Bristol History Podcast is dedicated to exploring various aspects of Bristol’s history. Produced in partnership with the Bristol Cable since April 2018. Episodes include Tom Brothwell’s interviews and conversations with Bristol Radical History Group members and many others.
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The 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott
A struggle for racial justice In 1963, activists from the West Indian Development Council (WIDC) had their suspicions confirmed that Bristol Omnibus Company operated a colour bar on the employment of drivers and conductors. But who was behind this? Management? Workers? Unions? Passengers? Silu Pascoe explores the background and the ensuing campaign to end the blatant discrimination on the buses. “I was there!” One of the young activists was Joyce Morris-Wisdom. In this pamphlet, she tells of her […]
City of Sanctuary?
Seeking refuge in Bristol
Bristol has been host to refugees for centuries—but just how welcoming has the city been? The events of the first week of August 2024 follow a pattern that stretches back centuries—refugees and asylum seekers seeking refuge in Bristol and encountering hostility from some, but a welcome from others. Colin Thomas’s short history charts the reception given to those fleeing war and persecution from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first, outlines the stories of organisations that have developed […]
Solidarity across the Severn: Newport, Bristol and Reform in 1831
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. […]
History at the Hub, Newport, Wales: Voyage of Despair
Not A BRHG Event
Our guest speaker on Tuesday, October 29th at 6.30pm at the Newport Rising Hub will be Rosemary Caldicott, a social history researcher and author. During the event, Rosemary will provide insights from her book Voyage of Despair, focusing on lesser-known aspects of history. Rosemary Caldicott is recognized for her commitment to revealing untold narratives from history. Through her research, she offers a new insight into the history of Captain Thomas Phillips and the slave ship Hannibal, delving […]
Breaking the Dead Silence
Engaging with the Legacies of Empire and Slave-Ownership in Bath and Bristol’s Memoryscapes
Not A BRHG Event
Breaking the Dead Silence:Engaging with the Legacies of Empire and Slave-Ownership in Bath and Bristol’s Memoryscapes was published by Liverpool University Press in July, four years after the events that brought the authors together. Nineteen diverse and distinctive voices offer timely commentaries and reflections, as well as strategies towards re-telling obscured stories and getting unheard voices heard. These free events are opportunities to hear from some of the creatives, academics and […]
Solidarity across the Severn
Newport, Bristol and Reform in 1831
Not A BRHG Event
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.
5th Dorset Radical Bookfair
Not A BRHG Event
Dorset’s Fifth Radical Bookfair will take place on Saturday 5th October 2024 at Bad Hand Coffee Roasters: The Roastery, 7 Norwich Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5QZ. Doors open 11:00, close at 17:00. Our e-mail for enquiries dorsetbookfair@riseup.net Our website (here) farcebook event BRHG members will be running a bookstall and are providing two talks: Talks and panels 11:30 – 12:30 Working with refugees in Portland. Hosted by Global Friendship Group. Activists of the Global Friendship Group […]
Beating the Blackshirts
Militant anti-fascism in south Bristol in the 1930s
During the 1930’s militant antifascist responses to Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts were established amongst the Bristolian working-class. Discouraged by their defeats in the inner-city districts of Bristol, the British Union of Fascists (BUF) turned their attention to south Bristol, Bedminster and the new garden suburbs springing up on the outskirts of the city. This illustrated talk traces the migration of pre WWII physical resistance to fascism in Bristol from the smoky and overcrowded slums to […]
‘Killing yourself to keep yourself’
Class struggles in the Somerset Coalfield
Dave's talk is intended to be an introduction to the Somerset Coalfield, one of the West Country's best-kept historical secrets. Whilst 'Killing yourself to keep yourself' will cover geography, geology, land owners, mine owners, mining techniques, accidents and disasters, the talk will focus on the miners' trade union, the Somerset Miners Association (SMA). It will look at some of the battles with vicious employers the SMA engaged in, to gain recognition, respect, and improvements to wages and […]