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Brighton to Chichester

Michael Portillo discovers the history behind the Pavilion at Brighton and learns that Queen Victoria was not an admirer of the Prince Regent's taste.

On the final leg of his journey between the cathedral cities of Norwich and Chichester, Michael Portillo discovers the history behind the extraordinary Pavilion at Brighton and learns that Queen Victoria was not an admirer of the Prince Regent's flamboyant taste. Michael finds that while above ground the railways brought day trippers to frolic in fashionable Brighton, underground, Victorian engineers built a magnificent network of sewers more than 40 miles in length, which are still functioning today.

At Bramber, he discovers at the time of his guide, tourists flocked to the town in huge numbers due to a Victorian museum of taxidermy. Michael's next stop is the impressive castle at Arundel and he's pleased to find that the Duke of Norfolk was a great supporter of the railways. His rail journey ends in Chichester from where he heads up into the South Downs for a taste of life in the fast lane at Goodwood.

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 13 May 201616:45

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.