About Sir John Betjeman

Betjeman was born in London in 1906. He attended The Dragon School between 1917-20. Following this he attended Marlborough college and in 1925 he became a student at Magdalen college, Oxford.

He had an interest in poetry at a early age, which he followed when he became a part of the 'literary set' at Magdalen. 1930 saw him start work with the Architectural Review and briefly in 1933 he was a film critic for the Evening Standard. In January 1937 he left the Architectural Review and started a career with Shell. About this time came his association with the BBC which was to continue until his death in 1984.

His book 'Archie and the Strict Baptist' recounts his move to Farnborough in 1945. Between 1962 and 1964 Betjeman made a series of films about the West Country for HTV. The 1970s saw John suffer from Parkinson's Disease and his last public appearance was when he named a train 'Sir John Betjeman' at St Pancras Station. He died on 19th May 1984.

From 'Summoned by Bells'

Great was my joy with London at my feet-
All London mine, five shillings in my hand
And not expected back till after tea!
Great was our joy, Ronald Hughes Wright's and mine,
To travel by the Underground all day
Between the rush hours, so that very soon
There was no station, north to Finsbury Park,
To Barking eastwards, Clapham Common south,
No temporary platform in the west
Among the Actons and Ealings, where
We had not once alighted. Metroland
Beckoned us out to lanes in beechy Bucks-
Goldschmidt and Howland (in a wooden hut
Beside the station): 'Most attractive sites
Ripe for development'; Charrington's for coal:
And not far off the neo-tudor shops.

John Betjeman (1906-84)

Andrew Motion's thoughts

Andrew describes John Betjeman as a poet of the suburbs, not of the towns. He gives a great deal of attention to the fringes of towns and London and writes about them in an affectionate mood.

This poem is a big rescue operation on an aspect of city life that other poets tended to ignore. One of the interesting things about it is the way in which it shifts register – mimicking the movement of the tube – and keeps a pretty steady pace throughout the poem.

Andrew explains how Betjeman’s style is to hit conversation mode straight away – which gives him the ability to form and shape his poems. His reputation is reader-friendly – accessible and undemanding. But beneath the apparent simplicity of the poem, Andrew sees traces of complication in his tone – is he laughing at the things he commemorates or is he taking them straight?

Content last updated: 15/07/2008

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