Bristol History Podcast

This week I met with Helen Meller, Professor Emerita of Urban History Nottingham University to discuss the life of Hilda Cashmore - the pioneering founder of Bristol’s Barton Hill Settlement – which she established in 1911. Helen describes Hilda Cashmore as a ‘quaker, feminist, educator and social worker’. We discussed her life in the city and some of her extraordinary achievements.

This week I met with Dr. Richard Stone, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Bristol, to discuss his recent research on Bristol’s early involvement in the trade in enslaved people. It has conventionally been thought that Bristol merchants began trading in enslaved Africans from 1698. However new evidence uncovered by Dr Stone gives strong indications that some Bristol merchants were involved in the trade from as early as 1662.

Your Bristol Life is back for a second series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** The Sound Of Saffron by Charlie West *** Women, non-binary and trans people occupy less than 5% of the music tech industry and UK festival headline slots are still dominated by male acts. In this episode, Charlie West, a Bristol-based musician and radio producer, discusses a number of recent reports that examine the scale of the gender discrepancy in the music tech and festival performance industries. We hear from other Bristol-based female and non-binary musicians and artists who discuss their experiences of working in the music industry and the felt impact of that discrepancy. So what’s the solution? Saffron, an organisation set up in 2015 with the aim of advancing gender equality in the sector by creating safe spaces for learning, community and progression, is one local organisation, with a now international reach, that’s determined to break down the standard of male-dominated music tech and performance spaces. We hear about the work and community that Saffron has been cultivating and Charlie talks withSophia Ahmed, Saffron’s education manager, to learn more about the history and aims of the organisation. Artists who’ve been through Saffron’s artist development programme add their voices, discussing the impact that the organisation has had on their career, confidence and outlook as artists. *** Featured artwork by Jon Trace

Your Bristol Life is back for a second series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** A Bristol Boy's Disabled Life by Richard Prior *** Local lad Richard Prior is blessed with a wonderful family and two beautiful daughters who bring love and laughter to him every day. But he also suffers from hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy; a form of Muscular Dystrophy which restricts movement and causes constant pain. This episode examines how the family cope with the condition, as they suffer also due to the genetic nature of the condition. We hear about growing up with a visible disability and how it can impact on school life and more. Richard’s parents share how they felt trying to support him over the years and how they had to make difficult decisions. Richard is a very proud Bristolian, but how accessible is the city for a disabled person? A life full of ups and downs. This is Richard’s story. *** Featured artwork by Jon Trace

Your Bristol Life is back for a second series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** A Short History Of Purple Penguin by Peter Hall *** You have all heard about the Bristol Sound, and the Bristol street art scene is well documented, but have you heard of the small record shop that was at the heart of it all? Peter Hall presents this short history of Purple Penguin. A tale of community, creativity and underground culture. This is a story about a distinct community that grew from a widely unknown establishment that was situated on Colston Street in the mid 90s. It was a hub for all things underground hip hop, funk, soul and beats, and was the only place in Bristol you could get hold of certain US imported music, video tapes of scratch DJs, graffiti magazines, clothes, spray cans etc. It soon became a mecca for anyone interested in hip hop culture, sample digging, beat making, and would later develop into a foundation for creativity. In this podcast we hear from the people that worked at Purple Penguin, and discover how it influenced their lives, as well as the lives of countless others, who ventured through its doors. *** Featured artwork by Jon Trace

Your Bristol Life is back for a second series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** Love Her by Mary Milton *** “You were in a pub environment, but it was also like being at a friend’s house,” says one musician who used to play at the Weekenders women’s acoustic night. Love Her is a homage to a women’s music night, Weekenders which was started by singer songwriter Lucy Ray and friends in the late 1990’s. It began at the Three Tuns pub in central Bristol. Several venues later it found its final home in the back room of Kearney’s Irish Bar, in the heart of St Werburghs. The event was conceived to encourage women to play. It became a safe, lesbian friendly space where women could test their ‘out’ lyrics to an audience of like-minded people. Love Her includes interviews with some of the women involved in running and performing at the night and archive recordings from the events themselves. The songs were shaped by the political landscape for LGBTQ+ people at the time and the women’s personal stories. You’ll hear love songs, songs of protest, songs about life. They may make you laugh, or they could make you cry. Welcome to the special world of Weekenders. *** Featured artwork by Jon Trace

Your Bristol Life is back for a second series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** L'Chaim, My Lovers by Tom Chachewitz *** Local artist and writer Tom Chachewitz presents a brief history of Jewish life in Bristol, as well as reflections from Jewish people living in Bristol today on their connections to an ancient culture that has been part of the City’s diverse society for nearly 1000 years. Join Tom as he visits the site of Bristol’s medieval Jewish neighbourhood, its synagogues and its Jewish graveyards and learn more about an often overlooked part of Bristol’s past and present. Credits: Researched, presented and produced by Tom Chachewitz Sounds and Music by Ninotchka, Motion Array, Eye For Music, Mayer Malik and Burgh Records Contributions from Nik Jovčić-Sas, Mahallah Honey, David Burke and Sade & Sid Additional research from Rife Magazine, Bristol Archives and Jewish Geneaology Special thanks to Chevra Kaddisha, Park Row Synagogue and Bristol & West Progressive Jewish Congregation, Bristol Community FM and Marcus Smith. Dedicated to Louis and Golda Chachewitz. Featured artwork by Jon Trace

The Severn is the longest river in the UK and from its source in the Cambrian mountains in mid Wales, it flows down through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire before eventually reaching the Bristol Channel. I met with Nicola Haasz, who has dedicated herself to exploring, collating and informing about the many facets of the Severn - including of course Sabrina - her associated goddess. We discussed the origin myths of Sabrina and the different cultural responses that the River Severn has elicited throughout its history.

This week I spoke with journalist and author Eugene Byrne to discuss the mass squatting movement that took place in Britain in the aftermath of the Second World War. In the context of a chronic housing shortage across the country, Bristol in the summer of 1946 saw ex-military bases at Purdown and White City in Ashton occupied by hundreds of people (mostly young couples) who found a direct solution to the housing crisis.

Your Bristol Life is a new series of five podcasts shining a light on underrepresented aspects of Bristol's history. This BCfm series was made with the Bristol Cable, Bristol History Podcast and In The Dark. *** Bianchi's Food Group by Steven Mitchell *** During Covid and post-Brexit, food, hospitality and catering became acknowledged as an essential, infrastructural part of communities all over Great Britain. Food often brings diverse communities together. This audio piece is a brief “listen in” on the sounds of an uniquely Bristol restaurant group that values community and is an integral part of Bristol’s local food ecology: Bianchis. Their authenticity and innovation are part of what makes Bristol one of the most exciting cities to eat out. In this piece, we listen to a family that has become an integral thread in the multicultural fabric of a great city, by putting love into everything. From the intimate to the celebratory, even the perfect Napoli-level pizza. Delivered on a cycle? No problem! Italian marble supplied by a local stone company? Sure! Taken away through a slot in the window? Would you like that as a slice? Steven Mitchell speaks to CEO Dominic Bianchi Borel and Ripiena head chef Joseph Harvey. Featured artwork by Jon Trace