I've never really described myself as someone who has a great love for art are in the sense
of the painted canvas and it's not to say that I don't admire art it's just something that never
really caught in my net of fascinations but then I inadvertently came across this painting
by Nicholas Conde looking South West down the rugged Coastline of Devon Condi captures the stark
contrast of human activity along the seemingly remote towering hillsides cut so dramatically by
the ocean over millennia and as we pan out further the final third of condi's painting starts to come
into view you see this isn't just a landscape painting because right now you're looking at
the 1840s Cutting Edge technology and I don't see that likely because today's modern world Cutting
Edge is something that's often computer or medical related but this isn't this is the physical and I
can't imagine those pictured would have been anything but mesmerized by every passing of a
locomotive and that's really what this painting is about for me as an engineer in his mid-30s
isn't bad Kingdom brunel's desire to Head West on into Devon and Cornwall brought him here to
this spot at the same time his father was about to complete the world's first underwater tunnel
it's not difficult to see why izombard had little reservation that he would simply tunnel
through the Cliffside here the route worked and perhaps gave us one of the UK's most iconic rail
routes still in use today albeit was seemingly endless repairs and Engineering works [Music]
so it turns out those engineering Works aren't new to this line and
have plagued it for quite some time even before it was actually opened
so let's take a look along the sea wall from the timber side right through the tunnels to
the dollar side and in particular let's have a look at the years before opening
because they tell us a really interesting story and for those of you not familiar
with this area well here is exactly where we are in the south west of England [Music]
the first real clue as to the progress of the line down here and its plans for the tunnels came in
late 1844. it was reported that 19 headings for up to five tunnels had been prepared they await
3256 pounds of explosives more importantly the arrival of the chief engineer Mr Brunell himself
towards the end of 1844 once again excitement continues and it's advised at the best place
to view the blasting of these tunnels is from the sea and perhaps a cautionary warning that
we're still heating today the weather may be unfavorable and the waves plentiful for a
landsman it goes on to suggest that you should wish to see this from the land and perhaps
the best place to view it is from the turnip field just off the tinmouth to Dulles Turnpike
it continues the immense mass of rock will be driven from its parent bed in three layers so
that the enormous super incumbent mass will be thrown off by degrees and present a magnificent
appearance for the lovers of the Wild and the wonderful the winter takes hold and we hear
very little into the summer of 1845 August delays at starcross and the foundation are
causing issue with the opening of the line and I wonder how much of this was diversionary from
the potential trouble just around the corner along with the tunnels to the west of dawlish
and with that in mind we have in the same month a detailed look at the tunnels themselves another
hint is that perhaps we aren't actually near completion it describes the tunnels from dawlish
West Kenway named after a respected fellow in Exeter 200 yards in lengths wrought with hard
Red Rock so hard as not to require support the next tunnel Corrigan named after high Sheriff of
Devon around 200 yards in Lent as well the third tunnel a short 30-yard tunnel fillet named after
the Reverend Charles Phillip who resided above and finally Parsons the next tunnel set to be
400 yards long cutting under Parsons Rock now you're potentially already know two differences
here the name Corrington is now coryton and of course we are missing Clark tunnel and yet just
a few months on we find another newspaper report suggesting Parson and Clark tunnel that's a singer
not plural so are we actually talking about four tunnels being the original plan I'm not
sure later in the year November 1845 once again note of the finishing of these tunnels an extra
800 men as we enter winter now and behold January 1846 and we have a reported fatality February 1846
just a few months away from the opening of the line and some significant alterations are being
made a bridge near holocum is yet to be laid and some tunnel centering is now being removed
perhaps now we're seeing the separation of Parsons and Clark tunnel it's difficult to gauge from the
language used in the papers March 1846 just two months before the opening of the line and the most
telling newspaper report of them all meeting across the West country was held in defiance
of gwr and their engineer the implication that the companies have provoked local communities
by not listening to them and continuing with plans in defiance of those communities
again it's difficult to determine exactly what this means but perhaps it refers to the wider
picture of getting rails and Railway down to Cornwall and gwr acting defiantly and pressing
on with the plan here Doris and tinmouth despite what the locals appear and see as a failed project
May 1846 and the line is open as far as tinmouth a further six months on and we're down to Newton
Abbott ready to head on into Cornwall whatever the cost human or otherwise a legacy of Brunel
lives on here and we are left with one of the most beautiful roots in the country [Music]
I hope you've enjoyed our little trip along the coast here the clips you've been watching
are part drone from just a few months ago and of course some slightly older ones from 1987
and some childhood holidays with myself and my father and perhaps my more youthful years
forget as always click on the Subscribe button if you've enjoyed this video and
Rebecca and I will be back out with an explore next week [Music]
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