The English Heritage Podcast

We’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Steven Brindle and historian Karen Hearn to discuss the story of Lady Anne Clifford (1590–1676).As High Sheriff of Westmorland and the last member of one of England’s great medieval dynasties, she became something of a legend in her own lifetime and has remained a celebrated figure in the history of northern England ever since. We’ll reveal how, after fighting a 40-year battle for her right to inherit her father’s estates, she devoted herself to restoring and enhancing the castles and churches on her lands.To read more about Lady Anne Clifford’s life, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/anne-clifford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re returning to Osborne, Queen Victoria’s home on the Isle of Wight. With its sandy beach and beautiful gardens, it’s often been depicted as something of a holiday home for Victoria and her family. But, as we’ll discover, this impressive island retreat was also a real political powerhouse.Joining us to explain more are English Heritage’s Properties Historians’ Team Leader Dr Andrew Hann and Dr Lee Butcher, who researched Osborne’s place as a global diplomatic hub as part of his PhD studies.To discover more about Osborne or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/osborne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re joined in the studio by Senior Properties Historian Dr Amy Boyington and Properties Curator Roy Porter to answer all your questions about the Tudors.Discover what Henry VIII’s relationship was like with his father, if Jane Seymour was the favourite of his six wives and whether he bonded with his own children. Plus, we’ll reveal what treats you might have found at a Tudor feast, what sports the Tudors liked to play and which Tudor monarch might be considered the greatest of them all.To learn more about life in Tudor England, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/tudors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of an English biologist, naturalist and explorer who helped develop the theory of evolution in the middle of the 19th century. No, we’re not talking about Charles Darwin, but rather his contemporary Alfred Russel Wallace.Joining us to talk about Wallace’s life, his blue plaque and the role he played in the development of evolutionary theory, is Senior Historian for the blue plaques scheme, Howard Spencer, and Head Gardener at Home of Charles Darwin – Down House, Antony O’Rourke.To learn more about our blue plaques scheme, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/blue-plaques To plan a visit to Down House, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/downhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by English Heritage’s Senior Gardens Advisor Dr Michael Klemperer and historian and author Emma Kay to embark on a culinary odyssey from prehistory to Victorian times and reveal what our ancestors ate during the cold months of winter.Discover how Neolithic hunter gatherers sustained themselves, what the Romans did for our diet and the tasty treats you might have found on the table of a Tudor king.To see a timeline of food in Britain, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/history/food-and-feasting-at-stonehenge/food-timeline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re taking a very festive look back at the Christmas traditions that started in the Victorian period and are still with us today. We'll also examine the role that Charles Dickens played in shaping Christmas as we know it – and find out how the man himself celebrated the festive season with his family.Joining us are Properties Historians’ Team Leader, Dr Andrew Hann, and Director of the Dickens Museum in London, Dr Cindy Sughrue.To learn more about the Victorian origins of some of today’s Christmas traditions, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/victorian-christmas-traditions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Christmas festivities get into full swing, we’re delving into the history of the Roman midwinter festival Saturnalia to discover what it was, how it was observed and its role in influencing today’s traditions.Guiding us through the history of this ancient pagan celebration is Curator for Hadrian’s Wall and the North East region, Dr Frances McIntosh.To find out more about the history of Christmas, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-christmas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you visit the ruins of abbeys and priories today, it can be hard to imagine that these places were once teeming with people – and not just monks and nuns, with an army of workers employed to keep them running smoothly.We’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Michael Carter to look back at working life at England’s medieval monasteries and discuss the role and importance of servants in their stories.To find out more about our abbeys and priories, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/monasteries-and-abbeys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Built around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures and known as the ‘King’s Privy Wardrobe’, the Jewel Tower has a fascinating history stretching back over 650 years.We’re joined by Head Curator Dr Jeremy Ashbee to discover the rich history of this intriguing building in the heart of Westminster that few people have heard of – but have almost certainly seen on TV.To find out more about the Jewel Tower or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/jewel-tower Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the centenary of the founding of the Irish Free State, we’re joined by English Heritage blue plaques historian Howard Spencer and senior lecturer in modern history at the University of Sheffield, Dr Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, to discover how it came to exist, who the key players were and how the story of its creation still resonates today.To find out more about our London blue plaques, including those relating to the story of the Irish Free State, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices