In 1937 Dolphin Square was built in London's Pimlico, a major development offering 1,250 flats to well-to-do private individuals. From the outset, it attracted the great and the good - in particular, a long roll-call of Members of Parliament and celebrities. It was perhaps inevitable that scandal would follow not far behind. In fact, in less than a century Dolphin Square has established itself as arguably the most notorious address in the country. This, then, is the story of the Square - not of its topography, but of its people, an extraordinary array of characters who have borne witness to and been pivotal in some of the most scandalous episodes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is a story replete with mysterious deaths, espionage, illicit love affairs, glamour, politics and scandal - from Oswald Moseley, the Carry On gang and Profumo to allegations of VIP sexual abuse rings. A saga of colour and shade, populated by a cast of Dickens-esque larger-than-life characters, that shines a light on the evolving nature of British politics and society over the last century.
Daniel Smith was born in London in 1976 and studied English and History at Cardiff University. He began a career in publishing shortly after graduating, which included a stint working in Kolkata, India. He has been a contributor to The Statesman’s Yearbook, a geo-political guide to the world published annually since 1854, for twenty years.
He wrote his first book, The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide, in 2009 and has subsequently written over 30 non-fiction titles, for both adults and children. He is the author of the best-selling How to Think Like… biographical ...
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Simon Danczuk is originally from Hapton in Lancashire. Leaving school at 16, he worked in factories for several years, before going back to study and eventually gaining a degree in sociology, as a mature student, at Lancaster University. With a keen interest in politics, he was elected to Blackburn Council at the age of 27, though stood down eight years later to concentrate on business.
In 2010 Simon won the Rochdale Parliamentary seat for Labour and remained the MP until 2017. During this time, he co-authored ‘Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith’, which ...
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