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Cirencester History Festival coming to the Cotswolds this autumn

COCKEREL’S CALL ECHOES THE DAWN OF A NEW HISTORY FESTIVAL FOR CIRENCESTER

A brand-new history festival is coming to Cirencester this October half term, to include Halloween.

EXPLORE THE PAST I CHALLENGE THE PRESENT I CRAFT THE FUTURE

Mark your calendars and get ready to step back in time!

The inaugural Cirencester History Festival is set to run from Saturday 26th October to Sunday 3rd November 2024, promising a memorable and enriching experience for everyone. This festival will feature an exciting programme of local, national and global history including a core programme of talks plus a creative fringe full of crafting, workshops, cookery classes, storytelling, dressing up and Halloween fun.

Headline speakers already confirmed to include Jonathan Dimbleby, Natalie Haynes, Janina Ramirez, Ronald Hutton and Marc Morris with many more to be announced over the coming weeks.
Festival Producer, Jess Yarrow enthusiastically states, “Welcome to our inaugural Cirencester History Festival! We are excited to work alongside the hugely respected Gloucester History Festival, and are delighted that Dame Fiona Reynolds, DBE has agreed to be our President. She brings an incredible wealth of experience as former Director-General of the National Trust and Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.”

Dame Fiona Reynolds remarks, “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this voluntary, charitable enterprise. This festival will be a true Cirencester collaboration, from headline talks to grassroots events. It is designed to celebrate history, and also to showcase the vibrant cultural organisations that we are lucky to have in town, which will add a special character to the week’s events. We are putting together a terrific programme, reaching out to the curious of every age. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our beautiful town, to get together for plenty of good conversations and creativity to ensure that history is shared and enjoyed by and for everyone.”

Gloucester History Festival President Dr Janina Ramirez is thrilled to be speaking at the opening weekend of the new Cirencester History Festival this autumn. She comments, “It was always our ambition at Gloucester History Festival to grow and spread what we have learned - that bringing pride in our city's culture and history can promote unity and renewal - to other parts of the region. By partnering with Cirencester History Festival together we can bring about an even greater platform to encourage a love of the past and a forum for exploring the issues that affect us in the present and on into the future. We cannot move forward until we learn where we have come from. That's what makes History the mother subject.”

Jonathan Dimbleby will be talking about his new book Endgame 1944: How Stalin Won The War at The Barn Theatre on 3rd November and relating the events of the twentieth century to the current situation in Putin’s Russia and the upcoming US election. On the same day, international bestselling comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes will be at The Barn Theatre to deliver her ‘Divine Might’ stand-up show, revisiting the stories of the Greek goddesses in all their fearsome and powerful glory. And on Monday 28th October, witch-expert Ronald Hutton will be giving a timely talk on the pagan roots of Halloween at the Corinium Museum at 7-8pm.

Jess Yarrow continues, ‘We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to collaborate with us in our inaugural year. It feels like the whole town has pulled together to make this festival happen. We have an exciting programme of family events provided by the New Brewery Arts, The Barn Theatre, Cotswold Cookery School, Octavia’s Bookshop, the Corinium Museum, Waterstones, Crumps Barn Studio, The Library and Chedworth Roman Villa – many of these are free. The RAU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Mark Horton (an eminent archaeologist familiar to many from his stints on Time Team and Coast) is providing us with a fascinating talk, as is Martin Papworth who led the recent North Range excavation at Chedworth Roman Villa. The National Trust is even lending us some of their living historians!’

The idea for a Cirencester History Festival emerged through conversations between the Gloucester History Festival and the Corinium Museum and was boosted by the enthusiastic response when presented to The Cirencester Culture, Heritage and Tourism group (CHaT), part of the Cirencester Community Development Trust (CCDT). The main organisers of the event are: CCDT, Corinium Museum, and the Cirencester Civic Society. They are supported by a Festival Sub-Committee which includes Cirencester Archaeological and Historical Society, Cirencester Radio, New Brewery Arts, the Town Council, Parish Church, Bingham Trust, Cirencester College and local publishers Crumps Barn Studio.

Other key committee members and roles include: Festival Curator, Sarah Smyth, who also curates the highly regarded Gloucester History Festival and is former Artistic Director of Cheltenham Literature Festival; Jessica Yarrow, Festival Producer; Billy Cobbett, Chair of CCDT; Emma Stuart, Director of Corinium Museum and Carole Boydell, Chair of the Cirencester Civic Society.

Emma Stuart comments, “In choosing our festival logo we were inspired by a rare and fascinating Roman artefact, almost certainly belonging to a child, which was discovered at the former Bridges Garage site in Cirencester and is now on display in Corinium Museum. The cockerel, the patron animal of the God Mercury, adds a unique dimension to the Cirencester History Festival. Many figurines of Mercury and cockerels have been found in Cirencester, suggesting he was a popular god in the Roman town, Corinium. He is known amongst other things as the God of communication, trade and travellers, so we thought it a perfect mascot for a festival.’

Billy Cobbett adds, “A History Festival for the capital of the Cotswolds feels long overdue. Several factors work in its favour: a charming and compact town centre, historical significance, a well-run and supportive Town Council and an extremely active voluntary sector. As a registered Charity, CCDT has agreed to manage and report on all funds raised for the History Festival.”

Key venues include the Church of St John Baptist, The Barn Theatre, the Corinium Museum, The Library, New Brewery Arts and the Royal Agricultural University with many other smaller venues offering crafting, cookery, storytelling, workshops and Halloween dressing up - all with a historical theme and to suit all ages.

Jess Yarrow concludes: ‘Now we just need everyone to share the news and join us for October half term - It promises to be quite a week! Please keep an eye on the website and social media for further announcements.”

Tickets for the Cirencester History Festival go on sale on 6 September 2024 - see below.

Explore Gloucestershire
8 August 2024

For further information.