It can be claimed that Canterbury Cathedral is as old as England itself. But the cathedral is now showing its age. Massive chunks of stone are falling from the weather- worn windows of the towers, and the great timbers holding up its iconic Christchurch Gate have literally been eaten away. With unprecedented access, this documentary follows a dedicated team of craftspeople as they work to complete a 5-year, £25million project to restore the cathedral to its former glory.
Edinburgh Bridge arches above Waverley, the second busiest station in the whole of Britain. A technological marvel in its day, the Victorian bridge was built in1897 out of the cutting-edge materials of its time after the old stone bridge fell down. The team build a Protection Deck: more than 300km of scaffolding cover the whole bridge, encasing it in an exoskeleton of constantly changing steel as the scaffold team abseil down to reconfigure it on a daily basis, reshaping it to fit the needs of the project.
Since opening in 1851 and hosting to some of the world's most prestigious acts, the historic Royal Albert Hall is now in need of urgent repairs. But the colossal iron and glass dome roof requires a specialist team and the history of the building means restoration must be of the highest order, but also completed in time for its grand reopening in its 150th year.
Salt water and iron don't mix and Southend Pier, built back in 1888, has seen better days. Now a team of specialists are working hard to prevent it falling into the sea.
After 14 decades centre stage the Manchester Town Hall is in urgent need of repair. Now a dedicated team are working hard to do this Architectural giant justice.
The Victorian London sewer system is getting a 21st century upgrade. Machines bore a network of tunnels linking Bazalgette's old sewer network to the Tideway Super-Sewer.
