1 00:00:04,487 --> 00:00:08,639 Here in Shropshire is a farm that's frozen in time, 2 00:00:08,687 --> 00:00:11,121 lost in Victorian rural England. 3 00:00:12,487 --> 00:00:17,845 Now a unique project has brought it back to life, as it would have been in the 1 880s, 4 00:00:21,327 --> 00:00:24,524 a time that saw a revolution in British agriculture. 5 00:00:24,567 --> 00:00:29,038 Centuries-old skills were under threat from industrialised farming. 6 00:00:29,087 --> 00:00:33,365 lt was the crossroads between the old and the new. 7 00:00:33,407 --> 00:00:36,160 l'm just trying to keep this thing in a straight line. 8 00:00:37,007 --> 00:00:41,842 For a full calendar year, Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn 9 00:00:41,887 --> 00:00:44,799 are reliving the life of the Victorian farmer. 10 00:00:48,527 --> 00:00:49,642 lt's doing my back in. 11 00:00:49,687 --> 00:00:52,076 Four months into the project. 12 00:00:52,127 --> 00:00:55,039 They've planted a wheat crop in a long-abandoned field, 13 00:00:56,207 --> 00:01:00,758 spent weeks restoring their cottage to its former glory, 14 00:01:00,807 --> 00:01:03,640 and got to grips with a host of traditional breeds. 15 00:01:03,687 --> 00:01:07,043 So all around this is a pretty good shire. 16 00:01:07,087 --> 00:01:10,716 Now it's January and the farm needs emergency repairs. 17 00:01:11,847 --> 00:01:15,556 But with no DlYshops, the team is forced to go back to basics 18 00:01:15,607 --> 00:01:19,520 with the help of the blacksmith, the basket maker and the woodsman. 19 00:01:22,407 --> 00:01:27,162 The wheat crop comes under attack, so it's time to master the art of pest control... 20 00:01:27,207 --> 00:01:29,516 - There's one. - .. Victorian-style. 21 00:01:30,807 --> 00:01:33,844 The reality of life without modern comforts starts to bite. 22 00:01:33,887 --> 00:01:35,559 lt's cold. 23 00:01:35,607 --> 00:01:40,635 And with spring around the corner, the first baby animals are due to arrive. 24 00:01:40,687 --> 00:01:42,803 - We're gonna go for this, yeah? - Yes. 25 00:01:50,327 --> 00:01:52,318 (Birdsong) 26 00:01:52,367 --> 00:01:54,927 lt's New Year on the Victorian Farm. 27 00:01:56,727 --> 00:02:00,606 Ruth and Peter are welcoming a very important new resident. 28 00:02:00,647 --> 00:02:03,445 - Come on, girl. - There's a good girl! 29 00:02:03,487 --> 00:02:08,607 Princess is a Gloucestershire Old Spot, a favourite breed of Victorian farmers. 30 00:02:09,287 --> 00:02:10,481 She's pregnant. 31 00:02:11,927 --> 00:02:16,239 The team is hoping she'll produce a litter of piglets in a few weeks'time... 32 00:02:16,287 --> 00:02:19,359 There's an enormous bucket of swill waiting for you, lady. 33 00:02:19,407 --> 00:02:21,875 ..if they can convince her to move in, that is. 34 00:02:21,927 --> 00:02:24,282 Nothing as obstinate as a pig who doesn't want to go. 35 00:02:24,327 --> 00:02:25,885 Good girl! 36 00:02:25,927 --> 00:02:28,077 (Grunting) 37 00:02:28,127 --> 00:02:30,118 Come on. Good girl. 38 00:02:31,847 --> 00:02:33,803 Good girl. 39 00:02:33,847 --> 00:02:36,805 l think we might need a bit of bribery and corruption. 40 00:02:36,847 --> 00:02:39,315 Always a mangle when you fancy a mangle. 41 00:02:39,367 --> 00:02:41,005 Look! 42 00:02:41,047 --> 00:02:43,083 Whoa, hallelujah! 43 00:02:43,127 --> 00:02:44,560 There we go. 44 00:02:46,567 --> 00:02:48,558 RUTH: You're a gorgeous pig, aren't you? 45 00:02:49,567 --> 00:02:53,037 Are you going to give us lots of gorgeous little piglets? 46 00:02:53,087 --> 00:02:53,917 Delicious.... 47 00:02:53,967 --> 00:02:57,721 Richard Lutwyche is president of the Gloucestershire Old Spots Society. 48 00:02:57,767 --> 00:03:00,486 RUTH: How many do you think she's going to give us? 49 00:03:00,527 --> 00:03:04,202 - l'd be quite happy if she had eight or nine. - That's still quite a lot. 50 00:03:04,247 --> 00:03:07,080 - She might have ten or 1 2. - Oh, gosh. 51 00:03:07,127 --> 00:03:10,164 What should we look out for? What can go wrong? 52 00:03:10,847 --> 00:03:16,604 Very little, really. Pigs are much easier than other farm animals. lt's like shelling peas. 53 00:03:16,647 --> 00:03:18,638 Just let her get on with it, basically. 54 00:03:19,327 --> 00:03:21,363 And hopefully everything will be all right. 55 00:03:21,407 --> 00:03:23,602 Peter built these pigsties himself. 56 00:03:23,647 --> 00:03:27,083 With Princess moved in, they're finally complete. 57 00:03:27,127 --> 00:03:31,405 She only just fits under that door. Slight design error there, l think. 58 00:03:31,447 --> 00:03:34,359 RUTH: Yes. She's huge, isn't she? 59 00:03:38,207 --> 00:03:42,678 With all this new livestock around, the farmyard's becoming a little chaotic. 60 00:03:42,727 --> 00:03:44,240 (Lows) 61 00:03:44,287 --> 00:03:45,800 (Clucks) 62 00:03:45,847 --> 00:03:48,042 (Laughs) 63 00:03:50,487 --> 00:03:52,557 Come on, you two. Out! 64 00:03:52,607 --> 00:03:54,245 Come on, get away! 65 00:03:54,287 --> 00:03:56,005 Mind that duck, Ruth. 66 00:03:56,047 --> 00:03:58,436 The real troublemakers are the pigs. 67 00:03:59,767 --> 00:04:03,157 lf the doors are open, the pigs get out and they either frighten the cows... 68 00:04:03,207 --> 00:04:04,242 Hello. 69 00:04:04,287 --> 00:04:07,120 ..or they eat the eggs. They get into the nests and eat the eggs. 70 00:04:09,167 --> 00:04:12,477 So Peter's set himself a major new challenge. 71 00:04:13,887 --> 00:04:17,197 We need to devise a way of controlling our stock. 72 00:04:17,247 --> 00:04:19,841 So we've got our farmyard, we've got our stack yard, 73 00:04:19,887 --> 00:04:21,639 and it makes sense to divide it in half. 74 00:04:21,687 --> 00:04:27,239 Essentially what we need is a fence and then these guys can be free to run around, 75 00:04:27,287 --> 00:04:31,360 without interfering with the cows and the ducks - what we're working on. 76 00:04:33,127 --> 00:04:37,996 ln the Victorian countryside, you couldn't always buy a ready-made fence from a shop. 77 00:04:38,047 --> 00:04:40,641 Peter is going to have to make one from scratch. 78 00:04:42,927 --> 00:04:45,122 He's called in expert Damian Goodburn, 79 00:04:45,167 --> 00:04:50,082 one of the handful of people alive today who's studied the craft of Victorian woodsmen. 80 00:04:52,127 --> 00:04:55,802 Together they must track down the right tree to make the fence. 81 00:04:55,847 --> 00:05:00,204 Right, well, what we're looking for is some oak - 82 00:05:00,247 --> 00:05:03,717 an oak tree which will provide the main gatepost 83 00:05:03,767 --> 00:05:08,158 and then some smaller logs that can be split to make the posts and rail fence. 84 00:05:09,087 --> 00:05:13,683 ln the 1 9th century, estates could make big money from selling their timber. 85 00:05:13,727 --> 00:05:17,003 So woodland like this would have been carefully managed. 86 00:05:18,087 --> 00:05:20,476 What sort of thickness are we looking for? 87 00:05:20,527 --> 00:05:23,041 Something that's manageable by hand, not too big. 88 00:05:23,087 --> 00:05:27,603 We're not trying to fell a valuable big tree that could be sawn up to make furniture, 89 00:05:27,647 --> 00:05:30,878 or for boat-building, that kind of thing. 90 00:05:30,927 --> 00:05:35,125 lf they allow a fairly straight one like this to grow big then it becomes... 91 00:05:35,167 --> 00:05:38,125 lt's almost like an investment, money in the bank. 92 00:05:38,887 --> 00:05:41,082 Damian's very picky about his trees. 93 00:05:41,127 --> 00:05:44,836 - Then there's this one here. Little bit bendy. - That's a bit too small. 94 00:05:44,887 --> 00:05:47,162 DAMlAN: This one here's a tiny bit small. 95 00:05:47,207 --> 00:05:49,437 A bit oval, it's a bit sinuous. 96 00:05:49,487 --> 00:05:50,761 How about that one? 97 00:05:50,807 --> 00:05:52,718 There's one here which would be good to use 98 00:05:52,767 --> 00:05:55,076 because it will never make a brilliant timber tree. 99 00:05:55,127 --> 00:05:58,597 So, with any luck, we might be able to get it down. 100 00:05:58,647 --> 00:06:00,842 So, all in all, this is our tree. 101 00:06:02,727 --> 00:06:04,683 Being very careful not to hit the ground. 102 00:06:04,727 --> 00:06:08,766 The first stage is to square off the base of the tree with an axe, ready for sawing. 103 00:06:12,767 --> 00:06:14,758 OK. 104 00:06:16,007 --> 00:06:19,920 lf we have problems, we'll use the axe to start it. No, that's all right. 105 00:06:22,087 --> 00:06:25,716 You're gonna need to go a little bit to your left. Slowly. 106 00:06:25,767 --> 00:06:28,565 Don't push the sword, let it glide itself in. 107 00:06:29,527 --> 00:06:33,315 - A bit like rowing the Atlantic. - A little bit like rowing, yeah. lt is, isn't it? 108 00:06:33,367 --> 00:06:36,803 And if l did this regularly, l wouldn't be as fat as l am. 109 00:06:36,847 --> 00:06:40,726 Because you don't see many pictures of fat Victorian woodsmen. 110 00:06:43,247 --> 00:06:47,126 The falling tree could easily get snagged in the dense branches of the forest. 111 00:06:47,167 --> 00:06:51,080 So Peter and Damian try to make sure it falls into a gap. 112 00:06:53,447 --> 00:06:59,795 To do this, Damian makes a triangular cut, facing the path they want the tree to take. 113 00:06:59,847 --> 00:07:03,886 And this will encourage the tree to fall in the direction we want it to go? 114 00:07:03,927 --> 00:07:05,918 That's certainly the theory. 115 00:07:05,967 --> 00:07:07,923 l hope the theory's correct. 116 00:07:07,967 --> 00:07:11,437 Then it's back to sawing the other side to meet up with the cut. 117 00:07:17,287 --> 00:07:19,278 How far now? 118 00:07:21,487 --> 00:07:23,478 Bit more on your side, then. 119 00:07:25,287 --> 00:07:27,562 Hang on, hang on. She's going. 120 00:07:28,807 --> 00:07:30,798 Get that out. 121 00:07:35,847 --> 00:07:38,600 That's what we were trying to avoid. Oh, well. 122 00:07:41,287 --> 00:07:43,005 That's what we were worried about. 123 00:07:43,047 --> 00:07:46,119 And we didn't quite succeed, in making it go where we wanted it to. 124 00:07:48,087 --> 00:07:50,043 What we've got to do is get it to go that way. 125 00:07:50,087 --> 00:07:53,921 lf we have a smaller axe, then we'll cut the hinge on that side. 126 00:07:57,687 --> 00:08:02,556 So Damian's going to chip away and hopefully it will roll round the tree 127 00:08:02,607 --> 00:08:04,598 and fall down where we want it to go. 128 00:08:09,327 --> 00:08:10,919 Come here and give us a push. 129 00:08:13,447 --> 00:08:15,278 DAMlAN: Go on, you bastard! 130 00:08:15,327 --> 00:08:18,319 This is what we need a pole for now. Any poles around here? 131 00:08:24,687 --> 00:08:26,598 Oh, you bastard. 132 00:08:26,647 --> 00:08:28,638 DAMlAN: How much more does that need? 133 00:08:35,807 --> 00:08:37,320 Hear it moving now? 134 00:08:41,287 --> 00:08:42,481 (Both laugh) 135 00:08:42,527 --> 00:08:44,961 - Don't worry. - Yeah, it's going. 136 00:08:50,407 --> 00:08:52,398 Ginger beer required. 137 00:08:53,287 --> 00:08:56,006 - Finally. - After a famous five-hour struggle. 138 00:09:03,767 --> 00:09:09,160 Back in October, Alex toiled for weeks to sow a wheat crop in the farm's long-abandoned field. 139 00:09:12,167 --> 00:09:16,240 But now the weeds have been conquered, there's a new enemy to face 140 00:09:16,287 --> 00:09:18,278 of the feathered variety. 141 00:09:18,327 --> 00:09:22,115 One of my worst fears has been realised here. 142 00:09:22,167 --> 00:09:23,998 We've had the birds in here. 143 00:09:24,047 --> 00:09:29,326 The last few days as l've been passing, there's been a group of pheasants on this patch. 144 00:09:29,367 --> 00:09:35,317 And l think what they're doing, they're tugging at the top of the leaves here, 145 00:09:35,367 --> 00:09:38,518 and then pulling out and having a nibble on the grain. 146 00:09:38,567 --> 00:09:41,843 ln the Victorian countryside, tenant farmers like Alex 147 00:09:41,887 --> 00:09:45,118 often struggled to stop pheasants eating their crops. 148 00:09:45,967 --> 00:09:48,561 The birds were raised for shooting parties 149 00:09:48,607 --> 00:09:52,486 and every single one was the landlord's property, not to be touched. 150 00:09:55,567 --> 00:09:59,355 lf a tenant farmer killed one, he could be arrested for poaching. 151 00:10:01,967 --> 00:10:05,277 Now, Alex finally has the chance to get his own back. 152 00:10:06,087 --> 00:10:10,444 Land agent Rupert Acton has invited him to come along on a pheasant shoot. 153 00:10:13,527 --> 00:10:18,317 But first he's got to make some preparations Victorian-style. 154 00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:21,040 One thing l've noticed over the past couple of months, 155 00:10:21,087 --> 00:10:25,842 it's been so wet that the ground is like a morass, there's mud everywhere. 156 00:10:25,887 --> 00:10:29,766 And my boots have been getting soaking wet. l've got to get them waterproofed. 157 00:10:29,807 --> 00:10:32,241 We've got a big day coming up. We've got the shoot. 158 00:10:33,847 --> 00:10:39,797 Alex is using a 1 9th-century shoe polish recipe containing beeswax, tar and tallow - 159 00:10:39,847 --> 00:10:42,315 a form of beef or mutton fat. 160 00:10:43,367 --> 00:10:46,962 Now l've no idea as to what quantities l should be putting in here 161 00:10:47,007 --> 00:10:48,565 but l'm going to do it by feel. 162 00:10:48,607 --> 00:10:52,725 The first thing to go in is the beeswax, which has melted down nicely. 163 00:10:53,567 --> 00:10:56,286 l know that we're going to really want more tallow in. 164 00:10:58,207 --> 00:11:00,402 That's having an interesting effect. 165 00:11:00,447 --> 00:11:04,804 That's sort of turning like a paste in there already. 166 00:11:04,847 --> 00:11:07,156 Give that a bit of a stir. 167 00:11:08,447 --> 00:11:09,721 lf we just do that. 168 00:11:09,767 --> 00:11:15,763 Now this is great because it's actually turning into a sort of dark tan boot polish here. 169 00:11:16,287 --> 00:11:22,601 And l think it's wet enough or at least it's warm enough to start to apply to the boots. 170 00:11:23,207 --> 00:11:25,198 Moment of truth. 171 00:11:25,767 --> 00:11:27,758 Get it on there. 172 00:11:29,727 --> 00:11:31,843 That's going on really thick, actually. 173 00:11:33,047 --> 00:11:36,164 l can see the beeswax. l'm gonna really work it in. 174 00:11:38,407 --> 00:11:40,682 l'm very excited about the shoot. 175 00:11:40,727 --> 00:11:44,402 ln the late 1 9th century, shooting parties were getting bigger and bigger. 176 00:11:44,447 --> 00:11:46,483 There was more game about. 177 00:11:46,527 --> 00:11:51,521 The friction between gamekeepers and tenant farmers was at its peak. 178 00:11:51,567 --> 00:11:53,762 And it's perfectly understandable, really. 179 00:11:53,807 --> 00:11:59,200 lf there's birds out there eating your crops, you're going to want to find one for the pot. 180 00:12:02,687 --> 00:12:06,805 ln the forest, Peter and Damian are dividing the tree into logs. 181 00:12:06,847 --> 00:12:10,840 After the exhausting task of felling it, now comes the real challenge. 182 00:12:13,727 --> 00:12:15,126 Good lad. 183 00:12:15,167 --> 00:12:18,364 The chaps are gonna need help lifting the logs out of the forest, 184 00:12:18,407 --> 00:12:20,398 and who better than Clumper? 185 00:12:20,447 --> 00:12:23,280 lt's the first time he's had a go at this. lt's called tushing, 186 00:12:23,327 --> 00:12:26,444 basically dragging or skidding a log out of the forest. 187 00:12:26,487 --> 00:12:28,762 So, as l say, it's his first time. 188 00:12:28,807 --> 00:12:32,516 He's not too sure about the environment but let's see how he gets on. 189 00:12:35,687 --> 00:12:37,678 One log ready to tush. 190 00:12:41,087 --> 00:12:42,918 Whoa, whoa. 191 00:12:42,967 --> 00:12:44,764 We'll give him a little go. 192 00:12:44,807 --> 00:12:46,798 Gee-up. Come on. 193 00:12:47,887 --> 00:12:49,400 OK, you're against the tree. 194 00:12:49,447 --> 00:12:51,597 Two, three. 195 00:12:51,647 --> 00:12:54,878 This log weighs around 300 kilograms. 196 00:12:54,927 --> 00:12:58,442 That's the equivalent of three baby elephants. 197 00:12:58,487 --> 00:13:00,842 ALEX: That's it. Good boy. PETER: He's going well. 198 00:13:00,887 --> 00:13:02,240 He is. 199 00:13:02,287 --> 00:13:05,484 lt's not as if it makes a difference to him, uphill or downhill. 200 00:13:05,527 --> 00:13:09,361 He actually quite likes getting stuck into it. 201 00:13:09,407 --> 00:13:11,363 Come on. Last bit of hill. 202 00:13:11,407 --> 00:13:13,284 (Clumper snorts) - Come on, boy. 203 00:13:15,047 --> 00:13:17,845 He just makes these things look like matchsticks. 204 00:13:18,607 --> 00:13:23,203 l struggle to walk at the pace Clumper tushes...uphill. 205 00:13:32,287 --> 00:13:34,755 Clumper is heading for the estate's saw-pit, 206 00:13:34,807 --> 00:13:38,004 where the log will be cut up for use in the farmyard fence. 207 00:13:41,767 --> 00:13:44,361 Good boy. Come on, keep coming. Keep coming. 208 00:13:44,407 --> 00:13:46,523 Keep coming. 209 00:13:46,567 --> 00:13:48,205 And, whoa! 210 00:13:48,247 --> 00:13:49,726 He's done very well. 211 00:13:49,767 --> 00:13:52,725 l'm quite surprised. l thought there'd be more problems. 212 00:13:52,767 --> 00:13:56,999 Getting it out of that steep slope right at the beginning was a bit difficult. 213 00:13:57,047 --> 00:14:00,517 The guys had to roll it. But otherwise he took it in his stride. 214 00:14:00,567 --> 00:14:03,639 lt never ceases to amaze me how easily he takes to jobs. 215 00:14:05,207 --> 00:14:07,675 - Good boy, Clumper. - He's even listening, you see. 216 00:14:11,687 --> 00:14:15,475 Working outside all day is tough on the Victorian farmer's body. 217 00:14:16,927 --> 00:14:22,240 But in small villages, there wasn't always access to off-the-shelf remedies for aches and pains. 218 00:14:23,447 --> 00:14:27,520 At the cottage, Ruth's been looking into some home-made solutions. 219 00:14:27,567 --> 00:14:30,843 l'm going to make a cream for chapped hands. 220 00:14:30,887 --> 00:14:35,199 l've got some lard here and l've been softening it and whisking it with a fork, 221 00:14:35,247 --> 00:14:37,636 so that it's light and fluffy. 222 00:14:37,687 --> 00:14:39,678 So now l'm going to add the honey. 223 00:14:40,647 --> 00:14:42,638 Not so runny. Fairly runny. 224 00:14:43,927 --> 00:14:45,406 And a little oatmeal. 225 00:14:46,487 --> 00:14:51,880 The texture of the oatmeal will make it very slightly sort of scrubby 226 00:14:51,927 --> 00:14:54,202 when you're putting it on, 227 00:14:54,247 --> 00:14:58,399 which will help to massage the whole cream into the skin. 228 00:14:58,447 --> 00:15:00,722 And now l need egg yolks. 229 00:15:00,767 --> 00:15:04,316 And then the last thing l need to put in is some rose-water, 230 00:15:05,287 --> 00:15:08,996 which is just distilled water and oil of roses. 231 00:15:09,047 --> 00:15:14,758 And that adds not only a beautiful scent, but also adds to its absorbability into the skin. 232 00:15:18,087 --> 00:15:20,078 And whisk. 233 00:15:21,807 --> 00:15:23,604 Storage is not a problem. 234 00:15:23,647 --> 00:15:25,444 Because of all the fat in it, 235 00:15:25,487 --> 00:15:30,959 l just have to pop it in a jar, pop a lid on and it'll keep three, four months, with no problem. 236 00:15:41,887 --> 00:15:44,481 - You want to get all the calls right, OK? - Yes. 237 00:15:45,527 --> 00:15:47,518 (Low chatter) 238 00:15:47,567 --> 00:15:49,876 The day of the pheasant shoot has arrived. 239 00:15:57,687 --> 00:16:02,761 Peter and Alex are taking up their position as beaters, flushing the birds out of the woods. 240 00:16:02,807 --> 00:16:04,798 (Warbles like a bird) 241 00:16:06,447 --> 00:16:10,884 The sport of pheasant shooting as we now know it was invented in the late 1 9th century. 242 00:16:13,887 --> 00:16:17,118 Prince Albert and his sons were big fans of shooting. 243 00:16:17,167 --> 00:16:18,885 But they had a problem. 244 00:16:18,927 --> 00:16:22,715 Traditionally, shooting parties tried to sneak up on the pheasants, 245 00:16:22,767 --> 00:16:25,486 which meant most of the birds got away. 246 00:16:27,687 --> 00:16:33,045 So a new technique evolved, employing beaters to drive the game towards the guns 247 00:16:33,087 --> 00:16:35,317 with a series of calls. 248 00:16:36,367 --> 00:16:40,201 We've all got to hold a line as we walk through this copse 249 00:16:40,247 --> 00:16:42,681 and make as much noise, really, as possible. 250 00:16:45,327 --> 00:16:47,238 l can't hear you making much noise, Peter. 251 00:16:47,287 --> 00:16:49,278 Whoo! Brrrr-ooh! 252 00:16:49,927 --> 00:16:52,157 Peter, let's hear you calling. 253 00:16:52,207 --> 00:16:53,799 Brrrrrrr! 254 00:16:54,727 --> 00:16:57,525 For land agent Rupert Acton, 255 00:16:57,567 --> 00:16:59,558 shooting runs in the family. 256 00:17:00,327 --> 00:17:05,685 My great-grandfather, Augustus Wood Acton lived here in the late 1 9th century. 257 00:17:05,727 --> 00:17:09,800 And he shot about once a week. 258 00:17:09,847 --> 00:17:14,363 There would have been about four guns and four or five beaters. 259 00:17:15,407 --> 00:17:17,637 ln the 1 9th century, on this estate, 260 00:17:17,687 --> 00:17:24,126 they would probably have shot in the region of 400-500 game birds during the shooting season. 261 00:17:24,167 --> 00:17:25,600 There's one there. 262 00:17:27,607 --> 00:17:29,325 (Two shots) 263 00:17:31,687 --> 00:17:33,678 Too much talking. (Laughs) 264 00:17:36,847 --> 00:17:41,318 The swampy ground will give Alex's waterproofing efforts a stern test. 265 00:17:42,207 --> 00:17:44,163 Brrrr-woooh! Brrrr-woooh! 266 00:17:44,207 --> 00:17:49,327 l'm really impressed with the mix because l have the job of making my way through the stream, 267 00:17:49,367 --> 00:17:52,723 so it was a godsend that l decided to do it. 268 00:17:54,287 --> 00:17:56,357 But Peter isn't quite so lucky. 269 00:17:58,807 --> 00:18:01,196 Should have waterproofed your boots, Peter. 270 00:18:01,247 --> 00:18:03,203 (Mimics Alex in sneering voice) 271 00:18:03,247 --> 00:18:04,236 (Laughter) 272 00:18:04,287 --> 00:18:09,645 No birds have been shot on this drive, so the beaters must move on to a new wood. 273 00:18:14,287 --> 00:18:17,723 l've been having trouble - l do most winters - with chapped lips. 274 00:18:17,767 --> 00:18:21,999 As soon as the weather gets cold and wet, my lips go all dry and start to crack and bleed. 275 00:18:22,047 --> 00:18:24,641 So l'm making Victorian lip salve. 276 00:18:27,007 --> 00:18:30,079 The recipe says for chapped lips, specifically. 277 00:18:30,127 --> 00:18:34,006 But quite interestingly most of them include alkanet, 278 00:18:34,047 --> 00:18:36,515 which doesn't do anything for chapped lips. 279 00:18:36,567 --> 00:18:39,639 What it is, is a dye. A red dye. 280 00:18:40,487 --> 00:18:45,880 So l'm hoping this recipe is going to come out with cherry-coloured lip gloss. 281 00:18:45,927 --> 00:18:49,317 Alkanet is a common plant that often grows as a weed. 282 00:18:51,287 --> 00:18:53,755 You can use any part of the plant to get some colour, 283 00:18:53,807 --> 00:18:56,116 but the root is where the majority of it is. 284 00:18:56,167 --> 00:18:57,486 This is dried alkanet root. 285 00:18:57,527 --> 00:18:59,518 l've got some olive oil to pour in. 286 00:19:01,767 --> 00:19:06,636 What l'm going to do is put the alkanet in the oil and put it on the range just to warm through, 287 00:19:06,687 --> 00:19:09,963 and hopefully the colour then will infuse within the oil. 288 00:19:11,207 --> 00:19:14,802 The other two ingredients are mutton fat and white wax. 289 00:19:16,127 --> 00:19:19,563 The two have got to be melted together. 290 00:19:20,327 --> 00:19:25,196 And the alkanet has done the most fantastic colouring job. 291 00:19:25,247 --> 00:19:28,444 lt's really done its business. lf that's not red, l don't know what is. 292 00:19:28,487 --> 00:19:31,399 So that's my wax and mutton fat melted. 293 00:19:32,407 --> 00:19:34,398 That goes in with that lot. 294 00:19:38,007 --> 00:19:40,840 And then just got to strain them to get all the bits out. 295 00:19:42,087 --> 00:19:44,203 Oooh, yeah, look at the colour on that. 296 00:19:44,247 --> 00:19:47,557 The mixture will be kept in a cool place to set. 297 00:19:47,927 --> 00:19:51,522 You couldn't buy anything that was more like a red lip gloss than this. 298 00:19:52,687 --> 00:19:54,803 And there's nothing nasty in it, is there? 299 00:19:58,407 --> 00:20:00,398 - Brrrrrr! (Gunshot) 300 00:20:01,287 --> 00:20:03,403 The beaters have moved on to a new wood. 301 00:20:03,447 --> 00:20:08,316 Peter's encouraging the birds to fly away from him and towards the guns. 302 00:20:12,687 --> 00:20:13,358 Oh! 303 00:20:19,207 --> 00:20:22,597 The technique of driving game quickly became very popular. 304 00:20:23,247 --> 00:20:27,525 But with more birds to target, the Victorians needed to shoot faster. 305 00:20:30,327 --> 00:20:33,205 Traditionally, loading a gun was a fiddly process, 306 00:20:33,247 --> 00:20:35,966 with gunpowder and shot pushed down the barrel. 307 00:20:39,047 --> 00:20:43,962 So gunsmiths came up with a cartridge containing everything in one simple package 308 00:20:44,007 --> 00:20:47,682 and a brand-new weapon that could be split in two for easy loading. 309 00:20:50,167 --> 00:20:53,204 Reloading time was cut from minutes to seconds. 310 00:20:53,247 --> 00:20:55,636 And many more birds could be shot. 311 00:21:00,487 --> 00:21:03,479 Let's see if we can stake a claim on these birds, then. 312 00:21:08,527 --> 00:21:10,836 - A nice change from farm work. - Yes. 313 00:21:11,767 --> 00:21:16,557 With the pheasant shoot over, the beaters have been rewarded for their hard work. 314 00:21:16,607 --> 00:21:20,600 ALEX: Did that bird drop, did it? - Couldn't see. Couldn't see. 315 00:21:22,247 --> 00:21:26,923 l was too busy wondering why l hadn't applied waterproof substance into my boots. 316 00:21:26,967 --> 00:21:28,958 (Both laugh) 317 00:21:40,487 --> 00:21:42,284 lt's February. 318 00:21:42,327 --> 00:21:45,603 With fewer pheasants around, the crop has a chance to grow. 319 00:21:48,447 --> 00:21:50,517 The farmyard fence is coming on well. 320 00:21:50,567 --> 00:21:53,957 Peter's been chopping the log, ready for the saw-pit. 321 00:21:54,567 --> 00:21:57,445 This is why l never owned a skateboard as a child. 322 00:21:57,487 --> 00:22:01,765 And Princess, the expectant sow, is settling in nicely. 323 00:22:05,287 --> 00:22:10,236 Let's get them in this pen. Get them in this pen, we'll have a closer look. 324 00:22:10,287 --> 00:22:13,324 Baby pigs are not the only thing the team is expecting. 325 00:22:14,167 --> 00:22:15,998 Call them to you, Alex. That's the way. 326 00:22:16,047 --> 00:22:17,366 Big fella at the back. 327 00:22:17,407 --> 00:22:23,243 ln November, sheep farmer Richard Spencer lent the team his prize ram - Fred. 328 00:22:23,287 --> 00:22:25,926 But though Fred took a fancy to the ewes, 329 00:22:25,967 --> 00:22:29,277 Alex isn't quite sure if any of them are pregnant. 330 00:22:29,327 --> 00:22:31,158 Come round here, Alex, l'll show you. 331 00:22:31,207 --> 00:22:33,721 So Richard's come back to find out. 332 00:22:33,767 --> 00:22:36,406 lf a sheep is in lamb, if she's pregnant, 333 00:22:36,447 --> 00:22:39,678 what is in that udder now should be wax and sticky. 334 00:22:39,727 --> 00:22:40,557 Right. 335 00:22:40,607 --> 00:22:43,804 Getting to the udders requires an expert technique. 336 00:22:44,727 --> 00:22:47,560 You're gonna put your knee in the shoulder so she can't escape 337 00:22:47,607 --> 00:22:50,599 and then you put your hand under there, find the teat, 338 00:22:50,647 --> 00:22:53,115 and get some wax out and tell me she's in lamb. 339 00:22:55,167 --> 00:22:56,805 l'm stuck. 340 00:22:58,647 --> 00:23:01,445 - OK. - That's it - hand underneath, find the teat. 341 00:23:01,487 --> 00:23:03,364 lt's in there somewhere. 342 00:23:03,407 --> 00:23:04,760 Right. Nothing there. 343 00:23:04,807 --> 00:23:10,040 Put your hands gently to the top of the udder and gently massage it down to the teat. 344 00:23:11,327 --> 00:23:13,204 l can't find it, Richard. 345 00:23:14,767 --> 00:23:16,917 - l've got one! (Both laugh) 346 00:23:16,967 --> 00:23:19,845 You can do this, Alex. Think positive thoughts. 347 00:23:21,207 --> 00:23:23,084 How far apart are these things usually? 348 00:23:23,127 --> 00:23:27,200 Well, the normal distance, really. One on each side, they come in pairs. 349 00:23:27,927 --> 00:23:29,918 l'm not getting anything. 350 00:23:29,967 --> 00:23:33,676 l'm wondering whether l should get you to teach me to turn them over. 351 00:23:33,727 --> 00:23:37,037 Sheep farmers often turn their sheep over to inspect them. 352 00:23:38,127 --> 00:23:42,359 But with each ewe weighing up to ten stone, it can be a challenge. 353 00:23:43,447 --> 00:23:48,237 You lock it tight onto your knee, and you literally, keeping it tight on your knee, 354 00:23:48,287 --> 00:23:51,643 rock backwards with your fingers firmly hooked under that flank 355 00:23:51,687 --> 00:23:56,317 and she just rolls over on your knee onto her butt, onto her rear. 356 00:23:56,367 --> 00:23:58,403 lt doesn't involve a lot of physical stress, 357 00:23:58,447 --> 00:24:00,802 use the principal of levers and the sheep's weight. 358 00:24:00,847 --> 00:24:02,439 lt's a bit of a Judo roll. 359 00:24:02,487 --> 00:24:05,365 Lift the head up into the air, let it roll round your knee. 360 00:24:05,407 --> 00:24:07,318 Yes, keep it going, keep it going. 361 00:24:07,367 --> 00:24:10,120 Keep her going backwards. You've done it, that's it. 362 00:24:10,167 --> 00:24:12,965 And all the rest will be easy after that. Well done. 363 00:24:14,887 --> 00:24:19,085 The look of satisfaction on that man's face. Look at that, he'll sleep well tonight. 364 00:24:19,127 --> 00:24:21,641 Now you can get the wax out of that one. 365 00:24:21,687 --> 00:24:24,406 Massage it gently from the udder into the teat. 366 00:24:24,447 --> 00:24:28,235 Yes, you can see it filling the teat now, you see. The teat's full of wax. 367 00:24:28,287 --> 00:24:30,482 - And then l... - The teat's full of wax. 368 00:24:30,527 --> 00:24:32,518 - And then... - Yeah. 369 00:24:32,567 --> 00:24:34,000 - Ah. - There you are. 370 00:24:34,047 --> 00:24:36,561 - There we are. - He is so happy. 371 00:24:36,607 --> 00:24:38,165 - There we are. - One happy camper. 372 00:24:38,967 --> 00:24:42,755 Let's try this one. Yeah, we got a drop there. Look at that. 373 00:24:42,807 --> 00:24:44,798 There we go. Now, then. lf you... 374 00:24:46,567 --> 00:24:48,717 - Listen to that there. (soft rasping) 375 00:24:48,767 --> 00:24:51,679 Better than sticky tape. Spot-on. Wonderful stuff. 376 00:24:51,727 --> 00:24:54,002 - That is sticky wax. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. 377 00:24:56,327 --> 00:25:00,366 There you are. That is perfect. That sheep is definitely in lamb. 378 00:25:00,407 --> 00:25:01,726 You're rolling. Go. 379 00:25:01,767 --> 00:25:06,921 The wax is a clear sign that in a few weeks, this sheep will be producing milk to feed her young. 380 00:25:07,887 --> 00:25:11,323 Now all Alex has to do is check the rest of his flock. 381 00:25:13,127 --> 00:25:15,561 - There you are, young man. - Thank you very much. 382 00:25:15,607 --> 00:25:18,121 We'll make a shepherd of you yet. 383 00:25:18,887 --> 00:25:25,042 Ensuring livestock was well fed over winter was absolutely crucial for the Victorian farmer. 384 00:25:25,087 --> 00:25:28,079 Every day the team process food for the animals, 385 00:25:28,127 --> 00:25:31,199 in machines such as this root slicer. 386 00:25:32,127 --> 00:25:34,118 But Ruth has hit a snag. 387 00:25:34,167 --> 00:25:38,877 Bucket's entirely the wrong shape, so more time scraping it off the floor. 388 00:25:39,767 --> 00:25:44,045 With so many jobs to do, l simply can't afford to have inefficient tools. 389 00:25:46,327 --> 00:25:51,321 To make a better container, Ruth has asked someone with unique skills to come to the farm. 390 00:25:52,807 --> 00:25:56,595 This is oak, which was felled just the other day. 391 00:25:56,647 --> 00:25:59,445 And l'm going to turn this into a basket. 392 00:26:02,167 --> 00:26:07,924 Owen Jones makes a type of basket specific to the Lake District and the West Midlands. 393 00:26:09,087 --> 00:26:13,399 Though once common, his profession is now endangered. 394 00:26:13,447 --> 00:26:18,123 ln Victorian times, there would have been hundreds of people making these baskets. 395 00:26:20,527 --> 00:26:25,601 For many years l was the only person. Recently l taught someone else - there's now two of us. 396 00:26:27,327 --> 00:26:29,921 ln Britain, most baskets are made from willow. 397 00:26:29,967 --> 00:26:35,837 What makes this basket special is that it uses local materials - oak and hazel. 398 00:26:40,087 --> 00:26:44,638 lt's a coppiced-hazel rod, which is going to be the rim of the basket. 399 00:26:45,607 --> 00:26:47,723 l have to smooth it off ready for bending. 400 00:26:51,287 --> 00:26:54,199 Next, Owen prepares the ribs of the basket. 401 00:26:54,247 --> 00:26:58,206 Each oak log must be measured up and chopped into strips. 402 00:27:00,767 --> 00:27:04,316 This is where we start to get a feel of what the wood's like. 403 00:27:06,727 --> 00:27:07,955 Drive it in. 404 00:27:08,007 --> 00:27:11,283 lt will take Owen five hours to make this basket. 405 00:27:11,327 --> 00:27:12,999 ln the 1 9th century, 406 00:27:13,047 --> 00:27:17,404 oak basket makers got together in small workshops of two or three men, 407 00:27:17,447 --> 00:27:20,519 collectively producing dozens of baskets each week. 408 00:27:27,367 --> 00:27:29,881 As l'm splitting now, working it down, 409 00:27:29,927 --> 00:27:33,317 there is potentially a problem that it can start running off 410 00:27:33,367 --> 00:27:34,766 or running out to one side. 411 00:27:34,807 --> 00:27:38,686 But l can control that by which way l pull the throw, 412 00:27:38,727 --> 00:27:41,002 either pull towards me or push against. 413 00:27:44,287 --> 00:27:48,758 Once the oak's been cut to length, it's placed with the hazel inside a boiler. 414 00:27:49,687 --> 00:27:55,239 When it's finished, Owen's basket will make processing food by hand an easier task. 415 00:27:58,887 --> 00:28:03,438 But on the estate's home farm Alex and Peter have discovered a brand-new way 416 00:28:03,487 --> 00:28:05,478 of making food for their flock. 417 00:28:06,367 --> 00:28:08,039 OK, engage. 418 00:28:08,087 --> 00:28:09,281 OK, engaging now. 419 00:28:10,047 --> 00:28:13,164 Throughout the 1 9th century the machinery of mass production 420 00:28:13,207 --> 00:28:15,198 was making its way onto farms. 421 00:28:16,287 --> 00:28:19,962 This system of belts and pulleys is over 1 50 years old. 422 00:28:25,687 --> 00:28:28,520 This is our oats bruiser - our kibbler. 423 00:28:30,407 --> 00:28:32,477 - You can hear it engaging there. (Grinding) 424 00:28:32,527 --> 00:28:34,518 That's a sound, isn't it? 425 00:28:34,567 --> 00:28:39,277 The kibbler grinds up wheat grain for the farm's animals to eat. 426 00:28:39,327 --> 00:28:42,319 They've all been bruised - they've been crushed. 427 00:28:42,367 --> 00:28:45,404 So when they go through the digestive system of the animal, 428 00:28:45,447 --> 00:28:47,244 they'll be absorbed more efficiently. 429 00:28:48,367 --> 00:28:53,316 All this machinery is powered by the Victorian Farm's driving engine - 430 00:28:53,367 --> 00:28:55,403 Clumper, the shire horse. 431 00:28:56,927 --> 00:28:59,521 Gee-up. That's it. 432 00:29:04,127 --> 00:29:07,676 l find this absolutely fascinating because all you need is a horse, 433 00:29:08,487 --> 00:29:12,036 some hay for winter, keep him well fed, 434 00:29:12,087 --> 00:29:14,806 and you've got energy, you've got power - horsepower. 435 00:29:17,287 --> 00:29:20,597 The term horsepower was coined by the engineer James Watt. 436 00:29:23,527 --> 00:29:25,438 He'd designed a steam engine, 437 00:29:25,487 --> 00:29:29,958 and to market it he came up with a method to compare its power with that of a horse. 438 00:29:32,287 --> 00:29:35,962 The result was a brand-new measuring unit - horsepower. 439 00:29:37,167 --> 00:29:38,725 Good lad. 440 00:29:38,767 --> 00:29:40,644 Every time Clumper goes round once, 441 00:29:40,687 --> 00:29:43,201 that wheel up there turns 52 times. 442 00:29:43,247 --> 00:29:46,319 So if he works for a week, this works for a year. 443 00:29:46,367 --> 00:29:49,962 This truly is the birth of mechanised farming. 444 00:29:51,927 --> 00:29:55,602 ln the farmyard, Owen Jones is ready to shape the rim of his basket. 445 00:29:59,327 --> 00:30:01,238 Throw it down initially, on the ground. 446 00:30:01,287 --> 00:30:04,279 That'll take the moisture out of it, take a bit of the heat out of it. 447 00:30:04,327 --> 00:30:06,079 Hopefully this will bend nicely. 448 00:30:06,127 --> 00:30:08,118 l'll put the butt end in first. 449 00:30:08,847 --> 00:30:11,520 Be careful round the curve, so it doesn't kink. 450 00:30:11,567 --> 00:30:14,127 Feels as though it's steamed enough. 451 00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:17,477 Pulling with my right hand and following with my left hand. 452 00:30:22,007 --> 00:30:24,077 On a diagonal here. 453 00:30:25,127 --> 00:30:28,676 Yeah, l'm happy with this one. This looks pretty good. 454 00:30:28,727 --> 00:30:31,446 Next the oak is removed from the boiler. 455 00:30:39,087 --> 00:30:41,555 lt's actually a wonderful smell. 456 00:30:41,607 --> 00:30:44,167 lt's a sort of fruity...like a fruity smell. 457 00:30:44,207 --> 00:30:45,640 lt's the best part of the day. 458 00:30:46,447 --> 00:30:48,005 This process is known as riving. 459 00:30:49,487 --> 00:30:51,443 This is quite hot in the hands. 460 00:30:51,487 --> 00:30:54,763 Sometimes you get to a point where your hands start burning, 461 00:30:54,807 --> 00:30:58,595 and then you have to knock them on your knees and that cools them down. 462 00:31:00,047 --> 00:31:02,959 The simplest way of doing it is this way. 463 00:31:03,007 --> 00:31:05,601 And you're pulling it down. lt's a feel thing. 464 00:31:05,647 --> 00:31:10,960 This is really good stuff. lt's quite tough stuff. l can leave it quite thick and bend it like that. 465 00:31:11,007 --> 00:31:13,157 So that'll make good strong baskets. 466 00:31:14,047 --> 00:31:16,561 The material is now ready for the final stage. 467 00:31:19,807 --> 00:31:21,877 l'm starting to weave the basket now. 468 00:31:22,767 --> 00:31:26,521 lt's all woven. There's no fixings, no nails, no pins. 469 00:31:27,407 --> 00:31:29,398 lt's all woven together. 470 00:31:33,207 --> 00:31:38,486 These baskets would have been used throughout the 1 9th century on farms. 471 00:31:38,527 --> 00:31:42,759 They're very important. They would be used for broadcast-sowing seed, 472 00:31:43,647 --> 00:31:45,922 harvesting root crops such as potatoes, 473 00:31:45,967 --> 00:31:49,323 feeding animals chopped turnips. 474 00:31:50,567 --> 00:31:54,162 They gradually declined as mechanisation took over. 475 00:31:54,207 --> 00:31:56,243 For instance, a wire basket was introduced 476 00:31:56,287 --> 00:32:02,886 and tractors came along with seed drills and there was less hand work on farms. 477 00:32:08,007 --> 00:32:10,999 RUTH: Wow! Cor, that looks fantastic! 478 00:32:13,207 --> 00:32:15,767 So how long is something like this going to last, then? 479 00:32:15,807 --> 00:32:18,241 This basket can last for decades. 480 00:32:18,287 --> 00:32:20,562 - Really? - ln fact, l have repaired baskets. 481 00:32:20,607 --> 00:32:23,519 l occasionally get them to repair and they've been 50 years old. 482 00:32:23,567 --> 00:32:24,363 Wow! 483 00:32:24,407 --> 00:32:26,443 The strips go and l can just weave them back in. 484 00:32:26,487 --> 00:32:28,284 Talk about environmentally friendly! 485 00:32:28,327 --> 00:32:31,444 Something you can use for 50 years, get repaired and carry on using. 486 00:32:31,487 --> 00:32:33,682 And then you can use it as kindling for your fire. 487 00:32:33,727 --> 00:32:35,080 Fantastic! 488 00:32:35,127 --> 00:32:37,641 Oh, isn't it beautiful? 489 00:32:37,687 --> 00:32:40,520 That is just a really, really beautiful thing. 490 00:32:40,567 --> 00:32:44,003 They give you many years of service and they're really strong. 491 00:32:44,047 --> 00:32:47,403 ln fact, one of the tests at the end of it, you have to be able to stand on it. 492 00:32:47,447 --> 00:32:48,721 - Are you sure? - Yeah. 493 00:32:50,047 --> 00:32:51,241 (Gasps) Flipping heck! 494 00:32:51,287 --> 00:32:53,278 Bounce up and down. 495 00:32:54,967 --> 00:32:56,400 lt's incredible. 496 00:32:57,327 --> 00:32:58,760 Who needs a horse? 497 00:32:58,807 --> 00:33:01,924 At the saw-pit, Peter and Damian have reached the last 498 00:33:01,967 --> 00:33:06,006 and most technically precise stage of the fence post. 499 00:33:06,047 --> 00:33:07,799 That's about where we want to be. 500 00:33:07,847 --> 00:33:09,485 One, two, three. 501 00:33:09,527 --> 00:33:12,997 OK, just up and down, just a few strokes, to get it bedded in. 502 00:33:13,047 --> 00:33:15,925 Men employed to saw wood were called sawyers. 503 00:33:15,967 --> 00:33:20,245 By the late 1 9th century, saw-pits like this were in decline. 504 00:33:20,287 --> 00:33:25,361 lndustrial sawmills were taking over and hand-sawing couldn't compete. 505 00:33:26,527 --> 00:33:28,245 Come right up and right down. 506 00:33:28,287 --> 00:33:29,879 Slow down. 507 00:33:29,927 --> 00:33:32,395 lmagine you're doing this all day. 508 00:33:32,447 --> 00:33:36,360 lt'll take several hours to cut off the sides of this log. 509 00:33:36,407 --> 00:33:40,161 A mechanical sawmill could process hundreds in a day. 510 00:33:40,207 --> 00:33:44,120 The top of my arms and my shoulders are really starting to ache. 511 00:33:46,247 --> 00:33:49,080 As in, really starting to ache. 512 00:33:50,607 --> 00:33:53,883 The constant sweaty exertion of farm life 513 00:33:53,927 --> 00:33:58,000 means tending to personal hygiene is a high priority for the team. 514 00:34:02,087 --> 00:34:07,161 With Alex and Peter out of the house, Ruth has the perfect opportunity. 515 00:34:09,247 --> 00:34:11,602 l'm going to have a bath. 516 00:34:14,407 --> 00:34:17,717 People in this period felt that washing was seriously 517 00:34:17,767 --> 00:34:21,077 the underpinning thing about keeping yourself healthy, 518 00:34:21,127 --> 00:34:25,917 despite the fact that it's actually really difficult in this sort of situation to do. 519 00:34:27,007 --> 00:34:31,603 Ruth's bath is a sawn-off wooden barrel covered with a sheet. 520 00:34:31,647 --> 00:34:34,366 lt's almost like a drip tray 521 00:34:34,407 --> 00:34:38,320 that catches the water as you pour water over yourself. 522 00:34:42,247 --> 00:34:44,715 And it's very, very efficient on resources. 523 00:34:47,847 --> 00:34:50,919 Bathing in a room with no central heating... 524 00:34:50,967 --> 00:34:52,958 it's pretty cold. 525 00:34:53,847 --> 00:34:57,886 A lot of people have the image of a Victorian bath being a large tin affair 526 00:34:57,927 --> 00:35:01,636 that you can fill up with water and be submerged in up to your neck. 527 00:35:01,687 --> 00:35:06,681 But most people in the country who didn't have spare money 528 00:35:06,727 --> 00:35:09,764 managed in this sort of shallow tray, 529 00:35:09,807 --> 00:35:11,286 with wiping yourself down, 530 00:35:11,327 --> 00:35:14,000 soaping yourself all over and pouring water over you. 531 00:35:14,047 --> 00:35:17,517 So, somewhere between a shower and a scrub-down. 532 00:35:27,247 --> 00:35:30,956 Peter and Damian have been sawing for almost four hours. 533 00:35:31,007 --> 00:35:35,125 As night falls, the race is on to finish the gatepost. 534 00:35:36,447 --> 00:35:38,802 You're getting the hang of this, Peter. 535 00:35:38,847 --> 00:35:40,838 Yeah, definitely. 536 00:35:43,007 --> 00:35:44,963 Like you say, it's very Zen. 537 00:35:45,007 --> 00:35:46,838 - ls it? - (Laughs) 538 00:35:51,967 --> 00:35:54,606 - Oh. - The wedge always falls on the head. 539 00:35:54,647 --> 00:35:57,798 - Sorry. - (Chuckles) 540 00:35:57,847 --> 00:36:00,600 This is our third side of our post. 541 00:36:06,967 --> 00:36:10,721 Just before bed, Ruth's trying out her home-made remedies. 542 00:36:12,087 --> 00:36:15,318 So this is the hand cream l made earlier 543 00:36:15,367 --> 00:36:17,801 with rose-water and lard and oatmeal. 544 00:36:19,207 --> 00:36:21,198 And it definitely helps. 545 00:36:22,447 --> 00:36:25,757 But l don't think anything would completely protect your hands 546 00:36:25,807 --> 00:36:30,676 from the amount of cold water and hard work. 547 00:36:32,687 --> 00:36:36,475 This lip gloss, however, is absolutely fantastic. 548 00:36:39,007 --> 00:36:42,124 There's one more hygiene challenge that Ruth must tend to. 549 00:36:43,367 --> 00:36:47,485 l'm just making up some more sanitary towels. 550 00:36:47,527 --> 00:36:49,165 ln the Victorian period, 551 00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:52,597 you couldn't just nip down the shops when you needed such supplies. 552 00:36:54,127 --> 00:36:59,485 You have a bag which can be washed and then you stuff it with something absorbent. 553 00:36:59,527 --> 00:37:04,601 So if there was a load of nice dry moss outside, l might use that to stuff the bags with. 554 00:37:04,647 --> 00:37:07,878 And you just pop whatever it is you're going to stuff inside the bag 555 00:37:07,927 --> 00:37:09,519 and there you go, one sanitary pad. 556 00:37:09,567 --> 00:37:12,445 And that sorts out that monthly problem. 557 00:37:13,367 --> 00:37:19,237 lt's often these sort of intimate little details about people's personal lives l find most fascinating. 558 00:37:19,287 --> 00:37:24,964 History's full of all the big stuff but the details, the day to day, just how you manage, 559 00:37:25,007 --> 00:37:27,521 often gets forgotten and left by the wayside. 560 00:37:43,167 --> 00:37:47,319 March has arrived and the farm is showing the first signs of spring. 561 00:37:48,207 --> 00:37:50,767 Ruth's basket is being put to use. 562 00:37:52,967 --> 00:37:54,286 Fantastic! 563 00:37:54,327 --> 00:37:56,318 Hello, pigs. Are you ready? 564 00:37:59,807 --> 00:38:01,877 lt don't half make life easier. 565 00:38:02,767 --> 00:38:04,803 Peter's gatepost is finally in the ground. 566 00:38:04,847 --> 00:38:06,075 All right. 567 00:38:07,527 --> 00:38:09,518 And all ten ewes are pregnant. 568 00:38:10,807 --> 00:38:12,798 Lambing time is now imminent. 569 00:38:13,967 --> 00:38:16,401 The boys have travelled to Richard Spencer's farm 570 00:38:16,447 --> 00:38:17,960 to get some much-needed advice. 571 00:38:18,007 --> 00:38:19,679 - How are you? - How's it going? 572 00:38:19,727 --> 00:38:21,240 Steady. Steady. 573 00:38:21,287 --> 00:38:24,279 - Good to see you again. - Good to see you again. 574 00:38:24,327 --> 00:38:27,319 - You're going to give us a crash course? - Lambed a sheep before? 575 00:38:27,367 --> 00:38:28,595 Never. 576 00:38:28,647 --> 00:38:30,319 (Laughs) 577 00:38:30,367 --> 00:38:32,562 Well, there's one here. 578 00:38:32,607 --> 00:38:36,202 We have a nose and two front feet. 579 00:38:36,247 --> 00:38:39,717 You can tell they're the front feet. Well, l could pull this out as easy as pie. 580 00:38:39,767 --> 00:38:43,396 But as you've never done it before, who's going to go first? 581 00:38:43,447 --> 00:38:44,926 Who wants to learn? 582 00:38:44,967 --> 00:38:46,525 - Shall l give it a go? - You can. 583 00:38:46,567 --> 00:38:50,526 Right, Alex, the trick is, if you're on your own, which you often are with livestock... 584 00:38:50,567 --> 00:38:52,876 The sheep is on her side. Everything's OK. 585 00:38:54,007 --> 00:38:56,567 You get close in with your knees, inside of her stomach, 586 00:38:56,607 --> 00:39:00,202 so if she kicks and struggles, she's not going to kick you where it hurts. 587 00:39:00,247 --> 00:39:03,284 And you don't look with your eyes. You look with your fingertips. 588 00:39:03,327 --> 00:39:05,283 - Hand straight in? - Straight in there. 589 00:39:05,327 --> 00:39:07,921 There's plenty of lubricant provided by Mother Nature. 590 00:39:07,967 --> 00:39:11,164 - Don't look with your eyes. Use your fingertips. - So, not looking. 591 00:39:12,407 --> 00:39:15,956 lt's a very big lamb. lt's why she's taking so long, why she needs help. 592 00:39:16,007 --> 00:39:17,759 - Don't be afraid to pull. - Yeah. 593 00:39:17,807 --> 00:39:19,206 Go on, really give it some. 594 00:39:19,247 --> 00:39:20,726 Go for it. Got it? 595 00:39:20,767 --> 00:39:22,200 (Bleating) - Here it comes. 596 00:39:22,247 --> 00:39:24,203 Go, go, go, go, go. Go, go, go. Both hands. 597 00:39:24,247 --> 00:39:27,080 Just don't mess about because it'll rip the umbilical cord. 598 00:39:27,127 --> 00:39:30,164 Keep going. Both hands if you wish, Alex. Go, go, go. Get him out. 599 00:39:30,207 --> 00:39:32,926 Get the placenta off his head. His head's covered. Clear it. 600 00:39:32,967 --> 00:39:33,683 Yeah. 601 00:39:33,727 --> 00:39:37,322 Use your fingers to squeeze his nose and clear the mucus off his nose. 602 00:39:37,367 --> 00:39:38,641 Right. 603 00:39:38,687 --> 00:39:42,805 Put your middle finger and thumb on his ear and prick it really tight. 604 00:39:42,847 --> 00:39:45,156 Get the nails together, either side of his ear. 605 00:39:45,207 --> 00:39:48,005 - Nails into here like that. Oh, yeah. - Good. That's a gasp. 606 00:39:48,047 --> 00:39:50,402 Still not very strong. Grab some straw. 607 00:39:50,447 --> 00:39:52,438 That's it. And scrub his chest. 608 00:39:52,487 --> 00:39:54,876 - ln there? - No, you're playing with it, man. 609 00:39:54,927 --> 00:39:59,842 You're scrubbing the floor. Really, really rub it. Get the circulation going. Really stimulate him. 610 00:39:59,887 --> 00:40:02,924 lt's like an aggressive mother sort of licking him to get him going. 611 00:40:02,967 --> 00:40:05,845 - Yeah. - That's it. 612 00:40:05,887 --> 00:40:07,878 That's the first lamb you've delivered? 613 00:40:07,927 --> 00:40:11,840 That is the first lamb l've ever delivered. That's fantastic. 614 00:40:11,887 --> 00:40:14,276 - Look at him. - Also check that there's milk there. 615 00:40:14,967 --> 00:40:18,198 - lt's important. That's it. Perfect. - All over me. Yeah, wonderful. 616 00:40:18,247 --> 00:40:19,396 See if that works as well. 617 00:40:19,447 --> 00:40:20,800 Oh, spot on. 618 00:40:20,847 --> 00:40:22,246 Got you. 619 00:40:22,287 --> 00:40:24,118 Oh, absolutely wonderful. 620 00:40:24,167 --> 00:40:26,158 Absolutely wonderful. 621 00:40:30,287 --> 00:40:33,279 Now we've got this sheep with a healthy lamb. lt's suckling well. 622 00:40:33,327 --> 00:40:36,558 Pen her up so no other sheep comes along and takes the lamb away from her. 623 00:40:36,607 --> 00:40:39,599 Anywhere you like. Up the wall side. 624 00:40:39,647 --> 00:40:42,764 Use the corner of the wall to wedge the end of the hurdle against. 625 00:40:42,807 --> 00:40:44,798 lt won't move away, then. 626 00:40:47,207 --> 00:40:50,005 Just remember where the sheep puts the pressure. 627 00:40:50,047 --> 00:40:53,164 When you're working with sheep, you have to think like a sheep. 628 00:40:53,207 --> 00:40:55,437 The lamb's taking milk. 629 00:40:55,487 --> 00:40:57,557 That's what l love about Shropshire sheep. 630 00:40:57,607 --> 00:41:01,998 The lambs have that wonderful will to live as soon as they're out there. 631 00:41:02,047 --> 00:41:05,119 And we struggled to get the first breath in that lamb, didn't we, Alex? 632 00:41:05,167 --> 00:41:07,442 Wonderful. Wonderful sheep, the Shropshires. 633 00:41:07,487 --> 00:41:09,478 They really want to get up and go. 634 00:41:11,567 --> 00:41:14,081 PETER: And it's been a real barrage of emotions. 635 00:41:14,127 --> 00:41:17,915 But it's certainly given me confidence for our own lambing. 636 00:41:17,967 --> 00:41:22,404 But um...there's still part of me that's very apprehensive, very nervous, 637 00:41:22,447 --> 00:41:25,917 because when we're away from here, and we're back on our farm, 638 00:41:25,967 --> 00:41:28,401 we won't have Richard, we won't have the backups. 639 00:41:28,447 --> 00:41:29,880 We'll be on our own. 640 00:41:29,927 --> 00:41:32,885 And what if something goes wrong? Will we be able to cope? 641 00:41:34,007 --> 00:41:38,717 With the first lambs due in just a few days, Peter will soon have a chance to find out. 642 00:41:42,527 --> 00:41:46,315 But before the lambs are born, the sheep field needs urgent repairs. 643 00:41:46,367 --> 00:41:49,040 There's a big hole in the hedge surrounding it, 644 00:41:49,087 --> 00:41:54,036 which Ruth has decided to fix using an ancient technique called wattle work. 645 00:41:56,167 --> 00:41:59,716 l'm just driving some posts in along this gap in the hedge 646 00:41:59,767 --> 00:42:03,840 and then l'm going to weave a load of hazel up and down. 647 00:42:04,607 --> 00:42:06,882 The early spring, or late winter, 648 00:42:06,927 --> 00:42:13,275 is a time when you do as much of the sort of hedging and ditching as you possibly can. 649 00:42:13,327 --> 00:42:15,602 There's not too much other agricultural work. 650 00:42:15,647 --> 00:42:19,686 And there's no leaves on the wood to get in your way. 651 00:42:21,327 --> 00:42:25,923 l expect the vegetation to sort of grow up around this bit, 652 00:42:25,967 --> 00:42:31,724 so this should solve the gap for the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years, maybe, if l'm lucky. 653 00:42:33,167 --> 00:42:39,117 To test her repairs, Ruth's drafted in the farm's most consistent escape artists. 654 00:42:39,167 --> 00:42:40,316 Come on. Jump through. 655 00:42:40,367 --> 00:42:42,005 (Gobbling) 656 00:42:43,447 --> 00:42:46,803 Go on. Try and get through my fence now. 657 00:42:49,647 --> 00:42:53,560 Well, it's only a very quick bit of emergency fence mending, 658 00:42:54,327 --> 00:42:55,760 but l think that'll do. 659 00:43:00,807 --> 00:43:04,038 The fence across the farmyard is far from complete. 660 00:43:05,887 --> 00:43:09,482 To speed things up, the boys are going to cut the rest of the logs by cleaving. 661 00:43:09,527 --> 00:43:13,361 We're putting in wedges, forcing the wood apart. 662 00:43:13,407 --> 00:43:17,685 There's no question about this being a thousand times quicker than sawing. 663 00:43:19,847 --> 00:43:21,883 lt's a rough and ready form of fencing. 664 00:43:21,927 --> 00:43:26,125 lt's got to be functional. lt doesn't necessarily have to be pretty. A bit like us. 665 00:43:27,327 --> 00:43:29,557 Oh, look at that. lt's just gone... There we are. 666 00:43:29,607 --> 00:43:34,806 l think the key is putting the axe in at the start and dictating how it's going to split. 667 00:43:34,847 --> 00:43:36,326 ''l think the key is...'' 668 00:43:36,367 --> 00:43:38,358 After we've done the job. 669 00:43:39,047 --> 00:43:41,641 lf only you were so smart before the job, Peter. 670 00:43:43,327 --> 00:43:47,286 Back in the farmyard, the quartered logs must be cut down by two feet. 671 00:43:48,527 --> 00:43:50,085 How big's two? 672 00:43:51,127 --> 00:43:53,402 l will use my Victorian measuring stick. 673 00:43:54,327 --> 00:43:56,318 This is a foot, from elbow... 674 00:43:58,487 --> 00:43:59,840 There we are. 675 00:43:59,887 --> 00:44:01,400 To that knuckle there. 676 00:44:01,447 --> 00:44:03,438 So if l mark that up there. 677 00:44:05,007 --> 00:44:06,406 To there. 678 00:44:06,447 --> 00:44:07,846 lt's this mark here. 679 00:44:12,447 --> 00:44:14,836 Doing a nice rocking action over here. 680 00:44:16,127 --> 00:44:19,517 Yeah, you use a lot more of your body weight with a saw like this. 681 00:44:22,607 --> 00:44:25,167 So this is going in this hole just here. 682 00:44:25,207 --> 00:44:26,322 OK. 683 00:44:27,887 --> 00:44:31,402 - lt's still going. Look at that water coming out. - The fence needs a gate. 684 00:44:31,447 --> 00:44:34,120 And a gate needs hinges. 685 00:44:34,167 --> 00:44:37,603 On the farm's estate, there's only one man for the job. 686 00:44:37,647 --> 00:44:39,956 John Herbertson is the local blacksmith. 687 00:44:47,927 --> 00:44:55,038 Blacksmiths rather pride themselves on being the possessors of the king of crafts 688 00:44:55,087 --> 00:44:57,078 because... 689 00:44:57,127 --> 00:45:01,006 if the blacksmith couldn't make the tools, then the carpenter couldn't cut his wood, 690 00:45:01,047 --> 00:45:05,086 the wheels on the carts wouldn't be shod 691 00:45:05,127 --> 00:45:06,640 and no-one could do anything. 692 00:45:08,247 --> 00:45:12,035 So the blacksmith would have been a man of some importance 693 00:45:12,087 --> 00:45:13,566 and his... 694 00:45:13,607 --> 00:45:18,362 l suppose his contribution would have been to drag everybody in to the village blacksmith's. 695 00:45:19,607 --> 00:45:23,805 There'd be farmers there parking their horses to be shod, carts to be mended 696 00:45:23,847 --> 00:45:27,317 and, also, in the winter, of course, it would be the one warm place around. 697 00:45:28,207 --> 00:45:32,564 By the late 1 9th century, the village blacksmith's trade was declining. 698 00:45:32,607 --> 00:45:34,325 Competition from factories 699 00:45:34,367 --> 00:45:39,805 meant many of their products were being mass produced by machines at much lower cost. 700 00:45:39,847 --> 00:45:44,477 ltems like hinges, nails and wagon parts could be purchased ready-made. 701 00:45:46,767 --> 00:45:50,203 What l'm doing is rolling it up, a bit like a Swiss roll. 702 00:45:50,247 --> 00:45:54,445 But unlike other rural craftsmen, many blacksmiths survived into the 20th century. 703 00:45:54,487 --> 00:45:57,445 They took on work for the railways. 704 00:45:57,487 --> 00:46:01,002 And when automobiles began to appear, some became mechanics. 705 00:46:07,527 --> 00:46:10,644 - Hi, John. Have you finished the hinges? - Yes, l have. Both done now. 706 00:46:12,087 --> 00:46:14,362 So the gate will open that way. 707 00:46:14,407 --> 00:46:18,685 That's absolutely perfect. Thank you very much. l am very, very impressed. 708 00:46:19,407 --> 00:46:21,238 The fence is almost finished. 709 00:46:21,287 --> 00:46:25,200 But before they can complete it, the team have a new problem to tackle. 710 00:46:29,727 --> 00:46:32,366 The wheat crop is once again under attack - 711 00:46:32,407 --> 00:46:35,638 not from pheasants this time but from rabbits. 712 00:46:37,967 --> 00:46:41,755 Just like game birds, rabbits were the property of the landowner. 713 00:46:41,807 --> 00:46:47,040 For much of the 1 9th century, it was illegal for tenant farmers to kill them. 714 00:46:47,087 --> 00:46:50,636 So Alex has decided to take matters into his own hands, 715 00:46:50,687 --> 00:46:55,886 in the style of a notorious figure of the Victorian countryside, the poacher. 716 00:46:57,247 --> 00:47:01,035 Going out on the pheasant shoot was very much something we did with the land agent. 717 00:47:01,087 --> 00:47:05,797 But catching rabbits like this is something you'd do as a poacher, you know. 718 00:47:05,847 --> 00:47:09,362 You certainly wouldn't want to let the land agent know about this. 719 00:47:09,407 --> 00:47:12,285 Doug and Bob Jones are a father and son team. 720 00:47:13,007 --> 00:47:16,761 They've been catching rabbits in these hills for 50 years, 721 00:47:16,807 --> 00:47:18,798 using ferrets. 722 00:47:19,887 --> 00:47:21,286 Net this hole. 723 00:47:21,327 --> 00:47:23,602 What you do is you net up all of the holes. 724 00:47:24,647 --> 00:47:28,162 And then you put the ferret in, and we've got a gill, which is a female ferret. 725 00:47:28,207 --> 00:47:31,995 She runs around and, of course, she puts the fear of God in the rabbits. 726 00:47:32,047 --> 00:47:34,607 They shoot along the burrows and they come out 727 00:47:34,647 --> 00:47:41,644 and these nets are designed in such a way that, as the rabbit hits them, it traps them behind. 728 00:47:43,487 --> 00:47:49,164 Poaching was widespread in Victorian Britain and the authorities took a very serious line. 729 00:47:52,527 --> 00:47:56,042 Game laws throughout the 1 9th century were incredibly strict. 730 00:47:56,087 --> 00:47:58,555 Police were issued with stop and search powers. 731 00:47:58,607 --> 00:48:02,043 And this was an enormous bone of contention amongst the working classes. 732 00:48:02,767 --> 00:48:08,842 ln practice, the law meant that the police could stop a farm labourer returning from work 733 00:48:08,887 --> 00:48:10,843 and ask him to turf out his pockets 734 00:48:10,887 --> 00:48:16,519 and, obviously, if they've got any traps or nets or even game, they could be arrested. 735 00:48:16,567 --> 00:48:21,595 But, of course, the police then at the time were using these powers just to stop random people 736 00:48:21,647 --> 00:48:23,922 and just to check to see what they were doing. 737 00:48:23,967 --> 00:48:27,243 And, of course, this really upset a lot of farm labourers. 738 00:48:28,447 --> 00:48:31,280 - So we're going to drop the ferrets in. - Right. 739 00:48:32,407 --> 00:48:34,682 OK, she's in, so quiet now. 740 00:48:46,047 --> 00:48:50,199 The ferret looks in every burrow until she finds a rabbit. 741 00:48:50,247 --> 00:48:52,602 lf there's none to be found, she'll reappear. 742 00:48:53,807 --> 00:48:56,321 Just seen the ferret just stick its head out. 743 00:48:56,367 --> 00:48:58,085 Nothing here. 744 00:48:58,127 --> 00:49:00,163 - Box her? - Box her. 745 00:49:00,207 --> 00:49:02,482 - OK. We'll move on. - Move on to the next. 746 00:49:02,527 --> 00:49:04,438 - Move on to the next one? - Yes. 747 00:49:04,487 --> 00:49:08,605 With dozens of warrens in these hills, there are plenty more to try. 748 00:49:08,647 --> 00:49:13,163 lt's a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, isn't it? You don't really know where they are. 749 00:49:20,207 --> 00:49:25,600 Back at the cottage, Ruth is dealing with the left-over pheasant from Alex's first hunting trip. 750 00:49:26,567 --> 00:49:30,162 We had them roasted the other night but there's quite a lot of meat left on them. 751 00:49:31,367 --> 00:49:35,360 l've got here a book about how to cook with leftovers. 752 00:49:35,407 --> 00:49:37,045 lt's called The Family Save-All. 753 00:49:37,087 --> 00:49:40,966 And it's marvellously thrifty. And it's full of really interesting recipes. 754 00:49:41,007 --> 00:49:43,840 This recipe here is for pheasant. 755 00:49:43,887 --> 00:49:46,606 Um...hashed pheasant. 756 00:49:48,167 --> 00:49:49,680 Waste not want not. 757 00:49:49,727 --> 00:49:53,402 Not only a Victorian saying but such a Victorian moral. 758 00:49:53,447 --> 00:49:58,999 With so many people going hungry, the idea of wasting good food appals people. 759 00:49:59,047 --> 00:50:04,804 lf you were a person with not very much spare money and you lived in London, for example, 760 00:50:04,847 --> 00:50:10,604 there were any number of shops where you could buy food leftovers, 761 00:50:10,647 --> 00:50:17,120 which would be collected from places like hotels or gentlemen's clubs, places like that. 762 00:50:17,167 --> 00:50:19,203 And for very small amounts of money, 763 00:50:19,247 --> 00:50:22,717 you could buy such leftovers and take them home and make a dinner out of them. 764 00:50:24,887 --> 00:50:29,881 After stripping the bones, Ruth makes a stock in which to stew the left-over meat. 765 00:50:37,527 --> 00:50:40,837 There's plenty of fox muck about here, so that's a good sign. 766 00:50:41,727 --> 00:50:44,605 - He doesn't hang about for nothing. - No, he doesn't, does he? 767 00:50:44,647 --> 00:50:47,639 At the second rabbit warren, hopes are running high. 768 00:50:48,847 --> 00:50:51,122 Let's see how she gets on. 769 00:50:51,167 --> 00:50:53,158 Can we have some quiet now, please? 770 00:50:58,727 --> 00:51:00,558 (Scuffling underground) 771 00:51:00,607 --> 00:51:02,199 Yeah, yeah. 772 00:51:04,807 --> 00:51:06,684 There's one. 773 00:51:06,727 --> 00:51:09,002 Dog, leave it. Leave it. 774 00:51:09,047 --> 00:51:11,038 Leave it. Leave it. Leave it. 775 00:51:11,087 --> 00:51:13,237 Leave it. Leave it. 776 00:51:13,287 --> 00:51:15,403 - A simple case. (Click) 777 00:51:15,447 --> 00:51:17,403 - There we are. - He's just broken the neck. 778 00:51:17,447 --> 00:51:18,766 lt's a start. 779 00:51:18,807 --> 00:51:20,843 But they're hoping for many more rabbits. 780 00:51:20,887 --> 00:51:22,525 l'll put her in lower down. 781 00:51:29,607 --> 00:51:30,801 There he is, Dad! 782 00:51:31,727 --> 00:51:33,319 Good dog, Charlie. Good dog. 783 00:51:33,367 --> 00:51:35,403 - All right. - That'll do. Leave it. 784 00:51:37,327 --> 00:51:38,442 Leave it. 785 00:51:39,847 --> 00:51:43,999 With the warren exhausted, the final total is six rabbits. 786 00:51:46,047 --> 00:51:48,925 And they're quickly put to use back at the cottage. 787 00:51:52,927 --> 00:51:56,203 What l'm going to do is a pudding, a rabbit pudding. 788 00:51:56,247 --> 00:51:58,477 lt's a very rural dish. 789 00:52:00,127 --> 00:52:04,882 Suet puddings were an absolute staple for many a Victorian family, 790 00:52:04,927 --> 00:52:07,441 particularly at the bottom end of the social scale. 791 00:52:07,487 --> 00:52:10,047 They're cheap to make and they're very filling. 792 00:52:10,087 --> 00:52:11,679 And they're easy to make nice. 793 00:52:11,727 --> 00:52:15,686 You only need the tiniest touch of flavour and it goes right through them. 794 00:52:16,687 --> 00:52:19,326 Now, my pieces of rabbit are to be browned. 795 00:52:19,367 --> 00:52:22,245 That's just sort of lightly fried in a little bit of butter. 796 00:52:26,247 --> 00:52:29,842 So l'm just laying my pieces of rabbit... 797 00:52:32,967 --> 00:52:35,242 ..in carefully. 798 00:52:35,287 --> 00:52:40,122 Now, for the suet crust of my rabbit pudding, l've got to make suet crust pastry - 799 00:52:40,167 --> 00:52:46,606 which is just flour, a little water and some suet fat. 800 00:52:47,687 --> 00:52:50,838 Now, you need about twice as much flour as fat. 801 00:52:53,447 --> 00:52:56,678 This isn't posh cooking by any stretch of the imagination. 802 00:52:56,727 --> 00:52:58,763 This is simple food, quick to prepare. 803 00:52:59,767 --> 00:53:02,235 lt keeps you going, no matter what the weather. 804 00:53:10,207 --> 00:53:14,564 ln the sheep field, one of the pregnant ewes is showing signs of distress. 805 00:53:14,607 --> 00:53:17,246 The boys have decided they must intervene. 806 00:53:19,367 --> 00:53:21,358 She could go that side of you. 807 00:53:28,687 --> 00:53:30,405 - Get her down. - l'll go that way. 808 00:53:30,447 --> 00:53:32,403 Get her down. 809 00:53:32,447 --> 00:53:33,960 Take the back leg. 810 00:53:37,647 --> 00:53:39,126 Right. 811 00:53:39,167 --> 00:53:42,876 - We're going to go for this, yeah? - Yes. 812 00:53:42,927 --> 00:53:45,316 We've got some feet there. 813 00:53:46,007 --> 00:53:47,486 Feel with your fingers. 814 00:53:47,527 --> 00:53:49,006 Good boy. 815 00:53:50,007 --> 00:53:52,475 - ls it in the right alignment? - lt is, yeah. 816 00:53:52,527 --> 00:53:55,485 The head... l can feel the jaw. 817 00:53:55,527 --> 00:53:56,437 OK? 818 00:53:56,487 --> 00:53:58,000 See where my fingers are? 819 00:53:58,047 --> 00:54:00,003 l can feel the jaw there. 820 00:54:00,047 --> 00:54:01,639 So it's good. 821 00:54:01,687 --> 00:54:03,678 lt's very well presented. 822 00:54:08,807 --> 00:54:11,241 All the way out. 823 00:54:11,287 --> 00:54:13,278 Right, that's it. 824 00:54:14,087 --> 00:54:16,043 Lovely. 825 00:54:16,087 --> 00:54:19,557 Wipe it down. And its nose, the mucus in its mouth. That's it. 826 00:54:19,607 --> 00:54:22,041 - ls it breathing yet? ls it breathing? - Yeah. Yeah. 827 00:54:22,087 --> 00:54:23,281 Get some hay on it. 828 00:54:23,327 --> 00:54:25,921 Give it a rub with straw. That'll get the circulation going. 829 00:54:25,967 --> 00:54:29,004 - Just pinch its ear there. - Yeah. 830 00:54:29,047 --> 00:54:30,639 That's moving. 831 00:54:30,687 --> 00:54:32,678 lt's alive. lt's alive. Great. 832 00:54:34,407 --> 00:54:36,398 Here we go. 833 00:54:37,287 --> 00:54:40,165 l'm inclined to get some water to her, get her penned up. 834 00:54:40,207 --> 00:54:41,560 Get her penned. 835 00:54:41,607 --> 00:54:44,167 And then...just sort of... 836 00:54:44,207 --> 00:54:46,482 We'll monitor her overnight, yeah. 837 00:54:46,527 --> 00:54:50,486 - Sit for an hour and a half, a couple of hours. - Just to make sure she's all right. 838 00:54:50,527 --> 00:54:55,203 - And to make sure this one gets at the teats. - Yeah. 839 00:54:55,247 --> 00:54:57,556 - You think, yeah? - Yeah. 840 00:54:57,607 --> 00:55:00,041 She's trying to stand up as well. 841 00:55:00,087 --> 00:55:03,397 That's all good. That's a great sign, to be honest. That's a great sign. 842 00:55:03,447 --> 00:55:07,156 l mean, now she's sitting here and they're both doing fine, 843 00:55:07,207 --> 00:55:09,118 l'm really glad we did it. 844 00:55:09,167 --> 00:55:11,840 - Yeah, l think we made the right call. - l think we did. 845 00:55:11,887 --> 00:55:13,286 Look at that. Look at them. 846 00:55:13,327 --> 00:55:16,125 Look at that. l think she's going to try and stand up now. 847 00:55:16,167 --> 00:55:18,635 So time for me to make my exit. 848 00:55:18,687 --> 00:55:20,279 Mind your hands. 849 00:55:20,327 --> 00:55:21,396 Ooh. 850 00:55:22,447 --> 00:55:23,960 Thank you, Peter. 851 00:55:25,847 --> 00:55:27,599 That's quite something. 852 00:55:27,647 --> 00:55:29,638 That really was quite something. 853 00:55:41,047 --> 00:55:42,605 - Fantastic, Ruth. - Delicious. 854 00:55:42,647 --> 00:55:44,399 This is your rabbit, this is. 855 00:55:44,447 --> 00:55:46,085 Right. 856 00:55:46,127 --> 00:55:48,083 We're drooling over your dinner here. 857 00:55:48,127 --> 00:55:50,846 - Left-over pheasant. - Left-over pheasants. 858 00:55:50,887 --> 00:55:52,764 - Very frugal. - Looking very nice. 859 00:55:52,807 --> 00:55:54,957 - lt's a very gamey meal. - Yeah. 860 00:55:55,007 --> 00:55:57,475 Well, if you will keep going killing things. 861 00:55:57,527 --> 00:55:59,324 - Yeah. - We have to eat them. 862 00:56:03,207 --> 00:56:05,402 l still get great delight in eating the pheasant. 863 00:56:05,447 --> 00:56:07,165 - Cos he was eating our crop. - Yeah. 864 00:56:08,447 --> 00:56:10,802 The rabbit's nice. 865 00:56:14,847 --> 00:56:17,566 The farm's first lamb is doing well. 866 00:56:17,607 --> 00:56:21,725 And a little while after she was born, her mum gave birth for a second time. 867 00:56:23,527 --> 00:56:25,802 Shropshire sheep can often have twins 868 00:56:25,847 --> 00:56:27,838 or even triplets. 869 00:56:29,247 --> 00:56:35,561 With the rest of the flock due to give birth soon, the farm's population is set to explode. 870 00:56:39,127 --> 00:56:43,200 Just in time, the boys have finally completed the farmyard fence. 871 00:56:43,247 --> 00:56:46,603 Having felled the tree, sawn the gatepost, 872 00:56:46,647 --> 00:56:50,640 cleaved the rails and hung the gate with the blacksmith's hinges, 873 00:56:50,687 --> 00:56:53,440 it's now time to put their work to the test. 874 00:56:55,207 --> 00:56:58,882 Well, we've finished our post and rail fence that divides up our farmyard. 875 00:56:58,927 --> 00:57:01,361 John the blacksmith and Ruth have come to inspect it. 876 00:57:01,407 --> 00:57:04,399 And l'm going to let out the pigs. Alex is going to let out the cows. 877 00:57:04,447 --> 00:57:06,836 And hopefully, never the twain shall meet. 878 00:57:08,047 --> 00:57:10,641 Come on, then, you two. 879 00:57:10,687 --> 00:57:12,678 Out you come. 880 00:57:14,887 --> 00:57:16,878 There you go. 881 00:57:19,607 --> 00:57:22,758 - lt seems to be working really well. - l think it's a fantastic fence. 882 00:57:22,807 --> 00:57:25,321 l think, for me, it just completes the farmyard now. 883 00:57:25,367 --> 00:57:27,198 Like, everything is done. 884 00:57:27,247 --> 00:57:31,035 Yeah, they all look really sturdy, these posts. They look really good. 885 00:57:31,087 --> 00:57:33,521 Well, they are all sturdy, apart from the end one. 886 00:57:33,567 --> 00:57:35,558 (Ruth laughs) 887 00:57:38,527 --> 00:57:41,246 Next time on Victorian Farm... 888 00:57:41,287 --> 00:57:44,040 lt's spring. 889 00:57:44,087 --> 00:57:45,964 There are pigs to be delivered. 890 00:57:46,887 --> 00:57:48,878 And chicks to be hatched. 891 00:57:50,087 --> 00:57:52,362 The hens come under attack. 892 00:57:52,407 --> 00:57:53,806 l've got anther one, Peter. 893 00:57:54,647 --> 00:57:57,241 A prized ewe's life is in danger. 894 00:57:57,287 --> 00:58:01,041 The foot rot's got in and l am deeply, deeply concerned about this. 895 00:58:01,087 --> 00:58:03,647 And a lame horse could jeopardise everything. 896 00:58:06,967 --> 00:58:10,323 The team turn to science to help save their crops. 897 00:58:11,967 --> 00:58:15,437 lf they succeed, they'll have something to celebrate at the May Day fair. 898 00:58:17,247 --> 00:58:20,796 lf they fail, all their hard work will have been in vain. 899 00:58:20,847 --> 00:58:23,680 Oh, no! l've broken it already. 900 00:58:23,727 --> 00:58:26,605 lt's make or break time on the Victorian Farm.