The Xtra Diary -Poetic justice for John Heath-Stubbs - Friends gather to honour Torriano poet with plaque in Westbourne Park
Published: 29 October, 2010
“Blackbirds incontestably sang and the people were beautiful,” wrote the late poet John Heath-Stubbs.
Four years after his death in 2006, birdsong was absent and the crowd of poets, friends and writers gathered to honour him with a plaque at the Westbourne Park house where he lived no longer fit the conventional definition of beautiful.
His poet contemporaries, Oliver Bernard, Eddie Lindon, Dinah Livingstone and Alan Brownjohn read some of his most famous works on the steps of the house in Artesian Road on Wednesday.
Heath-Stubbs was one of the leading poets of the 20th century. He maintained a prolific output throughout his life despite going blind and is best known for his verse influenced by classical myths and the long Arthurian poem Artorius.
Bernard Saint, a close friend of the poet who helped raise the money for the plaque, said: “For us he was our Dr Johnson. To be in his presence was to be uplifted. There was a tacit assumption that his friends possessed the same telescope of polymath and poetry that he did and that brought us all closer together.”
His friend and executor of his estate, Westminster Labour councillor Guthrie McKie, said: “It is fitting that he joins two poets in the area that greatly influenced his work, AE Housman and Constantine Cavafy.”
Pop star fights for law!
IS this the end of Dave Rowntree’s political odyssey? The Blur musician, who went door to door fighting to win the Cities of London and Westminster seat for Labour before the general election in May, this week cast doubt on the prospects of Britain getting its first drumming Prime Minister.
The 46-year-old, who was soundly beaten in the safe Tory seat, said: “I’m concentrating on becoming a solicitor.” So is it all over, Dave? “We’ll see,” he said. Rowntree told how he is often faced with puzzled looks over his eclectic professional pursuits. “When I tell them what I’m doing, people say, ‘why?’. I’m an unlikely pop star,” he sighed.
Duchess hostel backlash
SOHO’S great and the good have condemned proposals to transform a historic women’s hostel into a private members’ club with fully licensed bar.
The Grade I-listed House of St Barnabas in Greek Street is currently used as a “pop-up” club by the Quintessentially Foundation (QF).
The Duchess of Cornwall’s charity wants to make club nights permanent at the House – and has submitted an application to the council’s licensing department.
Film-maker Eddy French, Oldie editor Richard Ingrams , restaurateur Mario Forte and 25 other businesses have put their name to an objection lodged with City Hall.
“We were shocked to learn that it is proposed to change the usage of a large part of the House of St Barnabas, Greek Street, Soho, from its intended use, when left in trust in 1846, as a house for destitute women, to that of a private members’ club with a restaurant and bar.”
QF raises more than £450,000 for the House, supporting the charitable programmes, through the club nights and dozens of people are trained through its Life Skills Programme.
A spokesman said:: “A planning application has been submitted to the council to regularise the current use of the charity’s building as a Life Skills Centre, enabled by the rental of space for offices and a private members’ restaurant and club.”