An Old Documentary about...LEEDS!!!

If you *love* Leeds, or you're curious, or if you're just interested in architecture & history (notably Victorian), this little film made 41 years ago is really cool!

Sir John Betjeman was Britain's poet laureate from 1972-1984.  He was also a huge proponent of architectural preservation - partial to the Victorian era, and vociferously opposed the thoughtless modern concrete block buildings built in the 1960s-70s that now blight many areas of the country (including our fair Leeds--I work in such an eyesore!)..."Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough" and all that (he wrote that, btw, long before The Office was on tele). 

They screened this (A Poet Goes North) last autumn at the Leeds Town Hall, and you can watch it online now!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2009/02/12/yorks_lincs_betjeman_s15_w6_video_feature.shtml

Sadly, the fantastic Temple Mill shown in the documentary - the roof started to collapse in December (2008) - hopefully, the funds will be found to save it!  (It's right next door to where DH works.  There's a sheep sculpture in front of the place that DH works - in honour of the sheep that used to graze on top of Temple Mill.)

I  Leeds!

OH - and the Whitelocks pub shown in the film is still there!!!  I've gone a couple times, and it - along with The Victoria (another great old pub not in the film) - are both lovely, historic & simply amazing!!

They really should pay you to be the Leeds ambassador! 

I do like this sort of thing though and will try to check it out. Thanks for the link!