0:00:12 > 0:00:16Flog It has taken me to all corners of the British Isles, and I've met
0:00:16 > 0:00:20some wonderful people and done all sorts of interesting things.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Over the years, I've really enjoyed getting my hands dirty,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26learning about different traditional rural industries.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32I've loved meeting the men and women who are keeping little bits of our heritage very much alive.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Coming up in the programme, I break my back dry stone walling
0:00:36 > 0:00:41and I meet someone who might have the best office view I can imagine.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Firstly, when Flog It visited Shropshire, I took a trip to the countryside
0:00:45 > 0:00:49to meet a man who gives a whole new definition to landscape gardening.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54This part of Britain is very strong in rural heritage and hundreds of
0:00:54 > 0:00:58people still work on the land, keeping that tradition alive.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Here in Bridgnorth in Shropshire they're repairing the hedges.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04It's an art form which has survived centuries.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Up until the invention of wire, it was the most economical
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and practical way of retaining livestock in a field.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Of course, like all rural crafts, the skill of hedge laying is an art form
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and Carl has been doing for it years.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And he's going to tell me all about it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Hi, Carl. Are you all right there?
0:01:32 > 0:01:36- Morning. Fine, thanks.- You're doing a fantastic job. Look at that.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Obviously you're working in that direction?
0:01:39 > 0:01:42You seem to be felling these blackthorn or hawthorn trees?
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Yeah, mostly blackthorn, with the big spiny thorns on them.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- So you just lop them off.. - No, we don't touch the tops.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51All the cutting's done at the base.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Are you cutting right through?
0:01:53 > 0:01:56No, we're only going two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01There's enough bark and sap wood to keep feeding that tree.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Will this reshoot as well?
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Yes, everywhere we've cut it and where I've cut a branch off, just like pruning your roses.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12- Pruning a rose, exactly. - You'll get new shoots coming up off here in the spring.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14So you're rejuvenating the hedge.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19And obviously making that a lot denser where you need it, so nothing can crawl through.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- No, thoroughly hedgehog-proof! - So, why are you laying the hedge,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26forcing it in one direction like that and not this way?
0:02:26 > 0:02:28We're on a hillside here.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32I've started at the top of the hill and worked my way down.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35When you think about it, if you try bending a tree one way or the other,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39if you lay them up towards the slope you've not got to bend it so far,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44so you're not putting so much stress on the wood you're bending.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47So we always start at the top of the hill and then work our way back down,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49laying the trees towards the top.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Yes. This is very labour intense, isn't it?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54How long has this section here?
0:02:54 > 0:03:00- That's about two days' work we're looking at there, about 30 metres of hedgerow.- Gosh.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Well, you think it's slow, yeah? I mean, it's a bit of an old hedge.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06You get a nice young hedge
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and you might be doing that in one day, 30 or 40 metres in a day.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13How do you keep it stable? I've noticed you've got some poles through the middle.
0:03:13 > 0:03:19Yes. The blackthorn does cling together very well but we put stakes in as well.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22In fact, we're about ready for another one now.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25These are hazel.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Cut from a local woodland.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29We've got ash as well. Put a point on the end.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32We just drop that in,
0:03:32 > 0:03:38lean it back at a slight angle against the trees that we've laid.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42And then just drive that in a few inches.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43- It's as simple as that?- Yeah.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47It must be very rewarding.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- It is very satisfying. - You must stand back...
0:03:50 > 0:03:54You're actually drawing a line on the landscape yourself. You're part of it.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Gosh, look at these!
0:04:04 > 0:04:05They look like lethal weapons.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I'm going to get Carl to tell me all about them. Carl!
0:04:08 > 0:04:12I think they date from the 19th century. They're quite early.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Why do they vary in shape and size and what are they called?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Regional variations on a theme, really.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22This large one I work with every day, that's known as a Yorkshire billhook.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24This is a Bristol.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27That's a Norfolk. That's a Leicester.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Small one on the end is a Stafford.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31It's a story of evolution.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36Local craftsmen working with local blacksmiths initially, asking,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40"Can I have a bit more of a hook on this one, or a little notch on the top of one?"
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The Yorkshire one looks like you'd get a bit more welly on the job.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Exactly, it's got a bit more weight to it. It's almost like having a small axe.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51In Flog It tradition, I've got to have a little go.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Which billhook can I borrow, please?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I suggest the one on the end.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Carl's looking really worried!
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Keeps you fit.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I've got it.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07You certainly warm up quickly.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09There, that's my bit done.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The beautiful thing about hedge laying is effectively,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16you're creating a living fence, which has huge benefits.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20It's a way of managing the trees, it provides a microclimate for new
0:05:20 > 0:05:24shoots to grow and a habitat for birds and other wildlife to live in.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27It's so environmentally friendly.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32The only downside is, it takes two days to do 15 to 20 metres and it is hard work.
0:05:32 > 0:05:38And on wintry days like this, it's very important to keep another tradition alive and kicking,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and that's the art of brewing up tea.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Oh, thank you, Carl, that's good timing!
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Hedge laying isn't the only way of enclosing the land.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51In some parts of Britain,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53it's stone that's proved the better raw material.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57In the Pennines, dry stone walls are used to manage the land.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Dry stone walling isn't just of agricultural interest.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04In a sense, it's living history.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07It's a legacy to the movement towards the enclosure
0:06:07 > 0:06:10of common farming land and grazing land,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12as English society moved out of feudalism.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20As individual land owners abandoned arable farming in favour of raising sheep and cattle,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24these dry stone walls were used to enclose parcels of land.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29They may look simple, but they're made with nothing but stone and the skill of the builder.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Now, there's something quite comfortably reassuring about
0:06:37 > 0:06:42the skills and techniques used in building these walls because they've stayed the same for centuries.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47I've come to meet Chris Wake who's keeping this wonderful tradition very much alive.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- He's here somewhere. Hello!- Hello.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53This is a stunning project. What is it, what are you working on?
0:06:53 > 0:06:57This particular project's for a local lady who has the guesthouse down there.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00She's decided she wants it all rewalling.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05I presume just to make it more pleasant on the eye looking out of the house.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- What do you think this was? - I think it was probably a herb garden
0:07:08 > 0:07:12or maybe something for agriculture, for little animals.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Maintaining livestock.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19- So when does it date back to? - Probably a couple of hundred years ago.- How did you get into it?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I first started doing this when I was about 12, working on a local farm.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25So you're looking about 20, 25 years now.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28That's a long time. How many miles of wall do you think you've built?
0:07:28 > 0:07:32- I wouldn't like to say!- I bet it's a lot.- I wouldn't like to say.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Probably from here, right round the Dales!
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I must say, the base is a lot wider than you think it would be.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46I'm just going to sit on your string line.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Do you use this principle the same as the modern day bricklayer?
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It keeps the wall straight and also you can find a course height?
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Yeah, that's what it's there for. It keeps it straight.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59As you're going up, it tapers it in a bit so it doesn't fall over.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- Is that why you need an A-frame like that?- Yep.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- So it just tapers into the right part?- Yep. At the top,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07it's narrow enough to put your top stones on.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Look at the size of these stones at the bottom.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13That's back-breaking!
0:08:13 > 0:08:16It's certainly hard work and especially if you get three this size
0:08:16 > 0:08:19all the time, and you wall it across the joint like this.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24- Always across the joint?- Always. You have two stones on top of one.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27If possible, always try and get your stones lengthways in,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30so they have more hold into the middle of the wall.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32End in, end out, that's how the saying is.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It looks like they're chopped into fashion and there's no cutting?
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- There's nothing?- Not with this job.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It's all natural stone. There's a little hammering but not a lot.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46This section looks fantastic. You've obviously worked on this.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Do you have to pull all of this down just to start again, or will you repair on top of what's left?
0:08:51 > 0:08:56No, it'll all come back down, it'll all be renewed.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57Chris, I've got to have a go.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I've got to lay a few foundation stones here in this wall,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- put my mark on Yorkshire.- Feel free!
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- You've got the hang of it. - I've got the hang of it -
0:09:14 > 0:09:15I shied off the really big one!
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Backache, now!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I tell you what, I'm pleased with that.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I think we've done quite well in such a short space of time.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33We've gone up a couple of courses and it looks great.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Thatched cottages are an integral part of the British rural landscape
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and maintaining these buildings
0:09:44 > 0:09:47is a traditional craft that dates back centuries.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52As long as people continue to live in these cottages, we're going to need thatchers.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Thatched buildings date back 1,000s of years and it's generally agreed
0:09:58 > 0:10:01in this country from, let's say, the Neolithic period
0:10:01 > 0:10:04through to the late medieval times, that most buildings were thatched.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09That's mainly due to the local resources being plentiful and affordable.
0:10:09 > 0:10:16Until the 17th century, thatch was the most widespread form of roofing in Britain, but the wider
0:10:16 > 0:10:22availability of other materials, such as slate, meant a decline in thatching in the late 18th century.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28But thankfully the industry didn't decline completely and work still continues today
0:10:28 > 0:10:32at a steady pace for the 900 or so thatchers still working in Britain.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37One of those chaps who's keeping the tradition alive for future generations to appreciate
0:10:37 > 0:10:41here in Somerset is Master Thatcher, Lee Roadhouse. Pleased to meet you.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42How did you get into thatching?
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It's something I've been always fascinated by.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48I've always enjoyed the simpler elements of life, so to speak.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53I actually started spar making, which is these, when I was about 13.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- And then started going on holidays... - What are they for?
0:10:56 > 0:11:00These are the hazel pegs you can fix the roof on with.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07- You tend to twist them up and that becomes a peg.- It's like a cleat.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Yeah, it holds it all on.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And I progressed from there.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Carried on in school holidays and then just went on as I left school.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18This must bring back some memories.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23My notes tell me when you were an apprentice, you actually worked on this very cottage we're working on.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Yeah, that was about 18, 19 years ago.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Can you see remnants of your past work here?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Yeah, it's funny. When you look around, nothing else has changed
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and that's part of the fascination with this.
0:11:35 > 0:11:41It's such a simple process, yet so effective, and you're not baffled with science and it works.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- It's quite labour intense? - Very labour intensive.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46You do know when you've done a day's work.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Keeps you fit!
0:11:49 > 0:11:55Right. So we're up here. This would be the average size armful and all the ears have to face upwards?
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Get all your reed facing the same way.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05You sort of literally pitch it down. That's basically squaring all the reeds so it's all down to the bottom.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06And cleaned out.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10You open out the reeds, make sure there is no cross-eyed reeds in there.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Put it into place, and literally you, sort of,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17put it back into place with your hand, just roughly.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I mean, you've just gauged an armful, haven't you?
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- Yeah.- That is incredibly neat. That's right to the right level.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26A lot of your work is obviously all by eye?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Yeah, what you actually do is try to keep a nice pitch on your reed.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35- An imaginary line from the eave to the ridge and just work to that. - These lines are very severe.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I can look right across and that is dead straight.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Looking down there, that is such a beautiful angle.
0:12:41 > 0:12:47It is literally putting a line back in the right angle, to follow the line of the roof.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Then you drive it back into nearly the finished position.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- With a what? - This is what we call a leggit.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Just use it like a bat just to drive it back.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Then that's in place. Then you fix it in to go on through to the rafters.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05What a view!
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Yeah, what more could you want?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- You lucky chap. - Up here working away.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Not bothered by anybody.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Just about earning enough to put a bit of cheese on the table.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20This is so therapeutic. You can almost imagine yourself in medieval England up here.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Things just don't change. It's just lovely, isn't it?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27We're joined by the geese down there, a few dogs and some cats on the farm.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- Ever fallen off?- Me? Not yet.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36It's been fascinating stepping back in time and seeing how many
0:13:36 > 0:13:41of our traditional rural crafts are not just being kept alive but are still flourishing.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45And what's more, I've loved helping out along the way.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk