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.
How 1930s fashion and design shook up a former medieval palace
We begin this episode with a fabulous and weighty pair of brooches. But which 1930s millionaire was sporting these tutti-frutti Cartier gems? And where might you have seen those designs before?
Steven and Virginia Courtauld were a well-balanced couple: one eccentric and daring, the other bookish and reserved. They used their millions to travel the world and host lavish parties, but their art-deco home at Eltham Palace was one of their most glorious achievements. No expense was spared but architects Seely and Paget still divided some opinions in their time.
Today on the English Heritage podcast Amy Matthews chats with curator Sabrina Villani and Andrew Hann to discover the story of these brooches and how the Courtaulds blended the latest living and cutting-edge design with a treasured historic building.
More on the Eltham Palace Cartier Brooches
Listen HereFrom the archive: episodes we’re revisiting this month
This month, we're celebrating travel, tourism and leisure time with episodes from the archive to inspire you to get out and about this summer.
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Episode 174 - A history of the Great British seaside resort
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Episode 175 – Georgian garden tourists: a potted history of visiting gardens
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Episode 111 - The lawn games and sports played at our historic sites
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Episode 196 - The remarkable life and legacy of naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace
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Episode 66 - Voices of England: How the railways shaped the nation
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Episode 219 - The Ridgeway: a walk through time along England's oldest road
All Episodes
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REQUEST A READABLE FORMAT
If you would like to access any of our episodes in a written format, please email podcast@english-heritage.org.uk to make a request.
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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