Do your remember 'Lift Men' (In America called 'Elevator Attendants' or 'Operators')?
They have been phased out over the years, since lifts have become fully automatic.
However, at one time they were a common sight, particularly in the larger London department stores, such as Selfridges, Gamages and Libertys.
John Betjeman wrote this poem about a lift man, probably at Derry and Tom's (Barker's) in Kensington High Street, as it refers to a roof-garden.
The gardens there cover 1.5 acres and are split into three parts:
* A formal Spanish garden, in a Moorish style, with fountains, vine-covered walkways and Chusan palms;
* A Tudor style garden, with wisteria and roses;
* An English woodland garden, with over 100 species of trees, a stream, and a garden pond that is the home to some ducks and flamingos. Despite being on a rooftop, the trees were made the subject of tree preservation orders in 1976.
But I digress - on to the poem:
THE LIFT MAN
In uniform behold me stand,
The lovely lift at my command.
I press the button: Pop,
And down I go below the town;
The walls rise up as I go down
And in the basement stop.
For weeks I've worked a morning shift
On this old Waygood-Otis lift.
And goodness, don't I love
To press the knob that shuts the gate
When customers are shouting 'Wait!'
And soar to floors above.
I see them from my iron cage,
Their faces looking up in rage,
And then I call 'First floor!'
'Perfume and ladies' underwear!
'No sir, Up only. Use the stair.'
And up again we soar.
The second floor for kiddie goods,
And kiddie-pantz and pixie-hoods,
The third floor, restaurant:
And here the people always try
To find one going down, so I
Am not the lift they want.
On the roof-garden floor alone
I wait for ages on my own
High, high above the crowds.
O let them rage and let them ring,
For I am out of everything,
Alone among the clouds.
John Betjeman
Betjeman wrote this poem for Gerard Hoffnung, who is famous for his monologue "The Bricklayer's Story", which I will post here tomorrow.
