Project: Developing an audience engagement strategy

Project

Developing an audience engagement strategy; how can the History of Parliament better meet the needs of its audiences? 

Partner: The History of Parliament

The History of Parliament is a charitable trust whose primary objective is to advance the education of the public in general on the subject of the history of Parliament. It is a major research project creating a comprehensive account of the English, British and UK Parliament from the thirteenth century. Founded before the Second World War and unparalleled in the comprehensiveness of its treatment, the History is generally regarded as one of the most ambitious, authoritative and well-researched projects in British history. 

The History of Parliament produces a wide range of content to engage a variety of audiences with British political and parliamentary history. This content has traditionally taken the form of multi-volume reference books exploring Parliament during specific time periods (e.g. The House of Commons, 1754-1790, 3 volumes, published in 1964). These books contain biographies of parliamentarians, local histories of constituencies and thematic overview essays on each period. These publications have traditionally been aimed at historians, researchers, students and librarians.  

During the past two decades the Trust has diversified its content to engage new audiences and meet the changing expectations of its traditional audiences. As well as in print, the Trust now publishes its research on a variety of online platforms. The Trust’s traditional research is published online via its ‘Research Hub’ and its researchers also regularly publish accessible ‘short articles’ on historyofparliament.com. In addition, the Trust maintains an active presence on a variety of social media platforms. In doing so, they have experimented with engaging audiences outside of the traditional academic essay format (for instance via the production of short and long-form video and audio content). 

Deliverable

While the Trust is aware of what audiences it wants to reach, it has never completed any focused research into how best to engage those audiences with political and parliamentary history. In this project, you will provide a report on how the History of Parliament can better meet the needs of its audiences. 

Application Process and Key Dates

Stage 1: Online application - deadline is Friday 06 November 2026 
Stage 2: Shortlisting and selection  
Stage 3: Application outcome notification by Monday 16 November 2026  

Programme duration: Thursday 28 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (final presentation will take place at an event at the Houses of Parliament estate, Westminster). 

Eligibility

• Current Queen Mary students 
• Highly motivated and teamwork oriented 
• Passionate about heritage and making a real impact in the world 
• Willing to dedicate a total of 15 -20 hours across the project, including client meetings, teamwork, and individual work.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, as we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation and success.   

Apply

Apply by 23:45pm on Friday 6 November 2026.

We will contact you if you are shortlisted. If you do not hear from us by 16 November 2026, you have not been successful on this occasion.  

If you have any questions, please email:  history-qHeritage@qmul.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving your application!