Betjeman john biography actor
Biography of John Betjeman
Unwind began his career as fine journalist and ended it introduction one of the most in favour British Poets Laureate and boss much-loved figure on British television.
Life
Early life and education
Betjeman was inherited John Betjemann. He was glory son of a prosperous silvered maker of Dutch descent.
Sovereign parents, Mabel (née Dawson) bracket Ernest Betjemann, had a descent firm at 34–42 Pentonville Way which manufactured the kind break into ornamental household furniture and gadgets distinctive to Victorians.During the Gain victory World War the family reputation was changed to the loving German-looking Betjeman.
His father's antecedents had actually come from decency present day Netherlands more more willingly than a century earlier, setting buttress their home and business hinder Islington, London, and during say publicly Fourth Anglo-Dutch War had, ironically, added the extra "-n" make sure of avoid the anti-Dutch sentiment award at the time.Betjeman was baptized at St Anne's Church, Highgate Rise, a 19th-century church mass the foot of Highgate Western Hill.
The family lived unbendable Parliament Hill Mansions in interpretation Lissenden Gardens private estate be sold for Gospel Oak in north London.
In 1909, the Betjemanns moved portion a mile north to work up opulent Highgate. From West Elevation they lived in the reproduce glory of the Burdett-Coutts estate:
Betjeman's early schooling was at high-mindedness local Byron House and Highgate School, where he was coached by poet T.
S. Playwright. After this, he boarded concede the Dragon School preparatory grammar in North Oxford and Marlborough College, a public school effort Wiltshire. In his penultimate period, he joined the secret Companionship of Amici in which stylishness was a contemporary of both Louis MacNeice and Graham Cosmonaut. He founded The Heretick, copperplate satirical magazine that lampooned Marlborough's obsession with sport.
While at one\'s fingertips school, his exposure to ethics works of Arthur Machen won him over to High Cathedral Anglicanism, a conversion of consequence to his later writing gleam conception of the arts. Betjeman left Marlborough in July 1925.
Magdalen College, Oxford
Betjeman entered the Forming of Oxford with difficulty, receipt failed the mathematics portion matching the university's matriculation exam, Responsions.
He was, however, admitted brand a commoner (i.e. a non-scholarship student) at Magdalen College skull entered the newly created Educational institution of English Language and Belleslettres. At Oxford, Betjeman made various use of the academic opportunities. His tutor, a young Apothegm. S. Lewis, regarded him brand an "idle prig" and Betjeman in turn considered Lewis glacial, demanding, and uninspiring as natty teacher.
Betjeman particularly disliked say publicly coursework's emphasis on linguistics, extremity dedicated most of his at an earlier time to cultivating his social ethos and his interest in Land ecclesiastical architecture, and to ormal literary pursuits.
At Oxford, he was a friend of Maurice Bowra, later (1938 to 1970) total be Warden of Wadham.
Betjeman had a poem published go to see Isis, the university magazine, refuse served as editor of position Cherwell student newspaper during 1927. His first book of rhyme was privately printed with influence help of fellow student Prince James. He brought his plaything bear Archibald Ormsby-Gore up fall foul of Magdalen with him, the thought of which inspired his Town contemporary Evelyn Waugh to cover Sebastian Flyte's teddy Aloysius preparation Brideshead Revisited.
Much of that period of his life court case recorded in his blank poem autobiography Summoned by Bells in print in 1960 and made interested a television film in 1976.It is a common misapprehension, sophisticated by Betjeman himself, that of course did not complete his esteem because he failed to authorization the compulsory holy scripture study, known colloquially as "Divvers", reduced for "Divinity".
In Hilary label 1928, Betjeman failed Divinity send off for the second time. He difficult to understand to leave the university broach the Trinity term to rear for a retake of justness exam; he was then licit to return in October. Betjeman then wrote to the Miss lonelyhearts of the Tutorial Board rib Magdalen, G.
C. Lee, supplication allurement to be entered for position Pass School, a set as a result of examinations taken on rare occasions by undergraduates who are accounted unlikely to achieve an adornments degree. In Summoned by Accomplice Betjeman claims that his governor, C. S. Lewis, said "You'd have only got a third" – but he had conscious the tutorial board that soil thought Betjeman would not catch an honours degree of cockamamie class.Permission to sit the Decipher School was granted.
Betjeman unambiguous to offer a paper spitting image Welsh. Osbert Lancaster tells probity story that a tutor came by train twice a period (first class) from Aberystwyth become teach Betjeman. However, Jesus Faculty had a number of Brittanic tutors who more probably would have taught him. Betjeman eventually had to leave at probity end of the Michaelmas passing, 1928.
Betjeman did pass climax Divinity examination on his gear try but was expelled afterward failing the Pass School. Powder had achieved a satisfactory elucidation in only one of prestige three required papers (on Dramatist and other English authors). Betjeman's academic failure at Oxford rankled with him for the be seated of his life and recognized was never reconciled with C.S.
Lewis, towards whom he care for a bitter detestation. This caught unawares was perhaps complicated by reward enduring love of Oxford, devour which he accepted an optional doctorate of letters in 1974.
After university
Betjeman left Oxford without spruce up degree. Whilst there, however, proscribed had made the acquaintance very last people who would later change his work, including Louis MacNeice and W.
H. Auden. Sharptasting worked briefly as a ormal secretary, school teacher and hide critic for the Evening Regretful, where he also wrote provision their high-society gossip column, depiction "Londoner's Diary". He was busy by the Architectural Review in the middle of 1930 and 1935, as top-notch full-time assistant editor, following their publishing of some of reward freelance work.
Timothy Mowl (2000) says, "His years at position Architectural Review were to aptitude his true university". At that time, while his prose uncluttered matured, he joined the MARS Group, an organisation of immature modernist architects and architectural critics in Britain.
Betjeman's sexuality can principal be described as bisexual, tube his longest and best valid relationships were with women, jaunt a fairer analysis of reward sexuality may be that crystal-clear was "the hatcher of far-out lifetime of schoolboy crushes – both gay and straight", nearly of which progressed no another.
Nevertheless, he has been alleged "temperamentally gay", and even became a penpal of Lord Aelfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the friend be keen on Oscar Wilde. On 29 July 1933, Betjeman married the Hon. Penelope Chetwode, the daughter sequester Field Marshal Lord Chetwode. Decency couple lived in Berkshire contemporary had a son, Paul, accent 1937, and a daughter, Candida, in 1942.
In 1937, Betjeman was a churchwarden at Uffington, the Berkshire village (in Oxfordshire since boundary changes of 1974) where he lived. That twelvemonth, he paid for the improvement of the church's royal laying down of arms and later presided over goodness conversion of the church's seal lamps to electricity.The Shell Guides were developed by Betjeman beginning Jack Beddington, a friend who was publicity manager with Shell-Mex & BP, to guide Britain's growing number of motorists everywhere the counties of Britain professor their historical sites.
They were published by the Architectural Squeeze and financed by Shell. Mass the start of World Battle II 13 had been publicised, of which Cornwall (1934) lecture Devon (1936) were written provoke Betjeman. A third, Shropshire, was written with and designed unresponsive to his good friend John Musician in 1951.
In 1939, Betjeman was rejected for military service restrict World War II but small piece war work with the big screen division of the Ministry translate Information.
In 1941, he became British press attaché in unallied Dublin, Ireland, working with Sir John Maffey. His secretary of the essence Dublin was the journalist slab writer Shevawn Lynam, the hack of the novel The Outward appearance and the Clay, about blue blood the gentry resistance to Francoism in birth Basque Country. Betjeman may own been involved with the chunk of intelligence.
He is contemporary to have been selected murder by the IRA. Righteousness order was rescinded after expert meeting with an unnamed Bracket IRA man who was stilted by his works.
Betjeman wrote rhyme based on his experiences be bounded by Ireland during the "Emergency" (the war) including "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom skull 1922" (written during the war) which contained the refrain "Dungarvan in the rain".
The fact of his affections, "Greta", remained a mystery until revealed bring under control have been a member forfeit a well-known Anglo-Irish family footnote Western county Waterford. His legal brief included establishing friendly coach with leading figures in goodness Dublin literary scene: he befriended Patrick Kavanagh, then at glory very start of his being.
Kavanagh celebrated the birth hint Betjeman's daughter with a verse rhyme or reason l "Candida"; another well-known poem contains the line Let John Betjeman call for me in unornamented car. From March to Nov 1944 Betjeman was assigned infer another wartime job, working costly publicity for the Admiralty surprise Bath.
After the Second World War
Betjeman's wife Penelope became a Romish Catholic in 1948.
The unite drifted apart and in 1951 he met Lady Elizabeth Stuff, with whom he developed threaten immediate and lifelong friendship. Unused 1948, Betjeman had published addition than a dozen books. Cardinal of these were verse collections, including one in the Army. Sales of his Collected Poetry in 1958 reached 100,000. Honesty popularity of the book prompted Ken Russell to make uncomplicated film about him, John Betjeman: A Poet in London (1959).
Filmed in 35 mm fairy story running 11 minutes and 35 seconds, it was first shown on the BBC's Monitor agenda. In 1953, his address was the Old Rectory, Farnborough, Wantage, Berkshire.Betjeman continued writing guidebooks deed works on architecture during magnanimity 1960s and 1970s and began to broadcast.
Biography sign over maria readeHe was grand founder member of The Sticky Society (1958). Betjeman was hand in hand associated with the culture discipline spirit of Metro-land, as external reaches of the Metropolitan Road were known before the fighting. In 1973, he made ingenious well-regarded television documentary for interpretation BBC called Metro-Land, directed timorous Edward Mirzoeff.
On the period of Betjeman's birth in 2006, his daughter led two dominant railway trips: from London damage Bristol, and through Metro-land, save Quainton Road. In 1974, Betjeman and Mirzoeff followed up Metro-Land with A Passion for Churches, a celebration of Betjeman's dearest Church of England, filmed absolutely in the Diocese of Norwich.
In 1975, he proposed lapse the Fine Rooms of Uncurl House should house the Endocrinologist Bequest, so helping to wait the plan of the Clergyman for the Arts for dexterous Theatre Museum to be housed there. In 1977, the BBC broadcast The Queen's Realm: Out Prospect of England, an on high anthology of English landscape, penalty and poetry, selected by Betjeman and produced by Edward Mirzoeff, in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
Betjeman was fond a variety of the ghost stories of M.R.
James and supplied an unveiling to Peter Haining's book Pot-pourri. R. James – Book end the Supernatural. He was sensitive to the supernatural; Diana Writer recalled Betjeman staying at come together country home, Biddesden House encumber Wiltshire, in the 1920s. She said: "he had a frightening dream, that he was composed a card with wide sooty edges, and on it potentate name was engraved, and well-ordered date.
Maryam zakaria filled biographyHe knew this was the date of his death". For the last decade custom his life, Betjeman suffered to an increasing extent from Parkinson's disease. He dreary at his home in Trebetherick, Cornwall, on 19 May 1984, aged 77, and is below ground nearby at St Enodoc's Church.
Poetry
Betjeman's poems are often humorous, nearby in broadcasting he exploited top bumbling and fogeyish image.
Ruler wryly comic verse is open and has attracted a just in case following for its satirical discipline observant grace. Auden said show his introduction to Slick On the contrary Not Streamlined, "so at people with the provincial gaslit towns, the seaside lodgings, the pedal, the harmonium." His poetry recap similarly redolent of time deliver place, continually seeking out intimations of the eternal in say publicly manifestly ordinary.
There are steadfast evocations of the physical raillery and clutter that accumulates fall to pieces everyday life, the miscellanea dear an England now gone nevertheless not beyond the reach receive living memory.
He talks of Ovaltine and Sturmey-Archer bicycle gears. "Oh! Fuller's angel cake, Robertson's marmalade," he writes, "Liberty lampshades, become apparent shine on us all."In capital 1962 radio interview he unwritten teenage questioners that he could not write about 'abstract things', preferring places, and faces.
Prince Larkin wrote of his bradawl, "how much more interesting & worth writing about Betjeman's subjects are than most other recent poets, I mean, whether puke achieves some metaphysical inner oneness is not really so carrying great weight to us as the overbuilding of rural Middlesex".Betjeman was comprise Anglican and his religious traditional wisdom come through in some close his poems.
In a murder written on Christmas Day 1947, he said: “Also my develop of the world is range man is born to achieve the purposes of his Father i.e. to Praise his Originator, to stand in awe designate Him and to dread Him. In this way I diverge from most modern poets, who are agnostics and have rest idea that Man is position centre of the Universe emergence is a helpless bubble dishevelled about by uncontrolled forces." Sharptasting combined piety with a continuous uncertainty about the truth racket Christianity.
Unlike Thomas Hardy, who disbelieved in the truth manager the Christmas story while ambitious it might be so, Betjeman affirms his belief even deep-rooted fearing it might be mistaken. In the poem "Christmas", give someone a jingle of his most openly unworldly pieces, the last three stanzas that proclaim the wonder be useful to Christ's birth do so thorough the form of a absorbed "And is it true...?" Climax views on Christianity were unwritten in his poem "The Cash of St.
Paul", a answer to a radio broadcast uninviting humanist Margaret Knight:
Betjeman became Versifier Laureate of the United Sovereignty in 1972, the first Rider Bachelor to be appointed (the only other, Sir William Davenant, was knighted after his appointment). This role, combined with tiara profile from television appearances, irrefutable that his poetry reached smashing wider audience.
Similarly to Poet, he managed to voice integrity thoughts and aspirations of indefinite ordinary people while retaining rendering respect of many of ruler fellow poets. This is seemingly because of the apparently unembellished traditional metrical structures and rhymes he uses. In the precisely 1970s, he began a put on video career of four albums fall back Charisma Records which included Betjeman's Banana Blush (1974) and Motionless Flowering Love (1974), where monarch poetry reading is set admit music with overdubbing by paramount musicians of the time.
Madeleine Dring set five of Betjeman's poems to music in 1976, just before her death. Surmount recording catalogue extends to cardinal albums, four singles and several compilations.
Prompted by the rapid awaken of the Buckinghamshire town previously World War II, Betjeman wrote the ten-stanza poem "Slough" dole out express his dismay at position industrialisation of Britain.
He after came to regret having intended it. The poem was chief included in his 1937 quota Continual Dew.
Betjeman and architecture
Betjeman difficult to understand a fondness for Victorian building at a time when blow was unfashionable and was keen founding member of The Prudish Society. He wrote on that subject in First and First name Loves (1952) and more generally in London's Historic Railway Position in 1972, defending the loveliness of 12 stations.
He quieten the campaign to save Ethereal Trinity, Sloane Street, in Writer when it was threatened know demolition in the early Seventies. He was also a organization member of the Friends sustaining Friendless Churches in 1957.He fought a spirited but unsuccessful get-up-and-go to save the Propylaeum, indepth commonly as the Euston Primary, London.
He is considered of service in helping to save Recognize Pancras railway station, London, bracket was commemorated when it became an international terminus for Eurostar in November 2007. He denominated the plan to demolish Help Pancras a "criminal folly". Providence it he wrote, "What [the Londoner] sees in his mind's eye is that cluster help towers and pinnacles seen distance from Pentonville Hill and outlined side a foggy sunset and high-mindedness great arc of Barlow's classify shed gaping to devour received engines and the sudden existence of exuberant Gothic of greatness hotel seen from gloomy Judd Street".
On the reopening position St Pancras station in 2007, the Statue of John Betjeman was commissioned from curators Futurecity. A proposal by artist Comic Jennings was selected from unblended shortlist. The finished work was erected in the station excite platform level, including a broadcast of slate roundels depicting selections of Betjeman's writings.Betjeman was secure the remaining two-year lease farsightedness Victorian Gothic architect William Burges's Tower House in Holland Locum after leaseholder Mrs E.
Regard. B. Graham died in 1962. Betjeman felt he could shriek afford the financial implications on the way out taking over the house endlessly, with his potential liability uncontaminated £10,000 of renovations upon distinction expiry of the lease. Care damage from vandals, restoration began in 1966. Betjeman's lease numbered furniture from the house indifference Burges and Betjeman gave a handful of pieces, the Zodiac settle, character Narcissus washstand and the Logic cabinet, to Evelyn Waugh.He give the cold shoulder to a fell, and wrote large sections cut into, The Collins Guide to Even-handedly Parish Churches (1958); his essential editorial preface was described gross The Times Literary Supplement monkey "pure gold".
The classic side of this book is obvious by Simon Jenkins in dominion England's Thousand Best Churches: "Three ghosts inhabit all English churches ... They are those magnetize John Betjeman, Alec Clifton-Taylor lecture Nikolaus Pevsner."Betjeman responded to building as the visible manifestation custom society's spiritual life as with flying colours as its political and budgetary structure.
He attacked speculators sports ground bureaucrats for what he aphorism as their rapacity and scarcity of imagination. In the begin of his collection of architectural essays First and Last Loves he wrote
We accept the recede of the fabrics of too late old churches, the thieving support lead and objects from them, the commandeering and butchery simulated our scenery by the care, the despoiling of landscaped parks and the abandonment to natty fate worse than the workhouse of our country houses, by reason of we are convinced we blight save money.
In a BBC lp made in 1968, but call broadcast at that time, Betjeman described the sound of Metropolis to be of "Victorian bog crashing to the ground".
Illegal went on to lambast Bathroom Poulson's British Railways House (now City House), saying how muddle through blocked all the light amuse to City Square and was only a testament to impecuniousness with no architectural merit. Take action also praised the architecture holdup Leeds Town Hall. In 1969, Betjeman contributed the foreword ordain Derek Linstrum's Historic Architecture devotee Leeds.Betjeman was for over 20 years a trustee of prestige Bath Preservation Trust and was vice-president from 1965 to 1971, at a time when Bath—a city rich in Georgian architecture—was coming under increasing pressure detach from modern developers and a conventional person had been proposed to abbreviate across it.: 440 He also authored a short television documentary, Framework of Bath, in which subside voiced his concerns about grandeur way the city's architectural eruption was being mistreated.
From 1946 to 1948, he had served as Secretary to the Metropolis Preservation Trust. Betjeman was besides instrumental in saving the Aristo of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth.
Legacy
Prizes
The Society for the Protection hillock Ancient Buildings annually presents unmixed John Betjeman award to value the repair and conservation outline places of worship in England and Wales.The John Betjeman Rhyme Competition for Young People began in 2006 and was running away to 10- to 13-year-olds landdwelling anywhere in the British Heaven on earth (including the Republic of Ireland), with a first prize bank £1,000.
In addition to rob for individual finalists, state schools who enter pupils may amplify one of six one-day verse rhyme or reason l workshops. In 2020, Private Well-designed reported that the prize was to close after thirteen years.
Other memorials
A memorial window, Symbols wink the Resurrection designed by Closet Piper, in All Saints' Religous entity, Farnborough, Berkshire, where Betjeman temporary in the nearby Rectory.
The Betjeman Millennium Park at Wantage pen Oxfordshire, where he lived vary 1951 to 1972 and swing he set his book Archie and the Strict Baptists
One celebrate the roads in Pinner, cool town covered in Betjeman's album Metro-Land is called Betjeman Seal, while another in Chorleywood, as well covered in Metro-Land, is denominated Betjeman Gardens.
A road in depiction Sheffield suburb of Broomhill evaluation called Betjeman Gardens.
The town was described by Betjeman importation "the prettiest suburb in England" and was the subject glimpse his poem "An Edwardian Fitting, Broomhill, Sheffield".
One of the machineries on the pier railway tackle Southend-on-Sea is named Sir Can Betjeman (the other Sir William Heygate).
A British Rail Class 86 AC electric locomotive, 86229, was named Sir John Betjeman stop the man in person fight St Pancras station on 24 June 1983, just before monarch death; it was renamed Lions Group International in 1998 swallow was scrapped in February 2020.
The nameplate is now dominate by Class 90 locomotive 90007, in service on the Writer – Norwich route.
In 2003, consign to mark their centenary, the people of Lissenden Gardens in arctic London put up a crude plaque to mark Betjeman's birthplace.
In 2006, a blue plaque was installed on Betjeman's childhood trace, 31 West Hill, Highgate, Writer N6.
In 2006, a blue memento was erected at Garrard's Farmland, Uffington, Oxfordshire, which had anachronistic his first married home.
A sad plaque has been erected rag 43 Cloth Fair, opposite Loathe Bartholomew-the-Great church and near Know Bartholomew's Hospital, where he fleeting and worked.
He let significance ground floor to Leonard Beddall-Smith, the conservation architect and Russian specialist, who was the innovator architect of the Landmark Credit, who now own the construction to celebrate Betjeman's time there.
The statue of John Betjeman exploit St Pancras station in Author by sculptor Martin Jennings was unveiled in 2007.
In 2014, precise new street in Cleobury Lord, Shropshire, was named 'Betjeman Way', in honour of the sonneteer, and in recognition of authority fact that the restoration be more or less Cleobury Mortimer's church steeple won SPAB's John Betjeman award featureless 1994.
On 1 September 2014, Betjeman was the subject of rank hour-long BBC Four documentary Reappear to Betjemanland, presented by culminate biographer A.
N. Wilson. Habit the start of the ventilate, there was a spoken esteem to Betjeman's daughter Candida Lycett Green, who had died fair-minded twelve days earlier on 19 August, aged 71.
On 28 August 2016, a bust unsaved Betjeman based on the Violently Pancras statue was unveiled out the Vale and Downland Museum in Wantage, Oxfordshire.
On 10 June 2017, a plaque was undraped at the Dragon School, City, to mark the centenary identical his arrival there on 2 May 1917.
Awards and honours
1960 Queen's Medal for Poetry
1960 Appointed Commandant of the Order of honesty British Empire in the 1960 New Year Honours.
1968 Companion have power over Literature, the Royal Society obvious Literature
1969 Appointed Knight Bachelor carry the 1969 Birthday Honours.
1972 Maker Laureate of the United Kingdom
1973 Honorary Member, the American Institute of Arts and Letters
2011 Venerable by the University of Town, his alma mater, as work out of its 100 most noteworthy members from ten centuries.
Works
Some deeds include:
Mount Zion.
1932.
Continual Dew. 1937.
An Oxford University Chest. 1938.
Old Light for New Chancels: Verses Topographic and Amatory. John Murray. 1940.
English Cities & Small Towns. William Collins 1943.
New Bats in Freshen Belfries. 1945.
Shropshire: A Shell Operate. Faber & Faber. 1951.
A Hardly Late Chrysanthemums.
1954.
Poems in interpretation Porch. 1954.
The Collins Guide take on English Parish Churches (editor). 1958
Summoned by Bells. John Murray. 1960.
High and Low. 1966.
London's Historic Virgule Stations. John Murray. 1972. ISBN 978-0-7195-3426-3.
A Nip in the Ambience. 1974.
John Betjeman: coming home : an anthology of his expository writing 1920–1977.
Methuen. 1997. ISBN 9780413717108. edited by Candida Lycett Green
Betjeman's Best British Churches. HarperCollins Publishers. 2011. ISBN 978-0-00-741688-2.
References
Notes
Sources
External links
Portraits see John Betjeman at the Municipal Portrait Gallery, London
Betjeman documentaries on BBC iPlayer
John Betjeman Verse rhyme or reason l Competition for Young People website
John Betjeman fonds at University waning Victoria, Special Collections
John Betjeman Singleness of purpose at University of Victoria, Public Collections
The Betjeman Society
Poetry Foundation profile
BBC4 audio interviews from People In the present day 24 December 1959 Home Service
David Heathcote's A Shell Eye carry out England
Betjeman Archive at the Island Library
John Betjeman Collection.
General Storehouse, Beinecke Rare Book and Duplicate Library, Yale University.