Afleveringen
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Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey may be a fictional Dollar Duchess but there are countless others who have shaped our history, including the mother of Winston Churchill, Jennie Jerome.
Join James Grasby as he discovers what a 'Dollar Duchess' is, how they came to be entwined in our history and culture, and what was in it for the couples.
[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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Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale only in cinemas now
Production
Host: James Grasby
Sound: Claire Hickinbotham
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Louisa Brouwer @acuratorabroad on Insta
Jo Thornton and Steve Burden: Isle of Wight local tour guides
Recording took place at Rosetta Cottage on the Isle of Wight where Churchill’s parents got engaged. You can visit the cottage and see the plague outside, part of the Churchill Trail on the Island Follow the Churchill Trail - Visit Isle Of Wight
Or if you want to get closer to the heart of the story you can stay in the cottage, dine in the dining room, and enjoy sea views of The Solent from the garden. Rosetta Cottage Isle of Wight | 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 [email protected].uk -
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 here
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 [email protected].uk -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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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 [email protected].uk -
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 [email protected].uk
An earlier version of this episode was previously available -
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 [email protected].uk -
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 [email protected].uk -
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 [email protected].uk -
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 [email protected].uk -
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 [email protected].uk -
Seventy‑five feet beneath The White Cliffs of Dover lies Fan Bay Deep Shelter: a web of bomb‑proof tunnels carved through chalk after Winston Churchill demanded artillery that could dominate the Channel.
During the Second World War up to 185 coast-gunners tried to sleep here between shifts on Mk VII guns that hurled shells from Britain towards France, 21 miles away.
A surviving narrow hospital bay, generator room and rows of bunk frames, along with pencil graffiti - service numbers, football pools coupons, rough poetry - humanise a fortress built for endurance. Every corridor still channels the distant percussion of artillery and the relentless hum of duty.
Closed in the 1950 and later filled with rubble, the shelter slept until 2012, when National Trust archaeologists and volunteers removed 100 tons of debris by hand to reveal a time‑capsule of wartime life. Fan Bay now stands as both memorial and classroom, inviting each visitor to trace the fragile line between vulnerability and resilience etched into Britain’s shoreline.
[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: Jesse Edbrooke
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Discover More
The Fan Bay Tunnels will open to the public for seven days from 20th – 30th June 2025 to celebrate the end of the Wanstone Rediscovered project.
The gun emplacement and underground magazine will also be available to visit as part of the Fan Bay tour. This is the first time that these areas have ever been opened to visitors. There will also be free, pre bookable tours of the Wanstone Battery site from 11:00 each day 20th – 30th June 2025. Read more about Fan Bay Battery and how to visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/the-white-cliffs-of-dover/fan-bay-battery---a-brief-history
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
VE Day Celebrations at the National Trust
Look out for the celebrations of VE Day at Winston Churchill's old home. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/chartwell/ve-day-80-at-chartwell
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you can contact us at [email protected].uk -
General James Wolfe, the 'boy solider' who joined the military at 14 fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles while he was still a teenager.Historian James Grasby visits Wolfe’s childhood home to find out what would shape him into becoming a soldier at such a young age and delves into his involvement in The Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746.
If you’d like to hear about The Battle of Culloden from another perspective, listen to this episode from National Trust for Scotland: Lord George Murray with Murray…–Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature – Apple Podcasts
Production
Presenter: James Grasby
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Ghazala Jabeen – National Trust, Quebec House
Freddie Matthews – Historian and Cultural Heritage Curator
Stephen Brumwell – History writer - brumwellhistory.com
Discover more
You can visit General Wolfe’s childhood home, Quebec House │ Kent | National Trust, which was renamed in his honour after his victory at The Battle of Quebec. See where he grew up, Henrietta’s cookbook, and the robe with which his body is thought to have been brought back to Britain.
You can also visit the battlefield at Culloden | National Trust for Scotland
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you'd like to hear, you can contact us at [email protected].uk -
In a two-episode partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and the National Trust, join host Jackie Bird as she uncovers the life of a leading general in the Battle of Culloden.
Historian and National Trust for Scotland Trustee Professor Murray Pittock reveals the story of Lieutenant General George Murray, a nobleman and soldier who was involved in each of the 18th century Jacobite Uprisings. His relationship with Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobite soldiers, not to mention his shifting allegiance, make him a compelling figure from the period.
To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
For more information on Culloden, click here.
You may also like some of our previous episodes on Culloden. Scroll through our podcast feed to find instalments on Flora MacDonald, Scotland’s most consequential battles, and how the events of Culloden influenced the world. -
Time travel, Martian invasions and free love all have one thing in common - H.G. Wells.Helen Antrobus explores how the world was changed through the writings of one author as H.G. Wells brought science fiction to the masses with the War of the Worlds, the Time Machine and many more iconic stories.
Discover how a series of underground tunnels and a telescope in an attic room helped to pave the way for the sci-fi we know 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
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer: Jack Glover + Sophie Wilkinson
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Mark Syson-Harvey
Sophie Wilkinson
Discover more
Uppark is currently closed for essential maintenance and repairs and will reopen in summer 2025.
Keep up to date with the latest news and reopening dates by visiting https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/uppark-house-and-garden/uppark-essential-repairs-project
Find out more about other great books and authors in our collection by visiting https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/art-collections/great-books-in-our-collections
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected].uk -
It's the height of summer in 1858 and something rotten is lurking in the river Thames. Historian James Grasby unravels the smelliest side of our recent history as we step back into Victorian London to discover the Great Stink.
Hear how politicians scrambled to keep the stench out of parliament and find out what the smell meant for the working classes.
[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: Jack Glover
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors
Laura French (Crossness Engines Trust)
Discover more
This story has been made possible with our friends from the Crossness Engines Trust, for information on visiting and for more of London's murky history please visit: http://crossness.org.uk/
Join us and other environmental charities to help to look after our waterways by visiting https://marchforcleanwater.org/ and https://theriverstrust.org/key-issues/sewage-in-rivers
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected].uk -
Britain’s space race efforts were bold but short-lived. Join historian Helen Antrobus for the tale of Britain’s space race.
It’s the mid 1950’s and the height of the Cold War era.
British engineers are working in secret at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, testing a nuclear deterrent, the Black Knight Rocket.
But by the end of the 1960s the British rocket programme is under threat. Engineers have one last chance to get into space with the ambitious Black Arrow Rocket.
Can Britain reach the stars or will it fail to launch?
[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 and sound designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributors
Paul Carey
Steve Berden
Doug Millard
Cast
Jesse Edbrooke – voice of Ray Wheeler
In memory of Ray Wheeler 1927-2019
With thanks to NASA
Discover more
Discover more about the secrets behind Highdown test site visit The New Battery at The Needles
Find out more about the history of Black Knight, Black Arrow and Prospero rockets
Wight Aviation Museum
See the Black Arrow Rocket itself https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visit
Discover more podcasts
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/podcasts#stories-about-nature-and-history
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected].uk -
Introducing Back When, a new history podcast taking you inside the stories of the people, places and moments that made us. Launching 2 April.
Join historians Helen Antrobus and James Grasby for a fly on the wall view of our past. Discover the forgotten story of Britain's space race. Uncover the unsettling history of witches' familiars. And hear the origin story of sci-fi author HG Wells.
Our history is all around us. And we'll be transporting you behind the scenes at landmarks from castles to dance halls and WWII bunkers to workhouses. You’ll meet people from all walks of life whose fascinating stories help us make sense of who we are now.
Lean in for a tale from time. Back When.
New episodes of Back When are released every fortnight. Follow Back When on your favourite podcast app to make sure you get every story.
