Join Julie Montagu, American Viscountess, for an intimate conversation with Rodrica and Jack Straker, the custodians of Burton Constable Hall, a magnificent yet often overlooked country house set in the flat plains of East Yorkshire.

For Rodrica, Burton Constable isn’t just a historic house—it was her childhood home, a magical yet eccentric place filled with hidden history. But for her father, John Chichester-Constable, who inherited the estate in 1963, it was a monumental challenge. Left in near ruin after wartime requisition, with bomb damage and a failing roof, the house was on the brink of collapse.

Determined to save it, he worked tirelessly with English Heritage to embark on an ambitious restoration, a legacy that continues today under the care of the Burton Constable Foundation.

Now, Rodrica and Jack share what it’s like to live in and care for this remarkable estate, from its Elizabethan origins and 18th-century refinements by Capability Brown and James Wyatt to the ongoing challenges of maintaining a home with over 30 rooms open to the public.

🎧 Tune in now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube for a behind-the-scenes look at one of Britain’s most fascinating historic houses! #Podcast #JulieMontagu #AmericanViscountess

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Join Julie Montagu, American Viscountess, as I visit Hugh and Lara Crossley, Lord and Lady Somerleyton, for a fascinating conversation at Somerleyton Hall—one of the finest Victorian stately homes in the country.

With its Jacobean origins transformed into a breathtaking Italianate masterpiece by Prince Albert’s star sculptor John Thomas, Somerleyton Hall is steeped in history. The Clock Tower by Vulliamy even competed to be Britain’s most famous landmark—losing out to what is now Big Ben!

Beyond its grand façade, this estate holds nearly 900 years of history, from powerful past owners to its role as a filming location for The Crown, where it stood in for Sandringham during Season 4’s dramatic retelling of Charles and Diana’s turbulent relationship.

Join me as I sit down with Lord and Lady Somerleyton to discuss what it takes to preserve and sustain such an extraordinary estate in the modern world.

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube! #Podcast #JulieMontagu #AmericanViscountess #SomerleytonHall #StatelyHomes #TheCrownNetflix #HistoricHouses

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of *Secrets of Britain’s Historic Houses*, I sit down with Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill in the private apartments at Blenheim Palace to explore the extraordinary life of her great-grandmother, Consuelo Vanderbilt. From her opulent beginnings as a Gilded Age heiress to her transformative years as Duchess of Marlborough, we delve into family stories, fascinating insights, and the enduring legacy of one of history’s most iconic American heiresses.

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Please support the production of American Viscountess and in particular our high production quality of the Historic Houses by becoming a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/americanviscountess

Here you'll received all vlogs and Historic House episodes early and ad-free plus behind-the-scenes videos, American Viscountess merchandise and much more! We can’t make these important Historic House episodes without the support of our patrons.

If you love castles and manors and stately homes get the latest over at my bi-monthly American Viscountess newsletter: https://julie-montagu-ltd.ck.page/9ab3679fb6

Join the UK's best membership scheme and help preserve Britain's independent heritage (international membership available too!) at https://www.historichouses.org/international/ and use the code AVTV05 to receive £5 off.

Follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes content: https://www.instagram.com/juliemontagu and https://www.instagram.com/americanviscountess

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a VERY special episode – a visit to the parish church in Cambridgeshire were generations of the Montagu family have been laid to rest. Here I uncover a family tragedy which leads me to the archives and a meeting with my Father-in-law, the 11th Earl of Sandwich, to try and solve a 100 year mystery!

Please support the production of American Viscountess and in particular our high production quality of the Historic Houses by becoming a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/americanviscountess

Here you'll received all vlogs and Historic House episodes early and ad-free plus behind-the-scenes videos, American Viscountess merchandise and much more! We can’t make these important Historic House episodes without the support of our patrons.

If you love castles and manors and stately homes get the latest over at my bi-monthly American Viscountess newsletter: https://julie-montagu-ltd.ck.page/9ab3679fb6

Join the UK's best membership scheme and help preserve Britain's independent heritage (international membership available too!) at https://www.historichouses.org/international/ and use the code AVTV05 to receive £5 off.

Follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes content: https://www.instagram.com/juliemontagu and https://www.instagram.com/americanviscountess

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Athelhampton House in Dorset is the focus of this NEW episode of historic house visits here on the American Viscountess channel. Living in and maintaining these homes is both a wonderful privilege and an enormous challenge. And one of the greatest tasks every house owner faces is heating a centuries old building in a sustainable and economical way. Giles Keating at Athelhampton has faced this challenge in a totally pioneering and ingenious way!

Join me as I visit Athelhampton House - the first solar powered Manor House in England.

To learn more about Athelhampton: https://www.athelhampton.com

Please support the production of American Viscountess and in particular our high production quality of the Historic Houses by becoming a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/americanviscountess

Here you'll received all vlogs and Historic House episodes early and ad-free plus behind-the-scenes videos, American Viscountess merchandise and much more! We can’t make these important Historic House episodes without the support of our patrons.

If you love castles and manors and stately homes get the latest over at my bi-monthly American Viscountess newsletter: https://julie-montagu-ltd.ck.page/9ab3679fb6

Join the UK's best membership scheme and help preserve Britain's independent heritage (international membership available too!) at https://www.historichouses.org/international/ and use the code AVTV05 to receive £5 off.

Follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes content: https://www.instagram.com/juliemontagu and https://www.instagram.com/americanviscountess

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In this episode, I’m visiting Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu estate – just a short distance from Palace House, Beulieu Abbey and the National Motor Museum. The first Earl of Sandwich, the branch of the Montagu family which I married into, is known worldwide because he was head of the Admiralty and brought King Charles II back from exile. But it’s now wonderful for me to visit Beaulieu and discover the rich maritime links of another branch of the Montagu family.

I’ll be meeting with the Hon. Mary Montagu-Scott who has a lifelong passion for the maritime history of Beaulieu and is a keen sailor. Mary shows me the replica timber framed shipwrights workshop which she masterminded. And my husband Luke and I will be cheering on our 17 year old son, William as he and Mary set sail on the Beaulieu river.

To find out more about Palace House, Beaulieu: https://www.beaulieu.co.uk

Please support the production of American Viscountess and in particular our high production quality of the Historic Houses by becoming a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/americanviscountess

Here you'll received all vlogs and Historic House episodes early and ad-free plus behind-the-scenes videos, American Viscountess merchandise and much more! We can’t make these important Historic House episodes without the support of our patrons.

If you love castles and manors and stately homes get the latest over at my bi-monthly American Viscountess newsletter: https://julie-montagu-ltd.ck.page/9ab3679fb6

Join the UK's best membership scheme and help preserve Britain's independent heritage (international membership available too!) at https://www.historichouses.org/international/ and use the code AVTV05 to receive £5 off.

Follow me on Instagram for behind the scenes content: https://www.instagram.com/juliemontagu and https://www.instagram.com/americanviscountess

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.