Does History Really Belong to the Victors? Meet the Storytellers

9 hours ago

3 min read

The Storytellers Don't Think So!

Programme | Christmas | Book

There are many things we learned in school or from other sources which we believe to hold true and our history helps ground us; helping to understand our past can reconcile the present and plan for the future.

Does History Really Belong to the Victors? Meet the Storytellers — Ian Barlow: Chef & Story Teller pictured with props from his Agincourt evening

Even if we don't think too deeply about it, our history is important. In recent years, with the ability to communicate with anyone who has Wi-Fi and a smartphone around the world and the huge amounts of data available for research, many of these truths we hold dear about history are no longer absolute and at best nuanced - if we choose to look closer. The Storytellers are a local group who look closer and help others do the same.

Like with any story or life event, even as it is unfolding, we don't see what's important until we step back, every month the Storytellers of Cheadle stand back, take a topic from our past, and tell it as it is, which is probably not as you've heard it before. They practice their own independent research, they question everything, and when they present their findings "telling the story" - everyone in the room can ask questions.

Hales Hall is a special place for such tales and discussions to happen; it's old enough to feel authentic but accessible enough as to not exclude the visitor. Every period of history I've witnessed so far fits well at Hales Hall - and the Storytellers who bring props, costumes, and screen-based visuals help bring that period of history to life. Not in a caricature way but narrated and curated way so that you can visualise the setting but not feel threatened by the battle.

Another glorious part of an evening with the Storytellers is you can order Ian's delicious special of the evening - currently autumn broth with a drink of your choice, and you can get another drink in the interval too.

Parking is adjacent to the Coach House where the telling of stories takes place, but sadly the building is not accessible.

I asked Ian and Steve on the last night of their 3 nights coverage called "Agincourt" about how they feel to have put so much work into the project for it not to see the light of day again any time soon. They told me that they found it a little saddening, but the telling of the stories and the enthusiasm of the audience made the productions so worthwhile. "We tell it as it is, sometimes that's unpleasant, controversial even, but we love to share the knowledge of our audience along with our own, letting people reach their own conclusions by just telling the stories."

The next few months for the Storytellers are busy ones with Agincourt concluded, 6 Ghost Walks around Cheadle this month and Recovering the War Dead through the Ages next month, the program mapped out for next year, and a wonderful Christmas event 2 nights in early December.

What The Storytellers do is entertaining, sometimes amusing and an evening like no other, all for the price of a good coffee (£6), but it's more than that it's opening our minds to new information about or past and helping us discover who we really are.