Past Matters

For this second Easter 2023 special episode, host Ploy Radford interviews Dr Jane Draycott on the life and times of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman general Mark Antony. While Cleopatra Selene has slipped under the radar in history compared to her mother, she led an eventful life that saw her move from Egyptian princess, to Roman captive, to African queen.

For this Easter 2023 special episode of Past Matters, host Ploy Radford interviews Dr David Haycock, curator of a new exhibition about the equestrian artist Lucy Kemp-Welch (1869-1958) at the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum. The episode explores Kemp-Welch's life, extraordinary art, and how she helped defy conventions at the time about female artists.

In a new year special, historian and author Catherine Curzon tells podcast host Ploy Radford about the story of the British queen who never was - Sophia Dorothea, the much maligned wife of King George I.

In this final episode of season 3, podcast host Ploy Radford and zooarchaeologists Dr Rob Symmons and Professor Naomi Sykes discuss the importance of animal bones to unveiling the past, and how the ones discovered at Fishbourne Roman Palace suggest there was once an exotic zoo there.

Stonehenge is without doubt one of the most iconic historic monuments in Britain. It turns out though it wasn't just people in prehistoric Britain building stone circles of cultural significance though - it was also happening on the other side of the world in prehistoric Japan. To delve into this phenomenon more, English Heritage has put on an exhibition ‘Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan' in the exhibition centre at Stonehenge. Podcast host Ploy Radford speaks to Interpretation Manager Melanie Coussens about a few of the underrated objects in the collection that have stories worth your attention.

Find out more about the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement in England, William Morris, from the story of a sword and helmet he had made for one of his first artistic projects. On display at the William Morris Gallery, these items reveal lots about Morris' early life, his influences and are even linked to his love story with his wife.

This is an episode for arms and armour enthusiasts, Ricardians, and those interested in the magic of movie-making. Host Ploy Radford interviews Dr Toby Capwell from the Wallace Collection about their temporary exhibition linked to 'The Lost King' movie about Richard III. Learn about the art of creating armour for film, what would Richard III have actually worn to that fateful battle and what modern archaeology tells us about whether he was betrayed or not...

This podcast is about celebrating the underrated, so in this episode, host Ploy Radford talks to art historian and miniatures expert Emma Rutherford about an utterly remarkable artist whose work is being exhibited for the first time in 100 years at the Philip Mould & Company Gallery in London. The artist in question is Sarah Biffin, who lived from 1784 – 1850, and created beautiful works of art, particularly miniatures, that would be considered wonderful even if you weren't aware that she painted them without hands. Biffin was born with phocomelia, so without arms and legs, and overcame this enormous challenge to become a celebrated artist who painted for the royal family. In this episode, you will find out more about the extraordinary life she lived, her artwork, and how she was perceived during her life.

Past Matters podcast host Ploy Radford interviews Hannah Dennett, Curator of the 'Tiny Traces: African & Asian Children at London's Foundling Hospital', about the stories of these children, uncovered for the first time for this vital and interesting exhibition at the Foundling Museum. Listen to learn more about the lives of foundlings and the complex views on race in 18th century Britain. You can view images of the discussed objects on Past Matters' social media channels and www.ployradford.com.

Lucy Jago, author of 'A Net for Small Fishes', explains how a painting of Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, resonated particularly with her as she was writing her novel, which follows Frances' involvement in the Overbury murder scandal that rocked the Stuart court.

In one of three Christmas 2021 special episodes, host Ploy Radford talks to author Annie Garthwaite, about an illustration in the Neville Book of Hours that helped her capture the personality of Cecily of York, the titular character in her debut novel 'Cecily', and an influential figure in the Wars of the Roses. You can see an image of the illustration on www.ployradford.com or the Past Matters social media channels.

In one of three Christmas 2021 special episodes, Past Matters host Ploy Radford talks to author Jennifer Saint about an ancient Minoan object that helped inspire her debut novel Ariadne, which retells the famous Ancient Greek myths of Theseus and the Minotaur and Phaedra and Hippolytus from female perspectives. You can see an image of the object on www.ployradford.com or the Past Matters social media channels.

In this bonus special episode, host Ploy Radford talks to Tudor queenship expert Dr Valerie Schutte about that most underrated of Henry VIII's wives - Anne of Cleves and a book of hours she gifted Henry VIII in 1533 (now in the Folger Shakespeare Library). Listen in to hear more about how Anne actually had a quite powerful status in England post divorce, her relationship with Henry and his children, and about monk who really wanted Henry to take her back.

In one of three special episodes, host Ploy Radford talks to Dr Ian Mortimer, historian and author of the hugely popular 'Time Traveller's Guide...' series about the rediscovery of the mirror in medieval Europe. This most basic of objects led to a revolution in the sense of self and can even be linked to a decrease in crime for a period...

In one of three special episodes, host Ploy Radford talks to royal studies specialist Dr Ellie Woodacre about a collection of books that belonged to Joan of Navarre, wife of Henry IV and stepmother to Henry V, of Battle of Agincourt fame. The books provide a fantastic starting part for a wider discussion about this little known English queen who left her children from her first marriage to move to England, had French royal blood, and was imprisoned by her stepson for witchcraft.

In one of three special episodes, host Ploy Radford talks to Kelcey Wilson-Lee, historian and author of 'Daughters of Chivalry', a biography of the five daughters of Edward I (aka the king in 'Braveheart'). Kelcey picks the Alphonso Psalter as her underrated historic object and reveals what it tells us about life and death in medieval England as well as its owner, Edward I's youngest daughter, Elizabeth.

Season 2 of Past Matters ends on a gruesome note with Ben Paites, Collections and Learning Curator at Colchester & Ipswich Museums, discussing the history of the prisons at Colchester Castle. Not for the squeamish this episode covers prison conditions, witch burnings and the over zealous pursuit of justice. As ever you can see a picture of the objects discussed on the podcast on PloyRadford.com or Past Matters' social media channels.

In this episode, host Ploy Radford talks to Jo Hatton, Keeper of the Natural History Collection at the Horniman Museum & Gardens in South London. She picked a pair of taxidermied huia birds from the collection as her underrated objects. What makes these sadly now extinct birds particularly remarkable is that they represent the most pronounced example of sexual dimorphism in bill shape of any bird species in the world. So keep listening to learn more about these fascinating creatures from Jo, as well as what they tell us about emerging interest in natural history in Victorian England.

For this episode, host Ploy Radford revisits a museum featured in season 1 – Ipswich Museum. This time, Tim Rousham from the visitor services team at the museum discusses two pattern-welded swords from the 9th century AD. Tune in to this episode to learn more about designing beautiful and effective swords and how their shape changed over time and why. You can see an image of swords on www.ployradford.com or by following Past Matters on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Vanessa Meade, Curator of Exhibitions and Interpretations at the Museum of the Home, talks to Ploy Radford about a humble yet special 1960s clock for this episode of Past Matters. You can view a picture of the clock on www.ployradford.com or by following Past Matters on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Compton Verney in Warwickshire has one of the finest collections of folk art in the UK. In this episode Director Julie Finch tells Ploy Radford why 'Schooner approaching the harbour' by Alfred Wallis, which is painted on a tea tray, is a piece of folk art that particularly resonates with her during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic lockdown. You can view an image of the painting on www.ployradford.com.

When you're asked to imagine an iconic item of clothing the humble smock probably doesn't come to mind. However, in this episode, Dr Ollie Douglas, Curator at The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), convinces podcast host Ploy Radford as to the importance of the smock to English identity. Design, how we align stories with historical objects and ferrets all feature too. As ever you can find pictures of the objects discussed on this podcast on PloyRadford.com.

In this episode, Zofia Matyjaszkiewicz, who is the Collections Assistant at the Roman Baths in Bath, tells Ploy Radford why a patera - a shallow libation bowl - is her underrated object at this world-famous site. This one object sets off a whole discussion about Roman lives and passions, how design can let us date an object, and the concept of pilgrimage. You can view a picture of the patera on the website PloyRadford.com.

While the previous episode reminded listeners to look down when visiting historic houses, in a pleasing symmetry, this episode reminds them to look up. Podcast host Ploy Radford talks to Clare Gough, Director at Pitzhanger Museum & Gallery, about three beautiful ceilings in the building, touching on subjects of family fallouts, the use of light in architecture and clever restoration tricks along the way. You can view pictures of the ceilings on PloyRadford.com.

This episode of Past Matters should encourage visitors to England's finest stately homes to look down as well as up for future visits, as Assistant Curator and Archivist at Harewood House, Beckie Burton, describes the significance of a grand Axminster carpet for social standing. You can find a picture of the carpet on Ployradford.com.

To kick off season 2 of Past Matters, podcast host Ploy Radford talks to Dr Steven Parissien, CEO of Palace House, Newmarket, about a painting by Lucy Kemp-Welch - 'Colt hunting in the New Forest'. Kemp-Welch was a highly successful artist and illustrator - which was rare achievement for women in the late Victorian/Edwardian era - download this episode to hear more about this feminist trailblazer. For copyright reasons, a photo of the painting cannot be shared via PloyRadford.com as usual, however you can view it here: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kemp-welch-colt-hunting-in-the-new-forest-n01649

As a special Christmas treat for you, my listeners, I have done something a bit different for this episode of Past Matters. Instead of asking a museum, gallery or historic house what their most underrated item is, I have instead asked historian Nicola Tallis, what historical object she thinks is underrated. Her choice? The tomb of Margaret Beaufort at Westminster Abbey. So download this episode to hear more about this ultimate Tiger Mum. And, if you want a more in-depth analysis of her life, I recommend you buy a copy of Nicola’s latest book which is about Margaret and called ‘Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch’. As ever if you want to see a picture of the objects featured in my episodes, you can find them on my website, ployradford.com. Enjoy and have a fabulous festive season! Music credit: Jingle Bells Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Apsley House (also known as No.1 London) is the home of the Dukes of Wellington and for the first time has extended its opening times to the 22nd December 2019 and decorated the house in 1840s style Christmas decorations. Visitors can therefore experience this already beautiful building as it may have looked for a Georgian Christmas. It therefore seemed fitting to feature one of the Christmas special episodes here. Jospehine Oxley, Keeper of the Wellington Collection, talks to Ploy Radford about a pair of easily overlooked torcheres, AND, as an extra Christmas bonus for listeners, she also discusses a rather more hard to miss object, if you keep listening to the end of the podcast. Merry Christmas! Music credit: Jingle Bells Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

'A Christmas Carol' has got to be one of the most famous Christmas books out there, so it seemed fitting to interview Dr Cindy Sughrue, Director of the Charles Dickens Museum in London, for one of the three 2019 Christmas specials of Past Matters. With Christmas as a key marker in time, that directly precedes New Year, a time when we reflect back on the last 12 months, it seems even more fitting that Cindy chose two clocks in the museum as her underrated objects. So when you've got that post-Christmas lunch food coma, why not sit back with a mug of mulled wine and give this episode a listen? Music credit: Jingle Bells Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It’s not all about the mammoth! Visitors to Ipswich Museum should also take note of three frightening looking taxidermied gorillas in the corner of the Victorian Natural History Gallery there. This group were the first gorillas the British public would have ever seen and the story of their expressions and poses provides a crucial insight into Victorian thinking and involve a swashbuckling fraudster desperate to be accepted by moralistic Victorian society. You can view a picture of the gorillas on Ployradford.com.

Art, dogs, and a famous royal mistress... what more could you want from a podcast episode? To round off Season 1 of Past Matters, journalist Ploy Radford talks to Dr Mia Jackson, Curator of Decorative Arts at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, about a beautiful snuffbox depicting the beloved dogs and birds of Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV of France. Listen in to learn more about France's most famous mistress, the complicated art of porcelain making, and Mia's thoughts on the identity of the pampered pooches depicted. You can view a picture of the object on Ployradford.com.

This episode of Past Matters if for fans of the Tudors, Anne Boleyn and anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about tapestries, royal signifiers of power and historical fashion. Or those who enjoy looking for the comic scenes hidden in art. Download to hear Alison Palmer, Conservation and Engagement Assistant, at Hever Castle talk about three very beautiful and entertaining tapestries that are currently hanging at the former seat of the Boleyn family. You can view pictures of the tapestries on PloyRadford.com or via Past Matters' social media channels.

This episode takes us to the Holburne Museum in Bath, which runs an excellent programme called Pathways to Wellbeing whereby they offer art classes focusing on the objects in the museum to people with mental health issues referred by the local NHS trust. Listen on to hear Louise Campion, Education and Outreach Officer at the Holburne, discuss the history of an object that was used in a Pathways to Wellbeing art class and why it was a helpful talking point for the session participants. You can find a picture of the object in question on Ployradford.com.

It can be very easy to walk by jewellery in an exhibition because these items tend to be very small. Don't skip by this episode of Past Matters though - in it journalist Ploy Radford talks to Colchester Museums' Senior Collections and Learning Curator Glynn Davis about some exquisite pieces of Roman jewellery that cast a new light on the inhabitants of Roman Colchester, show off the skill of the jewellers and gem cutters of the time and reveal more about Roman jewellery trends. Pictures of the items can be viewed on Ployradford.com.

This episode is for those people who love animals and art because in it, I interview Jenny Hand, curator at Munnings Art Museum. Alfred Munnings was a famous 20th century impressionist painter, particular known for his paintings of horses. The objects Jenny picked though, are actually remarkably animal free - they are the sketchbooks from his years living in Cornwall. Listen in to learn more about a rather tragic period in Munnings life, and be reminded that he was rather good at depicting people and not just horses too. To view pages from the sketchbooks, visit Ployradford.com.

Nestled among the reconstructed low-status farm buildings in Weald & Downland Living Museum is an almost fairytale-like structure. It wasn't the home of fairytale heroine though - it's actually an ornamental dairy from Regency England. Although, there are marks within it to ward off witches and evil spirits... To learn more about this building which visitors have walked past but will only be able to enter in this summer, listen in to this episode of Past Matters with Weald & Downland Living Museum curator Julian Bell. You can view a picture of the dairy on Ployradford.com

It would be very easy to walk by the small, understated self-portrait of Emma Brownlow at the Foundling Museum in London, but it would be a travesty to not pay more attention to someone whose works provide such an interesting insight into life at the UK's first ever children's charity - the Foundling Hospital. The daughter of a former foundling who then became the head of the charity meant Emma grew up with insider knowledge of what the hospital was like. She was also remarkable for being a female artist who supported her family with her work. Guiding us through the life of Emma Brownlow and what her works tell us about Victorian morals and the life of foundlings at the hospital is Kathleen Palmer, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays at the Foundling Museum.

Thought furniture was boring? Nonsense! Come and listen to episode 2 of Past Matters and learn about secret compartments and boudoir calendars in this interview with Bob Entwistle, Conservation Officer at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich. The object up for discussion is a Japanned Chinoiserie cabinet that dates from the early 1700s. You can view a picture of it on Ployradford.com.

Can weapons be art? How can you do armour - something worn to be admired from a 360 degree angle - justice in a museum? And did you know there were armour-making dynasties in renaissance Europe? Download this first ever episode of Past Matters to hear Dr Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection, London, explore these topics and more with journalist Ploy Radford. The Wallace Collection's underrated object at the centre of this discussion is a renaissance parade sallet (helmet) created by Kolman Helmschmid in Germany, circa. 1520. For a picture of the item, visit Ployradford.com. Although of course, nothing beats going to see it in person.

Journalist Ploy Radford introduces herself and what Past Matters is all about.