The English Heritage Podcast

In this episode, we explore how a simple piece of Roman pottery - a red Samian bowl - can reveal the hidden lives of people living in Britain nearly 2,000 years ago.



Found at Corbridge Roman Town, this artifact features a unique bit of ancient graffiti translating to "Nico slave of Atticus".



Joining host Amy Matthews are English Heritage historian Dr. Andrew Roberts and Collections Manager, David Hanks. Together, they unpack what this discovery tells us about the social fabric of Roman Britain. We dive into the complex and often oppressive world of Roman slavery, where individuals like Nico might have possessed personal items, or even managed businesses, despite being legally considered property.



From the poignant reality of iron shackles to inspiring stories of freedom, we bring to light the human traces left behind by those whose voices are rarely heard in history books.



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

Housesteads Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall is Britain's most complete Roman fort. From the remains of its buildings, we can get a good idea of what it looked like. But how did the bathhouse smell? Or, perhaps more importantly, what about the latrines? What did the food taste like? And what sounds would the Roman soldiers stationed there have heard?

Join Amy, English Heritage Curator of History, Andrew Roberts and sensory archaeologist Dr Giacomo Savani on site as they explore this remarkable fort.

Follow this podcast wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you love the show.

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

Step through the doors of Britain’s surviving medieval barns and you enter a space that once fed whole communities.

This week, Amy Matthews meets Dr Lydia Miller and Dr Nick Holder to explore the surprising power of England’s great barns.

This year marks 600 years since the construction of Harmondsworth Barn, an agricultural workhorse that sat at the heart of medieval life. Far from the quiet buildings we know today they were once places of noise, hard work and very high stakes.

Hear about the legacy of the people that once used this place: from mysterious carved horses and protective symbols to the astonishing carpentry that raised these timber giants. With Heathrow now humming nearby and modern debate gathering pace, these humble barns have stories to tell us about community, survival and heritage in the modern day too.

Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show

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

Audley End House in Essex is still one of England’s finest mansions. To look at it today, you’d never know it started life as Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery dissolved by Henry VIII.

The story of its journey from monastery to mansion involves intrigue, fraud, brazen ambition and a cast of colourful characters. Join Amy, art historian and curator, Dr Peter Moore, and volunteer researcher, Fiona Wilkinson, as they bring the tale to life – quite literally!



Follow this podcast wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you love the show.

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

With their monasteries and castles, historic ports and seaside towns, our coastlines can feel timeless. But the truth is these landscapes, and the communities within them, change all the time.

Join Amy and English Heritage’s Senior Properties Curator, Roy Porter, and Assistant Curator of Collections for the South East, Grace Parsonage. Together, they explore how coastal sites have evolved over time, the unique challenges of caring for historic buildings on the shoreline, and what it takes to protect these treasured places for future generations.

You can watch our coastal series as well as listen to it - either on Spotify or go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnglishHeritage

Follow this podcast wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you love the show.

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