This belated memorial is to those who perished in what remains Britain’s biggest Tube disaster, as well as the biggest loss of civilian life in a single incident throughout the Second World War. On 3 March 1943, 27 men, 84 women and 62 children were crushed to death on the stairs descending into Bethnal Green Tube Station whilst trying to escape an air raid. The War Office initially blamed this terrible accident on a “direct hit” [by a bomb] when, in actual fact, the Tube entrance simply wasn’t fit for purpose at the time; too narrow, poorly lit and with no dividing barriers. Finally a fitting, beautiful tribute to those whose deaths should have been avoided.

Wonderful memorial for a grim day in WW2, 173 died in a crush at Bethnal Green tube station. The station was used as an air raid shelter Carefully read the inscriptions on the memorial, which describe this extremely sad event.

This is a beautiful memorial to the 173 people who died in Britain’s worst wartime civilian disaster. All of who where crushed to death while mistakenly trying to escape an air raid by going into the underground station serving as an air raid shelter. The memorial is made up of a marble base shaped like a gentle slope winding it's way up towards upside down teak staircase. There's holes in the roof of the wooden staircase, one for each of the victims of the disaster. Nice to see this belated memorial to ordinary Londeners instead of another statue of some privileged aristocrat.

A quirky memorial to an officially suppressed wartime catastrophe on the underground station’s stairwell : the worst civilian casualty rate of WWII on 3/03/1943 - 173 dead. A bizarre looming wooden inverted stairwell remindful of potential imminent collapse. Well-intentioned, heartfelt but regrettably named; an appellation where sentimentality, bathos and genuine pathos squeamishly coexist.

OMG!!!so very emotional...My mumzi lost family in the Bethnal Green tube disaster😢 BUT worth a visit folks!!!x

Remembers the 173 who died. Quotations from survivors bring tears to the eyes.

Poignant memorial and story of a long-hidden tragedy. Sculpture is well laid out and the stories of families from the event are truly touching.

Very simple, very moving and well worth a visit. It's just a shame it's taken this long to get a proper memorial for the victims of the greatest civilian disaster of WW2.

Fantastic place

Went here with a group of schoolchildren. It's a very poignant memorial due to the fact that it's a memorial to local civilians who were killed in a tragic accident during the second world war

You make a stairway to heaven... But when you reach the top you are still in Bethnal Green.... Far from heaven😂😂😂

It is a beautiful monument to remember those who died .

Beautiful Memorial. Visit at night, when the stairway is lit up very beautifully.

Visited here whilst staying in nearby hotel, didnt know what the stairs were for until we read about the disaster. Sat & ate in silence with a heavy heart, very moving & poignant place, such a tragic event must be remembered.

its about time we got this, makes a change that we remember the people that were the backbone of our fight against threat of invasion that come from home soil, I hope it is respected as some of the people that live here now have no loyalty to the area, I remember the original bronze plaque above the underground entrance was stolen within days of it being put up.

Heart touching

(Translated by Google) This inverted stairway reminds us very much of the monument to Francesc Macià that is located in Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona and which is the work of the sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs (Original) Aquesta escala invertida recorda molt la del monument a Francesc Macià que es troba a la Plaça de Catalunya de Barcelona i que és obra de l'escultor Josep Maria Subirachs

🙏🏻

Very nice memorial in the heart of Bethnal Green.