The English Heritage Podcast

This week we’re joined by English Heritage’s poet-in-residence Jacob Sam-La Rose, emerging Poet Esme Allman and creative programme manager Caroline Moore to discuss a new month-long poetry programme taking place throughout Black History Month in October.This will see Jacob and a number of emerging African Caribbean poets write poetry inspired by the stories of English Heritage sites or their experiences of visiting them.To discover more about Jacob’s role as poet-in-residence, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/members-area/members-magazine/2020/introducing-our-new-poet-in-residence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by Cathy Power and Sarah Murden to discuss the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of British naval officer Sir John Lindsay and an African woman named Maria Bell, who may have been enslaved.Dido spent much of her life at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath in North London where was raised by her great uncle, Lord Mansfield, who through the 1750s to 80s was the most powerful judge in England.To discover more about Dido Belle and Kenwood, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/dido-belle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’ve returned to the turbulent Tudor period in which King Henry VIII imposed his will against the Pope through the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This saw the suppression of approximately 900 religious houses across England and Wales and the execution of around 200 members of the religious orders and laymen.Joining us to discuss how this religious revolution came about – and what happened to the thousands of displaced monks and nuns in its aftermath – is senior properties historian Michael Carter.To discover more about our monasteries and abbeys, and to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/monasteries-and-abbeys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the publication of new research revealing where Stonehenge’s giant sarsen stones were extracted from, we’re heading out on the road to meet Senior Properties Historian Dr Susan Greaney to trace their journey to Salisbury Plain.Discover how Professor David Nash from Brighton University tracked the stones back to a specific location, how Stonehenge’s builders transported them and why the stones’ original location has eluded us for so long.To discover more about the history of Stonehenge or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined by properties curator Mark Douglas to discover the stories of the English Heritage sites that played their part in defending England’s northern territories.Join us on an audio tour of the key defences through the ages, from Hadrian’s Wall to Carlisle, Norham, Berwick and Dunstanburgh Castles, and find out what happened to them during peacetime until war broke out across Europe.To discover more about our collection of castles, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/castles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scupper me skull and crossbones! This week, we’re casting off for an episode all about the history of piracy and, more specifically, the pirates of the English Channel. And while this might sound like an unlikely title for a film, history tells us that the waters between southern England and northern France were, in fact, a dangerous domain for cargo vessels for several centuries.Joining us to map out the history of piracy in English waters – and unmask its key figures – is senior properties historian Paul Pattison.To read more about the pirates of the English Channel, go to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/pirates-of-england/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined in the studio by senior properties historian Michael Carter to reveal the story of Richard, Earl of Cornwall and the English Heritage sites connected with him, from Berkhamstead, Tintagel, Launceston and Restormel Castles, which he owned, to Hailes Abbey, which he founded.Although his name might not be familiar, he was the second son of King John and the brother of Henry III and enjoyed great influence – not to mention a very eventful life. Listen on to discover how he became one of the richest men in Europe, joined the Barons’ Crusade, was made King of the Germans and was a claimant to the Holy Roman Empire.To discover more about the history of Richard, Earl of Cornwall and Tintagel Castle, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tintagel-castle/history-and-legend/richard-of-cornwall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re travelling back to the 13th century and the turbulent reign of King John to discover how a rebellion, a war in France and two sieges of Dover Castle in Kent each played their part in the king’s eventual demise.Joining us to unpick the complex plot is senior properties historian Paul Pattison, who reveals the events leading up to the sieges of Dover Castle, their role in preserving English rule and the evidence that can still be seen today.To discover more about the history of Dover Castle or to plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/dover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re marking 300 years since one of the most infamous stock market crashes in English history. It was a bubble fuelled by wild speculation and driven by dubious morals – and a bubble which ruined the fortunes of many investors, including some whose estates are now cared for by English Heritage.Joining us to discuss the South Sea Company stock market bubble – and crash – are properties historians team leader Dr Andrew Hann and Dr Helen Paul, who’s a Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton.To learn about the impact of the South Sea Bubble at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in South Yorkshire, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/brodsworth-hall-and-gardens/history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by anthropologist and author Mary-Ann Ochota to discover the history hiding in plain sight in the English landscape. These features include everything from burial mounds, hill forts and stone circles, to figures carved into chalk hills and the network of ancient paths that crisscross the country. Listen on to learn about the relics the Romans left behind, the legacy of the enclosures and how easy it is to ‘read’ the landscape today.To order a signed copy of Mary-Ann’s book, Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape, go to www.maryannochota.com/apps/webstoreTo discover more about how England has been shaped by different influences over time, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/voicesofengland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices