Delve into history

Explore the events of the past, and how they’ve shaped the world we live in today. Immerse yourself in different eras, marvel at historic achievements, and examine how different things could have been.  

Skip to courses

All of our courses are designed to help develop your skills in historical research and analysis, encouraging you to look beyond the surface of key historical moments. From the history of King Arthur to World War I and II, you’ll develop a better understanding of key historic customs, beliefs, and ways of life.   

Whether you consider yourself a history buff with decades of experience, or someone just starting out that wants to learn more, you can choose from a wide selection of topics.   

Attend a WEA history course near you  

A variety of our history courses are taught in-person or are delivered online - it all depends on what suits your needs best. From the comfort of your own home to a space in your local community. Whichever option you choose, you’ll be taught by a talented tutor who is vastly experienced.   

The support you’ll receive on our history courses  

They'll help you develop an understanding that goes beyond just what's on the surface, all within a friendly and encouraging environment that ensures you attend each session with the excitement to learn.   

It’s our learning experience that sets us apart too, with many of those attending our courses going on to achieve incredible things. You’ll learn at a pace that’s comfortable for you too, with a friendly supportive tutor on hand to answer any questions you might have. 

Please enter your postcode

In order for us to give you accurate results for your courses, please click on the Search options and enter your postcode and the mile radius for your search.

Refine search

How you'll learn

Your location

Please enter your postcode or town for your search in the boxes below.

We have defaulted the search to ten miles, but you can change this number in the box as you wish.

Got it!

Sort by start date

Choose to sort the course start date in ascending order (furthest away dates first) or descending (most recent dates first)

Got it!

Results per page

Days

Other Filters

Part of day
Level of study
Availability
Search for the branch name/location, without adding branch e.g. Barnet

History: Vienna 1814-1914

The history of Vienna in the 19th century, from the time of the Congress of Vienna, which decided the layout of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars, through the revolutionary period of the late 1840s, when it seemed the old order would be swept away, and on to a period of retrenchment, when the monarchy re-established control, albeit increasingly out of step with modern developments, some of which were profound.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 20/05/2024 -
Mon 10/06/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Kegworth Village Hall (Kegworth)
Nottingham Road
Kegworth
DE74 2FH
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00014426
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

History: Memories and Myths- Why Does History Matter

Does history matter? How does your view of the past affect your approach to the present? Whose interpretations can you trust? As debates rage about the legacy of the British Empire and the pulling down of statues, this course gives you an opportunity to take a more nuanced look at some of the issues involved. You will be able to look at case-studies, and to explore questions about the nature of history and the way we discuss it. The course will help you to form your own views on these controversial topics.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/05/2024 -
Wed 26/06/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Symon Hill
Course code:
Q00012194
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

History: Art and About: The Cato Street Conspiracy – A Walk

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! We will take a gentle stroll through a historic part of London focusing on the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820. Starting at Edgware Road Underground Station and finishing at Grosvenor Square, we will take in the sites of the plot including the miraculously surviving hayloft in which the plotters met. We will consider the evidence for the plotter’s intentions and the many theories that have been advanced over the involvement of the government, the police and the military. We will consider the men involved and the political atmosphere, culture and setting in which they operated. We will meet at Edgware Road Underground Station, Chapel St, London NW1 5DH
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 24/05/2024 -
Fri 24/05/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Edgware Road Underground (London)
Chapel Street
London
NW1 5DH
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00014852
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £15.00

History: The Paintings of Raphael

The course will evaluate the major painting works of Raphael, and consider them in relation to other instances of Italian High Renaissance art. As far as possible, we will place the works back into their original contexts. We will evaluate Raphael’s distinctive contributions to the art of Central Italy (especially in relation to his rivalries with other leading artistic figures, such as Michelangelo), and will analyse a number of key works in detail, paying particular attention to issues of patronage, of original purpose and Raphael’s careful construction of an individual style. The course will be discussion-based, so that together as a group, we will test out and consider a variety of ways of interpreting how the paintings would have worked, and what they would have meant for viewers, in the contexts of their own time.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 28/05/2024 -
Tue 18/06/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Peter Finch-Sieg
Course code:
Q00015324
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Add to basket

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

Care 2: Visit Hebden Bridge and Hardcastle Craggs

A virtual visit to a small Mill Town in West Yorkshire, and the nearby historic woods. Join me for a virtual visit to a Hebden Bridge a small Mill Town in West Yorkshire, and the nearby Hardcastle Craggs, now woodland with a historical past of its own. This course is for carers who are caring or have cared for people. Take some time for yourself and discover the history around this area of the UK. You will have chance to contribute and ask the tutor questions, while enjoying friendly discussion with new people. Come along and join the tour, all from the comfort of your own home!
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 30/05/2024 -
Thu 30/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Catherine Wilcock
Course code:
Q00015076
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

History: Art and About: Eynsford Castle – An Overlooked Gem

Part of the WEA Art and About Festival 2024! On this site visit we will take a gentle stroll around the ruins of Eynsford castle, a little remarked upon gem of a Norman castle dating from the 12th century or possibly earlier. After a thorough look at the remains, we will consider the documentation that survives for the castle and consider some of the big questions that remain about the building. Why was it built here, who did it belong to, why did it fall into disrepair, what were the influences on its construction and most important of all – what can it tell us about life in Medieval Kent. We will meet at the castle drawbridge! Postcode is Eynsford, DA4 0AA
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 31/05/2024 -
Fri 31/05/2024
Times:
10:30am - 1:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Eynsford Castle (Dartford)
Eynsford Castle
High Street, Eynsford
Dartford
DA4 0AA
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00014851
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £15.00

History: The Egypt of Empire and Conquest - Ancient Egypt and Nubia

In a Study Day suitable for all we will consider how ancient Egypt treated a neighbour. Nubia is the area immediately to the south of ancient Egypt encompassing the south of Egypt today and much of modern Sudan. Nubia itself developed significant cultural entities especially the Kerma civilization and the later Napatan and Meroitic cultures. However much of the history of Nubia is inter-twined with ancient Egypt. The relationship between ancient Egypt and Nubia is a fascinating one and an ever-changing story. This day school explores the Nubian experience with Egypt from trade, through conquest, to the ‘Black Pharaohs’ of the Kushite period.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/06/2024 -
Sat 01/06/2024
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Reading International Solidarity Centre
35-39 London Street
Reading
RG1 4PS
Tutor:
John Billman
Course code:
Q00013791
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £36.00

Care to Find Out About What Lies Beneath - A History of Ladies Underwear

This course is for Carers, former carers and the cared for, join me for a light hearted look to find out about what actors are wearing underneath in historical dramas on television and on film.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 03/06/2024 -
Mon 24/06/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Alison Warren
Course code:
Q00012219
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

History: Ancient Egypt’s Cultural Heart: The Middle Kingdom

Ancient Egyptian civilization endured for three thousand years and includes a 300-year period termed by Egyptologists the Middle Kingdom. In this course suitable for both newcomers and those with more experience of ancient Egypt we explore this fascinating period in Egypt’s history. The Middle Kingdom in Egypt is a time of literature, pyramids, conquest and fascinating artefacts. In this course which will be rich in visuals but also include some texts we will explore different types of evidence together in an informal setting to seek to understand more about this pivotal time in ancient Egypt.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/06/2024 -
Tue 02/07/2024
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
John Billman
Course code:
Q00014823
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

History: The First World War (Part 2)

The First World War is thought to be the most written-about war in history, and yet to many it can seem utterly beyond comprehension – its geographic scope, its length, the lack of clearly defined war aims, the seemingly endless offensives and the terrible casualty bill all conspire to make this seem an impenetrable and at times futile conflict. And yet real issues were at stake, which mattered to many of those who fought, on both sides.
View details

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/06/2024 -
Tue 25/06/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00015010
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £30.00