1961, GREAT BRITAIN : John Betjeman reads William Horton's petition to save Lewisham Town Hall. Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984) was an English poet, writer and broadcaster. He became poet laureate in 1972 and was a popular figure on British television in the 1960s and 1970s. Betjeman was a founding member of the Victorian Society, a charity which supports the research and preservation of Victorian architecture. William Horton, who campaigned to save Lewisham Town Hall, is here showing Betjeman some of the signatures on his petition. The first Town Hall was built in 1875 and enlarged in 1901.