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‘London Recruits’ and Bristol

By Colin Thomas
In the 1960s it looked as if the opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa had been crushed. Many of the leaders of the African National Congress has been imprisoned and BOSS, the regime’s ruthlessly efficient police force, suppressed any sign of resistance. But a group of South African exiles in Britain were determined to fight back. Ron Press was one of the 156 opponents of apartheid arrested in 1956 on the charge of high treason – they included Nelson Mandela – and he took part in a […]
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‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’: The Blandford Forum riots of 1831

By Steve Poole, Roger Ball
In October 1831, the refusal of the House of Lords to pass new legislation for the reform of parliament plunged the whole country into a deep political crisis. Rioting broke out in a number of towns, leaving local authorities hard pressed to restore order. One such town was Blandford Forum in Dorset. Here, protesting crowds attacked the property of anti-reformers, defied the orders of local magistrates to disperse, and fought with an armed cavalry regiment sent out to tackle them. In the […]
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Bristol Miners Support Campaign Archive: Appeal for Artefacts

By Hedley Bashforth
Looking back to the Miners’ Strike and the Bristol Miners Support Group In March 1984 the publicly owned National Coal Board provoked Britain’s miners into a year-long strike by announcing the closure of twenty of Britain’s 173 coal mines. The strike was defeated and within 20 years Britain’s last deep coal mine had closed. 200,000 jobs were lost and hundreds of working-class communities were laid waste. Looking back 40 years later, it is easy to think that, despite the high price paid by the […]
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Solidarity across the Severn: Newport, Bristol and Reform in 1831

By Roger Ball
  A new title from Six Points Publishing: In October 1831 as reform riots shook Bristol, the authorities urgently requested the help of troops stationed in South Wales. An infantry unit marched from Cardiff to Newport with the intention of boarding a steam boat to Bristol, but their way was blocked by a hostile crowd. This book explores the background to this incident, setting it in the context of the reform crisis in Newport, Monmouthshire and other parts of south Wales in the early 1830s. […]
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King Billy, Suriname and slavery

By Cleo Lake, Silu Pascoe, Mark Steeds
Co-chair of the memorialisation task group for the Bristol Legacy Foundation, Cleo Lake has been exploring potential sites for a new memorial dedicated to African ancestors and their contribution to Bristol. Queen Square presented itself as a tranquil and historical option that is near but away from the bustle of the harbourside in the city centre. Dominated however by the statue of William III at its centre, Cleo decided to research further into who he was and discovered an intriguing reference […]
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“Behold Ye Ramblers” A new play by Neil Gore at the Alma Theatre, Clifton (14 May 2024)

By Stephen E. Hunt
  This was a warm and extraordinary performance. It captured the spirit of the Clarion clubs, a nearly – but not quite – lost world, dear to the hearts of many radical historians. It was brought to us by Neil Gore, a man of many parts it seems, actor, songsmith and musician, dramatist, compere, promoter, ticket collector, programme seller, lights technician, and slide projectionist. This summer, Neil is AKA Robert Blatchford (1851-1943), likewise a man of many parts, and the hero of the […]
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