Stairway to Heaven, Bethnal Green Memorial

A memorial born from tragedy

On the evening of 3 March 1943, as air-raid sirens sounded across London, hundreds of East End residents hurried towards Bethnal Green Underground Station, then used as an air-raid shelter. In the darkness of the blackout, a sudden burst of nearby anti-aircraft rocket fire caused panic. Crowds surged down the station’s single, narrow entrance staircase, where a woman’s stumble at the bottom triggered a fatal crush. Within moments, around 300 people were trapped on the steps and landing, unable to move. By the time rescuers cleared the stairwell, 173 people had died, including 62 children, making it the worst civilian disaster in Britain during the Second World War.

Design and symbolism

The Stairway to Heaven Memorial, unveiled in December 2017, is a powerful and contemplative work by architect Harry Paticas. It takes the form of an inverted, hollow staircase made of sustainable teak, mounted above a concrete plinth in Bethnal Green Gardens. The dimensions of the sculpture match the confined space where the victims were crushed, and 173 angled cones in its ceiling allow light to filter through, each representing one of the lives lost. The surnames of the victims are carved into the sides of the staircase, while the plinth below bears their full names, ages and poignant quotes from survivors and relatives.

A place of remembrance

Surrounding paving stones align with the original station steps, grounding the memorial in the exact location of the tragedy. A small uplight replicates the dim 25-watt bulb that was the only illumination at the shelter entrance that night. The memorial is not a traditional statue or plaque, but an immersive, architectural space that invites quiet reflection. Annual memorial services are held here and at nearby St John on Bethnal Green Church, where the names of all 173 victims are read aloud and candles lit in their memory.

From silence to recognition

For decades, the full story of the disaster was suppressed. Official reports initially suggested the station had been bombed, but there had been no air raid over Bethnal Green that night. Local authorities had repeatedly requested safety improvements to the entrance, including a central handrail and better lighting, but were denied by central government. After the disaster, those measures were swiftly implemented, but Bethnal Green Council was sworn to secrecy under the Official Secrets Act, leaving survivors, rescuers and families without public acknowledgment or support. The memorial finally gives long-overdue recognition to those who died and to the systemic failures that contributed to the tragedy.