Cecil Day Lewis Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-1972) was an Anglo-Irish poet and the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He was a central figure in the English poetic movement of the 1930s and one of the most celebrated poets of his generation.

Born in Ireland, Day-Lewis was educated at Sherborne School and Wadham College, Oxford. His early poetry was influenced by his communist beliefs and the social and political turmoil of the 1930s. He first gained recognition with his collection “Transitional Poem” (1929) and became a member of the group of politically engaged poets known as the Auden Group, which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, and Louis MacNeice.

Throughout his career, Day-Lewis produced over 20 poetry collections, including “The Magnetic Mountain” (1933), “Word Over All” (1943), and “The Room and Other Poems” (1965). He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1968, succeeding John Masefield. In addition to his poetry, Day-Lewis was a novelist, writing under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake, and a translator of classics such as Virgil’s “Aeneid” and “Georgics.”

From 1957 until his death in 1972, Day-Lewis resided at 6 Crooms Hill in Greenwich, London. The historic borough of Greenwich, located on the south bank of the River Thames, has been home to many notable figures throughout history, including royalty, artists, and writers. It is renowned for its rich maritime heritage, the Greenwich Meridian, and the Royal Observatory.

The Blue Plaque commemorating Cecil Day-Lewis at his former Greenwich residence was erected in 1998, ensuring that his legacy as one of Britain’s most distinguished poets of the 20th century endures. Visitors to the area can now appreciate the connection between this significant literary figure and the London borough he called home.