In this episode, the final one of Season 7 we join Fay Stevens, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame, and explore walking as a question. 

An archaeologist by training, Fay is interested in the potential of objects and the way we organise them to inspire wonder and stimulate both the individual mind and collective conversation. 

We can all create a ‘wunderkammer’ – a cabinet of curiosities – that mirrors our experience, emotions and environment as we go. In doing so, we follow in the footsteps of great antiquarians including Elias Ashmole and Sir John Soane, and engage with a rich heritage that lives not just in museums, but wherever we walk, collect and curate- even on our kitchen tables.


If you want to find further information on this episode or to listen to other episodes of Hampshire HistBites, visit our website.

Hampshire Cultural Trust is an organisation that manages twenty-three museums, arts centres, and galleries across the county and cares for millions of historical objects. Chief Executive Paul Sapwell reveals what it takes to keep such a vast network of history and culture accessible to Hampshire’s residents. Additionally, he explores some exciting developments the Trust is undertaking, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at a fascinating partnership.


If you want to find further information on this episode or to listen to other episodes of Hampshire HistBites, visit our website.

Hursley Park near Winchester is a private estate owned by the IBM. Here you will find new buildings and also an 18th-century Queen Anne style mansion in which - many of our listeners will recall - once saw spitfires built in the ballroom! Today’s story however is takes us back even further in time as once a grand Tudor house stood here, almost forgotten apart from a faint outline on the croquet lawn.

 In 2021, the Winchester Archaeology Rescue Group (WARG) was given exclusive access to excavate the site and learn more about what was hiding under the earth. Dave Key, the voluntary science historian at Hursley Park and Stuart Rippon, a member of WARG reveals the incredible discoveries they made.


If you want to find further information on this episode or to listen to other episodes of Hampshire HistBites, visit our website.

As the RMS Titanic left Southampton on 10th April 1912, crowds filled the docks to wave goodbye to their friends and family. Many of the ship’s crew and passengers were Southampton natives who would never return to their city again.

Mary Taylor, a Southampton tourist guide, leads listeners on a trail through Southampton to historic sites relating to the ship, reveals how the city mourned after the tragedy, and explores the real stories of passengers aboard the ill-fated journey.


If you want to find further information on this episode or to listen to other episodes of Hampshire HistBites, visit our website.

For centuries, England has been known as one of the world’s strongest naval powers, but in the tumultuous age of Henry V, this fearsome reputation had yet to be forged. During the Hundred Years’ War, England and France waged a fierce war at sea. In this episode, Dr Ian Friel talks about Hampshire’s vital role in defending England and attacking France, as well as the brutal methods medieval sailors waged war on each other.


If you want to find further information on this episode or to listen to other episodes of Hampshire HistBites, visit our website.

Join us for a fascinating insight into the history of the little-known Pear Tree Church in Southampton. From its peaceful position close to the eastern bank of the River Itchen, Pear Tree’s influence and intrigue stretch far wider than first jumps out to the eye. In fact, the Church represents the oldest place of worship anywhere in the world to have been intentionally constructed as a seat of the Anglican faith (rather than converted from use as a Catholic site, for example). What’s more, the sermon written for its consecration has gone on to have a worldwide impact, acting as the template for every service since conducted to inaugurate Anglican churches worldwide. Join us to hear how, and why this came to be.

Stepping back from the grand and the global, there’s also a wealth of local history to discover in Pear Tree’s own story. In this episode, we’ll hear how the church has played a role in reflecting the ups and downs of its host city over the last four hundred years. Its roots were simple – though there’s rumour of a royal sapling somewhere along the way – and tell a story of a small community at the edge of a great maritime centre. Yet, over time, Pear Tree profited from growth, reinvention and the city’s evolution first into a bathing station and then a spa town at the heart of global merchant networks. Its fabric tells this story in their gradual aggrandisement.

Nonetheless, there’s also a darker side to the site - a sorry tale of the sea and struggle for life. Within the Church’s walls lies a monument to one of Southampton’s young sons shipwrecked, killed by cannibals and eventually commemorated in the well-known novel The Life of Pi. This is no simple story - maritime tradition, family love and the history of English law are all woven within. Listen in for more.


WARNING: THIS EPISODE INCLUDES REFERENCES TO CANNIBALISM, WHICH SOME LISTENERS MAY FIND DISTURBING.


For more information about this episode, or to browse some of our other seasons, visit our website.

At first glance, the River Itchen appears to be nothing more than a quaint waterway without much history behind it. However, within its calm streams rests thousands of years of human civilisation. Elizabeth Proudman, a local historian and former Winchester tour guide, takes listeners on a tour through the city’s history and its ties to the River Itchen. Whether it’s flowing past Iron Age fortresses, a Medieval capital, or a modern city, the river has been an inseparable part of local history.


This is our first episode of Season 7! To see maps, visual aids and to find out more about the waterways in Winchester, visit our website here.

In our last episode on chocolate, Andy Silen-McMillin joins Holly Marsden as they trace its journey across early modern Europe and its many uses as a product.

When most people think of chocolate today, they think of hot chocolate or chocolate bars. However, did you know that it was once used as an aphrodisiac? Holly Marsden and Andy Silen-McMillin explore the recipes, uses, and products made with chocolate. 

For kings and queens in early modern Europe, chocolate was power, and power was everything. Discover how this fascinating link developed!

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here.

Please note the HistBites team are taking a break over Christmas and January, but plan to return with a brand new season in February 2022. Already lots of podcasts have been recorded but if you know of a great Hampshire story or are a Hampshire based historian with a national or international story to share, do get in touch. We’d be delighted to hear from you, and maybe your story will appear in the first season of 2022.

Join us as we trace the fascinating journey of chocolate in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries - from its arrival - not without issue - on Hampshire shores, to its place at the very centre of Stuart royal life. Guided on our way by Holly Marsden, a specialist on the life and times of Mary II, we hear how the Queen placed this bittersweet substance at the heart of her work to reshape the English Court, both physically and in terms of the ritual and image-making that projected power and prestige.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here.

It’s that time of the year when Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and tins of Quality Streets are lining the shelves – but how much do you really know about the history behind chocolate?

In the first of a three-part series, join Dr Gabrielle Storey and Johanna Strong as they explore the historical production process and chocolate’s journey to Europe. This episode sets the scene ahead of two subsequent episodes which will expand upon this topic to consider the history of chocolate in Hampshire, the use of chocolate in early modern court life, and different historical recipes and uses of chocolate. 

CONTENT WARNING:

Please note that this episode will contain discussions of sensitive topics including enslavement and acts of violence. Any history of the development and production of chocolate must consider the impact it had on indigenous populations and how enslaved labour was exploited. This material may be distressing to some listeners, there is a transcript available if you would like to read this episode instead.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here.

The UK’s historic walking trails have been used for millennia. Roman sandals have walked the same paths as modern trainers. But these routes are in danger of disappearing forever. Join Peter and Paul from the Hampshire Ramblers to learn how they’re being saved!

2026 represents the deadline for retracing and reclaiming lost paths, and old rights of way, that have since dropped off the (latest) map in England and Wales. In this episode, we hear from two volunteers leading the effort to uncover what has been lost, and restore the rights of way to the map before time runs out. The project, ‘Don’t Lose Your Way’, aims to bring a nationwide community of volunteers together to review old maps of England and Wales, spot historic rights of way that no longer appear on the most modern plans, and support applications to have these ‘lost paths’ restored and preserved for posterity. 

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

Winchester is an old city filled with a rich and exciting history, echoes of the past can be seen all around as you walk through its streets - if you only know where to look.

Join Instagrammer Miss_WinchesterUK as she highlights some of the unusual facts throughout the city: discover where you can walk in the footsteps of royals; what curious rhyme you can find on a gravestone at the Cathedral and where you can hear the whispers of a ghost.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

We've all heard the name and seen the logo but what is Hampshire Fare and what do they do? In this podcast, we go in search of answers and finds a quiet success story behind some of the best of what the county has to offer.

This is our final episode of the Heritage Open Days 2021 festival, we plan to be back for Season Six in November 2021.  For more information visit our website by clicking here

All history ultimately depends on archives of some kind – documents, film, sound recordings and increasingly digital files. There is a huge range of such archives of all sizes and levels of sophistication. Often, to properly research a subject, it is necessary to “roam around” sources. This often comes up with some surprising finds. In this podcast, specially recorded for Heritage Open days local historian Barry Shurlock will attempt to show the richness of archives, with particular reference to Hampshire, but also more broadly.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

Thomas and Douglas, two Winchester College boys have specially recorded this 'Edible England' podcast and in it, they share the history of 'school food' at the Winchester College. They have delved into the school archives to discover fascinating insights into banquets organised by the school founder, and have also interviewed Old Wykehamists (former pupils) for more recent memories of the College's menus and food traditions.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

In this special podcast for Heritage Open days recorded by Hampshire Cultural Trust we explore Edible England in World War II - from 'field to fork'.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including Nick's biography and some great links to Hampshire Cultural Trust; visit our website by clicking here

Oral history is about recording someone's own words about what has happened in their lives or it could be a recording of their views and recollections of a specific event in history. In this podcast specially recorded for Heritage Open Days, we cover how to approach recording oral history, what to think about before you start, what is involved if you decide to deposit them in an archive and we also offer some top tips, as well as some, must do's and don'ts in recording.

Our guest, Padmini Broomfield, talks us through the very practical steps involved in recording oral histories and all the considerations that need to be made to get the most out of your recordings. Padmini also tells us where you can access oral histories and where you can deposit your own recordings. She also shares with us a few of the projects she has worked on and the lessons she has learned along the way.

For more information and some great resource links do visit our website for the full shownotes. Here's the link.

"1100 was an odd sort of year for some. William II had been King for a while, following the death of his father, William the Conqueror, but William II was not a good king, so might that explain this strange tale of mystery and intrigue."

Aisha Al-Sadie, Learning Officer at Winchester Cathedral in the latest Hampshire HistBites podcast shares a strange tale that is full of mystery and intrigue. It is about a dead king in the New Forest and a tower at Winchester Cathedral. It will be up to you to decide if it was an accident or a murder!

On our website you will find more information about this episode including our fantastic show notes, a downloadable version of the transcript and the Winchester Cathedral Flower Festival; visit our website by clicking here

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 the past.

From the history of bell ringing to the role it has in the current era, our guests offer stories and information of the role bell ringing played in local communities and some of the challenges that it has faced in the past and why it holds a special place in the lives of bell ringers. 

Our guests also discuss the bell ringing events that will be held during this year’s Heritage Open Day Festival. 

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

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 the design team from Vickers Supermarine, the Spitfire manufacturers.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

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 website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

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 romanticised Old Norse counterparts. 

If you are interested in finding out more be sure to check out Dr Lacey’s chapter, ‘Wælcyrian in the Water Meadows: Lantfred’s Furies’, in the edited book Early Medieval Winchester: Communities, Authority and Power in an Urban Space, c.800-c.1200, which will be published September 2021.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

“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 royal blood who were connected in different ways with this great religious building. 

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

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 back garden, or a haul of medieval stained glass. For residents of the Hyde district of Winchester, these finds are among the many treasures to emerge from community digs in the area organised by the project Hyde 900. 

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here

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 salubrious note, one of the Kray twins is rumoured to have ordered silk from here while detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

On our website you will find more information about this episode including photographs, our fantastic show notes and a downloadable version of the transcript; visit our website by clicking here