass windows.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42'And there's a lot of them.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:44So, how many windows have you had to do?
0:23:44 > 0:23:46We've done 650 up to now.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And how many have you got to go?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Another 300-odd. There's about 900...
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I think there's 914 in total.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Blooming heck. - And 14,000 panes of glass,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59or quarries as they're called.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01On commissioning the castle,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Julius Drewe demanded that no window sills were fitted,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06but that meant there was no protection
0:24:06 > 0:24:08from the fierce Dartmoor elements,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11so rainwater ran down the walls.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Were the windows really leaking?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Yes. And falling out, blowing out on the high winds,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- the pressure from the inside and outside.- Really?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21They would actually blow them out, take them out.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24'The only things that are new
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'are the lead cames in the windows and the putty to fit the glass.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:32So would this be the specific window that has come out of this hole?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Yes, they're all on our database. Every one is photographed,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37so we've got literally thousands and thousands
0:24:37 > 0:24:40of photographs of different stages.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42So we've got lead plugs with a hole in it,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44ready for the screw to go in.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- Lead.- It's lead, which has got its advantages
0:24:47 > 0:24:49because it doesn't deteriorate.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51So the screw goes in and out the same.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53You know, it's beautiful to work with.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- So, here we go, if I hold it in... - Original screws.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Put that screw into there.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Grab that screwdriver.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- Right.- Just screw it in till you feel a bit of tension, basically,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05till it's screwed fully in.
0:25:06 > 0:25:07It is going in nice and easy.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12'The screws are in, and a specialist company will seal it later.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14'A fully leak-proof window.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17'And this builder isn't just good at fitting windows -
0:25:17 > 0:25:20'he has a passion that's very close to my heart.'
0:25:21 > 0:25:25I don't know if you'll enjoy it or not, but I made you a cake.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Unfortunately we've already eaten some of it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29There you go.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- Did you bake this?- I certainly did.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Smells great.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35You've caramelised your pecans.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- I certainly did.- Can I have a slice? - Maple syrup.- What a treat.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- That's beautiful. It's really moist. - You've got to try a pecan.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Lovely.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Who'd have thought it?
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Drogo Castle, have a go at the roof, a bit of waterproofing,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00fit a window and you get a nice bit of cake.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It's not a bad life, being a builder.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05TRADITIONAL MUSIC
0:26:07 > 0:26:09'It's the end of a hard day
0:26:09 > 0:26:13'and I want to bring some entertainment to the castle.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20'Unfortunately, the Royal Ballet weren't available.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Morris dancing - there's a thing.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Why did people Morris dance?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- Money.- Money, busking.- Really? - Yes, it was a form of busking.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35You could earn a fair few if you went out into a town
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and did a bit of Morris dancing.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40People would just give you a couple of coins.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44All right. I gather that with Morris dancing, ale is a very big part.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Yes. Yes.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51So in the convention of the Morris dancing group,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I noticed they were calling you squire.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56- Yes. And are you the fool?- Yes.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- I'm not being disrespectful. - No, it's all right.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02No, no, that's a great deal of respect.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- Thank you.- That's all right.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17'I'm not sure why they're all laughing - it's their turn next.'
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Keep me right. Go on, aye.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34- Hey!- Hey!
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Buildings don't need to be ancient to be intriguing.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Drogo is the most modern castle in Britain,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48and I'll never forget its double identity.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Norman on the outside, Edwardian on the inside,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56set in one of the most haunting and lively places in the country.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58ALL CHEER
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'Next time on Hairy Builder, I'm at Clifton Cathedral in Bristol...
0:28:06 > 0:28:08'..where I'll be ripping off the roof...'
0:28:08 > 0:28:10There's acres and acres of it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13'..thumping out some tunes...'
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Two, three, four.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17THEY PLAY "Do-Re-Mi"
0:28:20 > 0:28:24'..and finding out more about Bristol's rich engineering heritage.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Oh, this is high. It's not like this making pies, you know.