james brannan – Manchester Historian

Traditionally, the festival of Diwali (the festival of lights), is said to spiritually signify the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. However, during the 1802 festival, a fierce battle, known as the Battle of Poona, erupted near Pune, India, between the rival factions of the Maratha Continue Reading

It was a miserable wet and windy Wednesday afternoon and I was on my way back to Manchester from spending a few days at home for reading week, excited at the prospect of interviewing one of my favourite professors, Frank Mort, and to see what interesting facts he was going to share from his expert Continue Reading

“As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like the Roman, I seem to see ‘the River Tiber foaming with much blood.” These are the words of Enoch Powell from his infamous ‘Rivers of Blood’ Speech made on 20th April 1968 at the General Meeting of the West Midlands Area Conservative Political Centre. Made Continue Reading