The history of the United Kingdom is rich with pageantry and tradition, an interweaving of the past and the present. Up and down the length of the count are examples of how the history of these islands has been formed. But nowhere is that more evident than in the nation's capital London. It is here that most of this country's great occasions in our public and state life take place, garden parties, jubilee celebrations, the pomp and circumstance of royal weddings, state funerals and of course the corenation are all held in what many take to be the heart of the Kingdom. The capital's great buildings become the stages for great events featuring Royalty as the main players, and that is because the political history of this nation has been in twined - until relatively recently - almost entirely with the concept of kingship. But when a number of these buildings were actually constructed it wasn't because the king felt he needed a stage to fulfil some part in his role as the constitutional monarch - it was because he wanted to exert his rule, to frighten or impress the population, cement his position and to make sure he held onto his throne. We look behind the pageant ry inside places held especially close to the hearts of Londoners: St Paul's and Westminster Abbey, we examine the crown's links to the City with a trip into the Bank of England, and look at the great fire of London.
Actors:
The Bishop of London, Simon Thurley, John Field, Judith Pulley, Jo Wisdom
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