Local and social history

Experience the past as it was lived.

Explore local and social history through our short and part-time courses. This fascinating subject reveals the stories of everyday life, offering new ways to understand the people, places, experiences and social changes that shaped the past.

You’ll explore what life was really like in any era that fascinates you, from ordinary routines and relationships to wider changes in culture, class and society. By looking closely at particular places and communities, you can also discover how national and global events were experienced at a local level, and how people lived, worked and adapted over time.

Guided by expert tutors, you’ll develop research skills you can use anywhere, from your own street to somewhere you have always been curious about. Whether you are pursuing a long-standing interest, researching a place you know well, or exploring your family history and genealogy, these courses offer a rewarding and vivid way to investigate the past.