This week, we’re discussing the story of a 17th century woman who left an amazing literary legacy. Alice Thornton wrote four books, including three autobiographies, which provide a remarkable insight into life during the English Civil War. Joining us to discuss Alice’s story, including her connection to the English Heritage site of Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire, are Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Edinburgh Dr Cordelia Beattie, English Heritage Properties Historian Will Wyeth and Post-Doctoral Researcher Dr Jo Edge. To discover more about Middleham Castle or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/middlehamcastle
Today, we’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Michael Carter to discuss the story of Anglo-Saxon England’s conversion to Christianity and the key people behind it. Many of you will have heard of St Augustine, but what about St Hild, Hadrian or Milburga, or even Queen Bertha? Join us to discover the role these medieval missionaries played and the sites you can visit today to find out more. To discover more about England’s top abbeys or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/travel-guides/top-abbeys
This week we’re on the banks of the River Rye in North Yorkshire to discover how its precious water helped to sustain the monks who lived here for just over 400 years. This relationship between the monks and the river – and the ingenious ways they managed the water – is the focus of a new exhibition being hosted at the abbey. Joining us to explain more are English Heritage Collections Curator Susan Harrison, Ryevitalise Programme Manager for the North York Moors National Park Authority Alexandra Cripps, and Ryevitalise Graduate Niamh Byrne. To discover more about Rievaulx Abbey or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/rievaulxabbey
Have you ever been to an historic site and wondered about the people who lived there? Or the people who died there? Or maybe even those who are buried there? St Peter's Church at Barton-on-the-Humber in north Lincolnshire is home to a large collection of human bones stored in its ossuary. Joining us to reveal the story of the church, its ossuary, and the human remains housed here are Senior Curator Kevin Booth and Human Skeletal Biologist at Historic England, Dr Simon Mays. To discover more about St Peter’s Church or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-peters-church-barton-upon-humber
This week we’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Susan Greaney and Professor Ronald Hutton to investigate the mysterious white horses and giant chalk figures that adorn hillsides across England. Find out who created them, when and why they were created and the stories behind many of England’s most famous hill figures, from the Uffington and Westbury White Horses to the Cerne Abbas Giant and the Long Man of Wilmington. To discover more about the Uffington White Horse or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/uffington-castle-white-horse-and-dragon-hill
Today we’re joined by English Heritage’s Head of Learning and Interpretation Dr Dominique Bouchard and Properties Historians' Team Leader Dr Andrew Hann to talk about a landmark case presided over by Lord Chief Justice, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, who lived at Kenwood in north London. He was also a dissenting voice against slavery. Mansfield's ruling in the Somerset v Stewart case in 1772 paved the way for the abolition of slavery in Britain and beyond. To discover more about Kenwood or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenwood
This week, we’re returning to one of our favourite topics of conversation on the podcast: castles. Joining us to discuss the evolution of Britain’s fortresses, before revealing his top five English Heritage castles, is John Goodall – a historian, the architectural editor of Country Life magazine and author of a new book called The Castle: A History. To discover more about our castles or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/castles
This week, we’re joined by Dr Frances McIntosh to discuss the story of the Edwardian archaeologists who discovered Corbridge Roman Town and the new exhibition that has been created to celebrate their work. Corbridge – or Coria to use its original name – was a major settlement two-and-a-half miles south of Hadrian’s Wall in the north-east of England, and the ground-breaking excavations carried out here more than a hundred years ago uncovered one of the most important Roman collections in Britain. To discover more about Corbridge Roman Town or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/corbridge
This week, we’re marking a new chapter in the story of Marble Hill, an eye-catching early Georgian villa set in 66 acres of parkland near the River Thames in Twickenham, south-west London. As it reopens following an 8-million-pound project to revive the house and grounds, we explore the history of this riverside Palladian home, its builder Henrietta Howard, its collections and its garden. Joining us to pick up the story are Senior Properties Historian Dr Megan Leyland, Curator of Collections and Interiors Dr Tessa Kilgarriff and Landscape Advisor Emily Parker. To discover more about Marble Hill or plan a visit, go to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/marblehill
We’re back for the final instalment of our four-part mini-series on the story of Hadrian’s Wall on its 1,900th anniversary. From the end of Roman control in Britain to the medieval period and the rediscovery of the wall by early archaeologists, we’re looking at the legacy of Hadrian’s Wall. We also consider how the remains of the Wall and its forts are being conserved for future generations. Joining us to guide us on this journey back to the present day are Properties Historian Dr Andrew Roberts and Curator of Hadrian’s Wall Dr Frances McIntosh. To discover more about Hadrian’s Wall or to plan a visit, go to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/hadrianswall