Bell Harry tells the story of Canterbury Cathedral through some of the many famous people who have passed through the cathedral gate over the past thousand years.
The frame story at the beginning and end wonders what happened to the Régale de France, the magnificent ruby presented to St Thomas Becket’s shrine by Louis VII of France in 1179.
The rest of the book charts a variety of different tales, everything from the drafting of Magna Carta and the invasion of the cathedral by Wat Tyler at the head of the Peasants’ Revolt to Geoffrey Chaucer, the triumphant return of Henry V from Agincourt, the visits of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the chartering of the Mayflower , the wedding night of Charles I and the storming of the choir by the Roundhead troops of Oliver Cromwell.
Using the available facts wherever possible, Bell Harry continues with visits to the cathedral by Wolfgang Mozart, future US President John Adams, Lord Nelson’s mistress Lady Hamilton, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and many other historic figures, each with an astonishing story to tell.
