On 9 June 2019, Royal Holloway, University of London, will be opening its doors for its third annual Festival of History.
The event, part of Royal Holloway’s Citizens Project and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will bring history to life in a way that can be enjoyed by the whole family, with performances, craft activities and cavalry and army dog demonstrations, as well as food and drink available throughout the day.
The free event is open to the public and is guaranteed to be a fun and interactive way for people to find out more about the British history of the struggle for citizenship, liberty and democracy.
Soldiers and camp followers from the Napoleonic era, First World War, and Second World War will mark the opening and closing of the Festival with demonstrations and drills.
Guests can look forward to seeing the Royal Warwickshire Regiment of the First World War, along with a full size replica First World War biplane and hear tales from its crew.
As part of the festival, Royal Holloway will welcome Dr Nicola Stacey, Director of the Heritage of London Trust, to deliver the 2019 annual Magna Carta Lecture. Entitled Pushing Back: Engaging with the histories of dissent, the lecture will explore how London has been a centre of dissent over centuries and these histories are embedded subtly across its buildings and monuments.
Dr Miranda Kaufmann, renowned historian and author of the critically acclaimed, Wolfson History Prize and Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize shortlisted, book Black Tudors: The Untold Story, will be speaking at the Festival of History about much of the research that provided the foundation of her book.
Dr Matthew Smith from the Department of History, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the Festival of History for a third year at Royal Holloway.
“The Festival is a fun and exciting way to get people to engage in the subject and really bring history to life. It is set to be our biggest Festival of History yet!”
The Festival of History will be open from 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday 9 June 2019 at Royal Holloway’s Egham campus. For more information, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/events.
