In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain’s country houses enjoyed something of a renaissance. No longer were stately homes only seen as the preserve of stuffy landed gentry. Instead, the aristocracy was joined by an entirely new class of industrialists and foreign elites, each keen to showcase their wealth and be the kings of their own castles. Jon ... Show More
Yesterday
Renaissance Italy's firearm revolution
Long before the modern debates over gun control, Renaissance Italy was grappling with many of the same questions. As firearms became smaller and easier to conceal, guns spread rapidly through society: moving from battlefields to appearances at court, and the streets of the Italia ... Show More
40m 21s
Jul 28
How blood banks saved Britain in WW2
How did the sign of the Red Vampire help British surgeons during the Second World War? Roderick Bailey, author of 'The Life Savers', explains to David Musgrove how Britain led the way in blood banks during the war, and how such prowess saved lives, strengthened the war effort, an ... Show More
35m 24s
Jul 27
Pericles: life of the week
Ancient Athenian statesman Pericles was a remarkable figure, renowned for promoting democracy, championing the arts, and shaping the fate of the Athenian empire. Yet his legacy of military mistakes and eccentricity has landed him with a somewhat mixed reputation. Historian Paul C ... Show More
49m 57s
Mar 2024
How to Live Like a Stuart Aristocrat
<p>After the Restoration of the Monarchy, the upper classes took their cues from court life - its entertainments, costumes, food and leisure pursuits. The Stuart-era aristocracy were cultured, political, well educated, immoderate yet religious. So how did devotion and piety ... Show More
26m 34s
Aug 2023
Stephanie Barczewski, "How the Country House Became English (Reaktion, 2023)
How the Country House Became English (Reaktion, 2023) by Dr. Stephanie Barczewski is an exploration of the evolution of the quintessentially English country house.
Country houses have come to be regarded as quintessentially English, not only in terms of their architectural style ... Show More
57m 29s
Nov 2023
Dollar Princesses
In the late 1800s, American industrialists were raking in cash and living like princes, but they had no way, other than their mansions, servants and yachts, of making it clear that they were better than everyone else. Meanwhile, across the pond, the British aristocracy had come o ... Show More
30m 26s
Jul 2021
The English country house party
It’s sixty years since the house party at Cliveden where Christine Keeler encountered Minister of War, John Profumo and the Soviet Naval attaché, Yevgeny Ivanov. The events of that weekend, a heady mix of sex, politics and espionage have filled newspapers, books, films and TV dra ... Show More
44m 50s
Feb 2023
300: The Real Downton Abbey
Edwardian Britain: Domestic service is at its peak. However, as Britain modernises, things were about to change.
Tom and Dominic are joined by Lucy Lethbridge to discuss conservatism, universal aunts, and the relationship between master and servant.
*The Rest Is History Live To ... Show More
51m 48s