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.  

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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. 

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History: Brushstrokes of History

On this nine week history course held in Lutterworth we will learn what art can teach us about the times in which they were created. We will look at key events in the history of the Netherlands from 1300-1600; the significant political events in France before the Revolution, and also Napoleon’s rise to power. No prior knowledge is expected, just an interest in history and culture – the course will be accompanied by images of artworks. Learners are invited to ask questions if they choose to. Topics of art will include the history of Antwerp - Charles V abdication; and the beginning of the Dutch Revolt and becoming a Protestant-dominated city; and Amsterdam; Louis XIV and the succession by Louis XV in 1715; and the reign of Louis XVI to 1789 when the French Revolution begins.
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Course Information

Dates:
Thu 23/01/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:15am - 11:45am
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
The Wycliffe Rooms
Freemasons Hall
George Street
Lutterworth
Leicester
LE17 4ED
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00013056
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £56.70

History: How the Vote was Won - Campaigns for Democracy in Britain

An opportunity to explore the fascinating stories of movements and individuals who worked to achieve the right to vote in Britian. Our subjects range from Puritan soldiers in the 17th century to Welsh republicans in the 19th and women mill workers in the early 20th. We will meet Levellers, Chartists, Suffragists and Suffragettes as well as lesser-known groups. As we encounter campaigners divided over tactics, politics and ethics, we will see how the right to vote overlapped with other controversies and ask why advances and setbacks happened when they did.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 27/01/2025 -
Mon 24/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Symon Hill
Course code:
Q00018050
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £59.20

History: Highlights Of British Archaeology: Viking (800 AD) To High Middle Ages

Recent fieldwork allows us to define three distinct phases of Anglo-Scandinavian occupation: raiding, conquest and settlement. Sites at Repton and Torksey provide evidence of Viking Age winter camps from the Conquest Period, whereas spatial analysis of both artefact scatters and place names vividly demonstrate the areas of Norse settlement. We shall be looking at major developments in shipping technology from the Saxon through to the High Middle Ages, without which none of these invasions, including 1066, would have been possible. As part of our Medieval studies we shall examine the eclectic Medieval “Voynich Manuscript”. Using the illustrations we shall try to make some sense of it.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 27/01/2025 -
Mon 31/03/2025
Times:
1:45pm - 3:45pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Grimsby Central Hall & Arts Community Ce
Duncombe Street
Grimsby
DN32 7EG
Tutor:
Simon Tomson
Course code:
Q00018374
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

History: Vienna and Berlin 1814-1914

An exploration of the history of Vienna and Berlin in the 19th century. We will look at how they became capital cities; the revolution in 1848-49 and its effects; massive migration as a result of industrialisation; political events; cultural developments; and some of the personalities based in these cities during this period; including the ideas and activities of Freud, Strauss, Herzl, Hitler and Trotsky. We will examine the paradoxical nature of the monarchy in Vienna in presiding over progress in democracy and tolerance but remaining officially absolutist; and will consider how William II’s personality affected his political decisions both internally and in foreign policy.
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Course Information

Dates:
Fri 31/01/2025 -
Fri 14/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
The Rothley Centre (Rothley)
12 Mountsorrel Lane
Rothley
LE7 7PR
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00013039
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

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Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Art Appreciation: The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is indeed a jewel box of great painting. With works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Michelangelo, some of the greatest works of the Italian Renaissance are to be found there. But this is more than just a collection of great works. It is also the pope’s private chapel and so these works were created not just for display but to relay a greater message to the world, But how many of the thousands of visitors really understand that message or what these works are about? In this study day we shall seek to decode the 'messages' contained in these great works and see what Sixtus IV and Julius II and their artists were really saying to us.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/02/2025 -
Tue 25/02/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
The Cornerstone (Wokingham)
Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
RG40 1UE
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017593
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
£30.00

History: Vienna 1814-1914

In the 19th century, the population of Vienna grew from about 300,000 people to more than 2 million and it became the sixth largest city in the world, capital of an empire of 53 million and a centre for the arts, scientific ideas, and political theorising. We will see how Vienna became a capital city and how its importance was solidified by the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15. We will also look at the revolution in 1848-49 and its effects, the development of the Ringstrasse, and the massive migration to the city as a result of large scale industrialisation.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/02/2025 -
Tue 18/02/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00012810
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £22.20

History: Scandals that changed History

History, international and domestic, is littered with scandals. Whether they truly change the course of history is itself a debatable question. What is certain is that they reflect their times in remarkable ways. The course will select from a range of scandals, some notorious, some lesser known, to illustrate this. Among the likely candidates for consideration from a very wide field are: Gladstone’s work with prostitutes, the assassination of Rasputin, Lloyd George’s three scandals for the price of one, the suicide of Stalin’s wife, the Profumo affair, the Luncheon Voucher Scandal, Mao and the tea girl, the Post Office scandal.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/02/2025 -
Tue 04/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Kegworth Village Hall (Kegworth)
Nottingham Road
Kegworth
DE74 2FH
Tutor:
Michael Lynch
Course code:
Q00012839
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

History: 'A calamitous Plantagenet century', England 1200 - 1330

This course examines the century that shaped England, bookended by arguably England’s worst King, John, and one of its greatest, Edward I. The century began with England's integral of a vast continental empire that stretched from the Scottish borders to the foothills of the Pyrenees. The 13th century began for England with the reign of King John, who lost his continental empire and almost lost his throne to a baronial revolt against his rule and an invasion of England by the French. One hundred and thirty years later, John’s great-grandson did lose his Kingdom to an invasion led by his wife, Isabella, to overthrow him and replace him on the throne. The intervening years were no less dramatic: years of baronial unrest, Magna Carta, and the growing influence of foreigners around King Henry III culminating in the rebellion of Simon de Montfort and the Baron's War against the King in the 1260s. The England that we know, its governance and institutions were shaped during these 130 years of the calamitous thirteenth century.
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Course Information

Dates:
Wed 05/02/2025 -
Wed 19/03/2025
Times:
11:30am - 1:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
St Lukes Church Hall (Tiptree)
66 Church Road
Tiptree
CO5 0SU
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00018061
How you'll learn:
Online and in venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.10

History: Modern Russia - From Lenin to Putin

Russia since 1917 has witnessed revolution, civil war, violent political upheaval, and social and economic disruption on a previously unimaginable scale. The course will examine these remarkable developments by examining the roles of its outstanding leaders during this period: Lenin, the inspiration behind the October Revolution; Stalin, who built a terror state; Khrushchev, who attempted to de-Stalinise the USSR; Brezhnev, who presided over years of stagnation; Gorbachev, whose reforms destroyed the Soviet union he was trying to preserve; Yeltsin, who fought against Soviet reactionaries; Putin, who has returned Russia to a policy of imperial expansion.
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Course Information

Dates:
Thu 13/02/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Lynch
Course code:
Q00012931
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £51.80

History: British history told through the lives of 5 women

This 5 week course offers a unique exploration of British history by examining the lives and contributions of five remarkable women who left indelible marks on society, culture, and politics. From ancient warriors to pioneering scientists and influential writers, each woman represents a distinct era in British history, shedding light on the struggles, achievements, and societal changes of their times. Throughout the course, we will delve into the lives of these extraordinary women, analysing their impact on British society and their enduring legacies. By studying their stories, learners will gain a deeper understanding of key historical events, social movements, and cultural shifts that have shaped the fabric of Britain.
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Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/02/2025 -
Thu 20/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Caterham Baptist Church (Caterham)
4 Beechwood Road
Caterham
CR3 6NA
Tutor:
Kate Antoniou
Course code:
Q00018093
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00