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People’s History

Bristol History Podcast

Bristol History Podcast: The Pneumatic Institute in Hotwells

At the end of the eighteenth century, ‘pneumatic’ (gas) chemistry was at the forefront of scientific knowledge. In 1799 the remarkable physician Thomas Beddoes opened...

People's History

Bristol History Podcast: Centuries of slavery and the city, and how enslaved people helped abolish the trade

Bristol History Podcast

Bristol History Podcast: The Bristol Bus Boycott

Bristol History Podcast

Bristol History Podcast: Witches and Witchcraft in the West Country

This week I met with Mike Slater, West-Country Occult Historian, to discuss the history of witchcraft in the West Country. We spoke about the continuance...

Bristol History Podcast

Bristol History Podcast: Graffiti and Street Art in Bristol

Edition 21

The tale of Bristol’s fascist-sympathising, disability rights-promoting first woman MP

People's History

Time flies by when you’re smashing teeth on concrete: Dean Lane Skatepark through the ages

Archive photos from a recent film about Bedminster's beloved skatepark, as the filmmaker reflects on why it still means so much to local people today.

People's History

The tragic story of Hannah Wiltshire and a Bedminster Workhouse resonates today

An untimely death led to a campaign for justice by the local community.

Bristol History Podcast

Bristol History Podcast: Bristol University and its Historians

This week I met with Dr. John Reeks to discuss Bristol University and its historians. The university was founded in 1909 and dominates much of...

People's History

Unlocking the cells: Bristol's history of prison reform

From rioting in 19th century to fighting for prisoner rights in the 1970s, Bristol has a long history of attempted prison reform.

People's History

From poverty to luxury: hidden history behind the Blackberry Hill housing development

Residents of the luxury Blackberry Hill housing developments now under construction on Manor Road in Fishponds will be adding a chapter to a colourful and...

People's History

Not so long ago in Bristol you could be hanged for love

As the summer Pride season starts, it is worth remembering that British society was not always tolerant of homosexuality.

City

Women who built Bristol: ‘We were challenging all the time’

A look at some of the great women who helped shape this city.

People's History

The Bristol Reform Riots

October 1831 saw a blaze of anger and thirst for change in the city Over three days in October 1831, Bristol saw arguably the most important riot in British history.

People's History

One hundred years on, Bristol remembers those who refused to kill

Descendants of World War 1 conscientious objectors reclaim their history as a source of pride

Features

David Olusoga: Not the "angry black guy on television"

The Bristol-based celebrity historian talks about why he challenges the white-washing of British history… and the “pretty weird” relationship the city has with Edward Colston.

People's History

Bringing the fight against apartheid to Bristol

Remembering Ron Press, the white South African dissident who became a leading light in Bristol activism.

City

The community razed to the ground for a road that was never built

In the 1960s the council demolished most of Totterdown, in a planning disaster still remembered by Bristolians today.

People's History

From cockfighting arena to protected green space

A history of a small hill in St Werburgh’s

City

A people’s history of St Pauls

St Pauls is a famous neighbourhood. But newcomers to Bristol are most likely to have heard of it for one of two reasons.

People's History

It’s not all strikes and marches: Bristol’s struggle for fun, leisure and knowledge

Our city has a history of politically involved communities who love to walk, sing, and dance. All with a sharp sense of social justice, mind...

People's History

By Chris Neal

A year of People's History. 6 of the best.

Mass Grave of Victorian Paupers Discovered in Eastville. Who were they and what did they endure? Issue 1.   2. Victorian Bristol’s radical coffee taverns –...

City

An unusual WW1 hero from Bristol

Walter Ayles is an unsung WW1 Bristol hero for unusual reasons. But next year, a century after he defied the authorities, he will finally get the recognition of a blue plaque on his former home in Ashley Down.

City

Can We Move Beyond Black History Month?

Storyteller from South Africa challenges the limits of this yearly event and speaks to local actors proposing initiatives to expand learning about global cultures

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