Archaeologist Ben Robinson explores Parkgate, on the estuary of the River Dee in Cheshire. Today the village is landlocked, cut off from the Dee and the Irish Sea due to the estuary’s shifting silt. But 250 years ago, it was a bustling harbour and as Ben finds out from Dr Gillian O’Brian, Parkgate was a gateway for thousands of Irish immigrants from the 1620s onwards. \n\nLocal resident Anthony Annakin-Smith, who has been researching Parkgate’s past, explains to Ben it was the estuary’s ever-shifting silt that first established the village as an important trading port in the 18th century. Up to then, the Port of Chester had handled most of the trade along the Dee, but by the 1600s, its harbour was starting to silt up, allowing Parkgate to expand. \n\nBy the middle of the 18th century, the village also developed into a tourist hotspot almost by accident, due to the latest health fad prescribed by doctors - sea bathing! This new trend caught on quickly and local woman, called dippers, were soon employed to dispense the treatment of dunking visitors under the sea water, as Ben discovers from historian Dr Kathryn Ferry.
Source: BBC 2
Series 5: 1. Runswick Bay
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits Runswick Bay on the North Yorkshire coast, where he discovers how this pretty village was once a place of danger. Ben explores the mythical &ls ...
04-11-2024
BBC 2
Series 2: 3. Bamburgh
Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers how the health and fortune of the village was shaped by those in charge of Bamburgh’s famous castle.
27-09-2024
BBC 2
Walberswick
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers the surprising story of this former medieval port on the Suffolk coast.\n\nCoastal villages are often seen as remote places for retreat and ...
26-09-2024
BBC 2
Robin Hood's Bay
Archaeologist Ben Robinson reveals the story of smuggling intrigue and bravery on the Yorkshire coast.
25-09-2024
BBC 2
Holy Island
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers the story of the monks and villagers of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the Northumberland coast.\n\nOur coastal villages are often seen ...
24-09-2024
BBC 2
Clovelly
Archaeologist Ben Robinson reveals the story of this Devon coastal gem’s transformation from fishing village to romantic Victorian seaside resort.\n\nOur coastal villages ...
23-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 3: Ravenglass
Archaeologist Ben Robinson takes us to the quiet village of Ravenglass, tucked away on the edge of the Lake District’s National Park, where he finds out about its strategi ...
26-07-2024
BBC 2
Series 2: 1. Alnmouth
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits Alnmouth on England’s north east coast and discovers the village’s historical role in feeding the nation.
26-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 2: 2. Arnside
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers how traditional boat building shaped the beautifully preserved village of Arnside on the banks of the River Kent in Cumbria.
25-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 2: 4. Charlestown
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the picturesque Georgian village of Charlestown on the south west coast of Cornwall and learns how it was\nshaped by the vision of one man.
20-06-2024
BBC 2
Robin Hood's Bay
Archaeologist Ben Robinson reveals the story of smuggling intrigue and bravery on the Yorkshire coast.
25-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 2: 2. Arnside
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers how traditional boat building shaped the beautifully preserved village of Arnside on the banks of the River Kent in Cumbria.
25-06-2024
BBC 2
Holy Island
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers the story of the monks and villagers of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the Northumberland coast.\n\nOur coastal villages are often seen ...
24-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 3: Laxey
Situated on the eastern coast of the Isle of Man, the village of Laxey is known today as a tourist destination, but as archaeologist Ben Robinson finds out, it wasn’t the ...
21-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 4: 7. Seaton Sluice
Ben Robinson travels to Seaton Sluice in Northumberland, home to the notorious Delaval family. These wealthy bottle makers were some of the greatest players on the Georgian part ...
11-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 4: 6. Beer
Ben Robinson heads to Beer, Devon, home to beer stone, which has been quarried since Roman times and used in many of the nation's cathedrals and landmark buildings, including We ...
08-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 4: 8. Porthgain
Ben Robinson unearths the unique past of Porthgain, a small Pembrokeshire village built for its industry, first as a slate quarry, then exporting brickwork and finally producing ...
11-12-2023
BBC 2
Series 2: 4. Charlestown
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the picturesque Georgian village of Charlestown on the south west coast of Cornwall and learns how it was\nshaped by the vision of one man.
20-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 3: Craster
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits a small village in Northumberland to find out how the family and village who both share the name Craster have had their lives and fortunes inte ...
14-06-2023
BBC 2
Series 3: Orford
Lying off the North Sea is the unassuming Suffolk village of Orford. It’s behind a large shingle spit called Orford Ness. But as archaeologist Ben Robinson unearths, it&rs ...
04-08-2023
BBC 2