Manchester Histories are delighted to welcome Billy Bragg to open the commemorations of Peterloo 2019. Songwriter, musician and activist Billy Bragg will be in conversation with writer and broadcaster Dave Haslam, with an introduction from Young Identity, Manchester’s young spoken word collective. At a time when opinion trumps facts and truth is treated as nothing more than […]

Clearing out his parents house after his mother’s death two years ago, Michael Wood found a box of memorabilia. There were photos, letters, postcards, and books that had belonged to his father, whose family had lived in Failsworth in Manchester from the 1720s. Among them was a photograph from 1884 showing a group of eleven […]

In partnership with the University of Manchester and The Guardian, we will be hosting a series of discussions to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre. Join our panel of speakers, as they debate whether the root causes of the Peterloo massacre are already playing out in 2019 Britain. When in 1819 tens of […]

A public talk from Dr Shirin Hirsch (Manchester Metropolitan University and People’s History Museum) on the colonial context and implications of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, alongside spoken word performances of black voices past and present, responding to the themes of slavery, oppression and protest.

“Poetry isn’t an escape or even a luxury. I’d argue it’s a necessity, a means of living more deeply with reality.” Tracy K Smith Manchester Literature Festival are delighted to welcome Tracy K Smith to Manchester for a rare UK event. The Poet Laureate of the United States, Tracy is the author of four poetry collections […]

In partnership with the University of Manchester and the Guardian, we will be hosting a panel, including Professor Francesca Gains, as they discuss representation in politics. On 16 August 1819, the peaceful protestors at St Peter’s Field had gathered to call for parliamentary reform, demanding for their views and concerns to be represented in a Parliament […]

Rebecca Mordan, Scary Little Girls Productions and co-cordinator of the Heritage Lottery project interviewing the Women of Greenham Common peace camp, explains the work and shares anecdotes from these extraordinary campaigners.  Evening finishes with a Q&A with Rebecca and local Greenham Women who have contributed to the Greenham Women Everywhere project. A partnership project between […]

A timely illustrated lecture on the Peterloo massacre of 1819, with the emphasis on new findings and on connections with the local area. Robert Poole Professor of History at the University of Central Lancashire, author of the new book Peterloo: the English Uprising, co-author of the graphic novel Peterloo: Witnesses to a Massacre, and consultant […]