A stunning aerial guide to Britain's spectacular industrial heritage - from the producers of BBC TV's Wainwright Walks and Railway Walks.
Britain has a long and proud industrial heritage, one which has left its mark on the landscape, towns, cities and villages. This stunning film utilises spectacular aerial footage, from Skyworks's advanced high definition cameras, to explore impressive and important structures which chart the history of Britain at Work.
The fascinating story, narrated by Richard Mervyn, begins in the ancient world with early metalwork, farming and trade before examining the influences, invasions and technical innovations which shaped how Britain went to work. Evidence of ancient agriculture, the Norman feudal system, monastic estates and the massive sheep industry can still be seen in the modern landscape, and the aerial footage offers a rarely-seen view of these important sites.
Availability of transport has always played a major role in economic development, and we fly over the vast networks of waterways, railways and roads which saw business become more efficient, quicker and more profitable over the centuries.
From major ports, old and new, along the great canal systems, tracing the major steam rail routes and marvelling at the extensive motorways of today, the story of Britain at Work unfolds. The ingenuity of the British is celebrated in the complex canal lock systems, the giant aqueducts, the huge brickworks and quarries, the harnessing of power from wind, water, coal and oil.
The industrial revolution, the advent of the factory, the decline of traditional manufacturing and the rise of the office culture are all explored through the landmarks of economic development, with stunning sequences of aerial footage capturing the famous mills, harbours, iron bridges and sprawling city centres which created, and then kept supplied, an Empire which stretched around the globe.
Britain at Work is not only an absorbing story of how an island nation became a dominant world power, it is also an wonderful opportunity to enjoy a spectacular view of Britain from the air.