The Curious History of Your Home
Episodes
Introducing: Jane Austen Stories
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a preview of a brand-new audiobook from the Noiser Podcast Network. Join Dame Julie Andrews as she reads Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pr...
Introducing: Titanic: Ship of Dreams - Episode 1
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser podcast network. Join host Paul McGann as he explores life and death on the most famou...
Sheds
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The death of a woolly mammoth provides the building material for a prehistoric storage space. A tsunami in Japan puts a sturdy outbuilding to the test...
Laundry
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the Middle Ages, people source ingenious ingredients to tackle stubborn stains. Henry VIII’s laundry risks causing a scandal. The Ancient Romans ...
Bins
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A prehistoric pot from Japan inspires a fingerprinting technique used by modern detectives. A whole city is built from waste in Neolithic Turkey. The ...
Neighbours
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vigilantes chase a thief through the streets of medieval Winchester. A French king creates one of the world’s first gated communities. Villagers a...
Bread
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s oldest breadcrumbs are discovered in Jordan. Ryebread causes a devastating disease in medieval Germany. In 18th-century France, the ri...
Heating
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In ancient Korea, ingenious underfloor heating is invented. A king in dire financial straits institutes a controversial tax on fireplaces. Young boys ...
Home Entertainment
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A medieval countess swoons over tales of courtly love. Georgian families amuse themselves by playing ‘bullet pudding’. Victorian writers do their ...
Clocks
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A miniature sundial survives the destruction of Pompeii. The most elaborate clock the world has ever seen is constructed in 11th-century China. In m...
Pests
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fleas spell disaster for people living in the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of an ancient Iraqi city hurl scorpions at an invading army. In Victorian L...
Dinner Parties
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Roman emperor terrifies his guests with a macabre dining room display. At a feast in Norway, drunk Vikings engage in a rap battle. A teenage Alexand...
Windows
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In medieval Ghana, an exhausted traveller stares in wonder at panes of glass glistening in walls. Craftsmen in 15th-century York assemble an intricate...
Home Security
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A gaggle of geese stands guard outside a whisky distillery in Scotland. Ninjas tread carefully over creaky floorboards in Japan. A nurse in New York i...
Toilets
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ruth lifts the lid on the surprising history of toilets. A cesspit proves deadly for a noble assembly in 12th-century Germany. Pigs form an unlikely p...
Jewellery
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Roman women get creative, and violent, with their hair pins. In the Middle Ages, poison rings are used to covertly contaminate food and drink. A ring ...
Lawnmowers
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Landscape gardening leads to the downfall of a powerful politician in 17th century France. In the 1820s, two Englishmen test their new lawn mowing inv...
Ovens
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Neolithic Croatia, the world’s oldest oven provides around the clock perks to the locals. In Dublin, a celebrity chef sets up an innovative soup ...
Board Games
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the Isle of Lewis, a lost cow unearths the most famous chess pieces in history. An Egyptian king and queen battle it out over the game board. A New...
Hats
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the Italian Alps, the world’s oldest known hat is unearthed. In ancient Rome, a simple head covering separates slaves from freedmen. In Victorian...
Carpets
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In remotest Siberia, an intrepid archaeologist uncovers the oldest rug known to man. The Moors of north Africa occupy Spain, bringing new floor coveri...
The Medicine Cabinet
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A radical apothecary causes a stir during the English Civil War. Wise Women offer mysterious advice on how to rid oneself of warts. A wife’s acciden...
Introducing: D-Day: The Tide Turns - Episode 1
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser network. Host Paul McGann follows the real people involved in the D-Day landings. It’...
Beds
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Archaeologists in South Africa discover the world’s oldest bed. In Victorian London, homeless people have to choose between sleeping on a bench or s...
Beer
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In ancient Mesopotamia, people invent straws to better enjoy their favourite tipple. The Romans turn their noses up at barbarian beverages. The introd...
Cats
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fed up with mice pilfering their grain, farmers in the ancient Middle East turn to a new ally. In early modern Essex, a witch’s familiar is blamed f...
Gardening
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon beguile generations of listeners. An Indian emperor builds paradise on Earth in memory of his bel...
Coffee
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A herder in 9th century Ethiopia discovers a stimulating plant, after observing his goats behaving strangely. The pope weighs in on whether a bitter n...
Forks
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In medieval Italy, a woman’s death is blamed on the two-pronged utensils she uses at her wedding banquet. In 17th century France, a fed-up cardinal ...
Dish Washing
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A high stakes summit between Henry VIII and his French counterpart leaves behind a mountain of dirty dishes. The decline of wood burning in homes chan...
Lights
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the hills of northern Spain, lamps help an anthropologist and his young daughter make an incredible discovery. Rushlights illuminate the early mode...
Baths
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A murderous emperor builds the grandest bath complex ever seen in Ancient Rome. The arrival of a new disease spells trouble for the bathhouses of Tudo...
The Fridge
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Ancient Persia, ingenious ice houses refrigerate food in one of the hottest deserts on earth. Bronze Age sites on Orkney reveal the secrets of earl...
Wallpaper
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A wasp leads to the invention of paper in ancient China. Rich Europeans have to find another way to decorate their walls when coal fires ruin their va...
The Curious History of Your Home - Trailer
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join domestic historian Ruth Goodman as she guides you through the surprising, often epic stories behind everyday objects in your home. Double glazed ...