Westminster Hall: Nine Hundred Years of History

`Many shires whose labour was due at London were hard pressed because of the wall that they built about the Tower, and because of the bridge that was nearly all carried away by a flood, and because of the work on the King's Hall, that was being built at Westminster, and many a man was oppressed thereby.' Thus, in 1097, the first mention of Westminster Hall, whose walls still stand after nine centuries. What makes the Hall such an astonishing building is not simply its great size and the magnificence of its fourteenth-century roof but its central role in English (and later British) history. The Hall has witnessed the gradual transition from autocratic monarchy to the rule of law, representative government and eventual democracy. Nowhere else in the world is there a building which has been so closely involved in the life of a nation for such a long period. This book tells much about the history of England. Against this background the richly illustrated text describes the building, its changing uses, the banquets, trials and many historical events associated with Westminster Hall. Written by Dorian Gerhold, author of several distinguished works of history, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Specifications: hardback/softback, 250 x 200mm, 96 pages, ISBN: 9780907383895/ 9780907383888, publication: September 1999, published price: GBP25.00/GBP9.95