Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social
Ex-Financial Times Assistant Editor. Ex-editor Scotland on Sunday. Author of 'Made in Manchester' and 'Northerners: A History'. 'These Isles' due Feb 2026.
Pinned
Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social
· Nov 1
'Made in Manchester: A People's History of the City That Shaped the Modern World' and 'Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day', paperback and hardback. 'These Isles: A People's History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales' due 26 Feb 2026 (HarperNorth).
Reposted by Brian Groom
St Issui's, Partrishow, Monmouthshire. No reason for the photo other than I was scrolling my photos and it came up, and I was reminded of a wonderful day of peace and beauty in a church where time has stood still. A day to hold on to in troubling times.
January 4, 2026 at 12:43 PM
St Issui's, Partrishow, Monmouthshire. No reason for the photo other than I was scrolling my photos and it came up, and I was reminded of a wonderful day of peace and beauty in a church where time has stood still. A day to hold on to in troubling times.
‘Durham’s other cathedral’: mining union hall reopens after £14m restoration. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Durham’s other cathedral’: mining union hall reopens after £14m restoration
Considered one of world’s finest trade union buildings and famous for its ‘pitmen’s parliament’, Redhills was built on a grand scale
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:24 PM
‘Durham’s other cathedral’: mining union hall reopens after £14m restoration. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
View from Devil's Kitchen over Y Garn, Snowdonia, north Wales, photo by Victoria Ashman.
January 4, 2026 at 6:57 PM
View from Devil's Kitchen over Y Garn, Snowdonia, north Wales, photo by Victoria Ashman.
‘Oh my gosh, they’re all from London and Cambridge’: York University’s northerners fight back. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
‘Oh my gosh, they’re all from London and Cambridge’: York University’s northerners fight back
Lucy Morville, from Burnley, thought most students would be from the north and felt ‘culture shock’ surrounded by southerners
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:54 PM
‘Oh my gosh, they’re all from London and Cambridge’: York University’s northerners fight back. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Reposted by Brian Groom
Kindle edition of 'Northerners' currently on offer at just 99p. www.amazon.co.uk/Northerners-...
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Kindle edition of 'Northerners' currently on offer at just 99p. www.amazon.co.uk/Northerners-...
This Thursday, all welcome. 'These Isles' due out Feb 26th, available for preorder from bookshops and websites.
I'll be talking about 'These Isles: A People's History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales' at Bingley Local History Society, West Yorks, Thurs Jan 8th, 7.30pm. Church House, Main Street. All welcome, £3.
January 4, 2026 at 11:42 AM
This Thursday, all welcome. 'These Isles' due out Feb 26th, available for preorder from bookshops and websites.
The Liffey Swim, Dublin, 1923, painting by Jack B. Yeats, 1871-1957 (National Gallery of Ireland).
January 4, 2026 at 11:40 AM
The Liffey Swim, Dublin, 1923, painting by Jack B. Yeats, 1871-1957 (National Gallery of Ireland).
Liverpool, 1965, photo by John Bulmer.
January 4, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Liverpool, 1965, photo by John Bulmer.
The Duke of Westminster’s Estate, Forest of Bowland, 1989, photo by Fay Godwin.
January 4, 2026 at 9:18 AM
The Duke of Westminster’s Estate, Forest of Bowland, 1989, photo by Fay Godwin.
Piccadilly Bus Station, Manchester, early 1980s.
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Piccadilly Bus Station, Manchester, early 1980s.
A man and woman watch water flood Salford streets, September 1946.
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
A man and woman watch water flood Salford streets, September 1946.
In 1955, 19-year-old Luciano Pavarotti competed in the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod. Recordings just released. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pavarotti's Llangollen concert given new voice in lost recording
Pavarotti widow says she is delighted that lost recordings of his return to Wales are released.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
In 1955, 19-year-old Luciano Pavarotti competed in the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod. Recordings just released. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Huge Wallace and Gromit queues prompt museum limits in Preston. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Museum steps in as Wallace and Gromit mania grips Preston
Preston's Harris Museum sees a surge in demand for displays of original sets from the Aardman franchise
www.bbc.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Huge Wallace and Gromit queues prompt museum limits in Preston. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oldest former MP Sir Patrick Duffy, miner's son from Doncaster, dies aged 105. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oldest former MP Sir Patrick Duffy dies age 105
The miner's son, from Doncaster, died in hospital on 2 January after a short illness.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Oldest former MP Sir Patrick Duffy, miner's son from Doncaster, dies aged 105. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Brian Groom
The perfect opportunity to remind you that there's a big Gwen John exhibition coming up in the spring at Amgueddfa Cymru in Cardiff and then later in the year @nationalgalleries.bsky.social in Edinburgh.
A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris, 1907-09, painting by Welsh artist Gwen John.
January 3, 2026 at 6:59 PM
The perfect opportunity to remind you that there's a big Gwen John exhibition coming up in the spring at Amgueddfa Cymru in Cardiff and then later in the year @nationalgalleries.bsky.social in Edinburgh.
Children playing in Glasgow's Gorbals, 1960s, photo by Scots-Italian photographer Oscar Marzaroli (1933-88).
January 3, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Children playing in Glasgow's Gorbals, 1960s, photo by Scots-Italian photographer Oscar Marzaroli (1933-88).
Late afternoon walk in Greenfield, Saddleworth.
January 3, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Late afternoon walk in Greenfield, Saddleworth.
Kindle edition of 'Northerners' currently on offer at just 99p. www.amazon.co.uk/Northerners-...
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Kindle edition of 'Northerners' currently on offer at just 99p. www.amazon.co.uk/Northerners-...
This coming Tuesday. 'These Isles' due out Feb 26th.
I'll be talking about 'These Isles: A People's History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales' in an online talk for Sandbach History Society, Tues Jan 6th 8pm. Visitors welcome to sign up, £5. Contact info@sandbachhistory.org.uk. sandbachhistorysociety.org.uk
January 3, 2026 at 2:07 PM
This coming Tuesday. 'These Isles' due out Feb 26th.
A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris, 1907-09, painting by Welsh artist Gwen John.
January 3, 2026 at 2:05 PM
A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris, 1907-09, painting by Welsh artist Gwen John.
From iron age tunnels to YouTube: Time Team’s ‘extraordinary’ digital renaissance. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
From iron age tunnels to YouTube: Time Team’s ‘extraordinary’ digital renaissance
Three decades after its modest beginnings on Channel 4, the TV juggernaut now has its own channel and global subscribers
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:25 AM
From iron age tunnels to YouTube: Time Team’s ‘extraordinary’ digital renaissance. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Mossley, now in Tameside, is a former cotton spinning town where the historic borders of Lancashire, Cheshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire meet in one place. Derbyshire isn't far away either. Painting is 'Old Milltown', a montage by Chris Cyprus.
January 3, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Mossley, now in Tameside, is a former cotton spinning town where the historic borders of Lancashire, Cheshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire meet in one place. Derbyshire isn't far away either. Painting is 'Old Milltown', a montage by Chris Cyprus.
Chippy Tea, painting by Manchester-born Anthony Marn.
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Chippy Tea, painting by Manchester-born Anthony Marn.
Actor John Thaw, star of Inspector Morse, The Sweeney, Kavanagh QC and other TV dramas, was born on this day 1942 in Gorton, Manchester. Stage debut was at the Liverpool Playhouse 1960.
January 3, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Actor John Thaw, star of Inspector Morse, The Sweeney, Kavanagh QC and other TV dramas, was born on this day 1942 in Gorton, Manchester. Stage debut was at the Liverpool Playhouse 1960.
Laurel Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1955, photo by Jimmy Forsyth. Nancy Bates with Ralph and Shirley Ann.
January 3, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Laurel Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1955, photo by Jimmy Forsyth. Nancy Bates with Ralph and Shirley Ann.