Westminster: A Biography

Reviews / Votes

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 debris 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 *