The Alnwick Castle Podcast

If you are a keen cinemagoer, you might have caught Alnwick Castle featuring in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves on the big screen this spring. Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant, the movie is now available on streaming as well as DVD and Blu Ray, and used the Castle as a filming location. To mark its release, our hosts Deborah and Daniel spoke to a group of Alnwick...

On Saturday 19th August this year, historian Tracy Borman will be at Alnwick Castle for a very special talk about her new book, Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History. The book explores the lives of these two important Tudor women, their legacy in the Tudor period, Elizabethan period and beyond, and their relationship and connections they made to each other. You...

The fortieth episode of the Alnwick Castle podcast is a special musical episode! Our hosts Deborah and Daniel have not started singing ... but they did speak to Paul and Gill, also known as Trouvere Medieval Minstrels, all about brilliant medieval music. The conversation with Paul and Gill took place within the grounds of Alnwick Castle - so you may hear various background noises throughout - wher...

Bill Richmond is one of the most important figures in the history of boxing, British sport and in Black British culture. Born into slavery in America in the 1760s, when he was 13 he met Hugh Percy, the future 2nd Duke of Northumberland, who was able to arrange for Bill to be freed. In Britain, Bill received an education and a trade before entering the world of boxing - where he became a superstar....

An American university... inside Alnwick Castle? This is the story of St Cloud State University from Minnesota, who have been part of life at the castle for nearly half a century. In this all-American episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, hosts Deborah and Daniel speak to Wade Sherman, with SCSU at Alnwick, to find out more. Wade talks about the history of the St Cloud connection with Alnwick, wh...

2023 saw the launch of a brand new exhibition at Alnwick Castle. Crowns and Coronets explores the connections between the castle, the resident Percy family and royal coronations through the centuries, and on this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, we have an exclusive, in-depth behind the scenes look at the displays. Our host Deborah walked through the exhibition with castle archivist Chris Hu...

The Percy family - owners of Alnwick Castle for more than 700 years - had various fascinating links with the Tudor kings and queens of England, but it is at their London residence of Syon House where these connections to Tudor history become even clearer. To find out more, our hosts Deborah and Daniel spoke to Sarah Ponder from Syon House, who explained what happened to the body of Henry VIII when...

Alnwick Castle is famous for its big screen appearances like the first two Harry Potter movies and 2023's Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, but did you know about the many times it has also featured on television? From Downton Abbey to Blackadder, the castle has made its mark on TV audiences for many years. Our hosts Daniel and Deborah introduce Daniel's conversation with Jam...

To mark the coronation of King Charles III this month, the Alnwick Castle Podcast is taking a brief look at coronations from history, especially those with involvement from the Percy family.  Hosts Daniel and Deborah introduce the role of the 1st Earl of Northumberland and his descendants at several medieval coronations; the 1st Duke and Duchess at the coronation of George III; the 3rd Duke and hi...

On this special Shakespearean episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast to mark the anniversary of the Bard's birth, we welcome back Shakespeare academic and expert Ronan Paterson as our guest to tell us all about the play Henry IV Part 1, which is all about one of the most important episodes in Percy family history.  Hosts Daniel and Deborah spoke to Ronan about what makes the play so fascinatin...

Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, was in charge of Alnwick Castle from 1787 until his death thirty years later. On this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, hosts Daniel and Deborah speak to returning guests Bill Openshaw and Nick Lewis, both experts on the 2nd Duke, to find out all about him. Subjects covered include: Percy's early military career in the American Revolutionary War, a...

This episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast follows on from Episode 30, which marked Women's History Month and International Women's Day by looking at the lives of a few significant women from the history of Alnwick Castle - please do go back and listen to that one if you haven't already. While Part 1 focused on the Norman, medieval and Tudor periods, in Part 2, host Deborah takes us...

To mark Women's History Month and International Women's Day on 8th March, our episodes of the Alnwick Castle Podcast this month are all about a few of the fascinating women who have been part of the history of the castle, and of the Percy family.   This podcast is about Percy women of the Norman, medieval and Tudor periods. Join our host Deborah as she tells the stories of Agnes and Maud...

Every object, document, material and surface you see when you visit Alnwick Castle has been given a huge amount of care and attention to ensure it is in the best possible condition. But how do you look after the contents of a castle? Join Deborah as she speaks to Stephanie Allen, Object and Archive Conservator at Alnwick Castle, to find out about the work that goes on behind the scenes. Steph disc...

On the latest episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, hosts Daniel and Deborah were very pleased to be able to speak to historian and author (and former doctor) Suzie Edge, all about her new book Mortal Monarchs: 1000 Years of Royal Deaths. Suzie talks us through various historical ways to die, including beheading, battle and broken hearts, covering kings and queens from Edward the Confessor to Mar...

This episode of Alnwick Castle takes to the stage, as we return to the subjects of Thomas Percy and the Gunpowder Plot to find out all about a new musical in which the former Constable of the Castle features as a main character. Deborah spoke to Ricky Allan and Kieran Lynn, two of the amazing creative minds behind 'Treason the Musical', and they explain how they were influenced by both m...

The Alnwick Castle Podcast is back for a new year! In the first episode of 2023, hosts Daniel and Deborah find out more about the Jacobites, and their uprisings in favour of the Stuart dynasty in 1715 and 1745. These were major events in 18th century Britain, particularly in Scotland and the north of England, and Alnwick Castle has connections to several of the important figures involved. We spoke...

In the last episode of the podcast before we take a Christmas break, we have gone a little musical at Alnwick Castle, as hosts Daniel and Deborah explore the Northumbrian pipes, their history and their connection to Alnwick Castle. Earlier in the year, Daniel spoke to Richard Butler, who was appointed Piper to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland in 1982 - part of a centuries-old tradition of ba...

If you ever wondered what it was like to work in a castle like Alnwick, this is the podcast for you! Hosts Daniel and Deborah are joined by four members of Alnwick Castle's visitor-facing teams - Brad, Jody, Matthew and Nicky - to find out some of their favourite parts of their work. You'll hear about the training that goes into being a medieval Artisan, coming up with your own wizard na...

With the recent commemorations of Armistice Day marking the anniversary of the end of the First World War, this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast explores the wartime contributions of a selection of castle workers and members of the Percy family. Hosts Daniel and Deborah look at the 8th Duke of Northumberland and his siblings, members of the Stables department, the Castle Gate Porter and more...

This episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast is one to remember, remember, as we begin with the introduction of our new co-host, our head guide at the castle, Deborah! She and regular host Daniel will take you back a little over 400 years to the time of Henry Percy, the 'Wizard Earl' of Northumberland, and his troublesome cousin - and Constable of Alnwick Castle - Thomas Percy. On the 5th...

How many podcasts give you the opportunity to hear from a genuine, real-life alchemist? The Alnwick Castle Podcast is now one of them, as in this episode, host Daniel is joined once again by Karen from the Company of Artisans to speak with 'Alchemy Jack', a performer here at the castle who has experimented with experiments to create the Philosopher's Stone, the science of medieval a...

Alnwick Castle, like many other castles in Northumberland and beyond, had a role to play in the English civil wars of the 15th century known now as the Wars of the Roses. To find out more, our host Daniel spoke with historian and author Dan Spencer, whose latest book 'The Castle in the Wars of the Roses' explores this idea in depth. Dan speaks about siege warfare, key figures in the conf...

From the grandeur of the State Rooms, this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast looks at some of the people who kept it all running, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries when domestic service was at its height. We are joined on the podcast by Nicola, who has conducted extensive research into life below stairs at Alnwick Castle, to find out more about the lives of the butlers, maids, ho...

We're heading inside the main keep of Alnwick Castle in today's episode for a special podcast tour of the State Rooms. Home to many of the castle's amazing collections, the State Rooms were designed in an Italian Renaissance style in the 19th century. Join host Daniel as he walks through the rooms, describing highlights from the interiors and the stories behind them. Use this podcas...