Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Chippenham to Gloucester

Michael Portillo's journey to Wolverhampton continues. He visits Clifton Zoo in Bristol and finds out why Gloucester station became known for lost luggage.

Michael Portillo continues his journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton beginning in Chippenham, where at Lacock Abbey he discovers how the world's first photographic negative was made and learns how to make a print. He travels on to Bristol to visit the Victorian Clifton Zoo, where he finds tigers and polar bears before him also arrived by train.

Next stop is Severn Tunnel junction in Wales, where he explores an extraordinary piece of Victorian engineering with its own pump house pumping out millions of gallons a day to keep it dry. Michael then heads for Gloucester to find out why the station became infamous for lost luggage. At the city's cathedral, Michael meets a stonemason who bravely invites him to chip away.

29 minutes

Credits

RoleContributor
PresenterMichael Portillo
Series ProducerAlison Kreps
Executive ProducerJohn Comerford

Broadcasts

Steam railway programmes on BBC iPlayer

Steam railway programmes on BBC iPlayer

A collection of programmes from the BBC archives on the beauty of steam locomotives.