Great British Railway Journeys (2010) s04e18 Episode Script

In 1840, one man transformed travel In the British Isles.
His name was George Bradshaw, and his railway guides Inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see and where to stay.
Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys across the length and breadth of these Isles to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
Steered by my Bradshaw's Guide, I'm now at the halfway point of my journey from London Paddington to Newton Abbot and today I shall complete my crossing of the county of Somerset.
On this leg, I'll explore a church that moves In mysterious ways That's extraordinary, Rod.
It really is moving from side to side.
I'll find out just what It takes to run a 19th-century signal box I had no idea that what a signalman needed to do was so responsible and so physical.
and I'll summon all my strength to shift a 110-ton steam locomotive.
(strains) She's moving.
I can't believe it.
She's moving.
On this journey I'm paying tribute to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, master engineer of the Great Western Railway.
I started at Paddington Station, one of his finest monuments.
I've travelled west through Wiltshire and Into Somerset and I'll finish at Newton Abbot In Devon, the scene of one of his magnificent failures.
I'm covering 25 miles on this leg, travelling northwest through Somerset, ending on the coast at Minehead.
My first stop today is Taunton.
My Bradshaw's tells me that "it was successfully defended against the Royalists during the English Civil War" and also that "there the ill-fated Duke of Monmouth proclaimed himself king in 1685".
Now, legend has it that Queen Victoria was so incensed by this history of anti-monarchic feeling, that whenever she crossed Taunton she would draw the curtain in her railway carriage window so as not to see her disloyal subjects.
Looks like Taunton is trying to make up today for its anti-royalist past.
"Somerset's county town," says my "Bradshaw's", "has a most pleasing appearance, situated In the central part of the luxuriant Vale of Taunton Deane.
" The guidebook's also rather captivated by one church, St Mary Magdalene.
Bradshaw's tells me that "the tower of Taunton's gothic church is of Henry VII's age, 153ft high, of light and elegant proportions and set off with pinnacles, battlements and niches in the elaborate style of that day.
" And I'm hoping that the vicar can tell me more.
(church bells ringing) - Hello, Michael.
- Rod.
Lovely to see you.
Good to see you.
Now, my Bradshaw's tells me that the tower here is of Henry VII's age, so it's very historic.
Ah.
But it isn't quite.
It's not strictly true.
It's a facsimile of the original.
The original was 1508, but in Victorian times they rebuilt it.
But they've rebuilt it very faithfully.
It doesn't look Victorian to me.
Well, you know what the Victorians were like.
They always liked to add.
But they resisted that temptation.
They didn't put a clock face there.
They just built it as it was because it was so magnificent.
The restoration of the church and tower was overseen by renowned Victorian architect George Gilbert Scott.
One of Britain's most prolific architects, over 800 buildings In the United Kingdom were restored or designed by him, Including In London the St Pancras Midland Hotel and the Albert Memorial In Kensington Gardens.
So, St Mary Magdalene's tower Is In esteemed company.
Out into the glorious sunshine.
As we came up, my heart was pounding more and more.
(laughs) The steps were getting steeper and thinner.
- I have size 11 feet.
- (laughs) - Not easy.
- Not easy.
Rod, having walked up all those steps gives you quite an appreciation of the task of building this tower in 1508 and the Victorians rebuilding it.
What do you know about the rebuilding? There's a lovely story about the Victorian rebuild.
And in those days, of course, it was before they had a lot of mechanical help, and so the building was done by pulleys, blocks, tackles and a donkey.
And the donkey went backwards and forward for several years down Hammet Street, pulling the heavy stones up the tower, and then right at the end, when the tower was finished in its magnificence, the builders took the donkey all the way up to here where we stand now, to give him a good view of what he'd helped to build.
The donkey must have thought it was an Eeyore-some view.
Oh, my goodness me.
(laughs) Yes.
I'm sure he did.
There is a little something else about the tower and that relates to the bells that are here.
There are 15 bells.
Twelve are regularly rung.
But they're infamous in the bell-ringing world.
They're not terribly good.
They need replacing.
And Well, you just watch what happens when I call them up.
OK, folks, ready to ring? (bells ring) (laughs) - I know what happens.
The tower sways.
- You can feel it, can't you? I'm standing in the centre of the tower and it's going wobbly.
That's extraordinary, Rod.
It really is moving from side to side.
I was once in a skyscraper during an earthquake and it felt just like this.
- Luckily, I trust Victorian builders.
- Yes.
The Victorians'relentless appetite for railway building meant that by the end of the 19th century, whilst main lines joined the country's major cities, branch lines had penetrated almost every corner of the country.
One such line, engineered by Brunel, was the West Somerset Railway, which ran from Taunton to the Somerset coast.
Today, the line starts five miles out of town.
When my Bradshaw's was written, the West Somerset line was new.
"14 miies long, it runs through Bishops Lydeard, Crowcombe, Stogumber and Williton to the market town of Watchet.
" But today, it runs from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead, a distance of 20 miles, making it the longest stretch of standard gauge heritage railway in the United Kingdom.
I'm going on it, and I'm steamy with excitement.
I've done a lightning change because on this trip, not for me the passenger carriage.
No.
I'm headed for the footplate.
- Hello.
Pleased to meet you, Michael.
- Can I come on? Please do.
Come aboard.
Mind your head.
Driver Merv Hebditch has Invited me to travel up front.
Always an exciting moment when your steam locomotive leaves the station.
(whistle blows) And what a glorious sound this locomotive is making.
Brunel was commissioned to build the line.
It was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company and opened In 1862.
Over a decade later, the line was taken over by that most famous of railway companies and one very close to Brunel's heart, the Great Western.
To be in England on a summer's day is bliss, but to be on a steam locomotive in west Somerset is heaven.
Like other small rural branches, the line closed In the 1970s.
However, It reopened as a heritage railway some years later and Is enjoyed today by passengers who like a ticket to nostalgia.
We've got quite a crowded train today.
Why do you think it is that the British people are so fascinated by steam engines? They're just a living thing.
We put a fire in the morning.
It comes to life.
It creates steam.
It makes a noise.
I've been doing this 52 years, and it's still I still get a buzz out of it.
Well, I'd like to stay on, but this is my stop.
Be nice if you could stay on.
I'm disembarking at Williton, although It's only mentioned In passing In my "Bradshaw's Guide".
I'm here to visit something that's a magnet for rail enthusiasts.
A signal box that's nearly as old as the line Itself and still operational.
Signalman Nick Budd pulls the levers.
- (laughs) - Hello.
Hello, Nick.
That looks like hard work.
It certainly is today.
Nice and warm today.
Are you a signalman born and bred? No.
I was an airline captain, would you believe? But then I gave it up and decided to come here.
You were an airline captain.
What did you use to fly? Boeing 747s.
Well, it just shows the railways attract all sorts.
So, actually, you know, in those days you had 400 lives under your supervision, and you do today.
Absolutely.
The only difference is speed.
In those days, I was flying planes at 650mph.
Today I'm controlling trains at 25mph.
- When's our next train? - The next train is in 20 minutes.
That doesn't sound like much time to a trainee signalman like me.
Firstly set the route, and then the signals.
Now Basically, these levers are colour-coded.
The black ones are the points, the blue ones lock the points, the red ones are for signals, the white ones are spare levers, and the one and only brown one locks and unlocks the gates on the level crossing.
I think I'd rather fly a 747.
That sounds complicated.
Well, that's only the beginning.
My first job Is to close the gates.
- Hope we're still in time.
- I think just.
Next, they need to be locked.
And home.
Time to pull off the signal now, Michael.
Number 23, please.
It is quite pressurised.
The idea that you're responsible for people's lives puts on a lot of pressure.
Usually there's a train coming the other way at the same time.
Thank goodness there Isn't today.
This is complicated enough.
Signal back.
Gates unlocked.
With the train In the station, now I have to open the gates again.
Hmm.
I have no idea how these open.
Ah! - No.
- On the other side.
Oh, thank you.
That was a helpful tip.
There we go.
I had no idea that what a signalman needed to do was so responsible and so physical.
OK.
The train's here.
- The gates are open.
- Excellent.
The signal's on.
What next? Now we need a token for the train to go to the next signal box.
- Right.
Three in one.
- Three in one.
- I can now take that out.
- That's it.
This Victorian token system was a safety measure to ensure that no two trains could ever be on one stretch of single track at the same time.
Only a driver with the token In his possession could proceed.
Let's hope I've got this right.
- I think you're expecting this.
- You're not the signalman.
(laughs) I am for now! Safe journey.
- Thank you very much.
- Bye now.
- That went smoothly.
- Very good.
All we have to do now is put that back in the machine so that we can get another one out at some time.
A kind offer, but I think that's my lot for the day.
For now It's onwards.
And I'm looking forward to experiencing the ride as a passenger.
The final stop of the day is Watchet, which my Bradshaw's tells me has "a coastguard station prettily seated in a secluded creek on the Bristol Channel".
It sounds like a delightful place to watch the last rays of the sun.
In the 19th century, Watchet was a busy commercial port, shipping locally mined Iron ore across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh furnaces.
The only ships docking here today are sail boats and yachts as the port Is now an active marina.
A beautiful sunset on the Somerset coast, and I'm lucky to be in Watchet to watch it.
The sun has risen on another beautiful morning.
And I'm continuing my journey north on this wonderful heritage line.
My Bradshaw's tells me that "Dunster Castle, standing on the cliffs to the south, is within a very short distance.
" But when my guide was published, you couldn't get there by train.
Now you take the Dunster Castle Express.
For wealthy landowners In the rural wilds, the arrival of the railway presented huge financial opportunities.
(whistle blows) Some sought profit by allowing the rail companies to build tracks through their estates, whilst others saw the potential In bringing tourism and trade to their area.
One such champion was George Luttrell.
In 1867, he Inherited the Dunster Estate, at the time one of the largest In Somerset.
So keen was he to revitalise his corner of the county that he backed plans to extend the line from Watchet via Dunster to Minehead.
And he became the first director of this new railway.
And now appearing out of the smoke from the engine, as though it were looming out of a mist, is the magnificent sight of Dunster Castle, brilliantly lit on this sunny day.
What a sight.
Today Dunster Is In the hands of the National Trust and volunteer guide Martin Harborne has kindly agreed to tell me more.
What a wonderful room.
How old is the castle? The castle itself, 1,000 years old.
Originally there was a Saxon castle on here.
Then when the Normans arrived, they built their big stone castle.
And then the Luttrells took it over? The Luttrells did indeed.
In 1376, they purchased it.
They were here an awfully long time.
21 generations? Twenty-one 600 years.
Right through until 1976 when the Luttrell family handed it over to the National Trust for their custody.
I'm interested in one particular Luttrell.
A Victorian, George Luttrell.
Ah.
George Fownes-Luttrell, as we call him.
That's his portrait up there.
And he was involved in the total alteration of the castle by the well-known architect of the day, Anthony Salvin.
So what sorts of things did he do? He completely transformed the castle from an Elizabethan-style castle where the family lived at one side, the servants lived on this side and they entertained in the middle.
He turned it into a Victorian comfortable gentleman's residence with an upstairs and downstairs.
And using the latest technology? Absolutely, yes.
He wanted all the latest technology, things that were almost unheard of down here, things like bathrooms and gas supplies and those sort of things, which in the 1870s was really cutting-edge stuff.
The remodelling took four years and cost over £25,000, which was more than Luttrell's yearly Income from the estate, a sobering £2.
5 million In today's money.
I suppose a billiards room was regarded as a very important part of a Victorian household? A most essential part.
This was a gentleman's room.
During the Victorian period, this would have been full of the wonderful smells of cigars and brandy and only the men were allowed in here.
Was this another innovation of George Fownes-Luttrell? It was.
Prior to the alterations, this was the kitchen of the main house.
Unheard of In Victorian times, parts of the house had central heating.
And the new kitchen, which was built In the basement, was well-ventilated, with windows.
It was also state of the art.
Mod cons Included a two-oven cooker a built-In bain-marie and a dumbwaiter.
This pioneering attitude towards new technologies continues unabated.
In 2008, It became the first Grade I listed National Trust property to have solar panels Installed.
George Luttrell would be proud.
Can you think of anything you'd rather have than a beautiful castle? I can.
A beautiful castle with a view of steam trains.
And that's where I'm headed, back to Dunster Station to pick up the extended line which so helped to Invigorate this rural corner of Somerset.
My journey continues through stunning Somerset countryside towards my next stop, Minehead, which my Bradshaw's describes as "a beautiful watering hole".
But when the railway reached there from 1874, then holidaymakers began to arrive by the train load.
Formerly a small fishing port, Minehead was already popular amongst the wealthy as a fashionable sea-bathing resort from as early as 1752.
However, It wasn't untll train travel that It became easily accessible and affordable for the middle classes.
The West Somerset Railway should ideally have linked across the Porlocks with the Lynton to Barnstaple line, but even for the Victorians those hills proved too great an obstacle and so Minehead is the end of the line.
- Hello! - Hello there.
- How was the journey? - Wonderful.
Stunning.
- Do you know Minehead? - Not at all, no.
- You're going in to have a look.
- Have a wander.
Where do you suggest? Well, all I know is that my Bradshaw's calls it "a beautiful watering hole".
- Oh.
- (man) Gin and tonic? Sounds like we've got something to look forward to.
A pint, do you think, or a gin and tonic? - (laughs) - Or both! Could be either of those, couldn't it? Enjoy your day.
Bye-bye.
Today the station Is packed with steam fans, but In Victorian times It was tourists from the Big Smoke and south Wales crowding the platform.
I'm meeting general manager of this heritage railway, Paul Conibeare.
- Paul, hello! - Michael.
Welcome to Minehead.
Thank you.
It's a vast station with these great long platforms.
I suppose that emphasises how important it was in its heyday.
Yes.
It was a very busy Great Western terminus and it's very long to cope with the visitors it anticipated on the day.
It is of course the terminus.
I can see hills ahead.
Presumably the Porlock hills prevented it from going further.
There were plans to go on to Porlock and on to Lynton, but Sir George Newnes, who was involved in the Lynton/Barnstaple railway, didn't want the riff raff in their part of the world.
- The riff raff from Minehead.
- Yes.
And I notice on your trains that you have the engine on the front.
Now, that must imply, I think, that you have some way of turning them around.
- How do you do that? - We're very lucky.
We've invested in our turntable here which was fitted in 2008 to provide the ability for the first time since the early '60s to turn the locomotives so they face the right direction for the cameras and visitors to the railway.
The turning around of extremely heavy locomotives was a problem that confronted rail companies until the dawn of the diesel era.
At Minehead they had to be turned In a locomotive shed some distance from the tracks, a slow process which ate Into the efficiency of the line.
The shed was demolished In the 1960s.
This new turntable, a Victorian original for the most part, was purchased In 1974, but due to lack of funding and space, It wasn't put In place until 2008.
We now have a locomotive weighing 110 tons which our driver, David Herb, will show you how to turn.
I'll just use my little finger, I think.
Hello, David.
Reporting for duty, sir.
- Just going to push it, are we? - Just push it.
OK.
Here goes.
(strains) She's moving.
I can't believe it.
She's moving.
Don't know about you, David, but I'm putting quite a lot of effort into this right now.
I have weight on my side.
And now that it's in motion, it gets a little bit easier because it has momentum.
Somebody tells me that stopping this thing is even more difficult than getting it going.
- I'll do the stopping.
- OK.
We're arriving at our endpoint.
I'm ceasing to push cos it's moving under its own momentum and you are now braking it.
And no! Overshot a tiny bit.
Just easing it back.
You were You're learning to do that pretty well.
(sighs) Next time, I'll do it alone.
- (applause) - What can I say? Thanks to the likes of George Newnes, a key player In establishing the twin resorts of Lynton and Lynmouth, the rail link was never built, so I can go no further by train.
Instead, I'll cross the Impenetrable Porlock Hill by road to reach the next notable attraction mentioned In my guide.
Bradshaw's says that "tourists should proceed to the far-famed Valley of the Rocks on foot along the cliff walk, whence the scenery is very fine.
" "The view in the valley is exceedingly grand.
" "He should employ a guide to accompany him on his first visit," and mine is called Terry.
- Terry, hello.
- Hello, Michael.
What gave rise to these extraordinary formations of rock? Well, one time the river ran through here, carving out this valley.
Then the river diverted to its present course, running down into Lynmouth.
The crags you can see here, they've been mainly caused by the weathering action over thousands of years, leaving these very complicated and intriguing shapes.
- (Michael) Beautiful view.
- It does takes your breath away.
And at this point, we're about 500ft above sea level.
- Whoa.
It's a long way down, isn't it? - It's a long way, yes.
- So, who created this path? - It was one of the hotel owners.
He wanted it for his tourists.
He wanted a romantic walk, something that was sensational.
It must have attracted painters and writers over the years.
It did.
Some of the early visitors were Keats and Shelley.
They went home and romanced about this place.
They nicknamed it Little Switzerland.
At one point, it was said it was the grandest walk in England.
I've had a wonderful journey from Taunton, enjoying travel Victorian style, by steam train.
I've filled my lungs with smoke and my eyes with smuts.
What better place to blow them away than here on the Devon cliffs, where the Romantic poets drew inspiration from one of the finest views in England.
On my next journey I get up close with a piece of natural history (woman) It's a moa egg, an extinct bird from New Zealand.
There's only 36 specimens of a decent size been catalogued in the world.
I visit a garden used as a viewing platform for public hangings We've got three tiers going up.
According to the records, they were full.
It was shoulder-to-shoulder, line-to-line of people.
and encounter a timepiece like no other.
You know, in my political career, I met a few two-faced liars, but this is my first experience of a four-faced liar.
- One of them's correct, though.
- (laughs)