John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman (1906-84) was born in Highgate, the son of a manufacturer of Dutch descent. After university he joined the staff of the Architectural Review, thereafter working as a journalist and, during the Second World War, for various government departments.

His first book of poems, Mount Zion (1931), was followed by numerous collections, notably A Few Late Chrysanthemums (1954). His poetry enjoyed immense popularity, as did his personality, and his knighthood in 1969 and appointment as Poet Laureate in 1972 were almost universally welcomed.