TV’s Great British Railway Journeys to Call At Guildford?

Published on: 1 Apr, 2012
Updated on: 3 Apr, 2012

Michael Portillo

Research is underway for another series of ‘Great British Railway Journeys’, the popular television programmes presented by Michael Portillo. And this time they might stop at Guildford!

A researcher from ‘Boundless’ the television company that produces the programmes said, “We might be coming to Guildford and, if so, will explore the impact the railways had, on the town, when it arrived in the 1840s.”

The railway connection, when it arrived, allowed travel to and from London in under an hour, so, for the first time, it was possible to work regularly in London and live in Guildford. This triggered major expansion in the size of the town and its population. Eventually, Guildford became a nodal point for railways lines going to Reading, Horsham and Redhill as well as two different lines to London.

Today (30th March) members of the production team visited Guildown Road in St Catherine’s, south west Guildford, where they filmed some of the Victorian houses in the road before travelling on to Gomshall.

In the programmes Michael Portillo frequently refers to ‘Bradshaw’s Guide’ (the original was actually titled Bradshaw’s ‘Handbook’), published in 1866 for railway travellers. It has now been reprinted and is again available for sale.

The TV company Boundless are also responsible for producing the TV shows: ‘The Apprentice’, ‘Escape To The Country’, and ‘Grand Designs’.