Historical observational documentary series following a team who live the life
of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing period clothes and using only the
materials that would have been available in 1885, historian Ruth Goodman and
archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn are going back in time to relive
the day-to-day life of the Victorian farmer. The project is based on the Acton
Scott estate in Shropshire - a world frozen in time, lost in Victorian rural
England. Its buildings and grounds are cluttered with antique tools and
machinery collected by the Acton family, who have lived on the estate since
the 12th century. Working for a full calendar year, Ruth, Alex and Peter are
rediscovering a lost world of skills, crafts and knowledge, assisted by an
ever-dwindling band of experts who keep Victorian rural practices alive.
分集介绍
The Teams Year Begins
The team move into a Victorian smallholding on the Acton Scott estate that has
not been used in nearly half a century. Their first task is the restoration of
the cottage. As incoming tenants, they help thresh the previous summer’s wheat
crop, their first experience of steam-powered machinery. Alex attempts to sow
a wheat crop using horse-power. Ruth and Peter install a range in the cottage
and take a trip to the canals to load up on coal. It’s time for the apple
harvest, so Alex and Peter turn their hand to making cider. Ruth explores the
challenges of Victorian cooking by making preserves ready for winter and cooks
her first meal on the range. And the team must learn shepherding skills the
hard way as the first livestock arrive on the farm - a flock of Shropshire
ewes
Winter
As autumn ends, winter proofing begins in earnest: essential work if the
livestock and crops are to make it through the cold and frost. The team stock
up on animal feed using a host of Victorian machinery. Peter faces his biggest
challenge so far: building pigsties. Ruth tackles the laundry, a gruelling
four-day process that Victorians tackled weekly. The ram arrives on the farm;
ensuring he gets the ewes pregnant is the only way to produce lambs in the
spring. The team take delivery of a Shire horse. There is a traditional
Victorian Christmas to look forward to, including decorations, cookery and
church carols. They celebrate Christmas Day with the friends they have made
over the past four months.
The New Year Arrives
New Year arrives and the farm needs emergency repairs. So the team goes back
to DIY basics, with the help of the woodsman, the blacksmith and the basket
maker. Ruth has a go at some traditional potions and remedies. When the wheat
crop comes under attack, it is time for some pest control, Victorian style, as
Alex and Peter join a pheasant hunt. Alex goes out catching rabbits with a
team of Victorian poachers. And with spring around the corner, the first baby
animals are ready to be born
Springtime
It is spring and there are lambs and pigs to be delivered, which means Alex
and Peter need to master animal midwifery. A prized ewe is in danger and a
lame horse may jeopardise vital work on the farm. The team turns to Victorian
science in a bid to save their struggling crops. If they succeed, they will
have something to celebrate at the May Day fair. If they fail, all their hard
work will have been in vain. It is make or break time on the Victorian Farm.
Work in the Dairy
In this episode, the team embarks on a trip by steam train, Ruth begins a
tough task in the dairy, Alex tries his hand at beekeeping, the sheep are
sheared using the latest time-saving technology, and the lengthening summer
days allow Alex and Peter to try out the new Victorian sport of cricket. It is
also time for the hay harvest, weather permitting
The Teams Year is Over
The team’s year on the farm is coming to an end, but first they have to bring
in the wheat harvest, the most crucial part of the Victorian Farm calendar.
Alex and Peter must get to grips with a contraption that was state-of-the-art
technology in Victorian times, the reaper binder. Ruth explores the craft of
straw plaiting and discovers the art of printing. The boys try their hand at a
home brew. The team bring in the wheat harvest with the help of some extra
labour, and celebrate with a raucous harvest festival.
