Jersey Heritage Podcast

Textiles offers us such a rich tapestry of tradition, craftsmanship, and heritage. In this episode, hosts Mel and Perry are joined by Gillian Little, a textile expert with a passion for all things handmade and spun. As they discuss the whole process of spinning from making yarn, the traditional Jersey sheep with six horns through to the finished textile piece they'll discover the tangible and intangible heritage of this craft.To find out more about our work visit our website.

Who remembers 'floppy disks', Betamax and cassette tapes? Hosts Mel and Perry are joined by Jersey Heritage's Digital Preservation Officer, Cara Ross, who shares some very insightful information about her work in preserving our heritage in an ever changing technological world. This episode takes us behind the scenes of the Jersey Archive and all the important work that takes place within its walls.  To support our work please consider making a donation via our website.

In this episode, we're sewing together a remarkable story of art, history, and the women whose work has too often been left in the margins. The Bayeux Tapestry is there is a lack of women. There are lots of men, there are lots of horses, there are lots of axes and spears and dogs, but there are only three women in the entire 70 meters of the tapestry.  The Jersey Bayeux Tapestry is an extraordinary modern retelling of the story of the Norman Conquest and the women who told the story, who were these women?  And why does their contribution matter? To help us unpick this narrative, our hosts are joined by Vic Tanner-Davy, head of programs at Jersey Heritage. Vic has researched the social history behind the tapestry, uncovering the stories of women who made it and revealing how their work connects to a wider question.The tapestry is part of Jersey Heritage's 2027 campaign celebrating the Year of the Normans,  which is a thousand years since William the Conqueror's birth. The tapestry tells Jersey's story and how that fits with the 1066 historical narrative.The tapestry is being stitched by volunteers during 2026 and will be on display in 2027/8.Support our outreach work and leave a legacy to Jersey Heritage in your Will.  Find out how you can leave a gift to protect Our Island's Story.

Explore Jersey's Norman heritage as we look ahead to 2027 when we mark a thousand years since the birth of William the Conqueror. In this episode, we journey back to our Norman roots through the Island's Norman history, and how that history has shaped our Island. Hosts, Mel and Perry are joined by historian Jean Treleven who guides us through the history of how our Norman heritage is what uniquely defined us then, but also defines us now.  Jean shares in depth insights and fascinating facts as we prepare for one of the most significant commemorations in our Island's story.Support our 2027 Norman projects by making a donation on our website.

In the latest episode of our ‘Small Island, Big Story Sessions’ podcast, hosts Mel and Perry are joined by Natasha Dettman, Karen Le Roy Harris, and Kerry Jane Warner, who are members of The Moving Arts Collective.  These passionate creatives reimagined our local tradition of vraicking (collecting seaweed) using film, sculpture, sound, textile, and our local language for ‘Vraiqu’sie’, an exhibition at Elizabeth Castle.Hear all about this powerful project and how the artists were inspired by Jersey’s heritage. To find out more about vraicking visit our website.Did you know you can stay at the Elizabeth Castle Apartment?  It's part of our historic heritage holiday lets portfolio.  Find out how you can have the Castle to yourself here.

In the latest episode of our ‘Small Island, Big Story Sessions’ podcast, hosts Mel and Perry explore our Island’s farming heritage. From Jersey’s unique natural landscape to celebrating local farmers today, we speak to Taylor Smythe, from Farm Jersey, and Lucy Layton, Jersey Heritage’s Exhibitions Curator, as we dig into the research behind our new ‘Field to Fork’ exhibition at Hamptonne.  To find out more about the ‘Field to Fork’ exhibition, go to www.jerseyheritage.org/visit/whats-on/field-to-fork/  To support our work become a Member, visit our website to find out more. 

This incredible digital archive tells the stories of Channel Islanders, who were deported and imprisoned during WW2. Join hosts, Mel and Perry, as they speak to Professor Gilly Carr about developing this special free resource.The Frank Falla archive is named after Guernseyman Frank Falla, former prisoner and survivor of Frankfurt am Main-Preungesheim and Naumburg (Saale) prisons.Frank, a journalist, was deported for his role in the underground newsletter GUNS (Guernsey Underground News Service). In the mid-1960s, and in the absence of any official help or interest, Frank took it upon himself to help his fellow former political prisoners in the Channel Islands get compensation for their suffering in Nazi prisons and camps. In 2010, Frank’s daughter gave Professor Gilly Carr her father’s extensive archives – the most important resistance archives to ever come out of the Channel Islands. And it was then that Gilly knew that this digital archive and its wider associated project must one day come about.Visit the Frank Falla Archive. Find out more about Jersey's Occupation and Liberation Archives here.Support the work of Jersey Heritage by making a donation.Professor Carr's book ' A Materiality of Internment' is available through Routledge Press.For more information visit:www.routledge.com/9781032259154More than two thousand people from the British Channel Islands were deported to and interned in Germany during the Second World War, making up as many as 60% of all interned British citizens in occupied territory during this period. This book will be of great value for scholars and museum professionals, as well as postgraduate students in the field of Conflict Archaeology and scholars of the Second World War. Cumulatively, this materiality comprises one of the major surviving assemblages of internees to emerge from the war, comparable in size, quality and importance with that from other theatres of war.

Tune into our latest episode exploring story of the Titanic through a unique Jersey lens. Hosts, Perry and Mel will be uncovering the Island’s connections to the ill-fated voyage. We’re joined by Titanic expert David Hutchings from Southampton and Jersey Heritage exhibitions curator Lucy Layton, who share insights into passengers and crew with ties to Jersey. Together, they reveal the local stories that were impacted by the disaster of April 1912. From lives lost, to remarkable survivals, this episode shares how one of history’s most famous tragedies is interwoven with Jersey’s own heritage and collective memory.A new Titanic display honouring the Islanders involved in the disaster opens in April 2026 at the Maritime Museum.To support our work telling the Island's stories please make a donation.

In today's episode, Mel is diving into the expressive world of Edmund Blampied, one of Jersey's most iconic artists.  Blampied's expressive etchings, whimsical illustrations and deeply human portraits capture a timeless sense of Island life.   Louise Downie, former art curator at Jersey Heritage explores the story of Blampied, from his life, his artistic process and his impact on jersey and the wider art world.Best known for his etching or dry points, his reputation as a print maker in the 1920s was sealing in a publication called 'Modern Artists of Etching'.  He is well-know for his images of scenes of vriac (seaweed) collecting, something he called it his 'signature tune'.  Blampied was also a book, magazine and newspaper illustrator with a significant illustrative work for the story of Peter Pan and Wendy.  He is also know for his character portraits, he was skilled in drawing people and lifestyles depicting Island life. Particularly significant and poignant to Jersey's story are the illustrations he did of the Occupation of Jersey during World War IITo discover the work of Edmund Blampied, visit our Online Catalogue.  You can support Jersey Heritage by becoming a Member, visit our website for details.

Behind every Claude Cahun image was Marcel Moore, artist, visionary and radical of her own right.  Join the 'Small Island, Big Stories Sessions' to bring Marcel Moore into the frame.Louise Downie, Director of Curation and Experience at Jersey Heritage gives host Mel and Perry a history of Marcel Moore, her work, her life and her legacy.Suzanne Alberte Eugénie Malherbe was born on 19 July 1892 at 12 rue de Cassini in Nantes. Using the pseudonym ‘Marcel Moore’, she was the talented, but less well known, stepsister of Surrealist artist and writer Claude Cahun (born Lucie Schwob). In 1909, Moore met Cahun in what Cahun described as a ‘thunderbolt encounter’ – one which was to determine the course of their lives. Theirs was a relationship of love and artistic creativity. You can read more of the story here.Support our work bringing stories to life and make a donation here.