Edge of England

Welcome back to the Edge of England. Lend us your ears wherever you are and wander with us to a place where the land meets the sea and creativity is fizzing and bubbling just like the waves hitting the shore.  In this episode we're in Eastbourne with dancer and choreographer Yanaëlle Thiran, who guides us … Continue reading "The Performance Path"

Down by the lapping waves, we talk folklore, legend and landscape with the singer and story collector Liz Pearson, who plays us some of the beautiful, mesmerising sounds she makes as Chalk Horse Music.

Emily and Cole wander inland a little to discover a previously closed-off corner of the beautiful Cuckmere Valley where grapes are being grown, wine is being made and people are now free to wander.

Sea snakes and smugglers, bowler hats and bones and an enchanted moment in a hidden valley feature in the latest episode of the podcast exploring the fascinating people, places and stories of the Edge of England. Emily and Cole encounter Jo Seaman, heritage manager and story teller, outside the new visitor centre at Beachy Head. Beware the Kraken!

Today we explore a borderland between the sea and the marshes, fact and fiction, even life and death. Our guide to the windswept shingle beaches, wide skies and curious settlements between Sovereign Harbour and Pevensey Bay in East Sussex is crime fiction writer Sheila Bugler, who is originally from the west of Ireland but now lives close by and has set a mesmerising murder mystery trilogy here

Welcome to the first of a new batch of Edge of England episodes, exploring people and place along this curious, glorious stretch of coastline. We kick off season three with a very personal episode inspired by the wellbeing weekend that the lovely people at East Sussex libraries are having for Mental Health Awareness Week. In … Continue reading "The Saving Power of Nature"

Here’s one we recorded during that time, exploring a story written by Cole set in the stunning landscape of the Belle Tout, Beachy Head and Seven Sisters, this time with added songs.

We return to the curious life of Parson Darby, whose gravestone says he was the sailor’s friend. Was he a hero? Was he helping the smugglers? Emily and Cole are keen to discover more about the local legend who spent his nights keeping a light alive in a hole in the cliffs near Birling Gap … Continue reading "Parson Darby’s Hole Part Two"

Why did a priest spend hours sitting in a sea-lashed hole in a cliff shining a light? Where was that hole? Did he save lives? Help smugglers? Die of a broken heart? Another fascinating story from the Edge of England, uncovered and told by Cole Moreton and Emily Jeffery

A bonus episode of the Edge of England podcast as we are amazed to actually get able to hear the voice of the beautiful young stage star of World War One whose life and mysterious retirement we have been exploring. #Edwardian #history #untold #singing #paleophonics

Why did a huge young star of the Edwardian theatre retire suddenly at the peak of her fame and retreat to a house on the edge of a cliff by the seaside, where she was considered 'too racy' by the locals? Emily and Cole uncover the mysterious life of Winifred Barnes in today's episode of the Edge of England podcast

Today's episode of the Edge of England podcast is a favourite described by some as like Detectorists with wings. Come for a walk with your ears, meet @BeachyBirder and explore the wonders of nature and the nature of obsession ...

Misgana came to the South Coast from Eritrea as a young girl, without really knowing why. Many years later, she shares her story. Today's episode of the Edge of England podcast is about finding safety. Finding a new place to call home.

Eastbourne surprises us with a ghost, the posh police and a bit of Scandi Noir as the latest episode of the Edge of England podcast gets edgy indeed.

Edge of England podcast explores the stunning landscape of Cuckmere Haven and the campaign to save the coastguard cottages that provide one of the world's most famous views

Writer Giles Paley-Phillips shows Edge of England the almost secret treasure that is Hope Gap, near his home in East Sussex. We see the location crew filming the Netflix movie Hope Gap and try to spot Bill Nighy

Fascinating people, places and stories from the stunning landscape around Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters on the South Coast. This time we visit the beautiful Belle Tout lighthouse, perched (safely) near the edge of a four hundred foot drop. A shiny new edit of an episode of the Edge of England podcast every Saturday during lockdown, with Emily Jeffery and Cole Moreton.

We're going to put out a shiny new edit of an episode of the Edge of England every Saturday, hoping that by the time we reach the end lockdown will be over and we can make some more. Lots of kind people have said it helps them get away and out into the fresh air, at least in their ears and heads and hearts, so why not give it a try or refresh your lovely self by coming for a walk with us again?

Come down to the sea to clear your head, listen to the waves and have a wander with us along the south coast of England, as we enter a new year with hope. Cole and Emily pick up the threads of previous fascinating stories and discover new ones in this special episode of a series highly praised by Country Living and Radio 4's Podcast Hour: "I love it. Edge of England always has a Detectorists feel ... you get a lovely English countryside sense of having a hug." Welcome to the Edge of England …

Escape in your head by bringing your ears on a gentle, uplifting wander along the coast with us in this special episode of a series that has been highly praised by the likes of Country Life and Radio 4's Podcast Hour: "I love it. Edge of England always has a Detectorists feel ... you get a lovely English countryside sense of having a hug." In this episode Cole and Emily explore the beauties and joys of a terrible situation, trying to find something to appreciate and be grateful for in lockdown. We walk the quiet paths and empty golf course and hear the birds sing. And we explore a story set in the stunning landscape of the Belle Tout, Beachy Head and Seven Sisters.

Emily is astonished to be able to hear the voice of a woman with whom she has become obsessed: Winnifred Barnes, beautiful young star of the West End stage during World War One, who gave up her career to live, as an eccentric, on the edge of the cliff at Holywell.

In which we pick up with part two of the remarkable story of Parson Darby, his hole and his life-saving life. Cole and Emily go to find out the truth about this local legend from historian Elizabeth Wright, who reveals a surprising twist in the tale. Why did a young man turn up in France … Continue reading "Season Two, Episode Four: The Mystery of the Son"

In which we are haunted by a Spitfire yet again, before we go in search of the truth about a local legend. Who was Parson Darby? Where was his famous hole? Why did he sit in a cave in the face of the cliff for hours, day and night in all weathers, shining a light? … Continue reading "Season Two, Episode Three: The Mystery of the Light"

Podcast exploring the extraordinary life of Winifred Barnes, Edwardian singer, actor and comedy performer, a West End leading lady during World One and a sensation of the age, who retired mysteriously young and ran away to the seaside at Holywell in Eastbourne, where she and her sister were considered "too racy" for the locals.

In which Cole and Emily meet a man who makes supermodels look even better for a living, but who heads for the cliffs in his own time to spot birds as they arrive on their extraordinary journeys from the south reaches of Africa to the green hills of England. Why do they do that? What can … Continue reading "Season Two, Episode One: Detectorists With Wings"

In which we end our first season of the Edge of England podcast by talking about our first impressions of this place and meeting Misgana, who came to the South Coast from Eritrea as a young girl, without really knowing why. It wasn't easy. Hers is a remarkable, troubled, moving, ultimately inspiring story of what it's like to find yourself in a strange new place, somehow make your way and ultimately arrive at an unexpected sense of home. Thanks for listening. Edge of England will be back with a new weekly season in the Spring.

In which we listen to the sea, stare at the horizon, walk on the beach and argue about Debussy and his mistress, the Grand Hotel and the Posh Police, the Sovereign Light Platform, the golden haze in the sky and the impossibility of paddle boarding. The mystery of X is revealed and we talk about why … Continue reading "Episode Five: Edgy Eastbourne"

In which Cole and Emily go to the Coastguard Cottages at Cuckmere Haven and meet the cello virtuoso Anthony Albrecht, an Australian wanderer who has fallen in love with the place. We hear about the enchanting Lapwing Festival that he directs there, as part of the campaign to save the cottages from the sea. Mabel finds a rock. And this one features some beautiful music, as Anthony plays Bach.

In which Cole and Emily are taken to the almost-secret Hope Gap by best-selling children's author and brilliant storyteller Giles Paley-Phillips, who has loved it since he was a child. Encountering a film crew (making a movie with Bill Nighy), dinosaurs, a crab that may be asleep, a Spitfire (again), the rising tide and a surge in emotion, as we open ourselves up to a magical, mysterious, truly gorgeous place called Hope.