History

Ancient artefacts abound in The West Country, particularly in Somerset and Wiltshire. These sites provide a fascinating picture of our ancestors’ lives, spiritual beliefs, and capabilities. This journey into our past will be an inspiring and memorable experience.. Enrol online here Course Dates 2017 – 2018 These courses take place at Stoke Lodge Fridays 1pm to […]

The legend of Arthur, Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table is intimately connected with Glastonbury in Somerset. By examining this mystical landscape as well as the history of these times, a fascinating picture emerges of this hero of The Dark Ages. Enrol online here Course Dates 2017 – 2018 These courses take place at […]

The nation in these years faced major challenges, coping with the Industrial Revolution and consequent poverty and social disruption and twenty-two years of war with Revolutionary France. But these were also the years of Jane Austen, Wordsworth and Coleridge. We shall explore all these aspects and many more. Visit the tutor’s profile Enrol online here […]

The end of war in 1815 was celebrated by Regency dandies and factory hands alike, but the ensuing years were years of social and political strain as the old order in politics, religion and society came under numerous challenges. We explore the story of how Britain accomplished Reform whilst avoiding Revolution and also look at […]

We explore the early years of the reign of George III- one of England’s most interesting Kings, both as a personality and for the years in which he lived- the age of Samuel Johnson, Garrick the actor and Reynolds the painter. At the heart of the story is the titanic world conflict which led to […]

This is the story of the age of empire, the imperial rivalries of the great powers and the effects- for good and ill – on those countries which were colonised. Africa, Australasia and India of course figure prominently in the story. China and Japan, ancient civilisations for long a closed book to the west but […]

Continuing the story of Europe in the nineteenth century, we see how Bismarck in his later years sought to maintain a balance of power and how his successors, and Kaiser Wilhelm II, upset this through policies of naval and colonial expansion among other things. We also consider how France’s desire for “revenge” on Prussia, Russian […]

Following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Europe’s rulers and diplomats strove to damp down dynastic rivalries and revolutionary tendencies within states. But international tension was not so easily controlled and new movements – nationalism, liberalism, socialism – presented fresh challenges. This course looks at the post-1815 world, the events leading to the “year of […]