Hallowed Histories

Finally Winter appears to be coming to an end, and so too our strand of Winter Tales. Behind me you can probably hear the fire crackling on the hearth, but soon we will warm ourselves with the return of the sun, taking the chill off our bones and quickening the long Winter nights. However, we couldn’t leave you without one last, sharp icicle of fear to remind you that we are not out of the woods a...

Hello and welcome back to another in the Hallowed Histories strand of Winter Tales, and we hope you all had a very pleasant Christmas.  Christmas is an odd time, as i am sure you realized. What strikes us as being so odd is the way in which it collapses the old into the new. Christmas traditions that have been with us since the Victorian era, and sometimes even further back, are not settled in wit...

Hello, and welcome back to the Hallowed Histories series of Winter Tales A huge you to those who attended last Wednesday's event at Stranger’s Hall featuring local historian, author, and paranormal expert Neil Storey. It was a pleasure to watch him captivate a packed house with his extensive knowledge of Norfolk's macabre tales. Our gratitude goes out to Neil, as well as the staff at Stranger’s fo...

Hello and welcome back to the Hallowed Histories strand of Winter’s Tales, stories to amuse, to chill and to wrap presents by. One of the joys of Christmas is meeting with friends, and i am happy to announce that this story combines two old friends of the show, a writer and an actor who are much welcome visitors back to this podcast.   Helena Bacon is an academic, a writer and an educator with int...

Greetings, and a warm welcome back to the Hallowed Histories series of Winter's Tales. A heartfelt thank you to those who ventured through Storm Darragh to join us at Stranger’s Hall in Norwich, where we delved into the allure of ghost stories with renowned local author SA Harris. Your presence was greatly valued, and we extend our gratitude to the event staff for the opportunity to gather in such...

Welcome back to Hallowed Histories, presenting the first of our annual Winter Tales series. This year's lineup is exciting, featuring returning favorites like Sally Harris and Shane Brown, as well as new voices, all linked by the haunting landscape of East Anglia—a muse for the likes of Susan Hill, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Montague Rhodes James. For those craving more, the British Library's latest...

During the Halloween season, we had the pleasure of merging our passion for horror and East Anglian tales. This opportunity arose when Dr. Mark Fryers, a film history expert and a friend of our podcast, reached out to us. He shared his ongoing research involving Norwich, Count Dracula, and Universal Studios, which immediately piqued our interest for a podcast feature. In the upcoming interview, Ma...

Albert Einstein, one of the 20th century's most transformative figures, found refuge in the secluded expanse of North Norfolk's coast during a critical juncture in his life. His odyssey to Roughton Heath was fraught with danger, yet it proved to be a defining moment in his evolution as both a scientist and a public intellectual, whose revolutionary ideas had the potential to reshape our understand...

We return from a short break with more tales of the strange and extraordinary from England's East Coast. In this episode, we explore a recent excavation along the River Nene near Peterborough. A farm has been discovered, offering a unique glimpse into the lives, labor, and constructions of Bronze Age inhabitants. We delve into how a fire immortalized Must Farm and discuss the ways in which these a...

We are reaching the end of our strand of the Winter Tales here at Hallowed Histories, but we couldn't resist a couple more stories best enjoyed after dark. For the penultimale episode we are drawing again from the anthology Slow Burn Horror . We supported this project from it's Kickstarter inception all the way through to the beautiful book we now have on the shelf. We kicked off the seaso...

When we left Sherlock Holmes he was just about to explain who and how the vicious attack on Mr and Mrs Cubbit was perpetrated. We return you once more to the beautiful Norfolk countryside, the scene of a most gruesome murder. Once again, thanks to David Mccabe for his reading. Enjoy, and we’ll see you next week for another of Hallowed Histories Winter’s Tales.   This has been Hallowed Histories wi...

Hello and welcome back to the Hallowed Histories strand of Winters tales, and tonight we have a real classic for you. The Adventure of the Dancing Men is a classic slice of Sherlock Holmes, and one set in North Walsham. We’re breaking it into two parts for you, so stay tuned for the conclusion in a couple of days. Arthur Conan Doyle was a frequent visitor to East Anglia, and as we covered in our e...

We present the 1992 adaptation of Robert Westall's classic, Norfolk-set novella, Yaxley's Cat. Set in Cley-Next-The Sea, it combines folk horror, pagan magic and the usual warnings about city folk going to the country. Robert Westall's work can be found here Director: Nigel Bryant Rose: Kathryn Hurlbutt Jane: Susan Mann Tim: Richard Pearce Vicar: Jonathan Wyatt Miss Yaxley: Patience To...

We're back with our strand of ghost stories for Christmas, this time expanded all the way through January and encompassing ghost stories, horror stories, detective stories and anything else with a local connection that tickles us. This time Kathryn Leigh returns to haunt us with One Candle, an itchy and scratchy tale of moths, mothers and monsters. Kathryn recently collaborated on the Slow Bur...

When we left our last episode, the storm had hit East Anglia with full force. Lives were lost, communities shattered and thousands were left without electric, light, heat and hope. Today we are going to focus on the community of Sea Palling, and how one of the worst hit villages survived the night, and how the lessons of the storm led to investment in infrastructure that would ensure it never happ...

With the Summer behind us and Autumn breathing softly on our shoulder, we notice the weather more. A subtle change in leaves, and a slight drop in temperature - all subtle, temperate beautiful things. Today we are going to look at weather that couldn't be ignored - the flood of 1953 which affected the landscape, the way we saw our relationship with the sea, and the lives of thousands. Please l...

Thank you for bearing with us the past few months whilst we have been relocating. Going through all of our books unearthed a few stories about a quiet, tranquil holiday spot with beautiful scenery, placid lakes, great fishing, aliens, monsters and the neolithic dead. Why not book your cabin now? Please leave a review, subscribe and recommend this podcast to anyone you know with an interest in East...

Nowhere on the Suffolk Coast holds as much allure for the lover of the strange than the ruins that were Old Dunwich. Once a thriving seaport, and vital to the nation's wellbeing, it tumbled into the sea through bad weather and bad planning. Rumours sprang up that Dunwich did not lie easily though, and some said the bells of the churches under the water still pealed out. It was until recently t...

Roundabouts are strange things - often baffling to tourists, often decorated with flowers in the midst of pollutions, often eerily quiet and empty surrounded by noise and bustle. One man made a difference to a local roundabout in a most eccentric way. Listen to the tale of the Chicken Man of Bungay, and get involved in his memorial here: - https://mbasic.facebook.com/BungayUKSupportChickenRoundabo...

Christmas is over, and we move from ghost stories for Christmas to a more serious, bloody chapter of Norwich's history. The murder of an apprentice tanner in 1144 sparked off a chain reaction that would affect the Jewish community in Norwich, and the rest of the nation throughout the medieval period. Mix in conspiracy theories, secret societies and centuries old prejudice and we have a recipe for...

For the next in our strand of ghost stories for Christmas, we present a classic audio drama, the Book of the Shadows, written by Scott Cherry and originally broadcast a week before Halloween in 1995. Not only is it spooky stuff, with demonic curses, sinister witch covens and a village with secrets, it is also set in Norfolk, with namechecks to such familiar places as Wells, Fakenham and Walsingham...

we are all big fans of Norfolk native Shane Brown here at Hallowed Histories. We featured his work a few years ago in a strand of ghost stories, and his novel, Welcome To Marlington , was one of the best horror novels of the year. Here, he reads his own story from last Christmas's collection of ghost stories which can be found here . plus find his blog with musing on music and early cinema here Th...

Ghost stories with melody this week, as we present two songs for Christmas. 'Krampus' is a carol-like ode to the demon of Christmas, and 'Half-Hanged Maggie Dickson' is a grim, funny ballad about a botched execution. As you can imagine, Joey Herzfeld's music is very much in Hallowed Histories' wheelhouse. We are honoured and more than happy to showcase the work of this Norwich based musician and a...

Jane Appleton joined us last year for a recital of her story, The Yellow Tricycle l, and we are delighted to welcome her back again with another story. This one is another winner - the story of the Reverend Mr Ambrose, priest by day, and by night.....something altogether different. You'll see. Thanks to Linda Sheppard and Stephen Parkes for their always invaluable help. Feel free to write to us at...

Our annual season of ghost stories begins with a classic, The Bell by Frederick Cowles, read by Hallowed Histories host Richard Sheppard. A classic chiller set on the Norfolk coast this is a fine way to begin our festival which this year contains original readings, narrative songs, ghoulish surprises and culminates in an exclusive preview of author Sally Harris's new novel. Contact us at hallowedh...