History@Portsmouth

University of Portsmouth's History Blog

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By on August 16, 2023 in Learning in Focus, Uncategorized

One of the questions we’re most frequently asked by students who will be joining us as first years in the autumn term is “What reading do we need to do to prepare for the course?” When you join us and register in September, you will gain access to all of our library resources, including e-books and journals – there is no need for you to spend money in advance!  But, it can be really helpful to keep thinking about History-related things over the summer. Members of the History team have put together this list of suggestions of things to read or listen to. For students joining us for the first […]

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Birmingham Museum Trust tapestry

The Lost Crafts of the Past

By on August 16, 2023 in Events, Public History, Research in Focus, Uncategorized

As part of their work on the second year core module ‘Working with the Past’, three University of Portsmouth History students – Chanel Parker, Loraya Head, and Gemma Norris – collaborated with Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery to curate a three-month exhibition that both celebrated the crafts of our ancestors and highlighted the importance of preserving the craftspeoples’ skills for future generations. In this blog, written for Hampshire Archives Trust, Chanel Parker discusses the research methods the group used when curating the exhibition. ‘Working with the Past’ is coordinated by Mike Esbester. To read the blog, click this link.   Slider image courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust

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Wikimedia Commons

Dangerous operations: Railway goods guards’ safety burdens

By on August 10, 2023 in Research in Focus, Uncategorized

University of Portsmouth History student Lauren Lee produced a blog for the Railway Work, Life & Death project as part of her work on the second year core module ‘Working with the Past’, coordinated by Mike Esbester. In this blog, Lauren looks at some of the dangers encountered by goods guards while working on the railway, and reveals that tragic tale of one guard, William Jolley, who sadly lost his life while undertaking his duties.  Mike co-leads the RWLD project along with Karen Baker (Librarian, National Railway Museum) and Helen Ford (Manager, Modern Records Centre) with the assistance of Craig Shaw (Volunteer Administrator, NRM).  To read the blog, click this link.

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Wikimedia Commons

Blackout accidents on Britain’s railways during World War Two

By on August 4, 2023 in Research in Focus, Uncategorized

University of Portsmouth History student Evan Cossburne produced a blog for the Railway Work, Life & Death project as part of his work on the second year core module ‘Working with the Past’, coordinated by Mike Esbester. Mike co-leads the RWLD project along with Karen Baker (Librarian, National Railway Museum) and Helen Ford (Manager, Modern Records Centre) with the assistance of Craig Shaw (Volunteer Administrator, NRM). In this blog, Evan looks at the impact of the Second World War on railway personnel’s working conditions, focusing particularly on the accidents caused by a ‘lack of light’. To read the blog, click this link.

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All set for the ceremony in Portsmouth Guildhall

Graduation 2023: A day to celebrate our students’ achievements!

By on July 21, 2023 in Events, Uncategorized

Our students’ graduation day is always a special day for us tutors (and, of course, for our students and their families and friends, too!). This year it was even more special because it marked the success of our first cohort of students who started university at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite all the challenges they (and we) faced, they have succeeded and we are so proud of them all and their amazing achievements. This short blog features a few images taken on the day as we celebrated with our undergraduate and postgraduate students. Congratulations all! While graduation is always a day of mixed emotions – it’s exciting to […]

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‘Ports Cities in Comparative Global History’: Team members collaborate with researchers in Hong Kong

By on June 30, 2023 in Events, News, Research in Focus, Uncategorized

Earlier this month, a number of team members visited Hong Kong to participate in a series of institutional visits and present at an international conference on ‘Port Cities in Comparative Global History’ at Hong Kong Baptist University. To find out more about the conference, read this excellent blog by one of our PhD researchers, Charlotte Steffen, who presented their paper ‘Beyond China Town- The Multi-national Migration of Chinese Students in Europe’ on the second day of the event. The link to Charlotte’s blog is here.    

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