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PODCAST

The Country House Podcast

Hancock Productions

"If these walls could talk..." | Please join us as we discuss all things country houses. These are far more than mere bricks and mortar; they are family homes - living, breathing, changing and adapting over time. On The Country House Podcast we explore everything from their architectural history, gardens and collections to the lives of those who have lived and worked in them.The goal of our platform remains true to its founding principles. We hope to inform people on a subject we are knowledgeable

history home & garden

All Episodes

56:33

Shaken, Not Stirred | Goldeneye: The Jamaican home of...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/08/19

James Bond is one of Britain's most iconic fictional characters, and without a doubt the most famous spy in the world. And the man behind the legend - author Ian Fleming - lived a life almost as thrilling as Bond's. In this high-octane podcast episode, Rory guides Geoff through the life (and many country houses) of Fleming - from his time at Eton and Sandhurst, via his string of high-profile love affairs and service in WWII, to his love of the island nation of Jamaica. All fuelled, of course,...

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66:12

Clandon Park: Its historic past, present state &...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/08/07

How a fire reduced this 18th century Palladian house to a mere shell... and the questions that it raises. This week, Geoff and Rory are joined by Cornelia Van Der Poll - an Oxford academic and co-founder of Restore Trust - a lobbying group that encourages the National Trust to focus on its founding principles to safeguard our nation's heritage for all to enjoy. In this fascinating episode, we discuss Clandon Park in Surrey - from the architectural and social history of this wonderful Palladia...

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58:29

From Venice with Love: Canaletto & 'Canaletto Rooms'...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/07/30

How a humble Venetian artist became synonymous with Britain's country house collections... This week Geoff and Rory are joined by renowned Canaletto expert, Charles Beddington, to discuss all things Canaletto! From the artist's humble Venetian beginnings to his 'discovery' by the British Consul in Venice - Joseph Smith - who became Canaletto's patron and agent, placing him firmly on the map for Grand Tourists. In time, paintings by Canaletto would become the souvenir-du-jour for Britain's tra...

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65:57

Country House Festivals: From opera & art to motor...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/07/24

Every summer, dozens of country houses open their gates for festival-goers, with a huge array of different events hosted within the grounds of our most cherished estates. Off the back of our recent episodes on 'Capability' Brown and Vache Baroque Festival, we have chosen this week to dedicate an entire episode to festivals held on country estates, where fabulous houses provide the most beautiful of backdrops. In this light-hearted episode, Rory takes Geoff on a tour of different types of coun...

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61:07

The Vache: Baroque music in an Elizabethan setting |...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/07/17

This week, Geoff and Rory are joined by countertenor, arranger of classical music and co-founder of 'Vache Baroque', Jonathan Darbourne, to discuss the storied history of the The Vache - an elegant, privately owned Elizabethan country house nestled in the gently rolling Chiltern Hills - and the Baroque music festival he directs every summer in its grounds. Every year in late August and early September, the discreet and immensely private gardens of The Vache are to be found buzzing w...

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65:08

'Capability' Brown: Visionary or vandal?

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/07/08

Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is known throughout the world as the master of the English landscape garden. A visionary who created carefully curated, idyllic and natural-looking landscapes at many of the greatest country houses in England, Brown is one of those true 'greats' after whom a whole style is named; the 'Brownian' landscape continues to inspire and entrance gardeners, landscape designers and punters alike. But Brown's style wasn't without controversy... many felt that his reckless swe...

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65:02

The Country House Podcast LIVE at Nevill Holt...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/06/25

We were delighted to host our first LIVE podcast recording at Nevill Holt Festival - an arts and culture festival held in the grounds of Nevill Holt Hall, a historic country house set within a thriving working estate. In front of a packed-out audience of over 200 people, we discussed The rise, fall and rebirth of the English country house through the lens of Nevill Holt Hall - a country house that reads like a biography of English domestic architecture over the past 800 years. For the second ...

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65:51

Elveden Hall with Sam Dalrymple: A Mughal palace in...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/06/10

Geoff and Rory are joined by renowned writer, film-maker and Mughal historian, Sam Dalrymple, for a fascinating and storied episode on the history of Elveden Hall in Suffolk. Once the English home of the last ruler of the Sikh Empire - Sir Duleep Singh, Maharajah of Punjab - and now the seat of the Guinness family, Earls of Iveagh, Elveden is a resplendent Mughal palace (complete with scalloped arches, lotus-bud capitals, drop-traceried arcading, and a four-storey Marble Hall reminiscent of t...

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53:15

Beaulieu Palace House: 'The Gilt and the Gingerbread'...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/06/03

Geoff and Rory are joined by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and his nephew, Ben Montagu-Scott, for a fascinating episode on the extraordinary and storied history of Beaulieu Palace House in the New Forest, Hampshire. Originally the 13th-century gatehouse to a medieval abbey, Beaulieu Palace House is an unusual example of Scots Baronial architecture in southern England (see our episode on Scots Baronial with Dr Ralph St Clair Wade). Owned by the Montagu family since the Dissolution of the Monasterie...

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66:33

Joseph Paxton: Gardener, Engineer, Entrepreneur | 80

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/05/27

Geoff and Rory discuss the remarkable life of a Victorian genius; the upwardly mobile Joseph Paxton. The son of a farmer, he found a patron in the 6th Duke of Devonshire and by the age of 23 Paxton was Head Gardener at Chatsworth. He would later become a nationally sought-after engineer and latterly a Member of Parliament. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur of his day, Paxton embraced the latest technology, designing the Great Conservatory and Conservative Wall at Chatsworth, before catapulting ...

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65:53

Brideshead Revived: Castle Howard's 21st Century...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/05/21

Nestled in the Howardian Hills of ‘God’s own country’ of Yorkshire, something extraordinary is happening at Vanbrugh's great English Baroque masterpiece, Castle Howard. Famed for its seminal role in Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton, for 75 years, an entire wing of Castle Howard has remained a burnt-out shell after fire ravaged the house in 1940. But in recent years, Castle Howard’s current custodian - Nick Howard - and his wife Victoria, have overseen a remarkable 21st century renaissance,...

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36:09

'The Three Classicists' Fifteen Years On | 78

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/05/13

This week were are privileged to be joined by legendary architectural trio 'The Three Classicists' to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their seminal exhibition at RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects). In May 2010, friends Ben Pentreath, George Saumarez Smith and Francis Terry collaborated as 'The Three Classicists' on an exhibition that showcased their work and beliefs in the noble tradition of classical architecture, particularly through the power of drawing. Joining Geoff and R...

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58:48

Castel Gandolfo: The Pope's Summer Palace | 77

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/05/08

As conclave meets to decide on a new Pope, all eyes are on the Sistine Chapel as millions of Catholics around the world wait in eager anticipation for white smoke to billow from the Chapel chimney. In recognition of this extraordinary ritual, and in tribute to the life of Pope Francis, this week's podcast episode explores one of the great papal palaces of Italy; Castel Gandolfo ('The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo') - the Pope's summer residence 25km outside of Rome. In this episode, Ror...

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61:55

The Ancient Seat of an Ancient Family: Powderham...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/04/29

In light of the upcoming sale at Dreweatts auction house entitled 'The Attic Sale: Powderham Castle & Brocklesby Park' (taking place on 3rd June 2025), we are delighted to be joined this week by Charlie Devon (Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon) to discuss his ancient family seat of Powderham Castle. The Courtenays, a crusader family who came to England with Eleanor of Aquitaine, have lived at Powderham since the 14th century. The house reads like a biography of domestic English countr...

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61:45

Auckland Castle: The resurrection of a bishop's...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/04/22

Over the Easter weekend, Christians around the world celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this episode we decided to choose a country house that has also been somewhat 'resurrected' in recent years! For 800 years, Auckland Castle in County Durham was the seat of the 'Prince Bishop' of Durham. In 2012, following years of decline, it was sold by the Church in a very sad state. However, far from disappearing into history, the house and estate have instead been brought back ...

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49:59

Houses at War with Tim Bouverie | 74

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/04/15

In this week's episode we're joined by renowned historian Tim Bouverie to discuss his new book, Allies at War, and the political role that country houses played during the Second World War. From Chequers and Ditchley to the Livadia Palace (location of the Yalta Conference), country houses have long been important instruments of 'soft power' during times of war and peace. Allies at War by Tim Bouverie is published this week and is available from all good bookshops.

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52:37

St Giles House Pt. I - The Rise and Fall of a Country...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/04/08

This week we look at the rise of a political dynasty - the Ashley-Cooper family, Earls of Shaftesbury - and the evolution of their house in Dorset, St Giles (affectionately known by the 7th Earl as 'The Saint'). Like so many grand houses and their families, the Ashley-Coopers fell upon hard times in the 20th century, and so we also look at the decline of St Giles; from one of the great ancestral seats to little more than a decaying shell at the turn of the millennium. Wonderfully there is a t...

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64:35

The Mitford Sisters | 72

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/04/01

In this fascinating episode, Geoff gives Rory and our listeners a whistle-stop overview of the famous (or infamous) Mitford sisters; the socialite daughters of the 2nd Lord Redesdale and all great beauties of their day. From Nancy the novelist and Diana the Fascist to Jessica the Communist and of course Debo the Duchess, the six Mitford sisters entranced and scandalised early 20th century British society in equal measure.

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56:45

Studley Royal & Fountains Abbey | 71

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/03/25

In this episode Rory guides us around one of the great landscapes of England - Studley Royal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of an 18th century water garden surrounding a medieval abbey.

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64:07

Eltham Palace: An Art Deco Icon | 70

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/03/18

In this episode, Geoff and Rory delve into Eltham Palace - one of the great art deco houses of the 1930's.

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122 results

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