Unlocking the Midlands | A History of the World

Duration: 28'54''

Synopsis

Chris Tarrant discovers how one simple invention revolutionised the industrial heart of Britain. He travels by narrow boat to see how the Brindley Lock created a canal network that would transform the Midlands from rural backwater to industrial giant.

Further Information

More clips from A History of the World

Cumbria's Atomic Pioneers | A History of the World

Cumbria's Atomic Pioneers | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 29'07''

Stuart Maconie goes in search of Britain's atomic past, discovering the world's first nuclear power station, tucked away i...

Jenner's Marvellous Medicine | A History of the World

Jenner's Marvellous Medicine | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 29'05''

Professor Mark Horton tells the epic story of the world's greatest medical discovery. Edward Jenner's vaccination for s...

Suffragette City | A History of the World

Suffragette City | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 28'56''

It was the campaign that changed the lives of British women forever. Actress Sheila Hancock is given unprecedented access to the Mu...

The Birth of Steam | A History of the World

The Birth of Steam | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 28'52''

Adam Hart-Davis tells the remarkable story of Thomas Newcomen, the Devon man who invented the world's first working steam-powered...

The Clock That Changed the World | A History of the World

The Clock That Changed the World | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 29'09''

Adam Hart-Davis tells the story of the amazing 280-year-old wooden clock, made in Lincolnshire, that changed timeke...

The Man Who Shrank the Globe | A History of the World

The Man Who Shrank the Globe | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 28'54''

Jem Stansfield uncovers the story behind the invention of the jet engine. Frank Whittle turned our world into a global ...

Towton 1461 | A History of the World

Towton 1461 | A History of the World

BBC One | 2010 | 29'00''

Horrible Histories author Terry Deary tells the story of the country's biggest and bloodiest ever battle in which 28,000 soldiers died i...

More resources about The Industrial Revolution

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

BBC Four | 2011 | 59'13''

Using animation and actual recorded testimony, historian Jane Humphries tells the story of the child workers whose exploitation was ...

S02E03: The Worst Industrial Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

S02E03: The Worst Industrial Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

Channel 4 | 2006 | 48'51''

Among the Worst Industrial Jobs in History are: Bridge builders, Canal leggers, bone cleaner to make...

Children in the Industrial Revolution | The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

Children in the Industrial Revolution | The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

BBC Four | 2011 | 9'52''

How children were treated and how this began to change.

Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here

Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here

BBC HD | 2013 | 57'55''

Professor Jeremy Black explains the unique economic, social and political factors that helped Britain transform itself almost ent...

Britain 1750-1900: 03: Health and Housing | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 03: Health and Housing | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 19'01''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the ...

07: Age of Industry | Andrew Marr's History of the World

07: Age of Industry | Andrew Marr's History of the World

BBC One | 2012 | 59'14''

In this episode, Andrew Marr tells how Britain's Industrial Revolution created the modern world.

Britain 1750-1900: 01: Migration and Emigration | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 01: Migration and Emigration | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'54''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation change...

04: Mine (Black Country) | How Britain Worked

04: Mine (Black Country) | How Britain Worked

Channel 4 | 2012 | 46'22''

Guy Martin's project is the first piston engine ever built - The Newcomen Beam Engine - which the team set out to return to ful...

Cotton mill | Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village

Cotton mill | Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village

BBC Four | 2018 | 5'53''

The creation of one of the first cotton mills in Cromford.

Industry and factories | Learning Zone

Industry and factories | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'49''

Today we take factories for granted but in the 1700s they represented a completely new way of working. Until this time most work was d...

02: Brunel | Great Britons (2002)

02: Brunel | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 57'50''

In a series of programs about the chief candidates for greatness, Jeremy Clarkson argues the case for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the great 19...

Britain 1750-1900: 02: Crime and Punishment | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 02: Crime and Punishment | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'51''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed th...

S01E01: Victorian | Turn Back Time

S01E01: Victorian | Turn Back Time

BBC One | 2010 | 59'05''

A group of modern shopkeepers and their families live and trade through six key eras of history. They begin their journey in the 1870s, wh...

01: Speed Merchants | What the Victorians Did For Us

01: Speed Merchants | What the Victorians Did For Us

BBC Two | 2001 | 29'10''

Adam Hart-Davis investigates the Victorian innovations that left a lasting impression on British society. This edition f...

05: Henry VIII to the Industrial Revolution | Michael Wood's Story of England

05: Henry VIII to the Industrial Revolution | Michael Wood's Story of England

BBC Four | 2010 | 59'05''

A portrait of one village through the whole of English history sees 17th-century dissenters, an...

Britain 1750-1900: 04: Work and Wages | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 04: Work and Wages | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'11''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the day-...

Britain 1750-1900: 05: Reform and Recreation | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 05: Reform and Recreation | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'25''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed t...

Britain 1750-1900: 06: 1900-1909 - Britain at its peak? | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 06: 1900-1909 - Britain at its peak? | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 23'35''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisatio...

Canals | Learning Zone

Canals | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'40''

In the 1770s canals linked the country, carrying goods cheaply and efficiently. Without them it is hard to see how the Industrial Revolution could hav...

01: The Great Ship | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

01: The Great Ship | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

BBC Two | 2003 | 49'07''

Following the story of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's struggle to build the world's largest ship, The Great Eastern.