Videos
As a member, you can enjoy exclusive videos and previews. From Members' lectures and Members' Week virtual events to series exploring fashion or gardens, there's a video for everyone.
Head to our kids' area for lots of fun videos for younger members.
Check out the latest content:
- Fashion Through History
- Gardens Through History
- Members' lectures
- How England Was Made
- Members' Week videos
- Songs of England
- Falconry through the ages
Fashion Through History
Join Dr Serena Dyer, fashion historian, as she explores how fashion has changed through the ages. Discover how clothes from the past have influenced our styles of today, and see historic costumes at some of our sites.
In the latest episode (episode 6), Serena joins Eleanor Matthews (curator) at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in South Yorkshire to explore the impact of the Second World War on fashion.
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Episode 5: The Stuarts
Serena joins Cameron Moffett at Boscobel House and the Royal Oak in Shropshire to explore the impact of the Civil Wars and the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 on fashion.
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Episode 4: Elizabethans
Explore why fashion was so important to Elizabethan society as Serena travels to Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden to meet Head Historic Properties Curator, Dr Jeremy Ashbee.
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Episode 3: 1930s
Serena travels to Eltham Palace in London to meet English Heritage Senior Properties Historian, Amy Boyington, to recreate the iconic looks of Stephen and Virginia Courtauld.
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Episode 2: Georgians
Serena travels to Kenwood in London to meet curator Louise Cooling where they unveil historic looks that were popular in Georgian society including those potentially worn by Dido Belle.
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Episode 1: Victorians
Join Serena as she travels to Osborne to meet English Heritage Curator Sam Stones. The pair unveil three historic looks that were popular during Queen Victoria’s reigns.
Gardens Through History
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Episode 1: Mount Grace
Join florist, gardener, and designer Hazel Gardiner, as she explores Mount Grace Priory in Northallerton. Visit this Carthusian Priory’s cell gardens which boast a rich and impressive variety of medicinal plants.
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Episode 2: Kenilworth Castle
Hazel Gardiner explores Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden. Join her as she walks in the footsteps of Elizabeth I through the garden and discovers the opulence and splendour.
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Episode 3: Eltham Palace and Gardens
Hazel Gardiner explores the history of Eltham Palace and Gardens in London, and finds out how the gardeners maintain the appearance and carefully balance historical accuracy and horticultural skill.
Members' lectures - watch again
Rewatch all of our members' lectures again, with experts discussing everything from neolithic farming to Charles Darwin, life in a medieval castle to the evolving gardens at Belsay Hall.
Watch nowHow England Was Made
Episode 4: Stott Park Bobbin Mill
In our How England Was Made series, presenter Rob Bell explores significant locations from England's industrial history, accompanied by one of our expert historians.
In the fourth and final episode, presenter Rob Bell visits a mill that played a surprisingly key role in England’s textile industry in the 19th century. Nestled on the shores of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, Stott Park Bobbin Mill produced millions of wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving industries. Join Rob and Senior Curator Kevin Booth as they explore the role of the humble bobbin and the story behind the only working bobbin mill left in the Lake District today.
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Episode 1: Neolithic Mines
Historian Susan Greaney gives Rob Bell a guided tour of Grime's Graves in Norfolk. This Neolithic flint mine is evidence of early industry, from production to trade, even though the site itself is very unassuming.
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Episode 2: Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge combines aesthetic beauty with practical usage, allowing for safe passage across the River Severn. Rob discovers more about the site with Head Collections Curator Matt Thompson.
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Episode 3: Derwentcote Steel Furnace
On the outskirts of Gateshead, Derwentcote is the earliest steelmaking furnace in Britain. Senior Properties Curator Mark Douglas and Rob discuss the history of steelmaking in the Derwent Valley.
Rewatch Members' Week virtual events
In April 2021, 2022 and 2023 we hosted Members' weeks as a special thank you to you, our Members, for your ongoing support. As well as many events at sites across the country we also released a variety of virtual events for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
Rewatch our virtual events
Songs of England
In this video series in collaboration with The Nest Collective, we explore the stories behind traditional English folk songs that have connections to historic places.
Join Matt Thompson and Sam Lee for the eleventh episode as they discuss 'The Lady of Carlisle' which tells the tale of a woman – courted by two men – who tests her suitors with a dangerous trial of courage in a den of beasts. The song has been paired with England's most beseiged castle: Carlisle Castle in Cumbria.
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Salisbury Plain
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss the song 'Salisbury Plain' set on the vast landscape of the same name.
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A Ship To Old England Came
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss a song whose lyrics speak of the long naval history of Dover Castle.
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The Bedfordshire May Carol
Sam Lee and Matt Thompson talk about this traditional May carol, performed in days gone by on the doorsteps of homes such as Wrest Park.
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High Germany
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss a song that evokes the many partings that have taken place at Pendennis Castle over the centuries.
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John Barleycorn
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss a song about a fictional man's murder and burial, with Stonehenge a fitting match for this dark tale.
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The Four Loom Weaver
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss 'The Four Loom Weaver', a traditional song that reflects the Industrial Revolution and the Iron Bridge.
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The Old Garden Gate
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss 'The Old Garden Gate', a mournful tale inspired by Audley End House and Gardens.
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When Fortune Turns the Wheel
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss 'When Fortune Turns the Wheel', a traditional parting song inspired by Hadrian's Wall.
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Sweet Nightingale, Tintagel Castle
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they discuss 'Sweet Nightingale', thought to have been imported from Germany by Cornish tin miners in the 1800s.
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The Whitby Lad, Whitby Abbey
Join Sam Lee and Matt Thompson as they examine the musical tale of the 'Whitby Lad', a wayward boy sentenced to life in a penal colony in Australia.
Falconry through the ages
Emma Raphael from Raphael Historic Falconry takes a fascinating look at falconry through the ages, from Romans to Victorians via the Saxons, medieval age and Tudors.
Filmed at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex, Emma is joined by her husband Mike and a plethora of falcons including a Merlin and Gyrfalcon to a Barn Owl and Golden Eagle.
