Knoll

Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice

West Smithfield · 0.6 miles

A collection of ceramic tablets in Postman’s Park commemorates ordinary individuals who died while saving others, ensuring their deeds are not forgotten. The monument stands in the City of London, close to West Smithfield, and forms part of the park’s historic setting. Visitors can view the wall of tiles arranged in three visible rows, with the original 24 De Morgan tablets occupying the central row, a second row of later additions above, and a fourth row added in 1908 below. The design includes a 50-foot wooden loggia that shelters the wall, and the tiles record fifty-four incidents ranging from a police officer’s bravery to a schoolboy’s sacrifice. Although the original plan allowed for 120 tablets, work ceased in 1931 with 53 in place; a further tablet was added in 2009, marking the first new addition in 78 years. The memorial’s development began with a proposal by painter-sculptor George Frederic Watts in 1887, later revived by St Botolph’s vicar Henry Gamble in 1898. After Watts’s death, his widow Mary Watts oversaw the project until work stopped in the early 1930s. Subsequent tiles were produced by William De Morgan, Royal Doulton and, more recently, in the Royal Doulton style. Access to the site is via the public pathways of Postman’s Park; wheelchair access is limited, and no admission fee or visitor facilities are recorded. The monument remains open to the public as part of the park’s landscape.

Finsbury Square

Cheapside · 0.6 miles

A public green of about 0.7 hectare lies on the east side of City Road, opposite Bunhill Fields, and is managed by Islington Council. The square incorporates a six-rink grass bowling green and an underground NCP car park, with two former petrol-station sites now used for surface parking. It is served by bus routes 21, 43, 141 and 214 and sits roughly 200 m north of Moorgate station, 300 m north-west of Liverpool Street station and 400 m south of Old Street station, making it easily reachable on foot or by public transport. An occasional farmers’ market is held on the site, and entry to the green is free. Originally laid out in 1777 as a planned quadrangle of terraced town houses surrounding a central garden, the area was previously part of the open Finsbury Fields in the parish of St Luke’s. From the late-19th century the residential buildings were replaced by larger commercial premises. Throughout its history the square has hosted a range of occupants, including the Temple of the Muses, James Lackington’s bookshop and the early home of the rabbinical seminary that later became the London School of Jewish Studies (1855–81). In the early 20th century the City of London Yeomanry were based at 39 Finsbury Square, a site now occupied by City Gate House. Today the western side contains a 150 000 sq ft office block used by the London Metal Exchange, while the north side is dominated by Triton Court and Royal London House, the latter now operating as The Montcalm Hotel. The east side houses the University of Liverpool’s London campus and Grant Thornton’s offices. The square continues to function as an open space within a dense commercial district, offering both recreational facilities and easy access to surrounding transport links.

Dr. Johnsons House

Bank · 0.6 miles

Dr Johnson's House is a writer's house museum in London in the former home of the 18th-century English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson. The house is a Grade I listed building.

St Paul's Churchyard

West Smithfield · 0.6 miles

The area surrounding St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London has served as a public space with a long commercial and civic history. Historically the precinct incorporated St Paul’s Cross, an open-air pulpit where statements on the political and religious changes of the Reformation were proclaimed during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A single execution is recorded there: the hanging of clergyman Henry Garnet, one of the conspirators in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. By the early modern period the site functioned as one of London’s main marketplaces, and as of 2024 the narrow lane to the north of the cathedral grounds bears the name St Paul’s Churchyard. With the introduction of printing, the location became the focal point of England’s book trade before the activity shifted to nearby Paternoster Row. The trade was initially dominated by foreign booksellers; a 1484 act passed by Richard III’s only parliament encouraged their presence, and the king intervened to secure exemptions for printers and booksellers from later protectionist measures. The area is also mentioned by Alexander Pope in *An Essay on Criticism*, where he uses it as a literary reference. Today the site is classified as a park and is operated by St Paul’s Cathedral. It lies close to West Smithfield and can be reached on foot from surrounding streets. No admission fee or specific visitor facilities are listed, so access is unrestricted and the space forms part of the open environment surrounding the cathedral.

Queen Anne

Bank · 0.6 miles

A copy of Francis Bird’s 1712 marble statue of Queen Anne stands in the forecourt on the west side of St Paul’s Cathedral, within the City of London and closest to the Bank area. The monument, which achieved Grade II listed status in 1972, presents the monarch in regal attire, holding a gilded orb and sceptre while facing Ludgate Hill. She is set upon a Portland-stone pedestal designed by Christopher Wren, the base being flanked by four allegorical figures that represent England, France, Ireland and North America, each bearing distinct symbols such as a trident, fleur-de-lys, harp and a feathered headdress. Heavy cast-iron railings enclose the three-step platform that supports the pedestal. The present sculpture replaces the original, which had been unveiled at a thanksgiving service for the Peace of Utrecht on 7 July 1713 and suffered repeated vandalism and weathering by the late 19th century. In 1885 a replica was commissioned from Sicilian marble; after the original sculptor, Richard Claude Belt, was imprisoned, Louis-Auguste Malempré completed the work. Installation was overseen by city architect Sir Horace Jones and the statue was unveiled by Lord Mayor Reginald Hanson on 15 December 1886. The monument’s inscriptions record both the 1712 erection of the first statue and the 1886 funding by the Corporation of London. Visitors to the cathedral’s forecourt can view the figure and its surrounding allegorical groupings at any time the cathedral precinct is open to the public.

Lincoln's Inn

Gray's Inn · 0.6 miles

A Portland stone monument set within the historic precincts of Lincoln’s Inn commemorates members of the Inn of Court who lost their lives while on active service in the First World War. Erected in 1921, the structure was designated a Grade II listed building in 1999. The ensemble measures roughly 46 feet (14 m) in length and rests on a three-step stone base; a central pylon is flanked by a curved screen that incorporates seating, terminating in piers at each end. Latin inscriptions on the screen and monument read “HOSPITIUM SOC I S / SANGUINEM PRO PATRIA LARGITIS / FILIIS PARENTES”, while the end piers bear the Roman-numeral dates 1914 and 1919 in the apostrophus form. Brass plaques on the interior faces of the piers list 35 names of the fallen, and a bronze plaque on the pylon records a further 66 names in two columns. A later addition includes a bronze plaque naming 29 individuals from the Second World War, among them Prince George, Duke of Kent. The memorial forms part of a wider network of remembrance within Lincoln’s Inn, which also contains a commemorative table, a book of remembrance, a chapel plaque, and a memorial to the 1915 Zeppelin air raid. The site lies in close proximity to Gray’s Inn, as indicated by OpenStreetMap, and can be viewed at street level within the inn’s public areas. Admission is unrestricted, and no specific visitor facilities are recorded.