SAVING THE VILLAGES SIR,—Mr. John Bctjeman deplores the decayed vil-
lages and denuded countryside that characterise so much of mid-Suffolk. But if he had gone south, towards Essex, he would have found at Stoke-by- Clare, Clare, Nayland, Stoke-by-Nayland, Dedham and many other places well over the Essex border trim villages, their houses well restored and main- taining the old East Anglian tradition of bright colour-washing, the homes now of countless ex- urbanites from London. It seems that we have to thank the commuters and retired people for the preservation of most of our best villages, and it is only in those parts, like mid-Suffolk, beyond their easy reach that the country is .going to visual decay. And such decay will continue till more local coun- cils follow the lead of the few enlightened among them (like Loddon RDC in Norfolk) and build houses which are attractive as well as cheap.—Yours faith- fully,
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