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Aug 2025
34 m

A potted history of houseplants

English Heritage
About this episode
People love to fill their homes with beautiful plants, but this is not a new phenomenon. The trade in wild plants and seeds has a complex history that stretches back into the past and across the world.   Ahead of the Gardeners’ World Autumn Plant Fair at Audley End, Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage’s Emily Parker and Joe Bagley, The Houseplant Doc ... Show More
Up next
Jan 29
A postie, an emperor, and a 2,000-year-old grain measure
What could a postal worker, a murdered emperor, and a Roman grain measure possibly have in common? In this episode of The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews is joined by Dr Francis McIntosh to explore a remarkably well-preserved Roman modius, or grain measure. Discovered by p ... Show More
35m 35s
Jan 22
Falconry, fashion and threat: a history of people and birds
From Darwin’s pigeons to peregrines on Parliament, birds have always been more than background noise. They’ve shaped science, symbolism, status and the very landscapes we live in. In this episode, Amy chats with three passionate bird enthusiasts: English Heritage’s Dr Louise Craw ... Show More
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Jan 15
Adventure and obsession: orchid hunting in the 1930s
From steamy jungles and boiling mud pools to a bathroom aboard a luxury yacht, this is a plant story like no other. Sir Stephen and Lady Virginia Courtauld weren’t just art deco tastemakers; they were globe-trotting orchid obsessives, chasing rare blooms across Southeast Asia in ... Show More
39m 57s
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