Victorian Seaside Holidays | How The Victorians Built Britain

Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians took on the world of exploration and adventure, and brought it home to Britain for everyone to share. His voyage of discovery begins at the Natural History Museum, where Michael comes face to face with a dinosaur that changed the course of history. He travels to the Victorian 'living museum' - London Zoo - to find out about the way scientific study of the birds and the beasts led to the first ever public zoo. Last in the series.

Michael Buerk discovers how Britain's first super sewer cleaned up the capital, and inspired a fresh water revolution that would change the lives of millions of Victorians. He begins his journey in the cesspits of Victorian high society to discover the depths to which the capital sank to keep itself clean. Michael also heads to the pub to find out how boozing brewers helped unlock the key to ridding London of the deadliest epidemic since the Great Plague.

Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians instituted a revolution in law and order, created the first modern police force and built the prisons Britain still relies on today. He begins in Spike Island, County Cork, dubbed "Ireland's Alcatraz", where he learns about the terrible conditions endured by convicts awaiting transportation to Australia, and hears the stories of those who tried to escape. Next, Michael travels to Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, discovering why the Victorians embarked on the biggest prison-building programme in British history - and why their efforts at prisoner rehabilitation didn't always succeed. And in Glasgow, he discovers why the city became home to the country's first recognisably modern police force.

Michael travels to Bristol to Brunel's 'first love' the Clifton Suspension Bridge and discovers how the tragic Tay Bridge disaster in Scotland led to huge leaps in technology.

The Victorians built the most technologically advanced ships in the world, helping to dominate the high seas in peace, war, leisure and trade. They even created the first submarine.

Journey across Britain with leading archaeologists as they unearth ground-breaking discoveries that rewrite human history. In this documentary episode, we travel from Norwich Castle Museum into the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens to explore Must Farm - Britain’s "Bronze Age Pompeii" - revealing industrial-scale fishing, pristine log boats, and combat-scarred weaponry. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.