Great British Railway Journeys (2010–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - Chester to Conwy - full transcript
In 1840, one man
transformed travel in Britain.
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 the country
to see what of Bradshaw's Britain
remains.
I'm now well into my railway journey
from the heart of rural England
to Anglesey,
using George Bradshaw's
19th-century guidebook.
Today's route will enable me
to look at some British history
from well before his time,
and to recall that British inventiveness
can be used to wage war
as well as to build bridges.
I'm well used to using "Bradshaw”
as my travel guide,
but more than that, it's a Victorian
encyclopaedia in my pocket.
Every day, it provides me
with fresh insights
into how the people and places
of Britain were shaped in history.
On this stretch of the journey,
I'll be exploring one of
the country's oldest streets...
This is stunning, Paul.
(Paul) Basically what we've got here
is a medieval shopping mall.
...uncovering a hidden
chemical weapons factory...
We're probably looking
at the Second World War's
most secret building in Britain, right?
In 1942-43, there was nowhere
more secret in the world than this.
Out it goes.
...and raking for mussels
Victorian-style.
I think I've got nothing at all.
Absolute empty set.
So far, I've already covered 118 miles
through the Welsh Marches.
Now I'm chugging north,
before following the coast of Wales
towards the National Park of Snowdonia.
Then I'll cross to Anglesey,
aiming for the port of Holyhead.
Today I'll be calling
at Chester and Flint,
before travelling on
to Llandudno and Conwy.
Shortly I'll be arriving at Chester,
the last English city that I'll visit
before going into Wales.
The railway line
from Chester to Holyhead
was built in order
to speed up communications.
And as Bradshaw says,
"The line is a very important one
in shortening the distance between
the chief city of the British Isles
and the important capital of Ireland,
and adds another noble power
to government
and the facilities of communication.”
Now, Ireland was a troublesome place
for the English in the 19th century.
In fact, when the line
was opened in 1848,
that was the year
of the famine in Ireland.
And being a Catholic country, the
English were nervous about revolution.
So anything
that strengthened communications,
strengthened the power
of the government in London,
was important politically,
and even Bradshaw noted that.
England was officially united
with Ireland in 1801
in an attempt to keep the Irish
under English rule.
Once they shared the same parliament,
a fast route for documents and mail
between London and Dublin was key.
The journey took about 33 hours by road.
When the new railway opened in 1848,
it was reduced to just 12 via Chester,
which became
a strategically important city.
As I arrived just now into Chester,
they're announcing connections
to London and Manchester and Liverpool.
It's a reminder that Chester is a hub,
and George Bradshaw
was very impressed by this
because several of
the different railway companies
had their own terminus here at Chester.
And he claimed that it had
the longest platform in England,
so I'm looking forward
to exploring Chester Station.
Bradshaw was right
that the station was busy,
and he also comments
on the architecture.
"That very noble pile of buildings
in the Italian style,
the Chester station is the longest
of all the railway termini in England.”
Magnificent though the station is,
Bradshaw writes about
his chief reason for visiting.
"Chester is a genuine Roman city,
built four-square within walls
which remain to this day.”
The walls are now
a scheduled ancient monument.
They've been repaired
and restored over the years,
but still follow
the original Roman layout.
Using my guide, I am going to explore
this 2,000-year-old settlement.
Do you know much
about the history of Chester?
Only the Romans, that's all.
But I don't know a lot about it.
- What did the Romans do for Chester?
- Oh, don't ask me. (laughs)
- Chester, are you proud of your city?
- Very much so.
Tell me a bit about the Roman history.
What should one think
about the Roman history?
There's the old port
over by the racecourse.
And every time
anybody excavates for a building,
there's another piece
of Roman history comes to light.
So it's just down there.
Chester was once the site of
the biggest Roman fort in Britain.
Tour guide Paul Hyde
has asked me to meet him
at the city's famous racecourse
to discover more.
- Paul. Michael.
- Good morning. Welcome to Chester.
Lovely to see you.
What a fantastic vista from here.
- Obviously over the racecourse.
- It's fantastic, isn't it?
The racecourse
was where the Roman port was.
Of course Chester really began
as a Roman fortress.
It was one of the three
legionary fortresses in Britain,
but also it was larger
than the other two.
And there is thought
that one of the reasons for that
is it may have been seen as a potential
base for the invasion of Ireland,
what is now Ireland.
That never happened.
Like the Romans,
the Victorians recognised Chester
as the gateway to Ireland and the west.
By the 1850s, four railway companies
ran lines through Chester
and the city was transformed.
Reading Bradshaw, you get the impression
that Chester becomes
an important railway hub.
I suppose the rails must have
contributed to a substantial revival
in Chester's fortunes.
In the mid-19th century, the railways
helped make Chester fairly prosperous.
And also, in 1861, the Great Western and
the London and North Western Railway
were the two biggest employers
in the city.
So the railway did make Chester
quite an important place.
Chester became
a major shopping destination,
attracting visitors
with its historic architecture.
Bradshaw writes,
"On both sides are lines of shops
and covered ways called the Rows,
to which you ascend by a few steps.”
By the 1860s,
American tourists were already arriving
by boat into Liverpool.
They boarded the train
to visit Chester's quaint Rows,
constructed along
the original Roman street plan.
This is stunning, Paul.
We've come off
what was the Roman street, yes?
Yes. Watergate Street,
Via Principalis in Roman times,
so we're following the line
of the Roman street.
But we're now on the Rows,
Chester's famous Rows,
which have been here
since the 13th century.
Basically what we've got here
is a medieval shopping mall,
which is unique to Chester.
So you would not be in the rain
if you were doing your shopping
and of course, away from the filth
of the street as well.
Greatly changed over the ages.
This is actually
a 13th-century stone arch.
But the outer building here,
Booth Mansion, is actually 1700.
(Michael) So the street as we see it now
is a remarkable collection
of different architectural styles.
(Paul) Yes, certainly.
It's very cosy. Out of the mud and rain.
Chester was an early
shopping destination.
(Paul) Absolutely.
As Victorian Chester's reputation grew,
the town centre was given
an extensive makeover.
Shops were rebuilt
in the black-and-white Tudor style,
adding to the picturesque appeal
of the town to tourists.
It's time for me to bid farewell
to historic Chester
and continue on the next leg
of my journey.
I'm now leaving England,
bound 12 miles
across the Welsh border to Flint.
My "Bradshaw's Guide" tells me
to keep my eyes open along the way.
I'm just coming up to the Dee Bridge.
Bradshaw says, "We cross the River Dee
on the largest cast-iron
girder bridge in the kingdom,"
which is slightly puzzling
because actually the bridge was built
in cast iron by Robert Stephenson,
but it collapsed in 1847.
The accident on the Dee was the first
railway bridge disaster in Britain.
A cast-iron girder cracked,
plunging a train into the river
and killing five people.
Afterwards, bridge builders
abandoned brittle cast iron
in favour of more flexible wrought iron.
In Bradshaw's day, the Dee Estuary
was an area of heavy industry.
My guide says,
"There are extensive collieries,
the coals from which are shipped
to Liverpool, Ireland
and various parts of Wales."
Today, the collieries are gone,
but another landmark
mentioned by Bradshaw remains.
My guide describes
the haunting Flint Castle, saying,
"At no very great distance
from the railway,
the castle is but a mere shell,
there being left
only the grey ruined walls."”
It's another of those fortresses
built to subdue the Welsh.
(tannoy) We are now at Flint.
I'm heading just outside Flint
to Rhydymwyn
to meet local historian Colin Barber.
In the 1940s, the railway tracks
that once served the coal industry
were put to work
in a very different cause.
Hi, Colin. This place
we're standing now, what was it?
This was a chemical weapons factory.
A wartime chemical weapons factory,
and this was goods in.
(Michael)
So these were the tracks coming in,
and, what, the ingredients
for chemical weapons arrived here?
All of the components for them, yes.
And what were they making here?
They were making mustard gas
and smoke grenades.
This branch line ran
to a secret chemical weapons factory
making mustard gas shells.
That gas was first used by Germany
in World War One.
The effects were so horrific that
its use was banned after the war's end
by the Geneva Convention,
so it's strange to find that
it was being manufactured here in 1942.
This is a bit shocking really.
What were we doing
making chemical weapons?
(Colin) Everybody made them
in case the other side used them first.
But we intended to use them
in Great Britain
if the Germans invaded our beaches.
In 1939, the government asked ICI
to set up this factory at Rhydymwyn
because it was remote,
but close enough
to the ICI chemical works at Runcorn.
It also had good rail links
to transport the shells and mustard gas.
The first use of the gas in war
was illegal,
but manufacturing it
as a precaution wasn't
(Colin) This is the tunnels
where the chemical weapons
and the bulk mustard gas were stored.
Roughly 3,000 tons of it.
Good Lord.
Colin, I can't see any great distance
because of the dark,
but it appears to be an enormous tunnel.
What...
Burrowed into the hillside, is it?
(Colin) Well, it's about 860-odd feet
long. About 300 metres.
Once the shells were filled,
they were stored for 24 hours
to make sure they didn't leak.
One drop of gas
could cause severe burns and blistering.
Then they were sent by rail
to depots around the country,
accompanied by special staff
trained to deal with any contamination.
The people doing the work, men, women...
Mostly men to start with,
but from '42 onwards, mostly ladies.
The most hazardous part of the job
was adding the explosives and detonators
to the shells holding the mustard gas.
It was done
in the so-called danger area.
(Colin)
This building was the first place
where the workers came into contact
with the charged shells
and the explosives.
They got the shells and they
strapped them to the bench with a strap,
like the one you put on the back of
a golf buggy to hold the bag on there,
and they would have
a doughnut-shaped charge of explosives.
Into the middle of that,
you put the fuse.
When it actually fired, the fuse
would hit, the explosives would go off,
and it would blow the tail
of the shell off,
and it would disperse the mustard gas.
So that's where they
put it all together here,
and to make sure they got
the mixtures correct and so on,
they weighed them here,
and occasionally,
as all sorts of different shells
were coming through here,
they did all of
the calculations on the wall.
(Michael) This is calculating
to make sure they got
the right amount of gas
inside the shell.
- Yes.
- Wow.
Towards the end of the war,
workers at Rhydymwyn began research
that was even more hush-hush.
We're probably looking
at the Second World War's
most secret building in Britain, right?
In 1942-43, there was nowhere
more secret in the world than this.
Here, scientists worked
on extracting uranium-235,
a key stage in the development
of the atomic bomb.
The research was to be completed
in the United States,
but the foundations
of nuclear weaponry were laid here.
Every time I come into this building,
it does have a presence.
- It is eerie and sombre.
- Yeah.
(Colin) And it not only echoes,
but it has an ambience.
Because the world's most
gruesome weapons were developed here.
For the next leg of my journey,
I'm leaving Flint
to follow my "Bradshaw's Guide"
to Llandudno.
This line hugs the coast and you get
memorable views across the water.
This train was jolly busy when I got on.
Is it always like that?
It is from Manchester.
It's a commuter train.
Then the summer season
is starting up now
so you get a lot of visitors
coming down as well.
- What is the most popular destination?
- Llandudno.
A lot of people
taking their holidays there?
- That's right.
- Why do you think they go there?
It's the queen of the Welsh resorts.
- Is it?
- It is indeed.
Since the railways came to this part
of Wales in the mid-19th century,
this stretch of coast
has been a popular tourist destination.
Bradshaw writes,
"This delightful place has become one
of great import as a summer resort.”
"The air is peculiarly salubrious.”
(tannoy) We are now at Llandudno,
our final station.
I've arrived at the seaside.
Those lovely stations
that are like a full stop.
You've come to the end of the line.
Beyond only beaches, sand and surf.
And, of course,
Bradshaw was absolutely right.
The air... is peculiarly salubrious.
As it's fate,
I'm heading straight to my hotel,
which is perched on the edge
of Llandudno's most famous landmark,
the Great Orme, a promontory
which looms above the town.
In Bradshaw's day,
Victorian visitors took bracing walks
on this stunning rock
to catch the fine views,
a custom continued to this day.
Now, this is where I'm staying,
and I was told
I was coming to a lighthouse.
But actually
it looks more like a castle.
Anyway, fantastic spot.
It's going to have a pretty good view.
This lighthouse was built
400 feet up on the promontory,
and so didn't require a tower
to be clearly visible to shipping.
- Hello. Are you Fiona?
- I am, yes.
- Oh! What a fantastic place.
- Hello. Nice to meet you.
Gosh, isn't that beautiful?
Not at all what I expected.
Fiona Kilpatrick owns
this 19th-century curiosity,
which is now a B&B.
Ah! (chuckles)
There can't be any other room
like this in the world.
We're absolutely hung out here
over the sea.
It's certainly one of
the most remarkable vistas
that I've enjoyed on my travels.
I've slept like a log.
The weather is very different today.
Maybe I should have done
more sightseeing yesterday.
But I don't know.
This billowing wildness today
helps me to appreciate
this wild landscape.
And Bradshaw was certainly right
about the views,
as I look down now on Llandudno
laid out like a map.
And it makes me anxious to learn more
about this fascinating place.
As with all British journeys,
you have to be prepared
for whatever the weather throws at you.
I'm going to go down to Llandudno now
on the Great Orme Tramway,
which looks a wonderful piece
of historic railway architecture.
Opened in 1902, this tramway
has been delighting tourists ever since.
It's the only one of its kind
still running on a British public road.
You've got a job
that many people would envy.
- (driver) Yes.
- What system are we running on here?
I see there's a cable.
Are we gripping that cable?
(driver) It's fixed
onto the tram underneath
so we're permanently fixed
to this cable.
Permanently fixed. And as we're
going down, is the other one coming up?
- (driver) Yeah.
- So we're kind of balanced in some way.
This one helps
that other one coming up,
but we're synchronised so that
when we get to this loop here now,
we'll pass perfectly safely.
(Michael) You get fantastic views.
Particularly you do,
being out here at the front.
It's the best view in town this, yeah.
Thank you, I really enjoyed that.
Great fun, thank you.
OK, thank you.
You go to many British coastal resorts
and they're faded
and the paint is flaking.
But not Llandudno.
It's in perfect condition.
Notice the lovely pastel colours, notice
that everything is freshly painted.
There are no modern buildings,
there are no skyscrapers,
there are no horrible signs.
And why would this be?
I think it's because one family
has controlled this place for 500 years.
Bradshaw refers
to Sir Pyers Mostyn, Baronet,
but he was just one of
the generations of the Mostyn family
that have been associated
with Llandudno for half a millennium.
When the railways arrived
in the 19th century,
the Mostyns saw an opportunity
to take advantage
of the new connection
running through their land.
They designed a purpose-built
Victorian seaside resort,
laid out on a curving grid
that followed the sweep of the bay.
It's maintained its distinction
ever since.
Hello. Are you from Llandudno?
- That's right.
- Lovely to see you.
You're wearing a Llandudno life...
You're a crew member.
- That's right.
- What's it like to live in Llandudno?
It's a nice town, a lot of good places
to eat, drink, friendly people.
- (Michael) It's very well kept.
- (man) Very well kept.
Lovely front
that you'll have seen to the bay.
The local landowners
ensure that it's kept in good condition.
- The Mostyn family.
- Yes, that's right.
Strikingly, much of Llandudno
is still owned by the Mostyn estate,
which may be why
it's so finely preserved.
I'm now leaving Llandudno
for the last leg of my journey to Conwy
in search of my supper.
On this stretch of the line,
Bradshaw urges me to be alert
for an engineering marvel.
So, in a few moments,
we are going to be passing through
what Bradshaw described as "that
wonder of modern engineering skill",
referring to Stephenson's
tubular bridge.
Now, being a tube, as you pass
through it, there is no daylight.
It's going to be dark, so we're
definitely not going to miss it.
Stephenson's bridge design was radical.
A series of wrought-iron plates
was riveted together to make a tube.
Prefabricated on the shore, it was then
lifted into place in only nine days.
The tube's inherent strength
allowed Stephenson to create
a 400-foot bridge without supports.
After a few seconds of darkness,
we emerge into daylight beneath "the
lofty shattered walls of Conwy Castle".
"Sweeping around the base of the castle
on a circle, the railway glides on
and enters the town of Conwy
under a pointed arch,
constructed in the old town walls."
Conwy, with its 13th-century castle,
was a distinctive place.
When the bridge was built in 1848,
it was the first time that an engineer
and an architect worked together
to create a design
that respected the historic town.
Stephenson and his architect
devised ramparts in medieval-style
to bookend the modern structure.
But I'm not just here to see the bridge.
Do not adjust your set. This change
of colour into these fetching oilskins
is because I'm going
to go raking mussels.
I'm here to meet Jamie Hughes.
His family has fished mussels
across ten generations.
- Hello, Jamie.
- Hi.
When the railways arrived, Conwy's
famous mussel industry boomed.
Jamie still sets his watch
by the trains.
I see the railway runs very close
by here. Presumably in the 19th century,
they used the railways
to get the mussels transported.
Yes, From Conwy.
From the sidings in Conwy,
and travel to the markets within a day.
And I actually use the train
as a guide for the times.
So I know what time
the tide is coming in.
You time yourself by the trains?
If I see it in the morning,
I know it's 7:15.
(Michael) That's a very good
advertisement for the train service.
Are there many mussel rakers today?
Full time on the job,
probably about six, seven.
- Really?
- It's changed a lot in the years.
In the 19th century, Conwy
had about 60 licensed mussel men.
Saltwater mussels were raked
from the bay for food
and put on the train
to Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.
Freshwater mussels were also collected
from the river for their pearls.
These days,
there are about 12 mussel men left,
catching only the saltwater variety.
Tell me about
this bit of equipment then.
- It's very heavy for a start.
- Yeah.
Quite a vicious looking thing.
And that's been used for a long time?
Hundreds of years.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- The technique is just the same?
- Just the same.
Raking doesn't produce a huge catch.
Jamie sells what he can locally.
The rest goes to markets across the UK.
Tell me, why would I enjoy
a Conwy mussel more than any other?
It's a better flavour,
it's a better taste.
I would say that from here,
but they're feeding
from the freshwater and this seawater.
(Michael) I think it's time I had a go.
Out it goes.
As you say,
the technique is not to let go.
(Jamie) And lose a bit of time.
Not sure I'm feeling any mussels.
Not in the river bed anyway.
- It's tough work that.
- It is. Keep pulling it.
I think I got nothing at all.
Absolute empty set.
Elsewhere, mussel men have started
to use mechanical dredgers,
but in Conwy,
they still do it the hard way.
- Put that on your shoulder.
- On my shoulder like this.
Hooray! Wow!
What a sense of achievement.
I've actually got some mussels on board.
Look at that.
(Jamie) Good ones, too.
(Michael) Oh, boy, that feels good.
Travelling along the North Wales coast,
I'm pleased that so much
still recalls the Victorian era.
Places like Chester, Llandudno
and Conwy
would be recognisable to be Bradshaw,
and they maintain
strong connections with the past.
Bradshaw describes the railway
as "gliding past
the walls of Conwy Castle".
The Chester to Holyhead line
has transported me
from Roman times to World War Two.
It has enabled me
to glide through British history.
On my next journey,
I'll be discovering how trains
helped an early mail-order business...
- What is it that they contain?
- Iron.
- And does it give you energy?
- Of course it does.
...staying in Britain's
first artists' colony...
One of the descriptions
in the 1840s, 1850s,
is that it looks like
the encampment of an invading army,
because there are easels
and white tents,
and every blooming rock
has got an artist sitting on it.
...and exploring the Victorian
slate capital of the world.
We've popped out
into a different universe.
Where are the trees now?
Where is the green?
Just piles and piles and piles
of grey slate.
transformed travel in Britain.
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 the country
to see what of Bradshaw's Britain
remains.
I'm now well into my railway journey
from the heart of rural England
to Anglesey,
using George Bradshaw's
19th-century guidebook.
Today's route will enable me
to look at some British history
from well before his time,
and to recall that British inventiveness
can be used to wage war
as well as to build bridges.
I'm well used to using "Bradshaw”
as my travel guide,
but more than that, it's a Victorian
encyclopaedia in my pocket.
Every day, it provides me
with fresh insights
into how the people and places
of Britain were shaped in history.
On this stretch of the journey,
I'll be exploring one of
the country's oldest streets...
This is stunning, Paul.
(Paul) Basically what we've got here
is a medieval shopping mall.
...uncovering a hidden
chemical weapons factory...
We're probably looking
at the Second World War's
most secret building in Britain, right?
In 1942-43, there was nowhere
more secret in the world than this.
Out it goes.
...and raking for mussels
Victorian-style.
I think I've got nothing at all.
Absolute empty set.
So far, I've already covered 118 miles
through the Welsh Marches.
Now I'm chugging north,
before following the coast of Wales
towards the National Park of Snowdonia.
Then I'll cross to Anglesey,
aiming for the port of Holyhead.
Today I'll be calling
at Chester and Flint,
before travelling on
to Llandudno and Conwy.
Shortly I'll be arriving at Chester,
the last English city that I'll visit
before going into Wales.
The railway line
from Chester to Holyhead
was built in order
to speed up communications.
And as Bradshaw says,
"The line is a very important one
in shortening the distance between
the chief city of the British Isles
and the important capital of Ireland,
and adds another noble power
to government
and the facilities of communication.”
Now, Ireland was a troublesome place
for the English in the 19th century.
In fact, when the line
was opened in 1848,
that was the year
of the famine in Ireland.
And being a Catholic country, the
English were nervous about revolution.
So anything
that strengthened communications,
strengthened the power
of the government in London,
was important politically,
and even Bradshaw noted that.
England was officially united
with Ireland in 1801
in an attempt to keep the Irish
under English rule.
Once they shared the same parliament,
a fast route for documents and mail
between London and Dublin was key.
The journey took about 33 hours by road.
When the new railway opened in 1848,
it was reduced to just 12 via Chester,
which became
a strategically important city.
As I arrived just now into Chester,
they're announcing connections
to London and Manchester and Liverpool.
It's a reminder that Chester is a hub,
and George Bradshaw
was very impressed by this
because several of
the different railway companies
had their own terminus here at Chester.
And he claimed that it had
the longest platform in England,
so I'm looking forward
to exploring Chester Station.
Bradshaw was right
that the station was busy,
and he also comments
on the architecture.
"That very noble pile of buildings
in the Italian style,
the Chester station is the longest
of all the railway termini in England.”
Magnificent though the station is,
Bradshaw writes about
his chief reason for visiting.
"Chester is a genuine Roman city,
built four-square within walls
which remain to this day.”
The walls are now
a scheduled ancient monument.
They've been repaired
and restored over the years,
but still follow
the original Roman layout.
Using my guide, I am going to explore
this 2,000-year-old settlement.
Do you know much
about the history of Chester?
Only the Romans, that's all.
But I don't know a lot about it.
- What did the Romans do for Chester?
- Oh, don't ask me. (laughs)
- Chester, are you proud of your city?
- Very much so.
Tell me a bit about the Roman history.
What should one think
about the Roman history?
There's the old port
over by the racecourse.
And every time
anybody excavates for a building,
there's another piece
of Roman history comes to light.
So it's just down there.
Chester was once the site of
the biggest Roman fort in Britain.
Tour guide Paul Hyde
has asked me to meet him
at the city's famous racecourse
to discover more.
- Paul. Michael.
- Good morning. Welcome to Chester.
Lovely to see you.
What a fantastic vista from here.
- Obviously over the racecourse.
- It's fantastic, isn't it?
The racecourse
was where the Roman port was.
Of course Chester really began
as a Roman fortress.
It was one of the three
legionary fortresses in Britain,
but also it was larger
than the other two.
And there is thought
that one of the reasons for that
is it may have been seen as a potential
base for the invasion of Ireland,
what is now Ireland.
That never happened.
Like the Romans,
the Victorians recognised Chester
as the gateway to Ireland and the west.
By the 1850s, four railway companies
ran lines through Chester
and the city was transformed.
Reading Bradshaw, you get the impression
that Chester becomes
an important railway hub.
I suppose the rails must have
contributed to a substantial revival
in Chester's fortunes.
In the mid-19th century, the railways
helped make Chester fairly prosperous.
And also, in 1861, the Great Western and
the London and North Western Railway
were the two biggest employers
in the city.
So the railway did make Chester
quite an important place.
Chester became
a major shopping destination,
attracting visitors
with its historic architecture.
Bradshaw writes,
"On both sides are lines of shops
and covered ways called the Rows,
to which you ascend by a few steps.”
By the 1860s,
American tourists were already arriving
by boat into Liverpool.
They boarded the train
to visit Chester's quaint Rows,
constructed along
the original Roman street plan.
This is stunning, Paul.
We've come off
what was the Roman street, yes?
Yes. Watergate Street,
Via Principalis in Roman times,
so we're following the line
of the Roman street.
But we're now on the Rows,
Chester's famous Rows,
which have been here
since the 13th century.
Basically what we've got here
is a medieval shopping mall,
which is unique to Chester.
So you would not be in the rain
if you were doing your shopping
and of course, away from the filth
of the street as well.
Greatly changed over the ages.
This is actually
a 13th-century stone arch.
But the outer building here,
Booth Mansion, is actually 1700.
(Michael) So the street as we see it now
is a remarkable collection
of different architectural styles.
(Paul) Yes, certainly.
It's very cosy. Out of the mud and rain.
Chester was an early
shopping destination.
(Paul) Absolutely.
As Victorian Chester's reputation grew,
the town centre was given
an extensive makeover.
Shops were rebuilt
in the black-and-white Tudor style,
adding to the picturesque appeal
of the town to tourists.
It's time for me to bid farewell
to historic Chester
and continue on the next leg
of my journey.
I'm now leaving England,
bound 12 miles
across the Welsh border to Flint.
My "Bradshaw's Guide" tells me
to keep my eyes open along the way.
I'm just coming up to the Dee Bridge.
Bradshaw says, "We cross the River Dee
on the largest cast-iron
girder bridge in the kingdom,"
which is slightly puzzling
because actually the bridge was built
in cast iron by Robert Stephenson,
but it collapsed in 1847.
The accident on the Dee was the first
railway bridge disaster in Britain.
A cast-iron girder cracked,
plunging a train into the river
and killing five people.
Afterwards, bridge builders
abandoned brittle cast iron
in favour of more flexible wrought iron.
In Bradshaw's day, the Dee Estuary
was an area of heavy industry.
My guide says,
"There are extensive collieries,
the coals from which are shipped
to Liverpool, Ireland
and various parts of Wales."
Today, the collieries are gone,
but another landmark
mentioned by Bradshaw remains.
My guide describes
the haunting Flint Castle, saying,
"At no very great distance
from the railway,
the castle is but a mere shell,
there being left
only the grey ruined walls."”
It's another of those fortresses
built to subdue the Welsh.
(tannoy) We are now at Flint.
I'm heading just outside Flint
to Rhydymwyn
to meet local historian Colin Barber.
In the 1940s, the railway tracks
that once served the coal industry
were put to work
in a very different cause.
Hi, Colin. This place
we're standing now, what was it?
This was a chemical weapons factory.
A wartime chemical weapons factory,
and this was goods in.
(Michael)
So these were the tracks coming in,
and, what, the ingredients
for chemical weapons arrived here?
All of the components for them, yes.
And what were they making here?
They were making mustard gas
and smoke grenades.
This branch line ran
to a secret chemical weapons factory
making mustard gas shells.
That gas was first used by Germany
in World War One.
The effects were so horrific that
its use was banned after the war's end
by the Geneva Convention,
so it's strange to find that
it was being manufactured here in 1942.
This is a bit shocking really.
What were we doing
making chemical weapons?
(Colin) Everybody made them
in case the other side used them first.
But we intended to use them
in Great Britain
if the Germans invaded our beaches.
In 1939, the government asked ICI
to set up this factory at Rhydymwyn
because it was remote,
but close enough
to the ICI chemical works at Runcorn.
It also had good rail links
to transport the shells and mustard gas.
The first use of the gas in war
was illegal,
but manufacturing it
as a precaution wasn't
(Colin) This is the tunnels
where the chemical weapons
and the bulk mustard gas were stored.
Roughly 3,000 tons of it.
Good Lord.
Colin, I can't see any great distance
because of the dark,
but it appears to be an enormous tunnel.
What...
Burrowed into the hillside, is it?
(Colin) Well, it's about 860-odd feet
long. About 300 metres.
Once the shells were filled,
they were stored for 24 hours
to make sure they didn't leak.
One drop of gas
could cause severe burns and blistering.
Then they were sent by rail
to depots around the country,
accompanied by special staff
trained to deal with any contamination.
The people doing the work, men, women...
Mostly men to start with,
but from '42 onwards, mostly ladies.
The most hazardous part of the job
was adding the explosives and detonators
to the shells holding the mustard gas.
It was done
in the so-called danger area.
(Colin)
This building was the first place
where the workers came into contact
with the charged shells
and the explosives.
They got the shells and they
strapped them to the bench with a strap,
like the one you put on the back of
a golf buggy to hold the bag on there,
and they would have
a doughnut-shaped charge of explosives.
Into the middle of that,
you put the fuse.
When it actually fired, the fuse
would hit, the explosives would go off,
and it would blow the tail
of the shell off,
and it would disperse the mustard gas.
So that's where they
put it all together here,
and to make sure they got
the mixtures correct and so on,
they weighed them here,
and occasionally,
as all sorts of different shells
were coming through here,
they did all of
the calculations on the wall.
(Michael) This is calculating
to make sure they got
the right amount of gas
inside the shell.
- Yes.
- Wow.
Towards the end of the war,
workers at Rhydymwyn began research
that was even more hush-hush.
We're probably looking
at the Second World War's
most secret building in Britain, right?
In 1942-43, there was nowhere
more secret in the world than this.
Here, scientists worked
on extracting uranium-235,
a key stage in the development
of the atomic bomb.
The research was to be completed
in the United States,
but the foundations
of nuclear weaponry were laid here.
Every time I come into this building,
it does have a presence.
- It is eerie and sombre.
- Yeah.
(Colin) And it not only echoes,
but it has an ambience.
Because the world's most
gruesome weapons were developed here.
For the next leg of my journey,
I'm leaving Flint
to follow my "Bradshaw's Guide"
to Llandudno.
This line hugs the coast and you get
memorable views across the water.
This train was jolly busy when I got on.
Is it always like that?
It is from Manchester.
It's a commuter train.
Then the summer season
is starting up now
so you get a lot of visitors
coming down as well.
- What is the most popular destination?
- Llandudno.
A lot of people
taking their holidays there?
- That's right.
- Why do you think they go there?
It's the queen of the Welsh resorts.
- Is it?
- It is indeed.
Since the railways came to this part
of Wales in the mid-19th century,
this stretch of coast
has been a popular tourist destination.
Bradshaw writes,
"This delightful place has become one
of great import as a summer resort.”
"The air is peculiarly salubrious.”
(tannoy) We are now at Llandudno,
our final station.
I've arrived at the seaside.
Those lovely stations
that are like a full stop.
You've come to the end of the line.
Beyond only beaches, sand and surf.
And, of course,
Bradshaw was absolutely right.
The air... is peculiarly salubrious.
As it's fate,
I'm heading straight to my hotel,
which is perched on the edge
of Llandudno's most famous landmark,
the Great Orme, a promontory
which looms above the town.
In Bradshaw's day,
Victorian visitors took bracing walks
on this stunning rock
to catch the fine views,
a custom continued to this day.
Now, this is where I'm staying,
and I was told
I was coming to a lighthouse.
But actually
it looks more like a castle.
Anyway, fantastic spot.
It's going to have a pretty good view.
This lighthouse was built
400 feet up on the promontory,
and so didn't require a tower
to be clearly visible to shipping.
- Hello. Are you Fiona?
- I am, yes.
- Oh! What a fantastic place.
- Hello. Nice to meet you.
Gosh, isn't that beautiful?
Not at all what I expected.
Fiona Kilpatrick owns
this 19th-century curiosity,
which is now a B&B.
Ah! (chuckles)
There can't be any other room
like this in the world.
We're absolutely hung out here
over the sea.
It's certainly one of
the most remarkable vistas
that I've enjoyed on my travels.
I've slept like a log.
The weather is very different today.
Maybe I should have done
more sightseeing yesterday.
But I don't know.
This billowing wildness today
helps me to appreciate
this wild landscape.
And Bradshaw was certainly right
about the views,
as I look down now on Llandudno
laid out like a map.
And it makes me anxious to learn more
about this fascinating place.
As with all British journeys,
you have to be prepared
for whatever the weather throws at you.
I'm going to go down to Llandudno now
on the Great Orme Tramway,
which looks a wonderful piece
of historic railway architecture.
Opened in 1902, this tramway
has been delighting tourists ever since.
It's the only one of its kind
still running on a British public road.
You've got a job
that many people would envy.
- (driver) Yes.
- What system are we running on here?
I see there's a cable.
Are we gripping that cable?
(driver) It's fixed
onto the tram underneath
so we're permanently fixed
to this cable.
Permanently fixed. And as we're
going down, is the other one coming up?
- (driver) Yeah.
- So we're kind of balanced in some way.
This one helps
that other one coming up,
but we're synchronised so that
when we get to this loop here now,
we'll pass perfectly safely.
(Michael) You get fantastic views.
Particularly you do,
being out here at the front.
It's the best view in town this, yeah.
Thank you, I really enjoyed that.
Great fun, thank you.
OK, thank you.
You go to many British coastal resorts
and they're faded
and the paint is flaking.
But not Llandudno.
It's in perfect condition.
Notice the lovely pastel colours, notice
that everything is freshly painted.
There are no modern buildings,
there are no skyscrapers,
there are no horrible signs.
And why would this be?
I think it's because one family
has controlled this place for 500 years.
Bradshaw refers
to Sir Pyers Mostyn, Baronet,
but he was just one of
the generations of the Mostyn family
that have been associated
with Llandudno for half a millennium.
When the railways arrived
in the 19th century,
the Mostyns saw an opportunity
to take advantage
of the new connection
running through their land.
They designed a purpose-built
Victorian seaside resort,
laid out on a curving grid
that followed the sweep of the bay.
It's maintained its distinction
ever since.
Hello. Are you from Llandudno?
- That's right.
- Lovely to see you.
You're wearing a Llandudno life...
You're a crew member.
- That's right.
- What's it like to live in Llandudno?
It's a nice town, a lot of good places
to eat, drink, friendly people.
- (Michael) It's very well kept.
- (man) Very well kept.
Lovely front
that you'll have seen to the bay.
The local landowners
ensure that it's kept in good condition.
- The Mostyn family.
- Yes, that's right.
Strikingly, much of Llandudno
is still owned by the Mostyn estate,
which may be why
it's so finely preserved.
I'm now leaving Llandudno
for the last leg of my journey to Conwy
in search of my supper.
On this stretch of the line,
Bradshaw urges me to be alert
for an engineering marvel.
So, in a few moments,
we are going to be passing through
what Bradshaw described as "that
wonder of modern engineering skill",
referring to Stephenson's
tubular bridge.
Now, being a tube, as you pass
through it, there is no daylight.
It's going to be dark, so we're
definitely not going to miss it.
Stephenson's bridge design was radical.
A series of wrought-iron plates
was riveted together to make a tube.
Prefabricated on the shore, it was then
lifted into place in only nine days.
The tube's inherent strength
allowed Stephenson to create
a 400-foot bridge without supports.
After a few seconds of darkness,
we emerge into daylight beneath "the
lofty shattered walls of Conwy Castle".
"Sweeping around the base of the castle
on a circle, the railway glides on
and enters the town of Conwy
under a pointed arch,
constructed in the old town walls."
Conwy, with its 13th-century castle,
was a distinctive place.
When the bridge was built in 1848,
it was the first time that an engineer
and an architect worked together
to create a design
that respected the historic town.
Stephenson and his architect
devised ramparts in medieval-style
to bookend the modern structure.
But I'm not just here to see the bridge.
Do not adjust your set. This change
of colour into these fetching oilskins
is because I'm going
to go raking mussels.
I'm here to meet Jamie Hughes.
His family has fished mussels
across ten generations.
- Hello, Jamie.
- Hi.
When the railways arrived, Conwy's
famous mussel industry boomed.
Jamie still sets his watch
by the trains.
I see the railway runs very close
by here. Presumably in the 19th century,
they used the railways
to get the mussels transported.
Yes, From Conwy.
From the sidings in Conwy,
and travel to the markets within a day.
And I actually use the train
as a guide for the times.
So I know what time
the tide is coming in.
You time yourself by the trains?
If I see it in the morning,
I know it's 7:15.
(Michael) That's a very good
advertisement for the train service.
Are there many mussel rakers today?
Full time on the job,
probably about six, seven.
- Really?
- It's changed a lot in the years.
In the 19th century, Conwy
had about 60 licensed mussel men.
Saltwater mussels were raked
from the bay for food
and put on the train
to Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.
Freshwater mussels were also collected
from the river for their pearls.
These days,
there are about 12 mussel men left,
catching only the saltwater variety.
Tell me about
this bit of equipment then.
- It's very heavy for a start.
- Yeah.
Quite a vicious looking thing.
And that's been used for a long time?
Hundreds of years.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- The technique is just the same?
- Just the same.
Raking doesn't produce a huge catch.
Jamie sells what he can locally.
The rest goes to markets across the UK.
Tell me, why would I enjoy
a Conwy mussel more than any other?
It's a better flavour,
it's a better taste.
I would say that from here,
but they're feeding
from the freshwater and this seawater.
(Michael) I think it's time I had a go.
Out it goes.
As you say,
the technique is not to let go.
(Jamie) And lose a bit of time.
Not sure I'm feeling any mussels.
Not in the river bed anyway.
- It's tough work that.
- It is. Keep pulling it.
I think I got nothing at all.
Absolute empty set.
Elsewhere, mussel men have started
to use mechanical dredgers,
but in Conwy,
they still do it the hard way.
- Put that on your shoulder.
- On my shoulder like this.
Hooray! Wow!
What a sense of achievement.
I've actually got some mussels on board.
Look at that.
(Jamie) Good ones, too.
(Michael) Oh, boy, that feels good.
Travelling along the North Wales coast,
I'm pleased that so much
still recalls the Victorian era.
Places like Chester, Llandudno
and Conwy
would be recognisable to be Bradshaw,
and they maintain
strong connections with the past.
Bradshaw describes the railway
as "gliding past
the walls of Conwy Castle".
The Chester to Holyhead line
has transported me
from Roman times to World War Two.
It has enabled me
to glide through British history.
On my next journey,
I'll be discovering how trains
helped an early mail-order business...
- What is it that they contain?
- Iron.
- And does it give you energy?
- Of course it does.
...staying in Britain's
first artists' colony...
One of the descriptions
in the 1840s, 1850s,
is that it looks like
the encampment of an invading army,
because there are easels
and white tents,
and every blooming rock
has got an artist sitting on it.
...and exploring the Victorian
slate capital of the world.
We've popped out
into a different universe.
Where are the trees now?
Where is the green?
Just piles and piles and piles
of grey slate.