Event Details
Larry Bennett, author of the book ‘Portishead Radio – A Friendly Voice on Many a Dark Night’, tells the history of the famous maritime radio station which had its operational centre in Highbridge.
Originally located near Devizes in Wiltshire, the Highbridge receiving site opened in 1925 and became ‘Portishead Radio’ in 1927 when the transmitters were relocated to the site on the Bristol Channel coast. The aerials at Highbridge were a prominent landmark for many years. In addition to handling radio messages and radio telephone calls from ships around the world, the station was also involved with WW2 communications and also provided vital links home from remote locations around the globe.
With many memories, photographs and video files, Larry recounts the history of the station which was a significant part of this history of Highbridge for many years, before it closed in 2000.
Once the largest maritime radio station in the world, its history is both fascinating and compelling.