What we’re about
Attention history lovers! We’ll meet up to go on historical walking tours, visit museums and attend historical events. We usually meet up at a cafe in the venue then go around as a group. You can also share a lift to and from the event where possible.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- How Manchester Fought Slavery | Free Guided TourManchester Victoria Station, Manchester
Before you RSVP to this event, please book your free ticket(s) via Eventbrite using this external weblink >>> BOOK TICKETS HERE
Join Ed Glinert, Manchester's leading historian, on this unique exploration of the city's slavery links on International Anti-Slavery Day.
About this event:
A year or so ago, the Guardian ran a huge piece about how the two major local football clubs were embarrassingly displaying a slave ship on their crests. The Guardian's Simon Hattenstone “discovered” that the ship on the City of Manchester coat of arms is a slave ship. According to Hattenstone, not just the city, but the local football clubs should drop this “symbol of slavery shame” from their crests.
Great scoop, Simon, except that Ed Glinert of New Manchester Walks has been pointing out the same on this “Manchester and Slavery” tours for 15 years!
Then, to ruin his article, Hattenstone quoted of all people not Glinert, but Jonathan Schofield, who told him the ship was not a slave ship. Once again, Schofield was wrong and Glinert was right! The ship on the Manchester coat of arms IS a slave ship and Ed Glinert has discovered which ship it was, chosen for the coat of arms in 1838 when Manchester became a borough because it was captured from the Spanish and used to free slaves.
Ed Glinert reveals all on this tour. Below is a taster.
***
Manchester might have prospered from the horrors of slavery for much of the 18th century, but the growing town was soon leading the campaign for its abolition.
The turning point was a meeting held at the Manchester Collegiate Church (now Manchester Cathedral) on 28 October 1787 fronted by the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. “When I went into the church,” Clarkson recalled, “it was so full that I could scarcely get to my place; for notice had been publicly given, though I knew nothing of it, that such a discourse would be delivered. I was surprised also to find a great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit. There might be forty or fifty of them. The text that I took, as the best to be found in such a hurry, was the following: ‘Thou shalt not oppress a stranger, for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt’”.
Manchester amassed the biggest number of signatures for the petition against slavery that went before Parliament. Sadly the petition was destroyed when the Houses of Parliament burned down in 1834.Meeting point:
We can meet at the branch of Starbucks Coffee inside Victoria railway station just before the walking tour. I will leave comments on the day in the chat (probably meetup at 10.30am inside the coffee shop)Ed's walk starts at 11am underneath the Victoria Station tiled wallmap
Walking tour last just under 2 hours.Meeting point address: Victoria Station Approach City Centre Manchester M3 1WY.
- Grosvenor Museum Chester: ‘Gladiators of Britain’ | Free exhibitionGrosvenor Museum, Chester
Gladiators of Britain exhibition:
20 September 2025 - 25 January 2026The events of the amphitheatre – its wild beasts and enslaved fighters – are one of the most enduring aspects of Roman culture that still capture the public imagination today.
https://events.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk/event/gladiators-of-britain/Gallery One:
Step into the arena where gladiators once fought and died to thunderous crowds. This major touring exhibition from the British Museum, in partnership with Colchester and Ipswich Museums, brings together rare Roman artefacts that reveal the brutal spectacle of gladiatorial combat in ancient Britain – including extraordinary finds from Chester’s own amphitheatre, the largest in the country.
Discover the altar dedicated to Nemesis, goddess of fate, erected by a Roman centurion after a mysterious vision. Witness ancient battles through a Samian bowl depicting gladiators in combat, found in the very arena where such battles took place. Read the graffiti of “Serano Locus” – a Roman spectator’s claim to his favourite seat, carved into stone nearly 2,000 years ago. These aren’t just museum pieces; they’re intimate glimpses into the lives of real people who witnessed the blood and spectacle that defined Roman entertainment.
From the enslaved fighters who became unlikely celebrities to the vendors selling food to eager crowds, Gladiators of Britain reveals the human stories behind the helmets. Walk in the footsteps of gladiators, spectators and citizens who made Chester’s amphitheatre come alive with the roar of the crowd and clash of steel.Supported by the Dorset Foundation in memory of Harry M Weinrebe. Supported at the Grosvenor Museum by Avanti West Coast and Visit Cheshire.
Meetup time: 11.30am
Date: Saturday 17th January 2026.Plan of day:
We will meet inside the museum foyer for 11.30am to view the Gladiators exhibition in gallery one. Then after visiting the Grosvenor museum, we can explore city centre of Chester, and visit the impressive Chester Cathedral for lunch in the cafe there. Entrance to the cathedral is free but you can give a donation if you like. If we have time, we maybe able to visit the nearby Sick to Death museum.About this museum:
The Grosvenor Museum tells the story of Chester from pre-history to the present day. The museum has particularly strong collections of material relating to Roman life in Chester, including an internationally important collection of Roman tombstones which were found in the 19th century having been reused in the city walls.
The museum also contains an art gallery with very fine painting and sculpture by regional artists with landscapes of Cheshire and North Wales. The Ridgway Silver Gallery showcases the best of a collection of hallmarked Chester silver, from race trophies to church plate. The museum’s period house features decorative styles and furniture from the Stuarts to the 1920s, highlighting changes in living conditions throughout the centuries.
There is also a Natural Cheshire gallery focused on the flora, fauna and geology of the Cheshire area.Travel to the museum:-
By bus:
The Museum is a 10-15 minute walk from Chester Bus Station. From the Cross, walk down Bridge Street and at the traffic lights turn right onto Grosvenor Street. The museum is on the left hand side.By train:
The Museum is a 20 minute walk from Chester Railway Station.
Or you can take the Rail Link bus from directly outside the station entrance to the city centre (ticket £1). The Museum is a 15 minute walk from the bus stop on Foregate Street.
Rail services are provided by Northern, Merseyrail and Transport for Wales. Links below:
https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/
https://tickets.trc.cymru/#/
https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/plan-your-journey/By car:
The nearest public car park is The Little Roodee Coach and Car Park on Castle Drive, a 5 minute walk away from the museum. There is a disabled parking bay outside the museum. You can also park at Chester race course for £5.50 all day.
https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/There is also a park and ride scheme. I normally use the one at PR2 Broughton Heath Park. Every 15 minutes. Last bus is 5.30pm on Sunday.
https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/transport-and-roads/public-transport/buses/park-and-rideAccessibility:
The Grosvenor Museum has wheelchair access to the ground floor, including Exhibition Gallery One, the Lecture Theatre, the ground floor of the Period House, the Roman Galleries and accessible toilet.
The Art Gallery, Silver Gallery, Natural Cheshire gallery and Exhibition Gallery Two are on the first floor, the Education Workroom is on the second floor. There is no lift.Cover image credit: Grosvenor Museum, Chester.
