Your HA Virtual Branch
Keep learning with our online programme of talks
Your branch from home
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Did you know? As well as accessing session recordings, members can attend talks held by HA local branches for free, plus exclusive members' webinars and short courses, and a variety of other benefits. The HA is an independent charity and relies on membership and donations to fund our work. Virtual Branch webinars are free to everyone, but if you'd like to support our work you can join as a member or donate to the HA. As well as bringing you fantastic history content and events each month, joining as a member helps our work in supporting quality history education at all levels. |
The HA Virtual Branch is a great way to keep your history up-to-date, whether you are working or relaxing, all from the comfort of your home. The Virtual Branch is free and open to everybody, and recordings of the talks are made available online after the event for HA members.
Upcoming talks
A Brief History of the Coast in 100 Objects
Sally Coulthard | Tuesday 26 May, 7.30–8.30pm
Book now
The coast means something different to everyone. It’s a place of pleasure and reckless pursuits, of fishing, fearless endeavours and a crashing, rugged beauty. The coast is, and always has been, our first line of defence and our springboard to other cultures. Through the lens of 100 carefully selected objects, public historian Sally Coulthard delves into the myriad ways our coastlines have shaped, and been shaped by, our history, culture, and identity. From Roman lighthouses to rosary beads, knitted jumpers to Viking slave shackles, each object serves as a portal to a unique story. Coulthard explores far beyond the traditional seaside holiday to illuminate the coast’s role as a site of trade, and a catalyst for cultural exchange. Join us to discover how the coast has influenced our beliefs, economy, and even our domestic lives. Read more
The Maginot Line: a military, social and political defence project
Professor Kevin Passmore | Tuesday 23 June, 7.30–8.30pm
Book now
Join Kevin Passmore, Professor of History at Cardiff University, to discuss research related to his new book The Maginot Line: A New History (2025). Read more
The Bonds of Freedom: Liberated Africans and the End of the Slave Trade
Jake Subryan Richards | Tuesday 22 September, 7.30–8.30pm
Book now
Jake Subryan Richards is Assistant Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research lies at the intersection of legal history, the history of the African diaspora, and the history of empires. Join him this September where he will be discussing his first book, The Bonds of Freedom: Liberated Africans and the End of the Slave Trade, which was named a Book of the Year for 2025 by The Times Literary Supplement. Read more
Crusader Castles
Dr Nicholas Morton | Tuesday 14 July, 7.30–8.30pm
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the crusaders constructed tens of castles across the Middle East, some merely small watchtowers, others massive strongholds or fortress cities. This talk explores the development of this remarkable phenomenon asking key questions such as: how were they constructed? where did the money come from? why did the Crusaders attach so much importance to fortifications? and what techniques (whether from Eastern Christian or Muslim societies) influenced their design and creation? Read more
1776 / 2026: The American War of Independence – the First Great Media War – how newspapers destroyed British rule and then saved Washington and the American Cause
George Goodwin | Wednesday 7 October, 7.30–8.30pm
The political power of the press was one of the great new revolutionary forces of the 18th century. In his illustrated talk peppered with insightful examples based on detailed research and leavened with anecdote, George Goodwin, author of Propaganda Wars of the American Revolution, brings to the foreground the often shadowy but crucial role of the media in the Anglo-American dispute between 1763 and 1783 – from inciting violent opposition to the Stamp Act, destroying the reputations of successive colonial Governors, winning the support of informed British opinion at the outbreak of War, to establishing and safeguarding General Washington’s authority at times of seemingly inevitable defeat. Read more
Past lecture recordings
If you've missed any of our previous Virtual Branch talks, HA members can access recordings below. Not already a member? Join today
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Speaker |
Title & link |
Date recorded |
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Dr Eleanor Barraclough |
March 2026 |
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Jane Rogoyska |
Feb 2026 |
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Professor David Woodman |
The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom |
Jan 2026 |
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Steve Tibble |
Dec 2025 |
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Sudhir Hazareesingh |
Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World |
Oct 2025 |
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Tabitha Stanmore |
Oct 2025 |
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David Carpenter |
Sept 2025 |
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Tim Franks |
The Lines We Draw - an accidental history and an argument about identity |
July 2025 |
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Michael J. Warren |
June 2025 |
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Professor Andrew Jotischky |
Feeding Body and Soul: Food and Drink in the Medieval Monastery |
May 2025 |
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Professor Merry Wiesner-Hanks |
April 2025 |
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Dr Hetta Howes |
March 2025 |
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Dr Dean Irwin, Natasha Jenman, Luka Liu, and Josh Outhwaite |
February 2025 |
Local HA Branches
The HA has over 45 local branches around the country. Some of these have been able to return to their venues for their monthly talks. Others have decided to make their branch programmes online via Zoom – this provides a wonderful opportunity for you to see some of the great lectures that occur across the country as part of the HA. Check our branch calendar for full listings.
If you're a teacher don't forget that we also run our regular calendar of CPD events - view the secondary webinar calendar here and the primary calendar here.
Other events coming up
View out full Historian events calendar