Gretel le Maître Ponders Beauty, with Bede & other guests
Now 1000 downloads per week, Total 36, 000 downloads
Regular top ten spot in 3 categories GoodPods
Ranked in Top 10 % of Global Rankings (Listen Notes)
No ads, team or subscription cost
Daily output
Script-free*
Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time. She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.
Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time; the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free, and you’re invited to join in. It’s super unpolished and Gretel would be grateful for you to forgive her for that. 🤓
Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth. Let’s treasure up the beautiful things and ponder them in our hearts.
Please follow me on X @gretellemaitre. 🌳
Or email me: gretellem@yahoo.com
Guests on this show include Tom Holland, Philip Mould, Bijan Omrani and Enzo Cicenti.
“The podcast combines historical reflections and extracts from literature with her own musings on architecture, literature, and the natural world. Gretel approaches these deep topics with warmth and humor, aiming to provide listeners a comforting space to explore complex emotions.
If you’re interested, you can listen to her podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, where she shares her reflections in episodes filled with historical and literary insights.
Hosted by Gretel Le Maitre, this unique podcast blends personal storytelling with historical insights from figures like the Venerable Bede, offering listeners an inspiring journey of healing and hope.
With themes of grief, transformation, and spirituality, the podcast has earned praise for its calming tone, authenticity, and ability to connect on a deeply human level. As one listener shared, it feels like sitting down with a trusted friend who understands.
Perfect for audiences seeking introspection, comfort, or simply a quiet moment of reflection, Gretel le Maître Ponders is available now on all major platforms.
Episodes
To Discern and Love Sincerity of Purpose; and an Anglo-Saxon Seafarer
Sincerity of Purpose in Shepperton; Athelhampton; and Wilfred’s X-Factor
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
A happy marriage in the Pepys household; The Seafarer; and Saint Willibrord
The Swollen Moon; Templecombe Church; and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Wherefore no man grows wise without he have his share of winters
Sir Walter Scott; A Brace of Saints; and Good Samuel Pepys
The Evolution of Church Architecture; Saint Frideswide and Gretel climbs a Bell Tower 🔔
A Somerset church and wonderful May; Goats, cows, sheep abound; and Pepys whips his poor boy until he own up to his lies
The Hedgehogs are Awake still; Philippa Langley; Pepys collects the Portuguese Queen’s Dowry; and there is an Embarrassment of Ponderations 🥴
Three Men (and a 🐕) out of their Boat; a Medley of Saints; accompanied by Jackdaws and Robins
Buckfast Abbey; John Clare and Saints Bruno and Foy.
An Unexpected Chat with Genius Composer Matthew Coleridge; and the beautiful sounds within Sherborne Abbey
Autumnal Interlude 🍁🍂🦔
A Murmuration of Ponderings; Pepys visits Portsmouth & Southampton; A Note on Medieval Church Monuments; and The Great War Blights Families, Communities and the Minds of the Returning Men
A Teeny Witter or Interlude
The George and Dragon at Wargrave; Montmorency burns his Snout; and Gretel heads for Essex
Montmorency Retreats from The Cat; Pepys is Revolted by a Floating Corpse; and Elgar ends our Ponder 🌝
Montmorency does not like Cats 🐈⬛; The Knave of Knaresborough; and Exmoor is depicted to Perfection
The Wind is finally in the Boat’s Favour; A meandering Ponder in the Garden; and we celebrate Maurice and Matthew
