BBC Radio 4 - A History of England in 25 Poems by Catherine Clarke, 3: Below Stairs in the Country House - 'Crumble Hall' by Mary Leapor

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Catherine Clarke reads her new and original history of England - told through poetry.

Through five poems across a week, Clarke takes us onto battlefields, inside royal courts, below stairs of great houses and onto cricket pitches, with vivid voices, and surprising stories. In a portal to the past, she takes us inside the words and moments these poems capture, with new perspectives on how England has dreamed itself into existence - and who gets to tell its story.

Today: we go below stairs with a poem with a twist - Mary Leapor's biting satire on the 18th-century 'country house' poem, 'Crumble Hall'

Writer and reader: Catherine is a Professor at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, and Director of the Victoria County History of England.

Abridger: Richard Hamilton

Producer: Justine Willett