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Great British Railway Journeys

Rating:3.5 of 5Total number of episodes:200Last broadcast:18/09/2019 at 06:35
September 2019
29:05

Season 8 Episode 8 - Chapeltown To Doncaster

3.0 1 x
From Chapeltown Michael heads to Wharncliffe Crags, where he plucks up courage to follow in the terrifying footholds of the Victorian daredevil who made rock climbing a sport. The relative calm of academia beckons at Sheffield University but, face to face with a hagfish, Michael?s visit to the Alfred Denny Collection prove...
29:05

Season 6 Episode 17 - Swansea To Hereford

3.0 0 x
On this leg he begins in the ruinous gardens at Aberglasney in Llandeilo before riding shotgun in the driver?s cab on the Heart of Wales line on one of the most scenic routes in Britain. En route, Michael learns about the Victorian signalling system still in place today and struggles with his Welsh pronunciation. Over the ...
29:08

Season 8 Episode 7 - Manchester Piccadilly To Silkstone Common

3.0 0 x
Michael Portillo's journey from the Irish Sea to the North Sea continues by tram from Manchester. At the imposing town hall of the world's first industrial city, Michael comes face to face with the Victorian scientist who invented modern atomic theory.
29:05

Season 6 Episode 16 - Pembroke Dock To Swansea

4.0 0 x
Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey from west Wales to East Anglia. Beginning at Pembroke Dock, Michael visits the dockyard where Queen Victoria?s royal yachts were built. After flagging down the steam train to ride on the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway, Michael pitches in with the volunteers who look after the G...
29:03

Season 6 Episode 15 - Newcastle To Lindisfarne

3.0 0 x
Michael finds out about the world?s earliest swing bridge and its inventor, Newcastle engineer, Sir William Armstrong and discovers how the city?s Victorian industrial heritage has found a new cultural purpose. From Seahouses by boat, amid puffins and cormorants, Michael goes in search of a darling of the Victorian press, ...
29:04

Season 6 Episode 14 - Middlesbrough To Hexham

4.0 0 x
Following his Bradshaw?s Handbook, Michael Portillo begins today?s leg of his journey from Derby to Lindisfarne in the Victorian Ironopolis of Middlesbrough. He visits one of the last cast iron foundries in the city and helps cast a carrot valve for a steam engine. His next stop is Darlington, spiritual home of the railw...
29:05

Season 6 Episode 12 - Boston To Hensall

4.0 0 x
Armed with his Bradshaw's, Michael Portillo continues his journey from Derby to Lindisfarne. Beginning in Boston in the flatlands of Lincolnshire, Michael explores the connection between the city and its American namesake. At Southwell, he discovers the origins of a favourite Victorian apple and learns how to make apple pi...
29:03

Season 6 Episode 9 - Covent Garden To Oxford Circus

3.0 1 x
Guided by his Victorian Bradshaw, Michael Portillo explores London?s theatre land and discovers how 19th century engineering made for spectacular theatricals. At Charing Cross, Michael learns about the ambitious building programme which saw Trafalgar Square replace streets of slums and comes face to face with George Bradsh...
29:04

Season 6 Episode 10 - High St. Kensington To London Bridge

3.0 1 x
On the last of his journeys in the capital, Michael Portillo explores Albertopolis and reaches dizzying heights inside a Victorian landmark. He meets some of Battersea?s most famous residents and gives one of them a bath. At Vauxhall, Michael learns about the darker side of London?s flower market in Bradshaw?s day. He ends...
29:05

Season 6 Episode 4 - Stirling To Pitlochry

4.0 1 x
Steered by his Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo begins this leg of his journey in Stirling where he visits the scene of a bloody battle at Bannockburn. Following in the footsteps of Victorian holidaymakers, he travels north to Crieff to experience the popular Hydro. In the ancient capital of Scotland, Perth, Michael lear...
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