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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

50:17

Big Ben: At the stroke of midnight... | An...

The Country House Podcast ·

2026/01/04

As the resonant peals of the Great Bell usher in the New Year, we turn our eyes to the Elizabeth Tower; the neo-gothic sentinel that is universally - if erroneously - known as 'Big Ben'!In this New Year's special episode, Rory helps deconstruct the architectural swan song of Augustus Pugin, whose feverish medieval detailing perfectly complements Charles Barry’s structural ambition. We venture beyond the gilded clock face to explore the Victorian horological engineering within, examining how this

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48:43

The parish church | A Christmas special | Ep. 101

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/12/23

We are delighted to be joined in this week's 'Christmas special' by historian Daniel Wilson - known for his brilliant social media platform 'Daniel's Historic Architecture' (@greatbritisharchitecture).Join Daniel, Geoff and Rory as they discuss the parish church - the long and storied history (architectural and social) of these important buildings - and their particularly important role at Christmas time. We explore how the parish church has evolved and changed over the centuries, yet simultaneously

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1:13:47

Where palatial homes & politics meet | Helena...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/12/11

On this week's podcast episode, we are delighted to be joined by Helena, Lady Rees-Mogg. This marks the first time Lady Rees-Mogg has ever appeared on a podcast, and the first time she has spoken publicly about her extraordinary family history. The daughter of the sole surviving child of the 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, Lady Rees-Mogg offers a unique, intimate perspective on the rise and dramatic decline of one of Britain’s great aristocratic dynasties.This wide-ranging episode delves into the untold

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58:37

Heists & heavenly frescoes | Galerie d'Apollon at Le...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/11/24

In this timely episode, Rory steps into the shoes of Inspector Clouseau to give Geoff - and you - a tour of the Galerie d'Apollon; the scene of the crime for the latest Louvre heist in which eight priceless pieces from the French Crown Jewels were stolen in only eight minutes.We invite our listeners to join us in the luminous splendour of the Galerie d’Apollon in Le Palais du Louvre; a room that reads like a manifesto of French royal ambition. Designed after the 1661 fire that ravaged the palace,

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1:08:39

The poet & the house that inspired an empire |...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/11/13

In this Remembrance Day special, we step through the doors ofBateman’s, the 17th-century Jacobean house that became both a refuge and a muse for imperial poet, journalist and writer,Rudyard Kipling.Nestled in the folds of the Sussex Weald, the sandstone gables, mullioned windows and heavy beams of Bateman's speak of endurance - a quality that runs like a golden thread through Kipling’s writing. From the carved oak staircase to the low, moody study, Bateman’s was more than a home: it was the stage

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59:31

An unexpected inheritance: Robert Parker & Browsholme...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/11/05

In this episode - the final part in our series on the shortlisted candidates for the HHA Collections Award (sponsored by Dreweatts) - we travel to the heart of the Forest of Bowland to visitBrowsholme Hall, Lancashire’s oldest surviving family home.We’re joined byRobert Parker, current custodian of Browsholme, who inherited his family home somewhat unexpectedly in 1975 upon the death of his fourth cousin. Robert shares the story of the Parker family, who built Browsholme in the early 16th century,

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1:02:13

If walls could talk: Jane Austen & Chawton House |...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/10/30

Many country houses claim to be the inspiration for Pemberley, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, but few houses have such tangible links to Jane Austen as Chawton House in Hampshire.On this week's podcast - the penultimate episode in our series on the HHA Collections Awards shortlisted candidates - Jane Austen’s world comes to life at Chawton House, the historic Hampshire estate once owned by her brother and now home to a unique library celebrating early women’s writing. In this episode, Chawton

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56:43

Fairfax House: The finest Georgian townhouse in...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/10/21

What happens when the last in a line of viscounts has only one child - a daughter - but the family's ancestral seat is entailed to the male line (meaning it'll go to a distant cousin)? This was the dilemma facing Charles, 9th Viscount Fairfax, in the mid-18th century...The answer (for Lord Fairfax, at least) was to purchase a prime site in the centre of the ancient cathedral city of York, and to commission the best architect in Yorkshire - the famous John Carr of York - to design an exquisite

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37:48

Burton Constable Hall & its 'Cabinet of Curiosities'...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/10/15

A Cabinet of curiosity (also known as a wonder-room) is an encyclopaedic collection of objects assembled in post-Enlightenment Europe by noblemen, landowners and merchants who were fascinated by science and natural history.In the second of our 5-part series looking at the houses shortlisted for this year's Historic Houses Association Collections Award (sponsored by Dreweatts) we discuss the finest intact Cabinet of curiosities in any country house in England - housed at Burton Constable Hall in the

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1:04:59

Scone Palace with Viscount Stormont: The crowning...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/10/08

Over the next five weeks, we will be exploring the history and collections of the five shortlisted candidates for this year's Historic Houses Association Collections Award (sponsored by Dreweatts). Geoff is a judge in this year's awards, along with Francis Terry (architect), Rita Konig (interior designer), Tessa Murdoch (art historian) and Will Richards (Chairman of Dreweatts).First up is one of the great country houses of Scotland - Scone Palace in Perthshire. This gothic revival pile is

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51:59

Painting Houses: Rory's Watercolour Portraits | Ep. 92

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/10/01

The challenge for all portraitists is in painting not only what they see but in trying to distil and capture the essence or spirit of their subject in oil, ink or watercolour. This challenge applies as much to those who paint portraits of buildings as it does to those who paint people. On The Country House Podcast we often talk about how houses are far more than mere bricks and mortar - they are living, breathing family homes that imbibe and embody the spirits of those who live and work in them.In

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59:31

Somerleyton Hall with Lord & Lady Somerleyton | Ep. 91

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/09/16

This week Geoff 'goes it alone' (Rory's on holiday) and visits Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk, where he's joined on the podcast by Hugh and Lara Crossley, Lord and Lady Somerleyton. The seat of the Crossley family since the late 19th century, Somerleyton has a fascinating story to tell.Aside from the theatrical Jacobethan/Italianate architecture and the usual story of the rise and decline of the estate's fortunes in the 20th century, Somerleyton Hall - and the dedication and vision of the current Lord

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69:46

Highland Retreats | The storied history of Scotland's...

The Country House Podcast ·

2025/08/29

The shooting lodges of the Scottish Highlands have beguiled and entranced people from all walks of life for generations. But beyond the romantic facade - the magnificent architecture and breathtaking scenery - lies a complex and at times troubled past that continues to echo down through the centuries. Joining Geoff and Rory on this week's episode is architectural historian, writer and proud Highlander - Mary Miers - who authored a book on 'Highland Retreats' and who is unafraid of tackling th...

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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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115 results

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