THE ENGLISH HERITAGE PODCAST
Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places?
In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future.
The Bayeux Tapestry: 1066 Comes Home
Welcome to the first episode of our brand-new, seven-part English Heritage Podcast video series exploring the historic events of 1066!
This episode unravels the years long journey to bring the iconic 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry back to English soil for a landmark exhibition at the British Museum. From negotiations and transport logistics to hidden embroidery secrets and missing end panels, discover how this 11th-century masterpiece survived and how it still captivates us today.
Join host Amy Matthews as she kicks off our journey with two expert guests: Jeremy Ashbee, Head Curator of Properties at English Heritage, and Professor Michael Lewis, Curator of the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition at the British Museum.
You can watch the series on Spotify and on our YouTube channel, or listen as normal.
King Arthur, goblins and dragons - how our prehistoric sites got their names
From Long Meg and her Daughters to the Devil’s Arrows to Hetty Pegler’s Tump, the British Isles is dotted with ancient places with curious names. But who came up with those titles and what inspired them?
This time, Amy is joined by English Heritage’s Curator of History, Al Oswald and Curator of Properties, Stonehenge and the West, Win Scutt, to uncover the myths and folklore that have been woven around these sites. Join them to discover, amongst other things, the inspiration for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, why dancing on the sabbath was a terrible idea if you’re a woman, why counting stones could be fatal and why the Devil wasn’t a very good shot.
Listen to the English Heritage PodcastSkeleton 1863: Reconstructing the face of “Conquest Man”
In this episode, host Amy Matthews is joined by Kevin Booth, English Heritage’s Head Curator of Collections, and Professor Caroline Wilkinson, Director of Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University. Together, they explore how forensic science created a lifelike facial depiction of "Conquest Man" found buried at St Peter’s Church in Barton-upon-Humber around 50 years ago and known archaeologically as skeleton SK1863.
What can three mysterious applewood wands and a grass pillow reveal about his burial? How do tooth isotopes and 3D digital facial mapping uncover the overseas roots and facial features of someone who lived at the time of the Norman Conquest?
Discover how cutting-edge technology can bridge the gap to an ordinary person from the past and breathe new life into history life one thousand years later.
Listen to the English Heritage PodcastAll Episodes
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Speaking with shadows
When you’re wandering about a historic place, what voices do you hear echoing off the walls? Are they the ones you learnt about at school – or do you wonder about the shadowy, quiet voices that may have gone unheard?
Travel from 17th-century Northamptonshire, where we hear about the heroic servant who may have become Britain’s first black pub landlord, to wartime Essex, where Polish special forces soldiers trained in secrecy for life or death missions to their homeland.
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