The MrT Podcast Studio

May –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026   – Episode 05 May, the end of spring and a hint of summer. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Extremely dry: Another month of very dry weather with just a few damp days. The soil really is very dry. Mrs T dug out a weed in the lawn and the top 6 to 8 inches of soil were dust. The lilac was the last of the...

Glasgow Central Tour  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 18 In ‘ Glasgow Central Tour ‘ I join a group for a tour ‘behind the scenes’ at Scotland’s busiest station. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: The Concourse: We meet in the station’s spacious concourse which dates from the station’s rebuild be...

April  –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026   – Episode 04 April , the time where the garden changes from flowering bulbs to flowering shrubs. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Still dry: There has been sunshine, some very warm days but very little rain. Any rain has been completely ineffective! April brings the change from the bulbs that welcom...

Season 2025 – Talk 02 – Gladstone In ‘ Gladstone’ Jo Huddleston tells us about the career of the man who was Liberal Prime Minister four times. His talk suggests that he feels Gladstone was far better than our recent Prime Ministers and also his great opponent, Disraeli. Early life:

Journey’s End  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 17 In ‘ Journey’s End ‘ I continue my journey to my arrival at Glasgow Central . I then walk to St. Enoch Square , the true home of the Thames Clyde Express. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: The last of the countryside and curling: We pass through Kilmaurs, Stewarto...

March  –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026   – Episode 03 March , as the month progresses we pass through both the equilux and the equinox. The days are getting longer and spring really is upon us. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Relatively dry: To be honest we could do with some rain. Lots of dry, grey days! There has been sunshine, there ha...

On to Kilmarnock  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 16 In ‘ On to Kilmarnock ‘ I continue my journey through the Scottish lowlands on a ScotRail Class 156 Super Sprinter. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Dumfries – the ‘Queen of the South’: The red sandstone station is in an Italianate style. Opening in 1848...

Season 2025 – Talk 01 – Post Napoleonic France In ‘ Post Napoleonic France’ Peter Duffy tells us about the political difficulties in France in the 19th Century. He draws on Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas to show the parallels between the fact and fiction. Scope: The talk covers the period in France’s history between 1814...

North from Carlisle  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 15 In ‘ North from Carlisle ‘ I spend some time at Carlisle Citadel Station before boarding my ScotRail train to Glasgow. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Glasgow and South-Western Railway: I leave Carlisle on the lines built by the Glasgow and South-Western Railway , for...

February  –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026   – Episode 02 February , after a very long January, the evenings start to draw out during the shortest month of the year. This can be a very cold month but this year has been mainly mild and frost free. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Wet, wet, wet: Apparently this is the wettest month on record...

Carlisle  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 14 In ‘ Carlisle ‘ I spend some time looking round the city, spend a night in the Travelodge and return to the station. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Staying the night: I’m staying at the Travelodge in the centre of Carlisle, it’s a short walk from the station, good v...

January  –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026   – Episode 01 January , the first month of the year when many retreat to the fireside and look at seed catalogues or binge watch Gardener’s World . Although it is a month with less garden activity than many others there is still a great deal to do. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: A cold star...

On to Carlisle  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 13 In ‘ On to Carlisle ‘ I complete my journey from Leeds to Carlisle along the Settle and Carlisle line. On reaching Carlisle I say goodbye to Northern Trains who I have been travelling with since Sheffield. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Kirkby Stephen Station and the Eden...

Season 2024 – Talk 14 – The Romanovs In ‘ The Romanovs’ Alan Freeland tells us about the dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917. One family: One family dominates Russian life for three centuries,  the Romanoffs. In Alan’s view possibly the most successful Imperial Royal Family in Europe, and yet people don’t usually give them much credence. A dynasty wit...

We reach Garsdale  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 –    Episode 12 In ‘ We reach Garsdale ‘ the journey from Leeds to Carlisle continues as we travel from Settle north along the Settle and Carlisle line. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Settle Station: The Grade II listed station is at the southern end of the Settle and Carlisle Line...

Season 2024 – Talk 13 – Edward I In ‘ Edward I’ Peter Duffy tells us about the King who ruled from 1272 to 1307. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. History repeating itself? Imagine another England long ago, but one that you recognise. A time with many parallels to the present day. The Welsh and the Scots are revolting. The governme...

On to Hellifield  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2  –    Episode 11 In ‘ On to Hellifield ‘ I continue my journey from Leeds to Carlisle. We travel from West Yorkshire into North Yorkshire. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Apperley Bridge: Just before Apperley Bridge station we pass Woodhouse Grove School which has around 1,000 pupils...

Season 2024 – Talk 12 – The Wonders of Electricity In ‘ The Wonders of Electricity’ Andrew Cole looks at the history of electricity from it’s earliest days and the effect it has had on life. Introduction: We take electricity for granted. You can’t see it, you can’t smell it and you can’t hear it, but you’d be most unwise to touch it, let alone...

Leeds to Kirkstall Forge – UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 10 In ‘ Leeds to Kirkstall Forge ‘ I spend time in City Square in Leeds. It is Sunday morning and although the hospitality venues are already busy the square is virtually traffic free. A big change from when I was at University here. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Th...

Rail 200 Tour – UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 200 In the ‘ Rail 200 Tour ‘ I join the Railway Touring Company ‘s Charter train marking the 200th Anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway . Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: A bit of history: On 27 September 1825, 12 waggons of coal travel across the two Brusselt...

Leeds and Ribblehead – UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 09 In ‘ Leeds and Ribblehead ‘ I spend time in Leeds and take a trip to Ribblehead to watch the Railway Touring Company ‘s Cumbrian Mountain Express cross the viaduct. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: Friday evening in Leeds: It is a beautiful spring evening and I se...

Season 2024 – Talk 10 – The Olympics – Champions, Curiosities and  Controversies In ‘ The Olympics – Champions, Curiosities and Controversies’ Jo Watson takes us through a humorous  history of the summer games. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Jo’s background: Her career was with BBC Sport as a producer and an ed...

On to Leeds – UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 08 In ‘ On to Leeds ‘ I continue my journey to Leeds. Today only part of my journey is on the true route of the Thames Clyde Express as a nine-mile section of the traditional route no longer exists. Once a hive of industry with mile after mile of collieries, coke ovens, marshalling yards and sidings, coal mining subsidence c...

Season 2024 – Talk 08 – A History of India before the British In ‘ A History of India before the British ‘ Alan Freeland tells us  that  in the next few of years India’s likely to become the world’s third largest economy.  To benefit from this we’ll need to understand India a lot more than we do today as we are very ignorant of our history in India. Size:...

Sheffield Railway Station and on to Swinton –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 07 In ‘ Sheffield Railway Station and on to Swinton ‘ I visit Sheffield Station and then start my journey with Northern Rail to Leeds. Today only part of my journey is on the true route of the Thames Clyde Express. Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast: S...