How do you maintain a castle? And not just any castle – one that’s stood tall for over 850 years but has recently started to show its age. Well, that’s the question we’re putting to our English Heritage experts following a £1 million conservation project to rescue the unique keep of Orford Castle in Suffolk. This eye-catching stronghold has weathered many storms – both physical and metaphorical – in its time and, after a much-needed facelift, is ready to welcome a new generation of visitors. Talking us through the transformation are head historic properties curator and castle expert Dr Jeremy Ashbee and senior properties curator Dr Shelley Garland. To find out more or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/orford.

This week, we’re joined by English Heritage’s head of learning and interpretation Dr Dominique Bouchard and interpretation coordinator Nick Collinson to shine a light on the lives of the LGBTQ+ people from the past who have a connection to our properties or are commemorated through London blue plaques. Join us to discover the stories of Lord Beauchamp, Anne Seymour Damer, Virginia Woolf and Radclyffe Hall, and what we’re doing to share more stories of LGBTQ+ people at our sites. To discover more LGBTQ+ history, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/lgbtq-history.

This week, we’re joined by English Heritage properties historian Andrew Roberts and curator Cameron Moffet to explore the story of Wroxeter Roman city in Shropshire. Though a small village today, Wroxeter was once the fourth largest town in Roman Britain, when it was known as Viriconium. It was almost the same size as Pompeii in Italy and its true size can best be judged by the scale of the surviving defences and ramparts. Discover how the city grew out of a legionary fortress, what life would have been like for its residents and how we’re sharing its story in new ways with visitors today. To find out more or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxeter.

This week, we’re joined by English Heritage’s curator of collections and interiors Dr Peter Moore and Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences archivist Sandra Jane Freshney to reveal how Audley End House in Essex became home to a diverse collection of natural history specimens and curiosities dating back to the 19th century. Discover the story of amateur scientific collectors Richard and Jane Neville, how and where they obtained their specimens and the objects from their collection that visitors to Audley End can see during a visit today. To find out more or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/audleyend.

From a military base to a thriving port town and back again, Richborough Roman Fort in Kent is a hugely significant Roman site in Britain, often referred to as the ‘gateway to Britannia’. As work concludes on a major project to share its stories with visitors in new and innovative ways, we’re joined by senior properties historian Paul Pattison and curator of collections and interiors Kathryn Bedford to discuss the fort’s history, and the exciting new additions that today’s visitors can expect to find. To find out more or plan a visit, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/richborough.