Arguably, the most significant aspect of York’s transportation heritage is its importance as a railway nucleus, a position it has maintained from the mid-19th century to the present day. This illuminating article provides a brief overview of how all the railways came to York, and the effects this had on the lives of the city’s residents.
AUTHOR: OSCAR HILDER
One of Victorian England’s most shocking scandals was the Cleveland Street affair, impacting perceptions surrounding the LGBT community. This article by James Lamont, written for the LGBT+ History Writing Competition, details the story of the scandal to reveal what made it such an infamous case. By foregrounding the key political individuals involved within the case, this piece highlights just why attitudes towards homosexuality were severely impacted as a result of the affair’s notoriety.
AUTHOR JAMES LAMONT
In 1960, Dennis Potter identified something unique about his homeland of the Forest of Dean that made it so special: the sense of a small green world hemmed in by two rivers and two nations. This article by Joseph Lowen-Grey, the winner of our Local and Community History Writing Competition, explores this further by detailing the Forest’s enchanting history. Anchoring the article around the forest’s Freeminers, this piece foregrounds the intricate legacy of the group that makes the Forest of Dean as remarkable as it stands today.
AUTHOR JOSEPH LOWEN-GREY
Operation Mincemeat is a multi-award-winning musical that has taken the West End by storm, shedding light on the other roles played, highlighting the true stories of those involved with planning or putting the operation into action during the WWII. In this article, Helena discusses Mincemeat’s significance in rediscovering the history of Hester Leggatt, one of MI5’s secretaries.
AUTHOR: HELENA HUNTER
Since 2002, the Jerusalem Pride Parade has taken place annually while transforming throughout the years, marking the progress of gay rights in Israel. This article explores some of the contexts in which this progress has occurred, looking also at the intertwining of these tensions. As Alon Isac describes the historical developments and the political background of the pride parade, questions not just answered, but also raised.
AUTHOR ALON ISAC
The Victorian Era was no stranger to poison. Its presence was everywhere, from arsenic in cosmetics, to cyanide in the wallpaper, causing a ‘poison panic’ to emerge in popular media. The panic especially surrounded women across this period, with some put on trial for supposedly poisoning their husbands. This insightful article by Finlay Ratcliffe for the 2024/2025 Women’s History Writing Competition explores the case studies of twenty-two women to highlight whether this public fear stemmed from the threat of the poison itself, or rather the threat of female power.
AUTHOR FINLAY RATCLIFFE
The practice of meditation, which originated between 600-500 BCE, in recent decades, has experienced a wave of global popularity, contributing to wellbeing, and helping many people deal with stress, depression and anxiety problems, so common in the 21st century. However, the orientalist discourse has attached a stigma to spiritual practices, especially those not founded by the West. This interesting article discusses the practice of meditation with roots in oriental Buddhism and the tendency of adapting it to the Western world, bringing to the fore a discussion of how platforms such as Headspace can raise awareness of its oriental Tibetan roots, possibly helping to decolonise it.
AUTHOR: HARRIET VICARY
May Morris, daughter of the famous textile designer William Morris, is normally overshadowed by her famous father, both as an artistic and historic figure in her own right. However, with increased feminist revisions of the Arts and Crafts movement, May Morris’ status has been established as a pioneer of Arts and Crafts embroidery; a prolific contributor to the success of Morris and Co; and founder of the Women’s Guild of Arts. Furthermore, the rediscovery of Morris’ interwar diaries draws attention to the later years of her life and to the importance of her relationship with Mary Lobb, which sparked intense debate over the exact nature of their relationship. This rich and interesting history of the pair deserves a greater level of consideration within current scholarship, from both a feminist and queer perspective and is the topic of the winner of the LGBTQ+ article competition 2025.
AUTHOR: ROBIN HENDERSON
Sideshows, dime museums, and freakshows. All those exhibitions of bodily differences for profit, a staple of middle-class entertainment which had its golden age during the 19th century, are some of the most controversial aspects of entertainment history. In this absorbing article, submitted to the Disability History competition of 24/25, Kate Pointer considers how such sideshows, which were at first born out of exploitation and dehumanization, could today be potentially understood also as a celebration of diversity and are exemplary in how humanity can overcome prejudices.
AUTHOR: KATE POINTER
Perpignan, located in the south of France, is the last large city closest to the Franco-Spanish border. Much like its history, the city stands today ensnared between French and Catalan culture. This article delves into the multiculturalism within Perpignan, especially looking at its Catalan, but also French, culture and identity. By exploring the city’s history, linguistics, heritage, and gastronomy, Cassia Wydra carefully traces and appreciates the bicultural identity of Perpignan, or Perpinyà.
AUTHOR CASSIA WYDRA
Before the 19th century, it was customary for people suffering from mental health conditions and for the intellectually disabled to be accommodated in private licensed houses. This situation started to shift with the 1808 Asylum Act, when the public asylum began to develop. The 1845 Lunacy Act and County Asylums Act extended this development, making pauper asylums compulsory for each county. This important article, written for the Disability History competition 24/25, sheds light on the interesting fact that, despite public asylums were already in place, paupers still found themselves institutionalised, in the majority of the cases, in workhouses.
AUTHOR: OLIVIA BOYLE
At the end of the 1920s, Leon Trotsky found himself in a precarious but familiar position. Although he was seen by some as Lenin’s natural successor, Trotsky was washed away by the power struggle caused by Stalin’s political manoeuvres. In this article, Iris Pinder explores Trotsky’s exile, tracing the final decade of his life. Although this period was overcast by doom and death, Trotsky’s ultimate ability to adapt as a pariah is reflected, finding his way albeit isolated from the communist dictatorship he helped create and defend.
AUTHOR IRIS PINDER
“Eccentric,” “aloof,” “obsessive,” “shy” – these are all labels used to describe numerous notable historical figures, both by their contemporaries and by modern historians. The challenges to not reinforce stereotypes but also possible advantages of retrospective diagnose of historical figures long time dead as autistic are explored in this fundamental article, winner of the Disability History competition for 2024/2025 and which makes a starting contribution for this area of Disability History. Unmissable!
AUTHOR: OSCAR HILDER
Wentworth Woodhouse has undergone much expansion for decades, in terms of its architecture, owners, and history. In this article, Finlay Ratcliffe seeks to explore the history of the site, tracing it chronologically, using its fifteen owners as key historical checkpoints. By also foregrounding its rigid resistance to modern demolition attempts, as well as its current preservation plans, the reasons for why Wentworth Woodhouse is considered a great survivor are illuminated.
AUTHOR FINLAY RATCLIFFE
Irish political history in the early twentieth century is often portrayed as popular democratic, radically republican, and perhaps even left-wing Marxist in character. However, this obscures a key political story of the 1920s and 1930s, when Ireland too experienced a somewhat right-wing, nationalist, and potentially fascist movement. Henry Anderson delves into this underrepresented moment in modern Irish history by giving background to the rise and fall of the Blueshirts before assessing whether this movement was indeed fascist.
AUTHOR HENRY ANDERSON
In the year 1864, the Sheffield Daily Telegraph made an appeal, calling for ‘the abolition of what is known as the ‘Goathland incline’, since this steep gradient had clearly become a threat to people using it. The result was that the North Eastern Railway (NER) began work on deviating the line, which opened in 1865, and along with it, a new station to serve Goathland. The author, an archaeologist, brings to light interesting human stories of people who had their lives intertwined with this iconic station (known nowadays popularly as Hogsmeade station from the first HP film!).
AUTHOR: WILLIAM PLANT
Brit Bennett’s novel ‘The Vanishing Half’ depicts the lives of two sisters, Stella and Desiree, within twentieth century USA. The trajectories that the twins take within the book reflect the complexities of racial identity and understanding at the time, especially surrounding racial passing. In this article, Eloise Gibson illuminates the histories of individuals such as Walter White to see the novel’s ability to represent the real people who experienced racial passing first-hand.
AUTHOR ELOISE GIBSON
Although the Titanic is arguably the most famous ship in history, many of the horrific memories of its more ordinary passengers have been forgotten. This article spotlights the life of Joseph Laroche and his family, passengers aboard the Titanic, devastated by the tragedy. Helena Hunter successfully widens the narrative of the Titanic disaster by shedding light on the story of the only Black man amongst the ship’s passengers.
AUTHOR: HELENA HUNTER
When one considers the history of racial discrimination, the stories of ordinary people who fought for equality are often overlooked. This compelling article spotlights Asquith Xavier, a Black West Indian railwayman, who challenged his rejection from a position at London Euston Station. By connecting Xavier to broader developments within the British civil rights movement, Oscar Hilder argues for Xavier’s influence on both racial legislation and his personal communities.
AUTHOR OSCAR HILDER
To shine a light on under-appreciated Black histories, Finlay Ratcliffe focuses on the life of Josephine Baker. Outlining her various roles as an entertainer, Second World War spy and civil rights advocate, as well as the commemorations that occurred after her untimely burial, this article recognises her significance both in life and death.
AUTHOR FINLAY RATCLIFFE
In January 1942, Stalin had become firmly established as the leader of the Soviet Union. In this article, Alex Herzmansky explores his rise to power and leadership, focusing particularly on his calculated political tactics and strategic personality to ultimately reflect his clever and cunning nature.
AUTHOR ALEX HERZMANSKY
The 1923 population exchange was perhaps one of the most important events in modern European history. Its enactment was not only significant for the peoples of Greece and Turkey, but also a template by which the nationalistic aims of European leaders would be realised across the 20th century. In this riveting article, the ideas and principles that governed such a decision are initially explored.
AUTHOR: MAX HILLIER
A look at historical anniversaries and commemorations that occurred in 2024 by the 2023-2024 York Historian Committee.
Throughout history, women have utilised cosmetic practises to beautify themselves, adorning their appearances. Despite the tendency of historiography, as well as societies, to view these actions as a product of patriarchal influence, reducing cosmetic practices as being dictated by the male gaze, this has not always been the case. In this very interesting article, it is explored that the idea that cosmetics have actually been consistently used by women in particular to grant themselves with agency.
AUTHOR: PIPER HEDGES
Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt proper, has gripped popular media and its creative imagination throughout history. In this article, Leon Corneille-Cowell and Isabel Davies explore various depictions of the ruler, for example, using her medieval depictions and modern television portrayals.
AUTHOR LEON CORNEILLE-COWELL AND ISABEL DAVIES
Historical discussions surrounding racial tensions within 20th century Britain have focused primarily on post WWII events, placed in the context of decolonisation and mass immigration. This article will investigate its foundations, proceedings and aftermath of racial violence that was experienced throughout Great Britain in 1919, particularly in the major port cities, such as Liverpool and Cardiff, seeking to understand the events that took place, and the divisions of race in a broader perspective.
AUTHOR JONAH RONDER
The history of witchcraft has typically been examined from a Western perspective. In this article, Libby Foxwell and Eloise Gibson explore perceptions of witchcraft in colonial Africa to uncover and overcome historical misconceptions about the phenomenon.
AUTHOR LIBBY FOXWELL AND ELOISE GIBSON
Discussing the intricate history of plastic surgery, Lizzy Stott discusses its ideological and racialised aspects. Desiring to debunk the popular myth that plastic surgery originated after the First World War, this article makes for an illuminating read on the development and implications of the practise for a variety of groups.
AUTHOR LIZZY STOTT
The winner of our Halloween Writing Competition, Jack Rooney, details the tragic story of a crew tormented by disease, cannibalism, and the cold. Inspired by Dan Simmons’ novel ‘The Terror’, this article reveals the harsh historical reality of humanity’s own battle with their world.
AUTHOR JACK ROONEY
Delving into the interlinking presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, Sam Chapman presents a fascinating element of 1960s and 1970s American political history. Focusing on how Johnson and Nixon differently revelled in becoming Kennedy’s successor, this article uniquely looks at how this ultimately contributed to both of their downfalls.
AUTHOR SAM CHAPMAN
To commemorate the Remembrance Day on the last 11th November (also known as Poppy Day), Joe Langham built an special and very personal account around a casualty of war happened during the WWII in the fight against Germany, the fate of the Lancaster W4240 and its crew.
AUTHOR: JOE LANGHAM
The nature of the causes of World War I have often been debated among historians. Steph Pook adds to the argument with her unique and fresh essay analysing the paradoxical and entangled origins of the war.
AUTHOR STEPH POOK
Lauren Cheetham-Birmingham explores the interesting development of hospital medicine in Paris during the 19th century.
AUTHOR: LAUREN CHEETENHAM-BIRMINGHAM
The Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim and have been for at least several hundred years, with a rich and complex cultural history, stretching back millennia. Archaeological sites in Xinjiang showed that many in the past adhered to Buddhist beliefs.
AUTHOR ABIGAIL MANGION
Stephanie Wilson analyses how Japan utilises the Olympic Games for political means
AUTHOR: STEPHANIE WILSON
The pill is often considered to have had a pivotal influence on the lives of women and the expansion of women’s rights, however contemporary feminist literature sought to counter this point of view
AUTHOR: ANNIE FINEGAN
As we enter into the new year of 2021, we take a look at some of the historical anniversaries we saw in 2020, from literature to international legislation
AUTHOR: VARIOUS
In anticipation for the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Stephanie Wilson analyses how Japan utilises the Olympic Games for political means
AUTHOR: STEPHANIE WILSON
A brief introduction to the History of Emotions
AUTHOR: LIAM GREENACRE
An insightful examination of the multifaceted role of narration in history.
AUTHOR: VERA RATNIKOVA
To mark LGBT History Month, Alice Van-Cliff explores the symbolism of art produced in response to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
AUTHOR: ALICE VAN-CLIFF
An insightful discussion on the Watergate Crisis in light of the on-going investigation surrounding the Trump administration.
AUTHOR: JAN SZTANKA-TOTH
Our latest article investigates George Orwell’s ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’ and what it can tell historians about perceptions of the North in 1930s Britain.
AUTHOR: GEORGIA OWEN
A review of Timothy Snyder’s ‘Bloodlands’.
AUTHOR: MÅNS AHLSTEDT ÅBERG
On the 100th anniversary of Polish independence, Jan Sztanka-Toth explores the nation’s past, and how it is commemorated in contemporary society.
AUTHOR: JAN SZTANKA-TOTH
This article deals with the changing state of American foreign policy and Cold War politics during the Vietnam War.
AUTHOR: KATE MESHER
A thought-provoking evaluation of the historian’s role in contemporary debates around statue destruction.
AUTHOR: JACK HARVEY
How far an American Identity had developed by 1776 is widely debated among historians. This article considers some of the facets of identity and assesses how far a uniquely American one had developed by the outbreak of the War of Independence.
AUTHOR: VICTORIA BETTNEY
This article considers the development of anti-Irish sentiment in modern Britain, using a range of evidence to show the changes and continuities in the depiction of the Irish.
AUTHOR: ENYA HOLLAND
What is the purpose of history? The works of divisive theorist Hayden White tackle this most controversial dilemma.
AUTHOR: LIAM GREENACRE
