I don’t know about the other organisers but I always wake up with a big feeling of relief the Monday after the Bristol Radical History Festival. Now in its seventh year, the festival gets bigger and more ambitious each time. In the week before I always feel a gnawing worry of ‘are we really going to pull it off this year?’ Luckily for us, the answer so far has always been: yes we are! Loads of work by loads of people goes into organising the Bristol Radical History Festival. It’s all done […]
Not A BRHG Event
BRHG's Steve Hunt will be speaking about his new book City of Swimmers at the Henleaze Lake Literary Festival. His talk will be aptly accompanied by a display of synchronised swimming. Full programme below. Saturday 14 June, Henleaze Lake, Lake Road, Henleaze, Bristol BS10 5HG Note: booking required.
Not A BRHG Event
This year we are marking WARREN JAMES DAY, with poems, songs, short stories, and performances that explore the people and events – real and imagined – of the 1831 ‘Dean Forest Riots’ (uprising!), its aftermath and ongoing legacy. Parkend Working Men’s Club, Lion Row, Parkend, GL154JZ. FREE event. 2-5pm Warren James is a Forest folk hero who led a rebellion against the authorities in 1831 to pull down enclosures stopping people getting access to the forest – a key part of their livelihood. For […]
In 2023, I had the honour to meet Guy Bailey, OBE, whilst researching the Bristol Bus Boycott campaign of 1963. At that time I learnt of his social activism not only in relation to employment but also housing and cricket. In 2025, he graciously agreed to have a conversation with me about his activism against racism in Bristol housing. During the 1980s, he was particularly concerned about the housing needs of Black Elders who were either retired or nearing retirement. They were still experiencing […]
Not A BRHG Event
Bristol Radical History Group are very pleased to be invited to this year's Dic Penderyn Society, Annual History Day at the Merthyr Labour Club, 1 Court Street, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8DU. Roger Ball (11:15am) and Colin Thomas (13:15), both BRHG members, will be speaking at the event. BRHG will also be running a bookstall. The programme for the day: 9.45-10.00am REVOLUTIONARY SONGS BY THE COR COCHION CAERDYDD 10.15-11.00am HUW WILLIAMS: “ART REPRESENTING REALITY” IMAGES OF MERTHYR TUDFUL […]
Bristol Radical History Group are happy and very proud to announce that Hartcliffe Betrayed, the Fading of a Post War Dream authored by Paul Smith has been awarded joint runner up for the Alan Ball Award 2024 in the category best Local History hardcopy publication. Since 1986, the Local Studies Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, acting on behalf of the Library Services Trust, has given annual awards to recognise outstanding contributions in local history […]
Not A BRHG Event
The reaction to the anti-migrant protests in August 2024 and solidarity that regular Bristolians showed to the refugees was not a one-off. The aim of this session is to understand how regular Bristolians have challenged oppression throughout the history of the city. From tackling racism in the trade union movement, comparing the differing experiences of refugees who came to the city, and to a look at the people who fought the blackshirts in the 30s, this session explores the complex history of […]
Previously known as Bishopston, Horfield & Ashley Down Local History Society. From the website: “was formed in 1988 to encourage knowledge, appreciation and preservation of local history in the area. Meetings are held at 7.30pm every third Tuesday of the month except January, August & December at Horfield Quaker Meeting House, 300 Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 8PD. The Society welcomes new members; there is an annual subscription of £20 to join.” See website for current […]
Not A BRHG Event
Saturday 17 May 2025, Warwick Hall, Burford OX18 4RY, from 10.30 On 17 May 1649, three soldiers were executed on Oliver Cromwell’s orders in Burford churchyard, Oxfordshire. They belonged to a movement popularly known as the Levellers, with beliefs in civil rights and religious tolerance. During the Civil War, the Levellers fought on Parliament’s side, they had at first seen Cromwell as a liberator, but now saw him as a dictator. They were prepared to fight against him for their ideals and he […]
If you missed the showing of London Recruits as part of this year's radical history festival then there is another opportunity to see it on Thursday 1 May at the Curzon in Clevedon. The film will be followed by a discussion by some of those who took part in actions against the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1960s and 70s. By the late 1960s, the Apartheid regime in South Africa had reached brutal new heights. Nelson Mandela and other freedom fighters had been imprisoned, killed or forced […]
