Shane Ewen

'Fire in 1975 left Leeds Kirkgate Market like a bomb site' Two thirds of Leeds's famous Kirkgate Market was destroyed by a blaze on 13 December 1975.

And here’s a piece on today’s BBC website 13/12/2025:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Or watch this Calendar News feature from Thursday 10/12/2025: www.itv.com/watch/news/t...

A blog post written by my excellent colleague Sarah Cardwell is here: www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/2025/12...

Kirkgate Market fire 50 years on: 'We helped tackle one of Leeds' biggest disasters' Fifty years after a fire raged through Kirkgate Market in Leeds, Laura Reid hears about a heritage project telling the stories of firefighters who were on the scene.

Read this excellent feature piece by Laura Reid in today’s Yorkshire Post (behind a paywall or why not buy a copy): www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and...

The Kirkgate Market Fire: 50 Years On - Space2 - An award winning participatory arts charity Women in the Leeds Auxiliary Fire Service: Fighting fires and gender discrimination in the wartime fire station.

Our latest story map for the Trailblazers project is out! Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Kirkgate Market fire, you can read about 3 firefighters who attended the call and are members of the Leeds Fire Heritage Group.

The story map is here: space2.org.uk/heritage-rec...

@lbu-rae.bsky.social

Actor Jane Morland as a wartime firewoman

A display of historic pictures of firewomen

Excellent performance of Trailblazers: Women Have Always Been Firefighters, tonight at Chapel FM in Seacroft. Audience v appreciative of the interlinked stories and a lively Q&A to end.

Using BBIH online: a help pack for students and lecturers For the academic year, we've a help pack offering guides to BBIH in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. With embeddable content for VLEs.

Are you studying, researching or teaching digital histories? Try using the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH). It contains 670,000+ resources from 55 BCE to today! Find out how to use BBIH buff.ly/yD11954 @brepols.net

Call for Bibliographer for Urban History Urban History seeks to appoint a new bibliographer to compile our annual bibliography of publication in urban history. This is an exciting opportunity to become involved with a world-leading journal for urban historical research. Urban History is published by Cambridge University Press and occupies a central place in historical scholarship, with an outstanding record of interdisciplinary contributions, and a broad-based and distinguished panel of referees and international advisors. Each issue features wide-ranging research articles covering social, economic, political and cultural aspects of the history of towns and cities and supplementary material including periodical reviews, thesis reviews and book reviews. The bibliography, which has a global coverage, provides an essential tool for researchers interested in exploring recent publications and historiographical trends in their fields. About the bibliographer role The role involves the following tasks: • Searching for books, book chapters and journal articles published in the preceding calendar year, using online resources (journal websites, the Bibliography of British and Irish History and publishers’ websites). • Compiling a bibliography of all the entries ordered by thematic categories (typically 1000 entries). • Working with the production team at Cambridge University Press to check and proof-read copy edits before final production. We expect the new bibliographer to be able to start on 1 January 2026. We are happy to receive applications from individuals at different career stages and we welcome applications from historians – working in any context – from under-represented groups, including those from minoritized ethnic groups, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, and those who are ‘first generation’ in Higher Education. The positions attract an annual honorarium. Continues on next image

Successful candidates will be fully supported by the the journal editors (Shane Ewen, Prashant Kidambi, Roey Sweet, Domenic Vitiello and Rosemary Wakeman). How to apply Those interested in making an application for the position of review editor should send to Roey Sweet (rhs4@le.ac.uk) • a CV (no more than 3 pages) • a summary of 300 words outlining your interest in the role Enquiries Informal enquiries about the role, including honorarium payments, can be made to: Professor Roey Sweet rhs4@le.ac.uk Deadline Deadline for applications: 5.00pm on Friday 6 November

📣 We're looking for a new Bibliographer to join the #UrbanHistory team!

This is a great opportunity to get involved with a world-leading academic journal and find out about the latest urban history publications.

Apply by 5pm on Friday 6 November. Contact Roey Sweet for more details.

Summerland: 50 Lost Lives. Justice Denied. We are a group of people affected by the horrific Summerland fire, even fifty two years after this tragedy occurred. Our aim is to overturn a miscarriage of justice by exposing the truth.

Please read and help @justicesummerland.bsky.social to overturn a 50-year long miscarriage of justice, if you can

www.crowdjustice.com/case/summerl...

Volume 3 of your Cambridge Urban History of Europe

First page of chapter by Shane Ewen

Nice to receive author copies of the new 3-volume Cambridge Urban History of Europe today. I have a chapter in vol. 3 on the growth and internationalisation of the field. Let me know if you use it in teaching #urbanhistory

Blue plaque commemorating the Gipton Fire Station

Blue plaque’s up at Gipton Old Fire Station! With thanks to @leedscivictrust.bsky.social

It’s a great, provocative piece and should be read widely Sam. And my pleasure 👍🏻

Very pleased that my piece 'Urban history as urgent work, an argument for disciplinary promiscuity' has been published in @urbanhistory.bsky.social doi.org/10.1017/S096...
Many thanks to @mctom.bsky.social for organising the roundtable that got these thoughts going back in 2023! #UrbanHist #EnvHums

Four editions of What is Urban History

Latest version of What is Urban History?, published in Korean! A true transnational volume,

So I've written a book! Waterscapes is about how impactful our need for water is on the environment and people. It's also about the ways in which infrastructure projects can impact place for good or bad.

Fantastic effort to get it across the line Andrew and I know it will be well received 👍🏻

Cover for: Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales, by Andrew McTominey

Published today: 'Waterscapes: Reservoirs, Environment and Identity in Modern England and Wales', by Andrew McTominey bit.ly/4n4LkxB

'Waterscapes' is the 23rd title in the Society's New Historical perspectives book series, published @uolpress.bsky.social. Available free Open Access and in print 1/2

Blue plaque unveiling, Gipton old Fire station

A blue plaque will be unveiled by the Leeds Civic Trust at 7pm before the play.

All welcome!

leedscivictrust.org.uk/blue-plaque-...

Poster advertising a play at the old Fire station in Leeds, Women Have Always Been Firefighters, on 20/09/2025. All welcome!

Women have always been firefighters. A story of 3 firefighters, all women, all wanting to make a difference, all ahead of their time, all facing challenges beyond fire.

The premiere is on 20th Sept. Book your tickets here: lnkd.in/eW663jW6

🙌

Cassette copy of Site Nonsite's Hiroshima EP, with contents displayed: cassette case and cover, diary entry, unfolded map insert, stickers and origami paper.

Today is #HiroshimaDay, marking 80 years since the devastating atomic bombing. My song Paper Cranes documents an emotional visit to the peace museum and an encounter with a survivor. Today and every Aug 6, I’ll donate any profits to a Hibakusha charity. sitenonsite.bandcamp.com/album/hirosh...

It’s here! Objects of Poverty: Material Culture in Britain from 1700 www.bloomsbury.com/uk/objects-o...

Cover of Objects of Poverty, edited by Joseph Harley and Vicky Holmes

“From Improvised to Subsidised Safety: Fireguards”, by Jonathan Reinarz and Shane Ewen

New publication!

“Objects of Poverty: Material Culture in Britain from 1700” is edited by Joe Harley & Vicky Holmes. Our chapter is on the fireguard - a consistent absence in the archival record - and the campaign to introduce it into working-class homes.

Order the book here: lnkd.in/eMz2kfkd

Urban History Group conference 2025 The Urban Commons:Rights and Citizenship in the City from the Medieval to the Modern 4-5 September 2025, University of Leicester Registration is now open for the Urban History Group’s 2025 co…

📣 Registration is now open for #UHG2025!

We're excited to welcome you to our first conference organised with the Pre-Modern Towns Group.

The Urban Commons: Rights and Citizenship in the City from the Medieval to the Modern

🗓️ 4-5 September 2025
📍 University of Leicester

My university is looking to appoint 3 Research Officers (1Yr Fixed) to help develop research impact and engagement projects in the following areas

Social Sciences
English & Creative Writing
History

Closing date: Friday 25 July 2025

Link: vacancies.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/ce0984li_web...

We're delighted to announce the publication of our historical map of Bradford — UK City of Culture 2025. This multi-layered map shows the development of an industrial city which was constantly rebuilding. Grab a copy of the map from our online shop: shop.historictownstrust.uk/product/hist...

Bust of Bill Laithwaite, peace campaigner, at the Working Class Movement Library, Salford.

Shared a room with peace campaigner Bill Laithwaite today.

Sarah Rees Jones launching the Bradford map at the City Hall.

Spent the evening at Bradford City Hall for the launch of the @historictownstrust.bsky.social map of Bradford, with a series of fascinating talks in conjunction with the Bradford Literature Festival.

Get your copy of this beautifully crafted map here: www.historictownstrust.uk/maps-nop/an-...

Always one

Stage with the word LOVE in caps.

A 61-year old male dancing like he’s 25.

Good to see all the misfits out in Manchester last night: second set bangers aplenty from Pulp