The English Heritage Podcast

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first in a three-part mini-series on feasts that were enjoyed at English Heritage sites through the ages. To get us started, we’re headed back in time to visit Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent. Giving us a flavour of what a Roman feast at Lullingstone would have looked (and tasted) like is Curator of Collections and Interiors Dr Kathryn Bedford.This series is brought to you by Côte at Home, who offer a wide range of luxury chilled meals and French wines, delivered direct to your door, from the kitchens of the Côte Brasserie restaurants. To get a free bottle of French red or white wine with your first order over £60, go to www.coteathome.co.uk and use the promo code EH-RED or EH-WHITE at checkout.To learn more about Lullingstone Roman Villa or to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/lullingstone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re concluding our two-part mini-series on the Wars of the Roses as we chart Richard III’s role in the final phases of the conflicts. He remains one of the most controversial kings in English history – accused of murdering his nephews to protect his throne. But who was the real Richard III?We’re joined by Curator of Collections & Interiors, Dickon Whitewood to find out.To discover more about Richard III’s childhood home, Middleham Castle, or to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/middleham-castle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re back on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire for the third instalment of our Hadrian’s Wall mini-series. Discover what happened to the Wall following the death of Emperor Hadrian in AD 138 and how life along it evolved until the end of Roman rule in Britain.Joining us to pick up the story are Properties Historian Dr Andrew Roberts and curator of Hadrian’s Wall and the North East region Dr Frances McIntosh.To discover more about Hadrian’s Wall or to plan a visit, go to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/hadrianswall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ranger’s House is an elegant Georgian villa on the boundary of Greenwich Park and Blackheath, which houses The Wernher Collection, a world-class art collection amassed by the 19th-century businessman, Sir Julius Wernher. However, in more recent times, its façade has become famous as the star of Netflix period drama Bridgerton.We’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Megan Leyland and Head of Commercial Development Kingston Myles to learn about the history of Ranger’s House and how it was reinvented on-screen as Bridgerton House.To discover more about Ranger’s House or to plan a visit, go to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/rangershouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices