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Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Photograph courtesy of Beamish Living Museum

Think | We are history

Iona Bower August 26, 2023

History is about so much more than dusty books and chalky memories of school days. You can bring history into your everyday easily by engaging with it in real life. Here are a few ways to immerse yourself in history and feel more meaningfully linked to the past.  

Try historical re-enactments 

Don’t panic. You don’t need to be able to joust or throw axes for this. Historical re-enactments have had a bad press historically (sorry) as something slightly nerdy and perhaps seen as the preserve of beardy middle-aged men. Today lots of historic sites and houses put on re-enactment days where you can get a taster for the past (and no beard required). Kentwell Hall in Suffolk, for example, runs Hands On History Days in August where you can meet more than 200 Tudor historians who’ll take you back to 1564 and help you get involved with brewing, stitching, felt-making, bread baking and many more activities from the time. 

Visit a historic site

We’re blessed with historical sites scattered all over our countryside here in the UK. Whether it’s climbing an iron-age hillfort or walking the corridors of a Georgian manor house, there’s nothing like walking in the footsteps of our ancestors to connect us immediately to the past. You can find the nearest historic sites and houses to you on The National Trust’s website. 

Learn an ancient skill

The past is a different country; they do things differently there. So there’s no way to connect with the past like learning how to do things the way they were done hundreds of years ago. You might want to learn how to build a dry-stone wall or how to spin wool into yarn by hand. Whatever tickles your distaff there’s sure to be a course in it somewhere near you. For a bit of inspiration, have a look at The Field Studies Council website, which offers courses in everything from bookbinding to spoon carving.

Immerse yourself in a podcast

If the plethora of podcasts about the past had been around when we were at school, the Industrial Revolution might have felt a lot more accessible. Listening to a podcast is a very simple way to learn a little about an event or period you know nothing about. We particularly love The Rest is History, available on the BBC, Spotify and all the usual podcast platforms. 

Listen to sounds from long ago

There are several sound libraries available online, but we love the British Library’s version, where you can listen to everything from Fairground music from the 1980s to  Queen Victoria’s voice.

Archive of smells

The thing about history is it’s pretty smelly. Those pomanders only go so far. If you want a real sense of what the past was like, you’ll want to give it a sniff. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) you can’t be transported so easily to the times of plague pits but you can get an idea by browsing the Odeuropa Smell Explorer, where they have collected information about various smells from visual and text sources, from coffee houses to public baths.

Go to a history festival

Pick an era and transport yourself there with one of the many historic festivals that take place around the UK. You can even dress up if you like, though it isn’t usually mandatory. We like the look of The Largs Viking Festival near Glasgow, and the medieval Loxwood Joust in Sussex. 

Enjoy an immersive experience

You won’t get much more immersive than an immersive historical experience, from escape rooms to theatre, there’s something for everyone and every era, and you’ll leave feeling like you’ve time travelled. The Gunpowder Plot Experience, which is currently being staged next door to the Tower of London, is full of 1605-style thrills and spills, using a mixture of live theatre and digital technology. 

Volunteer for local heritage projects and museums

Appreciate history while giving a little back by volunteering for a local museum or heritage project. The opportunity to be there ‘after hours’ gives you a connection to the past that you don’t get as a mere visitor and you’ll have the joy of imparting your newfound wisdom to others, too. Historic England has some good ideas about how to get started. 


See a living museums

Wander down an Edwardian high street at Beamish, or sit around a fire in a Tudor kitchen at the Weald and Downland… There are so many living museums to visit in the UK, where you don’t just look at the exhibits but become part of them. You’ll find more inspiration in our feature, A Slice of Life, from page 68 in our August issue. 


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More fun for history buffs…

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A Brief History | Dolls' Houses
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Think | We are history
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Jan 15, 2022
Primer | Spy Gadgets
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More from our August issue…

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Aug 28, 2023
August | Things to appreciate
Aug 28, 2023
Aug 28, 2023
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Aug 26, 2023
Think | We are history
Aug 26, 2023
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Aug 22, 2023
Wellbeing | Exercise your laughter muscle
Aug 22, 2023
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InThink Tagsissue 134, history, museums
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Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

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Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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