28 May John Betjeman

John Betjeman was the UK’s Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death in 1984. His popularity is based on his poems, which are approachable and often humorous, and his many appearances on television. These days he might best be remembered for his blank verse autobiography, Summoned by Bells (1960). Betjeman was a defender of Victorian architecture and lover of railways. He led the movement to save London’s St Pancras station, a masterpiece of Victorian architecture, from demolition. He’s honored there with a wonderful bronze statue.

Other commemorations of Betjeman include a memorial window and plaque in All Saints’ Church, Farnborough, Berkshire. He lived for a time in the nearby Rectory. In Wantage, Oxfordshire, where he lived from 1951 to 1972, there’s the Betjeman Millennium Park. He’s also honored in Wantage with a bust based on the St Pancras statue outside the local Vale of Downland Museum. In London, Betjeman is commemorated with a memorial tablet in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. Betjeman died at his home in Trebetherick, Cornwall, in 1984 at the age of 77. He’s buried in nearby St Enodoc’s Church.