To mark the opening of St Pancras International as the terminus for the High-Speed rail link, between London and Europe, a statue of Sir John Betjeman was unveiled.
John Betjeman had been an advocate of Victorian architecture and, in the 1960s, had campaigned to have St Pancras station, and the adjacent hotel, saved from demolition.
Sir John Betjeman CBE (1906-1984).
Born in London he lived in Gospel Oak until the family moved to Highgate, in 1909. T.S. Eliot was one of John's early tutors, at Highgate School. Following this he was sent to boarding school at Dragon School preparatory school, Oxford, and then Marlborough College, Wiltshire. He left Marlborough College in 1925.
His next education came when he entered Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, where one of his tutors was C.S. Lewis. Neither men seemed to get on, with C.S. Lewis stating that "Betjeman would not achieve honours in any class." Betjeman was expelled from Oxford, in 1928, after failing the Pass school and only achieving a satisfactory result in one of three required papers, Shakespeare and other English authors.
Between 1930-1935 Betjeman worked for the Architectural Review as an assistant editor.
Between 1934-1945 Betjeman lived in Uffington where he oversaw the installation of electric lights, replacing the oil lamps, in the church. He also paid to have the church's royal arms cleaned.
From 1945-1951 Betjeman lived in Farnborough and, by 1948, had published over a dozen books.
in 1958 his book, 'Collected Poems' sold over 100,000 copies, bringing it to the attention of the director Ken Russell, who made a short film, 'John Betjeman: A Poet in London', which was shown on the BBC in 1959.
Betjeman was a founding member of the Friends of Friendless Churches, in 1957, and a founding member of The Victorian Society, in 1958.
In 1967 his name was short-listed for Poet Laureate, but he lost out to Cecil Day-Lewis. Following the death of Day-Lewis, in 1972, Betjeman did indeed become Poet Laureate, remaining in the post until his death in 1984.
Although he was unsuccessful in saving the Euston Arch, he was instrumental in saving St Pancras station and its hotel.
The Statue
This larger than life bronze statue was designed by the sculptor Martin Jennings. This 2.10 m (6.9 ft) statue was cast in bronze, at the Pangolin Editions foundry in Gloucestershire, and stands on a plinth of Cumbrian slate.
Text in the slate reads:
"And in the shadowless unclouded glare, Deep blue above us fades to whiteness where, A misty sealine meets the wash of air. John Betjeman, 1906-1984, who saved this this glorious station."
The statue shows Betjeman in a suit, holding his Trilby hat, as he peers up at the grand glass roof of St Pancras station, which was designed by George Gilbert Scott.
It was unveiled in the presence of Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett Green, and Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, on November 12, 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment