Michael Wood

A HISTORY roadshow being run by the BBC is to hold its east of England event at an historic west Suffolk country house.

Called The Great British Story: A People’s History, the programme is out on the road until July and will be giving people in Suffolk the chance to find out more about their own personal history as well as that of their local area.

Ickworth House, near Bury St Edmunds, will be hosting the event for the East of England.

The Great British Story events aim to celebrate local history, offering the public a toolkit to help them find out more about their local history from place names, landscapes and the origin of surnames.

Experts will be on hand to help interpret historical artefacts, objects, photos and documents and give tips on how they can be preserved for future generations.

The tour has been organised by BBC Learning, which co-commissioned the Michael Wood landmark series of the same name on BBC television. The series, which starts on May 25, charts Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s past from the perspective of ordinary people.

Mr Wood said: “The Great British Story has revealed things which perhaps we take for granted; Britain has the most incredible variety of people, cultures and traditions.

“Having a local context to the great events of history brings them alive in a new and captivating way and I hope people will be inspired by the television programmes to continue to uncover their own place in history by visiting one of this summer’s events.”

Details of the programme can be found via the website bbc.co.uk/greatbritishstory.