6th August 2025 marks 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima, arguably the most significant event of WWII. Award winning writer, Iain MacGregors latest book, The Hiroshima Men tells the decade-long (1936-46) story of the race for the atomic bomb, through the eyes of four main participants (American and Japanese), the war across Europe and the Pacific, and ends when Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and war journalist John Hersey breaks the story of what 'Little Boy' actually did to Hiroshima in his iconic article for The New Yorker magazine. 'I can think of no more important book for our time. Written with moral clarity, tremendous verve, and the ability of a truly great historian to render the immensity of a moment through the smaller voices as well as being faithful to the facts. I recommend this magisterial, haunting book to all generations.' Fergal Keane - Foreign Correspondent, BBC Iain has worked with bestselling historians such as Simon Schama, Alice Roberts and John Nicol as a successful editor, and on podcasts with The Imperial War Museum and R4s In Our Time series with Melvyn Bragg. He has been published in The Guardian, BBC History Magazine, The Spectator and The Washington Post. The Hiroshima Men is his fourth historical non-fiction book. The evening will feature a talk from Iain, an audience Q&A and a book signing afterwards. The Oundle Bookshop will be present with copies of Iain's books available for purchase.

A recital by Nelly Palmer, Oundle Young Musician of the Year 2024 and winner of the award for most outstanding pianist at the Bedfordshire Festival. Nelly will be playing both the piano and the cello in a programme inspired by representations of the garden in twentieth century music, which includes pieces by Claude Debussy and Lili Boulanger. Biography of Nelly Palmer Nelly is passionate about composing, performing, teaching, listening to, and thinking about music. She loves the way in which it allows her to be present and perfectionist, while connecting to a huge historic tradition of others who have done the same. As well as being the Oundle Young Musician of the year, she has won the instrumental category of the Rotary Young Musician Local and District finals and was awarded the Hans Freyan Salver for the most outstanding pianist at the Bedfordshire Festival. She has taken ATCL diplomas in both cello and piano, studies piano with Lorraine Augustine, and cello with Felicity Gibson. She also plays the organ at local church services in and around Bedford. Through a recital at St Andrew's Church in March 2024 she raised 1,500 for the freedom4girls charity.

Event details coming soon

Event details coming soon

History loves a villain. Across the entire span of human civilisation, certain people and groups have been identified as being responsible for the ills of the world and have remained hated for it. In his continuing desire to separate the facts from the fiction of history, Otto English looks at how these legacies were constructed and who told us that they were evil. From how Bloody Mary became the figurehead of uppity women and how Judas's betrayal became a template for religious tensions for centuries to what the Peasants Revolt and the Illuminati shows us about power struggles throughout the ages, English exposes the agendas behind the 'truths' we've been told to believe. And in looking at how xenophobia was weaponised during the 'Spanish' Flu, he reveals how our past sometimes bleeds into the present day. Fascinating and fearless, Notorious will re-examine some of history's biggest villains and change the way you see the world forever. Otto English is the pen name of writer and journalist Andrew Scott. Scott had written for theatre and television before moving into political journalism. From 2010 he began writing about history and politics, often through his blog, The Pinprick. He has written extensively for Politico and Byline Times. He published his first book, Fake History, in 2021, which examines the 10 biggest lies from history and the people who propagated them. In 2023, English published a follow-up book, Fake Heroes, in which he profiles ten historical figures and analyses myths connected to them. Andrew will be in conversation with Ian Clark at this event. Ian is a history teacher at Oundle School.