Richard Wilson on the Road

Tonight, the 1937 guide is helping him explore county Durham. Richard investigates the county’s history of coal and goes down the last surviving pit in Durham. He blasts out a tune on the organ in the city’s ancient Cathedral and visits the 200 acre deer park at Raby Castle in Teesdale. However driving in the rain and on unknown roads does bring its tribulations!

With his 1936 guide on board, Richard is exploring the beautiful county of Dorset. Richard grew up on the banks of the Clyde and is always keen to be near water so his first stop off is to the coast at Studland where there’s a surprising encounter with a local. Then it’s off to the Jurassic coast with its impressive 180 million year geological history. Richard calls in to the home of one of the county’s most famous inhabitants – Thomas Hardy, before being schooled in the Dorset dialect.

Following the 1968 guide to Essex, Richard finds a very different Essex to the latter day flashy stereotypical image of the county. He visits the historic town of Colchester to see an archaeological dig on the high street and travels to Mersea Island where he goes oyster fishing on a boat. He then follows the controversial recommendation from the guide to visit the “new town” of Harlow and the rather more predictable one of the Jacobean Palace, Audley End.

This week Richard is in Devon with the 1936 guide written by John Betjeman who went on to become the much-loved poet laureate and broadcaster. He gets a bird's eye view of the town of Torquay, visits Dame Agatha Christie’s home on the English Riveria, meets one of Devon’s oldest families – the Fulfords – and drives Deborah the Daimler to the Dartmoor.

In this episode Richard is following the Shell Guide to Oxfordshire, which excluded the famous city and concentrated on the wealth of other sights in the county on offer. He drives to Henley on Thames and visits one of the most famous rowing clubs in the world. He goes behind the scenes of Blenheim Palace and learns how to keep the duke’s bathwater hot by the plumber! He calls in to the village of Bampton, which doubles up as the village of Downton in the TV series.