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PODCAST

The English Heritage Podcast

English Heritage

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.

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All Episodes

48:46

The Bayeux Tapestry: 1066 Comes Home | Episode 1

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/10/05

Welcome to the first episode of our brand-new, seven-part English Heritage Podcast video series exploring the historic events of 1066.This episode unravels the years long journey to bring the iconic 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry back to English soil for a landmark exhibition at the British Museum. From negotiations and transport logistics to hidden embroidery secrets and missing end panels, discover how this 11th-century masterpiece survived and how it still captivates us today. Join host Amy

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36:43

Skeleton 1863: Reconstructing the face of “Conquest Man”

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/10/01

In this episode, host Amy Matthews is joined by Kevin Booth, English Heritage’s Head Curator of Collections, and Professor Caroline Wilkinson, Director of Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University. Together, they explore how forensic science created a lifelike facial depiction of "Conquest Man" found buried at St Peter’s Church in Barton-upon-Humber around 50 years ago and known archaeologically as skeleton SK1863. What can three mysterious applewood wands and a grass pillow reveal about his

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38:39

From food to florals: The rise of the rockstar gardener

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/09/24

The English Heritage Podcast goes live! Host Amy Matthews records in front of a live audience at Audley End House during the 2026 Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair.Joined by English Heritage experts Andrew Hann, Michael Klemperer and Emily Parker, Amy explores how gardening evolved from a practical necessity into a passion for beauty, leisure and horticultural showmanship. From the rigid geometry of Tudor gardens to Capability Brown’s sweeping natural landscapes, discover how changing tastes

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28:39

Hidden lives: slavery in Roman Britain

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/09/17

In this episode, we explore how a simple piece of Roman pottery - a red Samian bowl - can reveal the hidden lives of people living in Britain nearly 2,000 years ago.Found at Corbridge Roman Town, this artifact features a unique bit of ancient graffiti translating to "Nico slave of Atticus". Joining host Amy Matthews are English Heritage historian Dr. Andrew Roberts and Collections Manager, David Hanks. Together, they unpack what this discovery tells us about the social fabric of Roman

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51:06

The sights, sounds and smells of a Roman fort

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/09/10

Housesteads Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall is Britain's most complete Roman fort. From the remains of its buildings, we can get a good idea of what it looked like. But how did the bathhouse smell? Or, perhaps more importantly, what about the latrines? What did the food taste like? And what sounds would the Roman soldiers stationed there have heard?Join Amy, English Heritage Curator of History, Andrew Roberts and sensory archaeologist Dr Giacomo Savani on site as they explore this remarkable

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43:46

Harmondsworth: One of England’s Medieval Great Barns

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/09/03

Stepthrough the doors ofBritain’s survivingmedieval barnsand you enter a spacethat once fed whole communities.This week, Amy MatthewsmeetsDr Lydia Miller and Dr Nick Holder to explore the surprising power of England’sgreatbarns. This year marks600 yearssince the constructionof Harmondsworth Barn,anagricultural workhorsethatsat at the heart of medieval life. Far from the quiet buildings we know today they were onceplaces of noise,hard workand very high stakes. Hear about the legacy of the people

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48:15

From monastery to mansion: The colourful history of...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/08/27

Audley End House in Essex is still one of England’s finest mansions. To look at it today, you’d never know it started life as Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery dissolved by Henry VIII. The story of its journey from monastery to mansion involves intrigue, fraud, brazen ambition and a cast of colourful characters. Join Amy, art historian and curator, Dr Peter Moore, and volunteer researcher, Fiona Wilkinson, as they bring the tale to life – quite literally! Follow this podcast wherever you

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36:35

Coastline Special 6: Time and tides – conserving our...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/08/20

With their monasteries and castles, historic ports and seaside towns, our coastlines can feel timeless. But the truth is these landscapes, and the communities within them, change all the time. Join Amy and English Heritage’s Senior Properties Curator, Roy Porter, and Assistant Curator of Collections for the South East, Grace Parsonage. Together, they explore how coastal sites have evolved over time, the unique challenges of caring for historic buildings on the shoreline, and what it takes to

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46:59

A Voice for After-Ages: The radical life of Margaret...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/08/13

Step into the "blazing mind" of Margaret Cavendish, the 17th-century Duchess of Newcastle who challenged the conventions of her age. In this episode of the English Heritage Podcast, host Amy Matthews is joined by Senior Curator of History Megan Leland and PhD researcher SophieWhite to explore the life of a true original. A pioneering science fiction writer, philosopher and trailblazer, Cavendish carved out her own place in a male-dominated world. FromThe Blazing Worldto becoming the first woman to

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37:42

Coastline Special 5: A Very British Summer: The...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/08/06

A day out at the seaside is still a summertime staple for many British families. From fish and chips on the promenade to a classic 99, messing about in rock pools and trying your luck on the 2p machines, there's so much nostalgia and tradition wrapped up in a day out by the sea. But what started our love affair with the seaside holiday? As with so many things, the Victorians had a big part to play.Join Amy and guests English Heritage's Dr Andrew Hann and Dr Allan Brodie of Bournemouth

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46:53

More than a missionary: The radical social work of...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/07/30

This week, join host Amy Matthews and Howard Spencer, English Heritage senior historian for blue plaques, Judith Garfield MBE, executive director of Eastside Community Heritage, and Sumita Mukherjee, historian at the University of Bristol, as they celebrate the unveiling of London’s 1,035th English Heritage blue plaque, dedicated to the remarkable Kamal Chunchie.After arriving from Sri Lanka, Chunchiejoined the British Army and laterundertook missionary and outreach work, with special

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37:49

Coastline Special 4: Where the sacred meets the sea

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/07/23

What it is about our cliffs, beaches, islands and headlands that makes them so perfect for pilgrimage, prayer and retreat? In the fourth of our special series on Britain’s coastline, join Amy and English Heritage curators Susan Harrison and Jeremy Ashbee for a spiritual seaside journey. From the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to St Catharine’s Chapel near Chesil Beach and plenty of places in between, they explore why the shoreline has been such an important part of our religious history.You can watch

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48:18

From Mob Rules to the Modern Match: A History of...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/07/15

To celebrate the men's football World Cup this year, join host Amy Matthews as we dribble through the surprisingly long history of the beautiful game. Historian Will Wyeth and curator Peter Moore unpack a fascinating cabinet of curiosities, from a Victorian leather football discovered in a castle toilet to records of Mary, Queen of Scots watching an early match at Carlisle Castle. We also discover how Polish Special Forces kept morale high with a pitch at Audley End during World War II and explore

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33:15

Coastline Special 3: Henry VIII’s Super Forts

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/07/09

When Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church, he was left feeling vulnerable to invasion from France and Spain. His answer was to build England’s first national coastal defence network. Rising like medieval spaceships along the English coast, these ‘device forts’ were a series of rounded stone fortresses. But how did they operate? What made them so formidable? How did they change the nature of warfare with their cutting-edge cannon technology? Join Amy, alongside English Heritage’s Andrew

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40:07

Laurence Olivier: The making of an icon

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/07/02

Sir Ian McKellen recently unveiled an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 22 Lupus Street in London’s Pimlico. That was the childhood home of the man many still regard as the greatest actor of the twentieth century: Sir Laurence Olivier. We were there to capture the moment, including a remarkable impromptu performance of Shakespeare’s Henry V’s speech before Agincourt, delivered from the steps of the house just before revealing the plaque! Join Amy and English Heritage historian Howard Spencer as

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37:09

Coastline Special 2: Shorelines, ships and the...

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/06/25

England’s coastline isn’t just a story about keeping invaders at bay. For centuries, our shorelines were bustling gateways, connecting communities through trade, travel and the everyday goods arriving by sea. It’s a story that pre-dates fortification and invasion, revealing the heart of the close and enduring relationship between English communities and the sea. Plus, it might well be behind our love of cheese! Join Amy as she explores the hidden history of England’s maritime past with Craig

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47:53

Seeking Sanctuary: fleeing conflict in the Middle Ages

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/06/18

Throughout the ages, people have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict and instability and find refuge in another country - or a different part of their own country. In this episode of the English Heritage Podcast, host Amy Matthews sits down with English Heritage historian Dr Will Wyeth and Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Prof Bart Lambert to look at that phenomenon across the Middle Ages, in particular during the Wars of Independence in Scotland and the Hundred Years'

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30:46

Coastline Special: Romans by the sea

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/06/11

Did you know that Roman emperors had a weakness for English oysters? The Romans arrived in Britain around 43AD and one of their first settlements was at Richborough in Kent, where they found oysters so good they sent them back home. In the first of our special series on the English coastline, we go back to Roman times. It wasn’t just a military invasion, it was an influx of culture and people from across three continents. It shaped our country and our shores. Today English heritage experts

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50:59

The Neolithic Hall: Reconstructing History at Stonehenge

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/06/04

This week, the English Heritage Podcast brings the sights, sounds, and even the smells of 4,000 BC to life as host Amy Matthews visits Stonehenge for a remarkable experiment in archaeology: thebuilding of a full‑scale Neolithic Hall. Join host Amy as she explores a groundbreaking experimental archaeology project: the construction of a full-scale Neolithic Hall and discover how English Heritage curator of properties Win Scutt, experimental archaeologist Luke Winter, and English Heritage volunteer

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39:40

Berwick-on-Tweed: life on the border in the 16th century

The English Heritage Podcast ·

2026/05/28

Berwick-upon-Tweed is England's most northerly town. Today, it's known for its stunning architecture and beautiful views over the North Sea. In the past, though, it was a contested spot. Berwick’s strategic position, near the England–Scotland border, meant that it had always been an important garrison town. The imposing and slightly foreboding structure of the barracks has been a significant landmark on the border for centuries. We take you back to the 16th century to discover what life was

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