An Extraordinary Man

By Benjamin Robert Haydon

Artist Benjamin Robert Haydon laments the passing of Lord Egremont, whose generosity and good judgment reached far beyond his support for struggling artists.

Moonshine

By Robert Southey

A London barrister indulges in courtroom theatrics to win a case, but it turns out that not everything is as it seems.

‘My English Joy’

By Sir William Sterndale Bennett

In 1837 William Sterndale Bennett, then regarded as England’s most exciting young composer, made history in quite another... field.

As Good as his Word

By Samuel Smiles

Benjamin Disraeli did not make a promising start to his Parliamentary career - but he did start with a promise.

Mathieu Martinel and the Fireworks

Based on an account by Charlotte Yonge

A firework display in Paris turned to tragedy in the narrow streets of the capital.

The Ugly Duckling

Based on a fable by Hans Christian Andersen

A misfit duckling grew up with rejection as a way of life, until he thought all hope was gone.