THE ENGLISH HERITAGE PODCAST
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.
A history of curry in Britain
Try to order a balti in Kashmir and you might get a funny look.
That’s because this ‘classic curry’ was invented in 1970s Birmingham, when a restaurant owner wanted to make a curry-like dish that suited local palates and could be cooked quickly for his customers.
Curry may be one of our nation’s favourite foods, but how did our modern-day cuisine evolve from centuries of trade, exploitation, colonialism and migration? In today’s episode, Christopher Warleigh-Lack, Mallika Basu and Samantha Bilton take Amy through the chequered history of curry.
Christopher begins our journey at Osborne on the Isle of Wight, where we explore Queen Victoria’s passion for India and the influences we can discover in the collection. We also look at British inventions, from balti to tikka masala, coronation chicken and the incendiary sultana, and discuss their place in food culture and tradition today.
Listen HereEpisodes to listen to this month
Join us on The English Heritage Podcast as we unpick the real events and people behind the famous story of the Battle of Hastings. We discuss who had the strongest claim to the English throne, what happened in the days and months leading up to the battle and what William I did to cement his reign in the years that followed the Norman Conquest.
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The events and people behind the Battle of Hastings
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What happened after the Battle of Hastings?
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A coin, a castle and a conquest: the Normans in the north of England
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Who was William the Conqueror?
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The rise, reign and fall of Harold Godwinson
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Ask The Experts: everything you want to know about the Battle of Hastings
All Episodes
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Speaking with shadows
When you’re wandering about a historic place, what voices do you hear echoing off the walls? Are they the ones you learnt about at school – or do you wonder about the shadowy, quiet voices that may have gone unheard?
Travel from 17th-century Northamptonshire, where we hear about the heroic servant who may have become Britain’s first black pub landlord, to wartime Essex, where Polish special forces soldiers trained in secrecy for life or death missions to their homeland.
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