7 July Permanent Memorial design unveiled

080/2008
1 August 2008

The final design for the permanent Memorial to the 52 innocent victims killed in the London bombings on 7 July 2005 was unveiled today.

The design comprises 52 pillars (stelae), each representing one of the victims.  They are grouped together in four inter-linking clusters reflecting the four incidents, with each stele bearing an inscription of the date and location of the particular incident that its cluster represents.   It will be situated in the South East corner of Hyde Park, close to Park Lane and Lover’s Walk. 

A plaque, listing the names of the murdered victims, will be sited in the grass bank at the far eastern end of the Memorial.

The Memorial has been created by a Design Team which has worked in close consultation with representatives of the bereaved families and advisors from The Royal Parks.

A representative of the bereaved families group said:

“This Memorial is a fitting tribute, honouring the 52 lives lost on 7 July 2005, ensuring that the world will never forget them.  It represents the enormity of our loss, both on a personal and public level.  We hope this Memorial will speak to visitors, so they can understand the impact of these horrific events.

“We would like to thank the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and The Royal Parks for their support throughout this project.”
Architect and Director of Carmody Groarke, Kevin Carmody, said:

"We are proud to have had the opportunity to help the bereaved families of the 7 July London bombings create a fitting Memorial to their loved ones. By working in close and constant consultation with them and the wider design team, we have designed something that fulfils their brief to us: to create a Memorial that allows for a collective experience as well as being a place of relative quiet for contemplation for the families and the wider public."

Antony Gormley has acted as an independent artistic advisor to the project in line with the client brief, on a pro-bono basis.   He has been consulted by Carmody Groarke to critique the design at key stages in the development of the design, and said:

“Using the language of architecture to make order out of chaos, this monument is an opportunity for lost victims to be in contact with the living through a process of discovery, where the memorial’s structure becomes complete through the presence and body language of a curious visitor.”

Each stele will be 3.5 metres (approx. 11.48 feet) tall and 15-18 cms (6-7.28 inches) square.  They will be constructed from cast stainless steel, a robust material that is very long lasting.  The casting process of these stelae means that whilst they are all cast from the same mould, each one will be unique. 

A planning application for the construction of the Memorial has been submitted to Westminster City Council. The Memorial will be sited in the South East corner of Hyde Park, between Lover’s Walk and Park Lane.

Subject to planning permission, work on the Memorial is expected to begin on the site in the autumn, with an official unveiling on 7 July 2009.

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Notes to editors

  1. Visualisations of the Memorial in situ can also be viewed on the DCMS website.

  2. The consultation on the Memorial is available at Westminster City Council’s planning section of their website. 

  3. The Royal Parks is charged with the delivery of the Memorial on behalf of the bereaved families. A Project Board chaired by The Royal Parks and comprising representatives from the bereaved families and the DCMS Humanitarian Assistance Unit is overseeing this process.

  4. The Design Team chosen to create the Memorial is made up of Ove Arup and Partners Ltd (lead consultant and engineering services), Carmody Groarke (architect) and Colvin and Moggridge Ltd (landscape architect).  They were appointed on 9 November 2007 – please refer to the press notice.  

  5. Artist Antony Gormley has been commissioned by the Design Team and Project Board as an independent artistic advisor to the project, in line with the requirements contained within the original client brief to ensure the Memorial had artistic merit.  His role was to provide artistic advice on the design as an independently appointed expert in public artworks.

  6. Six representatives of the bereaved families group sit on the 7 July Permanent Memorial Project Board.  They were elected to represent the 52 bereaved families and to work with the design team in creating the design for the permanent Memorial.  The members of the sub-group are:

    • Sean Cassidy, who lost his son, Ciaran, at Kings Cross
    • Marie Fatayi-Williams, who lost her son, Anthony, at Tavistock Square
    • Graham Foulkes, who lost his son, David, at Edgware Road
    • Saba Mozakka, who lost her mother, Behnaz, at Kings Cross
    • Julie Nicholson, who lost her daughter, Jennifer, at Edgware Road
    • Grahame Russell, who lost his son, Philip, at Tavistock Square      

  7. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Humanitarian Assistance Unit has been closely involved in supporting victims of major disasters since 2005 when Tessa Jowell was asked formally to take on the role of Minister for Humanitarian Assistance.  Tessa first became involved after September 11 2001.  The Unit’s role is to ensure the needs of British people affected by emergencies are understood and properly considered within Government, in building preparedness for and responding to emergencies.  It also represents the Government and explains its policies when dealing with victims and their families.

  8. It was announced on 13 February 2006 that a permanent Memorial was to be created, which was followed by the Chancellor’s announcement of £1 million Government funding for this project.  Both these press releases are available on the DCMS website (13 February 2006 and 22 March 2006 announcements).

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