History Festival 2025

Now in its third year, the Caterham History Festival has welcomed world-leading historians to share their knowledge with an audience of all ages. Open to pupils and students across the Southeast, as well as the history curious of all and any age.  We’re delighted to announce another stellar line up for 2025!

This is a community event to share learning and educational opportunities with everyone and essential for young students of history wishing to extend their knowledge. Students of all schools may attend for free – use code STUDENT on check out – book your tickets below.

HISTORY FESTIVAL 2025 –  Saturday 15 November 2025

Suzannah Lipscomb

PROFESSOR SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB is an award–winning historian, author, and broadcaster. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Roehampton, Senior Member at St Cross College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries.

She has written and edited seven books, presented history series on BBC, ITV, More4 and Channel 5 and hosts the successful Not Just the Tudors podcast from History Hit.

She received a double First, MSt, and DPhil in History from Lincoln and Balliol Colleges, Oxford.  She is a Trustee Director of the Mary Rose Trust. In 2024, she is the Chair of Judges of the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

IAIN MACGREGOR

IAIN MACGREGOR’s latest book is a timely exploration as the country celebrated 80 years since VJ Day. The Hiroshima Men is a vivid account of one of history’s most significant events: the approval, construction, and fateful decision to drop the atomic bomb – based on new research and interviews, timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima attack. The Hiroshima Men’s vivid narrative recounts the decade-long journey toward this first atomic attack. It charts the race for the bomb during World War II, as the Allies fought the Axis powers, and is told through several key characters.

JONATHAN PHILLIPS

JONATHAN PHILLIPS is Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, University of London. The author of three previous books, he was the main contributor to the History Channel’s 2005 series The Crusades: The Crescent and the Cross. His articles have appeared in BBC History Magazine, History Today, and The Independent.

JAMES HAWES

JAMES HAWES grew up in Gloucestershire, Edinburgh and Shropshire. He took a First in German at Hertford College, Oxford, then did a postgrad theatre studies in Cardiff, Wales. Having failed as an actor, he worked as an English teacher in Spain. In 1985-6 he was in charge of CADW excavations at the now-UNESCO World Heritage site of Blaenavon Ironworks. He took a PhD on Nietzsche and German literature 1900-1914 at University College, London 1987-90, then lectured in German at Maynooth University (Ollscoil Mhá Nuad) in Ireland between 1989 and 1991 before doing so at Sheffield and Swansea Universities. James has published six novels and has reviewed and/or written for every UK broadsheet, on topics from DIY to Prince Philip.
In 2015, Englanders and Huns was shortlisted for the Paddy Power Political Books of the Year 2015. The Shortest History of Germany, published in May 2017, reached #2 in the Sunday Times bestseller charts in April 2018, being pipped for #1 only by Noah Yuval Harari. The Shortest History of England appeared in October 2020 and reached #4 in the Times bestseller charts in July 2021.

Copies of the author’s books will be available to purchase and each talk will be followed by a book signing. Thank you to Village Books in Dulwich Village for being the official bookseller of our festival!

Book your tickets here.