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Secret Berkshire

Explore fascinating stories from Berkshire. To share ideas with the team, please email SecretBerkshire@bbc.co.uk

Radio Berkshire,35 episodes

Episodes

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From Furniture to Front Line
The story of a furniture firm that became part of Britain’s wartime effort.
04 Jun 2026,5 mins
Grease, Grit & the Great Western
A rare look inside the depot where Reading’s trains are kept running.
29 May 2026,9 mins
The nurse who ran into fire
The story of a nurse whose bravery during the 1954 Dellwood fire saved lives.
22 May 2026,6 mins,
Arborfield's Secret Agents
The wartime history of West Court Retreat, once a secret training ground for spies.
15 May 2026,6 mins
Guarding the Thames
The story of the Upper Thames Patrol which defended the river during World War II.
01 May 2026,6 mins
Windsor’s Blues Revolution
The story of legendary Ricky‑Tick Club and how it helped shape Britain’s music scene.
24 Apr 2026,7 mins
The Oracle Workhouse
Maisie Marston visits Minster Street to explore the story of a 17th-century Workhouse.
10 Apr 2026,10 mins
'Out' in Reading
Retracing the birth of the town’s gay liberation movement.
27 Mar 2026,10 mins
Reading’s Fatal Tornado
The story of Reading’s 1840 tornado and the young man it claimed.
4 mins
Britain’s most prolific baby killer
The Thames discovery that exposed Victorian baby killer Amelia Dyer.
06 Mar 2026,5 mins,
When Women Took Root
Meet Daisy, the aristocrat who opened Britain's first gardening college for women.
27 Feb 2026,8 mins
Is this Britain's rarest postbox?
Eton is home to one of Britain's rarest postboxes. Lorin Bozkurt tells its story.
20 Feb 2026,6 mins
Discoveries in The Reading Establishment
How a humble Reading studio transformed the future of photography.
10 mins
The Carpenter who outsmarted a Queen
Lorin Bozkurt explores a hidden priest‑hiding network built across the Thames Valley.
9 mins
The day music dived
Composer Gustav Holst made quite the impression during his time in Reading.
7 mins
The Slough Experiment
In the 1950s, one town became a national testbed for safer roads. Lorin Bozkurt has more.
02 Jan 2026,8 mins
The Real Life Scrooge
Meet John Elwes, the Berkshire miser who inspired Dickens’ Scrooge.
19 Dec 2025,8 mins
The Bunker Beneath Berkshire
Hidden beneath a university building, a Cold War secret. Lorin Bozkurt has more.
05 Dec 2025,8 mins
Reading's Forgotten Club
In the 70s, a team changed Berkshire rugby forever. Lorin Bozkurt has more.
28 Nov 2025,7 mins
The voice that grew a nation
He taught Britain to dig for victory.
14 Nov 2025,10 mins
The Bats of Enborne
A Berkshire church where the inhabitants only come out at night. Rich Clarke has more.
07 Nov 2025,4 mins
The Battle that broke a King
A fight in Reading that dethroned a king. Lorin Bozkurt has more.
31 Oct 2025,10 mins
The pilot who swam to shore
She flew across continents and swam for survival. Lorin Bozkurt finds out more.
17 Oct 2025,8 mins
The Windsor Witches
In 1579, Windsor accused four women of being Witches.
03 Oct 2025,7 mins
The funeral that shook Reading
When Selina Smith went, she went out in style. Katie Tyler finds out more.
26 Sep 2025,6 mins
The Wonky House of Windsor
It's Windsor’s most slanted landmark, Katie Tyler went along to find out more.
12 Sep 2025,5 mins
The UK’s First Petrol Station
Aldermaston’s lay-by hides the site of England’s first fuel station.
29 Aug 2025,5 mins
What's with Wilder's Folly?
It sits in a field for the world to see - but what are the origins of Wilders Folly?
19 Aug 2025,5 mins
The flying ship that stunned the county
In 1607, William Bush stunned Lambourn by sailing a ship over a church tower.
04 Aug 2025,7 mins
An icon born in Berkshire
The head-turning Reading Vardo became the gold standard for Romany travel across Britain.
18 Jul 2025,8 mins