Blog - Bristol Radical History Group

United We Stand

By Randell Brantley

The South Gloucestershire Division of the NUT is promoting performances of United We Stand ( ), a play about the case of the Shrewsbury 24, in Bristol. In 1972 tens of thousands of building workers won the first national strike in the industry for better pay and conditions. 'Flying pickets left the contractors reeling. The Tory government and the large building companies wanted revenge, and the 'Shrewsbury 24' were put on trial in the following year. 'Townsend Productions' new play, UNITED WE […]

New Bristol Records Office Online Catalogue

By Randell Brantley

Bristol Records office have launched their new online catalogue. Bristol Record Office holds almost two million documents which record the history of the city and the surrounding area from the 12th century to the present day. These include minutes, accounts, letters, diaries, maps, photographs and films created by many types of organisations and people.

Bookfair Dates

By Randell Brantley

The Bristol Anarchist Bookfair will be on April 25th 2015 at The Trinty Centre a fortnight before the General Election. The Bookfair will include – 2 halls filled with stalls from local campaigns & groups to national anarchist distros & publishers; workshops & meetings to discuss & debate the key issues; the Radical History Zone down the road at Hydra Bookshop; activities in Trinity Garden’s outdoor permaculture green space; an outdoor Soap-Box for Ranters; a quality vegan cafe; […]

Finally Got The News

By Randell Brantley

Documentary about the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, a radical black workers' group based in the car factories of Detroit. Through interviews with members, supporters and opponents as well as footage of leafleting and picket lines, the film documents their attempts to build a radical black workers' organisation to take on both management and the union and fight to improve conditions for all workers, black and white. Libcom.org

Available to pre-order: Strikers, Hobblers, Conchies & Reds

By Randell Brantley

You can now pre-order Strikers, Hobblers, Conchies & Reds - A Radical History of Bristol, 1880-1939 from Breviary Stuff Publications for £16 inc. postage, normal price £18.50. The book is out on 10th December 2014. You can even pay with bitcoin!!! 375pp paperback • 156x234mm with 101 b/w images. Click here to buy.

Strikers, Hobblers, Conchies & Reds: A Radical History of Bristol, 1880-1939

By Randell Brantley

Coming soon from Breviary Stuff Publications: In the 1970s and 80s a revival of interest emerged in researching Bristol’s vigorous radical past, reflected in the publications of the Bristol branch of the Historical Association and Bristol Broadsides. This revival has continued, echoed in the more recent historical studies that have advanced the work of filling in Bristol’s remarkable past — especially the involvement of the Bristol women’s movement in the nineteenth century in anti-slavery […]

Steve Hunt in Frome

By Randell Brantley

Steve Hunt, author of Street Farm and Anarchism in Bristol and the West Country, will be giving a talk in Frome on Sunday 16th November. Upstairs at the Swan, 16 King St. Free entry.

FoD Torchlit Procession

By Randell Brantley

Light up the forest with luminous clothes, armbands, banners and homemade lanterns… Mallards Pike, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire Wednesday November 5th 2014 5.30pm - 7.00pm Well behaved dogs welcome Wheelchair and pushchair-friendly No fireworks, bonfires or Chinese/Sky lanterns - we want to protect our forest! Wednesday November 5 - Clause 21 of the Infrastructure Bill (and HOOF’s amendment will be debated - and voted on) in the House of Lords. More at

Remembering Eastville Workhouse Public Meeting Report

By Randell Brantley

The public meeting on Eastville Workhouse and the Rosemary Green burial ground on Thursday 28th August was very successful. A lively crowd of 35 residents turned up to St Annes' Church Hall in Greenbank. BRHG laid out maps and other historical sources around the room. Steve and Roger gave a presentation (attached) on the Poor laws and the Eastville Workhouse, Rosemary Green burial ground and other similar projects, which stimulated lots of discussion. See the slides from the presentation. A […]

Young Rebels – The Story of the Southall Youth Movement

By Randell Brantley

In April we hosted Black Star: Britain’s Asian Youth Movement, a talk by Anandi Ramamurthy on the her book of the same name. Recently a film has been release on the same subject: A documentary film made by local young people looking at the history of their community from the 1960s to the 1980s with particular interest in the murder of Gurdeep Chaggar in 1976, the 1979 anti-fascist demonstrations and the death of Blair Peach and the 1981 burning down of the Hambrough Tavern. The film uses the […]

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