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Castles that Made Britain
1 season
Castles have loomed over the landscape of Britain for centuries. They hold the keys to unlocking some of the greatest stories of our past.
Join History Hit's medieval expert, Matt Lewis, in this new series as he explores some of Britain’s most iconic castles. It is a spectacular journey to some...
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Inside Blenheim Palace
One of the grandest private houses in the world, the site of Blenheim Palace has been host to the murder of a royal mistress, the downfall of a quarrelling Duchess and the birth of Sir Winston Churchill. Dan Snow takes a tour of one of Britain's most famous attractions.
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Queen Victoria's Favourite - Disraeli and Hughenden
Hughenden - a beautiful house owned by the National Trust is set deep in the rolling greens of the Buckinghamshire countryside. This was the home of Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister - Benjamin Disraeli. But Disraeli was so much more than a Queen's favourite. He was a writer, a performer,...
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Buildings Tell Stories
History is located all around us. From the houses we live in to the town halls in our cities to the fields of our rural communities; from Colchester to Harare; history can be found in everything. This talk looks at how intrinsic sites and landscapes are in our everyday lives but also what histo...
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Versailles: Palace of Science
Versailles, the magnificent royal palace near Paris, home to a grandiose monarchy that was swept away in the Revolution. But there was another side to Versailles - this was also a Palace of Science.
In this special film, Dr. Maddy Pelling visits the Science Museum in London to explore a remarkab...
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Hidden in the Trees: Cardiff's Forgotten Landmark
A History Hit Community film. For nearly a thousand years, something high in the forest has been watching over the Welsh capital. A community pulled together in the Sixties, giving St. Mary's church in Caerau a short new life.
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Karnak: Decoding Egypt's Greatest Temple
History Hit’s ancient history expert, Tristan Hughes, digs deep into one of Ancient Egypt's greatest treasures, a site that ranks among the world’s most impressive religious sanctuaries in both its size, splendour and importance.
But there is another, fascinating side to exploring Karnak beyond ...
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Henry's Forts: Castles on the Coast
On the 26 February 2021, around 38 metres of wall collapsed at Hurst Castle, one of a series of vital coastal forts built by Henry VIII in the 16th century to protect England from threat of invasion by the European powers. Recently, Dan went out on his kayak to assess the damage at the castle whi...
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Britain's Wild West: Discovering Hay Castle
The peaceful South Wales town of Hay-on-Wye offers few clues today of its brutal past on a violent frontier. A monument to this history can be found in Hay Castle. Once right on the border between England and Wales, it sits in a region densely packed with castles that saw border skirmishes and bi...
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England's Royal Churches
This film celebrates the glory of England's forgotten royal churches and their links to the most opulent country residences.
The church has always been at the heart of the English monarchy. From operating as a place of contemplation and refuge to symbolising national celebration, art historian...
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Bignor Roman Villa
West Sussex has its fair share of stunning Roman sites: Fishbourne Roman Palace, Stane Street, the Novium, the list goes on. But one of the region's star Roman attractions has to be Bignor Roman Villa. Situated deep in the heart of the Sussex countryside Bignor is home to some of the most impress...
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Whitefriars: The Lost Priory of Gloucester
In July 2021, the remains of a 13th Century Carmelite friary, also known as Whitefriars, were recently found by archaeologists beneath a demolished multi-storey car park in Gloucester city centre.
Historians knew roughly where Whitefriars had stood, but its exact location was a mystery. The dig,...
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The Ancient Americas: Teotihuacan
A jewel of Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan was a vibrant, painted city - but who built it? And who actually lived there?
In the second episode of our August series 'The Ancient Americas', Tristan is joined by professor Annabeth Headrick to help shine a light on one of ancient history's most marvellous ...
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Lindisfarne: Faith and Vikings
In 793 AD, the holy island of Lindisfarne was subject to one of the most infamous Viking raids on Britain. ‘Heathen' men plundered the sacred monastery in an event that shook Christian Europe.
Dan Snow travels across the tidal causeway to Lindisfarne to discover the rich culture of this holy pla...
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Legendary Megastructures
1 season
Take a trip to France to discover the construction secrets to some of its most legendary megastructures. See how Napoléon the 1st instigated many constructions that are anchored in the Parisian landscape. The Arc de Triomphe, the Vendôme Column, the Palais de la Bourse, the church of La Madeleine...
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Stourhead: The Grand Tour
Kicking off our new series, Great British Houses, we join Alice Loxton and Dan Snow on a journey through one of the gems of the National Trust’s collection, the magnificent Stourhead.
In this documentary Alice and Dan set off on a whirlwind tour of the social and cultural movements which influen...
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The History of Westminster Abbey
Sir David Cannadine shows Dan around the iconic Westminster Abbey, in the heart of London. With an unrivalled arrange of monuments - ranging from grand royal tombs to the grave of The Unknown Warrior - and spectacular architecture spanning nearly 1,000 years, join the two historians as they explo...
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The Cardiff Castle Hidden in the Centre of London
Chris Lloyd spotted a house in London which reminded him of Cardiff. It turned out it had a huge link to the Welsh capital, as well as currently having a very famous resident.
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A World Torn Apart: The Dissolution of the Monasteries
1 season
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb unravels one of the most profound transformations in Tudor society, when faith and politics collided: the dissolution of the monasteries. Over just four years in the 1530s, Henry VIII dismantled the spiritual and cultural bedrock of medieval England. This was the most ...
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How did the English Civil War affect our buildings?
Historian Michael Sewell reflects on how the British Civil War impacted and destroyed landmarks that were cherished and used by communities. Using Colchester as his Case Study he will show the conflict shaped our town’s landscape forever and show the lasting legacy of the conflict in English hist...
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A Tudor Wonder - Hardwick Hall - with Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb
A History Hit treat for the holidays, this special new film reveals an extraordinary Tudor life-story and an amazing creation. We meet the extraordinary Bess of Hardwick and go inside the incredible home she built, a spectacular construction in glass and stone that defined the elegance and grande...