Ms Marson was already an experienced writer and journalist by the time she joined the BBC in 1939.

Her first role in the corporation was working at the Alexandra Palace television studios.

When war broke out and the BBC’s TV services were shutdown, she transferred to radio to work both behind the scenes and on air.

Ms Marson later joined full-time as a programme assistant in the "Empire Programmes" department, where her interest in poetry led her to elevate authors from the Caribbean.

She also broadcasted messages from servicemen and women in England to their friends and families in the Caribbean, in her popular weekly series: Calling the West Indies.

In 2009, a Blue Plaque was unveiled at her former home on Brunswick Square in Camberwell.

The council said the community chose the name for the library to "honour Southwark's rich cultural tradition".

Mr Williams said: "We are also opening the doors to another haven for our community - a place to relax, learn, meet and be inspired, whether you are one or 91.

He also described it as a "significant milestone" in the redevelopment of the Aylesbury area.

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