John Betjeman who was born on 28th August 1906 was a champion of Metroland and its currently on the BBC IPlayer again
Metroland relates to the Metropolitan railway which from 1915 carried people from its Baker St HQ out into the leafy suburbs of north-west London and beyond. The line moves through Brent and Harrow with either Wembley or Harrow being seen as its epicentre.
While Rickmansworth is mentioned there is no mention that in 1848 it was a Chartist land settlement (the houses are still there), about 20 minutes walk from the station.
It would also be interesting to know if the annual Pinner Fair, mentioned in 1972, still exists
Metroland covers the design of the tube stations on the Metropolitan line but also a certain suburban way of life. It might well have been what Suella Braverman would call the North London Metropolitan Elite except for the reality that her family is based in Brent.
Lest too many assumptions are made, Betjeman appeared in a Labour Party Political Broadcast in 1962 and wrote the original Nooks and Corners column in Private Eye
Kmflett's Blog 
Leave a comment