Hallowed Histories

Finally Winter appears to be coming to an end, and so too our strand of Winter Tales. Behind me you can probably hear the fire crackling on the hearth, but soon we will warm ourselves with the return of the sun, taking the chill off our bones and quickening the long Winter nights. However, we couldn’t leave you without one last, sharp icicle of fear to remind you that we are not out of the woods and into the meadow just yet. Tonight’s story, Sub-Zero is a cold walk in a dark place, courtesy of writer and friend of the podcast, SA Harris. We had the honors of hosting a few events last year to promote their second novel, Seahurst, a chilling tale of ghosts and the unquiet past on the Suffolk coast. Subzero should give you a taste of that novel, and we heartily recommend you pick up a copy.  Tonight’s reader is Ruby Bardwell Dix, one of East Anglia’s most promising new acting talents. She is fresh off a barnstorming production of Richard II on the stage, and will soon join the pantheon of iconic horror character as the Shadow Woman in the forthcoming film The Spirit Lock, shot on the Suffolk Borders. So please enjoy one more shot ice-cold darkness before it melts away for good, SA Harris’s Sub-Zero.... 

Hello and welcome back to another in the Hallowed Histories strand of Winter Tales, and we hope you all had a very pleasant Christmas.  Christmas is an odd time, as i am sure you realized. What strikes us as being so odd is the way in which it collapses the old into the new. Christmas traditions that have been with us since the Victorian era, and sometimes even further back, are not settled in with presents of cutting-edge technology, video calls to distant relatives, ecards and the AI algorithm tempting you with targeted Boxing Day sales. This weird mix of the future and the past can lead to a very tense present.  Shane Brown’s story tonight, DBL645 (mono) touches on this. We are big fans of Shane Brown’s work over here at Hallowed Histories. His novel, Welcome to Marlington, was one of my favorite books of the past few years, and his annual tradition of releasing a new ghost story every Christmas has become a very welcome custom. You can find these stories on amazon, and they are all well worth checking out. Tonight’s story combines a lot of Shane’s recurring themes – music, the esoteric world of collecting, ghost stories and East Anglia.  DBL645 (mono) is read by David McCabe, who was so magnificent in our Sherlock Holmes reading last year. David is an actor, script editor and voice artist, who has had a full year playing Phileas Fogg in the Maddermarket’s revival of Around the World in 80 Days. David has that too-rare gift for a voice actor of being able to breathe life into every individual character, and he uses that to excellent effect in this reading.  

Hello, and welcome back to the Hallowed Histories series of Winter Tales A huge you to those who attended last Wednesday's event at Stranger’s Hall featuring local historian, author, and paranormal expert Neil Storey. It was a pleasure to watch him captivate a packed house with his extensive knowledge of Norfolk's macabre tales. Our gratitude goes out to Neil, as well as the staff at Stranger’s for hosting us. We look forward to organizing more events there soon, so stay subscribed for further announcements. Today’s story is another from Alexandra Evans, who began this series with The Black’s Tale. Alex is a retired nurse from Norwich, and her experiences in that profession inspired this story. In addition, she has been involved with amateur drama for 40 years; writing, directing, and acting. She has portrayed roles ranging from the back of a pantomime to Margaret Thatcher. Recently, she has focused more on her writing and has had several sketches performed on the amateur stage, including a monologue showcased at the 2023 INK festival Halesworth. We are deeply grateful for her contributions to this podcast, and we hope you enjoy tonight’s tale of a supernatural vigil.

Hello and welcome back to the Hallowed Histories strand of Winter’s Tales, stories to amuse, to chill and to wrap presents by. One of the joys of Christmas is meeting with friends, and i am happy to announce that this story combines two old friends of the show, a writer and an actor who are much welcome visitors back to this podcast.   Helena Bacon is an academic, a writer and an educator with interests in the gothic, folk horror, mythology and the landscape of Norfolk. In other words, all the right things. Her story tonight, Ten Knocks, combines a lot of those interests and yet remains wholly original. It’s power of mounting dread will stay with you long past the end of this episode, but hopefully won’t come creeping around your door. The story itself is performed by John Davis, who was kind enough to work with us last year on one of the Slow Burn anthology tales. John is an actor and voice artist, who was recently seen in a revival of The Philidelphia Story and can be seen soon in The Clearing at the Sewell Barn Theatre in Norwich. If Helena’s story puts you on the edge of your seat, it’s John’s voice which will tip you over. Thanks to both of them, and to you for sticking with us for the Winter Tales. See you again next week.   Tickets are still avaible for our next live event, historian Neil Storey talking about the dark side of East Anglia in the beautiful Stranger's Hall: - Hallowed Histories present Neil Storey at Strangers' Hall - Norfolk Museums Service

Greetings, and a warm welcome back to the Hallowed Histories series of Winter's Tales. A heartfelt thank you to those who ventured through Storm Darragh to join us at Stranger’s Hall in Norwich, where we delved into the allure of ghost stories with renowned local author SA Harris. Your presence was greatly valued, and we extend our gratitude to the event staff for the opportunity to gather in such a historic venue. This evening's tale, titled 'Fungal' by Shannon Lewis, is a selection from the Slow Burn Horror anthology, a project we were delighted to support last Christmas. We reserved this story for an occasion that called for a special narrative and a fitting narrator. It's a subtly unnerving work of horror that insidiously takes root. Bringing life to Shannon's story is the multi-talented Jack McLeod—actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and our esteemed colleague. Jack recently captivated audiences in Richard Hand’s dynamic grand guignol production at the Sewell Barn Theatre and contributed his expertise to the anticipated feature film, The Spirit Lock. We trust you will find 'Fungal' a hauntingly memorable experience and eagerly anticipate your company next week for another installment of Winter's Tales.

Welcome back to Hallowed Histories, presenting the first of our annual Winter Tales series. This year's lineup is exciting, featuring returning favorites like Sally Harris and Shane Brown, as well as new voices, all linked by the haunting landscape of East Anglia—a muse for the likes of Susan Hill, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Montague Rhodes James. For those craving more, the British Library's latest addition to their Tales of the Weird series, 'Eerie East Anglia,' comes highly recommended. Edited by Edward Parnell, a friend of the show, this anthology gathers classic terror tales from the region. If you're seeking the ideal place to purchase it, Holloway, a newly opened store off St Benedicts Street in Norwich, offers a quaint and esoteric selection of local folklore. We're also thrilled to announce the return of our live events this winter. On Sunday, 8th December, Stranger’s Hall will host a talk with Sally Harris and Shane Brown, delving into their works, lives, and fascination with the extraordinary. Tickets can be secured via the Norfolk Museums website. Kicking off our tales is local writer and actress Alexandra Evans, whose story aptly heralds the advent season. Enjoy this appetizer, and join us each week throughout Christmas for more.

During the Halloween season, we had the pleasure of merging our passion for horror and East Anglian tales. This opportunity arose when Dr. Mark Fryers, a film history expert and a friend of our podcast, reached out to us. He shared his ongoing research involving Norwich, Count Dracula, and Universal Studios, which immediately piqued our interest for a podcast feature. In the upcoming interview, Mark will shed light on Charles D. Hall, a Norwich native born in 1888, coinciding with the year of Jack the Ripper. Hall honed his architectural skills in Norwich, which later propelled him to Hollywood fame after a period working with Fred Karno's music hall company. There, he encountered icons like Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. Transitioning from designing sets for Karno, Hall eventually collaborated with Hollywood horror legends such as Tod Browning and James Whale. His artistic vision crafted the ambiance of legendary locales like Castle Frankenstein and Castle Dracula, and films like The Invisible Man and The Black Cat, featuring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Dr. Mark Fryers, who now lectures at the Open University, is an extensively published scholar with a focus on maritime and gothic horror representations. His book, "Celluloid Tales: Norfolk Film History," is currently available and comes highly recommended, and can be found ⁠here⁠

Albert Einstein, one of the 20th century's most transformative figures, found refuge in the secluded expanse of North Norfolk's coast during a critical juncture in his life. His odyssey to Roughton Heath was fraught with danger, yet it proved to be a defining moment in his evolution as both a scientist and a public intellectual, whose revolutionary ideas had the potential to reshape our understanding of the world. If you're captivated by such narratives, please consider leaving a review, subscribing, and recommending our podcast to others who share your passion for history, folklore, and the macabre in East Anglia. This episode was brought to you by me, Richard Sheppard, with the insightful research of Dr. Linda Sheppard. Should you feel inspired to reach out, contact us at [email protected].

We return from a short break with more tales of the strange and extraordinary from England's East Coast. In this episode, we explore a recent excavation along the River Nene near Peterborough. A farm has been discovered, offering a unique glimpse into the lives, labor, and constructions of Bronze Age inhabitants. We delve into how a fire immortalized Must Farm and discuss the ways in which these ancient people, though from a distant past, share many similarities with us. If you're captivated by such narratives, please consider leaving a review, subscribing, and recommending our podcast to others who share your passion for history, folklore, and the macabre in East Anglia. This episode was brought to you by me, Richard Sheppard, with the insightful research of Dr. Linda Sheppard. Should you feel inspired to reach out, contact us at [email protected]

We are reaching the end of our strand of the Winter Tales here at Hallowed Histories, but we couldn't resist a couple more stories best enjoyed after dark. For the penultimale episode we are drawing again from the anthology Slow Burn Horror. We supported this project from it's Kickstarter inception all the way through to the beautiful book we now have on the shelf. We kicked off the season with One Candle by Kathryn Leigh, and now we revisit this treasure trove again with Within Walls by Georgina Pearsall. It's a remarkable story, full of squirming eeriness and atmosphere, plus it's set in Norwich. Reading it is the multitalented Emma Zadow. Emma is a playwright, actor, writer and all round artist. I met her at Adam Z Robinson's ghost story writing seminar at the National Centre for Writing. Check out Adam's episode on my other podcast, as well as Steph McKenna's episode from the NCW.   This has been Hallowed Histories with me, Richard Sheppard, with research and tech support by Dr Linda Sheppard and Stephen L. Parkes. Write to us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ if you fancy, and we’ll see you again soon.