Hampshire HistBites

Dan Snow is a BAFTA award winning historian, broadcaster and television presenter. Dan makes programmes around the world on a range of historical topics, from the abandoned Viking churches of Greenland to war damaged sites of Timbuktu. He is the host of one of the world’s biggest history podcasts, Dan Snow’s History Hit and is the Founder andCreative Director of History Hit TV, a digital history t...

Dunbar's work is featured heavily in the newly opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at the Imperial War Museum, London. Dunbar's work is the subject of a talk at the AshmoleanMuseum in Oxford. 

Rebecca Abrams is a British author, teacher and journalist, based in Oxford. She is a long-standing tutor on the Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and a regular literary critic for the Financial Times. Rebecca produces both fiction and non-fiction. Her 2022 book ‘Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England’ was written in collaboration with The Licoricia...

Rebecca Abrams is a British author, teacher and journalist, based in Oxford. She is a long-standing tutor on the Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and a regular literary critic for the Financial Times. Rebecca produces both fiction and non-fiction. Her 2022 book ‘Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England’ was written in collaboration with The Licoricia...

Daniella Gonzalez is a Medievalist and Cataloguer at the UK Parliamentary Archives. She is also a member of the Hampshire Archives Trust team, where she is responsible for...

Join HistBites’ host, Julian Gerry as he speaks with Doug Coulson, curator of the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-on-the-Solent. The Hovercraft Museum is the only of one of its kind in the world and holds greatest collection of Hovercraft archive, film, and historic craft. Founded in 1987, Doug has been volunteering there since the late 90s and he is also a trustee. 

History generally remembers Emma of Normandy as the wife of King Cnut and the mother of the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edward the Confessor. However, Emma’s life, as with most Queens, was so much more than the wife and mother of Kings. Join Johanna Strong as she interviews Steven Bishop about Emma’s amazing life and discover how Winchester became Emma’s final resting place.

History generally remembers Emma of Normandy as the wife of King Cnut and the mother of the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edward the Confessor. However Emma's life (as with most Queens) was so much more than a wife and mother. Join Johanna Strong as she interviews Steven Bishop (PhD) about Emma's amazing life, and how it ended with Winchester as her final resting place.

One day, the halls of Winchester Cathedral are filled with whispered prayers and holy songs. The next, they echo with the roaring of gunfire and hooves crashing over the tombs of holy men. The English Civil War was a conflict that spared neither the lowest of peasants nor the highest of kings. It was only a matter of time before the winds of war reached Winchester. In this episode, listen to a &ap...

At a glance, Winchester is a city preserved in history—sheltered from the winds of time and change. Upon closer inspection, you will discover that there are new stories and developments happening around every corner. It’s the job of Andrew Napier and a dedicated team of journalists to find these events and bring them to readers across the county. Week after week for 250 years, the Hampshire Chroni...

Over the course of centuries, how many times can one building change ownership? How many voices of the past echo within its rooms and halls? These are questions that Mark Udall, General Manager of King John’s House, seeks to answer as he joins our host, Richard North.   Within the complex of historic buildings, traces of the past can be seen tucked away in shadowy corners and carved into stone wal...

Black John was a free African carpenter who chose to make a living in Southampton at the turn of the 16th century. Dr Abdoulie Sanneh reveals John’s story and how he brought it to life with the Sarah Siddons Fan Club theatre performance company. Additionally, Dr Sanneh talks about his own story of coming to Southampton from the Gambia and founding The United Voice of African Associations (TUVAA),...

In the beautiful village of Amport, an owl hoots, and then a baker’s daughter pays a magical price for her cruelty. ‘The Baker’s Daughter of Amport’ is one of many local legends that Amanda Kane-Smith brings to life as a storyteller. Combining magic, mythical creatures, and real locations in the Test Valley, her book Test Valley Tales takes readers on a journey across history through fascinating s...

In 1957, Master Brewer Dick Olding produced his last batch of beer and retired at the age of 81. Martin Bazeley and Matt Hallett join Julian Gerry to share Olding’s story, as well as the decades of history and tradition behind the brewing process. Keep listening to learn about the vital role of the brewery during the Second World War! This is our first episode of Season 8! If you want to find furt...

In this episode, the final one of Season 7 we join Fay Stevens, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame, and explore walking as a question.  An archaeologist by training, Fay is interested in the potential of objects and the way we organise them to inspire wonder and stimulate both the individual mind and collective conversation.  We can all create a ‘wunderkammer’ – a cabinet...

Hampshire Cultural Trust is an organisation that manages twenty-three museums, arts centres, and galleries across the county and cares for millions of historical objects. Chief Executive Paul Sapwell reveals what it takes to keep such a vast network of history and culture accessible to Hampshire’s residents. Additionally, he explores some exciting developments the Trust is undertaking, as well as...

Hursley Park near Winchester is a private estate owned by the IBM. Here you will find new buildings and also an 18th-century Queen Anne style mansion in which - many of our listeners will recall - once saw spitfires built in the ballroom ! Today’s story however is takes us back even further in time as once a grand Tudor house stood here, almost forgotten apart from a faint outline on the croquet l...

As the RMS Titanic left Southampton on 10th April 1912, crowds filled the docks to wave goodbye to their friends and family. Many of the ship’s crew and passengers were Southampton natives who would never return to their city again. Mary Taylor, a Southampton tourist guide, leads listeners on a trail through Southampton to historic sites relating to the ship, reveals how the city mourned after the...

For centuries, England has been known as one of the world’s strongest naval powers, but in the tumultuous age of Henry V, this fearsome reputation had yet to be forged. During the Hundred Years’ War, England and France waged a fierce war at sea. In this episode, Dr Ian Friel talks about Hampshire’s vital role in defending England and attacking France, as well as the brutal methods medieval sailors...

Join us for a fascinating insight into the history of the little-known Pear Tree Church in Southampton. From its peaceful position close to the eastern bank of the River Itchen, Pear Tree’s influence and intrigue stretch far wider than first jumps out to the eye. In fact, the Church represents the oldest place of worship anywhere in the world to have been intentionally constructed as a seat of the...

At first glance, the River Itchen appears to be nothing more than a quaint waterway without much history behind it. However, within its calm streams rests thousands of years of human civilisation. Elizabeth Proudman, a local historian and former Winchester tour guide, takes listeners on a tour through the city’s history and its ties to the River Itchen. Whether it’s flowing past Iron Age fortresse...

In our last episode on chocolate, Andy Silen-McMillin joins Holly Marsden as they trace its journey across early modern Europe and its many uses as a product. When most people think of chocolate today, they think of hot chocolate or chocolate bars. However, did you know that it was once used as an aphrodisiac? Holly Marsden and Andy Silen-McMillin explore the recipes, uses, and products made with...

Join us as we trace the fascinating journey of chocolate in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries - from its arrival - not without issue - on Hampshire shores, to its place at the very centre of Stuart royal life. Guided on our way by Holly Marsden, a specialist on the life and times of Mary II, we hear how the Queen placed this bittersweet substance at the heart of her work to reshape the English Cou...

It’s that time of the year when Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and tins of Quality Streets are lining the shelves – but how much do you really know about the history behind chocolate? In the first of a three-part series, join Dr Gabrielle Storey and Johanna Strong as they explore the historical production process and chocolate’s journey to Europe. This episode sets the scene ahead of two subsequent epi...

The UK’s historic walking trails have been used for millennia. Roman sandals have walked the same paths as modern trainers. But these routes are in danger of disappearing forever. Join Peter and Paul from the Hampshire Ramblers to learn how they’re being saved! 2026 represents the deadline for retracing and reclaiming lost paths, and old rights of way, that have since dropped off the (latest) map...