Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...

from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of

The Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

and a passionate defender of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

, helping to save

St Pancras railway station St Pancras railway station (), also known as London St Pancras or St Pancras International and officially since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is ...

from demolition. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.

Life

Early life and education

Betjeman was born John Betjemann. He was the son of a prosperous silverware maker of Dutch descent. His parents, Mabel (''née'' Dawson) and Ernest Betjemann, had a family firm at 34–42

Pentonville Road Pentonville Road is a road in Central London that runs west to east from Kings Cross to City Road at The Angel, Islington. The road is part of the London Inner Ring Road and part of the boundary of the London congestion charge zone. The road ...

which manufactured the kind of ornamental household furniture and gadgets distinctive to

Victorians In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

. During the First World War the family name was changed to the less German-looking Betjeman. His father's forebears had actually come from the present day

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

more than a century earlier, setting up their home and business in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London, and during the

Fourth Anglo-Dutch War The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War ( nl, Vierde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog; 1780–1784) was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, contemporary with the War of American Independence (1775-1783), broke out over ...

had, ironically, added the extra "-n" to avoid the anti-Dutch sentiment existing at the time. Betjeman was baptised at St Anne's Church, Highgate Rise, a 19th-century church at the foot of Highgate West Hill. The family lived at

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectu ...

Mansions in the

Lissenden Gardens Lissenden Gardens is a small inner urban area in north London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south east of Hampstead Heath. History Lissenden Gardens was built between 1898 and 1906 by the Armstrong family. Alfred Armstrong was the so ...

private estate in

Gospel Oak Gospel Oak is an inner urban area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to t ...

in north London. In 1909, the Betjemanns moved half a mile north to more opulent

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. From West Hill they lived in the reflected glory of the Burdett-Coutts estate: Betjeman's early schooling was at the local Byron House and

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is an English co-educational, fee-charging, independent day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate ...

, where he was taught by poet

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

. After this, he boarded at the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

preparatory school in North Oxford and

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

in Wiltshire. In his penultimate year, he joined the secret Society of Amici in which he was a contemporary of both

Louis MacNeice Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet and playwright, and a member of the Auden Group, which also included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis. MacNeice's body of work was widely a ...

and

Graham Shepard Graham Howard Shepard (1907–20 September 1943) was an English illustrator and cartoonist. He was the son of Ernest H. Shepard, the illustrator of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and ''The Wind in the Willows''. He was educated at Marlborough College and L ...

. He founded ''

The Heretick ''The Heretick'' is a satirical magazine published by students of Marlborough College; it was founded by the English poet John Betjeman in 1924. The magazine is published twice a year. Focusing on satire on both local and national events, its edit ...

'', a satirical magazine that lampooned Marlborough's obsession with sport. While at school, his exposure to the works of

Arthur Machen Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. Hi ...

won him over to

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

, a conversion of importance to his later writing and conception of the arts. Betjeman left Marlborough in July 1925.

Magdalen College, Oxford

Betjeman entered the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

with difficulty, having failed the mathematics portion of the university's matriculation exam,

Responsions Responsions was the first of the three examinations formerly required for acceptance for an academic degree at the University of Oxford. It was nicknamed Little Go or Smalls and was normally taken by students prior to or shortly after matriculatio ...

. He was, however, admitted as a

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

(i.e. a non-scholarship student) at

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the st ...

and entered the newly created School of English Language and Literature. At Oxford, Betjeman made little use of the academic opportunities. His tutor, a young

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

, regarded him as an "idle prig" and Betjeman in turn considered Lewis unfriendly, demanding, and uninspiring as a teacher. Betjeman particularly disliked the coursework's emphasis on linguistics, and dedicated most of his time to cultivating his social life and his interest in English ecclesiastical architecture, and to private literary pursuits. At Oxford, he was a friend of

Maurice Bowra Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra, (; 8 April 1898 – 4 July 1971) was an English classical scholar, literary critic and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the Univer ...

, later (1938 to 1970) to be Warden of Wadham. Betjeman had a poem published in ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

'', the university magazine, and served as editor of the '' Cherwell'' student newspaper during 1927. His first book of poems was privately printed with the help of fellow student

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

. He brought his teddy bear

Archibald Ormsby-Gore Archibald Ormsby-Gore, better known as Archie, was the teddy-bear of English poet laureate John Betjeman. Together with a toy elephant known as Jumbo, he was a lifelong companion of Betjeman's. Betjeman brought his bear with him when he went to u ...

up to Magdalen with him, the memory of which inspired his Oxford contemporary

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

to include

Sebastian Flyte ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

's teddy

Aloysius Aloysius ( ) is a given name. Etymology It is a List of Latinised names, Latinisation of the names Alois, Louis (given name), Louis, Lewis (given name), Lewis, Luis, Luigi (name), Luigi, Ludwig (given name), Ludwig, and other cognates (traditio ...

in ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

''. Much of this period of his life is recorded in his

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and P ...

autobiography ''

Summoned by Bells ''Summoned by Bells'', the blank verse autobiography by John Betjeman, describes his life from his early memories of a middle-class home in Edwardian Hampstead, London, to his premature departure from Magdalen College, Oxford. The book was firs ...

'' published in 1960 and made into a television film in 1976. It is a common misapprehension, cultivated by Betjeman himself, that he did not complete his degree because he failed to pass the compulsory holy scripture examination, known colloquially as "Divvers", short for "Divinity". In

Hilary term Hilary term is the second academic term of the University of OxfordTrinity term to prepare for a retake of the exam; he was then allowed to return in October. Betjeman then wrote to the Secretary of the Tutorial Board at Magdalen, G. C. Lee, asking to be entered for the Pass School, a set of examinations taken on rare occasions by undergraduates who are deemed unlikely to achieve an

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

. In ''

'' Betjeman claims that his tutor, C. S. Lewis, said "You'd have only got a third" – but he had informed the tutorial board that he thought Betjeman would not achieve an honours degree of any class. Permission to sit the Pass School was granted. Betjeman decided to offer a paper in Welsh.

Osbert Lancaster Sir Osbert Lancaster, CBE (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author. He was known for his cartoons in the British press, and for his lifelong work to inform the general p ...

tells the story that a tutor came by train twice a week (first class) from

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

to teach Betjeman. However, Jesus College had a number of Welsh tutors who more probably would have taught him. Betjeman finally had to leave at the end of the

Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...

, 1928. Betjeman did pass his Divinity examination on his third try but was expelled after failing the Pass School. He had achieved a satisfactory result in only one of the three required papers (on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and other English authors). Betjeman's academic failure at Oxford rankled with him for the rest of his life and he was never reconciled with C.S. Lewis, towards whom he nursed a bitter detestation. This situation was perhaps complicated by his enduring love of Oxford, from which he accepted an honorary

doctorate of letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

in 1974.

After university

Wadebridge, The John Betjeman Centre Memorabilia Room - geograph

Betjeman left Oxford without a degree. Whilst there, however, he had made the acquaintance of people who would later influence his work, including

and

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

. He worked briefly as a private secretary, school teacher and film critic for the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', where he also wrote for their high-society gossip column, the "

Londoner's Diary "Londoner's Diary" is a gossip column in the London ''Evening Standard''. Since 1916 the column has provided readers with witty and mischievous insights into high society; from political scandals and literary feuds to the backstage gossip at fas ...

". He was employed by the ''

Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism � ...

'' between 1930 and 1935, as a full-time assistant editor, following their publishing of some of his freelance work.

Timothy Mowl Professor Timothy Mowl FSA (born 1951) is an architectural and landscape historian. He is Emeritus Professor of History of Architecture and Designed Landscapes at the University of Bristol. He is also Director of AHC Consultants. He was awarded th ...

(2000) says, "His years at the ''Architectural Review'' were to be his true university". At this time, while his prose style matured, he joined the

MARS Group The Modern Architectural Research Group, or MARS Group, was a British architectural think tank founded in 1933 by several prominent architects and architectural critics of the time involved in the British modernist movement. The MARS Group came afte ...

, an organisation of young modernist architects and architectural critics in Britain. Betjeman's sexuality can best be described as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, and his longest and best documented relationships were with women, and a fairer analysis of his sexuality may be that he was "the hatcher of a lifetime of schoolboy crushes – both gay and straight", most of which progressed no further. Nevertheless, he has been considered "temperamentally gay", and even became a penpal of Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the friend of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. On 29 July 1933, Betjeman married the Hon.

Penelope Chetwode Penelope Valentine Hester Chetwode, Lady Betjeman (14 February 1910 – 11 April 1986) was an English travel writer. She was the only daughter of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, Lord Chetwode, and the wife of poet laureate Sir J ...

, the daughter of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Lord Chetwode. The couple lived in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

and had a son, Paul, in 1937, and a daughter, Candida, in 1942. In 1937, Betjeman was a

churchwarden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

Uffington Uffington is the name of several places: ; England *Uffington, Lincolnshire :* Uffington and Barnack railway station :* Uffington Rural District *Uffington, Oxfordshire :* Uffington railway station (Uffington Junction) *Uffington, Shropshire ;Un ...

, the Berkshire village (in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

since boundary changes of 1974) where he lived. That year, he paid for the cleaning of the church's royal arms and later presided over the conversion of the church's

oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...

s to electricity. The ''

Shell Guides The Shell Guides were originally a 20th-century series of guidebooks on the counties of Britain. They were aimed at a new breed of car-driving metropolitan tourist, and for those who sought guides that were neither too serious nor too shallow and ...

'' were developed by Betjeman and

Jack Beddington John Louis Beddington (1893–1959) was a United Kingdom advertising executive, best known for his work as publicity director for Shell in the 1930s and as head of the Ministry of Information Films Division during World War II. Biography Earl ...

, a friend who was publicity manager with

Shell-Mex & BP Shell-Mex and BP Ltd was a British joint venture between petroleum companies Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) and BP. It was formed in 1932 when both companies decided to merge their United Kingdom marketing operations,Reference and contact details: GB ...

, to guide Britain's growing number of motorists around the counties of Britain and their historical sites. They were published by the Architectural Press and financed by

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

. By the start of World War II 13 had been published, of which ''

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

'' (1934) and ''

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

'' (1936) were written by Betjeman. A third, ''

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

'', was written with and designed by his good friend John Piper in 1951. In 1939, Betjeman was rejected for military service in World War II but found war work with the films division of the Ministry of Information. In 1941, he became British press attaché in neutral

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland, working with Sir John Maffey. His secretary in Dublin was the journalist and writer

Shevawn Lynam Shevawn Lynam (born Dublin, 16 April 1914 - 4 November 1998) was an Irish novelist and journalist. She was the Spanish-language specialist with the BBC and Ministry of Information (United Kingdom), Ministry of Information during World War II. ...

, the author of the novel '' The Spirit and the Clay'', about the resistance to

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

ism in the Basque Country. Betjeman may have been involved with the gathering of

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

. He is reported to have been selected for murder by the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

. The order was rescinded after a meeting with an unnamed Old IRA man who was impressed by his works. Betjeman wrote poems based on his experiences in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

during the "Emergency" (the war) including "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom in 1922" (written during the war) which contained the refrain "Dungarvan in the rain". The object of his affections, "Greta", remained a mystery until revealed to have been a member of a well-known

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

family of Western

county Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

. His official brief included establishing friendly contacts with leading figures in the Dublin literary scene: he befriended

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel '' Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life t ...

, then at the very start of his career. Kavanagh celebrated the birth of Betjeman's daughter with a poem "Candida"; another well-known poem contains the line ''Let John Betjeman call for me in a car''. From March to November 1944 Betjeman was assigned to another wartime job, working on publicity for the Admiralty in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

After the Second World War

Betjeman's wife Penelope became a Roman Catholic in 1948. The couple drifted apart and in 1951 he met

Lady Elizabeth Cavendish Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Alice Cavendish (24 April 1926 – 15 September 2018) was a British noblewoman who was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth II and a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret from the late 1940s until the latter's death in 2 ...

, with whom he developed an immediate and lifelong friendship. By 1948, Betjeman had published more than a dozen books. Five of these were verse collections, including one in the USA. Sales of his ''Collected Poems'' in 1958 reached 100,000. The popularity of the book prompted

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...

to make a film about him, ''John Betjeman: A Poet in London'' (1959). Filmed in 35 mm and running 11 minutes and 35 seconds, it was first shown on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...

'' programme. In 1953, his address was the Old Rectory,

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

, Wantage, Berkshire. Betjeman continued writing guidebooks and works on architecture during the 1960s and 1970s and began to broadcast. He was a founder member of

(1958). Betjeman was closely associated with the culture and spirit of

Metro-land Metro-land (or Metroland) is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century that were served by the Metropolita ...

, as outer reaches of the

Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...

were known before the war. In 1973, he made a well-regarded television documentary for the BBC called ''

Metro-Land Metro-land (or Metroland) is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century that were served by the Metropolita ...

'', directed by

Edward Mirzoeff Edward Mirzoeff CVO, CBE (born 11 April 1936) is a prominent British television producer and documentary filmmaker. Early life Mirzoeff won an Open Scholarship in Modern History to The Queen's College, Oxford in 1953, obtaining a BA (Oxon) in 1 ...

. On the centenary of Betjeman's birth in 2006, his daughter led two celebratory railway trips: from London to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, and through

, to

Quainton Road Quainton Road railway station was opened in 1868 in under-developed countryside near Quainton, in the English county of Buckinghamshire, from London. Built by the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway, it was the result of pressure from the 3rd ...

. In 1974, Betjeman and Mirzoeff followed up ''Metro-Land'' with '' A Passion for Churches'', a celebration of Betjeman's beloved

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, filmed entirely in the

Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England that forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. History It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of the Bishop of the East A ...

. In 1975, he proposed that the Fine Rooms of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

should house the

Turner Bequest Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

, so helping to scupper the plan of the Minister for the Arts for a

Theatre Museum The Theatre Museum in the Covent Garden district of London, England, was the United Kingdom's national museum of the performing arts. It was a branch of the UK's national museum of applied arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum. It opened in 1974 ...

to be housed there. In 1977, the BBC broadcast ''The Queen's Realm: A Prospect of England'', an aerial anthology of English landscape, music and poetry, selected by Betjeman and produced by Edward Mirzoeff, in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Betjeman memorial

Betjeman was fond of the ghost stories of

M.R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...

and supplied an introduction to Peter Haining's book ''M. R. James – Book of the Supernatural''. He was susceptible to the supernatural;

Diana Mitford Diana, Lady Mosley (''née'' Freeman-Mitford; 17 June 191011 August 2003) was one of the Mitford sisters. In 1929 she married Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, with whom she was part of the Bright Young Things social group o ...

recalled Betjeman staying at her country home,

Biddesden House Biddesden House (or Biddesden Park) is a Listed building, Grade I listed English country house in east Wiltshire, about north-west of Andover, Hampshire. The house stands in parkland about east of Ludgershall, Wiltshire, Ludgershall village, ...

in Wiltshire, in the 1920s. She said: "he had a terrifying dream, that he was handed a card with wide black edges, and on it his name was engraved, and a date. He knew this was the date of his death". For the last decade of his life, Betjeman suffered increasingly from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. He died at his home in

Trebetherick Trebetherick ( kw, Trebedrek) is a village on the north coast of Cornwall. It is situated on the east side of the River Camel estuary approximately six miles (10 km) north of Wadebridge and half a mile (800 metres) south of Polzeath.Ordna ...

, Cornwall, on 19 May 1984, aged 77, and is buried nearby at

St Enodoc's Church St. Enodoc Church, Trebetherick (Old kw, Gwenedek, ''St. Guenedoc'') is a chapel in the parish of St Minver. It is located to the south of the village of Trebetherick, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom (). It is a Grade I listed building. Backgr ...

Poetry

Betjeman's poems are often humorous, and in broadcasting he exploited his bumbling and fogeyish image. His wryly comic verse is accessible and has attracted a great following for its satirical and observant grace. Auden said in his introduction to ''Slick But Not Streamlined'', "so at home with the provincial gaslit towns, the seaside lodgings, the bicycle, the

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

." His poetry is similarly redolent of time and place, continually seeking out intimations of the eternal in the manifestly ordinary. There are constant evocations of the physical chaff and clutter that accumulates in everyday life, the miscellanea of an England now gone but not beyond the reach of living memory. He talks of Ovaltine and Sturmey-Archer bicycle gears. "Oh! Fuller's angel cake, Robertson's marmalade," he writes, "Liberty (department store), Liberty lampshades, come shine on us all." In a 1962 radio interview he told teenage questioners that he could not write about 'abstract things', preferring places, and faces. Philip Larkin wrote of his work, "how much more interesting & worth writing about Betjeman's subjects are than most other modern poets, I mean, whether so-and-so achieves some metaphysical inner unity is not really so interesting to us as the overbuilding of rural Middlesex". Betjeman was an Anglicanism, Anglican and his religious beliefs come through in some of his poems. In a letter written on Christmas Day 1947, he said: “Also my view of the world is that man is born to fulfil the purposes of his Creator i.e. to Praise his Creator, to stand in awe of Him and to dread Him. In this way I differ from most modern poets, who are agnostics and have an idea that Man is the centre of the Universe or is a helpless bubble blown about by uncontrolled forces." He combined piety with a nagging uncertainty about the truth of Christianity. Unlike Thomas Hardy, who disbelieved in the truth of the Christmas story while hoping it might be so, Betjeman affirms his belief even while fearing it might be false. In the poem "Christmas", one of his most openly religious pieces, the last three stanzas that proclaim the wonder of Christ's birth do so in the form of a question "And is it true...?" His views on Christianity were expressed in his poem "The Conversion of St. Paul", a response to a radio broadcast by humanist Margaret K. Knight, Margaret Knight: Betjeman became Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1972, the first Knight Bachelor to be appointed (the only other, Sir William Davenant, was knighted after his appointment). This role, combined with his profile from television appearances, ensured that his poetry reached a wider audience. Similarly to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Tennyson, he managed to voice the thoughts and aspirations of many ordinary people while retaining the respect of many of his fellow poets. This is partly because of the apparently simple traditional metrical structures and rhymes he uses. In the early 1970s, he began a recording career of four albums on Charisma Records which included ''Betjeman's Banana Blush'' (1974) and ''Late Flowering Love'' (1974), where his poetry reading is set to music with overdubbing by leading musicians of the time. Madeleine Dring set five of Betjeman's poems to music in 1976, just before her death. His recording catalogue extends to nine albums, four singles and two compilations. Prompted by the rapid development of the Buckinghamshire town before World War II, Betjeman wrote the ten-stanza poem "Slough (poem), Slough" to express his dismay at the industrialisation of Britain. He later came to regret having written it. The poem was first included in his 1937 collection ''Continual Dew''.

Betjeman and architecture

John Betjeman, London, England, GB, IMG 4991 edit

Betjeman had a fondness for

at a time when it was unfashionable and was a founding member of

. He wrote on this subject in ''First and Last Loves'' (1952) and more extensively in ''London's Historic Railway Stations'' in 1972, defending the beauty of 12 stations. He led the campaign to save Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, in London when it was threatened with demolition in the early 1970s. He was also a founding member of the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1957. He fought a spirited but unsuccessful campaign to save the Propylaeum, known commonly as the Euston Arch, London. He is considered instrumental in helping to save

, London, and was commemorated when it became an international terminus for Eurostar in November 2007. He called the plan to demolish St Pancras a "criminal folly". About it he wrote, "What [the Londoner] sees in his mind's eye is that cluster of towers and pinnacles seen from Pentonville Hill and outlined against a foggy sunset and the great arc of Barlow's train shed gaping to devour incoming engines and the sudden burst of exuberant Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic of the hotel seen from gloomy Judd Street". On the reopening of St Pancras station in 2007, the Statue of John Betjeman was commissioned from curators Futurecity. A proposal by artist Martin Jennings was selected from a shortlist. The finished work was erected in the station at platform level, including a series of slate roundels depicting selections of Betjeman's writings. Betjeman was given the remaining two-year lease on Victorian Gothic architect William Burges's The Tower House, Tower House in Holland Park after leaseholder Mrs E. R. B. Graham died in 1962. Betjeman felt he could not afford the financial implications of taking over the house permanently, with his potential liability for £10,000 of renovations upon the expiry of the lease. After damage from vandals, restoration began in 1966. Betjeman's lease included furniture from the house by Burges and Betjeman gave three pieces, the Zodiac settle, the Narcissus washstand and the Philosophy cabinet, to

. He edited, and wrote large sections of, ''The Collins Guide to English Parish Churches'' (1958); his substantial editorial preface was described by ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "pure gold". The classic status of this book is acknowledged by Simon Jenkins in his ''England's Thousand Best Churches'': "Three ghosts inhabit all English churches ... They are those of John Betjeman, Alec Clifton-Taylor and Nikolaus Pevsner." Betjeman responded to architecture as the visible manifestation of society's spiritual life as well as its political and economic structure. He attacked speculators and bureaucrats for what he saw as their rapacity and lack of imagination. In the preface of his collection of architectural essays ''First and Last Loves'' he wrote In a BBC film made in 1968, but not broadcast at that time, Betjeman described the sound of Leeds to be of "Victorian buildings crashing to the ground". He went on to lambast John Poulson's British Railways House (now City House), saying how it blocked all the light out to Leeds City Square, City Square and was only a testament to money with no architectural merit. He also praised the architecture of Leeds Town Hall. In 1969, Betjeman contributed the foreword to Derek Linstrum's ''Historic Architecture of Leeds''. Betjeman was for over 20 years a trustee of the Bath Preservation Trust and was vice-president from 1965 to 1971, at a time when

—a city rich in Georgian architecture—was coming under increasing pressure from modern developers and a road had been proposed to cut across it. He also created a short television documentary, ''Architecture of Bath'', in which he voiced his concerns about the way the city's architectural heritage was being mistreated. From 1946 to 1948, he had served as Secretary to the Oxford Preservation Trust. Betjeman was also instrumental in saving the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth.

Legacy

Prizes

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings annually presents a John Betjeman award to recognise the repair and conservation of places of worship in England and Wales. The John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People began in 2006 and was open to 10- to 13-year-olds living anywhere in the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland), with a first prize of £1,000. In addition to prizes for individual finalists, state schools who enter pupils may win one of six one-day poetry workshops. In 2020, ''Private Eye'' reported that the prize was to close after thirteen years.

Other memorials

*A memorial window, ''Symbols of the Resurrection'' designed by John Piper, in All Saints' Church, Farnborough, Berkshire, where Betjeman lived in the nearby Rectory. Betjeman Park Wantage geograph-2474639-by-Bill-Nicholls

Betjeman Park Wantage geograph-2474639-by-Bill-Nicholls

*The Betjeman Millennium Park at Wantage in Oxfordshire, where he lived from 1951 to 1972 and where he set his book ''Archie and the Strict Baptists'' *One of the roads in Pinner, a town covered in Betjeman's film ''Metro-Land (1973 film), Metro-Land'' is called Betjeman Close, while another in Chorleywood, also covered in ''Metro-Land'', is called Betjeman Gardens. *A road in the Sheffield suburb of Broomhill and Sharrow Vale#Broomhill, Broomhill is called Betjeman Gardens. The suburb was described by Betjeman as "the prettiest suburb in England" and was the subject of his poem "An Edwardian Sunday, Broomhill, Sheffield". *One of the engines on the pier railway at Southend-on-Sea is named Sir John Betjeman (the other Sir_William_Heygate,_1st_Baronet, Sir William Heygate). *A British Rail Class 86 AC electric locomotive, 86229, was named ''Sir John Betjeman'' by the man in person at St Pancras station on 24 June 1983, just before his death; it was renamed ''Lions Group International'' in 1998 and was scrapped in February 2020. The nameplate was also carried by British Rail Class 90, Class 90 locomotive 90007. *In 2003, to mark their centenary, the residents of

in north London put up a blue plaque to mark Betjeman's birthplace. *In 2006, a blue plaque was installed on Betjeman's childhood home, 31 West Hill,

, London N6. *In 2006, a blue plaque was erected at Garrard's Farm, Uffington, Oxfordshire, which had been his first married home. *A blue plaque has been erected at 43 Cloth Fair, opposite St Bartholomew-the-Great church and near St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he lived and worked. He let the ground floor to Leonard Beddall-Smith, the conservation architect and Georgian specialist, who was the founder architect of the Landmark Trust, who now own the building to celebrate Betjeman's time there. *The statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras railway station, St Pancras station in London by sculptor Martin Jennings was unveiled in 2007. * In 2014, a new street in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, was named 'Betjeman Way', in honour of the poet, and in recognition of the fact that the restoration of Cleobury Mortimer's church steeple won SPAB's John Betjeman award in 1994. *On 1 September 2014, Betjeman was the subject of the hour-long BBC Four documentary ''Return to Betjemanland'', presented by his biographer A. N. Wilson. At the start of the broadcast, there was a spoken tribute to Betjeman's daughter Candida Lycett Green, who had died just twelve days earlier on 19 August, aged 71. *On 28 August 2016, a bust of Betjeman based on the St Pancras statue was unveiled outside the Vale and Downland Museum in Wantage, Oxfordshire. *On 10 June 2017, a plaque was unveiled at the

, Oxford, to mark the centenary of his arrival there on 2 May 1917.

Awards and honours

*1960 Queen's Medal for Poetry *1960 Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1960 New Year Honours. *1968 Companion of Literature, the Royal Society of Literature *1969 Appointed Knight Bachelor in the 1969 Birthday Honours. *1972 Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom *1973 Honorary Member, the American Academy of Arts and Letters *2011 Honoured by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, his alma mater, as one of its 100 most distinguished members from ten centuries.

Works

Some works include: *''Mount Zion''. 1932. *''Continual Dew''. 1937. *''An Oxford University Chest''. 1938. * *English Cities & Small Towns. William Collins 1943. *''New Bats in Old Belfries''. 1945. * *''A Few Late Chrysanthemums''. 1954. *''Poems in the Porch''. 1954. *''The Collins Guide to English Parish Churches'' (editor). 1958 * *''High and Low''. 1966. * *''A Nip in the Air''. 1974. * edited by Candida Lycett Green *

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * *Gardner, Kevin J. (2010) ''Betjeman and the Anglican Tradition,'' London, SPCK. * * *Green, Chris (2006). ''John Betjeman and the Railways''. Transport for London *Bevis Hillier, Hillier, Bevis (1984). ''John Betjeman: a life in pictures''. London: John Murray. *Hillier, Bevis (1988). ''Young Betjeman''. London: John Murray. . *Hillier, Bevis (2002). ''John Betjeman: new fame, new love''. London: John Murray. . *Hillier, Bevis (2004). ''Betjeman: the bonus of laughter''. London : John Murray. . *Hillier, Bevis (2006). ''Betjeman: the biography''. London: John Murray. *Candida Lycett Green, Lycett Green, Candida (Ed.) (Methuen, 1994). ''Letters: John Betjeman, Vol.1, 1926 to 1951''. London: Methuen. *Lycett Green, Candida (Ed.) (Methuen, 1995). ''Letters: John Betjeman, Vol.2, 1951 to 1984''. London: Methuen. *Lycett Green, Candida, ''Betjeman's stations'' in ''The Oldie'', September 2006 *Matthew, H.C.G. and Harrison, B. (eds), (2004). ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (vol. 5). Oxford: OUP. *Edward Mirzoeff, Mirzoeff, Edward (2006). ''Viewing notes'' for ''Metro-land'' (DVD) (24pp) *Mowl, Timothy (2000). ''Stylistic Cold Wars, Betjeman versus Pevsner''. London: John Murray. *Schroeder, Reinhard (1972). ''Die Lyrik John Betjemans''. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag. (Thesis). *Sieveking, Lancelot de Giberne (1963). ''John Betjeman and Dorset''. Dorchester: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. *Stanford, Derek (1961). ''John Betjeman, a study''. London: Neville Spearman. *Taylor-Martin, Patrick (1983). ''John Betjeman, his life and work''. London: Allen Lane. *A. N. Wilson, Wilson, A. N. (2006). ''Betjeman''. London: Hutchinson.

External links

*
Betjeman documentaries
on BBC iPlayer
John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People websiteJohn Betjeman fonds
at University of Victoria, Special Collections

at University of Victoria, Special Collections
The Betjeman SocietyPoetry Foundation profileBBC4 audio interviews from ''People Today'' 24 December 1959 Home ServiceDavid Heathcote's A Shell Eye on EnglandBetjeman Archive
at the British Library *hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.betjeman, John Betjeman Collection. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Betjeman, John 1906 births 1984 deaths 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English poets 20th-century translators Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Anglican poets British Poets Laureate Burials in Cornwall Charisma Records artists Churchwardens Civil servants in the Ministry of Information (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from Parkinson's disease Dutch–English translators English Anglicans English male poets English people of Dutch descent Knights Bachelor Literary translators Neurological disease deaths in England People educated at Byron House School People educated at Highgate School People educated at Marlborough College People educated at The Dragon School People from Camden Town People from Hampstead