The English Heritage Podcast

On the 30th anniversary of Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in South Yorkshire being gifted to the nation, we are joined by senior curator Kevin Booth, head gardener Dan Hale and head curator of collections Martin Allfrey to chart the rise, fall and revival of this grand country home that was built for the Thelluson family and their servants in the 1860s.Discover how it came to be in English Heritage’s care, why the decision was made to conserve the property ‘as found’ and how it was reopened to visitors in 1995 to share its remarkable stories.To discover more about Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/brodsworth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re heading back the 4th century, when the strength of the Roman Empire was being tested across Europe, including here in Britain. To defend our shores from invaders, the Romans built a series of forts along the coast, which are collectively known as the Saxon Shore Forts.Join us as we interview English Heritage Senior Properties Historian Paul Pattison to find out where they were built, what daily life would have been like at them and what happened to them after the Romans left Britain.To discover more about Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/richborough Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The summer solstice, which brings the longest day of the year, is due to take place on 20 June and, under normal circumstances, thousands of people would gather at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise over the Heel stone. However, as that’s not possible this year, we’re having our own socially distanced celebration.Joining us is Senior Properties Historian, Dr Susan Greaney, to discuss the importance of the solstice to Stonehenge and the other prehistoric monuments aligned with it.To discover more about Stonehenge and the Summer Solstice, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens, we’re joined by English Heritage’s senior historian for blue plaques, Howard Spencer, and Dr Cindy Sughrue, to discuss the author’s life and literary accomplishments at his London home, 48 Doughty Street.Since reinvented as the Charles Dickens Museum, this Georgian house is the only one of his former homes that can be visited by the public today, with an English Heritage blue plaque honouring his rise to fame as one of the world’s greatest storytellers while living here.To discover more about the blue plaques scheme, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/blue-plaques Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back in the studio with Josephine Oxley, keeper of the Wellington Collection at Apsley House, the former London home of the 1st Duke of Wellington, to challenge the view that the duke became romantically involved with every woman he admired.Instead, as Josephine explains, letters, paintings and other objects from the collection at Apsley paint a very different picture of Wellington and the women of influence who were his friends.To discover more about Apsley House and the Duke of Wellington, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/apsley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo during the Second World War, we’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Paul Pattison to discover how the rescue of 338,000 allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk was masterminded by Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay from deep inside Dover Castle’s top-secret tunnels.Learn about the events leading up to it, how it was accomplished and why it was such an important turning point in the war. Plus, listen to an interview with former Army Signalman and Operation Dynamo veteran, Richard Sheen, to understand what life was like at Dover Castle at the time. Sadly, Richard passed away in 2019 at the age of 99. This episode is dedicated to him and his family.To discover more about Dover Castle and Operation Dynamo, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/dover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the questions that English Heritage staff and volunteers get asked all the time is what life would have been like inside a castle.We’re joined by head historic properties curator, Dr Jeremy Ashbee, to find out what constitutes a true castle, who would have lived and worked at them and what the typical sounds, sights and smells would have been. We also reveal what life would have been like for the soldiers who defended them and for the prisoners held in their dungeons.To discover more about English Heritage’s castles, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/castles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 200th anniversary of the launch of HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin’s famous voyage that helped him formulate his theories on natural selection, we’re joined by Senior Properties Historian Dr Steven Brindle to find out more. Discover where Darwin travelled, what he found and what happened to the ship after Darwin disembarked.We’re also joined by Anthony O’Rourke, head gardener at Down House, Darwin’s former home in Kent, to find out about the key experiments the naturalist conducted in his own garden and how these are replicated today.To discover more about Down House and Darwin’s story, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/downhouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re combining history and horticulture as we’re joined in the studio by the head of English Heritage’s gardens and landscape team, John Watkins, and acclaimed landscape designer Dan Pearson, to find out about the planned transformation of the gardens at Belsay Hall in Northumberland.Discover the history of the gardens, the plans to bring them back to their blooming best, and the wider project to transform the visitor experience at this spectacular site.To discover more about Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/belsay-hall-castle-and-gardens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On 16 May 1568, a small fishing boat carrying Mary Queen of Scots set sail from Scotland for English shores. After months of conflict and turmoil in Scotland, she had decided to entrust her fate to her cousin, Elizabeth I of England. Two days later Mary was escorted to Carlisle Castle in Cumbria – and so began almost 19 years as a prisoner, before her eventual execution in 1587.To find out how and why the story unfolded, we’re joined by senior properties historian Steven Brindle who reveals why she sought refuge in England and how her two-month stay at Carlisle turned into the rest of her life held captive.To discover more about Carlisle Castle or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carlisle-castle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices