Chopping Off Cornwall and Devon - A Short History.

[@neilthehermit4655]

Paul, the best teachers are ones that bring the story alive. - You bring every story alive. Well done.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Neil

[@chrisg1234fly]

Totally agree

[@annenewton5403]

And indeed you bring it alive.

[@Blade_Daddy]

Such great hands-on experience. Love it.

[@sjtutty]

Maybe not an academic but a great story teller, thanks for keeping us informed and entertained!

[@martinmarsola6477]

Great to see you again today, Paul. Always look forwards to the videos. Say hello to Rebecca for me, and enjoy the week ahead! ❤❤😊😊

[@Deepthought-42]

Paul, you are no tree falling in te woods that is heard only once. You are more like the breeze that flows through them bringing a breath of fresh air to hitherto relatively unknown places. 😊 Keep up the good work and don’t get too many bramble scratches. 👍

[@anthonygardiner6213]

Cutting it off, my wife has threatened Me with this many times, seriously though, just watched it, very informative.

[@veridiannexus3535]

Thankyou Paul the way you make history come alive is perfect , Your the best little tree in the Woods!!!

[@hedleythorne]

Superb film - a bit of Romans, canals, railways and Paul jumping into undergrowth. Life doesn't get much better than this.

[@pwhitewick]

Consciously aware now that Paul jumping into the undergrowth needs to be a regular thing! ;-)

[@hedleythorne]

@@pwhitewick Paul is the new David Bellamy.

[@colclumper]

Wow I live in Bridgewater MA and didn't realize how closely aligned Bridgewater and Taunton are here in America too

[@mikhailfranco]

Yes, it is surprising. I was brought up in Taunton, Somerset, but lived in Boston for many years. The Bridgwater in Somerset is spelt differently.

[@Voysey]

It was actually Devon & Cornwall's plan to gain independence! Sadly, we were thwarted by second home owners! 😅 Fantastic video, Paul! I love how passionate you are about what you cover. You made the history come alive!

[@douglasfleetney5031]

Brilliant Paul. Really enjoyed that.The Sweet Track is a must visit for me as well. Thanks for doing this one.

[@davie941]

this was really interesting , well done and thank you Paul and Rebecca 😊😍

[@ChicagoDB]

Thank you Paul for all the fascinating information you bring to us…I’m an American but greatly enjoy the material and historical insights you provide to viewers.

[@davidwilkinson333]

Great vid, Paul, thank you. A good friend of mine, lives along the Polden Ridge. Her Grandfather was one of a small group of peat cutters who found the 'Sweet Tack'. Needless to say the credit went to the boss! My understanding was that the Roman merchants, to avoid the treacherous navigation around the tip of Cornwall, would portage their cargoes from the port at Radipole (Weymouth) overland via Dorchester to Ilchester, the hivhest navigable point on the River Parrett. From here it would be shipped down the Parrett to the port at Dumball (Bridgwater) and thence across the Bristol Channel bound for the Legionary fortress at Caerleon and south Wales.

[@theonlywoody2shoes]

You may not consider yourself to be an “academic”, but my dictionary notes this term relates to education, and you are certainly educating me (and hopefully the other 87,600 subscribers here. You may not have “an ‘ology”, but you certainly have the ability to tell a story in an interesting and engaging way - if only some of the “professionals” who look down on those outside their profession had even 10% of your skills in this area. Thanks for all you (and Rebecca) do.

[@tsl56]

Perhaps you two should investigate the Rebecca Riots in South Wales. As it was all about turnpikes, it would be right up your street.

[@tsl56]

As I was born in West Somerset, I have a vested interest in this topic. Somerset now has a unitary local authority, enacted against a local referendum to best suit the mythical needs of the trickle-down economists. It is very much a county of two parts, with the west of the county being greatly disadvantaged; but the locals are still rather proud of their differences. And rightly so!

[@tsl56]

Surprised you didn't mention the still open Tiverton stretch of the canal. It is a few miles long, and a comparatively wide canal. Very scenic and very popular with anglers. Not to mention it has horse-drawn tourist narrow boats. It has a wide towpath which also doubles as a walking trail. I visited it in 2010 and found it well worth the visit. It suffered a major breach sometime in the noughties, as one stretch follows the contours around a hill. But it was rebuilt before 2010.

[@shirleylynch7529]

Well done. Keep telling us your stories. We are all listening. Thank you.

[@smallsleepyrascalcat]

This is the type of video I long to watch on youtube. And you never disappoint to deliver this kind of video. The research, the storytelling, brilliant, I love it. It's truly a privilege to be able to watch your works. ❤

[@pwhitewick]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️

[@philiptownsend4026]

There is another aspect too that I very much appreciate. That is the planning and production of the video, difficult to do if searching for a feature from the past in an unknown place, not knowing if it still exists, adapting and developing the story on the fly. All the while planning the video's editing and look-and-feel. The unseen work out in the field with the drone to achieve a few seconds of footage to illustrate the geography from another angle. The work with a tripod to make walk-by shots and the pacing back and forth to achieve one second atmospheric clips illustrating your journey. Similar work to show the variety of gate closing mechanisms that you encounter and show for one second, not mentioning them but showing us the tactile experience you had in that instance. It makes us feel we are there with you. The raising of sea level illustrated by neatly editing a scan of an OS map, tracing contour lines to show a past water level shown for just 1 or 2 vital seconds to illustrate the proof of a theory and to help us to understand it in it's context. I watch your superbly assembled productions in awe of the, thought, imagination, work, persistence and skill that goes into them. I've tried producing videos, it isn't easy and isn't for everyone. I see you apparently effortlessly crossing back and forth over the unseen boundaries between technical, artistic, and storytelling skills that you do so well, weaving them together to bring us your creamy smooth and slick productions. You have truly found your niche and mastered the new art of what I call "specialised citizen broadcasting" that KZbin makes possible to inform, educate and entertain us. This in itself would make a super documentary or even a video maker's text book. Well done Rebecca and Paul, you have a place in our cultural landscape.

[@stepheneyles2198]

There's me thinking this was a video about Cornwall's desire to be independent from the rest of the country! Thanks for struggling through all that mud and brambles to bring us such interesting stories, it certainly saves us from having to bother! :-))

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

Anyone could do this sort of video, Paul, yes. But you are the one (or one of the few) actually doing it! And in an appealing way too. So, thank *you* for enlightening us with your curiosity :)

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

Also: We're not only watching, we're listening! To *you*

[@davidberlanny3308]

Great collection of routes, really enjoyed watching. I definitely heard that tree falling as well, well done!!

[@danbuckman5691]

Another fascinating story, so well told. Thank you for bringing the stories of our land to life so vividly.

[@ArcAudios77]

Paul, Great watch & education as always. Best wishes for you & the 'Good Lady'. Regards from Western Scotland.

[@pwhitewick]

Many thanks!

[@Sarge084]

I think it's your unbridled enthusiasm that brings the story to life, even if the subject matter isn't of personal interest to many of your viewers.

[@leannemaidment5224]

You are a great storyteller but it's the research that goes into each one that make them even better. I went on a school trip to those marshes when I was 13 and that Sweet Track kicked off my love of history!

[@syncrosimon]

My old dog walk was along the canal there at Nynehead. There is also a lovely Holloway at Nynehead, never knew the boat lift was in those bushes, walked across there many times. Very interesting 👍👍

[@pwhitewick]

Ah wish I had know!

[@AndyWoodger]

@paulandrebeccawhitewick not an academic but enthusiasm for a subject encourages research, excellent reporting and your editing is pretty good as well!

[@danielbarrows7144]

Random video of Paul having a little swing in the forest in the middle of the main video! Lol feels like an Easter egg 😂

[@bobsrailrelics]

That caisson for the canal lift is epic. Hard to believe, as you say, so much has gone. You can tell Rebecca wasn't there, no way would have got near that swing if she was 😂 Thanks for another great video.

[@wamgoc]

Hi Guys, I'm fortunate enough to live in the area, Wellington Allerford, and absolutely love that you have told this story! I enjoy the walks round here and its very fascinating aspects! Great channel!

[@patchso]

A fascinating ‘tree falling over’. Great video.

[@coachgb]

Thanks, Paul! I find it so much easier to concentrate with the action and narration. All of my favorite teachers brought the subject matter to life. You've done that quite well.

[@chazzyb8660]

Paul, yup you are a storyteller, telling me stuff I didn't need to know, but I'm very glad I now do. Thanks mate, and thank you both!

[@newforestpixie5297]

the spirits of those engineers & labourers should smile upon you for all this effort to re discover their endeavours Paul. this is really interesting stuff 👍😁

[@fireinsurance]

Well who knew? Thank you for the story telling Paul. Fascinating insight into our past and long forgotten engineering.

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Fascinating stuff, particularly those early forerunners of the Anderton Lift. Puts you in mind of similar attempts at North-South canal 'short-cuts', such as the Wey and Arun Canal, which suffered a similar fate at the hands of the railway.

[@darreno9874]

Certainly not a Billy no mates tree falling silently in the woods. Great video, thank you. God bless

[@ste2442]

Absolutely tip top channel this and it just keeps getting better . Well done Mate .

[@pwhitewick]

🙏🙏

[@southerneruk]

Crompton Dundon hill, was being used during the Stone Age, Where you had your bit of fun on the swing, there is a spring, that whole hill holds water

[@pwhitewick]

Oh wow. I had assumed it goes back some way owing to the geography!

[@southerneruk]

@@pwhitewick it do go back a long way, but with hill that contains fresh water, then it becomes not that surprising, Been told the water comes from up on top of 5 valleys hills

[@tpobrienjr]

What a walk!

[@charliebalch3023]

This is just a brilliant you tube video. Well made edited and super informative. More like this please.

[@pwhitewick]

Check out the back catalogue... 300 to catch up with. 🤪

[@mustrumridcully3853]

Only found you on You Tube recently, but I subscribed quickly. You have a clear and relaxed delivery that makes history interesting. I spend my life giving technical advice - the best explanations involve a story.

[@pwhitewick]

Welcome aboard!

[@user-vr2rq5hl6l]

You have become my favorite tree in the forest! I enjoy being an eardrum and listening to your fascinating stories.

[@pwhitewick]

Wow, thank you!

[@martinduddridge329]

I live in Bridgwater. I know a fair bit about the area upto about 50 miles radius. When ever you do a video in this area, you find and show things I didn’t know about. Many thanks.

[@robertallen8715]

Good work Paul, much appreciated. Thankyou

[@katherinekinnaird4408]

I'm thankful for your stories ,research and diligence. I look forward to your next video.

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you like them!

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Great Stuff Paul!! "Much appreciated"

[@flipinfish]

Well presented very interesting narrative. Something I would watch on mainstream TV.

[@dlittlester]

Thanks, Paul. I really appreciate what you do.

[@pwhitewick]

My pleasure! Thank you

[@scruffythejanitor1969]

Finally! A KZbin tutorial I can finally get some use out of. Time for the Devonwall empire to begin!

[@pwhitewick]

Build that wall

[@billmmckelvie5188]

You deserve a special KZbin award as you boldly go to new frontiers, right to the middle of a thicket. For a minute I was about to become angry with Google as ai hthey hadn't joined up the two halves of the photo map correctly. I enjoyed your dig into the past, thanks!

[@lindamccaughey6669]

That was fantastic thanks Paul. All these discoveries are quite exciting. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care

[@johnblack9499]

Awesome video, I grew up a few miles from the Nynehead Boat Lift. I stumbled across it one day on a walk and wondered what on earth it was - no signage back then. Keep up the great work!

[@herbrand47]

Paul, your mini documentary's as I call them are always very informative, full of details and always enjoyable. Thank you.

[@timofthomas]

Really liked the format - looking at the same landscape from multiple different eras. Nice work.

[@steveshepherd2712]

Is " spectacularness" a word ?🤔 Think it might be now 😉 Great show and story well told 👍🇨🇦

[@briantinker7290]

Great history well told many thanks!

[@YannaTarassi]

Lovely presentation as always, Sir.

[@davidcarbonnel6396]

NO, THANK YOU PAUL! I absolutely love coming here to hear your wonderful stories!

[@nealeraleigh8239]

Incredible that you found the Aller boat lift, I had thought that the only brick lift was Nynehead so it was great to see the masonry at Aller😄

[@paulinehedges5088]

That was one of your best videos! LOVED it. Full of information and the scenery was tempting me to go out and look for myself.THANK YOU

[@hainanbob6144]

I wish I could be a tree in the woods like you are Paul! I find these videos fascinating. Wifey and I walk a lot where we are, but there is absolutely no way to research the history, and every way to get lost in the forest and covered in leeches. We've done that more than once! PS I hear you!

[@richardmorgan9273]

The Somerset and Dorset Railway's original route went from Burnham-on-Sea to near Poole, the intention being to provide the land part of a route from South Wales to Northern France! Obviously, the trans-shipment problems made this impractical for both goods and passengers, but it was intended as a shorter route than going round Land's End, so it fits Paul's criteria.

[@tobycowman]

I like this episode but think you missed a trick looking for a route through Somerset. The town and village names give it away. Langport where the tide would run far inland. Then there is Pylle on the Fosse way. A Peel (IoM), pill (Huntspill) or Liverpool, Hartlepool are names of ports I think from Saxon/Viking naming meaning a port. Once you got to Pylle having landed at Moridunum (Axmouth) and walked a couple of days you could wait for the high tide and take a boat across to Caerleon maybe a couple of days paddling through the levels and a days sailing from Burnham instead of the week of walking up to the Severn Crossings. The river levels were higher then as since drainage the land has risen a meter or so.

[@andrewlamb8055]

Thanks Paul, enjoyable as is the norm! 👋👋👏👏⚔️⚔️👍🇦🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@jenniferlevine5406]

Love seeing the landscape, the features both person made and natural. My family came from Somerset so that in itself made this a special video. Love your ideas and how you present them. Wonderful video!

[@donniblanco5239]

So Much of the Creative Infrastructure and Mechanical Developments in Our History, leaves me in Wonder about the Availability of Resources, management of Logistics and Labour force Availability over such a Short Period of Time, and How this would all Stack-up when subjected to a Rigorous Feasibility Study versus Modern day Projects, using the Vast array of Earth moving and Construction Technology we are blessed with in Modern times🧐🤔 Great Solo Effort Paul Good to See you off the Leash 😜😆

[@amandachapman4708]

I love your storytelling and the rambles through the countryside

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Amanda

[@susantaylor927]

Thank you Paul for bringing all the nature to us along with all the info about the canals! Very interesting and wonderfully entertaining!😊

[@richieixtar5849]

Excellent as always, missed you last week, you're part of my Sunday now :)

[@pwhitewick]

Got a few in the bag now!

[@randallthomas5207]

Sound is a physical wave phenomena. Noise is the perception of the sound. So, the tree falling in the woods always makes a sound, but not always a noise.

[@richardwakelin843]

Cornwall & most of Devon was also nearly vut off during ww2 by a line of pillbox & tank traps it started in Axmouth passing through our school at Axminster going on up to North Devon/ n Somerset.

[@calebwright6151]

Another fine video Paul & great costume changes

[@jeffl3205]

...and without you, there was no tree... Thanks for enlightening this present generation. There's no telling how many more generations are left to experience history. ❤

[@Studio-gp4nk]

I take pruning sheers when walking trails to remove dangerous growth only, like the one you encountered. Food for thought.

[@aklc4090]

Thanks!

[@fabled-pilgrim]

I'm pretty new to your channel but so far loving every one, look forward to your future 'waffling', lol. Btw, you seem so natural communicating facts in an engaging, educational way and on camera. Either one is a difficult skill to crack but you seem to have it nailed it. Do you have a background in teaching?

[@Richardincancale]

This was a really excellent video! Your presentation was gripping! Music at the right (quiet) level. Great image and sound quality. Possibly your best yet!

[@udorechner6846]

Awesome and very interesting video about ibritish pre ndustrial history and road-/canalbuilding history at least back to the neolithikum. Thanks for those incredible Footage. Greetings from Germany.

[@pwhitewick]

Many thanks!

[@sUASNews]

My brother's house is just off that line, always wondered about it

[@stephendavies6949]

Great story-telling. Thanks

[@sdsparkes]

Thank you! Love your videos.

[@jameslye3452]

well that brought back a memory. Crimson hill tunnel. Waded 200yds into it about 17 years ago. was very silted up

[@jackprier7727]

That 1800 yard tunnel is yet another of those wild magnificent old structures that your countryside has that always brighten my interest and surprise-

[@notmozart1]

my stomping ground - Time team did a great programme on The Sweet Track. Lovely video - thanks.

[@scotbotvideos]

Another enjoyable adventure. Thanks for sharing. I so wanted that mystery line to be an abandoned or unfinished canal.

[@pwhitewick]

Me too!

[@Davidm1fcf]

as always, a really interesting video, and had me searching through the Old Map Library and OSMaps to follow along where you were. Interesting fact about Chard near where you started - it claims the first powered flight by a John Stringfellow who built a steam-powered aircraft in 1848, and managed to fly it around a large room at Oram's Lace Mill.

[@oldoneeye7516]

very nice to watch again. As an history-enthusiast and enjoyer of nature, this is really great. I should do something similar at my home, just for the enjoyement. Thx

[@Dave5843-d9m]

I live between Exeter and Torquay. Down here, the old main roads were really narrow and bumpy. New dual roads (A30, A38, A380) were built only around 40 years ago. It’s shocking to think how the West Country had been so effectively cut off until quite recently.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

Yet another engrossing 20 minutes! I love AND support this channel.

[@martynbuzzing3327]

Thanks for that. A very interesting subject and told so well.

[@jaydee4697]

Lovely video; thank you for sharing!

[@thewhiteroom23]

Very interesting and well produced.

[@RaymondScott-q3c]

Thank you,I enjoyed that

[@timsands7288]

Great video. When you were at the Chard canal I was telling the screen you should be at the Grand Western boat lifts and sure enough! We were staying at a campsite nearby and took the dog for a walk there and were fascinated. I believe the railway company bought the canal and closed it

[@andyhill242]

This is a very interesting and amazing video Paul / Rebecca.

[@laurencefaux6451]

I have to say, I do enjoy your work.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you Laurence.

[@adriannorthcott902]

Very interesting video Paul .I really liked it keep them coming

[@kastandlee]

Thank you for these stories of places I'm unlikely to be able to visit but that are very interesting. A friend of mine used to live in Trowbridge and showed me some of the area on the times I visited.

[@pwhitewick]

Anything interesting in that area?

[@kastandlee]

@@pwhitewick Nothing as obscure as you've found! More like driving to see places like Wells, the Cheddar Gorge, and the like. We did go see the Peat Moors museum before it closed.

[@terrenceodgers5866]

I believe you are far more informative and entertaining than any so called, 'academic', Paul. I enjoy your lessons from real history.

[@Rail_Focus]

I wasn't sure what to expect from the thumbnail, but this is a fascinating story.

[@hvee4]

Not really relevant to this video but I was walking in that field 1:25 around the same time this video was published… nice one as always though, you are the tree and we are the ears 👍🏻