80 - Victorian Falconry - with Raphael Historic Falconry

As well as the Great Kitchen of Alnwick Castle being opened to visitors for the first time in 2025, the suite of larder rooms connected to it are also available to see. One of these was the Game Larder - a very important space in the Victorian period for the types of meat that were stored in there ready to be cooked. And one of the ways that game was procured was the traditional pursuit of falconry!

With that in mind, who better to tell us about hunting with birds of prey at this time in history than Raphael Historic Falconry? We sat down with Emma and Mike - with an extra special guest appearance from Ella the goshawk, who you will hear at various points! - to learn about how falconry might have played a part in the processes of the castle Kitchens.

You will hear about the restoration of falconry as a fashionable 19th century gentleman's pursuit, and how it pushed the medieval and Tudor traditions of falconry forward. You'll also discover the kinds of birds used, how the game they caught would then be gutted, plucked and hung (skip ahead a minute or two if you have a sensitive stomach) and how Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington pioneered the use of birds of prey as pest control!

You can see Raphael Historic Falconry in action at Alnwick Castle this summer, where they'll be performing - hopefully with Ella the goshawk accompanying them! - on select dates in July and August. Please check our website for full details.

And for more from Emma, head all the way back to episode 4 of this podcast for an introduction to falconry and Alnwick Castle's links to this fascinating tradition.