Great British Railway Journeys Ep 16/20
Michael Portillo begins his final railway journey, which takes him from Buxton to London, as he continues to discover what remains of George Bradshaw’s – the man who transformed travel in the UK back in 1840 – Britain.
Michael’s first stop in Buxton is to find out how the railways inspired a building craze and boosted tourism. He also visits one of Bradshaw’s recommended attractions: the Duke of Devonshire’s stables in Buxton, which has one of the largest domes in the world. There he meets Adrian Brown who tells Michael about how the dome was built.
In the Peak District, Michael goes out onto the moors with park ranger Chris Dean and joins a team of local volunteers on a conservation project trying to repair damage done to the ancient peat landscapes during the industrial revolution.
His final stop is Matlock Bath. After spending the night in one of Bradshaw’s recommended hotels, he explores the town to find out why Bradshaw described it as a “little Switzerland”. After speaking to the locals on the origins of the comparison with Switzerland, Michael travels on the historic steam railway line to Rowsley. Near the quarries of Stanton Moor, he meets local stonemason Mark Eaton to find out what’s so special about Derbyshire’s famous sandstone and how the railways transported it all over England.
Comment from John Gilbert
Time January 26, 2010 at 10:19 am
As a lifelong railway enthusiast I have to say that this is one, if not the best railway based programme I have ever watched on television. Michael Portillo’s natural and friendly presentation of this series has made me question whether he should have been a TV presenter instead of a politician and hopefully he will make another seies based on George Bradshaw’s timetables, perhaps to India as he mentioned in one episode. Well done BBC, you’ve got a winner here. More please.