Michael Portillo fast tracks to the early 20th century to embark on a new series of railway journeys through Edwardian Britain. His ‘new’ guide book, published over a hundred years ago, unlocks Britain’s railways at their zenith, when some 20,000 miles of track reached into every corner of the country. Michael navigates a vibrant and optimistic Britain, at the height of its power and influence in the world, but a nation wrestling with political, social and industrial unrest at home.<br /><br />Part 2: Letchworth Garden City to Herne Hill<br />Michael joins a garden party where a fourth-generation citizen of Letchworth introduces him to the city’s community spirit. Heading into the capital, Michael discovers a favoured haunt of King Edward VII and samples the monarch’s favourite tipple, the King’s Ginger, invented to keep him warm in his horseless carriage.<br /><br />Improvements to the London Underground in the early 20th century gave us a network of electric railways, which shaped our modern capital. Inside London’s newest rail tunnel, Michael meets engineer Jonathan Cooper to discover more about current improvements to London’s oldest deep-level tube line, the Northern line, which is being extended.
