A figure in eighteenth-century costume makes his way (flanked by a few grinning friends) to the parapet, brandishes his bell, and brings the townscape below to a rapt standstill with his stentorian declaration:

PICTURE: crier]

"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! Be it known that the opening parade of the Lyme Regis Carnival will march off from the top of Broad Street at twelve noon sharp . . .  God Save the Queen!"

The short man with the tall voice is Phil Street, present holder of the office of Town Crier. Phil—who on rainy days carries a small yellow umbrella—became national champion at the competition between fifteen town criers held at Hastings in 2003—the first time the award had been won for Lyme since 1938.