Episodes

  • Coastline Special 2: Shorelines, ships and the secrets of trade

    Coastline Special 2: Shorelines, ships and the secrets of trade
    Jun 25 2026
    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 Lambert, Professor of Maritime History at the University of Southampton, and Win Scutt from English Heritage. You can watch our coastal series as well as listen to it - either on Spotify or go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage Don’t forget to follow this podcast wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠  Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Seeking Sanctuary: fleeing conflict in the Middle Ages

    Seeking Sanctuary: fleeing conflict in the Middle Ages
    Jun 18 2026
    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' Wars in France and the Low Countries. Together they discuss how during this period, refugees came from all social levels, from nobility, clergy and the political elite to the poor, especially women. This episode reveals the everyday realities of seeking safe haven in the medieval world and challenges the common assumption that medieval people rarely travelled far from home. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Coastline Special: Romans by the sea

    Coastline Special: Romans by the sea
    Jun 11 2026
    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 Dr Andrew Roberts and Dr Kathryn Bedford reveal more about what the Romans actually did for us. Now you can watch our coastal series as well as listen to it - either on Spotify or go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage Don’t forget to follow this podcast wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠  Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • The Neolithic Hall: Reconstructing History at Stonehenge

    The Neolithic Hall: Reconstructing History at Stonehenge
    Jun 4 2026
    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: the building 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 Suzie are using authentically recreated stone tools and ancient techniques to bring prehistory to life. Amy explores the realities of 4,000 BC, the incredible timber engineering of our ancestors, and how this immersive space will serve as an educational gateway for thousands of schoolchildren – and adults. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • Berwick-on-Tweed: life on the border in the 16th century

    Berwick-on-Tweed: life on the border in the 16th century
    May 28 2026
    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 like in the shoes of those who walked those streets - starting with the leather they were made from! Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • Reinterpreting Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo

    Reinterpreting Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo
    May 21 2026
    Next week marks 86 years since Operation Dynamo: the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Second World War. But beyond the history that we all know lies a far more complex human story. Beginning inside the wartime tunnels beneath Dover Castle, Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage historian Dr Kathryn Bedford alongside Yves Janssen and Gautier Jacqmaire from the Dunkirk 1940 Museum to explore the pressure, fear and exhaustion experienced on both sides of the Channel. From sleepless radio operators and WRENs in Dover to French soldiers waiting under bombardment on the beaches themselves, this episode reinterprets Dunkirk through personal stories, oral histories and different national perspectives. From Britain’s story of rescue and survival to France’s memory of loss and defeat, we look at how Dunkirk has been remembered differently across generations and national borders, as well as why reinterpretation matters and how revisiting familiar stories can deepen our understanding of the past. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Visit Dover Castle: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/ Musée Dunkerque 1940: http://www.dynamo-dunkerque.com/ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Northumberland and the Border Reivers

    Northumberland and the Border Reivers
    May 14 2026
    From the 14th to the 17th century, survival in the turbulent borderlands between England and Scotland depended on family, loyalty and the strength to defend what was yours. In this episode of the English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews explores the violent world of the Border Reivers, the families who controlled this contested landscape for centuries, through fortified farmhouses and ruined peel towers. Historian and writer Alistair Moffat and English Heritage curator Andrew Roberts uncover how raiding, blackmail and shifting allegiances shaped everyday life along the Anglo-Scottish frontier, leaving traces that are felt through the landscape and culture of the Borders today. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • A history of natural history

    A history of natural history
    May 7 2026
    As broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday, Amy Matthews explores how Britain learned to observe, record and make sense of the living world and why those early questions about nature still matter today. Beginning at Down House, the family home of Charles Darwin, this episode explores how natural history was shaped not just by Darwin’s famous ideas, but by generations of collectors, classifiers and curious observers. From ancient thinking to early citizen science and the origins of modern-day questions, history-of-science expert Dr Edwin Rose from the University of Leeds and English Heritage’s Sabrina Villani explore how this became both a science and a national pastime. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins