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Weird Britain Season 3 Episode 3
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00:00Britain, an ancient isle full of mystery and wonder.
00:05I'm Andy McGrath and I want to explore the fables, folklore and unusual phenomena, myths and legends that lie hidden
00:13in our domain.
00:15I will travel the length and breadth of our enigmatic island, investigating the different counties and countries that encapsulate this
00:23ancient land.
00:23I will be joined by experts in their fields as I uncover modern tales of UFOs, cryptids, ancient kings, monsters,
00:33megaliths, ghosts, history and tradition and make up the cultural fabric of Weird Britain.
00:46Coming up on Weird Britain.
00:49I am in the county of Cheshire and begin my investigation at Alderley Edge.
00:54These wooded rocky hills are said to be the home of an ancient wizard and an Arthurian tale.
01:03I visit Ross Thurnmere to learn about a story of a church, the devil and a mermaid.
01:09Next, I explore some of the county's most unusual places, including a supernatural murder, a shrine and a mysterious grave.
01:19I hear a tale of a child-eating dragon and track down some evidence that gives credibility to this legend.
01:27I explore some of Cheshire's sandstone caves and the folklore associated with them.
01:34Finally, René attends a steam rally and gets to experience one of these century-old marvels in action.
01:44I begin my investigation of Cheshire in the sandstone hills of Alderley Edge.
01:49This area is said to be the abode of an ancient wizard that also has an Arthurian connection.
01:55Grant, we're here at Alderley Edge to investigate a magical tale.
02:00Tell me about the wizard of Edge.
02:03Well, you can see here there's this very old pub sign.
02:07And the story is that where this pub now stands, where these tea rooms now are,
02:11a wizard would appear before people who were travelling along this road.
02:17And he would only appear before somebody if he was giving them bad news.
02:22Telling them something like, in the old days with horses and carts, maybe that their horse would soon die.
02:29In the early age of cars, people said they saw the wizard who told them their car might break down.
02:35It was always something to do with their journey.
02:37And if their journey was going somewhere, then maybe if they were going to the local market,
02:43then they wouldn't get the price they'd expected.
02:45So he came and gave them warnings and he'd appear before them.
02:49You know, he has a very Merlin-like appearance.
02:52Do you think there could be any connection to that legend?
02:55Indeed there is.
02:56Because this character, although he's not referred to specifically as Merlin, he guards a secret.
03:02He has said to guard a well, an old holy well, an old Celtic sacred spring that is in those
03:10woodlands there.
03:11And he has said to guard it.
03:13And the reason is because it is an entrance to another world, the world of Annuin, as the Celts used
03:21to call it.
03:22It's another world in which Arthur's knights lie sleeping, waiting to be awakened at time of greatest need.
03:31And he is the guardian to that secret entrance to this other world.
03:39Graham, tell me about the history of this holy well.
03:43This was originally a Celtic holy well, a sacred spring going way back before Christian times.
03:51And over the years, the legend built up that it was guarded by a wizard.
03:58A wizard who, in many of the stories, is Merlin himself.
04:03Now, around a couple of hundred years ago, somebody decided to carve the words there.
04:10Now, the words say,
04:17Now, above it is a carving of the wizard's face that seems to have been here for much longer than
04:25these words were written.
04:26So this was a venerated place.
04:28Now, why are those words there?
04:30Because the story is that those words are the words that you need to say to enter through this stone
04:38into a magic portal to another world where Arthur and his knights sleep, were waiting to return at time of
04:48need.
04:48But that's not the only thing about this.
04:51Some people have claimed to have come here.
04:53They've gone through into a different world over the years and seen strange things like a fairyland.
05:00In more modern times, there was a guy who came here about five years ago, I remember interviewing.
05:05And he came here, he said the words under the right circumstances, and he said, well, nothing seems to have
05:12happened.
05:12But when he went home, he found his house was painted a different color.
05:16He swore that he was in a different world.
05:19He came back here and he said, I'm in a different world.
05:22My house is the wrong color.
05:23When he went home, it had changed back again.
05:26So, this seems to have been, certainly in ancient times, regarded as a portal to the other world, Anuun, or
05:34a portal to many worlds.
05:36It depends who you are and how you get in there.
05:39Would you like to learn what you're supposed to do to get in there?
05:42Would you like to give it a go?
05:44I'd love to give it a go.
05:46I'm pretty bored with this world as it is.
05:49I'd like to try a new one.
05:51Okay, right.
05:52What you have to do is you have to say those words.
05:55Remember the sign of the pub showing the Wizard of Edge?
06:00In one of his hands, he holds a crystal ball.
06:04Now, take that in your left hand, just like the wizard does in the picture.
06:10Now, what you're supposed to do is to read those words while holding the crystal ball and look into the
06:17wizard's face.
06:18Drink of this and take thy fill, for the water falls by the wizard's will.
06:31Next, I head west to Ross Thurnmere to learn about a tale of a church, the devil, and a mermaid.
06:38Rene, I know that you're a professional freediver.
06:41I also love mermaids.
06:44You brought me here to talk about one of your favourite legends.
06:47Yes, so we are looking over the beautiful Ross Thurnmere.
06:52This is actually Cheshire's largest mirror.
06:56So it's quite deep.
06:57And this town was actually set up in the 11th century.
07:01And when it was set up, the people here thought that this was bottomless.
07:06Which you can understand because they couldn't get to the bottom of it.
07:10There's a lot of other mirrors in this area and they're all quite shallow.
07:14They're a lot more easily accessible.
07:16This was a magical mystery for them.
07:18They thought it had no end.
07:21And they also thought it had something extra special.
07:25It had a secret underground channel that connected this mirror to the sea.
07:31And through that sea tunnel would come a mermaid.
07:37And it would hang out, it would splash around, and it would catch the eye of the local boys.
07:44Which mermaids always do.
07:47And it made a special connection with one boy.
07:52Now, around the 16th, 17th century, they were doing a lot of work on this church that we see right
08:00here.
08:00It was the 16th century when the steeple was built.
08:03And in the 17th century, they wanted to put new bells.
08:07So, the local people had bought a bunch of new bells.
08:11And they got some local lads, including the mermaid's boyfriend, to carry the bells up this super steep slope.
08:21So, they were carrying them up.
08:23They got a bunch of them up.
08:25And it was no problem.
08:26But the last one was really, really big.
08:29And they were having trouble.
08:30And the ropes were snapping.
08:32And it was rolling down this hill.
08:33And you can see it's super steep.
08:35It was landing at the edge of the mirror.
08:37And they'd have to do it all over again.
08:40So, the third time, they're bringing it up.
08:43And our lad says,
08:48And when he did that, all the ropes snapped.
08:53The bell fell on top of him, squishing him to death.
08:58And he goes tumbling down the hill, smashing against the trees, splashing into the tarn.
09:05And he is dead.
09:08And now, at the bottom of the tarn, with this beautiful bell.
09:12The local people, they couldn't get that bell back.
09:15Two reasons.
09:16One, it's super, super bottomless.
09:18They're never going to be able to get it back anyway.
09:21Two, the devils cursed it.
09:23It cursed the boy.
09:24It cursed the bell.
09:26So, that is gone.
09:28But there was one person who could get to the bell.
09:32And that was the mermaid lover.
09:34So, she went down.
09:36She saw the sorry state of her boyfriend.
09:38She was in such despair.
09:40So sad.
09:41She swam back out to the sea.
09:45But, every year on Easter Sunday, she comes back.
09:49She swims through that underwater channel.
09:52She goes to the bell.
09:53And she rings it in a lament to her lost love.
09:57And the people in the village hear this bell ringing from deep within the mirror.
10:02On Sunday, Easter morning.
10:05You mentioned that this mermaid came from the sea.
10:09Is there any evidence of this mirror being connected to the sea at any point?
10:14It's funny you mention that.
10:16Because this is such an incredible part of the story.
10:18So, in the 17th century, they found a saltwater fish, a smelt.
10:25Now, this is a fish that thrives in seawater.
10:28And somehow, out of all the bodies of water in England, this is the only place that they
10:34have found this seawater smelt.
10:37They don't live in the freshwater.
10:38So, how did it get here?
10:41And, over the years, they've continued to find them here.
10:44Now, they've been in there long enough.
10:46Generations have gone by.
10:47They have adapted to live in freshwater.
10:50But, this is the only place in all of England where you can find these saltwater smelt living
10:56in freshwater.
10:56Another really interesting thing is that the time of year that they're typically seen is
11:02around Easter.
11:03Because that's in the spring.
11:05That's when they're spawning.
11:07So, there's another connection here to the Easter sighting.
11:10It's almost like we know that the pathway opens around Easter.
11:16So, maybe that's also why the mermaid comes at Easter.
11:19So, the fish spawning announced the presence of the mermaid come back to mourn her dead lover.
11:26Exactly.
11:32So, check out this babe.
11:34Who is this lovely and very unique looking lady?
11:39So, there's a little bit of controversy over who this potentially could be.
11:44But, one thing's for certain.
11:45This is Celtic.
11:47This is a Celtic god.
11:48A depiction of a Celtic god.
11:50Some people say it's a horn god.
11:52But, I think it's Coviana.
11:55And, she is a water goddess that the Celts revered.
12:01This was found in the mirror.
12:03And, it was brought up here.
12:04And, it was put into the wall here at the church.
12:07So, I think realistically, all these things add up.
12:11She is almost kind of the Celt version of the mermaid who lived in Ross Thernmere.
12:19And, the bell, potentially the Celts were depositing bells into the mirror.
12:25And so, that story going through the ages turns into a legend with a mermaid and a young man in
12:32love.
12:32And, a bell that they couldn't get into the steeple.
12:35It all works.
12:37All around the country, we see holy walls that were once pagan, later transferred to Christian saints.
12:45Could the same thing have happened with this legend?
12:48A hundred percent.
12:49I think that's exactly what's happened here.
12:50We've got a Celtic goddess who has been changed through Christianity into a story about a mermaid and a young
12:59man, a Christian man, who was trying to build the church.
13:04Put new bells into the church.
13:06Now, remember, he called the devil.
13:09And, that's why he died.
13:11So, it's kind of an odd way of bringing the past into the future, making it Christianized.
13:17And, she's still here in the village today.
13:19I guess, even when beliefs change, our culture never dies and finds its own way to carry on.
13:25Exactly.
13:34To the east is the mysterious Jenkin Chapel, where I'm meeting with author Hugh Williams.
13:41Hugh, Jenkin Chapel doesn't look like an ordinary church.
13:45From the outside, I almost thought it was a farmhouse.
13:48Well, that's all that people knew how to build around here.
13:51Those are the skills that they had.
13:53So, they built the chapel as a farmhouse.
13:56The tower was added some years later.
13:58There's no running water.
13:59There was no electricity.
14:00It's just a basic, simple chapel.
14:03It was never even consecrated.
14:05What was the reason for it not being consecrated?
14:07The chapel was dedicated to John the Baptist.
14:11The local diocese had a problem with this.
14:15They asked him to change it, or demanded they change it, to John the Evangelist.
14:19Well, this didn't happen for 60 years.
14:22They held out with John the Baptist as the dedication here.
14:27Now, John the Baptist, an interesting figure, because he's often depicted in religious iconography
14:33as this hair-covered, wild man of the woods, or wood woes, if you like.
14:38Sometimes he's covered in seaweed, even, in some countries around Europe.
14:42He was almost a folk figure through which they connected with God.
14:46Let's talk about the consecration.
14:48Why didn't the local diocese want to approve this church?
14:53It's difficult to say.
14:55However, we can speculate that they didn't like this sort of simple, basic folk worship.
15:02They didn't like it.
15:03It was too close to paganism.
15:04It had aspects of paganism.
15:06We have this hirsute, wild figure being held up as the patron of this plain, basic church with no adornment.
15:15Could it have been that they feared something in this landscape?
15:20This church was created against the diocese, and also, I heard, against the landowners.
15:25These people were desperate for a place of sanctuary.
15:28Absolutely.
15:29The valley, just half a mile from here, is known as Thursbitch.
15:33This translates roughly as Valley of the Demon.
15:37Now, one has to speculate why.
15:39How did it get that name?
15:40Why was it known as that?
15:42What did people fear?
15:43What were their feelings?
15:45Why was it called that?
15:47So, it is possible that the chapel was built as a bulwark against whatever the Valley of the Demon represented.
15:55One can only speculate that something had happened here in the community that really scared people.
16:03Then they built this church.
16:04They built this church.
16:06Around the time of the church's construction, a local fellow, who lived in a farmhouse just half a mile from
16:13here, was found dead under rather mysterious circumstances.
16:17He was a pack horse trader, a pack horse trader, a jagger who would trade rock salt for roasted malt.
16:23He was due home on Christmas Eve, 1733.
16:28However, he never came home, so Christmas Day morning, a search party went out, found him lying dead, frozen to
16:35death, along the lane, within sight of the farmhouse.
16:39However, one single female boot print was found in the snow next to him.
16:47Nobody has ever been able to explain why.
16:51I think, Hugh, that that has to be our next port of call.
17:03This is where John Turner was found, Christmas morning, 1735.
17:08Not 1755, as it says on the stone.
17:10I believe some mistake was made.
17:12He never made it home.
17:13He was supposed to be home on Christmas Eve.
17:15They went out looking for him.
17:16They found his horses wandering along this lane.
17:18They found him frozen to death, but a single woman's shoe print next to him.
17:25He didn't sell shoes.
17:26He was a jagger.
17:27He bought rock salt and various other bits and pieces.
17:30So nobody has any idea why that single print was there in the snow next to his body.
17:36Could this have something to do with the demon valley nearby?
17:40Perhaps this is the reason that that church was built.
17:43Alan Garner, the famous novelist, writer, he wrote the novel Thursbitch about this very event.
17:49He framed it as a kind of pagan sacrifice.
17:52He speculated that there was a sort of cult operating down in Jenkin Chapel and that his death was necessary.
18:00Again, I can only speculate.
18:06I couldn't come to Cheshire without visiting the Roman city of Chester.
18:11In one of the city's parks is an ancient shrine in honour to the Roman goddess Minerva.
18:17Hugh, tell me about the city of Chester.
18:20What are its origins?
18:22Where did that huge wall surrounding it come from?
18:25Well, that was Roman.
18:27Occupied, built up, established by the Romans as a caester.
18:30You can still see most of the ruins today.
18:32There are remains of baths, amphitheatre, various structures.
18:37Substantial walls are all still here.
18:39But most importantly, we have this, Minerva's shrine.
18:44Now, this is the only shrine to the goddess Minerva still in situ.
18:50She's standing in her original spot.
18:52All the others have been moved inside museums.
18:55Now, it does look a little bit time-worn.
18:58Clearly, it has been left to the elements.
19:00What would the importance of this shrine have been to the people of that time?
19:06Well, visitors to Chester would have come here and paid their respects,
19:10left an offering, etc.
19:12She represented many aspects.
19:14War, victory in war, military tactics, justice.
19:18But as time went on, she began to be associated with healing.
19:22And she was conflated with the Celtic god, Sulis.
19:26So, perhaps after your victory in war, you went off to heal.
19:30And you called on Minerva to aid that healing.
19:33That could have been the aspect of it we're looking at.
19:35Because she's shown in a more gentler aspect here.
19:39She's holding none of her weapons.
19:40She's normally depicted with a shield, with a spear, and a Corinthian helm.
19:45Here, she's holding what looks like books, possibly, in one arm.
19:49And the other arm is empty.
19:51She's inside a temple structure.
19:53There's a roof over her and two columns.
19:55There's also a bag or a box next to her, which may contain some offerings.
19:59I believe that Minerva was actually known as Athena to the Greeks.
20:04Did she have another name here in Britain?
20:07The Romans appropriated a lot of the ancient Greek gods.
20:10Minerva, her image at least, not how she is depicted here, but how she was more commonly depicted with the
20:16accoutrements of war,
20:17went on to represent Britannia, because Britannia was the very embodiment of the British Isles.
20:23The spear was changed for a trident.
20:25A subtle, but very important change there.
20:27And that's an image that we're stuck with today.
20:30This was quite a substantial sight during the Roman era, but during the Anglo-Saxon era of Chester, still the
20:37same.
20:38Now, we know that Edgar the Peaceable held court here.
20:42This is known as Edgar's Field today.
20:43We have Edgar's Cave next to here.
20:47Now, I'm not really sure why.
20:48A human being could barely fit inside it.
20:51Why it's associated with King Edgar, we don't know.
20:53But we do know that he held court here and had four or five of his client kings, Welsh, English,
21:00etc., row him along the D to demonstrate their subservience to him.
21:06Chester is an amazing city.
21:09We've got the Roman wall.
21:10We've got the amphitheatre and the remains of Roman buildings everywhere.
21:14We also have the goddess Minerva.
21:17Chester is an awesome city.
21:19What else is there here that you can show me something to do with spirituality through the ages?
21:26There were a class of people during the medieval era who took spirituality to a whole new level.
21:33And I can show you where one of them did just that right now.
21:43Hugh, we're standing inside the Chandra Chapel in St. John's Church in Chester.
21:48Tell me, what was this building used for?
21:51Oh, as you say, a Chantry Chapel, a rich benefactor to the Church of John the Baptist, would have been
21:57buried here.
21:58He would, basically his mausoleum, if you like.
22:01And a choir would chant the mass three times a day until the money ran out, basically.
22:08That's what a Chantry Chapel is.
22:09They chant for him.
22:11It's a private chapel.
22:12His family, they could come in.
22:13And sometimes their descendants would be placed in there, but usually it was for one rich benefactor of the Church.
22:19So this was like a religious open mausoleum with choristers paid to serenade the soul of the deceased.
22:27Some of these people, they were the tycoons of the day, and they could afford it.
22:30They could afford to bequeath these vast amounts to the Church to ensure that their soul went where they wanted
22:36it to go.
22:36Now I'm confused about something.
22:38Why, after paying all this money to be put in this chapel, would they place him in the wall?
22:44That is not Sir Peter Loder.
22:47That was a solid carved oak coffin discovered during renovations.
22:53It was placed up there.
22:55It was a kind of a folly.
22:56It acted as a memento mori, if you like, but it wasn't for a specific person.
23:01It was just to remind everybody that death could come to us all.
23:04It's interesting that it was placed within the wall.
23:08It's neither inside nor outside the Church.
23:11It's a liminal space.
23:12It's an interesting place to put a coffin.
23:15I've heard of liminal spaces before.
23:18Explain this concept to us.
23:19What does it mean?
23:20It's a threshold.
23:21The Church porch is a threshold.
23:23Windows, doors are thresholds.
23:25They are routes in and out, but they're also a space between spaces.
23:30Some people believe that certain things can be done within thresholds that can't be done in other places.
23:35So essentially, if I was standing in the port of the Church, not outside, but inside the Church, I am
23:41occupying a liminal space.
23:43Yes, you absolutely are.
23:44And there were some stories of people asking to be buried in liminal spaces for those same reasons.
23:50For example, Piers Shonks, a very real person.
23:54However, there was a legend that he killed a dragon.
23:57The devil appeared to him and said, that was my pet.
24:00That was my pet dragon.
24:01I'm claiming your soul upon the day of your death.
24:04Piers Shonks was worried about this, so he had himself buried within the wall of the Church,
24:09neither inside nor outside, so the devil couldn't claim it.
24:13Earlier, you mentioned another place of spiritual importance nearby.
24:17An anchorite cell once adjoined the old church, the old Chantry Chapel,
24:22where a gentleman, a monk, volunteered to be locked in for basically the rest of his life
24:29in absolute service, subservience almost, to Christ.
24:33He would never leave.
24:35He would have basic meals passed to a slot.
24:37People could come.
24:38They could receive his blessing.
24:39But he would never leave that cell.
24:42He was anchored to the spot.
24:45He was an anchorite.
24:54To the east is an orchard that is a setting for an old story about a child-eating dragon.
25:01Renee, you've brought me to Dragon's Lane.
25:04I can only assume it's to tell me a fiery tale.
25:07Actually, it has nothing to do with fire.
25:10But first, here's a snack.
25:12What have apples got to do with dragons?
25:15It's incredible, I will tell you.
25:17So, what we're standing on is actually one of the historical best orchards for apples in the entire country.
25:25This place was making the juiciest, most delicious apples that anyone could find.
25:31Now, I know we're standing in a farmer's field,
25:33but at the time, this was actually quite boggy.
25:36It was a little swampy, and it was really good for the apple orchards.
25:40So, the villagers were growing the most delicious apples in the land.
25:45Now, a dragon, that was quite possibly the final dragon left in all of Britain, was expelled from Wales.
25:55And he was flying over Cheshire.
25:58It's not too far.
25:59And he thought, look at this swamp.
26:02Look at this bog.
26:03This is the perfect place for me.
26:05So, he landed here, directly in the middle of the orchard.
26:10Now, you have to wonder, what does a dragon have to do to get kicked out of Wales?
26:15Those people love dragons.
26:17Exactly, exactly.
26:18I don't know, there was some kind of political movement going on where everyone is suddenly against dragons.
26:22But, he found solace here in Cheshire.
26:25And he was perfectly happy living among the apples.
26:29But you know who wasn't happy?
26:31The villagers.
26:33So now, all of their apple trees, they have no access.
26:36They can't have their delicious, juicy apples.
26:40So, one of the villagers says, listen, I'm going to get myself an apple.
26:45I'm going to go to the closest apple tree, the farthest away from that dragon.
26:50And I'm going to get some apples for us.
26:52So, off he heads.
26:54He's watching the dragon.
26:56The dragon spots him.
26:58And this is where this dragon becomes different from all the dragons that you've heard of before.
27:04The dragon doesn't shoot fire at him.
27:06Doesn't eat him right away.
27:08No.
27:09The dragon blows his stinky, foul breath at the man.
27:16This breath is so bad, the guy passes out, completely unconscious.
27:21He takes the guy, brings him back to where he lives,
27:25lets him sit there all day unconscious until the evening, his dinner time,
27:30where, chomp, chomp, chomp, villager's gone.
27:33Rene, this makes perfect sense because Welsh people are very particular about dental hygiene
27:39and they bore bad breath.
27:41This must have been the reason he was kicked out.
27:44Exactly.
27:45So, Halitosis Dragon is now daily hitting villagers with bad breath,
27:51knocking them out and eating them for dinner.
27:53So, he's just chowing down through the entire village.
27:57So, here's where Sir Thomas Venables comes.
28:02So, he's the Baron of Cheshire.
28:04He comes by.
28:05He knows the villagers.
28:06He's been here before.
28:07He loves their apples.
28:09He walks into the village and he says,
28:11wait a second, has there been a war?
28:14What's going on?
28:15There's half of you left.
28:17What's happened to this beautiful village?
28:19So, they tell him.
28:20They tell him about Halitosis Dragon
28:23and his wild rampaging through the villagers.
28:27And they also tell him that just that morning,
28:30he has knocked out and stolen a small boy.
28:34So, Sir Thomas Venables is not going to have any of this.
28:37He is a very, very famous archer.
28:41So, he grabs his bow, he grabs his arrows
28:43and he heads out to this archer to find the dragon.
28:47He espies him from across the field.
28:50He draws back his bow
28:52and as he's about to shoot,
28:55the dragon picks up the small boy,
28:57has him up at his mouth.
29:00Sir Thomas Venables lets his arrow fly
29:03and he hits the dragon in the eye.
29:07So, triumphantly, he walks back into the village.
29:11Under one arm, he's got the dragon's head
29:13and on the other arm,
29:15he's got the very alive little boy
29:17and he returns him to his mother.
29:19This is very hard to understand.
29:22The dragon arrives here
29:24and within a day,
29:24he's consumed one of the villagers.
29:27But they just keep coming and coming day after day.
29:30They must have really loved these apples.
29:33I think that probably this village
29:35potentially had a problem,
29:37maybe an apple pie addiction,
29:38something that'll make them line up
29:41one by one ready to get eaten.
29:43But hey, you never know,
29:45a juicy apple is a juicy apple.
29:46All jokes aside,
29:48there must be some evidence
29:49of this man eating dragon
29:51having lived here
29:52in the neighbourhood of Dragon's Lane.
29:54There actually is.
29:56I mean, not only the fact
29:58that the lane is called Dragon's Lane,
30:00but Sir Thomas Venable's shield
30:03was changed after this moment.
30:05And if you go see his shield,
30:08which is actually in the church
30:09just down the road,
30:10his shield has got a dragon
30:13with two little kid legs
30:15sticking out of its mouth.
30:17What could be better evidence than that?
30:25It's hard to believe
30:26that such a far-fetched tale
30:27actually has some evidence backing it up.
30:30Yes, but here we are.
30:32We're only 10 minutes from Dragon's Lane
30:34and we have got the Venables screens
30:36to look at here in person.
30:38And they both show a lot of things
30:39about the Venables family
30:40and they were actually commissioned
30:41by Peter Venables,
30:43who was Thomas Venables' son.
30:44And these were commissioned
30:46in the mid-1700s.
30:48And the thing I really like
30:50is you see here,
30:51this dragon has got the feet
30:53sticking out of his mouth,
30:54but the ones around the corner,
30:56when you actually look at them,
30:57they've got the head sticking out.
30:58So the dragon's got both ends covered.
31:00That baby's going down,
31:02except Thomas Venables shot him.
31:04So we have the screens.
31:07That's evidence in itself.
31:08What was anything written
31:10about this encounter?
31:11I've actually got a poem
31:13that was written in the 1800s
31:15about this entire story.
31:17And it's a little exciting,
31:19a little scary.
31:20I'd like to read it for you.
31:21I'd love to hear it.
31:22I'm a sucker for ancient poetry.
31:24Me too.
31:25Are you ready?
31:26I'm ready.
31:27The Dragon of Mostyn by Egerton Lee.
31:32Oft have we heard of that fell fight
31:35In which old England's patron knight
31:37By chroniclers, St. George,
31:39Whose height the scaly dragon slew.
31:42But of that combat now I sing
31:44With which all Cheshire once did ring
31:47A picture of the fight I'll fling
31:49And of a warrior true
31:50Bold Venables and flitching drew
31:53With steady hand the sounding yew
31:56Forth winged by death the arrow flew
31:58And pierced the dragon's eye
32:00Still children at the dragon quake
32:03The fight to list they'll play forsake
32:06Still by the name of Dragon's Lake
32:09Is called that Mostyn Field
32:11You know I think it's very encouraging
32:14To know from time immemorial
32:16People, heroes even
32:18Have always spun the yarn
32:20And told the tale
32:34Cheshire has numerous man-made caves
32:36I couldn't pass up the opportunity
32:39To investigate
32:41These are Upton caves near Frodsham
32:44They have the reputation of being associated with fairies
32:48But they're also a former mine
32:50Now in olden times
32:52Women would bring their broken clothes
32:54And pots and pans to the hill
32:56Along with porridge or cream
32:59Or maybe honey
33:00As a gift for the fairies
33:01And the next day when they returned
33:03Those clothes would be darned
33:05Those pots and pans would be mended
33:07And the foodstuffs would be gone
33:09They truly believed that fairies were at work in this place
33:13But that's not the only thing associated with Upton caves
33:17It was also in pre-Roman times
33:19It was also in pre-Roman times the home of giants
33:20And they would sacrifice their children
33:22And the children of the locals to their gods
33:25And of course the locals became fed up of this
33:27And eventually they burned the giants out
33:30They piled firewood at the entrances
33:32And they smoked them to death
33:34The giants choked on the smoke inside the caves
33:37And these locals were happy
33:39They had forever rid this area of that murderous perversion
33:43Now you may wonder
33:44What is it about fairies and mines?
33:47Well of course in olden times going into a mine was very dangerous
33:51In fact it's the same today
33:53And people would take a talisman
33:55Or give a gift to the local beings, spirits or gods
33:59That were common to their culture
34:01For safe passage in and out of their realm
34:12To the south I've heard of another cave
34:15That has an unusual story about a hermit and his broken heart
34:19What are the woodworms?
34:21Are they a hair-covered man that appears on noble tapestries
34:25And heraldic crests in churches
34:27Or are they a kind of Bigfoot
34:29That's lived in Europe for thousands of years
34:31Or could they be something else?
34:34This is the story of John Harris
34:36He was the hereditary heir of Tatton Hall Estate
34:38He was a rich man
34:39When his father died
34:41He was refused permission to marry Anne
34:43The love of his life
34:45Now he went into a deep depression
34:47And he decided he would come and live out his days in this cave
34:50Now he was born in 1710
34:53We don't really know when he came into the cave
34:56But by 1810 he had been living here to the age of 99
34:59And he wasn't spotted until three boys were collecting wood for bonfire night
35:04Now they saw him running into the cave
35:07Hair covered and bedraggled
35:08And they said there is a woodworms, a wild man in the woods
35:11And all of the men of the village came to this very spot
35:15Just to see John peaceably next to his fire
35:18Eating his evening meal
35:20Now they realized that John had been here all of his life
35:24That he was a man because he told him his story about his lost love
35:28And his heartbroken decision to move away from human society
35:33Now just look at this cave
35:35There's a big drop on the other side
35:37He must have had a ladder to access it
35:39There's a big drop in front
35:40At one point the entrance was intact
35:43It did cover this whole area
35:45It would have been very hard to find him
35:47Now this is just another story
35:50Of a love lost and forlorn man
35:52Seeking the solace of his thoughts
35:54And if you look around the cave
35:56During his time here
35:58You can see that he has carved
35:59Anne, Anne, Anne
36:01At least three times into the wall
36:04He thought about her
36:05And he longed for her
36:07Until his end
36:12Next to John's cave
36:14You find three skulls
36:15One, two, three
36:18Now you have to wonder
36:19Why did he carve these things?
36:21Was he bored?
36:22Or were these totems
36:24To keep away evil spirits?
36:26Remember this was the 18th century
36:29People were still very superstitious
36:31And he was living alone in the woods
36:34Where demons and spirits were said to reside
36:37Or perhaps he missed out on that family with Anne
36:40And he wanted to carve his own family
36:42To talk to upon these walls
36:44Of course there is another idea
36:47And that is just as in life
36:48Relationships are never simple
36:50And sometimes things just don't work out
36:57During the Industrial Revolution
36:59Cheshire was front and centre
37:01In the engineering of steam-powered machinery
37:04Over 100 years later
37:06People still honour these game-changing locomotives
37:09I've heard about a steam rally
37:11And I've sent Rene to check it out
37:14James, so I've already seen all the really huge big machines over there
37:18But you've got something a little different
37:20It's a little smaller
37:21How does this work?
37:22So what you've got here is basically a big kettle on wheels
37:26We're putting coal in our firebox
37:29And burning it to heat water up
37:32So that coal's going to go in the bottom there
37:34And we're going to create heat using that coal
37:36That heat's going to travel through our boiler here
37:39Through a set of tubes
37:40And as it travels through that
37:42It's going to create boiling water
37:44So we're going to heat that water up until it boils
37:47As that water boils
37:48It's going to be trapped inside
37:50And as we make more and more boiling water
37:53We make more and more steam
37:54All that steam is trapped inside
37:56And it becomes under pressure
37:57It's got to have somewhere to go
37:59Absolutely
37:59And we're going to give it somewhere to go
38:01We're going to open a valve by moving a lever
38:04And what that's going to do
38:05Is it's going to let steam into our cylinder here
38:08And that steam is going to push on the cylinder
38:11So that it allows it to move backwards and forwards
38:15And that's going to spin our flywheel round
38:17Right
38:17So that flywheel's going to spin round
38:19And then we're going to connect it to a load of gears
38:21So that we're going to create torque within that steam power that we've made
38:24Send it to the back wheels
38:26Yeah
38:26And that's going to drive the engine along
38:28I've got a question for you
38:29Yes
38:29Does this work?
38:31It does indeed, yes
38:33Oh my goodness, can I have a go?
38:34Of course you can have a go
38:35Oh, I want to make it toot toot
38:37Everybody's dream
38:38If you ever sit here
38:39You're going to steer
38:40And I'll drive
38:41Okay
38:42How does that sound?
38:42Now what does that mean drive?
38:44Because I would say steering is driving
38:45Yes
38:46So once you get onto an engine
38:48Yeah
38:49You can do it all on one
38:50Yeah
38:50But you tend to have a steersman and a fireman
38:52Okay
38:53And the fireman will drive as well
38:54Okay, I'm going to do it
38:56I'm going to get us there
38:56Ready?
38:57Let's go
39:03It sprays water in my face when I pull on it
39:07We're doing really well
39:09So a lot of people will be wobbling all over the place now
39:12Oh, I'm a natural
39:14I've been born for this
39:16Steam and me, best friends
39:18So what we'll do
39:19We'll come out of the gate
39:20And we'll just spin around in a big circle
39:22Yeah
39:22Amazing
39:24So this is the technical bit now
39:25You're going to have to fast on that steering wheel
39:27I'm going to have to go hard
39:29Exactly
39:30So if you start turning now
39:32And turn us that way
39:36All the way around?
39:37Are we going back in?
39:37I don't think we'll make that now
39:39Give it a go
39:39Give it a go
39:40No, give it a go
39:40Oh
39:42Keep going
39:43Keep going
39:43Oh, I think we're going to do it
39:44Oh, look at that
39:45Oh, did not crash into the trash can
39:48You should have undoused you
39:49Oh, my goodness
39:56Oh, this is like second level
40:08So we've just left the pub
40:10I am sitting in the back carriage of Elizabeth
40:13Which is a wonderful traction engine steam machine
40:17We are in a convoy now
40:19We're going through the wonderful fields of Macclesfield
40:22And I don't think there's a better way of enjoying Cheshire
40:25What a beautiful day
40:26Richard, thank you for joining me on this wild and windy moor
40:30It is a beautiful day to suck in some steam, I think
40:33You're more than welcome
40:35Well, I've got a question for you
40:36Right
40:37I know about steam trains
40:38Yep
40:39I know about steam ships
40:40Yep
40:42What do you call these? Are these steam tractors?
40:44Traction engines
40:45So they were doing commercial jobs?
40:48That's right
40:48Were they like a replacement for horses?
40:51They were absolutely fantastic in their heyday
40:53They were a good replacement for the horse
40:55Do you see this as a hobby?
40:57Or do you see this as something like keeping history alive?
41:01We are owners
41:02You know, we bought the damn things
41:04But on the other side, we are only custodians as well
41:07It's funny you say custodians for the next generation
41:09Because when I was on the elizabeth I met a bunch of kids
41:12Who are so into this
41:13I think one's your nephew
41:14That's right
41:15So do you have a little like internal rivalry of who has the best engine?
41:19Absolutely
41:19Do you?
41:20Yeah
41:20That little tiger tractor there, that's mine
41:23That is the best engineer
41:24Is it?
41:25100%
41:26And everyone knows it
41:27Yeah
41:27I've got a question for you
41:28I got to toot the horn on the little one
41:31Yeah
41:31Can I toot the horn on the bigger one?
41:33Of course you can
41:35Yeah, of course you can
41:36Yes
41:36Do you want to go on this one?
41:38Yes
41:38Come on
41:39Let's go
41:40Right
41:42Climb aboard
41:43Right
41:43I don't want to do anything wrong
41:45You'll be all right
41:48Toot toot
41:49Toot toot
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