The St John’s College History Society is one the most active history societies in Cambridge. We aim to provide two full terms’ worth of events (Michaelmas and Lent), an annual dinner and a garden party; all for the delectation of our members and the wider public. As well as being intellectually stimulating, the society also helps to bring together the historians (old and young) of St John’s.

We attract a very high calibre of speakers both from inside and outside of the University, which have, in the past, included professors, Knights and Peers of the realm. Last year the Society was able to attract distinguished academics including Dr John Slight (who has done extended research on western relations with the East in the 19th and 20th centuries), Dr Richard Serjeantson (a fellow at Trinity College), and Professor David Carpenter (a medieval historian at King’s College London) amongst others, and even had former Member of Parliament  and current Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristram Hunt address the society on the subject of Marxism.

Guests such as these are thought-provoking and entertaining as they offer a unique perspective from the very top of their individual fields. A Society talk allows speakers more freedom than they would have in a standard lecture. They can focus more precisely and in greater depth on their expertise, and the setting is less formal and more intimate. It gives students the chance to listen and challenge renowned historians who are experts in their respective fields; a highly valuable and enriching experience, made even better by that fact that all talks are hosted within the comfort of the College.