It is the start of Season 5, a very special season to celebrate this year's Heritage Open Days festival. We begin with a fascinating podcast on traditional bell ringing in Hampshire, with the help of podcaster Cathy Booth from Fun with Bells and experts Chris Pickford, Elizabeth Johnson, and Micki Nadal. In this special Heritage Open Days podcast, our experts discuss what traditional bell ringing is, share what it is like to be a bell ringer and some fascinating stories about bell ringing in...

Everyone has heard of the Spitfire - one of the most successful aircraft ever produced and one of greatest iconic pieces of design. But how many of us knew they were designed in the magnificent setting of an oak panelled ballroom in an 18th century mansion?! Join David Key as he shares fascinating stories about the Hursley Park near Winchester and the very important part it played in the Second World War when it was taken over by the ministry of aircraft production, and became the home for...

Queen Matilda, otherwise known as Matilda of Boulogne, was arguably one of the most important English queens of the twelfth century. However, she seems to be overshadowed by, and sometimes even confused with, her cousin, the Empress Matilda, who opposed King Stephen during the civil war period known as the Anarchy.  Join Catherine Capel as she considers the role the Queen played as a military leader at the Rout as well as her representation as a ruler within contemporary chronicles. On our...

It’s amazing how we can learn so much about a place from its past, and Winchester is no different! Dating from the Anglo-Saxon period, Winchester’s folklore not only tells us more about the city, but it also highlights some details about an unusual creature: the English version of the Old Norse Valkyrja.   Join Dr Eric Lacey as he shares with us the story of the valkyries in the Water Meadows, how the English version of the valkyries was understood and how different it was from its somewhat...

“Get thee to a nunnery” Hamlet declares to Desdemona in Shakespeare’s play, but for women in medieval England, being sent to an abbey or convent was not necessarily a penance. Taking orders could be as advantageous as an arranged marriage, providing women with a good education and positions of power and authority. In the medieval era Hampshire’s Romsey Abbey was the church of a Benedictine nunnery and Catherine Capel of the University of Winchester tells the gripping stories of five women of...

Having been moved from place to place for over 200 years, King Alfred the Great's roaming remains finally came to rest at Hyde Abbey in 1110: a newly formed Benedictine house. With such a regal presence, the Abbey became a hugely popular pilgrimage destination until its destruction during the Reformation. But now the history behind the burial place of one of Hampshire's most famous residents is being unearthed for all to see... Just imagine unearthing a bit of 12th century cloister in your...

The ancient tradition of silk weaving is not just alive but flourishing at Hampshire’s very own silk mill, housed in its original building in the little town of Whitchurch. Emily Briffett talks to some of the team at Whitchurch Silk Mill and discovers that the fabric and ribbons produced here over the years have clothed both the famous and the infamous. A segment of the silk used for the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales was prepared right here at Whitchurch, while on a less...

When it comes to swanky guest lists it’s hard to beat the roll call of visitors to Hampshire’s Titchfield Abbey over the centuries. Henry V stopped off here en route for the campaign in France that inspired Shakespeare’s famous St Crispin’s Day speech. Later Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou here and Elizabeth I and Charles I were among the Tudor and Stuart monarchs to drop in for a visit.  But Titchfield is not the only Hampshire location with strong royal connections. In fact, it has some...

Hampshire during the English Civil War was a pretty miserable place. Looting was rife and the population politically divided and plagued by disease. Into this gloomy scene came the London rope-maker William Franklin, a self-proclaimed Messiah, who set up camp in Andover in 1649 with his female companion Mary Gadbury. Was he a visionary or a blasphemer? Local historian Alex Beeton talks to Julie Dypdal about this fascinating tale, the fluctuating fortunes of Franklin and his band of followers...

On Sundays and feast days and in times of celebration and mourning bells ring out from Hampshire’s churches, abbeys and cathedrals to mark the occasion. It’s a practice that has continued since Saxon times, but where are the county’s oldest church bells which once rang to sound the curfew, or to remind households to cover their fires overnight? And where were they made?  Phil Watts, Bells Advisor for the Winchester diocese reveals all to Cathy Booth in this fascinating heritage podcast as he...

May 12th is International Nurses’ Day and in this podcast we celebrate the life of one of Hampshire’s most influential Victorians, the nurse and campaigner Florence Nightingale. From her home at Embley Park near Romsey, she set off for the Crimean War where she introduced pioneering hygiene measures that saved countless lives and established a template for modern nursing. Her ‘Wash your Hands’ message has never been more relevant. Julie Dypdal talks to local artist Sophie Hacker about the...

Among the treasures on display in Winchester Cathedral is the ancient Sigmund Stone, excavated from the remains of the Saxon cathedral on the same site. Carved on this stone fragment is a scene from the Old Norse Volsunga Saga, a compendium of tales that provide a window into the treacherous and brutal Viking world. Aisha Al-Sadie, Learning Officer at the cathedral, takes us back to the time of wolves and forests, great feasts and bloody battles as she narrates a story of King Volsung and his...

Hampshire-based explorer John Pilkington continues his travelogue, recounting to Emily Briffett how a childhood love of maps led to his wanderings in far flung corners of the globe. Here he regales us with tales of tracing dinosaur footprints in Bolivia, witnessing the birth of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, getting stranded in Antarctica, tracking down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and becoming the first European to visit the source of Mekong River. For more information, including show notes...

Where did the historic Whitchurch Silk Mill get its silk? Hampshire resident and explorer John Pilkington talks about his journey across the world to find the answer.

Since its foundation in 1884, St. Swithun’s School has been at the forefront of female education. Elly Crooks reveals the school’s history and the priceless artefacts located within its archives.

Technology advances, empires rise and fall, and the world changes. However, there is one constant throughout history: us. Carey Fleiner explores history through her research and work at the British Museum.

Winchester’s Forgotten Second Railway Station

You don’t need to look far to see that we’re living in unusual times. However, not even COVID - 19 can outlast history. Learn how Zoe Viney is helping to document the lives of everyday people like you for future generations.

Rivers, streams, and other bodies of water are the lifeblood for Hampshire. Susan Simmonds explores their history and the challenging work to protect them in the modern age.

Dr Alex Langlands, a familiar face from the BBC Victorian Farm series, reveals how material foraged from our local landscape can be turned into practical and beautiful objects that connect us with the natural world.

Join Hampshire Histbites’ very own Nicky Gottlieb and Becky Brown as they talk about the dozens of hard-working people who make all of it possible, future podcasts and the 2021 Winchester Heritage Open Daysitage festival.

Guest hosts, Catherine and Madelaine, discuss those heritage treasures that are a part of our everyday life but hidden in plain sight!

Join Cecily and Rachel as they share their passion for dramatising the stories of Hampshire's ‘unheard, unsung and unvisited’

Mary I made history when she became Queen of England, yet little of her life has been interpreted at Wolvesey Castle and Hampton Court Palace where major life events took place.

The life of Mary I has deep connections with both Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. How was she forgotten by these churches? Johanna Strong uncovers the truth. This podcast looks at the ways in which Mary I, first crowned queen regnant of...