People's Landscapes: Recent Episodes
National Trust
In this four part documentary series we explore how geology and landscapes have influenced the communities and cultures of the British isles. We’ll discover what connects ice-age floods, and the dialects we speak, and how pre-historic geological events, can form the bedrock of community, or become the driving force behind neighbourhood feuds.
People’s Landscapes is hosted and presented by radio journalist, broadcaster and strictly contestant, John Sergeant, Horrible Histories writer Terry Deary, historian and broadcaster Eleanor Barraclough and Welsh broadcaster and actress Caryl Parry Jones.
Back When is wrapping up and we wanted to say a massive thank you for time travelling with us over all our stories.
In this short episode, join presenter Helen Antrobus to relive some of our best moments.
Production:
Host: Helen Antrobus
Producer and Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez Albiach
Thank you for supporting Back When. If you love history and culture there is so much content at the National Trust, from our YouTube channel to great days out at your nearest heritage sites.
If you like podcasts from the National Trust, listen to Wild Tales for intriguing nature stories from our weird, wonderful and utterly wild world. For little ears, there's our Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers kids' podcast, following the adventures of a crew of colourful creatures.
If you’d like to get in touch you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
The Farne Islands are a group of 28 islands off the Northumberland coast in England’s Northeast. They are home to Atlantic grey seals and a breeding colony of sea birds, but they are also the former residence of a courageous, but very modest, Victorian heroine.
Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter is just 22 years old when she embarks on a daring sea rescue in 1838.
Grace’s bravery thrusts her into the limelight, bringing well-wishers and gifts from across the nation, but the attention leads to tragic consequences.
In this, the last story of the series, join Helen Antrobus as she uncovers the tale of Grace’s epic sea rescue and resulting fame and learns more about this unassuming Victorian heroine.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
Production:
Hosts: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Katy Kelly
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributors:
Andrew Lewis, Heritage Development Manager at the RNLI Grace Darling Museum
Nick Lewis, Cultural Heritage for the National Trust on the Farne Islands
Discover More:
For information on the RNLI Grace Darling Museum:
RNLI Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh
Find out more about The Farne Islands:
Farne Islands | Northumberland | National Trust
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Thanks for listening to and supporting Back When. This is the last story of the series. But if you love history and culture there is so much content at the National Trust, from our YouTube channel to great days out at your nearest heritage sites.
We have other podcasts, listen to Wild Tales for intriguing nature stories from our weird, wonderful and utterly wild world. For little ears, there's our Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers kids' podcast, following the adventures of a crew of colourful creatures.
Have you heard of the Burke and Hare murders?
Sixteen people killed in under a year.
Join Helen Antrobus as she explores one of history’s most notorious killing sprees, and its links to body snatching.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
With thanks to Susie Lennox Discovering A Darker Side To History | My Macabre Roadtrip
Behind the grand exterior of Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire is a secret history, that lay hidden for decades. A chance encounter between a former British intelligence operative and a volunteer uncovered mysteries from inside a once top-secret headquarters.
Discover the story of how in the 1940s Hughenden Manor became a secret base for the Air Ministry to produce target maps for RAF Bomber Command. And helped shape the outcome of WWII.
A listener note, a version of this episode first aired on the National Trust Podcast in 2021.
Production Host: James Grasby
Producer: Sean Douglas
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez
Discover more
Find out more about visiting Hughenden Manor:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/hughenden
What was life like at The Workhouse?
Join James Grasby as he becomes an inmate and tours an atmospheric Workhouse building in Nottinghamshire.
With its bare walls and floors, cast iron beds, and the hollering voices of costumed re-enactors, a visit to the Southwell Workhouse is a sobering experience.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
With thanks to the staff and volunteers at The Workhouse and Infirmary and Steven King | Nottingham Trent University
Discover more
Find out more about the history of The Workhouse and Infirmary www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/the-workhouse-and-infirmary
In Liverpool in the 1950s two teenagers began writing music in their bedrooms. They went on to provide the soundtrack to the 1960s and change the face of popular culture forever.
They were Paul McCartney and John Lennon and their four-piece rock and roll band was of course The Beatles.
Join Curator James Grasby to unlock the iconic group’s origin story.
How do humble acts of creativity at home lead to great things? To find out, we’re behind the scenes at the childhood homes of Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon at Forthlin Road and Mendips in Liverpool. Here, Paul and John grew up, fell in love with music and wrote The Beatles’ first hits.
A note for listeners, a version of this episode first aired on the National Trust Podcast in 2019.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Sean Douglas
Discover More:
Discover more: Find out about tours to the Beatles’ Childhood Homes, cared for by the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/the-beatles-childhood-homes
In this bonus episode, discover how Kingston Lacy, a grand 17th-century Italianate country house and expansive estate in Dorset is connected with one of the ancient wonders of the world: the city of Petra in Jordan. Join James Grasby, as we meet the people working tirelessly to protect and rehabilitate heritage in the face of immense challenges, including climate change.
From the rose-red stones of Petra to William Bankes’ passion for exploration at Kingston Lacy, to the UNESCO city As Salt, and the leafy Oxfordshire countryside, we go behind the scenes with the quiet heroes who safeguard our shared past and carry it forward for future generations.
INTO’s Withstanding Change project connected teams from Petra National Trust (PNT) and the National Trust’s Buscot and Coleshill Estateand earlier this year, they met face to face. Hear about the collaboration which helped them to reach their respective communities through cultural and heritage skills education.
We’re taking a few weeks off over the festive period and will be back in the new year with our usual Back When episodes.
[Ad] This episode was brought to you by the International National Trusts Organisation, also known as INTO. INTO is a global network which brings together heritage organisations from all across the world, working collectively to protect and celebrate cultural and natural heritage. www.into.org
This recording was made possible through INTO’s Withstanding Change project which has been funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. The project helps communities and places adapt to climate change through restoring and safeguarding heritage. Learn more: https://cultural-protection-fund.britishcouncil.org
Producer: Jesse Edbrooke
Presenter: James Grasby
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Discover More:
Read more about Petra, As-Salt and the Petra National Trust by clicking the following link: https://petranationaltrust.org
Read more about Kingston Lacey here:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/kingston-lacy
Read more about Coleshill and Buscott and the heritage skills centre here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/heritage-and-rural-skills-centre
The National Trust cares for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever. You can donate to us at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Why is a semi-detached house in Nottinghamshire frozen in time?
Join us on a visit to 7 Blythe Grove in Worksop, or Mr Straw’s House as it’s now known, to tour the rooms that have barely changed since the 1930’s.
Discover more about the family who lived there, and why they chose to live in a bygone era, long after the world around them had changed.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.ukProduction
Presenter: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
With thanks to the staff and volunteers at Mr Straw's House
Discover More
If you’d like to visit Mr Straw’s house, you’ll need to book. You can do that up to 4 weeks in advance. Mr Straw's House | Nottinghamshire | National Trust
The collection of their belongings is fascinating. Here are some of the things you’ll be able to see Collection highlights at Mr Straw’s House | National Trust
There’s also space outside to enjoy, and you could take a walk around Worksop, just as the Straw sons did every Sunday. There are details of how to book onto a monthly walk here The garden at Mr Straw’s House | Notts | National Trust
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains content that may be upsetting to some listeners
Queen Victoria’s grief not only shaped her own reign but also inspired the Victorian era’s deep fascination with death and mourning.
Join James Grasby and curator Clara Woolford as they uncover how funerary practices, attitudes toward the dead, and one monarch’s sorrow came to define an age.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Michelle Douglass
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor:
Clara Woolford
Discover More:
You can learn more about Victorian life with a visit to Cragside in Northumberland:
Cragside | Northumberland | National Trust
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at
podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
What happened to the animals who served in the First World War?
Uncover the extraordinary story of Warrior the war horse who survived the Western Front. General Jack Seely's horse, Warrior, was anything but ordinary. He carried his master through some of World War One's most brutal battles, including the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele.
Despite more than eight million horses, donkeys and mules losing their lives during the war, Warrior somehow survived.
Join General Jack Seely's grandson and broadcaster, Brough Scott and historian, James Grasby, to retrace Warrior's incredible journey.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos. Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
Production
Host : James Grasby
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributors
Brough Scott
Discover moreTo visit Mottistone Mottistone
To find out more about Warrior Warrior The War HorseIf you would like to follow in the footsteps of warrior
Warrior Trail
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Is your cat the devil in disguise? Probably not, although they may act like it sometimes! But once upon a time, they would have been accused of luring you into witchcraft.
In Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries witch hunting became an obsession and supposed ‘witches’ were put on trial, and some were even sentenced to death.
Being an animal lover was considered a sure sign that someone was practicing witchcraft. Friendliness towards cats, rabbits or dogs could lead to accusations of witchcraft, as these animals, known as familiars, were suspected of working for the devil.
One of those accused of witchcraft and seen with familiars was Elizabeth Clarke, a poor, disabled woman from Essex.
Join Helen and historian Dr Romany Reagan as they uncover Elizabeth’s story and the strange tale of the witches’ familiars.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Host: Helen Antrobus
Producers: Rosie Toy and Katy Kelly
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Dr Romany Reagan
Discover More:
Find out more about witchcraft:
https://essexwitchmuseum.co.uk
Uncover folklore, legends, myths and lost histories from the British Isles with Dr Romany Reagan:
https://blackthornandstone.com
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
In September 1665 a plague outbreak took hold in the Derbyshire village of Eyam. It lasted for 15 months and claimed 260 lives.
The bacteria that caused the bubonic plague was transported to the village in a box of material. Within a few weeks, the illness had taken hold.
In response the residents isolated to keep the disease from spreading to the surrounding villages.
Join Helen and curator Owen Roberts as they uncover the tale of the plague village and the extraordinary sacrifice its inhabitants made to save the lives of others.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Host: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Katy Kelly
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Owen Roberts
Discover More:
Find out more about Eyam: https://www.eyam-museum.org.uk
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Gypsy and Traveller communities have been part of Britain's cultural fabric for centuries. They have a rich and vibrant history, but theirs is a story that's largely untold.Explore the heritage and traditions of Gypsies and Travellers and find out how one Gypsy had a special connection with Queen Victoria.
Join guest presenter and host of the Roaming Voices podcast, Josie Jeffery in finding out more about those who lived and travelled across Brighton and the South Downs.
With special thanks to Romany Historian Janet Keet-Black and Journalist Jake Bowers for their contributions to this episode.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Presenter: Josie Jeffery
Production: Jack Glover and Katy Kelly
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors:
Janet Keet-Black
Jake Bowers
Discover More:
This episode was made possible with research from the Changing Chalk project - a landscape-scale partnership led by the National Trust, connecting nature, people and heritage on and around the South Downs. The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, and by The Linbury Trust.
Find out more at
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/the-changing-chalk-partnership
Read Janet's book Gypsies of Britain here https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/gypsies-of-britain-9780747812364/
Discover Jake's work and sculptures at http://www.thirstybearforge.co.uk/
For more information on traveller communities please visit our friends at Friend' Families, Travellers https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/
Listen to a playlist of Gypsy Heritage songs https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6JHTStCCBgCgJ5wcszlIFi?si=WoG-el4ERq6GIhX2BGTABg
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey may be a fictional Dollar Duchess but there are countless others who have shaped our history, including the mother of Winston Churchill, Jennie Jerome.
Join James Grasby as he discovers what a 'Dollar Duchess' is, how they came to be entwined in our history and culture, and what was in it for the couples.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale only in cinemas now
Production
Host: James Grasby
Sound: Claire Hickinbotham
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Louisa Brouwer @acuratorabroad on Insta
Jo Thornton and Steve Berden: Isle of Wight local tour guides
Recording took place at Rosetta Cottage on the Isle of Wight where Churchill’s parents got engaged. You can visit the cottage and see the plague outside, part of the Churchill Trail on the Island Follow the Churchill Trail - Visit Isle Of Wight
Or if you want to get closer to the heart of the story you can stay in the cottage, dine in the dining room, and enjoy sea views of The Solent from the garden. Rosetta Cottage Isle of Wight | National Trust
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
What was dating like in Jane Austen’s day? Georgian Britain is certainly an era associated with courtship and marriage, but what were the rules you had to date by?
Join Cultural Heritage Curator Tim Moore, in Bath, as he reflects on what we know, through the life and works of Jane Austen.
This one's for the Janeites.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production:
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Production and Sound: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributor:
Dr Tim Moore, Cultural Heritage Curator
Discover More:
Find out more about the Bath Assembly rooms project here
Bath Assembly Rooms project | Bath | National Trust
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
In 2018 a team of intrepid explorers came in to the possession of a treasure map - one which would see them venture half way around the world to the Australian island of Tasmania. Those explorers were a team of garden experts from across the UK and Ireland who were now on a historic mission to save and catalogue plants for the benefit of people and the planet.
Following in the footsteps of the historic plant hunters, find out what was in store for the team of modern-day collectors and how natural history has helped to shape gardens around the world.
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Jack Glover
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Charlie Bancroft and team BIBET
Caroline Ikin
Images courtesy and with thanks from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Tasmania. All Rights Reserved.
Discover More
Explore a garden lovers home at Nymans in West Sussex where some of the collected species are now flourishing https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/nymans
Read Charlie’s report here: https://merlin-trust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/718-Charlie-Bancroft-compressed.pdf
Find out more about historic plant hunters from our friends at Kew Gardens https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/adventure-and-discovery-around-the-world-with-plant-hunters
BIBET Botantic Gardens
Republic of Ireland https://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/
Northern Ireland https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/mount-stewart Wales https://botanicgarden.wales/
Tasmania https://gardens.tas.gov.au/
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Join a tour of a garden designed for pleasure, as we relive its party heyday.
Claremont in Surrey once played host to events described as the lovechild of a festival and a palace garden party. Presenter James Grasby uncovers the best spots, the shenanigans they elicited, and the most incredible views reminiscent of scenes from hit Netflix drama, Bridgerton.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Author: David Coke
Hannah Greig: Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Discover More
Claremont still holds events throughout the year, from live theatre to yoga sessions.
Events at Claremont Landscape Garden
You can also hire rowing boats, walk your dog here, or grab a cuppa! Here’s a map: 2023-claremont-map.pdf
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
An earlier version of this episode was previously available
Embark on the last voyage of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship and learn how its discovery changed our understanding of a civilisation. In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a “ghost ship” under the acidic sandy soil of Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk.
Now, presenter James Grasby reimagines the last journey of that vessel, and who was aboard, as it was hauled from the water and dragged to its final resting place some 1,400 years ago.
Listener note: a version of this episode first went out in 2023 on the National Trust Podcast.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at https://www.cewe.co.uk/
ProductionHost: James Grasby
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez
Discover more
Free guided tours of the Royal Burial Ground are available daily from February to October. You can book onto a tour with the Visitor Welcome team when you arrive at Sutton Hoo.
The replica ship is being built by the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company. To follow the progress of the project and how you can support it, please visit saxonship.org
Follow Back When on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you'd love to hear, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
What does Formula One and chariot racing have in common? High speed and high thrills races are something we usually think of when we’re chatting about Silverstone or the Grand Prix.
Celebrity drivers, highly engineered teams and arenas of fans might seem like a modern scene. But thanks to a piece of ancient graffiti carved into stone at a Roman villa, a window into a world over 2000 years ago is opened, one that sees chariot racers competing on an industrial scale.
James Grasby heads to Chedworth Roman Villa to find out what the Prasina Stone can tell us about sports today.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Jack Glover
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
James Ball
Discover more
For more information about Chedworth, the Romans and the Prasina Stone, please visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/chedworth-roman-villa
Follow Back When on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Many of us grew up reading about Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle, but how much do you know about the woman behind the stories?
In this episode we explore the lesser-known sides of Beatrix Potter. Discover how her love of natural science, fascination with fungi and knack for sheep farming formed one of Britain's most celebrated authors.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
ProductionHost: James Grasby
Producer: Nikki Ruck
Sound editor: Jesus Gomez and Nikki Ruck
Discover more
For more information about Beatrix Potter, her life, works and art go to: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/beatrix-potter
Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
In 1196, 9-year-old Ela was hidden away in France after becoming the third Countess of Salisbury.
After being discovered and brought back to England by a knight who supposedly sang underneath windows to find her, Ela went on to become one of the thirteenth century's most influential women.
As well as being a peeress, Ela is also known for being the Sheriff of Wiltshire, breaking social norms and defying the intensely patriarchal society she was in. As the King's representative in the county, she would’ve been responsible for upholding the Crown's law and bringing its enemies to justice, supervising the royal lands in the area, and much more.
Ela was incredibly powerful, assertive, resolute and devout – she lay the foundation stones for two religious houses, more than 16 miles apart, in a single day. The first was Hinton Priory in Bath, and the second was Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, where less than ten years later, Ela was elected its first abbess.
National Trust Historian Helen Antrobus heads to Lacock to discover the story behind this medieval marvel.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Jack Glover and Lily Long
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Emma Zadeh
Discover More
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/lacock
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/remarkable-women-in-history
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/what-happened-in-a-medieval-abbey-church
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
On 10 November 1721 the Royal Anne Galley sank after hitting treacherous rocks at Lizard Point in Cornwall, tragically claiming the lives of more than 200 people.
The dead include Captain Francis Willis and his crew who had been on their way to Barbados to hunt down pirates.
Join Helen and marine archaeologist David Gibbins as they uncover the tale of the 300-year-old wreck and the disaster's eerie aftermath.
The Royal Anne Galley is one of thousands of shipwrecks around Britain's coastline. Its haunting story reveals the realities of 18th Century life and death at sea.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Michelle Douglass
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor
David Gibbins
Discover More:
Discover David Gibbins’ A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks:
https://davidgibbins.com/a-history-of-the-world-in-twelve-shipwrecks
Find out more about The Lizard in Cornwall:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/lizard-point
Head to National Trust on Youtube for podcast videos and shorts:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbSxeBQ-U-goXdmkiNBSrrg
If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Seventy‑five feet beneath The White Cliffs of Dover lies Fan Bay Deep Shelter: a web of bomb‑proof tunnels carved through chalk after Winston Churchill demanded artillery that could dominate the Channel.
During the Second World War up to 185 coast-gunners tried to sleep here between shifts on Mk VII guns that hurled shells from Britain towards France, 21 miles away.
A surviving narrow hospital bay, generator room and rows of bunk frames, along with pencil graffiti - service numbers, football pools coupons, rough poetry - humanise a fortress built for endurance. Every corridor still channels the distant percussion of artillery and the relentless hum of duty.
Closed in the 1950 and later filled with rubble, the shelter slept until 2012, when National Trust archaeologists and volunteers removed 100 tons of debris by hand to reveal a time‑capsule of wartime life. Fan Bay now stands as both memorial and classroom, inviting each visitor to trace the fragile line between vulnerability and resilience etched into Britain’s shoreline.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Jesse Edbrooke
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
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The Fan Bay Tunnels will open to the public for seven days from 20th – 30th June 2025 to celebrate the end of the Wanstone Rediscovered project.
The gun emplacement and underground magazine will also be available to visit as part of the Fan Bay tour. This is the first time that these areas have ever been opened to visitors. There will also be free, pre bookable tours of the Wanstone Battery site from 11:00 each day 20th – 30th June 2025. Read more about Fan Bay Battery and how to visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/the-white-cliffs-of-dover/fan-bay-battery---a-brief-history
The National Trust cares for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever. You can donate to us at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate
VE Day Celebrations at the National Trust
Look out for the celebrations of VE Day at Winston Churchill's old home. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/chartwell/ve-day-80-at-chartwell
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
General James Wolfe, the 'boy solider' who joined the military at 14 fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles while he was still a teenager.Historian James Grasby visits Wolfe’s childhood home to find out what would shape him into becoming a soldier at such a young age and delves into his involvement in The Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746.
If you’d like to hear about The Battle of Culloden from another perspective, listen to this episode from National Trust for Scotland: Lord George Murray with Murray…–Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature – Apple Podcasts
Production
Presenter: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Ghazala Jabeen – National Trust, Quebec House
Freddie Matthews – Historian and Cultural Heritage Curator
Stephen Brumwell – History writer - brumwellhistory.com
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You can visit General Wolfe’s childhood home, Quebec House │ Kent | National Trust, which was renamed in his honour after his victory at The Battle of Quebec. See where he grew up, Henrietta’s cookbook, and the robe with which his body is thought to have been brought back to Britain.
You can also visit the battlefield at Culloden | National Trust for Scotland
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you'd like to hear, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
In a two-episode partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and the National Trust, join host Jackie Bird as she uncovers the life of a leading general in the Battle of Culloden.
Historian and National Trust for Scotland Trustee Professor Murray Pittock reveals the story of Lieutenant General George Murray, a nobleman and soldier who was involved in each of the 18th century Jacobite Uprisings. His relationship with Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobite soldiers, not to mention his shifting allegiance, make him a compelling figure from the period.
To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
For more information on Culloden, click here.
You may also like some of our previous episodes on Culloden. Scroll through our podcast feed to find instalments on Flora MacDonald, Scotland’s most consequential battles, and how the events of Culloden influenced the world.
Time travel, Martian invasions and free love all have one thing in common - H.G. Wells.Helen Antrobus explores how the world was changed through the writings of one author as H.G. Wells brought science fiction to the masses with the War of the Worlds, the Time Machine and many more iconic stories.
Discover how a series of underground tunnels and a telescope in an attic room helped to pave the way for the sci-fi we know today.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Jack Glover + Sophie Wilkinson
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Mark Syson-Harvey
Sophie Wilkinson
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Uppark is currently closed for essential maintenance and repairs and will reopen in summer 2025.
Keep up to date with the latest news and reopening dates by visiting https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/uppark-house-and-garden/uppark-essential-repairs-project
Find out more about other great books and authors in our collection by visiting https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/art-collections/great-books-in-our-collections
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
It's the height of summer in 1858 and something rotten is lurking in the river Thames. Historian James Grasby unravels the smelliest side of our recent history as we step back into Victorian London to discover the Great Stink.
Hear how politicians scrambled to keep the stench out of parliament and find out what the smell meant for the working classes.
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Presenter: James Grasby
Producer: Jack Glover
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Laura French (Crossness Engines Trust)
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This story has been made possible with our friends from the Crossness Engines Trust, for information on visiting and for more of London's murky history please visit: http://crossness.org.uk/
Join us and other environmental charities to help to look after our waterways by visiting https://marchforcleanwater.org/ and https://theriverstrust.org/key-issues/sewage-in-rivers
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Britain’s space race efforts were bold but short-lived. Join historian Helen Antrobus for the tale of Britain’s space race.
It’s the mid 1950’s and the height of the Cold War era.
British engineers are working in secret at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, testing a nuclear deterrent, the Black Knight Rocket.
But by the end of the 1960s the British rocket programme is under threat. Engineers have one last chance to get into space with the ambitious Black Arrow Rocket.
Can Britain reach the stars or will it fail to launch?
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company. Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk
Production
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributors
Paul Carey
Steve Berden
Doug Millard
Cast
Jesse Edbrooke – voice of Ray Wheeler
In memory of Ray Wheeler 1927-2019
With thanks to NASA
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Discover more about the secrets behind Highdown test site visit The New Battery at The Needles
Find out more about the history of Black Knight, Black Arrow and Prospero rockets
Wight Aviation Museum
See the Black Arrow Rocket itself https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visit
Discover more podcasts
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/podcasts#stories-about-nature-and-history
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Introducing Back When, a new history podcast taking you inside the stories of the people, places and moments that made us. Launching 2 April.
Join historians Helen Antrobus and James Grasby for a fly on the wall view of our past. Discover the forgotten story of Britain's space race. Uncover the unsettling history of witches' familiars. And hear the origin story of sci-fi author HG Wells.
Our history is all around us. And we'll be transporting you behind the scenes at landmarks from castles to dance halls and WWII bunkers to workhouses. You’ll meet people from all walks of life whose fascinating stories help us make sense of who we are now.
Lean in for a tale from time. Back When.
New episodes of Back When are released every fortnight. Follow Back When on your favourite podcast app to make sure you get every story.
The Cornish mining industry was once the envy of the world. Seabirds have now taken over the crumbling remains of mine shafts, engine houses and chimneys that still define the Tin Coast. This episode explores the geological events that threaded this stretch of coastline with tin and copper and the technological advancements that led to an army of workers excavating the metals from a warren of tunnels.
Join singer and songwriter Caryl Parry Jones, as she visits the Castle and choir that inspired Blur frontman Damon Albarn’s latest album. Caryl learns how staff at Penrhyn Castle are forging links with local residents, who still see the site as a brutal reminder of the poor working conditions endured by their relatives more than 100 years ago.
In this episode Terry Deary, author of the Horrible Histories books, visits an ex-mining coal mining community which once held a deep mistrust of the National Trust when they came to help clear up their beach. You can find more podcasts from the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts
In the year 991 AD an advancing Viking army made its way up the Black Water estuary and moored on the banks of Northey Island. According to an Anglo-Saxon poem, the raiders used this small and marshy island as a base from which to attack the town of Maldon in Essex. But their passage to the mainland was blocked by an Anglo-Saxon army determined to defend their land. The poem goes on to vividly describe the epic and bloody battle that ensued.
In this episode of the People’s Landscapes podcast, Dr Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough follows in the footsteps of these Vikings, and sheds some light on just what happened on Northey Island more than 1,000 years ago.
You can find more podcasts from the National Trust at nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts
In this four part documentary series, we explore how geology and landscapes have influenced the communities and cultures of the British Isles. We’ll discover what connects ice-age floods and the dialects we speak. And how pre-historic geological events can form the bedrock of community, or become the driving force behind neighbourhood feuds. People’s Landscapes is hosted and presented by radio journalist, broadcaster and star of Strictly Come Dancing, John Sergeant; Horrible Histories writer Terry Deary; historian and broadcaster Eleanor Barraclough and Welsh broadcaster and actress Caryl Parry Jones.