A short guided tour of White Ladies Priory. Learn about its mysterious origins and Romanesque architecture, and discover the place where Charles II first sought refuge while fleeing the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

White Ladies Priory Audio Guide

Audio guides to English Heritage historic sites on Dartmoor, designed to be listened to either on site or at home.

Merrivale Prehistoric Settlement Audio Guide

Hound Tor Deserted Medieval Village Audio Guide

Grimspound Audio Guide

Silchester Roman City Walls Audio Guide

Wolvesey Castle Audio Guide

Audio guide to Ravenglass Roman Bath House, Cumbria. The guide is designed for listening either on site or at home.

Ravenglass Roman Bath House Audio Guide

Audio guide to Hardknott Roman Fort, Cumbria. The guide is designed for listening either on site or at home.

Hardknott Roman Fort Audio Guide

Audio guide to Ambleside Roman Fort, Cumbria. The guide is designed for listening either on site or at home.

Ambleside Roman Fort Audio Guide

Launching on Tuesday 8 October 2019. 

Speaking with Shadows is a new six-part documentary series from English Heritage, presented by broadcaster and comedian Josie Long. This is the podcast that listens to the people history forgot.

Every two weeks Josie travels to an English Heritage site to uncover a lesser-known part of its past. She speaks to experts, community members and artists with modern perspectives on the stories you may not have been taught in school.

Trailer - Speaking with Shadows

The early 20th century saw a craze for historic pageants – huge theatrical events with casts of thousands. Gwen Lally called herself England’s first female pageant master, and in 1932 she arrived at Battle Abbey in Sussex with great ambitions for her latest show. It was unusual for a woman to wield such power, but even more unusual was her decision to wear masculine clothes. This was a woman who pushed the boundaries.

With English Heritage curator Kathryn Bedford, Josie Long explores the story of the Battle Abbey Pageant and speaks to Lally biographer Deborah Sugg Ryan about new research that is shedding light on the enigmatic pageant master's personal life. She also meets E-J Scott, Curator of the Museum of Transology, and Francesca Reid (aka drag king Brent Would) to discuss how gender roles have been challenged through performance.

Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage. 


Presenter: Josie Long

Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air

Contributors: Kathryn Bedford, English Heritage Collections Curator (South East); Deborah Sugg Ryan, Professor of Design History and Theory at University of Portsmouth; E-J Scott, Historian, Curator and Queer Cultural Producer; Francesca Reid, performer and creator of the drag king Brent Would.

Episode 1:  A 1930s Pioneer – The  First Female Pageant Master

When France declared war on Britain in 1793 their overseas colonies were also drawn into the ensuing conflict. Black prisoners of war captured from the French Republic in the eastern Caribbean were among the thousands brought to Portchester Castle and imprisoned there. Arriving in Portsmouth Harbour after months of sailing across the Atlantic, the prisoners were faced with a new life in an unfamiliar landscape.

In this episode Josie Long visits Portchester Castle in Hampshire and meets historians Abigail Coppins and Steve Martin, and local councillor Nick Walker, to learn about the Caribbean prisoners of war who were imprisoned in the castle during the Napoleonic wars. Who were they and what were their fates as prisoners of Portchester?

Visit our episode page to find out more about the prisoners of Portchester and this often untold part of Britain’s black history.  

Speaking with Shadows is brought to you by English Heritage. 

Presenter: Josie Long

Producer: Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air

Contributors: Abigail Coppins, Historian; Steve Martin, Writer and Historian; Nick Walker, Councillor for Portchester West.

www.english-heritage.org.uk/speakingwithshadows

Episode 2: The Caribbean Prisoners of Portchester Castle

Baconsthorpe Castle Audio Guide

Bants Carn Burial Chamber Audio Guide

Bishops Waltham Audio Guide

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic places, bringing the story of England to life for millions of visitors each year.

Listen to the English Heritage Podcast at https://soundcloud.com/englishheritage

English Heritage

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