A 1930s Pioneer – The First Female Pageant Master

Josie Long visits York Cold War Bunker, one of over 1,500 bunkers and monitoring posts across the UK that were in operation during the Cold War, and the only example which still exists without alterations today.  But perhaps the most interesting thing about the bunker are the people who worked there. Here, the Royal Observer Corps (ROC), mainly civilian volunteers, were trained to receive, record, and relay vital information on nuclear fallout in the event of a real nuclear attack on Britain.  Josie meets English Heritage curator, Kevin Booth to find out more about the bunker’s history and its role during the Cold War. We hear from Grace Huxford, a senior lecturer in modern history at the University of Bristol, on the history of the Cold War and the social and political context in Britain at the time when the ROC were training in the bunker. Josie also meets Ann Metcalf, a member of the ROC for 27 years who worked at the bunker in York. We hear about her first-hand account of what it was like to train in the bunker, her experience of Cold War Britain, and how it felt to have such a unique and important role, should the very worst have happened. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit the York Cold War Bunker. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Josie Long uncovers a group of daring Polish soldiers and their secret wartime history in Essex. She visits Audley End House, known during the Second World War as Station 43, to find out about the Cichociemni: elite special forces soldiers who volunteered to go above and beyond for their nation and Allied victory. Josie meets Dr Peter Moore, Curator of Collections and Interiors, to find out more about Audley End’s wartime history and the enormously important role the Polish heroes played in winning the war. Denise Hall, a research volunteer, tells Josie about the training and tasks the Poles undertook at Audley End, before author Ian Valentine takes her through the grounds with stories of the highly skilled individuals selected to carry out and undertake training. Josie also meets Anthony Massey and Danusia Kellett, who are both children of Polish special forces soldiers. Danusia relates her father Antoni’s incredible story, from his training at Audley End to his role in the Polish resistance and daring escapes from danger. And Anthony shares his father Lewis’s story as an officer in the Polish Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Audley End House and Gardens. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve heard the horror stories of experimental pre-20th-century psychiatry, this episode might surprise you. Josie Long heads to Chiswick House in south-west London to find out about its life as a private asylum for people with mental illnesses in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Who were the people who needed the asylum’s care, and what insight does its story give us into attitudes to mental health not much more than a century ago? Dr Jeremy Ashbee tells Josie about the Tuke family of psychiatrists and their humane methods, and Rosie May delves into the casebooks of the well-to-do patients, to piece together a few of their stories. Dr Sarah Chaney, an asylums historian and Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, explains the different kinds of private and public care available to those experiencing mental health issues in this period. Chiswick House and Gardens Trust still works with local communities to promote wellbeing today, and Josie finds out more about projects in the gardens with Harvinder Kaur Bahra, Community Participation Manager. Then Josie heads to Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Kent to meet Archivist David Luck for insights into the public asylum that gave ‘bedlam’ its meaning. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Chiswick House and Gardens. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josie Long heads to Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire on the trail of a mysterious man who saved the life of the owner of this fine house. James Chappell’s heroic story lives on in local legend, but who was this black servant, living as a free man? And what new questions does his story raise or add to the under-documented story of being black in Britain in the 17th century? Josie chats to Senior Properties Historian Dr Megan Leyland to hear James’s story, before exploring Kirby Hall with its Site Manager, Beryl Spearman. Then it’s off to James’s home village of Gretton and the Hatton Arms, where he’s said to have become the UK’s first black pub landlord. Owner Julie Smith is proud to follow in his footsteps. Historians Dr Angelina Osbourne and Morcea Walker MBE, dpt LT. explore the challenges involved in researching black history in a place like Northamptonshire and contextualise the fragments of James’s story in the wider history of this period. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Kirby Hall and Gretton yourself. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time, we’re turning the cruel, inhumane image of Victorian workhouses on its head. Josie Long heads to a Suffolk village to unravel the evolution of poor laws as well as the birth of modern health and social care. Framlingham Castle once served as a workhouse, lodgings and administrative centre of relief for the area’s poor and needy. So what was life really like for poor people here between the 17th  and 19th centuries? Historian Dr Jeremy Ashbee joins Josie to explore the lesser-known social history of this renowned castle and the vision of local MP Sir Robert Hitcham, who purchased it in the 1630s. Anthony Wooding, a member of the Framlingham Castle Volunteers, takes Josie inside the castle to share stories of the people who lived in and passed through Framlingham in its workhouse years. And workhouse historian Peter Higginbotham explains how attitudes to the poor and the rights and freedoms of individuals have changed through the centuries. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Framlingham Castle yourself. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josie Long traces the footsteps of the indomitable 17th-century duchess Margaret Cavendish: a writer, philosopher, feminist and author of one of the first ever sci-fi novels. This student of the human mind and spirit dressed against convention and made her way into the prestigious but male-dominated world of the Royal Society. But who was Margaret and how did she end up at Bolsover Castle in the Midlands? Senior Properties Historian at English Heritage Dr Megan Leyland helps Josie trace Margaret’s personal journey through the English Civil War into the age of ideas. Meanwhile historian and broadcaster Emma Wilkins helps us glimpse the inner world and motivations of a captivating and brilliant mind. Dr Keith Allen,Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of York, takes Josie through the cutting-edge ideas that helped shape science and philosophy at this time.  Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit Bolsover Castle yourself.   And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josie Long returns on Tuesday 29th March with a brand new series of Speaking with Shadows. Once again, Josie is travelling the country to uncover the hidden histories of English Heritage sites, with incredible stories that throw a new light onto our nation's story. She'll challenge the image of harsh Victorian workhouses and hear about a heroic servant who also became England's first black pub landlord. She'll uncover the story of a philosopher Duchess who authored the first sci-fi novel, hear how mental health patients were cared for in Victorian times and seek out the incredible legacy of Polish special agents who trained here during the Second World War. Speaking with Shadows is an English Heritage podcast. You can find out more on these stories by going to www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows or head to the English Heritage website to find out how you can visit all the sites featured. And if you think this story should be heard, share this podcast on your social media with the hashtag #speakingwithshadows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Set on a spectacular ridgeline in the Cumbrian hills, Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall was once a meeting place for communities from across the Roman Empire. Men, women and children travelled from as far afield as Spain and Syria in order to serve at the empire’s north-western frontier. At Birdoswald, inscriptions and symbols reveal that the Dacians, from modern-day Romania, built a community here over many hundreds of years. In this final episode of the series Josie meets Andrew Roberts and Frances McIntosh to learn more about the people who lived at Birdoswald and what the site can tell us about how their identities changed over time. Burial urns displayed in the museum offer an intriguing insight into the lives and deaths of women and children living on the Wall. The Romanian poet Denisa Comănescu reads from her poem ‘A Birdoswald Sequence’ while locals Malcolm Redman and Angela Stephenson tell us about their lives on the Wall today. Visit our episode page to find out more.Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage.  Presenter: Josie Long Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air Contributors: Dr Andrew Roberts, Properties Historian; Dr Frances McIntosh, Collections Curator; Malcolm Redman, Owner of Bush Nook Guesthouse; Denisa Comănescu, Poet; Angela Stephenson, Historic Property Steward at Birdoswald Roman Fort. www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadowsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode you’ll hear the extended interview with Professor Diane Purkiss from episode 5 of the podcast. In her discussion, Diane explores the origins of witchcraft beliefs and how the figure of the witch was born. This episode contains content that may not be suitable for younger listeners. Visit our episode page to learn more about Joan of Navarre's accusation of witchcraft and imprisonment at Pevensey Castle. Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage.  Presenter: Josie Long Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air Contributor: Diane Purkiss, Professor of English Literature (Keble College, University of Oxford) www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadowsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the winter of 1420 and Joan of Navarre, Queen of England has been imprisoned by her stepson King Henry V. A rich widow and an influential political figure, Joan has been accused of witchcraft and plotting to kill the king and now awaits her fate imprisoned in the keep of Pevensey Castle.  In this episode Josie Long explores the ruins of the castle and meets historian Richard Nevell and site manager Janet Taylor, to learn more about Joan's imprisonment and the reasons behind her accusation of witchcraft. Josie also speaks to historian Virginia Davis about the lives of ordinary women in the Middle Ages, and to Professor Diane Purkiss about the origins of popular witchcraft beliefs and how these could be used to persecute women over the centuries.  Visit our episode page to find out more.Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage.  Presenter: Josie Long Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air Contributors: Richard Nevell, Honorary Research Fellow; Janet Taylor, Site Manager for Pevensey Castle, English Heritage; Virginia Davis, Professor of Medieval History; Diane Purkiss, Professor of English Literature.  www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadowsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.