Conference Booking FAQ
Q. When is the conference taking place?
The conference is taking place from Wednesday 1 July to Friday 3 July 2026.
Delegate registration will open at 12 noon on the Monday and the final session will finish at 3.15pm on the Wednesday.
Acceptance emails have now been sent alongside a draft programme. Please check your junk folder if you are waiting for confirmation.
The programme will be made publicly available soon.
Q. Where is the conference taking place?
The conference is taking place at Lancaster University.
You can find details of how to get to the venue on this page.
Q. When can I register?
Registration will open on 12 March 2026 and will close on 12 June 2026. Use the Conference Booking link which is available on our Events menu or via your SHS membership account.
You must be an active member to register for the conference and will be directed to login when you use the Conference Booking link.
Membership of the SHS starts at just £15, see our membership pages for information.
Q. Who is able to attend the conference?
The conference is open to all members of the Social History Society, whether speaking or not. We encourage speakers, panellists and strand convenors to attend the whole event where possible.
You must be an active member to register for the conference and will be directed to login when you use the Conference Booking link. The link will bring up the options you are eligible for, i.e. if you are have a concessionary membership you will be able to book the concessionary rate.
Membership of the SHS starts at just £15, see our membership pages for information.
Q. How much does the conference cost?
The standard conference fee will be £260. A discounted early bird rate of £240 is available until 1 May.
The concessionary fee will be £200. A discounted early bird rate of £180 is available until 1 May,
A day fee is available for £130. A discounted early bird rate of £110 is available until 1 May.
We have worked with Lancaster University to make the conference as affordable as possible, and have been able to freeze our fees at 2025 prices. The costs are directly related to the costs of room hire, catering and staffing. We do not set out to make a profit from our annual conferences.
Q. What does the fee include?
The standard and concessionary fees cover registration for the three days, refreshments, lunches on Thursday and Friday, and dinners on Wednesday and Thursday.
The day fee includes registration for one day, lunches (if Thursday or Friday), refreshments, and dinner (if Wednesday or Thursday).
Entertainment will provided on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
The concessionary rate is available to Postgraduate Students, unwaged Early Career Researchers, and those working outside Higher Education. If you are unsure as to whether you would be eligible for this concessionary rate please contact us at socialhistorysoc@gmail.com
Q. How should I pay?
You can pay by card using the Stripe payment system, PayPal or as a BACS transfer.
If a third party is paying for your tickets (e.g. an institution or funder), please select the BACS payment method on checkout and pass the payment banking details, or the secure supplied card payment URL, to whoever makes the payment. If you book during the early bird period, you will be charged at the early bird rate even if the payment comes in afterwards. Please note that your tickets will not be confirmed until payment is received.
If you are applying for a bursary, we ask you to select the BACS payment method on checkout but leave the payment details blank. Orders will be kept on hold until the bursary competition closes. Successful applicants will then have their orders confirmed, and unsuccessful applicants will have the option to make a payment or cancel the original order.
Q. What are the options for accommodation?
Bed and breakfast accommodation can be booked direct with the university at a cost of £75 per night for a single room. Please use the code SHC26 at the following link:
Once all the reserved rooms have been taken, you might still be able to reserve a room using the same link if you remove the code. There will be no difference to the price, as the code does not provide a discount but ensures that conference delegates are housed together, close to the conference venue.
Other accommodation is available in the area.
We recommend that you book your accommodation as soon as possible.
Q. How do I get to Lancaster University?
You can find details of how to get to the University via the following link: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/about-us/maps-and-travel/
Use the instructions for getting to the university’s Bailrigg campus. This link also contains details of fees for parking at the university.
We strongly advise you to make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.
Q. Do you offer bursaries?
We are offering 19 bursaries to support postgraduate and early career historians presenting at our 2026 conference. These include 3 bursaries made possible by Michael Roper’s generous decision to gift his 2025 Book Prize to support attendance at our 50th anniversary conference. You can find out more about Michael’s book here.
This year’s bursary package covers the full costs of registration and two nights’ accommodation. We are not offering bursaries for travel.
Applications are open to any registered postgraduate or anyone within three years of completing a PhD and without institutional support.
Applications need to be made before midday on Tuesday 31 March 2026, using the form on the Bursaries page.
We ask bursary applicants to book their place at the conference and any on-campus accommodation at the point of their application. Applicants should select the BACS payment method on checkout but leave the payment details blank. Orders will be kept on hold until the bursary competition closes. Successful applicants will then have their orders confirmed, and unsuccessful applicants will have the option to make a payment or cancel the original order.
Q. What is your refund policy?
The Conference registration fee is non-refundable. If we are required to cancel the conference, all conference fees booked and paid via the online system will be refunded in full.
If you registered and are then unable to attend please let us know at socialhistorysoc@gmail.com.