The English Heritage Podcast

The Second World War saw a number of England’s country houses requisitioned by the military to play their part in the war effort. We’re joined by Curator of Collections and Interiors Eleanor Matthews, Properties Historians' Team Leader Dr Andrew Hann and Collections Manager David Hanks to discuss how Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire, Wrest Park in Bedfordshire and Belsay Hall in Northumberland were reinvented as a barracks, offices and training facilities as the war raged.To discover more about Brodsworth Hall, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/brodsworthTo discover more about Wrest Park, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/wrestTo discover more about Belsay Hall, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/belsay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re continuing our four-part mini-series on Hadrian’s Wall by looking at what life was like for the soldiers stationed at Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland. Lying half-way along the wall near Hexham in Northumberland, Housesteads is Britain’s most complete example of a Roman fort. It was built within 10 years of the wall’s initial construction, and for nearly three centuries was able to house 800 infantrymen.Joining us for a march through the history of Housesteads are Senior Properties Historian Paul Pattison and Curator for Hadrian's Wall Dr Frances McIntosh.To discover more or plan a visit to Housesteads Roman Fort, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/housesteads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the beginnings of modern archaeology in the early 20th century, women have made significant contributions to preserving and understanding our cultural heritage. However, their work has often been neglected. Many of them faced institutional sexism, worked in areas that were undervalued, or had their work attributed to male colleagues.We’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Susan Greaney and Curator Dr Frances McIntosh to take a look at the work of a number of pioneering female archaeologists who worked on sites now cared for by English Heritage, and consider how their investigations have enriched our understanding of the past.To discover more about the archaeologists discussed in this episode, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/six-groundbreaking-female-archaeologists Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Less than 100 years after the Black Death, England was again uprooted by dramatic upheaval. The Wars of the Roses, fought between the two powerful houses of York and Lancaster, pitted families against each other. The series of conflicts – which took place between 1455 and 1485 – spanned multiple different reigns, involved numerous foreign kingdoms, and heralded changes in English politics, social order and battlefield technology.In this first episode of our two-part series, we’re joined by Curator of Collections and Interiors Dickon Whitewood to discuss what the Wars of the Roses were, how they started and the early battles that ended with Yorkist triumph.To discover more about medieval warfare, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/medieval/war Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Steven Brindle and Professor Lindy Grant from the University of Reading to look back at the remarkable life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.One of 12th century Europe’s richest and most powerful women, she became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis VII and then Queen of England as the wife of Henry II. Discover the story of her remarkable rise to power, her imprisonment following a plot to remove her second husband as king and her return to power as queen dowager.To discover more about Eleanor of Aquitaine’s life, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/eleanor-aquitaine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A quest to discover the origins of several mysterious Indigenous American objects in the collection at Audley End House led Curator of Collections and Interiors Peter Moore on a fact-finding mission across the Atlantic.We’re joined by Peter and Curator of The Seneca Art & Culture Centre Michael Galban to reveal what they learned about the objects, how these came to be at Audley End and a surprising connection between the collections at Audley End House and the Seneca Art & Culture Centre.To arrange a visit to Audley End House and Gardens to see its collections, including the indigenous American objects discussed in this episode, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/audley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ten years after the Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage (ARCH) was established, we’re joined in the studio by Historic England’s Head of Heritage Crime Strategy, Mark Harrison, to learn about the different kinds of heritage crime, its impact on our historic sites and what is being done to tackle it.Plus, we speak to Property Curator Win Scutt to reveal what has been happening at English Heritage to stop illegal metal detecting and catch criminals in the act.To learn more about ARCH, go to www.historicengland.org.uk/advice/caring-for-heritage/heritage-crime/prevent/get-involved Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Susan Greaney and Stonehenge Curator Heather Sebire to answer all of your questions about the Neolithic period.Discover what Neolithic people ate, how they navigated their way across the British Isles and if they ever got married. Plus, learn the secrets of our most famous Neolithic monument, Stonehenge.To learn more about the history of Stonehenge, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mark the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian’s Wall, we’re starting a new, four-part podcast series, piecing together the story of Britain’s most famous relic of Roman rule. In this first episode, we’re joined by Properties Historian Dr Andrew Roberts to take a look at the story of Hadrian himself, ahead of the former emperor’s birthday on 24 January.Discover the story of his rise to become the Roman ruler, why he ordered the building of the wall along the northern frontier of the empire, and his vision for it.To learn more about Hadrian’s Wall and the stories of the sites we care for along it, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following on from episode 130, in which we discussed the events and people behind the Battle of Hastings, we’re now shifting our attention to the turbulent years that followed. We often think of 1066 as a big turning point in English history, but it actually took another six years for the Norman Conquest to take hold.Joining us to talk through William the Conqueror’s coronation and the measures he took to assert his authority are Senior Properties Curator Roy Porter and Curator of Collections and Interiors for the South East, Kathryn Bedford.To learn more about the Norman Conquest, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/1066-and-the-norman-conquest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices