The English Heritage Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The enduring allure of stone circles Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

As the summer solstice approaches, thousands flock to monuments like Stonehenge seeking spiritual connection and a spectacular sunset and sunrise.

But why are people still drawn to stone circles after thousands of years?

This time on the English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage’s Dr Jennifer Wexler to explore how these monuments were built and why people have continued to visit them. Artist Sally Barton shares how communities continue to interact with these spaces and make them relevant today.

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Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/ 

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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The art of heritage: Turner’s vision of England Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

J M W Turner is considered one of England’s great artists, but why?

This time on the English Heritage podcast, we dive into some of the 35 paintings Turner made of English Heritage sites to explore how he responded to a period of enormous emotional and political upheaval.

Working against a backdrop of war, industrial expansion, tourism, abolition, patriotism and shifting national identity, Turner’s varied and innovative styles helped shape contemporary reactions to architecture, landscapes and ruins.

The Museum of London’s Thomas Ardill and English Heritage’s Jeremy Ashbee join writer and comedian Amy Matthews to discuss the man and his works and ask what the concept of ‘heritage’ means today.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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The illuminating story of stained glass Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Churches and buildings around England are home to beautiful stained glass enjoyed by communities and visitors every day. But less well known are the fascinating stories and histories behind these national treasures.

This week on the English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by Michael Carter and Susan Harrison to piece together what collections both in situ and in store can tell us about Christianity, the dissolution of monasteries, and the journey of stained glass into churches and buildings that stand today. Glass held both symbolic and intrinsic value to many people, from skilled glaziers to parish priests and opportunistic individuals. After monasteries were dissolved, their glazing lived some surprising second lives.

Plus, Susan explains how we are painstakingly piecing together the fragments of glass that were overlooked by our ancestors.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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People of 1381: stories from the Peasants’ Revolt May 29, 2025

Show notes

The summer of 1381 saw one of the biggest popular uprisings in Medieval Europe. Now, an innovative online resource is revealing how the Peasants’ Revolt impacted the lives of women, children and whole communities.

This week, Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage’s Dr Will Wyeth to unlock the complex social and political issues of the revolt and how we feel these forces today.

The University of Glasgow’s Dr Andrew Prescott and The University of Reading’s Dr Helen Killick share snapshots of lives from the People of 1381 database and explore how stories are pieced together from documents and records of this period to add depth to popular chronicles.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/

People of 1381 database: https://www.1381.online/

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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Gladiators: finds, fans and fame May 22, 2025

Show notes

This week on the English Heritage podcast, Amy Matthews dips into the rivers of Northern England for an insight into Roman beliefs and the celebrity culture of gladiators.

English Heritage’s Dr Frances Mcintosh and Dr Philippa Walton from the University of Leicester discuss gladiator memorabilia and the celebrity status of these icons in Roman Britain, with the aid of some amazing objects. The offerings made by Romans to the rivers at Piercebridge Roman Bridge and Corbridge Roman Town give us a snapshot into everyday lives, diverse beliefs and rituals.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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The camera, the cook and the chauffeur: a country house love story May 15, 2025

Show notes

Today we head to Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in Yorkshire and step back in time to discover a love story from the early 20th century. And it all starts with a camera.

Join Amy to unravel the story of two country house servants who met and fell in love against the background of the First World War in a Downton Abbey-worthy tale. English Heritage curator Eleanor Matthews explains how a very special bequest of items revealed valuable insights into Brodsworth Hall and its past residents – including the lives of Alf and Caroline Palmer. Their grandson Gordon also joins us to share their story, their memories of life in service at a country house, and a surprising inheritance.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join English Heritage: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/ 

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/ 

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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Computers, protection and peace in the Cold War era May 08, 2025

Show notes

The shadow of the Cold War loomed over the 20th Century. But how did this affect day-to-day life for ordinary people and how was anxiety about the possibility of conflict normalised?

Starting with an innovative piece of technology from York's Cold War Bunker, Amy and her guests discuss civilian volunteers, the protest movement and the ever-present threat of war, using living memory and oral history to connect the past to our present.

Megan Thomas, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool, tells us about her research into imagined futures in our culture. Kevin Booth, Head Collections Curator at English Heritage, shares stories from Noreen, a Royal Observer Corps volunteer who spent 30 years serving in York’s bunker as part of the British nuclear deterrent.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/ 

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/ 

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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From bobbins to skyscrapers: the story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill May 01, 2025

Show notes

What does the view from London’s tallest building have in common with your kitchen tea towels and your favourite summer holiday outfit?

This week on the English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews and her guests dive into the history of Shrewsbury Flax Mill and the industrial revolution.

Find out how a humble bobbin can unravel a story about the linen and textile industries; how technical innovation changed the lives of working people and how it offered us the architecture that makes modern day skyscrapers possible. English Heritage’s Dr Steven Brindle and Barrie Trinder, a historian with a passion for industrial Shropshire explore the minds and the hands behind the mill, all the way through to its present-day impact.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/ 

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/ 

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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Georgian wallpaper and an enduring fashion trend Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

When Wrest Park’s Jemima, Marchioness Grey, was widowed, she unleashed her purse strings to install lavish Chinese art across the Bedfordshire estate: perfect for taking tea with friends.

You can get lost in the intricate birds, plants and people featured in Wrest Park’s Chinese wallpapers, but how was this part of a wider fashion in textiles, design and landscaping?

Dr Andrew Hann and volunteer Richard Luscombe join writer and comedian Amy Matthews to find out how trade between Europe and China started a centuries long love affair with Chinese design and textiles, and how consumer demand and exotic ideals were used by skilled manufacturers to develop the Chinoiserie style we still enjoy in our clothes, homewares and furnishings today.

You can plan your visit to see Wrest Park and its Chinese wallpapers at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/wrest/

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/ 

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/ 

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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Fish, feminism and working women in the 20th Century Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

How does a fish connect us to a story of working women’s rights?

Join comedian, writer and history fangirl Amy Matthews and her guests find out about tough and resilient seasonal workers in the Great Yarmouth fishing industry. From frozen fingers to salty cuts and a work hard play hard attitude (not to mention the stench of fish at the end of the day), working women travelled the coastlines on the trail of herring shoals, bolstering local fishing industries with seasonal work and bringing a whole new vibe to the towns they landed in.

English Heritage’s Dr Megan Leyland and researcher Dr Jill de Fresnes explore the lives of working people in Great Yarmouth’s Row Houses during the peak of the fishing industry, and the essential role of women in the supporting textile industry in the early 20th Century.

You can find out more about Great Yarmouth Row Houses at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/greatyarmouthrowhouses

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.

Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/ 

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.

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