The Gloucester History Trust is looking to add two new trustees to their board of trustees for this exciting charity, which has an annual turnover of c£350,000 from running the Gloucester History Festival in September, its Spring Weekend in April and the King’s Talks programme.
These have become landmark festivals in both city and county since inception in 2011, and been recognised locally and nationally as premier league history events, mostly in the unique setting of Blackfriars.
The trustees seek candidates with a love of history and heritage, great histories, and a desire to build pride in Gloucester through hosting great and interesting speakers, and help take the Festival and related events to the next level – as our digital Winter Warmer programme goes live to international as well as domestic customers.
Applicants with experience in law and/or governance, of statutory reports to the Charities Commission, ensuring diversity and inclusion policies are up to date: with experience of festivals and events and or of relevant technology will be especially welcomed as will younger candidates.
Candidates with physical disabilities or transport challenges should be reassured that most of our meetings are digital and can be done from home.
Appointments are voluntary and unpaid, with monthly meetings, for which many employers should be able to provide time, and an opportunity to be more involved during Festival activity. Trustees also have the chance to meet our speakers and play a part in developing further our charitable aims, which include greater involvement of students and pupils.
Do spread the word and encourage enthusiastic, can do friends interested in this great charitable good cause to apply to: by 30th January 2025.
The film ‘Secrets of Westgate Street’ premiered at the Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend on 21st April and was made to showcase the fascinating story of this historic thoroughfare. It has been produced as part of the Cathedral Quarter HSHAZ for Gloucester City Council and Historic England by Squeaky Pedal.
The film and trailer are available to view here.
Gloucester’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) is known as the Cathedral Quarter HSHAZ. It is a £1.9m programme funded by Gloucester City Council and Historic England to breathe new life into Westgate Street, which as the film shows is rich in heritage and full of potential.
Developed in Roman times, Westgate grew into a bustling medieval street, and it is still the beating heart of the city of Gloucester today. But beneath the modern streets and behind the shop frontages there’s a hidden story which this new film brings to life in striking visuals, including a Lego model. The film also shares exciting new discoveries about Westgate’s historic buildings which have been uncovered as repairs were carried out.
High Streets Heritage Action Zones is a £95 million government-funded programme led by Historic England, designed to secure lasting improvements and help breathe new life into our historic high streets for the communities and businesses that use them. Historic England is working with local people and partners to unlock the rich heritage on these high streets, through repair and improvement works as well as arts and cultural programmes, making them more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists and investors.
In the tiny Gloucestershire Parish Church of Coberley, halfway between Cirencester and Gloucester, lies the tomb of Sir Thomas Berkeley. Sir Thomas was one of the six Gloucestershire knights who crossed to France with King Edward III ready to fight at the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Alongside him lies his wife and a miniature tomb of a child.
Having survived the battle, Sir Thomas died in 1365 and his wife, Lady Berkeley, later went on to marry Sir William Whittington. Their son, one Richard Whittington, grew up to be the Dick Whittington of legend, the eventual Lord Mayor of London. The Gloucester History Festival will be commemorating the 600th anniversary of Dick Whittington’s death in 1423 next September.
The Battle of Crécy, in which Sir Thomas Berkeley fought, was a key battle in the early years of The 100 Years’ War. The lead up to it, starting from Edward III’s invasion of Normandy, was the focus of the 2022 Winstone Talk, with Dan Jones, which took place in Cirencester on the 29th of October 2022. Dan’s recent book, and debut foray into historic fiction, Essex Dogs, published by Head of Zeus, explores this conflict from the perspective of a group of foot soldiers from Essex – fighting for each other and to get back to the only home they know. It’s a fascinating insight into medieval life in both England and France.
Gloucester History Trust Win Pandemic Pivot Award(fewer than 20 paid FTE employees) at the Museums and Heritage Awards
City Voices, Gloucester History Festival and Gloucester Heritage Forum are delighted to announce that their shortlisted collaboration project of Gloucester Looking Up has won the Pandemic Pivot Award at the National Museums and Heritage Awards on Thursday 1 July.
The National Museums and Heritage Awards have celebrated the very best within museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions across the UK for over 10 years and the partners are incredibly proud that this wide-ranging project based on collaboration and partnership with the city’s cultural and heritage locations and organisations has been recognised.
“In a year where the Pandemic resulted in isolation and separation for so many, for this deeply collaborative project celebrating connection and city-wide appreciation for our heritage and history to win, is incredible for Gloucester, and a symbol of what partnerships can achieve even in the face of great challenge,”
says Jacqui Grange, Project Manager for Gloucester Looking Up.
The three lead partners in the project, City Voices, Gloucester History Festival and Gloucester Heritage forum worked closely with Gloucestershire Archives and were supported by film production company Squeaky Pedal and marketing consultants Flying Geese to ensure that Gloucester Looking Up project reached as many people as possible and deepened engagement with the City.
In total, Twenty five artists, 125 volunteers, and over 40 organisations collaborated within an extraordinarily tight period of time to create an astonishing range of work. The descendant of a kindertransport child was traced, and his image installed in his former hostel – the Polish tenants who now live there were so proud they took the day off work; colourful artworks were installed across the city in windows for people to encounter on their daily walks; support for Black Lives Matter was shared through We See Gloucester ( Do You See Us?) in heritage venues across the city; the stories of all the people of the city, from the cleaners to the town crier, the poet to the veteran were told through interviews, poetry and commissioned films, in novel and accessible ways, including a British Sign Language Tour, downloadable artists maps, and activities for families and children.
To deliver this, a tiny team worked round the clock, with just 2 months to pull together the content, and create a new website for Gloucester History Festival to showcase in September 2020.
Richard Graham, Gloucester MP says,
“This award is a real boost to the exciting community based projects that bring alive the City Voices strand of our Gloucester History Festival. A great day for pride in our city, its stories, diversity and togetherness.”
As well as being well received critically by local and national audiences, this new digital content allowed the partnership to build and grow new and more diverse audiences. Over 26k people watched the films, and new social media activity generated a reach of 1.3M people – all of whom are now more aware of the special stories that Gloucester has to tell than they were before.
The Gloucester Looking Up project was funded by Historic England.
City Voices congratulates all the Museums and Heritage Awards winners!
Pandemic Pivot category shortlistees:
Northe Front – for demonstrating how heritage sites have an important role to play during the pandemic
Thelma Hulert Gallery – for their project the Creative Cabin – art and nature on tour
Ourselves
Chawton House – for their project transforming Chawton House: The Covid year
South West Museum Development – for their Pest Partners project.
City Voices, Gloucester History Festival and Gloucester Heritage Forum are delighted to announce that their collaboration project of Gloucester Looking Up has been shortlisted for the National Museum and Heritage Awards.
The National Museums and Heritage Awards have celebrated the very best within museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions across the UK for over 10 years.
‘ It’s wonderful that the collective effort of so many of Gloucester’s wonderful Heritage, community and creative organisations has been recognised. A great endorsement of what we can achieve when volunteers are valued and celebrated and culture and community work together’
The three lead partners in the project, City Voices, Gloucester History Festival and Gloucester Heritage forum were supported by film production company Squeaky Pedal and marketing consultants Flying Geese to ensure that Gloucester Looking Up project reached as many people as possible and deepened engagement with the City. Other artists part of the project include: Ellie Shipman, Elle Bry Thomas, Phil Campbell, Dominic Lofters and Ratson.
The shortlist for the Pandemic Pivot Award comprises:
Northe Front – for demonstrating how heritage sites have an important role to play during the pandemic
Thelma Hulert Gallery – for their project the Creative Cabin – art and nature on tour
Ourselves
Chawton House – for their project transforming Chawton House: The Covid year
South West Museum Development – for their Pest Partners project.
Gloucester Looking Up created a unique opportunity for new and existing, local, national and international audiences to be inspired by the City where three strands of interconnected artworks were commissioned. This resulted in an interactive online map which lead audiences to film, photography and downloadable resources. These resources showcased local people as they shared stories about the spaces they love. A Living History programme, in which libraries, archives and heritage sites worked with the community to collect and share their experiences of lockdown was created and a series of cultural commissions, co-created with artists, venues and communities brought alive the stories of the City in new and innovative ways.
In total, Twenty five artists, 125 volunteers, and over 40 organisations collaborated within an extraordinarily tight period of time to create an astonishing range of work. The stories were fantastic – we traced the descendant of a kindertransport child, and installed his image in former hostel – the polish tenants who now live there were so proud they took the day off work; colourful artworks were installed across the city in windows for people to encounter on their daily walks; we showed our support for Black Lives Matter by sharing We See You ( Do You See Us?) in heritage venues across the city; we told the stories of all the people of the city, from the cleaners to the town crier, the poet to the veteran through interviews, poetry and commissioned films, and in novel and accessible ways, including an animated British Sign Language Tour, downloadable artists maps, and activities for families and children.
To deliver this, a tiny team worked round the clock, with just 2 months to pull together the content, and create a new website for Gloucester History Festival to showcase in September 2020.
As well as being well received critically by local and national audiences, this new digital content allowed the partnership to build and grow new and more diverse audiences. Over 26k people watched the films, and new social media activity generated a reach of 1.3M people – all of whom are now more aware of the special stories that Gloucester has to tell than they were before.
The national online awards ceremony takes place on Thursday 1 July – please wish us luck and we will let everyone know the outcome as soon as we know.
We are pleased to announce that all Spring Weekend events can be accessed through your own personal Events Page on our website
You will have been sent an email which takes you through to your personal, email protected events page.
1) When prompted, type in your email address (the one you used to book your tickets)
2) You will see your events displayed here.
If you log into this page before your event has started, you will be informed that your event has not stated yet. At the event start time, please refresh your page, and the event will start for you
If you log into this page, after your event has started (or if you choose to watch your event on demand, you will see your event ready for you to watch).
If you are not able to find the email, please scroll down to our trouble shooting section
Can’t remember what you booked?
Don’t worry if you can’t remember what you booked. You will be able to see all the events connected to your email address when you access your events. The date and time of the events you have booked will appear in on your page.
Information regarding the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend was planned, and all events were filmed, before the sad death of HRH Prince Philip. The date of his funeral coincides with the first day of the Spring Weekend. We understand that the Funeral will be televised and will take place at 3pm. No events of the Spring Weekend coincide with this time.
We understand that some audience members may choose to pay their respects to Prince Philip during the day. All events within the Spring Weekend are digital events which have been pre-recorded, enabling those who choose to follow the nation’s coverage of Prince Philip to do so, and catch up with their Spring Weekend events at a time convenient to them.
The only event which will be affected differently is HUM Sing It Back. This event is a live event, which will be recorded and added to your personal page on Monday 19 April.
How to access your events on demand
To access your event on demand
1) Visit your personal events page, using the link in the email sent to you.
2) Follow the instructions to log in
3) Any events which have previously taken place will be ready to watch
How to order books connected to your events
Blood and Iron by Katja Hoyer can be purchased here
On Tuesday 13 April, all ticket buyers were sent an email with the subject line “Everything you need for the Spring Weekend”. Please find this email and click the button to access your events
If you purchased tickets after this date, your booking receipt contained a button at the top of the email taking you to your own personal events page
If you are unable to find either email, please click here to be taken to your personal events page. Please use the email address that you used to book your tickets
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Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s International Editor, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. From countries as diverse
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Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s International Editor, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. From countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria and Netanyahu’s Israel, he takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history meeting ordinary men and women on the front line, and their leaders, whether brutal or benign. He joins us to offer a gripping and invaluable guide to the modern Middle East and explore how it came to be and what its future might hold.
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History is now front-page news, contested as never before. Statues have fallen, our beloved heritage organisations are under assault while the reputations of great men have been called into question.
In
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History is now front-page news, contested as never before. Statues have fallen, our beloved heritage organisations are under assault while the reputations of great men have been called into question.
In this talk, leading historian, filmmaker and author of the acclaimed Black and British, Professor David Olusoga examines the causes of the ‘history wars’ and asks where they might lead us.
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Mary Beard joins Janina Ramirez for an hour of unmissable conversation. Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge and the Classics Editor of the Times Literary
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Mary Beard joins Janina Ramirez for an hour of unmissable conversation. Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge and the Classics Editor of the Times Literary Supplement. She has won worldwide acclaim and has written numerous books including the bestsellers Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and Women & Power: a Manifesto.
She’s a regular broadcaster and media commentator and has presented the highly acclaimed TV series Meet the Romans and Rome: Empire without Limit. She was also one of the presenters of the BBC’s landmark Civilisations series and BBC2’s Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard.
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Joan of Arc is an almost mythic medieval figure, her image still instantly recognisable after half a millennium. Her tale is both familiar yet endlessly startling.
The peasant girl sent by
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Joan of Arc is an almost mythic medieval figure, her image still instantly recognisable after half a millennium. Her tale is both familiar yet endlessly startling.
The peasant girl sent by God to save France, dressed in armour as though she were a man, the maid who rescued Orléans and led her king to be crowned at Reims, the martyr who became a legend – and later a saint – when she was burned at the stake by the English enemy in 1431.
In a compelling illustrated talk bestselling Femina author Janina Ramirez untangles fact from fiction to bring Joan of Arc and medieval France vividly to life.
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Join international bestselling author Philippa Gregory as she maps an alternative account of Britain’s past. Through the true stories of female soldiers, guild widows, highway women, pirates, miners, shipowners, theatre
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Join international bestselling author Philippa Gregory as she maps an alternative account of Britain’s past. Through the true stories of female soldiers, guild widows, highway women, pirates, miners, shipowners, theatre runners and ‘female husbands’ she redefines ‘normal’ female behaviour to include heroism, rebellion, crime, treason, jousting and sainthood.
In a compelling illustrated talk she reveals a hidden history of ordinary women who had no legal presence, no voice in government and no right to own property, but still ruled, governed and made fortunes over the last nine centuries. Chaired by Jo Durrant.
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Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire, Queen of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, star of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and former compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary as she lifts
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Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire, Queen of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, star of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and former compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary as she lifts the lid on the life of the dictionary-maker.
She talks about some of her favourite words and where they come from and explores how she’s used her lexicographical skills to produce a compelling new novel, Guilty by Definition, a tantalising mystery for word sleuths and crime fans alike. Chaired by Jo Durrant.
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Gloucester’s Tom Kerridge is one of Britain’s best-loved and most inspiring chefs, the owner of The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, the only pub in Britain to hold two Michelin
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Gloucester’s Tom Kerridge is one of Britain’s best-loved and most inspiring chefs, the owner of The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, the only pub in Britain to hold two Michelin stars.
He joins us to tell the tale of his recent culinary road trip through the best of British food and its rich heritage, now a major BBC TV series, as well as sharing his own story and the Gloucester inspiration behind his famous Matson sauce.
‘Tom Kerridge is a national treasure and this is his gift to the nation.’ – Jay Rayner
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Did we really land on the moon? Was Paul McCartney cloned? Did aliens land at Roswell? Conspiracies used to be fun! Nowadays in a world of fake news and social
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Did we really land on the moon? Was Paul McCartney cloned? Did aliens land at Roswell? Conspiracies used to be fun! Nowadays in a world of fake news and social media algorithms, they’re
often a cause of mistrust. But why do so many people doubt the official histories?
Multi-award winning comedian Dom Joly, star of Trigger Happy TV, journeys around the world talking to leaders and followers, taking a sideways look at conspiracy theories and finding the quirky and funny along the way.
If you’re interested in conspiracy theories and the people who preach them, you must read this. Highly entertaining, seriously interesting and beautifully written.
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Ever since the Norman Conquest, the English have looked back to the Anglo-Saxon era with nostalgia. The period between 450 and 1066, when England first came into being, has always
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Ever since the Norman Conquest, the English have looked back to the Anglo-Saxon era with nostalgia. The period between 450 and 1066, when England first came into being, has always been regarded as a golden age. Its Kings were elected and its church more pristine, women had better rights and people enjoyed greater freedom. But how much of this is true and how much wishful thinking?
Leading historian Marc Morris is the presenter of Channel 4’s Castles and his book The Anglo-Saxons is described by Dan Snow as ‘an absolute masterpiece’. He joins us to tell the real story of the beginnings of England.
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Henry V, victor at the Battle of Agincourt, is one of the most intriguing characters in history. A sometimes brutal warrior, he was a leader who made many mistakes, yet
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Henry V, victor at the Battle of Agincourt, is one of the most intriguing characters in history. A sometimes brutal warrior, he was a leader who made many mistakes, yet always seemed to triumph when it mattered. He saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions and secured England’s borders. In diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet his conquests in France led to the calamity of the Wars of the Roses.
Britain’s bestselling medieval historian and TV broadcaster Dan Jones paints a thrilling and unmissable portrait of England’s greatest king in this fascinating new talk.
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How do Chinese dynasties collapse and will the Chinese Communist Party prove different? If China is the world’s only successful communist party, what does that mean
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How do Chinese dynasties collapse and will the Chinese Communist Partyprove different? If China is the world’s only successful communist party, what does that mean for democracy – and how should we react? Former British Trade Commissioner China and All Party Parliamentary China Group Chair Richard Graham MP talks China with top historian and author Rana Mitter, Oxford University Professor of History and Politics of Modern China.
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Sathnam Sanghera’s award-winning Empireland started a national conversation about how we talk about race and imperial history in Britain. Now with Empireworld he traces the legacies of the British Empire
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Sathnam Sanghera’s award-winning Empireland started a national conversation about how we talk about race and imperial history in Britain. Now with Empireworld he traces the legacies of the British Empire across the globe exploring how 2.6 billion people live in former British colonies.
His journey takes him from Barbados and Mauritius to India, Nigeria and beyond, demonstrating just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world. And why it’s time Britain was finally honest with itself about empire. In conversation with historian and BBC broadcaster Kavita Puri.
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India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world. For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation creating a vast empire of Indian
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India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world. For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation creating a vast empire of Indian art, religion, astronomy, technology, music and mythology. It blazed a trail across the world from the Red Sea to the Pacific, from Angkor Wat to the Roman Empire.
Join William Dalrymple, the award-winning historian and co-host of the chart-topping podcast Empire, to hear a revolutionary and dazzling new history of India.
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Join Horrible Histories guru Greg Jenner, host of the chart-topping BBC podcast You’re Dead to Me, for a riotously fun journey through Roman Britain, from its brilliant beginnings to its
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Join Horrible Histories guru Greg Jenner, host of the chart-topping BBC podcast You’re Dead to Me, for a riotously fun journey through Roman Britain, from its brilliant beginnings to its epic ending.
From legionaries to baths and gladiators to hypocausts, this whirlwind tour will cover everything you need to know about Roman Britain and show you what it would really have been like to live through hundreds of years of Roman history. And where better to join Greg Jenner than in the heart of Roman Glevum!
For adults and youngsters: suitable for all history-lovers from 9 years up.
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From Hera and Demeter to The Furies, Natalie Haynes’ new book Divine Might overturns everything you thought you knew about the Greek goddesses to reveal them as complex, fearsome, powerful
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From Hera and Demeter to The Furies, Natalie Haynes’ new book Divine Might overturns everything you thought you knew about the Greek goddesses to reveal them as complex, fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts.
The rockstar mythologist, star of Radio 4’s Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics and bestselling author brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age, full of fire, fury and devotion.
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Enjoy this Michael Wood double-bill, a double-length event within one single ticket
In Search of Æthelflæd
Warrior Queen Æthelflæd, buried in Gloucester in 918, is one of the most remarkable women in
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Enjoy this Michael Wood double-bill, a double-length event within one single ticket
In Search of Æthelflæd
Warrior Queen Æthelflæd, buried in Gloucester in 918, is one of the most remarkable women in medieval Britain, but the fragmentary records of her career are a striking example of the erasure of women’s history. Eldest child of Alfred the Great, she governed the ancient kingdom of the Mercians for 32 years, the last eight as sole ruler. She founded cities, built fortresses and even led her troops into battle against the Danes, playing a crucial role in the creation of the kingdom of the English that emerged in the 920s under her foster son Athelstan. In this riveting illustrated talk, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood shares his latest new discoveries about the life, times and legacy of the Lady of the Mercians.
In Search of Du Fu
Join acclaimed historian and broadcaster Michael Wood for a dazzling journey across today’s China and back into the ancient world of the Tang Dynasty in the footsteps of the 8th century politician, poet and courtier Du Fu. Celebrated as China’s greatest poet, he travelled across the Tang Empire living an eventful life of highs and lows at the heart of the magnificent royal court. Witnessing war, famine and upheaval, he experienced one of the most riveting periods of China’s history.
Michael Wood’s classic BBC TV documentaries and books, including In Search of the Dark Ages and The Story of China, were groundbreaking and game-changing. There’s no one better to take us on a fascinating and hugely enjoyable journey along the rivers, through the cities and into the courts of a lost Chinese Empire.
Superb. Beautifully written and thoroughly researched.
– John Simpson BBC World Affairs Editor writing in The Guardian
This broadcast can be paused for an interval between events.
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Bestselling Cambridge historian Helen Castor, whose book She-Wolves became a major BBC2 series, explores her acclaimed new dual biography of Richard II and Henry IV.
The story of two cousins whose
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Bestselling Cambridge historian Helen Castor, whose book She-Wolves became a major BBC2 series, explores her acclaimed new dual biography of Richard II and Henry IV.
The story of two cousins whose rivalry brought their nation to the brink of disintegration and back again, two men whose lives played out in extraordinary parallel, until Henry deposed the tyrant Richard and declared himself King of England in 1399.
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The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler, saw London burn as people desperately sought a better life. The events that followed represent a pivotal moment in England’s history,
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The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler, saw London burn as people desperately sought a better life. The events that followed represent a pivotal moment in England’s history, characterised by murder and mayhem, beheadings and betrayal, a boy-king and his absent uncle and a riot of destruction and death.
Who were the rebels and how close did they really come to ending the status quo? New research is shedding light on those involved both as perpetrators and as victims. Through their stories, bestselling medieval historian and chart-topping podcaster Matthew Lewis asks how close England came to seismic change and what resonance the Uprising has today.
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From The League Of Gentlemen to Doctor Who and Sherlock, writer, actor, director and novelist Mark Gatiss has been the creative genius behind some of the most iconic television and
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From The League Of Gentlemen to Doctor Who and Sherlock, writer, actor, director and novelist Mark Gatiss has been the creative genius behind some of the most iconic television and film productions of our time.
He is currently working on, and starring in, a new detective series set in the fascinating period between 1945 and 1950 when Britain was still recovering from the war.
He joins Janina Ramirez to discuss his acting, his writing and the fascinating relationship between television drama and its historical settings.
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Why did Renaissance Europeans draw north at the top of their maps? Why did the Aztecs use five compass directions? And why have no societies ever orientated themselves westwards?
North, south,
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Why did Renaissance Europeans draw north at the top of their maps? Why did the Aztecs use five compass directions? And why have no societies ever orientated themselves westwards?
North, south, east and west have been foundations of our navigation and exploration and central to virtually every culture’s imaginative and political geography. Yet they are far more subjective and contradictory than we might realise.
Award-winning historian Jerry Brotton, author of the international bestseller A History of the World in Twelve Maps, takes us on a thrilling illustrated journey of directional discovery as he explores the Four Points of The Compass.
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Former Defence Secretary Rt Hon Ben Wallace and former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Tim Radford have been at the heart of NATO’s political and military decision-making
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Former Defence Secretary Rt Hon Ben Wallace and former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Tim Radford have been at the heart of NATO’s political and military decision-making when peace in Europe has broken down, the Middle East looks more precarious than ever and the whole world seems a lot more fragile. They join festival founder Richard Graham to explore how NATO is evolving. While it has two new members – Finland and Sweden – and looks more united, will current and future challenges prove its making or undoing?
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The Battle of the Imjin River in 1951 was a major turning point of the Korean War, when the communist advance from the North was met in the
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The Battle of the Imjin River in 1951 was a major turning point of the Korean War, when the communist advance from the North was met in the bloodiest battle endured by the British Army since WW2. 700 men of the Gloucester Regiment faced more than 10,000 Chinese. Marking the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, leading historian Dan Snow explores the history of the battle and is joined by veterans of the battle Brian Hamblett and Tommy Clough, who were Chinese prisoners of war for more than two years. They discuss their battle experiences, Tommy’s bid to escape the prison camp and the role of British soldiers in the Korean War.
We are showing this in memory of Tommy Clough who passed away in November 2024
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Cecily Neville, wife of Richard of York, mother of both Edward IV and Richard III, had a pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses in the years before Richard
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Cecily Neville, wife of Richard of York, mother of both Edward IV and Richard III, had a pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses in the years before Richard III gained power.
Philippa Langley, who discovered Richard III under a Leicester car park and last year published the controversial The Princes in the Tower, and Annie Garthwaite, author of The King’s Mother, explore the life and influence of the ruthless and determined Cecily Neville, one of the most important women at the heart of the Wars of the Roses. In a gripping discussion they restore her to her place at the centre of this turbulent period of English history.
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From Temple Guiting to Down Ampney, the Templars played a powerful yet mysterious role in Gloucestershire’s history. Established in the 12th century under Henry I to protect pilgrims and famous
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From Temple Guiting to Down Ampney, the Templars played a powerful yet mysterious role in Gloucestershire’s history. Established in the 12th century under Henry I to protect pilgrims and famous for their Crusader battles, the Order is remembered today for its heresy, fanaticism and violence both at home and abroad.
Leading medieval historian Steve Tibble offers a fascinating insight into the extraordinary story of the Knights Templar both here in England and on their Crusades though the Middle East.
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Gloucester’s iconic Cathedral and legendary Docks take centre stage when we think of Gloucester’s greatest buildings. But what about the glorious gems tucked away in hidden corners or nestling under
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Gloucester’s iconic Cathedral and legendary Docks take centre stage when we think of Gloucester’s greatest buildings. But what about the glorious gems tucked away in hidden corners or nestling under our streets?
Join us for the event where we show the world premiere of Janina Ramirez’s short film for Historic England celebrating the buildings of Gloucester. Then watch as City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong, much-loved local historian Phil Moss and Femina author Janina Ramirez lock horns to present their favourite unsung buildings in the city and argue about which is Gloucester’s best.
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Did you know that Peter Scott was named after Peter Pan, a Stroud man invented instant custard, and a Cotswold manor house is designed to look exactly like the Palace
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Did you know that Peter Scott was named after Peter Pan, a Stroud man invented instant custard, and a Cotswold manor house is designed to look exactly like the Palace of Westminster? And that the tales of Scrooge, Long John Silver and Dick Whittington were all inspired by real residents of Gloucestershire?
Legendary former Radio Gloucestershire presenter Mark Cummings and BBC broadcaster, bestselling Cotswold novelist Katie Fforde and The Archers’ farming and countryside advisor Sybil Ruscoe join Jo Durrant to share Gloucestershire characters, myths and legends from the worlds of history, sport, architecture, food and more. Join them for an eye-opening and hugely entertaining journey through the county’s chequered past.
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Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
