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Shop nowBlack Diamonds
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Learn moreFans of Downton Abbey now have a go-to resource for fascinating, real-life stories of the spectacular lives led by England's aristocrats. With the novelistic flair and knack for historical detail that Catherine Bailey displayed in her New York Times bestseller The Secret Rooms, Black Diamonds provides a compelling chronicle of the Fitzwilliam coal-mining dynasty and their breathtaking Wentworth estate, the largest private home in England.
When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in twentieth-century England, valued at more than three billion dollars in today's money—a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family's coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it? As Bailey retraces the Fitzwilliam family history, she uncovers a legacy riddled with bitter feuds, scandals, and civil unrest, as the conflict between the coal industry and its miners came to a head.
Catherine Bailey is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Rooms. She read history at Oxford University. She is also an award-winning television producer and director, making a range of critically acclaimed documentary films inspired by her interest in twentieth-century history. Catherine lives in West London.
Gareth Armstrong is an experienced actor and voice artist. In addition to performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Globe, in the West End, and major regional theaters in the United Kingdom, he has toured over sixty countries worldwide with his solo performances and drama workshops. Gareth has recorded many radio programs, audiobooks, and dramas.