After all, it spawned George and Robert Stephenson's railway engines, Joseph Swan's electric light bulbs, and Sir Charles Parson's steam turbines and electricity generators.
Not only is Mr. Parson's staging as earthy and right as a 12-bar blues, but Shaun Motley's sad, shabby set and Vincent Olivieri's precisely calculated sound design supply the frame for a winningly fine display of ensemble acting by the entire nine-person cast, led with unimpeachable realism by Mr. Robinson.
The Portbury line was reopened in December 2001, when the then Transport Minister John Speller joined 150 people on a steam train journey through the Avon Gorge from Bristol's Parson Street station to Royal Portbury Dock.