Original subtitles

(triumphant instrumental music)

(upbeat instrumental music)

- Our journey begins in Southend on Sea,

an iconic British resort town,

before following the east coast,

a landscape with its own unique heritage and traditions.

This takes us to Maldon, famous for its red-sailed barges

that once ferried goods into London.

Crossing into the county of Suffolk,

we reach Felixstowe, one of the busiest ports in Europe,

before continuing on our journey to the ancient Sutton Hoo,

a globally important archeological site.

We pass through Orford Ness,

once one of the U.K.'s secret military bases.

Finally, we reach Reedham Ferry,

a river crossing since the 17th century.

A place that perfectly captures

this extraordinary environment where people continue

to be defined by the water that surrounds the landscape.

(orchestral music)

On the outskirts of London, on the shores

of the Thames Estuary, is the resort of Southend on Sea.

In the 1960s, the town went into decline

with the start of packaged holidays and cheap flights.

Since then it's reinvented itself as a center for commerce.

Pleasure though, is still at its heart.

The town is packed with hotels,

gardens, pubs, and theme parks.

(gulls cawing)

But if one landmark sums up Southend, it's the iconic pier.

Stretching over two kilometers,

it's the longest of its kind in the world.

It was built in 1830 to reach over

the estuary mudflats to deeper water,

allowing steamboats to dock,

and bring new visitors to the town.

Since then, it has survived fires,

bombs, boat crashes, and world wars.

Today, it's a as popular as ever,

with a lifeboat station, shops, restaurants, and arcades.

The pierhead is reached by a diesel train.

(train running)

This one is named after Sir William Heygate,

Lord Mayor of London in 1822,

and proud resident of Southend.

180 years ago, it was Heygate

who fought for the construction of the pier.

Our journey now takes us onwards to Burnham-on-Crouch.

A picturesque English riverside town

in the unspoiled Dengie marshes.

Burnham's fortunes are closely tied to the river.

It was first a ferry port, and later a fishing village.

The wide, uninterrupted expanse of the River Crouch

make it an excellent spot for sailing.

Today, it's an international center for yachting.

It provides moorings for several hundred boats,

and hosts a renown teaching center for sailing,

as well as several private yacht clubs.

Since 1893, the town has held

an annual regatta known as Burnham Week.

It's a week of entertaining exhibitions,

polite parties, and ruthlessly competitive racing.

We continue on our journey to Maldon.

Since 1882, the town has been known for it's salt,

thanks to global success of the family run

Maldon Sea Salt company.

In 2012, the corporation won a new fan, the Queen,

when on it's 130th birthday,

it was granted the Royal Warrant.

The secret to their success are

these flat tide-washed marshes,

the perfect place in the world to collect and harvest salt.

Maldon is also known for these 10 sailing barges.

Once, 5,000 were active here, moving cargoes of straw,

manure, and horse feed in and out of London.

Their flat-bottomed hulls letting them navigate

the winding shallow creeks of the Essex coastline.

Today, only 25 remain.

Most are kept here on Hythe Quay.

Their distinctive red sails, evoking memories

of a lost era, the age of working sail.

(birds cawing)

(chanting music)

We continue on our journey now to this isolated building,

The Chapel of St. Peter-on-the-Wall.

This is one of the oldest buildings in the British Isles.

Founded in the 7th century as a church for the East Saxons,

it was built with bricks from an abandoned Roman fort.

Over the years, the chapel has been used and misused,

serving at one point as a hay barn for a local farm.

The shape of the door from this period,

now bricked up, is still visible.

(bird cawing)

Today the chapel is back in regular use

as a place of worship.

(birds cawing)

We move now to the northeastern corner

of Essex in the town of West Mersea.

Between the River Blackwater and the River Colne,

Mersea is properly an island,

the most easterly inhabited island in Britain.

The surrounding waters are home to wildlife,

including sometimes seals.

Most of the time, Mersea is linked to the mainland

by a causeway called, The Strood.

At high spring tides though, it floods,

and Mersea becomes once again, an island.

It's surrounding by mudflats,

which make a rich home for oysters.

Legend has it that Romans described

the local Colchester native ones

as the only good thing to come out of Britain.

Further up the coast is Clacton-on-Sea.

(carnival music)

With it's pier, promenade, and terraces,

it really looks the classic English seaside town,

with it's amusement arcades, sandy beaches,

and rolling golf courses.

But Clacton's existence is almost entirely

down to the vision of one man,

Victorian entrepreneur, Peter Bruff.

Bruff came to the area in 1864,

buying 50 acres of empty farmland.

Within 30 years, he had transformed the area.

The pier was one of the first buildings

in the new resort, and opened in 1871.

It allowed holiday makers to arrive by steamer.

However, within a few years, the railway arrived,

bringing even greater numbers.

Like Southend, Clacton suffered a decline,

and holiday makers were offered cheaper deals abroad.

But it's weathered the downturn

by offering good entertainment,

as well as becoming a place to retire to,

and it still remains a popular destination for families

who continue to enjoy Bruff's vision

of the perfect English seaside town.

This stretch of shoreline is known as

the Essex Sunshine Coast, though perhaps

a little optimistic for the East of England.

Today though, we enjoy good weather

as we approach Walton-on-the-Naze.

Walton is an ancient name, meaning farmstead,

or the village of the Britain,

and the Naze comes from Old English and means headland,

the peninsula that lies to the north of the town.

It's an important site for migrating birds,

which return home each year to breed.

(soft piano music)

The area is also home to many fish

found in local supermarkets and fishmongers,

including bass, flounder, and cod.

(waves gently rocking)

The fleet here has declined over the years,

but generations of fishermen have made their living here,

and some continue to do so, even in rough seas.

(gulls cawing)

Nearby Horsey Island is the setting for "Secret Water",

the 1930s children's classic book written by

"Swallows and Amazons" author, Arthur Ransome.

(gulls cawing)

Horsey is a private island, but remains a working farm.

It's linked to the mainland by a causeway

that can be walked with care at low tide.

Designated a site of special scientific interest,

it's an internationally important wetland area for birds,

home to avocets, redshanks, oystercatchers, and lapwing.

We continue now to Harwich,

the northernmost coastal town within Essex.

(gulls cawing)

Because of its strategic position,

it's often been the target for invasion.

This redoubt was built in 1808

to defend against a possible invasion by Napoleon.

(instrumental music)

In fact, Harwich has been a naval base since 1657,

and some of the town's buildings date from this time.

There are also a pair of lighthouses called leading lights,

which light up to give sailors

the correct bearing for the harbor.

The importance of Harwich can be seen to the north,

as it is one of the U.K.'s deep water haven ports,

and reminds a vital stop for ferries and cruise ships.

From here, vessels run to Holland, and around Europe.

(gulls cawing)

Across the estuary of the River Stour,

we leave behind the county of Essex,

and enter the county of Suffolk, and the port of Felixstowe.

This is Britain's biggest and busiest container port,

and one of the largest in Europe.

(instrumental music)

(horns blowing)

Through here, pass more than

three and a half million containers

from over 4,000 ships each year.

It's used by over 40 shipping lines,

arriving from every continent in the world,

handling over 40% of the U.K.'s imports and exports.

Felixstowe has some of the deepest water

close to the open sea of any European port.

It's one of only a handful in the world

capable of docking the latest, largest cargo ships.

From this most modern of locations,

we move now to an ancient memorial

to a forgotten England, Sutton Hoo.

(instrumental music)

In 1939, on the eve of the second world war,

local archeologists opened up this grassy mound.

To their astonishment, they found the remains of

an Anglo-Saxon ship, the tomb of a 7th century warrior king.

Buried with him were his sword,

a shield, and a warrior's helmet.

They are the most extraordinary Anglo-Saxon objects

ever found, and one of the most

important archeological finds in England.

(birds cawing)

Sutton Hoo is also the site of many other burials.

Each of these mounds with its own remarkable mystery.

It's discovery sheds light on a period of English history

known as the Dark Ages, that lies between

myth, legend, and documentation.

From one place's secrets, we move now to another.

Orford Ness is a National Trust nature reserve,

but for 80 years, it was one of the U.K.'s

most tightly guarded, top secret military bases.

A vast shingle spit, 20 kilometers long

and over a kilometer wide,

it was used in the first world war to test planes,

parachutes, bombs, and machine guns.

By the 1930s, the site had become

an important center for the research of atomic weapons.

These concrete pagodas were built to contain

the explosive blasts of the detonators.

Today, this stark landscape has once more become

a home to nature, an important reserve of a shingle habitat.

Orford Ness Lighthouse warned shipping of the shingle spit,

and stands close to the old mouth of the River Alde,

because over the years, the buildup of shingle

has pushed the entrance a few miles to the south.

(light instrumental music)

Back in the 16th century during the Tudor days,

ships were built along the banks here.

Today, it's pleasure craft that ply the waters.

Our journey now takes us along the River Alde

to the pretty village of Orford,

which has at its heart, the castle.

It's currently owned by English heritage.

(instrumental music)

With panoramic views across Orford Ness,

it was built in the 12th century by Henry the II,

as a symbol of royal power.

It's here that we find the legend of the Orford Wild Man,

a hairy chap who in 1167,

local fishermen supposedly caught in their nets, naked.

They had brought him to the castle to be questioned,

but he escaped, and dived back into the sea.

It was said later that he must have been a merman.

Perhaps he still swims in

the muddy waters of the River Alde.

(soft string music)

We now follow the river as it flows towards the North Sea,

and come to the beautiful seaside town of Aldeburgh.

Back in the 16th century, this was a thriving port,

where Sir Francis Drake's famous ship,

The Golden Hind, was built in the 16th century.

He, and his ship, achieved immense fame as the first person

to circumnavigate the world, starting in 1577.

In fact, the ship was originally named The Pelican,

and renamed The Golden Hind during his long voyage.

Today the town hosts the annual Aldeburgh Festival,

the U.K.'s most important classical music event.

Founded in 1948 by the composer Benjamin Britten,

the emphasis is on new work,

and the rediscovery of forgotten music.

The town is an intriguing mix

of old and modern architecture,

and is popular with tourists and holiday makers alike.

In Old English, Aldeburgh means old fort,

and although the original fort has long been lost,

there still stands today this magnificent

Martello Tower, the largest in Britain,

built to withstand an invasion by Napoleon.

Continuing on our journey, we glimpse through the clouds

the vast nuclear power station of Sizewell.

With it's distinctive white dome,

Sizewell B is the U.K.'s newest nuclear power station.

Construction began in 1987, and it began production in 1995.

It produces over 1200 megawatts of electricity,

enough to supply over a million homes.

(soft instrumental music)

The older Sizewell A reactor was shut down in 2006,

and is currently being decommissioned.

A further nuclear reactor, Sizewell C,

is currently in the planning stages.

As we look down on the coast, we see a part of Britain

that is slowly sinking at the rate

of around two millimeters a year.

The reason for this is that Scotland to the north

is slowly rising, due to the melting

of the icecap from the last ice age.

This tipping effect means the sea in this region

is slowly encroaching and eroding the coastline.

Storms have also played a part in coastal destruction.

In 1953, a force 11 gale caused a tidal surge,

destroying homes and farmland,

as well as killing over 100 people.

A few miles along the coast is Southwold Harbour.

It provides permanent and short-stay mooring,

and yachting facilities, as well as layup areas

for boat maintenance, repair, and storage.

Perhaps most importantly is the Harbour Inn,

which provides some of East Anglia's

most highly regarded fish and chips.

Nearby is Southwold, with it's quaint narrow streets,

open green spaces, charming cottages,

and award-winning beaches,

it's known affectionately as the town that time forgot.

These colorful beach huts along its promenade

are a much loved symbol of the traditional British seaside.

Despite not having electricity or running water,

they can sell for over $150,000.

In the center of the town is the Southwold Lighthouse.

Built in 1890, it's 31 meters tall,

and dominates the surrounding area.

Originally lit by oil lamps,

the lighthouse almost burned down some six days

after it was built when the lamp overturned.

Today, it continues to run,

warning sailors along the east coast,

and guiding vessels bound for Southwold Harbour.

The main navigation lamp has a range of 44 kilometers.

In 1938, it was automated and electrified.

It's now a listed building, and open for guided visits.

Southwold's award winning pier is only 190 meters long,

but it packs in several restaurants,

shops, and the Under the Pier Show arcade.

It was refurbished after falling into disrepair

during the early 20th century,

and being struck by a mine during the second world war.

The pier is due for further redevelopment.

There are plans for it to include a new luxury hotel.

(wind blowing)

Our journey now takes us to Lowestof,

the most easterly town in the British Isles.

It's dominated by the largest wind turbine in the country,

and appropriately nicknamed Gulliver.

Like so much of this landscape,

the story of this place is one of change and adaptation.

Up until the mid-1960s, Lowestoft was a major fishing port.

Drifters and trawlers caught herring, cod, in place.

By the 1980s, the number of fishing boats

had dropped to around 100 as fish docks declined.

Today, there are only a handful of small vessels.

However, the town prospered again

as a base for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.

And as this resource has also declined,

the town has developed as a center

for the renewable energy industry.

(orchestral music)

Nearby, in somewhat more genteel surroundings,

is one of England's best preserved

stately homes, Somerleyton Hall.

Set within 12 acres of formal gardens and parkland,

a manor house has stood here since 1240 A.D.

It's current incarnation is the work of Morton Peto,

who bought the property in 1842.

He rose from humble beginnings as an apprentice bricklayer

to become one of the captains of Victorian industry.

At one time, his company was the largest

employer of labor in the entire world.

But Peto's massive expenditures,

including the refurbishment of this hall,

led to his financial ruin.

He was declared bankrupt in 1868,

and left the country in disgrace.

At least the magnificent hall that left behind endures.

(soft instrumental music)

Continuing on the River Yare into the county of Norfolk,

we find ourselves at our final destination, Reedham Ferry.

There's been a crossing here since the early 17th century,

originally serving horse-drawn vehicles.

It still saves users a road journey

of more than 50 kilometers.

For centuries, the ferry adapted to the times

while staying fundamentally unchanged.

Now driven by a mechanical change,

it can carry up to three cars,

and hold a maximum weight of 12 tons.

But it follows the same route, and has been operated

by the same family, the Archers, for many generations.

It makes this crossing, shaped by the river, its people,

and its history, the perfect place to end this journey.

(triumphant instrumental music)

(whooshing)