Postman’s Park

Named due to its popularity as a lunchtime garden with workers from the nearby old General Post Office, Postman’s Park is a tranquil garden, near to St Paul’s Cathedral.

In 1900, the park became the location for George Frederic Watts's Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a memorial to ordinary people who died whilst saving the lives of others and who might otherwise be forgotten. A wooden shelter covering a wall on which are mounted fifty-four memorial tablets which commemorate sixty-two individuals, men, women and children, each of whom lost their life while attempting to save another.

Only four of the planned 120 memorial tablets were in place at the time of its opening, with a further nine tablets added during Watts's lifetime. After Watts's death in 1904, his wife, Mary Watts, took over the management of the project and oversaw the installation of a further 35 memorial tablets in the following four years along with a small monument to Watts.

The inscriptions are fascinating to read, many deeply poignant, each celebrating the selfless heroism of individuals. Several children’s books have used this location, such as Ross Montgomery’s ‘Spellstone’ (review here). Whatever the weather, Postman’s Park is a lovely place to pass the time- and reflect on the genuine goodness of people when so often we only hear of the bad.

Postman’s Park

King Edward St,

London

EC1A 7BT