Subject Index: Radical Bristol

The content on this site is put into subject categories. These pages list content filed under each subject. You can also use the Tag Index to see a full list of keywords used on the site.

The radical face of Bedminster in the early 20th Century

Meet: 2.00pm Ropewalk pub - 5 Nelson Parade, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4JA Come with us on a journey through time and space in Bedminster, Victoria Park and Windmill Hill... This two hour history walk uncovers the radical political groups and individuals active in Bedminster in the pre-WWI and post-war periods, the strikes and trade union actions of the growing labour movement and how these networks of activists combined to resist the war. We also look at the changing nature of the area and the […]

Haunting Ashton Court LIVE

A Creative Handbook for Collective History-Making

Join us for an evening of performance and lively discussion connected to the recently published book Haunting Ashton Court: A Creative Handbook for Collective History-Making, inspired by a community youth theatre project that took place at the mansion across Winter 2022. The evening will include performances from a company of young Bristolians responding to the gaps and silences in the official archives of Ashton Court Estate, followed by a panel Q&A with the young people involved, chaired […]

That’s Ange! Angela Carter’s Coming of Age as a Writer in 1960s Bristol

transparent fiddle Not A BRHG Event
Stephen Hunt of Bristol Radical History Group will be speaking at the Clevedon Literary Festival. From the website: Stephen Hunt, author of Angela Carter’s Provincial Bohemia, will explore how Carter’s experiences during the 1960s strongly influenced her development as a writer and will discuss how in recent years we have begun to memorialise her residence in the area. Steve is a member of Bristol Radical History Group and has written several highly acclaimed pamphlets on Bristol artistic […]

Bristol Radical Bookfair

At The Exchange On 13th May

transparent fiddle Not A BRHG Event
Books and more! The Bristol Radical History Group book stall is again pleased to be at the latest Bristol Radical Bookfair, this Saturday 13th May, from 11am to 3.30pm. This is the latest in a series of local Radical Bookfairs co-ordinated by Active Distribution, and hosted by the Exchange Bristol, at 72-73 Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0EJ. Full details are on the headfirst bristol listings, and on the Active FB event, which promises... You'll find new and second hand titles, kids books, novels, […]

Mark Stewart (10/08/60 – 21/04/23): A Tribute

Mark Stewart of The Pop Group
History is important, people are important and individuals are important. When people pass, we have moments of instant memorialisation, the obituaries are written, and then often we forget, or the memory of that person passes into the background as the noise and bustle of life continues. We can forget the impact, the power, the energy and the force that people can wield with their creative endeavours. Mark Stewart is someone we must never forget, but also one whose impact and legacy are all […]

Judith Brown

Judith Brown from cover in yellow
From local councillor to welfare benefits adviser, radio presenter and campaigner for the rights of older people, Judith is a dynamo who doesn’t stop, despite being in her eighties. Judith was interviewed by Trish Mensah for the Activist Memories series, supported by Bristol Older People’s Forum. The Activist Memories series captures, through oral history interviews, the life experience of those who have fought for a better world.

Lost and Found: Bristol’s underground visual artists

Bristol Radical History Festival 2023 poster, featuring a Walter Crane print
This panel considers the work of contemporary artists who have had an influence and impact on Bristol but sought little exposure for themselves. Two artists who have recently passed away, Steve Philbey and Tony Forbes, certainly fit the bill, as do the activities of the Bristol Refugee Artists Collective. Steve Philbey (1943 - 2022) was a painter, muralist, graphic artist, photographer and founder/chronicler of The Saint-Just Mob. And also variously a factory worker, Father Christmas, painter […]

Conflict and Struggle in the Arms Industry

A Memoir of a Bristol Trade Union Activist

Bristol Radical History Festival 2023 poster, featuring a Walter Crane print
Andy Danford brings to life his experience as a worker and senior union representative in Bristol’s arms industry during the 1970s and 1980s. During these two decades, life on the shop and office floors, and the strength of workplace trade unionism, shifted dramatically, as the advent of Thatcherism marked the beginning of the sustained attack on worker and union rights which extends to this day. Against this background of change, Andy provides a rich account of the actions of rank-and-file […]

Bristol City Centre Squatted: the last 50 years

Bristol Radical History Festival 2023 poster, featuring a Walter Crane print
  A walking tour as part of Bristol Radical History Festival Meet at the MShed front entrance at 4.00pm. Finish at the Louisiana around 5:30pm. Bristol’s city centre has been a focus for squatters making a political point: on housing need and homelessness, in solidarity with strikes, in solidarity with land struggles and in defence of the natural environment. This short tour includes five buildings squatted in the Harbourside, Old Town and Redcliffe in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and […]

Ellen and Rolinda Sharples

Painted out of history

Bristol Radical History Festival 2023 poster, featuring a Walter Crane print
  What is the connection between the Bristol Sharples family of artists, the American Revolution of the 1780s and the Royal West of England Academy of Art? Join Lee Cox in exploring the places where Ellen and Rolinda Sharples lived and worked at the beginning of the 19th century. Rolinda became the only female member of the Bristol School of Narrative Artists, whilst the Sharples family little known legacy led to the establishment of equal art training opportunities for women alongside men […]

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