Good morning, we are going to conclude our series on the Great London Fire today.  Will the fire get put out?  What stopped the fire?  How did the city rebuild?  The run time for the final episode is 44:32.

It is September 5; a strong wind has been blowing the fire west.  However, the wind changes, and now the fire is heading for the Tower of London.  The Tower of London is the most important building in London.  It is also the biggest ammunition dump in the country. 

Nothing is immune from the fire’s destruction.  The people were terrified.  St. Paul’s Cathedral has been wiped out.  Thousands of books were burned during the fire.  Bookseller Joshua Viner lost his entire stock.  He would sink into debt and would die penniless. Robert Viner, the banker, would fair much better.  Sybil Tame, the shoemaker would lose her shop and would lose everything.  She would take shelter at nearby Christ’s Hospital. 

A group of firefighters made their way to the Tower of London.  Their job was to protect the tower.  However, it would be a challenge.  Everyone’s eyes were on the Tower.  Would the firefighters manage to save the Tower?  Dan Jones catches up with Ronald Hutton at the Tower of London.  Hutton talks about the munitions held in the tower and if it was destroyed it would have been similar to a low-level nuclear device.  How could the firefighters save the Tower? 

Rob Bell talks about how the firefighters would tear down houses, creating firebreaks.  He goes to a firefighter training school to see if this method would work.  However, by tearing down the houses there was more fuel for the fire.  There was no time to clear away the debris.  The methods changed, and so the firefighters would clear the debris from the torn-down houses.  Rob Bell experiments with this method and discovers that clearing the debris worked at preventing the fire from spreading.  If only this method was employed earlier, perhaps the fire would not have spread so fast.

How did Londoners stop the fire from spreading to the Tower?  Ronald Hutton talks about how the house was torn down and that the area was blown up with gunpowder.  So gun powder was used to save the gunpowder.

How many people died in the Great Fire?  Suzannah Lipscomb talks about the record showing that six people died at the fire.  However, this is absurdly low.  The authorities tried to keep careful records, particularly the method of death.  Suzannah looks at the records for 1666 and talks with the historian.  The historian talks about how the printing press and the reporting of deaths broke down.  Suzannah suggests that it would have suggested many, many people died.  The historian talks about how information was at people’s fingertips and if there was a massive amount of death it would have been known about by the gossip.

Suzannah believes that there would have been hundreds of deaths due to the Great Fire.  She talks with historian Neil Hansen who wrote a book on the Great Fire.  From history, when there was a great fire, thousands of people would have died.  As a result of history, he believes that thousands of people disappeared during the Great Fire.  Many of these people would have been the poorer in society so nobody would have cared about them.  Their deaths would have gone unrecorded.  However, would the temperatures of the great fire be enough to consume a human body?  Evidence showed the fire was hot enough to melt metal.  The thought of the fire hot enough to consume a human body terrifies Suzannah.

The firefighters continued to tear down streets and create fire breaks.  Finally, the wind started to decline.  Slowly the fire started getting under control.  The fire had reached the Tailor Hall Guild.  It was here where the fire was stopped.  Thousands of people were homeless, millions of pounds of damage were done to the buildings, and London was in shambles.  How would London recover from the Great Fire?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

This was an excellent conclusion to the Great London Fire series.  This is one excellent series for research purposes.

Good morning, we are going to continue our series on the Great London Fire and the run time for the second episode is 44:32.  The fire had begun in the Pudding Lane Area.  It had swept through the poorer areas and was heading up towards the posher areas of London.

Chaos and panic swept through the capital.  It is day two of the fire.  The fire continues its destructive path.  It moves towards Gracechurch Street and it wipes out the street in a matter of hours.  It is making its way to the Financial District on Lombard Street and the Royal Exchange.  If it reaches this area, then it will ruin the English economy. 

People are panicking and the city is in chaos.  There are bottlenecks for people trying to escape through the gates of London.  Everyone, rich and poor is under threat of fire.  Nobody will be allowed into London.  The banker, Robert Viner, is now coming face to face with the fire.  He was friends with the King and now his home was in danger.  Viner had his family, important documents, cash, and jewelry sent to Windsor Castle twenty miles away.  Viner would lose his house and his neighborhood.  However, the Great Fire was not done with him yet.  Rich people had the cash to pay people to get their goods out of harm’s way.  The poor had no option but to gather what they could.

The Great Fire continued to spread north and it finally reached the Royal Exchange.  3,000 merchants had their livelihoods destroyed in a matter of moments.  The royal exchange was where the East India Trading Company stored its goods.  It is here, that Dan catches up with Ronald Hutton to learn about the impact of this loss would be on the economy.  Hutton compares the loss of the exchange to the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, and merchant banks going up in smoke.  It would have been the place where people came to make money and move goods.  The poor would have lost their jobs while the rich would have lost money when this went up into flames.

The fire continues to spread and Samuel Pepys writes about the front lines.  On the third day, the fire continues to spread and it will only take one man to stop it: the King.  Half of the city’s buildings have been destroyed.  Day three was the most destructive and had made its way to Cheapside, the most fashionable part of town.  Bookseller, Joshua is packing his books to get them to safety.  Buildings are burning in every direction and the wall of flame is 30 feet high.  Cheapside is fully ablaze.

Citizens were running in every direction, some were fleeing to the city while others were trying to use the river to put out the fire.  Charles II stepped in and took charge.  He sets up a command post.  Charles II and his brothers James threw themselves into the fight, passing along buckets and helping with the fire engines.  This would have won the people over.  When Charles II took the crown, he was a man engaged in scandal after scandal.  He was a man looking for fun.  However, the people wanted stability, someone who would be able to keep a pulse on the nation.  The Great Fire would be the PR opportunity of a lifetime for the King.

The fires continued to move to the north.  Buildings over 300 years old were destroyed.  The flames seemed to leap from building to building.  New fires were breaking out all over London.  Rob Bell walks with an expert on how fires spread.  The key to the London fires was the embers.  Embers would have been carried into the wind, spreading the fire far and wide.  Buildings in the poorer areas of London were not well maintained, and these would have provided fuel for the fire.  What else does our trio of historians learn about the London Fire?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Oh yes, the documentary got better when Ronald Hutton joined our trio.  He is always good for commentary.  This is another good episode for research purposes and clip purposes for the classroom.

Good morning, soon July will be gone and then August will take its place.  For August I will be doing my recommendation lists for teachers to help them prepare for the school year.  Then in September, I will be back to blogging five days a week until next May.  The plan for the rest of the year will be a variety of documentaries for September, then October 31 Days of the Time Team, then World War I and World War II for November, and concluding with Fun and Frivolous and Year in Review for December.  I find myself trying to find a balance between what gets newly posted on Timeline or Absolute History and looking through older documentaries.

It is 1666 and central London is on fire.  The Great Fire was the biggest in London’s history.  It destroyed 87 churches and over 13,000 houses and caused billions of pounds in damage.  Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb, and Rob Bell trace the story of the great fire through three people.  The three people are Sybil – a shoemaker, Joshua – a bookseller, and Robert – a banker.  Each of these people would be transformed by the Great Fire.  The run time for the first episode is 44:20.

Dan Jones kicks off the series by going to the place where the fire started: Pudding Lane.  The Great Fire of London started as the result of a hot and dry summer.  Everyone was going about their business.  It would have been a typical Saturday afternoon until a baker started a fire that would consume the city.  Thomas was the bakery owner.  Dan talks about how he was a tricky character and would end up the villain of the story.  The Fire was thought to have been started on Pudding Lane, however, one historian found the exact location of the fire.  The ovens were found on a street over Monument Lane.  The bakery would have been a large complex.

The fire began Sunday Night.  The evening was rather quiet and the baker’s family would have turned in for bed.  The baker’s family insisted that the fire was out when they went to bed.  However, it was clear that an ember was slowly burning a pile of twigs.  The fire was later discovered by the baker’s son and he rose the alarm.  The only way for the family to escape was on the roof.  The family shouted for help.  Unfortunately, the fire was starting to spread to nearby houses. 

Bell tries to look for why the fire spread and he discovers that it was in the architecture of the building.  He turns to the Weald and Downland Museum.  The top floors would have been jettied out, meaning the top floors were extended over the floors below.  The first floor would have had enough space for a cart and the upper floors meant that you could have shaken hands with your neighbor.  This would have allowed more floor space on upper levels; however, the houses would have been packed tightly together.  This would have spread rapidly.  Additionally, many of the walls would have been used with waddle and dob.  Bell takes wall samples to a fire lap to try to show what would have happened to the walls during the fire.  The results are surprising to Bell.  This does not answer the question as to why the buildings caught fire so quickly.  Another test is called for and this time the walls are damaged and the fire begins immediately.  The houses on Pudding Lane at the time would have been considered in poor repair.

The baker would have made his way to church to sound the alarm.  The church bells would have been the loudest thing people would have heard.  Church bells at two in the morning would have been highly unusual.  People would have known that there would have been something going on with that early alarm.  However, would the people have any idea what was coming for them?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out!

This was a very interesting first episode of the series.  The experiment with the waddle and dob-building technique was very cool to see.  This would be a good episode for research purposes as well as something you can mine for clips.  The interactions between Dan, Suzannah, and Rob were nice to see.  So far this series is off to a good start because you can easily follow along with the progress of the Great Fire.

Good morning, we are continuing with our exploration of Baroque Art.  Waldemar Januszczak’s journey will end in this final episode.  This time Waldemar Januszczak finds himself in England exploring the impact of Baroque art on England.  The run time for this episode is 59:38.

England was stuck in the Middle Ages when Baroque was taking over the world.  The Renaissance had not even arrived on England’s shores either.  Crossing the Channel was difficult and there was much English resistance to new art.  Januszczak states that “England, artistically speaking was backward.”  Religious forces kept the Baroque from getting into England.  Events of the Reformation made people suspicious of the pope.

The Baroque would arrive in England.  Events would prove tragic.  Januszczak travels through England and begins at the Royal Observatory and the Greenwich Sailors Hospital.  The key building was the Queen’s House.  It had been designed by Anne of Denmark and it would prove to be an important building in English history.  It was the Renaissance and Baroque periods rolled into one building.  Januszczak tours the Queen’s house.  Januszczak sums up the Queen’s house as a tiny crack that brought Baroque into England.

King Charles I would force that crack wide open.  He was a man who absolutely believed in the divine right of kings.  Januszczak surmises that he was the one king that had a taste.  He talks about Charles I and his physical disadvantages.  Eventually, he became a man of art.  Januszczak talks about Charles I’s marriage prospects and talks about a potential Hapsburg marriage.  The English were suspicious of a Catholic princess.  While Charles was in Spain, he was taken around the royal residences and was introduced to Baroque.  He was introduced to Rubens’ work.  Even though the marriage fell through, Charles became a man mad about art.  It would be something that would prove his downfall.

Januszczak then tours the Banqueting House and shows the only painted ceiling by Rubens.  This banqueting house was supposed to be the home of the celebration of the marriage between England and Spain, but that failed.  It was called the greatest painted ceiling north of the Alps.  Rubens was sent to England as part of a diplomatic mission.  The painting shows James I ascending to heaven and being crowned by the gods.  It tells the story of the union of the crown between England and Scotland.  The painting had been painted in Antwerp and shipped over.  King Charles I was so impressed he showered Rubens with gifts.  However, the painting showed Charles to be an absolute believer in the divine right of kings, which made the people uneasy.  Januszczak says that this would have been the last painting Charles I saw before he was beheaded.

Januszczak continues his exploration of Charles I.  He was a man addicted to art.  He would send agents out to purchase the greatest artworks they could find.  Their instruction was to buy, buy, buy.  There were a variety of masterpieces added to the Royal collection.  Charles I also patronized the arts and brought artists into the English court.  Van Dyck was invited to live in England.  His arrival shocked the nation because it was as if he came from another planet.  He was a favorite of the ladies.  Van Dyck painted flattering portraits of the King.  He even painted a gorgeous photo of Queen Henrietta Maria.  Other members of the court hired Van Dyck to paint their portraits.  The people would complain about chronic flattery.  However, despite the complaints, he would change British portrait painting forever.

After this exploration of Van Dyck, Januszczak explores the English Civil War.  Out of nowhere, another portrait artist would appear during the English Civil War:  William Dobson.  Fate dropped him into history during the English Civil War.  He would record these difficult times and would provide a face to the English Civil War.  What does Januszczak learn about Dobson and the English Civil War?  Will the Civil War cause England to go back during the Baroque period?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more!

This was a fantastic episode, George IV was a great royal art collector, however, it was surprising to discover Charles I was also a great art collector.  Again, this would be a good series to show in an art class.

Good morning, we are continuing our exploration into Baroque art with Waldemar Januszczak.  The run time for this episode is 59:02.  This time Waldemar Januszczak finds himself in Spain, following the pilgrim’s trail.  We start at Santiago de Compostela.  Waldemar Januszczak explores the adaptability of Baroque art.  The art form could make itself at home wherever it went to.  Why was Baroque art so adaptable?  What made it such an international movement?

The Spanish had a flair for the dramatic.  The Spanish were enthusiastic Catholic and Baroque style would pour the proverbial gas onto the fire.  Baroque was hardcore in Spain.  Baroque was an art war and its target is the heart of the viewer.  Waldemar Januszczak goes on the pilgrim’s trail.  Januszczak stops in Seville to explore the impact of Baroque art.  He starts at the tobacco factory and talks about opera.  Opera was a Baroque invention, fusing art and music was very Baroque.

Velasquez was Spain’s greatest artist.  He would pass his background as aristocratic.  However, it was discovered that he was of Jewish origin and was from a family of converso origin.  The first important paintings he produced were of humble and ordinary life.  Art was supposed to change the hearts and minds of people, so the artists were encouraged to speak to ordinary people.  Velasquez worked to pull you into the art in order to discover the real meaning.

Soon Velasquez was summoned by the King to paint his portrait.  He never really returned to Seville.  Januszczak then explores the relationships between the Hapsburgs and how Velasquez would have struggled to keep the Spanish Hapsburgs straight.  Januszczak examines the portraits of the Hapsburg ladies who were painted by Velasquez.  He comments that “you have to have a degree in forensics to tell them apart.”  This quote made me laugh and will surely make you quietly laugh.  The Hapsburgs were famous for their lip and their pushed-in face.

King Philip IV loved the arts and would have appreciated Velasquez’s work.  In fact, Velasquez’s work would have brought ordinary people close to the thing.  Velasquez worked on an ambitious protract of the Spanish royal court and people pronounce it the greatest Baroque painting of them all.  Januszczak explores the painting Las Ninas carefully.

Januszczak continues on his way along the pilgrim’s trail.  Baroque artists in Spain either worked for the Royal family or worked for the monks.  The monks held real power in Spain.  Januszczak says that in order to understand Baroque paintings, you need to understand each and every religious order in Spain.  If you do not understand each religious order, then you can be confused.  Then he goes through each religious order in Spain.  There were different religious orders the Franciscans, Dominicans, and the Benedictines.  He points out the differences in each order’s clothing.  After this discussion, he talks about Spain’s spookiest Baroque artist: Francisco Zurbaran.  He was not as well known as Velasquez and Januszczak sums him up as “under-explored and undervalued.”  Zurbaran’s paintings were often unsettling to the people.  Zurbaran grew up the son of a wealthy cloth merchant and it was said that Zurbaran used his father’s textiles to advertise his father’s business in his paintings.  The Spanish religious orders were Zurbaran’s main patrons.  Monks were his specialty.  He could show the monks full of thought and full of worship.

Januszczak continues his way down the pilgrim’s trail.  Along the trail, a pilgrim would have encountered Baroque art.  The Baroque Period would shape Santiago de Compostela.  The cathedral was shaped by Baroque architecture.  Why is Baroque considered a truly international art movement?  What else does Januszczak learn about the Baroque period?  Where else did Baroque shape art?  Where does Waldemar Januszczak go to learn more about Baroque art?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out.

Januszczak’s exploration of Zurbaran was interesting, I had never heard of him before and I do not recall him being mentioned in my humanities two class back in college.  The fact that Januszczak “walked” the pilgrimage road and pointed out the Baroque art along the way was fascinating – like I said in the previous blog: move over Rick Steves!  Again, this would be a good series to show to an art class.

Today we are going to explore: Baroque Art.  It is summer, and art is something that can be relaxing.  The run time for this episode is 58:36

Waldemar Januszczak explores the world of Baroque Art.  Baroque art spanned the 17th Century, spawning the greatest art.  It began in St. Peter’s in Rome.  It is an art form that embraces you.  It goes big and highlights the drama.  It could become dark and edgy.  It blurred the divide between art and reality.  The Baroque roped in other art forms to bring you into its world.  Music, sculpture, and architecture were all impacted by the Baroque arts.

Januszczak begins his exploration of Baroque art in St. Peter’s Rome.  He is on top of St. Peter’s Basilica and takes in the scene before him.  He talks about the architecture behind St. Peter’s Square.  Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square, and it could fit 300,000 people.  Januszczak notices that the square is one giant hug.  Baroque art spread all over Europe.
Januszczak makes his way to Northern Italy.  He explores the site where the war of art started.  The war of art was between the Protestants and the Catholics.  Martin Luther was taking on the church and the whole of Italy when he presented his 99 Thesis.  The Council of Trent was formed and the Catholic church plotted against the Protestants.  Church officials planned their assault against the Protestants.  The Catholic church loved their art and art had its power.  Images did not have a place in the new Protestant Faith.

Januszczak examines a map that was created during this period.  This map was produced in Amsterdam and the mapmaker would be employed by the East India Trading Company.  The map highlights the great European capitals and what people wore. 

Rome fought with its hands and the architecture grew prouder and showier.  The Baroque went after people with all the arts at once.  Painting dramatically changed during this period, and paintings were meant to grab your attention.  Dramatic use of dark and light was used.  Caravaggio was a master at the play of dark and light in his artwork.  He was mostly forgotten in the period, only being rediscovered during the 20th Century.  Januszczak feels disappointed at the modern interpretation of Caravaggio.  Caravaggio was the most important painter of the Counter-Reformation.  He did everything that the Council of Trent wanted.  Before Caravaggio, religious art was out there, however, he set his artwork in the here and now.  He reinvented art and used every Baroque trick in the book.  Just because Caravaggio was good at his job did not mean the church approved of some of his paintings.  Januszczak explores the paintings that were rejected.  Were these paintings too beautiful for the world?  Caravaggio’s influence spread throughout Europe and would transform local art.  

Januszczak then talks about Portuguese explorers bringing back pearls and compares the mishappened pearls to the Baroque period while the perfectly formed pearls are like the Renaissance.  Rome is a city shaped by the Baroque period.  Januszczak explores the architecture of Rome and walks among many treasures.  He attempts to draw the plan of one of the buildings.  He talks about the creators of the Baroque period.  The Baroque period was when the lines of art and architecture were blurred.

Januszczak continues to explore the churches and the art of Rome.  He stands before a sculpture of St. Teresa of Avila.  The sculpture shows an angel piercing the heart of the saint.  It was one of the masterpieces of the Baroque period.  So what else does Januszczak learn about the Baroque period?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Number one, I cannot believe that I found another Januszczak documentary.  Lately, the channels I normally use for documentaries have been posting excellent documentaries.  Januszczak is an excellent narrator for this series, sorry Rick Steves, I feel it when Januszczak talks about the Baroque period.  This would be a very good documentary series to show to an art class because of the heavy emphasis on art and the artists.  I could potentially see using this episode in a STEM class because of his discussion on architecture.  This is a strong start to this series on the Baroque period.

Good morning, we are on our last section of Tony Robinson’s Time Walks.  I hope that you enjoyed watching them as much as I did.  This time, Tony explores Christchurch and the run time for this episode is 26:11.  In the last episode Tony tours Alice Springs and the run time for this episode is 26:20.

In the middle of Christchurch, there is a forest and it is the quietest part of the city.  Christ Church is the garden city of New Zealand.  Tony stands in the last remnant of the forest that stood in the Christ Church area.  John Deans was a sheep farmer who on his death bed wished that this piece would be preserved.  The people of New Zealand kept up with his wish.  Tony then tours the house of John Deans, and the house is preserved.  Christ Church would have been the least settled place in the world at the time.

After this, Tony heads into town.  Christchurch has plenty of gardens and green spaces.  One of those green spaces was supposed to give the working class a place for recreation or it was to keep the English Anglicans away from the Scottish Presbyterians, you take your pick.  Tony makes his way to the home of a Victorian Cross Winner.  He helped hold off a German advance.  Tony then recreates the action that earned the man the Victorian Cross.  During this section, Tony shows off the same energy that he had during the Time Team.  After indulging in this fantasy, Tony finds himself taking a tour of the river.  Christchurch is a southwest England recreated.

Then Tony tours the earthquake damage Christchurch went through.  He talks about the buildings that will potentially be demolished and what buildings could be saved.  Rebuilding Christchurch will be a challenge but people from around the world have come to help in the rebuilding.  He continues the tour of the earthquake.  Tony finds himself at the theater and this theater will be one of the few buildings that will be restored.  He talks with one of the archeologists on site.  What else does Tony learn about Christ Church?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more!

In the second episode, we have the season or series finale: Alice Spring.  Tony is in the heart of the outback and it used to be the hub of Australia’s communication.  He starts at the telegraph station and ends at the airport.  For a lot of history, Australia was cut off from the rest of the world.  However, that changed when the telegraph cable came, this allowed Australia to communicate with the world in hours and not six months.  The overland telegraph cable was built and this cable went through Alice Springs.

For sixty years, Alice Springs was the center of Australian communication.  Eventually when the telegraph wires were updated the telegram station was closed.  Eventually, it was turned into a school for aboriginal children, who were taken away from their parents and forced to live as white Australians.  Charlie Perkins was at this school and he would become a leader in Australia.  After this tour, Tony goes back to school.  However, this is an unusual school: it’s a school of the air. Students remotely learn from a central location.  Back in the day, these students would listen to their lessons over the radio.  Tony talks with these students.  Tony concludes “this is the world’s largest classroom.”

After the tour of the school, Tony finds a top-secret site and it was where the US could monitor who had nuclear weapons.  It is a vault in the ground and was highly top secret and Tony heads underground to see what remains of this “weather station.”  Tony reflects on the fast pace of history after this quick tour.  After this quick side trip, Tony takes part in a dry regatta race.  Will Tony emerge from this race victorious?  What else does Tony learn about Alice Springs?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out!

I honestly do not know how Tony can keep his energy up for these productions.  Alice Springs was an awesome episode because of the history.  I would show the Christchurch episode to an earth science class because of the discussion on the earthquake.  In general, this would be an excellent series for a geography class.  You get a sense of each city and there are interesting stories along the way.

Good morning, we have four more episodes to go in our exploration of Tony Robinson’s Time Walks.  In the first episode today, Tony Robinson explores Hobart and the run time for this episode is 26:47.  This episode is not timed stamped for easy division.  In the second episode, Tony explores Newcastle and the run time for this episode is 26:44.  This episode is time-stamped for easy viewing.

At the bottom of the world a mysterious continent that nobody knew about.  Below that continent, there was an even smaller island and at the bottom of the island was a small settlement that people knew less about.  The first port of call for Tony is the port at Hobart.  This was the port that launched the exploration of the Antarctic continent.  There was a huge competition to explore it and walk across it.  Roald Amundson arrived in Hobart in preparation for his exploration.  Amundson had arrived in Hobart to send a telegram announcing his conquest of the Antarctic. Tony then proceeds to walk through Hobart wearing a seal skin coat. 

Tony nearly gets in trouble for an expired parking meter.  Which then segways into the history of the first parking meters in Hobart.  They were installed on April Fools Day.  After the parking meter incident, Tony heads on over to the pub.  This pub is called the Blue House and it was Blue House was a seedy place.  The Blue House was home to a brothel and the madam of the brothel attached bells to the beds.  When the girls were working, the bar was filled with their sound.  Tony then heads down to the tunnels that are below the pub.  It proves to be a challenge for Tony to maneuver in. 

The tunnel under the pub lead to the custom’s house and it was used to smuggle drinks.   So tony makes his way across the street to the former custom’s house.  After this side trip, Tony ends up in the theater.  He talks about the history of the theater and how it was restored.  Who would convince Tasmania to restore this theater?  So what else does Tony learn about Hobart?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out!

Today’s second episode will feature the city of Newcastle and which takes its name from the English coastal mining town.  Tony opens up with a discussion on Captain Cook and how he missed important things along the way.  He missed Sydney and he missed one of the most functional harbors in the world: Newcastle.  Newcastle is the biggest coal exporter in the world.  When it was found, it could prove to be a scary harbor in fact when sailors came into port their faces were white with terror.  So a breakwater was built to protect the harbor.  The locals ended up with a breakwater and the beach.

Tony tells the story of a ship that had run aground outside the harbor.  The ship got stuck as a result of a storm.  The whole of Australia was watching the ship and the surf club was the hub for a rescue operation.  What happened next was a long rescue operation to get the sailors off the ship.  It could have been an ecological disaster for Newcastle.  For years after the near disaster, tourists were drawn to the area.

After exploring the near disaster, Tony explores the history of an unplanned boat arrival.  Onboard was a man sent to chase convicts.  Instead of chasing convicts, he discovered coal.  Soon after, the first mine was opened and it would grow the city of Newcastle.  Tony then makes his way to Fort Scratchley, it would be built to defend Newcastle’s port.  It was built to prevent the Russians from invading.  They never came, but the Japanese did and they managed to defend Newcastle from the Japanese.  Tony continues on his tour of Newcastle, what else does he continue to learn about this mining town?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more!

Over all, these were two good episodes highlighting the history of both Cities.  The part about Captain Cook missing important discoveries was funny.  It was also funny to hear that the first parking meters were installed on April Fool’s Day.  These would be good episodes to show for a geography class.

Good morning, Tony Robinson heads on down to Melbourne for this episode.  The run time for this first episode is 26:46. In episode two, Tony continues his exploration of Melbourne looking at a local neighborhood: Carlton.  The run time for this episode is 26:38.  Today I am going to sneak in a third episode for this review.  Tony then goes to explore St. Kilda, another neighborhood of Melbourne.  The run time for this episode is 26:47.

Melbourne
Tony is in a little alleyway and it is one of the photographed spots in all of Melbourne.  There is plenty of street art plastered on the walls in this alley.  He does not like the graffiti on the walls but a part of Tony likes the vibrancy of the art.  Tony continues to walk down this alley and shows the sight where Banksy had painted there.  The owners realized, they have something of value and wanted to protect it.  However, it managed to get destroyed. 

Tony continues along the art path and finds himself in front of a controversial painting.  Everyone had a fuss over a painting called Chloe.  So why was she controversial?  She was part of an art exhibition on a tour of Melbourne.  The art elite did not like working-class people looking at Chloe.  The art exhibition eventually closed down.  The painting emerged again when a new pub was opened.  People come into the pub to see the painting.

Tony then makes his way to the railway station: it was the oldest railway station and has the longest platform.  After a brief stop at the railway station, Tony stops in a hat shop to show off the hat pins.  Men were terrified of the hat pins because if you brushed up against them you got a serious gash on your face.  Melbourne announced a law that every hat pin had to have a cap on it.  After the law was passed the police would patrol the street and would cart them off to jail if they had an uncovered hat pin.  So what else does Tony discover about Melbourne, continue to watch this episode to find out!

Carlton
In the second episode, Tony explores Carlton, it is a neighborhood in Melbourne.  He begins in Carlton gardens.  It is one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods.  Tony talks about dung and Carlton was having a waste problem as a result of the gold rush.  He stops at the exhibition building which was Melbourne’s sign for people to look at the city.  Tony sneaks into the building and it is the home of the paleontology collection. 

Tony eventually finds himself on Drummond Street.  There is plenty of green in the center of the street.  Patrick Costello persuaded the city council to widen and beautify the street.  The council agreed and that is why Drummond Street has green patches in the middle of the way.  Then Tony continues on his walk through a raining Carlton.  He notices a memorial to the eight-hour workday.  He points out the very first espresso machine imported to Australia, which launched the café culture.

Tony moves on and notices the old architecture around him.  He is in his element looking at the old architecture.  He takes a tour of the trade hall to get out of the rain.  Tony catches up with Nino Borsari Jr. who was the owner of a business in Australia.  His father was an Italian trapped behind enemy lines.  He was a cyclist who was not allowed to leave, so he was given money to start up a business.  What else does Tony learn about Carlton?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out!

St. Kilda
For the third episode, Tony explores St. Kilda.  He is looking for the oldest living tree and it is not nearly as chunky as he thought.  The tree is six hundred years old but would have been by a lagoon.  However, today is it standing alongside a highway.  In the early days, St. Kilda was a holiday resort.  People would go to St. Kilda on vacation.  Bush rangers peppered the road to St. Kilda and they would ambush the people going to St. Kilda on holiday.  The bush rangers would rob the people of their money.

Tony then continues on his time walk.  He meets up with an aspiring actor, who was taller and had more hair than him.  I wonder if the actor will eventually realize that he met Tony Robinson of Time Team and Blackadder fame.  They meet up at the Coffee Palace.  Tony then goes to a grand house and shows the owners’ grand toilet.  Back in the day, Melbourne was known as “Smell-bourne” so St. Kilda was the escape for people. 

However, the boom would not last for long.  Trains were built so people could move down to St. Kilda.  The toffs did not like the new people flooding in and so they abandoned St. Kilda.  So what else does Tony discover about St. Kilda?  Tune in to the rest of this episode to find out more!

Tony’s exploration of Melbourne has been interesting.  Both the Melbourn and Carlton episode was good however I would skip St. Kilda.

Good morning, we are continuing with Tony Robinson’s Time Walks.  In the first episode, Tony explores Paramatta.  The run time for this episode is 26:36. This episode is not time-stamped for easy division.  In episode two, Tony explores Geelong and the run time for this episode is 26:33.  This episode is not time-stamped either.

Parramatta is home to the rugby team the Eels.  Tony starts off on a farm and ends up on the outskirts of the Government House.  Originally it was home to the orchards and farms that fed Australia.  It was home to John Macarthur; he was a pioneer of Australia.  He brought down governors and brought the merino sheep.  In fact, people believe that he created New South Wales.  He was a successful man, however with great success comes a great cost.  He was a man whose moods swung wildly and when he heard that his son had died, he snapped.  The loving husband had become paranoid.  He tossed his wife out on the street; however, she was the one that kept the farm up.

Tony moves on towards town and walks along the river.  He admires the boats on the river.  There was one boat that was designed to run on horsepower.  However, the horsepower failed and the boat drifted out to see.  After the trip to the river, Tony tells the story about the Flying Pieman.  The man was called William Francis King and came out to Australia.  He dressed flamboyantly and he would sell pies to the ferry passengers.  He would walk between Sydney and Parramatta and sell pies.  He was known as the “walking celebrity” of Australia. 

Eventually Tony finds himself in church.  Samuel Marsden was a pastor in the church and was also the magistrate.  He was known as the flogging pastor and ruled the convicts with an iron fist.  Eventually, he got fed up with the convicts and headed to New Zealand.  The New Zealanders were so fond of him that they carved a font for the church he used to preach at.  What else does Tony learn about Parramatta?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out!

Geelong missed out on being the capital of Victoria.  Geelong had a beautiful bay and tree-lined shores.  A quirk of nature prevented Geelong from being Victoria’s capital.  A sandbar prevented big ships from accessing Geelong.  Despite this, it became Victoria’s second-largest city and is an important player in the economy.  Unfortunately, the pier burned down and its timbers were salvaged into sculptures that are found in Geelong.  Tony catches up with the artist who is restoring them.  He learns about who originally painted them.

Tony continues his walk and ends up in a villa.  The villa is beautiful and was built in Edinburgh and brought to Geelong.  It was known as the “Wedding Cake House.”  He continues to explore houses along the street, learning a little bit more about the history of Geelong.   He heads out of town to solve a racing mystery.

The 1930 Winner of the Melbourne Cup was a racehorse.  He was a hero to the people of the Great Depression.  He was a freak of nature.  So someone tried to assassinate him.  The assassins missed him and so he was taken away and hidden on a farm.  The minders were also hidden.  However, there were still problems.  He had a police escort to Melbourne, but the truck would not start.  The horse managed to make the race in time and win the Melbourne Cup.

Tony continues his walk and discovers more of Geelong.  He makes his way to the jail.  During World War II, Geelong jail was a military prison and the inmates became escapees.  In 1945 a group of inmates escaped into the prison yard.  The prison guard tried to call for help, but the prisoners had cut the phone lines.  The prisoners then looked around the prison yard to find a way to escape the prison.  Will these twenty-two prisoners manage to escape the prison?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out!

The Geelong episode was fantastic and the discussion on John Macarthur in the first episode was interesting as well.  This still continues to be a good series for a geography class!