People’s History
How a 19th-century journalist revealed the extent of poverty in Victorian Bristol
A series of newspaper articles published in 1883 give us a fascinating insight into working-class Bristolian life at a time of severe economic depression. It was the first real instance of investigative reporting in the city.
How a media backlash led to a St Paul’s woman’s dramatic release from prison
In 1933 Mary Burridge, a poor mother of five, was sentenced to a month’s hard labour after stealing a few items of food at Easter. But after a national outcry over her treatment, a wealthy lawyer flew to Cardiff to free her from prison.
The ‘Red Scout’: how a boy from Brislington became caught up in anti-communist hysteria
Seventy years ago this month, Paul Garland was kicked out of the Scout movement over his links to the British Communist Party, with his case making the pages of Time magazine and sparking debate in the House of Lords.
A home for the ‘Hypochondriac, Mad and Distracted’: remembering the ‘madhouses’ of Fishponds
For more than 100 years, a family firm profited handsomely from running mental health facilities in Fishponds – sometimes using shocking and bizarre practices. A new book uncovers the startling history of ‘Mason’s Madhouse’.
