1. Workshop Report KahnAlex Dennis
Workshop report – Kahn Alex Dennis
Approaching the Past
The main aim of this workshop was to look at the different types of written history and
evaluating and deciphering the different ways they have been written and how they are
presented. We are mostly looking at the different styles of writing in this way and seeing
which ones are presented more formally or more punctually. By looking over the different
styles of written history we will be able to better judge the best forms of written history and
thus be able to decide which ones are better to use in an academic sense.
The lecture started off by holding a discussion on a piece of writing by Richard Fischer titled
‘History publishing in England’, a piece of writing that had been assigned to be read over the
previous week. This article was about the different forms of secondary history sources and
how they are presented, these sources include historical journals, monographic pieces and
even military pieces. By looking over these different forms of written history we are able to
decide or at least evaluate which ones are better for performing what sort of research. In
the lecture we looked over these different types and decided what each one would be most
useful for in a historian’s perspective. So for example, a historical journal is a great piece of
work to study if you needed an expert opinion on a certain event or moment of history, a
journal is usually concise, to the point and based solely on one particular topic rather than a
broad overview of a period of time.
One of the many other things that was discussed in relation to this piece was which of the
forms of historical source was the most popular to the general public. The answer according
to the discussion amongst the room seemed to be a mixture of military history and local
history, this seems apparent as military history has always been popular especially amongst
young men and local history is of course also largely popular as most people have a vague
interest in their local surroundings. A further issue discussed in relation to this article was
what the biggest challenges in regards to published history were. This general discussion
seemed to accumulate in one answer, that answer being that the amount of time and effort
put into producing a piece of historical text does not always pay off, that is as most historical
pieces are set on a specific topic and because of this interest is not always high for that
specific area.
The next piece of work that we performed in this workshop was to look over different
secondary sources and to decide how they differed and who they were aimed at. These
sources included historical magazines, local history guides and pamphlets and a vast array of
historical books on varying subjects. The answer to these questions was clear, dependant on
an individual’s interest in a certain form of history each choice would appeal more to
different individuals. For example, a historical magazine would interest someone who is
interested in a broad overview of history as it will cover different topics, whereas a book will
most likely be centred on a certain subject and will hence will only interest someone who
wished to study that topic in detail.

2. Workshop Report KahnAlex Dennis
The final piece of work that was discussed in this workshop was the use of referencing in
relation to historical pieces of work. We looked at the reasoning for using referencing in a
historical setting. This is almost always done to avoid plagiarismand to show that rather
than just making facts up from thin air that the writer of a piece has research and found true
facts to use in their work. Finally, looking at plagiarismwe discussed why it was bad practice
to take someone else’s work and use it as your own, because it is stealing.

3. Workshop Report KahnAlex Dennis
Preserving the Past
The workshop that took place this week was a little different from the workshops that we
are usually accustomed to, this is because rather than taking place in the warmth of the
classroom the class instead was treated to a walking tour of historical Preston led by
lecturer Keith Vernon. This alternative workshop was a welcome change to the usual
classroom experience and allowed us to view local history while developing our historical
skills.
After meeting up in the classroom we left the building to the pavement just outside. The
first building that we looked at was the very building that we had just left from, the Harris
building, the oldest building associated with UCLAN, built by architect Henry Cheers in 1882
to house the Harris Institutei. After discussing some of the Victorian baroque styles of the
Harris Building, such as the large imposing windows and the faux gargoyles, we turned are
attention to a nearby building that looked a little bit like a large kiln. This building was a
former windmill that had been active over one hundred years prior. Following this we made
are way up Friargate Street, assessing the buildings as we went. Our next main stop was just
short of Preston city centre outside the former corn exchange, a historically significant
building for the city in which the Preston strike of 1842 took place around, a strike caused by
depression era wages caused local workers to revolt and take to the streets forcing the local
military garrison to take action. This event is now shown by a commemorative statue
outside the corn exchange.
Moving on from here we moved through to the city centre itself, analysing the different
styles of architecture that littered the main street, Fishergate. We then head round the
corner to a park area known as Winckley Square, this area is a former gated community that
would have been used to house some of Preston’s wealthier residents in the 19th century.
From here we moved onto a former university building, the Harris institute school of arts.
After this we moved back into the centre of Preston and stopped outside the former post
office buildings and the Harris museum, both of which hold a large cultural significance
within the city and placed right in the centre of Preston alongside the market square.
i (UCLAN, 2017)
UCLAN,2017. Harris Building. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/conference_events/preston_city_campus/venues/harris_building.php
[Accessed41 2017].