Join Michael Wood and HistoryExtra’s David Musgrove for this exclusive free event in the atmospheric Scriptorium. They’ll explore the life lessons history can teach us, including how it can foster empathy, deepen our understanding of others and broaden our perspective on the world. They’ll also discuss how a lifetime spent studying the past has shaped Michael’s own life and outlook.

The post Life Lessons from History appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

FREE, no booking needed.

History has gone viral! Dr Amy Boyington (@history_with_amy) with over 3 million followers and Han Parker (@han_parker) with almost 400,000 reveal how social media is revolutionising storytelling, smashing barriers and inspiring vast new audiences to explore the past. Chaired by Janina Ramirez

The post Scrolling Back Through Time appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

Jung Chang’s Wild Swans sold 10 million copies,  was translated into 30 languages and transformed our understanding of modern China. In a rare event, she joins us to explore her family story from her grandmother’s life as a warlord’s concubine to the Communist Revolution, Mao’s rule and now China’s dramatic transformation since 1978. Offering a fascinating  history of a nation, she reveals how political upheaval shaped private lives and what one family’s experience tells us about the making of contemporary China. She talks to Vernon Harwood.

The post Jung Chang: A History of Modern China appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

FREE for Members Only

Join Festival President Janina Ramirez for tea, cake and excellent conversation! Meet fellow Festival members, share your views and hear Janina share exciting plans for the future.

The post Members’ Tea appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

£15 (includes delicious craft chocolates)

Unwrap chocolate’s irresistible history as food historian Sam Bilton follows cacao from the ancient Americas to European courts and fashionable chocolate houses in a compelling new talk. Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters then leads a delicious guided tasting of carefully selected chocolates.

The post Chocolate Night: A Delicious Journey Through History appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

£15 to include a selection of 4 gins or alcohol free botanicals

Gin expert Andy Cole uncovers gin’s colourful journey from medicinal spirit to eighteenth-century craze and British favourite. Discover why it became notorious as ‘Mother’s Ruin’, how the Gin Craze transformed society and how changing laws and fashions have reshaped its reputation. All whilst enjoying a guidied tasting of a delicious selection of gins or alcohol-free botanicals.

The post Mother’s Ruin: A History of Gin appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

£8

One of two special half-hour tours offer a rare chance to climb down under the streets of Gloucester to see the extraordinary King’s Bastion for yourself. Numbers are limited so book early.

Meet by entrance in Kings Walk Shopping Centre, Gloucester (by the silver trapdoors, just outside Superdrug)

With thanks to the Museum of Gloucester and the Civic Trust.

The post Explore the King’s Bastion Tour appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

£8

One of two special half-hour tours offer a rare chance to climb down under the streets of Gloucester to see the extraordinary King’s Bastion for yourself. Numbers are limited so book early.

Meet by entrance in Kings Walk Shopping Centre, Gloucester (by the silver trapdoors, just outside Superdrug)

With thanks to the Museum of Gloucester and the Civic Trust.

The post Explore the King’s Bastion Tour appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

Join us for an evening with Mike Teague and fellow Gloucester Rugby legends Peter Butler, Malcolm Preedy, Tim Smith and Steve Mills.

Hosted by Sky Sports presenter Teddy Draper, we’ll delve into Gloucester Rugby’s rich history and hear from the legends themselves about their playing days and life in Gloucester.

Towards the end of the evening, you’ll have the chance to ask your own questions during a live Q&A session.

The post A History of Gloucester Rugby appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.

The Roman army established a fortress at Gloucester in the first century AD, creating a defensive line that shaped the city for centuries and still defines its streets today. In a brand new illustrated talk, City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong follows Gloucester’s walls from their Roman origins through Saxon, Norman and medieval expansion to their defiant role during the Civil War siege of 1643. He also explores how recent archaeological discoveries have revealed intriguing new information about Gloucester’s ancient walls.

The post Fortress City: The Roman Walls of Gloucester appeared first on Gloucester History Festival.