There are many moments in Londoners’ lives where we get very annoyed at the little things: people who stand on the left rather than the right of escalators for example (very annoying). However spending a few minutes in Postman’s Park with the Watts Memorial will make any cynical Londoner re-evaluate the important things in life.

Unveiled at the beginning of the 20th century, the Watts Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice is a haunting collection of ceramic tablets commemorating those people who sacrificed their lives for others. Along with the names of the heroes, the plaques record the stories of how they sacrificed themselves – often for total strangers. Some people drowned to save others, while others perished by fire or were trampled by runaway horses.  

The park itself is quite small and easily overlooked by tourists rushing to St. Paul’s or the London Wall. Personally, I think spending a half hour for reflection here will have more impact than many tourist destinations London can offer.