logo
episode-header-image
Jan 1
35m 45s

Vermeer: Double Vision

English Heritage
About this episode
Two near-identical paintings. One great Dutch master. And a mystery that has spanned more than 350 years. In this episode of The English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews travels to Kenwood to explore “The Guitar Player”, Johannes Vermeer’s celebrated painting, and its striking counterpart from the Philadelphia Art Museum. Displayed side by side for the first t ... Show More
Up next
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
Jan 8
Dogs and devotion: faithful companions and their families
From one brown leather dog collar unfolds a story of a family that loved their dogs for generations. And the Thellussons of Brodsworth Hall weren’t the only grand family whose history we can understand more deeply through accounts of their four-legged friends. This time, Amy is j ... Show More
45m 58s
Dec 18
What was Christmas like for servants below stairs?
While the family upstairs feasts and toasts, who’s stoking the fires, serving the supper and sweeping up the pine needles? This episode heads below stairs to explore how servants in historic country houses really spent Christmas. Amy Matthews is joined by English Heritage expert ... Show More
57m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Old Sarum: Stronghold of Norman England
<p>Old Sarum was the earliest settlement of&nbsp;Salisbury in Wlitshire. While there are indications of&nbsp;a prehistoric settlement&nbsp;on the site from as early as 3000&nbsp;BC, its importance in Norman England has slipped from prominence.</p><br><p>Matt Lewis talks to archa ... Show More
39m 25s
Sep 2024
The Normans
Ask any British school child for a significant date in history, and they’ll likely offer 1066 - the year of William the Conqueror’s Norman invasion of England. But William was just one prominent Norman figure, and 1066 was a single chapter in a much larger story. Settling in nort ... Show More
53m 3s
Sep 2025
After 1066: The Harrying of the North
Dr. Eleanor Janega unravels the blood-soaked aftermath of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England. Joined by Professor Levi Roach, Eleanor delves into the harrowing campaign, known as the Harrying of the North, where William the Conqueror brutally suppressed the ... Show More
51m 47s
Oct 2024
The Rise of British Castles
<p>Castles. For centuries they have held fast across the landscape of the British Isles. Like beacons on a hill they project power in stone and wood. But where did these quintessentially medieval strongholds come from? And how were they put to use?</p><br><p>All this month on ... Show More
53m 39s
Oct 2024
Castles, Kings and Courtly Life
<p>All this month, Matt and Eleanor are ranging across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to discover the stories of our greatest castles.</p><br><p>In this episode, Eleanor looks at one of the most iconic and strategically important fortresses. Over the centuries, Stirling C ... Show More
37m 26s
Sep 2025
The Picts: Rulers of the North
Tristan Hughes journeys up to windswept Scotland to uncover the secrets of the Picts — fierce warriors, skilled artisans, enemies of Rome and rulers of the North.In this special episode of The Ancients - recorded on site at East Lomond hill fort and National Museums Scotland - Tr ... Show More
45m 45s
May 2024
Hadrian's Wall
<p>It's the most famous Roman frontier in the world. A massive c.13-foot high wall that spanned the length of northern Britain, dividing the empire between Roman and 'barbarian' land. But how was it built? Who lived along it? And why was it named after Emperor Hadrian?</p><br><p> ... Show More
51m 47s
Oct 2024
How to Build a Castle
<p>Castles in Medieval Britain didn't just serve a military purpose, they were central to the social and cultural life of society. In the second episode of <em>Gone Medieval</em>'s special series telling the story of castles, Matt Lewis looks at how castles were built by turning ... Show More
23m 35s
May 2025
The Norman Conquest
On October 14, 1066, England changed forever. Forces from Normandy, France, defeated the English King and changed life in England forever. It affected everyone from the aristocracy down to the commoners, and it even trickled down to the very language spoken in the country itself. ... Show More
15m 48s
Dec 2024
The Second Norman Conquest
William of Normandy famously invaded England in 1066 – but, he didn't quite conquer it all. In fact, the duty of leading a second assault was left to his son William Rufus almost 30 years later. Speaking to David Musgrove, Sophie Ambler and Fiona Edmonds reveal how the second Nor ... Show More
46m 16s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami