A print of Postman’s Park in the City of London measures 34cm x 45cm in image size, excluding the white border. It is carefully packaged and delivered in a sturdy tube.
Postman’s Park has always intrigued me. In the past, I often stumbled upon this beautiful space while walking through the City of London. But every time, I left without being able to find it again—it felt like a hidden treasure, with its exact location and even its name eluding me.
Earlier this year, a client asked me to paint Postman’s Park. I was thrilled to discover it was the very park I had been searching for all this time.
Why is it called Postman’s Park?
The name has a simple origin. Built near the General Post Office, it became a favorite lunchtime retreat for postmen. Today, it offers a peaceful escape for stressed City workers and patients recovering at nearby St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, just across the street.
Before becoming a park, this space served as a graveyard for several local churches, some designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The church you see here is St. Botolph’s Aldersgate. Over time, the graveyard became so overcrowded that the ground level rose by 1.8 meters to accommodate the many burials.
Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice (The Watts Memorial)
At one end of the park, you’ll find a remarkable tribute: the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice. This installation honors ordinary individuals who gave their lives to save others. Artist G.F. Watts proposed the idea in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, but the project only came to life in 1898 when Henry Gamble, the vicar of St. Botolph’s Aldersgate, championed it to raise the park’s profile.
The memorial features 24 tablets, each commemorating an act of heroism that sadly ended in the rescuer’s death. Space remains for many more, reminding visitors of the bravery and sacrifice of ordinary heroes.
It’s a fascinating and very moving read. A few examples are:
Thomas Griffin
Fitters Labourer
April 12, 1899
In a boiler explosion at a Battersea sugar refinery was fatally scalded in returning to search for his mate.
Almost all are from the 19th century, but this more recent one reads:
Leigh Pitt
Reprographic operator
Aged 30, saved a drowning boy from the canal at Thamesmead, but sadly was unable to save himself
June 7, 2007
