Blog
From our blog
From Local Archives to Atlantic Migrations: How Family History Helps Reconstruct a Shared Past
Published: 24th July 2026
Drawing on European migration to Argentina and Uruguay, Hugo Javier Freitas reveals how local records and family memories can restore individual lives to the history of mass migration.
From our blog
BALH celebrates another successful collaboration with the Historic Towns Trust
Published: 2nd June 2026
This Spring saw BALH once again partner with the Historic Towns Trust for a new series of engaging online lectures. Each lecture focused on a particular map currently being prepared by the Historic Towns Trust, and the research that has underpinned its production.
From our blog
Nazeing at War: A Village Remembers
Published: 29th October 2025
Marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Nazeing History Workshop shares stories of resilience and remembrance through its eight-part blog series Two Aerodromes and a Dragon’s Tooth, Nazeing at War, capturing how a small Essex village lived through invasion fears, bombing raids, and the path to peace.
From our blog
Bringing the VCH to Westmorland: Launching Lonsdale Ward, the First Red Book for Cumbria
Published: 29th October 2025
Dr Sarah Rose, Assistant Editor of the Victoria County History (VCH) in Cumbria, reflects on the publication of Westmorland Volume I: Lonsdale Ward, the county’s first ever VCH volume and the 250th in the ‘Big Red Book’ series, produced in partnership with volunteers and the local community.
From our blog
Making history, not reliving it- the national partnership to celebrate 100 anniversary of the General Strike 1926
Published: 5th October 2025
Next year is an important anniversary for the wider trade union and labour movement, its 100 years since those famous ‘Nine Days in May’.
From our blog
The Weird and Wonderful World of the ‘Loggerheads’
Published: 11th September 2025
Shrewsbury’s mysterious “loggerheads” - three feline faces found on walls, glass, and carvings all over the old town - have puzzled residents and historians for centuries. Their story blends heraldry, controversy, and local pride, showing how a symbol can outlast generations and still stir debate today.
From our blog
Scoria Bricks in the Back Alleys of York
Published: 9th September 2025
York’s back alleys hide a striking feature of the city’s past: scoria bricks, made from the molten waste of Cleveland’s 19th-century blast furnaces. Distinctive for their silvery blue sheen and unusual shapes, these bricks tell a story of recycling, ingenuity, and urban change.
From our blog
Not Lost at Sea: Some Sources for Local Maritime Histories
Published: 8th September 2025
Local maritime history can be explored through key sources such as Lloyds Register, the Mercantile Navy List, and surviving Port Registers. This blog highlights how these records bring vessels like the Kathleen and May back to life on paper and offer rich opportunities for research.
From our blog
Boundary Markers
Published: 23rd August 2025
Sharon O’Connor and David Natzler, from the Dulwich Society local history group share how they have been recording their local boundary markers.
From our blog
Micklegate in York: centuries of history
Published: 23rd August 2025
Behind York’s historic streets are countless stories waiting to be told, and for the past twelve years the Clements Hall Local History Group has been uncovering them. From local shops to entire neighbourhoods, their award-winning books bring to life the people and places that shaped the city.
From our blog
Wincanton History Day 2025
Published: 5th May 2025
BALH was delighted to support society member the Wincanton History Society at their third annual History Day.
From our blog
Bradford in Transition in the Nineteenth Century
Published: 19th March 2025
In the second talk of our 2025 series delivered in partnership with Historic Towns Trust, Ian Roberts FSA MCIfA spoke about Bradford in the 19th century.
From our blog
The Scottish Rates Revaluation of 1985: The Spark that Lit the Poll Tax Fire!
Published: 6th March 2025
Margaret Thatcher's ‘flagship policy’ the Community Charge, infamously known as the poll tax, remains etched in British history as one of the most contentious policies of her premiership. Introduced in Scotland in 1989 before being rolled-out to both England and Wales in 1990, this flat-rate tax applied Community Charges to almost every adult regardless of income or ability to pay.
From our blog
Finding Historic Perth
Published: 7th February 2025
In the first talk in our 2025 series delivered in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust, David Bowler spoke about Medieval and Early Modern Perth, and how the development of the burgh was tied to the natural topography of the area. David is Director of Alder Archaeology Ltd, and Past President of The Perthshire Society of Natural Science. He has lived and worked in Perth since 1983 and was an adviser to the Perth Historic Map project.
From our blog
Camp 21 'Cultybraggan'
Published: 13th January 2025
Located near the village of Comrie in Perthshire, Scotland, is one of the most historically preserved sites from the Second World War – Camp 21, also known as Cultybraggan.
