Bracknell is well known for being one of the 'new towns' built after the Second World War to relieve the pressure of housing and industry in London – but the history of Bracknell goes back much further than that.

Early hunter gatherers, Iron Age people and Romans have all called Bracknell their home. Hidden in the royal hunting ground of Windsor Forest for many centuries, the village began to develop with the arrival of the railway. Local brickyards expanded, their output being used in many important buildings, both in Britain and abroad.

In The Story of Bracknell, local historian Andrew Radgick sets about uncovering this near-forgotten history, producing a treasure trove of original research from newspaper archives and photographic collections, to personal accounts from residents and examinations of traditional tales associated with the area.

Bracknell has a unique history, and this is its story.

ANDREW RADGICK has lived in Bracknell for nearly fifty years, and has been the local Civic Society's History Officer for the past ten. In 2014 he self-published three volumes covering the lives of local men killed in the First World War which was critically acclaimed by the Western Front Association. He has given interviews with BBC Radio Berkshire, appeared on BBC South television, and The Bracknell News often contact him for historical information. He frequently give talks on various aspects of local history to groups and societies.