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The Invisible Building: St John's in Bridgend
Historian article
Molly Cook, winner of this year's Historical Association Young Historian Local History Award, unravels the mystery of a local icon and tells us about her success in inspiring Bridgend to engage with its fascinating past.
Having worked on previous projects relating to the history of Bridgend and its place in...
The Invisible Building: St John's in Bridgend
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Exploring the importance of local visits in developing wider narratives of change and continuity
Rethinking religious rollercoasters
The authors of this article take a well-known structural framework for students’ thinking about the Reformation and give it a twist. Their Tudor religious rollercoaster is informed by local visits in their setting in Guernsey – an area where the local picture was not quite the same as the national...
Exploring the importance of local visits in developing wider narratives of change and continuity
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The back cover image: Malachite Urn
Primary History feature
This large green urn was given as a gift to Queen Victoria in 1839 by Emperor Nicholas I, to thank her for the way in which his son Alexander had been welcomed in England the previous year. It was placed in the Grand Reception Room of Windsor Castle, and has...
The back cover image: Malachite Urn
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Triumphs Show: Making their historical writing explode
Teaching History feature
‘Who hates PEE paragraphs?’ A collective groan resounds around my classroom. ‘Today, Year 10 we are going to master PEE paragraphs, and make our written historical explanations explode.’
I always remember one deflated Year 10 student who said, ‘Miss, I just don’t get PEE paragraphs. I couldn’t do them in Year 7, and I still...
Triumphs Show: Making their historical writing explode
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The American Diplomatic Tradition
Classic Pamphlet
Indisputably, the United States of America has been and continues to be the leading power of the twentieth century. No country or people, however large or small, has been immune from American influence. A succession of American presidents have become international celebrities whose personal strengths and weaknesses are discussed and disssected...
The American Diplomatic Tradition
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What’s The Wisdom On... Similarity and difference?
Teaching History feature
How often have you found yourself challenging a pupil’s use of ‘they’ or ‘people’? How often have you teased them with, ‘Really? All of them?!’ Every time we do this, we are pushing our pupils to respect the complexity of the past. We are pressing them to use their knowledge...
What’s The Wisdom On... Similarity and difference?
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My Favourite History Place: The Red House
Historian feature
Tim Brasier tempts others to visit the iconic Arts and Crafts Red House, home to William and Jane Morris in Bexleyheath, London.
This is a favourite historical venue of mine because it is so accessible. We literally live around the corner from the Red House in its location of the London...
My Favourite History Place: The Red House
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Sacred waters: Bath in the Roman Empire
Historian article
Eleri Cousins explores the dynamics of Romano-British religion at the sanctuary at Bath.
What do you think of when you think of Roman Bath? Most of us probably think of, well, the Baths – in particular the iconic image of the Great Bath, with its Roman swimming basin and its...
Sacred waters: Bath in the Roman Empire
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The Spanish Armada of...1597?
Article
Graham Darby gives an anniversary account of the later Spanish Armadas, long forgotten, but comparable in size and as threatening to contemporaries as the more famous Armada of 1588. As every schoolboy and schoolgirl should know, the Spanish Armada set sail in 1588: ‘God blew and they were scattered.’ However,...
The Spanish Armada of...1597?
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What’s The Wisdom On... change and continuity?
Teaching History feature
When it comes to historical change and continuity, what are history teachers asking pupils to think about and do?
What's the Wisdom On... is a short guide providing new history teachers with an overview of the ‘story so far’ of practice-based professional thinking about a particular aspect of history teaching. It...
What’s The Wisdom On... change and continuity?
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Strange goings-on: exploring the benefits of learning history through outdoor pedagogy
Primary History article
Learning history outside the classroom has tremendous benefits. This article looks at one such example where children can get an immersive, residential historical experience. This not only provides a memorable learning experience, but the combination of an evocative setting, together with carefully crafted activities taught using an outdoor pedagogy, allows...
Strange goings-on: exploring the benefits of learning history through outdoor pedagogy
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An Introduction to The Historian
The HA's History Magazine
HA's The Historian is the only history magazine which offers in-depth but extremely readable history by well-known experts in their fields, plus individual research by members of the Historical Association which you just won’t find anywhere else. Published quarterly, The Historian is a subscription-based magazine with a circulation of over 2,000.
The...
An Introduction to The Historian
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The ripple effect: reaching new readers
Historian article
Philip Browne tells the story of his continuing journey with an eighteenth-century sea captain.
My book had been published and for the first time I held a copy in my hand. A warm sense of achievement and relief washed over me. My work was done. Now with a little encouragement from...
The ripple effect: reaching new readers
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Training for the marathon: history at Michaela
Teaching History article
Michael Taylor begins his piece by reminding us that writing great history essays is hard. He compares the process to running a marathon, and his central thesis is that, just as the best training for running a marathon is not running marathons, so the way to encourage students to produce...
Training for the marathon: history at Michaela
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A South African, a Welshman and a Scotsman and the birth of the Royal Air Force
Historian article
In this article Sebastion Cox explores the significant role of international involvement in the creation of the Royal Air Force. The RAF owes its existence to a number of people but high among those deserving of credit are a South African Field Marshal, a Welsh politician and a Scottish soldier.
A South African, a Welshman and a Scotsman and the birth of the Royal Air Force
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Teaching about the Kindertransport without the Kinder
Primary History article
The Kindertransport, literally ‘children’s transport’, was the rescue operation of almost 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish child refugees to Britain between December 1938 and the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939.
Many of the Kinder (children) regularly share their experiences in primary schools, where their visit is regarded as...
Teaching about the Kindertransport without the Kinder
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What’s the wisdom on… enquiry questions
Teaching History feature
One way of explaining what is meant by an enquiry question is to start with what it is not.
What's the Wisdom On... is a short guide providing new history teachers with an overview of the ‘story so far’ of practice-based professional thinking about a particular aspect of history teaching. It...
What’s the wisdom on… enquiry questions
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Using role-play to develop young children’s understanding of the past
Primary History article
Unknown, interesting artefacts can really capture a child’s enthusiasm for learning. In the Foundation Stage, children want to use all their senses to explore and play with objects, and so the planning of practical, hands-on activities is important.
The activities in this article were completed by Reception children in a...
Using role-play to develop young children’s understanding of the past
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Using the back cover image: Communications
Primary History feature
Exploring the everyday objects that shaped our lives in the not too distant past can prove to be exciting historical challenges for primary age children. While we might remember or be familiar with the objects and their use, they can provide confusion for children. This is in part because of...
Using the back cover image: Communications
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Gone with the Wind: a great book?
Historian article
HA President Tony Badger examines the historical context which shapes our understanding of Margaret Mitchell’s enduring novel.
I had been a historian of the American South for 50 years and like Ringbaum, I had a secret. I had never read Gone with the Wind. As I came up to retirement...
Gone with the Wind: a great book?
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Yr Ysgwrn: keeping the door open
Historian article
Naomi Jones describes a Welsh poet who has left a different kind of memorial to the First World War.
Yr Ysgwrn: keeping the door open
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‘Miss, did the Romans build pyramids?’
Primary History article
Miss, did the Romans build pyramids? No Johnny, I think you are confusing the Romans with the Egyptians. Actually, Miss, the Romans did build pyramids – well, at least one – and you can still see it in Rome today!
The pyramid, which is 37 metres [or 125 Roman feet]...
‘Miss, did the Romans build pyramids?’
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The initial impact of the Battle of Jutland on the people of Portsmouth
Historian article
This local study by Steve Doe draws together the human effects of what happened at the Battle of Jutland in June 1916 with accounts of how the families of those who fought in the battle and the wider local community dealt with the tragedy.
The initial impact of the Battle of Jutland on the people of Portsmouth
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English first-aid organisations and the Provisional IRA mainland bombing campaign of 1974
Historian article
Barry Doyle reveals how the devastating Provisional IRA bombing of two Birmingham public houses in 1974 led to a resurgence in first-aid training and preparation, on the scale with which we are familiar today.
English first-aid organisations and the Provisional IRA mainland bombing campaign of 1974
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What’s the wisdom on… Evidence and sources
Teaching History feature
The year 1910 saw the publication of a remarkable book on history teaching by M.W.Keatinge.
The purpose of this guide. What's the Wisdom On... is a short guide providing new history teachers with an overview of the ‘story so far’ of practice-based professional thinking about a particular aspect of history teaching....
What’s the wisdom on… Evidence and sources
