News Feed - Bristol Radical History Group

Striking Women: from Grunwick to Gate Gourmet

An exhibition telling the story of South Asian women workers' struggles in two industrial disputes. The fiftieth anniversary of the two year dispute at the Grunwick film processing laboratories in northwest London and the 2005 Gate Gourmet strike at Heathrow. The exhibition explores themes of migration, women and work and the industrial movement more widely. You can find out more at the Striking Women website. .

Bristol and the 1926 General Strike

Exhibition

The exhibition will be launched on Saturday 16 May.

The Future in our Past

Book launches, poetry and exhibition opening

Callum Cant and Matthew Lee will talk about their new book The Future in our Past: The General Strike, 1926/2026 published by Verso. Richard Devereux will read poems from his newly published collection Coal and Fire (Culture Matters). Authors of two of the new BRHG General Strike Centenary Series will launch their new pamphlets: Mike Richardson’s Class or Company Loyalty? The printing industry and events of May 1926 in Bristol. And Chris Bowkett’s Conflicts of Interest: Co-operators, trade […]

Opening Up the Archives

Bristol and the General Strike in 1926

Join the archivists and our historians in the Education Room to view original documents from the special collections. This year we will be focusing on Bristol and the General Strike in 1926.

Patriots, volunteers and scabs

The 1926 General Strike in Bristol

For nine days in 1926, the country ground to a halt as over four million workers downed tools in support of the miners. Mapping the flashpoints from the 1926 General Strike in Bristol, this behind-the-scenes walk around the city centre delves into the hidden histories from the strike, the use of propaganda and how the state fought back. A two-hour walk from Kingsley Hall on Old Market Street via the centre ending at the St James Barton – Bear Pit. Start point: Hydra Books, opposite Kingsley […]

Patriots, volunteers and scabs

The 1926 General Strike in Bristol

For nine days in 1926, the country ground to a halt as over four million workers downed tools in support of the miners. Mapping the flashpoints from the 1926 General Strike in Bristol, this behind-the-scenes walk around the city centre delves into the hidden histories from the strike, the use of propaganda and how the state fought back. A two-hour walk from Kingsley Hall on Old Market Street via the centre ending at the St James Barton – Bear Pit. Start point: Hydra Books, opposite Kingsley […]

1926 General Strike Centenary

Sunday 1st February to Monday 31st August, 2026

A series of events to mark the centenary of the 1926 General Strike. This event series is part of BRHG's 1926 General Strike project, and a number of the events are also part of Bristol Radical History Festival 2026. You might also like to check out our General Strike Centenary Series publications. [event_list_wrapper title='Centenary events'] [/event_list_wrapper]

Counter Culture – Boundary Transgressions that change history

Poster for Countercultures: Boundary transgressions that change history

In the first of many Cube events exploring counter culture, we take a deep dive into the concept of the counter culture and its relevance today. We invite you to join us as we take the long view of those movements that have defined the counter culture throughout the ages. Counter culture is often defined by myths. Going as far back as Prometheus who stole the fire from Zeus and Abraham who smashed the idols of the time. We will highlight how these myths influenced the principles and universal […]

They inspired us #3 – Living Easton

By Roger

In the 1990s my sports club the Easton Cowboys (now Easton Cowfolk) often hosted delegations of young trade unionists from Germany and Portugal through the SW TUC education programme. They would stay with us, sampling the delights of football and parties in the Plough, as well as attending workshops on sport, music and culture, before heading off to Glastonbury festival to work for the Workers Beer Company. Someone had the idea of asking Living Easton, the local history group, to do a history […]

Bristol men and women who were involved in the General Strike

By Rob Whitfield

Tens of thousands of workers in Bristol were involved in the miners’ lock-out and the General Strike. Here is a brief selection of the names of people who were involved. We would welcome additional information, and especially photographs, regarding these workers, and any other workers involved. Please send them to brh@brh.org.uk. The trade union leaders Each of the unions involved were national organisations with their own national leaders. At local level there were union organisers and the […]