Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire (/ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃər/ or /ˈbʌkɪŋəmʃɪər/, abbreviated Bucks; archaically the County of Buckingham) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It borders Greater London to the south east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north east and Hertfordshire to the east.

Buckinghamshire is a home county and towns such as High Wycombe, Amersham and the Chalfonts in the east and southeast of the country are parts of the London commuter belt, forming some of the most densely-populated parts of the county. Development in this region is restricted by the Metropolitan Green Belt. Other large settlements include the county town of Aylesbury, Marlow in the south near the Thames and Princes Risborough in the west near Oxford. Some areas without direct rail links to London, such as around the old county town of Buckingham and near Olney in the northeast, are much less populous. The largest town is Milton Keynes in the northeast, which with the surrounding area is administered as a unitary authority separately to the rest of Buckinghamshire. The remainder of the county is administered by Buckinghamshire County Council as a non-metropolitan county. In national elections, Buckinghamshire is considered a reliable supporter of the Conservative party.

Escape to the Country

Escape to the Country is a British daytime television programme which premieres on network BBC One and is repeated on BBC Two, and airs internationally in syndication.

Overview

There are two versions of each episode produced. A shorter 45-minute version with only 3 houses shown and a longer 60-minute version. The short version usually airs on BBC Two weekday afternoons (in the 15:00, 15:45 or 17:15 slots) and the longer on BBC One weekdays at 10:00 or BBC Two evenings at 19:00. Escape to the Country is often credited as being the forerunner of other shows such as A Place in the Sun. Repeat episodes are shown on Home.

Series 1 to 5

Produced by Boundless, part of FremantleMedia UK and shown to air from 2002, the basic premise of the show is that a person/family wishes to relocate from their current city home to a more peaceful and rural retreat. It is then the job of the show's presenter to find four houses for the family to view via laptop computer in their own homes. The family must then choose two out of the four houses to go and view for themselves. In addition, there is also the option of choosing the presenter's 'mystery house'.

John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman, CBE (/ˈbɛtʃəmən/; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack". He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1972 until his death.

He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.

Life

Early life and education

Betjeman was born "John Betjemann". His parents, Mabel (née Dawson) and Ernest Betjemann, had a family firm at 34–42 Pentonville Road which manufactured the kind of ornamental household furniture and gadgets distinctive to Victorians.

He changed his name to the less German-looking "Betjeman" during the First World War. His father's forebears had actually come from the present day Netherlands and had, ironically, added the extra -n during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War to avoid the anti-Dutch sentiment existing at the time more than a century earlier, setting up their home and business in Islington, London.