TALKS & DEBATES
Norwich - City of Mavericks and Pioneering Women
Norwich - City of Mavericks and Pioneering Women
Tuesday 14th July, 1pm
Old Meeting House
Norwich History festival launches with a fun event which will see ten individual speakers give a five-minute talk about their hero or heroine from Norwich’s past. Part of VisitNorwich’s 20th anniversary series Twenty Stories.
Regina: A New History of Women in Power
Norwich - City of Mavericks and Pioneering Women
Tuesday 14th July, 5pm
The Octagon Chapel
Kate Williams presents an epic new history of royal women that shatters the myths we have built around them, from Cleopatra to Grace Kelly. Kate is a historian and broadcaster, a specialist in modern history, royal and constitutional affairs.
The Norwich Shawl Industry
Norwich Suffragettes: ‘Deeds Not Words’
Wednesday 15th July, 1pm
The Great Hospital
Pippa Lacey and Caroline Whiting from the Costume and Textile Association presents an overview of the history of the Norwich shawl industry, illustrating the popularity of the shawl as a fashion item in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Norwich Suffragettes: ‘Deeds Not Words’
Norwich Suffragettes: ‘Deeds Not Words’
Wednesday 15th July, 3pm
The Great Hospital
Historian Gill Blanchard will explore the long history of women’s fight for the right to vote. Looking at the broader context of women’s campaigns and protests, and the different female suffrage campaigns with a focus on Norwich.
History’s Most Epic Fibs and Fails
History’s Most Epic Fibs and Fails
Wednesday 15th July, 5pm
The Octagon Chapel
Join Athena Kugblenu, stand-up comedian and author of children’s history books History’s Most Epic Fibs! and History’s Most Epic Fails! We’ll have stories of creative truth-telling and questionable decision making that will make young readers gasp at the past and make sense of the present too.
Boudicca’s Daughter
History’s Most Epic Fibs and Fails
Wednesday 15th July, 6.30pm
The Octagon Chapel
Author Elodie Harper will introduce us to Solina, the daughter of the infamous warrior Boudicca and the Druid king of the British Iceni tribe. Her book Boudicca's Daughter takes us through an epic journey for survival – which will take Solina from Britain’s sacred marshlands to the glittering façades of Nero’s Imperial Court.
The Norwich Society: Over 100 years of making history matter to Norwich
The Norwich Society: Over 100 years of making history matter to Norwich
Thursday 16th July, 1pm
The Great Hospital
The decision to demolish Bishop Bridge was the catalyst that brought the Norwich Society into being in 1923. This is the story of how they managed to save this part of our Heritage. Join Jonothan Hooton for a virtual tour around Norwich covering many of the other successful campaigns.
Interpreting the Norwich Blitz and its Aftermath
The Norwich Society: Over 100 years of making history matter to Norwich
Thursday 16th July, 3pm
The Great Hospital
Having researched and written a people's history of the Baedeker raids on Norwich, author and journalist Stephen Snelling will re-examine the impact of the blitz on the civilian population and the post-war redevelopment of the city.
What did the Romans do for Norfolk?
Thursday 16th July, 5pm
The Octagon Chapel
The Romans get a poor press in Norfolk, this talk will look at who lived in “Roman Norfolk” and their long-term legacies in the region. William Bowden is a professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Nottingham.
Historic Footpaths
Thursday 16th July, 7pm
The Octagon Chapel
Presenter and author Nicholas Crane explores the hidden history of Britain's coast-to-coast web, from prehistoric routeways walked by European migrants 12,000 years ago to pilgrim ways and coffin roads, turnpikes, towpaths and city pavements.
Bloody Brilliant Tudors
Friday 17th July, 1pm
The Octagon Chapel
Step into the ever-intriguing, scandalous and dangerous world of the Tudors with author Elizabeth Goff, well-known as the @thehistoricalgal on social media, as she brings to life the stories behind her debut book Bloody Brilliant Tudors: 100 Tales of Gowns, Gossip and Gory Ends.
This Little World
Friday 17th July, 3pm
The Octagon Chapel
Nandini Das will be offering a startlingly new, globally resonant vision of England’s past and what it meant to be English. It is a story of a nation in the making – on the cusp of empire – told through the traces of those often written out of it.
UK Punk’s First Record: 50 Years on
Friday 17th July, 6pm
Cafe Bar Marzano
Punk exploded in Britain in 1976, changing music forever. As it marks its 50th anniversary, we are joined by author Richard Balls who chronicled the story of Stiff Records, the London label that released the UK’s first punk record - The Damned’s incendiary debut New Rose.
Why the Bacon Papers Matter: Celebrating a Tudor publishing triumph
Friday 17th July, 6.30pm
St Peter Mancroft Church
The Norfolk Record Society presents Rev. Professor Diarmaid N.J MacCulloch who will be discussing the latest research on the Papers of the prominent member of the Tudor Norfolk gentry, Sir Nathaniel Bacon of Stiffkey.
A World of Tyranny
A World of Tyranny
Saturday 18th July, 1pm
Old Meeting House
Historian Jackson van Uden will explore the tyrannical world that we live in and the state of democracy. From the Stalinist dictatorship of the Kim family in North Korea, to Xi’s totalitarian China, to the former Communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe and Russia, and the biggest threat to liberal democracy, Donald J. Trump.
Rasputin
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
A World of Tyranny
Saturday 18th July, 3pm
University of East Anglia
Was Grigori Rasputin a visionary, a fraud, or a victim of history? Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad, searches for the truth about the great seducer of the Romanovs, the wild mystic who laid the ground for the Russian Revolution.
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
Saturday 18th July, 7pm
Waterstones
Dr Breeze Barrington will be discussing her book The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court. Resurrecting the lives of Maria, later Mary of Modena, and the group of women she surrounded herself with at the Restoration courts of Charles II and James II.
Why History Matters Debate
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
Monday 20th July, 1pm
The Octagon Chapel
Three prominent figures will discuss why history is important to modern society. Chaired by Nicholas Grant (UEA) and including MP Clive Lewis.
Why the Gloucester shipwreck matters
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Monday 20th July, 3pm
The Forum Auditorium
The Gloucester Project is a significant historical research project exploring the life and times of the Gloucester frigate. Professor Claire Jowitt of UEA will present an update on the Gloucester Project and what has taught us.
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Monday 20th July, 4.30pm
The Forum Auditorium
Robin Ireland presents the story of how fans became consumers, told through five rollercoaster decades of Norwich City – from Division One to the Premier League, the UEFA Cup and beyond.
Crick: A Mind in Motion
Cutting the Mustard: How English football was changed for ever
Monday 20th July, 6pm
Dragon Hall
Matthew Cobb, professor emeritus at the University of Manchester will be discussing his new biography of Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, pioneering neuroscientist, and twentieth-century genius.
Elizabeth Boleyn: The Life of the Queen's Mother
Monday 20th July, 7.30pm
Dragon Hall
Sophie Bacchus-Waterman will discuss Elizabeth Boleyn, mother to Anne Boleyn. From her early years, to her marriage to Thomas Boleyn and her long career in Katherine of Aragon's household, before either Mary or Anne Boleyn caught Henry VIII's eye.
Debate: The Boleyn Family Intrigue
Tuesday 21st July, 1pm
Weston Room, Norwich Cathedral
Three prominent historians, Breeze Barrington, Sophie Baccus-Waterman and Estelle Paranque, will discuss why there is so much modern interest in the Boleyn family and why it is still of lasting interest.
St Benedict and his Rule for Life
Tuesday 21st July, 3pm
Weston Room, Norwich Cathedral
The year 540, formed the basis of the original monastery on the site of Norwich Cathedral. The Reverend Dr Peter Doll, Vice Dean of Norwich Cathedral, will portray the original rules for life as laid out by St Benedict in the 6th century.
Remembering Miriam Makeba
Tuesday 21st July, 4.30pm
Weston Room, Norwich Cathedral
Anna Mudeka has just completed a UK tour portraying the South African singer and anti-apartheid campaigner, Miriam Makeba. In this event, she will reflect on her experience and discuss why Makeba should be remembered.
James I: Passion at the Heart of the Monarchy
Tuesday 21st July, 6pm
Dragon Hall
Gareth Russell will be discussing his latest book Queen James: A New History About the Life and Loves of Britain’s First King, James Stuart. A groundbreaking and insightful exploration of King James I, enigmatic successor to Queen Elizabeth I - through exploring the six love affairs that shaped James’ journey.
Anne Boleyn and the French
Seeking Mea Allan – Fleet Street’s Forgotten Pioneer
Tuesday 21st July, 7.30pm
Dragon Hall
Historian Estelle Paranque will draw from her book Thorns, Lust and Glory: the betrayal of Anne Boleyn, exploring the life of a woman who has mesmerised the English public for centuries. In this talk, Estelle will look at the relationship between Anne Boleyn and the French court.
Seeking Mea Allan – Fleet Street’s Forgotten Pioneer
Seeking Mea Allan – Fleet Street’s Forgotten Pioneer
Wednesday 22nd July, 1pm
Norfolk Record Office
War correspondent Mea Allan was a household name during World War II. She interviewed IRA bombmakers, was the only woman to report from Belsen, and the first woman on a Fleet Street news desk. Journalist Felicity Goodall tells the story of her fascinating life.
The Bayeux Tapestry: a medieval embroidery with superpowers
Wednesday 22nd July, 3pm
Old Meeting House
In advance of the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to The British Museum, Dr Dave Musgrove, content director of HistoryExtra, will consider how the Bayeux Tapestry has shaped our knowledge of the Norman Conquest and continues to exert its influence to this day.
The Vikings! Their Impact and Legacy
Wednesday 22nd July, 5pm
Old Meeting House
What do we know? How do we know it? Exploring the archaeological evidence for Vikings in Norwich and Norfolk. With Tim Pestell, Curator of Archaeology at Norwich Castle Museum, in association with the Norfolk & Norwich Archeological Society.
History as a Form of Resistance
Wednesday 22nd July, 6.30pm
Old Meeting House
Iain Sinclair is a pioneer of ‘psychogeography’. In his seminal book London Orbital, he described contemporary London as a modern art of darkness. In this talk Iain will discuss how writing history can be a form of resistance.
Luke Pepera on the Depth and Significance of African History
Thursday 23rd July, 1pm
Friends Meeting House
Historian and writer Luke Pepera tells stories from his debut book Motherland: A Journey Through African History, Culture and Identity that highlight the impact and influence African peoples, societies and civilisations have had on the world.
The General Strike in Norwich
The General Strike in Norwich
Thursday 23rd July, 5pm
Norwich Guildhall
On 3rd May 1926 an historic walkout by British workers sparked a call for nationwide reform. To mark 100 years since the momentous General Strike, Reuben Harvey will outline the extent to which the strike was carried out in Norwich and the effect it had on lives.
Signs of Times Past
The General Strike in Norwich
Thursday 23rd July, 6.30pm
The Forum
John Trevelyan from the Norwich Society will explore some of the signs of the past that can be uncovered when walking around Norwich. This includes plaques, boundary markers, street name signs, flood level markers and memorials.
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee with Charlie Higson
Two Englishmen Abroad: John Dowland and Thomas Simpson
Thursday 23rd July, 7.30pm
University of East Anglia
Charlie Higson, leading light of The Fast Show, has written a funny and irreverent history of Britain's Kings and Queens. This event will find out how he has got enthused with history and will also explore Charlie's own history with Norwich.
Two Englishmen Abroad: John Dowland and Thomas Simpson
Two Englishmen Abroad: John Dowland and Thomas Simpson
Friday 24th July, 2pm
The Octagon Chapel
Conductor and musicologist Peter Holman will celebrate the life of Elizabethan composer, John Dowland. In conjunction with the Lute Society and the Dowland 400 Festival.
Using History in Art
Friday 24th July, 5pm
Cinema City
Jeremy Deller is one of the country’s leading visual artists. This event will explore how he has used historical events in his public artworks and films, reflecting on his approach and motivations, and accompanied by film clips.