Great British Railway Journeys S13E03 · Rye to Dungeness

Overview

Michael Portillo follows his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide to the unspoilt East Sussex port of Rye, where he learns about the loss of a generation of lifeboatmen in 1928 and explores a wartime pillbox. On the beaches at Rye, Michael explores one of 28,000 pillboxes constructed around the British coastline during World War II and hears from a military historian about how the nation prepared for an expected German invasion. Train heaven beckons as Michael boards the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway to cross Romney Marsh en route to Dungeness. Along the way, he hears about the eccentric inventor of the railway, Count Louis Zborowski. From Dungeness, Michael heads to the former RAF base of Denge, where he discovers a cluster of giant concrete structures with an intriguing name, Sound Mirrors. The RSPB warden in whose nature reserve they stand explains their history to Michael.

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1. 1 1. Biggin Hill to Ashdown Forest2021-05-17 · 30mMichael Portillo experiences a terrifying ‘victory roll’ in a World War II Spitfire, high above the most famous aerodrome of the Battle of Britain, Biggin Hill. The 80-year-old air
2. 2 2. Hassocks to Benenden2021-05-18 · 30mStarting in Hassocks, Michael makes his way to the beautiful Sussex village of Ditchling, where, between the wars, a Roman Catholic community of artists made their home. Michael fi
3. 3 3. Rye to Dungeness2021-05-19 · 30mMichael Portillo follows his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide to the unspoilt East Sussex port of Rye, where he learns about the loss of a generation of lifeboatmen in 1928 and explores a wa
4. 4 4. Deal to Margate2021-05-20 · 30mFrom the Kent Cinque Port of Deal, Michael heads to the splendid Walmer Castle, home during the 1920s to a Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Beauchamp. Michael’s guide, the fou
5. 5 5. Herne Bay to Leeds Castle, Kent2021-05-21 · 30mArmed with his interwar copy of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways, Michael reaches the Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay, where he learns about a pioneering aviatrix who began her wo
6. 6 6. Chislehurst to Kennington2021-05-24 · 30mMichael continues his journeys in greater London. Beginning on its southeastern fringe in the leafy and historic village of Chislehurst, Michael finds surprising imperial connectio
7. 7 7. Hackney Wick to Oxford Circus2021-05-25 · 30mMichael continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London’s East End. Michael explores Hackney Wick, today transformed from the time of his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, w
8. 8 8. Hampstead to Islington2021-05-26 · 30mMichael’s Bradshaw’s-inspired rail tour of London continues in Hampstead, where shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, a groundbreaking Jewish doctor found refuge. Si
9. 9 9. Dagenham to Battersea2021-05-27 · 30mArmed with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, Michael is in London, where he tracks the River Thames from east to west. Michael is drawn to the industrial eastern suburb by the unexpected
10. 10 10. Park Royal to Westminster2021-05-29 · 30mMichael Portillo discovers the origins of Harry Beck's map of the London Underground, learns about a shocking surrealist show in 1930s Piccadilly and explores the headquarters of C