Staircases!

Friday, February 18th, 2022

In this latest episode, the Unexpected duo, Professor James Daybell and Dr Sam Willis taking the winding stair of history to explore the unexpected history of STAIRCASES! Which is all about medieval castles, Victorian houses, the development (absence) and taxonomy of staircases (including spiral stairs), and Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s also all about the fabulous Tulip Staircase at the Queen’s House in Greenwich, Inigo Jones, Queen Anne (or Anna) of Denmark, Henrietta Maria and court politics; the staircase hall at Powderham Castle in Devon (as seen in the Anthony Hopkins film Remains of the Day), heritage and accessibility; as well as staircases in the Forbidden City in Ming China. Who knew!

More Podcasts

The Kiss!

30, 4, 2020 - The Kiss! In this episode of Histories of the Unexpected, James and Sam explore the unexpected .... Read More

Episode 23: Holes

14, 2, 2017 - ‘I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit-hole – and yet – and yet – it’s rather curious .... Read More

Ink!

24, 11, 2020 - In this episode, the Histories of the Unexpected duo, James and Sam, get their hands dirty .... Read More

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up to date with Histories of the Unexpected