Sir John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman (1906-84), poet laureate of England (1972-84), born in London. His memories of growing up are humorously chronicled in a verse autobiography, Summoned by Bells (1960). Starting with his Ghastly Good Taste in 1933, he wrote numerous works on English architecture and popular guides to old churches and other landmarks.

Betjeman was called the bard of nostalgia for his lyrical skill at evoking the past, particularly the moods and images of actual places—gaslit depots and red-brick Victorian houses. A militant preservationist, he aimed his poetic wit at those who, in the name of progress, threatened to despoil the English countryside.