Back When | History Podcast

Back When is wrapping up and we wanted to say a massive thank you for time travelling with us over all our stories. In this short episode, join presenter Helen Antrobus to relive some of our best moments.  Production:  Host: Helen Antrobus Producer and Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez Albiach  Thank you for supporting Back When. If you love history and culture there is so much content at the National Tru...

The Farne Islands are a group of 28 islands off the Northumberland coast in England’s Northeast. They are home to Atlantic grey seals and a breeding colony of sea birds, but they are also the former residence of a courageous, but very modest, Victorian heroine. Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter is just 22 years old when she embarks on a daring sea rescue in 1838.  Grace’s bravery thrus...

Have you heard of the Burke and Hare murders?   Sixteen people killed in under a year.  Join Helen Antrobus as she explores one of history’s most notorious killing sprees, and its links to body snatching.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for...

Behind the grand exterior of Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire is a secret history, that lay hidden for decades.  A chance encounter between a former British intelligence operative and a volunteer uncovered mysteries from inside a once top-secret headquarters. Discover the story of how in the 1940s Hughenden Manor became a secret base for the Air Ministry to produce target maps for RAF Bomber Com...

What was life like at The Workhouse?   Join James Grasby as he becomes an inmate and tours an atmospheric Workhouse building in Nottinghamshire.  With its bare walls and floors, cast iron beds, and the hollering voices of costumed re-enactors, a visit to the Southwell Workhouse is a sobering experience.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image...

In Liverpool in the 1950s two teenagers began writing music in their bedrooms. They went on to provide the soundtrack to the 1960s and change the face of popular culture forever. They were Paul McCartney and John Lennon and their four-piece rock and roll band was of course The Beatles. Join Curator James Grasby to unlock the iconic group’s origin story.  How do humble acts of creativity at home le...

In this bonus episode, discover how Kingston Lacy, a grand 17th-century Italianate country house and expansive estate in Dorset is connected with one of the ancient wonders of the world: the city of Petra in Jordan.   Join James Grasby, as we meet the people working tirelessly to protect and rehabilitate heritage in the face of immense challenges, including climate change. From the rose-red stones...

Why is a semi-detached house in Nottinghamshire frozen in time?  Join us on a visit to 7 Blythe Grove in Worksop, or Mr Straw’s House as it’s now known, to tour the rooms that have barely changed since the 1930’s. Discover more about the family who lived there, and why they chose to live in a bygone era, long after the world around them had changed.    [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europ...

Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains content that may be upsetting to some listeners Queen Victoria’s grief not only shaped her own reign but also inspired the Victorian era’s deep fascination with death and mourning. Join James Grasby and curator Clara Woolford as they uncover how funerary practices, attitudes toward the dead, and one monarch’s sorrow came to define an age. [Ad]...

What happened to the animals who served in the First World War?   Uncover the extraordinary story of Warrior the war horse who survived the Western Front. General Jack Seely's horse, Warrior, was anything but ordinary. He carried his master through some of World War One's most brutal battles, including the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele.  Despite more than eight million horses, donkeys and mules l...

Is your cat the devil in disguise? Probably not, although they may act like it sometimes! But once upon a time, they would have been accused of luring you into witchcraft. In Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries witch hunting became an obsession and supposed ‘witches’ were put on trial, and some were even sentenced to death. Being an animal lover was considered a sure sign that someone was pract...

In September 1665 a plague outbreak took hold in the Derbyshire village of Eyam. It lasted for 15 months and claimed 260 lives.    The bacteria that caused the bubonic plague was transported to the village in a box of material. Within a few weeks, the illness had taken hold.   In response the residents isolated to keep the disease from spreading to the surrounding villages.   Join Helen and curato...

Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey may be a fictional Dollar Duchess but there are countless others who have shaped our history, including the mother of Winston Churchill, Jennie Jerome. Join James Grasby as he discovers what a 'Dollar Duchess' is, how they came to be entwined in our history and culture, and what was in it for the couples. [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo...

What was dating like in Jane Austen’s day?   Georgian Britain is certainly an era associated with courtship and marriage, but what were the rules you had to date by?  Join Cultural Heritage Curator Tim Moore, in Bath, as he reflects on what we know, through the life and works of Jane Austen.  This one's for the Janeites. [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing compa...

In 2018 a team of intrepid explorers came in to the possession of a treasure map - one which would see them venture half way around the world to the Australian island of Tasmania.   Those explorers were a team of garden experts from across the UK and Ireland who were now on a historic mission to save and catalogue plants for the benefit of people and the planet. Following in the footsteps of the h...

Join a tour of a garden designed for pleasure, as we relive its party heyday.     Claremont in Surrey once played host to events described as the lovechild of a festival and a palace garden party.  Presenter James Grasby uncovers the best spots, the shenanigans they elicited, and the most incredible views reminiscent of scenes from hit Netflix drama, Bridgerton.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by...

Embark on the last voyage of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship and learn how its discovery changed our understanding of a civilisation.  In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a “ghost ship” under the acidic sandy soil of Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk.   Now, presenter James Grasby reimagines the last journey of that vessel, and who was aboard, as it was hauled from the water and dragged to its final resting place s...

What does Formula One and chariot racing have in common?  High speed and high thrills races are something we usually think of when we’re chatting about Silverstone or the Grand Prix. Celebrity drivers, highly engineered teams and arenas of fans might seem like a modern scene. But thanks to a piece of ancient graffiti carved into stone at a Roman villa, a window into a world over 2000 years ago is...

Many of us grew up reading about Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle, but how much do you know about the woman behind the stories?  In this episode we explore the lesser-known sides of Beatrix Potter. Discover how her love of natural science, fascination with fungi and knack for sheep farming formed one of Britain's most celebrated authors. [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading pho...

In 1196, 9-year-old Ela was hidden away in France after becoming the third Countess of Salisbury.  After being discovered and brought back to England by a knight who supposedly sang underneath windows to find her, Ela went on to become one of the thirteenth century's most influential women.  As well as being a peeress, Ela is also known for being the Sheriff of Wiltshire, breaking social norms and...

On 10 November 1721 the Royal Anne Galley sank after hitting treacherous rocks at Lizard Point in Cornwall, tragically claiming the lives of more than 200 people. The dead include Captain Francis Willis and his crew who had been on their way to Barbados to hunt down pirates.   Join Helen and marine archaeologist David Gibbins as they uncover the tale of the 300-year-old wreck and the disaster's ee...

Seventy‑five feet beneath The White Cliffs of Dover lies Fan Bay Deep Shelter: a web of bomb‑proof tunnels carved through chalk after Winston Churchill demanded artillery that could dominate the Channel.  During the Second World War up to 185 coast-gunners tried to sleep here between shifts on Mk VII guns that hurled shells from Britain towards France, 21 miles away. A surviving narrow hospital ba...

General James Wolfe, the 'boy solider' who joined the military at 14 fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles while he was still a teenager. Historian James Grasby visits Wolfe’s childhood home to find out what would shape him into becoming a soldier at such a young age and delves into his involvement in The Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746. If you’d like to hear about The Battle of Cull...

In a two-episode partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and the National Trust, join host Jackie Bird as she uncovers the life of a leading general in the Battle of Culloden.  Historian and National Trust for Scotland Trustee Professor Murray Pittock reveals the story of Lieutenant General George Murray, a nobleman and soldier who was involved in each of the 18th century Jacobite Upri...

Time travel, Martian invasions and free love all have one thing in common - H.G. Wells. Helen Antrobus explores how the world was changed through the writings of one author as H.G. Wells brought science fiction to the masses with the War of the Worlds, the Time Machine and many more iconic stories. Discover how a series of underground tunnels and a telescope in an attic room helped to pave the way...