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The Stonemason
- A History of Building Britain
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: History, Europe
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According to the great diarist John Evelyn, Charles II was ‘addicted to women’, and throughout his long reign a great many succumbed to his charms. Clever, urbane and handsome, Charles presided over a hedonistic court, in which licence and licentiousness prevailed. Drawing on a wide variety of original sources, including material in private archives, Linda Porter paints a vivid picture of these women and of Restoration England, an era that was both glamorous and sordid.
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In the latest volume of his celebrated series of Time Traveller's Guides, Ian Mortimer turns to what is arguably the most loved period in British history: the Regency (a.k.a. Georgian England). Bookended by the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 and the death of George IV in 1830, this is the age of Jane Austen and the Romantic poets, the paintings of Constable and the gardens of Repton, the sartorial elegance of Brummell and the poetic licence of Byron, Britain's military triumphs at Trafalgar and Waterloo and the threat of revolution and the Peterloo massacre.
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Fantastic!
- By MedeaViolia on 18-11-20
Summary
Part hands-on archaeological history of Britain, part deeply personal insight into this ancient craft by a stonemason who has worked on Britain's greatest monuments, from Salisbury Cathedral to St Paul's.
Following a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, stonemason Andrew Ziminski has worked on many of Britain's greatest monuments, from the Roman ruins of Bath to Salisbury Cathedral's spire to St Paul's, and his three decades of work give a unique perspective on the warp and weft of English history, nature and geology.
From the first stone megaliths put up by Neolithic farmers through the Roman baths and temples, from the Anglo-Saxon and Norman churches to the engine houses, mills and aqueducts of the Industrial revolution, in The Stonemason Andrew journeys around by way of river, road and sea to explore the routes that ideas, migrants and building materials took to create some of Britain's most iconic historic buildings and ancient monuments.
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What listeners say about The Stonemason
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- Alec Sharples
- 15-04-20
An Encyclopedia of the History of Stonemasonry
This is an absolutely wonderful story and beautifully written by Andrew Ziminski. Facts, figures and well informed insights pop up in profusion. Not only is Ziminski a master of his craft but he has a deep understanding of its history and tells his story in a wonderfully engaging way.
I was simply blown away with the amount of learning available in this book and I would urge anyone with an interest in our ancient buildings and monuments to read and be totally absorbed by this wonderful book.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anthony Phillips
- 15-11-20
Loved it
The best book I have purchased this year. I listen over and over as it's interesting, relaxing and is a mixture of personal experiences combined with historical information. I listen most nights and it helps me relax as it's beautifully read and if I fall asleep I just carry on wherever I have got to the next evening.
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- Anonymous User
- 23-10-20
Good bit of history and masonry insight.
interesting journey through time and trade of the stone Mason. Interesting g for all
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- Dave
- 20-04-20
Took me to all my favourite places during lockdown
This book has been the most enjoyable I have read / listened to for many many years. A continually surprising combination of history, science and geography fused together with a unique insight from a traditional craftsman who clearly loves and is grateful for his calling. It is a beautifully refreshing evocation of our cultural history, described not only in terms of our buildings but in the myths, beliefs, politics and human stories that inspired them. As an ED nurse during the COVID 19 pandemic it has provided me with invaluable stress relief and a vivid new appreciation of places that I know well and love: the ancient landscape of Wessex, the city of Bath and the Kennet and Avon Canal where I live on my boat when not at work. The narrators voice is perfect for this book - a gentle lilt which wonderfully portrays the calm and methodical approach of the stonemason mixed with the inquisitiveness and joy of the “eureka” moments of understanding which have influenced his path and philosophy of life. Truly uplifting and inspirational.