Poetry at St. Pancras

St. Pancras International will forever be linked with the world of poetry. It was saved from demolition by Sir John Betjeman, who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1972 until his death.

To celebrate our ties with poetry, not only can you enjoy a statue of John Betjeman on the upper concourse but every year we hold special poetry events supporting local schools. In recent years we've hosted The Betjeman Poetry Prize, first launched in 2006 to mark the centenary of John Betjeman's birth, the prize attracted around 3,000 entries per year from across the UK and aims to foster creativity in young people whilst discovering and encouraging the next generation of British poets.

We continued our partnership with Poet in the City in 2017 to bring a whole schedule of poetry related activities and events to the station. These included poetry buskers, a poetry workshop, the Betjeman Poetry Prize ceremony and an evening poetry performance. 

In 2019 and in anticipation of the 13th Betjeman Poetry Prize, St. Pancras International teamed up with the poetry organisation to start Track Record; a programme which aims to give students in local schools the chance to take part in a series of poetry workshops to capture their imagination and creativity.

Keep your eye on our News & Events page to be aware of our poetry events!

St.P poet laureate publishes poetry book for Coronavirus charities

Fin Perry, 14-year old St. Pancras Poet Laureate publishes a poetry book to help raise money for the nurses and care workers looking after his grandad during lockdown.

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2020 Track Record Poetry

Track Record 2020 - a community project which aims to give students in local schools the chance to take part in a series of poetry workshops to capture their imagination and creativity.

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2019 Track Record Poetry

10 local school children from Argyle Primary and Richard Cobden Primary delighted St Pancras International’s passers-by with live poetry readings performed as part of a brand-new poetry initiative named Track Record.

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The Betjeman Poetry Prize 2019

13 year-old Fin Perry is announced as the winner of the 13th Betjeman Poetry Prize at St. Pancras.

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2018 Betjeman Poetry Prize

St Pancras International announced 12 year-old Ide Crawford, as the winner of the 12th Betjeman Poetry Prize, and the station’s fourth ‘St Pancras Laureate’.

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