Great British Railway Journeys (2010–…): Season 6, Episode 17 - Swansea to Hereford - full transcript
[OPENING THEME MUSIC]
For Victorian Britons, George Bradshaw
was a household name.
At a time when railways
were new...
Bradshaw's guidebook inspired
them to take to the tracks.
I'm using a Bradshaw's guide to understand
how trains transformed Britain.
Its landscape...
its industry, society...
and leisure time.
As I arias-cross the country a hundred
and fifty years later...
it helps me to discover
the Britain of today.
Today, I'm excited to be embarking
on the Heart of Wales line.
Completed only in 1868 to
serve the needs of the...
agricultural, tin
and anthracite industries...
Now it's used mainly by locals
and tourists - who gasp...
at its spectacular viaducts and tunnels,
on a line that is historic, scenic and epic.
This week I'm travelling across Britain,
from West Wales to East Anglia.
My journey, which began in Pembroke
Dock, continued to Swansea...
and now passes through the valleys
and mountains of Wales...
crossing into Herefordshire, and
moving south-east to Oxford...
to take in Bedford, and
to end in Cambridge.
Today's leg begins in
Swansea...
moves north to marvel at
the exotic in Llandeilo...
finds a room with a
view in Ludlow...
heads south to
Leominster...
before arriving in
Hereford.
On this journey, I receive a
lesson in Welsh pronunciation.
Start from Pantyffynnon
to Llandeilo...
and then there's Llandeilo
to Llandovery...
Llandovery to
Llanwrtyd...
You don't get confused with
all your "Hans", do you?
Well, I don't!
[LAUGHTER]
Step into my dancing shoes
for a quadrille.
And away they go...!
And put my schoolboy scrumping
skills to good use.
Heavens, that is
delicious!
- Nice and fruity, isn't it?
- Ah!
Be even better when
it's alcoholic!
[LAUGHTER]
Definitely. Part of your five a day, that.
This part of the line had been
built by 1857.
So my Bradshaw's lists the stations - which
are tongue-twisters for the non-Welsh speaker.
Llanelli, Llandeilo, Llangadog,
Llandovery.
I'll be getting off at Llandeilo,
in order to visit Aberglasney...
magnetised, as the Victorians were,
by its old-fashioned gardens.
[TRAIN HORN]
At the time of my guidebook,
in order to reach the gardens...
visitors would pass through the picturesque
medieval market town of Llandeilo...
on the River Towy.
With the expansion of the British
Empire, exotic plants...
such as rhododendrons and
azaleas, reached Britain.
By the mid-19th century, botany
had gripped the nation.
With it came revived interest in the
formal garden design of earlier eras.
So it's no surprise that Aberglasney's
Elizabethan parterres...
were a source of inspiration to
green-fingered Victorians.
I'm meeting Roger Evans, of the
Aberglasney Restoration Trust.
Roger, there's a delightful
tranquility here.
A lady visiting about the time of my
Bradshaw's guide, Hermione Jennings...
talked about it being a curiously
old-fashioned place.
- What would she have meant by that?
- Well, the basic structure of the garden...
goes back to the early 1600s, and has
remained fundamentally unchanged...
since that time.
So these structures,
What were their origins?
When Bishop Rudd moved here
as bishop of St David's in 1594...
he brought with him the idea of
cloisters from his previous posting...
at Gloucester Cathedral. And so he
built these magnificent cloisters.
And, fortunately, these remain, now, the
only cloistered gardens left in the UK.
But not all of the gardens
are frozen in time.
In 2005, the Trust created
something new...
a Ninfarium...
It took its inspiration from
the Italian gardens of Ninfa...
planted amongst
medieval ruins.
The Ninfarium occupies the mansion's
ruinous central rooms and courtyard.
It's subtropical in here!
I sense now exciting the grand glass-
houses of the 18th and 19th centuries...
must have seemed to
the Victorians.
Amongst the tropical plants, I'm meeting
volunteer gardener Helen Scutt.
The Victorians had a fondness
for glasshouses?
They did, because, I suppose, it was a
different environment for them...
they could express their artistic
urge. And, of course...
when all these plant explorers came
back with new, exotic plants...
things like pineapples - these
strange, bizzare things...
ginger, and
passion flowers. .!
They had nowhere to grow them because,
of course, it's rainy and wet in Britain!
So they had to build these houses,
if you like, to show them off in...
so why not create something quite
beautiful at the same time?
Everyday Victorians were inspired
by the grand glasshouses...
of Regent's Park, and
Sew Gardens.
With innovations in manufacturing, and
the abolition of the Window tax in 1851
they might hope to emulate them
at a domestic scale.
What do you think the Victorians would
have made of a space like this?
They would've loved it. They liked
anything that was new and off-centre...
and exciting. And I think this
is a very exciting space.
They were building grottos and
other garden buildings...
so to come into a ruined garden like
this - I think they would have loved it.
It's now time to resume my
journey north-east...
through mid-Wales,
towards Ludlow.
I'm going back on the Heart
of Wales line, as it enters...
ever-more picturesque
countryside.
And the best way to see its twists and
turns is from the driver's point of view...
in the cab!
I'm keen to appreciate why
this line, completed in 1868...
is known as one of the
most scenic in Britain.
Long-serving driver Haydn Williams is
happy for me to ride shotgun.
A very picturesque line, Haydn. Do you
think it's up there with the best in Britain?
Oh, yes, definitely.
THE best, probably.
How long have you
been driving it?
Since 1970... and this is the
line I started on.
Good heavens!
That is a long time.
It is a long time!
There are some quite spectacular
features to the line, aren't there?
You've got a couple of viaducts
and a tunnel?
Yes, we have Cynghordy Viaduct, which
is just the other side of Llandovery...
Plus you've got
Sugar Loaf Tunnel.
It's 1001 yards long.
Much of the Heart of Wales line
is single track...
and a Victorian signalling system
that allows trains to pass safely...
is still in use today.
Single track - how do you manage
occupation of the track?
With the token.
This is What gives you permission
to be on the track.
The train doesn't go
anywhere Without this.
And when do we
exchange that?
We exchange it now, in Llandovery,
for the next section.
Do you know how long that
system has existed?
Well, before I started!
[LAUGHING]
- Very ancient indeed!
- Oh, I've no idea...
Electronic token block signalling
was in service by 1880.
Only the driver in possession
of a token...
could occupy a block of
track at a given time.
It proved failsafe.
I'm at Llandovery. I've put the
Llandeilo to Llandovery token in...
can I have the Llandovery to
Llanwrtd token out?
Ta.
- You've asked permission to get the token.
- Yes.
- And he's now going to release that?
- Yes. And we get the light.
If you don't get the light,
you can't get the token out.
We should then get a series of
lights; there we are.
I've got
Llandovery/Llanwrtd token.
The white central departure light is
lit and the GPWS is flashing.
So there's only one of these
tokens, is there?
There's more than one token, but there's
only one token out at one time.
- Aha.
- And this is the only one that can be released.
You cannot release any more tokens
out of the machine now...
'till We've put this one back in.
- Aha!!
- So we can be clear that the track is ours?
- Yes.
- So we have our new token.
- Yes, we do.
How many places are there along the line
Where you have to exchange the token?
The five sections start from
Pantyffynnon to Llandeillo...
and then there's Llandeilo
to Llandovery...
Llandovery to Llanwrtyd,
Llanwrtyd to Llandrindod...
and Llandrindod to
Knighton, and...
That's easy for you to say!
[LAUGHTER]
And then the final one -
Knighton to Craven Arms.
Oh, that one I can manage!
[LAUGHTER]
You don't get confused with all your
"Llans", do you?
Well, I don't!
[LAUGHTER]
I'm looking forward to the Cynghordy
Viaduct. Will I get a good view of it?
Yes, you will. It gives you quite a view
of the valley either side, as well...
which is quite spectacular.
Oh, I can see the arches now,
spreading out below.
That is beautiful!
That is superb!
In 1860 the Central Wales Extension Railway
commissioned the Cynghordy Viaduct.
Eighteen arches long, this magnificent
structure of sandstone and brick...
stands at a dizzying height of
100 foot over the Bran Valley.
What's our next
stop, Haydn?
Llanwrtyd Wells is our next stop.
It's Where we change tokens...
and I will be changing with
the other driver.
Ah, well... I've really enjoyed my ride
and had a fantastic view.
And I've enjoyed your passion for
the Heart of Wales line.
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
BYE bye.
[TRAIN HORN]
Today the line carries around
200,000 people a year...
but, historically,
it carried freight...
mainly iron and coal.
Britain was building great iron ships
and railways for world markets.
And the demand for coal, used in iron smelting
and for steam power, was growing rapidly.
By the 1870s, Welsh coal production had
exceeded eighteen million tons.
As the train pulls into Llandrindod Wells,
I'm in for a surprise.
Well, hello!
[CROWD SHOUTING]
HELLO!!!
What a wonderfully, beautifully dressed
group of people you are!
Very nice to see you.
And why are you having
a Victorian festival?
It's a Victorian town - a spa town - and
this is an annual festival...
which has been going
for 33 years.
We heard you were on the train, so
We've all come to Welcome you...
- Well, that's really sweet of you!
- And We're thrilled to bits to see you!
- Can I just hold that?
- You may hold the Bradshaw's.
[CHEERING]
May I say that I never seen a
better-dressed group of people...
on any railway station in Britain!
Have a Wonderful festival!
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
Once connected to the line in 1868,
remote spa towns like Llandrindod Wells...
were transformed into
holiday resorts.
Tourists from South Wales, the Midlands
and North-East England...
flocked to the town's spas and
pools to take the Waters.
I'm now on my Way
to Craven Arms...
where I shall take a mainline train
and head south into Shropshire.
My destination now
is Ludlow.
Bradshaw's tells me that "of the old castle,
the only remains are a chapel"...
"in the Norman style, a great hall,
and a keep 100 feet high."
I can think of no better way to end my
day than with a delightful panorama.
The arrival of the train, in 1852,
transformed Ludlow...
into something of a tourist magnet,
with the castle as its main attraction.
[BELLS RINGING]
And before I turn in for the night,
I'm heading straight to the top.
By the 15th century, Ludlow castle was
the seat of government for Wales...
and the border counties - and, thanks to
its pivotal role in the War of the Roses...
a royal palace, too.
Ah, yes... What a view!
Looking that Way towards Wales.
Here, taking in the county of Shropshire.
An excellent vista over the
ruins of the castle.
That, I believe, with the fine tower
is the church of St Laurence...
and the River Teme
just below me.
As so often before, Bradshaw's
has been a reliable guide.
[BELLS PEALING]
After a good night's sleep, I'm continuing
my journey south towards Hereford.
My first stop today is Leominster.
Bradshaw's tells me that it has...
"a considerable trade in wheat,
wool, hops and cider."
"Many of the buildings of timber and
plaster are grotesquely ornamented."
It recommends the
Lion Hotel.
Leominster was at a hub of
Georgian coach routes.
Hotels like the Lion, offering travellers
entertainment, experienced a boom.
I'm visiting the
Lion Hotel's ballroom.
For it was here in 1853 that a grand ball
was held to celebrate the opening...
of the Ludlow
to Hereford railway.
James.
- Morning, Michael.
- Very good to see you.
Owner James Hinton has kindly
offered to show me inside.
It's superb!
With its lovely pillars and
its chandeliers...
Tell me about the history of
this ballroom.
The hotel itself was a coaching inn,
and obviously before the railways...
coaching was the prominent means
of getting people and parcels...
around the country.
And this was the grand assembly
room for the hotel.
Built in 1840 in the fashionable neoclassical
style, it was designed to host formal dances.
But the Lion Hotel's lavish
improvement came too late.
Within a decade of re-opening,
it was bankrupt.
What happened to
the hotel?
Well, unfortunately, the railways are
What happened to the hotel.
You're serious? The impact of the
railway was that immediate?
Yes. You didn't need a horse and
carriage to get to Hereford...
you had the railways. And suddenly you
could travel around the country...
within a day, as opposed to
three or four days.
Within a week of the service
being up and running...
the hotel was
available to let.
I notice the ballroom is in
superb condition.
So I'm assuming it's still
used for functions?
Oh, very much so.
It still gets used for...
would you believe -
Victorian dancing.
- Really?!
- Yes.
Hah! How elegant!
How beautiful!
Welcome, ladies.
So, evidently, you do perform
Victorian dances here.
Yes, we do.
Every week.
- Every week?
- Yes, we have a practice...
and run through mostly
quadrilles.
[MUSIC BEGINS]
A quadrille was a fashionable formation dance...
“imported from Paris.
Together with the Waltz,
polka and mazurka...
it became a favourite on the
Victorian dancefloor.
As you may have feared...
I'm going to give it a go.
For the aspiring middle class, strict protocols
governed how to behave and dress...
and they extended to
the ballroom.
Ladies danced by invitation, and
introductions could be made...
only by a husband
or chaperone.
The rulebook is extensive.
I'm clutching oh to the rule that says:
“what happens in the ballroom"...
"stays in the ballroom.”
Apart from a few bruised toes, my
performance will be forgotten!
Thank you.
A privilege.
[LAUGHTER]
After my impromptu dance lesson,
I'm in need of refreshment.
Travelling south through the
West Midlands...
my final destination of this leg
promises to be just the ticket!
I'm going now as far as Hereford.
Bradshaw's tells me that the soil...
"is a rich tract of meadow, orchard and
timber, and the internal trade is"...
"chiefly in agricultural products,
good cider and perry"...
"which require a little brandy
to qualify them."
Well, I feel qualified by
experience to sample them.
Hereford boasts a long
history of cider-making...
which moved forward with the
Industrial Revolution...
from farmhouse cider mills
to factory production.
The coming of the railway
in 1853 opened new markets...
and the cider factories helped
the industry to survive...
the Great Agricultural Depression
of the late 19th century.
Today, there's a growing taste
for specialist ciders...
which keeps farmers like
Dennis Gwatkin very busy.
- Hello, Dennis!
- Hello, there.
Vigorous action. I take it
it's harvest time?
Yes - it's this time of
year again.
Now... these apples are much
smaller than I imagined.
Yeah, they're cider apples. They're
unlike your eaters and cookers.
They're like little bullets, really.
They're bittersweet.
Mmm - not bad, though.
Not bad at all.
In 1877, 24,000 acres of Herefordshire
were given over to orchards...
more than any other
county in Britain.
Bradshaw's talks about needing a
little brandy to "qualify" the cider.
- What does that mean?
- Some of the ciders...
especially the farm cider, years ago - was
pretty rough stuff. Scrumpy, as you might say.
And sometimes when it
was drank in the pubs...
or cider houses of the day...
they'd put a little brandy with it to
make it a bit more palatable.
So, how to make cider: first, grow your
apples; second, get the apples off the tree.
- Can I give you a hand with that?
- Yes by all means!
Watch your head,
watch your head!
[MICHAEL LAUGHS]
We're not going to get drunk
tonight, are we?!
Shaking the tree to harvest the ripe
fruit is a tried and tested method.
Finally I have enough apples to
make my first batch of cider.
This looks like a fine vintage piece of
machinery you've got here.
Yes, it's a Victorian cider mill and
press - travelling mill and press.
[NOISE OF ENGINE STARTING]
We're off!
And away they go...!
The machinery may be outdated...
but the production method
is sound.
The mill passes the apples between
two stone rollers...
to produce pulp for the press.
I learnt my technique shovelling
on a steam engine!
Similar thing, I guess!
My next task is to fill the press
with layers of pulp...
sandwiched between porous
cheesecloths, to separate out the juice.
Getting near full, I'd say - near enough.
Now We've got to fold the cloths over.
To form the cheese. We
take the press-board off.
- Nice, heavy board.
- Yep.
A couple of oak blocks.
Now the hard work begins.
You'll begin to see the
juice start to run.
Excellent - we have our first
drops, I think.
It's coming.
The juice is strained through the
cloth, into a barrel...
where it will ferment for two months.
[MICHAEL GRUNTS]
So, we've got a good flow there.
- Can you actually drink that stuff?
- Oh, yeah.
It's pure apple juice, that.
Now's the time to drink it, to know what
sort of cider you're going to get.
[MICHAEL GRUNTS]
Straight off the press.
Heavens, that is delicious!
- Nice and fruity isn't it?
- Ahh!
Be even better when
it's alcoholic.
[LAUGHTER]
Definitely! Part of your five a day, that.
After today's physical exertion,
I feel a refreshment is deserved.
I can't imagine a more charming hostelry
than Dennis' historic cider house.
Who came in here?
The farmworkers,
the locals...
And that thing - which looks as if it
belongs to a St Bernard - What is that?
That's a costrel. That's
an old term for a vessel...
that would've been taken out in the fields
every day by the farm workers...
and that was actually paid as
part of their wages.
- Cider?
- Cider, definitely - yep.
The better the cider, the better
the farm workers the farm got.
So it was in their interest to make
sure they made a good drop.
They were allowed two
of those a day.
'Cause all that stuff was banned in
the middle of the Victorian period...
by a thing called the "Truck Act".
- Yes...
I think the politicians stepped in and
stopped a good thing as usual!
The 1887 Truck Act was one of many
attempts to stamp out the practice of...
“payment in kind and, with it,
bonded labour.
The rapid changes brought about
by the Industrial Revolution...
“prompted enlightened Victorians to
enact a raft of laws...
aimed at protecting both adults
and children at work.
- What have we here?
- This is a pint of Yarlington Mill.
It's a nice, medium-sweet,
fresh-tasting cider, that.
Ah!
That's lovely.
Mmm, I like that.
Would I know about it if I
drank a pint or two?
Oh, most definitely.
[LAUGHTER]
- This is about seven percent in alcohol...
- You are not serious?!
- Oh, most serious.
- Oh, my goodness!
Well, bottoms up!
And thank you very much for
offering me this lovely pint.
Not a problem at all. I think for your hard
day's labour, this is payment in kind!
I thought that had
been banned!
A perfect day is drawing to a close, and
there's just enough time to finish my pint...
before heading to the station
to continue my journey.
From this part of my journey,
I should like to forget...
my attempts to stumble
around a ballroom.
And cider laced with brandy, as
recommended by my Bradshaw's...
would certainly induce oblivion.
But I shall long remember...
the Heart of Wales railway. A Victorian
masterpiece in itself; a thing of beauty...
which has enabled generations to appreciate
the splendours of the Welsh hillsides...
passing their carriage Window
at a leisurely pace.
Next time, my heart is in my
mouth as I go down a mine.
We're 300 feet below the surface and
it's a strange feeling, isn't it?
It is, yeah.
I plough my Way through
Oxfordshire.
- You happy there? A relaxed man?
- Yeah.
Good. I'm very
relaxed about this!
Probably not quite so
tight on the firm. That's it.
Perfect!
And I glimpse some racy artwork
at Blenheim Palace.
Ooh la la... there's a lot of flesh
on display.
They were perhaps a little too
risque for the ladies to see.
[END THEME]
For Victorian Britons, George Bradshaw
was a household name.
At a time when railways
were new...
Bradshaw's guidebook inspired
them to take to the tracks.
I'm using a Bradshaw's guide to understand
how trains transformed Britain.
Its landscape...
its industry, society...
and leisure time.
As I arias-cross the country a hundred
and fifty years later...
it helps me to discover
the Britain of today.
Today, I'm excited to be embarking
on the Heart of Wales line.
Completed only in 1868 to
serve the needs of the...
agricultural, tin
and anthracite industries...
Now it's used mainly by locals
and tourists - who gasp...
at its spectacular viaducts and tunnels,
on a line that is historic, scenic and epic.
This week I'm travelling across Britain,
from West Wales to East Anglia.
My journey, which began in Pembroke
Dock, continued to Swansea...
and now passes through the valleys
and mountains of Wales...
crossing into Herefordshire, and
moving south-east to Oxford...
to take in Bedford, and
to end in Cambridge.
Today's leg begins in
Swansea...
moves north to marvel at
the exotic in Llandeilo...
finds a room with a
view in Ludlow...
heads south to
Leominster...
before arriving in
Hereford.
On this journey, I receive a
lesson in Welsh pronunciation.
Start from Pantyffynnon
to Llandeilo...
and then there's Llandeilo
to Llandovery...
Llandovery to
Llanwrtyd...
You don't get confused with
all your "Hans", do you?
Well, I don't!
[LAUGHTER]
Step into my dancing shoes
for a quadrille.
And away they go...!
And put my schoolboy scrumping
skills to good use.
Heavens, that is
delicious!
- Nice and fruity, isn't it?
- Ah!
Be even better when
it's alcoholic!
[LAUGHTER]
Definitely. Part of your five a day, that.
This part of the line had been
built by 1857.
So my Bradshaw's lists the stations - which
are tongue-twisters for the non-Welsh speaker.
Llanelli, Llandeilo, Llangadog,
Llandovery.
I'll be getting off at Llandeilo,
in order to visit Aberglasney...
magnetised, as the Victorians were,
by its old-fashioned gardens.
[TRAIN HORN]
At the time of my guidebook,
in order to reach the gardens...
visitors would pass through the picturesque
medieval market town of Llandeilo...
on the River Towy.
With the expansion of the British
Empire, exotic plants...
such as rhododendrons and
azaleas, reached Britain.
By the mid-19th century, botany
had gripped the nation.
With it came revived interest in the
formal garden design of earlier eras.
So it's no surprise that Aberglasney's
Elizabethan parterres...
were a source of inspiration to
green-fingered Victorians.
I'm meeting Roger Evans, of the
Aberglasney Restoration Trust.
Roger, there's a delightful
tranquility here.
A lady visiting about the time of my
Bradshaw's guide, Hermione Jennings...
talked about it being a curiously
old-fashioned place.
- What would she have meant by that?
- Well, the basic structure of the garden...
goes back to the early 1600s, and has
remained fundamentally unchanged...
since that time.
So these structures,
What were their origins?
When Bishop Rudd moved here
as bishop of St David's in 1594...
he brought with him the idea of
cloisters from his previous posting...
at Gloucester Cathedral. And so he
built these magnificent cloisters.
And, fortunately, these remain, now, the
only cloistered gardens left in the UK.
But not all of the gardens
are frozen in time.
In 2005, the Trust created
something new...
a Ninfarium...
It took its inspiration from
the Italian gardens of Ninfa...
planted amongst
medieval ruins.
The Ninfarium occupies the mansion's
ruinous central rooms and courtyard.
It's subtropical in here!
I sense now exciting the grand glass-
houses of the 18th and 19th centuries...
must have seemed to
the Victorians.
Amongst the tropical plants, I'm meeting
volunteer gardener Helen Scutt.
The Victorians had a fondness
for glasshouses?
They did, because, I suppose, it was a
different environment for them...
they could express their artistic
urge. And, of course...
when all these plant explorers came
back with new, exotic plants...
things like pineapples - these
strange, bizzare things...
ginger, and
passion flowers. .!
They had nowhere to grow them because,
of course, it's rainy and wet in Britain!
So they had to build these houses,
if you like, to show them off in...
so why not create something quite
beautiful at the same time?
Everyday Victorians were inspired
by the grand glasshouses...
of Regent's Park, and
Sew Gardens.
With innovations in manufacturing, and
the abolition of the Window tax in 1851
they might hope to emulate them
at a domestic scale.
What do you think the Victorians would
have made of a space like this?
They would've loved it. They liked
anything that was new and off-centre...
and exciting. And I think this
is a very exciting space.
They were building grottos and
other garden buildings...
so to come into a ruined garden like
this - I think they would have loved it.
It's now time to resume my
journey north-east...
through mid-Wales,
towards Ludlow.
I'm going back on the Heart
of Wales line, as it enters...
ever-more picturesque
countryside.
And the best way to see its twists and
turns is from the driver's point of view...
in the cab!
I'm keen to appreciate why
this line, completed in 1868...
is known as one of the
most scenic in Britain.
Long-serving driver Haydn Williams is
happy for me to ride shotgun.
A very picturesque line, Haydn. Do you
think it's up there with the best in Britain?
Oh, yes, definitely.
THE best, probably.
How long have you
been driving it?
Since 1970... and this is the
line I started on.
Good heavens!
That is a long time.
It is a long time!
There are some quite spectacular
features to the line, aren't there?
You've got a couple of viaducts
and a tunnel?
Yes, we have Cynghordy Viaduct, which
is just the other side of Llandovery...
Plus you've got
Sugar Loaf Tunnel.
It's 1001 yards long.
Much of the Heart of Wales line
is single track...
and a Victorian signalling system
that allows trains to pass safely...
is still in use today.
Single track - how do you manage
occupation of the track?
With the token.
This is What gives you permission
to be on the track.
The train doesn't go
anywhere Without this.
And when do we
exchange that?
We exchange it now, in Llandovery,
for the next section.
Do you know how long that
system has existed?
Well, before I started!
[LAUGHING]
- Very ancient indeed!
- Oh, I've no idea...
Electronic token block signalling
was in service by 1880.
Only the driver in possession
of a token...
could occupy a block of
track at a given time.
It proved failsafe.
I'm at Llandovery. I've put the
Llandeilo to Llandovery token in...
can I have the Llandovery to
Llanwrtd token out?
Ta.
- You've asked permission to get the token.
- Yes.
- And he's now going to release that?
- Yes. And we get the light.
If you don't get the light,
you can't get the token out.
We should then get a series of
lights; there we are.
I've got
Llandovery/Llanwrtd token.
The white central departure light is
lit and the GPWS is flashing.
So there's only one of these
tokens, is there?
There's more than one token, but there's
only one token out at one time.
- Aha.
- And this is the only one that can be released.
You cannot release any more tokens
out of the machine now...
'till We've put this one back in.
- Aha!!
- So we can be clear that the track is ours?
- Yes.
- So we have our new token.
- Yes, we do.
How many places are there along the line
Where you have to exchange the token?
The five sections start from
Pantyffynnon to Llandeillo...
and then there's Llandeilo
to Llandovery...
Llandovery to Llanwrtyd,
Llanwrtyd to Llandrindod...
and Llandrindod to
Knighton, and...
That's easy for you to say!
[LAUGHTER]
And then the final one -
Knighton to Craven Arms.
Oh, that one I can manage!
[LAUGHTER]
You don't get confused with all your
"Llans", do you?
Well, I don't!
[LAUGHTER]
I'm looking forward to the Cynghordy
Viaduct. Will I get a good view of it?
Yes, you will. It gives you quite a view
of the valley either side, as well...
which is quite spectacular.
Oh, I can see the arches now,
spreading out below.
That is beautiful!
That is superb!
In 1860 the Central Wales Extension Railway
commissioned the Cynghordy Viaduct.
Eighteen arches long, this magnificent
structure of sandstone and brick...
stands at a dizzying height of
100 foot over the Bran Valley.
What's our next
stop, Haydn?
Llanwrtyd Wells is our next stop.
It's Where we change tokens...
and I will be changing with
the other driver.
Ah, well... I've really enjoyed my ride
and had a fantastic view.
And I've enjoyed your passion for
the Heart of Wales line.
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
BYE bye.
[TRAIN HORN]
Today the line carries around
200,000 people a year...
but, historically,
it carried freight...
mainly iron and coal.
Britain was building great iron ships
and railways for world markets.
And the demand for coal, used in iron smelting
and for steam power, was growing rapidly.
By the 1870s, Welsh coal production had
exceeded eighteen million tons.
As the train pulls into Llandrindod Wells,
I'm in for a surprise.
Well, hello!
[CROWD SHOUTING]
HELLO!!!
What a wonderfully, beautifully dressed
group of people you are!
Very nice to see you.
And why are you having
a Victorian festival?
It's a Victorian town - a spa town - and
this is an annual festival...
which has been going
for 33 years.
We heard you were on the train, so
We've all come to Welcome you...
- Well, that's really sweet of you!
- And We're thrilled to bits to see you!
- Can I just hold that?
- You may hold the Bradshaw's.
[CHEERING]
May I say that I never seen a
better-dressed group of people...
on any railway station in Britain!
Have a Wonderful festival!
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
Once connected to the line in 1868,
remote spa towns like Llandrindod Wells...
were transformed into
holiday resorts.
Tourists from South Wales, the Midlands
and North-East England...
flocked to the town's spas and
pools to take the Waters.
I'm now on my Way
to Craven Arms...
where I shall take a mainline train
and head south into Shropshire.
My destination now
is Ludlow.
Bradshaw's tells me that "of the old castle,
the only remains are a chapel"...
"in the Norman style, a great hall,
and a keep 100 feet high."
I can think of no better way to end my
day than with a delightful panorama.
The arrival of the train, in 1852,
transformed Ludlow...
into something of a tourist magnet,
with the castle as its main attraction.
[BELLS RINGING]
And before I turn in for the night,
I'm heading straight to the top.
By the 15th century, Ludlow castle was
the seat of government for Wales...
and the border counties - and, thanks to
its pivotal role in the War of the Roses...
a royal palace, too.
Ah, yes... What a view!
Looking that Way towards Wales.
Here, taking in the county of Shropshire.
An excellent vista over the
ruins of the castle.
That, I believe, with the fine tower
is the church of St Laurence...
and the River Teme
just below me.
As so often before, Bradshaw's
has been a reliable guide.
[BELLS PEALING]
After a good night's sleep, I'm continuing
my journey south towards Hereford.
My first stop today is Leominster.
Bradshaw's tells me that it has...
"a considerable trade in wheat,
wool, hops and cider."
"Many of the buildings of timber and
plaster are grotesquely ornamented."
It recommends the
Lion Hotel.
Leominster was at a hub of
Georgian coach routes.
Hotels like the Lion, offering travellers
entertainment, experienced a boom.
I'm visiting the
Lion Hotel's ballroom.
For it was here in 1853 that a grand ball
was held to celebrate the opening...
of the Ludlow
to Hereford railway.
James.
- Morning, Michael.
- Very good to see you.
Owner James Hinton has kindly
offered to show me inside.
It's superb!
With its lovely pillars and
its chandeliers...
Tell me about the history of
this ballroom.
The hotel itself was a coaching inn,
and obviously before the railways...
coaching was the prominent means
of getting people and parcels...
around the country.
And this was the grand assembly
room for the hotel.
Built in 1840 in the fashionable neoclassical
style, it was designed to host formal dances.
But the Lion Hotel's lavish
improvement came too late.
Within a decade of re-opening,
it was bankrupt.
What happened to
the hotel?
Well, unfortunately, the railways are
What happened to the hotel.
You're serious? The impact of the
railway was that immediate?
Yes. You didn't need a horse and
carriage to get to Hereford...
you had the railways. And suddenly you
could travel around the country...
within a day, as opposed to
three or four days.
Within a week of the service
being up and running...
the hotel was
available to let.
I notice the ballroom is in
superb condition.
So I'm assuming it's still
used for functions?
Oh, very much so.
It still gets used for...
would you believe -
Victorian dancing.
- Really?!
- Yes.
Hah! How elegant!
How beautiful!
Welcome, ladies.
So, evidently, you do perform
Victorian dances here.
Yes, we do.
Every week.
- Every week?
- Yes, we have a practice...
and run through mostly
quadrilles.
[MUSIC BEGINS]
A quadrille was a fashionable formation dance...
“imported from Paris.
Together with the Waltz,
polka and mazurka...
it became a favourite on the
Victorian dancefloor.
As you may have feared...
I'm going to give it a go.
For the aspiring middle class, strict protocols
governed how to behave and dress...
and they extended to
the ballroom.
Ladies danced by invitation, and
introductions could be made...
only by a husband
or chaperone.
The rulebook is extensive.
I'm clutching oh to the rule that says:
“what happens in the ballroom"...
"stays in the ballroom.”
Apart from a few bruised toes, my
performance will be forgotten!
Thank you.
A privilege.
[LAUGHTER]
After my impromptu dance lesson,
I'm in need of refreshment.
Travelling south through the
West Midlands...
my final destination of this leg
promises to be just the ticket!
I'm going now as far as Hereford.
Bradshaw's tells me that the soil...
"is a rich tract of meadow, orchard and
timber, and the internal trade is"...
"chiefly in agricultural products,
good cider and perry"...
"which require a little brandy
to qualify them."
Well, I feel qualified by
experience to sample them.
Hereford boasts a long
history of cider-making...
which moved forward with the
Industrial Revolution...
from farmhouse cider mills
to factory production.
The coming of the railway
in 1853 opened new markets...
and the cider factories helped
the industry to survive...
the Great Agricultural Depression
of the late 19th century.
Today, there's a growing taste
for specialist ciders...
which keeps farmers like
Dennis Gwatkin very busy.
- Hello, Dennis!
- Hello, there.
Vigorous action. I take it
it's harvest time?
Yes - it's this time of
year again.
Now... these apples are much
smaller than I imagined.
Yeah, they're cider apples. They're
unlike your eaters and cookers.
They're like little bullets, really.
They're bittersweet.
Mmm - not bad, though.
Not bad at all.
In 1877, 24,000 acres of Herefordshire
were given over to orchards...
more than any other
county in Britain.
Bradshaw's talks about needing a
little brandy to "qualify" the cider.
- What does that mean?
- Some of the ciders...
especially the farm cider, years ago - was
pretty rough stuff. Scrumpy, as you might say.
And sometimes when it
was drank in the pubs...
or cider houses of the day...
they'd put a little brandy with it to
make it a bit more palatable.
So, how to make cider: first, grow your
apples; second, get the apples off the tree.
- Can I give you a hand with that?
- Yes by all means!
Watch your head,
watch your head!
[MICHAEL LAUGHS]
We're not going to get drunk
tonight, are we?!
Shaking the tree to harvest the ripe
fruit is a tried and tested method.
Finally I have enough apples to
make my first batch of cider.
This looks like a fine vintage piece of
machinery you've got here.
Yes, it's a Victorian cider mill and
press - travelling mill and press.
[NOISE OF ENGINE STARTING]
We're off!
And away they go...!
The machinery may be outdated...
but the production method
is sound.
The mill passes the apples between
two stone rollers...
to produce pulp for the press.
I learnt my technique shovelling
on a steam engine!
Similar thing, I guess!
My next task is to fill the press
with layers of pulp...
sandwiched between porous
cheesecloths, to separate out the juice.
Getting near full, I'd say - near enough.
Now We've got to fold the cloths over.
To form the cheese. We
take the press-board off.
- Nice, heavy board.
- Yep.
A couple of oak blocks.
Now the hard work begins.
You'll begin to see the
juice start to run.
Excellent - we have our first
drops, I think.
It's coming.
The juice is strained through the
cloth, into a barrel...
where it will ferment for two months.
[MICHAEL GRUNTS]
So, we've got a good flow there.
- Can you actually drink that stuff?
- Oh, yeah.
It's pure apple juice, that.
Now's the time to drink it, to know what
sort of cider you're going to get.
[MICHAEL GRUNTS]
Straight off the press.
Heavens, that is delicious!
- Nice and fruity isn't it?
- Ahh!
Be even better when
it's alcoholic.
[LAUGHTER]
Definitely! Part of your five a day, that.
After today's physical exertion,
I feel a refreshment is deserved.
I can't imagine a more charming hostelry
than Dennis' historic cider house.
Who came in here?
The farmworkers,
the locals...
And that thing - which looks as if it
belongs to a St Bernard - What is that?
That's a costrel. That's
an old term for a vessel...
that would've been taken out in the fields
every day by the farm workers...
and that was actually paid as
part of their wages.
- Cider?
- Cider, definitely - yep.
The better the cider, the better
the farm workers the farm got.
So it was in their interest to make
sure they made a good drop.
They were allowed two
of those a day.
'Cause all that stuff was banned in
the middle of the Victorian period...
by a thing called the "Truck Act".
- Yes...
I think the politicians stepped in and
stopped a good thing as usual!
The 1887 Truck Act was one of many
attempts to stamp out the practice of...
“payment in kind and, with it,
bonded labour.
The rapid changes brought about
by the Industrial Revolution...
“prompted enlightened Victorians to
enact a raft of laws...
aimed at protecting both adults
and children at work.
- What have we here?
- This is a pint of Yarlington Mill.
It's a nice, medium-sweet,
fresh-tasting cider, that.
Ah!
That's lovely.
Mmm, I like that.
Would I know about it if I
drank a pint or two?
Oh, most definitely.
[LAUGHTER]
- This is about seven percent in alcohol...
- You are not serious?!
- Oh, most serious.
- Oh, my goodness!
Well, bottoms up!
And thank you very much for
offering me this lovely pint.
Not a problem at all. I think for your hard
day's labour, this is payment in kind!
I thought that had
been banned!
A perfect day is drawing to a close, and
there's just enough time to finish my pint...
before heading to the station
to continue my journey.
From this part of my journey,
I should like to forget...
my attempts to stumble
around a ballroom.
And cider laced with brandy, as
recommended by my Bradshaw's...
would certainly induce oblivion.
But I shall long remember...
the Heart of Wales railway. A Victorian
masterpiece in itself; a thing of beauty...
which has enabled generations to appreciate
the splendours of the Welsh hillsides...
passing their carriage Window
at a leisurely pace.
Next time, my heart is in my
mouth as I go down a mine.
We're 300 feet below the surface and
it's a strange feeling, isn't it?
It is, yeah.
I plough my Way through
Oxfordshire.
- You happy there? A relaxed man?
- Yeah.
Good. I'm very
relaxed about this!
Probably not quite so
tight on the firm. That's it.
Perfect!
And I glimpse some racy artwork
at Blenheim Palace.
Ooh la la... there's a lot of flesh
on display.
They were perhaps a little too
risque for the ladies to see.
[END THEME]