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In 1840, one man
transformed travel in Britain.
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His name was George Bradshaw
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and his railway guides inspired
the Victorians to take to the tracks.
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Stop by stop, he told them where to go,
what to see and where to stay.
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And now, 110 years later,
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I'm aboard for a series of rail
adventures across the United Kingdom
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to see what of Bradshaw's Britain
remains.
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Ripped By mstoll
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I'm embarked on a new railway journey
from one cathedral city to another,
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from Norwich to Chichester.
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But even using
my High Victorian guidebook,
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this journey will be more secular
than ecclesiastical.
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Not so much heavenly, as earthy.
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On this leg, I'll hang out with
a notorious Victorian criminal...
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This is a replica
of James Rush's death mask.
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It does show very, very clearly where
the rope has cut directly into his neck.
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Isn't that grim?
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“Meet a polecat who's just a nipper...
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Ooh!
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(both laugh)
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...and chip away at an age-old craft.
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- Could you make a flint out of that?
- Yeah, perfect.
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Let's see how you did.
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My journey begins in Norwich
and continues southwest into Suffolk.
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From Ipswich I'll head south
to Chelmsford,
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and travel across the Thames, through
the Medway towns, to Dover.
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After making my way back through Kent,
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my journey will take me
along the Sussex coast
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and end in the cathedral city
of Chichester.
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This East Anglian leg begins
in the ancient city of Norwich,
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burrows southwest,
deep into Thetford's rabbit warrens,
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before turning northwest to finish
in the flinty countryside of Brandon.
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My first stop will be Norwich,
which Bradshaw's tells me is
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"an old cathedral town
and the capital of Norfolk,
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agreeably situated
on the banks of the Wensum".
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"The prospect of the city
is imposing and beautiful."
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Until the arrival of the railways
in the 1840s,
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the city depended on its river for
communication with the outside world,
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and even now it has that feeling
of being the end of the line,
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for worse and better.
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Today I'm greeted
by this grand terminus built in 1886,
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but when the railways first arrived
in the city in 1844,
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the station was far more modest,
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providing only a single-track line
to the coast.
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The rest of the country remained
inaccessible by train
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until the completion
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of this impressive swing bridge
over the River Wensum in 1845.
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The line was extended down to London,
opening the door to trade
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and to fashionable tourists
from the capital.
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The first stop recommended
in my "Bradshaw's Guide"
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is a marvel of medieval architecture.
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Bradshaw's comments that,
"The lofty spire of Norwich Cathedral
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gives it the air of great magnificence."
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Lofty, yes, at 315 feet.
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Begun shortly after the Norman conquest,
completed within a century.
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Imagine how important Norwich
must have been in those days,
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that they built here a structure
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the like of which
most people had never seen.
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Built on the lucrative wool trade,
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Norwich was so important
in medieval times
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that it ranked
as England's second city.
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It remains East Anglia 's largest city.
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I'll start my visit by testing locals
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on one of the city's
most famous daughters.
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She's immortalised
in every purse and wallet.
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Excuse me! I'm not trying to bribe you.
I've got a five-pound note here.
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I wonder if you know who that is?
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- She is Elizabeth Fry.
- Well done!
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- Hello there!
- Hello.
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Who's this
on the back of the five-pound note?
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- (man) It's Elizabeth Fry.
- And what's she doing here?
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Well, I imagine she's in...
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What was the name of that prison
in London where she went to?
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- New...
- Newgate! That's it!
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Well, I had to help you a bit, so I'll
give you nine and a half out of ten.
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- Thank you.
- Bye-bye now.
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- Pleasant to meet you.
- Thank you. Bye.
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Born in Norwich in 1780
to a wealthy Quaker family,
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Elizabeth Fry moved to London aged 20.
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There she visited
the notorious Newgate Prison
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and encountered
cruel, squalid conditions,
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particularly among women prisoners
and their newborn babies.
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Elizabeth Fry became formidable
in the movement for prison reform,
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and extraordinarily influential
for a woman of her day.
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Indeed, it's a former prison
I'm going to visit next.
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Originally a royal palace
built for William the Conqueror,
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it was used as a jail
from the 14th until the 19th century.
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"The great Norman keep
and the barbican bridge
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are incorporated with the county jail
built in 1818 for 200 prisoners."
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So elegant. I'm guessing that only
the cream of the criminal fraternity
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did their porridge here.
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Nowadays,
the castle is run as a museum.
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I'm meeting Annie Perry,
who knows more about its dark past.
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- Annie.
- Hello, Michael.
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Bradshaw's talks
about parts of the castle
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being incorporated
in the county jail in 1818,
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but I suspect there have been dungeons
here long before that.
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There are parts of the castle,
the original castle keep,
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that we used as prison cells
and dungeons
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many hundreds of years before that.
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(Michael) What sort of conditions
in Victorian times
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were the prisoners living in?
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(Annie) Well, you have John Howard,
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who's considered one of the very early,
if not the first prison reformer,
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visiting all of the jails and prisons
in England in the 1770s.
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He comes to Norwich Castle
on a number of occasions
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and reports that there are
really quite bad conditions here.
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Campaigners like John Howard
and Elizabeth Fry
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championed the redesign of prisons.
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Their work achieved a gradual change
in attitude towards prisoners
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in the late-18th
and early-19th centuries,
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balancing punishment
with rehabilitation.
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And what kind of a prison
does that give us?
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The prison is based
on a design called a radial jail.
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There's a central area,
which would be the governor's house,
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which would also include the chapel
and the school room,
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and then different cells radiating out
around the edges as well
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with exercise yards in between.
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They're looking to have individual cells
for prisoners,
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to be able to separate
particular categories of prisoners
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and to be able to separate
male and female prisoners.
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Interestingly, people would commit petty
offences to actually get put into prison
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because the conditions in the workhouses
were actually worse.
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As part of the restructuring
of the jail,
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a new courthouse was built
at the base of the castle mound,
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linked directly to the prison
by an internal tunnel.
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So, Michael, I've brought you here
to our restored courtroom.
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Judge behind us, dock just there,
I imagine?
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Yes. The dock is just up here.
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The judge's seat, which is
being restored at the moment,
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will be here behind us.
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One of the most notorious trials
brought a local tenant farmer,
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James Blomfield Rush,
into the dock in April 1849.
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It was a Victorian melodrama,
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a sensation, reported widely
in the newspapers at the time.
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The public gallery up here
was absolutely packed.
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The judge, Justice Baron Rolfe,
actually sold tickets
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so people could get a front-row seat.
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- (Michael) Accused of?
- A double murder.
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He was supposed to have sneaked
into a building called Stanfield Hall
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and shot and killed a father and son
who he owed money to.
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After conducting
his own protracted defence,
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Rush was eventually found guilty
and sentenced to hang.
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Until 1868,
hangings were conducted in public .
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And they were popular.
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Was the hanging a notorious event?
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Extra trains were put on to bring people
from Great Yarmouth and London.
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Possibly as many as 20,000 people
actually witnessed the execution,
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which would take place very publicly
at the bottom of the bridge.
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What a lovely day out. Bring a picnic!
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Well, if you wanted to pay for a picnic,
you could go to the Bell Hotel.
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And if you rented the very top rooms
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you got an excellent view,
across the crowds, of the execution
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and you could actually pay
for a room and supper.
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The hotels were not alone
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in capitalising
on the public's gory fascination.
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Staffordshire Potteries
produced collectable figurines
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of the main characters
in the Rush murders,
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to take home
and display on your mantelpiece.
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(Michael) It's quite puzzling.
The Victorians, who have this interest
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in the connection
between mental health and criminality,
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who are prison reformers,
are nonetheless so ghoulish!
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It is that real sense of macabre.
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This fascination with the sinister
is borne out
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by a collection hidden
in the castle's dungeon.
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Well, it's horribly damp and dank
and thoroughly creepy down here.
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Well, we are in the dungeons, Michael.
And this is what I wanted you to see.
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This is a replica
of James's Rush's death mask.
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Wow.
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Prisoners' death masks were used
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to study the contours
of the criminal cranium.
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Known as phrenology,
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this practice examined the lumps
and bumps on the surface of the head
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in the belief that they could reveal
distinctive criminal shapes.
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Sometimes a phrenologist could be
summoned before a wedding
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to check the head of a fiancé
for signs of bad character.
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In James Rush's case,
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they would be very interested
in this area behind here.
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This is your destructiveness area,
your aggressive nature.
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And his was said, in his report,
to be most pronounced.
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I don't want to be political,
but he seems to be left-leaning.
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That would be after the execution.
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You are left suspended for one hour
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to make sure there's no chance
of you being revived or resuscitated.
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And this mask does show
very, very clearly
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where the rope has cut
directly into his neck.
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(Michael) Isn't that grim?
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Phrenology has long since been
discredited and is now obsolete.
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The legacy of prison reformers like
Elizabeth Fry has been longer lasting.
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While Norwich prison was improved,
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in an area at the foot
of the old Norman castle
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another group was penned in.
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"The cattle market,
one of the largest out of London,
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is held on a piece of ground to the
south of the castle," says Bradshaw's.
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It's not there any more.
It's been moved. I'd better hoof it.
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Norfolk has always been
rich farming country.
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Indeed, the considerable wealth
of medieval Norwich
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came from the wool trade
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and the livestock market has always
been important to the city's economy.
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Originally situated in the city centre,
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it moved to a more spacious plot
two miles away in the 1960s.
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It's one of the few livestock markets
in Britain today.
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David Ball knows more.
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- Welcome to Norwich livestock market.
- Thank you.
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My Bradshaw's tells me that Norfolk
is the biggest agricultural area,
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and talks about Norwich as being one
of the largest markets outside London.
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I assume there's been a market here
since time immemorial. ls that right?
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(David) This one's been here
for 50 years.
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00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,447
(Michael) The previous site of the
market made use of the trains, did it?
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(David) Without a doubt, especially
to take the stock away from market.
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It was the collection centre
for a big area of Norfolk,
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but then people came
from all over the country.
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A lot of people came from London
and places like that
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and into that part of the world
for the meat, to take the meat away,
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because it was still commutable,
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where they could do the journey
and slaughter them the next day.
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(Michael) Do you think Victorian animal
husbandry was quite good, actually?
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(David) I think it was,
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because it was on a much smaller scale,
and more personal.
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That's what I think makes
a huge difference.
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Things have changed so much
that a townie like me might ask,
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why do you still need a market?
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Why do you need people to come to
a single place to buy sheep and cattle?
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Because it gives them an opportunity
to know where they've come from,
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how they're bred, what they're fed on
and everything that goes with it.
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The present market's
fortnightly cattle auctions
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draw scores of famers and traders
from all over the region.
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Hundreds of cattle and calves
change hands,
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with prime beasts selling
for thousands of pounds.
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I'm taking up my position next to local
calf and cattle salesman Roger Long.
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- (Michael) You want the tiny calves?
- The smaller calves.
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00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,769
Something we can take home
and produce into beef.
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112,114...
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As the auction gets underway,
I've got little time
235
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,570
to watch and {earn the minute
bidding gestures of the experts
236
00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,167
before Roger lets me loose
to buy on his behalf.
237
00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:48,969
126, Hamish...
238
00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:51,771
I'm hoping that a subtle twitch
of the “Bradshaw's"
239
00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:53,968
will be enough to seal the deal.
240
00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:59,403
(David) Five, ten, fifteen, twenty.
241
00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,405
Come on, Michael, one more. 325...
242
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:08,964
Selling on my left. 325.
Michael Portillo! 325.
243
00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,611
That was absolutely thrilling!
244
00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,002
My little gestures managed
to get me a beautiful calf.
245
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,924
Ten, 12, 14...
246
00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:24,050
I'd love to stay and perfect my bidding
technique, but I have a train to catch.
247
00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,851
I've retraced my steps
to Norwich Station
248
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:31,403
and I'm heading 3D miles west
on the main line across East Anglia.
249
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,004
Next stop, Thetford.
250
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:38,085
My guidebook tells me that it was
"the ancient capital of East Anglia,
251
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,370
situated on the junction
of the rivers Ouse and Thet".
252
00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,091
After a long day,
I'm going to rest my head there
253
00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:49,006
in a house that was once thought
fit for a monarch.
254
00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,526
Situated a few miles
from Thetford Station,
255
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,207
local landmark Lyniord Hall
was commissioned in 1857
256
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,568
by Stephen Lyne-Stephens,
a millionaire banker
257
00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,769
considered the richest commoner
in England at the time.
258
00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,570
Not long after his death in 1860,
it was put up for sale
259
00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:19,202
and its lavish splendour came
to the attention of Queen Victoria.
260
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,001
James Parry of the Breckland Society
will tell me more.
261
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,128
- James.
- Michael, hello.
262
00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,124
I find you in semi-regal splendour.
263
00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,727
What exactly is the connection between
Lynford Hall and the royal family?
264
00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,406
Queen Victoria was becoming
increasingly concerned
265
00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,086
by the behaviour of her son,
the Prince of Wales.
266
00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,162
There'd already been several scandals.
267
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:43,564
He was turning into a serial philanderer
and she and Prince Albert decided
268
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,530
that they had to try and get
some stability into his life.
269
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,285
And they thought that
by buying a country estate
270
00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,170
they could perhaps have
a little bit more control over him,
271
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,403
keep him there a little bit,
spend more family time together.
272
00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,889
Located on one of the best
shooting estates in East Anglia,
273
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,601
Lynford Hall was a serious contender
for royal ownership.
274
00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:06,251
A state-of-the-art,
newly-built country estate,
275
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:08,971
it had 50 bedrooms with plumbed water
276
00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:13,523
and modern lighting thanks
to a pipe from a private gasworks.
277
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,968
It offered a mere 8,000 acres.
278
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:20,647
Nearby Sandringham had 20,000,
and was bought instead.
279
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,042
It has remained a royal retreat
ever since.
280
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,724
This could have been the place
281
00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,088
where the royal family were sitting down
for Christmas lunch
282
00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:30,525
rather than Sandringham.
283
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,481
But instead, you and I can celebrate
midsummer at Lynford Hall.
284
00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,244
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
285
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:46,850
After a restful night,
286
00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,606
I'm striking out further into
Thetford's surrounding countryside.
287
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,651
My "Bradshaw's" notes that,
"The country consists of a sandy soil
288
00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:58,441
and is peculiarly salubrious
and pleasant in nature."
289
00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:01,091
Such terrain isn't ideal for farming,
290
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,882
but it is favoured by a particular
breed of burrowing creature.
291
00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,406
Anne Mason of the Breckland Society
292
00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,562
will tell me
how the landscape of the Brecks
293
00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,484
was ideal for a form
of animal husbandry.
294
00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,324
- Hello.
- Hello.
295
00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:18,165
(Michael)
So what exactly is this building?
296
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,527
(Anne) It's known
as Thetford Warren Lodge
297
00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,410
and it was inhabited
by a rabbit warrener.
298
00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:27,530
It's the symbol
of a 600-year-old industry of warrening
299
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:30,331
which once dominated
this area of East Anglia.
300
00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,721
And why is it built
to look like a castle?
301
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,850
(Anne) It was built primarily
as a defence against poachers,
302
00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,367
because rabbits were highly-prized
luxury items in the middle ages.
303
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:46,447
It was the job of a medieval warrener
to nurture, protect and trap rabbits.
304
00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,761
He was in effect a rabbit farmer.
305
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,082
Why were rabbits so valuable then?
306
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,640
Because they were a source of fresh meat
in the winter
307
00:17:54,720 --> 00:18:01,080
and also because their fur was used
for robes and cloaks.
308
00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:05,643
We know that Henry VII had a nightshirt
that was lined with black rabbit fur.
309
00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,042
When did the rabbit business
reach its peak, do you think?
310
00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:11,441
Oh. It was actually linked
to the railways.
311
00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:15,047
Once the railway came to Thetford
in 1846,
312
00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:19,523
it provided very quick and easy
transport up to London.
313
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,491
And of course the meat could be then
transported very freshly.
314
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,961
It was actually sold
at Leadenhall Market
315
00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,486
and it was really in response
to growing demand
316
00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,564
from centres of population
such as London,
317
00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,371
which had expanded
so much in the 19th century.
318
00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:39,162
On this warren of Thetford,
from the 1850s onwards,
319
00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:43,643
the average annual cull
was 28,800 rabbits.
320
00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:46,523
Rabbit meat became so popular
321
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,286
that Mrs Beeton's famous Victorian
"Book of Household Management"
322
00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,682
provided more than 20 recipes
for its preparation.
323
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,923
And the demand for rabbit fur
in Victorian England
324
00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:02,291
was met by two large factories
employing 200 people in nearby Brandon.
325
00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:04,442
It was a significant source
of employment,
326
00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:08,650
with much of the community involved
in processing thousands of rabbit skins
327
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,485
for the fur and felt-making industries.
328
00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,360
So extensive and regular
was that rabbit trade
329
00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,047
that the early morning trains
going up to London, carrying rabbits,
330
00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:21,168
were known locally as bunny trains.
331
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,771
In the trade's heyday
in the mid-19th century,
332
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,562
bunny trains transported 30,000
carcasses a year to the London markets
333
00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,405
where they were sold
by the hundredweight.
334
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,721
If you had your warren
near a train station,
335
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,644
farming rabbits was
a lucrative business.
336
00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,724
With the passing of the Ground Game Act
in the 1880s,
337
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:42,928
anyone was allowed to hunt wild rabbits
338
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,083
and the industry went
into steady decline.
339
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:49,487
- Has it died out completely?
- Not entirely, no.
340
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,528
And in fact I think it's seen a revival.
341
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:56,891
With so much emphasis on using local
produce and naturally produced produce,
342
00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,203
I think we are seeing
more people eating rabbit meat.
343
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:06,361
The bunny trains and the rabbit
fur trade have long since gone,
344
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,408
but a few warreners survive.
345
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,802
With lean, healthy and sustainable
rabbit meat back on the menu,
346
00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:14,406
there's a business in bunnies again.
347
00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,370
Andy Simpson continues the tradition
of the warrener.
348
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:22,082
He learned his trade from his father
and is passing it on to his son Tim.
349
00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,290
This ancient form of animal husbandry
is important for another reason:
350
00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:30,809
conservation of the natural environment
and pest control.
351
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,407
What would happen if you were
not controlling the rabbit population?
352
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,007
They'd destroy the countryside
for cattle farmers and sheep farmers.
353
00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:42,130
The rabbits are undermining the ground
because they're tunnelling all the time.
354
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,567
The hole that you see,
it's a bit like an iceberg.
355
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,723
The hole is the tip of it.
The warren is expansive underneath.
356
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:48,608
Many years ago,
357
00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,810
this park would have been full of cattle
and sheep and the estate ponies.
358
00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:54,962
They daren't put them in here now.
359
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,090
The cattle and ponies would break their
legs walking over the rabbit warrens.
360
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,449
Now, I've been ignoring until now
your box of tricks.
361
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,000
We've got a few little noses
coming out of there.
362
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,165
Yeah. I've got a selection of these.
Molly's my main working bitch.
363
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,686
This is a cross
between a ferret and a polecat.
364
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:13,921
She won't bite.
365
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,241
- (Michael) Are you sure?
- Yeah.
366
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,891
You are a sweet creature.
367
00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,327
Where this one was
a domesticated ferret,
368
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,769
these are captured wild polecats.
369
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:27,808
That's a little boy one.
370
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:29,484
Mm-hmm. Do they go rabbiting yet?
371
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,244
- Not yet, no.
- Ooh!
372
00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:32,765
(both laugh)
373
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:35,721
(Michael) GM ma'.!
374
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,000
You've got a claim to fame.
You bit a politician.
375
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,851
With the two pesky polecats
back in their cage,
376
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,127
it's time for me to hop back
to Thetford Station
377
00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,568
where I'm going to board
my next train, northwest to Brandon.
378
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,645
This train is going to take me
out of Norfolk,
379
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,406
over the border into Suffolk
and the town of Brandon.
380
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:07,481
Bradshaw's tells me
381
00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,610
that this place formerly supplied
the government with gun flints.
382
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,842
Enough to spark anybody's interest.
383
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:24,002
Immediately I can see
how important flint is to this area.
384
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,129
Even the buildings here
are faced with the stone.
385
00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,409
This place is blessed with some
of the best quality flint in Britain
386
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,530
and flint was key to
the local economy for a very long time.
387
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:37,963
I've come to Grime's Graves,
388
00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,169
an ancient flint mine
just outside Brandon.
389
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,483
I'd like to find out how old
the area's flint business is
390
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:47,211
from archaeologist Dave Field.
391
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,760
- Hello, Dave.
- Hello, Michael. Pleased to meet you.
392
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,447
My Bradshaw's tells me that Brandon
supplied gunflints to the government.
393
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,171
- Tell me about that.
- Yes, that's very true.
394
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,210
And particularly during
the Napoleonic Wars.
395
00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,965
An enormous quantity of gunflints
were shipped out.
396
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,408
There are stories of something like
a million per month at one time.
397
00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,847
There was a particularly good seam
of flint here.
398
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,845
Jet black, very few imperfections.
Exceedingly good sparkability.
399
00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:16,926
Sparking properties were
of primary importance for musketry,
400
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,401
particularly for military purposes.
401
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:21,528
You can imagine,
at the Battle of Waterloo,
402
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,285
you wouldn't want your musket
to misfire too many times.
403
00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:26,840
Was it ever possible
to mass-produce gunflints?
404
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:28,968
No, this was a cottage industry.
405
00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,044
The Brandon knappers had
a five or six-year apprenticeship
406
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,964
before they could be set loose
and set up their own business.
407
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:39,364
We're in an area which bears
the scars of human activity,
408
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,444
but I assume this is nothing to do
with the Napoleonic era, is it?
409
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,490
No, no, no, this is all prehistoric.
410
00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,007
The Neolithic miners got here
long before the gunflint miners.
411
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,891
It seems that flint knapping is a skill
that's as old as the hills.
412
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,885
This site has now been dated
to over 4,000 years ago.
413
00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:02,568
Grime's Graves contains traces
of 400 Neolithic mineshafts
414
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,406
and is one of the most important
prehistoric sites in Britain.
415
00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,289
What was Neolithic man using it for?
416
00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:10,442
They were using it
for a variety of things.
417
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,366
It's reckoned that enough flint
was extracted from here
418
00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,081
in the Neolithic period to make
something like eight million stone axes.
419
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,208
Enormous quantities were shipped out.
420
00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,409
Much more so in the Neolithic period
than in the gunflint era.
421
00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,051
I'm going to take a closer look.
422
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,207
You get a real sense of descending
into the bowels of the earth, don't you?
423
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,841
The greenery peters out, the rock begins
and the temperature falls.
424
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,491
It does indeed.
It's pretty constant down here.
425
00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:44,248
And it's a real labyrinth.
All these little galleries interconnect.
426
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,563
Theoretically you could work your way
across the site underground.
427
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,567
You can see the hollows here
where a large nodule has been extracted.
428
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:58,204
The idea of course was to extract every
available piece of good black flint
429
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,931
that you could do
without the roof falling in.
430
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,244
So how did these Neolithic mines come to
light, if that's the right expression?
431
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,722
Well, it was following the period
of publication
432
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,325
oi Darwin's Origin of Species.
433
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,562
There was a new feeling
of inquiry about.
434
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:17,009
It was during that period that Canon
William Greenwell came to the site
435
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:18,923
and he dug one of the shafts
436
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,288
and found that it went down
something like 12 metres.
437
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,682
He found this seam of black flint.
438
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:27,762
It was quite clear then
what was going on,
439
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,810
that they were actually mining
this material in prehistory.
440
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,601
And he used some
of the gunflint miners from Brandon
441
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,569
to help him in that excavation.
442
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,927
So the gunflint miners had a big hand
443
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,844
in the discovery
of the prehistoric mining.
444
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,400
Well, I'd like to find out more
about flint knapping,
445
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:47,131
but for that I must return
to the surface.
446
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:48,645
Yes, let's do.
447
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,002
The flint knapping workshops
448
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:58,405
that were so busy in Brandon
in the early-19th century are no more,
449
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:02,087
but today, some enthusiasts
have revived the craft.
450
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,644
Will Lord provides traditional flints
for flintlock guns
451
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,281
used by historical re-enactment groups
across the globe.
452
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,247
- Hello, Will.
- Hello, Michael.
453
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,209
- Nice to meet you.
- Good to see you.
454
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,330
I had no idea that flint
would be such a big rock.
455
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:22,686
Yeah, we're really lucky.
456
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,924
We've got some of the best geology
of flint in Britain around here.
457
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,288
What is it that you are trying to make?
What's the end product?
458
00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:33,409
- (Will) This is the final product.
- It has to be very precise?
459
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:35,562
I notice not only that it's very square,
460
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:37,563
but you've shaved off
one side of it here.
461
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:39,927
(Will) Yeah.
That chamfer is really important.
462
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,844
It doesn't want to be too weak
at the end of its journey.
463
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:46,003
First a suitable stone
has to be selected
464
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,924
and quartered into a workable size.
465
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:50,525
(Michael) oh;
466
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:52,841
- (laughs) That's a surprise.
- Look at that.
467
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,481
We have made
an excellent choice in stone.
468
00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,610
- Look at this pure black silica.
- Isn't that absolutely glorious?
469
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,127
Then a workable-sized flake
has to be created
470
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,771
and Will is letting me have a bash.
471
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,888
- Just lean it in a little bit.
- Oh, damn.
472
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,042
It's all good.
Just touch it on the flint...
473
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,441
- Perfect.
- Could you make a flint out of that?
474
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:18,567
Yeah. That's great.
475
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:24,727
Only now can the flake be honed to the
correct shape and size for a gunflint.
476
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,041
- Got a bit of a shape there.
- You have.
477
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:29,327
But it doesn't really... let's face it.
478
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,768
(Will) No, look. You've got a really
good serviceable gunflint there.
479
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,161
- Well done.
- Thank you.
480
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:36,924
I'm no expert yet,
481
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,800
but I'm glad that We had a go
at man's oldest profession.
482
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,242
When Norwich acquired
its cathedral and castle
483
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,130
it was one of this country's
most important cities,
484
00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:52,524
using the river and the sea
to export wool to the continent.
485
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,570
When railways became
the main mode of transport,
486
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,326
Norfolk was left somewhat isolated
from the capital, London.
487
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:04,531
In such tranquillity, rabbit warrening
and flint knapping could survive,
488
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:09,242
unaffected by the Industrial Revolution
transforming the rest of Britain.
489
00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:14,203
On the next leg, I experience
490
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:16,886
19th-century
cutting-edge technology,“
491
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,128
And there it goes.
492
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:25,240
And a Victorian would recognise that
because it was made in the same way.
493
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,569
...l shell out for sea food
near Mersea Island...
494
00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:33,247
So this is the sort of oyster that, once
cleaned up, could appear on my plate?
495
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:34,128
It certainly is.
496
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,522
...and I'm tainted in an Essex orchard.
497
00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,524
That's where the phrase
"caught red-handed" comes from.
498
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,001
The indelible stain of crime.
499
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:56,128
Ripped By mstoll