Home / Series / Great British Railway Journeys / Aired Order / Season 5 / Episode 16

Norwich to Brandon

Guided by his 19th century Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey from Norwich to Chichester. On this first leg he explores Norwich's medieval heart. In the city's Norman castle he uncovers the Victorian public's gory fascination with crime and punishment and finds out how campaigners such as Elizabeth Fry, who was born in Norwich, worked to improve conditions for prisoners. At the city's livestock market, Michael learns how to buy a calf at auction with a subtle twitch of his guidebook. He then heads west to Thetford to explore the rabbit warrens of the Brecks. He discovers how the Victorian appetite for rabbits and their fur led to special train services to London, known as Bunny Trains. After a painful encounter with a polecat, Michael heads northwest to Brandon, home of some of the best quality flint in Britain and tries his hand at flint-knapping.

English
  • Originally Aired January 27, 2014
  • Runtime 30 minutes
  • Content Rating United States of America TV-G
  • Network BBC Two
  • Created December 15, 2014 by
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  • Modified December 15, 2014 by
    Administrator admin