HomeGreat British Railway Journeys

Great British Railway Journeys

Rating:3.5 of 5Total number of episodes:217
Last broadcast:19/08/2021 at 05:35
2021
29:08

S11 Ep15

4.0 1 x
Michael Portillo is in East Anglia on the last leg of his rail journey through 1930s Britain. He begins in Attleborough in Norfolk at the headquarters of an international horse welfare organisation which was established in the late 1920s, learning about the charity’s pioneering founder.
28:57

S11 Ep14

4.0 3 x
Michael continues his railway journey through eastern England from Canterbury to Skegness steered by his 1930s Bradshaw’s guidebook. Stopping at Saxmundham in Suffolk, Michael heads for Snape Maltings - a concert and arts venue, and learns how the music and life of one of Britain’s greatest composers was shaped by the sea ...
28:57

S11 Ep13

3.0 2 x
Michael's railway journey through '30s Britain from Canterbury to Skegness reaches Witham in Essex. Here he visits the factory of the world’s oldest supplier of metal framed windows which became popular in the '30s.
29:03

S11 Ep12

3.0 2 x
Michael explores the east of England, in London and Essex, en route to Lincolnshire. On this leg, he alights at Limehouse in East London for Cable Street, which became the focus of Britain’s fight against fascism in the 1930s.
29:06

S11 Ep11

3.0 5 x
Michael explores the east of England in the inter-war period. Beginning in Canterbury in Kent, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play, published in 1936, inspired by the 12th century murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.
29:07

S11 Ep10

4.0 1 x
Michael crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset on his rail exploration of the West Country steered by his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide. He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s.
29:06

S11 Ep9

4.0 1 x
Michael's exploration of the West Country continues in south Devon. Guided by his 1930s Bradshaw’s, Michael arrives in Paignton to investigate an extraordinarily high murder rate in the literature of the 1930s!
29:08

S11 Ep8

4.0 2 x
Clutching his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael reaches Bodmin en route to Totnes as he explores the West Country from St Ives to Salisbury Plain. Out on the rugged moor, Michael hears how the celebrated author, Daphne du Maurier, captivated readers between the wars with her tales of smuggling at the Jamaica Inn.
29:07

S11 Ep7

3.0 2 x
Michael is in Cornwall’s county town, Truro, with his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide. In the surrounding countryside, he finds the historic estate of Trewithen, whose gardens were stocked from China by professional plant hunters commissioned by its owner.
29:08

S11 Ep6

4.0 1 x
Michael Portillo boards the Great Western Railway at the Cornish seaside resort of St Ives. Steered by his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, this week he’ll explore the West Country between the wars.
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