Show overview
The English Heritage Podcast has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 373 episodes. That works out to roughly 280 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 35 min and 53 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language History show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed earlier today, with 20 episodes already out so far this year. Published by English Heritage.
From the publisher
Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places? In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
Latest Episodes
View all 373 episodesNorthumberland and the Border Reivers
A history of natural history
Northumberland: the story of Norham Castle
Windmills: restoring England’s working giants
Northumberland: castles and the borderlands of power
Memories of flowers: a country house and its community
S2 Ep 50The bittersweet history of chocolate
It might feel like an everyday treat now, but a dip into the history of chocolate reveals a story of global trade, empire, aristocratic tastes and industrial revolution. This week, Amy is joined by food historian Sam Bilton and English Heritage historian Dr Andrew Hann to trace chocolate’s journey from a bitter, spiced drink of status and ceremony to the sweet comfort and ritual we know today. From a commemorative chocolate tin sent to troops in the Boer War through royal courts, chocolate houses and country house kitchens, this chat sweeps through history. We’ll explore what chocolate has meant to people over time: as a medicine, a mood lift and a status symbol. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 49The Partners: who were Seely and Paget?
Creators of an Art Deco masterpiece at Eltham Palace in London, Seely and Paget were one of the most remarkable architectural partnerships of the 20th century. In this episode, Amy explores the men behind the names, tracing how two well-connected young men who met at Cambridge went on to leave their mark on churches, colleges and country houses across the country and reshape Eltham Palace into one of Britain’s most striking Art Deco homes. English Heritage’s Dr Andrew Hann and Seely and Paget expert Dr Peter Forsaith unpick the story of a partnership that defined the business and private lives of the pair and how architecture can balance modern living with respect for the past. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 48The hidden history of women in construction
When we picture the building of Britain’s great country houses, it’s easy to imagine architects, craftspeople and wealthy patrons...but they’re almost always men. However, after a closer look at the records, a different story becomes clear. From brickfields and workshops to family building firms and busy construction sites, women have always been present during the construction of the buildings we know and enjoy today. This time on The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by Dr Megan Leyland and Professor Linda Clarke to uncover the hidden history of women in building, from the well-known business mind of Eleanor Coade to brick moulders, glaziers and more. They’ll discuss why it’s been so easy to miss these skilled workers and labourers in previous research and why that’s set to change as we look to a more equitable future for workers in the building industry. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 47The secret world of portrait miniatures
Tiny enough to wear around your neck, yet big enough to hold secrets, memories and devotion: portrait miniatures give us an intimate insight into the private lives of the past. In this episode, Amy Matthews is joined by curators Lydia Miller and Peter Moore to explore remarkable stories from this pre-photography phenomenon and delve into English Heritage’s special collections. From beaver teeth used to prepare ivory painting surfaces to secret eye miniatures exchanged between lovers, these intricate artworks reveal a hidden world of affection, remembrance and personal identity. They could be worn as jewellery, tucked into cabinets or carried close to the heart, and today they give us a glimpse into personal stories we don’t see in grand public portraits. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 46The birth of medieval manuscripts
What does an oyster shell have to do with medieval books? This week, Amy explores one of her favourite moments in history: when medieval scribes started to create beautifully illuminated manuscripts. She’s exploring the complex, multi-faceted and highly skilled work that helped create these works of literature and art. From a stinky parchment creation process to fine pigments and steady hands working by candlelight, making medieval books was far from a simple task, as English Heritage’s Dr Susan Harrison and Dr David Rundle from the University of Kent explain. Find out about artistry, quiet devotion, cheeky doodling in the margins and how these objects moved from monastic workshops into wider medieval life. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 45Poetry, maths and the Milky Way: the unsung genius of Thomas Wright
What do deer shelters, cosmic theories and serpentine garden paths have in common? The brilliant (but often overlooked) mind of Thomas Wright of Durham. This week on The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews explores the life and work of an Enlightenment polymath who rose from carpenter’s son to mathematician, stargazer and garden visionary. Biographer Simon Webb and historian Dr Andrew Hann explain how this brilliant and influential mind blended poetry, physics, myth and maths to shape ideas about garden designs, buildings and even the structure of the Milky Way. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 44Rethinking an Iron Age ‘war cemetery’
Was Maiden Castle really the site of a brutal Roman massacre? Or have we been telling the wrong story for decades? This vast Iron Age hillfort in Dorset is home to human remains that have shaped our understanding of conquest, conflict and resistance for nearly a century. In this episode, we return to the skeletons that made the site famous: young men, women and children bearing signs of violence, to find out what they can tell us about life and death in Iron Age Britain. Amy Matthews is joined by experts to unpack the latest research and investigate how new interpretations raise questions about the narratives and stories we take for granted. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 43Love tokens from history
Forget roses and chocolates this Valentine’s Day. Lovers from the past set the bar high, with romantic poetry, locks of human hair, beautifully crafted silver and even a new city dedicated to a lost love. Join Amy Matthews and English Heritage historians and curators for a look at love tokens, secret messages and heartbreak memorials from our sites, to discover how people in the past flirted, mourned, adored and remembered. It turns out that whether it’s a sonnet, a statue or a sentimental keepsake, love has always been messy, meaningful and very human. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 42Before 1066: how England’s elites lived, ruled, and showed off
This isn’t a story of castles and conquest, but of carved pins, private churches, timber halls and even a king’s toilet. In this episode, we’re exploring early medieval England to uncover how wealth, status and authority were expressed before the Norman Conquest. Far from a sharp break in history, new archaeological research reveals deep continuities in how England’s elites lived, ruled...and showed off! Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage curator Dr Will Wyeth and medieval archaeologist Dr Duncan Wright to explore a society in transition, where rising gentry built impressive residences, decorated themselves with finely crafted objects, controlled landscapes and resources, and used architecture to project power long before stone castles dominated the skyline. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 41A postie, an emperor, and a 2,000-year-old grain measure
What could a postal worker, a murdered emperor, and a Roman grain measure possibly have in common? In this episode of The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by Dr Francis McIntosh to explore a remarkably well-preserved Roman modius, or grain measure. Discovered by pure chance in 1915 near Hadrian’s Wall, this object carries an extraordinary story. An official measuring vessel, the modius opens a window into everyday life on the empire’s northern frontier. It tells of Roman bureaucracy and standardisation – and a possible case of fraud. On top of that, a scratched-out inscription also reveals political assassination and the chilling practice of damnatio memoriae. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 40Falconry, fashion and threat: a history of people and birds
From Darwin’s pigeons to peregrines on Parliament, birds have always been more than background noise. They’ve shaped science, symbolism, status and the very landscapes we live in. In this episode, Amy chats with three passionate bird enthusiasts: English Heritage’s Dr Louise Crawley, head gardener and bird obsessive Anthony O’Rourke, and zoologist and broadcaster Megan McCubbin. Together, they explore our long, tangled relationship with birds: from Victorian taxidermy and medieval falconry to folklore, fashion and the fight for biodiversity today. Along the way, there are moon-flying woodcocks, pigeon-breeding experiments in a country kitchen, and a powerful reminder that heritage sites aren’t just windows into the past but vital refuges for wildlife right now. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 39Adventure and obsession: orchid hunting in the 1930s
From steamy jungles and boiling mud pools to a bathroom aboard a luxury yacht, this is a plant story like no other. Sir Stephen and Lady Virginia Courtauld weren’t just art deco tastemakers; they were globe-trotting orchid obsessives, chasing rare blooms across Southeast Asia in the 1930s and (legally!) bringing them home against the odds. Joined by English Heritage’s Dr Andrew Hann and gardener-researcher Hannah Pearson, Amy Matthews follows the Courtaulds’ trail through diaries, photographs and maps, uncovering a tale of privilege, passion and peril. Along the way, orchids are dealt, gifted, bombed, evacuated and lovingly preserved through war, displacement and decades of change. It’s a story of people and plants and how a collection of extraordinary flowers travelled the world and were conserved through conflict for the benefit of the world today 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 38Dogs and devotion: faithful companions and their families
From one brown leather dog collar unfolds a story of a family that loved their dogs for generations. And the Thellussons of Brodsworth Hall weren’t the only grand family whose history we can understand more deeply through accounts of their four-legged friends. This time, Amy is joined by English Heritage historians Dr Megan Leyland and Eleanor Matthews to explore how dogs lived alongside people as companions, workers, status symbols and family members. From lapdogs and greyhounds to working dogs, canine hierarchies and pet cemeteries in the garden, we trace centuries of affection, symbolism and sentiment. We hear how dogs were fed, memorialised and painted into portraits that allow us to understand the values of the past today. 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S2 Ep 37Vermeer: Double Vision
Two near-identical paintings. One great Dutch master. And a mystery that has spanned more than 350 years. In this episode of The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews travels to Kenwood to explore “The Guitar Player”, Johannes Vermeer’s celebrated painting, and its striking counterpart from the Philadelphia Art Museum. Displayed side by side for the first time, these two works are inviting spirited debate from visitors, and cutting-edge research too. English Heritage’s Wendy Monkhouse, Ella Letort and Alice Tate-Harte take Amy through questions of authorship, technique, condition, and provenance. From pigment analysis and imaging technologies to the marks of time visible on canvas, this episode reveals how art history and science work together to interrogate one of the most intriguing puzzles in Vermeer scholarship. Look closely and decide for yourself: are these two paintings the work of the same hand or do their subtle differences tell another story? You can find out more about this collaboration with the National Gallery (London), the National Gallery of Art (Washington) and the Philadelphia Art Museum in the notes below. Episode Notes The scientific research on the Philadelphia painting was undertaken by: Dr. Kate Duffy (Senior Scientist) Dr. Aleksandra Popowich (Conservation Scientist) Mark Tucker (The Neubauer Family Director of Conservation), Philadelphia Art Museum In collaboration with: Dr. John Delaney (Senior Imaging Scientist) Dr. Kate Dooley (Imaging Scientist), National Gallery of Art, Washington The scientific research on the Kenwood painting was carried out by: Dr. Helen Howard (Senior Scientist) Dr. Marta Melchiorre Di Crescenzo (Senior Scientist), National Gallery, London In collaboration with: Dr. John Delaney (Senior Imaging Scientist) Dr. Kate Dooley (Imaging Scientist), National Gallery of Art, Washington Alice Tate-Harte (Paintings Conservator), English Heritage Curatorial research was carried out by: Dr. Jennifer Thompson (The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting and Sculpture and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection) Dr. Wendy Monkhouse (Senior Curator, English Heritage) Ella Letort (Curator, Kenwood House) You can find out more about the scientific research in this online article: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood/history-stories-kenwood/guitar_player_vermeer/ 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/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* 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. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices