People’s History

People's History

‘An intolerable anachronism’: it’s 60 years since the last hanging took place in Bristol

On 17 December 1963, the final judicial execution in our city brought a long history of local executions to an end. We look back on what happened in Horfield in 1963, and the campaign to end the death penalty.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

People's History

Image of former Bristol police chief John Henderson Watson surrounded by his constables

The Bristol police chief embroiled in corruption who died with a razor in his hand

John Henderson Watson had a long and distinguished police career and was Bristol’s chief constable for 14 years – before his career ended in scandal and his disappearance.

David Hewitt
David Hewitt

Bristol History Podcast

Image of Arthur Rackham's 'Fairy Procession', originally for a 1908 edition of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream

Listen: Sabrina, goddess of the River Severn

Nicola Haasz discusses the origin myths of Sabrina, goddess of the River Severn, and the cultural responses the river has elicited through history.

Tom Brothwell
Tom Brothwell

People's History

Image of Bristol City's Ashton Gate ground during a match against Manchester United (credit: Bristol City)

The last time England’s men played football at Ashton Gate – a mere 110 years ago

In 1913, 8,000 fans came to Bedminster to watch the England men’s team play Wales, where foul weather had turned the pitch into a quagmire.

David Hewitt
David Hewitt

People's History

Spend a penny: A potted history of Bristol’s public toilets before they were closed to save cash

Need a wee? Good luck with that if you’re out and about, as Bristol has only a fraction of the public toilets it once had. Eugene Byrne, trying to hold it in until he gets home, looks at the history of Bristol’s public loos.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

People's History

A history of Bristol’s healthcare for the working classes

It's a myth that there was little or no access to free medical care before the establishment of the NHS in 1948 – but progress was slow, unequal and sometimes grisly.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

People's History

Image of the remnants of an anti-aircraft gun position at Purdown, Bristol. Nearby military huts were squatted after the Second World War (credit: Eugene Byrne)

‘Staking a claim’: how the postwar housing crisis led to a mass squatting movement in Bristol

After the Second World War, Britain faced an acute shortage of homes. The remarkable outbreak of civil disobedience that followed is being remembered as part of a two-month festival of working-class history in South Bristol.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

People's History

Avon Street Gasworks: shedding a light on Bristol’s industrial and social history

The Bristol Digital Futures Institute has published new research into Bristol Gas Company, which has had a hand in the city’s major industries, from aeroplanes to tobacco.

Dr James Watts (University of Bristol) and Lena Ferriday (University of Bristol)

People's History

30 years since the Hartcliffe riots

Local historian Eugene Byrne explores the role of race, the media and the passage of time in how society views three riots that have taken place in the city.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

People's History

The single parents from Bristol who changed women’s lives

What started as an interview in a living room became Single Parent Action Network, which tackled the stigma around single parenthood and campaigned on national issues.

Hannah Vickers
Hannah Vickers

People's History

Hilda Cashmore: Pioneering social worker who founded Barton Hill Settlement

Cashmore’s vision of a future, where people and communities matter, is even more relevant today amid the coronavirus crisis.

Helen Meller

Video

Watch: The filmmakers behind ‘Rooted in Bristol’ discuss land, race and inequality

The new documentary, which premiered at Afrika Eye Film Festival, profiles Bristol’s Black and Afro-Caribbean food growers who discuss the importance of equitable access to land.

Aphra Evans
Aphra Evans
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