The tree was a ray of hope for Anne Frank, the famous Jewish diary writer, as she hid in the attic of a canal-side warehouse.

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Like Schoenberg in the 20th century, Porpora was well-known as a composer in London in the 1730s he was second only to Handel in popularity as a writer of operas but equally famous for his students.

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At the same time, the Dean of Westminster, Arthur Stanley, was searching for a famous writer to boost the standing of Westminster Abbey in British life, and Dickens was seen as the ideal candidate to be laid to rest in Poets' Corner.

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