The History Books
Sunday 28 June
Layer Marney Tower

Built as a statement house by Henry, 1st Lord Marney, Henry VIII’s Lord Privy Seal, in the 1520s, Layer Marney Tower is one of the jewels in the Essex ‘crown’. And, as such, the perfect venue for The History Books. Explore the UK’s tallest Tudor Gatehouse and stunning gardens for free with your Essex Book Festival ticket.

Photo of Layer Marney Tower credit: Red Carpet Video

Make a Day of It! Ticket Deal

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£14 per event or all 3 events for £36.
Discount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:

12.00pm – Tony McMahon, Downfall of the Templars
2.00pm – Emily Hauser, Mythica
4.00pm – Jonathan Freedland, The Traitor’s Circle


Tony McMahon, Downfall of the Templars
Sunday 28 June, 12.00pm
Photo of Tony McMahon © Tony McMahon

Why were the Knights Templar brutally crushed after years of courageous service in the Crusades? Were they framed for being heretics, sorcerers and traitors? Do the Templars still exist today? Broadcaster and author Tony McMahon investigates the links between the trials of the Templars and the witch hunt mania that was about to grip Europe.

Book tickets: Tony McMahon, Downfall of the Templars


Emily Hauser, Mythica
Sunday 28 June, 2.00pm
Photo of Emily Hauser © Faye Thomas

Award-winning classicist and historian, Emily Hauser, will take us on an epic journey to uncover the true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends – and the real heroes of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

Book tickets: Emily Hauser, Mythica


Jonathan Freedland, The Traitor’s Circle
Sunday 28 June, 4.00pm
Photo of Jonathan Freedland © Philippa Gedge

Prize-winning journalist and acclaimed author of The Escape Artist Jonathan Freedland tells the thrilling true story of one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war. With deep moral resonance for our own time, he asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny.

Book tickets: Jonathan Freedland, The Traitors Circle