The Everyday Heroes of Postman's Park |
The Watts Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice in Postman's Park, London, contains fifty-four memorial tablets commemorating sixty-two individuals, men, women and children, each of whom lost their life while attempting to save another. The earliest case featured is that of Sarah Smith, a pantomime artist who died in 1863 and the latest is Leigh Pitt who drowned in 2007. The youngest individual commemorated is eight-year-old Henry Bristow; the oldest, sixty-one-year-old Daniel Pemberton.
Heroes of Postman's Park: Heroic Self-Sacrifice in Victorian London
In this comprehensive book, historian Dr John Price reveals, for the first time, the full details of the fascinating lives and untimely deaths of all sixty-two people commemorated on the Watts Memorial in Postman’s Park.
Set within the historical context of Victorian London, each dramatic real-life story unfolds as the tragic and heroic event is documented in detail. However, the book also uncovers the real people behind each tablet and tells the story of their life, as well as their death, including details of their family history, their spouse and children and what happened to their family after their death.
The book, priced at £16.99 in paperback, is available in all good bookshops as well as many London museums and galleries and online from various outlets including Amazon UK
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The author, Dr John Price, is a Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Goldsmiths, University of London and Chair of the Friends of the Watts Memorial
The Friends of the Watts Memorial
The Friends of the Watts Memorial was established in 2015 with the primary aims of protecting, preserving and promoting the Watts Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice in Postman’s Park London and, ultimately, to work towards completing it in full as its creator, the artist G. F. Watts, originally intended.
Becoming a Friend of the Watts Memorial is FREE and Friends enjoy a range of benefits as well as helping to secure the safety and future of the memorial.
Everyday Heroes on Placecloud
Short Podcasts about some of the Everyday Heroes of Postman's Park can be accessed through the Placecloud website
On Placecloud, researchers tell the stories of the world through “viewpoints”, which are short podcasts about places. These viewpoints reveal the historical significance of the everyday places and people that surround us, bringing the world to life.
Everyday Heroes on Historypin
All the historic incidents that feature on the Watts Memorial in Postman's Park have been mapped on Historypin.
Historypin is a place for people to share photos and stories, telling the histories of their local communities. We would love people to add their own stories and materials to the various pins.
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