- 1 ngày trước
Susan Calman's Grand Day Out - Season 9 Episode 6 -
The Legends of King Arthur
The Legends of King Arthur
Danh mục
😹
Vui nhộnPhụ đề
00:00I'm on my travels again
00:02Oh look, season's back
00:04No
00:06Enjoying all this wonderful country has to offer
00:09Woo hoo hoo
00:11It's absolutely gorgeous
00:13And of course I'm in my beloved camper van
00:15Named after one of my favourite people
00:17Helen Mirren
00:19That man looked very jealous of you Helen
00:21We're hunting for treasures
00:23Now that's a set of keys
00:25This is incredible
00:27Finding new pastimes
00:29Hello, I've got a call for you
00:31One and two
00:32Discovering unexpected local customs
00:35Oh God almighty
00:37And making new pals along the way
00:39Good morning madam
00:41Hiya
00:42You having a grand day out Rupert?
00:44Yes I am
00:45We're taking in the sights
00:47Ta-da
00:48That's a castle
00:49Nailed it
00:50And the sounds
00:52You can't hear anything
00:54Loving every moment
00:57This is a country filled with delights
01:03Oh that's lovely
01:05Cheers
01:07That's exactly the experience I want
01:09So come along
01:11On my grand day out
01:13Come on
01:14Yes
01:15This time I'm on a quest in England's south west
01:24Through stunning Somerset
01:26I've got the sea on that side
01:28And I've got the beautiful hills on the other side
01:30King Arthur country
01:31I love any stories involving swords and wizards
01:36It's a land of ancient history
01:39You've kept the place gorgeous for me
01:41Beauty
01:42Would you look at this
01:43Fun
01:44I'm going to get let go on my first day as a volunteer
01:47And a whole heap of surprises
01:49Oh Tim this is my childhood
01:51Yep
01:52Where sparks fly
01:53Oh gosh
01:54Hi I'm just in here
01:56And frankly
01:57That makes it perfect for a grand day out
02:08Well Helen and I are very excited
02:09We are in King Arthur country
02:11And I love a myth
02:13And a legend
02:14I always have
02:16Glastonbury Abbey has long laid claim to being the resting place of the folk hero
02:21So that's where I'm heading first
02:23You're a legend Helen you know that
02:25People will tell stories of you in years to come
02:35Dating from the 7th century
02:37It's packed with history and legend
02:40For Arthur was the boy who became king
02:42Had a sword named Excalibur
02:45Held court at Camelot
02:47Gathered his knights around a round table
02:50And went in search of the Holy Grail
02:53Like most people
02:55I grew up with the legend of King Arthur
02:58And I always assumed it was just that
03:00A legend
03:01But here at Glastonbury Abbey
03:03I found this sign saying
03:05This is the site of the actual King Arthur's tomb
03:09This is where you can choose to believe the myth
03:12Or not believe it
03:13I personally always believe in the legend of anything
03:17So it's quite astonishing to think
03:19I could be standing at the actual site
03:21Of King Arthur's tomb
03:23And what a brilliant place
03:25To start my adventure
03:27In King Arthur country
03:28Who knows what else I'll find
03:30Perhaps Excalibur itself
03:32On to myths and legends
03:34On my mythical quest
03:38I'll step back in time
03:39To lend a helping hand in Minehead
03:41Harness the power of fire near Glastonbury
03:45Go for a spin in Sparkford
03:48Then I'm sampling one of Somerset's finest exports
03:52Before taking a walk down memory lane in Street
03:55But first I'm putting my foot down
03:59Because I've got a schedule to keep
04:13Operating as a heritage line for nearly 50 years
04:16The West Somerset Railway is run by 900 volunteers
04:20And 50 staff
04:21Who maintain their fleet of diesel and steam locomotives
04:24Today I'm joining the ranks
04:26High viz and all
04:28To get this beauty on the tracks
04:30I don't know if you can see me
04:32Hi Dave, how are you doing?
04:34How am I doing?
04:35Nice to meet you
04:36This place is extraordinary
04:39I've been to a few heritage railways in my time
04:41This one seems quite a scale, isn't it?
04:43Tell me about it
04:44It is, it's a 22 mile long railway
04:47Running from Minehead to Bishop's Regium
04:50So you're a driver?
04:52Yes
04:53You've driven a diesel train
04:54I've driven a flying Scotsman
04:55Yeah
04:56Alright, I mean
04:57That's not where this conversation was going, Dave
04:59Right?
05:00But if we're going to do that
05:01Right?
05:02I'm going to pick up the name you dropped
05:03Hold on a second
05:04So how was it?
05:05Driving the flying Scotsman then, Dave?
05:07Stressful
05:08Was it?
05:09Because I mean, that's
05:10Yeah
05:11Iconic, isn't it?
05:12What I'm loving about having this chat with you
05:14Is the schemes coming between us
05:15In a brief and counter-romantic fashion, Dave
05:18But learning the ropes here is far from a brief encounter
05:25It can take ten years of training to drive this beauty
05:29Come this way
05:30Okay, no problem at all
05:31Round here?
05:32Yep
05:33So, just
05:34Does it just pour?
05:36Yeah, just pour in slowly
05:38Just
05:39That'd be
05:40Like I'm serving a bottle of wine?
05:45Small twist at the end
05:46So, how often do you need to do this, Dave?
05:50This is done every single day
05:51Every day?
05:52Every day
05:53In service
05:54This locomotive is a faithful recreation of the saint class
05:58First rolled out in 1902 and last seen in 1953
06:03Completed in 2019 after decades of dedication
06:07Working on her is a real privilege
06:09Look at the size of these wheels, it's immense
06:12Yeah
06:13This is solid engineering
06:15Yeah
06:16There aren't many light bits on a steam engine
06:18Right, Dave, take your oil back
06:19I know you've got a busy day
06:21So, I'm going to be around
06:22Anything I can help with
06:24Just you point me in the right direction and I'll do it
06:26Fully qualified
06:27Thank you very much
06:28We're prepping for a journey
06:30Which operates up to four services a day
06:33And just like me
06:34This lady loves to travel
06:36Visiting various heritage railways across Britain
06:39Allowing the nation to experience an iconic piece of railway history
06:44Prepare yourselves
06:45The railway is open
06:50But it's not just the gate
06:51The platform bookshop needs opening too
06:54I'm so short, I'm so short
06:58Why did they give me keys?
07:00I'm going to get let go on my first day as a volunteer
07:04Now the books are ready
07:06So, what I need to do now is catch my breath
07:10And watch this, it's like Superman
07:12Oh look, season's back!
07:15I get to go on the train now
07:17And enjoy the journey
07:19The perfect reward
07:21And I'm just one of the 200,000 passengers
07:26Who ride this railway every year
07:32I think the train's about to go
07:33Because I've heard two very distinctive sounds
07:35One is the slamming of a train door
07:37Isn't that nice?
07:38Rather than
07:39Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep
07:42You hear a slam of a door
07:43And I think I can hear the engine revving up the steam
07:46Oh my god, it has nailed that flag waving
07:51Oof
08:07Ladies and gentlemen
08:09This train is departing on a unique journey
08:11Because this is the longest independent railway line in Britain
08:15Puffing proudly through the Quantock Hills
08:19There's so many different aspects to it
08:21You know, I've got the sea on that side
08:23And I've got the beautiful hills on the other side
08:27In total there are 53,000 railway sleepers
08:30Supporting this stretch of track
08:32Castle
08:34On the hill
08:35It's a good place to put a castle
08:36If I was to have a castle I'd put it on a hill
08:39We're pulling into one of its ten stops
08:41And a local sweet treat
08:43Feels most definitely in order
08:46It's called
08:47Torsi Morzi
08:49After
08:50Glastonbury Tor
08:52It's made with dried fruit soaked in cider
08:55Which makes perfect sense
08:58The left field aspect of this that I've been told about
09:03Is it also contains cheese
09:05So
09:07Cheesy fruity side of the cake
09:14Surprisingly light
09:16Absolutely packed with flavour
09:19And what I'm going to do is
09:20Like a lady
09:21I'm just going to nibble at it on my journey
09:24Just stuff it all in my mouth at once
09:25If I was on my own that's what I would do
09:27I'm just going to nibble at it
09:28Well earned after a shift on the railway I reckon
09:37But of course nothing compares to my own little travelling treasure
09:40I mean it's idyllic, there's only one word for it
09:48It is idyllic just now in Somerset
09:50It really is
09:52And in a picture perfect place
09:54I'm keen to snap up a quintessentially Somerset souvenir
09:58Love a bit of shopping
10:00I mean these are adorable
10:02This is one of the best areas in the UK for growing willow for basket making
10:08It's been raised here for centuries
10:10And is perfectly suited to thrive in the wetlands of the Somerset levels
10:15See look at this is heaven
10:17This is heaven for someone who's organisationally obsessed
10:20Look at this, look at the different sizes of baskets
10:24What could you put in all of them?
10:26Post-it notes, pens, post-it notes, pens
10:28And all of this is made by the Coates family
10:31Whose roots in willow crafting go back to 1819
10:34Today they still grow their own willow on 70 acres of the wetlands
10:38Before harvesting it and transforming it into all sorts of beautifully crafted goods
10:44I like that
10:46Right, let's go and get this
10:48And who better to tell me more than head honcho Nicola
10:52Are they quite a good material to use?
10:54For weaving, yes
10:55Yes, they're brilliant
10:57Because it's quite soft
10:59It grows really, really quickly
11:01About an inch a day in the height of the summer
11:03That's insane
11:04Does that mean it's quite good for sustainability?
11:06Yeah, exactly that
11:08It can go on doing that for about 20 to 30 years
11:11So once it's planted, you could take 20 or 30 crops
11:15That's amazing, oh willow tree
11:18You lovely thing
11:20Thank you very much Nicola
11:21I'm sure my own garden will welcome this little bit of summer set
11:27Coming up, I'm following the legend of King Arthur
11:30From ancient swords
11:32Would you call this a vice?
11:33I'd call it a jig
11:34Just checking
11:36This is a jig, not a vice
11:38Jig
11:40To modern day steeds
11:41I'm not getting in the wrong side, by the way
11:43It's American
11:47Helen and I are exploring the magical county of Somerset
12:03Hello!
12:04The supposed resting place of folklore hero, King Arthur
12:08I'm not saying I used to dress up as a knight
12:11And wander around my garden on my BMX
12:14But you know, I did
12:16Next I'm heading just outside Glastonbury
12:19To learn more about a legendary blade
12:22That has sparked centuries of fascination
12:24One of the most iconic parts of the King Arthur legend for me
12:30Is the story of Excalibur, the sword and the stone
12:34And you might think, somewhere like this, essentially a farm
12:38Is a strange place to come, to find out more
12:41But actually, this is exactly where I need to be
12:44This is the part of the tale where Arthur removes a magical sword from a stone to become king
12:49Some accounts say he was given it by the Lady of the Lake
12:53Either way, it definitely involved a sword called Excalibur
12:58Bladesmith Tom, an expert in crafting ancient weaponry
13:02Is just the person to tell me how Arthur's Excalibur would have been made
13:07Hi Tom
13:09Hiya
13:10How you doing?
13:11Yeah, good, thanks
13:12We both look amazing
13:14I'm here to talk to you about, I think
13:15I think one of the most important parts of the legend of King Arthur
13:20And that's the sword, that's Excalibur
13:22It really is so iconic, isn't it?
13:24Yeah, probably one of the most iconic swords in European history, I'd say
13:28Correct me if I'm wrong, most people would have had a sword at that point
13:32Most people wouldn't have had swords
13:33Really? So it would have been quite unusual to have this sword?
13:36There'd be quite an expensive, high status, quite special thing to have
13:39Most people, if they were arming themselves, would use a spear
13:45Oh really? Or axes, yeah
13:47In terms of Excalibur itself, what would the sword have been made of?
13:50Soft iron, and then they'd have had steel, which is iron with carbon
13:55It's like I'm back at school again, sounding all about chemistry
13:59But science lessons were never quite like this
14:02So this is where you start?
14:03Yeah, we've got layers of different kinds of steel here, and you get the whole thing super hot and hammer it together
14:11We'd fold it a bunch of times, and you keep going until you've got about 400 layers
14:16Okay, much like pastry
14:18It's exactly that principle, but we're doing it really hot with hammers
14:22That's the title of our new cooking show, Really Hot With Hammers
14:26And on today's episode of Really Hot With Hammers, it's safety first
14:30I've been furnished with a protective apron now, which is both fashionable and utilitarian at the same time
14:38Because the furnace reaches well over a thousand degrees
14:42Oh gosh, wow!
14:44The perfect temperature for our iron and steel coiffle
14:47Once Tom's hunk of metal is softened
14:50Okay, we're pretty much there now
14:52It's ready to be flattened
14:53Oh gosh!
14:57Okay, okay, I see
15:00Oh, oh gosh!
15:02Hi, I'm just in here
15:04I was very much in the splash zone, it turned out
15:08I still am!
15:12And you're safe to come back in?
15:14I actually, at one point though, when the sparks were flying off that metal there
15:19Acted like I was in the 1920s and clutched my pearls
15:23I actually went, oooh, like that
15:25And that's not like me
15:27But when it comes to very hot metal, I find myself, you know, regressing a little bit
15:31But hammer Tom must to stretch that metal out
15:35I've got my ear defenders on now
15:36Ready to be twisted to help give it strength
15:42Oh, wow!
15:45Yeah!
15:47Would you call this a vise?
15:48I'd call it a jig
15:49Just checking
15:51Just so I don't make a mistake
15:52You've got to know the terms
15:54You don't look like a fool, do you?
15:56Next to a blacksmith
15:58It's a jig, not a vise
16:00Jig
16:01No matter what it's called
16:03Tom's latest sword is beginning to take shape
16:06A thousand years ago, when they came into a blacksmith's
16:09It would have looked like something from the bowels of hell being created, isn't it?
16:13Yeah, yeah, yeah
16:15And each hammer strike brings it closer to the finished blade
16:20You can see it straight away
16:22Yeah
16:23In terms of the angle
16:25Tom would normally work on it for longer
16:27But he's keen I see the next stage
16:31So Tom, we've got a drain pipe
16:34Yeah
16:36What's going to happen now?
16:38So, what we're going to do now is etch this blade
16:41Back in the day there were all kinds of chemical things they did to get the pattern to come out of their steel
16:47Including mare urine
16:49Because why not?
16:50I wasn't expecting that
16:51But today we're going to use ferric chloride
16:53Okay, so you're going to dip it in
16:54It will show up the pattern that's hidden in the steel
16:56Okay, let's go for it
16:57Let's go
16:58Ferric chloride is a corrosive salt that reacts with the different layers in the blade
17:03Just 20 seconds in here and the blade's hidden pattern will be revealed
17:08I'm just counting
17:09Has it been 20 seconds?
17:10Yeah, it's been 20 seconds
17:11It's been 20 seconds, let's have a look
17:14Oh wow
17:15So you can see here are twisted bars on the back of the blade
17:18Yeah
17:20And then we can really clearly see
17:21You can see it, can't you?
17:23Our ropes of steel
17:24Yeah
17:26Giving this big knife its structural integrity
17:29That's amazing
17:30And I know Excalibur was a particularly precious sword
17:32But from what I've seen it's really brought home how precious any sword would have been
17:37Exactly, yeah, that's why they were sort of become the symbol that they are
17:40Thank you for letting me into your magical workshop Tom
17:42You're very welcome
17:45A bit of blacksmithing
17:47A beautiful blade
17:49And no singed eyebrows
17:51I'm calling that a win
18:01Helen's quite old fashioned
18:03You have to turn her lights off
18:05They don't go off or on automatically
18:07You have to switch your indicator off
18:09Doesn't go off automatically
18:10Which is a full functioning old fashioned vehicle
18:14And like all veterans of the road
18:16Helen enjoys a bit of a rest
18:19When you have a vintage vehicle
18:21Like Helen
18:23She requires a certain level of TLC
18:25Now sometimes that happens at a garage
18:28But you've always got to be prepared
18:30For a little bit of a fix along the way
18:32And so I've got one of these
18:33Now if you're of a certain age
18:36You'll recognise this straight away
18:38Right?
18:39It's the Haynes manual
18:41Now I've got motor caravan manual
18:44Which is choosing, using and maintaining your motor caravan
18:47And I've got a little treat for you Helen
18:49Prepare yourself
18:50Oh, she starts like a dream
18:54Oh, she starts like a dream
18:58Ta-ra!
19:01My quest has brought me to the village of Sparkford
19:04In search of the story behind this particular Somerset legend
19:08John Haynes, who launched the iconic car manual series
19:11Didn't just love fixing cars
19:13He collected them too
19:15And what better treat for a vintage vehicle like Helen
19:18Than a visit to the Haynes Motor Museum
19:21It has over 300 cars and bikes
19:23Making it one of the largest collections in Britain
19:26Curator Luca knows all about him
19:29Luca, it's a delight to be here
19:32Tell me about how all of this started
19:35It all started effectively with these two cars
19:38Right, so this one and this one
19:39This one and this one
19:41So when John Haynes was in sick form
19:43He took one of these
19:45There was a shortage of motor cars and sports cars after the war
19:48And he turned it into this sports car
19:50Right, at 16?
19:52At 16, yeah, when he was in sick form
19:54He then wrote a booklet showing how he did it
19:57Advertised it, sold 250 copies within a week or two
19:59So he realised there was something in
20:02Making it accessible for people to be able to
20:05Turn this into this
20:07To explain things in really easy to understand ways
20:10And to make the manuals
20:13From there, John Haynes turned a love of tinkering
20:16Into a publishing empire
20:18Those iconic manuals have sold more than 2 million copies
20:21And helped fund the car collection
20:23That in 1985 became the museum
20:25The story goes that one day he was trying to find one of his Jaguars to drive out on a weekend day
20:33They were all in kind of lock-ups and garages around the place
20:36And he couldn't find it
20:38I have that problem
20:40I can't find my Jaguar often, yes
20:42Decided that actually it would be better to have all his cars in one space
20:47To donate them to the charity for the benefit of the public for now and for the future
20:52There's such a sense of nostalgia with cars because it's
20:56I was listening to the radio the other day
20:58And they were talking about what your first car was
21:00Mine was a Rover 100
21:02I had a Volkswagen Polo
21:04Oh, somebody's doing well for themselves
21:08Thankfully, this place is all about vehicle-shaped nostalgia
21:11Oh, of course this was my first car, really
21:16Would you look at this?
21:20It's an entire room
21:23Full of red spores
21:26Over 40 tomato tinted treasures in fact
21:31John Haynes believed that by grouping cars in one colour
21:34You'd look beyond the paintwork and focus on the design
21:38Works for me
21:41It's got carpet in the boot
21:43Carpet in the boot
21:45But I may have found the perfect Kalman-sized car
21:48This is wheels around the world
21:51And the first thing
21:53It's a Sinclair C5
21:55Launched in the 1980s, this tiny one-person electric trike
21:59Was once hailed as the future of commuting
22:02Though the future had other ideas
22:04It is absolutely brilliant and I really want one
22:08Whether it's small ones
22:10Bubble cars
22:11Fast ones
22:13This one in particular was driven by Nigel Mansell
22:17Or big American ones
22:19Cadillacs
22:21Fords
22:23Lincoln Continental
22:25The collection here is full of variety
22:261993
22:29Jaguar Supercar
22:31Do you know what the first thing I'm thinking is
22:33That'd never go over the speed bumps in my street
22:35That's how practical I am about cars
22:37And on the theme of sports cars
22:44Luca's got a special treat lined up for me
22:48It's a Mustang
22:50It's a muscle car
22:52Luca's taking me for a drive
22:53Yes please
22:55Oh and I'm not getting in the wrong side by the way
22:58It's American
23:00So it's the wrong way round
23:02This is alright isn't it?
23:04A muscle car is a classic piece of American engineering
23:07Born in the 1960s
23:09It's a two-door powerhouse with a big engine
23:12And a big attitude built to go exceptionally fast
23:15Careful driver
23:18And I enjoy that
23:20I'd say when it comes to speed
23:22Luca is a kindred spirit
23:24It does just want to go though
23:26Does it? Can you feel it?
23:28Is it just going come on now?
23:30There she is, there she goes
23:31And then we'll stop because I'm going to be sick
23:34Think I'll save the sick bag and call it a day
23:36Thanks Luca
23:38That was the most incredibly sensible ride in a muscle car
23:41And if I had ever got one of these
23:43I would do exactly the same
23:45A gentle poodle in a muscle car
23:47Just my kind of grand day out
23:49Coming up, there's surprises in Somerset
23:51Yes, thanks everyone
23:53Yes, I've been to the moon
23:55And I get my hands on a keepsake fit for a king
23:57Two hands on a hammer
23:59One girt big swing at that
24:01There we go, crikey
24:03There we go, crikey
24:05Helen and I are on the moon
24:07And I get my hands on a keepsake fit for a king
24:09And I get my hands on a keepsake fit for a king
24:12Two hands on a hammer
24:14One girt big swing at that
24:16There we go, crikey
24:18There we go, crikey
24:31Helen and I are on a grand day out in King Arthur country
24:35Sensational Somerset
24:37And we're getting a real taste of the county
24:40The West Country, very well known for its cider and its apples
24:43Yes, I love apples personally
24:47Especially in the way nature intended them
24:51In a crumble
24:53Any form of apple-based dessert
24:58Is good as far as I'm concerned
25:03But nothing screams Somerset more than the apple-based alcoholic tipple
25:08So I'm heading to a cider producer near the village of Kingsbury Episcopie
25:18Of course, this area is also famed for the Glastonbury Music Festival
25:23And these days any glasto reveller is likely to be familiar with a certain bus
25:29It offers cider from Burrow Hill
25:32Where they've been growing apples for over 300 years
25:34Pressing them to make cider and cider brandy
25:38The only English spirit with protected status
25:41Boss Matilda comes from a long line of cider makers
25:45Matilda, it's lovely to meet you
25:48This is a glorious sight
25:50It's beautiful, isn't it?
25:52Peak blossom and the smell is incredible
25:54The bus that's out there, that's at Glastonbury, isn't it?
25:57Yeah, she drives to Glastonbury
25:59And we go in and we serve cider for a week
26:00It's a big get-together, there's lots of us there
26:03I've only ever been to two festivals in my life
26:05I've found it quite overwhelming
26:07Did you drink cider in black?
26:09I didn't drink anything
26:11Because I was terrified about needing to go to the Portaloos at the festival
26:16I want you to talk to me about Somerset and cider
26:20Because the two things go together, don't they?
26:22Like hello and goodbye
26:23They totally go together and apples from this village have fetched a premium for the last few hundred years
26:30Because they're considered to be the best village for cider apples in the UK
26:35Really? Yeah
26:37What makes the apples so good for making cider?
26:39It is the soil and the climate here
26:41And a lot of these apples will have originated within 10 miles of this farm
26:45We grow at least 105 varieties of apple on this farm
26:48Could you eat the apple or is it specifically for cider?
26:50There's very few cider apples that taste nice to eat
26:54The traditional cider apple is full of tannins
26:57So it's quite bitter
26:59And it has quite chewy flesh which makes it good for pressing
27:03And the whole art to making cider is blending the right type of apples
27:07To get your flavours and your mouthfeel and your acidity levels right in the first instance
27:13It all sounds like very skilled work
27:15But I dare say there's fun to be had in such a lovely orchard too
27:18Do you know what I do sometimes? I'm going to tell you a secret Matilda
27:22Because in my street there's a few other blossom trees
27:24And you know when they start to fall the petals
27:26You know those old-fashioned newsreel of ticker tape parades in New York City
27:29When astronauts come back? I walk down the street and pretend I'm in my own ticker tape parade
27:33Just myself, I enjoy it
27:35We can stand you under here and do one here
27:37We can stand and shake it and go, yes, thanks everyone
27:39Yes, I've been to the moon, I've been to the moon
27:41But here on Earth, Matilda has a table of treats
27:47That smells absolutely delightful
27:49One of which is even suitable for a driver on a grand day out
27:53You're developing a zero alcohol cider, aren't you?
27:55Yes, we are
27:56Lots of people are not drinking
27:58And people don't want to drink apple juice necessarily
28:02Because it's very sweet
28:04I'm going to be one of the first to try it
28:06Yes, you are, in fact, I haven't even tried this one
28:09It's using bittersweet cider apples
28:15Which should give you a new grown-up taste
28:18Okay
28:19Cheers
28:20Cheers
28:21Chin chin
28:22It smells like cider
28:28What do you think?
28:29That's really nice
28:30Yeah, that is very nice, isn't it?
28:31I like the way yours is spiced
28:33That sounds really nice, actually
28:35Mmm
28:37Oh, that's lovely
28:39That may be as close as I ever get to the Glastonbury Festival
28:44And now Helen and I are back on our quest
28:50But this time we're in search of another king
28:53King Alfred
28:54Who some would describe as the first king of the English
28:57We're heading to the incredible Avalon archaeology
29:01Where history is not just studied
29:03It's rebuilt using ancient techniques
29:06By passionate people like Mark
29:08Mark, pleasure to meet you
29:11Hello
29:12Chris
29:13Tell me what your job title is, please
29:16Oh, that's a good one
29:17So I'm an experimental archaeologist
29:19Now stop right there, what on earth is that?
29:21Tell me what that is
29:22It's a very niche career path
29:23Yes, I'm loving it, I'm loving it, yes
29:26My specialism is reconstructing buildings from the past
29:30What different periods of history have you got here that I'm looking at?
29:33So that is our earliest building
29:35So we're currently constructing it
29:37It's an Iron Age roundhouse
29:39And what's behind me?
29:40This is a reconstruction of a Saxon mead hall
29:43Right
29:45Based on one that was excavated in the 1960s in Cheddar
29:48This would have been a kind of a royal palace
29:50Where the Eldermen, the Lord, would hold court
29:54King Alfred the Great
29:55I know really nothing about him apart from his King Alfred the Great
29:59What I'd really love to see is inside this building
30:01Yeah, let's do it
30:03It may be an ancient royal hall
30:05But I'm not forgetting my 21st century manners
30:08It's your house, you go first
30:10This 9th century reconstruction was built by an army of volunteers
30:15Using traditional methods and materials to bring it to life
30:19Come on in
30:21This is lovely, Mark
30:23It's alright
30:25You've kept the place gorgeous for me
30:27This is a space that feels both grand and grounded
30:31I'm calling it early medieval chic
30:34Talk to me about this
30:36So what we've created here is the story of King Alfred and Somerset
30:42Now we've got the answer
30:44It's right here, okay
30:46The style is taken from various kind of psalters and illustrated manuscripts
30:51Here are some very obvious Vikings invading
30:55Landing in England and laying waste to the countryside
30:59So that's the representation of King Alfred
31:01Yep
31:02There, quite a grand affair
31:04And then here we are, Alfred has been pushed onto the Somerset levels
31:09On the Isle of Athelny, building his fort, assembling the people
31:13Yes
31:15To strike out against the Vikings
31:17And the next panel up here is the bloody battle at Eddington
31:20They defeat them
31:22This looks to me like they're describing the depths of hell
31:24Well that's it, they're also trying to demonise
31:26The Vikings
31:27The Vikings
31:28Absolutely
31:30But instead of wiping the Vikings out, Alfred made peace
31:33With a treaty that saw their leader, Guthrum, convert to Christianity
31:37And retreat to the East
31:39That left Alfred ruling the rest
31:41And for the first time, one man was able to style himself
31:45As the King of the English
31:47I mean it's a beautiful representation
31:49Would a room like this have had artwork similar to this in it?
31:52Oh definitely, yeah
31:53Can you imagine living in the Anglo-Saxon period where everything is green and brown, you know, natural shades
31:58If you wanted to show off, you would make it as garish as possible, you would paint it, you would
32:03You would get colour in there
32:05The attention to detail is extraordinary
32:08Carefully crafted to bring the past back to life
32:12It's an astonishing thing
32:13It's a wonderful way to get an insight into a period in history I really didn't know anything about
32:17Do you want a souvenir?
32:18Do you have a souvenir for me?
32:19Oh yeah, let's do it
32:21Okay, love it
32:23If it's a crown, I'm wearing it home
32:26We're going to make ourselves a little penny
32:29A little Anglo-Saxon penny, a little coin
32:31So it commemorates King Alfred
32:33So on one side it says King Alfred, Alfred Rex
32:36And the other, a monogram of London
32:39And this is your blank
32:41So you take out of that
32:43So place that in there
32:45And then you've got to make sure it's right in the middle
32:47Okay, so this is the top part
32:49So put that in there
32:50That's it, right
32:54The hammer, two hands on the hammer
32:57One girt big swing at that
33:03Okay
33:04Just one
33:05Just one?
33:06Yeah, yeah, yeah
33:07Okay
33:08There we go, quakey
33:10I'll take that off too
33:13So now take it apart
33:14So take that top piece off
33:16There we go, let's have a look at it
33:17So, then we have
33:20Yeah, there we go
33:21Nicely stamped on one side
33:22There's Alfred's face grinning back at you
33:24What's Alfred's face?
33:26That is a beautiful souvenir
33:28I was good with that hammer, wasn't I?
33:30Spectacular
33:32Yeah
33:34And just like that, a little piece of Alfred to take home
33:37Right, onward Helen
33:42Coming up, a real life quest that sent the nation digging
33:45This is my holy grail
33:48And a search of my own for hidden treasure
33:51Oh, Tim, this is my childhood
33:54Yep
34:07Helen and I are on a grand day out
34:09Amidst the magical beauty of Somerset
34:12It's a county steeped in legend and mystery
34:15Like King Arthur and the quest for the Holy Grail
34:18And it reminds me of a time when I went on a quest
34:23Along with what felt like the whole of Britain
34:25In a search for hidden treasure
34:28I wanted to share with you the story of my Holy Grail
34:32Which I've never actually talked about before
34:34This was a book that was published in 1979
34:36And it's called Masquerade
34:39And it was a global phenomenon
34:41This book sold millions of copies
34:44And this book is essentially a treasure hunt
34:48It captured the imagination of millions
34:51And sparked its own holy grail style quest
34:54Because author Kit Williams had made and buried
34:57A splendidly bejeweled golden hair
34:59And if you solved the clues
35:02In the book
35:04You could dig up the golden hair
35:06I spent hours and hours and hours
35:09Pouring over these pictures
35:11Looking for clues
35:13Because in every single picture like this one here
35:16There are codes in it
35:18And I would think, maybe I could dig up the golden hair
35:21And I wasn't alone, honestly
35:23People were all over this country
35:25Digging bits of fields up
35:27It was absolutely astonishing
35:30I never did crack the riddle
35:32And it took three years before the hair was found
35:35With some even saying that it was only after the solution was leaked
35:39But it was a great hunt while it lasted
35:42To this day
35:44I wish I'd found it
35:46I wish I'd solved the puzzle
35:48This book has affected my life more than almost any other book I've ever ever read
35:52And it sparked a lifelong obsession for me with treasure and clues
35:57This is my holy grail
36:02But of course not all treasures are buried in fields
36:05Because sometimes a holy grail
36:07Can come in a shoebox
36:09From the high street
36:11I don't know about you
36:13But for me, some things are so ingrained upon our consciousness
36:17We're so used to things
36:19We always expect them to be there
36:22But remember, everything started somewhere
36:25And for high street brand Clark's
36:28It started right around here
36:31Clark's isn't just a high street name
36:34It was founded by Quakers who believed in doing good
36:38For beyond their factory they championed workers' rights
36:41And built homes and leisure facilities
36:43I'm in the village of Street
36:46To meet Tim, keeper of the archives
36:49Who puts his heart and soul into preserving stories of every size
36:54Clark's
36:56Yes
36:58I mean, iconic high street name
37:00Especially for a generation like myself
37:02So this part of Somerset is the home of Clark's
37:04Clark's has been in Street for about 200 years
37:06How did the Clark's family start?
37:08They're farmers, sheep farmers specifically
37:09They become rug makers
37:11Basically a by-product from the rugs
37:13The pieces of wool that were too short in the material to make rugs
37:16Were then made into slippers
37:18And then you get the shoe business
37:20You must find some real nuggets in all of the paperwork
37:22That inform you about the business
37:24People that have worked here can, you know, sometimes trace their own family's involvement in the company
37:29Back, you know, three, four, even five generations
37:31They've tended to provide for the people that live here
37:34So we've got swimming pools and working men's clubs and colleges and schools
37:38And all being provided by the business
37:40Is this one of the most interesting archives you've ever laid your hands on?
37:43I was only supposed to come for two years and I've been here for over 20
37:46Really?
37:47Yeah, yeah, I don't look old enough, do I?
37:49I love the way you just turn up every day
37:51I've always tried to look busy
37:53I used to do that in my job as a lawyer as well, Tim
37:55I used to do that, oh, look at all the papers I've got
37:58Yeah, yeah, yeah
38:00Decades later I'm still perfecting the art of looking productive
38:04This time there's actually something worth seeing
38:10Here we go
38:12I've always wanted to be in a room like this with these things that swirl round
38:16Ha! There you go
38:19It's like that bit at the end of Raiders of the Lost Art
38:22It is!
38:24So we're going in here?
38:25Yep
38:27There are thousands of items in this collection, each holding a slice of British history
38:32Tim, show me what you have to show me, Tim
38:34What's in here?
38:35We're going for a joint
38:36Joints?
38:37They were first made in 1933
38:39But they were still being made, I mean, I wore these
38:41So they were made in the 70s
38:44And most people recognise the kind of...
38:46Oh no, Tim
38:48There we go
38:49Oh, Tim, this is my childhood
38:51Yep
38:52These are absolutely just iconic, aren't they?
38:58Yeah
38:59They really are
39:00T-bar
39:01Yep
39:02Little decoration on the front
39:04Yep
39:05Worn by boys and girls
39:06Unisex
39:07Yeah
39:08Yeah
39:09They did a patent one, I'm sure
39:10For fancy days
39:12And I'll tell you something, Tim
39:14Picture the scene
39:15Me and my sister
39:17Velvet knickerbockers
39:19Pedal pushers
39:20Fluffy white blouse
39:22Patent ones of these looking like the twins from The Shining
39:25Let's just all hope those images are never unearthed from any archives
39:29And anyone who went shoe shopping as a child will be familiar with something else here
39:35So, what treasures are down here?
39:37Oh, hey hey
39:38Yeah
39:39Foot gauges
39:40Tim, I used to look forward every year to get my feet measured
39:44Yeah
39:45And I am not alone
39:46I know I'm not
39:47I'll tell you why, because if my feet are grown I could get a new pair of shoes
39:49Yeah
39:50From the 1940s, Clarks were one of the leading manufacturers, making sure everyone had shoes that properly fitted their feet
39:57Tell me, why is measuring your feet important?
40:02Certainly during wartime, there were real issues with foot health
40:05They realised that they were turning away a lot of the people they were trying to enlist
40:08because their foot health was so poor
40:10It usually occurred because of the fact that you were wearing footwear that didn't fit your feet
40:15So, post-war it becomes quite a national kind of issue
40:18The objective really was to create the fewest number of widths that would fit the most number of feet
40:23That push soon filtered through to children's shoes
40:26And created a whole lot of memories for me
40:28This, I remember like it was yesterday
40:33Because this was for the kids, wasn't it?
40:35Yeah, so that's a pentagram foot gauge in those kind of primary colours
40:39It's wonderful
40:41I absolutely viscally remember the feeling of the tape measure being pulled round my foot
40:45The fact that it came from essentially a health effort
40:48I mean, you don't know that when you're a kid, do you? You just think, this is a great day out
40:51Yeah, it's the experience
40:52How big are my feet? How big are my feet?
40:53Yeah
40:54And Tim's got more treats in store for me
40:56Artwork, original
40:59Clerks have attempted to be all things to all people
41:01And tended to focus very much on emissioning the best illustrators, best photographers
41:06It could be no other time than the 80s
41:09No
41:10It's the colours, it's the hairstyles
41:12And of course the 1960s provided inspiration too
41:16Wow
41:18It's lifestyles they're selling
41:20Yeah, it's aspirational
41:21That is a lady about town
41:23It is
41:24To have these beautiful original artworks, that's an adorable one as well, isn't it?
41:29Yeah, so that's teenage
41:30They're out with their boyfriend, on their bikes, picking flowers, like every teenager does with their boyfriend, idyllically
41:37They're selling a lifestyle the parents would approve of
41:41Very much so
41:42That is stunning
41:43Yeah
41:44Yeah
41:45But it's also not really what I thought Clark's would be because she's got a large Doberman, I think, or something
41:50She has, yeah
41:51A large Doberman, dressed very, very fashionably
41:54That is an absolutely stunning image
41:56It's about what was happening in the 1960s and the 1940s and the 1950s
42:01It's a social commentary
42:03Yeah
42:04I get it now, Tim
42:05Why you've been hanging around here for 20 years
42:08I get it
42:09Yeah
42:10Because in every single one of these drawers
42:12And on every single one of these shelves
42:14There's something else wonderful to discover
42:16Yeah
42:17Thank you so much for showing me all of this
42:19It's been such a wonderful wander down memory lane with Tim
42:23In comfortable T-bar shoes
42:26Somerset has truly given me a grand day out
42:30My visit to King Arthur country has been magnificent
42:35It's almost as if Merlin himself has cast a spell upon me
42:40It really is quite spiritual, actually
42:43If I was to sum it up
42:45Looking at that
42:47I'd say my adventure here has been magical
43:00ans like there
43:14Even if you like me
43:16Like me
43:17Take me
43:18bbq
43:19That's all
43:20htack
43:21midst
43:22辞来
43:25stood
43:25Pretty
43:27起伏
43:28跡
43:30Cảm ơn các bạn đã theo dõi và hẹn gặp lại.
Được khuyến cáo
43:29
|
Sắp Tới
43:29
43:41
43:31
11:24
13:27
11:25
11:23
11:23
11:24
43:29
43:16
11:22
11:25
11:24
11:24
11:24
43:29
11:25
Hãy là người đầu tiên nhận xét