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# Handwritten letters from poet Philip Larkin to cousin in Lichfield to be sold at auction
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/handwritten-letters-from-poet-philip-larkin-to-cousin-in-lichfield-to-be-sold-at-auction/
- Published: 2023-01-25T08:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-01-23T15:47:54.000Z
- Description: Handwritten correspondence from poet and novelist Philip Larkin to his cousin in Lichfield is coming up for auction in the city.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:07, News

Handwritten correspondence from poet and novelist Philip Larkin to his cousin in Lichfield is coming up for auction in the city.

The archive goes under the hammer in a Richard Winterton Auctioneers sale on 15th February.

It includes one of the final Christmas cards Larkin would have sent, postmarked 17th December 1984 – he died the following year on 2nd December, aged 63.

The correspondence to Larkin’s cousin, Vera Thorpe, came to light after being discovered in an attic in Sutton Coldfield, begins with a letter from 1977 to an address in Beacon Street, Lichfield. The others were all sent in the early 1980s to a home in Longstaff Croft.

Although the literary figure himself was born in Coventry, Larkin’s father Sydney’s family lived in Lichfield since the 18th century, trading as tailors, coach-builders and shoe-makers, and the poet continued an association with the cathedral city until his death.

In one letter on headed notepaper dated 9th October 1984, Larkin writes:

> “Thank you for your letter, letting me know your married name.  
>  
> “It is nice to know there is at least one Larkin in Lichfield but perhaps there are more?  
>  
> “While uncle Alfred was alive my mother and I used to visit him from time to time. I liked Lichfield but the streets seemed very narrow for the traffic. Perhaps they have changed.”  
>  
> Letter from Philip Larkin

In addition to the letters and cards, the lot includes a first edition of the book Required Writing – Miscellaneous Pieces 1955-1982, a photograph of Mrs Thorpe holding said book, an order of service for Larkin’s memorial at Westminster Abbey in 1986, and a ticket stub from the Lichfield Festival’s celebration of Philip Larkin in July of that year.

There are also 20 theatre programmes dated 1949-1952 and vintage guides to Lichfield Cathedral and the city’s St Michael’s Church.

Ephemera valuer Robert French said:

> “While tinged with a somewhat moribund air at times – unsurprising given Larkin’s typical preoccupation with mortality – the letters and cards are also peppered with self-deprecating wit and genuine affection for his relative.  
>  
> “In the letter dated October 1984, Larkin adopts a rather wistful tone, discussing his memories of Lichfield and expressing his surprise at having lived in Hull for almost 30 years – ‘something I can hardly believe’, he says, adding ‘and am 62 – can’t believe that either’.  
>  
> “He goes on to discuss his sister Catherine’s family, refers to his mother’s death some eight years prior and ends by asking for more information on Vera and ‘the rest of the family’.  
>  
> “It is poignant to think that at the time of this correspondence, Larkin’s own death was now fast approaching – the following year he began to suffer from oesophageal cancer, by June it was found to have spread and he died on 2nd December.  
>  
> “While writing those last communiques to cousin Vera, could he have had a sense that he was coming to the end of his days?”  
>  
> Robert French

The archive is estimated to sell for around £300 to £500 when it goes under the hammer.