Michael Portillo comes to Southwell

Michael Portillo’s Great British Railway Journeys programme on BBC2 at 6.30pm will include a visit to Southwell tonight (Tues 20th Jan)!

Armed with his Bradshaw’s, Michael Portillo continues his journey from Derby to Lindisfarne. Beginning in Boston in the flatlands of Lincolnshire, Michael explores the connection between the town and its American namesake.

At Southwell, he discovers the origins of a favourite Victorian apple and learns how to make apple pie. In Menston, Michael visits an imposing institution built to provide asylum for those suffering from mental illness and learns how volunteers care for its once derelict chapel and graveyard.

At Wakefield, Michael manages to board one of Britain’s least frequent services and finds out what led to the birth of the parliamentary train. Along the way, he meets a former locomotive engineer who offers him the chance to drive a steam engine.

Click here for further details: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b050m8ht