Countdown to Plymouth's first History Festival

There are just three weeks to go until the start of Plymouth’s first-ever History Festival which features a massive selection of over 100 events.

The festival will run from 1 to 31 May and aims to highlight Plymouth's unique heritage and encourage local residents and visitors to experience the city’s historic environment and buildings.

Over 40 different local organisations and heritage providers are contributing to the festival, which is being coordinated by Plymouth City Council’s arts and heritage service.

Events include film screenings exploring festivals and cultural activities throughout the years and the plans to rebuild Plymouth at the end of the Second World War, as well as performances of morris dancing and traditional folk and organ music.

Nearly 30 different talks are on offer throughout the month covering topics as wide ranging as art history and archaeology, marine science and shipwrecks and the history of areas such as Plymstock, Plympton and Stonehouse, as well as the development of the Marine Biological Association and the naval base.

For those who want to venture out and about, the festival programme also includes lots of guided tours and walks highlighting places such as Plymouth’s synagogue, the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, the Royal William Yard, the Millfields, Sutton Harbour, Elliot Terrace, the Naval Heritage Centre, the Royal Citadel, the Central Library, the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office and the Council House.

The festival falls across two bank holiday weekends and a half term so a selection of family activities are also on offer, including storytelling sessions at Mount Edgcumbe, a quiz at Plympton Library and arts and crafts workshops at the City Museum and Art Gallery.

A number of venues will also be organising some special displays featuring historic maps and photographs, life in early Victorian Plymouth, Torpoint’s connections with the Royal Navy, the history of Plymouth schools, Plympton and North Prospect. The City Museum and Art Gallery will also be opening a brand new exhibition called ‘The Making of a Modern City’ which will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the publication of Abercrombie’s Plan for Plymouth – the document that set the blueprint for the rebuilding of Plymouth after the devastation of the Blitz.

The final element of the programme is a host of special events including open days at local churches and Crownhill Fort, Local Studies Day, Family History Day, Archives from the Attic, the opening ceremony for Devonport Column and Museums at Night.

Full details of the 2013 History Festival programme can be found online at www.plymhistoryfest.wordpress.com. Bookings are now being taken and additional new events will continue to be added to the site between now and May. Details of events can also be found in The Plymouth Daily's What's On section.

You can also stay up to date with developments at www.facebook.com/plymhistoryfest and www.twitter.com/plymhistoryfest.