What was dating like in Jane Austen’s day?   Georgian Britain is certainly an era associated with courtship and marriage, but what were the rules you had to date by?  Join Cultural Heritage Curator Tim Moore, in Bath, as he reflects on what we know, through the life and works of Jane Austen.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.     Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk  Production:  Presenter: Helen Antrobus  Production and Sound: Claire Hickinbotham  Sound Design: Jesus Gomez  Contributor:  Dr Tim Moore, Cultural Heritage Curator  Discover More:  Find out more about the Bath Assembly rooms project here   Bath Assembly Rooms project | Bath | National Trust If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected] 

In 2018 a team of intrepid explorers came in to the possession of a treasure map - one which would see them venture half way around the world to the Australian island of Tasmania.   Those explorers were a team of garden experts from across the UK and Ireland who were now on a historic mission to save and catalogue plants for the benefit of people and the planet. Following in the footsteps of the historic plant hunters, find out what was in store for the team of modern-day collectors and how natural history has helped to shape gardens around the world. Production Host: James Grasby Producer: Jack Glover Sound Design: Jesus Gomez Contributors Charlie Bancroft and team BIBET Caroline Ikin Images courtesy and with thanks from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Tasmania. All Rights Reserved. Discover More Explore a garden lovers home at Nymans in West Sussex where some of the collected species are now flourishing  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/nymans Read Charlie’s report here: https://merlin-trust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/718-Charlie-Bancroft-compressed.pdf Find out more about historic plant hunters from our friends at Kew Gardens https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/adventure-and-discovery-around-the-world-with-plant-hunters BIBET Botantic Gardens   Republic of Ireland https://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/ Northern Ireland https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/mount-stewart Wales https://botanicgarden.wales/ Tasmania https://gardens.tas.gov.au/ If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Join a tour of a garden designed for pleasure, as we relive its party heyday.     Claremont in Surrey once played host to events described as the lovechild of a festival and a palace garden party.  Presenter James Grasby uncovers the best spots, the shenanigans they elicited, and the most incredible views reminiscent of scenes from hit Netflix drama, Bridgerton.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.     Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk Production  Host: James Grasby  Producer: Claire Hickinbotham  Sound Design: Jesus Gomez  Contributors  Author: David Coke  Hannah Greig: Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London.  Discover More  Claremont still holds events throughout the year, from live theatre to yoga sessions.  Events at Claremont Landscape Garden  You can also hire rowing boats, walk your dog here, or grab a cuppa! Here’s a map: 2023-claremont-map.pdf    If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]  An earlier version of this episode was previously available 

Embark on the last voyage of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship and learn how its discovery changed our understanding of a civilisation.  In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a “ghost ship” under the acidic sandy soil of Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk.   Now, presenter James Grasby reimagines the last journey of that vessel, and who was aboard, as it was hauled from the water and dragged to its final resting place some 1,400 years ago. Listener note: a version of this episode first went out in 2023 on the National Trust Podcast.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.    Start creating your story at https://www.cewe.co.uk/ Production Host: James Grasby Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris Sound editor: Jesus Gomez Discover more Free guided tours of the Royal Burial Ground are available daily from February to October. You can book onto a tour with the Visitor Welcome team when you arrive at Sutton Hoo. The replica ship is being built by the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company. To follow the progress of the project and how you can support it, please visit saxonship.org Follow Back When on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you'd love to hear, you can contact us at [email protected]

What does Formula One and chariot racing have in common?  High speed and high thrills races are something we usually think of when we’re chatting about Silverstone or the Grand Prix. Celebrity drivers, highly engineered teams and arenas of fans might seem like a modern scene. But thanks to a piece of ancient graffiti carved into stone at a Roman villa, a window into a world over 2000 years ago is opened, one that sees chariot racers competing on an industrial scale. James Grasby heads to Chedworth Roman Villa to find out what the Prasina Stone can tell us about sports today.   [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.    Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk Production Host: James Grasby Producer: Jack Glover Sound Design: Jesus Gomez Contributors James Ball Discover more For more information about Chedworth, the Romans and the Prasina Stone, please visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/chedworth-roman-villa    Follow Back When  on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Many of us grew up reading about Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle, but how much do you know about the woman behind the stories?  In this episode we explore the lesser-known sides of Beatrix Potter. Discover how her love of natural science, fascination with fungi and knack for sheep farming formed one of Britain's most celebrated authors. [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.    Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk Production Host: James Grasby Producer: Nikki Ruck Sound editor: Jesus Gomez and Nikki Ruck Discover more For more information about Beatrix Potter, her life, works and art go to: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/beatrix-potter Follow the National Trust Podcast on your favourite podcast app. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

In 1196, 9-year-old Ela was hidden away in France after becoming the third Countess of Salisbury.  After being discovered and brought back to England by a knight who supposedly sang underneath windows to find her, Ela went on to become one of the thirteenth century's most influential women.  As well as being a peeress, Ela is also known for being the Sheriff of Wiltshire, breaking social norms and defying the intensely patriarchal society she was in. As the King's representative in the county, she would’ve been responsible for upholding the Crown's law and bringing its enemies to justice, supervising the royal lands in the area, and much more.  Ela was incredibly powerful, assertive, resolute and devout – she lay the foundation stones for two religious houses, more than 16 miles apart, in a single day. The first was Hinton Priory in Bath, and the second was Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, where less than ten years later, Ela was elected its first abbess.  National Trust Historian Helen Antrobus heads to Lacock to discover the story behind this medieval marvel.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.    Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk  Production  Presenter: Helen Antrobus  Producer: Jack Glover and Lily Long  Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez  Contributor: Emma Zadeh  Discover More  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/lacock  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/remarkable-women-in-history  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/what-happened-in-a-medieval-abbey-church  If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea, you can contact us at [email protected] 

On 10 November 1721 the Royal Anne Galley sank after hitting treacherous rocks at Lizard Point in Cornwall, tragically claiming the lives of more than 200 people. The dead include Captain Francis Willis and his crew who had been on their way to Barbados to hunt down pirates.   Join Helen and marine archaeologist David Gibbins as they uncover the tale of the 300-year-old wreck and the disaster's eerie aftermath.    The Royal Anne Galley is one of thousands of shipwrecks around Britain's coastline. Its haunting story reveals the realities of 18th Century life and death at sea.  [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.     Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk Production Host: Helen Antrobus   Producer: Michelle Douglass   Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez  Contributor David Gibbins Discover More:  Discover David Gibbins’ A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks:  https://davidgibbins.com/a-history-of-the-world-in-twelve-shipwrecks   Find out more about The Lizard in Cornwall:  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/lizard-point   Head to National Trust on Youtube for podcast videos and shorts:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbSxeBQ-U-goXdmkiNBSrrg   If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]  

Seventy‑five feet beneath The White Cliffs of Dover lies Fan Bay Deep Shelter: a web of bomb‑proof tunnels carved through chalk after Winston Churchill demanded artillery that could dominate the Channel.  During the Second World War up to 185 coast-gunners tried to sleep here between shifts on Mk VII guns that hurled shells from Britain towards France, 21 miles away. A surviving narrow hospital bay, generator room and rows of bunk frames, along with pencil graffiti - service numbers, football pools coupons, rough poetry - humanise a fortress built for endurance. Every corridor still channels the distant percussion of artillery and the relentless hum of duty. Closed in the 1950 and later filled with rubble, the shelter slept until 2012, when National Trust archaeologists and volunteers removed 100 tons of debris by hand to reveal a time‑capsule of wartime life. Fan Bay now stands as both memorial and classroom, inviting each visitor to trace the fragile line between vulnerability and resilience etched into Britain’s shoreline. [Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.    Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk Production Host: James Grasby Producer: Jesse Edbrooke Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez Discover More The Fan Bay Tunnels will open to the public for seven days from 20th – 30th June 2025 to celebrate the end of the Wanstone Rediscovered project.  The gun emplacement and underground magazine will also be available to visit as part of the Fan Bay tour. This is the first time that these areas have ever been opened to visitors. There will also be free, pre bookable tours of the Wanstone Battery site from 11:00 each day 20th – 30th June 2025. Read more about Fan Bay Battery and how to visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/the-white-cliffs-of-dover/fan-bay-battery---a-brief-history The National Trust cares for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever. You can donate to us at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate VE Day Celebrations at the National Trust Look out for the celebrations of VE Day at Winston Churchill's old home.  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/chartwell/ve-day-80-at-chartwell     If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]  

General James Wolfe, the 'boy solider' who joined the military at 14 fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles while he was still a teenager. Historian James Grasby visits Wolfe’s childhood home to find out what would shape him into becoming a soldier at such a young age and delves into his involvement in The Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746. If you’d like to hear about The Battle of Culloden from another perspective, listen to this episode from National Trust for Scotland: Lord George Murray with Murray…–Love Scotland: Stories of Scotland's History and Nature – Apple Podcasts   Production  Presenter: James Grasby  Producer: Claire Hickinbotham  Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez  Contributors  Ghazala Jabeen – National Trust, Quebec House  Freddie Matthews – Historian and Cultural Heritage Curator  Stephen Brumwell – History writer - brumwellhistory.com  Discover more  You can visit General Wolfe’s childhood home, Quebec House │ Kent | National Trust, which was renamed in his honour after his victory at The Battle of Quebec. See where he grew up, Henrietta’s cookbook, and the robe with which his body is thought to have been brought back to Britain.  You can also visit the battlefield at Culloden | National Trust for Scotland  If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea you'd like to hear, you can contact us at [email protected]