Original subtitles

*

Narrator: a strange Ruined landscape filled

With clues Of a deadly past life.

It feels like someone Was kept down here --

Not by choice, But against their will.

*

Narrator: a den of brutality

That still carries The echoes of past horrors.

Things are just getting worse And worse and worse.

It had to reach A breaking point eventually.

Narrator: And a unique construction That flew the flag for cuba

Narrator: And a unique construction That flew the flag for cuba

Following the revolution.

Barratt: This was fidel's bright idea.

This is the future.

And he wanted it done Very quickly.

But, outside, the political Climate is definitely changing.

*

Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Forged through years of toil.

Forged through years of toil.

Now haunted by the past,

Their secrets Waiting to be revealed.

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

*

Sitting on the edge Of west virginia

Stands a vast fortress-like Building cloaked in mist.

Stands a vast fortress-like Building cloaked in mist.

*

Approaching the building And gazing

Upon these 24-foot-high walls,

It's an immensely Imposing experience.

There's a distinct feeling

That you are going To be unwelcome here.

Meigs: This building looks kind of

Like A european castle or palace,

But with a very gloomy And highly fortified aspect.

But with a very gloomy And highly fortified aspect.

Narrator: upon entering, Any faint hope

Of finding a fairy-tale home Rapidly disappears.

Selwood: inside, it's really not Clear what this place is.

There's a canteen With paintings,

And, upstairs, there's even Medical and dental equipment.

There's something rather dark And sinister about it all.

Narrator: in fact, This building has ties

To one of america's Most notorious criminals.

And some believe That still stalking the halls

Are the spirits of those Who suffered here.

Are the spirits of those Who suffered here.

You get deeper inside, You notice the graffiti,

The rusting iron bars, The peeling paint,

And the feeling that Terrible things happened here.

Meigs: clearly this was never Designed to be a happy place.

And since it's all now Falling apart

And decaying, it just adds To the overall air of despair.

Narrator: how would this place Attain infamy,

And what horrors remain Lurking inside?

And what horrors remain Lurking inside?

*

Local historian ryan zacherl

Knows This vast building's dark past.

Zacherl: This was one of the most Horrific places in the world,

And still to this day, it's Notorious for the atrocities

That occurred here.

Narrator: in the 1860s, A series of escapes

From county jails Meant the new state

Of west virginia Needed to find a solution.

Of west virginia Needed to find a solution.

Zacherl: The inmates completely up And left and were never found.

And it was at that point That they realized

They needed Something higher security.

They needed something More permanent

To contain the criminals.

Narrator: The solution was this --

The west virginia penitentiary.

But this was no ordinary prison.

From the very beginning, It was designed

To hold the worst of the worst.

This place was supposed to be

A fortress from which Escape was impossible.

A fortress from which Escape was impossible.

Narrator: But in the 20th century,

A frightening turn of events

Began putting pressure On these walls.

In wider society, ever more People were being convicted,

And of increasingly Violent crimes.

The prison was designed to house Only a few hundred people.

Yet it ended up With over 2,000.

The result was Uncontrollable violence.

Narrator: to try and limit The danger, areas of the prison

Were sectioned off.

The premeditated slaughtering Of their fellow inmates

Made this the most Dangerous cellblock

In the west virginia Penitentiary.

They called this cellblock The alamo

Because they genuinely believed

That they wouldn't make it Out of here alive.

They had to spend At least 22 hours

Out of every day locked inside These 5x7 cells,

And they are absolutely tiny.

*

*

Narrator: But locking them up

Didn't stop Their violent tendencies.

Zacherl: it was all about Survival inside this cellblock,

And survival Meant arming themselves.

They would cut pieces of metal Off the doors or the bunks,

And then once they had That piece of metal off,

On the inside of their cell, They could bend down

And actually sharpen That knife on the concrete,

Which you can see scratch marks Right here where an inmate

Turned that from a dull piece Of steel into a deadly knife.

Turned that from a dull piece Of steel into a deadly knife.

Narrator: And the inmates

Weren't just trying to kill Each other.

Chuck gent was a guard at the Facility for nine brutal years.

What happened was, They was doing a survey

To find out How hot it got in here,

And they stuck Thermometers up everywhere.

The inmates stole them, Broke it open,

And stole all the mercury.

Then they tried to poison me With it in a cup of coffee.

I got fortunate When I happened to glance

I got fortunate When I happened to glance

Down into the cup and found it.

There wasn't a day You didn't come in here

You wasn't in fear of your life.

Narrator: The horrors of this place

Have stayed with chuck Ever since.

Gent: you have flashbacks.

When you see a guy with A 25-pound weight plate

Buried in his forehead Or a 12-inch piece of steel

That runs up to his eye And up into his brain

And out the back of his head.

A guy set on fire,

And he burned, and his skin's Boiling and stuff like this.

You end up having a hard side To you to survive this.

You end up having a hard side To you to survive this.

Narrator: but surprisingly, Despite the horrors

That went on inside these walls,

Somehow this place Became a public attraction.

94 men convicted of Some of the most violent crimes

Were executed in a building Called the death house

That once stood out here On the north yard.

They used to perform these Executions by hanging publicly.

People would literally Travel miles to come

People would literally Travel miles to come

And watch these executions.

They would sell tickets To these, and people

Would bring their whole family.

The kids would come. They'd have A picnic during the execution.

Narrator: while the brutality Of this place

Could certainly draw a crowd,

It wasn't only the paying public Wishing to come here.

Meigs: there's this room called The sugar shack

Where prisoners could go.

There was no supervision. The Guards never went down there.

They were afraid To go down there.

And all kinds Of terrible things happened.

Some prisoners liked this setup.

Some prisoners liked this setup.

Some of them actually asked To be transferred to this prison

Because they knew they'd have More freedom to engage

In drugs, violence, gangs.

*

Narrator: Counted amongst those wishing

To find themselves In this prison

Was one of the most infamous Killers in american history,

Who also had a personal link To this site.

*

*

Narrator: in west virginia Stands the derelict remains

Of one of the country's Most brutal institutions.

It's a place that hides a link To a notorious criminal.

In the late 1930s, A woman named kathleen maddox

Was sentenced To serve time here.

She had a young son Named charlie maddox.

This little boy came to visit His mother

Inside this penitentiary.

This little boy Eventually went on

This little boy Eventually went on

To become the infamous Charles manson.

Narrator: in march of 1983, The warden was handed a letter.

Now incarcerated For his involvement

In a series of brutal murders,

Charles manson was requesting A transfer here.

There was no way the authorities Were gonna allow that.

And the warden at the prison At the time wrote back.

He said it would, "Be a cold day in hell

Before charles manson Moved to west virginia."

Narrator: even without that Killer being added into the mix,

Narrator: even without that Killer being added into the mix,

This place Was already struggling

To do the very thing It was designed for.

West virginia state prison Was supposed to be a fortress

From the very beginning.

Just 'cause they built it As an inescapable fortress

Didn't mean It was actually inescapable.

Zacherl: in november of 1979,

We had the largest mass escape From this penitentiary.

15 inmates created a plan To smuggle in a firearm,

Take an officer hostage, Get to the control panel,

And eventually Let themselves out

And eventually Let themselves out

The front door of this prison.

The city of moundsville Was absolutely terrified.

Narrator: Outside, an exchange of gunfire

Killed a trooper and an inmate.

The other 14 escapees Were eventually recaptured.

This was just one Of over 200 escapes

That took place From the penitentiary.

Selwood: Prisoners even joked openly About how easy it was to escape.

The idea of An impregnable fortress

The idea of An impregnable fortress

Had failed spectacularly.

Narrator: Eventually, all the inmates Would flee the appalling prison.

The supreme court deemed The site unfit for purpose.

And in 1995, its doors slammed Closed for the final time.

*

Today, decades after It was abandoned,

Today, decades after It was abandoned,

The macabre site has become A mecca for intrepid visitors.

Zacherl: this penitentiary is Thought to be one

Of the most haunted places In the united states of america,

And one of the most common forms Of supernatural phenomena

Is a shadow figure Called the shadow man.

In 2004, A lady named polly gear

Actually captured it In a photograph.

She saw the figure Walking towards her.

So she took one picture.

Down this hallway

And right in front of this door,

And right in front of this door,

The figure was standing, Looking at her.

Narrator: even with the site's Worst days long gone,

Perhaps the horrors of this Place are still not quite over.

On the outskirts of The cuban capital of havana

Are the eerie remains

Of the caribbean island's Turbulent past.

Barratt: in amongst this lush, Green, tropical landscape,

Suddenly there are pops of Orange and red terra-cotta

Coming through the palm trees.

Auerbach: these buildings are So fantastical.

Something really ignited Someone's imagination

And let it run free in These shapes and these designs.

Narrator: nothing about The crumbling structures'

Distinctive appearance Seems left to chance.

Whoever built this put a lot Of thought

Whoever built this put a lot Of thought

Into how people walking Through it would experience it.

So, within the landscape, One thing that you really notice

Is that there's hardly a right Angle in the entire place.

It's all about exploring 'round corners.

It's all about wondering What lies around the bend.

Narrator: Yet few clues as to the Site's original purpose appear

To have survived The ravages of time.

There's a sense Of whatever stopped

There's a sense Of whatever stopped

That process Happening very abruptly.

Barratt: You have to wonder, "Why did,

Suddenly, construction Just stop?"

It looked like It was going so well.

*

Narrator: The origins of this striking Site date to the early 1960s,

A time When cuba was undergoing

A period Of extraordinary upheaval.

Intended as a place of calm And tranquility

To inspire young minds,

The grand structures Were born out of terror

The grand structures Were born out of terror

And conflict.

Corum: in the 1950s, cuba

Had been under the dictatorship Of fulgencio batista.

It was an incredibly Corrupt country.

And a small group Of revolutionaries

Started a war Against the government.

Narrator: those revolutionaries Were the infamous fidel castro

And loyal lieutenant Ernesto "Che" guevara.

Together, their actions would Transform the destiny of cuba

Together, their actions would Transform the destiny of cuba

And these buildings forever.

Corum: in late 1959, They defeated the army,

And cubans initially saw castro

As a revolutionary, As a romantic figure,

And they didn't realize His true nature.

Narrator: In time, that true nature

Would heap misery On the cuban people

And threaten to tear The world apart.

Yet in the immediate aftermath Of the bloody revolution,

Yet in the immediate aftermath Of the bloody revolution,

It was a wave of optimism that Swept over the war-torn country.

Barratt: in 1961, fidel castro And che guevara,

They decide to go and play golf One day in the elite club,

A place that they'd previously

Never been allowed Anywhere near.

They say, "What a shame it is That this has been shut off

From most of the cuban people.

And shouldn't they Experience it, as well?"

And they hatch a plan -- A very ambitious plan --

To change this golf course Into something else entirely.

To change this golf course Into something else entirely.

Narrator: so, what did These two revolutionaries

Have in mind for this place?

And why would one Of the site's architects

Ultimately end up Fleeing for his life?

*

*

Narrator: in havana, cuba, Is a sweeping structure

That carried the dreams Of the revolution.

It was a bold project, but The remains suggest dark days

Would ultimately descend Upon the site.

Castro asked a young cuban Architect, ricardo porro,

To design the site,

And he was going to produce Five separate buildings,

And he was going to produce Five separate buildings,

Each with a separate purpose.

Narrator: this is cuba's National school of art --

A series of ambitious structures Designed to nurture excellence

In ballet, modern dance, Visual arts, music, and drama.

This is the birth of an idea,

And, remember, For your real communists,

Real revolutionaries,

Art is very important.

Art is there to serve The revolution.

Art is there to serve The revolution.

Narrator: Local josé villa soberón

Came here to study sculpture.

[ speaking spanish ]

Interpreter: I started studying In the year 1966

When I was 16 years old.

To a young boy Who wanted to study art,

It was like discovering A brand-new world.

Narrator: Given just two months to Come up with the initial plans,

Porro recruited two friends To help him --

Vittorio garatti And roberto gottardi.

Vittorio garatti And roberto gottardi.

The young architects Poured their heart and soul

Into the idealistic project, Taking inspiration

From the changing times They were living in.

Auerbach: you walk along the Corridors, and you lose sense

Of where you're coming from And where you're going,

And that was intentional.

The message that he was trying To communicate

Is that cuba had moved on From its history

And was forging a new future.

Narrator: each school was Unique, but they all shared

One clever piece of engineering

One clever piece of engineering

That helped speed up Construction and encouraged

Those flowing shapes --

The catalan arch.

For the catalan arch, or dome,

You start off with a brick, A very thin brick,

And then you use Very quick-drying cement,

And you butt up one against it,

And then another one, And then another one.

And because it's all held Into place quite quickly,

You don't need a falsework To support it.

Narrator: after only one year Of construction

And before all the buildings

Were complete, the school's Doors were opened.

Were complete, the school's Doors were opened.

Barratt: the students arrived

While the whole place Was a building site

And had lessons In the clubhouse

And around in the grounds.

There was a real family feel.

There was a real buzz About the place.

Students would play music to Help the workers in their task,

And there was a real atmosphere Of hope and excitement

About the future.

Villa soberón: [ speaking spanish ]

Interpreter: it's like a huge Stimulus for imagination.

It creates a magical environment For work.

It creates a magical environment For work.

Narrator: but the idealistic Campus built on the dream

Of the revolution would soon Turn into a nightmare.

Soviet influence In the country was growing,

And a deadly storm was brewing.

The americans see in castro's Friendliness to the soviet union

A direct threat To the united states.

In 1962, the world will come Close to nuclear war

With the cuban missile crisis.

After the cuban missile Crisis, the country was forced

After the cuban missile Crisis, the country was forced

To start prioritizing defense Over other considerations.

And suddenly this grand project Faced a cash-flow problem.

Narrator: And as the cuban leadership

Moved closer to the u.S.S.R.,

The country began to favor

Utilitarian Soviet-style architecture.

What was earlier seen As this grand experiment

In creativity And artistic freedom

Now starts to look like It's a bit bourgeois,

Now starts to look like It's a bit bourgeois,

It's a bit indulgent.

Narrator: before long, Construction was stopped,

And the school closed down.

The builders Are pulled off-site,

The architects are let go, And the schools

Are just left as they stand On that day.

The ballet school still hasn't Even got its flooring in.

Narrator: But for the people

That designed The school of arts,

A graver fate lay in store.

Cast as bourgeois enemies Of the state,

Cast as bourgeois enemies Of the state,

The ministry of construction Led a campaign

To destroy their reputations.

Barratt: so, the lead architect, Porro, he lived

And breathed these projects For a couple of years,

And he was Absolutely devastated.

And he left cuba And ended up working in europe

And the rest of the world.

Auerbach: vittorio garatti Is accused of espionage.

He's jailed, and eventually He's expelled from cuba.

Narrator: for students like José, the closure of the school

Narrator: for students like José, the closure of the school

Had a lasting impact.

[ speaking spanish ]

Interpreter: I really regret Not having been able

To continue that moment in cuban Culture during the 1960s.

It was an era Full of romance, dreams,

And with such high hopes.

*

Narrator: today, the school Is experiencing

An unexpected renaissance,

An unexpected renaissance,

With the ambitious architecture Finally

Being given the credit It deserved.

In the 1990s, Architects from outside cuba

Started to take a closer look At these buildings

And recognized the creativity That had gone into them.

Barratt: The future does look optimistic,

And although never finished, It looks finally like funding

Might be available from europe To complete the job.

*

*

Narrator: 50 miles north of paris,

Lost in the quiet countryside,

Are strange houses Carved into rock.

*

Some parts of this place Seem almost fantastical.

But this is only one element In a truly intriguing site.

Narrator: these homes hide A surprising secret.

Corum: you're out in the bright Sunlight in the summer.

Corum: you're out in the bright Sunlight in the summer.

And then you go through An entrance,

And you're down In the underground world.

Scott: it just draws you in Into this maze of rock

And paths and tunnels,

And occasionally You've got trees growing up,

Escaping out of this tunnel.

Narrator: But in the bowels of this site

Are cold, hollowed-out Depths lying hauntingly silent.

You have a feeling of wonder When you go underground

You have a feeling of wonder When you go underground

And you see these large Stone columns and chambers

And then tunnels and dark places Going off in every direction.

Narrator: lining the walls are Signs of a former life.

There are clues scattered All over this place.

There are markings of names And dates, drawings of figures.

It feels like it could have been Some kind of prison,

Keeping people hidden Out of sight underground.

Keeping people hidden Out of sight underground.

Narrator: but one carving Near the entrance

Seems to reveal The site's true colors.

Corum: here, you have a carving Of the goddess athena

In military gear.

You have an inscription -- "Never pass,"

And this is a clue To what this place really is.

Narrator: so, what was this site Designed to stop?

And would it achieve that aim?

*

*

Narrator: In the northeast of france

Is a site that has lain silent For decades.

But its dark innards Were not always so quiet.

During the 19th century,

The true importance Of this place was first felt...

When a decision was made To rebuild the capital.

Selwood: paris in The 19th century was a mess.

It was dirty, diseased, And crime-ridden

It was dirty, diseased, And crime-ridden

And had effectively sunk Into a den of sin and vice.

They wanted to build paris Into a city

That was fit To be france's capital.

The plan was to build these New wide boulevards and avenues,

But to redesign a city In this way,

You need building materials.

And that is where This place came in.

Narrator: already an established Limestone quarry,

Suddenly this place Gained a new importance.

Suddenly this place Gained a new importance.

For local resident Eric bouchenez,

It's clear to see How the large heavy blocks

Were carved out one by one.

[ speaking french ]

Interpreter: From the stone cutting,

You can distinguish The tool that was used.

Here, you can see the efforts

Of those men, identified By the rounded marks

Left by their picks.

Scott: This was not easy work.

It was all done by hand.

And you start at the top. You chisel away.

You keep going, you keep going,

You keep going, you keep going,

And your hole just gets Bigger and bigger and bigger.

[ bouchenez speaking french ]

Interpreter: no mechanical Equipment was used.

Everything was down To hard physical labor.

Narrator: but these are not The only marks of interest

Hidden down here In the darkness.

Other walls show clues To a very different use

During one of the most brutal Periods of the 20th century.

With all the evidence Of quarrying here, you now see

All kinds of marks from 1914 To 1918 all over the walls.

All kinds of marks from 1914 To 1918 all over the walls.

This is clearly A world war I site.

Narrator: By september 1914, german forces

Had advanced Into northern france.

The devastating Battle of the marne

Drove them back Towards this location,

Where the next stage Of this brutal war then began.

The germans were heading Straight for paris,

But the british and french Managed to intercept them

And halt their progress.

What followed was the defining Experience of 1914 to '18 --

What followed was the defining Experience of 1914 to '18 --

Trench warfare.

Narrator: for those soldiers Stuck on the front lines,

Eyes would be trained On the enemy in the distance

Lying across no man's land.

But hidden underground,

How would this site Be called into action?

Corum: artillery is The big killer of the war.

If you want to avoid The artillery shells,

The only solution Is deep underground.

The only solution Is deep underground.

And by happenstance, the front Came to a stop

In 1914 very close to here.

What makes this place special Is, obviously you're protected.

You've got that stone above you.

Narrator: this underground lair That once helped rebuild paris

Then became a place That was vital to the defense

Of that very same city.

*

[ speak french ]

[ speak french ]

Interpreter: so, these Huge bases were occupied

By the french army.

They took over the whole quarry.

You need to imagine How gigantic it is.

At its peak, you had between 200 and 500 soldiers

Living here in the quarry And in the surrounding area.

*

Underground facilities became A very, very important part

Of world war I.

And you would have, in some Cases, headquarters, hospitals,

And depots, and rear areas.

It's a safe place For the soldiers.

It's a safe place For the soldiers.

It was the last place The men would have gone

Before going on To the front line,

And it was the first place They would have gone to

After coming off the front line.

There would have just been Such a mixed bag of emotions

Going on there.

Narrator: the carvings And etchings are a reflection

Of the unsettling environment The men were lost in.

[ bouchenez speaking french ]

Interpreter: so, those men Stationed here for days

And weeks on end, They had to keep busy.

The front was not far off,

The front was not far off,

And death was all around.

So to kill time, They began sculpting.

*

Narrator: but one area appears As something more

Than just idle work For whiling away the time.

[ speaking french ]

Interpreter: so, here, you find The old chapel,

Built by a soldier Named leopold marchelle.

He built this in december 1914.

This chapel was built to provide Hope to the men stationed here.

This chapel was built to provide Hope to the men stationed here.

*

Don't forget that during the War, there were a lot of deaths,

And many were not sure That they would come back

The next day.

So they needed a place to pray And to lift their spirits.

*

Narrator: For the men living here, Danger was never far away.

The trenches were right On their doorstep,

The trenches were right On their doorstep,

And they'd have known That, sooner or later,

An attack would come.

*

*

Narrator: 50 miles north of Paris is an underground base

From the first world war.

Filled with french troops In 1918,

It was only a matter of time Until the enemy attacked.

Corum: The germans on the other side

Had their quarries and Their underground facilities.

And they brought in engineers, And they would try to tunnel

Under the enemy lines And plant explosives.

Under the enemy lines And plant explosives.

Selwood: they had to be alert To the germans

Appearing out of the woods

Or through a secret tunnel That they'd dug.

These were fears from which They could never escape.

[ explosion ]

Narrator: after four years of French military use, in 1918,

Suddenly a breakthrough emerged.

Both sides developed New strategies

That would end The static war of the trenches.

But it was the germans That struck first

To shatter the silence Of these deep caverns.

To shatter the silence Of these deep caverns.

It's all about the technology Coming together with new tactics

And applications That can break the trench lines.

You initiate a massive Opening bombardment

Just a few hours Before the infantry attack.

Selwood: the germans were Looking for a point of entry.

And when they found one, they Would funnel down into the base,

Bringing the fight To the heart of the complex.

Narrator: the clues to what Events unfolded are found

Narrator: the clues to what Events unfolded are found

Within the darkness.

Here, you can see that there's Obviously been some type of hit,

But that hit didn't come From externally.

That actually came From internally.

Interpreter: here, you can see Large blocks that fell.

There isn't another place That looks like this

In the entire quarry.

So there was probably A large explosion

Detonated to stop the enemy.

Narrator: but despite their best Efforts, in this case,

The german attack Was too powerful.

The soldiers had little choice But to fall back.

The soldiers had little choice But to fall back.

Corum: essentially an Underground facility like this

Is not built to be defended.

It's a refuge.

And if the enemy breaks through, Then you evacuate.

[ bouchenez speaking french ]

Interpreter: so, there was A surge of men here.

We had to retreat Because they used gas,

And lots of heavy artillery Fell onto our quarry.

Narrator: while it may have Seemed like a drastic turn

For the worse,

In fact, the allied forces Had their own plans for attack,

In fact, the allied forces Had their own plans for attack,

And within months, The war would be over.

The germans Are becoming exhausted.

It's a limited breakthrough.

It's a limited advance Before it stops and peters out.

Narrator: when the allied forces Retook the quarry site

And the surrounding land,

The role of this area Changed dramatically --

From a place of war To a place of peace.

Selwood: just over 6 miles From this base

Is where the armistice Was signed.

The blood, loss, and horror

The blood, loss, and horror

That have been witnessed Along this line

Was finally brought to an end.

*

Narrator: with its fighting days Over, the site soon transitioned

Back to its original use,

But on a far smaller scale.

Scott: after the war, The quarrying returned,

And so people returned.

And this place Became homes again.

The houses you see here Speak of a long tradition

Going back to the start Of quarrying 300 years ago.

Going back to the start Of quarrying 300 years ago.

The last people to leave Only left in the 1970s,

And that's their home that You can still see here today.

*

Narrator: Deep in the british countryside,

A foreboding giant sleeps.

*

Bell: this complex completely Dominates the landscape.

Bell: this complex completely Dominates the landscape.

You've got Beautiful brick buildings.

You can spot the ruins Of old pipelines.

You've got Massive towers and pumps

And these piles of broken-up Rock and concrete everywhere.

*

Selwood: The site is highly impressive.

There's a vast array Of buildings,

And it's clear A great deal of money

Was clearly spent on them.

It was once a booming site,

But something must have gone Wrong here --

And quite fast.

And quite fast.

Narrator: inside these Monumental buildings

Lurk other hidden features that Hint at what this site once was.

This was clearly A quasi-industrial setup

Of some sort,

A large-scale operation At one point

Employing hundreds, Maybe thousands, of people,

All bent Towards one crucial task.

But now it's a sad, odd place.

It's abandoned.

It's slowly Succumbing to nature.

It's slowly Succumbing to nature.

Bell: there are railway Carriages just left abandoned,

And then this huge chimney.

This must be a clue As to what this site was.

Narrator: clearly there was Something valuable here

That made building All this worthwhile.

But what was it?

And where is it now?

Found in an area Called north staffordshire,

This sprawling worksite

This sprawling worksite

Was first set To transform the region.

But this was no easy task.

Selwood: When this site was built,

The resources of the land Around here were ready

And waiting to be Tapped into and exploited.

Auerbach: so, there's Great wealth to be had.

It's there for the taking, But it's not going to come easy.

People are gonna have to put Their lives on the line

To get to it.

Narrator: The source of that wealth

Even today remains Hidden from view.

Nigel smith is a local Historian at the site.

Nigel smith is a local Historian at the site.

Smith: This is chatterley whitfield,

A site that used to produce Material

That powered a nation.

Coal powered everything --

People's homes, Businesses, industry.

With coal, you have an economy.

And with an economy, You had wealth.

Auerbach: the coal seams Of north staffordshire

Are some of the richest In the world.

Are some of the richest In the world.

Narrator: Of the coal mines in the region,

This was the jewel in the crown.

It had the most manpower and the Highest production of any site.

Selwood: at one time, it was Employing 5,000 people,

And 4,000 Of those worked underground.

*

Narrator: but working here often Came at a deadly price.

And before long, the 20th Century's bloodiest conflict

And before long, the 20th Century's bloodiest conflict

Would pose An even greater threat.

*

*

Narrator: in north staffordshire Was one of britain's

Most productive coal mines.

Over the years, it would Generate great wealth for some

And bring misery to others.

But in 1937, one area

Of this site Went down in history.

Smith: there are several shafts On-site.

Well, this is the hesketh.

The hesketh is the first shaft Anywhere in the u.K.

The hesketh is the first shaft Anywhere in the u.K.

To be responsible

For producing 1 million Tons of saleable coal.

Narrator: in today's money,

That would be worth Over $50 million.

It was a hugely Profitable business,

But to tear coal Out of the seams

And bring it above ground

Has always required Some huge bits of kit

And some brave workers.

Roy neate was only 17 when He was first sent down the pit.

Roy neate was only 17 when He was first sent down the pit.

*

*

Narrator: throughout much of The 19th and 20th centuries,

The miners face Some deadly situations.

*

*

*

*

Despite the risks, The wheels of the machine

Had to keep on turning.

Coal was absolutely vital To the running of the country.

Coal was absolutely vital To the running of the country.

It needed to be mined At all costs.

The biggest accident Happened in 1881.

From records, The accident itself

Seems to have stemmed From an underground fire

That got out of hand,

And obviously That ignited the methane gas

That was below ground.

There was a huge explosion.

24 men and boys Lost their lives,

And to this day, There are still bodies

Actually underground.

Narrator: over two centuries,

Narrator: over two centuries,

The north staffordshire Coal seam

Saw more than 4,500 fatalities.

But the long list Of the dangers faced here

Would soon be extended

As a new terrifying threat Arrived in the 20th century.

When world war ii broke out,

The demand for coal In britain skyrocketed.

It was needed to fuel The armaments industry,

The munitions industry, To fuel soldiers' homes

And their families' homes.

They were going to need To produce more coal faster

They were going to need To produce more coal faster

Than they had ever done before.

This place had to become An even more productive

Mining machine,

A constant inferno of activity.

They had to put in place A whole new infrastructure,

Which included crushing plants, Underground railway lines,

Networks of pipes on land, And deep tunnels.

Narrator: The whole british economy

Was dependent on this resource.

And one man knew it.

And one man knew it.

Auerbach: hitler knew how vital The coal industry was

To the entire british economy And particularly its ability

To produce munitions, To keep fighting.

He wanted to stop the british Coal industry at any price.

Selwood: stoke-on-trent Was a strategic,

High-priority target For the nazis.

The germans knew What a productive town it was,

And they wanted to destroy The industry of the city.

And they wanted to destroy The industry of the city.

Bell: german bombing raids On stoke-on-trent

Had a devastating impact,

Bringing some of the industry Here to a near standstill.

Narrator: fortunately. Hitler's plan never succeeded,

And the shafts kept On working for years.

But eventually the advent Of a cheaper rival fuel

Threatened the supremacy Of king coal.

For the men that worked here, The writing was on the wall.

For the men that worked here, The writing was on the wall.

Oil became a highly Strategic product,

And the united kingdom Depended on its colonial empire

And its dominance of The middle east for its supply.

Bell: in 1946, 90% Of the u.K.'s electricity

Was produced from coal.

Narrator: But by the mid-1970s,

That figure had dropped By nearly 30%.

Coal, it seemed, was out.

Narrator: This site couldn't keep up,

Narrator: This site couldn't keep up,

And its doors closed in 1977.

But the industry wasn't Prepared to leave

Without a fight.

And what happened next changed

The landscape Of british politics forever.

[ indistinct shouting ]

Bell: it was without doubt the Most bitter industrial dispute

In british history,

And its long-term impact Is still being felt today.

*

*

*

Auerbach: violent confrontations Between the picketers

And police were common.

And the strike ended With a decisive victory

For the conservative government.

The collieries were closed.

And that was largely the end Of coal mining in britain.

*

*

Narrator: today, the colliery's Huge, winding engines

Lie still and abandoned.

But for the men that worked Here, the world that once was

Will not be forgotten.

*