The fourth episode in this second series of ‘Grundy’s Wonders’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy. In this edition John looks at the importance of the Victorian era travelling across both the Northeast as well as North and West Yorkshire to find and explore examples of the many varied architectural styles that developed during Queen Victoria’s rein. An animation of a book with its pages turning revealing...

The fourth episode in this second series of ‘Grundy’s Wonders’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy. In this edition John looks at the importance of the Victorian era travelling across both the Northeast as well as North and West Yorkshire to find and explore examples of the many varied architectural styles that developed during Queen Victoria’s rein. An animation of a book with its pages turning revealing different buildings and architectural styles ending on presenter John Grundy holding the programmes title card. Title: Grundy’s Wonders The statue of Queen Victoria in the grounds of the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle. Inside the hospital overlooking the statue presenter John Grundy looks over four pairs of Victoria’s undergarments presented to the hospital upon her death in 1901. Looking out the window at the statue John explains that their response to this rather ‘backhanded’ compliment was to build the statue of her as she was when she came to the throne aged only 18 in 1837. Now standing beside the statue of the young Victoria John tries to imagine what life was like when she came to the throne, very different from today. Some of John points are illustrated with views of a field in the countryside and a river with a Victorian factory building in the distance. Standing beside the Queen Victoria Statue outside Newcastle Cathedral on St Nicholas Square John talks about the development of this ‘realistic’ sculpture of the queen as an older woman. John then goes onto talk about the amazing transformation that had taken place in the country during her reign with the population almost doubling in size. Looking around from outside the cathedral John points out some of the massive Victorian building that were built to serve this growing populous. One of the buildings pointed out across the square was where Thomas Cook opened his first travel agency in 1875 and is one of John’s absolute favourites. Several questions about who the Victorians were and what they were like are asked by John who pops up at various location around the city ending outside the rear door to a building associated with Newcastle Cathedral that features about it the mysterious grotesque known as The Vampire Rabbit of Newcastle. As John wonders around the village of Whitburn near Sunderland he explains that little architecturally has changed here since he 18th century and is typical of many rural locations that existed when Victoria first came to the throne. Standing on Church Lane he points out a typical Georgian house in the classical style described as both restrained and dignified that was built around the time of Victoria’s birth in 1819. However, across the road a very different type of building; Red Cottage built in around 1842 which is considered an example of typical Victorian architecture being fussy, fancy and richly decorated. Over views of the house John explains why he loves it so. Standing on nearby Front Street outside Whitburn House, John talks about Thomas Burns who as well as building Red Cottage also built this ‘riotously exuberant’ property in the 1860s. Both, he explains, sum up what people expect to see when talking about Victorian architecture. Standing on the corner of Grainger Street and St John’s Street in Newcastle and with the former Wenger’s department store building in the background John tells a story about how a lot of Victorian buildings such as Wenger’s are often ‘bulging and curvy’ and top heavy with lots of fancy bits on top. Over views showing the Wenger’s buildings fanciness John states that because of decorations like this the Victorians have been accused as having bad taste which he disagrees with seeing it as having energy and imagination. John uses as examples the colourful exterior of The Steamboat public house on Mill Dam in South Shields as well as several nearby houses with their decorative door surrounds to explain why he is amazed by the Victorians as they never seemed to repeat a design. As he drives past rows of terraced streets John explains that while the Victorians did design and build many good buildings, he has had to come to Leeds in West Yorkshire to show an example of their bad design. Over a montage of various back-to-back houses and streets he explains why he is convinced the Victorians were mistaken in designing them. Walking along a back-alley John talks about how from the 1860s onwards town councils across the country tried to ban these types of housing, but as they were cheap to build and rent, they kept getting built. While John understands that they still serving a useful purpose today, he sees them as leftovers from a world that considers it okay to rip-off the poor with something substandard and because of this it is getting this week’s ‘Grundy’s Great Boot of History’. An animation of a boot crushing down on a row of back-to-back houses. Title: Grundy’s Wonders End of Part One Part Two Sitting on a pew inside St Peter’s Church at Harrogate in North Yorkshire, John talks about the church which was built in 1870 during the high Victorian period when the oddest and most extreme over fussiness and top heaviness was in fashion. Wondering around the church John points out some of the buildings exuberance becoming richer in design the closer to the high alter you get. Standing behind a brass lectern John is impressed with the Victorians inventiveness as there is so much to admire. Stepping outside John talks positively both about the church and Harrogate describing it not only as one of the nicest Victorian towns that he knows, but also one of nicest towns overall. Over views of the towns pump room John explains that Harrogate started as a spa town. Sitting on a park bench John pulls out a book containing photographs of the fabulous Georgian architecture of two other famous spa towns Bath and Buxton. However, over a montage of Harrogate’s Victorian architecture John explains that it isn’t anything like them having its own peculiar charms. Over views of architectural features around Harrogate John goes onto explain that the Victorians got good at copying or reworking older style of which there were two main ones. Beginning with views of Westminster Arcade followed by Trinity Methodist Church John talks about the first of these styles the Gothic style. John goes onto explain that while the town has a few examples in this style, Harrogate is dominated by the other great historical style known as the Classical style. A montage follows of various builds around town build in the Italianate classical style with their round arched windows, flattish roofs and broad eaves supported on brackets. As John walks along a suburban Harrogate street, he explains that high Victorians of the 1860s weren’t fussy about where they found their inspiration. He comes to a stop outside one property stating that it is an identikit house of European architecture. A montage of its features follows featuring its Gothic gate piers, Italianate window and with a Mansard roof with fancy Dutch gables over the windows. Walking along Wide Howe Lane in the village of Baldersby St James near Thirsk in North Yorkshire John talks about a totally different style of architecture which began to develop in the later years of Victoria’s rein. Coming to stand outside the parish church he states that the village contains some of the earliest and best examples to be found. Over a montage of the church, the nearby local school as well as a set of cottages all designed by William Butterfield John explains why he likes them and why they are of such importance. Leaning against a tree John explains that the village was a forerunner of a movement that was going to sweep the country in the later years of Queen Victoria. Known as the Arts and Crafts style John believes it to be the greatest architectural style ever to be invented in Britain. Walking through the village of Westoe near South Shields John comes to stand outside South Garth which was designed by one of the architects of the Arts and Crafts movement John James (JJ) Stevenson. Over views of the house John describes its design as a reject of the high Victorian style, a building that is quiet and simple in redbrick and white painted windows. Standing outside John explains that while he almost choose it as his favourite Victorian building in the Northeast, deep down he knew he needed to choose the greatest of them all. At Cragside in Northumberland views of some of the external architectural features with John talking about its fairy-tale features and unified design by architect Norman Shaw. Inside he talks about it feeling like the personality of its owner the Victorian industrialist Lord William Armstrong, a sense of a lovely warm domesticity. The sequence ends on a portrait of Lord Armstrong sitting in a chair beside a fire changing to John sitting in the same chair and spot telling the viewer that Cragside is officially his favourite Victorian building in the Northeast. An animation of a fanfare of trumpets over the following title. Title: Grundy’s Wonders Over the closing credits a montage of some of the locations visited in the programme. Credit: Written and Presented by John Grundy Camera Dave Leeder, Simon Elphinstone Sound Paul Graham Lighting Gordon Porteous, John Haynes Production Assistants Margaret McKie Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Graphics Dave Richardson Title Music John Cook Dubbing Charles Heath Editor Mike Pounder Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Producer & Director Steve Robins End title: A Tyne Tees Television production. © Tyne Tees Television MMI