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The Phoenix

St Paul's Cathedral and the Men Who Made Modern London

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The Phoenix

By: Leo Hollis
Narrated by: John Hopkins
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About this listen

The remarkable and inspiring story of how London was transformed after the Great Fire of 1666 into the most powerful city in the world and the men who were responsible for that achievement.

Opening in the 1640s, as the city was gripped in tumult leading up to the English Civil War, The Phoenix charts the lives and works of five extraordinary men who would grow up in the chaos of a world turned upside down: the architect, Sir Christopher Wren; gardener and virtuosi, John Evelyn; the scientist, Robert Hooke; the radical philosopher, John Locke; and the builder, Nicholas Barbon.

At the heart of the story is the rebuilding of London's iconic cathedral, St Paul's. Interweaving science, architecture, history and philosophy, The Phoenix tells the story of the formation of the first modern city.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2011 Leo Hollis (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group Architecture Artists, Architects & Photographers Urban City Emotionally Gripping England War

Critic Reviews

"A tour de force of biography, history, politics, philosophy and experimental science." (Economist)

"Wonderfully rich and informative...a rare achievement." (Tom Holland)

"Fascinating." (Lucy Moore)

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Treat for historians

A superb book for those interested in an important time in British and world history. The story tells how the ideas of the Enlightenment were developed in London, in the late seventeenth century, As background, the story of the fire of London, it’s rebuilding, including the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, shows how sudden environmental change, the destruction of a major city, allows new ideas to develop and flourish.

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