Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

Nestled among pine trees in the Dorset countryside, this dilapidated cottage is where Lawrence of Arabia fled his new-found fame, following his adventures in the desert during the First World War.  In this episode we’re at Clouds Hill, the rustic retreat of T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia. We’ll take you on a tour of the intimate spaces where he entertained friends, listened to music, and ke...

Introduced to the fen 100 years ago, the wild Konik ponies of Wicken Fen graze the land, enabling plants and wildlife to thrive.  Later we investigate the smaller creatures that call this ancient landscape home, including dragonflies and water voles. Discover more For information about exploring Wicken Fen please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/wicken-fen-national-natur...

We’re at Wicken Fen in East Anglia for a walk through the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve. We’ll set off on foot, exploring the multi-use trails that allow easy access to this other-worldly landscape, before venturing down the narrow waterways on boat. Along the way, we’ll discover how a place created thousands of years ago is still providing a crucial home for thousands of animals, birds a...

In this mini episode we meet one of Glendurgan’s longest-serving volunteers. Sylvia describes her memories of this special place from navigating the mind-boggling maze as a child, to sharing her love of the garden with visitors today. Discover more For information about exploring Glendurgan please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/glendurgan-garden Follow the National Trust Pod...

Join us on a journey through this tropical Cornish paradise, where lush rolling valleys meet the sea, and exotic plants grow alongside native wildflowers.  We get to know the Fox family, who laid down the plans for the garden back in the 1820s, and still live in the house today. Discover more For information about exploring Glendurgan please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/gl...

In this special episode, we join composer Michael Price as he records his new classical album in some of the Trusts most unlikely places. Michael Price is best known for the scores he creates for film and popular television shows like Sherlock Holmes. For his latest album, Tender Symmetry, he’s swapped the comforts of Abbey Road studios for the varied acoustics of several Trust places. In this epi...

Behind a wardrobe in William Morris’s former home lies a secret that gives some detail into the designers life. Join James Grasby as he discovers the artistry inside this design icon's home. Discover more For information about exploring Red House and William and Jane Morris please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/red-house Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podc...

Once home to one of Britain’s most celebrated designers of the 20th Century, William Morris, Red house is now a celebration of his life's works. Famous for his iconic floral wallpaper designs, Morris’s prints and patterns are still in fashion today, but his story goes much further. Among other things, he was also a poet and a political figure, fascinated with all things medieval. Join us to explor...

A short boat ride off the Northumbrian coast lies the remote Farne Islands home to one of Britain's favourite seabirds, the Atlantic Puffin.  Kate Martin finds out how a hardy team of rangers goes about monitoring them and finds out what the future holds for these much-loved birds. Production Host: Kate Martin Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris Sound editor: Jesus Gomez Discover more Learn more about...

Long Nanny beach is home to sweeping sand dunes, freshwater streams, and array of wildlife along this spectacular shoreline.  Learn to identify the birds that breed here each year, including ringed plovers and rare little terns and hear from the dedicated staff who camp out under the stars to protect them. Discover more For information about exploring Long Nanny please visit https://www.nationaltr...

The Norfolk coast has long been considered vulnerable to invasion and during the Second World war this threat was met with extensive fortification.  In recent years two pillboxes, of slightly different types, which formed part of the wartime defences at Sheringham Park have been restored and their brickwork repaired. The beach obstacles, barbed wire entanglements and minefields associated with the...

Join us a stroll through Sheringham’s magnificent rhododendron gardens as we unearth the colourful history of these exotic flowers, from the adventures of the plant hunter who sourced them to their starring role in the Upcher family’s 1950s champagne parties. Learn about the designer who sculpted the landscape, Humphry Repton, and meet the staff and volunteers who keep his vision alive today. Disc...

In 2018, Nostell will hear the 300-year-old Harrison clock chime for the last time.  This mini episode celebrates the ticks, tocks, and bongs of a clock made by a man who changed the world.  The clock is the product of ‘out-the-box’ thinking, and suitably exhibited at Nostell Priory, out of it’s case, with all it’s inner-workings exposed to visitors. Discover more For information about exploring N...

At the centre of Nostell's story is a local man named Thomas Chippendale, known today as "The Shakespeare of Furniture”.  Through exploring his exquisite craftsmanship and the magnificent interiors that he designed and sourced - we get to know a man of talent, ambition and business nous. Discover more For information about exploring Nostell please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorks...

In this Episode, James Grasby meets Greenway's writer in residence, Roselle Angwin and Community Involvement Officer, Carly Mays, to learn how the former holiday home of crime-writing extraordinaire, Agatha Christie, continues to inspire writers today. Discover more For information about exploring Greenway and Agatha Christie please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/greenway Follo...

Agatha Christie's home in Greenway, Devon once had an intriguing military past. A stronghold throughout history, the house and grounds feature many relics, most notably from the Second World War when the site was requisitioned for use by the 10th Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard, in the preparations for D-Day. James Grasby goes behind the doors at Greenway to unearth some WW2 secrets. Discover mor...

Agatha Christie called Greenway in Devon 'the loveliest place in the world' and treasured it as a holiday home for her and her family.  In this episode James Grasby turns detective to explore a house and gardens that inspired some of Poirot and Miss Marple’s most famous tales. Discover more For information about exploring Greenway and Agatha Christie please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/v...

In this mini episode, we’ll be heading to Allan Bank, the former home of William Wordsworth.  Learn how this place continues to inspire and nurture today’s creative minds. Discover more For information about exploring Wordsworth House and Garden please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/wordsworth-house-and-garden Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast...

In this mini episode, James goes back in time via the kitchen, to sample the foods that a young Wordsworth might have enjoyed.  Discover more For information about exploring Wordsworth House and Garden please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/wordsworth-house-and-garden Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feed...

The Lake District is the homeland of Romantic poetry with it's sweeping vistas and stunning scenery.  In this episode James Grasby explores the places that inspired of one of the nation’s best loved poets, William Wordsworth. Discover more For information about exploring Wordsworth House and Garden please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/wordsworth-house-and-garden Follow...

The works of past writers can often inspire future creativity.  Producer Michael Friend explores his deep personal connection to George Bernard Shaw's writings, at Shaw's Corner in Hertfordshire. Discover more For information about exploring Shaw's Corner please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/essex-bedfordshire-hertfordshire/shaws-corner Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favo...

During his life George Bernard Shaw wrote numerous high acclaimed plays including Heartbreak House, Pygmalion and the Millionairess. In this mini episode we meet Evelyn Ellis, a key member of the Shaw Society, a group celebrating the work of George Bernard Shaw with performances at the playwright's country home in Hertfordshire. Discover more For information about exploring Shaw's Corner please vi...

A prolific playwright, one of the most photographed and quoted men in the world and Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw once called this pocket of Hertfordshire home. Today, the country house remains much as he left it. You can walk from room to room, enjoying the beautiful Arts and Crafts inspired interiors, and finding fascinating links with the past. James Grasby goes behind it's doors in le...

Every year the sand dunes at Formby move and change with nature. When they do they can uncover secrets from the past that have lain hidden and lost to the sands of time. Join Kate on her home turf as she reveals some of the discoveries in Formby’s shape shifting dunes. Discover more For information about visiting Formby please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/formb...

In this mini episode, we accompany Formby’s squirrel feeders on their morning rounds, as we learn of the challenges they face maintaining the area’s red squirrel population. Discover more For information about visiting Formby please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/formby Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch...