logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
32m 35s

The North: from Bede to Lowry

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode

From the glories of early medieval Northumbria to the urban powerhouses of the industrial revolution, northern England has long had an identity of its own. In his book Northerners, Brian Groom traces the story of the North from the Ice Age to the present day. He tells Ellie Cawthorne about some of the key moments in the history of the region – and how the North-South divide goes back further than you might think.


(Ad) Brian Groom is the author of Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day (HarperCollins, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fnortherners%2Fbrian-groom%2F9780008471200

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jul 10
Live Aid: pop's Big Bang moment
It may be hard to believe for those of you who can remember it, but this month marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic music extravaganza that was LiveAid. David Hepworth co-presented the BBC's coverage of the event, a role that gave him a ringside seat at Queen's celebrated per ... Show More
34m 26s
Jul 8
Exploring the medieval world with Marco Polo
You may be familiar with the name of Marco Polo – the 13th-century Venetian merchant who travelled along the Silk Road, journeyed through Asia and spent time at the court of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. Famously, he documented his experiences in a detailed account that has inspire ... Show More
44m 59s
Jul 7
The Mitford Sisters | 1 : life of the week
For much of the 20th century, six sisters from Britain’s minor aristocracy had a knack for making headline after scandalous headline. They were Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah Mitford. Now, the sisters' incredible shared story has been adapted into a TV drama cal ... Show More
49m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
18. The North South Divide
England has long been divided by an invisible line somewhere north of Watford and south of the Mersey. But do northerners really have more in common with Scots and Welsh people than their fellow Englishmen in London? Dan Jackson, author of The Northumbrians and a former advisor t ... Show More
57m 7s
Aug 2023
How The North Turned Christian
Christianity's inroads into the pagan north of England began with the marriage of Æthelburh of Kent to King Edwin of Northumbria. A condition of their marriage was Edwin's conversion to Christianity. But most of the things we know about this period come from the Venerable Bede, w ... Show More
43m 12s
Jun 2024
Cumbria: the forgotten Anglo-Saxon kingdom
William of Normandy sailed across the Channel and swiftly conquered England in 1066 – or at least that’s how the story goes. But, in this Long Read written by Sophie Thérèse Ambler and James Morris, we reveal how the northern stronghold of Cumbria remained untouched for another 2 ... Show More
19 m
Aug 2023
Æthelstan: First King of the English
The grandson of Alfred the Great, Æthelstan the Glorious was the first King of England, reigning from 924 to 939. Æthelstan inherited the title King of Mercia from his father Edward the Elder, but was not immediately accepted as King of England. Shortly after his crowning he marr ... Show More
26m 49s
Sep 2023
Rise of the Tudors
Join Dan as he rollicks through the tumultuous life and rise to power of Henry Tudor, the man who would ultimately become King Henry VII of England. Step back to the late 15th century, a period marked by conflict, political manoeuvring and alliances as a young Henry Tudor, having ... Show More
50m 39s
Jul 2023
Jersey: Ice Age Island
The largest of the Channel Islands, when you think of Jersey, it's doubtful that Neanderthals, Woolly Mammoths, and Woolly Rhinoceroses come to mind. But thanks to 20th-century excavations and advancing science in the modern age, we now know that Jersey was one of the largest sit ... Show More
47m 48s
Feb 2024
Origins of the Civil War
The war between the Union and the Confederacy is a major turning point in the history of the United States. But why did it happen? From slavery and states' rights, to economic, legislative, moral, and political issues, in this episode, Don and Professor Adam Smith explore how the ... Show More
34m 54s
Mar 2017
North and South
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South, published in 1855 after serialisation in Dickens' Household Words magazine. It is the story of Margaret Hale, who was raised in the South in the New Forest and London's Harley Street, and then moves North ... Show More
48m 1s
Feb 2022
The Origins of London
London is today one of the greatest cities in the world, and the story of its origins is fittingly spectacular. Founded by the Romans as Londinium in around 47-50 AD, the metropolis served as a major commercial hub and indeed military target until its abandonment in the 5th centu ... Show More
1 h