J. S. Haldane's Oxford blue plaque
An invitation came from Sir Roger Elliott to be a guest at the unveiling of the Oxford Blue Plaque Society's http://www.oxfordshireblueplaques.org.uk/ 45th plaque, being fixed onto his house in Oxford.
John Scott Haldane moved into 11 Crick Road in 1991, bringing his new bride down the next year. They stayed through the birth of their second child, Haldane sealing off rooms, piping in gas, and running up and down ladders with the a miner's lamp to estimate the gas's distribution around the room. His efforts prevented many thousands dying from the domestic use of water gas in Britain, as was happening in the United States.
I last met Sir Roger (who has lived in the house for 50 years himself) when I was walking my way through J.S.Haldane's life, preparing my biography of the man, and knocked on the door of Crick Road. One of my main aims for the biography was that it would provoke others into examining J.S.Haldane's life.
It was a treat to hear how Oxford is now proudly claiming Haldane as one of their own. The current reader in Physiology from the Oxford labs read my book over Easter so as to regale the assembly with his tales, and brought out Haldane's own haemoglobinometer, filled with Haldane's own blood.
I had travelled the country meeting the grandchildren of J.S.Haldane (through his daughter Naomi Mitchison) ... now many Haldanes and Mitchisons through several generations gathered together in what was once the great man's garden, still with one of the apple trees that gave splendid fruit more than a century ago.
A time comes when a biographer moves on. It's hard to do. Haldane's life is a rich one and there are many facets I've pondered exploring further, in fiction and nonfiction. But now others are running with my story as their own, my job is done.
I stepped from the house, set to walk through the site of Haldane's last home (demolished to make way for Wolfson College but still complete with his favourite walks along the Cherwell), but was flooded with gratitude for the man and the journey we took together, so I returned to take a look at his home one more time.
J.S.Haldane's was an enormously rich life, and it's been a true honour to merge my life with his for a while. I'm now gearing myself to write the life story of a Japanese priest, the next biographical strand in my life, but will surely be carrying lessons from Haldane along with me.
John Scott Haldane moved into 11 Crick Road in 1991, bringing his new bride down the next year. They stayed through the birth of their second child, Haldane sealing off rooms, piping in gas, and running up and down ladders with the a miner's lamp to estimate the gas's distribution around the room. His efforts prevented many thousands dying from the domestic use of water gas in Britain, as was happening in the United States.I last met Sir Roger (who has lived in the house for 50 years himself) when I was walking my way through J.S.Haldane's life, preparing my biography of the man, and knocked on the door of Crick Road. One of my main aims for the biography was that it would provoke others into examining J.S.Haldane's life.
It was a treat to hear how Oxford is now proudly claiming Haldane as one of their own. The current reader in Physiology from the Oxford labs read my book over Easter so as to regale the assembly with his tales, and brought out Haldane's own haemoglobinometer, filled with Haldane's own blood.
I had travelled the country meeting the grandchildren of J.S.Haldane (through his daughter Naomi Mitchison) ... now many Haldanes and Mitchisons through several generations gathered together in what was once the great man's garden, still with one of the apple trees that gave splendid fruit more than a century ago. A time comes when a biographer moves on. It's hard to do. Haldane's life is a rich one and there are many facets I've pondered exploring further, in fiction and nonfiction. But now others are running with my story as their own, my job is done.
I stepped from the house, set to walk through the site of Haldane's last home (demolished to make way for Wolfson College but still complete with his favourite walks along the Cherwell), but was flooded with gratitude for the man and the journey we took together, so I returned to take a look at his home one more time.
J.S.Haldane's was an enormously rich life, and it's been a true honour to merge my life with his for a while. I'm now gearing myself to write the life story of a Japanese priest, the next biographical strand in my life, but will surely be carrying lessons from Haldane along with me.
posted by Martin at 8:18 PM
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