23rd–29th June 2025 - Broad Chalke, Salisbury
Audio recordings of some of our talks from previous festivals, released throughout the years.
Dan talks to James about his current work, his love of sharing history knowledge via the internet and his career highlights.
History Hub: James Holland talks to Dan Snow from Chalke Valley History Trust on Vimeo.
Audio from Philip Hook’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Sunday, 29th June 2014.
Philip Hook, Senior Director at Sothebys, has worked in the art world for 35 years. With his wealth of experience, explains how art, fascinating and highly subjective, acquires its financial value and how it is traded. Looking at artists, subjects and artistic styles, he reveals the comic, absurd and piquant world of the art market.
Audio from David Gower’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Sunday 29th June 2014, chaired by Jonathan Marland.
Led by former England batsman, Ashes-winning captain and now Sky Sports presenter David Gower, our panel discussed the history of the Ashes over the past thirty years, from Botham’s Ashes of ‘81 to the recently consigned-to-history series Down Under…
This year we have another cricketing event with bowling hero Simon Jones and acclaimed commentator and analyst, Simon Hughes. ASHES 2005: THE GREATEST EVER SERIES is on Sunday, 28th June.
Audio from a talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Saturday 28th June 2014 with Geoff Pattinson and David Render, chaired by Stuart Tootal.
In the 70th Anniversary year of the D-Day landings in Normandy, we were very fortunate to have two veterans of that campaign talking about their experiences. Fred Glover was in 9 Para, and David Render served with the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. Chairing the discussion was Stuart Tootal, former Commander of 3 Para in Afghanistan. This was a rare treat.
Audio from Jon Snow’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Sunday, 29th June.
Jon Snow is one of the most highly regarded Newsmen of our time. His personal view of global conflicts ranging from Iran and Iraq to the Berlin Wall and Central America vividly chronicle history in the making. Revealing about the great and not-so-good, his passionate take on reporting the events which shaped the modern world was both illuminating and inspiring.
Jon Snow will be returning to Chalke Valley History Festival this year for ‘An Extraordinary Life: The Incredible Career of Jeremy Hutchinson QC, Age 100 on Saturday, 27th June 2015.
Audio from Tim Butcher’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on 28th June 2014.
On a summer morning in Sarajevo a 101 years ago, a teenage assassin fired not just the opening shots of the first world war but the starting gun for modern history. Best-selling author Tim Butcher tells the story of Gavrilo Princip, whose killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand proved so catastrophic that his own story has been largely overlooked.
Audio from Michael Morpurgo’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Sunday, 29th June.
Award- winning writer Michael Morpurgo talks on writing about the first world war for young people including Private Peaceful, Medal for Leroy and, of course, War Horse. Its huge success as a book, then a play and then a block-busting film, has made its creator into one of the most successful children’s authors of all time.
Audio from Ben Macintyre’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on Sunday, 29th June 2014.
With access to newly released MI5 files, Ben Macintyre unlocks perhaps the last great secret of the Cold War. A story of intimate duplicity, loyalty, trust and treachery about the most notorious British defector and mole in history, Kim Philby is revealed as agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, and betrayer of secret Allied operations to the Russians.
Audio from Ian Hislop’s talk at Chalke Valley History Festival on 26th June 2014
Journalist, satirist, comedian and broadcaster Ian Hislop looks at the British capacity to dwell on imagined golden eras in British history. Based on his documentary series for BBC2, he explores the ways in which that national emotional attachment to a romanticised past is used by artists, writers and politicians. Ranging from Dark Age heroism to Victorian Medievalism to 20th century Pastoralism, it will be a backward look at the nature of looking backwards.
Ian Hislop is returning to the Festival this year to talk about ‘The Satirical Magazine and the History of Private Eye’ on Saturday, 27 June. He will be discussing the importance of satire, both in the past and present, and the story behind Private Eye, from its beginnings to its ongoing role in ensuring the absurdities and pomposity in life continue to be exposed…
Audio from Dr Anna Whitelock’s talk at CVHF on Monday 23 June 2014.
Dr Anna Whitelock, historian, television and radio presenter, reveals the politics of intimacy in the court of Elizabeth I. The Queen’s close circle of favoured women were guardians of the truth about her health, chastity and fertility and their stories offer an exceptional insight into their daily lives, the fragility of royal favour and the price of disloyalty.
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