Tales of Ordinary Times: Recent Episodes
Our Stories
In Tales of Ordinary Times we discover the stories from history that you didn't know existed. There are (almost) no kings and queens here, just the extraordinary ordinariness of everyday life.
Episodes range from the creation of public parks to why you used to be able to rent a pineapple and everything in between.
Presented by historian Dr Ruth Colton and self-declared history superfan Emma Richmond, the podcast is two friends' journey through some of the most fascinating parts of the past.
Tales of Ordinary Times is brought to you by Our Stories. Based in Manchester, United Kingdom, Our Stories research and curate exciting and thought provoking exhibitions.
https://www.ourstories.co/
Cover art by Curate Your Curious
Hi everyone, we know you were expecting us back in late August, but there's going to be a bit of a delay. There are lots of exciting things going on for both of us work-wise and personally, and unfortunately that means we aren’t able to deliver the second series of the podcast as planned.
We’re still looking to come back, so we’ll update you when we have another announcement to make. While you're waiting, do let us know what you would like to hear about in series 2, and catch up with us @ourstorieshrtg on Twitter and @OurStoriesHeritage on Instagram.
x
Happy Independence Day! But wait, why would we be celebrating Independence Day over here in the UK?
The village of Warton in North Lancashire has a very special connection to the most famous of American revolutionaries, General George Washington. Today, we're chatting to Dr Sam Edwards, Reader in Transatlantic History at Manchester Metropolitan University, about the Warton-Washington connection and how these grassroots connections influence the 'special relationship'.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
Follow us on Twitter @ourstorieshrtg
Find us on Instagram @ourstoriesheritage
The Cold War was a time of international political tension, conflict and the ever-present threat of nuclear Armageddon. So why does a small community on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands, look back on the Cold War as the Good Old Days?
In this final episode of the series, we're joined by Dr Steven Leech to explore the fascinating story of Unst's Cold War past.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
In a change to our planned episode (now coming next week) we're heading deep into the archives of The Guardian newspaper to uncover three extraordinary women.
We're joined this week by Dr Janette Martin, Modern History Archivist at John Rylands Research Institute and Library. The John Rylands cares for the Guardian archives from when the paper was based in Manchester.
2021 marks the bicentenary of The Guardian, and the John Rylands are about to launch an exhibition exploring stories from the newspaper's 200 year history.
To find out more about Our Stories visit www.ourstories.co
To find out more about The John Rylands Research Institute and Library visit www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands
In a year where we could all do with a nice summer, what better topic than the year Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death?
The summer of 1816 was bleak across Europe and much of north-eastern America. There were frosts in June, months of solid rain and devastating impacts on harvests and food supply. The cause? The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora...
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
2021 is a census year, and to mark the occasion we've gone back through censuses past to explore how this data collection exercise came to be.
And to show how important the census is to historians, we've gone on an historical adventure to pick a name a random and explore their story through their census records. Meet Sarah Sinclair...
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
Hello lovely listeners. We're very sorry but we're not able to bring you a podcast episode this week due to some unexpected personal circumstances. We'll see you next Thursday, same time, same place. Thank you x
Back in the day travel was a slow business. In this episode we explore the story of the coaching inn, the ideal resting place for some food and to stretch your legs... every 10 miles of your journey.
We discuss highwaymen, women's safety on the road and the features to look out for if you think your local pub might be an old coaching inn.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
It's pretty normal to us to be able to buy exotic fruit, but that hasn't always been the case. In this episode we explore the surprising history of the pineapple.
Find out how they came to Europe, why King Charles II wanted his portrait with one, and when you might want to hit the dancefloor with a pineapple on your arm.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
You might not know her name, but Gertrude Powicke was a truly remarkable woman. One of the first female university graduates, she went on to campaign for women's suffrage. In World War I, she strove to play her part and dedicated herself to helping refugees whose lives had been turned upside down by conflict.
In this episode, we're joined by Kate Turner, co-founder and co-director of Our Stories Heritage.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
In the final episode of the mini-series, we welcome Dr Abi Gilmore of the University of Manchester to talk about the significance of parks today.
Abi's research investigates cultural spaces and how we use them. We discuss what her work has shown her about people's everyday experiences in the park, and how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted our view of green spaces.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
The first half of the twentieth century saw the devastation of two world wars. On the home front in Britain, the park was crucial to the war effort.
Parks were used for military drills, growing of food, shelter from air raids and government propaganda. In this episode we explore the park at war and how everyday park goers felt about the requisitioning of their parks.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
By the end of the nineteenth century, the British Empire was at its zenith. Almost everything in everyday life had a link to the Empire, and a stroll in the park was no exception.
In this episode, we explore the landscape and architecture of Empire that is still in our parks today, with a virtual walk through Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, UK.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
What is the wrong way to behave in a park? Vandalism? Criminal activity? How about sitting on the grass if you're a man, and being out after 4pm if you're a woman?
In this episode we explore the 'right' and 'wrong' behaviours in the nineteenth century park and how they were linked to public aspirations and anxieties.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
The public parks of the nineteenth century were designed with children in mind. In this episode, we trace changing perceptions of childhood from pre-Enlightenment to the late Victorian era and get to grips with why the park was the perfect place for a child to grow.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co
Parks are everywhere. They're spaces for us to meet friends, exercise and play. Yet 200 years ago there was no such thing as a public park.
In the first of a six-part mini-series all about parks, we explore how the park came to be and why the Industrial Revolution is at the heart of the park's story.
For more of Our Stories' work visit www.ourstories.co