Back When | History Podcast2 Apr 2025

Black Arrow Rocket | When Britain joined the Space Race

Britain’s space race efforts were bold but short-lived. Join historian Helen Antrobus for the tale of Britain’s space race.
It’s the mid 1950’s and the height of the Cold War era.
British engineers are working in secret at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, testing a nuclear deterrent, the Black Knight Rocket.
But by the end of the 1960s the British rocket programme is under threat. Engineers have one last chance to get into space with the ambitious Black Arrow Rocket.
Can Britain reach the stars or will it fail to launch?

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Production
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck

Contributors
Paul Carey
Steve Berden
Doug Millard

Cast
Jesse Edbrooke – voice of Ray Wheeler
In memory of Ray Wheeler 1927-2019
With thanks to NASA

Discover more
Discover more about the secrets behind Highdown test site visit The New Battery at The Needles

Find out more about the history of Black Knight, Black Arrow and Prospero rockets
Wight Aviation Museum

See the Black Arrow Rocket itself https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visit

Discover more podcasts
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/podcasts#stories-about-nature-and-history

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Episoder(28)

Back When | Wrapped

Back When is wrapping up and we wanted to say a massive thank you for time travelling with us over all our stories. In this short episode, join presenter Helen Antrobus to relive some of our best mome...

25 Mar 6min

Grace Darling | An Unassuming Victorian Heroine

The Farne Islands are a group of 28 islands off the Northumberland coast in England’s Northeast. They are home to Atlantic grey seals and a breeding colony of sea birds, but they are also the former r...

11 Mar 24min

Body Snatching | The Burke and Hare Murders

Have you heard of the Burke and Hare murders? Sixteen people killed in under a year. Join Helen Antrobus as she explores one of history’s most notorious killing sprees, and its links to body snatching...

25 Feb 15min

Operation Hillside | Lifting the Official Secrets Act

Behind the grand exterior of Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire is a secret history, that lay hidden for decades. A chance encounter between a former British intelligence operative and a volunteer un...

11 Feb 22min

The Workhouse | One Step Up From Prison?

What was life like at The Workhouse? Join James Grasby as he becomes an inmate and tours an atmospheric Workhouse building in Nottinghamshire. With its bare walls and floors, cast iron beds, and the h...

28 Jan 25min

Beatles Backstage | The Bedrooms Where Rock History was Made

In Liverpool in the 1950s two teenagers began writing music in their bedrooms. They went on to provide the soundtrack to the 1960s and change the face of popular culture forever. They were Paul McCart...

14 Jan 23min

World Heritage Heroes: Petra, Kingston Lacy and the Next Generation

In this bonus episode, discover how Kingston Lacy, a grand 17th-century Italianate country house and expansive estate in Dorset is connected with one of the ancient wonders of the world: the city of P...

17 Des 202522min

The Home Where Time Stood Still | Mr Straw's House

Why is a semi-detached house in Nottinghamshire frozen in time? Join us on a visit to 7 Blythe Grove in Worksop, or Mr Straw’s House as it’s now known, to tour the rooms that have barely changed since...

3 Des 202526min