Climbing Great Buildings Season 1
Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, to reveal the buildings' secrets.
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Climbing Great Buildings
2010
Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, to reveal the buildings' secrets.
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Climbing Great Buildings Season 1 Full Episode Guide
The Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, built from 2000 and designed by Daniel Libeskind, is an example of a new wave of architectural design that is both dramatic and disturbing, a building that plays with the senses and provokes wonder. In his final climb of the series, Jonathan, aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, scales over 50 metres up the building to reveal how the museum is designed to reflect war itself. He scales the huge air shard to investigate how the building deliberately disorientates visitors; he finds himself part of the exhibition when he abseils down inside the water shard; and he explores the technological advances that allowed the building, with its 7,400 square metres of aluminium, to be constructed in just two years.
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Jonathan's journey takes him to the Lloyd's Building in the heart of the City of London. Built between 1978 and 1986, it is one of the finest examples of high-tech architecture in Britain and one of the great icons of London. Aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, Jonathan abseils over 300 feet to reveal how this ultra-modern building was inspired by a Gothic castle. He scales the iconic stainless steel exterior to reveal why it is known as the Inside-Out Building, and zip lines across a sheer drop to investigate the building's humble origins as a coffee shop. He also meets Lord Rogers, one of the greatest architects of his generation and the man behind the audacious building.
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The next step of Jonathan Foyle's journey takes him to Coventry Cathedral. Built in 1955 after the original cathedral was bombed in the war, this modernist masterpiece came to symbolise the hope and rebirth of a nation. Jonathan, aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, abseils 295 feet between the ruins of the old and new cathedrals to explore how Basil Spence's experiences fighting on the beaches of Normandy shaped his design for the Cathedral. On his climbs throughout the building Jonathan scales the cathedral's immense etched window that utilised the most cutting edge techniques in its creation and reveals why it's called the west window when it sits in the south of the building. He discovers a world breaking 74 foot high tapestry that weighs nearly three quarters of a ton and incorporates 1000 different shades of wool, and reveals how a trip to the dentist defined one of Coventry's most striking features.
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The next step of Jonathan Foyle's journey takes him to the Liver Building in Liverpool. Built from 1908, this behemoth in concrete was Britain's first skyscraper that influenced buildings all over the world. On his climbs Jonathan, aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, scales over 250 feet to reveal how this granite building isn't quite what it seems and investigates how a concrete boat paved the way for this immense skyscraper. He climbs up a disused lift shaft to literally get under the skin of this groundbreaking construction; comes face to face with the biggest clock in Britain; and tests the limits of his courage to traverse over a sheer drop of over two hundred feet to get up close and personal with a couple of beautiful birds.
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The next step of Jonathan Foyle's journey takes him to the Glasgow School of Art, built from 1897 by young artist Charles Rennie Macintosh, it's one of Britain's most controversial, challenging and celebrated buildings. With unprecedented access Jonathan, aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, scales the school to reveal the myriad of influences, from medieval castles to Japanese heraldry, that Macintosh used to create his modernist masterpiece. On his architectural treasure hunt Jonathan scales over 90 feet to reveal how Macintosh's building is modelled on a baronial castle, he discovers how Macintosh pokes fun at traditional architecture and he investigates how nature and the industrial revolution combine, when he explores one of the greatests rooms in Europe - the Macintosh Library.
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The next step Jonathan's journey takes him to King Cross St Pancras, a masterpiece of Victorian design and without doubt London's most stunning and romantic station. With unprecedented access to St Pancras, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, Jonathan scales all over the buildings to investigate the innovations and techniques used to construct both the train terminal and the elegant Midland Hotel. On the Midland Hotel, Jonathan climbs over 240 feet up the immense clock tower to explain how Britain had different time zones until the advent of stations like St Pancras. He discovers water powered elevators, why penthouses used to be on the ground floor and how the hotel was almost doomed to failure by only providing 9 bathrooms for 400 bedrooms.
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The next step of Jonathan's journey takes him to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. Begun in 1835 by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel when he was only 24 years old, it's one of the greatest feat of Victorian engineering in the world. With unprecedented access to the bridge, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, Jonathan scales all over to the bridge to investigate the innovations and techniques used to build this incredible structure inspired by £1000 from a wine importer.
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The next step of Jonathan's journey celebrating British architecture takes him to the epitome of the English stately home: Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Built in the early 1700's as a reward for the Duke of Marlborough's defeat of King Louis XIV of France it's the finest example of an English Baroque building in the country. With unprecedented access to Blenheim Palace, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, Jonathan scales the building to investigate the innovations and techniques used to construct it and to decipher the stories and propaganda carved all over the building. He climbs over 100 feet to reveal the story of how a bawdy playwright, a brave general and his strong willed wife combined and clashed to create this most audacious masterpiece, he zips across the courtyard to see how the Duke's epic victory is celebrated in stone through flamboyant and satirical sculpture and he dangles precariously inside the Great Hall trying not to break the £250,000 lamps to get a view of the spectacular hand painted ceiling.
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The next step on Jonathan's journey celebrating Britain's architecture takes him to St Paul's Cathedral in London. If one structure captures the spirit of London, this is it. Beautifully crafted and designed by the great Sir Christopher Wren it's simply stunning in its stature, with it's iconic dome that has dominated London's skyline for over 300 years. With unprecedented access to secret parts of St Paul's Jonathan, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, climbs over 300 feet to investigate the innovations and tricks of the trade that architectural illusionist Christopher Wren employed to create this magnificent cathedral. He tests the limits of his courage to abseil over 220 feet straight down the centre of the dome from the cupola to get a completely unique view of St Paul's and he reveals how not everything at St Paul's is at it seems, as he uncovers the magic behind the greatest of Wren's architectural tricks - the Dome.
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The next step in Jonathan's journey takes him to Burghley House in Lincolnshire. Built to impress Queen Elizabeth I on her many trips around the country, it's the finest example of an Elizabethan House in Britain.
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The next step in Jonathan's journey takes him to Layer Marney Tower, a Tudor skyscraper nestled in the countryside near Colchester in Essex.
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Jonathan's journey takes him to New College in Oxford. Built in 1379, this college set the blueprint for universities all over the world for the next 600 years.
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The next step of Jonathan's journey takes him to Caernarfon castle, built in 1283 and one of the most magnificent examples of medieval castle building in Britain.
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The next step of Jonathan's journey takes him to Lincoln Cathedral, built in 1183. Once the tallest building in Britain, Lincoln Cathedral is one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in Britain.
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Jonathan's journey begins in the North East of England at Durham Cathedral, one of the finest surviving examples of Norman architecture in the UK.
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