Episodes

  • World Heritage Heroes: Petra, Kingston Lacy and the Next Generation

    World Heritage Heroes: Petra, Kingston Lacy and the Next Generation
    Dec 17 2025
    In this bonus episode, from the rose-red stones of the Nabataean city of Petra to the curiosity of William Bankes and today's young heritage explorers, we go behind the scenes with the quiet heroes who carry our shared past forward. Join James Grasby as he meets the people protecting heritage in the face of great challenges and discover how Bankes' home of Kingston Lacy in Dorset is connected with an ancient wonder of the world, the city of Petra in Jordan.

    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. 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
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    23 mins
  • The Home Where Time Stood Still | Mr Straw's House

    The Home Where Time Stood Still | Mr Straw's House
    Dec 3 2025
    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.uk

    Production
    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
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    27 mins
  • Queen Victoria and the Cult of Death

    Queen Victoria and the Cult of Death
    Nov 19 2025
    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
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    13 mins
  • Warrior the War Horse | Survival Against the Odds

    Warrior the War Horse | Survival Against the Odds
    Nov 5 2025
    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 more

    To visit Mottistone

    Mottistone

    To find out more about Warrior

    Warrior The War Horse

    If 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
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    21 mins
  • Halloween Special | Witches' Familiars

    Halloween Special | Witches' Familiars
    Oct 22 2025
    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
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    14 mins
  • Halloween Special | The Plague Village

    Halloween Special | The Plague Village
    Oct 8 2025
    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
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    24 mins
  • Downton, Churchill and the Dollar Duchess Phenomenon

    Downton, Churchill and the Dollar Duchess Phenomenon
    Sep 17 2025
    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


    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

    This episode was released in celebration of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

    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
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    16 mins
  • Jane Austen | The Georgian Dating Scene

    Jane Austen | The Georgian Dating Scene
    Sep 10 2025
    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
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    20 mins