Postman’s Park – Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice

Craig’s review… This is a popular lunch break place – people sit on the benches and fiddle with their phones for twenty minutes until it’s time to go back to work. That is what modern life is like: while we’re at work we press buttons on our computer, and when we’re on a tea-break we press buttons on our phones. And then we go home and press buttons on the telly. Buttons, buttons, buttons. I wonder if it’s possible to pass an entire day without pressing a single button? Probably not.

Technically this place is the churchyard of St. Botolph’s but everyone calls it Postman’s Park. They’ve got a little pond with a few fish in it (surprisingly big fish for such a little pond), a few pigeons, a few squirrels, a few fallen leaves… and a cemetery without any graves.

Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice

If you enjoy reading about people burning to death, getting blown up, getting knocked down by a train, or drowning in an icy cold lake then you’re going to absolutely love this place. If you look underneath the wooden veranda at the back then you’ll find some creamy green and blue ceramic plaques that commemorate the deaths of 54 brave souls who woke up in the morning and died before bedtime, trying to save a stranger from the Grim Reaper.

Here’s a little taste of the terror: George Funnell died in a pub fire trying to drag the barmaid out; Mrs Yarman burned to death on a flaming staircase whilst trying to save her decrepit and bedridden mother; Mary Rogers got swallowed up in the sea after handing her lifebelt to a screaming kid; Fred Croft saved a suicidal guy from jumping in front of a train only to get flattened by the oncoming carriage, and Sarah Smith somehow managed to burn to death whilst wearing an inflammable dress (I hope she got a refund).

There are stories about runaway horses, kids getting pulled under the water in a tangle of seaweed, burning sugar factories… you name it, it’s here. If you’re on the lookout for a new nightmare then this is a great place to find one. The owners seem to have abandoned the plaques after a few years because most of the spaces remain empty, so either they ran out of money or they ran out of heroes.

Worth a visit? ★☆☆Value for money? n/aGood for kids? ☆☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… . Whilst you’re in the vicinity of Postman’s Park you might like to visit the Museum of London

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon