Westminster: A Biography: From Earliest Times to the Present

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This is the remarkable story of Westminster, a royal capital that became the birthplace of parliamentary government and the centre of a world power. It is about the place, its people and their close relationship. They have made and shaped one another. The ancient heart of Westminster is only the size of a village, yet it boasts world famous buildings: the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Number 10 Downing Street. As befits a village, Westminster is rich in folklore and gossip, yet its story is central to Britain's history and anywhere that has parliamentary government.

This biography of Westminster traces the extraordinary transformation of a secluded island on the banks of the Thames into a spiritual centre, a royal ceremonial stage and a political capital. It brings to life the monarchs and prime ministers for whom Westminster has been home, the architects and writers whom it inspired, and the protestors and rebels whom it provoked. It is a tale of inspiration, intrigue, power, protest and terror.

Reviews

Almost too much history for a single mind to absorb has happened above the sand and gravel of Thorney Island. Yet, in Robert Shepherd, a very fine mind has sifted the archaeological, institutional, political and human dbris with such skill and clarity that the rest of us can absorb this abundant Wesminster "biography" with pleasure and instruction. As someone who works in the great gothic Palace which rests upon that history-soaked reef, I shall never look upon my patch in the same way again. -- Professor the Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield FBA
This is the sort of scintillating book that I would want to write, had I the wit or half the wisdom. -- Michael Dobbs (Lord Dobbs of Wylye)
Shepherd combines intense scholarship with gentle humour. He has the penetrating faculty of describing each tree while never losing sight of the wood. -- Matthew Parris, Times columnist, BBC broadcaster and former MP
[Shepherd] has written an entertaining life of the village that spins on its own axis. -- Caroline Shenton * The Spectator *
Well researched ... the book is at its best [when the] narrative is leavened with surprising anecdotes. * The Sunday Times *
Westminster has developed a most distinct personality since its birth as a swampy Bronze Age island, and Shepherd explains, describes and charts it with great scholarship, of course, but with a smile and a quizzical eyebrow. I love learning how little I knew. * The Spectator *
A fascinating account of the development of a religious, royal and Parliamentary village -- Keith Simpson, MP * House Magazine *
A remarkable story of the heart of Westminster, the birthplace of parliamentary government and a cockpit of power for a thousand years. Both instructive and entertaining. * The Good Book Guide *

Author Bio

Robert Shepherd is an award-winning radio and television producer based at Westminster, an author of political biographies and histories, and a former special adviser in Whitehall. His 'fly on the wall' documentary about the Foreign Office for Channel 4's Dispatches won Europe's Prix Stendhal. He also produced What Has Become Of Us, Channel 4's series on post-war Britain, Straight Talk with Andrew Neil for BBC News and Radio 4's The Prime Ministers.