Hidden Heritage cover art

Hidden Heritage

Hidden Heritage

Written by: HeritageXplore
Listen for free

Hosted by Violet Manners — Viscountess Garnock (née Lady Violet Manners) — this series explores the lives of those shaped, influenced or quietly drawn towards heritage. Some guests grew up inside historic houses, as Violet did.Some work behind the scenes preserving them.Others simply fell in love with old places and found that fascination shaping the course of their lives. These are conversations about ambition, memory, risk, family and belonging — with heritage woven throughout. Because heritage is never just about buildings. It is about the people drawn to them, shaped by them, and sometimes changed because of them.Copyright 2024 HeritageXplore Art Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Heritage, Power and the Global Gaze

    Heritage, Power and the Global Gaze
    May 14 2026
    In this episode of Hidden Heritage, Violet Manners is joined by Jason Lindsay, Chairman of Historic Houses, and Marcus Yorke-Long, Head of the Private Office at Charles Russell Speechlys, for a conversation exploring one central question: who owns our heritage now?Heritage is often discussed emotionally, romantically even, but rarely strategically. Yet Britain’s historic houses, estates, collections and landscapes sit at the intersection of identity, economics, policy, private capital and global interest.Together, the conversation examines whether British heritage is fundamentally undervalued as a national asset, why international buyers increasingly recognise value in what Britain itself sometimes overlooks, and what “ownership” really means in 2026. Is heritage something we legally possess, culturally inherit, economically exploit, or simply steward for the next generation?From overseas investment and custodianship to policy failures, succession pressures and the realities facing modern estate owners, this episode explores the tension between heritage as a living responsibility and heritage as a global commodity.Far from a nostalgic conversation, this is a clear-eyed discussion about continuity, stewardship, national identity and the future of Britain’s historic landscape.Because the question is no longer whether the world values British heritage. It is whether Britain values it enough itself. Join the HeritageXplore Club - https://www.heritagexplore.com/hx-club/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Lord Iveagh: Legacy, Land and the Weight of History at Elveden

    Lord Iveagh: Legacy, Land and the Weight of History at Elveden
    Apr 23 2026
    Lord Iveagh - Ned Guinness - is custodian of the 22,000-acre Elveden Estate in Suffolk. But inheritance, in his case, is layered. Elveden was once owned by Maharaja Duleep Singh, redesigned with Mughal splendour, later purchased by the Guinness family, and transformed into Britain’s largest working farm. In this thoughtful conversation, Ned reflects on: Growing up with the Guinness name The legacy of empire and exile at Elveden Stewardship over sentiment Farming at scale in modern Britain Writing his own family history The future of estates in a changing world A candid exploration of responsibility, narrative and custodianship. 📖 Ned’s book:Guinness: A Family Succession - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1800753603 Join HeritageXplore Club - https://www.heritagexplore.com/hx-club/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Inside Britain’s Great Houses with Eleanor Doughty: Heirs, Duty and the Modern Aristocracy

    Inside Britain’s Great Houses with Eleanor Doughty: Heirs, Duty and the Modern Aristocracy
    Apr 15 2026
    Journalist and author Eleanor Doughty has spent over a decade gaining rare access to Britain’s great estates. In her Sunday Telegraph column and her book Heirs and Graces, she explores inheritance not as privilege alone - but as duty, burden and identity. In this episode, Violet and Eleanor discuss: How Britain’s aristocracy really lives today The realities behind the Downton fantasy Trust, discretion and access Inheritance in the 21st century Whether the current estate model can survive An intelligent and clear-eyed conversation about what it truly means to inherit a historic house today. 📖 Eleanor’s book:Heirs and Graces – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241555494 HX Club - https://www.heritagexplore.com/hx-club/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 29 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet