Postman's Park: The hidden corner of the City where stories of those who died saving others are told

 
Heroic tales: the memorial was conceived by G. F. Watts to mark Queen Victoria's jubilee
Robin de Peyer13 March 2015

Nestled in a corner of the City lies Postman's Park - the nondescript home to some of London's most remarkable stories of self-sacrifice and heroism.

Eight-year-old Henry Bristow saved his baby sister's life during a fire in Walhamstow in 1890, but died himself in the process.

Frederick Croft perished when he was hit by a train a Woolwich station while trying to save a "lunatic" from suicide in 1878.

And Solomon Galaman, who died aged 11 after stopping his brother from being run over, is commemorated with the poignant phrase: "Mother I saved him, but I could not save myself".

They are just three of 62 courageous men, women and children commemorated at the park's Watts Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice.

The memorial is nestled in the City, beneath what was formerly the headquarters of the General Post Office

The extraordinary stories were collated by artist George Frederic Watts, who put forward the idea for a memorial in a letter to The Times in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. Watts had collected hundreds of newspaper cuttings of heroic acts - from which the most astonishing were chosen for the memorial.

It finally opened in 1900, four years before Watts died. Since then, dozens more lives have been remembered - the most recent addition being Leigh Pitt, who drowned saving a nine-year-old boy who had fallen into a canal in south-east London in 2007.

17 heroic individuals remembered at Postman's Park

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Its name was derived from its surroundings; the park is overlooked by the former site of the headquarters of the General Post Office. And the memorial within it is now Grade II listed, providing workers from some of the world's biggest banks and firms based nearby in the City with a chance for quiet reflection.

"If you read it, it's very moving," said Mai Dillon, a business analyst who uses the park to snatch moments of peace. "It tells of all these people, even as young as children aged 10, who heroically gave their lives to save people. They're very touching stories."

Despite it being featured in the 2004 film Closer, starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts, the park today remains one of London's best kept secrets.

In 2010, a meeting of interest groups charged with maintaining the park decided that no further plaques should be added.

The park's website explains: "The reasons behind this decision were that the memorial was a personal project of G. F. Watts and his vision and influence were intrinsic to its character, that the memorial predated the modern honours system which now allows for posthumous recognition and that the historical integrity of the memorial would be further compromised by additional tablets."

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