Building Wonders

Episodes - Building Wonders

• Box Tunnel Scrutinising the plans of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Box Tunnel, which was completed in 1841 and was at the time the longest railway tunnel in the world. Presenter Julian Richards explores whether Brunel really needed to build the two-mile-long structure at all
• Concorde Julian Richards meets the aero-engineers who designed the Concorde in the late 1950s, and learns how they made sure the engines were efficient, answered questions about the shape of the wings and learned how to fly it safely at twice the speed of sound without the aid of computers. Last in series
• Floating Harbour Julian Richards travels up the River Avon to Bristol's Floating Harbour. Developed 200 years ago to keep boats permanently afloat, it was at the time the world's largest impounded port
• The Fosse Way Julian Richards explores how and why the Romans built roads such as the Fosse Way so straight and why a kink in the path at Cirencester gives an insight on how they treated the nations they invaded
• Gloucester Cathedral Julian Richards explores what it takes to maintain Gloucester Cathedral and why masons have been extending, improving and repairing the structure since it was built over 900 years ago. He also discovers how a revolutionary medieval rebuild changed the course of British architecture
• Stonehenge New series. Julian Richards explores the region's man-made icons, from 5,000-year-old monuments to the technical achievements of Concorde in the 1960s. He begins with a look at the plans for Stonehenge, and asks whether there were bands of stonemasons and carpenters drafted in for the project