Curious Britain

26 | The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery

In December 1900, three lighthouse keepers vanished from the remote island of Eilean Mòr without a trace. Over the years, their disappearance has become legend through stories, songs, and speculation. But what really happened on that storm-swept rock? This episode explores the mystery behind one of maritime history’s most enduring tragedies. 📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you! 💡 Support us on Patreon Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast] 💰 Make a one-off contribution Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain [https://paypal.me/curiousbritain]  🙏 Thank You! Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it! Sources: https://www.nlb.org.uk/lighthouses/flannan-islands/ [https://www.nlb.org.uk/lighthouses/flannan-islands/] https://www.nlb.org.uk/history/flannan-isles/ [https://www.nlb.org.uk/history/flannan-isles/] https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Eilean-Mor-Lighthouse-Mystery/ https://www.enschrage.nl/lh/hebrides/hebrides_outer/flannan_isles.html [https://www.enschrage.nl/lh/hebrides/hebrides_outer/flannan_isles.html] Dundee Evening Telegraph - Saturday 29 December 1900 Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser - Saturday 05 January 1901

25 | The Green Children of Woolpit

Step into 12th-century Suffolk with this episode of Curious Britain, as we uncover the mysterious legend of the Green Children of Woolpit. Found in the fields with green skin and speaking an unknown language, these children have baffled historians for centuries. Were they lost immigrants, aliens or something else entirely? We explore the strange tale, historical context, and theories behind one of England's most intriguing medieval mysteries. 📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you! 💡 Support us on Patreon Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast] 💰 Make a one-off contribution Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain [https://paypal.me/curiousbritain]  🙏 Thank You! Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it! Sources: https://plover.net/~agarvin/faerie/story/green_children.html [https://plover.net/~agarvin/faerie/story/green_children.html] Bury Free Press - Friday 17 February 1984 The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe  Music: "Mourning Song" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] "Lightless Dawn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

24 | Braunstone Park Tunnels

Beneath Leicester’s Braunstone Park lies a hidden mystery — a forgotten network of tunnels beneath a grand Georgian hall. Once the home of the Winstanley family, Braunstone Hall has long held secrets within its foundations. In this episode, we explore the eerie passages rediscovered after centuries in the dark. 📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you! 💡 Support us on Patreon Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast] 💰 Make a one-off contribution Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain [https://paypal.me/curiousbritain] 🙏 Thank You! Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it! Sources: Long, David (2021-03-09T22:58:59.000). Lost Britain : An A-Z of forgotten landmarks and lost traditions . Lume Books. Kindle Edition. https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/secret-tunnels-hidden-towers-leicester-3213863 [https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/secret-tunnels-hidden-towers-leicester-3213863] https://www.flickr.com/photos/braunstonehall/8714469687 [https://www.flickr.com/photos/braunstonehall/8714469687] https://www.winstanleyhouse.co.uk [https://www.winstanleyhouse.co.uk] https://www.leicester.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-open-spaces/our-parks/braunstone-park/braunstone-park-history/#:~:text=Braunstone%20Park%20was%20originally%20part,Hastings%20and%20the%20Grey%20families [https://www.leicester.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-open-spaces/our-parks/braunstone-park/braunstone-park-history/#:~:text=Braunstone%20Park%20was%20originally%20part,Hastings%20and%20the%20Grey%20families]. Music: "Morgana Rides " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] Long Note Three Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

23 | Princess Caraboo: The Royal Hoax That Fooled 19th Century England

When an exotic traveller knocked on the door of the parson’s house in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, in April 1817 seeking food and shelter, the local community were fascinated by the mysterious young woman who dressed in oriental attire and couldn’t speak a word of English. Soon, visitors poured into the town from far and wide to catch a glimpse of the famous ‘Princess Caraboo’ from the far-off land of Javasu. But was the elegant stranger really all that she pretended to be…? 📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you! 💡 Support us on Patreon Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast] 💰 Make a one-off contribution Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain [https://paypal.me/curiousbritain] 🙏 Thank You! Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it! Music: "East of Tunesia" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

22 | The Haunted History of Blackwall Tunnel: Ghostly Hitchhiker & Hidden Secrets

Who knew that an urban tunnel could be so filled with curiosities? From its celebrated opening in 1897 to today, the Blackwall Tunnel has played host to a mass underwater luncheon, caused various kinds of chaos, and been home to a ghostly hitchhiker who flagged down a motorbike and then disappeared. Do spirits really lurk in this modern-day traffic hotspot underneath the River Thames? 📢 Get in touch & support the show Have a story idea or just want to say hello? Drop us an email at curiousbritainpodcast@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you! 💡 Support us on Patreon Enjoying Curious Britain? Help us keep the show going by joining us on Patreon. Your support allows us to keep exploring Britain’s most intriguing stories. https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/CuriousBritainPodcast] 💰 Make a one-off contribution Every little bit helps! If you'd like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/curiousbritain [https://paypal.me/curiousbritain]  🙏 Thank You! Your support means the world to us and helps keep the show alive. We truly appreciate it! Sources: “Blackwall Tunnel”, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel] “Blackwall Tunnel Dangers”, Southwark and Bermondsey Reporter, Friday 4th May 1928, British Newspaper Archive  “Bomb incidents”, Historic Hansard, API Parliament.UK.com, HC Deb 18 January 1979 vol 960 cc1988-94, https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/jan/18/bomb-incidents [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1979/jan/18/bomb-incidents] “Centenary of the opening of the Blackwall Tunnel”, Greenwich Peninsula History, July 2013, https://greenwichpeninsulahistory.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/centenary-of-the-opening-of-the-blackwall-tunnel/ [https://greenwichpeninsulahistory.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/centenary-of-the-opening-of-the-blackwall-tunnel/] Huggett, Poppy, “Blackwall Tunnel reported as haunted hotspot in London”, News Shopper, 24th October 2023 Icy Sedgwick Blog, “Who is the phantom hitchhiker that haunts the Blackwall Tunnel?”, September 2019, https://www.icysedgwick.com/phantom-hitchhiker/ [https://www.icysedgwick.com/phantom-hitchhiker/] Isle of Dogs Life, “The Blackwall Tunnel – The Twenty First Wonder of the World”, https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/the-blackwall-tunnel-the-twenty-first-wonder-of-the-world/ [https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/the-blackwall-tunnel-the-twenty-first-wonder-of-the-world/] Isle of Dogs Life, “The Mystery of Sir Walter Raleigh’s House in Blackwall”, https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-mystery-of-sir-walter-raleighs-house-in-blackwall/ [https://isleofdogslife.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-mystery-of-sir-walter-raleighs-house-in-blackwall/] Kendrick, Lauren, “The Hidden Secrets of the Blackwall Tunnel”, March 2022, LondonXLondon, https://www.londonxlondon.com/blackwall-tunnel/ [https://www.londonxlondon.com/blackwall-tunnel/] Mansfield, Ian, “Today’s the 125th anniversary of opening of the Blackwall Tunnel”, May 2022, IanVisits, https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/todays-the-125th-anniversary-of-opening-the-blackwall-tunnel-54863/ [https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/todays-the-125th-anniversary-of-opening-the-blackwall-tunnel-54863/] Noble, Will, “A Brief History of the Blackwall Tunnel”, February 2023, Londonist.com, https://londonist.com/london/transport/blackwall-tunnel-125-years-anniversary [https://londonist.com/london/transport/blackwall-tunnel-125-years-anniversary] The Shady Old Lady’s Guide to London, “The Blackwall Tunnel”, http://shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=1104 [http://shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=1104] Westwood, J & Simpson, J, The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England’s Legends, 2005, Penguin Group, London