Since 2000 he has presented
over 100 multi session courses on a wide range of local and social
history subjects for the Eastern & East Midland regions of the
Workers' Education Association [WEA]. He is a popular,
entertaining and informative speaker on a wide range of social and
historical subjects to groups of all ages and interests. He
leads Peterborough City tours on subjects as diverse as Monarchy
Monks & Martyrs and Inns & Taverns of Old Peterborough, and
the seasonal Medieval Yuletide. Brian also leads 'Horrible
Histories' tours of Peterborough for children in the summer
holidays and a daily Ghost Walk for them during autumn
half-term.
Brian's talks
A brief history of Peterborough
Starting as a small group of hovels in the shelter of the monastic
settlement Peterborough has been an ancient market town, a
cathedral city, an industrial town and a new town [twice] in its
1500 year history. A chance to travel through time without
moving from your chair.
A history of Peterborough Cathedral & its
precincts
Despite destruction by the Danes, sacking by Hereward, closure by
Henry VIII and desecration by Parliamentarian soldiers in the Civil
War, Peterborough cathedral and its associated buildings remain to
tell us a story of 1500 turbulent years of Christian
presence. This illustrated talk tells the story of its past
& 'looks' inside what is now perhaps the most complete
Romanesque great church in Britain.
A Virtual Tour of Medieval Peterborough
In the mid 12th century Abbot Martin le Bec laid out a brand new
town in front of his Cathedral. If he came back today he
would still recognise the streets and the layout. Come on a
tour of what he did and what he left - the beating heart of
Medieval Peterborough
A View of Victorian Boongate
Take a trip round Boongate. Not the present day out of town
shopping site, nor the early 20th century world of Tom Nutt &
his horses - but the Boongate that lays buried under the Passport
Office and other new buildings. Come with me to the middle of
the 19th century and the arrival of new houses, new street, the
Stanley Recreation Ground and the Cattle Market - and much much
more.
Housing the Railway workers of
Peterborough
The Victorian era saw the arrival of the railways to Peterborough -
and with them a rapidly increasing workforce and their
families. How and where were they housed, and what remains of
this housing now? And what was the local social impact of the
revolution that changed Britain?
The Life and Times of Thomas Barrass
For half a century Thomas Barrass was Pastor of the Baptist church
in Peterborough. Bishop Magee called him the 'Non-conformist Bishop
of Peterborough' and by 1900 over 5% of the population of
Peterborough were members of his church. Not a story of
religion, but the story of an outstanding man of his time.
The Inns and Taverns of Peterborough
An integral part of city life for hundreds of years, the story of
the hostelries, their landlords & landladies, the beers, the
brewers and the 'goings on' give a different view of the 'real'
life of Peterborough.
Peterborough Ghosts
An Anzac soldier, a frightened Monk, the man who tidied his shop
after his death, a noisy poltergeist and a dog who still leaves
footprints just some of the many tales you'll hear that will make
you look at Peterborough in a different light!
The story of the Proby family of Elton
Hall
The Proby family have owned Elton Hall since the mid 17th
century. Paintings by Reynolds and many other major artists,
furniture from many periods and a history that involves Ireland,
the Napoleonic wars, the Navy and politics to name but a
few.
The Cecils, Burghley House and its Park
The splendid house of the Cecil's is worth a visit at any time but
this illustrated talk gives you a chance to 'meet' the family,
'see' some of the paintings and furnishings, and hear the story of
house and park from the comfort of your meeting place.
The story of the Norman Cross Prisoner of War
Camp
The 'home' of many thousands of Napoleonic prisoners of war at the
beginning of the nineteenth century. This illustrated talk
tells the story of the camp, its inmates and the politics of the
whole affair.
St Guthlac, St Pega & the first Croyland
Abbey
The story of the saints and the first 200 years of one of Fenland's
great monasteries - and of Peakirk
Swings of fortune in Rural Mechanisation
The effects of the Swing Riots on one particular Huntingdon
craftsman, and his part in the mechanisation of farming in the 19th
century.
Many of Peterborough’s most popular cultural and sporting
facilities are part of Vivacity, an independent,
not-for-profit organisation with charitable status.
Find out more about
the trust on the Vivacity website.