From bobbins to skyscrapers: the story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill
What does the view from London’s tallest building have in common with your kitchen tea towels and your favourite summer holiday outfit?
This week on the English Heritage Podcast, Amy Matthews and her guests dive into the history of Shrewsbury Flax Mill and the industrial revolution.
Find out how a humble bobbin can unravel a story about the linen and textile industries; how technical innovation changed the lives of working people and how it offered us the architecture that makes modern day skyscrapers possible. English Heritage’s Dr Steven Brindle and Barrie Trinder, a historian with a passion for industrial Shropshire explore the minds and the hands behind the mill, all the way through to its present-day impact.
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37:58
Georgian wallpaper and an enduring fashion trend
When Wrest Park’s Jemima, Marchioness Grey, was widowed, she unleashed her purse strings to install lavish Chinese art across the Bedfordshire estate: perfect for taking tea with friends.
You can get lost in the intricate birds, plants and people featured in Wrest Park’s Chinese wallpapers, but how was this part of a wider fashion in textiles, design and landscaping?
Dr Andrew Hann and volunteer Richard Luscombe join writer and comedian Amy Matthews to find out how trade between Europe and China started a centuries long love affair with Chinese design and textiles, and how consumer demand and exotic ideals were used by skilled manufacturers to develop the Chinoiserie style we still enjoy in our clothes, homewares and furnishings today.
You can plan your visit to see Wrest Park and its Chinese wallpapers at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/wrest/
Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.
Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/
Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/
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42:35
Fish, feminism and working women in the 20th Century
How does a fish connect us to a story of working women’s rights?
Join comedian, writer and history fangirl Amy Matthews and her guests find out about tough and resilient seasonal workers in the Great Yarmouth fishing industry. From frozen fingers to salty cuts and a work hard play hard attitude (not to mention the stench of fish at the end of the day), working women travelled the coastlines on the trail of herring shoals, bolstering local fishing industries with seasonal work and bringing a whole new vibe to the towns they landed in.
English Heritage’s Dr Megan Leyland and researcher Dr Jill de Fresnes explore the lives of working people in Great Yarmouth’s Row Houses during the peak of the fishing industry, and the essential role of women in the supporting textile industry in the early 20th Century.
You can find out more about Great Yarmouth Row Houses at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/greatyarmouthrowhouses
Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show.
Join: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/
Support our work: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/
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31:55
Speaking with shadows: The Workhouse at Framlingham Castle
We’re still busy behind the scenes, so in the meantime we wanted to share a special series with you called Speaking with Shadows.
Framlingham Castle was home to the fiercely powerful Dukes of Norfolk for 400 years – so how did it end up as a workhouse in the 17th century? Join Josie Long as she delves into the castle’s second life and English society’s changing attitudes towards poverty over the centuries. Hear about people who lived and worked in the workhouse, and why life wasn’t always like a scene from Oliver Twist.
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37:07
Speaking with shadows: Bolsover Castle’s Philosopher Duchess
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Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places?
In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of English Heritage experts and special guests, Amy explores what our past can tell us about our present and perhaps our future.
Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
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