- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Here at The Repair Shop, countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:07Deep breath.
00:08Oh, gosh.
00:10That reveal so much about who we are.
00:12It is.
00:13And where we're from.
00:15It's perfect.
00:16But there's so much more out there.
00:18Let's do it.
00:19That's not yet made it to the bar.
00:22Beautiful, isn't it?
00:23Absolutely beautiful.
00:24So the team are hitting the road.
00:26This is the perfect opportunity to meet some new people, learn some new skills, and maybe fix a few things on the way.
00:32Yeah, I'm up for that.
00:35On a unique adventure.
00:37Whoa!
00:39We're going to get some looks on the way back to the barn.
00:41To join forces with expert craftspeople.
00:44We're putting 130 hours just hanging on the hazels.
00:48On their most ambitious restorations yet.
00:50They all need replacing.
00:51Yes, hundreds of pieces of stone.
00:53Wow.
00:54Keeping heritage crafts alive.
00:56Put up with friends.
00:57I know, isn't it?
00:58And passing precious skills to future generations.
01:01Is he a good student?
01:02He is, yes.
01:03Does he listen to you?
01:04He does, for the most part.
01:06Sparking restorations across the country.
01:08You're part of the history of this now as well.
01:17Today, Will and Dom tackle a community project bringing ancient history into the 21st century.
01:24Oh, my word.
01:25It's like going back in time.
01:27With traditional skills that have stood the test of time.
01:30Fancy a shave done?
01:31Yeah, go on then.
01:32Yeah.
01:34Bookbinder Chris gets to grips with a precious heirloom.
01:37I really don't want any nasty surprises because this is obviously his signature.
01:40While we discover a local craft with endless possibilities.
01:46I could make a spawn for everybody in Scotland and they would all be unique.
01:49We're in beautiful and historic Perthshire, in the heart of Scotland.
02:00Known for its dramatic landscape and year-round natural beauty, with a mix of lochs, glens and mountains,
02:07it's also an area rich in traditional crafts, which the lads have been invited to discover by local Thatcher, Scott.
02:14It's an age-old craft, so when done properly, which usually it's done by a very skilled person, it looks absolutely amazing.
02:25I'm quite excited to hear exactly how it works and what work goes into it.
02:29We're headed to the banks of Loch Tay, home to an incredible living history.
02:37A local landmark for over 25 years, the Scottish Cranach Centre brings an Iron Age community to life,
02:46with replicas of the homes local people would have lived in 2,500 years ago,
02:51built by archaeologists using endangered crafts.
02:55But when, three years ago, a devastating fire broke out, the centre itself faced extinction.
03:06Since then, the local community has rallied together to recreate its historic buildings.
03:12Will and Dom are raring to lend a hand, and with the chance to pick up some traditional skills,
03:19it's an opportunity the boys cannot resist.
03:21It's a craft I have never tried, so I hope they'll let me up there on the roof and have a go.
03:26Do you think they will?
03:27What? Up on the roof?
03:29Well, I'd hope the thatching's on the roof.
03:37Oh, my word.
03:39Yo, look at this.
03:42It's like going back in time.
03:43It's like going back in time.
03:45This is Iron Age, right?
03:47How clever they were back then, to be able to build these.
03:49I mean, would you be...
03:49I couldn't build that now.
03:51Oh, look, blacksmith.
03:52It's woodturning.
03:54Oh, here we go.
03:56Scott must be up there.
03:56Oh, that's got your name written all over it.
03:58Absolutely.
03:58I can't wait to get up there.
04:00Scott has been in the trade for 13 years,
04:03overseeing the care and maintenance of around 200 buildings,
04:07while passing on the skills and know-how required to keep the craft alive.
04:13He's grafting away on a brand-new cookhouse
04:15that will be used to keep staff and visitors fed and happy.
04:19It's the centre's largest building,
04:22and with thousands of hours of work still ahead,
04:24Scott's quick to take up any offers of help.
04:28So while Will seeks out museum director Mike,
04:31Dom's up there like a shot,
04:33keen to learn the very same skills used to maintain the roof
04:37of the good old repair shop barn.
04:43Now, this is a vast roof.
04:45It's big.
04:45How long have you been working on this for?
04:47This is day 20.
04:49We put in about 130 hours just tying on the hazels.
04:53That's what we tied the stuff onto.
04:57This is reed?
04:59Yeah, it's Waterreed, Norfolk reed.
05:01So this is...
05:01It's going under the last.
05:02So that's on top.
05:03So what you do is you make a sandwich.
05:05Now, just sway that under for me.
05:07It's quite tight in there.
05:09It's very tight, yeah.
05:10What on earth is this?
05:12This is a Thatcher's needle.
05:13God, that's beautiful.
05:14Yeah, so it's blacksmith forged.
05:16It's all... yeah.
05:16And it's actually beautifully made.
05:19It's quite a technique.
05:20What's that sprung?
05:21Oh, you spotted the spring?
05:22Well done.
05:23Yeah.
05:23I didn't spot that spring for the first year of owning it.
05:26So what are you doing here?
05:28So it's basically a sewing needle.
05:30I've fed the string round the bottom end of the turf.
05:32So this is hooked around.
05:33Okay.
05:33And now...
05:34Okay.
05:36See how that works?
05:37That is exactly how a sewing machine works.
05:39Exactly.
05:40Literally, that...
05:40Yeah.
05:41The needle with the other needle that goes round, makes the loop, hooks it up, picks it up.
05:44Thatcher's sewing machine.
05:45It is.
05:45Basically, an iron one.
05:46Yeah.
05:49That's one of the first things I noticed here.
05:50So walking through, we've got woodturning, pole lathes there, blacksmiths, you guys up
05:54here doing the roof.
05:55It's that mix of skills and that community.
05:57Yes.
05:58It's like common interest.
05:58Yeah.
05:59Even though it's a completely different skill.
06:00It is.
06:01But there's always an overlap.
06:02Yeah.
06:02It's a team.
06:03It's a team.
06:04Much like us down at the repair shop, at the barn.
06:06We all work together and get stuck in.
06:07Yeah.
06:08It's brilliant.
06:08It's an amazing project to be part of, isn't it?
06:10It is.
06:10It's a lot of fun.
06:11I love it.
06:11It's good to be keeping the tradition going.
06:13Yeah.
06:13Good on you.
06:21In just three years, rain or shine, the workers here at the Cranach Centre have toiled hard
06:27to rebuild seven structures, all using ancient techniques.
06:32Hi, Will.
06:33Welcome.
06:33Nice to meet you.
06:35Museum director Mike is giving Will a tour of the centre.
06:40Now, I have to ask, what is a Cranach?
06:42A Cranach is an artificial island with a house on top, is kind of the technical term.
06:46So, it could have been stone, could have been timber and stilts.
06:50Right.
06:51But for us, it's more, it's a home.
06:53It's a house.
06:54It's a place where families would live.
06:56On the water?
06:57On the water.
06:58I mean, with a few like that.
06:59Yeah.
06:59Why not?
07:00Why not?
07:01So, how would you know what a wand would actually look like?
07:03Because they didn't have cameras back then.
07:04There were some archaeologists in the 1980s, 1990s that were diving in this lock and other
07:09places and they were finding the evidence.
07:12So, you would get a butter dish with bits of butter on, you would get your plates made
07:17out of wood, everything that you'd had for your daily life and then bit by bit they pieced
07:20it together and then recreated what a Cranach would have looked like.
07:24Why are there no actual Cranachs here already?
07:27Well, we had a fire.
07:31The original centre was on the other side of the loch until three years ago, tragedy struck
07:37when fire destroyed the previous replica Cranach that once stood there.
07:46So, I've got some of the fire here on my phone.
07:50No.
07:50Five fire engines, as you can see it's...
07:57Oh, my word.
07:59Oh, my, that's really bad.
08:00Yeah, it's...
08:02You can see it's gone.
08:08It's something that had been built 25 years ago that represented something from two and
08:13a half thousand years ago.
08:15Gone.
08:16I got all the staff down and we were stood there.
08:20In tears.
08:23And I said, you know, we're going to thank our lucky stars.
08:26Nobody's been hurt.
08:27Yeah.
08:28We're going to do exactly what they would have done.
08:30Pack up their belongings and we're going to move.
08:32We're going to build the new Cranach here.
08:36And at the end of it, we're going to thatch it in Bracken.
08:38And we'll need loads of people to go and pick the Bracken and bring it in.
08:41Team of thatchers on there.
08:43And away we go back in business.
08:45And then we've got another two Cranachs to build.
08:47And one of them will be stone.
08:49Stick and Wi-Fi and I'll stay the weekend.
08:50Perfect.
08:51Jobs are good.
08:51But for now, Will and Dom are getting out of the rain and onto the road.
09:01Is that a lock or is that a river?
09:03Not that I know a lot about locks, but that is a river.
09:06A lock is a big lake.
09:08Where, famously, Loch Ness Monster lives.
09:11Which doesn't exist.
09:13Yes, it does exist.
09:14Have you not seen the pictures?
09:16Well, Will believes, even if Dom doesn't.
09:20Over the years, our talented team have taken on thousands of fixes.
09:24But there are still many more items out there in need of some repair shop, TLC.
09:30So while they're on their travels,
09:32they're keeping an eye out for restoration projects wherever they go.
09:37While Dom's off to explore Perthshire,
09:40Will's meeting Carol and Ian, who have brought something special.
09:44A piece of Scottish history and an item of deep personal significance.
09:49It's become even more meaningful to the couple
09:51since Ian was diagnosed with motor neuron disease ten years ago.
09:56Ian and I have brought you Ian's great-grandfather's pipe music book
10:00that he wrote while he was on his campaigns.
10:04So he actually beautifully hand-wrote this in his own writing
10:09and in the Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic.
10:11I mean, I don't know much about books, but that looks pretty old to me.
10:13It's pretty old.
10:14About nearly 180 years old.
10:16Wow!
10:17So he was a pipe major.
10:19He joined the 42nd Regiment, the Highlanders, in 1836.
10:24And he was a piper, so he got to do all the piping before all the battles.
10:28He campaigned all over the world, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Bermuda
10:32and the Crimea, particularly.
10:34That's a lot of travelling and going into battle,
10:37not knowing if you're going to come home.
10:38Yeah, absolutely.
10:39Now, where exactly would the pipers be?
10:41Would they be at the front when you're going into battle
10:42or somewhere on a hill that's safer?
10:44Yeah, they would be right at the front.
10:46And, you know, there was things coming at him
10:49and he was like, you know, just doo-doo-doo-doo, off, here we go.
10:52Yeah, he was probably a bit mad.
10:53I think he'd have to be,
10:55but then he managed to go through all these battles
10:57and come out relatively unscathed.
10:59Yeah, he did, he did.
11:00But he was well-respected in the piping fraternity.
11:03People knew him because he was actually called the Hero of Alma,
11:07which was in the Crimea War.
11:09The Hero of Alma.
11:11That's a big thing.
11:12Yes, but the book itself would have gone with him in his knapsack,
11:15so he would have carried that with him.
11:17So it is definitely something worth keeping,
11:19I think since Ian's diagnosis of motor neuron disease,
11:22it's become more sort of pertinent, I think,
11:24for you to think about the past
11:26and also to your legacy and what you're going to leave behind.
11:30Although my diagnosis has been devastating
11:32and I have to adapt to the changes that I now face,
11:36it has made me value my family so much more.
11:39Connections to the past have been more meaningful to me
11:42as I think of the legacy that I will leave behind.
11:45Yeah, I suppose it does make you think about the past
11:47and what you've got around you
11:49and those that are special to you.
11:52What has the diagnosis meant for you?
11:55Oh, yeah.
11:55I mean, Ian was very fit.
11:57He was a triathlete.
11:59You know, he was, you know, such a strong physical guy.
12:01Loved his rugby.
12:02And it's just, you know, so awful to see him like this.
12:05And, you know, I'm his carer.
12:07But, you know, I had a good career and I gave it up as well
12:09because I need to be with Ian.
12:11How long have you been married for?
12:12We've been married for nearly...
12:15You get a smile on your face.
12:16..37 years.
12:17Really?
12:17Yeah, 37 years, yeah.
12:19We have two children, son and a daughter,
12:22and our son is Donald Bain.
12:23So he's taken on the namesake of his great-grandfather.
12:26I don't know.
12:28Yeah, immediately had a son.
12:32Donald Bain.
12:32Because he was quite a famous chap, I have a watercolour of him.
12:38And I think there's quite a good, strong resemblance to Ian.
12:40Oh, my gosh.
12:41It's uncanny.
12:43When his beard gets longer.
12:46Now, this book, which looks like it has been around the world.
12:49Yes.
12:50I can see that the spine there is all torn.
12:53Yep.
12:53The front and back covers are also pretty damaged as well.
12:57I think just to be able to repair it, maybe the binding,
13:01to make sure that, you know, the pages stay in place
13:04and, you know, just to make it, you know, look a bit better, I suppose.
13:08To sort of stabilise the deterioration and make it safer to handle it.
13:12Obviously, it's pretty old.
13:13And just to keep it going for the next generations to come would be fab.
13:16It's an honour to feel this.
13:17Oh, thank you.
13:18To know where it's been.
13:19Yeah, yeah.
13:20Well-travelled.
13:21Well-travelled indeed.
13:22Well-used.
13:23That's a nice way of putting it.
13:24Yeah.
13:25Wow.
13:26Well, I think it's a lovely thing to preserve.
13:28Yes.
13:28Not just for those people who are long since passed away,
13:32but also for future generations and for the family name as well.
13:35Yeah, absolutely.
13:36Keep it going.
13:38We have a lovely guy called Christopher down at the barn
13:40and he'll be more than happy to take a look for you.
13:42Delighted.
13:43That'd be lovely, wouldn't it?
13:44Thank you so much.
13:45Pleasure.
13:46So Donald Bain's piping book is off on its travels again,
13:57this time headed south to the repair shop barn,
14:01while Dom has followed the river Tay southeast to the city of Perth
14:06to discover a family-run business where two generations keep an endangered craft alive.
14:12Dating all the way back to the 12th century,
14:15sporran-making has a long history.
14:18From the Gaelic word for purse,
14:21the earliest versions were deer or cow-skin bags used to carry oats or workers' wages.
14:27Oh, you must be Greg.
14:28I am.
14:29I'm dog.
14:29Greg White has been in the sporran-making business for 25 years.
14:34The modern sporran that you see today dates back to the early 1800s
14:39to a visit by George IV up to Scotland.
14:41OK.
14:42First monarch for 200 years to visit Scotland, actually.
14:46He wanted to have a big ball through in Edinburgh
14:48and he asked that everybody attending would be wearing full Highland dress.
14:52So the modern kilt really stems back to that time.
14:57We make over five million variations of sporran.
15:00Stop it.
15:01I know, it sounds ridiculous.
15:02Five million?
15:02Yeah, and I could make a sporran for everybody in Scotland
15:04and they would all be unique.
15:06Wow.
15:07Yeah.
15:07That is quite a statement.
15:09All these would make different sporrans?
15:11They all make different styles, different sizes, yes.
15:13We get designs sent in, beautiful, beautifully hand-drawn designs
15:17or we get the back of an envelope with a scribble on it.
15:19With yourself and the team you've got here, you can make it happen?
15:22The team might say it's not me, it might be them.
15:25It probably is them rather than me, but yes, that's the idea.
15:28The team are a family affair, with Greg's stepson Liam following in his old man's footsteps.
15:37Having learned everything he knows on the job, Liam is now a highly skilled craftsman,
15:43making intricate sporrans like this one.
15:46The day Liam left school, he phoned me and he said to me,
15:50you want to retire one day and you'll need me to take over, so I'll come and work for you.
15:56That's what Liam said to me.
15:57So he's doing you a favour?
15:58He was doing you a favour.
16:00Yes.
16:00You've got the tolling, you've got the leather, you've got the hardware and you've got the talon.
16:04Yes, we've got the talon, yes.
16:07Don't remind him too much, he'll want more money.
16:09What's your son up to here then?
16:10He's basically making one of these sporns, different colour obviously,
16:14but these will form part of the tassels, the small tassel that goes around there,
16:19we're making the pleat to go onto that.
16:20I reckon I could do that.
16:22Right.
16:22Come on, how hard can it be, eh?
16:23Well, it can't be that hard, can't it?
16:24Exactly.
16:25OK, so what you're basically doing is, it's literally a pleat,
16:29so you're just left over right, right over left.
16:31Aiming for that, am I?
16:32That's what you're aiming for.
16:33Go on for it, go on for that.
16:36This is an actual job though.
16:38Oh yeah, this is, oh yeah, if you mess yourself, I start again.
16:41OK, right.
16:42No pressure.
16:43Starting from this one up here, top left, you've got to go underneath.
16:47Yeah.
16:47And over, back the way.
16:48Back over those two.
16:49Yeah.
16:49And turn it again.
16:50And go down ways.
16:53So you keep moving it down.
16:55But under there.
16:56Now it's left, top left.
16:57Hang on, yeah, OK.
16:59That's it.
17:00So now top left, under all of them.
17:03No, I've gone.
17:04I know there's somebody that's went wrong.
17:06Shocker.
17:07That's OK.
17:08We'll recover it.
17:09At the end of the day, these are still handmade, beautifully crafted, you know, pieces made by talented people.
17:16And if machines take over too much, you lose that kind of magic touch, don't you?
17:21I hate that word, talented, because I can't do that.
17:24Can you not?
17:24Yeah, and he's talented.
17:25I can't do that.
17:27Including Liam and co-worker Mario, the team is made up of seven artisans with almost 100 years' craft experience between them.
17:44What are you up to here?
17:46I'm just doing some hand tooling.
17:48He's very precise, isn't he?
17:49Mm.
17:50Very precise.
17:51You know, it's all freehand.
17:52It's all freehand.
17:53That's so accurate, yeah.
17:54With a range of these tools, which, you know, we've got many of, we can make any sort of designs and patterns.
17:59You can cater for any strange and bizarre and wonderful request, because you've got the tooling for it.
18:05Yeah, that's it.
18:06And Mario.
18:07And Mario does knowledge.
18:08Absolutely, yeah.
18:09Can I try some?
18:10Yes.
18:10Can I have a go?
18:11Do you mind?
18:11Yes, that's good.
18:12I promise I won't ruin it.
18:15Metal or nylon?
18:16Yeah, metal.
18:16Metal, yeah.
18:19Three taps.
18:20Three taps.
18:23Oh, no, look, I'm off already.
18:25Yeah, I think you need more practice.
18:30That's my first go.
18:31Yeah, yeah.
18:35This is going well now.
18:36I'm on a roll.
18:37Here we go.
18:39I can see the pattern starting to emerge from, yeah, starting to appear.
18:45Dom's seen the work that goes into making these sponds, but this incredible skill is now on the Heritage Craft Association's red list, with fewer than 10 professional craftspeople working full time in the trade.
18:58It's vital that this craft and the Scottish heritage that it holds is preserved for future generations.
19:09With yet another craft skill under his belt, Dom is reunited with Will at Scone Palace, ancient crowning place of Scottish kings.
19:23I've been with Ian and Carol looking at a really old book.
19:30Ian's ancestor Donald, he would actually march into battle playing the bagpipe.
19:42The bagpipe was the only weapon?
19:43Was the only weapon.
19:44No choice.
19:45Well, it must have worked well, because he survived so many battles and lived to tell the tale.
19:51Perfect.
19:51Have you ever played bagpipes?
19:53I have, because Pete repaired some.
19:55He did?
19:56Yeah, he did.
19:57Oh, yeah.
19:57And he let me have a little, I don't know what you'd call it, a blow, a puff, a squeeze, a fiddle.
20:03And then did you play on the bagpipes as well?
20:05Yeah.
20:06LAUGHTER
20:07The pipe music book has made it safely to the barn, where expert bookbinder Chris Shaw
20:30has all the skills required to give Donald's penmanship a fresh chapter, while preserving its unique story.
20:39If this book could talk, it would have tales to tell.
20:43Donald obviously has treasured it immensely.
20:46It's gone around the world with him.
20:50It's absolutely amazing.
20:53The pen, you can see it's all ink and he's done a blob and then a line, but it's just immaculately done.
20:59It's a phenomenal book and all in Gaelic.
21:04This is where Donald would have turned the pages.
21:07It's got the grease and dirt from his hands and therein is the beauty of the book, is the age and all its imperfections.
21:17It's absolutely beautiful.
21:19So the board is completely broken.
21:22The corner, well, it doesn't feel like there's any board in there.
21:26It's so soft and damaged, so it needs a new board.
21:31So I'm going to lift all the original, put a new board in, and I might do that for the back as well,
21:36because that does feel very weak.
21:41Give it new little leather corners, new leather spine, paper sides, and then remount everything back on,
21:49so that when it goes back, it looks like this, but it's all nice and solid, and they can actually use the book again.
21:57So the first things I'm going to do is dismantle the pages.
22:01I'm not going to do any sort of cleaning, because I want to preserve all of Donald's finger marks.
22:07There is some grit inside, which I'll remove, all this sort of grit.
22:13So I'm just going to start dismantling the pages and then give it a brush, repair the outer leaves where it's all shattered.
22:24And internally, I'll put a new thin piece of paper on the inside, just to strengthen it.
22:33Then I can move on to sewing it.
22:35I'm just taking the cloth off, because I obviously need to keep this,
22:58and I'm going to discard the broken board underneath.
23:02It just reflects the story of this book.
23:04It's had a hard life, but the lovely thing about it is the materials.
23:11It was a textured cloth, but it's sort of been, with use,
23:15just worn down to this beautiful, smooth, very tactile cloth,
23:21whereas new, it would have been slightly grainy.
23:25I'm slightly bothered with the label I'm going to get the scalpel into.
23:32If I carried on peeling underneath the label, I would worry about the label just pinging off,
23:41so that's why I'm going to get the scalpel underneath, just to lift it.
23:44I really don't want any nasty surprises, because this is obviously his signature, Donald Bain.
23:51Wow, that, I can breathe again.
24:02I was so worried about that label.
24:05I didn't know how that was going to react, and that's come off really well.
24:10Really happy with that.
24:11Back on the shores of Lochtail, work continues on the cookhouse thatching.
24:22To finish a project as enormous as this, the centre needs every volunteer they can get,
24:28so Dom's back to lend his skills.
24:30And as well as a roof, a house needs walls.
24:33Hi, Dom.
24:34Dom, nice to meet you.
24:35Centre apprentice Toby is making hazel hurdles, used to create walls and fencing.
24:42So is this what we're going for?
24:44Yeah.
24:44Something like that?
24:45Yeah.
24:46Where does that start?
24:47So you'd go up into the woodland, or a coppice, or a coop as it's called,
24:50and you'd cut it down during the wintertime, so that means the sap is low,
24:54so it will not kill the trees, and that's going to give you better material as a result,
24:57these nice straight bits of hazel.
24:59OK, I've just run up to the woodlands at the top of the hill, got my piece of hazel.
25:02What do I do with it?
25:03Help.
25:04So the first step is, of course, we want to start off the split,
25:07so we'll use some sort of a sharp tool.
25:09If you can hold that bottom end so it doesn't slip away,
25:11putting the axe right in the middle of the stick.
25:13By splitting it in half, I guess it makes it thinner,
25:15so it makes it a bit more malleable, so we can weave it and bend it where we want.
25:18Easier to weave, as you say.
25:19That started to split, and it looks like it's veering off to one side.
25:22Are you worried?
25:23I'm a little bit nervous.
25:24It can be frustrating when that happens before we get on the cleaving brake,
25:27but by the time we're on there, we can kind of control that.
25:29You can save it?
25:30Hopefully, in theory, touch wood, so we can put it over that wedge shape there.
25:38Oh, that's satisfying.
25:40It's like when you pull a piece of wallpaper off.
25:44God, this is tough.
25:46Oh, no, look, this isn't fair.
25:47I've got a horrible knotty bit.
25:50Oh, man, no, that's not fair,
25:52because look, I've got this horrible chunk.
25:53I was never going to get through that.
25:54Well, that is one useless piece of hazel.
25:57Right, round two.
25:58Can we try again?
25:59Yeah.
26:00I've got it, yeah.
26:01Very careful, we're putting it right in the middle.
26:03In the middle, yeah, exactly.
26:05How did you get into doing this?
26:07I first joined an apprenticeship here doing digital marketing.
26:10You know what, I can really relate to that,
26:11because I have a degree in graphic design,
26:13so I started on the computers,
26:15sitting in an office, designing things,
26:17and very quickly realised that
26:19there's nothing better than just getting your hands dirty,
26:21being...
26:22Something tangible, something you can feel, yeah.
26:24Yeah.
26:24When did that shift happen?
26:26It's mainly when I started to get into using the pole lathe,
26:28so making some nice cups and bowls,
26:30and it spiralled from there,
26:31and I've never stopped loving wood.
26:33Love it.
26:34Oh!
26:35It's looking good.
26:36Oh!
26:38How am I doing?
26:39That's really impressive.
26:42Yeah, I'll take that.
26:43Yeah, no, nice one, nice one.
26:44Yes!
26:45Finally!
26:45Okay, two actually usable pieces.
26:48Let's build a wall.
26:48Yeah, let's do it.
26:53We'll take one of our split bits,
26:55going to start at one side,
26:57and so I'm starting behind the first one,
26:59and you're then going to go in front of the next one.
27:01Whee!
27:02Try and hit you with that.
27:04Go on, you're okay.
27:06Pushing things down as we go.
27:08In and out, in and out, weaving it between.
27:09It's a very simple weave.
27:11It's quite nice, isn't it,
27:15to think that a material like hazel
27:17was used thousands of years ago
27:19to build things like this,
27:20and still now, the same job.
27:22Yeah.
27:22It's an amazing thing, isn't it?
27:24That kind of connection back into history, yeah.
27:26Yeah.
27:26When that's in the wall in the cookhouse,
27:28you can be like,
27:28look, that bit's sticking out there that's split,
27:30that was Dom's bit.
27:31That was you, yeah.
27:31Back in the repair shop barn,
27:46bookbinder Chris is about to replace the board
27:49in Donald Bain's pipe music book.
27:52So this is millboard,
27:54and I'm going to use a splitboard method.
27:57The original was just a case.
28:01It's done really well,
28:02but just to tweak the strength,
28:04the next level up,
28:05it's not just a one,
28:06it's two strength now I'm giving,
28:08is a splitboard.
28:09And once the book's sewn,
28:11all the sewing tape gets tucked in here,
28:13and that's sandwiched down,
28:15creating the text being linked to the boards,
28:19so it becomes super strong.
28:21So I'm just going to cut the boards to size.
28:23This is a really nice time.
28:50It's the start of putting everything back together,
28:53everything's been dismantled,
28:56mended,
28:56and now it's the start of the binding process.
29:01I've numbered the pages,
29:03so I know I've got them in the right order.
29:06I'm sewing the pages together,
29:07and I'm looping around these linen tapes.
29:12The tape links the back and the front board,
29:15and it holds the text in position.
29:17So it's a really crucial point.
29:19It has to be flexible but strong,
29:21and linen is the perfect material for that.
29:26I have used the existing holds,
29:29so I didn't have to perforate the pages anymore.
29:31So I'm using the exact position
29:34of where the original tapes were.
29:35It's also very crucial that you do line it all up all the time,
29:40so you're just constantly double-checking the page order
29:43and getting the tension of the sewing thread right.
29:50Too loose, it's not good.
29:52Too tight, it's not too good.
29:54You just need to get just right.
29:58And that just comes through years and years of sewing a book.
30:01And if you get it wrong now,
30:03you end up in trouble further down the line.
30:08So once I've finished sewing,
30:10I can line the book up and then attach the boards.
30:13A few hundred miles north,
30:24the thatching work continues on the Cranach Centre's cookhouse.
30:29The boys have joined an army of volunteers,
30:32learning on the job as they help shape
30:35and cut down bundles of reed for the roof.
30:38This is the scope,
30:40and it mostly goes on just as it is.
30:43But when we get towards the top of the roof,
30:45we have to cut it a bit shorter
30:46because we don't want the feathers to stick up,
30:47and it's just easier to cut it down here
30:48than it needs to go up there with the saw.
30:50So you get it under your rockster.
30:51So you move the string up,
30:52it takes a bit of tension out of it,
30:53and then we get a leggett,
30:55and we just need to put a chamfer on the end of it.
30:58Basically make a sort of chisel shape, yeah?
31:00So that's actually the plane of the roof.
31:03So you're putting that shape in it now?
31:05Yeah, at least roughly.
31:06Roughly, yeah.
31:07It just makes it a little bit easier and quicker on the roof.
31:09And I'm going to cut this...
31:10Bang in the middle.
31:11So we've got Mr Alligator.
31:16It's like trimming a hedge.
31:17I was about to say,
31:18that's a nice traditional ancient tool you have there.
31:21Right, so what are we doing now?
31:22OK, I'll show you the hatcheting.
31:24Oh, this is a bit of you, isn't it?
31:26Yeah.
31:28Ah, yes.
31:29This feels very familiar.
31:30So this is going to go on the roof,
31:32and it's going to hold down the material.
31:34So this is the hazel that we were using up there,
31:36that's tying down.
31:37This is what's holding in the hatch.
31:38Oh, I see.
31:39That goes across like that.
31:40Yeah, exactly.
31:40So that's, we call it a lath.
31:42So from there up,
31:43it's just a wee bit too thin.
31:45So the first thing you're going to do
31:46is you're just going to put it on the block there
31:48and diagonal,
31:49just hack the end off it.
31:51Ready?
31:51Here we go.
31:53Ready?
31:54OK.
31:55Whoa!
31:55Nice shot.
31:56OK.
31:56Nice.
31:57So then what I want you to do
31:58is just gently,
31:59without hurting your hand,
32:00just run your hand down.
32:01Any time you feel a little lump,
32:03you just take the axe
32:04and you just kind of shave off the wee bits.
32:07So there's a bit there.
32:08Yeah.
32:08Just a little shave.
32:09Shaving off.
32:11He's making a meal of it.
32:12No, that's a bit lovely, yeah?
32:13Come on, just hit it, Will.
32:14Come on.
32:15Fancy a shave, Dom?
32:16Yeah, go on then.
32:17Yeah.
32:18That's good.
32:19All the way down to the bottom.
32:21Yeah.
32:21Yeah, that's good.
32:22OK, so then the final thing.
32:23I better show you this.
32:25I don't know if you can do this.
32:26OK, so.
32:33Carry on until you've got a point, OK?
32:35Wow.
32:36And then just drive it down with your hand
32:38so you're shaving that down.
32:39Much easier to shave it
32:40once you've kind of feathered it.
32:42So you're looking to taper this,
32:43the fat end down to nothing
32:45because it's going to overlay
32:46against another one.
32:48Oh, this is hard work.
32:49Scott, what do you think?
32:50How's he doing?
32:51No apprentice for you?
32:52I'm not going to pin by the arrow.
32:53Put it that way.
32:55That's not a taper.
32:56I won't give you a taper in a minute.
32:59Now we're getting somewhere.
33:01Now he's hitting it.
33:02There you go.
33:02He's warming up now.
33:03He's warming up.
33:03OK, that's nice.
33:04That's it.
33:05That was close enough.
33:06Yeah?
33:06Yeah, no bad.
33:07But what a work of art.
33:08I got the job?
33:10Hey!
33:11We'll call you.
33:15Back at the repair shop barn,
33:21Chris is working on getting
33:22the 180-year-old piping book
33:25looking almost as good as new.
33:27So the boards have been attached.
33:32I put the corners on.
33:33And finally, a spine's going to be put on.
33:37When eventually I start remounting
33:39all the original things back on top
33:41of the new binding,
33:43it'll cover up all the hard work,
33:45but it'll start looking like the original book.
33:49And that's what I want it to look like.
33:51So I'm happy with that.
33:52That feels like it's all stuck.
33:55And while it's wet,
33:56I'm going to turn in all the top and bottom.
34:04Once that's dry,
34:06I can start remounting the original pieces
34:09back onto this.
34:13This unique record of Scottish history and culture
34:17was passed down through Donald's ancestors
34:20for generations.
34:21With the book's war wounds now healed,
34:26Wills travelled to the National Piping Centre
34:28in Glasgow to return it to Ian and Carol.
34:34Hoping just to see it kind of restored to life,
34:38you know, just to get that essence
34:39of the man back again,
34:41you know, how it maybe would have looked for him
34:43when he was travelling around the world
34:45and all these campaigns.
34:47So for us, that was something,
34:49yeah, we're quite excited to see.
34:50Lovely to see you both.
35:00Yeah, it's lovely to be here.
35:02How have you been?
35:03Yeah, we've been fine.
35:04Yeah.
35:05Waiting patiently and, yeah, excited.
35:08I mean, it's amazing that this wasn't
35:09sort of blown up or something.
35:11Yeah.
35:11Kind of just forgotten about in mud.
35:14Absolutely.
35:15It's been through the wars, literally.
35:17Quite literally.
35:17Yeah, so it was definitely needing
35:20a bit of TLC, wasn't it, Ian?
35:22Yeah.
35:23But also for him to go into Basel
35:26and manage to come out the other side.
35:28Yeah, absolutely.
35:29It's pretty amazing.
35:30Yeah.
35:33We'd like to see what Chris has done with the book.
35:34Yes, please.
35:35Yes, please.
35:36Oh, look, I know.
35:43Looks so good, doesn't it?
35:45Yeah.
35:46That is lovely.
35:46Lovely.
35:47Oh, it's quite emotional, isn't it, seeing it.
36:00That's so beautifully done.
36:02It looks great.
36:03I can't believe it has the same book.
36:06I know.
36:06Now, what I really like about this book
36:08is the fact that it has so much character and charm.
36:12Yeah.
36:12It feels like his.
36:14Yeah.
36:14You're very lucky to have something so old in the family.
36:17Yeah.
36:18I hope to pass the book on to my son,
36:20who is called Donald Bane,
36:21after my dad and his great-great-grandfather.
36:25Now the book has been restored for future generations,
36:28all that's left is to hear its music again,
36:31one of the very tunes Donald would have played himself.
36:35And I'll see you next time.
37:05Thank you so much for trusting us with your book.
37:16Pleasure.
37:17And I'm pleased that you're pleased,
37:18but also how magical to actually hear
37:20some of this music being played.
37:22Yeah, that was truly special.
37:24We didn't expect that at all.
37:25It was fab.
37:26It's over to you.
37:27Well, thank you very much.
37:3570 miles north of Glasgow at Loch Tay,
37:39Dom's making his final visit to the Cranach Centre
37:42to see the fully restored cookhouse.
37:45Last time Will and I were up at the Cranach Centre,
37:48I learnt so much about ancient skills.
37:50Weaving hazel to make fencing,
37:52the thatching, it's fascinating.
37:55The cookhouse should be complete,
37:57and I can't wait to see it.
37:58After one devastating fire
38:04and three years of community teamwork,
38:07the finished cookhouse is ready
38:08to host gatherings once again.
38:11They'll be cooking on open fires and clay ovens,
38:14as our ancestors would have done
38:15two and a half thousand years ago.
38:18And thanks to the stellar work
38:20put in by Thatcher Scott,
38:23the cookhouse roof is complete.
38:26Scott, look at this.
38:28You like it?
38:28It's incredible.
38:30This is such a transformation.
38:31Last time I was here,
38:32we had just the timbers running across,
38:34it was just to be whole.
38:35Now we've got a whole roof,
38:37a watertight roof.
38:39Yes, it is.
38:39So what are you doing here, then?
38:41This material, coulick,
38:43it has broken straws in it,
38:45and they just tend to shed out as you're working,
38:47and it'll shed out for a while, yeah.
38:48But I'm just giving it a wee kind of aesthetic brush down.
38:50In fact, I can't even reach up there,
38:52so can you just go that side for me?
38:54So this is like when you get your hair cut
38:56and you've got little bits of hair
38:57that you keep finding coming on afterwards.
38:58That's right.
38:59So we'll just take the bulk of them out now.
39:01You must have that satisfaction now
39:04that you can stand back
39:06and just look at that and think,
39:07wow, look what we've achieved.
39:08Yeah, yeah, it's great.
39:09You must be quite proud.
39:10Yeah, particularly when you see it at a distance
39:11because they have a certain aesthetic quality
39:14and they look really gorgeous.
39:15But there's something really lovely
39:17when you catch sight of a thatched roof
39:19and then you see the smoke coming up through it
39:20on a calm day.
39:22Well, talking of the smoke coming up through it,
39:24this is the cookhouse.
39:25This is the cookhouse.
39:26Is it cooking anything yet?
39:27Is it working?
39:27Is the fire in there?
39:28Yeah, they've started fitting it, as you might say.
39:30They've started putting fires in and everything.
39:32It's great.
39:32Perfect.
39:33Can we have a look?
39:33I'm dying to see inside.
39:34Yeah, absolutely.
39:35To christen the cookhouse,
39:43the centre's assistant director, Rachel,
39:45is cooking up an Iron Age feast
39:47of homemade cheese and local trout.
39:51It's fresh from the lark,
39:52so I thought you might like to cut that up.
39:54Is that all right?
39:55Yeah, I'll give it a hand, of course.
39:56I'll give you that.
39:57Yeah.
39:57So I'll get your chopping board.
39:58Toss the board.
39:59I'm not going to lie,
40:00I am slightly concerned that we're
40:02in a timber-framed building with a thatched roof
40:05with an open fire in the middle.
40:06Yep.
40:07It's about controlling the fire that you've got
40:10and burning the right kinds of wood
40:11and the right kinds of material
40:13and having control of the fire
40:15so that you're not sending all those sparks
40:17up into the roof.
40:18And that smoke then preserves the thatch.
40:20So how does the smoke help the thatch?
40:22The smoke's really handy
40:23because it basically pickles the roof.
40:25So it creates a kind of tar
40:27and it keeps the mould and the bugs away.
40:29So having an open fire in the middle of the floor
40:31really helps.
40:32It is helpful.
40:34There we go.
40:35That's looking good.
40:36What are you hoping is going to happen
40:37to the cheese?
40:39So we just need to get the milk
40:41to the point where it's quite hot.
40:43We don't want it boiling.
40:44OK.
40:44And then we'll take that off
40:45and we just need to add some vinegar.
40:48Vinegar?
40:48Yeah.
40:49That's a vegetarian version.
40:52Would you like to do this?
40:53Look at that, another beautiful bowl.
40:54Look at that.
40:55Basically, just pour the vinegar in
40:57and give it a good stir.
40:59That and then in there.
41:00It feels like quite a familiar
41:03sort of place sitting under here.
41:06It's quite similar to the barn
41:07at the repair shop.
41:08Yeah.
41:08People from all over the world
41:09can relate to it
41:10because almost every culture
41:12has at some point created
41:14or lived in buildings
41:15that are timber-framed
41:17or round
41:17or have a thatch
41:18or, you know,
41:19needed this kind of skill
41:21and knowledge.
41:22And it's sort of a unifying thing.
41:23Sitting under a thatched roof
41:25in a wooden building
41:26cooking together
41:26brings anyone together
41:28from anywhere in the world.
41:30There you go.
41:31That's starting to cut.
41:31Do you see
41:32you're getting, like,
41:33a yellow liquid?
41:34On the top there.
41:34Yeah.
41:35Yeah.
41:35So that's your whey
41:36and then your lumpy bits
41:38are your curds
41:38and it just goes like magic.
41:39All we're going to do
41:40is lift out
41:41those lumps of cheese.
41:44Oh, that's a good bit.
41:45That's it.
41:46It's looking good.
41:47This is all looking so good.
41:49Is it not?
41:50Yeah.
41:51Well done.
41:52And the crowds have gathered.
41:54Yes.
41:54The smell of the cheese
41:55and the trout
41:56has obviously spread
41:57through the chronic centre.
41:59How are you all doing?
42:00Good.
42:01Well, come on in then.
42:05There's another one, guys.
42:06There you go.
42:06Oh, we've got some bread.
42:07Perfect.
42:07You need to try Dom's cheese.
42:08We've got bread coming as well.
42:10Ready?
42:11Oh, the fish is excellent.
42:12This is...
42:13What?
42:14Good.
42:15Oh, yeah.
42:16Half smoked, half fried.
42:17Oh.
42:18It's included.
42:19A bit of hazelnut bread.
42:21Maybe.
42:22It's great, isn't it?
42:23Isn't it nice?
42:24Bit of track there.
42:24Yeah, have a bit of that.
42:26I have had such an amazing day
42:29here at the chronic centre.
42:30As soon as the fish was cooking
42:32and my cheese was being made,
42:33the crowds were gathering
42:35and that just goes to show
42:36how places like this
42:37inspire people.
42:39That's what it's all about.
42:39A community that they're creating
42:41and they're making
42:41and inspiring people
42:42for the future
42:43comes from that passion
42:45for sharing their knowledge.
42:46It's a magical place here.
42:48Now that the chronic centre
42:55has been preserved for the future,
42:58the boys can get back on the road.
43:02What do you think of my driving?
43:04I'm honestly terrified.
43:06Careful.
43:07You'll slow down for squirrels.
43:08Oh, I've never seen a red squirrel.
43:09You keep your eyes on the road, OK?
43:11I'm around.
43:11I'm around.
43:11I'm around.
43:11I'm around.
43:11I'm around.
43:12I'm around.
43:12I'm around.
43:13I'm around.
43:13I'm around.
43:13I'm around.
43:13I'm around.
43:14I'm around.
43:14I'm around.
43:14I'm around.
43:14I'm around.
43:15I'm around.
43:15I'm around.
43:15I'm around.
43:16I'm around.
43:16I'm around.
43:16I'm around.
43:16I'm around.
43:17I'm around.
43:17I'm around.
43:17I'm around.
43:18I'm around.
43:18I'm around.
43:19I'm around.
43:19I'm around.
43:20I'm around.
43:20I'm around.
43:21I'm around.
43:21I'm around.
43:22I'm around.
43:22I'm around.
43:23I'm around.
43:23I'm around.
Recommended
23:46
23:51
24:18
54:55
25:09
26:05
48:10
48:08
43:32
43:39
43:31
43:42
43:39
43:19
43:34
43:33
43:41
43:14
43:11
43:13
56:47
47:59