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The Battle of Waterloo, the signing of the Magna Carta and the Dunkirk evacuation are three of the major anniversaries this year, according to English Heritage, which has identified its top ten historic moments to be marked in 2015.
The organisation, which looks after over 400 of England’s historic sites, has also identified the Battle of Agincourt and the Viking invasion by King Cnut as historic moments that will be commemorated with activities and events throughout 2015.
To help you make the most of a momentous year, here are the details of how you can take part and commemorate these historical events.
Show all 10 1 /1010 historic moments to mark in 2015 10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Death of Sir Winston Churchill, 24 January 1965 This January will be 50 years since the death of Britain’s wartime prime minister, and one of the towering figures of the twentieth century. Alongside defeating the Nazis, Churchill also enjoyed bricklaying, painting and Islamic culture. His death was followed by a state funeral, and thousands of people paying their respects along the route of the cortege to his burial site at Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
Gareth Williams
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815 No one can claim that nothing important happens in Belgium – this was the site of one of the most famous showdowns in European history. On one side were the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte, self-declared Emperor of France, and on the other the coalition of nations led by the Duke of Wellington. The battle was decisive in curbing the territorial ambitions of the Napoleonic regime. Wellington Arch (020 7930 2726), London, will host an exhibition about the battle.
Karen Roe
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Signing of the Magna Carta, 15 June 1215 The signing of the Magna Carta by King John at Runneymede, Surrey, may not be quite the defining event in the history of English liberty as it is sometimes presented. After all, John went on to ignore all of its demands. But the idea that it represented – the principle that kings, as well as subjects, are accountable to the law – is a cornerstone of our constitution. Take part in Magna Carta Trails at Dover Castle and Pevensey Castle.
Jack Pease
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Viking invasion of England by Cnut, 1015 “They miserably ravaged and pillaged everything; they trod the holy things under their polluted feet, they dug down the altars, and plundered all the treasures of the church.” So Symeon, a monk from Durham, described a Viking raid on Lindisfarne. King Cnut was no doubt equally terrifying when he arrived in Wessex in 1015, but after pillaging he chose to settle. He brought an age of prosperity after a period of warfare between Vikings and Saxons, and established an empire that stretched from England to Scandinavia.
Richard Pigott
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 First English parliament, 20 January 1265 The story of England’s first parliament, much like today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, is one of squabbles, upheaval and violence. 750 years ago, Simon de Montford, in the midst of civil war against King Henry III, called together an elected body of representatives from across the country in what is thought to be the first meeting of ‘the commons’.
Stephen Jones
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Siege of Carlisle, 1315 700 years ago, the northern edge of England was in constant terror of invasion from the Scots, who regularly came south under the command of fierce warlords. None were more feared than Robert the Bruce, who invaded England after his victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. Having marched into Cumbria, his forces laid siege to Carlisle Castle, in a brutal fight that saw ladders and siege towers used in a futile attempt to capture the fort.
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Evacuation of Dunkirk, 27 May to 4 June 1940 It is the triumph that emerged out of disaster – the removal of Allied troops from the beaches of northern France spared thousands of lives and allowed Hitler’s enemies to keep on fighting. The evacuation, which took place 75 years ago, has entered folklore on account of the actions of the ‘little ships’, which rescued soldiers and helped prevent a catastrophic defeat.
Jake Keup
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 Agincourt, 15 October 1415 “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”. Henry V’s speech in 1415, admittedly invented by Shakespeare, embodies the myth of Agincourt. The small number of English and Welsh archers, standing up against the masses of French knights. Despite being ripped off by generations of football managers hoping for an inspirational team talk, it still holds its power.
David Blaikie
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 First World War, 1915 The optimism of 1914 was tempered by the horrors of the following year, when troops settled in for a long slog of trench warfare along the Western Front. Key events which took place 100 years ago this year include the first recorded use of chlorine gas and the start of Zeppelin attacks on England. Meanwhile, Winston’s Churchill’s failed Gallipoli invasion forced him to depart from the Admiralty.
Karen Roe
10 historic moments to mark in 2015 VE Day, 8 May 1945 Victory in Europe Day – a public holiday to mark the Allies’ formal acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender – witnessed an outbreak of street parties across Britain. Huge crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square to hear Churchill’s speech broadcast over a tannoy, with one eye-witness noting an “extraordinary hush over the assembled multitude”.
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