Episodes

  • 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.
    [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 | 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
  • Plant Hunters | A Botanical Quest Down Under

    Plant Hunters | A Botanical Quest Down Under
    Aug 27 2025
    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
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    23 mins
  • A Garden Fit for Bridgerton

    A Garden Fit for Bridgerton
    Aug 13 2025
    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
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    22 mins
  • The Last Voyage | Sutton Hoo

    The Last Voyage | Sutton Hoo
    Jul 23 2025
    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/

    Production
    Host: 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
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    27 mins
  • Roman Chariot Racing | The Prasina Stone

    Roman Chariot Racing | The Prasina Stone
    Jul 9 2025
    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
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    9 mins
  • The Tale of Beatrix Potter | Writer, Scientist, Sheep Farmer

    The Tale of Beatrix Potter | Writer, Scientist, Sheep Farmer
    Jun 25 2025
    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

    Production
    Host: 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
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    23 mins
  • Ela, Sheriff of Wiltshire | A Medieval Marvel

    Ela, Sheriff of Wiltshire | A Medieval Marvel
    Jun 11 2025
    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
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    14 mins
  • Graveyard of Ships | The Royal Anne Galley

    Graveyard of Ships | The Royal Anne Galley
    May 28 2025
    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
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    14 mins