Tower Hill Memorial

The Tower Hill Memorial stands in Trinity Square Gardens on Tower Hill in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It consists of two Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials, one for the First World War and one for the Second. A third memorial was added in 2005 to commemorate merchant seamen killed in the 1982 Falklands War. The site has a long maritime history, close to the headquarters of the Port of London Authority and Trinity House. The memorials honour civilian, merchant seafarers and fishermen with no known grave. The First World War memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1928 by Queen Mary. The Second World War memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe and unveiled in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II. More than 17,000 merchant seafarers died in the First World War and 32,000 in the Second. The First World War memorial is a vaulted corridor like a Doric temple, with bronze panels bearing the names of the missing. The Second World War memorial is a sunken garden with bronze panels and relief sculptures representing the seven seas. Two sentries, a Merchant Navy sailor and officer, stand at the top of the steps. The Falklands War memorial is a simpler structure added later. Both world war memorials are listed buildings.