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Novelist Beth Underdown on Rochdale Town Hall. Hitler reputedly admired it so much that he ordered that it be spared during the Second World War.

Novelist Beth Underdown on Rochdale Town Hall.

2/5 Beth describes how her family's personal history is tied up with the building and how Hitler reputedly admired it so much that he ordered it spared during the Second World War.

This week's Essays are celebrating British architecture. Each writer has a passionate connection with the building featured, revealing how our long past and complex present have led to a built environment unlike anywhere else on the planet.

Producer: Clare Walker

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tue 9 Jul 2019 22:45
  • Tue 8 Jun 2021 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

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Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

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