Yorkshire’s awesome monastic buildings can tell us so much about the communities that lived, worked and prayed there, especially when you have been studying them as part of the module The Visible Past. In this post, first year history student Freya Pointon highlights what she learned from our site visits to Mount Grace Priory and Rievaulx Abbey. One of the first aspects that you notice upon arrival at Mount Grace Priory, a 14th century Carthusian monastery, is the seclusion. After parking, we walk down the lane and are greeted by an extended, yet modest, stone gating, which belies the secrets ..read more

The History/American Studies/War Studies YSJ blog is back! To start our new series of student work, we have second year student Layla Kershaw, who has been examining the city’s development in the finest detail during her placement at York Explore and learning much about how York has changed. Here, she highlights some of the exciting work she has been doing in the archive. Volunteering with the York Explore Library and Archives provided a valuable perspective into the history of York and surrounding areas. This enabled me to understand and appreciate the city in multiple ways after being expose ..read more

As part of our Visible Past first-year module, students examine monasteries and castles through site visits to appreciate the impact of time, the environment around the buildings, and the make-up of the communities that lived there. Here, Byron Grierson reflects on the monastic experience of awe and isolation. Mount Grace Priory Upon arrival at Mount Grace Priory, it was immediately apparent just how secluded the monks were during the monastery’s age. Surrounded by trees and fields, it was easy to be transported and imagine how life would have been here centuries ago. The most striking aspect ..read more

Second-year HCC student Caitlin Finn discusses one of the key themes of the module – the values of public history, particularly in light of remembrance and visual monuments. Public history surrounds us every day. Nearly every village, town and city have monuments, statues and plaques, as well as museums or heritage sites such as stately homes, castles or ruins, and archaeological sites, some of which may well be passed unnoticed as people go about their day.  These monuments and places provide us with a clear insight into our history, often giving us the opportunity to remember and commem ..read more

As part of our History, Community and Culture module, second-year students work closely with our brilliant Careers team to enhance their employability. Here, Kian Salmon reflects on the experience. Week 2 of History, Community and Culture was very enlightening as a presentation into the value of self awareness both to employers and to yourself, in particular the section on self-awareness mind mapping. This was exceptionally useful in forming a skills section of my CV, with the ability to really break down what skills and abilities my previous employment and projects in education have given me ..read more

Second-year student Kama Clifford reflects here on their placement with the Yorkshire Film Archive, and what it’s brought to their skills as a researcher and historian. My placement at the Yorkshire Film Archives has taught me a lot about myself, my work and, of course, the archives themselves. I’ve found it to be a brilliant opportunity that’s given me insight into my future. But I have three favourite things about my placement. Firstly, the independence of it all. I’m a very independent person so being able to choose what film I contextualised, and just the general lack of pressure from the ..read more

As part of our ongoing series about work placements and public history, second-year HCC student Jack Leather reflects on one of his favourite memories of his time with the National Railway Museum. During my time on placement at the National Railway Museum there was one exhibit on display that continually caught my attention and has made me interested about the First World War from a different angle I had not considered before. This exhibit was about hospital trains and their usage throughout the First World War in transporting soldiers all across Britain when they had to come home for treatmen ..read more

As part of our History, Community and Culture module, second-year students are encouraged to reflect on the current issues facing their prospective career sectors and industries. Here, William Cox writes a think piece about the challenges facing the education system. I have been doing research on the education sector as this is a possible area of work that I may pursue after university. One piece of research that I came across is the challenges that the education sector is facing at this current moment in time. One problem being Covid-19; this has impacted teachers and students alike in the l ..read more

Eva Barker, one of our second-year HCC students, writes here with Dr Julie-Ann Vickers about their research at York Explore. The site around York Library has a dense history, many of the buildings previously on this site still have visible remnants today, including the Mint Yard, St Leonard’s Hospital’s crypt and chapel, the Multangular Tower, the Church of St Maurice, and the Anglian Tower.  The latter being the subject of my interest when I came across its excavation documents in York Explore Archive inside the library. While its construction date is under debate, likely around the mid ..read more

Jamie Martin, one of our second-year HCC students, is next in our series of student blogs, writing a think piece about the nature and value of public history. Public history is, by definition, the application of history outside of an academic angle. Examples of public history include local buildings, monuments and artefacts. It’s applications in society include, building preservations, museum curating and archival work.  The nature of public history is not quite as complicated as some may think. The focus on public history is for the general public rather than any one subject. Through th ..read more