Centre for the History of People, Place & Community

Info at https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/ihr-london-summer-school-26-sickness-health

#Bursary applications for the 2026 @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool are open until 26 March! Join us this June to explore 'Sickness and Health' in London #history: from the Black Death to the Covid-19 pandemic, with lectures, trips and visits. All welcome. See www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/keene-london-lecture-26-black-death-london

The Derek Keene #London #Lecture 2026 is open for (free) booking! Join us on Weds 24 June to hear Thomas Asbridge on the #BlackDeath in London, drawing on his new book. The lecture forms a focal point of our annual @ihr.bsky.social #SummerSchool, this year focused on #London 'Sickness & Health'.

The Sugar Loaf Test: How an 18th-Century Ledger Reveals Gemini 3.0’s Emergent Reasoning A deep dive into my experience testing the new Gemini 3.0 Pro and the growing evidence I’ve seen for emergent neuro-symbolic reasoning.

There was a flurry of interest a few months ago in response to Mark Humphries' article on using Google Gemini 3.5 Pro Preview for transcribing a C18th commercial ledger generativehistory.substack.com/p/the-sugar-... So at @chppc.bsky.social we decided to have an experiment (2/9)

Recording a Reformation: preserving the stories of closed church buildings The Sacred Landscape project at the University of Saint Andrews was established to record the impact of changing religious landscapes, most notably the closure of church buildings

Obviously, the disposal of church buildings and their changing uses is a matter that generates strong emotions and asks important historical questions. Some of these are explored in this @chppc.bsky.social seminar which you can watch here:

It is self-evident looking around cities, towns and the smallest villages that there are places of worship no longer used by those that built them. 🗃️

Some, of course, are houses. Others remain in devotional use. Some examples from our volumes, supplemented by other information - a short thread 🧵

People of the Institute of Historical Research This short video features a selection of portraits taken at the Institute of Historical Research. They are inspired by the characters of the subjects and accompanied…

Join us at our 2-day oral history & digital storytelling course @ihr.bsky.social Explore the benefits of creative expression in the digital storytelling process, culminating in the opportunity to create your very own short video! shorturl.at/VHj0G
vimeo.com/1121186908?f...
@maxinebeuret.bsky.social

Dr Justin Colson welcomes participants

Treasures and key reading from the library

Historic maps and other materials from the library

Great to see our new IHR Discovery Course on 'Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place', led by @justincolson.bsky.social, getting off to a brilliant start this morning. A full room, lots of treasures from @ihrlibrary.bsky.social, + a fascinating few days of lectures, workshops and visits ahead!

https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/keene-london-lecture-26-black-death-london

The Derek Keene #London #Lecture 2026 is open for (free) booking! Join us on Weds 24 June to hear Thomas Asbridge on the #BlackDeath in London, drawing on his new book. The lecture forms a focal point of our annual @ihr.bsky.social #SummerSchool, this year focused on #London 'Sickness & Health'.

Join me (and other very special guests) on 4-6 March to explore historic townscapes and urban buildings in history.

We'll be looking at architecture, urban development and the ways in which we as researchers can use resources like planning and historic protection as tools for historical work. 🗃️

I'm very lucky to have this advance proof copy of Thomas Asbridge's brilliant new book, The #BlackDeath: A Global History - out in April and sure to transform our understanding of this #medieval global pandemic. I can't wait for his lecture at @ihr.bsky.social on Weds 24 June - do please join us!

Windows into past worlds - using maps to find forgotten history - Global Maritime History Amy Walker is a historian specialising in histories of poverty, ‘ordinary people’, and heritage. She completed an Undergraduate degree at the University of Greenwich and a Masters degree at the Instit...

Congratulations to our @ihr.bsky.social MA student Amy Walker @amywalkerhist.bsky.social, who completed the course this autumn, on this blog post - giving an insight into her fascinating research into social history and ordinary lives in #Greenwich.
globalmaritimehistory.com/windows_maps...

Cover of the UK edition of A History of England in 25 Poems https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461263/a-history-of-england-in-25-poems-by-clarke-catherine/9780241765982

Cover of the US edition of A History of England in 25 Poems https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-History-of-England-in-Twenty-Five-Poems/Catherine-Clarke/9798897101580

Welcome new followers! I'm a historian and writer, Director of
@chppc.bsky.social & @vch-home.bsky.social. My new #history book, #AHistoryOfEnglandIn25Poems, came out in the UK in 2025 and is coming in the US in 2026 (see AltText). 'A marvellous idea, quite brilliantly realised' -Dominic Sandbrook.

Victoria County History The Victoria County History is one of the world's longest-running research projects, exploring England's rich local history.

Hello new followers!

We are the longest-established and most ambitious Local History project yet devised.

Established in 1899, and part of @ihr.bsky.social and
@chppc.bsky.social, we aim to produce histories of every English place from the earliest time to the ever moving now.

IHR Derek Keene London Lecture 2026 | The Black Death in London: Understanding a Medieval Pandemic

We're delighted to announce that the Derek Keene #London Lecture 2026 will be given by Thomas Asbridge (QMUL) on 'The #BlackDeath in London: Understanding a #Medieval Pandemic'. A highlight of our 'Sickness & Health' Summer School week! Lecture is free, all welcome:
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Three Discovery Courses on Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place Townscape and Architecture in History Archaeology for Local History: Living in a Material World https://www.history.ac.uk/study-training/research-training-short-courses

New year - new #history experiences and discovery! Join us for one of our new @ihr.bsky.social Discovery Courses. Learning, enrichment and inspiration - all welcome! 2 days teaching + 1 optional add-on day of guided research time @ihrlibrary.bsky.social. Info: www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...

https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/ihr-london-summer-school-26-sickness-health

There's still time to get a 10% discount on the @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool 2026 - 'Sickness and Health'. Use code HEALTH10. #Bursary applications open until 26 March. All info via link:
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
All those in #history are welcome on this friendly & inspiring week!

https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/ihr-london-summer-school-26-sickness-health

There's still time to get a 10% discount on the @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool 2026 - 'Sickness and Health'. Use code HEALTH10. #Bursary applications open until 26 March. All info via link:
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
All those in #history are welcome on this friendly & inspiring week!

#Medieval Christmas shopping? Check out this fantastic research from my @chppc.bsky.social colleague @justincolson.bsky.social and team!

Graffiti Project Toolkit - screegrab of first page via the link

Interested in investigating historic #church #graffiti? Our CHPPC colleague Crystal Hollis @graffitiginger.bsky.social features in this brilliant new #toolkit from the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT). (More info at www.visitchurches.org.uk/get-involved...)
cdn.visitchurches.org.uk/uploads/file...

Church Going - Hidden Missives from within God's Acre

Delighted to announce that booking is open for our annual VCH Lecture, Thursday 14 May 2026. We're thrilled to welcome Andrew Ziminski, stonemason & author of the bestselling book Church Going - especially as @vch-home.bsky.social has helped to inform his practice!
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

https://www.history.ac.uk/study-training/research-training-short-courses

Join us in 2026 for our new @ihr.bsky.social Discovery Courses!
- Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place
- Townscape & Architecture in History
- Archaeology for (Local) History
Each 2 days + optional free extra day of guided research @ihrlibrary.bsky.social.
www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...

Our team, sitting around the table for dinner

Team @chppc.bsky.social Christmas dinner!

Burn marks on wood, Merchant Adventurers Hall, York

Burn marks on wood, Barley Hall, York

Congratulations to our CHPPC and @ihr.bsky.social colleague Crystal Hollis @graffitiginger.bsky.social on this new article: 'Deliberate Damage: a Brief Exploration of Intentional Burn Marks'.
brill.com/view/journal...

Research Training and Short Courses The IHR offers a wide range of training courses for historians at all career stages, from digital research and oral history to archives and publishing.

www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...

What's particularly exciting about our suite of new @ihr.bsky.social 'Discovery Courses' is the '2+1' model: two days of expert teaching, including guest lecture & fieldtrip, plus a free optional add-on day of guided research in the @ihrlibrary.bsky.social, with bespoke advice & support. #training

Townscape and Architecture in History Discovery Course 2

... An introduction to how statuatory protection came about and works, a guided tour of Bloomsbury's historic environment and a special guest lecture from the excellent Allan Brodie, formerly of Historic England.

Book now! 🗃️

Townscape and Architecture in History Discovery Course 2

#Skystorians!

Interested in the development of urban spaces? Want to engage with the historic built environment in your research and unsure where to start? Then maybe this could be for you?

We can offer architectural terminology for the terrified, buildings, boundaries and use of space [cont.]

I'm really delighted to say that the three sessions that a group of us have proposed for Leeds IMC 2026 in celebration of Prof Edward James and his many contributions not just to the history and archaeology of the early Middle Ages but also to the academic study of fantasy and sf have been accepted!

Archaeology for Local History: Living in a Material World Discovery Course 3

... a special guest lecture from Nathalie Cohen from @royalarchinst.bsky.social.

The IHR Discovery Courses are designed to be accessible for anyone interested in history - family and local historians, students and academic researchers are all welcome! Sign up at: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

A banner image advertising the course 'Archaeology for Local History: Living in a Material World' with several photographs of maps and archaeological sites.

Want to use archaeology in your local history research? In my new @ihr.bsky.social 'Discovery' short course (29 April-1 May 2026) you will learn where to locate and how to use records of surveys, excavations and finds in your area. Plus a visit to the @antiquaries.bsky.social library and...