Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin (above) was born in Coventry in 1922 and lived in the city until he was 18, co-editing his school magazine, The Coventrian. There are multiple dedications to the poet, including a pub (the sports bar type, bizarrely) and a plaque at the station referencing ‘I Remember, I Remember’. As a teenager, Larkin developed a keen interest in jazz and was later a critic for The Telegraph. His words have inspired composers including William Beckmann, who set The North Ship for voice and saxophone, and David Holloway, who used poems including The Whitsun Weddings as a basis for an electroinstrumental album.