News Feed - Bristol Radical History Group

Protests, Petitions, and Persuasion

The fight against school closures in south Bristol, 2000–2001

Anatomy of a campaign At the beginning of this century, residents of Hartcliffe and Withywood in Bristol were shocked to hear that the city council planned to close two of their local primary schools. Children, parents and teachers, including Mike Richardson, the author of this pamphlet, mobilised to oppose these closures. The ensuing campaign organised public meetings, wrote petitions and held demonstrations in the city centre, as well as adopting some less orthodox direct action in their […]

The radical face of Bedminster in the early 20th Century

Meet: 2.00pm Dark Horse pub (formerly the Rope Walk) – 5 Nelson Parade, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4JA Come with us on a journey through time and space in Bedminster, Victoria Park and Windmill Hill… This two hour history walk uncovers the radical political groups and individuals active in Bedminster in the pre-WWI and post-war periods, the strikes and trade union actions of the growing labour movement and how these networks of activists combined to resist the war. We also look at the changing […]

South Bristol History Festival 2024

Tuesday 1st October to Tuesday 3rd December, 2024

In collaboration with performers, writers and historians from south of the river, Bristol Radical History Group (BRHG) are putting on a series of events over the autumn of 2024 uncovering hidden histories of south Bristol. The Bedminster-Southville history festival in October features history talks, panels and a walk. We explore the underground history of Dean Lane Skate Park, Somerset miners, women prisoners transported to Australia and explore the radical face of Bedminster before and after […]

They shall not pass: a century of anti-fascist and anti-racist action

By Randall Brantley

The enemies of the working-class will arrive in yachts and limousines, not in small boats (banner seen in Bristol on Wednesday 7 August 2024) If ever I lie dying on a Nazi street, there’ll be ten dead fascists at my feet (anti-fascist trad) Introduction After a week or so of protests and riots by right wing nationalists and racists in early August, largely orchestrated on social media by far-right propaganda, lies and distortions, we are now faced by a police and government narrative promoted by […]

The Race Riots of 1919 in Liverpool and Cardiff

By Silu Pascoe

Introduction The so-called ‘race riots’[1] which broke out between January and August 1919 in seven ports[2], were some of the most serious and sustained instances of public disorder in twentieth century Britain. During these riots, white working – class crowds targeted black seamen, their families and black-owned businesses and property in these ports. Other black people, including military personnel and skilled workers also came under attack from white crowds. The 1919 ‘race’ riots came to […]

Strike: An Uncivil War

Strike: An Uncivil War tells the story of the Battle of Orgreave, the most violent confrontation between miners and police during the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike in Great Britain. The year long Miners’ Strike was the most divisive and violent industrial dispute that Britain has ever witnessed, and using powerful personal testimony, previously hidden government documents and a treasure trove of never before seen archive material, Strike: An Uncivil War follows the events at Orgreave, which took place […]

Talk: Introduction to “Voyage of Despair. The Hannibal, its captain and all who sailed in her, 1693-1695”

Rosemary Caldicott will be giving a short introductory talk on Zoom about her new book "Voyage of Despair" on Friday July 19th at 14:30 to Black History Conversations link here The brutality of the slave trade. In 1693, Captain Thomas Phillips embarked on a voyage from London to Guinea, where he purchased enslaved Africans on behalf of the Royal African Company. The subsequent journey across the Atlantic witnessed a tragic toll, with hundreds of the enslaved captives, and many of the crew, […]

Acts of Resistance

A musical radical history with Steve Lake (Zounds)

What could be more up the Bristol Radical History Group’s street than to time-travel through radical history with Acts of Resistance? We’re therefore overjoyed to dress up and get down to this new Avant-Folk Punk-Opera. Acts of Resistance features a redoubtable trio made up of Steve Lake (self-described “chief show off” with legendary anarcho-punk band Zounds, first appearing on Crass Records and nexus for all kinds of musical troublemakers), Bristolian Emo-folkster Aether Valentine, and Carl […]

‘We build them up and we pull them down’: Sarah Lundberg Summer School – Dublin

Sarah Lundberg Summer School - Seán O'Casey Theatre, St Mary's Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Ireland The 10th annual Sarah Lundberg Summer School is an exploration of the concept of commemoration, remembrance and celebration. Who decides what is remembered and how do we remember it ? Are all commemorations of equal importance, can remembrance be 'neutral' or is there always an agenda ? Does history dictate how we commemorate the past, or do commemorations shape how we view the past ? Presentations […]

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 […]