The Chalke History Festival is thrilled to announce award-winning wealth management group Evelyn Partners as its new lead festival partner. This multi-year partnership comes at a crucial time when the financial stability of cultural events across the UK is under scrutiny.

Furious plotting and planning is underway for the 2025 Chalke History Festival to bring you a more exciting, relevant and varied programme than ever before.

Saturday Preview

Recording from Chalke Valley History Festival 2017. James Holland looks at one of the most iconic moments in Britain’s history. He examines the background to the German attack on the West in May 1940, challenging many of our deeply held perceptions, and explaining why the British evacuation of Dunkirk was, and remains, such a significant event.

Audio from Chalke Valley History Festival 2018. This epic battle was voted Britain’s Greatest Battle in a poll by the National Army Museum, yet few know or understand why this brutal but decisive engagement was so significant. As James Holland reveals in this talk, it deserves greater recognition not just for the extraordinary leadership of General Bill Slim but also for epic heroism and the dogged determination of all those who fought there.

Recorded at Chalke Valley History Festival 2018 Robin Rowland was an officer in Slim’s Fourteenth Army, fighting at the Battle of the Admin Box – the first significant victory against the Japanese – and then at the hell of Kohima and on through the final battles at Meiktila in Burma in 1945. His is an absolutely extraordinary story in which he saw truly terrible things but also witnessed immense courage, tragedy and camaraderie. Here he is in conversation with James Holland.

Here's James Holland chatting to Al Murray at #CVHF 2018

VIDEO: Coming up on Friday..

Here's Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard Professor, Annette Gordon-Reed Annette Gordon-Reed talking to James Holland about Thomas Jefferson whose actions and ideas — more than those of any of the other Founding Fathers —still divide Americans two centuries later.

Clare Mulley talks to James Holland about the Women Who Flew For Hitler, the only 2 female test pilots in Nazi Germany.

In this Pop Up History talk from CVHF 2017, Alex Langlands talks to James Holland about hay making pre-mechanisation.

Pop Up History talk - James Holland talks to James Rebanks about people's history of landscape and the importance of engaging with the countryside.

Audio from Chalke Valley History Festival for Schools 2017 with James Holland.

Dan talks to James about his current work, his love of sharing history knowledge via the internet and his career highlights.

James Holland, the Festival’s Programme Director and Co-Chair, lists the talks he’s most looking forward to seeing.

This is a transcript of an interview with Historian and broadcaster, James Holland, 22 February 2001..

Our penultimate video exclusive from this year's festival as Xander Drury talks to writer Charlie Higson about his latest zombie-packed adventure in The Enemy series, his time on 'The Fast Show' and the key to writing thrilling historical fiction.

An exclusive interview with Justin Pollard, historical advisor on everything from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to 'The Tudors' as he discusses with John Fry his new history panel show 'Histrionics' and shares his delight at being involved in this year's festival.

the secrets behind its unprecedented success and the plans for next year's festival.

It is already becoming something of a tradition for the Festival to lay on something slightly lighter-hearted on the Friday evening, and so this year CVHF came up with something entirely new: a brand new history quiz show, combining deep historical knowledge with razor-sharp wit.

Best of the photos from Day One of Chalke Valley History Festival 2013, with Tom Holland, Laurence Rees and James Holland amongst the speakers taking centre stage. Photos provided by the brilliant John Fry.