Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

← Page 1

613

Home from Home

In Constantinople, capital of the Roman Empire, a man from Kent founded a glittering church for English refugees.

614

England’s Lost Civilisation

Orderic Vitalis regrets the passing of a society far more refined and advanced than that which supplanted it.

615

Forgotten Melodies

When the Normans came in 1066 they deliberately destroyed English chant, the last survivor in Western Europe of a tradition five centuries old.

616

Paxton’s Palace

The steering committee for the Great Exhibition of 1851 turned down all 245 designs submitted for the iconic venue.

617

Sweet Counsel

Advice is a dangerous gift, and for centuries our greatest writers have wondered how to dispense it safely.

618

An Exhibition of Fair Play

After Joseph Paxton won the competition to design the venue for the Great Exhibition of 1851, he recalled how his rival had helped him.