Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB
John Betjeman
Sign in to saveAlso known as Sir John Betjeman, John Betjeman Sir, Richard M. Farran, John, Sir Betjeman
English poet, writer and broadcaster (1906–1984)
OverviewAI-generated
John Betjeman was a British poet, translator, journalist, and literary critic born in London in 1906. He was a member of the Bright Young Things and served as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. His writing language was English, and he was educated at Magdalen College, Dragon School, Highgate School, and Marlborough College.
Betjeman received several awards, including the King’s / Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, the Albert Medal, and the title of Knight Bachelor. He was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. His notable works include *Ground plan to skyline*, *Collected poems*, *Cornwall illustrated*, *Collins guide to English parish churches*, and *The Best of Betjeman*.
He died in Cornwall in 1984 from natural causes due to Parkinson's disease. Betjeman was an Anglican and his archives are held at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the British Library. His works are part of the collection at the National Gallery of Art.
Synthesized by Vinony from 28 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, TMDb. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1906
- Died
- 1984
- Works
- 219
Top works
- Ground plan to skyline
- Collected poems
- Cornwall illustrated
- Collins guide to English parish churches
- The Best of Betjeman
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Known for
- The Private Life of the Ford Cortina — Self1982
- Late Flowering Love1981
- The Innes Book of Records — Guest1979
- Summoned by Bells — Himself1976
- A Passion for Churches — Self/Narrator1974
- Metro-Land1973
- Railways for Ever! — Narrator (voice)1970
- Marble Arch to Edgware — Self1968
- Poet Goes North — Himself1968
- Larkin and Betjeman: Down Cemetery Road — Self1964
via TMDB
Key facts
- Monarch
- Elizabeth II
- Preceded by
- Cecil Day-Lewis
- Succeeded by
- Ted Hughes
- Born
- John Betjemann , ( 1906-08-28 ) 28 August 1906, London, England
- Died
- 19 May 1984 (1984-05-19) (aged 77), Trebetherick , Cornwall, England
- Spouse
- Penelope Chetwode ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 29 July 1933</span>"}]]}'>1933 ; separated</span>"}]]}'>sep. 1972 )
- Domestic partner
- Lady Elizabeth Cavendish
- Children
- 2, including Candida Lycett Green
- Education
- Marlborough College
- Alma mater
- Magdalen College, Oxford
- Occupation
- Poet, writer, broadcaster
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Part of
- Bright Young Things
- Given name
- John
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Place of birth
- London
- Place of death
- Cornwall
- Occupation
- television presenter
- Position held
- Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- British English
- Religion
- Anglicanism
- Noble title
- Knight Bachelor
- Record label
- Charisma
- Image
- Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984).jpg
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- John Betjeman
- date of birth
- 1906-08-28
- date of death
- 1984-05-19
- medical condition
- Parkinson's disease
- cause of death
- Parkinson's disease
- manner of death
- natural causes
- archives at
- British Library
- has works in the collection
- National Gallery of Art
- writing language
- English language
- name in native language
- John Betjeman
- P12749
- Piranha Club
via Wikidata · CC0
~28 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Sir John Betjeman (/ˈbɛtʃəmən/; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and first president of The Hackney Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, helping to save St Pancras railway station 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
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “John Betjeman” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.