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: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

On this two session course, we will look into the background to the Gunpowder Plot and what the plotters hoped to achieve. Some disaffected Catholics felt it necessary to attempt to assassinate King James I because of the continuing religious conflict in England. In the two sessions of this course we will focus on Guy Fawkes and how he came to have the responsibility for carrying out the operation to blow up the parliament chamber, as well as the involvement of some of the other people behind the plot, including Robert Catesby, generally regarded as the main instigator. We will also consider some of the consequences of the plot's failure and the deaths of most of the conspirators, and why some aspects of the story remain unexplained.
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Course Information

Dates:
Wed 30/10/2024 -
Wed 06/11/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Price
Course code:
Q00018313
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £14.80

History: USA: 1940 - 1972 A Divided Union

In 1989, the songwriter Billy Joel was told by a friend that “Things are different today. You were a kid in the fifties, and everybody knows that nothing happened in the fifties.” As a result, he wrote ‘We didn’t start the fire’ to highlight how the post-war decades shaped the world we live in today. Join us for this fascinating 6 week course where you will look at the crucial events that occurred between 1940 and 1972 in USA and reflect about their significance back then as well as how it translates into today’s society.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJ
Tutor:
Michael Long
Course code:
Q00017704
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

History: Smuggling in Essex: The Romance & Reality

How do the popular representations of smuggling in novels, songs, poems, paintings and film match up to the reality? We will look at some of the enduring romantic depictions alongside official records to consider the reality of life for people up and down the Essex coast in the 18th century engaged in smuggling or the fight against it.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 02/12/2024
Times:
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Bardfield Quaker Meeting House (Great Ba
Brook Street
Great Bardfield
CM7 4RG
Tutor:
Claire Parker
Course code:
Q00018319
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

History: Essex in 10 objects

Essex museums are full of wonderful and sometimes surprising objects. This course takes a selection of objects looked after in museums all over the county and uses them as sources for learning about everyday life in Essex in the past. Covering a range of themes and times the course will also give you some ideas for places to visit in your own time.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
YMCA Brightlingsea (Colchester)
High Street
Colchester
CO7 0AQ
Tutor:
Claire Parker
Course code:
Q00018843
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

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Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

History: Spanish History 1800-1982 in Ten Documents

In this introductory two-hour face to face workshop session we follow Spanish history in the 19th and 20th centuries through the medium of ten historical documents. In this time Spain lost an empire, struggled to establish constitutional government and underwent dictatorship, revolution and war. The documents range from historical analysis, contemporary observations to literature, art, cartoons and photography that illuminate the events, personalities, challenges and culture of the time. Each document will be introduced by a short analysis of its context, provenance and importance. There will be much opportunity for discussion, analysis, questions and speculation.
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Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 04/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Drive Methodist Church (Redbridge)
Eastern Avenue
Redbridge
IG4 5AB
Tutor:
Laurie Johnston
Course code:
Q00019758
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

Architecture: Modern Architecture: In Tune with the Past?

It is arguably a greater challenge for a modern architect to sympathetically expand the use of historic buildings, than to create new free-standing architecture. We will critically assess what a range of architects have achieved – including Norman Foster at the British Museum, Rick Mather at the Ashmolean in Oxford, and Herzog and de Meuron in creating and then expanding Tate Modern.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 03/12/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
The Cornerstone (Wokingham)
Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
RG40 1UE
Tutor:
Keith Hasted
Course code:
Q00017591
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.00

History: Germany between the World Wars - Part 1

At the end of the First World War, Germany underwent dramatic change. The Kaiser abdicated, and the country emerged from a period of autocratic rule to embark on a bold and (on paper) very progressive experiment in republican democracy. At the same time, the victorious allies of the Great War imposed a punitive peace treaty on Germany at Versailles, reflecting their belief that Germany has caused the war and should pay the price. These changes, together with other factors such as the worldwide economic situation between the wars ushered in a period of social, political and financial turbulence in which Hitler and the Nazis would eventually rise to power.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 26/11/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018059
How you'll learn:
Online
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £22.20

History: Happy, Healthy Holidays on the Essex Coast

When and why did holidaying at the seaside become popular and where along Essex’s Sunshine Coast would you choose to go? Rediscover the carefree days of a seaside holiday at one of the Essex resorts. From families to famous names in popular entertainment, a stay at the seaside was just the thing in 19th and 20th centuries and we’ll be sharing memories of those days as we consider how the resorts developed, thrived and faced challenges together.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 03/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Christchurch United Reform Church (Chelm
164 New London Road
Chelmsford
CM2 0AW
Tutor:
Claire Parker
Course code:
Q00019019
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

History: Defending Britain with Fortifications

The course looks at the various fortifications found across Britain against their historical context. Each week we will look at different kinds of fortifications trying to work out why they were built when and where they were, how they functioned and how and why fortifications changed over time.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 03/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Writtle Village Hall (Writtle)
The Green
Writtle
CM1 3DU
Tutor:
Roger Cooke
Course code:
Q00019262
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £31.50

History: English canals- An Introduction

As built, canals linked towns and cities with the remote corners of the English countryside. Built largely to carry coal to fuel the Industrial Revelation, they are used today for pleasure purposes. Canals offer the opportunity to improve health and wellbeing, whether walking along the towpath or travelling along in a barge. Come and join this illustrated course where you as will discover how the canal system was built and its contribution to our industrial and social history, by tracing its expansion, slow decline and renaissance. During this course you will discover that there are different types of canals, various methods used to raise and lower barges to different levels and review the role of James Brindley who was a canal pioneer. This course is suitable for learners with little or some knowledge of the subject.
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Course Information

Dates:
Tue 05/11/2024 -
Tue 10/12/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michael Turner
Course code:
Q00016930
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30