Episode 6
Series exploring the expansion of railways in the Victorian era. The team find out how more leisure time and cheap rail transport meant more freedom for working-class Victorians.
It is full steam ahead for historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn as they bring back to life the golden age of steam and explore how the Victorian railways created modern Britain.
In the final episode, the team find out how the combination of increased leisure time and affordable rail transport brought a new kind of freedom for working-class Victorians. Ruth travels along the beautiful south Devon coast from Paignton to Kingswear, where she helps get a paddle steamer prepared for a journey up the River Dart.
At Swanage, Peter finds out what it was like to work on the excursion trains and the impact mass tourism had on the area. Alex discovers how railways enabled geologists and amateur fossil-hunters to explore Britain's prehistoric past. In the heart of the capital, Ruth visits the landmark hotel built by the Midland Railway at St Pancras Station and finds out how the railways made London a tourist destination, before embarking on a Victorian shopping spree. The steam fair comes to town and Peter helps prepare the gallopers, while Alex takes to the road in a steam car and discovers just how fast they could go.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Next
You are at the last episode
Clip
-
Locomotive preparation
Duration: 02:17
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Ruth Goodman |
Presenter | Alex Langlands |
Presenter | Peter Ginn |
Production Company | Lion Television |
Participant | Andy Croggon |
Participant | Matt Green |
Participant | Dan Wealden |
Participant | Richie Swinglehurst |
Participant | Paul MacDonald |
Participant | Simon Penn |
Participant | Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson |
Participant | Joby Carter |
Participant | Basil Craske |
Participant | Billy Johnson |
Participant | Hal Debes |
Participant | Guy Debes |
Participant | John Spencer |
Director | Chris Mitchell |
Producer | Chris Mitchell |
Series Producer | Stuart Elliott |
Executive Producer | Nick Catliff |
Production Manager | Claire Smith |
Producer | Emma Randle-Caprez |
Producer | Georgina Stewart |
Production Coordinator | Rachael Pagett |
Sound Recordist | Tim Hodge |
Sound Recordist | Bill Rudolph |
Camera Operator | Tom Pilbeam |
Editor | Dominic Hutton |
Editor | Steve Brown |
Broadcasts
Download a free Railways poster from The Open University
Discover how the railways transformed the British Isles during the 19th Century.
Archive Collection: Steam Railways
Programmes from the 麻豆社 archives celebrating the beauty of steam locomotives