Romans, Royals and Radicals

'The Queen of Classics’ and one of Britain’s top TV historians, Mary Beard, has been announced as a headline speaker at the Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend in April.

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Dame Mary’s acclaimed TV series include Meet the Romans, Inside Culture and Mary Beard’s Forgotten Art. She will be appearing on stage at Blackfriars Priory in the heart of historic Gloucester to shine a light on the ancient world of Rome and Greece and discuss the surprising connections with modern life. 

In total 30 events will be taking place at Blackfriars from Friday 17^th to Sunday 19^th April including a daily series of free talks, short performances and music. Spring Weekend highlights include appearances by BBC Radio 4 presenter Edward Stourton, TV art historian and host of Britain’s Lost Masterpieces Bendor Grosvenor, Britain’s top-selling female historian Alison Weir, poet and entertainer Pam Ayres, BBC Coast presenter Professor Mark Horton, and the prize-winning author and journalist Tharik Hussain.

Tickets for the Spring Weekend go on general sale this Friday, 6^th March, with topics ranging from the current conflict in the Middle East, the Cambridge spy scandal and England’s medieval Queens to Trump’s America and the story of working-class protests. Local history buffs can enjoy talks on Gloucester in the 1926 General Strike, the county’s blue plaques, Forest poet Catherine Drew, the Glosters’ last stand at the Battle of the Imjin River and the tragic story of Berkeley’s first settlers in the New World. 

‘I can’t wait to welcome everyone to Blackfriars Priory and gatherwithin its ancient walls with Britain’s finest historians, authors and broadcasters ready to debate and reflect on the past and where we stand today,’ says Festival President and television presenter, Prof. Janina Ramirez.

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Tickets for all Spring Weekend events go on general sale at 10.00am on Friday 6^th March 2026 and are available online from gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk, by phone on 07834 406228 and in person from the Festival Box Office at the Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road GL1 1HP.