Postman's Park, London, in Patrick Marber's Closer

Well, maybe that seems a bad title because most people – and I admit that includes me – are only familiar with Postman's Park (and therefore Alice Ayres) not directly because of Patrick Marber's play Closer (1997), but because of Mike Nichol's movie Closer (2004), starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. Still, Marber did write the screenplay based on his play, so why not use that title?

Anyway, Postman's Park is a small gem tucked away behind London Museum between Little Britain, Aldersgate Street, and King Edward Street, and its principal feature is George Frederic Watts's Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice (shown in the background of this photo). This is where I try to keep out of the picture and let the images speak for themselves.

'G. F. WATTS MEMORIAL

TO HEROIC SELF SACRIFICE

UNVEILED IN 1900, THE MEMORIAL TO HEROIC SELF-SACRIFICE WAS CONCEIVED AND UNDERTAKEN BY THE VICTORIAN ARTIST

GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS OM RA (1817–1904).

IT CONTAINS PLAQUES TO THOSE WHO HAVE HEROICALLY LOST THEIR LIVES TRYING TO SAVE ANOTHER.

WATTS BELIEVED THAT THESE "EVERYDAY" HEROES PROVIDED MODELS OF EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR AND CHARACTER.

"THE MATERIAL PROSPERITY OF A NATION IS NOT AN ABIDING POSSESSION; THE DEEDS OF ITS PEOPLE ARE" G. F. WATTS

"GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS" JOHN 15:13

WATTS GALLERY, COMPTON, SURREY.'

'IN MEMORIAM
GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS
WHO DESIRING TO HONOUR
HEROIC SELF SACRIFICE
PLACED THESE RECORDS HERE'

This gives a general idea of the layout of the memorial.

And because of the movie and the play, this is the plaque in which most people are interested:

'ALICE AYRES

DAUGHTER OF A BRICKLAYER'S LABOURER

WHO BY INTREPID CONDUCT

SAVED 3 CHILDREN

FROM A BURNING HOUSE

IN UNION STREET BOROUGH

AT THE COST OF HER OWN YOUNG LIFE

APRIL 24 1885'

And for the record I add a few more examples:

'HERBERT MACONOGHU

SCHOOLBOY FROM WIMBLEDON AGED 13

HIS PARENTS ABSENT IN INDIA, LOST

HIS LIFE IN VAINLY TRYING TO RESCUE

HIS TWO SCHOOLFELLOWS WHO WERE

DROWNED AT GLOVERS POOL, CROYDE,

NORTH DEVON AUGUST 28 1882'

'FREDERICK ALFRED CROFT

INSPECTOR AGED 31

SAVED A LUNATIC WOMAN

FROM SUICIDE AT WOOLWICH

ARSENAL STATION BUT WAS

HIMSELF RUN OVER BY A TRAIN

JAN 11 1878'

'THOMAS GRIFFIN

FITTERS LABOURER

APRIL 12 1899 | IN A

BOILER EXPLOSION AT A

BATTERSEA SUGAR REFINERY

WAS FATALLY SCALDED IN

RETURNING TO SEARCH

FOR HIS MATE'

Below is a much more detailed Wikipedia link to the memorials:
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List of tablets on the Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice