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(winds blowing)

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(inspiring music)

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-  Our journey begins

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on the outskirts of
London, at Hampton Court.

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One of the few remaining palaces

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of the Tudor king, Henry VIII.

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Following the River Thames,

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we head to the town of Henley,

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whose rowing tradition has given rise

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to numerous Olympic champions.

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Amongst the lush hills of Oxfordshire,

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is one of the most famous prehistorical

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hill figures in Britain.

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The Uffington White Horse.

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We head on to the Caen Hill Locks,

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a masterpiece of 19th
century canal engineering,

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before arriving at the
historic city of Bath,

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whose hot springs became a major draw

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for English aristocracy
in the 18th century.

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And our journey comes to a close

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at one of the finest examples

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of English baroque architecture
still standing, Dyrham Park.

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(lighthearted music)

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Lying on the outskirts of
London along the River Thames

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is one of the grandest palaces in Britain.

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Hampton Court.

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It was originally built in
1514, for Cardinal Wolsey,

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close friend and chief
advisor to Henry VIII.

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But he was to fall out of
favor with the English monarch

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when Rome denied the King's
request for a divorce.

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Resigned to his fate, Wolsey
gifted Hampton Court to Henry

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who expanded the property to accommodate

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his vast royal court.

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Most of the structures built
by Wolsey remain unchanged,

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including the inner
gatehouse and clock tower.

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Once he took over ownership,

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Henry VIII added the Great
Hall where he dined in state.

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Later in the 17th century,

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under the reign of William and Mary,

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Hampton Court underwent
a massive expansion,

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designed by the great
architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

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The idea was to create a palace to rival

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Versailles in France.

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And the surrounding
grounds were to complement

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the grandeur of the palace.

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The dominant feature is the canal,

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known as Long Water, which
leads to the semicircular

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Great Fountain Garden.

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This hedge maze planted in the 1690s

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is the oldest surviving
maze garden in the UK.

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These sunken pond gardens
once held freshwater fish

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before Queen Mary filled them in

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to display her exotic flowers.

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(grand classical music)

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The Privy Garden, once a
private retreat for William III,

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lies in the south side, and
was recently reconstructed

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to its original 1702 design.

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The symmetrical patterns
incorporate the original plants,

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marble sculptures, and
a wrought iron fence.

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(classical music)

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(catchy music)

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Our journey takes us on to what was once

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a transport base for the Royal Air Force,

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at Heathrow International Airport.

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Now the site for the third
busiest airport in the world,

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the hamlet of Heathrow was a haunt

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for the historic highwaymen
of Hounslow Heath

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before aviators began landing
on this suitable stretch

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of flat land in the early 1900s.

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(catchy music)

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Located in West London,

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the first airfield at Heathrow

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was operational by 1930.

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The military began its expansion in 1944,

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but it turned to civil aviation

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at the end of World War II.

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Today, it services over 90 airlines,

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which utilize two
east-west running runways

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to transport passengers to
170 destinations worldwide.

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From the UK's busiest airport,

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we move along to its
busiest road, the M25.

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A 188 kilometer orbital motorway

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that encircles Greater London.

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North of Heathrow Airport,

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the M25 forms a four stack
junction with the M4.

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This intersection is unusual in that

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it's bisected by a railway line

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that passes beneath the elevations.

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We continue westward into
Berkshire countryside

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and Cliveden House, now a luxury hotel

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set 40 meters above the
banks of the River Thames.

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(lighthearted classical music)

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This Japanese inspired water garden

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welcomes guests down a long avenue

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dotted with lime trees to the main house.

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It was previously the
residence of countesses,

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dukes, a Prince of Wales,
and Viscountess Nancy Astor,

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who was the first woman to sit

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as a member of Parliament in 1919.

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Cliveden, however, is best known

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for the part it played in
one of the biggest scandals

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in British political history.

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Because it was here, in the early 1960s,

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that the Secretary of State
for war, John Profumo,

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met a woman with whom he had an affair,

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not realizing that she
was also the mistress

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of an alleged Russian spy.

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The Profumo Scandal, as
it became to be known,

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led not only to the
politician's resignation,

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but also the eventual
downfall of the government.

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The Thames is as enjoyable from the air

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as it is by boat,

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especially for rowing enthusiasts.

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And very few places in Britain

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can rival the area we're approaching

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in its contribution to the sport.

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(catchy calming music)

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Following these rowers along the Thames

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as it courses through the
lush Oxfordshire countryside,

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we gently make our way to
the 12th century market town

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of Henley.

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Due to an ideal stretch of the river,

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this place became a
renown center for rowing

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with the annual Henley Royal Regatta

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staged each summer.

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Members from the town's
prestigious Leander Club

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have won more Olympic gold medals

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than rowers from any other
single club in the world.

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Henley's long history is
reflected in its architecture,

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ranging from its town hall built in 1901,

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to a pub that dates back to 1325.

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(calming music)

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Further along the Thames in Oxfordshire,

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is the riverside manor of Mapledurham.

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The Tudor home was owned
by Sir Michael Blount,

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a 16th century tax collector,

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and it has remained his
family for over 400 years.

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(lighthearted music)

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Mapledurham's red brick and tall chimneys

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are typical of the grand
country houses built

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during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

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The estate includes this
15th century water mill,

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which continues to
produce stone ground flour

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to this day.

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(lighthearted music)

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The present appearance of the mansion

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is due to restorations
completed in the 1830s,

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including the rearranging of the chimneys

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and the addition of a neo-Tudor porch.

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(lighthearted music)

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Weaving through the hills of Oxfordshire,

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we arrive at an extraordinary
ancient monument

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that is without doubt,
best viewed from the air.

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The Uffington White Horse.

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(mysterious music)

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Dating back to the late Bronze Age,

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the figure is formed from deep trenches

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filled with crushed white chalk.

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It's thought to be the oldest
hill figure in Britain,

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and stretches 114 meters,

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giving it the appearance of
leaping across the valley.

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Theories of its meaning
range from a religious symbol

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of a Celtic goddess,

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to a memorial to the slaying
of a dragon by Saint George,

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the patron saint of England.

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Regardless, the White Horse is a true gem

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of Britain's historic past.

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Another ancient legacy is the Ridgeway,

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the oldest continuously
used road in Europe.

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The bridleway dates back 5,000 years,

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and possibly even existed

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when England was joined to the continent.

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In ages past, as well
as being a high road,

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it was also a defensive barrier.

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A series of ringed forts,
such as Uffington Castle,

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were constructed during the Bronze Age.

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Today, the Ridgeway is a
140 kilometer national trail

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enjoyed by hikers, cyclists,
and horseback riders.

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Nestled in this picturesque
valley in the Berkshire Downs,

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is Ashdown Park.

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(calming classical music)

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With its doll's house looks,

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this Dutch style home was built in 1662

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by the first Earl of Craven, for his love,

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Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia.

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Unfortunately, she died
before construction began.

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Ashdown's design was an imitation

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of Sir Roger Pratt's new
style of English home

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with large windows, dormers,

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and a roof balustrade and cupola.

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The house was requisitioned by
the army during World War II,

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and left in a terrible state

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before the National
Trust took over in 1956.

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Ashdown was leased out soon after,

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and it was the tenants who took
on the task of restoration.

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Pete Townsend of rock band "The Who"

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00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:50,743
is the current leaseholder.

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Our journey now takes
us 14 kilometers west

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to the Swindon Railway Village.

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A reminder of life in the 19th century.

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00:12:03,650 --> 00:12:07,310
The great Victorian engineer,
Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

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chose this place as the center
for repair and maintenance

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00:12:10,780 --> 00:12:14,380
for the locomotives of
his Great Western Railway.

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00:12:14,380 --> 00:12:16,830
The Swindon Works, as it was called,

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began operations out of
a repair shed in 1843.

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00:12:21,770 --> 00:12:25,000
But before long, they were
making their own locomotives,

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00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,220
carriages, and wagons.

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00:12:27,220 --> 00:12:29,300
It helped transform this town

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into a major manufacturing center

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00:12:31,630 --> 00:12:33,073
of industrialized Britain.

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To accommodate the workers,

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the railway company
constructed a model village

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in two blocks of four parallel streets.

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There was also a hospital,
and a health center.

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Deductions from workers' pay

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00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,860
were entered into a fund
for medical treatment,

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00:12:51,860 --> 00:12:53,730
providing an early blueprint

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00:12:53,730 --> 00:12:55,763
for Britain's National Health Service.

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By the start of the 20th century,

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the Works employed three
quarters of the town.

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00:13:03,610 --> 00:13:07,490
However, the nationalization
of the railways in 1948

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would symbolize the beginning of the end.

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New buildings ceased in 1965,

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00:13:13,990 --> 00:13:18,133
and the Swindon Works
finally closed in 1986.

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00:13:21,410 --> 00:13:23,210
Back towards the Ridgeway

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00:13:23,210 --> 00:13:25,483
are the remains of an ancient hill fort.

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00:13:26,430 --> 00:13:27,330
Liddington Castle.

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00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,540
Its occupation is estimated between

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00:13:32,540 --> 00:13:35,073
the seventh to fifth centuries, B.C.

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00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:38,790
The fort is constructed of an oval bank

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of timber and earth, fronted by a ditch,

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with chalk used to reinforce the ramparts.

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00:13:46,100 --> 00:13:49,600
The castle is the highest point
in the borough of Swindon,

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and a visible landmark to the millions

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00:13:51,970 --> 00:13:55,023
who drive past on the M4 to its south.

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00:13:57,170 --> 00:14:00,289
But it's not the only one in these parts.

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00:14:00,289 --> 00:14:02,880
Barbury Castle is one of the most admired

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00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:04,900
of the Ridgeway hill forts,

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00:14:04,900 --> 00:14:08,020
not only for its commanding
views of the Cotswolds,

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00:14:08,020 --> 00:14:11,533
but also for its undisturbed
chalky grassland.

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00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,950
Barbury is shaped by a broadly
elliptical double rampart

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00:14:16,950 --> 00:14:18,820
which remains quite steep

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00:14:18,820 --> 00:14:22,161
after two and a half
thousand years of erosion.

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00:14:22,161 --> 00:14:24,850
(dramatic music)

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00:14:24,850 --> 00:14:26,310
Despite its origins,

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00:14:26,310 --> 00:14:28,960
the fort was occupied during World War II

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00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,890
and used as an anti-aircraft base.

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00:14:31,890 --> 00:14:33,080
As a consequence,

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00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,230
the troops uncovered archeological remains

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00:14:36,230 --> 00:14:39,836
that led to most of what is
known about the castle today.

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00:14:39,836 --> 00:14:43,400
(dramatic music)

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00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:45,840
From fortifications to something built

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00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,803
for more ceremonial
purposes, the Avebury Ring.

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00:14:50,850 --> 00:14:54,060
Constructed around 2600 B.C.,

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00:14:54,060 --> 00:14:59,060
this monument is approximately
420 meters in diameter.

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00:14:59,070 --> 00:15:01,870
That's four times bigger
than similar sites

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00:15:01,870 --> 00:15:03,043
from that period.

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00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,310
The outer stone circle is
the largest in Britain,

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originally having 98 standing stones,

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some weighing more than 40 tons.

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00:15:14,860 --> 00:15:16,400
There were two inner circles

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towards the center of the ring,

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as well as stone lined
avenues that led to it.

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Overall, an estimated 400 boulders

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comprised the monument.

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Archeologist Alexander Keiller re-erected

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00:15:33,310 --> 00:15:36,240
many of the stones in the 1930s,

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00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:41,033
and Avebury is now listed as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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At 40 meters high and 167 meters across,

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Silbury Hill is amongst the largest

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manmade mounds in the world.

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Archeologists reckon it was constructed

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almost 5,000 years ago,

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and required 18 million
man hours to build it.

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What remains a mystery

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is that nothing has been found inside it

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00:16:13,550 --> 00:16:16,233
to give a clue as to what
the hill was used for.

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00:16:17,267 --> 00:16:20,017
(dramatic music)

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00:16:26,420 --> 00:16:29,740
Yet another World Heritage
Site in this region

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is West Kennet Long Barrow.

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A Neolithic tomb situated
on a prominent chalk ridge.

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West Kennet stretches 100 meters,

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and rises over two and half meters high

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with a semi-circular row of large stones

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flanking the entrance.

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00:16:48,530 --> 00:16:52,650
Construction began around 3600 B.C.,

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requiring over 15,000 man hours.

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It was sealed and ceased
to be used by 2500 B.C,

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00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:05,140
around the same time that
construction began on Avebury,

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hinting at a change in ritual and belief.

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Excavations revealed that
50 people of various ages

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were buried here.

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Most likely, the ruling
elite from Avebury.

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We continue west into the
neighboring county of Wiltshire,

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and to the magnificent
Bowood House and Gardens.

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This Georgian home was
first constructed in 1725,

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00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,970
and has been in the residences
of the marquises of Lansdowne

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for eight generations.

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00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:41,740
But it's the park and gardens

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that are the true draw of Bowood.

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00:17:44,340 --> 00:17:45,760
Designed by the celebrated

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00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,370
landscape architect Capability Brown,

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00:17:48,370 --> 00:17:51,633
it's considered to be one
of his finest achievements.

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00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:55,600
This charming cottage and
several other buildings

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00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,073
sit by the lakeside.

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00:17:57,940 --> 00:18:01,010
Brown first placed this
doric temple in the gardens

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00:18:01,010 --> 00:18:03,210
adjacent to the main house,

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00:18:03,210 --> 00:18:05,320
but it was moved to this small bluff

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00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,440
overlooking the water in the 19th century.

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00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:10,440
With over eight square kilometers

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00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,250
of gardens and wilderness,

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00:18:12,250 --> 00:18:14,890
there are many hidden gems to be found,

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00:18:14,890 --> 00:18:18,610
such as this cascade fed by the lake.

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00:18:18,610 --> 00:18:21,770
But the most famous find at Bowood

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00:18:21,770 --> 00:18:24,900
took place in a laboratory
in the house itself,

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00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:29,900
with Dr. Joseph Priestley's
discovery of oxygen in 1774.

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00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,070
This may appear as an ordinary scene

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00:18:35,070 --> 00:18:37,760
of a boat's passage along a waterway,

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00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,620
yet this lock is one part
of a marvelous innovation

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00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:43,750
of the canal era.

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00:18:43,750 --> 00:18:46,250
The steepness of Caen Hill in Wiltshire

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was a serious test for the
Kennet and Avon Canal's designer,

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00:18:49,970 --> 00:18:54,410
John Rennie, who devised
this series of 29 locks

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00:18:54,410 --> 00:18:57,400
that rise 72 meters over the course

325
00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,653
of little over three kilometers.

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00:19:00,530 --> 00:19:03,060
The Caen Hill locks were the last portion

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00:19:03,060 --> 00:19:05,150
of the Kennet and Avon to be built,

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00:19:05,150 --> 00:19:07,663
completed in 1810.

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00:19:08,860 --> 00:19:11,290
The steep hill required the sections

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00:19:11,290 --> 00:19:13,140
between these 16 locks

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00:19:13,140 --> 00:19:14,823
to be shorter than normal.

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00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,990
Rennie created these
unusually large side ponds

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00:19:20,990 --> 00:19:24,483
to replenish the water
in each lock after use.

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00:19:27,010 --> 00:19:30,030
This innovation was to
be crucial to trade,

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providing a reliable waterway

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00:19:32,090 --> 00:19:33,693
between London and Bristol.

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00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,570
A few kilometers away is Snail's Meadow,

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home to Lacock Abbey.

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00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:44,890
It was founded as a nunnery in 1232,

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during the reign of Henry III.

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00:19:48,380 --> 00:19:52,160
Centuries later, it was sold, and in 1539,

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00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,023
it was converted into a house.

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00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:57,860
Although the new owner
demolished the church,

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00:19:57,860 --> 00:20:01,080
few alterations were made
to the monastic buildings

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00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,173
such as these cloisters
below the living quarters.

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00:20:05,890 --> 00:20:08,520
Today, the house is mostly associated

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00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,280
with owner William Henry Fox Talbot,

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00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:16,280
the photographer who created
the first negative in 1835,

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00:20:16,630 --> 00:20:18,490
and there is now a museum here

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00:20:18,490 --> 00:20:21,053
dedicated to his pioneering work.

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00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:26,030
The neighboring village of Lacock

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00:20:26,030 --> 00:20:27,833
was part of the abbey's legacy.

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Its market developed a
thriving wool industry

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00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:34,933
throughout the Middle Ages.

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00:20:36,070 --> 00:20:38,300
Today, both village and abbey

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00:20:38,300 --> 00:20:40,193
are owned by the National Trust.

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00:20:42,750 --> 00:20:44,590
Most of the surviving houses

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are from the 18th century or earlier.

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Lacock has made several
appearances on TV and film,

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00:20:52,170 --> 00:20:54,800
from the BBC series Pride and Prejudice

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00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,243
to several of the Harry Potter films.

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00:20:59,630 --> 00:21:02,400
Our next stop is this
15th century manor house

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00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,350
built by a member of the landed gentry,

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00:21:05,350 --> 00:21:07,413
who made his fortune as a clothier.

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00:21:08,450 --> 00:21:10,120
Except for the partial remains

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00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,710
of a moat that surrounded the estate,

367
00:21:12,710 --> 00:21:15,070
Great Chalfield Manor very closely

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00:21:15,070 --> 00:21:18,323
resembles its appearance in the 1470s.

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00:21:20,850 --> 00:21:23,940
The original south and
east wings were demolished,

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but under ownership of the Fuller family,

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00:21:26,490 --> 00:21:28,170
architect Sir Harold Brakspear

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00:21:28,170 --> 00:21:32,580
was commissioned to rebuild
the home in the early 1900s

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using drawings from an old survey.

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As delightful as the house itself

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is the arts and crafts garden

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00:21:41,170 --> 00:21:44,519
that was also introduced in the 1900s.

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00:21:44,519 --> 00:21:47,602
(lighthearted music)

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The city of Bath marks the
final leg of our journey.

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A place of stunning
architecture, and hot springs.

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Heated water from deep
in the earth's crust

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00:22:00,810 --> 00:22:03,150
rises up through gaps and cracks

382
00:22:03,150 --> 00:22:05,003
as geothermal springs.

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00:22:05,950 --> 00:22:08,530
Not surprisingly, Bath was established

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as a spa town by the Romans

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00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,790
shortly after their arrival
in Britain in 40 A.D.

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00:22:14,790 --> 00:22:17,230
But it wouldn't be until the 18th century

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00:22:17,230 --> 00:22:20,700
that its waters gained
popularity once more.

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00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:23,973
This time, for the rich
as well as royalty.

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00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,420
Exemplary Georgian architecture sprang up,

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00:22:28,420 --> 00:22:30,870
built from the honey colored Bath stone

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00:22:30,870 --> 00:22:33,540
that still decorates the city today.

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00:22:33,540 --> 00:22:38,433
In 1987, it was deemed a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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00:22:40,090 --> 00:22:42,290
On a hill overlooking Bath

394
00:22:42,290 --> 00:22:46,270
is the striking Palladian
mansion built for Ralph Allen,

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00:22:46,270 --> 00:22:48,207
one of the city's pioneers.

396
00:22:48,207 --> 00:22:51,290
(lighthearted music)

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00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:56,250
This square of Georgian
houses known as Queen Square

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00:22:56,250 --> 00:22:57,880
was the first major project

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00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,010
of the city's architect,
John Wood, the Elder,

400
00:23:01,010 --> 00:23:02,810
who hoped to restore Bath

401
00:23:02,810 --> 00:23:05,203
to the glory of its Roman origins.

402
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,430
Inspired by the Colosseum,

403
00:23:08,430 --> 00:23:12,660
Wood designed these curved
residencies called the Circus,

404
00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:16,330
as part of his grand Palladian
landscape for the city

405
00:23:16,330 --> 00:23:20,427
which were finished by his
son, John Wood, the Younger.

406
00:23:20,427 --> 00:23:23,530
(lighthearted music)

407
00:23:23,530 --> 00:23:27,150
Viewed from the air, the
Circus, along with Queen Square

408
00:23:27,150 --> 00:23:29,110
and the adjoining Gay Street,

409
00:23:29,110 --> 00:23:31,773
outline a masonic key shape.

410
00:23:33,290 --> 00:23:36,080
Wood, the Younger, turned his attention

411
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:40,240
to his own masterpiece,
the Royal Crescent.

412
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:45,220
This front is a curved stone
facade with 114 columns

413
00:23:45,220 --> 00:23:46,903
that are 14 meters tall.

414
00:23:48,140 --> 00:23:51,210
Sections of the facade were sold to buyers

415
00:23:51,210 --> 00:23:53,220
who employed their own architects

416
00:23:53,220 --> 00:23:56,373
whilst retaining the uniform
and symmetrical front.

417
00:23:59,530 --> 00:24:01,760
Though, perhaps not quite as striking,

418
00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:06,680
Landsdowne Hill nevertheless
has its own elegant terraces,

419
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:10,313
including the concentric
Cavendish and Somerset crescents.

420
00:24:12,610 --> 00:24:16,930
Landsdowne forms 20 residences
each with four floors

421
00:24:16,930 --> 00:24:20,163
and a basement intended
as servant's quarters.

422
00:24:22,650 --> 00:24:25,650
It took around 50 years for the architects

423
00:24:25,650 --> 00:24:27,580
to realize their vision,

424
00:24:27,580 --> 00:24:31,160
and today Bath stands as
one of the best examples

425
00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,003
of an 18th century city.

426
00:24:35,083 --> 00:24:37,070
(lighthearted music)

427
00:24:37,070 --> 00:24:39,280
We've come to the last
stop on our journey,

428
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:40,760
in South Gloucestershire,

429
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,540
about 13 kilometers north of Bath,

430
00:24:43,540 --> 00:24:45,670
to look at a superb example

431
00:24:45,670 --> 00:24:49,023
of an English baroque house, Dyrham Park.

432
00:24:50,910 --> 00:24:54,690
Set in over a square
kilometer of ancient parkland,

433
00:24:54,690 --> 00:24:56,620
visitors can enjoy the pleasure

434
00:24:56,620 --> 00:24:58,922
of spotting free roaming deer.

435
00:24:58,922 --> 00:25:02,005
(lighthearted music)

436
00:25:02,930 --> 00:25:05,840
The house was commissioned
by William Blathwayt,

437
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,123
who was Secretary of
War under William III.

438
00:25:12,510 --> 00:25:14,820
Dyrham Park, which remained in the family

439
00:25:14,820 --> 00:25:16,520
until the 1950s,

440
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:18,350
is now run by the National Trust

441
00:25:18,350 --> 00:25:21,160
who preserve this
beautiful garden parkland

442
00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:22,613
for all to enjoy.

443
00:25:27,300 --> 00:25:30,945
It's a fine place to end this journey.

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00:25:30,945 --> 00:25:34,028
(lighthearted music)

445
00:25:35,612 --> 00:25:38,945
(dramatic violin music)