Past Matters

In this second Spring Special episode, we focus on two objects on the smaller end of the scale at the V&A. On display in the newly revamped Gilbert Collection galleries, the objects are the earliest example of a snuffbox used for international diplomacy and a beautifully detailed micromosaic perfume flask.

In the first of these Spring Specials 2026, historian Adrian Murdoch talks about what makes Herculaneum such a unique historic site, and focuses in on the stories of two citizens whose lives are preserved in the ashes there: Marcus Nonius Balbus and Petronia Iusta.

Hear historian Dr Jane Draycott reveal the fascinating life of Fulvia - the woman who defied all the rules in Ancient Rome.

In this episode Dr Jo Ball shares the stories behind three military tombstones from Roman Britain, touching on themes of life and death in the Roman empire, what it means to be a Roman and more.

In the second of a two part episode focused on Chatsworth House, Assistant Curator Katherine Hardwick-Kulpa shares the mysteries around a carved limewood cravat .

In the first of a two-part episode focused on the English stately home Chatsworth House, Assistant Curator Katherine Hardwick-Kulpa explains to host Ploy Radford-Taylor why a small table tucked away in the West Sketch Gallery is actually one of the most significant pieces of furniture in the house's collection.

In this episode of Past Matters, academic and author Emily Hauser shines a light on the women who inspired the female characters of Homer's great epics.

Season 5 opens with an interview with Hannah Bradbury-Crowther, Curator of Diverse Histories at the National Museum of the Royal Navy sharing the tales the figurehead of the HMS Queen Charlotte has seen...

In this New Year special to round off season 4, author Amber Chen reveals the historical influences behind her silkpunk fantasy novel ‘Of Jade and Dragons’.

Luc Amkreutz, curator of the prehistory collections at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, reveals the story behind the Sword of Ommerschans, currently on display as part of the 'Bronze Age: Fires of Change' exhibition. The giant ceremonial Bronze Age sword provides a fascinating insight into an overlooked part of history that actually heralded great cultural change in society.

This episode shines a light on Christine de Pizan, one of the overlooked women from history featured in the British Library's exhibition 'Medieval Women: In their own Words'. Curator Eleanor Jackson tells host Ploy Radford-Taylor about this extraordinary woman who was Europe's first professional female author and goes into detail about one of her works - the Book of the Queen.

Leighton House's new exhibition 'Leighton and Landscape: Impressions from Nature shines a new light on its famous former occupant. In this episode, senior curator Daniel Robbins shares the story behind Frederic, Lord Leighton's landscapes and what went into putting together this first of a kind exhibition.

Host Ploy Radford-Taylor returns to the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum where a chat with curator Duncan Walker about some innocuous Japanese souvenirs leads to a much wider discussion about changing Japanese society, the rise of tourism and the lives of Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes.

While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t deny that clothes can reveal a lot about a person, or the past, as host Ploy Radford-Taylor finds when she visits Blandford Fashion Museum.

In this episode, historian Dr Lizzie Rogers tells the story of Elizabeth Montagu, famed salon hostess and founder of the Blue Stockings Society, literary critic and successful businesswoman.

In this first episode of season 4, host Ploy Radford-Taylor interviews author Rachel Blackmore about her debut novel 'Costanza', which tells the story of Costanza Piccolomini, whose affair with celebrated superstar sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini takes a dark turn...

For this second Easter 2023 special episode, host Ploy Radford interviews Dr Jane Draycott on the life and times of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman general Mark Antony. While Cleopatra Selene has slipped under the radar in history compared to her mother, she led an eventful life that saw her move from Egyptian princess, to Roman captive, to African queen.

For this Easter 2023 special episode of Past Matters, host Ploy Radford interviews Dr David Haycock, curator of a new exhibition about the equestrian artist Lucy Kemp-Welch (1869-1958) at the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum. The episode explores Kemp-Welch's life, extraordinary art, and how she helped defy conventions at the time about female artists.

In a new year special, historian and author Catherine Curzon tells podcast host Ploy Radford about the story of the British queen who never was - Sophia Dorothea, the much maligned wife of King George I. 

In this final episode of season 3, podcast host Ploy Radford and zooarchaeologists Dr Rob Symmons and Professor Naomi Sykes discuss the importance of animal bones to unveiling the past, and how the ones discovered at Fishbourne Roman Palace suggest there was once an exotic zoo there. 

Stonehenge is without doubt one of the most iconic historic monuments in Britain. It turns out though it wasn't just people in prehistoric Britain building stone circles of cultural significance though - it was also happening on the other side of the world in prehistoric Japan. To delve into this phenomenon more, English Heritage has put on an exhibition ‘Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistor...

Find out more about the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement in England, William Morris, from the story of a sword and helmet he had made for one of his first artistic projects. On display at the William Morris Gallery, these items reveal lots about Morris' early life, his influences and are even linked to his love story with his wife.

This is an episode for arms and armour enthusiasts, Ricardians, and those interested in the magic of movie-making. Host Ploy Radford interviews Dr Toby Capwell from the Wallace Collection about their temporary exhibition linked to 'The Lost King' movie about Richard III. Learn about the art of creating armour for film, what would Richard III have actually worn to that fateful battle and what moder...

This podcast is about celebrating the underrated, so in this episode, host Ploy Radford talks to art historian and miniatures expert Emma Rutherford about an utterly remarkable artist whose work is being exhibited for the first time in 100 years at the Philip Mould & Company Gallery in London. The artist in question is Sarah Biffin, who lived from 1784 – 1850, and created beautiful works of ar...

Past Matters podcast host Ploy Radford interviews Hannah Dennett, Curator of the 'Tiny Traces: African & Asian Children at London's Foundling Hospital', about the stories of these children, uncovered for the first time for this vital and interesting exhibition at the Foundling Museum. Listen to learn more about the lives of foundlings and the complex views on race in 18th century Britain. You...