IT was bitterly cold when poet Robert Seatter arrived to live in a graveyard cottage near Wallingford.

The freezing temperatures inspired the 60-year-old to write a book of verse - and get the central heating working at the historic home in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.

The writer, who is is head of BBC History, is celebrating the publication of his latest collection of poems called The Book of Snow, reflecting the chilly surroundings at the 16th century cottage at St James's Church graveyard.

Mr Seatter, who studied literature at Oxford University's Lincoln College, said: "I wanted somewhere to write and I found this tiny cottage in the graveyard.

"It has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom and it was rather cold - I had to get the central heating working straight away and I also had the roof re-done.

"This is my fourth collection of poetry and some of the residents in the village have been very been supportive - they all bought copies and I gave a reading at the church at the end of last year."

Mr Seatter, who is single and a former teacher and actor, said people found snow 'fascinating', including its sudden arrival and departure and its way of transforming the everyday world.

He added: "I was even more struck by this when I moved from London to South Oxfordshire six or so years ago, to live in the cottage.

"I think the cottage is very old, dating back to the 16th century, and it must have been used at one point by church workers.

"I decided to write a book using the image of snow to describe the arc of a relationship, from start to finish, from good to bad, and I was very much influenced by the transforming effects of the winter-bound place where I was living and writing.

"As the opening poem says: 'This is someone else’s weather/I can feel it in my mouth/my foreign, forgetful hands:/how dazed I am in this place I know'."

Mr Seatter worked on the new collection, featuring about 40 poems, with artist Jessica Palmer and graphic designer Sally James.

The writer added: "The poems are accompanied by artwork and as well as writing them I have written about the artwork as well.

"I wanted to create a book that looked striking and different on every page and that was a thing of curiosity and interest - even beauty."

The Book of Snow by Robert Seatter is published by Two Rivers Press, price £9.99 and is for sale on Amazon and at The Wallingford Bookshop.