A stunning aerial guide to Britain's spectacular spiritual and sacred heritage - from the producers of BBC TV's Wainwright Walks and Railway Walks.
Britain’s landscape is rich in sacred and spiritual sites, places of worship, religion, myth, mysticism and legend. Join us for a spectacular journey visiting many of the most important and impressive spiritual landmarks which have shaped Britain and become part of the fabric of society.
Stunning aerial photography, from Skyworks's advanced high-definition cameras, gives you rarely seen views of the locations and buildings which tell the fascinating story of spiritual Britain, from the sacred sites of pre-history to the diverse religious centres of today, including mosques and Hindu temples.
Starting with the ancient sites still shrouded in mystery, we explore how the peoples of Britain have marked the landscape with sacred symbols, from simple stone circles to the architectural complexity of the great cathedrals and beyond.
The cameras travel throughout Britain to show the Bronze Age barrows such as Maeshowe in Orkney, mystical ritual complexes like Avebury and Stonehenge and the outstanding ancient symbols including the Cerne Abbas Giant. Most remarkably we discover many of these pre-historic sites can only truly be fully appreciated from the air – making their construction all the more impressive, and our footage all the more breathtaking.
The influence of Roman temples, the worship of the natural, the impact of invasion by Vikings and Normans and the political turmoil which shaped the religious landscape are all examined as we journey across the cities, towns, villages and countryside. Arguably the most visible and popular symbols of spiritual Britain are the great cathedrals, and we see the spectacular grandeur of many of the most impressive, including St Paul’s, Durham, Wells, York Minster and Liverpool’s 20th century Anglican and Catholic cathedrals from the air.
With narration from Richard Mervyn, we visit the massive monastic estates and ruins left by the Tudor Reformation, including Fountains Abbey and Tintern, travel to the remote and mystical Christian sites of Lindisfarne and Iona, and marvel at the outstanding importance and remarkable history of Glastonbury.
Spiritual Britain tells a fascinating and still evolving story, but more than that, this programme is an amazing opportunity to see the outstanding British landscape and most impressive buildings from the air.