Shows
My Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryQ&A Bonus Episode (Season 5, + Janie's story returning eventually - I promise!)Season 5, bonus episode. Ingrid answers listeners' questions, talks about the future of My Love Letter Time Machine, and introduces her Grandfather Owen's memoirs, (who was a nurse in the Royal Navy during WW2). Ingrid will come back with Janie’s story in the Spring in a new season of the podcast, and then lead into story of her family getting through the first world war, the depression, the second world war and out the other side, as well as taking a look at history through the eyes of a very ordinary working class family in Sheffield. S...
2023-12-0928 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History...till death do us part.Season 5, episode 12. 1893 to 1894. I’m so sorry to break your hearts, but mine is broken too. In 1894, after a protracted chest infection, Fred started coughing up blood + with horror, he + Janie would have realised that they were staring tuberculosis in the face. Support the show
2023-12-0225 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryHappily Ever After...Season 5, episode 11. 1890 to 1893. Janie and Fred move to the seaside in Redcar, North Yorkshire, we get to have rather a lovely snapshot of their life together with financial security, social mobility and even some balls and banquets. However back in Sheffield, Tuberculosis rears its ugly head. Support the show
2023-11-2528 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryKrakatoa (75th Episode!)Season 5, episode 10. September 1883 to August 1889. We follow Janie and Fred's growing family, catch up with their family and friends back in Sheffield, and the goings on at the North Eastern Steel Company in Middlesbrough, as well as take a look at the impact of the first globally reported disaster. Support the show
2023-11-1830 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryMr & Mrs Fred ShepherdSeason 5, episode 9. October 1882 - November 1883. We follow Janie and Fred's first year of as newlyweds as they settle into married life in Middlesbrough, but back in Handsworth, Sheffield, all is not well. 1883 proves a year of highs and lows, of birth, marriage and death. Support the show
2023-11-0527 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History“I Fred Shepherd, take thee Jane Warburton”Season 5, episode 8. 7th - 12th October 1882. It's Fred and Janie's wedding! We have the last of the letters, and Ingrid tries her best to recreate the wedding of her Great Great Grandparents. Grab your tissues. [Wedding March Pipe Organ royalty free music standard license purchased from audio jungle/ Envato]Support the show
2023-10-2933 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"My darling our letters will soon be closed"Season 5, episode 7. 2nd - 6th October 1882. The last full week of letters before Janie and Fred's wedding! Janie is rushing around organising everything for the wedding attendents, Fred is get the finishing touches made to what will be their new home, and, we have a little look at the tradition of bride-to-be's bottom drawer.Support the show
2023-10-2124 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPhone upgrades in Victorian BritainSeason 5, episode 6. 28th September - 1st October 1882. An industrial accident involving a crane takes place at Fred's works in Middlesbrough, and we take look at the history of the adoption of the telephone in Victorian Britain. Fred and Janie also reflect that their time of writing to each other is coming to an end.Support the show
2023-10-1423 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryCollars and cuffs and other stuffSeason 5, episode 5. September 24th - 28th 1882. Janie is industriously sending household items up to Middlesbrough on the luggage train, and Fred is rather irritated - because his laundry keeps going missing, and someone has been taking Janie's letters out of his coat pocket and reading them.Support the show
2023-10-0821 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryGout, Guests, and a Grumpy GroomSeason 5, episode 4. September 20th-23rd 1882. Fred gets into a fine old mood over the course of these next letters, as the caliber of wedding guests being invited, by Janie’s Mother, not Janie I hasten to add, is making him fret. We also take a little look at the Derbyshire spa town of Buxton and the history of 'taking the waters'.Support the show
2023-10-0123 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe Groomsman ConfusionSeason 5, episode 3. 17th - 19th September 1882. Content warning for Victorian alcohol abuse. Confusion arises over a mystery groomsman, Fred is arranging for their banns of marriage to be published, and Janie has to deal with a family quarrel when Emma’s drinking takes a turn for the worse.Support the show
2023-09-2423 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe Bridesmaid Proliferation Problem Season 5, episode 2. September 12th-16th 1882. Today we have a row about bridesmaids - Fred continues to try and rein in Janie’s wedding plans to absolutely no avail. 1882 was a Royal Wedding year, and while Janie would have been fascinated, she may have been more influenced by accounts of society weddings taking place in Yorkshire. Bridesmaids in hats seem to have been very popular. Support the show
2023-09-1720 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"There must be no bustles or crinolettes!"Season 5, episode 1. September 9th-11th 1882. We are now properly into the run up to Janie and Fred's wedding in four weeks time, and Fred offers what some might consider unwise opinions into what his bride should or shouldn't be wearing. Fortunately his letter arrives after Janie has already ordered her wedding dress. Support the show
2023-09-1023 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryJanie’s Dad's cricket match of 1843 (Bonus episode)Season 4. Bonus mini episode. How a tiny newspaper clipping from 1843 took me on a little adventure on the history of cricket, featuring a brief look at a stadium disaster from 200 years ago, and the possible origins of how Janie's parents got together.Support the show
2023-06-2313 min
The Divorce SocialListener: Ingrid Birchell-Hughes"in my darkest time I was not expecting to be thrown a lifeline from my family, from 140years ago"Samantha Baines joins listener Ingrid to talk about her unique divorce experience. Ingrid discovered love letters that had been passed down in her family from 140years ago between Fred and Janie her ancestors. During her own divorce Ingrid began following the story of her great great grandad and grandma, researching and started her own podcast to share this one hundred year old love story with the world. Her research brought up parallels and highlighted the historical differences...
2023-05-2453 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryQ&A Bonus Episode (Season 4)Season 4, episode 13. Q&A Bonus episode. In which Ingrid answers questions from listeners and talks about the importance of the letters. We also look forward to the Season 5 featuring the last of Fred and Janie's letters (out in September 2023), and consider the future of the podcast. Support the show
2023-05-0726 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryKnives and Forks, and The Cutlers' FeastSeason 4, episode 12. 5th-8th September 1882. The wedding planning is picking up steam, Janie is gifted a wedding present from the elusive Fred Johnson. Our Fred finaly finds their new house, and we take a look at the Cutlers Company of Hallamshire and some unexpected family history therein.Support the show
2023-04-3028 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryHandsworth Feast and Flower ShowSeason 4, episode 11. 28th August - 4th September 1882. Janie bless her heart, is swamped, almost literally, working for the Cross Keys supporting the Handsworth Feast and Flower Show in miserable weather. Fred seems to have difficulty understanding why Janie just doesn't have the time to write to him.Support the show
2023-04-2323 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryFred almost falls to his death... Season 4, episode 10. August 23rd-27th 1882. Our Fred decides goes on an adventure and climbs Roseberry Topping just south of Middlesbrough, in which he narrowly avoids killing his silly self. Fred and Janie try and firm up who will be their bridesmaids and best man for their wedding, and it’s all hands on deck at the Cross Keys as Janie gets ready for the Handsworth Feast and Flower Show. Support the show
2023-04-1626 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryEmma flies into a drunken rageSeason 4, episode 9. August 19th - 23rd 1882. Content Warning: Victorian alcohol abuse and its effects in the family environment. We discover that Janie had been ice skating, and a really upsetting row blows up at the Cross Keys. We take a look at the history of Victorian indoor ice rinks or 'Glaceriums' as they were known. Support the show
2023-04-0927 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA family day at the seaside - Victorian StyleSeason 4, episode 8. 14th-18th August 1882. Janie’s fabulous account of a family day at the seaside at Cleethorpes, and, we take a look at the Married Women's Property Act of 1882 that was passed into English law that very week. A law that came a little too late for some of the women in the family. Support the show
2023-03-3127 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryBaskets and WotnotsSeason 4, episode 7. August 11th - 14th 1882. After the drama of cousin Maria's collapse last week, the 'Wellingtons' and the Warburtons rally around her. Also Fred & Janie get back on track with preparing and planning for their future married life. The joy however is tempered with Emma's continuing issues.Support the show
2023-03-2623 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryMatrimonial SuperstitionsSeason 4, episode 6. 3rd-10th August 1882. Fred returns to Sheffield for a visit and seems to be being ghosted by his best friend, and Janie gets a bit of a fright when her cousin Maria Staniforth suddenly falls ill. We also take a look at some matrimonial superstitions of the day.Support the show
2023-03-1826 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryGuns and PosiesSeason 4, episode 5. 30th July - 2nd August 1882. Fred and Janie discuss who is going to be Fred’s best man at their upcoming wedding, Fred goes to see a practice of the North Yorkshire Artillery Volunteers, and we look at the Victorian tradition of the Language of Flowers - a craze where people gave secret meanings to different types of flowers.Support the show
2023-03-1226 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPolly finally snaps at Emma's behaviourSeason 4, episode 4. 24th - 28th July 1882. Fred gets some very encouraging news from his boss Mr Cooper and we look at the average working wage in Victorian Britain. Emma gets hold of some liquor and lays into Polly again, but this time, Polly stands up to her and gives her what for! Support the show
2023-03-0525 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPenny Gaffs, Parks, and ParenthoodSeason 4, episode 3. 20th - 22nd July 1882. We find out more about Fred’s neck of the woods in Middlesbrough by taking a look at the Victorian Parks movement as a response to industrialisation, and Ingrid ends up sharing her own personal 'hymn' to Sheffield Cathedral. Fred also seems to be rather sad that he's not yet going to be a father. Which is probably just as well at the moment.Support the show
2023-02-2629 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPicnicking, and QuickeningSeason 4, episode 2. 15th - 19th July 1882. Janie's mood continues to be a little low, and Fred starts talking about how a possible baby on the way might impact the date for their wedding. Janie also paints us a tantalising picture of a Victorian working class picnic in Bowden Howstead Woods, near Handsworth, Sheffield, a beautiful ancient woodland that survives even today. Support the show
2023-02-1925 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryDarnall Feast, and The Sheffield FlyerSeason 4, Episode 1. July 10th - 14th 1882. Janie returns from visiting Fred in Middlesbrough, she struggles to adjust, and we meet a Victorian sporting superstar, George Littlewood, World champion walker and runner, aka The Sheffield Flyer. Support the show
2023-02-1223 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryTrailer - Bringing 200 Victorian letters to lifeJanie and Fred met on a woodland walk in 1878, they left behind 200 love letters. 140 years later their great great grandaughter, Ingrid Birchell Hughes, brings their letters and the world of Victorian Yorkshire to life. Escape to another time and get caught up in the real life dramas of two ordinary but delightful people through their back and forth conversation, and talk a look at little snippets of social history. Support the show
2022-12-2702 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe canary caper (season 3 finale)Season 3, episode 14. 25th June - 1st July 1882. Janie prepares to travel to be reunited with Fred and to take her first look at Middlesbrough, Janie dishes the dirt on Jinnie's new boyfriend, we track down 'Advice to a Wife' - a Victorian tome about maternal health, and Ingrid experiences an unexpected bombshell from her great great grandparents. Support the show
2022-12-0432 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryBrass bands and travel plans (50th episode!)Season 3, episode 13. 19th - 24th June 1882. A chance comes up for Janie to go to Middlesbrough and see Fred for a few days, so the letters are full of planning wrangling, and in light of a brass band starting up in Handsworth, Sheffield, we take a little look at the brass band movement. Support the show
2022-11-2726 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryWedding frills and carriage spillsSeason 3, episode 12. Janie’s brother Fred Warburton married Mary Roe on Thursday the 15th of June 1882 and we get to have a fabulous look at a Victorian wedding from the point of view of the chief bridesmaid or Maid of honour as Janie would probably have been known then. It was not plain sailing by any means!Support the show
2022-11-1928 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryCan Janie forgive her 'longsuffering' Fred?Season 3, episode 11: 9th-13th June 1882. After Janie’s understandable outrage at Fred’s painting her in a such a bad light over her walk on Sunday night, Fred does his best to smooth things over after last weeks bust up. We also catch up w Fred's cricketing, and get in on the build up to a forthcoming boat race that caught the imagination of the whole country.Support the show
2022-11-1323 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"You both hurt and vex me!"Season 3, episode 10. 4th - 8th June 1882. Janie seems to be back in Fred’s bad books - the pair of them have a proper bust up over the company that Janie has been keeping. We also catch up on Handsworth (Sheffield) village gossip and Janie's brother’s wedding preparations. Support the show
2022-11-0627 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPetty theft, and petty cashSeason 3, episode 9. 31st May - 4th June 1882. Janie and Fred have to cope with renewed separation along with a new pregnancy scare, Fred can't balance the account books at work, Emma steals from Janie, and we take a little look at Whitsun traditions, as well as Victorian perfumes.Instagram: @mylovelettertimemachineTwitter: @1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comWritten and produced by Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-10-3026 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryJanie forgets Fred’s birthdaySeason 3, episode 8. 22nd - 26th May 1882. In back and forth in the run up to Fred’s return to Sheffield, Fred has been prodding Janie about her memory and for good reason - Janie is suddenly faced with the realisation that her memory isn’t her strong point. We we also have a little look at the ubiquity of the horse in the Victorian era. Instagram: @mylovelettertimemachineTwitter: @1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comWriten and produced by Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-10-2334 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryWhitsun wedding prep and wash daysSeason 3, episode 7. Fred moves to his new lodgings near Albert Park in Middlesbrough and is struggling to pack around the demands of his, Janie’s friend Carry has to send sad news to her sister Annie in Australia, we also take a little look at a wash day in the 1880s.Instagram: @mylovelettertimemachineTwitter: @1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comWriter and Producer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-10-1625 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"if you had been there, it would've been an Eden"Season 3, episode 6. Back in Middlesbrough, Fred’s fears about his accommodation problems are realised, in Sheffield, Janie is suddenly flavour of the month again with Polly Roe, and we also have a look at the Phoenix Park Murders that took place in Dublin, Ireland. We also get to hear Fred sharing his love for the sea front at Saltburn.Instagram: @mylovelettertimemachineTwitter: @1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comWriter and Producer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-10-0927 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA tale of two sisters-in-lawSeason 3, episode 5. May 4th - 9th 1882. The insecurity regarding Fred’s lodgings grows, as his landlady, Mrs Gordon, tells him to start looking for somewhere else to live, and Janie’s soon to be sister in-law, turns out to be a bit of a bitch. Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-09-2527 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPaddle steamers, and public house palaverSeason 3, episode 4. 27th April to 2nd of May 1882. In Middlesbrough, Fred takes a trip on the Stockton paddle steamer along the River Tees, and back in Sheffield, Janie is rushed off her feet as The Cross Keys hosts a dinner for 75 people.Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-09-1825 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe roles of wives and wallpaperSeason 3, episode 3: We reflect on the roles of women following Janie bitterly expressing her frustration with Emma and Fred taking her to task for it, and we have a little look at the fashions in Victorian interiors. Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-09-1122 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryJanie’s father is suddenly taken ill Season 3, Episode 2. April 18th-22nd 1882. In which our Fred tries to nail down a date for their wedding, and Janie’s father, James, is suddenly taken ill, and we take a look a Victorian chemists and the over the counter sales of dubious concoctions. Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-09-0425 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA street brawl and the assault of a police constableSeason 3, episode 1. April 12th - 17th 1882. After an Easter in Sheffield, Fred has to return to Middlesbrough to lodgings that are starting to prove unsuitable. Back in Handsworth, Janie is witness to a coal miners' street brawl.Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2022-08-2823 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryQ&A Bonus Episode (Season 2)Season 2, episode 24. Q&A Bonus episode. In which Ingrid answers questions from listeners, we find out about Canadian world champion rower Ned Hanlan coming to Middlesbrough to defend his title, and we get to look at someone else's love letter by way of comparison.Support the show
2022-08-2126 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryEaster 1882, Fred gets booed at footballSeason 2, episode 23. April 1st - 7th 1882. The letters come thick and fast in the run up to Janie & Fred’s reunion in Easter 1882 and Fred gets booed by football supporters, when playing for Redcar against Middlesbrough in the Cleveland challenge cup final rematch. Support the show
2022-08-1427 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryVillage gossip, and more pillow talkSeason 2, episode 22. March 27th - 31st 1882. CW sexual discussion continues between Janie and Fred (using mild Victorian euphemisms). This time the racy village gossip and the even racier pillow talk continues, as well as starting to plan for Fred's Easter visit. Support the show
2022-08-0727 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryJanie's confirmation, and Fred's ex caught in the actSeason 2, episode 21. March 24th - 26th 1882. Contains discussions of a sexual nature using mild Victorian terminology. Janie has her confirmation ceremony, we find out what she thinks of Fred’s Paris job offer, and Fred's ex girlfriend is spotted in a rather suggestive postion. Support the show
2022-07-3126 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryAn inquest, and Fred has no head for whiskySeason 2, episode 20. CW description of a suicide inquest, Emma and Mr Walker continue to be a source of speculation, and Fred gets head hunted for a job in Paris, and we find out how he got on at a bachelor party.Support the show
2022-07-2431 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe Cleveland Cup, a poisoning, and a suicideSeason 2, episode 19: CW description of a suicide. Alarming news regarding a poisoning in Handsworth, a tragic suicide in Darnall, Sheffield, and we find out how Fred faired in the Cleveland Challenge Cup Final.Support the show
2022-07-1731 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"Emma has been as nasty as possible!"Season 2, episode 18. Janie comforts Fred regarding the temptation of kickbacks, and Emma behaves atrociously towards her sister-in-law, and then discovers that Mr Walker has been two timing her.Support the show
2022-07-1023 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA sackable offenceSeason 2, episode 17. Fred tries to hold out against bribery at work, we find out about Victorian health subscriptions, or ‘sick club’ as Fred called it, and Janie and Fred gossip about other couple's family planning.Support the show
2022-07-0326 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPillow talk - Victorian styleSeason 2, episode 16. Content warning: Please be aware that Fred and Janie have discussions of a sexual nature in this episode, using mild terminology. As well as quite a lot of pillow talk, we also get to take a look at a 'Fancey Fayre' at Sheffield's Albert Hall. Support the show
2022-06-2628 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA Victorian intervention? Our William talks to Emma.Season 2, episode 15. Content warning: mild sexual discussion, and mentions of alcohol abuse. Janie makes a significant purchase for her future home, Fred plays a very windy football match, we have a little look at Victorian lady explorer, Annie Bassey, and brother William tries to take Emma in hand for her drinking. Support the show
2022-06-1928 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryAll I want is a dining room somewhereSeason 2, episode 14. Janie and Fred have a fabulously detailed discussion about their future house layout, to the point of drawing floorpans, and we have a little look at the history of terraced housing.Support the show
2022-06-1225 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryGood health is in short supplySeason 2, episode 13: Fred and Janie swap valentines after Fred’s visit, Janie is in full swing in buying things for their future home, and Kate, the servant at the Cross Keys, is suddenly taken ill, in fact, everyone seems to be in poor healthSupport the show
2022-06-0531 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History"She is killing him by inches"Season 2, episode 12: After last week’s rather intense exchange about Fred’s expectations of Janie as a wife, the letters this time are full of excitement as they plan for Fred’s upcoming visit to Sheffield after 5 long weeks apart. Be prepared though, for Emma to throw a spanner in the works...Support the show
2022-05-2923 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryYour good angelSeason 2, episode 11: Fred and Janie make plans for Janie to be confirmed and we talk about the mismatch of their deeply held beliefs and their complete lack of guilty about having sex before marriage. Support the show
2022-05-2229 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryThe possible health benefits of a conjugal visitSeason 2, episode 10. Janie confides in Fred about her continuing tribulations with Emma, and Fred has a rather racey discussion with Janie about the possible health benefits of a conjugal visit. Please be aware that there is discussion of sexual activity - mainly in the last letter in this episode.Support the show
2022-05-1534 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History'Human Magnetism', and Emma's steals Janie's keys!Season 2, episode 9. We catch up with Fred Johnson’s teaching adventures, find out what’s behind Janie and her friends trying out the Victorian fad of ‘Human Magnetism’, and learn that Emma stole Janie's keys!Support the show
2022-05-0822 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryCatching up with all the newsFred and Janie have both been shopping for their future home, and their letters are full of the latest gossip, including some alarming news from Emma's in-laws, the Herrods.Support the show
2022-05-0122 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryMaking up is hard to doSeason 2, episode 7: Fred has given Janie a bit of a hard time about going to that tea dance without him. Janie is very hurt, but they seem to make it up again.Support the show
2022-04-2426 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryPartying - Victorian styleSeason 2, episode 6: A Christmas and New Year renunion for Janie and Fred, a visit to a school for the blind, and a look at a Victorian Christmas party, although Janie had to go without Fred.Support the show
2022-04-1727 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryLemonkollySeason 2, episode 5. Fred is missing Janie dreadfully and seems to be sinking into his ‘lemonkolly’, he seems to be rather in demand as a footballer, and there's good news from Sheffield about his mother Ann.Support the show
2022-04-1026 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistorySeveral young men in want of wivesSeason 2, episode 4. Fred and his friends all seem to be rather desperate to be married, and we look at how as a group of men, they all seem quite comfortable sharing their personal feelings.Support the show
2022-04-0324 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryFred dashes back to SheffieldSeason 2, episode 3. Fred manages a dash back to Sheffield obstensibly to head hunt for the new works in Middlesbrough, but it's a great excuse to see Janie, even if it does result in a bit of worrying about Janie possibly being in 'the family way'. We also get to hear about the Higgs and their embarking on a voyage to Australia.Support the show
2022-03-2720 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryFred gains respect, and Emma loses a suitorSeason 2 Episode 2. "She has not a particle of shame in her!" (CW mentions Victorian alcohol abuse). We find out how Fred was settling into his new job, what he thinks of Redcar and Middlesbrough, and how back in Sheffield, Janie’s sister Emma, continues to drink and it looks as though she gets dumped.Support the show
2022-03-2025 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryFrom City of Steel to Ironopolis (Sheffield to Middlesbrough)Season 2 Episode 1. (CW: mentions alchohol abuse) Last season we saw an anxious Fred leave home in Sheffield to take up his new job at the North Eastern Steel Company, Middlesbrough. This week we find out how Fred is getting on with finding lodgings and how Janie is coping without him back in Handsworth.Support the show
2022-03-1323 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryQ&A Bonus Episode (Season 1)Ingrid answers questions from listeners about Janie, Fred and the letters. Including everyday enquiries about what they ate, to asking about gender attitudes of the day. Season 2 starts next time.Support the show
2022-03-0622 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistorySeason 1 finale: Fred LeavesEpisode 12: Why Fred at just 22 years old, boarded a train from Sheffield to Middlesborough, and left behind everything he’d ever known. 1881 - a difficult year that brought great tragedy but also great hope.Support the show
2022-02-2727 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryTrouble at the steel mill, and divorce at WestminsterEpisode 11. Content Warning: descriptions of domestic violence in the second half of this episode. Discovering how the global depression effected Sheffield and if Fred still had a job, and finding out how Janie’s sister Emma had to go to the Houses of Parliament to get a divorce so she could be freed from her abusive husband.Support the show
2022-02-2026 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History'Artificial Sunshine' at the Seaside, and Sunday BestEpisode 10: (Correction: Blackpool is in the North West of England, (not the North East, apols fellow Lancastrians) Fred goes on holiday in Blackpool and gives us an eyewitness account of the first generation of the Blackpool Illuminations, the world's first ever municipal electric street lights, and we get to enjoy Janie and Fred's back and forth correspondence during that fortnight. We also take a look at the fashions of the day and Janie's work as a Sunday School teacher.Support the show
2022-02-1324 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryMeeting Samuel Plimsoll, and did Janie propose?Episode 9: Spring 1880, Fred and Janie make plans for the future, get caught up in the General Election, and Fred gets news fom Oxford. Taking closer look at some of the people and colour of the world that Janie and Fred lived in.Support the show
2022-02-0625 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryAutumn 1879 Secrets, and when Fred beat Aston VillaEpisode 8: In which we get some of our preconceptions about Victorian courtship rewritten, and Fred gets some of his preconceptions about what women really want, rewritten too. Unlocking the 140 year old secrets concealed in Fred's diary, and finding about his football exploits in the Sheffield Challenge Cup of 1880, and the time he and his team beat Aston Villa. Support the show
2022-01-3020 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryCity of Steel, and Victorian SelfiesSeason 1, episode 7: Autumn 1879, first we take a deeper dive into impact the steel mills had on Sheffield, and then we’ll be finding out about how Fred and Jane swapped selfies, Victorian style, and what that might mean for a courting couple.Support the show
2022-01-2325 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryA Seaside Rendezvous, and a Family ScandalSeason 1, episode 6: August 17th - 30th 1879. Content warning: the second part of this episode contains descriptions of domestic violence. Fred is still in Bridlington, and Jane makes a sudden decision. Then we discover how Emma, Jane’s older sister, woke one morning to find that her private affairs, or rather the affairs of the husband who had abandoned her, were splashed across the newspapers. Support the show
2022-01-1621 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryDramatic Entertainments, and Fred takes us on Holiday Season 1, episode 5: Taking place during the Spring and Summer of 1879, we catch up with Fred's chums putting on their Amateur Dramatics. Fred reports back from Bridlington while on his Summer holiday and gamely takes on the role of fashion correspondent to entertain Janie in his letters.Support the show
2022-01-0927 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryTwo sisters, and The Vinegar ValentineSeason 1, episode 4: January 19th - March 30th 1879. Reflecting on Jane's background in Handsworth Sheffield, where Ingrid discovers how two sisters ran two pubs with a small army of female relatives, and then working out the mystery of how someone nearly succeeded in breaking Fred and Jane up by sending a malicious valentine.Support the show
2022-01-0222 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistoryChristmas 1878, and Fred rings in 1879 with some scarily optimistic resolutionsSeason 1, episode 3: This week we take a look at what Fred was up to during the Christmas of 1878 and the New Year 1879, which he helpfully recorded for us in the dairy he kept when he was 19. We get to take a deep dive into how Fred saw himself and look at one of the most ambitious sets of new year’s resolutions Ingrid has ever read.Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2021-12-2719 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian History1878 A bereavement, and the World's first electrically lit football matchSeason 1, episode 2: October 4th - December 22nd 1878. Ingrid talks about how we can read someone's emotional state from the tiniest clues, Fred loses a family member, how Sheffield hosted a world's first, and how Fred and Jane resort to seeing each other in secret.Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2021-12-2718 minMy Love Letter Time Machine - Victorian HistorySummer 1878, in which we meet Fred, and Jane gets into troubleSeason 1, Episode 1: In which Ingrid first introduces the 200 love letters she inherited spanning 1878 to 1882, and we discover how Fred and Jane met in Bowden Houstead Woods in Sheffield, and got off to a rather rocky start to their courtship.Instagram:@mylovelettertimemachineTwitter:@1ngiEmail: mylovelettertimemachine@gmail.comProducer: Ingrid Birchell HughesSupport the show
2021-12-2724 min