British & Irish History
Courses Online & In London
Study the history, culture and politics of the British isles through the centuries and up to the present day.
- Saints, scholars, sportsmen & soldiers: How religion,politics, education, sports & war shaped Irish identity 1884-1922Course start date: Wed 17 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeyExplore the history of Ireland from 1884 until War of Independence and the creation of Northern Ireland in 1922
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - Emblems of Wales: history, identity and tradition
Course start date: Mon 29 Jun 2026Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Jack Pulman-SlaterDiscover the origin, meaning and use of flags and emblems of Wales.
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - The Lord Protector's wife: The Court and Kitchen of Elizabeth CromwellCourse start date: Thu 16 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterMeet Elizabeth Cromwell, the enigmatic wife of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. What can we learn about Elizabeth's life and reputation from contemporary sources during her husband's rise to power, whether Royalist propaganda, portraits, or her letters to her husband? Is there more to Elizabeth than meets the eye?
Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - The Angry Angevins 1154-1216Course start date: Mon 14 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingHenry II is remembered for marrying Katherine Hepburn aka Eleanor of Aquitaine, his revolting sons and the murder of Becket. Richard I was a great soldier but an absentee monarch. His brother, John, has been dubbed the worst king in English history.
Full fee £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £136.00 - 19th Century Britian and Ireland: Parliament, People and Protest 1812-1832 Course start date: Wed 16 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David IngledewExplore the main developments in British political history between 1812-1832 from the formation of Lord Liverpool’s government to the Great Reform Act.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Irish history & identity 1: from the coming of Christianity to the Battle of Clontarf Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm Hickey
Although inextricably linked to Britain, Ireland’s history, identity, and nationhood has equally been shaped by its relationship with Europe. This course traces Ireland’s development from the advent of Christianity to the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - The life and times of King George ICourse start date: Fri 18 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: William SterlingFrom being the ruler of an obscure German electorate George I suddenly became king of on the most powerful nations in the world in his fifties. He was never popular in his new kingdom but established a constitutional monarchy which has survived to today. Explore his life and world on this interactive lecture course
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - British history: The rise and fall of the postwar consensus 1945-75 Course start date: Sat 19 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David IngledewThe course examines the postwar political, economic and social consensus in Britain in the 30 years after the Second World and the extent to which there was continuity in successive government policies.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Making Modern Britain: Politics, Society, and Identity, 1850–1914Course start date: Fri 25 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Stephen GossExamine how Britain was reshaped between 1850 and the First World War. Explore politics, society, culture, and empire in an era of reform, industrial growth, urban change, and changing ideas about class, gender, and identity.
Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - From the Restoration Era to the Glorious Revolution, 1660-1688: court, society and culture during the reigns of Charles II and James II.Course start date: Tue 6 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ellen CarpenterBrothers in arms...? Join us to explore the restoration of the Stuart monarchy under King Charles II, the turbulent succession of his brother James II, and the resulting Glorious Revolution, tracing the political, religious and social events that reshaped England in the late 1600s.
Full fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00 - Can't pay? Won't Pay! A history of the Poll TaxCourse start date: Sat 17 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David IngledewThe course examines what has been described as the most celebrated disaster in post-war domestic British politics - the Poll Tax of 1988-94.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Black British Communities from the 1700s to the 21st century Course start date: Wed 21 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: A. SWe’ll explore the presence and experiences of Black communities in Britain, from the 1700s to the present. We’ll also analyse the concept of race and racist ideologies as they evolved, and community resistance to them.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - The life and times of Ignatius Sancho: slave, composer, man of letters, grocer and first Black British voter Course start date: Sat 24 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: William SterlingExplore the life of the 18th century black Londoner, Ignatius Sancho. Orphaned on a slave ship bound for South America he had many lives in London: in service to noble family in Greenwich, a businessman, elector, correspondent with Laurence Sterne and others and composer of music. After his early death many of his letters were published and helped to raise awareness of the plight of black slaves and ex-slaves and fuel the drive to the abolition of slavery.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - King John: the worst king in English history? Course start date: Sat 24 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingKing John is remembered as a murderer, treacherous, and a loser; ‘a bad king’. On the plus side, he was probably the cleanest medieval king around, carrying a tin bath wherever he went travelling!Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Irish history & identity 2: From the coming of the English invasion in 1169 to the Coronation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland in 1541 Course start date: Thu 29 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Colm HickeyAlthough inextricably linked to Britain, Ireland’s history, identity, and nationhood has equally been shaped by its relationship with Europe. This course traces Ireland’s development from the coming of the English invasion in 1169 to the Coronation of Henry V111 as King of Ireland in 1541.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
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