Postman's Park
King Edward Street
EC1
E: parks.gardens@cityoflondon.gov.uk
W: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/citygardens
Visitor Information
This scenic park acquired its name due to its popularity as a lunchtime garden with workers from the nearby old General Post Office. It is home to the famous Watts memorial, built in 1900 by Victorian painter and philanthropist GF Watts (1817-1904).
Watts was a radical socialist with strong sympathies towards the dreadful living conditions of the urban poor, and in 1887, wrote to the Times proposing that a park commemorating 'heroic men and women' who had given their lives attempting to save others would be a worthy way to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee year. This eventually took the form of the Watts gallery in Postman's Park.
Along the walls of the gallery Watts placed glazed Doulton tablets commemorating acts of bravery, each one detailing the nature of the heroic act. The tragic tales documented on the tiles are touching, often involving children and usually concerning fire, drowning or train accidents.
The garden also features an attractive sundial surrounded by bright flower beds and a gently trickling fountain. Plants of particular interest are the large banana, Musa basjoo, which flowers in late summer, and the dove tree, davidia involucrata.