The BackTracker History Show

The Backtracker

Based in the UK, this self confessed history geek takes you for a stroll down memory lane and shares stories and interesting nuggets of information that has been discovered along the way. From tales of tragedy and sadness to epic stories of human courage or creativity, there are many people in history who have made their mark, however small. If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to share or leave feedback. It all helps! Keep in touch via either Twitter or Facebook by using @BackTrackerUK

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  1. Bristol's King David Hotel

    EPISODE 1

    Bristol's King David Hotel

    Bristol's King David Hotel Season: 7 Episode: 1 This time, we’re stepping inside the story of the King David Hotel. Built in 1893 on the site of the original King David Inn, this striking three-storey building of yellow and red brick spent a century welcoming drinkers, travellers, and locals alike. By the 1990s, its role had changed completely, taken over by the Hospital, but its walls had already seen more than their fair share of life. In this show, we’ll be uncovering just a few of the people and stories woven into this fascinating slice of Bristol’s history. As you can imagine, featuring all the proprietors of the King David would make this an extremely long episode but they should still be remembered, so here's a list of them. c.1791: Joseph Stephens (1791 Universal British Directory).c.1793-1794: William Pritchard (Matthews New Bristol Directory 1793-1794).c.1814-1817: George White.c.1818: Mrs. White. (Evans, 1818 Directory).c.1822: William Hooper (Pigot's 1822 Bristol Directory).c.1825: Thomas Watson (Pigot's 1825 Bristol Directory).c.1826-1830: James Highman.c.1831-1836: Ann Highman. (daughter Ann married Edward Willey 1836)c.1836-1866: Ann Willey & Mary Lockley (1859 pub for sale with the sisters as yearly tenants).c.1838-1839: Matthew Pomphrey (manager?).c.1841-1858: Robert Adams (and excise officer).c.1859-1866: Mary Lockley & Ann Willey.c.1866-1880: Ann Willey & William Cates.c.1880-1889: William Cates.c.1889-1891: Rose Elizabeth Cates.c.1891-1892: William Thomas West (manager).c.1892-1893: Hotel rebuilt.c.1893-1895: Walter Franklin (manager).c.1895-1899: Robert Gibbons.c.1899-1942: Stephen George Gibbons.c.1 June 1942-27 July 1942: Hartie Nellie Eastburn.c.27 July 1942-7 June 1943: Clarence Clifford Gardiner.span class="ql-ui"...

    28 min
  2. The Staple Hill Tunnel

    EPISODE 2

    The Staple Hill Tunnel

    The Staple Hill Tunnel Season: 7 Episode: 2 Bristol’s hunger for coal sparked a bold idea, drive a railway straight from the pits at Coalpit Heath into the city. With Royal Assent granted on 19th June 1828, the Bristol & Gloucestershire Railway was born. One of the line’s most ambitious features was the Staple Hill Tunnel, begun in 1834. In this episode, we look at a few tales behind this local landmark CAST F. A. Hemmens - Steve Sheperd Mr G Lane - Julian Kendall THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES Forgotten Relics of an Enterprising Age Bristol Mercury - Tuesday 13 December 1887 Bristol Mercury - Friday 02 November 1888 Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Tuesday 31 March 1903 Bristol Times and Mirror - Wednesday 01 April 1903 Western Daily Press - Tuesday 02 December 1924 - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    28 min
  3. Murder at Two Mile Hill

    EPISODE 3

    Murder at Two Mile Hill

    Murder at Two Mile Hill Season: 7 Episode: 3 In February 1869, a young widow was trying to get home after a few too many drinks at her local pub in Two Mile Hill, Kingswood, Bristol. She never made it and what happened next shocked her local community CAST Mr. W. Gaisford (Coroner) - Marcus Kepple-Palmer Mr. Nurse - Julian Kendall Isaac Wiltshire - Simon Criddle Jane Cottle - Mili Beniams Emma Rogers - Sam Roberts Mr. T. W. Fryer - Tony Allen Charles Wiltshire - Jon Locke John Milsom - Martin Palmer The Judge - Steve Sheperd THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    27 min
  4. The Tintagel Miracle

    EPISODE 4

    The Tintagel Miracle

    The Tintagel Miracle Season: 7 Episode: 4 High above the roaring Atlantic, Tintagel clings to the rugged north coast of Cornwall, a place where sea mist wraps itself around ancient stone and legend never feels far away. Dominated by Tintagel Castle, inseparable from the myths of King Arthur, it draws travellers, dreamers and romantics from around the world. Yet on 6 July 1979, this storied village found itself at the centre of a very different tale, when a pilotless RAF Hunter jet slammed into the seaside resort, and villagers and holidaymakers survived by sheer good fortune. CAST Jim White - Guy Irons Dan Irons - Simon Criddle Robert Jack - Oli Coleman Bill Walton - Steve Sheperd John Garwood - Jon Locke Rev. Ivan Gregory - Tony Allen THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES TINTAGEL WEB Liverpool Daily Post - Saturday 07 July 1979 Daily Express - Saturday 07 July 1979 Daily Mirror - Saturday 07 July 1979 Coventry Evening Telegraph - Saturday 11 August 1979 Burton Daily Mail - Wednesday 24 October 1979 - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    24 min
  5. Shepton Mallet Prison (pt1)

    EPISODE 5

    Shepton Mallet Prison (pt1)

    Shepton Mallet Prison (pt1) Season: 7 Episode: 5 Built in 1610, Shepton Mallet Prison is Britain’s oldest jail, a grim stone fortress still standing today. Over the centuries it has held French prisoners of war, guarded national treasures in wartime, and witnessed the darkest moments of justice. This is a place of cells and secrets, and of lives that ended on the gallows. In this series, we tell the stories of some of those who were executed within its walls. CAST Samuel Reyland - Guy Pass Henry Dainton - Simon Criddle Hannah Dainton - Sam Roberts Charles Squires - Jon Locke THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 11 January 1889 Bath Herald - Tuesday 26 February 1889 Devon and Somerset News - Thursday 21 March 1889 Weymouth Telegram - Tuesday 15 August 1893 Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 12 August 1893 - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    26 min
  6. Shepton Mallet Prison (pt2)

    EPISODE 6

    Shepton Mallet Prison (pt2)

    Shepton Mallet Prison (pt2) Season: 7 Episode: 6 Part two of this series turns the spotlight on more of the condemned men who passed through the gates of Shepton Mallet Prison, each arriving under guard, each leaving for the scaffold. Their crimes varied, from calculated murder to acts born of jealousy, desperation or sudden violence, but their final destination was the same stark yard within those high stone walls. CAST Charles Squires - Jon Locke Henry Quarterly - Steve Sheperd The Jury - Molly Jefferies THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES Weymouth Telegram - Tuesday 15 August 1893 Langport & Somerton Herald - Saturday 12 August 1893 Cheltenham Chronicle - Saturday 08 November 1924 Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 14 February 1925 Illustrated Police News - Thursday 29 January 1925 Ancestry - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    26 min
  7. The Cornish Logan Stone

    EPISODE 7

    The Cornish Logan Stone

    The Cornish Logan Stone Season: 7 Episode: 7 Perched high above the Cornish cliffs, the famous Logan Rock at Treen once rocked so gently that a single hand could set it swaying. Then, in 1824, a reckless act sent the eighty-ton boulder crashing down, sparking outrage across the country. In this episode, we uncover the dramatic story of the man who toppled it, the costly and dangerous effort to raise it again, and how the scandal turned a windswept granite giant into one of Cornwall’s most talked-about attractions. CAST Hugh Colvill Goldsmith - Steve Sheperd Obituaries - Andrea Reid West Kent Guardian - Cerise Reed THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic, you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES Cornwall Heritage Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) The Naval Chronicle (late 18th and early 19th century) Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 12 February 1842 The National Archives, ADM series (especially ADM 6, ADM 8, ADM 12), The Gentleman’s Magazine - Sound Effects by zapsplat.com Intro music by The Model Folk Back In The Day music by Freesoundmusic © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2026

    23 min
See All Season 7 (7)

About

Based in the UK, this self confessed history geek takes you for a stroll down memory lane and shares stories and interesting nuggets of information that has been discovered along the way. From tales of tragedy and sadness to epic stories of human courage or creativity, there are many people in history who have made their mark, however small. If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to share or leave feedback. It all helps! Keep in touch via either Twitter or Facebook by using @BackTrackerUK

Information

  • Creator
    The Backtracker
  • Episodes
    200
  • Seasons
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © THE BACKTRACKER HISTORY SHOW 2020-PRESENT
  • Show Website
    The BackTracker History Show