The Birth of Industry

Appealing to history buffs and ramblers alike, in this new four-part series Tony Robinson embarks on spectacular walks through some of Britain's most historic landscapes in search of the richest stories from Britain's past. In each programme, Tony follows a bespoke route that allows him to explore on foot both the history of a particularly colourful historical period or event, and the spectacular landscape in which those events unfolded. The walks are proper expeditions, with each one taking Tony a week. With various experts he encounters on the way, Tony reveals and discovers places and their hidden stories that ordinary walkers and ramblers might otherwise miss. As well as the history, Tony infuses each walk with an appreciation of some of the striking landscapes and geographical features Britain contains. Tony kicks off the series with a 40-mile walk through the glorious Peak District, along the Derwent Valley, where the world's industrial revolution was born. This is a journey that reveals how Britain transformed itself from a nation of farmers into the industrial powerhouse of the world. En route Tony visits sleepy Peaks village Cromford, where Richard Arkwright established the world's first ever factory, and examines the grip that Arkwright had on Cromford, including enforcing his own currency. Nearby is the building that would lay the foundations for today's skyscrapers. Tony also encounters a 900-year-old stately home that has been used to film three different Jane Eyres. Brian Blessed introduces Tony to the joys - and the huge significance - of the Cromford canal. Later he climbs to the heights of the Peaks, drawn by the chance to operate a huge steam winding engine that's been working in the same place since 1829. He ends his incredible journey through economic time in Derby; the railway town's secret crown jewel is the world's first engine roundhouse, built in 1839 and now restored to its former glory.