79 - Shakespeare in the 18th century - with Ronan Paterson and Professor Ryuta Minami
Elizabeth Percy, 1st Duchess of Northumberland, who lived at Alnwick Castle in the middle decades of the 18th century, was a collector, courtier and artistic patron. But did you know she was also a regular theatregoer?Her many diaries include various mentions of plays she saw, some of which were by William Shakespeare, and her collections include miniature portraits of famous actors and actresses. But what was Shakespeare and the theatre like for Georgian audiences? How did it change during the 1st Duchess' lifetime? And why is the 18th century important in the history of Shakespeare?To find out more, we spoke to our regular Shakespearean expert, Ronan Paterson, and another special guest. Professor Ryuta Minami, of the Tokyo Keizai University of Economics, is an expert in theatre of the 17th and 18th centuries, and joined us for a fascinating conversation.Among other things, you will hear how theatre and acting changed during this time, and how Shakespeare was changed for Georgian tastes; stories of the great actors of the 18th century, especially David Garrick, who had a few connections to the 1st Duchess; and Northumberland's own theatre history and traditions.Speaking of this, we have a Shakespeare troupe visiting us this summer! The Three Inch Fools bring their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream to Alnwick Castle on 22 July. Find tickets on our website, by searching Three Inch Fools At Alnwick Castle, or by visiting https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-midsummer-nights-dream-presented-by-the-three-inch-fools-tickets-1289546200399 . It's one of our favourite plays (even if Samuel Pepys wouldn't agree!)And for more Shakespeare on the Alnwick Castle Podcast, find our previous annual episodes in our feed - episode 8 for the castle's Shakespeare connections, episode 33 for Henry IV Part I, and episode 58 for Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses.
--------
57:01
78 - The Alnwick Castle Kitchens Project - with Chris Hunwick and Catherine Neil
In the last episode of the podcast, you will have heard the history of the Alnwick Castle Kitchens, created by architect Anthony Salvin in the late 1850s for the 4th Duke of Northumberland. In this follow-up episode, you will find out about what has been happening in the past year to open these amazing spaces to the public for the first time ever.The Great Kitchen and its larder rooms will be open for visitors from our 2025 season onwards - and a lot of work has been taking place to make this happen.We are joined by two of the key people involved in 'Project 'Shurlock': Rediscovering the Life of the Great Kitchen at Alnwick Castle' - project head Catherine Neil and one of our favourite recurring guests on the podcast, archivist Chris Hunwick.Catherine and Chris sat together to discuss the first phase of the project and the discoveries made so far. They look over some of the original photographs that inspired the project, explain the project title, and much more. We hope you enjoy this glimpse behind the scenes before your next visit to the castle - where you will see the results of Phase 1!For the episode focusing on the history of the Kitchens, look for episode 77 in our podcast archive. Enjoy!
--------
27:54
77 - Alnwick Castle's Kitchens
Question: which part of Alnwick Castle was once considered the finest of its kind in the world?Answer: it was the Victorian Kitchens, which were created in the 1850s to be an architectural, culinary and technological marvel!In this episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast, we explore some of the history of the castle kitchens - from the original medieval kitchen area to the developments of the Victorian period. You will hear reports from newspapers of the time, find out about the underground tunnels that delivered food, and hear about a few of the people who worked in these spaces.The Kitchen spaces have changed over time. In the 20th century, a school, a training college and St Cloud State University have all used the Great Kitchen and the larder rooms nearby. Last year, a long-term project began to rediscover the history of this area within Alnwick Castle - look out for next month's episode to hear more about that!This episode was recorded in various castle locations, so you may hear the sound levels change slightly as it is playing.Bon appetit!
--------
20:55
76 - Sebastiano del Piombo - with Piers Baker-Bates
The Alnwick Castle Podcast returns for 2025! Before we get into the description of this episode, a quick programming note. New episodes of the podcast will now arrive on the last Wednesday of each month, or every four weeks. Please make sure to stay subscribed so you do not miss any.On this episode, we travel to Rome during the Italian Renaissance to explore one of the most impressive parts of the Alnwick Castle art collection. The Visitation by Sebastiano del Piombo catches the eye of every visitor who walks through the Ante Library in the State Rooms. But who was Sebastiano? What was the argument he had with Michelangelo? Why are these fragments of an unfinished artwork important? And how did they end up in Alnwick?To answer all these questions and many more, we spoke to an expert - Dr Piers Baker-Bates of the Open University, who has a book soon to be published about Sebastiano, one of the most pioneering painters in 16th century Italy. We hope you enjoy learning more about Renaissance art, Sebastiano, and The Visitation. To see the images Piers describes in our conversation, please check our social media feeds - pictures of The Visitation will accompany the posts about this podcast.We'll see you at the end of February for the next episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast!
--------
34:21
75 - Alnwick Castle Timeline
In our final episode of 2024, the Alnwick Castle Podcast presents a timeline of the entire history of the castle ... or, at least, the most significant moments in the history of the castle.Join our hosts Daniel and Deborah as they run through the story of Alnwick Castle in chronological order, from the arrival of the Percy family in England in 1067 to the use of the castle as a filming location in the first Harry Potter movie in 2000.We hope the timeline is a useful and entertaining help for getting the history of Alnwick Castle in order, and for showing its connections to so many famous figures and moments in wider history.Several of the subjects mentioned have their own dedicated podcast further back in our feed. Just look for:Wars of the RosesThomas Percy and the Gunpowder PlotThe Dunbar PrisonersThe 1st Duke and Duchess of NorthumberlandPercy Tenantry VolunteersSt Cloud State Universityto find out more.We will return with more podcasts in 2025 - if there is any subject you would like to hear us talk more about, just get in touch and let us know. We will see you then!
Alnwick Castle is one of North East England's top visitor attractions and has been part of British history for nearly 1,000 years. Now, Alnwick Castle has a podcast! Join hosts Daniel and Deborah, and regular special guests, as they discuss fascinating aspects of Alnwick Castle's history, from the people that lived there to its connections with famous events, its place as a filming location, and more. New episodes will be available every two weeks - make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any!
Österreich