Episode Details

For hundreds of years, the Tower of London was home to animals from all over the world. Animals were given as diplomatic gifts, brought by hunters, or captured in the process of colonisation. 

What were conditions like for these animals? Who cared for them? And what does their presence at the Tower tell us about Britain's relationship with the wider world? 

In this episode, Curator Charles Farris is joined by Emma Shepley, a curator researching the Tower's Menagerie, and Dr Mishka Sinha, a historian of global history, to bring you this new and ongoing research. 

The episode contains discussion of animal cruelty, hunting, injury to people, and colonialism. 

Visit the Tower of London this summer to see Imagining Animals.