Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

The Tower of London loomed large over the medieval city, casting a formidable shadow with its rings of high walls and towers, wide moat and fearsome gateways. There have been several attempts to siege the Tower and break past its defenses, but only one was successful. In 1381, the rebels of the Peasants' Revolt managed to get all the way into the White Tower itself. How was the Tower defended? What obstacles stood between attackers and their goals? And how did the rebels make it inside? Find out more about the Peasants' Revolt at the Tower on our blog

The Bayeux Tapestry features just three women among 600 male figures. But you can't tell its story without the powerful medieval women who shaped the Norman Conquest. In this second episode of our series, Janina Ramirez and Tracy Borman join Charles Farris to explore the Norman Conquest beyond 'two kings and a duke'. How did women wield power and influence in the early medieval period? Who survived and thrived in the new Norman regime? And why have historians excluded these women from the history books? Learn more about Matilda of Flanders on our website.

For hundreds of years, the Tower of London was home to animals from all over the world. Animals were given as diplomatic gifts, brought by hunters, or captured in the process of colonisation. What were conditions like for these animals? Who cared for them? And what does their presence at the Tower tell us about Britain's relationship with the wider world? In this episode, Curator Charles Farris is joined by Emma Shepley, a curator researching the Tower's Menagerie, and Dr Mishka Sinha, a historian of global history, to bring you this new and ongoing research. The episode contains discussion of animal cruelty, hunting, injury to people, and colonialism. Visit the Tower of London this summer to see Imagining Animals.

A regicide might be the last person you'd think would save a king's palace – but in Oliver Cromwell, Hampton Court found an unlikely admirer. During his time as Head of State, Cromwell's family filled Hampton Court with music, art and beauty – and even some scandalous statues – as their family home. In doing so, they saved it from the threat of demolition, and ensured its survival until Charles II returned in 1660. In this episode, join Assistant Curator Minette Butler as she explores Hampton Court through new eyes, looking for glimpses of this intriguing period. What was it like to visit this royal palace without a king? And how does Cromwell fit into the palace's history? Explore the Tudor gardens that Cromwell would have known on our website.

The walls of the Tower of London are covered with carvings - graffiti left behind by the prisoners who were locked inside. The Tudor monarchs imprisoned hundreds of people, for treason, sedition, or simply their religious faith. In this episode, Dr Jamie Ingram visits the Beauchamp Tower, which houses some of the most impressive and well known graffiti at the Tower of London. These marks, some of them 500 years old, reveal the poignant stories of the Tower's Tudor Prisoners. See the Dudley graffito in HD on Google Arts and Culture See the Abel graffito close up on Google Arts and Culture.