Original subtitles

(wind blustering)

(uplifting music)

(bright classical music)

- Our journey begins

on the Severn Estuary and Berkeley Castle,

where a king was brutally murdered in 1327.

(gentle music)

Further up the River Severn is the city of Gloucester,

and its glorious cathedral, built over the centuries

in different Gothic styles.

10 miles to the northeast is the magnificent Sudeley Castle

and the burial place of Henry VIII's last wife.

Back across the River Severn are the Malvern Hills,

where English composer Edward Elgar found inspiration.

Further up the river is Stourport,

a major inland port for the 18th century canal system.

At Ironbridge, we look at the first cast iron bridge

in the world, that paved the way

for Britain's industrial revolution.

Our journey ends at the Roman ruins of Viroconium,

once the fourth largest city in Roman Britain.

On the east bank of the River Severn in Gloucestershire,

where it empties into the Bristol Channel,

stands the small village of Berkeley,

and on the south side is a castle,

which is the oldest continuously occupied one in England

after the royal fortress of the Tower of London.

(birds chirping)

Its history goes back to 1067,

a year after the Norman invasion of 1066,

and since then, it has been added to, updated,

and restored over the centuries.

This is also the place where King Edward II

was brutally murdered in 1327,

after he had been deposed by his wife, Queen Isabella

and her lover, Roger de Mortimer.

From overhead, it can be seen that there is a gap

in the tower wall, which was destroyed

during a siege in 1645 by parliamentary forces

during the civil war.

(stately music)

The Berkeley family were to retain ownership of the castle,

provided they never repaired the damage to the wall.

It was enforced by an act of Parliament,

which is still in force today.

Owlpen Manor is recognized as one of the most romantic

early manor houses in England.

It was built between the 15th and 17th centuries,

and probably got its name from the Saxon noble called Olla,

who put up his pen or enclosure by the springs

that rise under the present house.

(bells tolling)

It was largely abandoned in the 19th century,

until it was rediscovered by the Arts and Crafts movement.

One enthusiast described it as an incomparable paradise.

Today, the house is in the care of the Mander family,

who, since the 1970s, have restored the house

and rare terraced garden.

They have created this picturesque paradise

in the English countryside for the public to enjoy.

(birds chirping)

In 1864, a gamekeeper was digging for a ferret

and found fragments of paving and pottery.

His discovery turned out to be one

of the largest Roman villas in Britain, Chedworth.

It was built in phases, between the second

and fourth centuries, with the final version turning

into a luxurious residence,

around three sides of a courtyard.

In many ways, the villa has similar amenities

to its modern counterpart,

under floor heating in the main wing,

a mosaic floor in the dining room,

as well as 11 other rooms.

There were two separate bathing suites,

one for damp heat, and one for dry,

and the water came from a spring

in the northwest corner of the complex.

The villa was probably destroyed by the Saxons

in the fifth century, after the Romans had left Britain.

Chedworth is under the care of the National Trust,

who have undertaken extensive research and conservation.

The city of Gloucester, which lies on the River Severn,

was an important port that stretched back to Roman times

when it was founded in 97 AD.

Trade brought wealth, and wealth

built the magnificent cathedral over several centuries.

(ethereal choral music)

The first abbey was founded here around 680,

and the foundations of the present cathedral

were laid around 300 years later,

following the Norman invasion of 1066.

All the well-known architectural styles were employed here,

Norman, Romanesque, Gothic, early English,

and Perpendicular.

They all combine to make a spectacular sight.

Today, the cathedral is not only

a popular tourist attraction, but also used

as a film location.

It features in the Harry Potter films

and the Dr. Who and Sherlock television series,

to name but a few.

(birds chirping)

("Greensleeves")

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Cotswold Hills,

Sudeley Castle and Gardens are steeped in history.

With royal connections spanning a thousand years,

it has played an important role

in the turbulent and changing times of England's past.

It was home to Catherine Parr, the last surviving wife

of the Tudor King Henry VIII,

and she is buried in the chapel,

which stands in the gardens close to the house.

The house was visited by both Henry himself,

as well as Queen Elizabeth I.

King Charles I found refuge here during the civil war

in the 17th century, when it became his headquarters.

Following his defeat, Oliver Cromwell

ordered the castle's slighting, or partial destruction.

Sudeley than lay neglected and derelict

for nearly 200 years, until two wealthy glove manufacturers,

John and William Dent, bought the house

and began its restoration.

Their descendants are committed to continuing the work today

and have opened the house and magnificent gardens

to the public.

(birds chirping)

(soft music)

Sudeley Castle and Berkeley, which we saw earlier,

have centuries of history.

Eastnor is a mock castle built

in what is known as the Revival style.

It was constructed in the early 19th century,

when it was fashionable to look back to the medieval age.

The cost of building was enormous,

and in today's money, probably close to 50 million dollars.

It is undoubtedly impressive,

but many criticized it at the time.

One architect wrote,

it is a massive and gloomy looking building,

flanked by watchtowers and enclosing a keep.

To preserve the character at which it aimed,

the windows were made exceedingly small and narrow.

This must have resulted in much inconvenience within.

The building in question might have made a tolerable fort

before the invention of gunpowder,

but as a residence, it was a picturesque mistake.

(soft music)

One of Britain's greatest cultural exports

in the 18th century was the landscape garden,

which was copied across the world.

And one of the greatest landscape gardeners

was Lancelot Brown, better known as Capability Brown,

for his saying at a new commission

that there was a great capability for improvement.

His first complete work was here at Croome Park,

where he created this naturalistic setting

which was entirely artificial.

The lake was dug, the land sculpted, and trees planted.

He also designed the garden buildings

to attract the eye from a distance,

and perhaps be a place to have a picnic

and admire the new garden.

Not content with just designing the garden,

Brown designed the house as well as the church,

tucked away in the trees.

Like a garden building, it enhanced the view

and drew the eye to the landscape.

This new fashion for landscape gardening

led to vast formal gardens being swept away,

both in Britain and across the Western world,

where it was known as the English style.

Back across the River Severn to the west

are the Malvern Hills, which dominate the surrounding area.

They are some of the most ancient rocks in England,

and date back around 680 million years.

From the top, the views are magnificent,

and for one of Britain's best-loved composers,

Edward Elgar, who lived nearby,

the hills provided inspiration.

He told a friend in his final years,

"If ever, after I am dead, you hear someone whistling

"on the Malvern Hills, don't be alarmed.

"It's only me."

In the shadow of the hills, is the spa town of Malvern.

For over 400 years, the beneficial properties

of the water coming from the hillside spring

has been recorded.

By the 19th century, the small village had grown

into a bustling town, as the fame

of the Malvern water cure spread.

A special clinic was opened,

the first purpose-built one in Britain.

Overwhelmed by numbers, another two more were quickly built.

The water was also bottled from the 17th century,

but it was in the 19th century

that it became a large-scale business.

Its popularity was such that Queen Victoria refused

to travel without it.

(birds chirping)

Overlooking the Malvern Hills is Madresfield Court,

a 16th century moated house remodeled in the 19th century,

by the 6th Earl Beauchamp.

What is little known is that in 1938,

plans were made to evacuate the British royal family,

including the young princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret,

to Madresfield in the event of a successful German invasion,

following the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.

Luckily, the plan was never needed.

The English countryside has always been admired

for its beauty, but also the many historic houses

that sit comfortably in it.

They could be large, as we've already seen on this journey,

or small, like here at Lower Brockhampton.

This rare, 14th century manor house,

surrounded by its moat,

with the entrance through a 15th century gatehouse,

is quintessentially English.

The house has survived, largely unchanged,

as a result of Bartholomew Barnaby,

who inherited the estate in the 18th century

and decided to build a much grander residence,

Brockhampton Park, on a hill overlooking his land.

This left the old manor house as a simple farmstead,

and it remained unchanged for close to 100 years,

until it was restored into a romantic Victorian version

of a medieval house.

In the mid-20th century, when the family line died out,

the whole estate was granted to the National Trust,

who returned Lower Brockhampton

to its original condition.

(gentle music)

Back on the River Severn is the city of Worcester,

which has a history stretching back around 4,000 years

to Neolithic times.

Today, it's the county town of Worcestershire,

and standing high above the city

is the striking cathedral, which overlooks the river

and water meadows beyond.

It started life in the seventh century as a priory,

and the remains of the cloister and the walled gardens

create a quadrangle alongside the new cathedral,

which was begun in the 11th century,

and finally completed in the 16th.

The city also gave its name to one

of the oldest porcelain factories in England,

which started life here in 1751.

Within a few years, King George III

had given it a royal warrant,

and the Royal Worcester Company went

from strength to strength.

But by the 1970s, the company had merged with a rival

and moved out of the city.

And today, the old factory is a museum,

and houses the largest collection

of Worcester porcelain in the world.

The city also has another claim to fame,

as it's here that the world famous

Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce is made

and has been since 1897.

(airy classical music)

In 1688, Britain changed its monarch

in what has become known as the Glorious Revolution.

The new King William and Queen Mary arrived from Holland,

and they brought with them a new style in architecture.

Here, at Hanbury Hall, it can be seen in all its glory.

This new design also brought with it a new innovation,

the sash window, an idea which is still in use today.

Advances in glass making meant larger sections

could be fitted into the new wood-framed windows.

They also let more light in.

The architect of Hanbury is unknown,

but it resembles the style of Sir Christopher Wren,

one of Britain's greatest architects.

The early 18th century was also the time

of formal gardening, and in recent years,

the parterres have been restored on one side of the house

to give visitors the idea of how intricate some

of the designs could be.

With the advent of larger windows,

buildings could be used to grow more exotic fruit,

and so the Orangery was born,

a forerunner of the modern greenhouse.

Hanbury Hall represents a changing style

in the evolution of the English country house.

(birds chirping)

In 1837, the Earl of Dudley was one

of the richest men in Britain,

having inherited a fortune.

With it, he bought the Witley Estate,

and then transformed it into one of the grandest

in the country.

(bright classical music)

In the 1920s, his descendants sold Witley

to Sir Herbert Smith, and disaster struck.

A small fire started in the basement

and soon engulfed the house,

which, as we can see, was utterly destroyed.

The only surviving section

was the early 18th century church.

The house was eventually sold to scrap dealers

who stripped out anything of use

and simply left the empty shell.

But even this shell was worth keeping,

because the other glory of Witley remained untouched,

the glorious garden, and at its center

is the enormous fountain, which tells the story

of Perseus rescuing Andromeda,

who had been chained to a rock.

It is now being restored so that the main jet

can rise up to 36 meters again,

though only at certain times,

due to the immense amount of water needed.

In fact, even when the Perseus and Andromeda

and other fountains were built,

they would only operate twice a week

because it took so long for the water to be pumped

into a reservoir a mile away.

Today, the ruins of Witley stand as a monument

to a rich man's extravagance,

and also how fire shows no favor in its destructive power.

(machinery clacking)

In the 18th century, canals were being dug

as a more reliable form of transport.

Roads were often poorly kept,

and in bad weather, regularly impassable.

Stourport came into existence as a result

of canals meeting before entering the River Severn,

where goods could be delivered down

to the docks at Gloucester for export.

This inland port, now a haven for canal enthusiasts,

became one of the principal distribution centers

for goods to and from the West Midlands.

In 1778, an observer noted

that 20 years ago, there was one house.

Now, there are two or three streets,

and as trade increases, it will probably grow

into a considerable town.

Two years later, the town had doubled in size.

But the success was not to last,

as a much faster form of transport

put the canals out of business, the railways.

(gentle classical music)

Ancient Rome has had an enormous influence

on English architecture for centuries,

and Hagley Hall in Worcestershire

is a perfect example of this classical style.

The house was built for Lord Lyttleton

in the late 1750s, and was, perhaps,

designed to give the owner a feeling of Roman grandeur.

He swept away an earlier house,

which was built of wood, to make way

for this grand replacement.

He certainly followed fashion, as the house

was built in a style known as Neo-Palladian,

which adapted designs from the 16th century architect,

Andrea Palladio, who in turn

had successfully adapted ancient Roman designs.

Lyttleton then surrounded his house

with a new landscape park,

which, in a way, represented the Roman countryside.

And in that landscape, various classical reminders

could be built, such as this Doric temple.

Up on a hill overlooking this Arcadian landscape,

is a triumphal classical obelisk,

and a reminder of the modern age,

with the city of Wolverhampton in the distance.

Guests and visitors at the time

could walk or ride around the park

and enjoy the views and buildings,

which were all designed to invoke different feelings.

But this one is a rare example

of a purpose-built castle ruin,

designed to look as though it has stood for centuries.

Horace Walpole, the 18th century writer

and art historian said of it,

"It had the true rust of the baron's wars."

Hagley Hall offers visitors a chance

to experience a virtually unchanged landscape

and a glimpse into another century.

(whistle shrilling)

(people chattering)

(train chugging)

This is the Severn Valley Railway,

a heritage line which runs along the Severn Valley

between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster,

crossing the Shropshire-Worcestershire county border.

This 25-kilometer track is one

of the longest preservation lines in the country,

and also one of the most popular for visitors.

It's almost entirely run by volunteers,

who aim to give passengers of all ages

a nostalgic trip back to the great age of steam.

(soft music)

Train services are largely pulled

by steam engines of various sizes.

This one is a West Country class named Taw Valley,

number 34027, and built in 1945.

There are 10 stations on the line

where passengers can join or leave a train.

(train whistle howling)

This one is heading north towards Bridgnorth,

pulled by an LMS Ivatt Class 4 built in 1951.

The original line was completed in 1862,

and closed in 1963 when around 5,000 kilometers

of branch line track were closed

in a major rationalization plan.

Within a few years, local enthusiasts formed

the Severn Valley Railway Society,

with the intention of buying a section of the track

from the state-owned British Rail,

and running their own railway.

The rest, as they say, is history.

(gentle music)

To the north, the River Severn enters a narrow gorge,

and this is one of the places

where Britain's industrial revolution

really got underway during the 18th century.

Here, at Blists Hill, are the remains

of early blast furnaces, where iron could be transported

by canal or river for distribution.

And coal, easily delivered to smelt the iron ore.

A mile upriver is a bridge, but not any bridge.

This is the first single-span metal one in the world,

and represented the dawn of the industrial age.

It was in Coalbrookdale during the early part

of the 18th century, that Abraham Darby

first used coke rather than wood

to make a much better quality cast iron.

In the 1770s, it was proposed to build

a metal bridge across the valley.

After fierce opposition from people who said

it could not be done, it was opened in 1781,

and became an instant tourist attraction.

(triumphant classical music)

The bridge consists of five metal ribs,

giving it a span of 30.6 meters,

and used around 1,700 component parts.

Each nut and bolt had to be individually made.

Its historical significance was such

that in 1986, the bridge and surrounding area,

were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, the bridge is dwarfed

by the old Ironbridge power station,

and the unusual terracotta colored cooling towers.

(birds chirping)

This is Attingham Park, built in the neoclassical style

of ancient Rome in the 1780s.

The colonnade on the front resembles a Roman temple.

It's perhaps a highly appropriate design,

because in the original estate,

near the village of Wroxeter,

are the ruins of one of the largest cities in Roman Britain,

and our final location.

In 43 AD, the Roman legions invaded Britain

and set about conquering the tribes

that would not accept the new rulers.

As the army spread west, it needed bases

from which to operate.

In 58 AD, they established a fort here

on the banks of the River Severn,

which they called Viroconium.

And from here, they could push into Wales.

30 years later, the army abandoned the fort,

and it was then taken over by the civilian settlement

which had grown up around it.

Within 50 years, it had become a significant city,

covering 70 hectares, and the fourth largest

in Roman Britain.

What we see is just a tiny fragment,

with so much still remaining to be excavated.

By the fifth century, the Romans had all

but left the country, and the city gradually fell

into decay and ruin.

Viroconium boasts one of the largest sections

of Roman wall in Britain,

making it a uniquely important site.

It's a perfect place to end this journey.

(triumphant brass music)

(dramatic music)

(logos whooshing)