Episodes

  • Grace Darling | An Unassuming Victorian Heroine

    Grace Darling | An Unassuming Victorian Heroine
    Mar 11 2026
    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.
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    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.
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    24 mins
  • Body Snatching | The Burke and Hare Murders

    Body Snatching | The Burke and Hare Murders
    Feb 25 2026

    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

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    16 mins
  • Operation Hillside | Lifting the Official Secrets Act

    Operation Hillside | Lifting the Official Secrets Act
    Feb 11 2026
    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
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    23 mins
  • The Workhouse | One Step Up From Prison?

    The Workhouse | One Step Up From Prison?
    Jan 28 2026

    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

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    25 mins
  • Beatles Backstage | The Bedrooms Where Rock History was Made

    Beatles Backstage | The Bedrooms Where Rock History was Made
    Jan 14 2026
    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

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    24 mins
  • 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, 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 Estate and 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
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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