Victorian Farm

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[edit] General Information

History Documentary hosted by Stephen Noonan, published by BBC in 2009 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Victorian Farm 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.