All language subtitles for Aerial Britain Series 2 Part 2 National Treasures 1080p

(wind howling)

(dramatic music)

Narrator: Seen from above,

Britain is a green
and pleasant land.

Full of treasures often
hidden in plain sight.

Which is the grandest?

Which is the most beloved?

Which tells us the most
about this united kingdom?

The white cliffs of dover,

Scotland's great glen,

The heights of snowdonia,

Or northern ireland's
remarkable giant's causeway?

We reveal the wonders
that put the great

Into a nation like never before.

(light music)

(birds chirping)

(light music)
(gulls cawing)

Kent's white cliffs of dover
is the iconic image of britain.

The essence of the uk
as a rock solid haven

Of freedom of democracy.

For 2,000 years, dover has
been a gateway to britain.

Today it's one of the
world's leading ferry ports.

When the roman
emperor claudius sent

His galleys to invade
britain, the white cliffs

Were what they saw first.

Dover castle didn't exist
at that time in this form,

But the roman's would've
seen the fortification

From the iron age on this site.

They added to it, and the
castle's roman lighthouse

Is now the oldest
building in England.

(light dramatic music)
(waves crashing)

After the romans landed in
southern britain in 43 a.D.,

It took them four years
to conquer the tribes

Of the south and another
30 to gain control

Of the west country and wales.

This is a roman military base
near the village of caerleon.

It was once home to
5,000 elite troops.

And nearby are the remains
of an even greater treasure,

A great oval amphitheater.

It was built about 90 a.D.,

47 years after the
romans first landed.

6,000 people were gathered
here to watch gladiators

Fight to the death.

The romans were in wales
for more than 300 years.

This is the first welsh
town they founded,

Venta silurum, now
called caerwent.

(light music)

Sections of the original
city wall still exist

And are generally
acknowledged to be one

Of the most perfectly
preserved roman fortifications

In northern europe.

Parts are around 17 feet high.

The romans left many things.

This is arguably
the most impressive.

Hadrian's wall.

It's 73 miles long,
stretching from the banks of

The river tyne in the east to
the solway firth in the west.

It took six years to
build the limestone wall,

On the orders of
emperor hadrian.

It was intended to protect
the province of brittania

From the northern
ancient britons.

Many believe it
marks the true border

Between England and scotland.

In fact, it lies
entirely within England.

Hadrian's wall was
a great achievement.

But chatsworth house,
in the derbyshire dales

On the river dent,
would have left

The roman emperor gobsmacked.

(light music)

Occupying 35,000
acres, this family seat

Of the dukes of
devonshire is repeatedly

Voted britain's
best stately home.

In its heyday, chatsworth
had a 126 rooms

With 40 staff looking after
the family's every whim.

It's sad two window
cleaners work continuously,

Day-in and day-out,

To maintain a pristine
view of the dales.

Chatsworth's 100-acre
garden was redesigned

By capability brown,
britain's foremost landscape

Architect in the 18th century.

At the time, 100 gardeners
kept the grounds neat and tidy.

And there is a gemstone
within the treasure,

Though a relatively modern one.

This maze is made up of
1200 small yew trees.

It was created in 1962 for
the 11th duke of devonshire.

Not all stately homes of
the aristocracy are houses.

This one is a palace, blenheim.

It's the principal residence
of the dukes of marlborough.

Blenheim is set in
about 2,000 acres

Of oxfordshire
parkland, in woodstock,

And is a world heritage site
with over 300 years of history.

It's also the only house
in England to be given

The title palace other
than the royal family

Or anglican church.

Blenheim has 187 rooms.

Its english baroque
architecture is sought after

By tourists and
movie-makers alike.

James bond's "spectre" and
"transformers - the lake knight"

Were filmed here.

Blenheim is also the
birthplace of britain's

Most revered modern
wartime leader,

Sir winston churchill.

As prime minister
during world war ii,

Churchill made this iconic
palace his second home.

Originally built for the
duke of buckingham in 1703,

Buckingham palace has been
the official london residence

Of the reigning monarch since
the days of queen victoria.

And seeing the 11 a.M
changing of the guard

From this vantage point makes
it all the more impressive.

(light music)

In the 13th century, the
monarch of the day, edward I,

Chose leeds castle as
his favorite residence.

Often called the loveliest
castle in the world,

It was built on islands in a
lake near maidstone in kent.

Dating back to norman times,

It has more than 900
years of history.

And like chatsworth house,
it also has a maze made

Of yew trees, 2,400 of
them, set in a square

Representing a queen's crown.

This was once the home
of catherine of aragon,

First wife of king henry
viii, and queen of England.

But it's not just England
that boasts castles

Fit for queens and kings.

In fact, the part of
the uk with more castles

Than any other country in
the whole of europe is wales.

Cardiff castle, in the
heart of the welsh capital,

Was also built by the
normans as early as 1081,

15 years after william the
conqueror invaded England.

This castle, like many others,

Is a mixture of
medieval and modern.

In the 19th century, the
great victorian architect,

William burgess, added
new towers, a roof garden,

And this magnificent
clock tower.

In north wales, one
particular group of castles

Was constructed with
a less glamorous

And more strategic mission.

Caernarfon castle,
built by edward I,

Is the medieval jewel
in the crown of a group

Of eight castles, known
as the ring of iron.

Caernarfon is recognized
by many as one

Of the greatest buildings
of the middle ages.

(triumphant music)

It was part of edward's
bitter english war

With welsh princes
in the 13th century.

It took 47 years
to build and cost

A staggering 25,000 pounds.

(upbeat music)

This is another of edward's
ring of iron castles

In north wales, harlech.

It lies almost 30 miles along
the coast from caernarfon,

On a spur of rock
near the irish sea.

It took 20 years to build,

But cost edward a
mere 8,000 pounds,

At least eight million
pounds in today's money.

Edward's castles helped
him defeat the princes

And put an end to
welsh independence,

Paving the way for
wales to become

Part of the united kingdom.

(light music)

(light music)

Scotland can also
lay claim to castles

That are national treasures.

One of the smallest,
but most beautiful,

Lies on a tiny
island in loch leven,

Just north of edinburgh.

Its claim to fame
is that in 1567,

It was used as a prison
for mary queen of scots.

She was held there
for almost a year,

And complained it was
not fit and proper

For someone of her rank.

She eventually
managed to escape,

But 20 years later was
beheaded in England.

Loch leven castle
can claim to be one

Of britain's smallest castles.

But back in north wales,
near colwyn castle,

Is britain's smallest house.

(playful music)

Quay house, as it's known, was
built in the ancient castle

Walls in the 16th century and
remained in use until 1900.

Its last owner was a six
foot three fisherman,

Who moved out because
he couldn't stand up

In any of the rooms.

(dramatic music)
(waves crashing)

(light music)

Northern ireland
has its fair share

Of breathtaking castles.

In county antrim,
dunluce castle rests on

The steep cliffs
overlooking the atlantic.

"game of thrones" fans
know it as the fictional

"house of greyjoy," the
great castle of pike.

(dramatic music)

Long ago, dunluce
was the stronghold of

The irish and scottish clans,
mcdonnel and macdonald.

Today it's protected
as a national monument.

Dunluce is also said to
have inspired the writer,

C.S. Lewis, when he
created the capital

Of the kingdom of narnia.

"game of thrones"
enthusiasts will recognize

This evocative coastline as one

Of the show's seven
kingdoms, "westeros".

This is one of
the most beautiful

And impressive parts of the uk.

And it features at least one
seascape that would qualify

As a top national treasure,
the giant's causeway.

(dramatic music)

One of the most distinctive
rock formations on earth,

The causeway was formed
around 60 million years ago

During a volcanic eruption.

There are around 40,000
interlocking lava columns

That have been weathered
by wind and waves

Into this dramatic landscape.

It's northern ireland's
only world heritage site.

Legend has it that the
causeway is what's left

Of a land bridge between
ireland and scotland.

It was created by
a good irish giant,

Finn mccool, after he
was challenged to a fight

By a bad scottish
giant, benandonner,

Who wanted to levy high
taxes on the irish.

The myths has it that
mccool was the winner

And the causeway was his legacy.

(light music)

The causeway also has
another unique feature.

One of the uk's smallest
railways links it

With the historic
town of bushmills,

The oldest licensed whiskey
distillery in the world,

Founded in 1608.

The giant's causeway is
not the only landmark

To have ancient myths
and legends attached.

Britain is full of places
that have inspired writers

And creative geniuses.

(dramatic music)

One of the most enduring
legends of them all

Is said to have begun
here in north cornwall,

In tintagel castle, on
this dramatic headland.

Here, according to
medieval folklore,

King arthur was conceived
with a little help

From the equally mythical
magician, merlin.

The legend of camelot
resonates to this day.

The story of the chivalrous
knights of the round table,

Arthur's magical
sword, excalibur,

And the search for
the holy grail.

(dramatic music)
(waves crashing)

The real tintagel
castle was built by

The fabulously and wealthy
richard, earl of cornwall

Between 1225 and 1233.

But the legend of king
arthur ensures it's on

The bucket list of
many who visit the west

Of England every year.

(gulls cawing)

Tintagel may have
a devoted fan base,

But glastonbury
tor, in somerset,

Is a destination for those
on a more spiritual quest.

This is where, it's
said, the holy grail,

The cup used by jesus at the
last supper, was once located.

Saint michael's tower
is all that remains

Of a 14th century church.

The tor is one of
britain's most ancient

And spiritual sites where
pagans and christians

Have worshiped for centuries.

According to arthurian legend,
this was the isle of avalon,

Where arthur slept, ready
to return to his people

In their hour of need.

(light music)

In the very heart of England
lies sherwood forest,

Home of mythical
figure robin hood.

He hid here amongst
the giant oak trees

As he stole from the
rich to give to the poor

While battling the
sheriff of nottingham

And evil prince john.

(light music)
(birds chirping)

In the late 15th century,

When richard iii
was on the throne,

Sherwood forest covered
at least 100,000 acres.

Today, only around a
thousand acres remain.

In 2002 it was declared a
national nature reserve.

In the middle of the forest
sits an ancient oak tree

Measuring 33 feet
around its base.

It's so big it's been
supported by scaffolding

Since victorian times.

Approximately 800 years
old, this is the tree,

According to the legend,
that sheltered robin

And his merry men as they slept.

Just outside of the forest,
in the nottinghamshire

Village of edwinstowe, lies
another landmark in the story.

It's said that here, in
the church of saint mary

Built in the 12th century,

Robin hood and maid
marion were married.

The peaceful north yorkshire
fishing village of whitby

Attributes its modern day
popularity to a novel.

It's a famous place with an
infamous fictional character.

This is where, in 1890, the
irish author bram stoker

Is said to have conceived
one of the greatest fiends

In literature, count dracula.

(dramatic music)

The novelist was inspired by
the 16th century abbey ruins,

Intrigued by the ever
changing light on the walls

And the thousands of bats
nesting in the shadows.

Local folklore has it
that stoker randomly chose

A book from the village library

Which mentioned a mysterious
transylvanian count

And envisioned a
bloodthirsty vampire

Who enthralls and
frightens in equal measure.

(thunder cracking)
(crow cawing)

Not all of britain's
legends are people.

This is loch ness.

23 miles long and
nearly 800 feet deep.

It's home, so they say,
to the loch ness monster,

Or "nessie" as she is
more affectionately known.

Rumors of a monster in the
loch first circulated in 565.

But nessie became an
international sensation

In 1934 when a photograph
appeared in the press,

Purportedly showing
a long necked monster

Swimming in the loch.

It later turned
out to be a hoax.

(dramatic music)

But that hasn't diminished
the loch ness monster business

And the legend continues
to draw many thousands

To the highlands every year.

(light music)
(birds chirping)

Some british
historical treasures

Don't just evoke the past.

They carry on in the present.

This is the village of
gretna green in scotland.

Here, couples from all over
britain, and the world,

Run to get married.

It's scotland's
capital of romance.

It all began in
the 18th century.

In England, strict marriage
laws relating to age

And parental consent
led to an exodus

Of couples wishing to wed.

They raced here to take
advantage of scotland's

More relaxed rules.

Gretna green is just
over the border.

All that's required to
get legally hitched here

Is a simple declaration
in front of two witnesses.

Back then, the
father-of-the-bride

Was usually in hot pursuit.

The first building a
couple usually reached

Upon arrival was
the blacksmith's,

So the lovers quickly
tied the knot here.

And although that
practice is long gone,

There doesn't seem
to be any letup.

Every year at least 5,000
couples from all over

The world get married
at gretna green.

Great britain is not always
a green and pleasant land.

When the winter months come,

Its national treasures
take on a different light.

And scotland is one part
of the united kingdom

That usually wears
harsh winters well.

(light music)

Snow turns attractions
like glencoe,

The great glen, into a
vast icy amphitheater

Reminiscent of its bloody past.

It was here, in February 1692,

That soldiers under the
orders of king william iii

Of England ambushed and
slaughtered 38 members

Of the clan macdonald.

Many of those who escaped
the massacre perished

In the snow and ice
surrounding the glen.

Ever since, glencoe has been
scotland's most famous glen,

But recently it's also been
voted the most romantic.

Romantics in search
of aquatic activities

Need not look any further
than the storied loch lomond.

It's the largest loch
in scotland and probably

The most well known
after loch ness.

It's in a valley surrounded
by wooded landscapes

All within the
trossachs national park.

And this loch has its
very own paddle steamer,

The maid of the loch.

It's the last of a long
line of paddle boats

That worked the loch
in early 19th century.

Having been left
to rot for decades,

The maid has now been fully
restored and relaunched

To help make this place
even more romantic.

(light dramatic music)

One of the uk's
15 national parks,

The trossachs is an area of
outstanding natural beauty.

It contains 700
square miles of lakes,

Woodlands, and 21 mountains.

And the daddy of them
all is ben nevis.

At almost four and a
half thousand feet high,

It's the number one
peak in all of britain.

And this is the uk's second
highest, mount snowdon.

It's the tallest in wales,

With links to the
legendary king arthur.

(dramatic music)

This part of the mountain
is known in welsh

As (speaking foreign
language), which,

Loosely translated means grave.

(dramatic music)

In mythology, it's believed
to be the final resting place

Of a fearsome giant
slain by arthur.

And glaslyn lake, which lies
to the east of the mountain,

Is where arthur's magical
sword, excalibur, was thrown.

(dramatic music)

And where there are mountains
there are waterfalls.

This one is known as one of
the seven wonders of wales.

With its 240 feet of
graceful, cascading water,

Pistyll rhaedr is britain's
tallest waterfall.

Truly a gem, rarely
seen from above.

(water splashing)

(light music)

The storied lake district is
home to England's highest peak,

Scafell pike, a popular
destination for walkers.

(light music)

And dominating
the lake district,

What is often called
the most beautiful

Lake in britain, ullswater.

This is also known as
wordsworth country.

The great early 19th
century romantic poet,

William wordsworth,
was born here.

For many years, he lived
in dove cottage at grasmere

Just north of lake windermere.

Windermere is the longest
body of water in England.

Wordsworth described it
as the loveliest spot

That man hath ever found.

(light music)
(birds chirping)

Wordsworth spent his most
productive years here.

His appreciation of
nature and his devotion

To living simply
and thinking deeply

Put the lake district
on the map forever.

(light music)

Another famous wordsmith
is william shakespeare,

Generally acknowledged as
England's greatest playwright.

His birthplace,
stratford-upon-avon,

Was once a small provincial
elizabethan town.

Now, millions of people
celebrate his life and work

By visiting the town every year.

Shakespeare was born
in this humble house

On henley street in April, 1564.

Although he was
raised in the town,

He didn't pen his
masterpieces here.

After attending
stratford's grammar school,

He left to find his
fortune in london.

But he is buried here,
in stratford-upon-avon's

Holy trinity church,
where he was baptized.

When he died he was 52 years old

And had written
more than 37 plays.

Among them, "hamlet," "macbeth,"
"the merchant of venice"

And "much ado about nothing."

Many of shakespeare's
greatest works

Were history plays
involving kings and queens

And the intrigues
of british royalty.

And this, perhaps the
most valuable jewel

In britain's tourist
crown, was the setting

For the evil deeds depicted in
shakespeare's "richard iii".

(light music)

The tower of london has
existed since the middle ages,

Thanks to william the conqueror,
who built the white tower.

It now belongs to britain's
monarch of the day.

It's actually a royal palace,

But is better known
as a fearsome fortress

With its ravens and beefeaters
guarding the crown jewels.

The magnificent westminster
abbey dates back

To the 11th century and
edward the confessor.

It's been the setting for
nearly every coronation

Since william's in 1066.

And his was on christmas day.

It's a church
dedicated to worship

As well as a unique part of
the pageantry of british life.

It also serves as a final
resting place or memorial

For prominent citizens
as well as many kings

And queens of the realm.

(upbeat music)

One future king of
England commissioned

His own personal national
treasure in the 18th century.

When george iv was
prince of wales in 1787,

He commissioned a
royal residence on

The south coast in brighton.

Now known as the royal pavilion,

His seaside retreat was
built in three stages.

It was intended to invoke
the spirit of india

And the british raj
with architecture

In the indo-gothic style.

The domes and minarets are
the work of the architect

John nash, who expanded
the building in 1815.

George the iv died in 1830,

But the pavilion continued to
be used by the royal family.

Finally, in 1845, queen
victoria wrote to her aunt

That the people of brighton
were indiscreet and troublesome.

Its days of royal
glory were over.

(whooshing)
(light music)

Scotland experienced
centuries of royal

And parliamentary rule and
all the castles, myths,

And legends that accompany it.

Scone palace, near perth,
is one of scotland's

Most notable sites.

Once the center of power of
the ancient kingdom of alba,

Scone was the home of
the scottish parliaments.

And, for more than
eight centuries,

It was the place where
scotland's kings were crowned.

Not in the palace itself,
but a short distance away,

Here on a grassy mount
known as moot hill.

This is a replica of
the stone of scone

Where the monarch stood
to receive the crown.

Legend has it that
the stone is sacred,

Having been used by
jacob as a pillow when,

According to the bible, he
beheld a vision of angels.

The replica stone is the
result of royal machinations.

In 1296, edward I of
England took the original

And placed it in
westminster abbey

So it could be used for
all coronations there.

Today, the stone of
scone resides here,

In edinburgh castle,
scotland's capital since 1437,

When it replaced scone.

Wales has an
ancient capital too.

This is the medieval
market town of machynlleth.

It was once the stronghold
of rebel leader,

Owain glyndwr, a 14th
century welsh patriot

Who led a revolt against
England's king henry iv.

This building stands on the
site of the welsh parliament

Where owain declared an
independent welsh state

And was crowned prince of
wales by his followers.

He was the last true
welshman to claim that title.

Owain is still regarded as one

Of wales' most heroic figures.

Although rebellion failed,
he was never betrayed,

And remained in hiding
from the english

Until the day he died.

(water splashing)

(singing in foreign language)

Another treasured
locale of wales

Is one of 50 welsh islands.

Caldey, the smallest of them
all, lies in carmarthan bay.

Caldey has a long
and rich history.

Some of the earliest
monastic settlements

Were established here.

They were remote,
protected havens

For contemplation and prayer.

Today, this tradition is
maintained by a small community

Of cistercian trappist monks who

Have been here since the 1920s.

There might be only
around 40 inhabitants,

But they have their own
currency, known as a dab,

And also the issue their
own postage stamps.

(water splashing)
(gulls cawing)

It's said that caldey
is a place for the soul

Where the heart of wales
lies deep beneath the ground.

(light music)

Sometimes britain's
national treasures

Reveal themselves after dark.

In 1879, blackpool became
the first town on earth

To have a system of street
lights powered by electricity.

It takes more than a
million bulbs to create

This light show.

And it's fun fair and
illuminations remain

A much-loved
attraction to this day.

Blackpool tower, one of the
north's most iconic landmarks,

Is world renowned
as the location

Of tv's "strictly come dancing."

(dramatic music)

Another northern icon is the
giant anthony gromley sculpture

Known as "the angel
of the north".

Completed in 1998, it stands
65 feet tall on the site

Of a 200-year-old coalmine.

Made entirely of steel
and weighing 150 tons,

It signifies the
north's transition from

The industrial age to one
of information technology.

It cost 800,000 pounds
to make and is intended

To last 100 years.

When asked, "why an angel?",

Anthony gormley replied,
"because no one has seen one

And we need to keep
imagining them."

(light music)

J.M. Barrie had one of britain's
most fertile imaginations.

Not for angels,
but for peter pan,

The lost boys, and tinkerbell.

The house where he
was born in 1860,

At kirriemuir in the
scottish lowlands,

Has been preserved
for the nation.

Barrie was moved
to create peter pan

And the world of neverland
following the death

Of his teenage elder
brother, david,

Who was killed in an ice skating
accident when j.M. Was six.

The statue of pan
in the rear garden

Of the barrie house
symbolizes eternal childhood.

(light music)

J.M. Barrie is one of
only a handful of writers

Who've been given
honorary degrees

By three of britain's
universities.

Saint andrew's, sitting
on the east coast of fife,

Is the third oldest
university in

The english-speaking world
and scotland's best known.

It became even more famous
when william met kate here

And had a royal romance.

(light music)

J.M. Barrie received a
degree from here in 1898.

Oxford university awarded him
its honorary degree in 1926.

It is the oldest in the
english-speaking world

And the world's second
oldest continuous university.

This city of dreaming spires,
as matthew arnold dubbed it,

Has been teaching
students since 1096.

Cambridge, which gave barrie
an honorary degree in 1930,

Has been going since 1209.

It started when a group
of oxford scholars left

Their university after a
dispute with local townspeople,

And walked the 80 or
so miles to cambridge.

(light music)

Between them, oxford and
cambridge have, to date,

Produced 42 british
prime ministers

And 192 nobel prize winners.

Oxford leads cambridge in
the prime ministerial stakes

With 20 to 14, but cambridge
has a 120 nobel laureates

To oxford's 72.

Coach: Here we
go, that's right.

Lovely strokes, yeah, lovely.

Lovely.
(light dramatic music)

Narrator: This is port merrion,

In gwynedd, north wales.

It's a village
solely for tourists,

Usually open to the
public 364 days a year.

This bit of baroque
Italy in wales was built

Between 1925 and 76.

In the 1960s, port merrion
was used as the main location

For the cult sci-fi tv
series, "the prisoner."

In it, patrick mcgoohan
plays a british secret agent

Who is abducted,
locked down, and given

The number six as his identity.

(light dramatic music)

In every episode he had
to find ingenious ways

To escape from
idyllic port merrion.

(dramatic music)

So, as we come to the
end of our aerial journey

Around britain, these have
been just some of the uk's

Most favorite
national treasures.

We've seen manmade marvels
and natural wonders.

Treasures celebrating
royals and those

Who come from humble beginnings.

Legendary writers
and mythical legends.

They are all part
of great britain's

Rich and colorful history.