History at Home

We’re still here to help you discover the best stories from England’s past.

On this page we’ve gathered all of our stay-at-home favourites, from videos and podcasts to old-fashioned recipes and historical how-tos.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Family Fun and Games

Explore history with our crafts, videos and activities

There are plenty of ways to engage the family in discovering our nation's past.

Explore our collection of teaching resources and creative ideas for things to make and do while at home, whether it’s building a model roundhouse, colouring in a Roman street scene, or designing your own coat of arms.

THINGS TO MAKE AND DO

HOME LEARNING TIPS

Read our tips on how to create the best learning environment for children, including how to approach teaching the same topic to different ages and abilities.
TEACHING RESOURCES

Our free learning resources are packed with everything you need to give your learners a deep insight into the history of our places. Browse by theme, key stage and region.
QUIZZES

Test your history know-how with our quizzes. Whether just challenging yourself or hosting a virtual quiz with family and friends, we've got your history rounds covered.
History at Home Live!

Join TV's Ben Shires and our expert historians for a series of live-streamed history lessons, covering topics such as Castles, Tudors, Romans, and more!

Kids Home

Learn about England’s history and discover more about everyday life in the past, from the rich and famous to the general population, through fun facts, illustrated stories and games.
Videos

Travel back in time with our videos and have fun with history. Watch as we interview Henry VIII, put your Roman knowledge to the test with Rattus Rattus, go on an animated journey through the story of England and more.
Tasty Historical Makes and Bakes

Serve up a slice of history with these delicious recipes from the past. Whip up a batch of Mrs Crocombe's favourite Queen Drop Biscuits, bake a medieval pie, watch our interview with a Tudor cook and more.

THE ENGLISH HERITAGE PODCAST

Step into England’s story with our weekly podcast.

Join presenter Charles Rowe as we bring the history of our sites to life with news, views and expert interviews across over 100 episodes.

Listen on soundcloud

History From Above

See our sites from the skies

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic sites across England, each with their own story to tell. From Castles to Abbeys, monuments to gardens, these sites are even more remarkable when viewed from the air.

Join us as we take to the skies to explore these places from the past from a whole new perspective.

WATCH THE PLAYLIST

Beeston Castle, Cheshire

Crowning a rocky crag and boasting spectacular views, Beeston is one of the most dramatically sited medieval castles in England.
Down House, Kent

Experience for yourself the serenity and solitude of the home that helped Charles Darwin to connect with the natural world around him.
FRAMLINGHAM CASTLE, SUFFOLK

Once a fearsome fortress, muster your courage and explore Framlingham Castle's towering walls. It was behind these walls that Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England.
GOODRICH CASTLE, HEREFORDSHIRE

Surrounded by open countryside, Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire is perhaps one of the finest and best preserved of all English medieval castles.
LINDISFARNE, NORTHUMBERLAND

Situated on Holy Island, Lindisfarne Priory in Northumberland is a uniquely secluded place where the tranquility of monastic history meets the drama of a grisly Viking raid.
MOUNT GRACE PRIORY, YORKSHIRE

Tucked away at the foot of the Cleveland Hills in North Yorkshire, Mount Grace Priory is the best-preserved Carthusian monastery in England.
STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE

Float in the footsteps of Neolithic people at Stonehenge – one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe.
TINTAGEL CASTLE, CORNWALL

Set dramatically on the coastal clifftops of Cornwall, Tintagel Castle is linked to myth and legend. Scale the mighty ruins that has inspired writers, artists and royalty for centuries.

39 WAYS YOU CAN EXPLORE HISTORY - FOR FREE

Our website and social channels are packed with ways to discover England’s past, but there are also plenty of other options around to help you get your fix of world history.

Take a look at our favourite history-themed websites, apps, podcasts and videos, all of which are available to enjoy for free.

Discover more

History In Focus

Join author and expert cheesemonger Ned Palmer as he turns to England's past for history-inspired cheeseboard recommendations. Go in-depth with our site histories authored by top historians, or listen to Speaking with Shadows, the podcast that listens to the people that history forgot.

You can also explore interesting editorial articles, from wartime wardrobes and the most iconic trees from our historic gardens, to the origins of the biscuit and video games that link to the people and places of England's past.

DISCOVER MORE

The History of Gingerbread

Food Historian Sam Bilton explores how - from festively shaped biscuits to extravagantly decorated gingerbread houses - gingerbread has become a culinary staple of Christmas.
Pirates of England

English Heritage's Senior Historian Paul Pattison reveals the unexpected faces of England's notorious pirates. It turns out, the truth is far grittier than the fiction.
2000 years of board games

The first known board games originated from Egypt around 5,500 years ago and have evolved across cultures and societies ever since.
Below Stairs at Audley End

What were Victorian servants’ lives really like? Discover the stories of the men, women and children who worked at Audley End House in the 1880s.

Blue Plaques

DISCOVER THE STORIES BEHIND THE PLAQUES

Heroes of Health

Advances in the control, treatment and cure of illness and disease have depended on the work of many talented individuals, working in a variety of different fields.
Pioneering Women

Discover some of the figures in London’s history who took the historic first steps to open up new opportunities for women, and are commemorated by blue plaques.
London's Black History

From musicians to politicians, discover some of the pioneering black figures whose achievements are celebrated with London’s blue plaques.
London Pride: LGBTQ Stories

From Oscar Wilde to Virginia Woolf, explore London’s LGBTQ history through the stories associated with the city’s blue plaques.

Behind the Scenes

Caring for over 400 historic places covers everything from essential building repair works and restoring paintings, to planting historic gardens and keeping them blooming throughout the year.

Join us as we go behind the scenes to find out more about what it takes to protect England's past.

WATCH THE PLAYLIST

Behind the Scenes at Osborne

Hear from the collections care team, the gardening team, volunteers and curators at Osborne, and see what they do on site during the winter in preparation for the new season.
HOW ARE BLUE PLAQUES MADE?

Frank and Sue Ashworth have been making London's blue plaques for English Heritage since 1984. We visited them at home in Cornwall to find out more about the process and their role in the scheme.
KITCHEN GARDEN: POT TO PLATE

Go behind-the-scenes at Walmer Castle’s kitchen garden and discover how an expert team of gardeners, volunteers and kitchen staff grow and prepare delicious seasonal produce all year round for visitors to enjoy.
How England Was Made

In the fourth and final episode of our series, How England Was Made, presenter Rob Bell ventures to the Lake District to visit a mill that played a surprisingly key role in England’s textile industry in the 19th Century.