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Theme: Hidden Histories

From the chequered history of our favourite hot beverages to what Stalin ate for dinner, our experts reveal some of history’s best kept secrets. 

What's on

Sun
21
Jun

Waterloo: The battle

It’s 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo. This talk will give an overview of the battle and the strategy involved.

Sat
20
Jun

'The Woman With No Number'

Auschwitz survivor, Iby Knill, tells the story of her family as the threat from the Nazis closed around them in occupied Europe.

Fri
19
Jun

Was Waterloo a German victory?

Brendan Simms describes how the battle of Waterloo was decided by the Second Light Battalion, King’s German Legion, which was given the deceptively simple task of defending the Haye Sainte farmhouse, a crucial crossroads on the way to Brussels. He argues that their actions decided the most influential battle in European history

Fri
19
Jun

Vanishing for the Vote - Yorkshire and beyond

The Liberal government, which still denied women the vote, ordered every household to comply with its census requirement on Sunday 2 April 1911. So suffragette organisations urged women to boycott this census. Jill Liddington explores the boycott in York and across the three Ridings.

Thu
18
Jun

The Abuse of Hot Liquors

BBC food historian Annie Gray will talk about three influential foodstuffs from 17th century Britain, from their medicinal beginnings, to the myths that surrounded them, to their adoption as core parts of our diet. By the end, you’ll never look at a steaming mug of your chosen pick-me-up in quite the same way again.

Tue
16
Jun

What’s New with the Vikings?

Come and find out the most recent research on the Vikings including Viking camps, war cemeteries, commerce, and migration.

Mon
15
Jun

Secrets of the Pyramid

Discover the secrets of the pyramid which pierces the Castle Howard landscape, with a rare opportunity to glimpse inside.

Sun
14
Jun

Waterloo: Followers of Fashion

Wives used to follow their officer husbands to the battle and at Waterloo, many civilians watched from the sidelines. Find out what an elegant lady of 1815 would be wearing. See real dresses and accessories from the museum’s collection.

Sat
13
Jun

A New History of the Central Powers at War

Historian Alexander Watson retells the First World War from the perspective of its instigators and losers – Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Sat
13
Jun

York Museums Trust Book Club: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Join the York Museums Trust for their book club linked to their collections.

Wed
10
Jun

Dictators for Dinner

What do dictators eat? Join authors Victoria Clark and Melissa Scott as they discuss their book Dictators’ Dinners: The Bad Taste Guide to Entertaining Tyrants, an investigation into what some of the world’s most notorious 20th-century despots have enjoyed most at their dinner table, and with whom. Here we learn of their foibles, their eccentricities and their frequent terror of being poisoned.

Festival themes