In praise of settlement …

…John Betjeman's ode to seductive town by the sea | Sidmouth Herald. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Betjeman read the poem on ITV as part of a series in which he delivered poems that he had written about his favourite West Country haunts. The other places included were Clevedon, Sherborne, Marlborough, Bath, Swindon, Crewkerne, Devizes, Weston-super-Mare and Malmesbury. The list reads like a West Country railway timetable from an era before the Beeching Report. Betjeman’s affection for Sidmouth was not unique then but it was quite genuine. On the programme, Betjeman’s words were heard over the top of assorted images of the town. The films were directed by a young man, Jonathan Stedall, who would remain friends with Betjeman until the end of his life in 1984.