The Alnwick Castle Podcast
Alnwick Castle is one of North East England's top visitor attractions and has been part of British history for nearly 1,000 years. Now, Alnwick Castle has a podcast! Join hosts Daniel and Deborah, and regular special guests, as they discuss fascinating aspects of Alnwick Castle's history, from the people that lived there to its connections with famous events, its place as a filming location, and more. New episodes will be available every two weeks - make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any!
Episodes
76 episodes
75 - Alnwick Castle Timeline
In our final episode of 2024, the Alnwick Castle Podcast presents a timeline of the entire history of the castle ... or, at least, the most significant moments in the history of the castle.Join our hosts Daniel and Deborah as they run t...
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17:35
74 - A Brief History of Alnwick Castle's Parks
You may have visited Alnwick Castle this year, or last year, or before that, but did you know there is a beautiful park just west of the castle with a history almost as long?In this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, join hosts Dani...
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13:18
73 - More Medieval Music - with Pearl in the Egg
During summer time at Alnwick Castle, we love to invite historical musicians to play music of the past for our visitors in the castle grounds. New to Alnwick this year were the duo Pearl in the Egg (a.k.a Karen and Liz), who play melodies from ...
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23:57
72 - Border Reivers - with Andy Rice
Alnwick Castle, for hundreds of years, was a border fortress, part of the defensive line protecting England from Scottish attacks. But throughout the medieval period and into the Tudor and Elizabethan periods, families on both sides of the bord...
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38:21
71 - The Alnwick Castle Library Project (Part 3) - with Ellin Belton and Andrew Jarman
If you are a subscriber to the Alnwick Castle Podcast (thank you!) or you follow us on social media, you will be aware of the Library Project that has been taking place throughout 2024, restoring and reimagining this vital part of the State Roo...
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25:31
70 - The Case of the Percy Tiles - with Karen Slade (Company of Artisans)
What can 500-year-old tiles tell us about the rise and fall of a noble family in the Tudor period? Quite a lot, as it turns out! Join us for this historical detective story, as we look into the mystery of why the survival of Percy family tiles ...
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34:18
69 - The House of Dudley - with Dr Joanne Paul
Did you know there was a Duke of Northumberland two centuries before the Percy family of Alnwick Castle were given the title? And that the person who held the dukedom also spent time here at Alnwick? He was John Dudley, part of one of the most ...
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43:01
68 - The Burnings: 16th century witch trials - with Naomi Kelsey
The Burnings is the debut novel from author Naomi Kelsey, and tells the story of some of the women accused of witchcraft during a period of intense persecution in 16th century Scotland. We were lucky enough to be joined at the cast...
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40:00
67 - Historic Houses - with Sarah Roller
What do Alnwick Castle, Chatsworth House, Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard, Muncaster Castle and over 1400 other places across the UK have in common? They are all part of Historic Houses, an organisation that for over 50 years has been a voice fo...
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20:05
66 - Downton Abbey at Alnwick Castle - with Alnwick Castle staff!
It was ten years ago this summer that global hit drama Downton Abbey first filmed at Alnwick Castle, for their 2014 Christmas special. The show returned to the Castle the following summer for what would be their final episode before transferrin...
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35:50
65 - Young Elizabeth - with Nicola Tallis
On Friday 11th October, Alnwick Castle welcomes historian and broadcaster Nicola Tallis to speak about her new book. Young Elizabeth is the story of the early years of Queen Elizabeth I, and is a fascinating, comprehensive biography of this par...
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30:37
64 - Lions of the Red Rose: the Exhibition - with Chris Hunwick
We return to the Wars of the Roses for the latest episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, for an exclusive audio tour of the new exhibition inspired by Lions of the Red Rose, the story of the Percy family and their involvement in the Wars.
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33:14
63 - Archery, Hotspur and the Wars of the Roses - with Andy Rice
When master medieval archer Andy Rice was last on the Alnwick Castle podcast, we were introduced to some of the principles and the importance of archery in the Middle Ages. For our latest episode, Andy returned for a live interview in Artisans ...
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30:35
62 - The Alnwick Castle Library Project (Part 2) - with Ellin Belton, Andrew Jarman and Robin Smeaton
We last told you all about the Alnwick Castle Library project in April this year, on episode 59 of the podcast. On that episode, we spoke to Project Conservator Ellin Belton and Household Controller Andrew Jarman and found out the plans for res...
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25:05
61 - The King's Mother - with Annie Garthwaite
Cecily, the debut novel from Annie Garthwaite, told the story of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, through to the triumph of her son Edward in the Battle of Towton in 1461. In her new book, 'The King's Mother', Annie follows Cecily in her new ro...
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36:37
60 - Making History Silly - with the Silly History Boys
In our silliest, most anarchic episode yet, the Alnwick Castle Podcast has crossed over with the Silly History Boys Show! This band of hilarious historical performers will be joining us at Alnwick Castle this May half term holiday (and again la...
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27:24
59 - The Alnwick Castle Library Project - with Ellin Belton and Andrew Jarman
2024 sees the undertaking of a huge project within the Library of Alnwick Castle. Created to house the collection of 14,000 books in the 19th century, in recent years the Library has been a main living space for the Duke and Duchess of Northumb...
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20:23
58 - Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses - with Ronan Paterson
Every April, we like to devote an episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast to William Shakespeare, so as part of our 2024 series of podcasts about the Wars of the Roses, we thought this year's edition could focus on how Shakespeare treated this pa...
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53:29
57 - To The Call Of Bugles - with Bill Openshaw and Nick Lewis
Since his last appearance on the Alnwick Castle Podcast a year ago, one of our favourite regular guests Bill Openshaw has released his first book! To The Call Of Bugles explores the full history of the Percy Tenantry Volunteers, the army based ...
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37:13
56 - How To Be A Fool - with Tom Fool
Throughout the medieval period (and beyond), the jester was an important - and often hilarous - figure in the royal courts of England, and the art of being a fool has not been forgotten! In this episode of the podcast, our hosts Deborah and Dan...
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22:01
55 - Lions of the Red Rose - with the Duke of Northumberland
Lions of the Red Rose is a brand new book exploring the history of the Wars of the Roses by focusing on members of the Percy family - the 2nd Earl of Northumberland, his four warrior sons, and their surviving heir, battling through some of the ...
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16:01
54 - A Brief History of the Percys in the Wars of the Roses
In 2024, the Alnwick Castle Podcast will feature a series of episodes focusing on the Wars of the Roses, the violent, decades-long struggle for the English crown in the 15th century, in which the Percy family and Alnwick Castle played a part. T...
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14:08
53 - Vital Organs: A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts - with Suzie Edge
On Saturday 25th May, author, medical historian and TikTok sensation Suzie Edge will be appearing in person at Alnwick Castle to talk about her latest book, Vital Organs: A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts. You can get your tickets...
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35:44
52 - The Cucci Cabinets - with Yannick Chastang
Formerly belonging to King Louis XIV and displayed in his palace at Versailles, the huge cabinets known as the Cucci Cabinets are two of the most important pieces of furniture in the world - and if you have visited the State Rooms at Alnwick Ca...
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53:11
51 - The Dunbar Prisoners of 1650 - with Megan Olshefski
Following the Battle of Dunbar in early September 1650, thousands of Scottish prisoners of war were marched south to Durham Cathedral. On their way, they were kept overnight at Alnwick Castle.In the first Alnwick Castle Podcast of 2024,...
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32:22