One of the most rewarding aspects of the Maritime Britain project is the opportunity to share our research beyond the academic community. Earlier this year, Craig was delighted to join the English Heritage Podcast to discuss England's historic relationship with the sea and how maritime trade shaped everyday life.

When we think about England's coastline, it is often through the lens of defence, invasion, or naval warfare. Yet for much of our history, the coastline was something very different: a network of commercial gateways linking towns, villages, and communities with Europe and the wider world. Long before Britain became a global empire, ships were carrying cloth, wine, timber, iron, fish, spices, and countless other commodities between English ports and overseas markets.

The episode explores how these maritime connections influenced the development of English society. Rather than viewing the sea as a barrier, we discuss how it acted as a highway, connecting people, ideas, technologies, and goods across Europe. Many of the foods we eat, the materials we use, and the wealth that transformed towns and cities arrived through these maritime networks.

These themes lie at the heart of the AHRC-funded Maritime Britain project. By reconstructing more than one million ship voyages between the late sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, we are beginning to understand the remarkable scale and complexity of Britain's commercial world. Our research demonstrates that overseas trade was not confined to London. Hundreds of regional ports participated in international commerce, creating extensive networks that connected communities throughout England, Wales, and beyond.

Appearing on the English Heritage Podcast was an excellent opportunity to discuss this research with a wider audience and to demonstrate how archival records can reveal the lives of the merchants, mariners, and coastal communities that helped shape Britain's past. Public engagement is a central part of the Maritime Britain project, and collaborations such as this help ensure that new historical research reaches audiences far beyond the university.

If you would like to hear the discussion, you can watch the episode here:

English Heritage Podcast – Shorelines, Ships and the Secrets of Trade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i40XjFQnzms

We hope you enjoy listening, and if the episode sparks your interest, be sure to explore the Maritime Britain website, where you can discover more about our research, interactive maps, and the growing database documenting Britain's maritime past.