Entertaining and informative illustrated talks on the local history of Sheffield by an established and well-known professional historian and heritage interpreter.

I am a popular speaker at meetings of groups and societies around Sheffield and the surrounding area, I have also given talks for Sheffield's Festival of the Mind and Off the Shelf Festival.

Subjects include:

• Sheffield Cathedral - 800 years of Sheffield History in One Building:  A popular illustrated talk by the author of Sheffield Cathedral's guidebook which looks at how Sheffield has developed from Saxon times up to the present day and how the city's history can be traced within the walls of its cathedral, if you know where to look. Through the building's architecture and stained glass you will discover hidden stories from medieval, Tudor and Victorian times, and meet people who have shaped Sheffield's history such as the Earls of Shrewsbury, Bess of Hardwick, Mary Queen of Scots and many more. Discover how the building grew from medieval parish church to 21st century cathedral, and see if you can solve the mystery of the Shrewsbury vault's missing earls! 

• Sheffield’s Blitz - The Sheffield Blitz changed the face of Sheffield city centre for ever. Over two nights in December 1940 the bombs rained down, thousands of people were left homeless and hundreds killed. The landscape of Sheffield city centre was changed for ever, it would never be the same again. This illustrated talk looks at how people lived, worked and played in wartime Sheffield, telling the story of the Sheffield Blitz through the people, places and events which form such an important part of Sheffield's story, and looking at how today’s city centre has been shaped by those fateful nights over 80 years ago, if you know where to look.

• Sheffield's Hidden Necropolis: Tucked away on a hillside just off Ecclesall Road lies a hidden Victorian city of the dead, Sheffield’s very own Highgate. Sheffield General Cemetery, a Grade II* listed heritage and conservation site, is a museum of people which tells the story of Sheffield’s past through its 87,000 residents and 10 listed monuments and structures. In this fully illustrated talk you will discover one of England’s earliest landscaped Garden Cemeteries as we meet steel barons, radicals, soldiers, an elephant trainer and a Russian aristocrat when we travel back in time to 1836 on a very Sheffield story of life – and death – in Victorian times.

• A Victorian Christmas - a look at the ancient origins of Christmas and other midwinter festivals and how the Christmas we celebrate today has its origins in the Victorian era. From Christmas trees and turkey to crackers, cards and carols, and with a special look at local Sheffield & South Yorkshire Christmas customs such as the Sheffield carols, this is a fascinating look at traditional Christmas customs to get you in the mood for the festive season.

• A Tudor Christmas - step back to Tudor times and learn about Christmas in the time of the Tudors - a fascinating look at the feasts, festivals and customs of a Tudor Christmas and the early origins of our Christmas traditions. Christmas in Tudor times was a 12-day-long festival of entertainment, feasting and pageants, a time when all ranks were free from everyday cares for a short period of revellry and fun. Discover how Mary Queen of Scots would have celebrated Christmas during her 14-year captivity in Sheffield, and learn how to add a Tudor touch to your own Christmas celebrations.

Talks ideal for retired groups, Local History Groups, Rotary, Probus, U3A, Womens Institute, Townswomen's Guild etc. and can be held at your meeting place on weekday daytimes or evenings.