In the spring of 1843, an empty common outside the small English market town of Merecombe is about to become the most important place in town for a single day. Before sunrise, wagons begin to arrive. Ropes are uncoiled across the wet grass. Families, tradesmen, schoolchildren and curious visitors slowly gather to watch something many of them have never seen before: the preparation and ascent of a great travelling balloon. Among the temporary ground crew is Daniel Mercer, a young rope-maker who has taken the day's work for one simple reason — he wants to see how something so large can ever leave the earth. 0:00 Introduction 0:45 Arrival at the common 5:29 Preparing the ground 11:53 Organizing the site 17:37 Gathering of the crowd 27:12 Working on the balloon 35:02 Opening the enclosure 43:50 The balloon begins to rise 55:06 Midday anticipation 1:03:26 Final preparations 1:09:35 The ascent 1:22:27 After the spectacle 1:28:31 Packing and departure Behind the story: Victorian balloons like the one Daniel's crew holds down were filled with coal gas from the town gasworks — a method the aeronaut Charles Green pioneered in 1821, because it was far cheaper and quicker to make than hydrogen. Further reading: Wikipedia – Charles Green (balloonist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Green_(balloonist) No music. Narrated with a calm synthetic voice. Also on Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer and iHeartRadio — links on the channel page. #SleepStory #HotAirBalloon #EarlyVictorian