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Countryfile - Season 38 - Episode 05: Blenheim Estate
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00:00What about this one? This is huge, isn't it?
00:03This is known as the king oak. It's around about 950 years.
00:07From little acorns, these sort of things grow, don't they?
00:42It may be 300 years old, but Blenheim Palace and the magnificent estate that surrounds it are ageing rather gracefully.
00:52But to stay looking this fabulous, Blenheim has to do an awful lot of restoration work.
00:58And like all ageing landmarks, once one job is finished, another is waiting to be done.
01:04And the task that's underway at the moment is a once-in-a-lifetime project,
01:08and it should ensure the future of this palace for generations to come.
01:13Eight miles northwest of Oxford, Blenheim Palace sits in a 12,000-acre estate of farmland, woodland
01:21and sweeping Capability Brown designed gardens, which are open to the public.
01:28And right across this estate, the teams aren't just restoring its past.
01:33Bit harder. Bit, bit harder, right.
01:35Oh!
01:36There you go.
01:37They're also planning for its future.
01:40You've got a mini forest here, haven't you?
01:42We have a mini forest.
01:44How many of these are you planting for Blenheim?
01:46So far, 50,000 and counting.
01:49That's a lot, isn't it?
01:50It certainly is.
01:52And staying in the Cotswolds, Adam is on his farm, herding his wildest creatures.
02:00Just closing the gates as we go, in case they do a U-turn and beat me and run all
02:04the way back to their paddock.
02:25At the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site lies the jewel that is Blenheim Palace.
02:30Constructed over 300 years ago, the building and its courtyards cover over seven acres.
02:39With 187 rooms and more than 700 windows, this was the country residence of the widely regarded military genius
02:48and undefeated general, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough.
02:55In a palace where the history runs deep, the conservation work has to be right.
03:02Kelly O'Driscoll is Head of Built Heritage at Blenheim and is keeping the work on track.
03:09Kelly, I understand this location has quite a history and the house itself, there was some element of a gift
03:16involved?
03:17Yeah, absolutely. So to pay back, effectively, the Duke of Marlborough for his fantastic kind of victory at the Battle
03:24of Blenheim,
03:24the Queen or the government, the nation gifted this landscape and the money for a grand house to the Duke
03:33of Marlborough
03:34to sort of celebrate his victory, effectively.
03:38When it came to that present, or gift in a way, there was an initial cost and then there was,
03:43as we all know with the build, there was a final cost.
03:45It was definitely went exponentially over budget, let's put it that way.
03:48Wow.
03:49Originally, there were sort of costs bandied around about the £40,000 mark, others would say maybe it should be
03:54about £100,000 worth of building.
03:56In the end, it came to £300,000, which in today's money is around about £75 million.
04:01Wow, that's sum total. And who did they actually get to build this? Who were the architects, the designers involved?
04:08This is a design by John Vanbrugh and his contemporary Hawksmoor.
04:12Vanbrugh was a playwright and he had some fantastic contacts and he wanted to build kind of wonderful palaces like
04:19this.
04:19He had huge ideas and he wanted to create these big theatrical monuments.
04:23And so he was actually the perfect choice for Blenheim.
04:28The building is classed as an evolution of English Baroque, an architectural style made of Corinthian columns,
04:35impressive pediments adorned with floral patterns and classical Greek references.
04:42Kelly, the building is stunning, but my goodness, in this landscape, it is so exposed.
04:47What challenges does that bring?
04:49It's not just the exposure, but yes, the palace has these really intricate details, as you can see here,
04:56but you can also see when you kind of get up there and look at that stonework that we're repairing.
05:00But they're all in limestone. And if you put some of our limestone in water and leave it overnight, it
05:05will completely dissolve.
05:07And so when you have the battering winds and the freeze and the thaw combined with this sort of very
05:12porous limestone
05:13and these very delicate details, our stone effectively is determined just to completely disintegrate.
05:18Why is it so important to preserve and look after this site?
05:22London Palace is a World Heritage Site. It's internationally important.
05:27That goes back 2,000 years.
05:28We have a goal to deliver £40 million worth of restoration over a 10-year period.
05:37All of this grandeur certainly comes at a cost.
05:41So 75 years ago, the palace first opened its doors to the public to help raise funds for essential repairs.
05:49This year sees its biggest conservation project to date.
05:54Covering nearly an acre, the roof has protected the palace for more than 300 years.
05:59But damage has been creeping in.
06:02Contract manager Edward Emmett is part of the conservation company trusted to take care of this iconic landmark.
06:10He's taking me on an exclusive tour behind the scenes.
06:14Oh, I can really see the damage here. My goodness.
06:18It looks bad. Is it as bad across the whole roof?
06:20Yeah, so it's sort of throughout the rooms within here really.
06:23So this is an area below the gutter line.
06:26So we've got six downpipes for the roof and it is a massive roof area.
06:31The gutters that are currently in place, they just can't deal with the capacity of rainfall that we get in
06:36heavy downpours these days.
06:37And what damage is that doing to the building?
06:40It just generally degrades the plaster and just the historic timbers as well within the roof.
06:44And Ed, am I able to have a look at the work on the roof?
06:46Yes, certainly, yeah. Let's go have a look.
06:48Oh, great. Can't wait to see.
06:51To get up there, I need to tackle the very impressive scaffolding rig.
06:56Oh, my goodness.
06:58This looks like a project on its own.
07:01How much scaffolding, Ed, is here?
07:03Well, it took us about six months to build.
07:06There's about 70,000 scaffold clips within it and about 31 miles of scaffold tubes.
07:1231 miles of tubes?
07:13It's a real feat of engineering in itself, really.
07:16What a project. I'm so excited to see it from the roof.
07:23The scaffold stands at more than 30 metres high.
07:27And there are more than 100 steps to climb to reach the roof's first conservation workspace.
07:36It's amazing. I can't get over it.
07:38Yeah, it's a pretty impressive space, isn't it?
07:40High up in this remarkable roof space, a specialist conservation team is carefully crafting and conserving the unique features of
07:50this 300-year-old palace.
07:53Overseeing the conservation of its historical stonework is site manager Rory Smith.
07:58What was the state of everything when you first arrived?
08:01This is part of the building we haven't done any work on yet, so this is pretty typical of the
08:05level of damage we've found.
08:08But when you look at it from the ground, you don't realise the scale of the damage.
08:11So you get up here and you can actually kind of give it a wiggle and tap it with some
08:15chisels and listen to what it sounds like that you really kind of get a proper understanding of what's going
08:21on.
08:21I mean, you can literally see bits of stone that are falling off and we gather them as we can.
08:25But, you know, obviously that's the point at which you need to intervene.
08:29You know, you can't have stone falling off a building like this.
08:32And did you find repair work had already taken place when you got up here?
08:35Yeah, there's obviously been like multiple interventions.
08:37You can see on this stone, you know, this, you know, this is obviously a fairly crude repair to, you
08:42know, it should have looked like that.
08:43Someone's come up here at some point like that.
08:44You've got this metal strap, this stainless steel.
08:47So it's relatively, relatively recent.
08:50Oh my goodness.
08:50Yeah, and that just goes straight up through here.
08:52And that's literally just pulling the whole thing together.
08:53So all this vulnerable detail.
08:55And you can see all these cracks through here is being sort of supported on this solid bit of masonry
08:59up there.
09:00But the biggest problem with this building is when they built this, they built Blending Palace with an awful lot
09:05of iron cramps in.
09:06And the problem with iron is when it gets sort of exposed to moisture, it rusts.
09:11And when it rusts, the iron expands and that pushes the stone out.
09:15So the whole point of the iron being there to hold the stone together over, you know, decades and centuries,
09:20it does the absolute opposite.
09:21And you start to see fairly large sort of cracks and occasionally, you know, large lumps of masonry will come
09:26away from the building.
09:27A big part of this sort of conservation work is about removing the iron cramps and then making good, the
09:34damage that's been caused by the iron cramps and the damage that's been caused by removing the iron cramps.
09:39And how have you found the craftspeople to repair such an amazing amount of work?
09:45There is a skill shortage. There are less people coming into the industry.
09:49You know, we've got apprentices on this job, which is brilliant, but there's definitely a lack of fresh blood coming
09:57into stone masonry and stone carving.
09:59Among the few emerging from the new generation of stone masons is apprentice Jacob Gordon.
10:05So tell me about the apprenticeship. It must be an amazing place to work.
10:09Yeah, lovely building to look at. And there's loads of great stone masonry here and been working with some of
10:15the best masons and carvers in the country.
10:18And they've been teaching me loads.
10:20And is this always something you wanted to do?
10:22No, I actually did architecture at uni. So, yeah, it was a bit of a change of heart, but I
10:29wanted to do something working with my hands.
10:31What are you working on today?
10:32So this is just a basic chamfer, literally just taking off the corner at like a 45 degree angle. So
10:39very simple. You can give it a go if you want. I'll show you one corner and you can do
10:44another.
10:44Oh, OK. Yeah, I'm up for the challenge.
10:47So all you've got to do is get right in there and hit it like decently hard.
10:58Right.
11:00Do you want to come around this side?
11:03OK, so...
11:04OK, so get it right in the corner and have it at quite an angle, yeah, so that it's going
11:10to sort of fly this way.
11:11OK.
11:12And I'll get the other way.
11:14You see my home DIY. OK. And then just give it a look.
11:18Yeah, just hit it hard. Yeah.
11:21Oh, goodness.
11:22Bit harder.
11:22Bit, bit harder. Right. When you say... OK.
11:25Oh!
11:25There you go. Perfect. And then you've just got the...
11:28Just got the rest of it to do.
11:29Last little bit.
11:30OK.
11:32There you go. Perfect.
11:33My heart's pounding now. When you're working on the building doing this and it's centuries old, what are you thinking?
11:41Not a lot. You can't think a lot or else you'd just be too nervous. You have to be confident.
11:46OK.
11:46And just take your time with it.
11:48OK. Oh, my goodness.
11:50Well, thanks for just sort of introducing me into the start of it.
11:53I can see that obviously you need a lot more skills than I have.
11:57Hopefully the work here will be standing the test of time for hundreds of years to come.
12:01Yeah? Yeah, it's quite cool to think about, isn't it?
12:14While the Palace team are busy restoring the 300-year-old stonework, out on the estate, the foresters are looking
12:22after Blenheim's greatest natural treasures.
12:25Hundreds and hundreds of oak trees. Many of them were here long before the Palace. In fact, this one is
12:33around 600-700 years old.
12:41Nick Bainbridge is the head forester at Blenheim and has been looking after the estate's woodland and ancient oak trees
12:48for more than 30 years.
12:50On a misty morning like this, these wonderful old trees create a really spooky atmosphere, I think.
12:57They certainly do this time of year, but they are still enchanting.
13:00And for you, it must be a great responsibility making sure that they survive for more generations.
13:07Are they resistant to all the current challenges created by climate change, et cetera?
13:14Unfortunately not. Probably in the last 10-15 years we have been seeing more decline within the old ancient oaks.
13:21Due to heat and also AOD, acute oak decline, which is a bacteria travelled by a beetle.
13:29We certainly don't want to lose them. We want them to be here for several hundred years more.
13:33So how important is it then to keep the genetic line going of these trees?
13:38We feel it's very important because we've been here for so long.
13:42They've obviously got good genetics, so we just want to keep the family history going.
13:46Every year we're out looking for acorns. Two years ago, not one acorn.
13:52Really?
13:52Last year, amazing.
13:55It was a must year, wasn't it?
13:56It was a must year and we've picked around about 30,000 acorns.
14:00Wow!
14:01A must year is when trees and shrubs produce a bumper crop of seeds, nuts and fruits.
14:09Giving the birds and mammals a feast and ensuring growth for the future.
14:15And do the oldest of the oak trees still produce acorns?
14:20Not as prolific as the younger ones, but some are better than others.
14:25From little acorns, these sort of things grow, don't they?
14:28This is huge, isn't it?
14:30Yes, this is known as the king oak.
14:32This hasn't got a great reputation, but again last year we were picking acorns off it.
14:37How old is it?
14:39It's around about 950 years.
14:41Wow!
14:41Look at the girth on it.
14:42I know, it's huge.
14:43It's nearly 10 metres round.
14:47The palace has around 870 ancient oak trees within its grounds, each more than 400 years old.
14:56The oldest, which is more than 1,000 years old, is the queen oak.
15:02All these oaks, from their canopies to their roots, provide a vital habitat that helps support more than 2,000
15:10native species.
15:11So, the more the team can plant and protect, the better.
15:16So, how often do you plant saplings?
15:19We try and plant every single year.
15:21Back in 2021, we had a big loss because of the drought.
15:27How many saplings did you lose?
15:29It was about 30% of the total of the plantings.
15:32And over the years that you've been here, what changes have you seen?
15:37Unfortunately, these old oaks are going in decline.
15:40They've all had a lovely crown.
15:42Oh, they looked healthy.
15:44And this is only 40 years ago.
15:45And in their lifetime, that is nothing.
15:48So, how long before they've all gone?
15:52Fingers crossed they'll still be here for a few more years.
15:54But we need to get some trees in the ground.
15:58To protect the future of their woodland and these ancient oak trees,
16:02Millennium aims to plant 600,000 trees over the next three years.
16:07To meet the foresters' planting demands,
16:09they've teamed up with growing specialists
16:12who've devised a clever way of raising the next generation of trees.
16:17This pioneering work is led by scientist Dr Sally Wilkinson
16:21in her vertical forest factory.
16:24Well, here I am in your vertical forest factory.
16:28What on earth is that?
16:29It is a system where you can grow loads of trees all at once
16:33because there are many different layers,
16:36one above the other, of trees.
16:37You can keep an eye on them, can you, as they're developing?
16:40That's right, yeah. And we can control how they develop.
16:43Why go do all this bother to grow them technically
16:47when you could just pop them into the greenhouse?
16:49The root systems that we get here are larger compared to the size of the stem.
16:57So if you can imagine when you plant them out, you don't want a tiny root system
17:01because the plant may blow over.
17:04This is two years old. These are just from a normal nursery.
17:07Yeah.
17:08And at the moment they're dormant.
17:10But you can see that the root system is...
17:13Oh, yes.
17:15It's widespread.
17:15Not a lot there, is it?
17:17It's quite brown.
17:18Yeah.
17:18And in this one...
17:20This is from your...
17:22Yeah.
17:23You can see here that we've got a very big tap root.
17:25Oh, yeah.
17:26And lots of white roots.
17:28These are the fibrous roots.
17:29But bear in mind that this is only three months old.
17:32So basically, what you're producing is a much stronger plant.
17:36Yes, with a much stronger anchorage into the soil.
17:40And unlike the two-year-old roots,
17:42the forest factory saplings don't lie dormant through the colder months.
17:47They don't go to sleep in winter
17:49because we have a continuous production line all year round.
17:53So that's much more efficient, isn't it?
17:54Absolutely.
17:55You're producing many more saplings.
17:57Mm-hmm.
18:00Come in.
18:01Wow.
18:03Yeah.
18:04You've got a mini forest here, haven't you?
18:05We have a mini forest.
18:07Growing the seeds under laboratory conditions
18:10allows the team to control the amount of light and water they receive,
18:15speeding up the saplings' growth.
18:16But this is very scientific in here, a bit artificial.
18:21Mm.
18:21What happens to these plants
18:23when they have to come face-to-face with nature?
18:26We've had some that have been in the ground for two years, and they're absolutely fine.
18:30And also, everything leads us to think that they'll be fine for years to come
18:34because they've got large root systems and lovely thick stems.
18:37And how many saplings have you planted so far here at Blenheim?
18:41So far, 50,000 and counting.
18:44That's a lot, isn't it?
18:45It certainly is.
18:46Do you think that the forest outside here in Blenheim is safe for the future because of these?
18:51Absolutely.
18:52We just need to plant as many trees as possible.
18:55And let's think that Blenheim could be a good starting point for a large bit of forestry made from these
19:01trees.
19:01Well, there's lots of different coloured lights around here, aren't there?
19:04Well, those are the different wavelengths of light in the sunlight spectrum.
19:08And we can actually change the ratios between the different colours.
19:13If you put more red in, that's good for photosynthesis.
19:16If you put the colour blue in, that's really good for big roots, big fat stems.
19:23That really affects the characteristics of the trees.
19:26Sally's colleague, Kirsty Radcliffe, is responsible for the trees at one of their most vulnerable stages of development.
19:33Hello, Kirsty.
19:35Hi, John.
19:35Hi.
19:36How many plants are you in charge of here, then?
19:38So we've got approximately about 4,000 trees in the nursery at the moment.
19:43And do you look after them from the very start?
19:47Yes, so I sow the seed and then I bring them out of the germination chamber and then bring them
19:52here.
19:52So this is a younger tree.
19:54Those are the baby ones?
19:56Yeah, so these are just starting to come up.
19:57Uh-huh.
19:58And that's when they really develop the true leaves and the roots.
20:01And so what do you do to keep a check on them?
20:04So we measure the height of the tree from the base of the plant to the tip.
20:10Yeah.
20:11We also check the stem diameter.
20:13The stem diameter shows us that the plant's developing well and will be sturdy enough for when we plant it
20:19out,
20:20so it's a nice, healthy, strong plant.
20:21So it must be very satisfying for you, Kirsty, to see the plants that you've raised here in the lab
20:28doing well out there.
20:30Yeah, it's really satisfying going out into the field.
20:32You know, it's giving nature a helping hand.
20:35And who knows, one day some of these tiny saplings could grow to become Blenheim's ancient oak trees a thousand
20:43years from now.
20:58An hour or so west of Blenheim, winter is really making its presence felt on Adam's farm high up in
21:06the Cotswolds.
21:07But whatever the weather brings, there's still plenty to be done.
21:12Look at that.
21:25Hello, Ted.
21:27There's certainly a nip in the air today.
21:30But I don't think Ted, our new Highland bull, is feeling it at all.
21:33In fact, the Highland cattle are the hardiest breed of cattle in the UK.
21:37Really thick skin, thick hair.
21:39So we leave them out all winter and they seem to manage perfectly fine.
21:43But the rest of the herd, all the other breeds, are in the cattle shed.
21:46They're a little bit softer and they're all in there now, keeping warm.
21:50And I've got to go and deal with them, but then also do some work with my Exmoor ponies.
21:56In the barn, we put fresh bedding down for the cattle every couple of days.
22:02It's open and airy, so it's not free from the cold, but it keeps them a little bit more snug
22:07and they can lie in their lovely straw beds.
22:12As well as making sure they've got somewhere clean and comfortable to rest,
22:16at this time of year, we also need to carefully control their diet,
22:19as they're not out on the pasture and need to stay healthy.
22:25Once we bring the cattle into the sheds in the winter, we've got to provide them with food.
22:28And in this bag is silage.
22:31So that's grass we cut in the summer months, chopped up and put into anaerobic conditions.
22:36It pickles it and it keeps it as a good food quality to be fed during the winter months.
22:41So what Sam does is drops it into the feeder wagon.
22:44And that's like a great big cake mixer.
22:46We've put in some oats and some straw to make a total measured ration for the cattle and the sheep.
23:00On here is a scales.
23:02And from the cover of the tractor, Sam is looking at the scales and then tipping in the amount of
23:07silage he needs
23:08until it weighs it to the perfect amount to feed the cattle and the sheep.
23:13And you can see the red disc as that's getting fuller.
23:16That means that Sam's got the right amount of silage in there.
23:19Sam will be working with a nutritionist who's worked out what animals need what in what different ratios.
23:25So whether there's oats or barley or silage or minerals and each ration depending on the group.
23:31So it's all very clever and quite technical.
23:38Fodder and forage this year across the UK is in short supply really.
23:44The arable crops, particularly in the droughty areas, were 30-40% down.
23:48So there's a lack of straw for the bedding. So straw is very expensive.
23:52But then also the grass didn't grow so people haven't got very much hay or silage.
23:57We're short of hay, but we've got plenty of silage
24:00because we were lucky enough to have a crop called sandfoyne
24:03and that grew well despite the drought.
24:06And fingers crossed, 2026 will be kinder to us when it comes to the weather
24:10and the grass will grow in the spring and then we'll get a nice harvest
24:13and everything will go smoothly. Fingers crossed.
24:19Now the cows have been fed, I can turn my attention to the equites.
24:25That's the donkeys, horses and my very hardy Exmoor ponies.
24:34There's good cows.
24:35Who I need to take to the handling pens to see the vet.
24:39Hello little one.
24:40Whoa, steady!
24:45Our Exmoors live out pretty much wild.
24:48And you can see they're brave enough to come close,
24:51but they're still a bit mad.
24:54Come on then. You want to come for some? Come on.
24:59So the Exmoor ponies can cope with these harsh conditions very easily.
25:03They're as tough as old boots.
25:04They've got this amazing coat, their incredible fur,
25:07has an underlayer that's really downy and thick
25:09and then these guard hairs on the surface.
25:12So the rain and snow will run off.
25:14And if you look at that mare there,
25:15you'll see that the ice on her coat hasn't melted.
25:18And that's because the warmth of her body hasn't got to it.
25:21Because her coat is so well insulated.
25:23It's holding all that warmth in.
25:25And then also they've got these short, thick ears.
25:28And of course an ear, your extremities, is where you lose heat.
25:31And so you want small ears if you're living out on Exmoor.
25:35And they've got these tails that fan out over their rump.
25:38So when it's blowing a gale and snowing,
25:41they'll just turn their back to the wind
25:42and just stand there solid as a rock and stay reasonably warm.
25:47A lot of animals at this time of year,
25:49I feel sort of sorry for in these horrible, harsh conditions.
25:52But the Exmoors are made for it.
25:54They look perfectly happy out here.
25:57So in the herd we've got one, two, three, four mares and the stallion.
26:02And then two foals.
26:04And they need microchipping.
26:06And now I'm just going to round them up and run them down to the pens.
26:12The Exmoor ponies don't pay much attention to a sheepdog.
26:15They're bigger and more independent than sheep.
26:18So I've got to herd them myself.
26:20Keeping just behind to guide them along.
26:23Just closing the gates as we go,
26:25in case they do a U-turn and beat me
26:27and run all the way back to their paddock.
26:29So in stages all the way through to the pens.
26:33Exmoor ponies are renowned for their strength, stamina
26:36and sure-footed endurance.
26:39Able to cover rough moorland for hours.
26:46Pushing the herd through the fields is certainly keeping me fit.
26:55Every equine must have a passport within 12 months of birth.
27:00That's why Millie, our equine vet, will be recording the details of our two new Exmoor foals, Roxy and Rosie.
27:08So Millie, what's the plan then with these?
27:10We're going to draw them for a passport and then we're going to put a microchip in their neck and
27:14we're going to take a DNA sample.
27:16And to be able to identify them because Exmoors all look very similar, how can you tell the difference between
27:21the foals?
27:22Well, they've got these unique hair markings called whorls on them that occur over their body.
27:28And if we draw them onto the silhouette and then that is in their passport, you can look at the
27:34passport,
27:35match up the markings which is unique to that pony and then you can identify it.
27:41Okay, so is it the whorls will stay with them for the rest of their life?
27:45A bit like if someone has like a cowlick, they call it in the hair, it stays with them forever.
27:48Yeah, absolutely. That will never change.
27:49Brilliant. Right, let's start doodling.
27:51Ideally you want five identifiable marks, so five whorls.
27:55And the other thing that you can draw is on the inside of their leg.
27:58They've got these little chestnuts above their knees.
28:00Oh yes. This bit here.
28:02Good girl. There. That would be a unique shape.
28:05Which is like a little bit of horn, isn't it? Yeah, it's a little bit of horn.
28:08It's like hooves coming out of their leg.
28:09It is a good girl.
28:11To keep the foals as calm as possible, it is a good girl.
28:13We bring them into the handling race alongside their mothers,
28:18before microchipping and taking DNA samples.
28:21The DNA sample confirms each foal's genetic lineage,
28:25while the microchip provides a secure record of ownership,
28:29protecting the animal's welfare.
28:31So not only is it important for the rules of the land
28:34to have these ponies microchipped from their passports put together,
28:38but also for the Exmoor Pony Society and particularly for the breed themselves,
28:43because the Exmoor Pony is still very rare.
28:46There's only a couple of thousand of them worldwide.
28:48And in the UK, there's only about 200 foals born every year,
28:53so every one is precious.
28:55So we're really just doing our bit for rare breeds conservation
28:58and keeping this gorgeous breed going.
29:00Come on, Lee.
29:02Millie is injecting the microchip just under the skin.
29:05And wrapped up in that thick coat, Rosie should hardly feel a thing.
29:10So despite them, you know, not being handled at all,
29:13actually they're not going crazy, are they?
29:16No.
29:17You know, you're...
29:17She's being very, very good.
29:20Yeah.
29:21There you go.
29:22One microchip full.
29:24Brilliant.
29:24Perfect.
29:26Next, the DNA sample.
29:28Their mane is so tough.
29:31You want ten hairs, including the root, so you can't cut it.
29:36That's where her DNA is.
29:38Follicles here.
29:39OK.
29:40So that goes off to the labs where they test the DNA.
29:43That goes off to the lab.
29:43And then it's all traceable.
29:44So we've told them that Willow Warbler is the dad,
29:47Coral is the mum, but that DNA will prove it.
29:50Yeah, absolutely.
29:51Because they've got their DNA on file as well.
29:52Yeah.
29:53Perfect.
29:54OK.
29:54This tracking is important to prove the breed's identity
29:57and safeguard genetic diversity when planning further breeding.
30:02That's all gone really well with the Exmoors.
30:04We're just going to leave them there for a minute
30:05while we take the vet up to see one of our female donkeys,
30:08called Sugar.
30:09And she is just over two years old
30:12and been running with the Jack now,
30:13and we're hoping she's in foal.
30:15And the vet is going to tell us one way or the other.
30:20I know!
30:25Jack, the male donkey, is certainly a noisy boy.
30:30Those two next door are two of our older jennies,
30:34two of our older females.
30:35When he goes up to them and eawes,
30:37there's that mouth movement you can see them doing.
30:39So the jennies are being submissive,
30:41that's when they open and close their mouth.
30:45We already know the jennies over the gate are pregnant.
30:49But right now, all Millie's attention's on Sugar.
30:53Good girl.
30:54Who's having a light sedative to keep her calm during the pregnancy check.
30:58Good girl.
31:00So donkeys, unlike the Exmoor, are really an arid creature.
31:05They come from hot countries.
31:06They're fine being out like this.
31:08They've got a lovely winter coat, but always need a shelter.
31:11With the Exmoors, we were talking about their little ears retaining the heat.
31:15And, of course, donkeys have got great big ears, which releases the heat,
31:19which is good in a hot country.
31:21Not so good when you're 900 foot up on the top of the Cotswolds in minus two.
31:25There we go.
31:26But she seems to be fine.
31:28Got it?
31:28Yeah, fine.
31:29Oh, well done. Good skills.
31:32It only takes a couple of moments for Sugar's sedative to take effect.
31:38So, similar to pregnancy testing a cow, Millie, going rectally.
31:42Going rectally.
31:43Have a feel.
31:44And see if you can identify it.
31:48A fetus in there.
31:49Yeah.
31:51This is a good girl.
31:52Good girl, Poppet.
31:57Pretty sure she's in full.
31:59She is.
32:00Great.
32:01Thank you very much indeed.
32:02Right.
32:03There you go.
32:04You're a bit sleepy, aren't you?
32:05Let's let you out.
32:07It's fantastic news, as this will be Sugar's first foal.
32:11There's a good girl.
32:13Donkey's gestation can last up to 14 months.
32:17Go on.
32:17So, if all goes well...
32:19Go on.
32:19..we should have a new foal on the ground come autumn.
32:23Shh, shh.
32:26He doesn't want to leave these.
32:27And Jack will get his chance with the other jennies once they give birth in the spring.
32:32I just hope the weather's a bit warmer than today when the little ones arrive.
32:48Back in Oxfordshire, it's not just the palace at Blenheim that's going through renewal.
32:53Across the entire estate, work is going on to push it into the future by combining tradition with innovation.
33:00On great estates like Blenheim, there's a never-ending cycle of upkeep.
33:06And these days, the key word is sustainability.
33:10And in a small corner here, that's being implemented in a way that you probably never expect.
33:16And it involves coffee grains.
33:21Roy Cox is the managing director of estates and is responsible for unlocking the value of Blenheim's organic waste.
33:32Mmm, well, thanks for the coffee, Roy.
33:34Very welcome.
33:35But there's a story behind it, isn't there?
33:37So, you wouldn't believe it, John, that the million or so visitors that come to this site,
33:41together they enjoy 440,000 of these cups of coffee.
33:45And it produces 12 tonnes of coffee grains every single year.
33:49So, what do you do with that amount of waste? Just chuck it away?
33:52Well, if I'd have brought you here two, three years ago, we would have thrown it all away.
33:56But actually, what we do now is we recycle all of it and we grow the most amazing mushrooms from
34:01this to create circular economies.
34:03Is it this sustainability message?
34:05We've been around for 300 years. We're part and parcel of the community.
34:09But one of the biggest challenges facing places like this is that they're just not designed for a warmer future.
34:16So, trying to address sustainability here is one of the most critical things we will do to make sure that
34:22Blenheim survives for another 300 years.
34:26Every day, the spent coffee grounds are taken from the cafes across to the mushroom farm.
34:33Sylvie Verinder runs a company dedicated to giving new life to old waste.
34:41Sylvie, hi, how are you?
34:42Nice to meet you. I'm very well, thank you.
34:43Look, I brought you this morning's supply of coffee grains.
34:46Great, thank you very much.
34:48And what are you going to do with them?
34:49Well, we partnered with Blenheim two years ago
34:51to take all of the organic materials that the palace produces,
34:56including coffee grounds, sawdust from the forest,
34:58and mix them with spores, which is like the seeds.
35:02We grow mushrooms.
35:04And where do you grow them?
35:05So, we grow them in these three containers which actually replicate sort of the seasons.
35:10Well, let's have a look at the process, shall we?
35:12Because I never thought that mushrooms would be produced in containers like this.
35:16OK.
35:17So, your coffee grains are going into a recipe for a substrate mix,
35:21which is like the conditions under the earth where the spores will start to grow.
35:24So, we're recreating the soil, really, the ground?
35:27Yeah.
35:27The mix is made up of coffee grounds, bran, and sawdust from the estate,
35:32which then gets heated to 75 degrees to kill off any bacteria
35:36to make sure there's no competition or contamination to stop mushrooms growing.
35:42When it's all mixed up and we've killed the bacteria, it'll go into bags like this,
35:46and then these bags go through into the laboratory to have the seeds.
35:51We call mushroom spores mixed in.
35:55Different spores are added to the mix to create a variety of mushrooms
35:59that are then used by the estate's chefs.
36:02This is one that's...
36:03With the spores added, the seeds added.
36:06The seeds already added.
36:07So, where do they go now?
36:08They'll go next door.
36:10Oh.
36:10So, this room is always kept in the dark, but we'll put the light on while we're going
36:14in to have a look.
36:16So, what season are we in now?
36:17So, in here, this is like under the ground in the summer, so it's warmer.
36:23We keep it about 22, 23 degrees in here, and it's fairly moist.
36:27Well, I can see, Sylvie, that things are starting to grow in these bags.
36:31When the spores that we've mixed them with have the right conditions,
36:35they will germinate and mycelium will grow,
36:38a bit like when a seed grows and you get a root and a shoot.
36:41Right.
36:42Mycelium is a network made up of tiny threads called hyphae,
36:47which spread through the soil.
36:49So, this is a very healthy sign.
36:52Yes, exactly.
36:53And what happens is, over the next couple of weeks,
36:56the mycelium will spread and populate through the mix that we've made,
37:01and then, when it's grown enough, it'll be ready that it starts to fruit.
37:06I love this idea of changing seasons in just a few seconds.
37:09It is. It's, yeah, it's the beauty of science, I guess, isn't it?
37:14Yeah.
37:14And what is this a precaution for?
37:17So, this is to stop us contaminating and bringing bacteria in.
37:21OK.
37:22So, this is the fruiting room.
37:25Wow!
37:27We drop the temperature down from 23 to about 17 degrees.
37:32So, just like going from summer to autumn,
37:35the temperature's dropped.
37:37It's very humid in here.
37:38It is.
37:39I'm full fogged up on my specs.
37:42And, basically, the mushrooms will start to pin.
37:45This is when the fruiting body starts to grow
37:49and then the mushroom grows.
37:52How long from putting the spores in to picking a mushroom?
37:56So, from coming in here, it varies from between about 7 to 10 days.
38:02And do you plant to order?
38:04Yes.
38:05So, we'll do pre-orders.
38:06Yeah.
38:07And so, we will buy the spores according to the species that the chefs would like.
38:11They're currently growing 10 different varieties of mushroom and can get two or three harvests from each block.
38:19And once you've picked them, the new ones come through.
38:22Exactly.
38:23Yes.
38:24And then these ones over here, we've already had one harvest.
38:28So, these, you can see the caps are down.
38:31These are almost ready to pick.
38:33Right.
38:33These ones, however.
38:35That's spectacular.
38:36Yes, but I won't actually give that to a chef to eat.
38:39The reason being, can you see how, a little bit like when a flower blooms, the mushrooms come up, the
38:46caps that way.
38:47And these are the gills.
38:49And all the spores have been released from here.
38:51Right.
38:51This is why we're wearing our masks.
38:53So, it's a bit persistent sell-by day.
38:55Exactly.
38:56Can we pick a few?
38:57Yes, of course.
38:58And you can just sort of pluck them off.
39:00Like that?
39:01That's it.
39:01Yeah, perfect.
39:02That's a thing of beauty, actually.
39:05Don't they look like cauliflowers?
39:06Pull that one off.
39:07What kind of mushroom is this one?
39:09This is a black pearl oyster.
39:11And where will all of these go now?
39:13So, we're now going to package those up, and these will go to the palace.
39:18Once the growing blocks are spent, and stop producing mushrooms, they're recycled to produce something else for the palace, with
39:27nothing here going to waste.
39:30When we've finished harvesting the mushrooms, that's what we're left with.
39:33Yeah.
39:33We dry it.
39:35Yeah.
39:36Looks like that.
39:37We turn it into pellets.
39:39Uh-huh.
39:40And then we turn it into a biochar fertilizer.
39:45Okay?
39:45So, that is a full circle, really, isn't it?
39:48Exactly.
39:48The biochar is blended with manure, wool, and green waste from the estate to make compost to grow food for
39:56the palace kitchens.
39:56And before we hand them to Blenheim...
40:00Yes.
40:01I see there's a barbecue over there.
40:02There is.
40:03Can I try some?
40:04Absolutely.
40:05Let's go and have a look.
40:08Sam Bussey, a local private chef, has been developing a few recipes of his own with these locally grown delicacies.
40:17Well, Sam, are any of these you'd like to barbecue?
40:20They look absolutely fantastic, John.
40:22We're going to take one of these lion mains and turn it into a steak, and then one of the
40:25black pearls, and we're going to...
40:26Oh, I picked that one.
40:27Oh, wow.
40:27Amazing.
40:28Let you get on with it, and I'll put these with the rest that are going to Blenheim.
40:33Okay, I'll pack them into the box.
40:37Looks good.
40:38And smells good.
40:40So we've got here the black pearl mushrooms with a lovely honey, soy, garlic glaze, and we're just going to
40:46put these over the lovely charcoal to have a little taste.
40:50These have been pressed, so they're quite a meaty mushroom.
40:52Can I try one?
40:53So you'll taste that.
40:54Mmm.
40:55Do you want some some?
40:55Oh, that is delicious, isn't it?
40:57Yeah.
40:57Yeah, I'll have a taste.
40:59Yum.
40:59Mmm.
41:01Not at all like the mushroom I'm used to eating.
41:04That natural umami flavour from the salty and earthiness.
41:07Yeah.
41:07And they've got protein, which is why they sort of tend to end up looking and feeling like meat.
41:12Really yummy.
41:13Yeah.
41:14And I think the message to anybody who comes to Blenheim is keep on drinking the coffee.
41:19Absolutely.
41:20Yeah.
41:25Well, it's warm as toast, isn't it, round the barbecue at the moment, but what's the weather going to be
41:30like across the whole country in the week ahead?
41:32Let's find out with the Contrafire forecast.
41:43Hello there.
41:44Good evening to you.
41:45I don't think you need me to tell you just how wet January it was.
41:48In fact, it was record breaking me wet in some areas.
41:51Figures here just show that some parts of northeast Scotland saw four times the January average over three times for
41:59parts of Northern Ireland.
42:00And the usual thing about this is that we've seen heavy rain in areas that aren't always so wet because
42:04of a southeasterly component to the wind.
42:07And that's what we're going to see for the first week of February as well.
42:10More rain in the forecast moving up from the southeast and things perhaps turning a bit colder towards the end
42:16of the week.
42:16Again, northeast Scotland, eastern parts of Northern Ireland and parts of central southern England and towards the southwest probably seeing
42:23most of the rain, whereas western Scotland will tend to stay dry.
42:26Another thing taking place this week, we're in a battleground of air masses once again.
42:30That cold air over the near constant trying to push its way westwards, although mild air will continue to win
42:35out, I think, across more southern and western parts, much like we've seen this weekend.
42:39We've had a couple of weather fronts across the country for part two of the weekend, some of the rain
42:44pepping up to be heavier through this evening and overnight across the southeast, clearing away and then leaving a legacy
42:50of some mist and murk and variable cloud.
42:52But skies will clear out west, Northern Ireland, parts of western Wales, southwest England, so turning chilly here, also western
42:59Scotland.
42:59But for most, I think where we hold on to the cloud, it's going to be frost free.
43:03But because of that clear sky effect to the west, watch out for some ice early tomorrow morning.
43:10Otherwise, a mostly dry day, I think, for large parts of central and southern areas.
43:14A lot of cloud around with limited sunshine.
43:16Rain piling into eastern Scotland with some snow on the hills.
43:19It'll stay windy here, lighter winds out west.
43:22Probably the best of the sunshine for western Scotland.
43:24Temperatures nine or ten in the south, high single figures in the north.
43:28The rain continues to fall in northern and eastern Scotland.
43:31Some snow on the hills.
43:32So again, rainfall totals beginning to mount up.
43:34An issue of localised flooding, like we saw throughout January.
43:37And it starts to turn wetter across southern areas through Monday night into Tuesday.
43:42So a wetter day to come for the southern half of the country and for eastern Scotland.
43:46And it will be another chilly one further north.
43:49That cold air beginning to make inroads, but still on the mild side for early February in the south.
43:54So we've got low pressure towards the west.
43:56Higher pressure to the east as we reach the middle part of the week.
43:59Again, lots of isobars in the charts in the north.
44:01So it's going to be cold and windy for northern and eastern Scotland and the Northern Isles.
44:05Notice the white colours increasing.
44:07We'll start to see more wintry precipitation in the north.
44:10Whereas further south, we could see a few showers, but also some glimmers of brightness.
44:14At this point, we'll pick up some mild air.
44:16It could be up to around 11 or 12 degrees in the south.
44:19Whereas in the northeast, it's turning a little bit colder.
44:21The setup looks like it could stay the same for Thursday.
44:26Low pressure out west, which could start to bring some wetter and windier weather here.
44:30And higher pressure with the cold air further east.
44:33And it could be by Thursday that colder air begins to push a little bit further southward.
44:37So any snow in eastern Scotland could come down to lower levels at times.
44:42And there's the temperatures around average in the south, turning a bit colder further north.
44:46Now, that colder air in place by the end of the week, it could be that some of the rain
44:49in England and Wales,
44:50mainly over the hills, could start to have a wintry flavour to it.
44:54And certainly some wintry showers for northern and eastern Scotland.
44:57But again, the best of the driest weather towards northwestern areas into western Scotland.
45:02Temperatures coming down slightly.
45:04So that's how it's shaping up for the first week of February.
45:07Stay tuned to the forecast.
45:08For now, I'll hand you back to John and Margarita in Belenna.
45:20The Blenna estate is mid repair, where the teams aren't just restoring its past.
45:26Just hit it hard, yeah.
45:28Oh, goodness.
45:29Bit harder.
45:29Bit, bit harder, right.
45:31Oh!
45:32There you go.
45:33But helping to protect its future.
45:35Do you think that the forest outside here in Belenna is safe for the future because of these?
45:41Absolutely.
45:42We just need to plant as many trees as possible.
45:45But the work doesn't stop there.
45:47Across the estate, there's more than 1,000 acres of land devoted to livestock farming.
45:58Benji.
46:00That'll do.
46:02I'm Sean.
46:03I'm the head shepherd.
46:04And this is my nephew, Aston.
46:06And we look after the sheep at Blenna Palace.
46:08Come by.
46:10I've been working with sheep and cattle and pigs virtually all my working life.
46:15And I've been at Blenna just over two years.
46:19Walk on.
46:21You can't compare Blenna with a normal shepherding job.
46:26It's very different to where I used to work.
46:29Benji.
46:31For centuries, the animals at Blenna have had many roles.
46:35Now, they're part of something new.
46:38Today, we have a treat for you.
46:40We're going to fetch some sheep up, run them into the yard, into the trailer,
46:44and we're going to move them to a little bit of grazing around some solar panels.
46:48That'll do.
46:50Total numbers of sheep at this moment in time is just over 3,000.
46:55The estate has set its sights on becoming more self-sufficient,
46:59and this flock is part of the plan that one day could help take Blenna off the national grid forever.
47:06The sheep at Blenna graze all the parkland.
47:11There's around about 1,000 acres of grass.
47:13Well, they're a lot cheaper than having a mower running around,
47:16and a lot more environmentally friendly, and they're nicer to look at as well.
47:22You couldn't do this job without a dog.
47:25They're just with you all day, every day.
47:28My main flock dog's Benji.
47:30He's about four years old.
47:32There's no way you could run a flock of sheep this size without any working dogs.
47:40Working alongside Sean's sheepdogs, the flock are moved between grazing areas.
47:45One field is more important than most, the estate's high-tech solar power farm,
47:52where short grass is essential to prevent the panels being shaded and losing efficiency.
47:58They won't be generating much electricity in this fog,
48:01but ensuring the panels can work at full capacity requires a lot of hungry sheep.
48:08Of all my years of moving sheep about, this is the first time that I've grazed a solar farm.
48:12The one we're going to is just a small-scale one, sort of about 10, 12 acres.
48:21What they'll do, they'll have a walk round, find out where the best grass is.
48:26They'll eat a little bit here and move on and just keep having a little bit here and there.
48:31The estate gets another revenue from the panels, and the sheep get more grass to graze.
48:38Hopefully, it'll be a thing for the future.
48:41The blend of old and new doesn't stop there.
48:45Blenheim has recently introduced a small herd of one of Britain's rarest and oldest pig breeds.
48:50And for Aston, this is a new venture.
48:54Go on then, go.
48:55Our most recent animal to come onto the estate is our pigs.
49:00Our Berkshire pigs are a native British breed.
49:03And when you're working with them in such small numbers, you know which ones will come tame,
49:08you know which ones will come up to you, the ones with the character.
49:10You do really see their personalities come out of them, and they are one of the most cleverest animals there
49:15is.
49:15So, welcome to Blenheim Palace. This was where our first batch of pigs were.
49:22And this is just really to show how much of a good job they've done to the ground.
49:28The reason why we have our pigs in, you know, little woodlands, wild, is so that they can regenerate the
49:35woodland floor.
49:36So, they'll eat all the seeds that fall from the trees, root everywhere up, and just give the woodland floor
49:41the fresh start that it needs.
49:43It's a chemical-free way of, like, rooting up brambles and big patches of them where we necessarily can't get
49:49into, but the pigs can.
49:51And they'll root them up from the bottom and kill them from the bottom up.
49:55And it just sort of clears areas in a lot easier way.
49:59All of this was full of, you know, thistles and brambles when the pigs first came in here.
50:03And the job they've done to it in the six months that they were here is quite incredible, really.
50:08They have a lot more of a life than they would elsewhere.
50:26Sustainable farming is just one part of how this landscape is being carefully managed.
50:32The same balance of tradition and modern thinking is also being used to conserve the palace.
50:39Covering an area of nearly an acre, this roof has been protecting the house beneath it for over three centuries.
50:46But it's almost at the end of its useful life.
50:51Under this protective canopy and several flights up the scaffolding, specialists are carefully conserving the 300-year-old roof structure.
51:01Contract manager Ed, who was showing me around earlier, is at the heart of its transformation.
51:07So you've built a roof over the roof?
51:10Yes.
51:11So we've got three different roof areas at this level and a great hall roof up higher up and then
51:15the lower galleries as well, all being re-roofed and timber repairs and carpentry repairs.
51:20And is the roof all made of the same thing?
51:22So, at this level, they're all slate, all Welsh Penryn slate, which we've stripped, sorted.
51:31Any sort of stuff that can be reused will be put back on the great hall roof, which we'll have
51:37a look at shortly.
51:38That's all sandcast lead.
51:40So, again, that will get stripped off, taken off site, recast, and we brought that site and reused on the
51:47roof.
51:48Lead has been used in buildings since Roman times, with many historic castles and cathedrals using it on their roofs.
51:55Here, the old lead is being recycled and reused to add back to the palace roof.
52:00But this careful work needs a lead specialist, and that's where Jonathan Thicke comes in.
52:06Hi, Johnny. Good to see you.
52:09Good to see you.
52:09When bending lead, it's important to wear protective gloves.
52:13And if Jonathan was cutting it, a mask would be essential too, as lead dust can be harmful if breathed
52:19in.
52:20Oh, OK. So...
52:22Gloves on, I'm not missing out on playing a small part in creating something unique for this special place.
52:28What are you working on at the minute?
52:30We're doing flashing at the minute, all around the sides, up the walls of the building.
52:34I've got a little bit here that you can help me with.
52:39So what does this machine do?
52:41It bends all the lead up, so I'll bend it to the shape of the air track that we need
52:45it, and just gives us a cleaner bend and a straighter finish.
52:50OK, so I'm just pulling this up?
52:52Yep, yep.
52:52Is there a technique to it?
52:53No, just pull.
52:54OK.
52:55That's it. Keep going, keep going, keep going.
52:56Oh, OK. Not too bad.
52:57There we go.
52:58You're giving me a beginner's piece.
53:00I'm quite grateful for that.
53:01Do you want to have another go?
53:02Yeah.
53:02And then we've got that bit in there.
53:04OK.
53:04Push that down.
53:05Yep.
53:06And then have a go.
53:08And then straight this all the way up?
53:09Yeah, keep going.
53:09That's it.
53:10That's it.
53:10That's the one.
53:12Wow.
53:13And then...
53:14OK.
53:15Keep going.
53:15Yep.
53:16Yep.
53:16That's the one.
53:17Is that my first official piece of gutter?
53:19That is your first bit of air track.
53:21That is the flashing.
53:22My little bit of flashing on Blenheim.
53:24And how much of the roof have you covered?
53:26We've done every bit of lead that's round here.
53:28We've done all of it.
53:30Oh, well, thanks for letting me have a little lesson today.
53:32I really appreciate that.
53:42Another few steps up takes us to the roof's highest point,
53:4630 metres up.
53:49Wow.
53:49Yeah.
53:50Chimney pots.
53:50Yeah.
53:51That's a view.
53:52OK, so this is the Great Hall and Butterfly roof.
53:55And the statues and the golden balls up here,
53:58are you repairing those as well?
53:59Yeah, so the statues, there's some conservation repairs
54:02which will be carried out on the statues and cleaning,
54:04and the gold balls will be re-gilded.
54:08So, yeah, so there's a lot of work to be done up here.
54:10Ed, it feels amazing to see the work so up close and personal.
54:14What does it feel like to actually be part of it?
54:16Yeah, I mean, it's a real privilege.
54:17I mean, obviously, it's quite an iconic building, really.
54:20It'll be nice once we're all done and, you know,
54:22everyone can see what we've been doing.
54:24Conserving Blenheim's roof and critical stonework
54:27isn't just about using traditional heritage skills.
54:31Today, cutting-edge technology is part of the job too,
54:34including lasers.
54:37Conservator Tom Barry is putting this high-precision tech
54:40to work on stonework that is covered in centuries of soot
54:44and pollution.
54:47Hi, Tom.
54:48Hi.
54:48Hi.
54:49Great to see you.
54:50I hear this is where the laser takes place.
54:52Yes.
54:53What is the laser and what is lasering and Blenheim
54:56and how does it go together?
54:57Well, this is a 200-watt laser machine
55:01and it produces a beam that disrupts the particles of dirt
55:06on the surface, which had built up over centuries from pollution
55:10and it vaporises the black dirt while at the same time
55:15does not damage the stone underneath.
55:18And why the laser?
55:19Other methods like using solvents, for example,
55:23or manual cleaning are possible.
55:27This stone is far too delicate to be using that kind of method
55:30and laser is really the most easy to control.
55:33It's basically a very high-energy, powerful beam of light
55:37and, you know, it's dangerous up to 200 metres to the human eye.
55:42So we wear these laser glasses which protect us.
55:45We wear a mask because lasering, vaporising all this dirt
55:51produces an awful lot of dust.
55:54And so we protect ourselves pretty well.
55:58Okay.
55:58All right.
56:00Here we go.
56:04Oh, crikey.
56:06Wow.
56:07Look at that.
56:10Oh, my goodness.
56:12Oh, look the difference it's made.
56:14Goodness.
56:15I cannot believe that.
56:16It's very dramatic.
56:18That must be so satisfying.
56:20It is very.
56:24So you're not burning the dirt away.
56:26This is vaporising it.
56:29Yes.
56:29It's the energy of the beam itself
56:32that disrupts the particles on the surface,
56:36displacing them and vaporising them
56:40into thin dust.
56:42Oh, my goodness.
56:43It's almost melting away hundreds of years of build-up.
56:49This really is a case of new meeting old
56:53for future generations to enjoy the work that has gone before.
56:58It really is quite something.
57:00It really is quite something.
57:27Hi.
57:27Even from using waste coffee grains to grow mushrooms.
57:32Mushrooms are great.
57:33And so is the coffee, by the way.
57:35And that oak laboratory growing trees
57:38which will be standing here for centuries to come.
57:42Wow.
57:43That is, though, all we have time for from Blenheim.
57:46Next week, Joe and Anita are in Northern Ireland
57:48and they'll be checking out the sheltered waters of Strangford Loch.
57:52Look at them go.
57:55I love the belly shuffle.
57:58These spores are absolutely tiny.
58:01That bears life waiting to happen.
58:05The gentleman's just spotted some swans to our right over the hedge.
58:09Oh, really?
58:09But the sun's right there.
58:10I missed it.
58:11I was totally blinded by the sun there.
58:14Oh, wow.
58:16Oh, are you OK?
58:18It wasn't worth doing the hair this hard on life, was it?
58:23I hope you can join us then.
58:25Bye for now.
58:33Could it transform the nation's health?
58:36Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall explores the fibre factor on BBC Sounds.
58:40And exploring the cosmos, Brian Cox watches NASA's Search for Life
58:44seven days on Mars on BBC iPlayer.
58:51Great, thanks for joining us.
58:52We love this being right.
58:53You will never watch the universe and see it.
58:55You will never forget to join us in a space without saying,
58:58We will never forget to join us in our stomp.
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