BRHG Archive

For a list of events that were not part of the programme's of events listed below see the Miscellaneous Events Page.

Bristol Radical History Week 2006

28th October to 5th November 2006
32 Events, Over 9 Days at 7 Venues. Bristol Radical History Week 2006 was a series of events aimed at opening up to public scrutiny some of the hidden and misrepresented history of Bristol. Rather then concentrating on royals, famous engineers or wealthy merchants, Bristol Radical History Week was concerned with the proper people of Bristol. The mass of sometime rebellious and mutinous people who had their own agendas to fulfil. Lectures, debates, music, art, film, re-enactments and (if you can believe it) more.

Slavery - The Hidden History

4th to 15th March 2007
March 2007 was the 200th anniversary of the parliamentary abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. This was a series of events to both mark and critique the occasion. In a series of public lectures and debates we examined some of the areas of the history that were neglected by the official events. We also examined the links between punk, beer and the abolitionist movement in Bristol.

The BRH Summer Party On Brandon Hill

19th August 2007
Despite the vagaries of the English summer of 2007, a small but feisty mob of radical historians, skate boarders and cider drinkers gathered on Brandon Hill in Clifton. We were both celebrating the 175th anniversary of the invasion of the Great Reform Dinner and protesting against the dispersal order served on Bristol citizens this summer. What is the connection?

Bristol Radical History Week 2007 - Pirates, Witches & Smugglers

27th October to 6th November 2007
Who were these ‘outcasts’? Why are we so fascinated by them? Do their villainous representations carry clues to their real nature? Another heady brew of lectures, debates, film, outings, story telling, music, cider and the now infamous Pirate Booze Cruise.

The Seven Stars Plaque Project

January 2008 – May 2009
Bristol Radical History Group raised over £3000 for a new plaque outside The Seven Stars pub in Thomas Lane, Redcliffe, Bristol. It was at the Seven Stars that abolisionist Thomas Clakson met Landlord Thompson and began taking statements from sailors who had worked on slave ships. The pub is not only an important historical landmark in Bristol but also holds a unique place within world history.

Down With The Fences - The Struggle For The Global Commons

Thursday May 1st – Sunday May 11th 2008
From Magna Carta to the enclosure rioters of the Forest of Dean; from the stripping of the oil commons of the 20th century to the enclosure of the peoples’ game in the Premier League; from the rise of the corporations to the massive gentrification programme launched in our cities, we examined the process of enclosure, the forces that drive it and some of the historical and current confrontations that have occurred as a result.

Bristol Radical History Week 2008 - Off With Their Heads

Saturday October 25th – Tuesday November 4th 2008
Assassins, Plots & Regicide - 10 days of lectures, debates, gigs and 'happenings' dedicated to the men and women who have attempted to instigate political change, through fair means or foul. Join us, as we explore the past to discover the present.

Spring 2009

April - June 2009
We began with future utopian visions (Nowtopia), consided the hidden histories of seminal events of the 1980s (Hillsborough and The Miners’ Strike) and championed Thomas Paine. To top it all we unveiled a plaque on the Seven Stars Pub to commemorate the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson and the Bristol sailors who blew the whistle on the slave trade.