The Frost Fair

The Frost Fair

Author: Simone Whitlow December 21, 2022 Duration: 11:15
Happy Holidays all! This week we travel back to the Thames river, scene of The Revenge of the Tallysticks, to discuss the Great Frost Fair of 1683-4.  Tales of History and Imagination will be back with some new episodes on January 25th 2023. In the meantime I’m hoping to re-upload several older episodes. Keep an eye on the social media accounts for details as I’ll be dropping them back into the feed whenever they’re done…               Sources this week include: This was part of a much longer episode which, on first pass ran to two hours - and contained a dozen shorter tales - so I consulted articles rather than books this week.  This History Today blog post, this Historic UK dot com article, this Museum of London article, this Art UK article And a couple of jstor articles (which will be paywalled to most people) were consulted.  I should also mention, Dr Sean Munger’s Second Decade podcast episode on the Last Frost Fair got me tuned into this topic. Though at time of writing Sean hasn’t posted a new episode to Second Decade for 18 months, I strongly recommend his show. The blog post of the episode is here. Support the show on Patreon for just $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content.     Please leave a like and review wherever you listen. The best way you can help support the show is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly, Wednesdays. Tales of History and Imagination is on Facebook, Twitter (for now), Pinterest and Instagram. The show has a YouTube Channel, largely for Audiogram advertisements.    Music, writing, narration, mixing normally all yours truly. This week I threw together covers of   Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson).God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Traditional, thought to have been written in response to a spate of newer-sounding hymns in the 1500s)And Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard & Richard Bernhard Smith)  For more information on Simone click here.   

Simone Whitlow hosts Tales of History and Imagination, a podcast dedicated to unearthing those peculiar, overlooked stories that conventional history books often skip. Each episode feels like a conversation about a fascinating secret, whether it's delving into the life of an obscure figure who tried to alter our very concept of time or examining the panic caused by a legendary beast in eighteenth-century France. You'll encounter the clever pranksters and the enigmatic side characters-the individuals who played brief but unforgettable cameo roles on the world's stage. Rather than re-treading well-worn narratives, this show seeks out perspectives rarely considered, finding the extraordinary within the ordinary march of events. Listening to this podcast is an exercise in curiosity, where major historical moments are often reframed through a surprising, human lens. It’s for anyone who suspects the past is far weirder and more wonderful than they were taught, blending rigorous research with a storyteller's sense of wonder. The result is a consistently engaging mix that sits at the crossroads of history, culture, and sheer human imagination.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Tales of History and Imagination
Podcast Episodes
Murder in Hartlepool… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:00
This week - we travel to the British Seaside town of Hartlepool. The date?? Sometime around the Napoleonic Wars. A French ship has run aground, leaving bodies strewn across the beach. Legend tells one survivor was found…
Adrian Carton de Wiart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:31
This week - Adrian Carton de Wiart was a lifelong soldier; acknowledged for his bravery across the 2nd Boer War, the Somaliland Campaign, Poland’s several wars for independence - and both World Wars. The man started out…
A Dangerous Liaison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:57
This week we travel to the Germanic Duchy of Hannover, the year 1694. Under cover of darkness, a dashing, aristocratic young soldier named Philip Christoph von Konigsmarck makes his way to an illicit meeting with his lov…
The Triptych [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:21
Trigger Warning: Death by misadventure, and an execution by guillotine. I make no concessions for calling Aotearoa… Aotearoa. I mention this as in Aotearoa (New Zealand) news sites are having to shut down comment section…
The Secret Path [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:01
Trigger Warning: Talk of executions, religious extremism and cannibalism. This week we return one last time to the city of Münster. With everything going to hell in Münster, Henry Gresbeck risks his life in a dash for fr…
The Tailor King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:08
This week we return to the city of Münster, in the Holy Roman Empire. Now we’ve got all the context out of the way - let’s discuss the war between the Prince Bishop, and the city’s new rogue Prophet - the Tailor, Jan of…
Jan Matthias Rides Out… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:18
This week we travel to the city of Münster, in the Holy Roman Empire. The year, 1534. Tensions have ratcheted up between the City’s Prince Bishop, the City Council and a rogue preacher to the point where the people have…
Charles Lightoller’s Worst Day Ever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:13
Hi all, I’m technically still on holiday (Tales will be back for Season 5 on 1st February.) - but I was on the mic on Sunday, and had a little downtime … and a spare script or two. This week we meet Charles Lightoller, a…
The Stone of Destiny [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
Happy Holidays all! This week we travel to Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1950. It’s four in the morning when a policeman comes across a young couple huddled together in their car. Like another young couple a few mil…
Pope Joan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:20
Hi all apologies for the delay. I’ve been unwell for a couple of weeks, and am only just bouncing back now. This week, on what was originally planned for Transgender Day of Remembrance (two weeks ago) we continue my annu…