The English Heritage Podcast - Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

The English Heritage Podcast

English Heritage

History

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 403

Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places? In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Spotify

Apple

Data updated on 09/11/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
21/10/2026
#48
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
20/10/2026
#45
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
19/10/2026
#38
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
18/10/2026
#20
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
17/10/2026
#13
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
16/10/2026
#9
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - top-podcasts
16/10/2026
#160
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
15/10/2026
#7
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - top-podcasts
15/10/2026
#117
↘
🇬🇧 Great Britain - history
14/10/2026
#6
→

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/
82 shares
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/
82 shares
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/american-friends/
2 shares

https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage
7 shares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5wYPgaMabY
1 share
https://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishHeritageFilm/playlists
1 share

https://soundcloud.com/englishheritage/sets/stonehenge-and-prehistory
1 share

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 32%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

1066: Harrying of the North | Episode 6

Monday, November 9, 2026 • Duration 38:14

Three years after he was crowned, William was struggling to keep the whole of his new kingdom under control. In the winter of 1069, he led his army north, determined to crush those that kept rising against him. The written sources describe how his forces destroyed swathes of Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham and beyond — burning crops, killing livestock, and making it impossible for people to feed themselves. It’s become known as ‘the harrying of the north’. Join Amy and guests English Heritage Curator of History, Dr Will Wyeth and medieval archaeologist, Dr Aleksandra McClain from the University of York. To what extent can we take the written sources at face value? Was William’s campaign a calculated act of political terror, or does a closer study of our evidence reveal a different understanding?? Plus, what does it tell us about the beginning of Norman rule on these shores? Watch this episode on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠    Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*      Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠       The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.       *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

Meet the Master of Military Deception: Dudley Clarke

Season 2 · Episode 74

Thursday, November 5, 2026 • Duration 43:01

Ever wondered how to trick an enemy army into fighting a battle that doesn’t even exist? At 34 Rutland Gate in London’s Knightsbridge, an arresting inscription commemorates Brigadier Dudley Clarke as "Master of Military Deception". Bound by the Official Secrets Act, Clarke’s genius in inventing fake armies to save thousands of Allied lives went unrecognised in his lifetime. Today, his blue plaque ensures his achievements are finally remembered. In this episode, Amy Matthews explores Clarke’s extraordinary legacy with English Heritage Senior Historian Howard Spencer and author Dr Whitney Bendeck, Professor at Florida State University and author of two books about British military deception and Clarke’s work. Together, they step into his world to discover the phantom armies, false battle plans, and how he helped inspire the British Commandos to save thousands of Allied lives during World War II. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠  Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*    Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠     The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.    *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

1066: The women of the Bayeux Tapestry | Episode 5

Monday, November 2, 2026 • Duration 42:43

In the fifth episode of our special 1066 series, host Amy Matthews takes a deeper look at the Bayeux Tapestry - and in particular, at the women featured in it. The Bayeux Tapestry is 70m long. It has 58 different scenes including 623 human figures. Only six of those figures are women and only three of those women are in the main panels. While the renowned struggle for the throne is very much in the foreground, there are strong female figures behind the scenes, manipulating events and wielding a different kind of power. Join Amy and her guests – historian and author, Sharon Bennet Connelly and English Heritage Senior Collections Curator, Dr Kathryn Bedford - as they explore the queens who shared the lives of these battling kings, the matriarchs pulling the strings of family connection, what the Norman Conquest meant for ordinary women of the time, and why so little has been told about the female side of this story. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠    Find out more about Sharon’s book Silk and the Sword: Women of the Norman Conquest Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*      Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠       The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.       *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

Halloween Special: The haunting and history of Chester Castle

Season 2 · Episode 73

Thursday, October 29, 2026 • Duration 57:01

Is Chester Castle truly haunted, or is there a historical explanation behind its eerie encounters? Join host Amy Matthews as she uncovers nearly a thousand years of spooky stories and real history from behind its walls perched high above the River Dee. In this special Halloween episode, Amy is joined by Chester Castle Site Manager Gary Ashby, who shares firsthand chilling encounters - from mysterious phantom figures captured on camera to spectral voices whispering in Norman French. Weighing in with historical scepticism is Will Wyeth, English Heritage Curator of History, who reveals the human stories behind the haunting lore, including medieval miracles, royal prisoners, and 17th-century witch trials. Whether you’re a die-hard believer or a sceptic, discover how ghost stories help us connect with the past. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

1066: Omens, Halley's Comet & the Fall of Kings | Episode 4

Monday, October 26, 2026 • Duration 31:00

In the fourth episode of our special 1066 series, host Amy Matthews takes a step back from the battlefield to look up at the skies. Did a cosmic sign destabilise an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, or was it medieval political spin? Dr Will Wyeth (English Heritage Curator of History) and Dr Jo Edge (historian and writer) join Amy to examine how celestial phenomena were deployed to reshape history. They explore interpretations attributed to the Bayeux Tapestry’s famous "long-haired star" - Halley’s Comet – and the ominous “ghost ships” that pre-empted William of Normandy’s invasion. Also, how numerology shaped medieval worldviews and why comets became linked to fratricide and the fall of monarchs. Find out more about Jo's work here https://joanneedge.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: the woman who discovered what stars are made of

Season 2 · Episode 72

Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 43:18

In 1911, when Cecila Payne was eleven, she was so musically gifted that none other than the great composer Gustav Holst encouraged her to take up music as a career. But her sights were set – literally – much higher. Her passion for science would lead her to become one of the leading astronomers of her generation and she changed our understanding of the universe forever when she discovered what stars are actually made of. But in an age where female scientists were frequently marginalised and dismissed, she was initially made to repress her results and struggled against prejudice and discrimination her whole life. To tell her incredible story, Amy is joined by English Heritage Blue Plaques historian, Dr Susan Skedd; Centre for Astrophysics’ Thom Burns and Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, herself a pioneering astrophysicist whose groundbreaking discovery of pulsars in the late 60s also transformed our understanding of the universe. She was subjected to a similar lack of recognition when her name was missed off the Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to her supervisor. We discover how she is working tirelessly to increase diversity in science and to carry on the fight Cecilia began over a century ago. If you’d like to nominate someone for an English Heritage Blue Plaque – especially a woman who has achieved in science – you can do so here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/propose-a-plaque/ Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales. *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

1066: The Battle of Hastings blow by blow | Episode 3

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 • Duration 30:12

The day that changed English history forever has dawned. In this episode of English Heritage’s special 1066 series, host Amy Matthews looks at the Battle of Hastings as it happened, using established facts and some creative speculation. Joining her are Roy Porter, Senior Curator of Properties at English Heritage, and Professor Tom Licence, Professor of Medieval History and Literature at the University of East Anglia and author of Harold: Warrior King. Together, they unpack fresh research to separate myth from reality and explore the chaotic rumours and turning points that nearly tipped the scales in either direction as the day progressed. And with such different fighting styles and armies, was William's triumph was down to tactical genius or simple good luck? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

1066: Build up to the Battle | Episode 2

Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 35:15

Following our look at the Bayeux Tapestry in Episode 1, host Amy Matthews explores the dramatic events leading up to the Battle of Hastings. Joining her are regular guest Roy Porter (Senior Curator of Properties at English Heritage) and Dr Rebecca Tyson (expert in 11th-century maritime history at the University of Bristol). Together, they dive into the chaos following Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwinson’s rapid coronation, and Duke William of Normandy’s perilous Channel crossing. From Viking-style ship experiments to Harold’s bloody victory at Stamford Bridge, discover the practical challenges, stormy weather, and high-stakes drama on the very eve of the Battle itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

King Arthur, goblins and dragons - how prehistoric sites got their names

Season 2 · Episode 71

Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 41:03

From Long Meg and her Daughters to the Devil’s Arrows to Hetty Pegler’s Tump, the British Isles is dotted with ancient places with curious names. But who came up with those titles and what inspired them? This time, Amy is joined by English Heritage’s Curator of History, Al Oswald and Curator of Properties, Stonehenge and the West, Win Scutt, to uncover the myths and folklore that have been woven around these sites. Join them to discover, amongst other things, the inspiration for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, why dancing on the sabbath was a terrible idea if you’re a woman, why counting stones could be fatal and why the Devil wasn’t a very good shot. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠    Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.*      Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠       The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a limited company, no. 07447221, registered in England and Wales.       *Offer is available through the use of this code and valid for new memberships by annual Direct Debit only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, on life memberships or renewals.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

The Bayeux Tapestry: 1066 Comes Home | Episode 1

Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 48:20

Welcome to the first episode of our brand-new, seven-part English Heritage Podcast video series exploring the historic events of 1066. This episode unravels the years long journey to bring the iconic 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry back to English soil for a landmark exhibition at the British Museum. From negotiations and transport logistics to hidden embroidery secrets and missing end panels, discover how this 11th-century masterpiece survived and how it still captivates us today. Join host Amy Matthews as she kicks off our journey with two expert guests: Jeremy Ashbee, Head Curator of Properties at English Heritage, and Professor Michael Lewis, Curator of the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition at the British Museum. Step back nearly 1,000 years and watch or listen now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read moreCollapse

The English Heritage Podcast - Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

The English Heritage Podcast - Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other60

YouTube4

SoundCloud1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other60

YouTube4

SoundCloud1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify