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|title=Westminster: A biography, from earliest times to the present

|author=Robert Shepherd

|borrow=Yes

|isbn=9780826423801

|pages=415

|publisher=Bloomsbury

|date=September 2012

|summary=A detailed, thoroughly researched 'biography' of Westminster, the royal capital that became the birthplace of parliamentary government and the centre of a world power, and the monarchs, politicians and others who shaped its history at the heart of the nation

}}

There seems to be no shortage of ways in which the history of London can be told, and as befitting an experienced historical and political biographer, Shepherd has found another interesting variation on the theme. In this superbly detailed and exhaustively researched volume, he brings us the story of Westminster, the royal capital that became the birthplace of parliamentary government and the centre of a world power. Over 1500 years ago it was Thorney Island, a secluded area on the banks of the Thames. It then became a village, yet a very grand one comprising a spiritual centre, a royal ceremonial stage and later a political capital, encompassing buildings such as the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and 10 Downing Street. Against this stage has been enacted the history of a nation, of the monarchs and politicians who for better and worse shaped the events of the last thousand years.

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