James Bond is one of Britain's most iconic fictional characters, and without a doubt the most famous spy in the world. And the man behind the legend - author Ian Fleming - lived a life almost as thrilling as Bond's.

In this high-octane podcast episode, Rory guides Geoff through the life (and many country houses) of Fleming - from his time at Eton and Sandhurst, via his string of high-profile love affairs and service in WWII, to his love of the island nation of Jamaica. All fuelled, of course, by gallons of champagne and thousands of cigarettes.

It was at Goldeneye, Fleming's coastal estate in Jamaica, that the author would pen the first of his Bond novels - Casino Royale - in 1952, and it was at Goldeneye that all subsequent James Bond novels were written.

Please let us know what you think of this episode by leaving a comment, and feel free to share with us your favourite Bond quotes!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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How a fire reduced this 18th century Palladian house to a mere shell... and the questions that it raises.

This week, Geoff and Rory are joined by Cornelia Van Der Poll - an Oxford academic and co-founder of Restore Trust - a lobbying group that encourages the National Trust to focus on its founding principles to safeguard our nation's heritage for all to enjoy.

In this fascinating episode, we discuss Clandon Park in Surrey - from the architectural and social history of this wonderful Palladian-come-Baroque house (the former seat of the Earls of Onslow) to its current status as one of the most controversial country houses of recent times; after a devastating fire in 2015 reduced the house to a shell, debate continues to rage over whether to restore the house fully or do something 'alternative' with the insurance pay-out.

What are your thoughts on the future of Clandon Park? Please leave comments!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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How a humble Venetian artist became synonymous with Britain's country house collections...

This week Geoff and Rory are joined by renowned Canaletto expert, Charles Beddington, to discuss all things Canaletto! From the artist's humble Venetian beginnings to his 'discovery' by the British Consul in Venice - Joseph Smith - who became Canaletto's patron and agent, placing him firmly on the map for Grand Tourists.

In time, paintings by Canaletto would become the souvenir-du-jour for Britain's travelling aristocrats - with the Duke of Bedford commissioning 24 paintings - of which twenty hang in the dining room at Woburn Abbey (one of the famous 'Canaletto Rooms' that we discuss on this podcast episode!)

Please join us, and if you enjoy this episode please like it and write us a review. Please also send in questions for our soon-to-be-resurrected Q&A episodes!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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Every summer, dozens of country houses open their gates for festival-goers, with a huge array of different events hosted within the grounds of our most cherished estates. Off the back of our recent episodes on 'Capability' Brown and Vache Baroque Festival, we have chosen this week to dedicate an entire episode to festivals held on country estates, where fabulous houses provide the most beautiful of backdrops.

In this light-hearted episode, Rory takes Geoff on a tour of different types of country house festivals - from the Game Fair at Ragley Hall and motor racing at Goodwood, to Badminton Horse Trials and The Grange Opera Festival.

Please join us, and if you enjoy this episode please like it and write us a review. Please also send in questions for our soon-to-be-resurrected Q&A episodes!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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This week, Geoff and Rory are joined by countertenor, arranger of classical music and co-founder of 'Vache Baroque', Jonathan Darbourne, to discuss the storied history of the The Vache - an elegant, privately owned Elizabethan country house nestled in the gently rolling Chiltern Hills - and the Baroque music festival he directs every summer in its grounds.

Every year in late August and early September, the discreet and immensely private gardens of The Vache are to be found buzzing with people immersed in music and surrounded by beauty, as Vache Baroque celebrates baroque music in all its splendour. The festival transforms this magical Grade II‑listed country house setting into a vibrant, multi-sensory stage with pop‑up performances, art installations and opera under the trees, all designed to captivate both novice aficionado alike.

With a keen vision for community outreach and engaging audiences who aren't usually exposed to baroque (or classical) music, Vache Baroque succeeds both in reaching new audiences with music and championing the history and importance of country houses and their place in our nation's history. Critics have lauded its 'astonishing acoustics' and 'thrilling performance', while audiences delight in the relaxed, picnic‑style ambience as evening opera unfolds beneath the Chiltern sky.

Please join us for this fun episode celebrating music, the country house and their enduring relationship with each other. If you like this episode please like it and write us a review. Please also send in questions for our soon-to-be-resurrected Q&A episodes!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is known throughout the world as the master of the English landscape garden. A visionary who created carefully curated, idyllic and natural-looking landscapes at many of the greatest country houses in England, Brown is one of those true 'greats' after whom a whole style is named; the 'Brownian' landscape continues to inspire and entrance gardeners, landscape designers and punters alike.

But Brown's style wasn't without controversy... many felt that his reckless sweeping away of traditional formal gardens and parterres (replacing them with lawns, ha-has and rolling parks) was the height of vandalism.

In this episode, Geoff gives Rory a whistle-stop overview of the life of Capability Brown from his humble birth to sudden death. We discuss the controversies surrounding Brown's style, and reflect on his extraordinary genius and long-term legacy.

Please join us for a 'walk in the [Capability Brown] park' and if you like this episode please like it and write us a review. Please also send in questions for our soon-to-be-resurrected Q&A episodes!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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We were delighted to host our first LIVE podcast recording at Nevill Holt Festival - an arts and culture festival held in the grounds of Nevill Holt Hall, a historic country house set within a thriving working estate.

In front of a packed-out audience of over 200 people, we discussed The rise, fall and rebirth of the English country house through the lens of Nevill Holt Hall - a country house that reads like a biography of English domestic architecture over the past 800 years.

For the second half of the recording we were joined by David Ross - entrepreneur, philanthropist, patron of the arts and owner of the Nevill Holt estate - whose care, diligence, long-term view and extraordinary vision over the past 25 years has transformed Nevill Holt from a tired, dilapidated former country house with a small acreage back into a stunning family home surrounded by immaculate gardens and an extensive wider working estate.

What an extraordinary and enjoyable day! Thank you so much to all our supporters, listeners and followers who came along and supported us. We are so grateful for you. Thank you to the Nevill Holt Festival team for their help. And thank you to David Ross - our guest on the show, owner of Nevill Holt and our host at the Festival!

We hope that this LIVE show will be the first of many!

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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Geoff and Rory are joined by renowned writer, film-maker and Mughal historian, Sam Dalrymple, for a fascinating and storied episode on the history of Elveden Hall in Suffolk.

Once the English home of the last ruler of the Sikh Empire - Sir Duleep Singh, Maharajah of Punjab - and now the seat of the Guinness family, Earls of Iveagh, Elveden is a resplendent Mughal palace (complete with scalloped arches, lotus-bud capitals, drop-traceried arcading, and a four-storey Marble Hall reminiscent of the Court of Lahore)... all encased within a Victorian Italianate shell.

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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Geoff and Rory are joined by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and his nephew, Ben Montagu-Scott, for a fascinating episode on the extraordinary and storied history of Beaulieu Palace House in the New Forest, Hampshire.

Originally the 13th-century gatehouse to a medieval abbey, Beaulieu Palace House is an unusual example of Scots Baronial architecture in southern England (see our episode on Scots Baronial with Dr Ralph St Clair Wade). Owned by the Montagu family since the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, this podcast traces the transformation of Beaulieu through centuries of architectural change, royal visits, decline and ultimate resurrection begun under the pioneering stewardship of the current Lord Montagu's father, whose seminal book 'The Gilt and the Gingerbread (or how to live in a stately home and make money)'  gives this podcast episode its title.

With lively anecdotes and insights, you will be drawn into a world where medieval roots meet modern comforts, where traditional farming meets cutting edge tourism... and where a public attraction meets a family home.

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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Geoff and Rory discuss the remarkable life of a Victorian genius; the upwardly mobile Joseph Paxton. The son of a farmer, he found a patron in the 6th Duke of Devonshire and by the age of 23 Paxton was Head Gardener at Chatsworth. He would later become a nationally sought-after engineer and latterly a Member of Parliament.

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur of his day, Paxton embraced the latest technology, designing the Great Conservatory and Conservative Wall at Chatsworth, before catapulting to fame as the designer of the Crystal Palace in London.

If you enjoy tuning in, please consider supporting us by joining one of our membership tiers on our Patreon page - we love getting to know members of our community. Please also like, share and comment as you see fit. For more information, please visit our website.

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