Hi, I’m Petra.
My job is to bring history to life. As a Cultural Atmosphere Consultant and Narrative Interpreter, I help people in the creative and cultural worlds give the past a form that can be felt, heard, and remembered.
My path led me from being an archivist and historian to a consultant for atmosphere and emotional staging. I’m driven by the belief that history is more than a list of facts and dates. It’s about feelings and moods that linger, and I believe, like the Romantics and Impressionists, that some truths can only be felt, not simply known.
This deep-seated passion is the foundation of my unique expertise, which I have gained in diverse fields:
I’ve worked as a speaker and singer on stage, organizing a scenic choir concert, and by slipping into roles to make lectures come alive—inhabiting characters like the calm, factual, a touch of charming chaos Detective Inspector Carla Conker or the curious, quick-witted and fiercely independent Travel Woman Martha Robinson of 1845. I have also served as a city archivist and manager of a heritage site, launching countless projects that prove archives don’t have to be dusty and boring. And my background includes experience as a woman in the male-dominated field of football rules, giving many interviews in front of the microphone and camera.
It is this unusual mix of backgrounds—from the meticulous research of archives to the lived experience of performance—that makes my work unique. My special focus is to help cultural and creative projects tell stories that can be felt by English-speaking audiences, particularly through the aesthetic of Englishness.
I help you make history a living feeling that leaves a lasting mark.
My Journey
My professional life has been a journey through different worlds. For over a decade as head of a municipal archive, I’ve been fascinated by how we connect with the past. I’ve built a vibrant public history format from scratch, reaching thousands of people with short, thoughtful stories that connect them to their local past. I also learned to speak with confidence on stage and in front of a camera, becoming a guest on television and live on radio.
My journey into history began as a freelance football historian. I combined my passion for the game with meticulous research and worked with top-tier institutions like the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and the German Football Association (DFB). My writing, including a biography of a Jewish football official, Simon Rosenberger, erased from history during the Nazi era, focused on restoring lost stories to the record.
My Work
All of my experience—from the methodical research of an archivist, to the storytelling of a historian, to the public presence of a speaker—has shaped what I do now.
I help professionals create scenes and places that feel like part of a remembered world. My focus is on the layers of atmosphere and culture that make a moment truly stick with people. It’s about building a memory that lasts, long after the curtain falls or the visitor has left.
More on this under Picturesque Pasts and Work With Me.
My Passion
Today, my work is largely shaped by a different passion: the world of Midsomer Murders.
As a member of the Midsomer Murders Society, I saw that the show’s appeal wasn’t just in its murders, but in its deep sense of atmosphere. My blog on the series’ historical references grew into a full digital archive at MidsomerMurdersHistory.org. This research led me to study nostalgia and heritage tourism, and the subtle ways a mood can be staged.
I was even invited to be a guest on the official Midsomer Murders Mayhem podcast. You can also hear me in the superfan quiz on the official Midsomer Murders Mayhem podcast in episode 6: “Murder on St Malley’s Day”, episode 13: “The Ballad of Midsomer County”, and episode 15: “The Dark Rider”.
Affiliations
- Head of the local archive of Bingen on the Rhine
- Appointed member of the German Academy of Football Culture
- Member of the Midsomer Murders Society
Be kind.
Be brave.
Be true.