Secret Leicestershire

Explore fascinating stories from Leicester and Leicestershire.

Radio Leicester,56 episodes

Episodes

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The secret remains of a Roman aqueduct
The Raw Dykes was part of an aqueduct conveying water to Leicester’s Roman baths.
15 Apr 2026,6 mins
‘Holy Town’ – Hallaton’s secret ‘bottle-kicking’ history
The destination for pilgrims and the capital of bottle kicking and Hare Pie Scramble!
02 Apr 2026,8 mins
The hidden history of Loughborough’s Old Rectory
From it’s medieval underbelly, to the ghosts and ‘haunted’ piano that call it home
25 Mar 2026,6 mins
Lady Rolleston and the street boys from Leicester
A Leicester woman's vision that still drives the local charity she started
17 Mar 2026,6 mins
The Bilstone Gibbet Post: The Gruesome Truth
One wooden post and it's connection to an infamous murder in 1801
10 Mar 2026,6 mins
The woman who gave birth to a cat
A mysterious birth and a story of solidarity
06 Mar 2026,7 mins
Is this where Chaucer tied the knot?
Why historians think the English Poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have got married in Leicester
24 Feb 2026,6 mins
Forkbeard or Cnut: Viking king buried at church
The Viking cross at Sproxton and its links to the Anglo-Norse monarchy
17 Feb 2026,6 mins
The 450-year-old love story in Sign Language
The first recorded use of sign language in England at Leicester Cathedral
10 Feb 2026,7 mins
The Leicester Balloon Riot of 1864
How did a huge hydrogen balloon cause a riot and chaos in Victoria Park?
03 Feb 2026,6 mins
Action Man and the Unexploded Bomb!
The Coalville toy factory that created Action Man and was almost blow up
27 Jan 2026,6 mins
The Green Dragon Inn: an infamous murder
16th May 1978 – a notorious day in Leicester’s history
20 Jan 2026,6 mins
Fastest car on the planet hidden in Leicestershire
The Darracq 200hp: The record-breaking car hidden in a Leicester garage
13 Jan 2026,6 mins
Christmas Eve 1965: A star fell from the sky
It’s 60 years since the Barwell meteorite landed in the village and made history.
24 Dec 2025,6 mins
The secret behind Leicestershire's very own angels
The Belvoir angels etched in gravestones and found nowhere else in the world
23 Dec 2025,6 mins
Divorced: Henry VIII's 'gift' to Anne of Cleves
How the only wife Henry VIII divorced ended up with a Melton Pub
17 Dec 2025,6 mins
What lies beneath: The dungeon under Leicester Market
The wealth of archaeological secrets revealed under Leicester's famous market place
10 Dec 2025,6 mins
A runaway slave stars in a defining moment of Leicester’s history
The Abolitionist and runaway slave Frederick Douglass' links to a Leicester meeting hall
04 Dec 2025,6 mins
Why Melton is famous for ‘Painting the Town Red’
In 1837 the Marquis of Waterford and his friends wreaked havoc through Melton Mowbray.
26 Nov 2025,5 mins
Leicester’s medieval ‘party palace of Europe’
Leicester Castle’s Great Hall hosted many illustrious visitors including Richard III.
18 Nov 2025,6 mins
Leicester's Four Gaols and 'the Crank'
Leicester had four gaols (jails) in the 18th century, one still visible near Highcross
11 Nov 2025,6 mins
Inside the home of the magistrate who tried witches
Long Clawson’s Old Manor House reveals its hidden history - persecuting suspected witches
28 Oct 2025,6 mins
How Mountsorrel’s Butter Market got its name
After the medieval market cross was moved, the Butter Cross was erected - here's why
21 Oct 2025,6 mins
The creation of Leicester’s flamboyant Turkey Café
The unique café created by a local architect and former mayor for the Leicester ladies
14 Oct 2025,6 mins
The gallows of Gallowtree Gate
Gallowtree Gate was the road to the gallows where public executions were held.
01 Oct 2025,6 mins
The Elizabethan manor house saved from demolition
Narborough Hall was saved from the brink of ruin by two Leicestershire teachers.
09 Sep 2025,6 mins
Lilian Lenton – Rebel Suffragette
Inspired by the Women’s Suffrage campaigns Lilian Lenton was a militant Suffragette.
19 Aug 2025,7 mins
Rothley’s unbelievable Viking survivor
Rothley’s Anglo-Saxon cross dates from around the time of the Vikings in the 9th century.
12 Aug 2025,6 mins
Leicester’s unsung hero of the British Grand Prix
Leicester’s Bob Gerard was one of Britain’s top racing drivers of the post-war period.
31 Jul 2025,6 mins
The mining innovation that changed the world
The Newcomen engine was designed to pump water out of coal mines.
16 Jul 2025,5 mins