Postman’s Park — A Hidden Jewel of the City
The memorial that remembers those who gave everything for strangers — and the places where it actually happened
Sat almost in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, Postman’s Park is a hidden jewel in the City of London. Its visitors are a mix of those who stumble upon it by accident and faithful adherents who return year after year to see the one thing that makes this little park so very special — the Victorian Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice.
The memorial commemorates men, women, boys and girls who lost their lives whilst attempting to save others — ordinary people who, in a moment of extraordinary courage, did something that cost them everything. The tiles record their names, their ages, and in the briefest of descriptions, what they did. No one who visits can ever quite forget it.
This tour begins at the memorial — and then travels to the very spots in London where those acts of heroism took place. Along the way we walk through neighbourhoods that have changed little in the intervening years, hearing the stories that made headlines around the world in the 19th century but are now largely forgotten. Passing St Paul’s, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Shard, this is a side of London rarely visited even by Londoners.
The memorial tile of Alice Ayres — one of the most celebrated of the Victorian heroes remembered at Postman’s Park
Alice Ayres — her story, and where it happened, are part of this tour
A Personal Connection Unlike Any Other
Your guide has been visiting Postman’s Park on an almost daily basis for over a decade — it has been part of his working life since he founded Ye Olde England Tours in 2012. He has visited the memorial more times than he can count, and the feeling it produces has never once diminished.
On 6th February 2020, on the London Underground, he witnessed a crazed man about to push two people off a train. He pushed them both out of harm’s way — only to be pushed backwards off the train himself, falling onto the edge of the platform and then down onto the tracks. Miraculously, he survived.
After leaving St Bartholomew’s Hospital, he hobbled to Postman’s Park and sat there — in pain, and somewhat bemused at what had just happened. He realised that not only had he risked his life to save two strangers, but that only by a stroke of luck had he been spared the same fate as the heroic names on the wall he knew so well.
“I felt a connection with these people and I wanted to travel in their footsteps. Angels of Postman’s Park is part history book, part guidebook, and in some ways a personal pilgrimage — by someone who has walked a little way in their shoes.”
The book that inspired this tour is available now
The Victorian streets of London where the stories of the memorial actually unfolded
A private tour through a side of London rarely visited even by Londoners
Pricing — 3 Hour Tour
Per Person — Guide Included
Entry fees not included. Child prices on request. Departure 9:30am. Booking by email.
Book via the calendar below, by email, or through Viator.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Angels of Postman’s Park Tour
Departure Time:9.30 am
City Location: London
Duration of Tour: 3 hours
How to book Angels of Postman’s Park Tour
To make a booking please contact us above or alternatively you can book by using the automated booking process with Viator.
