Britain has roughly two thousand houses open to the public, and behind every one of them is a family trying to keep the roof on. We’ve spent fourteen episodes talking to the people who actually do it.
Owners, stewards, curators, archivists and the editor of Country Life — on what these places cost, what they hide, and why they survive.
Blenheim Palace. Photo by DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
It is easy to visit a great house and see only the result: the long gallery, the portraits, the gardens laid out for a view. What you don’t see is the arithmetic. Somebody is paying for that roof, and increasingly somebody is opening a tea room, hosting a wedding or filming a drama in the ballroom to do it.
That is the story this collection keeps circling back to. Peter Frost-Pennington told us what it is genuinely like to steward Muncaster Castle. Lady Violet Manners talked about growing up at Belvoir and then building a technology business around heritage. Magnus Throckmorton walked us through six hundred years of one family at Coughton Court — a recusant Catholic house that survived by keeping its head down for centuries.
We’ve been inside Blenheim’s collections, from wedding gowns to Churchill’s belongings. We stayed at Thornbury Castle and then went back to record a second episode about it. John Goodall of Country Life explained how a weekly magazine became the most important architectural archive in Britain, and Adrian Tinniswood traced the golden age of the country house and the crash that ended it.
If you plan trips around houses, or you just like knowing who actually lives upstairs, this is the thread for you.
An owner, a historian, and six hundred years in a single house.
What’s it like to own a castle in England? This week we talk to Peter Frost-Pennington, husband of the owner of Muncaster Castle in Cumbria, England.…
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In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with historian Adrian Tinniswood about his latest book, ‘The Power and the Glory,’ which explores…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas is joined by Magnus Birch Throckmorton, the latest custodian of Coughton Court — a Tudor manor house…
Listen to this episode →Every stately home and castle episode in broadcast order.
Feb 22, 2019 • 1:07:30
This week on the Anglotopia podcast, we talk about one of Britain's most important heritage institutions, The National Trust, guardians of Britain's stately homes and landscape. We talk about the history of the trust, our favorite National Trust...
Oct 21, 2022 • 36:02
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, I talk about three great experiences from my trip last July that I haven’t had the chance to talk about yet. After we give some big operational updates about Anglotopia, I talk about my visit to Blenheim...
Aug 9, 2024 • 54:44
What’s it like to own a castle in England? This week we talk to Peter Frost-Pennington, husband of the owner of Muncaster Castle in Cumbria, England. He shares the history and attractions of the castle. The castle is located in the Lake District...
Aug 16, 2024 • 48:14
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, we interview John Goodall. John Goodall is the architectural editor of Country Life magazine, responsible for producing weekly articles on country houses in Britain and abroad. He has a background...
Nov 8, 2024 • 47:09
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, historian and author Katherine Carter offers a fascinating look into her new book, Churchill's Citadel, which examines Winston Churchill's pivotal “wilderness years” of the 1930s. Katherine shares her...
Nov 15, 2024 • 48:11
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with historian Adrian Tinniswood about his latest book, ‘The Power and the Glory,’ which explores the golden age of British country houses from 1870 to 1914. They discuss the...
Nov 22, 2024 • 37:19
This episode of the Anglotopia podcast delves into the rich history of Thornbury Castle, a Tudor castle in Gloucestershire, with resident historian Tony Cherry. The conversation explores the castle’s significance, its connection to historical...
Nov 29, 2024 • 49:13
Following on from last week’s history of Thornbury Castle, this week in Part Two, we take a tour around the castle in person. In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, we take listeners on a captivating tour of Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire,...
Aug 15, 2025 • 48:11
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Carmen Alvarez, the collections and conservation manager at Blenheim Palace. They discuss the significance of Blenheim Palace, its new exhibitions, the challenges of conserving historical garments, and the evolution of public engagement in heritage conservation. Carmen shares insights…
Sep 5, 2025 • 44:25
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Agnes Stamp, author of ‘Country Life’s Book of Dogs.’ They explore the rich history of dogs in British aristocracy, the inspiration behind the book, and Agnes’s personal experiences with various dog breeds. The conversation delves into the role…
Oct 3, 2025 • 1:07:20
In this engaging episode of the Anglotopia podcast, Lady Violet Manners shares her unique experiences growing up in Belvoir Castle, discussing the rich history of her family and the castle itself. She delves into her transition from aristocrat to tech entrepreneur with the launch of HeritageXplore, a platform aimed at…
Oct 17, 2025 • 50:22
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with historian Julie Summers about her extensive work in uncovering the hidden corners of 20th-century British history. They discuss her approach to storytelling, the evolution of British Vogue, the significant contributions of the Women’s Institute during World War II,…
Mar 20, 2026 • 44:34
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, host Jonathan Thomas sits down with retired British police officer, military veteran, and author John Donoghue to discuss his remarkable journey from the Royal Navy and British Army to 40 years in the police — and then, in retirement, accidentally becoming a castle…
Apr 24, 2026 • 42:53
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas is joined by Magnus Birch Throckmorton, the latest custodian of Coughton Court — a Tudor manor house in Warwickshire that has been home to the Throckmorton family for over 600 years. Coughton Court is one of England’s most historically charged houses:…
In the order we recorded them, oldest first.
This week on the Anglotopia podcast, we talk about one of Britain's most important heritage institutions, The National Trust, guardians of Britain's stately homes and landscape.…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, I talk about three great experiences from my trip last July that I haven’t had the chance to talk…
Listen to this episode →
What’s it like to own a castle in England? This week we talk to Peter Frost-Pennington, husband of the owner of Muncaster Castle in Cumbria, England.…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, we interview John Goodall. John Goodall is the architectural editor of Country Life magazine, responsible for producing weekly articles…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, historian and author Katherine Carter offers a fascinating look into her new book, Churchill's Citadel, which examines Winston Churchill's…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with historian Adrian Tinniswood about his latest book, ‘The Power and the Glory,’ which explores…
Listen to this episode →
This episode of the Anglotopia podcast delves into the rich history of Thornbury Castle, a Tudor castle in Gloucestershire, with resident historian Tony Cherry. The conversation…
Listen to this episode →
Following on from last week’s history of Thornbury Castle, this week in Part Two, we take a tour around the castle in person. In this episode…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Carmen Alvarez, the collections and conservation manager at Blenheim Palace. They discuss the significance…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with Agnes Stamp, author of 'Country Life's Book of Dogs.' They explore the rich history…
Listen to this episode →
In this engaging episode of the Anglotopia podcast, Lady Violet Manners shares her unique experiences growing up in Belvoir Castle, discussing the rich history of her…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia podcast, host Jonathan Thomas speaks with historian Julie Summers about her extensive work in uncovering the hidden corners of 20th-century…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, host Jonathan Thomas sits down with retired British police officer, military veteran, and author John Donoghue to discuss his…
Listen to this episode →
In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas is joined by Magnus Birch Throckmorton, the latest custodian of Coughton Court — a Tudor manor house…
Listen to this episode →We turn our favourite conversations into full feature articles — the same material, written up properly, for people who’d sooner read than listen.
The decades before World War I represent the British country house at its zenith: vast estates staffed by armies of servants, weekend parties attended by royalty,…
Read the article →
Exploring the fascinating story of England's only Tudor castle-turned-hotel, where Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn once walked Nestled in the rolling countryside of Gloucestershire, just a…
Read the article →House guides, opening news and architectural history from our sister sites.
One of Britain’s most iconic landmarks is about to emerge from the scaffolding. Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire is gearing up to reveal the results…
Read on Anglotopia →
Leighton House Museum is the former home and studio of the leading Victorian artist, Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830–1896). When you arrive the formal red…
Read on Londontopia →
Heaton Hall, the Georgian jewel of north Manchester, is preparing to welcome visitors back later this year after specialist conservators painstakingly restored the building’s…
Read on Anglotopia →Burgh House & Hampstead Museum is a beautiful historic house in the heart of Hampstead, London. Originally built in the early 18th century, the…
Read on Londontopia →
Blenheim Palace is undertaking vital conservation work on one of its most prominent features: the Turret Clock that has kept time over the Great…
Read on Anglotopia →
Dennis Severs’ House is a unique and fascinating attraction located in the heart of London. This historic house has been transformed into a living…
Read on Londontopia →Six of the places these conversations took us.
Vanbrugh’s baroque palace in Oxfordshire, Churchill’s birthplace, and a collection that runs from wedding gowns to wartime relics.
Cumbria, and eight hundred years of one family — told by the man currently responsible for it.
Henry VIII slept here. Now you can too. We recorded once before visiting and once from inside.
Leicestershire, the Manners family, and a new generation trying to make heritage pay for itself.
Warwickshire. Six centuries of Throckmortons, a Gunpowder Plot connection, and a family still in residence.
Churchill’s house in Kent — the garden walls he laid himself and the studio where he painted.
New episodes every Friday. There is nearly always a great house involved.
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