A Grand Tour with my Great Great Grandad

In this history podcast, in which Ed Hill follows the journeys of his Great Great Grandfather, recorded in his journals of the 1840s, William is now residing in Zacatecas, Mexico, where he observes a marriage in a local church, discusses the courtship traditions of the upper and middle classes and joins in with the busy annual festival of the assumption in nearby Guadalupe. Support this show http:...

In this episode of this history podcast following the travels of Ed Hill's great great grandfather, William, he hears a dramatic tale of an old Mexican soldier's battles in the north with Apache raiders, he explains the the benefits of the best horses or mules to ride and describes how the most fashionable horsemen and local women are attired. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/a-grand-t...

The history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Continuing his tour of the mines of Fresnillo, William enjoys a sing song with his fellow English countrymen in Mexico, witnesses a gruesome public execution by a mechanical Garrote, and learns the details of the patio system of refining silver ore.  Support this show...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Now resident in Zacatecas and recovering from his injuries inflicted at the Mint, William observes the many religious processions in the city, is a victim of a slick pickpocket, explores the surrounding mountains of La Bufa and Cerro del Grillo and travels to the nearby minin...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Still recovering from his injuries after falling down a pit at the mint, William begins to describe his surroundings in the city of Zacatecas. We learn about Mexican money and the silver dollar, the pistols and sword he takes when he travels on horseback and his observations...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. On the last stretch of his journey to Zacatecas, William encounters a huge mule train and its muleteers transporting goods across the rough terrain of Mexico, is greatly displeased by a street festival celebrating the three kings of the nativity, and finally reaches his new w...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Now on his way travelling the Silver Route in Mexico, Great Great Grandad William is journeying from Celaya to Aguascalientes. On the way he observes priests playing billiards (a sign of their low morality) observes Mexican ladies with their colou...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. William is continuing his journey in 1840s Mexico. Now travelling by horseback from Mexico City to Silao. On his journey he is accompanied by other Europeans and Americans. He also takes time to visit the huge gold and silver mines of Guanajuato including the Valencia mine an...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Now making his way inland from the coast of Mexico, William travels by stagecoach with his fellow English speaking travellers. On his way he visits the impressive Puebla cathedral, inspects the works being carried out at Mexico City's new Grand Na...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Nearing the end of his Atlantic crossing, William witnesses a burial at sea, then takes his first steps on Mexican soil at Veracruz and begins his journey inland to Zacatecas, stopping by a busy cloth mill on the way and visiting the country estate of President Antonio L ó pe...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Continuing his journey across the Atlantic to Mexico, William finds himself in Havana on the island of Cuba for five days. This gives him a chance to dine with officers on a United States ship of war, visit the world's largest theatre and see Cristopher Columbus's remains in...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Great Great Grandad William continues his journey by paddle steamer across the Atlantic to Mexico. Stopping off at Kingston, he eats a Jamaican Pear or Avocado for the first time, enjoys new fruits such as Cherimoyas and sees the destroyed town of...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. William is continuing his journey across the Atlantic by Royal Mail paddle steamer to Mexico. On the way he encounters an unfortunate but fearsome seabird, the fire devastated town of Kingston, Jamaica and takes a tour of a sugarcane plantation, finished off by a nice bowl of...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. In this episode William continues his journey to Mexico travelling across the Atlantic by paddle steamer. He encounters flying fish, coconut trees for the first time as well as other Caribbean fruit and fauna in Barbados and Grenada. He also comme...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. In season two of A Grand Tour with My Great Great Grandad, William is employed by the Anglo-Mexican Mint Company in 1843 to travel to Mexico to oversee the installation of new steam machinery to make coins. He travels to Southampton to board the paddle steamer the 'Forth' whi...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. In the last episode covering Great Great Grandad William's travels in Europe, before he journeys to Mexico, he and his family travel from Ghent in Belgium, where he describes the richly decorated cathedral, via Bruges to Ostend, with its many 'dub...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Nearing the end of his travels in Europe, William travels from Liege to Mechelen in Belgium, experiencing crowded omnibuses and uncomfortable trains, the Flemish city of Leuven, with its long beer brewing history, and the cathedral in Mechelen with its distinctive shaped towe...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Now nearing the end of his European journey, William travels with his family from Cologne to Liege by his favourite transport method, steam train. On the way he takes in the hot springs of Aix La Chapelle (Aachen). Witnesses the works of a new rai...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. Beginning the second volume of his journals, William arrives in the ancient city of Cologne where he views its huge unfinished cathedral with its 400 year-old medieval crane, shrine to the three kings, and we learn about the death of St Ursula and the massacre of her 11,000 v...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. In this episode (the last from William's first volume of his journals) he continues his journey down the Rhine with his family, following in the footsteps of Lord Byron and encountering the mysterious Lorelei Rock, site of myths and legends and se...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. William continues his journey through Germany. Now travelling by paddle steamer along the Rhine, where he observes the magnificent scenery, ancient castles and encounters the famous Mouse Tower with its grisly past, floating ship mills, and the curios semi-submerged Alterstei...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Making his way home through Europe, William tours the streets of the fan shaped city of Karlsruhe. We learn about the famous Heidelberg Tun, a wine barrel the size of a house, and reach the city of Mannheim on the Rhine. The location of a huge bar...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world. In this episode William continues his travels through Switzerland with his family, describing 1840s Zurich and then making his way north to Germany and the state of Baden, encountering the Gothic cathedral or minster at Freiburg and its impressively tall spire and onward to t...

A history podcast retracing the journeys of my great great grandfather, uncovering the stories, people, and places that shaped his Victorian world. Now on his way home from Milan, William and his family descend the treacherous Splugan pass. Navigate the Walensee lake, following in the steps of Franz Liszt and journey on to Lake Zurich where William enjoys some pampering at the luxurious Baur...

A history podcast tracing Ed Hill's great great grandfather's travels and the era that defined him and the Victorian world..In this episode William discusses a funeral he attends in 1840s Milan. Then begins the start of his journey home with his family via the Alps and the Splugen pass into Switzerland. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/a-grand-tour-with-my-great-great-grandad . Hosted...