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Sunday 20 November 2011

Info Post
Last week I was very kindly invited to a party for the re-launch of the London Remembers website. Quite simply it aims to capture, online, all of London's memorials. The new site has been developed by the guys behind Londonist's site & its editor Matt Brown gave an introduction to the site & how he met Richenda, the lady that runs the project.

Matt from Londonist at London Remembers Site Re-Launch Richenda from London Remembers

I'm a bit of a fan of blue plaques and memorials, so was pleased to see the site was easy to navigate and really liked the "On this day" section and "Puzzle Corner" - both a good inspiration for blog posts & pub quizzes.

It was good to see the memorial for the people who died at Bethnal Green Tube station in the worst civilian disaster of the second world war & the commuters who lost their lives in the King's Cross Tube fire in 1987 and a blue plaque for Frank Pick, London Underground's MD in 1928, who was responsible for commissioning the Tube's classic Johnston font and the man behind much of design we admire so much today - including the Tube Posters where his eye for up & coming artists meant that people like Abram Games, Man Ray, John Nash, Paul Nash & Edward McKnight Kauffer produced some outstanding Tube artworks.

However, it is lacking some other major London Underground Memorials & as Richenda insists on taking all the photographs herself, when I was chatting to her, I nerdily pointed out that she needs to add the following:

The London Bombings Monument in Hyde Park for the 52 people who lost their lives on July 7th 2005


Monument in Hyde Park to the Victims of the London Bombings on July 7 by The Londoneer

Harry Beck - London Underground Tube Map designer who lived in Finchley & died on 18 September 1974 - he also has a plaque at Finchley Central Tube station

Harry Beck blue plaque sleepymyf



There are a number of memorials for Alfred Hitchcock on London Remembers but the amazing mosiacs at Leytonstone Tube Station are missing. Hitchcock, was born in Leytonstone in the East End of London in 1899 and in 2001 a series of 17 mosaics illustrating his life and scenes from films were installed at the Tube Station there.

Hitchcock Leytonstone London Underground Mosaics - from ticket hall

I'm sure there are a lot of others which could be subject of another whole post and that's not including London railway memorials too.

Richenda has such great reasons as to why the memorials may be missing including "We have the memorial but have not yet published it on the website (known technically as a “back-log” and it’s too darn big). We have not yet searched that area. This applies to a lot of London, but we are working on it."

I wish her every success with the website and if I or she are missing any other Tube related memorials please let us know in the comments.

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