The English Heritage Podcast

English Heritage
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Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places?  In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Partners: who were Seely and Paget?

    Creators of an Art Deco masterpiece at Eltham Palace in London, Seely and Paget were one of the most remarkable architectural partnerships of the 20th century.  In this episode, Amy explores the men behind the names, tracing how two well-connected young men who met at Cambridge went on to leave their mark on churches, colleges and country houses across the country and reshape Eltham Palace into one of Britain’s most striking Art Deco homes.   English Heritage’s Dr Andrew Hann and Seely and Paget expert Dr Peter Forsaith unpick the story of a partnership that defined the business and private lives of the pair and how architecture can balance modern living with respect for the past.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  2. MAR 19

    The hidden history of women in construction

    When we picture the building of Britain’s great country houses, it’s easy to imagine architects, craftspeople and wealthy patrons...but they’re almost always men.   However, after a closer look at the records, a different story becomes clear. From brickfields and workshops to family building firms and busy construction sites, women have always been present during the construction of the buildings we know and enjoy today.  This time on The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by Dr Megan Leyland and Professor Linda Clarke to uncover the hidden history of women in building, from the well-known business mind of Eleanor Coade to brick moulders, glaziers and more. They’ll discuss why it’s been so easy to miss these skilled workers and labourers in previous research and why that’s set to change as we look to a more equitable future for workers in the building industry.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  3. MAR 12

    The secret world of portrait miniatures

    Tiny enough to wear around your neck, yet big enough to hold secrets, memories and devotion: portrait miniatures give us an intimate insight into the private lives of the past.   In this episode, Amy Matthews is joined by curators Lydia Miller and Peter Moore to explore remarkable stories from this pre-photography phenomenon and delve into English Heritage’s special collections.   From beaver teeth used to prepare ivory painting surfaces to secret eye miniatures exchanged between lovers, these intricate artworks reveal a hidden world of affection, remembrance and personal identity. They could be worn as jewellery, tucked into cabinets or carried close to the heart, and today they give us a glimpse into personal stories we don’t see in grand public portraits.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    48 min

  4. MAR 5

    The birth of medieval manuscripts

    What does an oyster shell have to do with medieval books? This week, Amy explores one of her favourite moments in history: when medieval scribes started to create beautifully illuminated manuscripts.   She’s exploring the complex, multi-faceted and highly skilled work that helped create these works of literature and art. From a stinky parchment creation process to fine pigments and steady hands working by candlelight, making medieval books was far from a simple task, as English Heritage’s Dr Susan Harrison and Dr David Rundle from the University of Kent explain.   Find out about artistry, quiet devotion, cheeky doodling in the margins and how these objects moved from monastic workshops into wider medieval life.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min

  5. FEB 26

    Poetry, maths and the Milky Way: the unsung genius of Thomas Wright

    What do deer shelters, cosmic theories and serpentine garden paths have in common?  The brilliant (but often overlooked) mind of Thomas Wright of Durham. This week on The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews explores the life and work of an Enlightenment polymath who rose from carpenter’s son to mathematician, stargazer and garden visionary.   Biographer Simon Webb and historian Dr Andrew Hann explain how this brilliant and influential mind blended poetry, physics, myth and maths to shape ideas about garden designs, buildings and even the structure of the Milky Way.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min

  6. FEB 19

    Rethinking an Iron Age ‘war cemetery’ 

    Was Maiden Castle really the site of a brutal Roman massacre? Or have we been telling the wrong story for decades?   This vast Iron Age hillfort in Dorset is home to human remains that have shaped our understanding of conquest, conflict and resistance for nearly a century. In this episode, we return to the skeletons that made the site famous: young men, women and children bearing signs of violence, to find out what they can tell us about life and death in Iron Age Britain.  Amy Matthews is joined by experts to unpack the latest research and investigate how new interpretations raise questions about the narratives and stories we take for granted.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min

  7. FEB 12

    Love tokens from history

    Forget roses and chocolates this Valentine’s Day. Lovers from the past set the bar high, with romantic poetry, locks of human hair, beautifully crafted silver and even a new city dedicated to a lost love.  Join Amy Matthews and English Heritage historians and curators for a look at love tokens, secret messages and heartbreak memorials from our sites, to discover how people in the past flirted, mourned, adored and remembered. It turns out that whether it’s a sonnet, a statue or a sentimental keepsake, love has always been messy, meaningful and very human.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    29 min

  8. FEB 5

    Before 1066: how England’s elites lived, ruled, and showed off

    This isn’t a story of castles and conquest, but of carved pins, private churches, timber halls and even a king’s toilet.  In this episode, we’re exploring early medieval England to uncover how wealth, status and authority were expressed before the Norman Conquest. Far from a sharp break in history, new archaeological research reveals deep continuities in how England’s elites lived, ruled...and showed off!  Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage curator Dr Will Wyeth and medieval archaeologist Dr Duncan Wright to explore a society in transition, where rising gentry built impressive residences, decorated themselves with finely crafted objects, controlled landscapes and resources, and used architecture to project power long before stone castles dominated the skyline.  Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.     Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠     Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
204 Ratings

About

Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places?  In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    English Heritage
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    366
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The English Heritage Podcast

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