Great British Railway Journeys Ep 5/20
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. Michael Portillo continues his journeys to find out what remains of Bradshaw’s Britain.
On the last leg of his journey from Liverpool to Scarborough, Michael’s first stop is Flamborough Head. There he meets RSPB site manager Ian Kendall to find out what’s happened to the sea-bird populations in the area since Bradshaw’s time. Back then it was a popular destination for bird watchers and “climmers”, who scrambled down the cliffs to steal bird’s eggs. These days, it is home to Britain’s largest mainland colony of gannets. The cliffs are also home to England’s oldest chalk lighthouse, as well as a more “modern” one built in Bradshaw’s time which pioneered a new signalling system.
Along the coast in Filey, Michael meets local fisherman Jeremy Smith to discover why they still use traditional “coble” boats. These boats are unique to the area and were built to cope with the challenges of the coastline. Calling on expert knitter Margaret Taylor, Michael learns to decipher the traditional knitting patterns on Filey fishermen’s jumpers.
Finally, Michael arrives in Scarborough, the end of his journey. Scarborough became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Victorian times when the railways arrived. He pays a visit to field archaeologists Dr Nigel Melton and Janet Montgomery to hear about the latest research into “Gristhorpe man”. This 4,000-year-old skeleton was discovered in Bradshaw’s time and caused an immediate sensation, attracting crowds of Victorian visitors to Scarborough. Today, Michael finds out what kind of person Gristhorpe man was and what it was that killed him.
Michael also goes on a tour of one of the oldest and largest purpose-built hotels in Europe, the Scarborough Grand, a traditional Victorian hotel.
3 Responses to “Great British Railway Journeys Ep 5/20”
Comment from Alice TGrangmar
Time January 16, 2010 at 9:20 am
I am a textile student interested in knitting. I understand that one of the programmes showed a lady who knitted landscapes and seascapes. Unfortunately I missed the programme but would be interested in knowing the persons name so that I could get information on her work. I hope to do my dissertation on this subject and found the programme about Margaret Taylor in Filey very interesting. Do hope you can help me.
Comment from fred
Time January 16, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I can’t remember that – the woman in this programme knitted fishermen’s Guernseys containing unique patterns that represented zig-zag paths and nets
Comment from Chris Truelove
Time December 31, 2009 at 10:38 am
Michael Portillo stayed at Flora Dora Cottage in Filey http://www.floradora.co.uk