Past Events
Thomas More and Suburban London: A View from the Outside
Wednesday 9th September 2026
What does it change about our understanding of one of England’s most controversial historical figures, Thomas More, if he was born not in fashionable wealthy Milk Street, but outside the stinking ditches of the London Wall, in Cripplegate Without?
BALH Event
Hounslow and District's History on Display
Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd August 2026
Hounslow and District History Society presents five days of local history, with a free exhibition exploring Hounslow’s past and illustrated talks each afternoon on the people, places and events that have shaped the borough.
Faking Jewels: A Tudor Winchester Whodunnit
Wednesday 20th May 2026
A webinar from Hampshire Archives Trust
The English merchant community of Western Andalusia (1507-1561)
Wednesday 13th May 2026
What was it like to be an English merchant living and trading in southern Spain at the dawn of the modern world? This talk explores the people, networks, and communities of Atlantic Andalusia in the early sixteenth century, revealing a fascinating story of trade, faith, politics, and cultural exchange between England and Spain.
BALH Event
Local History around the Yorkshire Dales
Saturday 2nd May 2026
The British Association for Local History are delighted to present this one-day conference on local history around the Yorkshire Dales. Join us in Grassington this May to explore the landscapes, buildings and people of the Dales.
BALH Event
Medieval activity around Leiston Abbey: insights from excavations at Sizewell C
Wednesday 29th April 2026
Large-scale archaeological excavations at Sizewell C in Suffolk are revealing new evidence of medieval activity connected with Leiston Abbey, offering fresh insights into how its estate and surrounding landscape were used and organised.
The Historic Towns Trust St Andrews map
Tuesday 28th April 2026
This event is run by BALH in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust, part of a series of evening lectures in 2026.
BALH Event
Lincolnshire Churches Conference 2026
Saturday 18th April 2026
A full-day conference exploring the history, art, architecture and conservation of Lincolnshire’s churches, with talks from leading speakers and a guided visit to St Andrew’s Church, Heckington.
The Baum Rabbit: Phantom Killer Bunnies in Lancashire Tradition
Wednesday 15th April 2026
A curious and unsettling journey into Rochdale’s most unusual folklore, where an innocent-looking rabbit became a creature of fear in Victorian and early twentieth-century Lancashire.
Family History in Late-Medieval Brecon
Tuesday 31st March 2026
This event is run by BALH in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust, part of a series of evening lectures in 2026.
BALH Event
A History of England in 25 Poems: Hampshire Stories
Wednesday 18th March 2026
A webinar from Hampshire Archives Trust
Stories of the Silent: prisoners and paupers at Blackberry Hill, Bristol
Wednesday 18th March 2026
Recent archaeological work at the former Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol has uncovered burials and evidence from its earlier use as a prisoner of war camp and later as a Victorian workhouse, revealing stark insights into the lives of captives, paupers and the destitute.
Defiance and Destruction: Swing Riots in Havant and Emsworth
Wednesday 25th February 2026
A webinar from Hampshire Archives Trust
Investigating Canterbury's Past for the new Historic Towns Atlas
Tuesday 24th February 2026
This event is run by BALH in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust, part of a series of evening lectures in 2026.
BALH Event
BALH Special General Meeting
Thursday 29th January 2026
This online Special General Meeting has been called to allow members to vote on the formal transfer of BALH’s activities to the new CIO and the dissolution of the existing organisation.
BALH Event
Researching an Atlas of London in 1666
Tuesday 27th January 2026
This event is run by BALH in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust, part of a series of evening lectures in 2026.
BALH Event
‘Heads – you lose!’ Working for the railways in Britain before 1939: BALH Dymond Lecture 2025
Thursday 11th December 2025
Our annual winter lecture returns with Dr Mike Esbester. Explore the hidden human stories behind Britain’s railways, uncovering the lives, risks and accidents of railway workers before 1939, and revealing how the Railway Work, Life & Death project is helping local historians reconnect these people with the places they lived, worked and died.
BALH Event
Christmas Charity and Paupers: The Christmas Experience for the Poor of Hampshire in the Twentieth Century to early Twenty-First Century
Wednesday 10th December 2025
A look at how festive charity shaped the Christmas experience for Hampshire’s poor, with stories from local workhouses, orphanages and community efforts across the twentieth century.
Finding Hampshire's Railway Workers
Wednesday 19th November 2025
A collaborative talk exploring the working, family and community lives of Hampshire’s railway staff, and how local partnerships are uncovering their stories.
Church Going: A Stonemason's Guide to the Churches of the British Isles
Tuesday 18th November 2025
Join master stonemason Andrew Ziminski for an illuminating journey through Britain’s medieval churches—revealing the hidden stories, artistry, and architecture that shape our shared past.
BALH Event
Hugo Javier Freitas
Laura Yeoman
