How We Built Britain
Programme One: The East – A New Dawn
David Dimbleby reveals the human story behind the magnificent cathedrals and country estates of East Anglia – how war and plague influenced architecture and laid the foundations of modern Britain.
In the Middle Ages, the East of England was the richest corner of the nation and the Norman conquest of 1066 led to the first construction boom in our history.
The visionary Normans used their building skills to demonstrate their power over the local population. Ely Cathedral would take 300 years to complete, with its intricate stonework and majestic nave. But 1,000 years later it still towers over the Fens.
Says David: "There were no architectural drawings, there was no architect. Working with little more than a set square, some compasses and a grasp of geometry, medieval masons were able to raise this glorious building to the heavens."
David joins modern-day stonemasons as they restore the cathedral, and embraces tradition by leaving a time capsule – including TV schedules and a Mars Bar – for future generations to discover.
At 13th century Cressing Temple in Essex, David tries traditional carpentry, while Gainsborough Old Hall demonstrates the grandeur of rich society – in contrast to his own family’s humbler beginnings in Dembleby, Lincolnshire.
The Black Death in 1348 killed nearly half the people in England. Sheep-rearing grew in popularity as it required less labour - and produced wool. Turning wool into cloth brought riches to towns such as Lavenham in Suffolk, where whole streets of merchants' houses and workshops survive today.
Mortality rates remained high, however, and one way to ward off illness was to go on a pilgrimage. Claims that the Virgin Mary appeared in Norfolk in 1061 brought both rich and poor to Little Walsingham, and it still attracts modern-day pilgrims.
The sophistication of the medieval age reached its peak at the University of Cambridge, with King's College Chapel – the brainchild of Henry VI – at its centre.
David says: "It was 70 years and six monarchs before it was completed. But when it was finished it stood as the most magnificent memorial to medieval man."
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