Philip Larkin and Monica Jones black plaque

This black commemorative plaque records: 1A Ratcliffe Road, Haydon Bridge. Writer Philip Larkin & Monica Jones, his companion of 40 years, shared this secret love nest from 1961 to 1984. "I thought your little house seemed...distinguished and exciting and beautiful...it looks splendid, and it can never be ordinary with the Tyne going by outside...a great English river drifting under your window, brown and muscled with currents!" Philip Larkin April 19xx

Philip Larkin CH CBE FRSL was a prominent British poet and librarian; Monica Jones was his long-term companion. Their relationship, spanning four decades, is significant for understanding the personal life of one of Britain's most influential post-war poets.