0:00:28 > 0:00:31In Northamptonshire, spring is tentatively in the air.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37The countryside is preparing to burst into life with birds,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40bees and, in these parts, boats.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Thank you.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- Bye-bye.- See you.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52This is the Grand Union Canal
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and it's Britain's longest,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56connecting London, down there,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58to Birmingham, in that direction.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Now, they say that if you want a bit of peace and quiet,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03there's no faster way to slow down.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05But it didn't always use to be like that.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14The waterways do a job of work.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18These are the boats and the cargoes they carry
0:01:18 > 0:01:20and the people of the boats.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Born in the 18th century, our canals were the motorways of their time.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Envied by the rest of the world, these waterways were the arteries
0:01:29 > 0:01:32that allowed industry to flow.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Money and resources were pumped around the nation and suddenly,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40the countryside was connected to cities like never before.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Nowadays, there's a slower pace to these watery roads.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Every year, millions of us
0:01:46 > 0:01:50come to places like this to mess about on the water.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53But who keeps it all looking shipshape?
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Well, that's the job of the canal maintenance army
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and these lads are part of it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04- Wow, you look like you're ready to do battle.- We are.- We are!
0:02:04 > 0:02:08- How are you doing? Are you all right? Good to see you.- Hi.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10It's going to be a tight squeeze, this.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17I think you're in. Just.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Right across the country, there are nearly 1,500 people
0:02:20 > 0:02:25who prettify and fortify every inch of the canal network.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Come on, we've got some late arrivals. Are you coming in? Yeah.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31DUCKS QUACK
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Room for a small one?
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Geoff, Alex, well done.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- Hello, Matt, how are you doing? - Very well.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40I tell you what,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44you look like you're ready for some kind of extreme action!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- What's happening?- Well, we're going to jet wash the gates today.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- Jet wash? OK.- Jet wash them.- Right.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Not really sure if this is big enough.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55As you might have guessed from the snazzy outfit,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58this isn't your normal jet washing assignment.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Today's mission is to clean up the lock gates,
0:03:01 > 0:03:02and it's a family affair.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- So this is a father and son team, then?- Yes, yeah.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08How did your dad rope you into this line of work?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Well, Dad's worked here for 40 years.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11- He's retiring at the end of April. - Yeah?
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- And how do you feel about that, then, Geoff?- Er, happy and sad.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Happy because I'm retiring, I can spend a bit of time with the wife.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- Yeah. - Or a lot of time with the wife!
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But I'm sad because I'm leaving a job that I've done for so long
0:03:25 > 0:03:26and a good bunch of people.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29You won't find better people than a waterways chap.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31How has it been over the years, working closely with your dad?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It's been all right, actually.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Yeah, a lot of people say, "I couldn't do it."
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- But we're all right, aren't we? - I hope so. We lasted 40 years.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42A lot of people don't know he's actually my boss.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47- Really?- Really, yes. He's the foreman. The old foreman.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48We weren't going to mention that.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50You must be proud of him. You're proud, aren't you?
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Definitely. I hope, well, I know he'll carry on in a good tradition.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I was born in a canal house and brought up in a canal house
0:03:57 > 0:03:59so it was natural for me to want to work here.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Well, let's get on with today's work, because we've got, I mean,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05basically we're clearing these gates which are in a bit of a state.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06We try and keep them clean
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and get rid of all the slime and the weed that grows on it
0:04:09 > 0:04:11so that we can get as much life as we can out of them
0:04:11 > 0:04:15because they cost around £25,000-£30,000 just to buy them
0:04:15 > 0:04:16and then we've got the cost of fitting them
0:04:16 > 0:04:19so we try and get as much value for money as we can out of them.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Right, have you got a scraper handy?
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- Matt?- Yeah? Missed a little bit just there, mate.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31HE LAUGHS
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Oh, look at that.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Lots of lovely sludgy stuff coming off there.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47I have to admit, I'm quite excited about this. Sad as it sounds...
0:04:47 > 0:04:49I got a jet wash for Christmas.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Some of that sludge is hard to shift and bear in mind,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58this is just one gate of the many locks along this canal.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59It makes you appreciate the time
0:04:59 > 0:05:02and energy that goes into looking after our waterways.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Good effort, lads.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08While I'm messing about on canal boats in Northamptonshire,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Jules is over in Bristol,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12delving into the history of the docks.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Not only is Bristol one of my favourite places,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19but naval history is one of my real passions.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The story here begins 1,000 years ago.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28A sheltered harbour, accessible on the flowing tide.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The landscape here was ideal for a port.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36By the 14th century it was the second most important port in Britain,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38exporting red wool and fabrics to France
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and importing meat and crops from Ireland.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47In 1497, a ship just like this one called the Matthew set sail.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Its aim - to find a new route to the Far East and tap into
0:05:52 > 0:05:58the lucrative spice trade. But something got in the way...America.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But the spice trade took a back seat for a new
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and more profitable commodity...
0:06:04 > 0:06:06people.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Goods were shipped to Africa,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12captive Africans were taken to the Caribbean and rum, sugar and cotton
0:06:12 > 0:06:15brought back here to the UK.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18By the time slavery was abolished,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Bristol was building some of the finest ships in the world,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25not least this one, Brunel's SS Great Britain.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Throughout the 20th century, millions of tonnes of goods passed
0:06:34 > 0:06:38through these docks, but sadly, it wasn't to last.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42In 1975, the last trading vessel finally left Bristol.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The age of industry in this harbour had ended, but there's one business
0:06:50 > 0:06:51that's still keeping busy.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Right, well, welcome, Jules, to Albion Dockyard.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01We are the last commercial shipbuilders in Bristol.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03I'll show you our main project in a minute,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06but if you want to have a go, you'll be needing some of these.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I wondered what you were doing with these.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- They won't be white for very long. - No, they won't.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Andy Sumrall and his team are restoring the Medway Queen,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17a pleasure boat built in 1924.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20To rebuild her, they've revived an old skill, riveting.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24She's the first paddle steamer to be built like this in the UK
0:07:24 > 0:07:28for 60 years and requires over 120,000 rivets,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31each precision fitted by hand.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33This is heating a rivet.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37This goes from ambient to about 1,000 degrees in 25 seconds.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Right, so the rivet's out. You've got a gun.- Yeah.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- And then a bit of brute force.- Yeah. I've got to wait for him,
0:07:46 > 0:07:47till he's ready.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56You've got to get your body behind it. Do you want to have a go?
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Yeah, I will, if you think it's safe.- No, I think so.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- As long as you, as long as you commit to it. There you go.- OK.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm actually quite nervous about this.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09I do a lot of this DIY lark, but nothing as industrial as this one.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20- I've lost the end. But it's in.- Good job. Professionals.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I think I've got the hang of this. Do you want another go? I enjoyed that.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28- Go on. OK, great.- Have another go, keep your thumb behind that trigger.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37That is rubbish.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40That was my fault. Can you fix that?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Well, yes, of course we can.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49In the hands of the professionals at least, the Medway Queen is
0:08:49 > 0:08:51being returned to her former glory
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and there's good reason for all this attention.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01During the Second World War, the Medway Queen would become a heroine.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07In May 1940, along with 930 other boats, she set sail for Dunkirk.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Encircled by Nazi forces,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13hundreds of thousands of Allied troops were waiting to be evacuated.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20In total, 338,000 men were evacuated,
0:09:20 > 0:09:237,000 of them by this boat.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And hopefully, soon, she'll be sailing once more.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33The Grand Union Canal.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37It cuts 34 miles through the Northamptonshire countryside.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But one of its most famous features is Blisworth Tunnel.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's two miles long -
0:09:44 > 0:09:46well, one and three quarters, to be exact -
0:09:46 > 0:09:48which makes it - drumroll, please...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51DRUMROLL
0:09:51 > 0:09:54..the third longest canal tunnel in the UK.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57OK, so that's not the grandest of titles, but the construction of this
0:09:57 > 0:10:01underground waterway went down in history
0:10:01 > 0:10:04as an engineering nightmare.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Work began in 1793.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11With the massive Blisworth Hill blocking the way between London
0:10:11 > 0:10:16and Birmingham, there was only one thing for it, to dig underground.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Thousands of tonnes of earth were moved.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Men sweated with picks and shovels.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25After three years of hard graft, disaster struck.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28The workers hit quicksand.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Work was abandoned and a new route was planned.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36By the time the Blisworth Tunnel was finally opened in 1805,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39it had taken 12 years to complete.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Like the rest of the canal, this tunnel needed constant maintenance.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49200 years ago, steamboats would chuff their way along here,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53puffing out soot and coal dust and blackening all of these bricks.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And you can still see the evidence.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59To remedy the problem,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02they came up with all kinds of ingenious methods -
0:11:02 > 0:11:06from arched brushes to a giant bush attached to a boat,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08which would scrape through the tunnel to clean it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11With little light and space, it would have been smoggy
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and claustrophobic.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20'Two centuries on, and the tunnel still has a strange atmosphere.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24'Somewhere between natural and man-made.'
0:11:26 > 0:11:30To this day, it still needs maintaining and checking,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34but, of course, it's not done by candlelight.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35Right, lads, you can turn 'em on!
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- All right!- Thank you, Matt!
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I was only trying to create a bit of atmosphere.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50'This is the tunnel inspection team.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52'They're part of that nationwide army
0:11:52 > 0:11:54'that keep the canals in tip-top condition.'
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Sean, am I all right to come over?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Yeah, course you can. - Who's driving what here, then?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02You've got two boats tied together.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04This is the normal inspection boat.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'Sean Johnston is our pilot for today and on this job,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10'he tends to get a bit damp.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:12This is a service shaft here, then?
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Yeah, it's just coming in now.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18- Oh, OK. So we do put hoods up here, do we?- Yeah.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22'These service shafts act as air vents for the tunnel.'
0:12:22 > 0:12:24What are we looking for here?
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Just monitoring to see any brickwork, any movement further up.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31You see we've got the grids on the top there?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Oh, I've got a nice eyeful.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Obviously to stop things being thrown down.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Vegetation coming down there.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Can you see anything?
0:12:40 > 0:12:42No, perfectly OK. No change.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Perfectly fine.- Just a bit of water.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Not going to hurt you.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53'On the scaffold tower, John Muir is doing the close-up work.'
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Right, so you're busy inspecting the brickwork, then?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58That's correct, yes.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00We're just looking to make sure
0:13:00 > 0:13:02there's no deterioration in the brickwork,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04deterioration in the mortar condition
0:13:04 > 0:13:06as we travel through the tunnel.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07And all of this calcite, then,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10that's on the walls and up on the top here,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13does that help secure the brickwork or does that make it worse?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I like to think it does, because yeah, it's very hard.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19It's almost like a mortar repair in itself.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20The mind boggles
0:13:20 > 0:13:22with the construction of this thing, doesn't it?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Do you know how deep we are now?
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It ranges, but the maximum depth, I think, is about 40 to 45 metres.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32'That's the equivalent of five double-decker buses
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'stacked on top of each other, an amazing feat,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39'considering it was all excavated by hand.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43'Blisworth Tunnel really is a lasting testament to the men who
0:13:43 > 0:13:47'built it and those who continue to take care of it.'