Gretel le Maître Ponders Beauty, with Bede & other guests

Gretel le Maître

Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free, and you’re invited to join in.  It’s super unpolished and Gretel would be grateful for you to forgive her for that.   🤓Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s treasure up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts.Please follow me on X @gretellemaitre. 🌳 Or email me: gretellem@yahoo.com Guests on this show include Tom Holland, Philip Mould, Bijan Omrani, Simon Jenkins, Matthew Coleridge, The Revd Canon Angela Tilby, David Willem, Philippa Langley, and Enzo Cicenti. We have now passed 50,000 downloads. “The podcast combines historical reflections and extracts from literature with her own musings on architecture, literature, and the natural world. Gretel approaches these deep topics with warmth and humor, aiming to provide listeners a comforting space to explore complex emotions. If you’re interested, you can listen to her podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, where she shares her reflections in episodes filled with historical and literary  insights.   Hosted by Gretel Le Maitre, this unique podcast blends personal storytelling with historical insights from figures like the Venerable Bede, offering listeners an inspiring journey of healing and hope. With themes of grief, transformation, and spirituality, the podcast has earned praise for its calming tone, authenticity, and ability to connect on a deeply human level. As one listener shared, it feels like sitting down with a trusted friend who understands. Perfect for audiences seeking introspection, comfort, or simply a quiet moment of reflection, Gretel le Maître Ponders is available now on all major platforms. In the global top 10% of podcasts according to Listen Notes.  51,000 downloads as at the end of March 2026. GoodPods Leaderboards, March 2026; #37 in the Top 100 Nature All time chart #2 in the Top 100 Peace All time chart #2 in the Top 100 Curiosity All time chart  #2 in the Top 100 Hope All time chart #3 in the Top 100 Beauty All time chart

  1. Strictly Dickens: Chapters LXX and LXXI

    1D AGO

    Strictly Dickens: Chapters LXX and LXXI

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    49 min
  2. Thomas Hardy in Grief; Mr Slope’s Slippery Sermon; and Naked Wanderings in Wales

    1D AGO

    Thomas Hardy in Grief; Mr Slope’s Slippery Sermon; and Naked Wanderings in Wales

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    52 min
  3. Poor Barnaby Rudge misses his dogs in Chapter LXIX; the horrors of late-night travel; and a return to Sherborne

    1D AGO

    Poor Barnaby Rudge misses his dogs in Chapter LXIX; the horrors of late-night travel; and a return to Sherborne

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    40 min
  4. Philippa Langley chats to Gretel about her Life, King Richard and Following the Evidence

    2D AGO

    Philippa Langley chats to Gretel about her Life, King Richard and Following the Evidence

    Send us Fan Mail Good evening and welcome to this special episode where I meet the wonderful, intrepid and extraordinary Philippa Langley MBE.  Philippa talks of her childhood, and of teenage bullying; of Charles II and those skeletons in the Westminster Abbey urn; of the 2025 court case; a ‘hunchback’ conspiracy discovered by Steve Coogan; of current research, and of future plans.   Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    48 min
  5. An Expensive Goat and no Winter Coat; Dario talks Whisky; Barnaby Rudge comes to Edinburgh [Ch LXVIII]

    4D AGO

    An Expensive Goat and no Winter Coat; Dario talks Whisky; Barnaby Rudge comes to Edinburgh [Ch LXVIII]

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    59 min
  6. Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man: Strictly Dickens

    6D AGO

    Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man: Strictly Dickens

    Send us Fan Mail Good evening  This second episode includes only Chapter LXVII of Barnaby Rudge.  Is the tide turning?  Is a glimmer of light challenging the dark?  Let’s see… Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    32 min
  7. The Apparition of The Rood; Gnomic Verses; Playground Chants; Trollope; and Dickens

    MAR 24

    The Apparition of The Rood; Gnomic Verses; Playground Chants; Trollope; and Dickens

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    54 min
  8. Strictly Dickens: Chapters LXIV & LXV

    MAR 22

    Strictly Dickens: Chapters LXIV & LXV

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free. Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s gather up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts. Top 10 in Global Rankings according to Listen Notes.  I would be so grateful if you would spare the time to give me a kind review and possibly 5 stars (for effort as I realise it’s not deserved for achievement)🥴 Previous guests include  historian Tom Holland; Actor Enzo Cilenti; Art historian Philip Mould; Writer David Willem; Composer Matthew Coleridge; Vicar Angela Tilby; Author Bijan Omrani; Journalist and Historian Sir Simon Jenkins; Dorset garden hedgehog family, the Venerable Bede and other guests.   Future guests (all being well) are Tom Holland, John Simpson, Eleanor Parker, Philippa Langley and Katie Channon.   Unpolished and unscripted but no ads and no requests for anything but your company.  Trying to make the world a gentler place with literature, history and nature.  Please don’t expect to find a...

    49 min
5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time.  She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.   Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time;  the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free, and you’re invited to join in.  It’s super unpolished and Gretel would be grateful for you to forgive her for that.   🤓Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth.  Let’s treasure up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts.Please follow me on X @gretellemaitre. 🌳 Or email me: gretellem@yahoo.com Guests on this show include Tom Holland, Philip Mould, Bijan Omrani, Simon Jenkins, Matthew Coleridge, The Revd Canon Angela Tilby, David Willem, Philippa Langley, and Enzo Cicenti. We have now passed 50,000 downloads. “The podcast combines historical reflections and extracts from literature with her own musings on architecture, literature, and the natural world. Gretel approaches these deep topics with warmth and humor, aiming to provide listeners a comforting space to explore complex emotions. If you’re interested, you can listen to her podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, where she shares her reflections in episodes filled with historical and literary  insights.   Hosted by Gretel Le Maitre, this unique podcast blends personal storytelling with historical insights from figures like the Venerable Bede, offering listeners an inspiring journey of healing and hope. With themes of grief, transformation, and spirituality, the podcast has earned praise for its calming tone, authenticity, and ability to connect on a deeply human level. As one listener shared, it feels like sitting down with a trusted friend who understands. Perfect for audiences seeking introspection, comfort, or simply a quiet moment of reflection, Gretel le Maître Ponders is available now on all major platforms. In the global top 10% of podcasts according to Listen Notes.  51,000 downloads as at the end of March 2026. GoodPods Leaderboards, March 2026; #37 in the Top 100 Nature All time chart #2 in the Top 100 Peace All time chart #2 in the Top 100 Curiosity All time chart  #2 in the Top 100 Hope All time chart #3 in the Top 100 Beauty All time chart

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